Members of the Atlanta Falcons brought smiles to the faces of some kids at Children’s Hospital of Atlanta on Friday as part of the NFL’s Basket of Hope.

Basket of Hope, which has been bringing gift baskets to sick children for 17 years, teamed up with the NFL this year, and will deliver 7,000 baskets to hospitalized kids in 32 cities.

Arthur Blank and players like Corey Peters and Justin Blalock joined retired NFL players Sol Brannon, Robert Hicks and Keith Ponder to pass out the baskets.

The baskets were filled with Falcons gear, sports equipment, books and games.

For more information on Basket of Hope, click here.

Copyright 2012 WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation).  All rights reserved. 

INDIANAPOLIS – A year ago, the Atlanta Falcons caused a stir when they traded up with the Cleveland Browns and then used the No. 6 pick in the first round to select former Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones.

Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff has no regrets. Jones started 13 games and caught 54 passes for 959 yards. He led all NFL rookies in touchdowns, making eight TD catches.

“He missed three games with an injury,” Dimitroff noted. “He made an impact on our football team that we enjoyed at so many levels. The fan base obviously enjoyed watching him. He’s a guy that you’re always on the edge of your seat waiting to watch.

Jones was a perfect complement to wide receiver Roddy White, a former UAB standout, and tight end Tony Gonzalez, Dimitroff said.

“And he worked with Matt Ryan very well,” Dimitroff said of the Falcons’ quarterback. “So we have a nice expectation for Julio in the future.”

Jones is very passionate about football, Dimitroff said.

“He works very hard athletically,” Dimitroff said. “To me, he’s right up there with the top ones in the league, and now going into the offseason and having the ability to work with Matt Ryan and work on the timing in the game, which is very, very important in this game, it will help him significantly.”

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Mike Smith wants his first two playoff losses with the Falcons to be “growing experiences” that will help his team prepare for Sunday’s first-round road game against the New York Giants.

With Smith in his first season as coach and Matt Ryan starting as a rookie quarterback, the Falcons lost to Arizona in the first round of the playoffs after the 2008 season. The Falcons had a first-round bye last year before losing 48-21 to Green Bay.

Smith said it’s important the Falcons (10-6) learn from the losses. He said based on those lessons he is planning tweaks to the Falcons’ practice this week.

“I know we’ve had two postseason games prior to this,” Smith said. “We haven’t gotten the outcome we’ve wanted. We are learning from those experiences. We’re going to use those as growing experiences and we’re looking forward to competing this week, and that’s not just Matt Ryan.

“That’s Mike Smith and every member of our team.”

The Falcons, who never enjoyed back-to-back winning seasons before Smith’s arrival in 2008, now have four straight winning seasons and the team’s first back-to-back playoff berths. The obvious missing piece in Smith’s otherwise impressive record is a playoff win.

Smith said he’s glad the Falcons, who capped their regular season with Sunday’s 45-24 win over Tampa Bay, can move straight into their playoff week.

“I think the way that it went down last year, I’d rather be up this week and go ahead and play,” he said. “That was one of the things I don’t know that we handled as well as we should of, the way that I structured it. I think if we get in that situation again we’ll handle it a little bit differently.”

Smith said he also discussed other changes for this week.

“In our staff meeting today, I brought out the notebook in terms of things we wrote down,” Smith said, referring to his notes from the last two playoff games. “You learn from everything that you do in terms of how you prepare. In terms of the actual scheduling, we’re not going to change that, but there are some things we definitely are going to do a little bit differently.”

He wouldn’t provide details of his planned changes.

“Some things I’d rather not talk about in terms of subtle changes in our installation and how we’re going to present things to our football team,” he said.

The NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement strictly limits the number of practices in full pads. Smith said the Falcons have not worked out in full pads since Week 13. He said his players could work in full pads in one practice this week.

“So it changes a little bit from what we’ve been doing in the last six or seven weeks of the season,” he said.

The Falcons had four turnovers, including two interceptions by Ryan, in last year’s playoff loss to Green Bay. They had three turnovers, including Ryan’s two interceptions, in their 30-24 loss to Arizona.

“There was a common theme in terms of you can’t turn the football over,” Smith said. “That was the pressing thing.

“It’s no different than regular-season football, but we’ve got to make sure that we have ball security. We cannot turn the ball over in the postseason. It’s imperative.”

The Falcons led the Buccaneers 42-0 on Sunday before pulling Ryan and other starters out of the game.

Ryan said the runaway win gave the offense momentum for the playoffs.

“I think it kind of put us in a little bit of a rhythm,” Ryan said.

“We made the plays and that’s what we need to do moving forward. I think everybody’s confidence is very high heading into next week.”

Smith said the Falcons have given the Jacksonville Jaguars permission to interview offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey for their head coach position. The interview is likely to take place next week.

Linebacker Stephen Nicholas, held out of Sunday’s game with a toe injury, worked on the practice field with trainers on Monday but is doubtful for the Giants game, according to Smith.

Jeff Triplette, Shutdown Corner’s favorite NFL official, is at it again. This time, Triplette took his tremendous combination of “skills” to the Monday Night Football game between the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. You’d think the NFL would want one of its best guys working a game of this importance, but as you’ll see when Triplette no doubt gets another playoff assignment, the NFL doesn’t seem to enforce any real standards when it comes to the competence of its officials.

Anyway, here’s the Triplette goof this time. The Saints have third-and-12 at their own 8-yard line with 7:27 left in the game. Drew Brees drops back, doesn’t see what he wants from the coverage reads, and scrambles to the right for a nine-yard gain and the end of New Orleans’ offensive possession. Pretty innocuous play, especially since the Saints were beating the tar out of the Falcons and the result was academic at that point.

And that’s when Triplette decided to make things more interesting. There was a flag thrown for holding, and after a mercifully brief discussion, Triplette made this ruling:

“There is no hold on the play … as it is a screen pass. The blocker was shedding him to the side.”

Uh … what?

Well, here’s the first problem, Jeff. We don’t know who either “the blocker” is, based on your description. You’re having a conversation with your umpire about a flag that apparently shouldn’t have been thrown, and that’s fine. But it would help if you informed us of your thought process in the first place. We’re assuming you’re just not smart enough to realize that you have an obligation to describe the penalty, whether it’s waved off or not, once you turn on your little microphone.

Unless, of course, our ancillary theory is correct and you’re one of the increasing number of officials who are throwing and then picking up flags in a weak and completely lame attempt to get more TV facetime.

Fortunately, Ron Jaworski spelled it out in the ESPN booth.

“You can see [Saints left tackle] Jermon Bushrod laying on [Falcons defensive end] John Abraham,” Jaworski said. “I’m not so sure it was a screen, though. In fact, it wasn’t a screen.”

Yeah … that’s the second problem, Jeff. It WAS a hold, because it WASN’T a screen pass. It wasn’t a pass at all. And there is no specific exception in the rulebook for a screen pass overthrowing a holding call even if it was a screen pass.

There is a provision that holding will not be called if it happens after a pass is clearly thrown, but Brees didn’t throw a pass at all. He read his coverage, saw nobody open, and scrambled. There is another provision that holding won’t be called if the action occurs away from the point of attack and not within close-line play. But Bushrod took Abraham to the ground and held him there, while Brees was still in the pocket and not two yards away from the hold.

So, Mr. Triplette, we ask you as we frequently do: What the hell were you talking about?

Related: Jermon Bushrod, Drew Brees, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Adventures in Officiating

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP)—Coach Mike Smith has led the Atlanta Falcons to
the playoffs in three of his four seasons.

Right now, he couldn’t care less.

Smith spent Tuesday trying to find answers for major breakdowns following
the Falcons’ blowout loss the night before in New Orleans.

A 45-16 defeat left him determined to fix these problems before the
postseason begins in two weeks.

The Falcons (9-6) host Tampa Bay (4-11) in the regular-season finale on
Sunday and will learn later that day where they will travel to open the
playoffs.

But Smith has more immediate concerns after watching his team lose badly to
the Saints.

“We did not match their physicality,” Smith said, “and I don’t think we
played real smart either.”

Atlanta’s offense, which had scored a combined 72 points in the previous two
games, was inconsistent:

— Before the score was lopsided, the Falcons had to settle for field goals
on three red zone possessions and went three-and-out both times the defense
picked off Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

— Running back Michael Turner, the NFL’s sixth-leading rusher, finished with
39 yards on 11 carries.

— Rookie receiver Julio Jones lost a fourth-quarter fumble that New Orleans’
Malcolm Jenkins returned for a 30-yard touchdown that put the game out of reach.

The Falcons’ defense was worse:

— New Orleans, which leads the NFL in third down rate, converted its first
nine chances and finished 10 for 13 as Atlanta failed to match the Saints’
frenetic substitution patterns.

— The Falcons were a mess in the red zone, allowing four touchdowns in six
opportunities. It seemed appropriate that Brees ended the night by setting the
league’s single-season passing record with a 9-yard TD pass on second-and-goal.

— And after falling to 2-6 against New Orleans in his tenure as Atlanta’s
coach, Smith was frustrated by his team’s inability to pressure Brees
consistently. He was only sacked once.

“We had a couple of opportunities with blitzes in which we had some free
runners at them and we did not make the play,” he said.

“But our pass rush was not what it needs to be. You can’t give that guy
time if you’re playing matchup coverages, man coverages and if he gets time,
those guys are going to get open. That was the case on a number of occasions.”

With so much at stake in the division, right end John Abraham never believed
the Falcons would begin the night playing timidly on defense.

But even though a win over New Orleans would’ve given Atlanta the chance to
win the NFC South and host a playoff game, Abraham wondered if his team was
overly confident after beating Jacksonville 41-14 the week before.

“I don’t know why we came out a little sluggish, but we did,” Abraham
said. “And in the end they got the momentum and held onto it.”

Whether the Falcons have some kind of identity crisis remains to be seen.
They had won four of five since losing in overtime to New Orleans six weeks ago,
but have just two victories this season over teams with winning records (Detroit
and Tennessee).

Tampa Bay, which visits the Georgia Dome on Sunday, isn’t likely to give
Atlanta much of a gauge. The Buccaneers have lost nine straight and are coming
off a 32-point road loss at Carolina.

Smith promises, though, that he will keep his team focused on Tampa Bay and
not on the playoffs. Atlanta is 0-2 in the postseason during his tenure.

“I can assure you that for our organization, our goal is not just to make
the playoffs,” Smith said.

“Our goals are much higher than that, and we have a roadmap that you have
to follow to get there, meaning that you’ve got games to play and we didn’t play
very good last night. I think it is a humbling experience for all of us because
we didn’t play Atlanta Falcon football like we know we’re capable of playing.”

Recapping the New Orleans Saints’ 45-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints clinched the NFC South title and remain in contention for the No. 2 seed in the playoff race.

DID YOU SEE?

MARQUES COLSTON

Once again, when the NFL’s Pro Bowl rosters are announced today, the Saints’ sure-handed receiver will be left out.

He’ll probably finish as a distant alternate behind players with flashier statistics from offenses that don’t spread the ball around as much as the Saints do, but it’s quite possible Colston is the best player in the league who has never been invited to the Pro Bowl. In another offense, he might catch 90-plus passes with double-digit touchdowns.

Colston surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the fifth time in his six-year career with another typical performance in Monday night’s 45-16 victory over the visiting Atlanta Falcons — seven catches, 81 yards and a touchdown. He especially was clutch early, catching four passes for third-down conversions in the first half, including an 8-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

“That’s my role,” Colston said in his usual humble fashion. “I think everyone in the receiving corps has their role, so I just try to play it to the best of my ability.”

JIMMY GRAHAM

Graham, on the other hand, will undoubtedly earn an invite to the Pro Bowl, which will make him the Saints’ first skill-position player to do so since receiver Joe Horn in 2004.

Graham had a pedestrian game by his standards Monday night, catching four passes for 42 yards. But his 9-yard touchdown late in the second quarter was one of the best of his young career. He leaped high over cornerback Brent Grimes to make the grab, showing his old power-forward form from his basketball days at the University of Miami. That was Graham’s 10th touchdown catch of the season, which set a franchise record for tight ends. He has a chance to set a NFL record against the visiting Carolina Panthers on Sunday. He’s 67 yards behind Kellen Winslow, who set the NFL record for tight ends in 1980 with 1,290 receiving yards. However, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is 6 yards ahead of Graham and could also break that record.

After the Falcons game, Graham gave praise to quarterback Drew Brees, insisting that he never wants to play for another quarterback.

“He only makes me look better,” Graham said.

HOW THE GAME WAS WON

The Saints’ offense was in fine form, converting its first nine third-down attempts en route to a 28-10 lead in the third quarter.

But once again, the Saints’ defense came up equally big.

After allowing Atlanta to score 10 points on its first two drives, the Saints’ defense went into shut-down mode. They held the Falcons scoreless on their next four drives, and then forced them to settle for field goals on the next two drives. After New Orleans’ offense then stalled, the defense came up with the biggest play yet — a forced fumble by linebacker Scott Shanle that was returned 30 yards for a touchdown by safety Malcolm Jenkins in the fourth quarter.

Jenkins had a great effort, coming up with two huge hits earlier in the game that led to punts.

Also big for the Saints was second-year defensive end Junior Galette, who made a rare start and came up with two hits against quarterback Matt Ryan that led to drive-killing incompletions and a third that forced a holding call.

LOOKING AHEAD

REMATCH IN TWO WEEKS?

The Saints finally put together a convincing victory against their rivals, snapping a streak of four games in this series that were decided by three points.

And for their reward? They’ll probably face the Falcons again in less than two weeks at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The Saints (12-3) are the third seed in the NFC, and the Falcons (9-6) are the sixth seed, which would set up a first-round playoff rematch. New Orleans can move up if it defeats the Panthers and the San Francisco 49ers lose at St. Louis. The Falcons can move up if they win and the Detroit Lions lose at Green Bay (questionable since the Packers might rest their starters).

If the rematch happens, it won’t be a “gimme” for the Saints. The Falcons are a bona-fide playoff team, but please spare me the argument that it’s “tough to beat the same team three times.” That’s bogus, based on historical data and common sense. It would be even tougher for the Falcons to come to the Superdome and beat a Saints team that has proven to be the better team twice.

DILEMMA FOR PAYTON?

The Saints are alive for the No. 2 seed, but they could consider resting their starters against Carolina.

Last season, Coach Sean Payton admitted that his biggest regret was playing his starters in Week 17 when New Orleans had a slim chance of earning the No. 1 seed. As a result, key players Graham, Jenkins and Chris Ivory all got hurt and couldn’t play in the playoffs.

The Saints now are in the same boat, with the 49ers unlikely to lose at St. Louis, though the Saints did Oct. 30.

Further complicating matters, if Brees doesn’t play, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady could pass him up for the all-time single-season passing record.

The Saints should and will try to win — at least until the scoreboard shows the 49ers comfortably ahead.

Atlanta Falcons Coach Mike Smith said twice Thursday he believes New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is, “having an MVP season.” Brees, who leads an 11-3 New Orleans against Atlanta this Monday night, could break Dan Marino’s single-season passing yardage record in that game.

Smith, echoing Falcons running back Michael Turner, carefully heaped praise on the Saints as the second 2011 installment of one of the NFL’s better rivalries approaches.

“I can’t say enough about the team down there, especially what they’ve been doing offensively,” Smith said with a chuckle. “They’ve just been off the charts in terms of what they’ve been able to accomplish. Drew, who always plays at a high level, is playing at an even higher level right now. Just to watch him operate in that offense is very impressive.

“Drew’s having in my mind an MVP season, there’s no doubt about that,” Smith continued. “He’s distributing the ball extremely well. They’re a top 10 team in running the football, the No. 1 team in total yards, No. 2 in points. Just to watch him operate, he looks very comfortable back there running the offense. It’s just amazing to watch him go out and run that offense. I hope he’s at his highest level because if he plays any better I don’t know if there’s any way to stop him.”

The New Orleans Saints have already secured a spot in the playoffs, but they
still have plenty to play for in the final two weeks of the regular season.

Two games behind the Saints in the NFC South, the Atlanta Falcons are primed
to join them in the postseason.

Needing a win to clinch their second division title in three years, the
Saints look to continue their recent success against the Falcons on Monday night
at the Superdome.

Riding a season-high six-game winning streak, New Orleans (11-3) is
postseason-bound for a third consecutive year. Hoping to earn a first-round
playoff bye, the Saints can wrap up the South title with a third straight win
over second-place Atlanta (9-5).

“The sky’s the limit and that’s where we’re trying to get to,” New Orleans
safety Roman Harper said. “Our goal is nothing less than a victory in the Super
Bowl, and right now we just trying to stay focused and take it one step at a
time.”

The Falcons, meanwhile, simply need to win either of their final two games
to return to the playoffs. If Atlanta wins both contests and the Saints drop two
straight, the Falcons would win their second consecutive South title by virtue
of a better record within the division.

Atlanta concludes the regular season at home versus Tampa Bay while New
Orleans hosts Carolina, both on New Year’s Day.

“We control what we can control,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “It’s
obvious our guys are familiar with the scenarios we are in. I know our guys are
aware of it. We’re not going to change our preparation, how we prepare. We try
to be as steady as we can and just continue to move forward like we have all
season.”

Though the Falcons have had more than enough time to prepare for their
division rival since posting a 41-14 home win over Jacksonville on Dec. 15, they
face a huge challenge against the NFC’s hottest team.

The Saints, who totaled 573 yards in a 42-20 road rout of Minnesota last
Sunday, have scored at least 31 points in three of their last four games. They
have not allowed more than 24 points during the six-game winning streak that has
followed a 31-21 defeat at St. Louis on Oct. 30.

“We’re peaking at the right time,” linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. “I’m
talking about jelling as far as a team – offense, defense, special teams.”

Drew Brees went 32 of 40 for 412 yards and matched a season high with five
touchdowns against the lowly Vikings. With an NFL-leading 4,780 passing yards,
Brees is 305 shy of breaking Dan Marino’s single-season NFL record (5,084) set
in 1984.

“I’m as comfortable now in this offense as I’ve ever been,” Brees said.
“I’m aware that we’re close. I just know if we keep doing what we’re doing all
of that stuff will take care of itself.”

Brees improved to 9-3 against the Falcons after throwing for 322 yards and
two touchdowns in a 26-23 overtime win at Atlanta on Nov. 13.

New Orleans has won two straight and nine of 11 against Atlanta, but needed
overtime to win their first 2011 meeting and lost 27-24 at home to the Falcons
in 2010. Each of the last four games between the teams has been decided by three
points – three of them won by the Saints.

“We’re going to play a very good opponent and someone we’re very familiar
with in a game that obviously has a lot riding on it,” New Orleans coach Sean
Payton said. “We look forward to that challenge and we’ll go from there.”

Atlanta had little trouble taking care of the Jaguars, one week after
rallying from a 16-point second-half deficit to win 31-23 at Carolina. In a span
from the start of the third quarter at Carolina to the 2:12 mark of the third
versus Jacksonville, the Falcons scored 65 unanswered points – though it did
come against a pair of teams with a combined 9-19 record.

“That’s what we need,” said quarterback Matt Ryan, who has thrown seven
touchdowns without an interception over the last two weeks. “That’s the kind of
football we need to play moving forward, and I think it’s good that we’re doing
it at this time.”

Roddy White caught 10 passes for 135 yards and two TDs against the Jaguars.
It was the third time in five games he recorded at least 120 receiving yards.
White, who has five touchdowns in those five contests, has averaged 112.8 yards
and scored three times during his last four games against the Saints.

Teammate Michael Turner has rushed for 265 yards and two TDs on 50 carries
in his last two games at the Superdome.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The NFL is expected to look at expanding the ban on launching and helmet hits.

Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay, the co-chairman of the league’s competition committee, believes it will be a topic for his group during the offseason, and changes could be presented to the owners next spring.

“I think the launch will be discussed more and more and eventually we will see helmet hits modified in the open field,” McKay said.

The competition committee recommends rules changes to the owners, who then vote on them at the annual March meetings. McKay’s committee was influential in getting outlawed the technique of launching — when a player leaves his feet and leads with his head — against defenseless players.

McKay says the idea of potentially banning launching altogether was discussed last year.

“Coaches felt there were too many circumstances where players could be perceived as doing it and were not really,” he said. “It is a big step, not something I expect membership gets comfortable with over a year’s time.”

Flagrant helmet hits have been a high-profile topic all season since the league banned launching in March. A 15-yard penalty is enforced for anyone who leaves both feet before contact to spring forward and upward into an opponent and delivers a blow to the helmet with any part of his helmet.

Such tackles also are subject to fines, ejections and suspensions.

McKay emphasized that Steelers linebacker James Harrison’s hit on Browns quarterback Colt McCoy on Dec. 8 is not the catalyst for further discussions.

Harrison became the first player suspended for such a hit under the NFL’s new guidelines, and will miss Pittsburgh’s game at San Francisco on Monday night.

“I don’t like the fact one play would drive the discussion more than a need to do it for a bigger reason: a lot of plays that are putting players at risk,” McKay said. “Our game has taken some real steps in a safety direction and we see, culturally, some modifications. We need to continue in that direction.”

McKay said game officials have told him they are seeing fewer hits with the target areas the head or neck, and more tacklers are leading with their shoulders.

He said that’s significant because it’s not only offensive players who are in danger when an illegal hit is made.

“When we are trying to deal with an issue like the launch, we are trying to protect the runner and the hitter,” he said. “Some hits, a defensive player is leading with his head and not using his arms and really is exposing himself to injury as a flagrant foul is committed.”

Defenseless players cannot be hit in the head or neck area with the helmet, facemask, forearm or shoulder. The definition of such players now includes those throwing a pass; attempting or completing a catch without having time to ward off or avoid contact; a runner whose forward progress has been stopped by a tackler; kickoff or punt returners while the ball is in the air; kickers or punters during a kick or a return; a quarterback during a change of possession; and a player who receives a blindside block from a blocker moving toward his own end zone.

ATLANTA – Matt Ryan likes how the Atlanta Falcons are playing with two games left in the regular season.

He is even more pleased that the Falcons can rest this weekend while other NFC playoff contenders compete.

Atlanta (9-5) has won four of five and closes the regular season with games at New Orleans on Dec. 26 and at home against Tampa Bay on Jan. 1. The Falcons seem poised to make consecutive post-season appearances for the first time in their 46-year history.

“Four or five days off couldn’t come at a better time,” said Ryan, who threw three touchdown passes in a 41-14 victory over Jacksonville on Thursday night. “I think everybody will use this extended little break that we have to let our bodies heal a little bit so that we can be fresh when we go down and play New Orleans.”

Ryan believes his team is brimming with confidence even though it’s coming off consecutive wins over teams with a combined 8-19 record. The Falcons ripped off 65 consecutive points from the start of Sunday’s third quarter at Carolina to the 2:12 mark of Thursday’s third quarter.

“That’s what we need,” Ryan said. “We’re in a position where we have two games left now, and I think still control our own destiny. That’s the kind of football we need to play moving forward, and I think it’s good that we’re doing it at this time.”

Atlanta trails the NFC South-leading Saints by 1 1/2 games. New Orleans, which earned a 26-23 overtime victory five weeks ago at the Georgia Dome, takes a five-game winning streak into Sunday’s matchup with the Vikings in Minnesota.

With the top three NFC playoff spots likely to going to Green Bay, San Francisco and New Orleans, the Falcons would benefit if New York, Detroit, Chicago or Dallas loses this weekend. Atlanta currently has the fifth-best record in the race for the NFC’s six post-season berths.

The Falcons moved past a disappointing 17-10 loss at Houston two weeks ago by returning to the core principles that have fuelled their success under fourth-year coach Mike Smith.

They jumped out to a fast start against Jacksonville in all three phases of the game, building a 27-0 halftime lead with big plays on offence, defence and special teams.

Sean Weatherspoon helped Atlanta pull away with a key fumble recovery after Jacksonville muffed a punt in the second quarter. He fell on the loose ball at the five, and Michael Turner ran for a touchdown on the next snap to make it 17-0.

“Winning on a short week is never an easy proposition, but I really think our team handled it very well and I really think it showed the way that they worked in the ballgame,” Smith said after the Falcons improved to 27-1 in his tenure when they win the turnover battle.

“They started fast and I think that they played well for most part of the ballgame. I liked their effort and I liked that the guys played, and we got the result that we wanted. Now it’s an opportunity to try to go get (victory) No. 10.”

A 41-0 lead allowed Smith to rest Ryan for the final 17 minutes, a deserved break after his quarterback threw three touchdown passes in consecutive games for the first time in his career.

Ryan completed 19 of 26 passes for 224 yards and is 22-0 when he records an NFL passer rating of 100 or higher.

Three-time Pro Bowl receiver Roddy White and rookie Julio Jones, the league’s No. 6 overall draft pick, combined to catch 15 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns.

“I feel like we played a good three quarters,” White said. “The fourth quarter, the starters were out, so we didn’t get a chance to see what we could do then. The first three were really, really good. We got after the quarterback, scored a lot of points on offence, and got down in the red zone and scored.”

In what has been an all too familiar refrain this season, the Panthers blew yet another fourth quarter lead Sunday in a 31-23 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The Panthers led by 16 at halftime and by 6 entering the final quarter, but their offense bogged down, and they were outscored 24-0 in the second half at home.

It’s the sixth time this season the Panthers have led or been tied in the fourth quarter only to lose.

“We still have a long ways to go as a football team,” coach Ron Rivera said. “We are a young team that has to understand you have to keep going and put the foot down on the accelerator, which we didn’t do.”

Cam Newton started strong, completing 9 of 14 passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns in the first half as the Panthers built a 23-7 lead. But Newton was intercepted twice in the second half, one of them on a poor decision when he tried to shovel the ball ahead with his non-throwing left hand as he was falling to the ground.

“Both interceptions were my fault and you can’t do that,” Newton said. “If you expect to win in this league, you have to protect the football. I did a poor job in doing that today. Without those two picks, the team would have had a better chance of winning today.”

Matt Ryan seems to have Carolina’s number. He’s won six of his last seven starts against the Panthers.

Ryan threw for 320 yards, and his four TD passes matched a career high. He threw two of them in the fourth quarter to rookie Julio Jones to lead the Falcons (8-5) back.

The first time the teams met, the Falcons trailed by three points in the fourth quarter but rallied for a 31-17 win Oct. 16.

Jones, who finished with 104 yards receiving, was quiet for most of the game but caught a 17-yard touchdown pass to give the Falcons a 24-23 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Despite their struggles in the second half, the Panthers looked poised to regain the lead, but Newton couldn’t hook up with Greg Olsen in the back of the end zone, and the Panthers had to settle for a 36-yard field goal attempt.

Olindo Mare, just as he’d done against Minnesota, pushed a potential go-ahead kick wide left.

“You can’t do that; you really can’t,” Rivera said.

Rivera said he planned to sit down with Mare — who was given a four-year, $12 million contract this offseason — to talk about what’s wrong.

“It’s the second one he’s hooked left, pretty much from almost the same area (on the field),” Rivera said.

The Falcons seized the momentum.

Two plays later, on second-and-11, Jones caught a pass over the middle, broke a tackle and raced 75 yards to the end zone.

Ryan was particularly sharp in the second half, throwing for 232 yards and three scores.

Looking to increase the tempo, the Falcons went to a no-huddle offense quite a bit in the second half and tried to take advantage of a matchup with reserve cornerback Darius Butler on Jones

Both of Jones’ touchdown catches came against Butler.

“You know, they were coming at me a few times with Julio,” Butler said. “They like that matchup. I made some plays early, and he made some big plays late. You’ve got to hold up. That’s the name of the game. You got to finish it out.”

The Panthers were officially eliminated from playoff contention.

A glum Newton called his decision to try a shovel pass to Jonathan Stewart as he was being tackled “terrible.”

“I tried to get the ball to Stew and tried to avoid the sack,” he said. “I should have just ate the ball and taken the sack.”

Earlier this week, Rivera said this was a statement game for his young team. The statement was that their youth still shows.

And the Falcons took advantage.

“This game is about playing 60 minutes,” Falcons coach Mike Smith. “They’re not 30-minute ballgames, and I think that’s what our guys did good today.”

NOTES: The Falcons are 21-0 when Ryan has a quarterback rating of 100 or more. … Carolina’s Steve Smith became the 35th player in NFL history to reach 10,000 yards receiving for his career on a 16-yard catch in the second quarter. … Travelle Wharton moved from left guard to left tackle for the Panthers to replace Jordan Gross, who sat out with a right ankle injury. Mackenzy Bernadeau started at Wharton’s regular spot at left guard. … With starting defensive tackles Sione Fua and Terrell McClain going on injured reserve earlier this week, Frank Kearse and Andre Neblett got the start for the Panthers.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Cleaning out the notebook:

It is hard to believe that the Atlanta Falcons have taken such a step backward this season.

A year after finishing at 13-3, the best record in the NFC, the Falcons are floundering at 7-5 after an inexplicable loss at the Houston Texans last week. The Texans were down to their third quarterback, rookie T.J. Yates.

Although no one is going to confuse Atlanta’s defense with the best in the NFL, the problem most of the season has been the offense.

After a drubbing by the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs last season, the Falcons went into panic mode, thinking they had to revamp their ground-it-out offense into one that could throw the ball long all the time.

Part of that panic came on draft day when they threw away multiple draft picks to trade up and get Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones, who has turned out to be a drop machine in the NFL. If he doesn’t drop a touchdown pass on the last play of the game last week, the Falcons would have beaten the Texans.

When the Falcons were changing offensive philosophy, it is unlikely they thought about the fact that they don’t have the quarterback for a vertical passing game.

Peter Keating of ESPN.com did a study to find the best and worst deep throwers. For his study, a deep throw is one of 20 yards or more.

Through Week 10, Matt Ryan was the fifth worst. The only ones worse were Mark Sanchez, John Beck, Donovan McNabb and Curtis Painter.

On his throws of 20 yards or more, Ryan was averaging just 7.1 yards. As a contrast, Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers is averaging 29.5 yards on such throws.

Even rookie Cam Newton, whom the Falcons face today, is averaging 15.7.

If you saw the opening series against the Texans last week, then you don’t need stats to know throwing deep is not one of Ryan’s strengths.

On the first play of the game, he overthrew a wide open Roddy White by 5 yards. Two plays later, he overthrew a wide open Jones.

Right now, the Falcons’ offense is a mess.

The Falcons have a favorable schedule over the final quarter of the season with games against the Panthers, Jaguars and Buccaneers, three games they should win. They also play the Saints.

But with the offense sputtering like it is, none of those games look easy right now.

No Pujols? No problem

Although no one in the St. Louis Cardinals organization would ever admit it, but they were likely happy when Pujols signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim earlier this week.

The Cardinals made an offer to Pujols that was big enough for it to appear publicly that they wanted him back. They also made the offer small enough that they knew he would never accept because someone out there, i.e., the Angels and the Marlins, would overpay for the slugger.

Pujols is listed as 31. There have been some in the media that have questioned his age, suggesting that he might be older.

But for the sake of argument, let’s say he is indeed 31. That means he will be 41 by the time the 10-year, $254-million contract ends.

Unlike the days when players took steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, players can no longer get away with that.

Therefore, the days of players seeing no drop off in their performance as they get into their late 30s and early 40s is gone.

In fact, Pujols has already seen three straight years of declines in his numbers.

He hit 47 homers and batted .327 in 2009, followed by 42 and .312 in 2010 and 37 and .299 last season.

As his numbers continue to decline, so too will his ability to play first base.

If the Cardinals had signed him, they would have had no choice but to play him at first base or have a $25.4-million-a-year pinch-hitter.

At least the Angels will have the option to move him to designated hitter.

Kevin Price, kprice@ledger-enquirer.com, 706-320-4493

All season long, this Atlanta Falcons offense has remained a mystery to most. The addition of Julio Jones, the “revival” of a dominant Tony Gonzalez, and the supposed full recovery of Harry Douglas from his torn ACL two seasons ago should have meant the offense would have an outstanding year.

That has clearly not been the case. You can point to a host of reasons as to why exactly the offense hasn’t really clicked; almost every fan has cited Mike Mularkey’s inability to effectively use all of his weapons as a potential explanation (and rightfully so).

But unfortunately, that situation won’t change until next season at the earliest. Sitting at 7-5 with one quarter of the 2011 season remaining, the Falcons will have to make a few adjustments on the fly as try to push past a few weaker opponents (and the Saints) and on towards the playoffs.

Today, I come to you, Mr. Mularkey, bearing three simple changes that can improve the offense against the likes of Carolina and others as the season draws to a close.

1- Divide up the RB carries and more evenly
In the Falcons’ archaic offense, Michael Turner is the feature back and clearly has received an overwhelming majority of the team’s carries. In fact, see for yourself:

Total carries – 338    Michael Turner – 233 carries Jacquizz Rodgers – 39 carries Jason Snelling – 27 carries

The Falcons have not only two, but three backs that are more than capable of carrying the ball. Rodgers is the very definition of “change-of-pace back.” Heck, Snelling has proven he can be just as effective as Turner as an every-down back. What’s more, the Falcons are really the only team doing this. Don’t believe me? Here’s a look at the top five rushing attacks in the NFL and how they divide their carries:

DEN 399 total carries Willis McGahee – 182 carries  Lance Ball – 71 carries
PHI 340 total carries LeSean McCoy – 215 carries Ronnie Brown – 19 carries
HOU 432 total carries Arian Foster – 224 carries Ben Tate – 138 carries
OAK 366 total carries Michael Bush – 173 carries Darren McFadden – 113 carries
CAR 333 total carries DeAngelo Williams – 119 carries Jonathan Stewart – 107 carries

While Philly looks to be the one exception, don’t forget they have ‘ole No. 7, who has over 70 rushes of his own. Also factor in that both Denver and Carolina have two very mobile QBs in Newton and Tebow, both of whom account for a large chunk of their team’s carries.

Point is: if you have a capable No. 2 back, use him! Teams that don’t monitor carries almost always have running backs that experience injury (see: Peterson, McFadden, McGahee… heck, Turner’s on the injury report right now)

2- More screen passes and halfback flares
As our good friend Dave Choate over at The Falcoholic has aptly pointed outed, the Falcons have only even attempted 16 screen passes all year. Why? Great question.

It’s not as if the Falcons don’t have a physical receiver on the roster (I’m looking at you, 6’4/220 Julio Jones). They are ridiculously easy completions that often times result in “cheap,” easy yardage. Talented offensive minds such as Andy Reid often use these plays to help a struggling offense (see: Falcons) get back into its rhythm.

And for all that is holy, stop throwing the ball to Michael Turner. He has stone hands. The Falcons have two other running backs in Rodgers and Snelling who have proven to be reliable receiving options. Actually, Snelling has proven himself to be a great receiving option.

3- Less emphasis on deep passing plays
Not that there much existed to begin with, but I actually agree with Roddy on this one. Think about it: timing on deep passing routes is not the sort of offensive facet quarterbacks can usually fix mid-season. You don’t “become” a gunslinger overnight.

Clearly, that ‘gunslinger’ label also doesn’t apply to Matt Ryan. He is now 7-of-32 on passing attempts of 20 yards or greater. As an offensive coordinator, you have to play to your quarterback’s strengths.

Fewer deep passing plays on first and second downs will also eliminate the possibility of third-and-long, another area Ryan has really struggled with this season (in third down and six+ yardage situations, Ryan is currently 45-of-79 with three interceptions, compared to six TDs and no INTs in third-and-short)

4- Less Roddy White, more Julio Jones/Harry Douglas
White, who currently leads the league in dropped passes with 12, is the most-targeted wideout in the NFL as well (128). I’m all for featuring White as one of the main receiving threats in this offense. He’s a talented receiver to be sure.

But at this point, his inconsistency in actually catching the ball, his tendency to commit stupid penalties, and the tendency for his drops to turn into interceptions make him a liability for the offense and the entire team.

As for Jones and Douglas, both have shown pretty consistent hands this season and both have the speed to turn a short completion into a long gain. I understand where to throw the ball on any given play is obviously Ryan’s decision to make, but at least for now I feel the Falcons should de-emphasize Roddy.

For more on the Falcons, check out The Falcoholic; for the Panthers, head over to Cat Scratch Reader.