# Hard knocks.



## drhunter1 (Aug 19, 2014)

If anyone has watched the HBO special featuring the Falcons, you get an inkling into the mentality of the players and an understanding into why they will never win a championship. 

They are undisciplined for sure, but they lack something else. Some people call it the eye of the tiger. A focus found in all other champions. They seem more concerned with playing high school pranks and trash talking, than they are about focusing on being the best they can be. There doesn't seem to be a single unifying focus and for long time fans, its hard to watch.

If HBO wants to explore the concept of hard knocks perhaps they should focus there journalistic efforts on the long suffering fans of this city. The city of effervescent mediocrity that is Atlanta. As a long time fan I'm watching this and I witness whining and excuse making. I see a coaching staff overly concerned about which cigar they are going to smoke than they are about the fact that they just got their rear ends royally kicked by a team that won one game last year, and though it was only pre season, the Texans looked more focused and better prepared. 

As a fan, I don't want to see any more joking around by players, or the coaching staff. Its time to get serious and its time to get down to business. However, given the history of this franchise, I'm not very encouraged. 


I hope I'm wrong.


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## Shane Dockery (Aug 20, 2014)

I'm not a Falcons fan, but I agree.  A LOT of goofing off by a good majority of the players.  You can see the ones that do care (rookies trying to make the team), but they are overshadowed by the cutups.  Some of this could be "hamming it up" for the cameras, some not.  It's a fun show to watch, but boy don't watch it with your kids.


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## SpotandStalk (Aug 20, 2014)

I've only been able to watch a piece of an episode of Hard Knocks but agree with you.

I hope I'm wrong but I think the Falcons will pick up where they left off last year.


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## Outlaw Dawgsey Wales (Aug 20, 2014)

SpotandStalk said:


> I've only been able to watch a piece of an episode of Hard Knocks but agree with you.
> 
> I hope I'm wrong but I think the Falcons will pick up where they left off last year.



If they do Smith and Dimitoff will be gone.


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## rex upshaw (Aug 20, 2014)

Outlaw Dawgsey Wales said:


> If they do Smith and Dimitoff will be gone.



TD should already be gone.


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## GTHunter007 (Aug 21, 2014)

Something is fundamentally wrong when you tell a show nothing pass rusher he is the leader in the room when he has never led anyone into anything.  Talent follows talent...no one is following Beirman anywhere.  This Dfense with it's leadership will never hold up their end of the bargain.  Beirman needs to move over and let the young guys get some reps.  Your time is up.  

Tice and Cox are the 2 toughest guys on the team.  And they are coaches.  That won't bode well once the season gets here.  

Jake Matthews is a stud...JJ Watt is a bigger stud.  

Matt Ryan is NOT funny, nor does he possess the skills to deliver a joke, a 30 year old joke at that.  

Not sure joking around is a problem, the problem is no one has the killer mentality.  A huge mistake has been made and perpetuated by going for "high moral" guys.  We needs dogs, not nice guys.  Even Jake is an example of this.  He is a skilled technician, out finessing his opponent, and he may very well be great at it, but he isn't going to hold up against the unpredictability of a gum rusher who does not care if he gets slapped up side the head or pushed across the chest.


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## biggdogg (Aug 21, 2014)

It's a tv show. Do you really think they are going to show all their cards where other teams and scouts can see it? 

A lot of assumptions made about a team based on a scripted tv show...


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## rex upshaw (Aug 21, 2014)

biggdogg said:


> It's a tv show. Do you really think they are going to show all their cards where other teams and scouts can see it?
> 
> A lot of assumptions made about a team based on a scripted tv show...



They will suck, just as they do most every year and that's not an assumption made from a dumb tv show.  It's the Falcons, to expect them to perform differently would be foolish.  TD is horrible as a GM.


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## drhunter1 (Aug 23, 2014)

biggdogg said:


> It's a tv show. Do you really think they are going to show all their cards where other teams and scouts can see it?
> 
> A lot of assumptions made about a team based on a scripted tv show...



That game last week wasn't scripted.


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## Robert28 (Aug 23, 2014)

Usually the teams that have been the focal point of the Hard Knocks tv show ended up having really poor seasons. Bengals, Jets and Dolphins come to mind.

I'm not sure what happened to Atlanta from just, what, 3 years ago they were really close to the Super Bowl? Last year was a freaking disaster.


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## SpotandStalk (Aug 23, 2014)

rex upshaw said:


> They will suck, just as they do most every year and that's not an assumption made from a dumb tv show.  It's the Falcons, to expect them to perform differently would be foolish.  TD is horrible as a GM.



This. Although I'd love to see a new Falcon team come out and put a whoopin on some folks deep down I know it ain't gonna happen. The Falcons have talent at the playmaker positions but are lacking in the big ugly department. We need some big ol mean backwoods boys, instead we have a bunch of pretty boys that don't want to mess up their manicured nails when making a tackle. They need a hard nosed coach to come in and beat these guys into shape.


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## drhunter1 (Aug 24, 2014)

SpotandStalk said:


> This. Although I'd love to see a new Falcon team come out and put a whoopin on some folks deep down I know it ain't gonna happen. The Falcons have talent at the playmaker positions but are lacking in the big ugly department. We need some big ol mean backwoods boys, instead we have a bunch of pretty boys that don't want to mess up their manicured nails when making a tackle. They need a hard nosed coach to come in and beat these guys into shape.



They have not sucked. Last year they were a bad team, but up until that point, they were making the playoffs every year.

When have we been in the upper echelon of NFL teams for several years running? When, in their history, have the not been considered a laughing stock of the NFL?

Answer: The Mike Smith era.

I agree though that the need an infusion of nasty. No doubt, but to say they have sucked, is just plain wrong.


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## BornToHuntAndFish (Aug 24, 2014)

Thanks for the reports about Hard Knocks & the Falcons since I have not heard updates since this silliness started except on the latest Falcons game where the owner Arthur Blank was bragging about how good the show is for the Atlanta team & the NFL.


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## SpotandStalk (Aug 24, 2014)

drhunter1 said:


> They have not sucked. Last year they were a bad team, but up until that point, they were making the playoffs every year.
> 
> When have we been in the upper echelon of NFL teams for several years running? When, in their history, have the not been considered a laughing stock of the NFL?
> 
> ...



Last year they sucked. The year before they were a pretty good football team but lacked the grit needed to go all the way. We will find out pretty soon how this season is going to turn out.


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## drhunter1 (Aug 28, 2014)

SpotandStalk said:


> Last year they sucked. The year before they were a pretty good football team but lacked the grit needed to go all the way. We will find out pretty soon how this season is going to turn out.



But they are not the definition of suckatude. They are the definition of underachievement.


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## SpotandStalk (Aug 28, 2014)

drhunter1 said:


> But they are not the definition of suckatude. They are the definition of underachievement.



I agree. I saw the score for the game against Jax but didn't watch any of the game. How did the first team look?

I can tell you one thing, I'm excited to see Freeman and Smith making some plays for this offense.


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## emusmacker (Aug 30, 2014)

drhunter1, you are right that the Falcons joke around toomuch and need a big dose of Meanness. But yea they do suck.   They have a "franchise" Qb, and 2 great receivers yet for some reason they can't win when they need too.


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## tv_racin_fan (Aug 30, 2014)

emusmacker said:


> drhunter1, you are right that the Falcons joke around toomuch and need a big dose of Meanness. But yea they do suck.   They have a "franchise" Qb, and 2 great receivers yet for some reason they can't win when they need too.



How do you win when you can not make a yard when you have to? Without a decent front line the QB doesn't have the time to wait on a decent length pass route to develop. The issue never was Turner it was the O LINE and no running back is going to fix that. Same thing on the defense side the line has flat out not got the job done for the last two years. Defensive backs can not cover NFL receivers for very long no matter who they are, if you can not  manage to get some pressure with 5 rushers you got serious problems because you can not blitz every play and win very many games.


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## drhunter1 (Aug 30, 2014)

tv_racin_fan said:


> How do you win when you can not make a yard when you have to? Without a decent front line the QB doesn't have the time to wait on a decent length pass route to develop. The issue never was Turner it was the O LINE and no running back is going to fix that. Same thing on the defense side the line has flat out not got the job done for the last two years. Defensive backs can not cover NFL receivers for very long no matter who they are, if you can not  manage to get some pressure with 5 rushers you got serious problems because you can not blitz every play and win very many games.



Thats pretty much it. I don't see losing Sam Baker as that big of a deal. He isn't athletic enough to play the position. Not enough mobility.

The thing I hate the most is letting Harvey Dahl go. Worst thing we ever did. He was the definition of nasty. If a Saint hit Matt Ryan too late that would have been their rear end if Harvey would have been there.


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## emusmacker (Aug 30, 2014)

tv_racin_fan said:


> How do you win when you can not make a yard when you have to? Without a decent front line the QB doesn't have the time to wait on a decent length pass route to develop. The issue never was Turner it was the O LINE and no running back is going to fix that. Same thing on the defense side the line has flat out not got the job done for the last two years. Defensive backs can not cover NFL receivers for very long no matter who they are, if you can not  manage to get some pressure with 5 rushers you got serious problems because you can not blitz every play and win very many games.



True, but a good back can make something out of nothing.  Example, Barry Sanders never had an O line to open holes for him so he pretty much did it himself.   They need a good back anyway.


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## o2bfishin (Aug 30, 2014)

Robert28 said:


> Usually the teams that have been the focal point of the Hard Knocks tv show ended up having really poor seasons. Bengals, Jets and Dolphins come to mind.
> 
> I'm not sure what happened to Atlanta from just, what, 3 years ago they were really close to the Super Bowl? Last year was a freaking disaster.



Bengals - playoffs
Jets - AFC championship game
Dolphins - mediocre before and after hard knocks

Not quite really poor seasons. In my opinion it isn't going to affect a team's performance either way.


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## egomaniac247 (Aug 30, 2014)

It really baffled me to watch 2nd round pick RaShede Hageman WALKING when a coach told him to run laps and standing there while his coach repeatedly told him to take off running.....

And then in the film room he pulled his shirt up over his head as the coach was berating him for poor technique on the projector.....

It makes me dumbfounded how these guys can be lazy and unattentive when they have the opportunity of a lifetime right in front of them.  It must really tick off some of the players that are really fighting for a job.

http://espn.go.com/blog/atlanta-falcons/post/_/id/7576/hageman-coming-along-for-falcons


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## kevincox (Aug 30, 2014)

egomaniac247 said:


> It really baffled me to watch 2nd round pick RaShede Hageman WALKING when a coach told him to run laps and standing there while his coach repeatedly told him to take off running.....
> 
> And then in the film room he pulled his shirt up over his head as the coach was berating him for poor technique on the projector.....
> 
> ...



Yea, I saw that. I can't believe Bryan Cox allowed him to mouth off and be a slacker. The Offense should put up a lot of points if they stay healthy. The D worries me as usual


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