ATLANTA (AP) — The Falcons insist it’s over and done with.
  
That embarrassing playoff loss to the Packers? A thing of the past. No need to even bring it up.
  
Aaron Rodgers knows better.
  
The Green Bay quarterback remembers how it felt ending the 2009 season with a postseason loss.
  
“They’ve got to be motivated. I would be,” Rodgers said. “I know when we lost to Arizona in the playoffs, that was a big motivator for us coming back the next season to have a good season and make the next step of moving on in the playoffs. I’m sure they’re motivated.”
  
On Sunday night, the Falcons (2-2) have a shot at some measure of redemption when they host the Super Bowl champion Packers (4-0) at the Georgia Dome, the same place where Atlanta’s last season ended with such a thud.
  
Flash back to January. The Falcons were riding high, having won 13 games and a division championship during the regular season. As the top-seeded team in the NFC, they earned a first-round bye and home-field advantage through the conference playoffs.
  
The postseason lasted one game.
  
Green Bay, a team the Falcons had beaten during the regular season, got hot at the right time. Rodgers kept ducking this way and that to get away from pass rushers, giving himself enough time to carve up the Atlanta secondary with one of the best performances of his career.
  
He threw for three touchdowns and ran for another. He completed all but five of his 36 passes, finishing with 366 yards through the air. He led the Packers to the highest-scoring playoff game in their storied history. Heck, they didn’t even need their punter.
  
The final: Packers 48, Falcons 21.
  
“That was a pretty clean game,” Rodgers said nonchalantly. “We had no mental mistakes. We got the ball to the people we wanted to get it to. We moved the ball pretty effectively. When you combine not turning it over with throwing it where you want, you’re going to have pretty good results.”
  
Green Bay kept on winning right through the Super Bowl. The Falcons spent a long, restless offseason wondering how it all went wrong.
  
“It’s one of those things you need to learn from, especially when your last game kind of ends that way,” Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan said. “We certainly didn’t play as well as we would’ve liked to, but we ran into a team that was playing really well. It takes a little while to get over, but you have to move past it.”
  
Even though the Falcons are again the home team, the tables have turned since that last matchup.
  
Green Bay is the favorite this time, having won 10 in a row since its last loss on Dec. 19 at New England. The Packers are averaging 37 points a game and no one has come close to shutting down Rodgers, who leads the league in passing efficiency and is coming off a six-touchdown barrage (four passing, two rushing) against Denver.
  
Clearly, this team has shown no signs of resting on its championship laurels. Their sights are now firmly set on getting to a second straight Super Bowl.
  
“Last season doesn’t have any affect on our thought process moving forward,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “We’re proud of what we accomplished last year. That was an excellent football team … something that will always be part of the tradition of the Green Bay Packers. But this is a whole different year. We’re focused on winning our fifth game and staying on a path that will hopefully take us to Indianapolis.”
  
The Falcons came into the season with the look of a Super Bowl contender. They pulled off a stunning trade on draft day to land receiver Julio Jones, giving an already potent offense another big-play threat. As soon as the lockout ended, they moved quickly in free agency to sign defensive end Ray Edwards, addressing a major weakness — the pass rush — that Rodgers was able to exploit in the playoffs.
  
But Atlanta has yet to hit its stride. There was a blowout loss at Chicago. There was another setback against division rival Tampa Bay. Even last week, when the Falcons got back to .500, they nearly blew a big lead on lowly Seattle before surviving 30-28.
  
Jones is coming off a career-best 11 catches for 127 yards against the Seahawks, but Edwards had yet to pick up his first sack in a Falcons uniform. In fact, Atlanta has five sacks through the first four games; one team has fewer.
  
That won’t do against Rodgers.
  
“We’re still figuring things out, there’s no doubt about it,” Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez said. “But once it does come together for us, I think we’ll be a really good team. I think we’ll be right where we want to be.”
  
The Packers look like they’re already there.
  
Rodgers has hooked up with eight players for touchdown passes, including three each to Greg Jennings, Jermichael Finley and Jordy Nelson. James Starks and Ryan Grant are running the ball well. The defense has given up the second-fewest yards in the NFL (71 per game).
  
The only apparent weakness — a secondary that has surrendered an average of 336 yards and ranks 31st — can be explained away when one considers the Packers are usually playing with a big lead, forcing opponents to go exclusively to the air in hopes of catching up.
  
Green Bay tends to give up big yards but also makes a lot of big plays, such as Charles Woodson’s interception return for a touchdown last weekend. In all, the Packers have a league-high eight picks.
  
“There’s no denying that we’re giving up too many big plays,” McCarthy said. “That’s something we’ve focused on.”
  
The Falcons are trying to get the focus off the way last season ended.
  
A victory Sunday night would be a big step in that direction.
  
“Last year was last year. It’s over,” Gonzalez said. “But you remember it. I’d be lying if sat here told you I didn’t remember it. It was embarrassing. At the same time, they’re a new team, we’re a new team. It’s a new year. We’ve just got to go out and play this game and see where we stack up.
  
“They’re the Super Bowl champs. This will be a good gauge to see how good a team we are.”

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)
 

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Falcons insist it’s over and done with.

That embarrassing playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers? A thing of the past. No need to even bring it up.

Aaron Rodgers knows better.

The Green Bay quarterback remembers how it felt ending the 2009 season with a post-season loss.

“They’ve got to be motivated. I would be,” Rodgers said. “I know when we lost to Arizona in the playoffs, that was a big motivator for us coming back the next season to have a good season and make the next step of moving on in the playoffs. I’m sure they’re motivated.”

On Sunday night, the Falcons (2-2) have a shot at some measure of redemption when they host the Super Bowl-champion Packers (4-0) at the Georgia Dome, the same place where Atlanta’s last season ended with such a thud.

Flash back to January. The Falcons were riding high, having won 13 games and a division championship during the regular season. As the top-seeded team in the NFC, they earned a first-round bye and home-field advantage through the conference playoffs.

The post-season lasted one game.

Green Bay, a team the Falcons had beaten during the regular season, got hot at the right time. Rodgers kept ducking this way and that to get away from pass rushers, giving himself enough time to carve up the Atlanta secondary with one of the best performances of his career.

He threw for three touchdowns and ran for another. He completed all but five of his 36 passes, finishing with 366 yards through the air. He led the Packers to the highest-scoring playoff game in their storied history. Heck, they didn’t even need their punter.

The final: Packers 48, Falcons 21.

“That was a pretty clean game,” Rodgers said nonchalantly. “We had no mental mistakes. We got the ball to the people we wanted to get it to. We moved the ball pretty effectively. When you combine not turning it over with throwing it where you want, you’re going to have pretty good results.”

Green Bay kept on winning right through the Super Bowl. The Falcons spent a long, restless off-season wondering how it all went wrong.

“It’s one of those things you need to learn from, especially when your last game kind of ends that way,” Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan said. “We certainly didn’t play as well as we would’ve liked to, but we ran into a team that was playing really well. It takes a little while to get over, but you have to move past it.”

Even though the Falcons are again the home team, the tables have turned since that last matchup.

Green Bay is the favourite this time, having won 10 in a row since its last loss on Dec. 19 at New England. The Packers are averaging 37 points a game and no one has come close to shutting down Rodgers, who leads the league in passing efficiency and is coming off a six-touchdown barrage (four passing, two rushing) against Denver.

Clearly, this team has shown no signs of resting on its championship laurels. Their sights are now firmly set on getting to a second straight Super Bowl.

“Last season doesn’t have any affect on our thought process moving forward,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “We’re proud of what we accomplished last year. That was an excellent football team … something that will always be part of the tradition of the Green Bay Packers. But this is a whole different year. We’re focused on winning our fifth game and staying on a path that will hopefully take us to Indianapolis.”

The Falcons came into the season with the look of a Super Bowl contender. They pulled off a stunning trade on draft day to land receiver Julio Jones, giving an already potent offence another big-play threat. As soon as the lockout ended, they moved quickly in free agency to sign defensive end Ray Edwards, addressing a major weakness — the pass rush — that Rodgers was able to exploit in the playoffs.

But Atlanta has yet to hit its stride. There was a blowout loss at Chicago. There was another setback against division rival Tampa Bay. Even last week, when the Falcons got back to .500, they nearly blew a big lead on lowly Seattle before surviving 30-28.

Jones is coming off a career-best 11 catches for 127 yards against the Seahawks, but Edwards had yet to pick up his first sack in a Falcons uniform. In fact, Atlanta has five sacks through the first four games; one team has fewer.

That won’t do against Rodgers.

“We’re still figuring things out, there’s no doubt about it,” Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez said. “But once it does come together for us, I think we’ll be a really good team. I think we’ll be right where we want to be.”

The Packers look like they’re already there.

Rodgers has hooked up with eight players for touchdown passes, including three each to Greg Jennings, Jermichael Finley and Jordy Nelson. James Starks and Ryan Grant are running the ball well. The defence has given up the second-fewest yards in the NFL (71 per game).

The only apparent weakness — a secondary that has surrendered an average of 336 yards and ranks 31st — can be explained away when one considers the Packers are usually playing with a big lead, forcing opponents to go exclusively to the air in hopes of catching up.

Green Bay tends to give up big yards but also makes a lot of big plays, such as Charles Woodson’s interception return for a touchdown last weekend. In all, the Packers have a league-high eight picks.

“There’s no denying that we’re giving up too many big plays,” McCarthy said. “That’s something we’ve focused on.”

The Falcons are trying to get the focus off the way last season ended.

A victory Sunday night would be a big step in that direction.

“Last year was last year. It’s over,” Gonzalez said. “But you remember it. I’d be lying if sat here told you I didn’t remember it. It was embarrassing. At the same time, they’re a new team, we’re a new team. It’s a new year. We’ve just got to go out and play this game and see where we stack up.

“They’re the Super Bowl champs. This will be a good gauge to see how good a team we are.”

By PAUL NEWBERRY

AP Sports Writer

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons insist it’s over and done with.

That embarrassing playoff loss to the Packers? A thing of the past. No need to even bring it up.

Aaron Rodgers knows better.

The Green Bay quarterback remembers how it felt ending the 2009 season with a postseason loss.

“They’ve got to be motivated. I would be,” Rodgers said. “I know when we lost to Arizona in the playoffs, that was a big motivator for us coming back the next season to have a good season and make the next step of moving on in the playoffs. I’m sure they’re motivated.”

Tonight, the Falcons (2-2) have a shot at some measure of redemption when they host the Super Bowl champion Packers (4-0) at the Georgia Dome, the same place where Atlanta’s last season ended with such a thud.

Even though the Falcons are again the home team tonight, the tables have turned since that last matchup.

Green Bay is the favorite this time, having won 10 in a row since its last loss on Dec. 19 at New England. The Packers are averaging 37 points a game and no one has come close to shutting down Rodgers, who leads the league in passing efficiency and is coming off a six-touchdown barrage (four passing, two rushing) against Denver.

Clearly, this team has shown no signs of resting on its championship laurels. Their sights are now firmly set on getting to a second straight Super Bowl.

“Last season doesn’t have any affect on our thought process moving forward,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “We’re proud of what we accomplished last year. That was an excellent football team … something that will always be part of the tradition of the Green Bay Packers. But this is a whole different year. We’re focused on winning our fifth game and staying on a path that will hopefully take us to Indianapolis.”

But Atlanta has yet to hit its stride. There was a blowout loss at Chicago. There was another setback against division rival Tampa Bay.

Even last week, when the Falcons got back to .500, they nearly blew a big lead on lowly Seattle before surviving 30-28.

“We’re still figuring things out, there’s no doubt about it,” Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez said.

Rodgers has hooked up with eight players for touchdown passes, including three each to Greg Jennings, Jermichael Finley and Jordy Nelson. James Starks and Ryan Grant are running the ball well.

The defense has given up the second-fewest yards in the NFL (71 per game).

The only apparent weakness — a secondary that has surrendered an average of 336 yards and ranks 31st — can be explained away when one considers the Packers are usually playing with a big lead, forcing opponents to go exclusively to the air in hopes of catching up.

Green Bay tends to give up big yards but also makes a lot of big plays, such as Charles Woodson’s interception return for a touchdown last weekend. In all, the Packers have a league-high eight picks.

“There’s no denying that we’re giving up too many big plays,” McCarthy said. “That’s something we’ve focused on.”

The Falcons are trying to get the focus off the way last season ended.

A victory Sunday night would be a big step in that direction.

“Last year was last year. It’s over,” Gonzalez said. “But you remember it. I’d be lying if sat here told you I didn’t remember it. It was embarrassing. At the same time, they’re a new team, we’re a new team. It’s a new year. We’ve just got to go out and play this game and see where we stack up.

“They’re the Super Bowl champs. This will be a good gauge to see how good a team we are.”

———

Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga.  — Talk about being on the spot.

The Atlanta Falcons secondary already looks a bit shaky after giving up 319 yards and three touchdowns to Seattle’s Tarvaris Jackson, who’s not one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks.

Now it’s time to face the hottest QB in the league.

Hunker down, Falcons. Aaron Rodgers is coming back to town.

The Green Bay signal-caller already carved up Atlanta’s defense in last season’s playoffs, a clinic of a performance on the way to the Packers winning the Super Bowl and Rodgers taking the MVP award.

A quarter of the way through this season, Rodgers has taken his game to a whole new level, coming into Sunday night’s contest at the Georgia Dome as far and away the highest-rate passer in the NFL.

“We know they’re flying high right now,” Falcons safety Thomas DeCoud said. “They’re going to be a confident team. They’re a team that’s played very well the past four weeks.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – The Atlanta Falcons are still trying to find their groove.

With the defending Super Bowl champions coming to town, this would be a good week to do it.

The Falcons (2-2) are coming off another Jekyll-and-Hyde performance, racing out to a big lead on struggling Seattle, then barely hanging on for a 30-28 victory over the Seahawks.

In many ways, the win typified the first quarter of the season for Atlanta, which was projected as a Super Bowl contender but had yet to put together a complete game.

The offensive line had been the biggest concern, but it did a good job Sunday. Matt Ryan wasn’t sacked once after going doing 13 times over the first three games.

Now, coach Mike Smith is worried about the defence, which was burned for four touchdowns and 372 yards by a Seattle team that had scored just 30 points coming into the game. That won’t do against high-powered Green Bay, which visits Atlanta on Sunday for a prime-time rematch of last year’s playoff rout by the Packers.

“They have a great pedigree,” Smith said Monday, still looking a bit bleary eyed after the overnight flight from the West Coast. “They have an outstanding quarterback with a lot of weapons. That’s the biggest concern for us, being able to slow these guys down. In all four games, they have moved the ball and put a lot of points on the scoreboard.”

Indeed, the Aaron Rodgers-led Packers (4-0) are averaging a league-best 37 points a game, looking just as prolific as they did in January blowing out the Falcons 48-21 in a division-round playoff game.

Atlanta has stewed over that game ever since, making a major deal on draft day to land receiver Julio Jones and signing Ray Edwards shortly after the lockout ended to bulk up the pass rush that kept letting Rodgers slip away.

But those moves have yet to transform the Falcons, who actually appear to have taken a slight step backward instead of another giant leap forward.

“I felt we played a solid game through the first half,” Smith said. “In the second half, we didn’t play as well as we needed to play. There’s a lot we need to fix. One thing I will say about our team is we responded to the challenge. We held up in the fourth quarter when we had to.”

Given the way they ran all over Atlanta last time, the Packers present a daunting challenge. Rodgers has far and away the best rating of any quarterback, completing 73 per cent of his passes for 1,325 yards, with 12 touchdowns and only two interceptions.

He must be licking his chops thinking about the prospects of going against Atlanta’s secondary, which ranks 24th in the league defending the pass. Tarvaris Jackson, who’s never been mistaken for someone of Rodgers’ calibre, burned the Falcons for 319 yards and three touchdowns on a 25-of-38 day (he was picked off twice, however).

“We gave up a lot of passing yards,” Smith said. “Each and every day you have concerns, and this one is obvious (going into the Green Bay game). We’ve got to make sure we have a plan on how to stop these guys. We’ve got to try to slow them down. They’ve been outstanding on the offensive side, especially in the passing game. Aaron Rodgers is playing about as effectively as you can. It’s a challenge.”

Getting some pressure on Rodgers would certainly help. Atlanta has only five sacks this season — just one other team has fewer — and Edwards is still looking for his first takedown of the quarterback since signing with the Falcons.

Edwards was supposed to take some attention off the other end, John Abraham, but that hasn’t worked out so far. If Rodgers can move around like he did last season in that playoff game, allowing himself extra time to throw, the Falcons will have little chance of slowing the Packers.

“We’ve got to make sure we put some pressure on him,” Smith said.

Coming off a 13-win season and NFC South championship, the Falcons know they haven’t come close to reaching their potential. When an opponent is down 27-7 — as the Seahawks were early in the second half — Atlanta can’t let them get back in the game.

That certainly won’t do against a team such as Green Bay.

“There’s still work to be done,” safety Thomas DeCoud said. “We need to be able to keep a cushion and keep a team out of the end zone when we need to.”

Abraham realizes the Falcons still haven’t found their groove.

“Definitely not,” he said. “This game started off good, but we’ve got to be able to finish. It should have been a little more comfortable at the end of the game.”

The Falcons (2-2) are coming off another Jekyll-and-Hyde performance, racing out to a big lead on struggling Seattle, then barely hanging on for a 30-28 victory over the Seahawks.

In many ways, the win typified the first quarter of the season for Atlanta, which was projected as a Super Bowl contender but had yet to put together a complete game.

The offensive line had been the biggest concern, but it did a good job Sunday. Matt Ryan wasn’t sacked once after going doing 13 times over the first three games.

Now, coach Mike Smith is worried about the defense, which was burned for four touchdowns and 372 yards by a Seattle team that had scored just 30 points coming into the game. That won’t do against high-powered Green Bay, which visits Atlanta on Sunday for a prime-time rematch of last year’s playoff rout by the Packers.

“They have a great pedigree,” Smith said Monday, still looking a bit bleary eyed after the overnight flight from the West Coast. “They have an outstanding quarterback with a lot of weapons. That’s the biggest concern for us, being able to slow these guys down. In all four games, they have moved the ball and put a lot of points on the scoreboard.”

Indeed, the Aaron Rodgers-led Packers (4-0) are averaging a league-best 37 points a game, looking just as prolific as they did in January blowing out the Falcons 48-21 in a division-round playoff game.

Atlanta has stewed over that game ever since, making a major deal on draft day to land receiver Julio Jones and signing Ray Edwards shortly after the lockout ended to bulk up the pass rush that kept letting Rodgers slip away.

But those moves have yet to transform the Falcons, who actually appear to have taken a slight step backward instead of another giant leap forward.

“I felt we played a solid game through the first half,” Smith said. “In the second half, we didn’t play as well as we needed to play. There’s a lot we need to fix. One thing I will say about our team is we responded to the challenge. We held up in the fourth quarter when we had to.”

Given the way they ran all over Atlanta last time, the Packers present a daunting challenge. Rodgers has far and away the best rating of any quarterback, completing 73 percent of his passes for 1,325 yards, with 12 touchdowns and only two interceptions.

He must be licking his chops thinking about the prospects of going against Atlanta’s secondary, which ranks 24th in the league defending the pass. Tarvaris Jackson, who’s never been mistaken for someone of Rodgers’ caliber, burned the Falcons for 319 yards and three touchdowns on a 25-of-38 day (he was picked off twice, however).

“We gave up a lot of passing yards,” Smith said. “Each and every day you have concerns, and this one is obvious (going into the Green Bay game). We’ve got to make sure we have a plan on how to stop these guys. We’ve got to try to slow them down. They’ve been outstanding on the offensive side, especially in the passing game. Aaron Rodgers is playing about as effectively as you can. It’s a challenge.”

Getting some pressure on Rodgers would certainly help. Atlanta has only five sacks this season — just one other team has fewer — and Edwards is still looking for his first takedown of the quarterback since signing with the Falcons.

Edwards was supposed to take some attention off the other end, John Abraham, but that hasn’t worked out so far. If Rodgers can move around like he did last season in that playoff game, allowing himself extra time to throw, the Falcons will have little chance of slowing the Packers.

“We’ve got to make sure we put some pressure on him,” Smith said.

Coming off a 13-win season and NFC South championship, the Falcons know they haven’t come close to reaching their potential. When an opponent is down 27-7 — as the Seahawks were early in the second half — Atlanta can’t let them get back in the game.

That certainly won’t do against a team such as Green Bay.

“There’s still work to be done,” safety Thomas DeCoud said. “We need to be able to keep a cushion and keep a team out of the end zone when we need to.”

Abraham realizes the Falcons still haven’t found their groove.

“Definitely not,” he said. “This game started off good, but we’ve got to be able to finish. It should have been a little more comfortable at the end of the game.”

___

Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

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

SEATTLE, Wash. — In 2010, the 13-3 Atlanta Falcons were the NFL’s bastion of consistency. They were a balanced team, run and pass, and while they lacked a downfield threat that could open it up against enemy defenses, they were able to win most physical battles with running back Michael Turner(notes) and fullback Ovie Mughelli(notes). When it was time to go to the air, quarterback Matt Ryan(notes) had his choice of Roddy White(notes), the NFL’s most targeted receiver in 2010, and future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez(notes). It wasn’t a stodgy offense, and it allowed the Falcons to set the tempo more often than not.

Then, the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers demolished them, 48-21, in the divisional playoffs, and a change in organizational philosophy was evident after the fact. In the 2011 NFL draft, the Falcons traded multiple draft picks for the right to move up and grab Alabama playmaking receiver Julio Jones(notes). Later in the draft, they picked up Oregon State waterbug back Jacquizz Rogers to further turbo-charge the offense. Speed receiver Harry Douglas(notes) was coming back fully healthy after a torn ACL in 2009 and a disappointing 2010, and it seemed that the Falcons were ready to take their offense to a new level.

Through three games, it has most decidedly not been that way. The Falcons are 1-2. The balance between run and pass is gone, largely because the team is playing catch-up most of the time. Ryan is averaging 40.7 pass attempts per game (an all-time high) and as a result, the team’s already iffy pass protection has been exposed. After taking just 23 sacks in 2010, Ryan’s already been taken down 13 times in 2011. The offense that torched the Eagles for 35 points in Week 2 looked nothing like the offense that struggled to get anything going against the Chicago Bears in Week 1, or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3. Both of those games were road losses, which put another nail in the reputation Atlanta’s offense used to have.

Now, head coach Mike Smith has made noise about switching chess pieces on the offensive line, the supposedly explosive offense has to take receivers off the field and play max protect far more often than anyone would like, and frustration is mounting. And with a cross-country trip to Seattle to face a Seahawks defensive line that is one of the few consistently excellent things about that rebuilding team, there’s no time to waste.

“We’ve done it earlier in the season at other positions on the team, and we’ll do it at the offensive line as well,” Smith said on Monday. “We’ll let that play out during the week and try to put the best guys out there. That’s our job as a coaching staff, to make sure we have the best guys out there to give us what we feel is the best opportunity to win.”

So, there could be more transition to a line that has already featured two different centers and lost guard Harvey Dahl(notes) to the St. Louis Rams in free agency.

On Wednesday, Ryan tried to quiet the doubt — and the doubters — when he addressed the Seattle media during a conference call. “We’re gonna to work to find our best guys at every position, and we’re going to do that every week,” Ryan said of the line. “Our guys are working hard, preparing and doing the best we can. Whoever’s out there on Sunday, I’m sure they’ll do a great job for us.”

Left tackle Sam Baker(notes) has been especially under the gun, allowing multiple sacks and pressures after holding up fairly well through his first three seasons in the league. Neither Ryan, who was selected by the Falcons in the same 2008 draft class as Baker, nor Smith, who was one of the people who pulled the trigger on that move, was ready to throw Baker under the bus.

“Just to keep doing what we’ve been doing the last couple of years — preparing the way that we prepare, having confidence in our ability and staying positive,” Ryan said, when asked how he talks with his struggling teammate. “In this league, there are going to be weeks like that and it’s tough when they’re back-to-back-to-back, but you have to hang in there and be mentally tough, and he is. He’s a great competitor. He’s working his tail off and in the meeting room, so I’ve got confidence in him and really the rest of our guys up front.”

“We haven’t played as effectively as we’d like to through the first three weeks, and as I told the media here, the first thing you have to look at is scheme, in terms of shoring up something you’re not doing well,” Smith added. “The second thing is personnel, and that’s how we’ve approached it this week. We’re not executing — we did have a different center in the first two ballgames, and those are the two biggest things.

“Oftentimes, there’s more to it than a simple answer of, ‘When you’re not protecting the passer, it’s the offensive line’s fault. Until you know the protection schemes and how things unwind, everyone is responsible in terms of protecting the quarterback. It can be the wide receiver not breaking off routes, it can be the backs, and it can be the quarterback. So, when we say that we’re not protecting the quarterback, we’re not singling out our offensive line.”

But it was a problem against the Buccaneers – -the Falcons would try and run three- and four-wide sets, the Bucs responded with simple six-and seven-man blitzes, and Atlanta was unable to match up. Thus, the move to more two-tight end sets late in the game, along with other adjustments — more and more, quick drops and short passes became the order of the day.

“I thought we did a nice job during the end of the game scoring 10 points during the fourth quarter,” Smith said. “Unfortunately, we had some opportunities that we weren’t able to capitalize on, especially there in the red zone in the second half of the ball game.”

Asked if the lockout was part of the problem — abbreviated preparation time leading to a loss of the little things — Smith became more abrupt than is usual for him.

“I’m not going to go there. We’re not going to make excuses.  Right now, we’re not playing what we like to call ‘Falcon football.’  We’re not playing to the level that we need to. We’re not playing to the consistency that we need to, as well. But it’s very early in the season and we are continuing to work through a lot of different scenarios in terms of how we’re trying to put this team together.”

Related: , Harry Douglas, Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Michael Turner, Ovie Mughelli, Tony Gonzalez, Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is not counting on much love from the crowd when he visits his former Atlanta Falcons team for the first time as a starter in a match-up of two clubs with Super Bowl hopes.

Once a Falcons fan favourite, an exciting talent expected to lead the team to glory, Vick left Atlanta in shame to serve a prison sentence for his involvement in a dog-fighting ring and was barely used in a back-up role with Philadelphia when he first returned to the Georgia Dome in 2009.

But after his outstanding comeback last year, where he grabbed the Eagles starting role and delivered some astounding performances, Vick heads south with a new $100 million deal in his pocket and the responsibility of leading Philadelphia to the success they have craved for so long.

Vick received plenty of cheers in his first game back at Atlanta, throwing for a touchdown and running in for another in limited action, but there is no telling what the reaction will be this time from Falcons fans who feel their team has realistic Super Bowl ambitions.

While Falcons supporters hope to avoid an 0-2 start to the National Football League season, a hostile reception for Vick on Sunday would be a surprise as there are likely to be many Atlanta supporters in the Georgia Dome who still have affection for the quarterback and the feeling is mutual.

“I still have a lot of love for the fans down there, but keep in mind I am with the opposition now,” said Vick.

“I don’t expect it to be in my favour due to the fact that I’m out there full time, but we’ll see. That’s the fun part of the game and we’re just going to enjoy the day.”

In six seasons with the Falcons, who took him from Virginia Tech with the top pick in the 2001 draft, Vick was an exciting but inconsistent talent – his outstanding athleticism capable of producing moments of excitement but his youthful exuberance sometimes resulting in misjudgement.

In Philadelphia, while still keeping his ability to run with the ball, Vick has transformed into a more orthodox quarterback willing to play it safe when he needs to.

“Maturity has been something that I think has been the biggest reason why I’m able to accomplish the things that I’ve been able to accomplish today,” said Vick. “Just being older, with age comes the maturation process. Everything just happens in time.”

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan needed less time to mature, showing impressive composure even as a rookie, but he enters Sunday’s game having to go up against the old crowd favourite and at the head of a team coming off a disappointing defeat to Chicago in their season opener.

The second week of the NFL season offers some real tests for some of those who impressed in the opening round of games.

Chicago likely spent little time savouring their win as they needed to begin preparations for their road game game against Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton made an instant impact on Sunday – throwing for a rookie record 422 yards and two touchdowns, as well as rushing another touchdown – in a losing effort to the Arizona Cardinals.

But the plaudits for the top pick in this year’s NFL draft have come with the caveat that he has the test of the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

The Washington Redskins, and often maligned quarterback Rex Grossman, enjoyed a positive opening day against the New York Giants and they will have to prove that was not a fluke when they face a solid-looking Cardinals squad.

The pressure is also on several other week one losers, particularly the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts, who must recover from poor starts before slipping out of contention in their respective divisions.

Reuters

New York, NY (PRWEB) September 09, 2011

Atlanta Falcons vs Chicago Bears Live 2011 NFL Regular season kicks off this week in Atlanta with the league’s past Super Bowl champions taking the stage. Atlanta Falcons vs Chicago Bears Live Streaming NFL Regular Season Coverage starts at Sunday, 1:00 PM EDT. The game Falcons Bears will be televised on NBC. this is NFL Regular season Week 1 Game .

Falcons vs Bears Live here – http://www.usanfltv.com/

Atlanta Falcons vs Chicago Bears Live Streaming Online Regular Season September 11-2011 .Chicago Bears added to their secondary, agreeing to a one-year deal with two-time Pro Bowl safety Meriweather. The Bears announced the move on Sunday, a day after he was released by New England. Meriweather was a first-round pick with 244 total tackles and 12 interceptions over four seasons. In 2009, he had a career-high five interceptions and made the first of two straight Pro Bowls .

Bears coach Lovie Smith has been fiercely protective of his third-round draft pick, but we’ll see how sincere that is if Meriweather bumps Wright out of the starting lineup early on. However it shakes out, the safety position — including Craig Steltz when he gets over a hip injury sustained in the Bears’ final preseason game last Thursday — instantly becomes one of the deepest on the team and a boon to an already strong defense.

Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. Falcons are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL).Falcons have compiled a record of 298–402–6 with division championships in 1980, 1998, 2004, and 2010. Their first and only Super Bowl appearance was Super Bowl XXXIII .

“I feel I have progressed,” Wright said. “There is still room to improve. (I) can’t take offense because I can’t control it. It’s just me going out, doing what I can do. I can control me getting better every day.

“There is always competition from Day 1. When I was drafted here, there was competition. Now, there’s just more.”

Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL).Chicago Bears have won nine (9) NFL Championships (eight pre-merger, and one Super Bowl).

Chicago Bears could’ve won in Atlanta last year. They could’ve won Sunday night. Instead of that , they went 0-for-2. Bears made three big mistakes in the red zone, and the Falcons held on for a 21-14 victory that will be remembered for one gritty defensive stand after another and all the chances the Bears let slip away.

the Atlanta Falcons are in second place in the NFC South, trailing the division leading 4-0 New Orleans Saints. Fortunately for fans of both the Falcons and the Saints virtually all that’s being written about and commented on about both of these teams relates to the actual game of professional football.

Starting Tuesday, the Atlanta Falcons and the Georgia Lottery will introduce the third edition of their $5 scratch-off ticket. This year’s instant ticket, called “Atlanta Falcons In The House,” offers people a chance to win $250,000.

“We had a lot of opportunities to win this football game,” Chicago coach Lovie Smith said. “You can’t make those kind of mistakes. When you get the ball in the red zone, you need to get points.”

Atlanta Falcons :

Owner(s)- Arthur Blank (90%)

CEO – Rich McKay

President- Rich McKay

General manager- Thomas Dimitroff

Head coach – Mike Smith

Conference championships – NFC: 1998

Division championships (4): NFC West: 1980, 1998, NFC South: 2004, 2010

Playoff appearances (10) :

NFL: 1978, 1980, 1982, 1991, 1995, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010.

Chicago Bears :

Owner(s)- Virginia Halas McCaskey

Chairman – George McCaskey

President- Ted Phillips

Head coach – Lovie Smith

NFL Championships (8)

1921, 1932, 1933, 1940, 1941, 1943, 1946, 1963

Super Bowl Championships: 1985 (XX)

Playoff appearances (26)

NFL: 1932, 1933, 1934, 1937, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1946, 1950, 1956, 1963, 1977, 1979, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1994, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2010.

Falcons vs Bears Live – http://www.usanfltv.com/

# # #

Well, let’s open things up to the international media. Brad Gagnon, who I like to call the best NFL writer in Canada, has the Falcons winning the Super Bowl in his preseason predictions.

He’s got the Falcons going 12-4, winning the NFC South and defeating the Steelers in the Super Bowl. By the way, Gagnon also has the Saints and Buccaneers making the playoffs. Looks like the NFC South has a friend in Canada.

As long as we’re heaping praise on the Falcons, let’s turn to this Insider piece from KC Joyner. He ranks the best cornerback tandems in the NFL. Guess what? He’s got Dunta Robinson and Brent Grimes at No. 1, ahead of Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie of the Jets.

Joyner’s got all sorts of metrics to support his theory. I’m not a big metrics guy, but I respect them and will take KC’s word for it. By my instincts say he may not be wrong. Grimes and Robinson are an excellent tandem.

I know people like to point to Robinson’s one interception (and big contract) from last season and say he had a bad year. I don’t think that’s the case at all. I think his presence was felt. I think teams threw away from him and toward Grimes. That’s why Grimes had big numbers and made the Pro Bowl. Now that teams know who Grimes is, things might be a little more balanced and Robinson might have better statistics.

Of course, a lot is going to depend on if the Falcons find a solid nickelback.

The Atlanta Falcons have promoted Rich
McKay to president & CEO of the club.

McKay has been the president of the Falcons since 2003.

“Since joining the Falcons in 2003, there is no doubt that Rich has been a
valuable leader of our club,” Falcons owner Arthur Blank said. “Beyond his
day-to-day duties as president of the Falcons, Rich has led a good number of
key initiatives for us. In addition, he is increasingly enlisted by the league
as someone who can be counted on to lend his experience, expertise and
dedication to solve problems or generate new ideas.

“This promotion is in recognition of Rich’s many contributions to the Falcons
and the NFL, as well as recognition of his professional accomplishments along
the way.”

Prior to joining the Falcons, McKay spent nine years with the Buccaneers. He
was the general manager of the Tampa Bay team that won Super Bowl XXXVII over
Oakland in January 2003.

©2011 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Former New England Patriots safety James Sanders might not be the only new defensive back added to the Atlanta Falcons roster this week. NFL.com’s Jason La Canfora reports cornerback Kelvin Hayden, who was cut by the Indianapolis Colts last month, visited the team Tuesday and could sign Wednesday.

Hayden has six years of experience, starting 46 games, but has struggled with injuries at points. He started every game of the 2007 season. In his career, he’s piled up 298 tackles, 37 passes defensed, nine interceptions and four forced fumbles. He’d also add some championship experience to a young defense, having put up a pick-six in Super Bowl XLI.

A second-round pick out of Illinois, Hayden has played almost exclusively cornerback in his NFL career.

That nickel back spot is Atlanta’s biggest worry heading into the regular season. Adding a vet like Hayden to the competition between younger Dominique Franks and playoff scapegoat Chris Owens could be a great move.

For more on Hayden, head to Falcons blog The Falcoholic and Colts blog Stampede Blue, plus SB Nation Indiana.

By Jason Kirk

– Regional Editor

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Aug 31, 2011 – Former New England Patriots safety James Sanders might not be the only new defensive back added to the Atlanta Falcons roster this week. NFL.com’s Jason La Canfora reports cornerback Kelvin Hayden, who was cut by the Indianapolis Colts last month, visited the team Tuesday and could sign Wednesday.

Hayden has six years of experience, starting 46 games, but has struggled with injuries at points. He started every game of the 2007 season. In his career, he’s piled up 298 tackles, 37 passes defensed, nine interceptions and four forced fumbles. He’d also add some championship experience to a young defense, having put up a pick-six in Super Bowl XLI.

A second-round pick out of Illinois, Hayden has played almost exclusively cornerback in his NFL career.

That nickel back spot is Atlanta’s biggest worry heading into the regular season. Adding a vet like Hayden to the competition between younger Dominique Franks and playoff scapegoat Chris Owens could be a great move.

For more on Hayden, head to Falcons blog The Falcoholic and Colts blog Stampede Blue, plus SB Nation Indiana.

Read More: James Sanders (SS – NEP), Kelvin Hayden (DB – IND), Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts

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FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – John Abraham has a pretty good idea of one reason why the Atlanta Falcons have found success under coach Mike Smith.

It’s an “Over-30 Club” of players whose regular dialogue with Smith has created an open line of communication from the head coach to the locker-room.

“He listens to everything we’re saying,” Abraham, a four-time Pro Bowl defensive end, said Monday. “He puts it in his mind to use the stuff you’re saying, and it eases the situation for everybody on the team.”

Smith, whose Falcons (0-2) travel for a pre-season game Saturday at Pittsburgh (1-1), calls often on the over-30 veterans to meet and discuss a wide range of topics affecting any player on the team.

Without his coach’s management style, Abraham doubts the Falcons would have gone 33-15 in Smith’s tenure and earned two playoff spots and an NFC South title in the last three years.

It’s a protocol Smith first learned while working from 1999-2002 in Baltimore under his brother-in-law, then-head coach Brian Billick. Smith believes one reason the Ravens won the 2000 Super Bowl was Billick’s establishment of a team “pyramid” established a fluid dialogue from the locker-room to the front office.

“I don’t know if it’s a common practice around the league, but it was something we did in Baltimore,” said Smith, who worked as a defensive assistant with the Ravens. “I don’t know if it was done prior to that, but it was when I first became involved with it. To me, it was neat because you got your mentors, your older guys, to tell the younger players about what it means to be in the NFL. I think it just makes for a healthier work atmosphere.”

When the Falcons hired him in January 2008, one of Smith’s first notable changes was to create a give-and-take relationship with players whose voices had been stifled under predecessor Bobby Petrino.

Petrino, who quit after only 13 games of his first NFL season and left for Arkansas, told players he didn’t care what they had to say. He would often pass veteran players like Abraham, centre Todd McClure and fullback Ovie Mughelli in the hallway and make no attempt at eye contact or conversation.

Everything changed under Smith, an affable, professional boss who took over a 4-12 team that was in disarray after the ’07 imprisonment of quarterback Michael Vick and abrupt departure of Petrino.

“It was good to have your viewpoint heard with any situation,” Abraham said. “It was no longer a dictatorship.”

Added McClure, an NFL starter since 1999: “With Smitty, you don’t have a guy that’s holding a stick over your head as the hard, stern ruler. He’s here and he’s actually worried about each guy and their health and making sure they’ll be able to get out on the field. He said that the first time he came in these doors, and we respect him for that.”

For a chatty, intelligent guy like Mughelli, the change from Petrino to Smith made him feel wanted and needed.

Mughelli was drafted by the Ravens in 2003, the year after Smith left Baltimore to become defensive co-ordinator in Jacksonville. He decided to sign as a free agent with the Falcons in 2007, Petrino’s lone season.

After attending team dinners in which players weren’t allowed to speak unless spoken to under Petrino, Mughelli welcomed the familiar approach he knew would help the Falcons win under Smith.

“In Baltimore, if the over-30 players thought we should let up, do a little more or how we might change some things, Brian would listen,” Mughelli said. “Smitty does the same thing. He’s very much a players’ coach, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all. It helps us fight harder for him. It helps us believe in him.”

McClure values how the process allows Smith’s word to become universal in the locker-room when his over-30 guys take his message back downstairs.

“A lot of times players will receive things better if it comes from one of their peers rather than from a coach or a head coach,” McClure said. “If it’s coming from another guy that’s lining up with them, they might take it a little better. What Smitty does is he puts messages to the over-30 club and he wants it to get out to the team and spread it in our own way.”