NFL
Lift Off
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Atlanta Falcons finally won a game.
Dan Quinn was finally put out of his misery after starting the season 0 – 5. Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris has taken over as interim head coach. You may remember when he was head coach for Tampa Bay from 2009 – 2011.
Julio Jones returned after missing the last game and a half with a hamstring injury. His return helped spark the offense.
Jones finished with 8 catches for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 40-yarder off a broken play that helped put the game out of reach. The Falcons won 40 – 23 on the road at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
It was Jones’ 57th career game with at least 100 receiving yards, which is the most among active players and the fourth-most in NFL history. Jerry Rice (76), Randy Moss (64) and Marvin Harrison (59) are the only players ahead of him. They are all in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, so he’s in great company.
“At the end of the day, I felt great coming into this game,” Jones said. “No complaints. No hamstring injury issues. No tightness and things like that to prevent me from bring who I want to be on game day.”
The Falcons scored on 8 of 12 possessions, with one kneel down at the end of the game.
Matt Ryan completed 30 of 40 passes for 371 yards and four touchdowns, with an average yards per attempt of 9.3.
“I think that’s always the mindset I’ve had, to go out there and play my best every week,” Ryan said. “We have to earn everything we get in this profession. I don’t think it really changed my approach or anything. I believe I have a really good process and a way to get ready week in and week out. I trust that process.”
Atlanta jumped on the Vikings early and went into halftime with a 20 – 0 lead. As you know they crumbled in the second half and dropped second half leads under Quinn. I thought they were doomed because the Falcons have shown us, they don’t play well with a lead. I give Morris credit because they played well in the second half.
They recovered two onside kicks. It was the opposite of the debacle in Dallas when the kickoff team sat back and waited for the ball to roll 10 yards. On both onside kicks they attacked the ball and caught it as it came to them.
The defense had 3 interceptions on the season coming into this game. They forced Kirk Cousins to throw 3 picks in this game. They did allow rookie wide receiver Justin Jefferson 9 receptions, 166 yards and 2 touchdowns. I have him on my fantasy team but for some reason I had him on the bench.
The New York Giants also got their first win of the season yesterday. That leaves the Jets as the only winless team in the league. I bring that up because they have the work record and they are front runners to pick Trevor Lawrence first in the 2021 draft.
Atlanta is not a good team, but I think they are on track to get a few more meaningless wins that will make them pick lower in the draft.
The next two games are home against Detroit then at Carolina for Thursday Night Football. Those are games that are winnable.
Who knows, they might be in the playoff hunt if they can win those games then beat Denver.
Out Of The Nest
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
“And like that…he is gone.”
It’s been 25 years since Kevin Spacey uttered that line at the end of “The Usual Suspects”, unveiling one of the biggest plot twists in cinematic history.
Yet, I can’t help but think how those six simple words may apply to the Atlanta Falcons personnel at the end of the season.
It was a foregone conclusion Dan Quinn would be dismissed at the end of the season. He did not make it that far.
The decision the Falcons front office, specifically Arthur Blank, will now have to make on the direction of the franchise- do they continue and try to make it with the roster they currently have constructed, or take a step back and begin to build for the future?
Atlanta has some big-name talent at some of the more prestigious positions, but they are more than a new coach away from being a playoff team.
That’s not to say the organization needs to dismantle everything from the ground up, but their focus needs to shift from trying to make one last run to making decisions based on what’s best for the team in the long term.
How that translation will look could go a few different ways. Does Atlanta take the Bill Belichick approach and start getting rid of productive players a year early as opposed to a year too late?
This way of making decisions certainly has proven to work in New England, but can prove to be a difficult sell to fan bases that haven’t experienced that type of success.
Do they bring in young, future starters through the draft and free agency, allowing them to learn from the veterans?
It’s an ideal way to go about things since it keeps fans happy and allows the younger players to grow.
The downside, of course, being most top tier players don’t want to spend their remaining years grooming their replacement; in most cases they’d rather be traded or released.
And let’s be honest, when I’m talking about the positions those choices will revolve around, I’m talking about Matt Ryan and Julio Jones.
Both of those guys have one, maybe two years left, before we start to see a precipitous drop in their level of play.
I completely understand if Atlanta chooses to go with whatever option suits Ryan and Jones best, they just need to make sure it’s not to the detriment of the franchise, moving forward.
Look, Atlanta’s in that unfortunate situation where they’re going to have to sacrifice the end of the careers for some of their most important players for the good of the franchise.
Again, that doesn’t mean they can’t be competitive, but it’s not easy to admit making the Super Bowl isn’t the main focus.
The NFL is full of teams that have made surprise runs to the playoffs and exceeded expectations. And I realize it’s a bit premature to start talking about next year when we’re not even halfway through this season.
It’s almost a guarantee things will look very different in Atlanta, beginning with a new coach.
The Good Ole Days
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s hard to believe a quarter century has passed since the Carolina Panthers in Jacksonville Jaguars played their first NFL games.
I remember watching Carolina play Tampa Bay at Clemson with my grandfather and father because the stadium in Charlotte wasn’t completed yet.
I also remember all the arguments and debates going on about how you actually pronounce Jaguars; was it “Jag-wires” or “Jag-u-wars”? Speaking of which, how nice would it be if the biggest issue in sports today revolved around the pronunciation of a team’s nickname?
Even though I was only fifteen during their inaugural season and was more interested in playing sports than watching them, the one thing that always sticks out in my mind was how neither team really felt like your typical expansion team.
For instance, take a look at Jacksonville’s first five seasons; after struggling a bit their first year in the league (4-12) they made the playoffs four straight years.
Two of those years, 1996 and 1999, culminated in an appearance in the AFC Championship game.
There aren’t too many teams that can claim to make it to their conference championship game in only their second year in existence (hold onto that thought for just a minute).
As for the ‘99 season, a little bit of bar trivia for if/when we ever get to do those types of things again- Jacksonville only lost three games that entire season, all to the Tennessee Titans.
It’s almost as if that year’s Titans team was to Jacksonville like Alabama has been to Georgia recently. (Cheap shot towards Georgia fans? Yes. Unnecessary cheap shot towards Georgia fans? Absolutely.)
As for the Panthers, well, you probably remember or have at least figured out they too made the playoffs, as well as the NFC Championship game in their second season.
After a very respectable 7-9 record their first year, they won their division (the NFC West, which consisted of more teams east of the Mississippi River than west) with a 12-4 record and of course, the conference championship game, as I mentioned.
The Panthers success wasn’t as consistent during those first few years as the Jaguars- they didn’t experience another winning season until 2002- but they have had the advantage over the last decade and a half, and overall.
Since the ‘95 season, Carolina has had more wins (204-183), playoff appearances (8-7) and Super Bowl appearances (2-0), than Jacksonville.
I’m going to stop any more comparisons between the teams because that really wasn’t my intention when I started writing this.
Rather, I wanted to talk about, and give credit to, what both teams were able to achieve at the start.
Like basically all expansion teams, both rosters were full of players other teams didn’t want and rookies, being coached in this case by two first time head coaches- Tom Coughlin and Dom Capers.
It showed that with the right coaching and atmosphere players can perform at levels other teams didn’t recognize or just overlooked.
In a strange way it also helped contribute to today’s way of thinking, where if a coach can’t win within the first year or two, he’s gone.
I mean, if two expansion teams can make a conference championship in both of their second seasons, anyone should be able to, right?
Neither team may have had the overall success they were looking for 25 years ago, but they’ve exceeded most expectations, no matter where they called home, or how you pronounced their name.
Collapsible
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Some things in life are guarantees. For instance, death and taxes are something we all know is inevitable. Well in the sports world we can add a new guarantee; the Atlanta Falcons blowing a second half lead.
Dan Quinn took over as head coach before the 2015 season and he had his most successful season early on. In his second season the Falcons were 11 – 5 and advanced to Super Bowl LI.
As you all know they held a 28 – 3 lead over New England with 3 minutes left in the third quarter.
They collapsed and lost the game. I believe all of the momentum was sucked out of the team at that moment. They were 10 – 6 the following year and made a playoff appearance. The last two seasons, they were 7 – 9.
Week 2 at Dallas looked promising. The Falcons were flying high and jumped out to a 20 – 0 lead over the Cowboys. They went to halftime up 29 – 10. With 5 minutes left in the game they were up by 15. I’m sure it didn’t cross anyone’s mind that the game was in jeopardy.
Well, the Atlanta defense can make just about anybody look good. When they face a player with talent it only gets magnified.
Dak Prescott became the first quarterback in the NFL’s 101-year history to pass for over 400 yards and rush for 3 touchdowns.
The Cowboys recovered an onside kick where the Falcons players looked at the ball and inexplicably just waited for it to roll at least 10 yards. The Cowboys recovered it and scored to give Dallas a 40 – 39 win.
Surely that kind of debacle can’t take place again under Quinn’s watch.
Enter Week 3, a home game against Chicago. Atlanta has a 16-point fourth quarter lead with 6 minutes remaining in the game.
Chicago replaced a struggling Mitch Trubisky with Nick Foles. Like something out of a movie Foles threw for 3 touchdowns and the Bears won, 30 -26.
What did Dan Quinn have to say after the loss? “Obviously really two disappointing endings over the last two weeks. I told you earlier we’ve got to find our way to finish. We’ll hit the road a week from tomorrow and make sure that result has to be different at the end of the game. That’s where we’re at.”
Now the team is 0 – 3 and Quinn’s overall record is 43 – 40. That seems very mediocre to me.
Quinn was the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks before coming to Atlanta.
The Falcons defense has never been good with him as the coach.
Currently their 27th in total defense, giving up an average of 419 yards per game. The next game will be a Monday night showdown with 3 – 0 Green Bay.
It would be a major upset for Atlanta to win this game.
On the bright side Atlanta won’t get an opportunity to blow a fourth quarter lead in this game.
The Packers will win convincingly. Then we all have to wonder when will Arthur Blank remove Quinn as the coach. Right now, it looks like that will never happen.
Sinking Ship?
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
For months I have tried to tell anyone who would listen to not crown the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as Super Bowl Champions just yet.
It took the Bucs only one week to prove it.
All of the preseason hype surrounding the Bucs came crashing down in the Superdome last Sunday as the New Orleans Saints showed the experts why they are the team to beat in the NFC South currently.
So, what was wrong with Tampa last Sunday other than being crowned as Super Bowl Champions in August?
The spin from the Bay is they didn’t have OTAs. They didn’t have a preseason. The offense has a ton of new pieces, moving parts and a brand new quarterback in Tom Brady. There were bound to be some speed bumps on the road to a world title.
Breaking news; nobody in the NFL had OTA’s, or a preseason, and you have the GOAT.
You can’t use the classic we have a new QB excuse, can you Tampa? You can spin that with a rookie, but not a 6-time Super Bowl champion QB in Tom Brady.
Brady is the GOAT, and if Tampa does not live up to the hype this year it damn sure won’t be because of Tom Brady.
This is the NFL and even the all-time greats may toss a pick-six now and then. Brady did toss for 239 yards and 2-TD’s.
He did throw the ugly pick six. Mike Evans was dealing with a hamstring issue and only had one catch for two yards, but it was a touchdown catch. Evans will get healthy to be the deep threat Brady has been missing since he had Randy Moss in New England.
Despite the loss against the Saints, the offense had their moments. The unit moved the ball and actually out-gained New Orleans in total yards.
The offense has to run the ball better moving forward. Ronald Jones II had 66 yards rushing, but once Leonard Fournette gets up to speed in this offense look for this combo to take some of the heat off of the passing game.
The running game needs to click this week because Pro Bowl wide receiver Chris Godwin is experiencing delayed-onset symptoms after a hit to the head last week and is in the concussion protocol for Week 2.
What I was impressed with last week was the Tampa defense. Yeah, they gave up some points but held Drew Brees to only 160 yards passing and played well, so there is plenty to build from on this side of the ball.
Devin White is a stud at linebacker. This unit will have to step up until the offense comes around. The offense will come around very soon.
As expected, I turned on the TV on Monday and the talking heads on sports shows were kicking dirt already on the Bucs.
Not so fast there experts. I’m going to revise my predictions in the NFC South. With the Saints losing Michael Thomas for a few weeks with a high ankle sprain, and the Falcons looking like complete garbage again on defense I’m picking Tampa to now win the NFC South.
I had the Bucs picked third, but after seeing the potential of the Tampa defense I now pick them to win the division. Brady and the offense will be fine moving forward. The NFC is up for grabs in 2020.
Tampa Bay hosts the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, which will be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Bucs to cure a week one hangover from New Orleans.
Honestly have you ever left New Orleans without a hangover?
Down South
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books. Let’s take a look at what happened around the NFC South after the first week of games.
Seattle 38, Atlanta 25: The Falcons defense looked just as bad as they have the last few seasons. Russell Wilson completed 31 of 35 passes for 322 yards and 4 touchdowns.
He also had three runs for a team-high 29 yards rushing. Atlanta sacked Wilson 3 times but that did not slow him down.
Matt Ryan threw for 450 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception.
Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage each had 9 receptions for over 100 yards.
In Todd Gurley’s first game as a Falcon he rushed 14 times for 56 yards and a TD.
Atlanta outgained Seattle 506 yards to 383 but came up short all four times they tried to convert on fourth down.
The one good thing for the Falcons is Ryan surpassed John Elway for ninth on the NFL career passing yardage list.
Las Vegas 34, Carolina 30: Matt Rhule made his coaching debut as the Panthers head coach.
They had the best defense in the NFL just a few seasons ago, now they need all the help they can get.
The Raiders offense did whatever they wanted.
Second year running back Josh Jacobs rushed for 93 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Derek Carr threw for 239 yards and a score.
This was the first game for the Raiders since moving from Oakland to Las Vegas. Gruden didn’t hold back on praising Jacobs.
“That was a little bit like Walter Payton used to play,” Gruden said. “It was hot as hell. He got beat up early. He insisted on coming back and he insisted on getting the ball as a runner and receiver. He is special. He deserves some national attention — and I hope you give it to him.”
This was Teddy Bridgewater’s first game as the Panthers QB.
He had a solid game, completing 22 of 34 passes for 270 yards and a touchdown.
Former New York Jets receiver Robby Anderson also made his Carolina debut and played well. He had 6 receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown.
Of course, Christian McCaffrey had another great game. He ran for 96 yards and 2 touchdowns and he had 38 yards receiving.
New Orleans 34. Tampa Bay 23: This was the most anticipated game of the day. We all know Tom Brady left New England this offseason to become a Buccaneer.
He has a ton of offensive weapons. The Saints also feature a geriatric quarterback surrounded by playmakers.
This was the first game featuring two starting quarterbacks in their forties and they played like it.
The game started good for Brady. He rushed for a touchdown to give Tampa an early 7-0 lead.
It was downhill from there. He threw two picks and one of them was returned for a touchdown. Jameis Winston had to see himself in Brady as he watched from the Saints sideline.
“I made some just bad, terrible turnovers,” Brady said. “I obviously have got to do a lot better job.”
Drew Brees only threw for 160 yards and 2 TD’s. Alvin Kamara had a rushing and receiving score.
Surprisingly Michael Thomas only had 3 catches for 17 yards.
The New Crew
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
NBA franchises were forming Super Teams or The Big Three long before LeBron James decided to take his talents to South Beach.
That particular situation is oftentimes looked at as being the origin for the idea because it was the first time the players actually made it happen, as opposed to it coming together through trades or the draft.
Those instances take place more frequently in basketball than any other sport mainly because three players joining together can have more of an impact than say in football or baseball.
That doesn’t mean franchises in those other sports can’t make an attempt in their own right, the approach may just be a little different.
When Tom Brady decided to take his talents a few hundred miles north of South Beach Adjacent you knew Tampa would double down and bring in as many as players as they could to help complement their new quarterback.
The names of some of the players brought in are impressive on paper (Gronkowski, LeSean McCoy, Leonard Fournette) yet they don’t remind me of LeBron and Chris Bosh heading to Miami as much as they do Karl Malone and Gary Payton joining the Lakers.
Gronkowski, arguably the greatest tight end in NFL history, is the headline grabbing name, but who knows what type of production the Bucs will get from him.
Even though he took what amounted to a year sabbatical from the game, remember, he originally retired due to the beating his body and mind were taking.
A year off may help him recover from some of those wounds he already received, but it doesn’t protect him from future ones. The potential to be great is there, alongside OJ Howard, but so is the probability he’ll only play a handful games.
The McCoy acquisition would’ve been bigger news four to five years ago, but there’s not much left in the tank for the former fantasy football stud. I can’t see his impact on the field being more than minimal, at this point.
Which leaves us with the newly signed Fournette, who may wind up being the best signing of the group.
The young running back’s time in Jacksonville ended earlier than expected for a variety of reasons, but he’s coming off what statistically was his best year as a professional.
The improvements he’s made catching the ball out of the backfield, combined with his ability to pass block (extremely important with Brady under center) and his 4.0 yards per carry, expect Fournette to get a majority of the carries throughout the season, especially during crunch time.
Playing with Brady should allow Fournette to see a lot more openings as he faces less man fronts.
I may be a prisoner of the moment, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him put up Pro Bowl type numbers throughout the season.
Brady is definitely an upgrade over Jameis Winston and the potential for their newly acquired players to contribute, along with players like OJ Howard and Mike Evans, could make the offense in Tampa Bay one of the more exciting ones to watch.
There aren’t any super teams in the NFL, but you can see where Tampa has attempted to make a splash on the offensive side ball.
And even if they are more like the Lakers than the Heat, that’s not exactly a bad thing, the Lakers did make it the Finals that year.
Tanking For Trevor
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL season is scheduled to kickoff next week.
Thirty-one teams cut down their rosters to field the best team for the 2020 season. The Jacksonville Jaguars are doing the opposite.
The Jaguars traded their best defensive player in Yannick Ngakoue and on Monday they released their best offensive player Leonard Fournette (who was the fourth overall draft pick in 2017).
Dave Caldwell is in his eighth year as the general manager of the Jaguars. Caldwell has drafted six Pro Bowl players during his tenure with the Jags, including DE Josh Allen and DJ Chark Jr.
Let’s look at Caldwell first round draft choices:
2012: Justin Blackmon (suspended for substance abuse, has not played since 2013
2013: Luke Joeckel no longer in the league last played with Seahawks 2017
2014: Blake Bortles cut after five seasons; currently a free agent
2015: Dante Fowler Jr traded to the Rams in 2018; now with the Falcons
2016: Jalen Ramsey traded to the Rams in 2019
2017: Leonard Fournette released after three seasons
Just three short years ago in 2017, the Jags were ten minutes away from the Super Bowl but Tom Brady comeback ended those Jags’ dreams.
Caldwell had the NFL world by the tail, with an AFC Championship Game and a team loaded with young talent on both sides of the ball.
Jag fans, Dave Caldwell isn’t going anywhere, his job is not at risk. After unloading Calais Campbell, AJ Bouye, Marcell Dareus, Yannick Ngakoue and Leonard Fournette, it is clear that the Jags are in complete rebuild mode.
Since Shad Khan bought the team the Jags are 38-90. Do you think Jerry Jones or Robert Kraft would allow this? HELL NO, they would clean house!
The direction of this franchise comes straight from the top. If it was a playoffs or bust directive from Khan after the 2019 end of season, Caldwell would be addressing the team’s needs. Instead, he is gaining draft capital and salary cap relief.
Let’s look at the brightside, Caldwell is one of the best talent evaluators in the business. The Jaguars are stockpiling 2021 draft picks. They currently have 11, including four in the first two rounds.
With the Jags projected to win three or four games, they should be in perfect position to draft a franchise quarterback. Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields could be the quarterback the Jags have been searching for since Mark Brunell.
Also, Caldwell deserves credit for putting together the 2017 team that went 10-6. He either drafted or signed six defensive players who made the Pro Bowl or were All-Pro that season.
It is hard to win in the NFL when a team loses so much talent and doesn’t replace it. The Jag’s are on the “Tanking for Trevor” train. This team will be lucky to win 3 games in 2020.
The Jaguars have 11 picks in the 2021 draft.
Throw Me The Ball
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFC South has some of the most talented players in the NFL. I think most people would agree the strength of the division is on offense.
Let’s take a look at the top five wide receivers in the division.
# 1 Michael Thomas (New Orleans): I have to admit I’m surprised at this ranking. I know he’s a very good player but he doesn’t wow you with athleticism.
In 2019 he led the league in receptions (149) and receiving yards (1,725). He was tied for second in receiving touchdowns with nine.
He’s so far ahead of the guys in second place.
Christian McCaffrey is second in receptions with 116. That’s extremely impressive considering he’s a running back but you get the point.
Thomas has been in the NFL since 2016 and his stats have gotten better every year. His worst season was his rookie year and he had 1,137 yards and 9 TD’s.
# 2 Julio Jones (Atlanta): Julio was sixth in the league in receptions (99) and second in yards (1,394).
Jones has the rare combination of size and speed. I think he’s a more talented player than Thomas but I’m basing this on numbers. He had 21 plays of 20+ yards.
Jones has been the model of consistency since entering the league in 2011. He’s been to the Pro Bowl seven times in his nine seasons.
He has two seasons with under a thousand yards and his season was cut short due to injury both times. Julio is an outstanding player but the Falcons normally have other weapons on offense so he’s not always the focal point.
# 3 Chris Godwin (Tampa Bay): Godwin had a breakout year in his third season in 2019.
In his first two years he had 93 catches, 1,367 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Last season he was third in receiving yards (1,333) and tied for second with Michael Thomas for receiving touchdowns with 9.
What makes it more impressive is he missed two games and he did this with only 86 catches. Godwin had 25 plays that were 20+ yards so he’s a big play threat.
# 4 Mike Evans (Tampa Bay): If this list were based on total career Evans would have been one spot higher.
What’s impressive is Evans has been performing well for the Buccaneers with Jameis Winston primarily at quarterback. He’s also had Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing him passes. Having very inconsistent quarterbacks is why he’s never had 100 receptions in a season. The closest he came was 96 catches in 2016.
In 2019 he only had 67 receptions but he had 1,157 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Evans is a big, 6’5 receiver so we don’t think of him as a big play threat, but he is. He averaged 17.3 yards per catch and he had 17 plays of 20 or more yards.
# 5 D.J. Moore (Carolina): He drastically improved in his second season.
As a rookie in 2018 he had 55 receptions, 788 yards and two TD’s.
In 2019 he had 87 catches, 1,175 yards and 4 touchdowns. The addition of Teddy Bridgewater should help him improve in 2020.
HOF
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Atlanta Falcon franchise is no stranger to having Hall of Fame players.
In fact, some of the best players at their position have spent time in the ATL- Tony Gonzalez, Deion Sanders, Eric Dickerson, Brett Favre.
It’s just that when you think of those guys, their time in Atlanta isn’t the first thing that comes to mind, unless you happen to be a Falcons fan. (Gonzalez might be the one exception, although I believe most NFL fans think of him more as Kansas City Chief than a Falcon.)
The two Hall of Famers you could associate most with the franchise is Charles Humphrey and Morten Anderson. It’s obviously impressive and an honor to be elected to the Hall, but neither of those two names are going to win you a best in show prize.
There’s a good bet that ten years from now Atlanta will have at least one player, if not two, being inducted into the Hall of Fame that will drastically improve their profile in Canton.
The first player, Julio Jones, is basically a given. The All-Decade Team member has been one of the best wideouts since entering the league and as long as he stays healthy, should be productive for the next few years.
Even if he were to leave Atlanta in search of a title, or because both decided to part ways, the sure to be first ballot inductee will likely be the greatest player in franchise history, who has spent a majority of his professional career with them.
And unless Deion entered the Hall as Falcon, Jones will undoubtedly be their best to put on the golden jacket.
The other player, Matt Ryan, isn’t such a sure thing, but he isn’t far off either. Ryan is in that unenviable position where even though his individual stats and wins aren’t bad, neither category is great enough to justify his inclusion.
A perfect example is the comparison between Ryan and Eli Manning. For all intents and purposes Ryan has better individual stats than Eli in almost every category, including actual winning percentage.
But, those two Super Bowl rings Manning has given him a better chance, currently, at making the Hall because both those wins trump his more mediocre stats.
Marino is another example where he only appeared in one Super Bowl but his play and stats were so other worldly, there was no way he wasn’t going to be a Hall of Famer.
Either Ryan is going to have to win more games and at least make another Super Bowl in order to see his bust enshrined, or he’s going to have to have a couple great seasons that really pad his stats.
The good thing for Ryan is much like Jones, as long as he can stay healthy, he’ll have enough time to do what’s necessary to achieve a player’s ultimate individual honor.
Of course, I’d be remissed if I didn’t mention that Julio Jones will certainly play a big part.
It’s like having a team’s quarterback and wideout on your fantasy football; it’s a win/win situation.
Making it into the Hall of Fame is an honor and I’m not trying to demean that accomplishment for anyone.
The inductees entering as an Atlanta Falcon may not bring the most notoriety with them, but that’s about to change within the next year’s or so. Only question is, will there be more than one?
