Meanwhile... Wilkinson has been out since Week 8 due to a knee injury. His return would be huge as the Falcons have struggled to stay healthy at left guard since Wilkinson’s injury. Offensive lineman Matt Hennessy has been designated to return from injured reserve. Atlanta is also anticipating the return of rookie LB Arnold Ebiketie and defensive lineman Jalen Dalton this week.
Well, his reason for leaving the team is now being reported by SI. His wife gave birth yesterday. It may have been lost in the shuffle with the media because she initially went into labor over a week ago. But no baby yet. So as soon as Arthur Smith made the decision at QB, Mariota didn't need to be there to take the first team practice reps anymore, so off he went to be with his wife. Somehow Arthur Smith forgot to remind the media that she hadn't delivered yet. Apparently Mariota also took the opportunity to have the knee examined by physicians not affiliated with the team, which seems to be an issue for the coach. The Athletic and PFT articles are making it sound like he already make some kind of decision to have surgery. The timing would be tricky as we only have three weeks and a few days left in the regular season. Meanwhile... Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is currently out nursing his own knee injury, and with the Ravens potentially needing the extra win for their own playoff chances, the word is now out that he might return for their game against the Falcons on Christmas Eve.
The other amusing side of this... D-Led mentions Edoga and Hennessy along with Wilkinson. They had both filled in at left guard after Wilkinson went on IR, and both got hurt while doing so. Hennessy ended up on IR himself. The team ended up having to start four different guys at left guard in four weeks. It shows that they have much better depth this year than last year. Colby Gossett has played well, and the team still has Germain Ifedi available (plus two practice squad call-ups) if something happened to Gossett.
Its very rare these days in the NFL for an o-line to stay in tact for a season. I remember a Vikings squad that nearly played in tact for most of a season and really was an advantage, but these days if your lucky enough to be deep, you will have to use the guys off the pine... a lot. Like you said, fortunately the Falcons are holding the fort with the depth they have. Other teams arnt so blessed.
lol... surprise, surprise. Just a little minor detail left out of the equation. That really explains a lot. The fog of this story has lifted a tad.
Arthur Smith will meet with the media again today after practice. Hopefully the articles that come out tonight and tomorrow morning will backpedal and the writers will stop throwing Mariota under the bus. I went back and listened to Smith's comments from Monday, in a video that was embedded in an article that Tori McElhaney posted on the team's web site yesterday. (I'm impressed with Tori's writing. She was writing for the Athletic last year but has moved over to the Falcons own web site this year.) He didn't actually say anything along the lines of Mariota being angry. Someone had asked how the conversation with Mariota this time around compared to when Smith benched him with the Titans in 2019. Smith's response was that it's the head coach who makes those decisions, so it was Vrabel rather than Smith who made the call in 2019 and had the talk with Mariota. He said it's always difficult to have those conversations, but it's part of being a head coach. He said he had that discussion with Mariota on Thursday, in person, because that's the way it should be done. I guess the writers took the word "difficult" and ran with it. But if you go back and listen to it, it's obvious he was talking about it being difficult in that it's a heavy responsibility that he bears now as the head coach and that he didn't have that role in 2019. He didn't say anything negative about Mariota at all. He also didn't say anything that was actually negative about Mariota getting his knee checked out. He said the injury wasn't a factor in the decision to start Ridder. He said he anticipates that Mariota will end up going on IR, but that no decisions have been made yet. He said Mariota isn't there at the moment, so he simply didn't have an update. At least in the part of the press conference that was posted, he said nothing about Mariota being gone specifically because his wife was giving birth. All he said was that Mariota isn't there and that he wasn't sure when Mariota would return. I'm sure that helped fuel the fire, inadvertently. I hope today's press conference will clear that up. The one other thing I disagreed with is he made a brief mention that the knee injury wasn't a factor in Mariota's recent performance. I strongly question that, and for that matter I question whether it would even be possible for Smith to know how much a factor a gimpy knee is in a quarterback's throwing motion. Maybe Mariota was telling him each week that "I'm fine, I'm good to go" etc. But come on... you plant with one leg and drive forward through the other. If either knee is a problem, it's going to be more difficult to get accurate placement of a ball traveling 25 yards through the air. He did avoid putting blame on Mariota, so he truly was not intending to throw the quarterback under the bus. In saying it was based on performance, he clarified that it's also Ridder's own performance in practice - he's ready - as well as the performance of the offensive line. Smith didn't want to throw Ridder out on the field early in the season with a shaky line if he could help it. But now the running game has come together, the offensive line is playing well, Ridder has advanced enough that Smith thinks he's ready, and the offense needs some kind of extra spark. Smith repeatedly said the goal is to try to get the offense "over the hump" and keep it improving, and once he actually did use the term "spark".
lol, dream on, brother. They dont backpedal, they go to silence mode. She sounds smart too. Thats a good point. Only Marcus knows. The coach, at the same time, may only know what a QB says to him and what else can a HC do but run with what the QB says it at times. It seemed to me initially that the switch to Ridder was based on statistical stats and the over-all record over the past 5 games... Marcus wasnt cutting the mustard, so with all going on, lets go with, Ridder. Seems a lot of the goings on with this QB situation and Smith and the Falcons is based on a communications breakdown. Which reminds me, I love some Led Zeppelin...
Pees, 73, announced his retirement on Jan. 9 after 50 years of coaching in football. Pees had been Atlanta's DC for the past two seasons. Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees, 73, has informed the team and players that he is retiring, the team announced on Monday. The Falcons are expected to cast a wide net for Pees' replacement, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported. Atlanta's defense ranked 27th in yards allowed, 24th in interception rate, 32nd in sack rate and 23rd in points allowed during the 2022 season. The 7-10 Falcons fell from the playoff race late in the season, but allowed 25 or fewer points in each of the final nine games. "You appreciate all the work and the sacrifice," Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said of Pees. "We all get paid to do this and we're lucky as hell, but there are sacrifices you have to make. Dean's a guy who has coached at every level and had success. He has impacted a lot of lives and he has impacted the game." Pees, 73, joined the team prior to the 2021 season after Smith became head coach. Prior to that, Pees served as defensive coordinator for the Patriots, Ravens and Titans in his 18 years in the NFL. He'd been a college coach before that, working as an assistant with Nick Saban and also as the head coach at Kent State for six years. His coaching career, which began in high school in the 1970s, has spanned 50 years. This is not the first "retirement" for Pees. He originally announced he was retiring from the Ravens following the 2017 season, only to take the Titans' defensive coordinator job less than a month later. Pees won two Super Bowls -- one as Patriots linebacker coach and one as Ravens defensive coordinator, when he oversaw his defense's critical goal-line stand in the Super Bowl XLVII victory over the San Francisco 49ers. NFL.com
This one's a little odd and entirely behind the scenes. He's on the business side of the house, and promoting him this way gives him part of what had been Rich McKay's duties. Meanwhile, Rich McKay is still CEO of the organization and has also been promoted within Arthur Blank's overall organization, adding on other duties as he passes part of the Falcons operations over to Beadles.
I figured he'd be moving on. He had probably already made the decision, but when one of the Saints plaayers crashed into him while he was talking with the FOX sideline reporter during pre-game warmups a few weeks ago (sending him to the hospital), that certainly sealed it. We're back to square one on defense, but at least the incoming defensive coaches will have a better core with more rising young talent than Pees had when he came aboard. Hopefully the new coaches won't jettison that core to bring in guys specifically geared towards their new system. Unfortunately that's our history - Joe DeCamillis (defensive coordinator here under Jim Mora Jr) rebuilt the defense only to have Petrino scuttle parts of it and Mike Smith scuttle the rest. Smith had moderate success building a decent (but not stellar) defense with Brian VanGorder as the coordinator, then turned to Mike Nolan and had it become the worst defense in the NFL as Nolan scuttled VanGorder's roster. Dan Quinn came in and had to rebuild it again - unsuccessfully. Now we've had the new regime scuttle nearly all of the defensive roster once again. In just two years they've already replaced all but five defensive players (and 9 of 11 starters) from the 2020 roster. And now we have to wait and see if they will do it all over again.
Her's a little tid-bit I read on FALCON REPORT... Atlanta Falcons tight end Parker Hesse wasn't expected to see the most snaps at the position this year, but sometimes things don't work out the way it's planned. With Kyle Pitts out for seven games this season, Hesse stepped up and played a key role for the Falcons offense in 2022. While his stats may not show it, Hesse was arguably one of the biggest contributors for the Atlanta offense this season. "The things we ask Parker Hesse to do that nobody will ever notice, guy just does his job," coach Arthur Smith said. "You see why he was a captain at Iowa - a defensive end, by the way. Just a thankless professional that doesn't get enough credit." Hesse is primarily a blocking tight end, but that position is crucial when implementing a run-first offense like the one the Falcons run. Atlanta ran for 159.9 yards per game, which ranked third in the league behind the Baltimore Ravens (160) and Chicago Bears (177.3), both of whom have more mobility at quarterback than the Falcons. Without Hesse, the Falcons may not have had a 1,000-yard rusher in Tyler Allgeier, who broke the franchise record for rushing yards as a rookie. Allgeier is the one who gets the credit for the yards, but a good chunk of those wouldn't have been possible without the offensive line and Hesse.
Indeed, he's at the top of my list of unsung heroes that need to be re-signed for 2023. I mentioned him frequently in preseason - I noticed that he was taking more snaps at fullback in the preseason games than the actual fullback. If you watch him during the games, he's a freaking mauler of a lead blocker. Having him in the running game with Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary on the right side of the line brought back a nastiness we haven't had in Atlanta since the days when Ovie Mughelli was lead blocking for Michael Turner with Tyson Clabo and Harvey Dahl up front. His receiving skills are still a work in progress, but he's not hopeless as an outlet receiver. He caught 9 of his 11 targets this season for a 9.89 yard average.
Report: Falcons interviewed Ryan Nielsen on Tuesday The Falcons interviewed Saints assistant coach Ryan Nielsen for their defensive coordinator job, Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports. Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees, 73, retired Jan. 9 after 18 seasons coaching in NFL. The Falcons also have completed interviews with former Broncos head coach Vic Fangio, Steelers senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach Brian Flores and Panthers interim defensive coordinator Al Holcomb. They have requested an interview with Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. Nielsen, the co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach for the Saints, interviewed with the Vikings on Monday. He began his NFL coaching career in New Orleans in 2017 and has spent six years with the team. He was defensive line coach from 2017-20 before adding assistant head coach duties in 2021 after LSU tried to hire him. When Sean Payton left a year ago, Nielsen became co-defensive coordinator. PFT
They said they'd be casting a pretty wide net and do a thorough job of this candidate search. Beats the heck out of 10 years ago when we got the announcement they were going to schedule an interview with Dirk Koetter for the OC job and then a few hours later the announcement came that he had already been hired. The thing that has me nervous is the potential roster turnover if the next DC wants to change schemes and needs players hand-picked for his new system. I can't emphasize enough how much damage that does over the long haul to a franchise. Minnesota is seeing it too. But here are some examples of it in Atlanta. CB Chris Houston (2nd round) was drafted for Mike Zimmer's defense in 2007. LB Curtis Lofton (2nd), S Thomas Decoud (3rd) and LB Akeem Dent (3rd) were all drafted for Brian VanGorder as DC in 2008-2010. Houston was a good fit for Zimmer but not so much for the cover two zone used by Mike Smith/Brian VanGorder starting in 2008. The others all had success with VanGorder (and the Falcons rose to 12th in yards allowed in 2011) but weren't good fits for Mike Nolan's system when Nolan replaced VanGorder in 2012. That's a lot of draft firepower that ended up basically getting thrown away. There will always be other picks that don't pan out or get hurt. You can't afford to keep throwing out the healthy, good picks along with them.
The ideal situation for the Falcons, in my opinion is to build around the current stock already rostered. No need or sense to bring in a DC who is going to need personal to fit 'his' scheme when a pretty good base already exists. Just takes to much time, draft capital and that kinda throws a wrench in the already existing chemistry, which is to me, very important. IF you have pieces, you need to find a DC that can work with what you have, at least in Atlanta's situation. No need for a complete over-haul, just a DC who can work with the pieces available and with the ability to tweak it, maybe add or look at a few players, but dont discard it. Takes too much time for a team just a few players away from contention for their Division.
Exactly! Work with what you have and build to make it better. Unfortunately our history suggests we're in for yet more unnecessary turnover. The best example of a top prospect who might be at risk is second round rookie Troy Andersen. He came on strong in the second half of the season and looks like a player who could be the cornerstone of the defense for the next decade. But then, Deion Jones was exactly that kind of building block for Dan Quinn. It only took one year in Dean Pees' system to send him from cornerstone to dead weight. Likewise, Michael Boley looked like an unstoppable beast when he played for Mike Zimmer. But after just one season under Mike Smith/Brian VanGorder, he wasn't wanted in Atlanta and signed elsewhere. Smith/VanGorder had opted not to resign Demorrio Williams the previous year. Instead, Curtis Lofton was the new centerpiece for Smith/VanGorder when they arrived. But with Lofton was a pending free agent a few years later, incoming DC Mike Nolan told a reporter that he didn't think Lofton was suitable as an every down player. Lofton jumped ship and signed on the cheap with the division rival Saints. And those are just the linebackers. So I can't help but be nervous about the new DC "ruining" our star prospect, simply because it has happened so many times before.
Falcons hire Ryan Nielsen as defensive coordinator The Falcons have their new defensive coordinator. Ryan Nielsen, who has spent the last six seasons coaching the defensive line in New Orleans, is the new defensive coordinator in Atlanta, the Falcons announced today. Other candidates the Falcons were known to be considering included former Broncos head coach Vic Fangio, Steelers senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach Brian Flores, Panthers interim defensive coordinator Al Holcomb and Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. The Falcons have been looking for a new defensive coordinator since Dean Pees retired at the end of the season. The 43-year-old Nielsen worked at North Carolina State, Northern Illinois, UT-Martin, Central Connecticut State, Ole Miss and USC before he was hired by the Saints. PFT
I'm a bit surprised he was the choice. But it's cool to see someone with a focus on the defensive line taking charge of the full defense. That's the one area of the roster where I thought the front office came up short in training camp and preseason when Vincent Taylor got hurt, Eddie Goldman unexpectedly retired, former second rounder Marlon Davidson got hurt, and two of the top prospects got hurt. They needed to land a couple of more experienced players to plug the gaps, not just the career practice squad projects they did sign. So the hope is that with Nielsen in the room for the pre-free agency meetings, there will be more of a push to get one or two more solid guys to join Grady Jarrett and Ta'Quon Graham up front. I'm sure the whole system was discussed in detail when he interviewed, but as fans we're in the dark at the moment. This is his first stint as a coordinator. Will he run a base 3-4, base 4-3, zone coverage, man coverage, quarters, cover two, etc? We don't have a freaking clue what he plans to do. But the plus side is that also means he's less likely to be married to a specific system where he replaces half the defensive roster to bring in guys for HIS scheme. Maybe players like Troy Andersen, Ade Ogundeji, Darren Hall, DeAngelo Malone and Mykal Walker won't be cast aside for yet another new wave of prospects.
