Much expectation has been heaped on Matt Ryan at an early age, though he invited it on himself after leading his team to the playoffs in his rookie season, and to the NFC Championship last year. After a sluggish start that had us questioning whether the Falcons had slipped backward, Ryan and his outstanding receiver duo finished the season strong.
But can they prove to be a formidable playoff foe, and a legitimate contender for Green Bay’s crown? The first step starts now.
We talked to Dave Choate of The Falcoholic, an Atlanta Falcons blog on the SB Nation network, to get an inside look at the Falcons’ wildcard match-up and what needs to be done to take the next step towards Super Bowl glory.
TGS: GM Thomas Dimitroff gambled big on Julio Jones in the draft, with the playoffs in mind. Now that you’re on the threshold, was that the right move?
Time will really tell with Julio, but in the short-term, it’s looked like a brilliant move.
The Falcons’ offense is simply more dynamic and much harder to defend when Julio’s running roughshod over cornerbacks. He’s the biggest, fastest, most physical weapon the Falcons have, and if he can keep up his recent production in the playoffs, he’s going to justify one of those first round picks right now.
TGS: What do the key playmakers (Ryan, Julio, Roddy, Tony Gonzalez) have to do in this game in order to give their team a chance to win?
I think Matt Ryan has to control the offense. The Falcons run best out of the no-huddle, when they can dictate the tempo of the game, keep the same defensive packages on the field and tiring them out. They need to pound Michael Turner at the line and hope he breaks a few big runs, and complement that with the short-to-medium passing game.
If they can pick on an average group of Giants cornerbacks on a few deep passes, it ought to really loosen things up underneath.
TGS: Who are some unsung heroes that will need to step up?
I think Brent Grimes is the best cornerback nobody outside of Atlanta really knows about. He’ll be returning from injury and is going to be called upon to cover either Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz or both throughout the game. He’ll need to be dominant.
On offense, I’d love to see more from Harry Douglas. He’s a talented slot receiver who isn’t afraid to go over the middle, but he’s been a non-factor in recent weeks. If he’s healthy and ready to go, he could have a nice game.
TGS: What is your game plan against Eli Manning and the playoff-tested Giants?
I think you have to hit Manning. They don’t have a superb rushing offense to hang their collective hat on, so you try to take away the pass and force them into doing something they don’t really want to do.
The pass rush will need to be firing on all cylinders, hitting Manning and getting in his face. If you can force him to make a couple of mistakes, you’ve gained the upper hand.
Our thanks again to Dave. You can read his work covering the Falcons at The Falcoholic (“Where The Birds Sing Power Ballads”).You can catch him on Twitter at @TheFalcoholic
