When a potential contender starts out 1-7, there’s likely more than one thing going wrong. The Falcons have been a disaster in every way imaginable through the first half of the season.
With some time to kill as the team enters its bye week, let’s take a look at the three biggest mistakes Atlanta made in the offseason.
Assuming injuries were the problem in 2018
We all grew tired of writing about this team’s injuries last season. It did seem like an anomaly in some ways, though, with so many good players going down that it was hard to blame coach Dan Quinn. The problem is that good teams don’t blame injures, and while the Falcons didn’t publicly say it, that was the consensus nationally.
They brought in Dirk Koetter as OC and Quinn took over the defense, but it was clear they thought this roster was more talented than it ended up being. Atlanta chose to upgrade its offensive line and assume the rest would fall into place. Eight games and seven losses later, it’s apparent the front office overlooked some things. Keanu Neal was unfortunately lost for the year again, but all teams have injuries. The good ones don’t let it become an excuse.
Too much turnover on offensive line
If one thing was clear in the offseason, it was that the Falcons planned to upgrade their offensive line. One thing that wasn’t clear, though, was whether or not the team had an actual plan. Atlanta didn’t have a ton of cap space, and spent most of it on two free agent guards that haven’t made the impact the team was hoping.
Then, the Falcons doubled down and drafted two linemen in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. While Kaleb McGary and Chris Lindstrom may be great long-term investments, the Falcons entered the season with three new starters up front — two of them rookies. Add Dirk Koetter’s new system into the mix and you’ve got an offense set up for failure.
Waiting too long to bring back Matt Bryant
Again, this was a situation where the Falcons had good intentions, but failed to look at the facts. Matt Bryant was easily the team’s best option at kicker, However, Atlanta assumed a much younger Giorgio Tavecchio could take over for the veteran. Then once he struggled, they called Blair Walsh instead of Bryant. When Walsh struggled, they finally gave in and brought back Money Matt.
While Bryant hasn’t been at his best this season, it’s not his fault the team was stubborn enough to move on from him in the first place. The Falcons were so worried about Bryant’s age, yet they put him in the worst situation imaginable by waiting until the last second to bring him back.
Honorable Mentions:
Letting RB Tevin Coleman walk in free agency
Dan Quinn taking over defensive play-calling duties
Bringing on Dirk Koetter as offesnsive coordinator
