By: Mike Rose
8/11/2006 12:52:46 PM
The Falcons closed out their 2005 campaign on a sour note after looking like post-season shoe-ins through their first eight games.
No doubt they'll be ready to get the wheels in motion on their 2006 season starting tonight as they take on the New England Patriots. Speaking of the Pats, it looked as if their playoff streak was going to end early through the first half of last season, but they rallied to go 6-2 in their final eight games to get into the second season where they were disposed of in Denver.
Another year has gone by, and some more chinks in the armor have reared their ugly head. This year saw them lose more coordinators, but more importantly, they lost a number of players responsible for winning championships in NE the L/5 years. Coming into this game, it looks like it will be the battle of back-up QB's for the majority of the first half. NE QB Matt Cassell will see significant action, and QB Matt Schaub will get the rest of the first half after Mike Vick leads the offense for a series or two. Edge goes to Atlanta there as Schaub has been the one of the best pre-season QB's for a number of years now. I also like the fact that there's a huge Falcon battle going on for the #2 RB position, so TJ Duckett and Jerious Norwood should see plenty of time against NE's 2nd and 3rd defenses. That means solid chunks of yards and points put up there. The final kicker to this position comes in the second half where the Falcons have the option of putting out a pair of athletic QB's that can scramble and make plays in Bryan Randall and DJ Shockley. We've all seen these types of QB's make something happen out of nothing in these pre-season games before. Lay the points here with HC Mora and the Falcons who went a solid 4-1 ATS last year.
8/11/2006 12:52:46 PM
The Falcons closed out their 2005 campaign on a sour note after looking like post-season shoe-ins through their first eight games.
No doubt they'll be ready to get the wheels in motion on their 2006 season starting tonight as they take on the New England Patriots. Speaking of the Pats, it looked as if their playoff streak was going to end early through the first half of last season, but they rallied to go 6-2 in their final eight games to get into the second season where they were disposed of in Denver.
Another year has gone by, and some more chinks in the armor have reared their ugly head. This year saw them lose more coordinators, but more importantly, they lost a number of players responsible for winning championships in NE the L/5 years. Coming into this game, it looks like it will be the battle of back-up QB's for the majority of the first half. NE QB Matt Cassell will see significant action, and QB Matt Schaub will get the rest of the first half after Mike Vick leads the offense for a series or two. Edge goes to Atlanta there as Schaub has been the one of the best pre-season QB's for a number of years now. I also like the fact that there's a huge Falcon battle going on for the #2 RB position, so TJ Duckett and Jerious Norwood should see plenty of time against NE's 2nd and 3rd defenses. That means solid chunks of yards and points put up there. The final kicker to this position comes in the second half where the Falcons have the option of putting out a pair of athletic QB's that can scramble and make plays in Bryan Randall and DJ Shockley. We've all seen these types of QB's make something happen out of nothing in these pre-season games before. Lay the points here with HC Mora and the Falcons who went a solid 4-1 ATS last year.