Meangelo costs Falcons first victory

By: T. Love

Enough is enough. Deangelo Hall is not that good and his 67 yards worth of penalties on ONE drive was just enough ammunition for the Carolina Panthers to make a comeback and steal a 27-20 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon.

With Atlanta leading 17-10 in the 3rd quarter, Carolina used one pass interference call and two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties to drive 80 yards in 1:56 to tie the game and swing the momentum into their favor.

One player loss this game for the Falcons and then had the gall to bitch at the head coach and to the media. Get over yourself. It’s really time.

Enough about that clown, because there was a lot of good coming from the Atlanta Falcons. First off, especially for my new UAB buddies, Roddy White does it again. Seven receptions for 127 yards and one touchdown. Although White did drop two balls, this is another good game for him and he currently leads the team in receptions with 15.

White’s success was in large part to the offensive line keeping Joey Harrington protected and Joey getting rid of the ball quickly. No. 13 finished the day with 361 passing yards and two touchdowns, while only being sacked once.

The passing numbers are great, but the problem still remains that the Falcons can not run the football. This team has led the league in rushing the past three seasons and that will not be the case this year. Petrino has to figure out a way to get the running game going and give Jerious Norwood more touches.

On the defensive side of the ball, Atlanta can’t stop the run. DeShaun Foster gashed the Falcons for 122 yards on 20 carries. Second-year man Deangelo Williams chipped in with 47 on 11 touches.

John Abraham continues his comeback to greatness with two sacks and Michael Boley is all over the field making tackles, but it is just not enough. The middle of the defense is soft.

Keith Brooking, its way past time to ride off into the sunset. Besides getting burnt by a running back (which happens to a lot of backers, but Keith just gets embarrassed), three tackles. There needs to be a lot more production from middle linebacker and maybe its time to start taking a look at Tony Taylor.

0-3 doesn’t feel too good. I’m starting to get the feeling that the Falcons are on clock.

Matt Schaub comes to town this Sunday. It would be great to close out the 1st quarter of the season with a victory.