ATL vs. NE Notes
Atlanta is for real and New England has not exactly met preseason expectations or returned to their 2007 form on offense. And the defense has regressed with the loss of key veterans and injuries to players like Jerod Mayo.
Tom Brady's knee injury is still obvioulsy an issue. He looks tenative and has not been consistently following through in his passes due to his reluctance to step forward in the pocket. He appears overly concerned with the bodies rolling around on the ground near his knee.
I sincerely think that there is a talent issue with New England's offensive line. That, coupled with Brady's tenativeness does not equate to the calm cool robotic effectiveness we are used to seeing. And although he's impossible to contain long term, teams have been finding success in limiting Randy Moss.
Atlanta's win / loss record is 13~6 since Thomas Dimitroff has taken over. And their success is a direct correaltion with Dimitroff's presence. He has completely changed the culture in Atlanta, creating a "New England South" of sorts by implementing and molding their operating procedures, philosophies and culture into those that he learned and lived during his five season with the Patriots.
Dimitroff has shown an instant flair for making bold and successful decisions. Hiring Mike smith as his head coach, drafting Matt Ryan and signing free agent Michael Turner are "Exhibit A" when assessing his impact. While hindsight and results make these decisions seem like no-brainers, truth be told that Mike Smith was not the obvious choice, two QB-needy teams passed on Matt Ryan (too many interceptions) and some pundits warned that Michael Turner would not thrive outside of his well defined role in San Diego.
This last offseason Atlanta made defense their priority (oh, and obtaining a new play toy for Matt Ryan by acquiring Tony Gonzalez) and the dividends appear to be paying off. A fortified group of linebackers now backs up a stout defensive line. This group has already created six turnovers and five sacks in the first two games of the season. In addition to Tony Gonzalez on offense, other Pro Bowl veterans thtat were signed via free agency and trades on defense include linebacker Mike Peterson, conerback Brian Williams and free safety Erik Coleman.
The loss of Jerod Mayo to the Patriot defense has a major impact on a defense that had already lost some key veterans and was being labeled as soft against the run. Not good when facing a "ball control" type offense like Atlanta.
The undefeated Falcons rank 10th in the NFL in offense. But this stat is a bit misleading when you consider that they preach ball control and managing the game. This offensive philosophy conceals just how truly effective this offene really is. The same can be said about Matt Ryan being ranked 16th in the NFL in passing. A ball control offense limits his stats on the surface, but take a closer look and you will see that he has a 108.5 Passer Rating (4th in the NFL) and a stellar 5-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio.
Atlanta is for real and New England has not exactly met preseason expectations or returned to their 2007 form on offense. And the defense has regressed with the loss of key veterans and injuries to players like Jerod Mayo.
Tom Brady's knee injury is still obvioulsy an issue. He looks tenative and has not been consistently following through in his passes due to his reluctance to step forward in the pocket. He appears overly concerned with the bodies rolling around on the ground near his knee.
I sincerely think that there is a talent issue with New England's offensive line. That, coupled with Brady's tenativeness does not equate to the calm cool robotic effectiveness we are used to seeing. And although he's impossible to contain long term, teams have been finding success in limiting Randy Moss.
Atlanta's win / loss record is 13~6 since Thomas Dimitroff has taken over. And their success is a direct correaltion with Dimitroff's presence. He has completely changed the culture in Atlanta, creating a "New England South" of sorts by implementing and molding their operating procedures, philosophies and culture into those that he learned and lived during his five season with the Patriots.
Dimitroff has shown an instant flair for making bold and successful decisions. Hiring Mike smith as his head coach, drafting Matt Ryan and signing free agent Michael Turner are "Exhibit A" when assessing his impact. While hindsight and results make these decisions seem like no-brainers, truth be told that Mike Smith was not the obvious choice, two QB-needy teams passed on Matt Ryan (too many interceptions) and some pundits warned that Michael Turner would not thrive outside of his well defined role in San Diego.
This last offseason Atlanta made defense their priority (oh, and obtaining a new play toy for Matt Ryan by acquiring Tony Gonzalez) and the dividends appear to be paying off. A fortified group of linebackers now backs up a stout defensive line. This group has already created six turnovers and five sacks in the first two games of the season. In addition to Tony Gonzalez on offense, other Pro Bowl veterans thtat were signed via free agency and trades on defense include linebacker Mike Peterson, conerback Brian Williams and free safety Erik Coleman.
The loss of Jerod Mayo to the Patriot defense has a major impact on a defense that had already lost some key veterans and was being labeled as soft against the run. Not good when facing a "ball control" type offense like Atlanta.
The undefeated Falcons rank 10th in the NFL in offense. But this stat is a bit misleading when you consider that they preach ball control and managing the game. This offensive philosophy conceals just how truly effective this offene really is. The same can be said about Matt Ryan being ranked 16th in the NFL in passing. A ball control offense limits his stats on the surface, but take a closer look and you will see that he has a 108.5 Passer Rating (4th in the NFL) and a stellar 5-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio.
FYI:
Prop bets have been KILLING me so far this season and I will be officially cutting them from my betting diet.
(The majority of my prop bets have revolved around Aaron Rodgers and the GB passing game. Obviously they are having some SERIOUS line issues in GB.)
Perhaps I will find a couple of too-good-to-pass-up prop plays here or there the rest of the way....but these will be marked as "opinion only" or "lean only" as I have learned my lesson. If I do play another prop, it will be for a half-unit or less and no longer an official part of my card.
Here are the numbers:
Overall Record (Week 1 & 2) Game Plays: 10~5 +16.00 units
Overall Record (Week 1 & 2) Prop Plays: 1~4 - 14.95 units
Prop bets have been KILLING me so far this season and I will be officially cutting them from my betting diet.
(The majority of my prop bets have revolved around Aaron Rodgers and the GB passing game. Obviously they are having some SERIOUS line issues in GB.)
Perhaps I will find a couple of too-good-to-pass-up prop plays here or there the rest of the way....but these will be marked as "opinion only" or "lean only" as I have learned my lesson. If I do play another prop, it will be for a half-unit or less and no longer an official part of my card.
Here are the numbers:
Overall Record (Week 1 & 2) Game Plays: 10~5 +16.00 units
Overall Record (Week 1 & 2) Prop Plays: 1~4 - 14.95 units
:toast: bol this seasonHey no Smash Mouth Football contest this year? ive been trolling for you ;} to put up a contest,That's cool though..I Have A Kick ass Spread sheet My Friends and I Made in the off season and so far so good ,i may post it Very Soon.i am not posting much this year to date.i hope i didn't just jinx myself ;}
But also look into Hou Game i think they demolish this Jag Team ..BolPs if you do get a contest going i will put100.00 bucks for the winner!! I use paypal and i can be in the contest! You did such a great job last year it would be gtreat even if it is only 100.00 i pay not like that other clown that challenged all last year with 1,000 let me know sTART from week 4 to supper bowl
I like HOU too, but take a peek at AJ's Sucker Bet of the Week thread. Not saying this one doesn't cash, but sometimes I can buy into the theories of stinky lines, weird movement, public perceptions and looks-to-good-to-be-true situations. CHI and HOU are being viewed as strong candidates over on AJ's thread as we speak. Just food for though. Otherwise, I agree, HOU seems like a good play.
Ps if you do get a contest going i will put100.00 bucks for the winner!! I use paypal and i can be in the contest! You did such a great job last year it would be gtreat even if it is only 100.00 i pay not like that other clown that challenged all last year with 1,000 let me know sTART from week 4 to supper bowl
I love that idea SP. And I think $100 is good enough to keep people interested. It's not about some huge payday...it's about bragging rights and about having a small financial incentive as a way of keeping the carrot in front of the horse. Furthermore, it is being offered from a rock solid guy like yourself who won't disappear midway through the season!
Week 4 would be a good time to jump start the contest. I could post something this weekend to make people aware that we are getting it going again.
arty:
