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anybody? do we try to catch the Iggles off guard by throwing the ball early and often?
I think the falcons and Eagles match up well on both sides of the ball. The falcons have a superior running game, while the Eagles have a good run defense. I wonder how long Trotter can keep it going?
Defensively the Falcons have the pass rush to get to McNabb. I believe the Falcons should put Hall on Owens 1 on 1 and give help from Scott at safety. we can only hope Owens takes a shot early on. Owens is a physical receiver but he usually gets out of bounds without taking a hit.
Do we have the team speed at LB to match up with Westbrook out of the backfield?
This game could be so evenly matched that a blocked punt or a kick return makes or breaks us.

opinions are welcomed.

The Falcons need to establish the ground game first and foremost. The passing game comes via the running game with play action passing and bootlegs. Neither of which are effective without the defense keying on the run. That and not commit any mistakes especially stupid ones late in the game.

Yeah, the Falcons need to get the ground game going early. I don't expect us to pound the ball down the Eagles throats, since their run defense is probably the best part of their entire team. But if we can rush for over 100 yards as a team, it should put us in a position to win. They only gave up 3 real 100 yard rushers (Steven Jackson's 148-yard performance in Week 16 doesn't count, since they rested starters): Tiki Barber (2x) and Jerome Bettis.

If we can get the ground game established early, we can use that as dirtybird said to get the playaction pass and bootleg to help the passing game. I think the key is going to be able to get 1 or 2 big plays in the air early on, to help get the Eagles defense on their toes.

Basically the key is to set the tone early on both sides of the ball. The Eagles were able to do that in the NFC Championship. I know it seems to be a cliche to say, but I really think winning the game in the trenches is the biggest key. Our O-line needs to play their best game that we may have ever seen from them. And our D-line needs to put pressure on McNabb. From there, I think we can have success in other aspects because the run game will work and Vick will have time to throw. And the pass rush will prevent guys like T.O. and Westbrook from making big plays in the air.

I do think that Griffith could be a big X-Factor in this game. He is versitle enough to run the ball or catch it in the flats and get some good yardage off of the pass. He really is our version of Westbrook in his do-it-all capabilities. I'd like to see him involved early and often.

I think the Falcons need to get Dunn more involved in the passing game. Getting him in the open field is dangerous no matter the opponent. Griffith is great in the flat, but Dunn is downright scary on screens.

I recall, vs. the Titans in 2003, Dunn made an amazing 80 yard run on a screen pass. I think he winded up actually getting hurt on the play, but it took nothing away from the run.

the argument can be made that our exits the past 2 seasons from the playoffs were largely due to missing our fullbacks. remember the monster year Christian had before he got hurt 3 years ago?
last year griffith went down, our backup went down, and then our backup's backup went down.
when you are a run first team coupled with what griffith brings to the table catching the ball one could make the argument that griffith is the 3rd most important player we have on our offense behind duckett/dunn and Vick. who is Philly's 3rd most important player? Owens.

The key against the Eagles is ball control. Get first downs, sustain drives and keep TO off the field. Chew up the clock, score early (so we don't have to pass and play catch up) and force Pilly into getting out of their gameplan.

Sounds easy, right?

We learned the hard way last winter that throwing early and often isn't going to beat the Eagles. We have to run the ball, that is really our only hope. Luckily enough we are the best rushing team in the NFL. If I see Vick in a shotgun on the first series and it's not 3rd and long I will flip out.
Griffith is a big part of our offense and I think we will see the difference in our team now that we have him back, but, to give credit where credit is due McCrary played well during Griffiths abscense.
I think the biggest difference between this year and last is that we will be able to punt the ball and play field position. Our punting game killed us last year. I am sure all of you remember Mohr trying to kick one of his patented sky high kicks into the 20 mph winds in Philly last year. That, I think, was the biggest differance maker last year.
Honestly, Westbrook doesn't scare me that much. At least not as a runner. If he tries to come up the middle he's gonna get killed, and we are quick enough off the edges to stop him. The only teams that really ran well against us last year were teams that were big enough to run over us. I don't think Philly will be able to run over us.
I am beginning to think we'll be better off having Hall play over Greg Lewis and then have Webster/Scott(Carpenter) doubling TO. Lewis will burn Webster up if he's asked to cover him on an island.
But to echo the cliche that has been stated a hundred times on these boards, and I am sure will be said a hundred times more (for very good reason) this game will be won and lost in the trenches. Who ever have the best play from both of their lines will win this game.

I think we have to establish two things first and formost:
1. Get the big man Ducket running early and often and try and use the lack of depth on the Eagles D-line to our advantage.
2. Second we must protect Vick and pick up the blitzes to allow our running to keep going strong late into the game.

Honestly I do think that our defense will keep their ofense in check. They really do not scare me beyond Owens.

My Two Key Match Ups:
1. Lewis vs Crumpler- This could be the biggest match up of the game, if Crumpler gets downfield and open I think it will open up the entire offense and keep them from puting to many men in the box.
2. TO vs Hall- If he can stop Owens and keep him in check like he did Holt in the playoffs last year than I think we will shut down the Eagles offense.

My keys:

1. Vick MUST make them pay from the pocket. This will open up the running game for the backs and him as well. Utilize the RB flat pass to beat mush rush.

2. No turnovers. The Eagles are tough enough to beat without giving them freebies.

3. No mental mistakes.

I'll tell ya one thing about those eagles. They love, I mean LOVE to go deep to TO in one of their first 3 plays.

We need to look for that because if DeLo is stride for stride or a S can knock it down that will give our secondary some confidence. I'm sure Mora & Donatell know this and will prepare but then I hope we dont play soft underneath because McNabb will checkdown and Westbrook can turn any play into a big gain.