Stillers vs.
Falcons Pre-game:
For two seasons,
the Falcons have been one of the worst teams in football.� That doesn�t figure to change in 2001; Vick
won�t be ready, the Falcon OL, while adequate at tackle, is soft and cheesy
inside and their D-side is, generally, over-old and undersized.� If this were a regular season game, the
Stillers should win easily.� However,
since this is a pre-season tilt, winning just doesn�t matter.� What counts is commitment to a scheme,
establishing identity and individual match-ups.� Here are some things I�ll be looking for when the Stillers have
the ball:
Mike Mularkey
has installed some pre-snap motion within his simplified scheme.� The
NYG had success with this last year and, on paper, the Giants O-side personnel
are no better than the group assembled here.�
Motion threatens the match-ups that D-Heads seek to create with their
waves of specialized, package defenders; motion can create some assignment
blows.� Unless, or until, the Stillers
can throw the ball downfield, they�ll be facing 8 in the box.� Make those defenders adjust; hell, with
enough motion, opposing D-heads may have to unpack their box just to create room
for their guys to maneuver.
Of course,
pre-snap motion can lead to pre-snap penalties.� If the Stillers can work this smoothly on Friday, fine; if not, I
hope they�ll stay with the concept.�
Pre-season is for working out the kinks; the first real test of Coach
Mularkey�s independence will come if the Stillers look like circus clowns
Friday but still are working motion two weeks later.
The first
possession:� In �97, the Stillers had been in Ireland
scrimmaging the Bears.� When those two
teams played their first pre-season game on the Emerald Isle, the Kordell-led
Stillers came out and just torched that Chi-town secondary.� That year, the O-side ranked 6th
overall and the Stillers went on to the AFC title game.� In the following three seasons, the Stiller
O-side was ineffective from the first possession of the first pre-season game
and, generally, throughout each of those miserable campaigns.� If the motion-full, simplified Mularkey
scheme leads to a couple quick scores, this could build some confidence on the
O-side and that could carry them through the tough times sure to come.
Pre-season is
for building strength from weakness:� Atlanta has a small D-line and excluding
Travis Hall, none of those men are good run defenders.� With MLB Jesse Tuggle out, this defense
figures to be essentially helpless against the run.� If this were a regular season game, gut runs would be in order,
all night long.� That�s not true for
this game; at least in the early going, the Stillers should focus on working
the pass.�
Ray Buchanon and
Ashley Ambrose are quality CB; both are small but experienced and
athletic.� Work Burress and Edwards
against this pair; give Kordell and the young WR a chance to compete against a
CB duo that is as good as any they�ll face in pre-season.� Atlanta�s first unit won�t be on the field
for long; work the pass early and, later, let the young players re-establish
Coach Cowher�s favored smash-mouth persona.
Seize the
opportunity:� The Stillers don�t have a healthy FB;
Kreider is out for another week and, in a development that apparently took the
Stiller FO unawares, Jon Witman is hobbled by his chronically ailing back.� Bad news for the power-I but not so for the
Stillers long-term prospects.� Friday,
the O-side will have the opportunity to feature 3-wide sets, to work a split
set with Amoz and Fu, a single back set with either, or even to line up
multiple TE.� Ken Whisenhunt knows how
to do this; this man coached the Jets TE a team that (often) carried just (1)
FB (pass-catcher Ritchie Anderson) with as many as (4) TE.� Of course, the Jets featured RB was
Schenley�s own multiple threat Curtis Martin.�
The Bus may be as effective, in his way, as Martin but Friday there is
no need to polish the power game.�
Rather, the O-side needs a change of pace and the injuries at FB have
offered a no-risk chance to experiment.�
Evidently, Coach
Cowher has been tinkering at this spot.�
Reportedly, Chukky Okobi has taken some snaps in camp at FB; this is
absurd, Okobi is a stumpy interior O-linemen and, probably, has even less
movement skill than, say, Big Jon Witman.�
Lining-up Chukky at FB, even in short yardage, has all the deception
previously reserved for our inevitable 3rd down screen.� Sure, Chukky might add some punch at the POA
but playing this man at FB would be about equivalent to taping raw meat to some
RB and chucking him in a shark tank.�
With Cushing, Tuman or even Bruener in the backfield there would be some
D-side doubt; with Okobi, very little.
I don�t want to
see Fu at FB either, at least not in the power-I.� Fu has skill and explosiveness but lacks durability; lining him
up as a battering ram is tantamount to hitching a boat trailer to that vintage
Jag and heading towards the put-in.� In
sum, if the Falcons are overmatched against the Stillers power-running game
and, Friday, the Stillers will be undermanned in that department then please,
for one night, work some alternative attacks.
When the Falcons
have the ball, Michael Vick will get the bulk of their snaps at QB.� Chandler doesn�t need the pain and the other
two guys just don�t matter. I don�t think Jamal Anderson will play much and
both back-up RB, Rodney Thomas and Travis Jervey, are nearing the end.� Assuming the Falcons try to take flight,
I�ll watch:
The
D-line:� Vick can be neutralized with pressure up
the middle.� Atlanta�s interior OL is
weak; if Hampton can collapse the pocket Friday that will bode well for the
2001 Stiller pass rush.� This will be
the rookie�s first test and it is one he should pass.� Reportedly DE Smith and Combs are both about 300#; that�s decent
size for a 3-4 DE and good news since the Stillers best chance to step up in
class on the D-line rests with both Hampton and a DE rotation of KVO, Smith and
Combs.� Atlanta�s OT (Whitfield and
Claridge) are good, tenacious players; Ephraim Salaam has started at ROT for
(3) seasons but is now 2nd team; that trio of Falcon OT should be a
pretty good test for the Stiller DE.
Underneath
routes:� If Chandler plays, the Falcons won�t
expose him with any slow developing plays.�
The same may be true for Vick.�
The Falcon top WR are Shawn Jefferson, Tony Martin and Terence Mathias.� Not fast, tiny to not real big and all on
the wrong side of 30.� I don�t see these
men getting deep and, if Scott and DW press, these WR will be entirely
ineffective.� If the CB play off, then
we�ll see whether Mike Jones has any hop left in those 32 year old legs.
Speed
kills:� I want to see what happens when the
Falcon pocket collapses and Kendrell Bell gets a run at Vick.�
Back-up
OLB:� Whoever plays LOLB after Gildon sits down will, sooner or
later, draw Salaam.� That man has
started 40 games or so; this will be a decent test for Haggans or Kurpeikis.
Back-up
DB:� The Falcon oldster WR can�t run much but Eugene Baker and
Vinny Sutherland can motor.� Its time to
see what Poteat can do at CB.