Fired Up Falcons Provide a Mirror Image To Giants In Substance And Style
By Curt Macysyn
The New York Giants will have to put a bitter 27-26 loss to the Dallas Cowboys aside quickly, as the new look Atlanta Falcons come to the Meadowlands for a Sunday afternoon battle. New Jersey native and new Falcons' head coach Dan Quinn opens his first season in Atlanta with back-to-back contests against NFC east teams. The Falcons opened their season at home on Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles, and like the Giants, they will also be looking to reverse the trend of being post-season spectators for the past two years.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
The Giants - Falcons match-up is a compelling one because these two teams are as close to being exact mirror images of each other as you can get. For example, both teams suffered through identical 6-10 losing campaigns in 2014, but the Falcons chose to make a change at head coach with Quinn being called upon to replace the combustible Mike Smith at the helm. Both teams have franchise quarterbacks in place with Matt Ryan and Eli Manning calling the signals, as well as explosive wide receivers in Julio Jones and Odell Beckham, Jr.
The Falcons and Giants both scuffled on defense last season, with Atlanta being ranked dead last in total yards (6,372 total yards surrendered). The Giants were ranked 29th in defense, giving up an unsightly 6,012 total yards themselves. And both teams have reconfigured offensive lines, anchored by young left tackles. Jake Matthews was the sixth overall selection in the 2014 NFL draft for the Falcons, while rookie Ereck Flowers was selected ninth by the Giants this year.
Ryan's Hope
The Falcons' Matt Ryan remains a franchise quarterback, despite the shortcomings of his team over the past two seasons. Ryan, who enters his eighth season as the Dirty Birds' signal caller, threw 28 touchdown passes last year, but with only six going to All-Pro wideout Julio Jones. Jones is teamed with veteran Roddy White on the outside, which should prove to be a tough test for Giants cornerbacks Prince Amukamara and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
The Falcons brought in veteran journeyman tight end Jacob Tamme to provide a safety valve for Ryan. Tamme once caught 67 passes for the Indianapolis Colts in 2010, but was limited to only 14 catches for the Denver Broncos last season. Atlanta also terminated the Steve Jackson experiment after two so-so seasons under the Georgia Dome, and replaced him with rookie Tevin Coleman. Coleman was Atlanta's third round draft selection this year by way of Indiana University.
The Falcons will look to give Ryan adequate protection against a front four that did not come close to sacking Tony Romo in the season opener. On the other hand, the Falcons' offensive line does not come close to resembling Dallas' unit, so this is a fairer match-up for Big Blue.
Jackson Five
Defensive lineman Tyson Jackson came to Atlanta via free agency in 2014; signing a five-year contract with the Falcons. Jackson was a former first round draft pick (third overall) of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2009. While his paycheck is large, Jackson's statistics are less intimidating with zero quarterback sacks and 22 total tackles in 2014. Clearly the team needs more production from him.
The Falcons did invest in pass rushing specialist Vic Beasley out of Clemson this year with the eighth pick. Beasley lines up at the left defensive end position and will be the responsibility of Marshall Newhouse. Linebacker Paul Worrilow is a tackling machine, as the former University of Delaware star had 143 combined tackles last season.
Third-year cornerback Desmond Trufant may be coming into his own, as he was second on the team with three interceptions in 2014. And veteran safety William Moore comes back after only playing in seven games last season. Moore is the quarterback of the secondary.
Players to Watch
Everyone knows that Julio Jones and Roddy White are playmakers on the outside for the Falcons, but New York's dynamic duo of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Prince Amukamara have seen as-good if not better. That statement is not to take away anything from Jones and White, but rather just an acknowledgement that the match-ups on the outside are fair. Big Blue had difficulty with the Dallas Cowboys' running backs out of the backfield on Sunday night. A trio of Dallas halfbacks caught 12 passes against an over matched linebacking unit, so New York better be able to contain Tevin Coleman, who had 25 catches at Indiana last season, as well as Devonta Freeman, who caught 37 passes for the Falcons in 2014.
The Giants' offensive line only gave up one sack to Dallas in week one, but the Cowboys' front four is nothing to write home about, especially after rookie Randy Gregory went down with an ankle injury. The Falcons drafted Vic Beasley to be their guy to get to the quarterback, and the match-up against right tackle Marshall Newhouse would seem to favor the Falcons.
Outlook
These two teams are as evenly matched as you can get in the NFL, and it should be a high scoring and entertaining affair. New York had an elusive victory at Dallas in their grasp, until poor decisions and horrible clock management handed the game back to the Cowboys. A quarterback who gets a hot hand, or the offensive line that does a better job in pass protection or in the running game, will go a long way to deciding who the victor will be on Sunday.
Curt Macysyn has been covering the New York Football Giants for the past four seasons for Examiner.com, and he is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). Born and raised in New Jersey, Curt attended Seton Hall Prep School in South Orange, N.J. and is a graduate of Rutgers University - New Brunswick. Follow him on Twitter @CurtMac23 for the latest NFL and New York Giants news.
