Atlanta Falcons fire Dan Reeves

Sorry for the delay, I've been sick this week along with working alot of hours. Plus, I've been asked not to get into the details of the Washington game spat by the source I heard it from, and looking back, I wish I had shown a little more discretion out of respect of those who didn't make it a public issue. I was also asked to wait until Mckay was officially released from his contract in Tampa before I posted this.

I'm a fan, not a reporter, and I'm frustrated with what I know to be a difference in realities between what I saw happen on the field each game, and what was being reported in the media as the cause of this year's disaster season, with the players being the sole scapegoat. After this piece, I'll post some articles I've found that back up what I say.

I'm also frustrated at the criticisms of Mr. Blank, who has treated Dan with the upmost respect and dignity from the minute he bougt the team up until firing Reeves. It really is harsh to call it a firing, even with the disaster this year, Reeves could still be coach if he was more willing to relenquish power in personnel decisions and total control of the offense in regards to the system, power given to him by the Smith family when he came here.

Mr. Blank has said from day one that he will hire a GM, and it's no secret he's coveted Tampa's GM Rich Mckay, and has waited for Tampa to release him from his contract, which it has now done because of conflicts with Gruden over personnel decisions. Mckay will be the Falcons GM come next season. Reeves knew this was coming, it was no surprise, and he knew that he would have to either relenquish some power over personnel decisions, or be let go when Mckay got here.

I believe Reeves might have gone along with that, but he refuses to relenquish control over the offense the falcons run, and that's the main reason his tenure here is over. If he would have been willing to bring in an offensive coordinator, let him design a modern offensive scheme with Reeves still having the final say over play calling, he would still be the falcons coach, and would remove the one main obstacle that has kept him from winning a Super Bowl, and that's his stubborness to stick to a book of scripted plays that's he's had since he traded for Elway at Denver.

Like Freedom Poster, I live here and am a Falcons fan. I've been watching them since 1976, and I've watched every game Reeves has coached here but four.

Before I get into the details, I want to start by saying Reeves is by far the best coach in Falcons history, and I hate to see him go, especially under these circumstances. Nothing would've made me happier than to see my Falcons, and coach Reeves, both get their first Super bowl rings before he retired, on the back of the second great qb Reeves has developed. Four Super Bowl losses are forgotten about, and Reeves goes from good to alltime great in the NFL history books.

Overall, there isn't a better head coach out there. He trasformed the falcons from the June Jones era run and shoot into a respectable solid team in short order. He took the Falcons to their first Super bowl in 98, and after making the second round of the play offs last year, many thought the Falcons could go to their second Super bowl this year.

Going into training camp, if someone said to me Reeves would be fired before season's end, after getting over the hysterical laughter, I probably would've slapped them for saying something so stupid, and for giving me nightmarish flashbacks of the Leeman Bennet firing, and the years of miserable falcons teams that followed.

But the ghost of the Smith family reared it's ugly head, Vick broke his leg in a preseason game, setting into motion the season that cost Reeves his job, and a chance at a ring.

I've read and heard many people say that Vick being out is the main reason the Falcons are 3-9, and that Blank is doing Reeves wrong by firing him.

I agree that Vick being out hurt the Falcons, but as I said before the cowboy game and still am convinced, this team with Johnson at qb had enough talent to stay close enough to .500 until Vick returned, which would've still given them a shot at making the playoffs.

This team went from the one that beat Dallas and dominated Washington for most of the first half, to the team that lost 7 straight playing worse football than any Reeves coached falcon team I had watched , in the span of the fifteen minute halftime period during the Washington game, like someone had flipped a switch. That's not indiciative of a team short on talent.

Even if Vick got hurt, Reeves was in charge of personnel decisions and the offense, he is ultimately responsible for the disaster this season has become, and five of his seven seasons have seen the falcons finish below .500. No one can say Reeves doesn't deserve to be fired , but all he had to do to keep his job was be willing to hire a coordinator, and run a modern passing offense.

Overall, Reeves has done a good job with the offense here. The 98 team had a very good offense, right up until being shut down by a Denver defense, while a solid veteran unit, a unit that no one in hell gave a chance of holding the falcons under 21 points. In victories over the forty niners twice, and the cowboys, two of the top defenses in the NFL that year, the falcon offense moved the ball well against both while regularly scoring 30 or more in games against leser defenses.

Mike Shannahan (hint,hint) had his defense so well prepared, it was almost as if the defense could tell exactly what we were going to do before we snapped the ball, play after play. Every Jamal run was met in the hole by a line backer. Every time Chandler dropped back to pass, well disguised 5 to 7 man blitzes worked to perfection having a defender in Chandler's face within seconds of the snap, down after down.The Denver defense knew exactly what blocking scheme, pass routes, run or pass, etc. based off pre-snap reads down after down.

Since that game, that's the formula teams have used when they've been successful in shutting down the falcon's offense since. Even with Vick at the helm last year, teams like Philadelphia and Tampa, that had enough speed on defense to contain Vick on the ground, forcing him to beat them throwing the ball, had success shutting down this offense.

The deal is this, Reeves, unlike every other team in the league, runs his offense out of a book of scripted plays, like most teams did until Bill Walsh started a new trend that eventually spread league wide sans Dan, and that's throwing out the time tested practice of scripted playbooks that require teams memorize hundreds of diagrammed plays, take a basic offense and adjust the routes and formations each week with the intention of creating favorable coverage match ups , maximizing the chance of getting receivers open, and moving the ball.

The look and style of the offense can be adjusted each week to best attack the perceived weakness of that weeks opponent, and adjusted during the game if an opposing defense is doing something to shut you down. It makes an offense less predictable, more adaptable, and harder to prepare for.

There are many different variations of this theme, some more successfull than others, but the basic idea is the same.

Reeves offense doesn't change much in formation or route from week to week. Instead of having to figure out what routes and looks you might install to attack his defense, an opposing coordinator can spend a week figuring out ways to attack Reeves offense. It's very predictable, which makes it very succeptable to blitzes and defenses good at it.

Reeves passing attack has too many high risk, seven step drop, progressive read plays that put all the pressure on the qb, and force the qb to stand in the pocket and throw the ball 15 - 20 yards downfield. There aren't many plays designed for getting people open in the intermediate zone 8-15 yards from the line of scrimmage, what are called possesion pass plays. Plays that get the ball out of the qb's hand quickly, have a high percentage of completion, move the chains, and are not succeptible to blitzes.

Reeves was very clear when the Smith family brought him here that he ran an offense off a playbook, that he knew that nobody else in the NFL did, but he believes in his system and isn't changing it. Mr. Blank and this team know that Reeves offense does not give them their best chance of winning, and have tried to convince Reeves of that, just like Elway and Shannahan did back in Reeves Denver days. Now, like then, Reeves is sticking to his playbook.

Mr. Blank didn't make this move to punish Reeves, his sole intention is add to what Dan has built from nothing, and take this team to the next level. Reeves had his time,took this team as far as he could, and with Mckay coming available, Blank felt now was the time to make the move.

And if I'm right in who I think is going to be the next Falcons coach, and that's Rams defensive coordinator Lovie Smith, who is a highly regarded Parcell/Belicheck disciple who is thought to have the qualities needed to make the jump from assistant to head coach.. Coupled with Mckay, our defense will get better in a hurry, which is where we really need the most improvement.

Blank's desire to wait for Mckay shows that Blank wants to emphasis defense, Lovie Smith fits that mold .

With Vick and a modern passing offense, were alright on that side of the ball. If Smith is hired, I feel we have the chance to be very good not only next year, but for a few years to come. With the way Blank waited for Mckay, and didn't settle for getting a lesser GM, Blank has demonstrated a well thought out plan to improve the team, and I like what I see.

Below are several articles posted in a seperate comment, that add some insight into the situation, and back up the opinion that Blank did the right thing.

Is Reeves a Hall of Famer?

By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

ATLANTA -- Now that the fait has connected with the accompli, and that months-long rumors surrounding the fate of Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Reeves are now a reality, let the debate commence.

The one about who should replace Reeves as coach of a franchise that has never enjoyed consecutive winning seasons? The discussion about who would be the best man to nudge rising star Michael Vick even higher into the NFL firmament? All the talk-show rhetoric on who owner Arthur Blank can market as the next savior here?

Nah, a debate over whether Reeves, a throwback coach with admirable old-school values and a much-cited resume of success, will someday be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Somewhat surprisingly, when Reeves' name is put before the Hall selection committee, probably as early as next year, it figures to generate mixed reviews. Reeves is not, despite perceptions to the contrary, a slam-dunk for Canton, Ohio. That is not to say that, after a long career as a player and coach, and even a combination of those two professions for a couple seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, he isn't deserving of favorable scrutiny.

Reeves has devoted 38 of his 59 years to the NFL, all but one of the past 39 seasons, and essentially all his adult life to the game. In and of itself, that's sufficient accomplishment to merit consideration, and it is a track record that can't be matched even by some of the head coaches whose bronzed likenesses are already ensconced in the Hall of Fame.

But this is a business, as Blank demonstrated in his Tuesday meeting with Reeves, heavy into the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately mindset. And, alas, probably a prism through which Reeves might be unfairly viewed is the train-wreck of a 2003 season that evolved when the Falcons lost their best player to injury in a meaningless preseason game.

Those conspiracy theorists who hinted Wednesday that the curious timing of Reeves' exit came about because Blank feared the Falcons might win the rest of their games with Vick having returned -- and that such a streak would make it difficult to dismiss his head coach -- are ill-advised. Team and league sources told ESPN.com on Wednesday the decision that Reeves would not return in 2004 was made some weeks ago.

The timing of the Reeves-Blank summit, a meeting at which Reeves essentially forced the issue, came about because there were too many leaks that the Falcons owner already has begun the process of background inquiries on potential replacements. If you have been around the NFL for nearly four decades, you have a pipeline to the grapevine, and Reeves knew there was too much smoke surrounding his lack of a future in Atlanta that it must have been spawned by a raging inferno of back room machinations.

We digress, though, in a discussion of Reeves' credential for hall of Fame consideration.

Digest these numbers: While he was the sixth winningest coach in NFL history, with his 201 victories exceeded only by five guys already in the Hall of Fame, Reeves also had the second-most defeats in league annals. Only his mentor, Tom Landry, lost more times than did Reeves, who owns 174 defeats.

Seven times over the last nine years of his career, Reeves posted losing marks, including five of his seven campaigns here. Reeves won 52 games with the Falcons, but exactly half those victories came in two seasons, the magical 1998 Super Bowl year and the '02 season. So in his five other seasons with the Falcons, he averaged about five victories. The current season marks the fifth time in the past nine years that a Reeves-coached club posted double-digit losses.

Over 23 seasons, Reeves has compiled a .536 winning percentage. The worst percentage for any coach currently in the Hall of Fame is Weeb Ewbanks', at .507, and no one else is below .541. Chuck Knox, who turned around three different program and never garners consideration for Hall of Fame honors, has a .550 winning mark. And, of course, most of his critics will point out that Reeves never won a Super Bowl in four attempts, and that his teams were defeated by an average of 27.8 points.

The thing is, Hall of Fame selectors are subjective beings, an assemblage of 38 which is bound to few objective guidelines. George Allen was chosen for the Hall of Fame in '02 with just 12 years of tenure and only 112 victories. As is the case with Reeves, highly regarded Marv Levy never won a Super Bowl title, and he also had four tries. Ditto Bud Grant. Hank Stram won just 136 games and he is the most recent coach elected.

But Stram was an innovator. Levy took four straight teams to the title game. Allen added elements to the game that were not there before his influence began to take hold. As for Reeves, well, he wasn't the Thomas Alva Edison of the coaching profession, but he was a man not as stolid in his thinking as some have purported, and no one could ever question his knowledge of the game or his will to win.

He never won a title without John Elway, though, a guarterback who will be elected to the Hall of Fame next month. And now, with the events of Wednesday morning, Reeves won't have the chance to compete for a Super Bowl with Michael Vick, either. For a man who devoted so much to the game, it would be a shame for his career to end on such a note, with some events that were out of his control.

And so the question becomes, in some quarters, not about the coach who eventually fills Dan Reeves' shoes. It becomes about whether Dan Reeves ever gets to put his shoes on the steps of the Hall of Fame. And on that question, the jury is out.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.

SCOUT'S HONOR: Falcons should hire McKay

Brian De Lucia / Special to FOXSports.com

It all starts at the top with ownership. Some snicker and sneer at the mere sight of Blank, noting his affinity for the spotlight, his closeness with the players and his failure to hire a man to run football operations.

Some of the criticism may be justified, but I like Blank and what he represents. He's been spending his time studying his team and evaluating what can be done to improve it.

Blank has provided the players with a great work environment and has earned their trust as someone who cares about them and has a passion for winning. That means a lot to players.

Blank also has revitalized the atmosphere within the organization and created positive vibes with the fans by connecting the Falcons with their community. Blank relates well to consumers and has created bridges that make the fans feel they can be a part of something special.

he general manager

While some make a joke of Blank's inability to hire a general manager, I see it as a positive.

Blank knows what he wants and who he wants in that role. That's important. And he didn't settle for some second-tier candidate just for the sake of hiring someone. Too many times, that mistake is made by organizations.

Arthur Blank needs to hire the right people to rebuild the Falcons around Michael Vick.
Associated Press

aving a strong leader in the role of general manager is critical. That's been the biggest problem for the Falcons over the years — not having an unquestioned leader in charge of football operations. Without that presence, the Falcons have made a lot of moves that don't add up, resulting in erratic performances on the field from week to week.

Having a strong presence atop of the organization would provide much-needed stability and a high set of standards within the organization as a whole. The Falcons must have a clear, organized direction for the long term. They must have an environment that includes a high-level of standards for everyone who works within the organization — right down to the secretaries, custodians and other support staff. Anyone who comes in contact with the players has to sense that first-class championship atmosphere. That's been missing in Atlanta, creating a lot of inconsistency from year to year throughout the organization.

To build a championship organization, there are three main things the Falcons need:
# Leadership within the football operations that is championship-minded, with a clear long-term direction regarding personnel and what type of systems around which they want to build.
# Continuity in building a roster and personnel moves that support that direction at all times. They need to define the standard of individuals they want to bring into the organization.
# To build a team around a core group of players who possess solid character and leadership abilities and then to add the right blend of younger and older players behind them.

The Falcons have some talent, but the roster has too many holes in key areas and not enough team leaders like the Bucs' John Lynch and Derrick Brooks. That's why Blank has his eyes set on Tampa Bay GM Rich McKay, who has been given permission to talk to other teams.

McKay understands how to run a stable organization from top to bottom. He knows how to set the tone of an organization beyond just football issues. And McKay understands how to put together a team with selected free agents while building around the draft with solid players.

If some snag should prevent McKay from landing in Atlanta, the next-best option would be Baltimore's assistant general manager, Phil Savage. Savage shares many of the same beliefs as far as building a solid organization with the right type of players. He's been a tremendous asset within a Ravens braintrust that has shown it can go through a transition period without a major drop-off.

#
The coach

This one is no secret. As I've been saying here for the past month, St. Louis defensive coordinator Lovie Smith would be the ideal candidate to become the Falcons' next coach. It's just a natural fit.

Smith has charisma and natural leadership skills. He provides a fresh energy, sees the big picture and works well with his players, holding them absolutely accountable for their actions and results on the field.

Smith is much like Tony Dungy in his approach to running a team. He holds his players accountable for their actions, yet also connects well with them.

Overall, Smith would provide that fresh energy needed to set the tone for the new era in Atlanta and he also sees the big picture very well. The key for him would be hiring the right assistants on the offensive side of the ball to design an offense around the strengths of Michael Vick.

If the Falcons can't land Smith, there are several other strong candidates:
# Charlie Weis has done an excellent job as offensive coordinator in New England. He does a dynamic job of motivating his players and getting the most out of them, but he's also very diverse with his schemes on offense. He's one of the few coordinators who remain adaptable to their players' strengths. He would work very well with Vick and put together an offense best suited to his talents. Weis also understands how to build a winning program in the league after working under Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick for the last several years.
# Brad Childress has been overshadowed by coach Andy Reid in Philadelphia, but has developed a solid reputation as an offensive mind and for his work with quarterbacks Donovan McNabb, Koy Detmer and A.J. Feeley. Childress is a lot like Reid and has a personality that people around the league have become more familiar with this season. Like Reid, Childress has high standards, but he also maintains a good relationship with his players.
# The stock of Titans offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger has been climbing in the past year. He's done an excellent job working with Steve McNair and taking his career to the next level while working younger players into the passing game. McNair has become the most complete quarterback in the NFL under Heimerdinger, who is tough-minded and holds his players accountable to high standards.
# Finally, there is Steelers offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, who possesses natural leadership ability, has a versatile offense and puts his players in position to succeed. He can be very creative in the passing game, but his timing passing game might not be the ideal fit for Vick. Still, when it comes to grading potential head coaches, Mularkey grades high as someone who will have the respect of his players.

MOORE: Blank looks to strike quick for new coach
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Dave Moore Special to FOXSports.com
Posted: 2 days ago

Atlanta coach Dan Reeves was fired Wednesday.

The shock value of that statement is relatively low. You might as well tell someone that Michael Vick is a pretty good running quarterback.

The one, small element of surprise comes in the timing. Why make the move with three weeks left in the regular season? Why do it less than 72 hours after Vick's electrifying performance produced a victory over division-leading Carolina?

It's a matter of perception. It's a matter of performance.

And it's a matter of getting a jump on the competition.

Up to eight head coaches could be fired in the next few weeks. If you've already determined that a change is necessary, as Falcons owner Arthur Blank has, why wait until all of those clubs are in the market for a head coach?

There are precious few high-profile candidates available. You want to talk to those coaches and make your pitch before another team enters the process and possibly freezes you out. You want to give your new coach an edge on the competition in putting together his staff.

On Wednesday, Michael Vick called his former coach "sweet."
Ric Feld/Associated Press

If the Falcons lust after LSU's Nick Saban, as many clubs do, if they're intrigued by St. Louis defensive coordinator Lovie Smith or if they feel good about former Minnesota head coach Dennis Green, why delay in making their intentions known?

What happened last year is an ideal example. Five coaches were fired. Dallas was the only one that began the interview process in December. The club was only four days removed from the end of the regular season when it introduced Bill Parcells as the next head coach.

Detroit wound up with a highly respected coach in Steve Mariucci. Cincinnati landed Marvin Lewis, who has done a wonderful job in his first year as coach. But there is no question that Parcells was the 800-pound Tuna in the bunch.

Blank wants to strike quick. His goal would be to have a coach in place as quickly as the Cowboys did last season. And he wants someone to fit the dynamic face he's determined to put on this franchise.

Reeves is respected. Only five men in NFL history have won more games. He's in his 23rd consecutive year as a coach in the league, giving him a tenure that no current coach can touch.

But when a team is losing, that sort of longevity can work against a coach. Often, you will hear whispers that the game has passed him by. He may be portrayed as a stern disciplinarian who is out of touch with today's players (please see Jacksonville's Tom Coughlin last season) or a kindly, grandfatherly type who just doesn't connect.

Reeves can be a stubborn, demanding coach, but he falls into the latter category. It was insightful Wednesday to hear Vick call his coach a sweet guy who cares about his players.

Sweet is not a description normally applied to successful NFL coaches.

In no way, shape or form has this season been a success for Atlanta. We know Vick wasn't healthy enough to make his first start until Sunday night. But the Falcons have been nauseatingly bad on defense and never figured out how they wanted to play offensively in Vick's absence. The players carped about how hard Reeves pushed them in practice and appeared to have a sympathetic ear in the owner.

Blank encourages players to come to him if they have a problem. He's especially close to the high-profile free agents he's signed in the last two years as he aggressively goes about changing the Falcons' image.

Blank wrote a letter to the executives at ABC Sports apologizing for the team's performance in a Monday Night game and took out an ad in the Atlanta newspaper apologizing for the Falcons' poor play. When an owner issues one public apology after another and admits he has put together a few names as to who might take your job, you know the gig is up.

Blank made it clear this move wasn't based on Atlanta's performance this season. He said it was purely about the future of the organization.

Nick Saban is a hot name being bantered about for an NFL head coaching spot.
Scott Halleran/Getty Images

That's only partly true. It was made because Blank had seen enough of Reeves and his past to know there was no future.

Reeves led the Falcons on a surprising run to the Super Bowl during the 1998 season. That was easily the high point in franchise history, even though the team did lose to Denver.

But that must be balanced against the fact that Reeves presided over a winning season just twice in his seven seasons as the Atlanta coach. The Falcons are 28-48-1 since their Super Bowl appearance.

In the end, Reeves was unable to break the damning pattern established by the nine coaches who preceded him. In the franchise's 38 years of existence, it has never had back-to-back winning seasons.

Try selling a dynamic image when you can't carry over success from one season to the next.

There are a lot of moving parts here. The most crucial is that Blank still has a general manager to hire. People around the league believe his unrequited pursuit of Tampa Bay's Rich McKay less than two years ago could finally come to fruition.

Whatever happens, the Falcons have taken the early lead in what will be a very crowded field to hire a new head coach. And that is in the club's best interests.

Veteran NFL writer David Moore is a frequent correspondent for FOXSports.com.

Troy's weekly radio rants
AIKMAN on Dan Reeves getting fired in Atlanta:
"It seemed to be somewhat of a strange fit between Michael Vick and Dan Reeves."

Actually, I think the situation was handled pretty well. I admire the way (Falcons owner) Arthur Blank made a decision, went and told the head coach and didn't leave it up for speculation. Obviously you'd like to see Dan Reeves finish the year. I understand why he didn't, but for the team, you'd like to have seen him finish the season. They decided to go in a different direction and I think it was all handled very professionally. It seemed to be somewhat of a strange fit between Michael Vick and Dan Reeves. There's no suggestion that there were any problems between those two. I think Dan Reeves' style as a head coach or an offensive play caller maybe didn't fit Michael Vick all that well. Having said that, I think Dan Reeves is an excellent football coach. I have great respect for him. He's done a heck of a job everywhere he's been. But I think it was the best decision for everyone involved.

AIKMAN on if NFL players can get coaches fired:
"Whenever there are problems and the team is struggling you can't get rid of a lot of these players."

I think it's fair, absolutely. It's unfortunate.

I think what happens, if you've got the investment that these owners have in these players, whenever there are problems and the team is struggling you can't get rid of a lot of these players and so the first thing you do is replace the head coach. A lot of times the things that are going on in a franchise or the struggles a team is having are not a result of what's happening at that head coach position. That's the nature of the business. These coaches understand that when they get in it.

Right or wrong, this is the decision that's been made in Atlanta and you just hope they get someone in place who can have some success there.

AIKMAN on NFL coordinators who may be in line for head coaching positions:
"I think Norv Turner grew with his experience in Washington and whatever opportunity he gets next, I think he'll have tremendous success."

There are two guys I think will make excellent head coaches. One of which was already a head coach, and that's Norv Turner, who is currently the offensive coordinator with the Dolphins. As most people know, he was the head coach with the Redskins from '94 through 2000. I think he, a lot like Mike Shanahan and Bill Belichick, had opportunities prior to where they currently are at, Shanahan with Oakland and Belichick with Cleveland. I think Norv Turner grew with his experience in Washington and whatever opportunity he gets next, I think he'll have tremendous success because he's an outstanding football coach.

The other guy I think will probably be named an NFL head coach next season is defensive coordinator for the Rams, Lovie Smith. His credentials are tremendous. He's a lot like Marvin Lewis in the way that he's been brought along. He was in Tampa Bay under Tony Dungy. He's done a great job as the defensive coordinator with the Rams. He's a very classy guy. Great integrity. Great work ethic. I think he's going to get an opportunity and his name will be mentioned with a lot of that jobs that are going to become open for next season.

"You aluded to a "flipping of a switch" during the Washington game. One thing I noticed when Vick came back is that the whole team (including the defense) played better. Are this switch and the clear demonstration of playing for Vick related in your opinion?"

There's a simple truth involved anytime a group of men work as a team, no matter if the men make up a football team, a construction crew, or an infantry squad, and that truth is, to a man, every last one of them must believe 100% in what their leader is selling them as the best way to do the job in order to be successful as a team.

I knew after the '98 Super Bowl that his offense was going to have a hard time beating good defenses from that point on. Shannahan did a masterful job of pointing out the flaw in Reeves offense, in terms so simple and clear that even a person like me, that has never played or coached above Pop Warner level, could easily see.

Motivated by the desire to show his old coach, and the rest of the league that he and Elway were right when they tried to get Reeves to change his offense years ago, Shannahan forever silenced those who accused him and Elway of railroading Reeves out of his Denver job, demonstrating the predictability of Reeves offense on the Super Bowl stage for all the world, and the league's coordinators, to see.

This falcon team knows this. Some have played for other teams, some have friends on other teams, and they know as well as the league does that Reeves offense is predictable.

But even with this handicap, they came into this season with very high expectations knowing that Vick could overcome the predictability with his speed, and that they had more than a good shot at being very good this year.

When Vick broke his leg, this team took a shot to it's confidence, but still had the will to overcome the obtacles it faced in order to succeed. ALthough they knew their task was made a lot tougher with Doug Johnson at qb, they believed, like I did, that he was good enough to keep them afloat until Vick returned.

But, this team had a small shred of doubt in it's mind about Johnson being able to overcome the predictability of this offense. When the Washington game blew up in the falcon's faces, that small shred of doubt quickly turned into a complete loss of faith into what their leader was selling them as the best way to succeed, and their play for the next seven games is absolute proof of that.

Before the Washington game, Johnson, a qb molded under Spurrier, had performed well when given the chance to play. In his four seasons, he had mastered Reeves playbook, done well at reading defenses. Coupled with his height, and a very strong, accurate arm, Johnson has all the tools of the prototypical NFL pocket passer.

Ironically, Johnson's old coach was standing on the opposite sideline as the coach of the Redskins in that blow up game. And that was a contributing factor to Johnson losing his confidence in this system.

After the falcons had shut down the Redskins offense by blitzing down after down, he saw Spurrier make a mid game adjustment by going to the wide receiver screen. The very first screen the Redskins threw, which was right after the series that saw the falcons throwing the ball three straight downs with a 17-0 lead , five minutes to go till half, and a missed Feely field goal, caught the falcons blitzing, and allowed the redskins receiver to break off a long play barely getting tackled inside the falcons five yard line.

After that play, Spurrier stuck to that wide receiver screen play after play, taking away the falcons blitz, and subjecting the falcons defense to play after play of 40 yard wind sprints chasing down the sideline screen for about ten straight plays. I watched Johnson and Spurrier use this same strategy against my beloved Georgia Bulldogs, with Donnan standing on the sideline with the same look on his face that Reeves had when watching Spurrier use that screen force his defense to run itself to death.

Point is, Johnson and the falcons watched as Spurrier made a mid game adjustment that helped his offense go from useless to productive, putting them in the best position to win the game. On the other hand, they watched Reeves abandon the running game with a big lead, and call passing plays every down, which the Redskins shut down with blitz after blitz. And they knew no adjustment would be made.

What makes the falcons downfall this season even worse looking on Reeves, is like the Redskins game, there were 5 losses this year with a common thread: Going into halftime with leads, but losing the game. In all of those losses, the falcons were able to move the ball on offense in the first half, but had series after series of three and out offensive possesions in the second half.

Like the Washington(17-14 was once a 17-0 lead) game, the falcons had halftime leads in the Eagles(13-10), Titans(21-14), Vikings(20-12),Saints(20-3) games.

In every single one of those games, Dan Reeves abandoned a running game after building leads. A running game that was helping his young qb move the offense, building those leads. A running game that gave him no reason to stop.

Even when Reeves would run the ball, back to back runs were rare to see. Think about that, Reeves stopped doing the one thing giving his team a chance to win with the young qb they had, after it had helped him in building early leads.

My falcons are on, so I'll be back to finish this later.

Sorry for cutting that reply off before I finished answering your question directly, and there's more I need to say to finish telling the whole story.

But read what I've posted above so far, think about it, and my basic answer is yes, what happened during the Washington game, continued on through 6 games this year that I listed in the previous post that the falcons played well, built leads, and then blew the leads in the second half.

All of those games were lostIMO, what the end of the season and the hiring of Mckay have proving to be Reeves trying to keep his job by showing that his system is really superior like he has claimed from the day he got here.

I've never saw Reeves call plays that prolong, and not kill off game time. I've never saw Reeves abandon the run leading late in games before this season.

If the 98 Falcons had been the team up 17-0 on the redskins with five minutes to go till half, Reeves would've run Jamal down after down, maybe mixing in a short throw to keep the defense honest.

The thing is, before the Redskins game, I have not once saw occasion to criticize Dan's play calling, or felt right talking about what I knew to be a predictable offense to my football buddies. He had done well with it, and I kept my mouth shut.

I've seen enough bad play calling this season, that after the blown Minnesota game, the results became as predictable as Reeves offense.

I've seen many series that the falcons were either leading or leading big, that were three throws and out.

I've seen many series that start with the running game putting us in third and less than five situations, and in the vast majority of those, Reeves calls another seven step drop, progressive read, and throw. What one of my favorite sportswriters, ESPN Len Pass the Jelly, calls the stop, drop, and flop, the description of Reeves passing offense than Len used when the word Reeves was coming to Atlanta broke.

More than any other factor, more than Reeves predictable passing offense, the most responsible factor for this offense blowing the lead in 6 games this year, and this season going to hell, is the play calling that instead of getting more conservative with small leads, or lining up with a two tight end offset eye and outright beating teams into submission with down after down of 250 pound TJ Duckett, in games with big leads like the Skins(17-0), Siants2(20-3), and Tennessee(20-3).

WHen I first heard of the Mckay-Gruden fued afew weeks ago, I knew then why Dan had all of a sudden went from the coach that in seven years has not once made a play calling error, to the one this year that brought back horrible flashbacks of the run and shoot, Glanville, June Jones, and the price that the falcons paid for it's part in running an offense that had no business living in the NFL as long as the falcons ran it. For the run and shoot years, and for the crime of forcing people to watch football under a roof, the game punished the falcons by taking away one of the best qb's of all time, Brett Favre, and giving him to the storied Packers, bringing them out of the depths of last place back to their past glory. You know the rest of the story.

For most of this season, I argued with a local AJC sportswriter via e-mail about this season. Me saying it's Reeves and his offense, the writer sticking to bashing these players.

I've known all along why the team was losing, what befuddled me was why. When the Mckay-Gruden thing first surfaced a few weeks ago, right before Vick returned,it all made perfect sense.

Reeves has taken the oppurtunity when given leads built by running the ball, and playing smart, move the chains offense with some short, quick throws mixed in, and cost his young, fragile team games when he tried to show Blank, and what he knew would be Mckay as the GM, is that his passing offense was so superior, that even a young qb with little experience could win games throwing the ball.

I saw the same team that beat Dallas, and dominated Washington for a half, in the first half of almost all the games this year that they built leads in. The offense moving the ball, and the defense playing well.

Then, like a flip of the switch, out the team comes for the second half, and Reeves starts trying to throw the ball fifteen yards down the field every down, trying to force Johnson to move the ball and win games under the hardest possible pass play to complete at a percentage high enough to sustain long, clock killing drives.

I know that if I were a coach with a young, but talented qb like Johnson that had little NFL game experience, two backs that include Dunn the speed back, and Duckett, the 250 pound change up for those occasions when it's time to pound a defense, a rookie fullback from Miss State named Griffin thats hit many quick five yard dives, and gotten decent yardage when thrown the ball in the short zone.

Throw in tight end Algae Crumpler(6'7") and receiver Brian Finneran, both are tall, making them easy targets on short to medium yardage possesion type passes in traffic.

Add our blocking tight end, longtime veteran Brian Kozlowski for two tight end power running formations when it's TJ time, and I've got an offense that I'm going to use to run the ball alot, and when I do throw, it's going to be short passes to Crumpler, Finneran, or any one of the three backs that do well catching the ball short, and getting yardage after the catch.

I'd be more than happy to get six yards a play running safe plays that might not get mega yardage, but they don't subject a young qb to the hazards of seven step drop, progressive read offenses, the blitz, and bad decisions resulting in negative plays.

I know Reeves knows this, because this is how the falcons built leads all year, running the ball, and throwing short passes, controlling the ball.

And they blew those leads because Reeves abandoned what was the smart thing to do, and went straight to doing what no sane coach with Reeves experience would do with leads in the later half of games, and that's try and throw the ball downfield every down with a young qb and a predictable passing offense.

It went against what I know from the thousands of games from NFL down to Pop warner level that I have watched since I first fell in love with this game as a young kid in the seventies until this current season, and from what I've seen Reeves do in seven years as falcons coach, what I know to be the surefire way to blow leads in this league, and that's throw a high percentage of high risk, long yardage passes, that don't take time off the clock and aren't the plays that young qb's in predictable offenses can win with.

THere's more to this story, I stayed up late last night writing trying to finish my reply to your question that I never directly answered completely because the falcons game snuck on me before I got around to finishing the point I was trying to make in answering your question in the detailed manner it deserves, in order to understand what happened. Because I know what I saw, and I know that differs from what the media said after every loss this year.

I knew what I saw wasn't the fault of a defense that did more than the offense this year, and would give up points after being forced to spend most games on the field, due to three throws and out offense.

The moment I lost a little something for Reeves, a man that I admired greatly for what he did for my falcons, and what he gave the NFL, which was most of his life as a player or coach, was after a 36-0 beating by the rams, I saw Reeves take the post game press conference podium, and just slam his defense blaming their play as the main factor in a loss that saw the offense do nothing all game, and get shut out.

Hope I answered your question, but I've got to get busy, I'm at work. I've got more to add to this saga, including a game by game breakdown, from preseason till now of each falcon game this year, what I saw, compared with what Reeves and the media blamed for the loss, which always was the players on this team, which have shown an incredible amount of loyalty to Reeves, and the game, by keeping their mouth shut through this whole ordeal out of respect for their old school coach.

I cannot stand by and let the players of this team take the fall for this season, even though Mckay is now here, Reeves is now gone, and as a long suffering falcon fan who suffered through another typical falcon season that went in the toilet, but unlike many falcons teams I had seen go 4-12 due to having no talent, this one was different, and I knew it.

After watching how this team tried, after watching Keith Brooking, who I watched play high school ball at East Coweta high, play the best he could all year with broke vertebrae in his back, and his defense take most of the blame for this season when they more than held their own this year when given the chance, I refused to remain silent, and have typed my fingers to the bone defending them all year.

More later.

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