Atlanta Falcons: Steve Sarkisian excuse train already rolling along

Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian is already being given a lot of leeway for what many saw as an inexcusable offensive performance against the Chicago Bears.

If you watched the Atlanta Falcons offense play in Chicago in the opening week of the 2017 season, you probably broke a few blood vessels in your face, or had to do some deep-breathing treatments and yoga at halftime.

The Falcons offense was expected to boat-race the slightly revamped Bears defense, but it was more like a three-legged foot race, with a narrow 23-17 win which easily could have gone the other direction.

Maybe Falcons games should include a dose of Lipitor this season.

For many fans, red eyes and shaking fists turned immediately towards first-year offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who is making his debut in this role as an NFL coach.

The longtime college head coach and coordinator looked like precisely that in directing the once unstoppable Falcons offense. One might expect the criticism to be harsh and swift, but instead, we’ve been treated to a tow-line full of excuses which would make Ferris Bueller jealous.

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So, I would offer up a few quick responses to some of the justifications I’ve heard and seen.

“He’s just getting to know the strengths and weaknesses of the players.”

Poppycock.

He wasn’t saddled with Billy Joe Tolliver, Mike Pritchard and Erric Pegram – Sarkisian was handed the reins to the league MVP (Matt Ryan), arguably the best receiver in the NFL (Julio Jones) and the most productive running back duo in the league (Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman).

What’s to learn? When you sit down in a Ferrari, you buckle up and hit the gas.

“It’s a process. It’ll come together.”

Balderdash.

By all given reports, Sarkisian didn’t make any big overhaul to the offensive playbook. Other than a tweak here and there to some play names, there is absolutely nothing to process. It was already together, all Sarkisian needed to do was mind the store.

For pete’s sake, even the hapless George Seifert was able to take an already built steamroller and keep it moving for a few years.

“Sarkisian has to grow into this job”

Facepalm

This isn’t Nicholls State or Samford, and Steve Sarkisian isn’t coming out of a graduate assistant’s role. He has been around football for the better part of his life, and he was hired as an NFL coordinator, not a consultant. You don’t “grow” into this role; you are groomed for it, you are prepared for it and you are at times destined for it, but you certainly don’t grow into it.

If he wasn’t ready, he should never have been hired, and that’s on Dan Quinn.

“The Bears defense was better than advertised.”

Get your eyes checked.

Last season Chicago ranked 15th in the league in total defense, giving up 346.8 yards per game – 121.9 on the ground – and their personnel hasn’t seen much in the way of upgrades. The Bears had three new starters in the secondary (one of them rookie Eddie Jackson), and a couple of members of the front seven returning from 2016 injuries.

Atlanta put up 372 total yards against Chicago – only 64 of those on the ground – with 128 of those total yards coming on two long pass plays to tight end Austin Hooper.  The difference was an old bugaboo for Falcons fans – not capitalizing in the red zone.

In 2016, the Bears gave up touchdowns 52 percent of the time to opponents in the red zone. The Falcons got one touchdown and three field goals.

As the late Dennis Green once said, “They are who we thought they were!”

For that matter, so is Steve Sarkisian. You would have thought he was wearing Alabama crimson and white rather than Falcons red and black. He was calling plays as if he were in an SEC West showdown with LSU with a freshman quarterback instead of a 10-year NFL veteran with 38,000 career passing yards notched in his guns.

It all boils down to play-calling and how those plays are effectively used. You can have the fanciest rifle on the market with the most lethal ammo money can buy, but it you don’t load and shoot properly, you’ll never hit your target.

Next: Can Matt Ryan Repeat As MVP?

Steve Sarkisian missed a lot in his first regular season game. Falcons fans can only hope he spent some time reviewing his mistakes and practicing his aim.