De’Vondre Campbell – Page 2 – FalconAlley Football

Falcons Not Ready for Prime Time

Atlanta 7 at New England 23

October 22, 2017

By: Allison Smith

Apparently, the Atlanta Falcons were not ready for Prime Time. The long awaited Super Bowl rematch occurred on Sunday Night Football. Except, even with all the questions, story lines, and hype, it truly was not a rematch. The New England Patriots came in with 2 losses and the 32^nd ranked defense. The Falcons came in…off back to back winnable losses and played their worst game of the season.

The Patriots started with the ball, had an 11-play drive, encompassing 5 penalties between the 2 teams. Very sloppy start on both sides. The Falcons defense forces the punt and seem to have a good plan on the night. Then, the offense goes 3 and out. Once again, before the defense can even sit down, they are back on the field after a Matt Bosher 35-yard punt.

That’s right, not only did Bosher have another bad punt this week, Matt Bryant had one field goal blocked and another hit the goal post. That should have really been your clue this game was over early.

The Patriots really did not do anything spectacular, except stay on the field. Which we have found is incredibly affective. You don’t give Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and Devonta Freeman a chance to explode. You tire out the defense. So, it doesn’t take allot to outscore the Falcons. The defense was able to force 3 field goals.

On the good side, Ju finally got his first touchdown of the season. Which I am sure means more to statisticians than to Julio, it was so late, too late in the game to help. Julio also reached 8000 yards, the 2nd fastest receiver to do so. Defensive positives include a big sack by De’Vondre Campbell for a 7-yard loss on NE’s second drive, a Vic Beasley, Jr. sack, and a Robert Alford interception, which, was of course returned on a defensive penalty.

The story of this week is the question of what has happened to our Falcons?!? The entire NFL seems to be in a vortex of confusion this year. Except for Cleveland and San Francisco (both still winless), everyone else is up and down any given week. If a team started off undefeated, they’ve had 2 losses, if they started off in the hole, they are on a win streak.

So, the Falcons are not out of anything yet, even sitting in third place of the NFC South. Luckily, they have not played anyone in their division…yet. In 2 weeks, they start with the Panthers, who are suffering their own woes. Apparently, both teams’ set of fans are calling for the heads of their respective Offensive Coordinators. Mike Shula, who has been with the Panthers as long as Cam Newton, while Steve Sarkisian is in his first season with the Falcons.

The real confusion seems, we heard that Ryan greeted Sark on Day 1 with a hand shake and the current playbook. Seems that Sark lost that, and Dan Quinn doesn’t have his to share. With all of the offensive weapons at his disposal, Ryan should be able to have more success than he is having so far. Ryan admitted he is not playing his best, yet, and there are some throws he would like to have back. This week, one such includes the incomplete low pass to Jones in the end zone, that allowed the defender to knock it away. In the simplest followship of the playbook, even I can remember that everyone got at least one pass a week. Austin Hooper had 1 catch on his single target, and the former leading receiver, Tevin Coleman had 1 target.

Ryan and Quinn both commented on Monday, that they felt confident in the play calling throughout the game, including two 4^th down attempts near midfield, and the 4^th and inches jet sweep to Taylor Gabriel at the goal line. Only 1 of those was successful. One has to question why you would go for a 4^th and 7 and 4^th and 6 at midfield, and why run a jet sweep to Turbo instead of rushing the best running back in the league up the middle in a short yardage situation. Once again, my personal call for Ben Garland, this time as a full back opening the way for Free. Freeman gained 47 yards after contact and forced 4 missed tackles on a mere 12 carries. How do you not give him the ball at the goal line?

Apparently the issues with the offense is due to execution and inconsistency. Ryan’s errant throws, tipped passes, missed blocks, dropped passes. Without focusing on the run game, they cannot open up the passing game. Once again, Coleman and Freeman did not have 100 yards rushing combined.

So far, in six games, Ryan has thrown for 300 yards, in one game. Jones has had 100 yards, in one game. Follow me here…..Freeman has rushed for over 100 yards….in one game. There is clearly no offensive rhythm. First and second downs are marginal at best, but converting on third down has become nearly impossible, as it is almost always 3^rd and long.

Missed tackles, ill-timed penalties, lack of turnovers, i.e., inconsistency is haunting the defense as well.

I may not know what the answer is, but I think that many of us do not think anyone at The Branch does either. Everyone seems to think they are having great practices, working the process, just need to fix these couple of issues. Except these issues, are different every week. The O did not turn the ball over, and the D had less missed tackles, which is execution. But, are they really coming to the field as prepared as they should be? Are these play calls the best for the members we have?

If so, how are the Atlanta Falcons, with only additions to the Super Bowl team, this chaotic and bad?

#RiseUp

FalconAlley Owt

Falcons, Their Own Worst Enemy

Miami 20 at Atlanta 17

October 15, 2017

Photos & Article by: Allison Smith

The game started off a little sluggish. The Falcons received the opening kickoff, but once again were not able to score a touchdown, held to a 50-yard field goal. By the time it was 17/0, I felt better and confident and assumed the second half would be a repeat of the first half instead of a repeat of previous games. The Falcons did not score a point in the second half, and actually had limited offensive snaps. Offensive Coordinator, Steve Sarkisian, was in the box for the first time this week, supposedly able to see the field and plays better and therefore make quicker adjustments.

The opening drive did have a few good plays, one of which was by Julio Jones. He was not credited with the catch as he was blanketed with a defender. Note though, that Julio, while completely hugged, did catch the ball on the sideline and likely would have been credited with that 12 yard catch. Unfortunately, a few plays later, at 3 and 1, Matt Ryan tossed several yards back to Tevin Coleman, who ran up, but still lost a yard. This forced the first Matt Bryant field goal of the day. Of course it was successful, even at 50 yards. Bryant was listed earlier in the week as sitting out some practices with back issues, we did not see those Sunday.

Deion Jones was on fire Sunday, nearly collecting 3 interceptions. One was almost, one was an interception, and a third was an interception that was negated due to a penalty. Whatever “get the ball” speech was given last week took for Debo at least. And other defenders were definitely reaching for strips allot on the day. Keanu Neal was back to the power hitting he is known for.

After Debo’s near interception and a big stop by Neal, the Falcons moved the ball quickly between Taylor Gabriel and Jones, who refuses to be tackled. Then, Marvin Hall, who was on the practice roster Saturday morning. Active roster Saturday afternoon. End zone Sunday. Just before the end of the first quarter, Ryan hit Hall with a 40 yard pass for the first touchdown of the game.

We start to see the game turn around now. Jay Cutler has 3 errant passes, caused by pressure from the Falcons D line and a good Brian Poole break up. The Dolphins punt, thinking they are trapping the Falcons deep, but expert returner Andre Roberts puts a linebacker block on the gunner ensuring the ball drops into the end zone and the Falcons O starts on the 20. Then instantly, an Andy Levitre has a false start and they start on the 15. And, here we go. The beginning of the end. Julio now tips the ball, but not for an interception. Coleman and Devonta Freeman both had unsuccessful runs. Well, stopped deep in their own territory, the ever dependable Matt Bosher comes on to punt. And kicks it out of bounds near midfield.

On the Dolphins next drive, the defense stepped up. Poole knocked the air out of Cutler, Robert Alford his the runner so hard, his own helmet came off. Miami then, disrespectfully goes for it on 4^th and 3 at the 39. And Dontari Poe, the big man in the middle knocks the pass back to Cutler.

Energized by the big stop, the offense comes out hitting on all cylinders now. Freeman goes for a big 44 yard gain, as he gets in the open field, the jets turn up and as he feels the defenders, he double wraps the ball. Free is so smart and aware and loves to eat. A couple of plays later Coleman stretches for the end zone, crosses, fumbles, recovers and the Falcons are now up 17 to 0. I think everyone (in black and red) in the Benz Nest now feels better about the game and safe and ready for a quick half time break.

With just over 2 minutes until halftime, much drama ensues. The Dolphins have already been a little chippy all game. Which continues, including Takk McKinley and Poole. I personally would pick another Falcon to fight before Takk, but to each his own. Some shoving and talking. De’Vondre Campbell gets a personal foul for a “late hit” on Cutler, Desmond Trufant almost gets a pick himself. After the 2 minute warning, Grady Jarrett gets a big tackle. Debo knocks one down, along with the crowd, the impending defensive look causes a false start. Then suddenly, the Deion Jones interception on the day!

With limited time remaining, the offense drives quickly, with the benefits of the stars, Freeman and J Jones making big plays, then with 2 seconds remaining, they try a 59 yard Bryant field goal. The ball falls short, a Dolphin under the goal posts runs the ball out and takes a pretty vicious hit from Bosher. With that miss, the half ends and the scoring for the Falcons ends.

The second half started well enough. The Dolphins received the ball, Cutler isn’t getting his feet set on pass attempts due to the Falcons rush. Jarrett almost gets a sack on Cutler, then he and fellow Clemson teammate Vic Beasley, Jr. combine for a tackle. Had to be in the middle of that. The D keeps standing up, causing 4^th downs, then on a 4^thand 1, allow a 3 yard gain. Neal continues his hitting streak, the defense starts tipping balls of their own, Beasley almost making a pick of his own. While almost doesn’t count, but at least the effort is there, just not the full execution. Then, possibly my favorite play of the game. The D has a false start, Cutler recognizes the free play, as he drops back to lob up a big pass, until he notices TAKK coming strong. Cutler immediately downs the ball.

Unfortunately, that bit of fun was not enough and the Dolphins continued their drive and scored. The Falcons O, goes 3 and out. Another unusual short, Bosher punt up to the 49. And it is all downhill from here for sure. Jones has another interception, runs all over the field for limited yards, but was trying at least. Two flags are seen. One is the expected block in the back, with so much change of direction. The other, a roughing the passer call, which was before the interception, therefore nullified the interception, giving Miami the ball back deep in the Falcons territory leading to another touchdown.

Now, I know this is a crap call because I check my twitter feed and they say this call is on Grady Jarrett. Just because he is so big and fast, does not make him dirty. Jarrett clarified the call on Dukes and Bell on 92.9 The Game this week. He chatted with the referee making the call, it was not a late hit, the ref felt like Jarrett hit Cutler too high. Sadly, besides this call being hogwash, it was a game changer. The Falcons having the ball vs. the Dolphins keeping the ball with a short field.

As the 4^th quarter begins, the Falcons drive up to midfield, then implode. Jake Matthews gets a holding call. Freeman gets no yards. Ryan is sacked. THEN the capping blow. Bosher doesn’t even have a chance for a bad punt because Josh Harris has a low snap, Bosher runs for a yard or two and Miami has the ball at the 50.

The defense has had a minute off the field, but come back on, Jarrett causes a 2^nd bad throw. It’s 4^th and 2 at the 44, and the Dolphins gain 9 yards. Campbell, who has been impressive and active all day, knocks a Cutler pass back at him forcing a field goal to tie the game.

The offense goes 3 and out again, but thankfully Bosher hits his usual (55 yard) huge punt finally. Poole starts to step up to the Poole we know and snaps up a fumble and heads down the field, with whistles blowing to signal a downed play. The defense is really going after the ball late in the game. Campbell knocks down another pass, forcing another field goal, giving Miami the 3 point lead, with over 2 minutes to go in the game. MORE than enough time for Matty Ice to bring out another miracle.

The Falcons quickly march down the field as Miami was giving up the run and under passes, but nothing over the top. Miami was playing for the tie. With 47 seconds to go, I turned to a neighbor and said, “Just put Money (Matt Bryant) out there and tie this up and let us have a few minutes break. Coach did not listen to me, the drive continued, until, you guessed it, an interception. This was not a tipped ball, if that makes it any easier to swallow. Austin Hooper should have caught the ball, however, this game is not on him. First, he was being tackled and the ball knocked out by another Tiger, rookie Cordrea Tankersly. Reshad Jones caught the ball for the final real play of the game. Miami, who had been fighting and cheap shotting all day, now storm the field, run around like they won the super bowl, received an unsportsmanlike penalty, which backed them up for the final snap and kneel down of the game.

Ryan finished the game 24 of 35 for 248 yards a single touchdown and a single interception, his 6^th of the season. The Falcons have moved too far away from the running game, with Freeman and Coleman combining for 82 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown (by Coleman) in the first half. In the second half, they had six rushes for 18 yards combined. The offense had 54 plays on the day. The Dolphins controlled the tempo of game most of the day. Coleman, the leading receiver before Sunday was targeted once on 37 passes.

Ricardo Allen led the defense with 7 solo tackles. Debo had 11 combined and an interception, followed by Neal with 8, and Campbell’s 4. Campbell is excited to go against Rob Gronkowski next week. He definitely has the size to handle Gronk.

The Falcons had 6 penalties for 73 yards, again, at the worst possible times.

Overall, I do not think this is a Super Bowl hangover, or another choke job. If you’ve been around long enough, you know this is how the Falcons play sometimes. Doesn’t make it any better, just an observation. The defense still looked gassed early in the 3^rd quarter, offense is still not clicking or using all of their weapons.

While, this is very frustrating, I will always support my team and pick myself back up for Sunday night’s “Super Bowl Rematch.” Let’s go ahead and figure out our over/under on the number of times the Super Bowl is mentioned. Remember, we may have given up the biggest lead ever, but we also took the great New England Patriots with Tom Brady to OVERTIME.

Dan Quinn may have very well been playing possum these last two weeks, just to get the biggest revenge of them all. We all know that is unlikely, but wouldn’t that be a worth it couple of losses?

I am expecting a big win this week and the season to go up from there.

Iron Falcon Award: Two 2nd year defenders this week. Deion Jones should have been credited with 3 interceptions and was active all day. De’Vondre Campbell for knocking down numerous passes and being very disruptive in the backfield.

#RiseUp

FalconAlley Owt

It Was Over From the Start

September 17, 2017

Allison Smith

Green Bay 23 at Atlanta 34

No, really. We lost the coin toss and Green Bay made their first mistake of the day. They gave Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and Devonta Freeman the ball…..first. I felt good at that point, then 9 plays later, I knew it was already over as Free ran in his 1-yard touchdown. Which also answers the question of, “Who will have the first official touchdown in Mercedes Benz Stadium?” Free. Who else!?!

What a way to open Mercedes Benz Stadium. A Sunday night prime time, national game, hosting Green Bay, for the third time since last Halloween. Same two teams, same result. The Benz Nest was electric, the crowd loud, the roof, open.

Within 5 minutes, the Falcons were up 7-0 and did not look back. The Packers did drive back down the field to tie the game at 7 all with a 1-yard touchdown run of their own. From that point on, it was Atlanta scoring and Green Bay punting. On the Falcons next drive, Freeman had his second touchdown of the day, and celebrated with a jump shot into a net created by Andy Levitre. NOW, this is fun. We still need Mohamed Sanu or Taylor Gabriel to score, so we can get a good touchdown celebration, but we will take this for now.

Free Running Free – Leading to the first Touchdown in the Benz Nest

Sanu did have 5 catches on the day, good, over the middle, hit taking, stretching catches for 85 yards, yet no touchdown yet. Turbo had 2 catches for 14 yards. Which means, that Julio Jones was not the decoy, but the lead receiver for the day. Ju finished the day with 5 catches for 108 yards, including a big 34-yard reception, where he fought for those additional yards.

In the second quarter, “Money” Matt Bryant easily kicked a 51-yard field goal, followed by the first official receiving touchdown in the Benz Nest, a 3-yard catch by Tevin Coleman.

Don’t you worry, it was not all offense Sunday night. Healed and on his return tour, Desmond Trufant had an interception to stop a Green Bay scoring drive near the end of the half. In true Falcon style, with 47 seconds on the clock and 36 yards to go, Matt Ryan ran for 8 yards, passed over the middle to Sanu for 21 yards, had a short pass to Austin Hooper, then the touchdown pass to Coleman. The Falcons took a 24 to 7 lead into half time….to the ROAR of the crowd.

The second half started with the Packers receiving the ball, since they had chosen to give us the ball in the beginning of the game. Aaron Rodgers hands off for a quick 5 yard run by Ty Montgomery, who was quickly greeted by Deion Jones. THEN, the real excitement began. As Rodgers dropped back, Vic Beasley, Jr. sacked Rodgers, causing a fumble, which Trufant collected and ran in for a touchdown. Instantly, the Falcons now lead 31 to 7.

The teams then traded field goals, including Money’s 53-yarder. Finally, the Packers find the end zone again, go for the 2-point conversion, which fails. To be sportsmanlike, the Falcons ran some time off the clock, allowed the Packers to score another touchdown, have a successful 2-point conversion, then called it a game, running over 4 minutes off the clock and giving the ball back with just a minute and 2 seconds to go. The game ended with a Robert Alford tackle of Geronimo Allison.

De’Vondre Campbell had his first NFL sack and tallied 8 total tackles. Brian Poole started off hot once again this week, having the first and fourth tackles of the game, constantly swarming the ball carrier and ending the game with 6 total tackles. Grady Jarrett caused another couple of holds this week. Overall, the defense had many less missed tackles this week, which please Head Coach Dan Quinn, as there were double digit missed tackles in week 1. While there were only 3 sacks in the game, Rodgers became familiar with many of the Falcons defenders as he was knocked down all day, including getting to introduce himself to rookie, Takk McKinley.

Special teams was on fire once again, with Bryant tallying his 200^th field goal as a Falcon, Matt Bosher had touchbacks on all 7 kickoffs, punts of 50, 45, and placement punts of 38 and 32 yards. Andre Roberts had one kickoff return of 15 yards.

Overall, it was a great game. The only negatives were the injuries. Ryan Schraeder left early in the game with a concussion, and is in concussion protocol this week, therefore unlikely to play against Detroit. Courtney Upshaw was also injured with an ankle injury, which looks to be a sprain. Upshaw had an MRI and is out against Detroit. And finally, the most devastating, possibly more as a fan than to the team overall, was Beasley. DQ reported Beasley’s injury as a hamstring sprain and is out for this week, but will be week to week after that. Early reports and rumors defined Beasley’s injury as a tear and expected to be out 4 – 6 weeks. I’m going with DQ. Beasley may be out for a couple of weeks, then we have the Bye, so we may not see Vic until after that.

As we know, DQ loves versatility and depth, so we should be ok for a few weeks with the above injuries. Recently signed, Ty Sambrailo came in and did a good job for Schraeder. Brooks Reed, Adrian Clayborn, and Takk McKinley will step in and up for Beasley. With no defender playing all of the defensive snaps anyway, splitting Beasley’s and Upshaw’s snaps should not be a problem. Campbell can also step in to provide line support, as he has been playing multiple positions already and proven himself to have really stepped up his game this season.

Iron Falcon Award: While many are giving the MVP of the game to Trufant, and I do love Tru, my Iron Falcon goes to Adrian Clayborn this week. If you were at the game and watching, Claybo was SO close to Rodgers all night. And for a big guy, he’s got moves. He was all over the backfield, chasing Rodgers from side to side, out of the pocket, and while he only had 1 sack, Claybo was definitely disruptive.

#RiseUp

@FalconAlley OWT

The Brooks Reed Road Show

Atlanta 23 / Chicago 17

By: Allison Smith

Brooks Reed maybe didn’t do it all, but he certainly stepped up all game and sealed the win to give the Atlanta Falcons their first win of the season. Reed had an early pursing sack, 5 solo tackles, and the sack that basically ended the game, leaving 3 seconds on the clock and the ball back in the Falcons’ hands for the final kneel down to conclude the game.

The opening game in Chicago was a little rough, but in the end, we won and that is all that matters. Also, we came out with no injuries. The defense looked good early on, fast and physical, but seemed gassed later, which is unexpected with the constant change and depth. The offense was also not overly impressive, but did enough to get the job done.

091017 Hooper 88 yards — Austin Hooper in the middle of the Chicago C with his 88-yard Touchdown. Photo Courtesy of NFL.com

The unexpected star of the offense was Austin Hooper. Apparently with all the big named stars, the Bears’ defense forgot about our Tight End. He was left wide open early in the 4^th quarter for a pretty easy 88-yard touchdown. He did have a pretty nice stiff arm on a defender, and most of the receivers were running and blocking for him. On the next Falcon possession, Hooper hauled in a 40-yard pass that led to the final points of the game, a Matt Bryant field goal.

As expected, Julio Jones was a decoy much of the day, which Ju is always happy to be. He was blocking, running downfield, and decoying to allow others to get open. Mohammed Sanu had the most receptions at 6 for 47 yards. Taylor Gabriel hauled in 3 for 36 yards, while running backs, Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman also combined for 6 catches for 22 yards. While they had more rush attempts, again combined, they only tallied 53 yards. Heck, Ryan had a 13 yard run, for nearly a touchdown early in the 2^nd quarter. Yes, I was holding my breath when Ryan tucked it and ran, but he handled it well and seemed energized after that run. That set up the FIRST touchdown of the season! Who had their money on Freeman for the first TD??? With just over 4 minutes left in the half, Freeman ran in a 5 yarder while everyone pulled to the right, Free used the rest of the field to run into the left corner of the end zone.

Unfortunately, as high as we were after that Freeman touchdown, the Bears marched down the field in 7 plays and matched our touchdown and went into the half tied at 10/10.

If you want to improve your game, apparently the answer is laser surgery. De’Vondre Campbell was on fire Sunday. Campbell had 6 total tackles, and played multiple defensive positions and was all over the field, making plays with much improved closing speed. Rookie Duke Riley was also impressive and involved in 5 tackles, and definitely eyeing the ball and ball carrier. Also disruptive, without the official stats, Grady Jarrett, having 2 offensive penalties called on offensive linemen trying to block him (and several more could have been called). Vic Beasley, Jr. and Brian Poole both had sacks on the day. Ricardo Allen and Robert Alford both had some good pass break ups on the day and 3 tackles a piece.

As mentioned earlier, even with the defense in and out so much, they looked gassed late in the game and were playing a little far off and giving up too much. They did cause 2 fumbles and had 4 sacks on the day, but overall had too many missed tackles. Throughout most of the game, however, there were not many yards after the catch, as the D was there when the ball arrived. The biggest problem with the defense on Sunday was Bears running back Tarik Cohen. He had 4 rushes, one for 46 yards, caught 8 passes, one of which was a touchdown, and returned 3 punts, a long of 17 yards. Yes, he apparently does everything. Kudos to the rook out of North Carolina A&T, glad we don’t play him again.

Special teams fared pretty well. Of course, the Matts performed as expected. Bryant hitting all 3 field goals and 3 extra points. Bosher with 3 punts, a long of 62. Andre Roberts showed well returning all punts and kickoffs. The opening kick, he took back 63 yards, but a penalty was called, placing the ball back on the Atlanta 8. At least Roberts was showing what he can do. He had a long of 11 yards that did count, and a punt return of 15 yards. There is a spark there, he just needs a little help.

Overall, a good start to the season, al biet a little frustrating for us fans. We did start 0-1 at home last season, so I am sure there will be some changes before opening our new home to the Green Bay Packers this weekend. I know one change, the offensive line will shape up. Matt Ryan gave him a piece of his mind Sunday, “you’re going to get me killed” out there. Akiem Hicks had 2 sacks and a late hit on Ryan, who was hit several other times on Sunday as well. Don’t be married to that o-line as it stood on opening day.

Side note…Mr. Decoy….Julio Jones, had his 500^th catch Sunday. This ties him for the quickest to 500 catches in only 80 games. He is tied with Anquan Boldin for fewest games to that 500.

091017 Game Winning Sack — Brooks Reed’s Game Sealing Sack of Mike Glennon Photo Courtesy of Atlanta Falcons

Iron Falcon Award: Obviously goes to Brooks Reed this week, but note, it was a team win, but Brooks stepped up at the end when we needed a stop the most. His first sack on the day, Brooks chased Mike Glennon, put his hands up to force Glennon to pull the ball back down, then pursued on to the sack. The game winning sack, Brooks shed his blocker and chased Glennon down for a 9-yard loss and sealed the win.

Featured Image is courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons