After a week on the bench (I couldn’t get Chuck Oliver to stop from crying on my shoulder), there’s a lot to talk about. Let’s start with the good. There’s no better story in the NFL right now than the Falcons. Not Tennessee’s undefeated record and not the sudden problems in Dallas. The Falcons come into the midseason point at 5-3, with more wins than any of the national so-called “experts” thought they would have in all 16 games, and four more than that Sporting News scribe predicted. He must have Atlanta and Detroit mixed up. (That’s sort of hard to do if you have ever been to Motown.)
I spent some time at the Falcons’ offices in Flowery Branch on Friday and took in some of the practice. Despite coming off a loss to the Eagles, the team was incredibly energetic and crisp before getting on the plane to go to Oakland. The win in the Bay was the team’s easiest of the season and, as a result, the Falcons remain right in the middle of the playoff hunt. Who would have ever thought that was possible?
I felt this team could win eight games and now I am revising it to 11. Here’s how it will happen: The second-half schedule turns in the team’s favor. The next three games are at home, where the team is 3-0, and I see two straight wins coming, beginning Sunday against New Orleans and then on Nov. 16 against Denver.
With that comes the game of the season: A 7-3 Falcons team against an 8-2 Carolina squad. I think this will be the Falcons’ only home loss of the season. After the Giants, I feel the Panthers (now 6-2 with games coming up against Oakland and Detroit) are the next-best team in the conference and will slip by Atlanta on a field goal late in the fourth quarter.
At 7-4, the Falcons will split their next two games, losing in San Diego before coming back and knocking off the Saints in New Orleans. Then comes Tampa Bay (6-3 right now), a game the Falcons will have to win to grab a wild card spot. It happens, and then the Falcons go to Minnesota and win before ending the regular season by whipping St. Louis.
Will 11-5 be enough to take a wild card spot? In most years it would be, but this year likely will be different. The problem lies in the NFC East which, going into Monday, was home to a 7-1 Giants team, the Redskins (6-2), the Eagles (5-3), and the Cowboys (5-4). The key will be how those teams do outside the division. The good news for Atlanta is that several of those NFC East teams have games left against clubs like Baltimore and Pittsburgh.
What’s exciting, however, is that we are at the midseason point and the Falcons are in the playoff hunt and on our cover. Last year at this time we were still talking Michael Vick and pit bulls. Today, we’re talking Mike Smith, Matt Ryan and the playoffs. Unbelievable.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DOGS?
I am not quite sure why everyone was surprised with the outcome Saturday in Jacksonville. While I didn’t write last week, I told everyone in this office that the game would be a blowout. Once Georgia lost its top players on both lines, they became only an above-average team. You can’t sustain those types of injuries and expect to play with teams like the Gators or even what has been a surprising Alabama team. Throw in the fact that Mark Richt and his staff didn’t have one of their better games, and I can’t understand why Knowshon Moreno keeps taking himself out of games. This was a kid that used to spring back to the huddle and I keep hearing this rumbling that he is trying to save himself for the NFL. Also, as good as he may be advertised and despite the fact that he likely will be a very good NFL quarterback, Mathew Stafford is no D.J. Shockley or Eric Zeier and will leave Athens without an appearance in the SEC Championship Game. As for Georgia fans and that preseason No. 1 ranking, you need to look at it this way: Clemson went into the season ranked ninth while Auburn was No. 10 and the teams are now 4-4 and 4-5, respectively. So it could be much worse. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, still have a chance to go to a New Year’s Day bowl, finish with an 11-2 record and a top 10 ranking. That’s not worth throwing yourself off a bridge.
WHY DID OLIVER LEAVE 790?
I have never made it a secret that we are in bed with 790. What they have done over there while being handcuffed with a low-strength signal is incredible, more than doubling the revenue that 680 The Fan brings in. They are one of our strongest partners. Chuck Oliver shocked everyone at the Zone when, last Monday, he just dropped in and quit. The station wanted to keep Chuck but he wanted his own show and jumped ship to the station’s hated rival. This did not sit well with 790’s management. This was different than the Matt Chernoff situation, where Matt was let go by the Zone and then hired by 680. Oliver will have his own show at 680, going from 1-3 p.m. in the afternoon. I am a fan of Chuck’s, as he has written for us since we opened our doors at Score. But I hope Chuck didn’t cut off his nose to spite his face. The Zone is a marketing machine and most on-air talent that goes over there gets that type of a boost when they are on the station. The Fan doesn’t have the same push and probably never will because, for the most part, their on-air talent is invisible when they are off the air. Again, I wish Chuck the best of luck but I have to wonder if Oliver thought this one completely through.
Rosenberg can be heard every Sunday on 790 The Zone during the Falcons game. The Score Atlanta Live NFL Scoreboard Show will be on this Sunday from 1-4 p.m. Rosenberg can be reached at ijrosenberg@scoreatl.com and 404-256-1572.
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