Longest yard haunts Falcons, offensive line
One yard.
That’s all that stood between the Atlanta Falcons and rebounding from a dismal 2013 start.
One yard might have given them much-needed momentum going into the bye week. One yard might have given fans hope the team would sneak right back into the playoff picture.
Instead, Monday night ended with one resounding thud.
There were a variety of reasons why the Falcons suffered their third straight defeat, falling to 1-4 with a 30-28 loss to the New York Jets, who kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired. Some folks will put the blame on head coach Mike Smith, particularly after he decided against going for a field goal with a second left before halftime.
Smith admitted, in hindsight, maybe settling for three would have been the best option. But he believed his team could get the one yard necessary for a touchdown. He expressed faith in his offense, faith in his quarterback, faith in his offensive line.
Those out there not upset with Smith are certainly pointing fingers at each and every offensive lineman for not helping Jacquizz Rodgers pick up that yard on fourth-and-goal. Truth be told, there’s no reason to call out the linemen on this one. They pointed fingers at themselves.
“Probably would have been better if we had gotten a better push,” right guard Garrett Reynolds said. “I don’t know exactly what happened. I haven’t watched it. But we didn’t get in there.”
Based on the replay, it appeared at least two front-line Falcons got beat on the play. Joe Hawley, the backup center who lined up as an extra lineman in the tight end spot, seemed to miss his block and allow penetration to Jets defender Quinton Coples. Right tackle Jeremy Trueblood appeared to get overpowered by Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, who was credited with dropping Rodgers for no gain.
“What did I see? I was just trying to block my guy,” Trueblood said. “I wish I would have done a better job. If I would [have gotten] my man, [Rodgers] would have scored.”
Owning up to the mistakes is the first step. Correcting those errors is the next phase for the much-maligned offensive line.
The front five have been the object of much criticism since an ugly showing in the preseason. This line underwent a major facelift from last season with center Todd McClure retiring and right tackle Tyson Clabo being released, then signing with the Miami Dolphins. The Falcons were prepared to start Mike Johnson in place of Clabo until Johnson went down for the remainder of the season with a broken leg and dislocated ankle.
Then left tackle Sam Baker, who was stellar last season, went down with an injury in Week 4 against the New England Patriots, which forced demoted right tackle Lamar Holmes to take over at left tackle alongside left guard Justin Blalock, center Peter Konz, Reynolds and Trueblood.
The makeshift line has had its struggles. Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter compensated by orchestrating plays to help quarterback Matt Ryan release the ball quicker to avoid pressure.
Still, Ryan has been sacked at key times this season, including against the Patriots when Holmes allowed Ryan to get sacked in the red zone. On Monday night, Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson beat Trueblood and Reynolds, swooping in for a sack-fumble play on Ryan. The turnover led to a Nick Folk field goal.
The line must have gotten a pep talk from offensive line coach Pat Hill at halftime Monday night. The performance in the second half was much better, particularly in terms of clearing holes in the running game. Rodgers had two red-zone touchdown runs in the second half. And Ryan didn’t get sacked in the fourth quarter, when he completed 12 of 18 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown.
Regardless, that one yard the Falcons couldn’t pick up before halftime might stick with them the entire season. Still, Ryan refused to blame the line.
“I thought they did a good job,” he said. “I thought they fought the entire night. It’s a good defense that we went against, specifically a very good front seven. And I thought our guys stepped up to the challenge.
“We ran the ball really effectively in the red zone. We just didn’t run it effectively on that one play.”
The Falcons don’t have much of a choice but to ride with the offensive linemen they have now. Getting Baker back healthy might help, but he struggled when he was in the lineup. There aren’t too many quality linemen sitting on the streets, and the Falcons have no current interest in recently released tackle Max Starks. Plus the organization still has high hopes for Holmes developing into a Pro Bowl-caliber tackle down the road.
Building toward the future is great, but the Falcons have to be more concerned about the present. If they have any thoughts of rebounding from this dismal 1-4 start, the line has to hold up its end. If it doesn’t, the critics will continue to feast on the entire group.
“We always say we’re all we got; we’re all we need,” Reynolds said. “All these people out here saying stuff about us. That’s OK. That’s their opinion. They don’t know what we do. They don’t know how hard we work. We have to take it on ourselves to continue to get better. We’re a team. We’re going to stick together.”