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My take on the game is this:
1. Coleman and Kerney are awesome!!! These two stepped up at key times and really played well tonight.
2. Our O-Line really played better than I thought they would. They opened up some nice holes tonight. Yeah, they can still work on a few things, I know, but I was impressed.
3. Our DBs did okay. I think and hope they will continue to get even better.
4. I'm proud of D-Hall and thought he played a great game. For a second year player against one of the best in the league, what can you say really? Amazing!
5. Vick...well I don't have to say anything but superfreak!!! The guy is amazing. I don't care if he passes for 1 yard or a 1000 yards as long as we win, but each week he gets better in all areas and I think he's going to have a great year.

Other things:
1. Duckett didn't look as great as he has in the past. Dunn did, but Duckett just didn't to me.
2. They need to get Griffith more involved in the game like last year.
3. Where was Roddy White? I saw a pass go to him maybe once or something.
4. Brooking didn't have the intensity tonight. I don't know what was wrong with him, but Demario was the man!!!

Anyway these are just some things I was thinking of. Go Falcons!!!

First of all great job Falcon's.It wasn't pretty but the Falcon's got the win.My grades also A+ for the defense and a D for the offense.A win is a win but in my opinion it was kind of stained not having Trotter in there.Philly is a different defense with him playing middle linebacker and the 125 more rushing yards the falcon's outgained philly would have been greatly reduced.

Weaknesses of the game:

1.Vick and the offense still stink when it comes to passing.Vick has had 1 yr and 1 game to be able to throw the ball and many times the Falcon's offense didn't know what a passing game was.Teams are going to know to double on Crumpler so someone else has to get open.Roddy White didn't play much.Finneran made some important catches and Jenkins caught the bomb.Still the passing game looks atrocious! I don't believe I saw Vick trying to throw the ball to the running backs either.
2.Recievers - where the heck were you?
3.Vick still can't read defenses he relys on his running to much.
4.Play calling - looks like Knapp will keep it run run pass most of the time.Outside of scoring 14 points in the first half the offense did nothing in the second half.Way to many 3 and outs with no sustained drvies like it was last year.The offense does not look better even after one yr of Knapp's system.This team relys on Vick way to much !
5.The pass rush - it would be nice to rush only 4 guys against philly but only Coleman and kerney provided heat
6.Brooking cannot cover Westbrook!
7.Not putting away the other team - the falcon's had numerous chances to put the eagles away but blew every opportunity.We won by 4 points but should have been more!
The Good!

1.The crowd boosted the falcons that extra which was needed to help them.
2.The falcon's do not like the eagles and is has big a rivalry as there is in football.
3.Koenen the punter did well
4.D Hall did not allow owens a score
5.The running game - great job
6.Intensity - this team was pumped to beat the Eagles

Now that the falcon's are one up on the eagles they need to keep building and winning.At the end of the season this first game could mean home field advantage for the playoffs.I know I may sound harsh but when the falcon's play top teams this year those teams will put the falcon's away and not stall like the eagles did.New England will be a huge huge test and I am not sure the falcon's are ready for them.Vick has got to learn to throw the ball.I know there has never been a QB like him.I hope the falcon's to get lulled into last year when they thought they could beat every team running the ball.Tonight they out gained philly byu 125 yards or was it 150? Still only won by 4 points without philly having trotter in the game.It would have made it sweeter with trotter in there but I have my doubts now if the falcon's would have won by 4.We keep hearing that vick is improving in passing when is it going to show in the game?

Once again I am glad for the victory it puts the falcon's one up.There is still alot to work on. Mora and the falcon's have got to get roddy in the game.I may be a perfectionist and I enjoyed this win but the falcon's should have put the eagles away and not make it nearly as close.Come to think of it this is becoming a pattern letting the other team hang in there to possibly come back on you.The Falcon's need to get a few blow outs but hey this is the first game and I am happy the rest of the league may not take us lightly.Mora has to watch for the let down for next week

Disagree... maybe it was my angle in the stadium, but I thought he was terrible. His best punt of the night started as a horrible shank that gained momentum and rolled 20 yards.

Vick can run like the wind but the fumbling and inconsistent passing have got to be corrected. I don't know how many times I said "Where the hell was he throwing that one?" last night. 50% completions won't cut it.

Don't take this as a permanent judgment of Vick, he just has major work to do as do most people...

I agree with you on Vick, Scout. Lots of red flags out of that game and I'm hoping it was just because Philly is that good on defense. But if this is the "new and improved" Mike Vick we are in trouble. Running the ball for 200 to 300 yards a game likely means you won't win if its accompanied by just 100 yards of ineffiecent passing.

I see and agree with people on Brooking, he didn't have a great game and didn't look that into it. My real question is where was Hartwell? Didn't we pay this guy loads to come here and be Ray Lewis or something? I was watching all night for tackles from him but he was so outclassed by DeMo.

Punting wasn't great either, other than the roller, and he was nearly blocked once but was kicking to the right instead of the left which saved him.

I also want to say thanks to D. Hall for his play. It was so nice not having to see Owens do some stupid Monday Night dance in the endzone.

Also, people are down on the offense and Vick but they did put up 14 points, and those points did win the game. Our D was awesome to hold Philly to 10 but D can't win alone (just look at poor Baltimore who played like madmen for a half against the Colts only to tire from being on the field all night as their offense got nothing till the game was over). I am sure Baltimore would have thought it was Christmas is they got 14 points in the first quarter.

Note: our offense could have put up another 10 points easy if not for a blitz fumble on Vick for a field goal and a Hold on the goal that brought back the T.J. TD which had nothing to do with Vick (this of course then led to another stupid call by the Offense which resulted in another Vick blitz fumble).

MF1

It seemed to me that Vick struggled mostly on a lot of out and flag routes.

Most of my comments on the game can be found in the game review posted on the site's front page, so I won't repeat them all here.

This was far from a perfect game. WE benefitted from the Eagles definitely not playing up to their ability. But part of that was dictated from the play of our defense and the crowd. It would seem that we know those 2 areas can get the job done in big games. The offense definitely needs to improve, but we've seen much worse performances from them against much worse defenses.