2008 Atlanta Falcons season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article documents a current sports-related event. Information may change as the event progresses. |
| 2008 Atlanta Falcons season | |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Mike Smith |
| Home Field | Georgia Dome |
| Results | |
| Record | 2-1 |
| Place | TBD NFC South |
| Playoff Finish | TBD |
| Timeline | |
| Previous Season | Next Season |
| 2007 | 2009 |
The 2008 Atlanta Falcons season is the 43rd season for the team in the National Football League. The Falcons will be trying to improve from their 4-12 season in 2007.
On January 23, 2008, the Falcons announced that Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Smith, would be the head coach in 2008.[1]
Contents |
[edit] 2008 Schedule
[edit] Regular Season
[edit] Week 1: vs. Detroit Lions
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Falcons | 21 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 34 |
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
- Game time: 1:00 PM EDT
- Game weather: None (Domed Stadium)
- Game attendance: 62,310
- Referee: Ron Winter
- TV announcers: (FOX): Matt Vasgersian, J.C. Pearson, & Nischelle Turner
The Falcons began their 2008 campaign at home against the Detroit Lions. In the first quarter, Atlanta immediately took flight at rookie QB Matt Ryan throws his first career NFL pass to WR Michael Jenkins for a 62-yard TD pass. Afterwards, RB Michael Turner (acquired from the Chargers) made an immediate impact as he got a 66-yard TD run and a 5-yard TD run. In the second quarter, the Lions would respond with RB Kevin Smith getting a 5-yard TD run, while QB Jon Kitna completed a 21-yard TD pass to WR Roy Williams.
In the third quarter, the Falcons went back to work as kicker Jason Elam got a 50-yard field goal, while RB Jerious Norwood got a 10-yard TD run. Detroit would try to rally as Kitna completed a 1-yard TD pass to TE Casey FitzSimmons. Fortunately, Atlanta closed out their rout in the fourth quarter with Elam nailing a 25-yard field goal.
With the impressive win, the Falcons began their season at 1-0.
QB Matt Ryan would have a good rookie debut completing 9 of 13 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown. RB Michael Turner had an outstanding Falcon debut, setting a single-game franchise record with 220 rushing yards. Ryan, who became the first rookie to start a season for the Falcons since Steve Bartkowski in 1975, finished with a solid 161 passing yards and 137.0 quarterback rating. Turner led a ground game that picked up a franchise-record 318 rushing yards 7.6 yards per carry. Game Notes.
- With a 34-21 victory, Mike Smith earned his first win as a Head Coach in the NFL
- Following a 44-41 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in the 2007 season finale, the Falcons opened the 2008 campaign with 34 points en route to a victory, posting back-to-back games with over 30 points.
- The win over Detroit gave the Falcons their first season opening win since 2006 (20-6 vs. Carolina), their first season opening win at the Georgia Dome since 2005 (vs. Philadelphia, 14-10) and their first win against the Lions at home since 2002 (36-15).
- By opening the game as a starter, LB Keith Brooking extended his consecutive games starting streak to 113 games, dating back to 2000, which moves him past long-time C Jeff Van Note into second place all-time in Falcons history. Former T Bob Whitfield holds the record with 123 consecutive starts (from Wk 1, 1993 – Wk 11, 2000).
- Center Todd McClure also extended his consecutive games starting streak to 97-straight games to move past DE Patrick Kerney and WR Terance Mathis into fifth place all-time in that category.
- The Falcons had 10 players earn opening day starts for the first time in their NFL careers. The players lining up as starters for the first time today included: QB Matt Ryan, LT Sam Baker, RB Michael Turner, TE Ben Hartsock, RG Harvey Dahl, RT Tyson Clabo, DT Jonathan Babineaux, MLB Curtis Lofton, CB Brent Grimes and CB Chris Houston.
- Curtis Lofton became the first rookie to man the middle of the Falcons defense on opening day since linebacker Buddy Curry in 1980. Ironically, it was exactly 28 years ago to this date, September 7, 1980, that Curry (the team’s second round draft pick) started in the middle of the Falcons defense (at Minnesota, 8 tackles, 0.5 sack).
- The Falcons broke a team rushing record with 318 yards and 7.4 avg. against Detroit. The previous record was set on September 17, 2006 against Tampa Bay with 306 yards. Atlanta’s 318 yards marked the first game Atlanta totaled over 200 rushing yards since December 3, 2006 against Washington getting 256 yards.
- On Atlanta’s first offensive possession of the 2008 season, the Falcons recorded a three-play 74-yard drive that was capped off by a WR Michael Jenkins 62-yard touchdown reception from rookie QB Matt Ryan, his first career NFL pass.
- Matt Ryan became the first quarterback to throw a touchdown on his first career NFL pass since October 8, 2000 when Michael Bishop completed the feat as member of the New England Patriots .
- Michael Jenkins 62-yard touchdown reception was the longest of his career and the longest touchdown pass recorded by the Falcons since December 23, 2007 when Chris Redman completed a 74-touchdown against Arizona.
- Atlanta’s 62-yard touchdown to WR Michael Jenkins on the first offensive possession of the game was the longest touchdown pass for the Falcons on opening day since September 3, 2000, when Chris Chandler completed a 48-yard touchdown in a 36-28 win.
- The last time the Falcons scored a touchdown on their opening offensive possession of a game came against the Carolina Panthers on November 11, 2007. Atlanta won the game 20-13.
- On Atlanta’s second possession of the game, RB Michael Turner rushed for a 66-yard touchdown to give the Falcons a 14-0 lead. The 66-yard scamper is the fourth-longest rush in Turner’s career and the seventh-longest rush in Falcons history.
- Michael Turner’s 117 rushing yards in the first quarter are the most in an opening quarter of a game for the Falcons in at least two decades.
- Atlanta’s 216 yards of total offense in the first quarter is also the highest total in over two decades. The previous high for the Falcons came on October 13, 1991 with 172 yards against San Francisco.
- The Falcons 21 points in the first quarter marked the fifth time in team history Atlanta posted that total in the opening period. The last time it happened came on November 23, 2003 against Tennessee.
- On Atlanta’s second offensive possession of the second half, the Falcons drove 68 yards on five plays for their fourth touchdown of the game. The drive was highlighted by a Matt Ryan 46-yard pass to WR Roddy White and a 10-yard touchdown run by RB Jerious Norwood.
- Jerious Norwood finished the day with 14 carries for 93 yards while logging his first touchdown since October 15, 2007. Norwood’s 93 rushing yards are the most in a game for the three-year veteran since December 2, 2007 at St. Louis.
- In the last two seasons, the Falcons scored a combined total of 16 rushing touchdowns. Against the Lions, Atlanta posted three rushing scores.
- John Abraham posted his first three-sack day since 2004 after dropping Lions QB Jon Kitna once in the first quarter and twice in the final period of play. Abraham now has 70.5 career sacks, 11 of which have come on opening day. Abraham’s last three-sack day came on October 10, 2004 as a member of the New York Jets.
- Lawyer Milloy halted Detroit’s first offensive drive of the second half when he recorded his 25th career interception. Milloy returned the pick 38 yards inside Lions territory, which led to a Falcons field goal and a 24-14 lead.
- Jason Elam split the uprights on both of his field goal attempts, his first two in a Falcons uniform. The 16-year veteran extended his streak of consecutive field goals to 17 and also notched his 38th field goal of 50-plus yards at the 9:45 mark in the third quarter.
- Michael Turner ran for 220 yards in his debut with the Falcons. This marks the highest single-game rushing record for the Falcons, formerly held by Gerald Riggs, who set the previous record of 202 rushing yards on September 2, 1984.
[edit] Week 2: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| Buccaneers | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
- Game time: 4:05 PM EDT
- Game weather: 89°F (Partly Cloudy)
- Game attendance: 63,611
- Referee: Jeff Triplette
- TV announcers: (FOX): Ron Pitts, Tony Boselli, & Nischelle Turner
Following their outstanding home win over the Lions, the Falcons flew to Raymond James Stadium for a Week 2 NFC South duel with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the first quarter, Atlanta trailed as Bucs QB Brian Griese completed a 5-yard TD pass to TE John Gilmore. In the second quarter, the Falcons continued to trail as former Falcons RB Warrick Dunn gave Tampa Bay a 17-yard TD run, along with kicker Matt Bryant getting a 33-yard field goal. Atlanta would close out the half with kicker Jason Elam getting a 32-yard field goal.
In the third quarter, the Falcons crept closer as Elam kicked a 27-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, Atlanta tried to rally as Elam nailed a 24-yard field goal. However, the Buccaneers pulled away as RB Earnest Graham got a 68-yard TD run.
With the loss, the Falcons fell to 1-1.
GAME NOTES
- The Falcons defense allowed Tampa Bay to rush for only two yards in the first quarter on six attempts. The Buccaneers two yards is the lowest total for a Falcons opponent in the first quarter of a game since December 14, 2003 when the Indianapolis Colts posted two rushing yards on seven carries. At the end of the first half, Tampa’s rushing total was 36 yards, the lowest total for a Falcons opponent in the first half of play since December 31, 2006 when Philadelphia only managed 34 yard in the first two quarters.
- Matt Ryan led the Falcons on a 13-play, 75-yard scoring drive in the third quarter, which was capped by a Jason Elam 27-yard field goal. Ryan completed six of seven passes on the drive for 62 yard.
- On his second career carry, wide receiver Harry Douglas took an end-around and rushed for 33 yards to give the Falcons their third first down of the game. The 33-yard scamper is the second longest rush for Atlanta in two games this season.
- With two minutes remaining in the second quarter, wide receiver/punt returner Adam Jennings set a career-high with a 37-yard punt return topping his old mark of 23 yards set in [[2007. The return was also the longest for the Falcons since Allen Rossum returned a punt 37 yards against Cleveland on November 12, 2006. Jennings’ punt return led to a Falcons 32-yard field goal by Elam, the first points of the game for Atlanta.
- Elam notched three field goals of 32, 27 and 25 yards to extend his streak of splitting the uprights to 20 consecutive kicks.
- Atlanta defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux dropped Buccaneers quarterback Brian Griese in the third quarter for his 5.5th career sack. The sack led to a Tampa Bay punt on its first offensive possession of the second half. Three of Babineaux’s 5.5 career sacks have come in the first two games of a season (2.0 in 2007, 1.0 in 2008).
- Falcons defensive end John Abraham posted his fourth sack of the season and his sixth in three consecutive games when he dropped Griese in the fourth quarter to stall a Buccaneers drive in the red zone. On the sack, Abraham forced a fumble which was recovered by defensive tackle Jason Jefferson. The sack is Abraham’s 14th in the last 17 games and the 71.5th of his career. The fumble recovery by Jefferson was the first of his career.
- Following Abraham’s fourth quarter sack, the Falcons have now recorded three consecutive games with at least two sacks dating back to the 2007 season finale against the Seattle Seahawks.
- Head Coach Mike Smith is one for one in challenges after challenging the spot of the ball on a Roddy White reception in the third quarter. After the review the officials determined White had reached the first down marker, which kept the Atlanta drive alive.
[edit] Week 3: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Falcons | 14 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
- Game time: 1:00 PM EDT
- Game weather: Played Indoors, Domed Stadium
- Game attendance: 63,611
- Referee: Scott Green
- TV announcers: (CBS): Gus Johnson, & Steve Tasker
Michael Turner ran for three touchdowns and the Atlanta Falcons scored the first 24 points to beat Kansas City 38-14 on Sunday, giving the Chiefs their 12th straight loss.
Turner had scoring runs of 4, 1 and 2 yards, his first game with three rushing touchdowns, while leading the Falcons with 104 yards rushing. Jerious Norwood added 75 yards rushing.
Turner's 1-yard scoring run in the second quarter gave Atlanta (2-1) a 24-0 lead.
Tyler Thigpen , the third starting quarterback in three weeks for Kansas City (0-3), threw three interceptions in his first career start. The third interception, by cornerback Chris Houston, was returned 10 yards for a touchdown with 1:01 left in the game.
Chiefs coach Herman Edwards said during the week he would turn to veteran Damon Huard if Thigpen struggled. Thigpen played the full game and was 14-for-36 passing for 128 yards with one touchdown.
Atlanta led 24-0 when Thigpen led a 13-play touchdown drive capped by his 15-yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Bowe with only 3 seconds left in the first half.
The Chiefs' comeback continued when Larry Johnson's 48-yard run set up his 1-yard scoring plunge to open the second half, cutting the Atlanta lead to 24-14. It was Johnson's first rushing touchdown of the season.
Johnson, who had 96 yards rushing in his first two games, had 24 carries for 121 yards and a touchdown.
The Falcons had a quick answer to Johnson's touchdown. Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan, making his third start, had a 15-yard run and a 17-yard pass to Roddy White to set up Turner's third touchdown, a 2-yard run.
A fumble by Falcons punt returner Adam Jennings, recovered by linebacker Demorrio Williams , gave Kansas City the ball with 8:42 left to play. The Chiefs held the ball for 5 minutes but were stopped on a fourth-down run by Johnson from the 2.
Ryan was 12-for-18 for 192 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown pass to White late in the first quarter, and no interceptions.
White was 5 yards behind cornerback Dimitri Patterson and safety Jarrad Page when he caught the ball. White celebrated with a back flip in the end zone.
The Chiefs started two rookie cornerbacks and rookie left tackle Branden Albert, who lined up against Falcons pass-rush leader John Abraham .
Abraham recorded his fifth sack of the season on the Chiefs' first snap. Abraham beat right tackle Damion McIntosh , not Albert, on the play.
Kansas City was held without a first down until an 11-yard run by Jamaal Charles with 9:04 left in the first half.
The Chiefs were stopped on downs on their first five possessions. Their next two drives ended with interceptions by Erik Coleman and Brent Grimes.
Abraham beat Albert for his second sack of the game, and sixth of the season, when he hit Thigpen and caused a fumble that was recovered by McIntosh on the final play of the third quarter.
The Chiefs' 12th straight loss came on the 11-month anniversary of their last win. They lost their last nine games in 2007 after a 12-10 win at Oakland on Oct. 21, 2007.
- Game Notes
- With a 38-14 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs , the Falcons moved to 2-0 at the Georgia Dome this season and gave Head Coach Mike Smith his second career win as a head coach
- Atlanta’s win over the Chiefs improved its record to 5-1 in its last six meetings against AFC West opponents.
- With his second catch of the game in the second quarter, wide receiver Roddy White notched his 150th career reception. White finished the game with five receptions for 119 yards and one touchdown, marking his eighth-career 100-yard game.
- On Kansas City’s first offensive possession of the game, defensive end John Abraham logged his fifth sack of the season, which led to a Chiefs punt. Abraham tallied his second sack of the game at the end of the third quarter, which included a forced fumble. The two sacks give Abraham eight in his last four games, 16 in his last 18 games and 73.5 for his career. Entering the Kansas City game, he led the NFL with four sacks after three games. The forced fumble was the 29th of his career, which ranks fourth in the NFL from 2000-2008.
- The Falcons defense posted five consecutive “three-and-outs” to start the game against Kansas City. The sixth possession was halted by an Erik Coleman interception.
- Atlanta safety Erik Coleman intercepted his first career pass in a Falcons uniform, which also gave him the eighth of his career. It was Coleman’s first interception since 11/12/06 against the New England Patriots . Coleman pieced together a stellar performance against the Chiefs which included 10 tackles to lead the team and one forced fumble.
- Falcons cornerback Brent Grimes intercepted his first career pass when he stepped in front of a Tyler Thigpen pass in the second quarter. Grimes returned the interception 25 yards, which led to a Falcons touchdown.
- Cornerback Chris Houston intercepted his first career pass in the fourth quarter against Kansas City, which was returned for a touchdown sealing an Atlanta 38-14 victory. The interception was the third in the game for the Falcons.
- Running back Michael Turner posted his fifth career 100-yard game, which is also the second of the season after finishing with 23 carries for 104 yards and three touchdowns.
- Turner sparked an Atlanta scoring drive when he posted a 38-yard rush in the first quarter. Turner capped the drive with a four-yard touchdown, his third of the season. The Falcons drove 92 yards in six plays and also received help from running back Jerious Norwood on the drive who contributed with 45 combined yards (two rushes for 15 yards and one 30-yard reception).
- Atlanta’s 92-yard scoring drive, the first of the game, is the longest scoring drive since 12/3/06 at Washington when the Falcons drove 98 yards on six plays capped by a Jerious Norwood touchdown run.
- On Atlanta’s first offensive possession after the Turner touchdown, quarterback Matt Ryan completed a 70-yard touchdown strike to White, giving the Falcons a 14-0 lead. The pass is the longest for a Falcons rookie in team history and it’s also a career-long for White who topped his previous mark of a 69-yard touchdown catch against Carolina in Week 3 of last season.
- Ryan 70-yard touchdown pass to White is the longest pass completion for the Falcons since 12/23/07 when wide receiver Laurent Robinson caught a 74-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chris Redman against the Arizona Cardinals in a Week 16 meeting.
- In his third career game under center, Ryan completed 12 of 18 passes for 192 yards and one touchdown for a 120.6 passer rating.
- Turner logged his second-career multiple touchdown game when he found the end zone on a one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to give Atlanta a 24-0 advantage. Turner found the end zone one more time for a career-high of three touchdowns. Turner became only the fifth Falcons running back in team history to register three or more touchdowns in a game.
Player Opponent Date Rushing TDs T.J. Duckett Oakland Raiders 12/12/04 4 Michael Turner Kansas City Chiefs 9/21/08 3 Jamal Anderson Detroit Lions 10/6/96 3 Lynn Cain Los Angeles Rams 10/7/84 3 Gerald Riggs Los Angeles Rams 11/17/85 3
- Kicker Jason Elam was successful on his long field goal attempt of 27 yards against Kansas City, improving his streak of consecutive field goals to 27. Elam also added five extra points for an eight-point day.
- The Falcons defense allowed only 14 rushing yards in the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs, continuing their trend of holding opponents to under 15 rushing yards over the first three contests of the season. Against Tampa Bay in Week 2, Atlanta held the Bucs to two rushing yards in the opening 15 minutes of play, which was the lowest total in the first quarter of a game since for a Falcons opponent since 12/14/03 vs. Colts, 2 rushing yards. Below is a look at Atlanta’s opponent rushing totals in the first quarter of each game this season.
Week Opponent Rushing Yards 1 vs. Detroit 13 2 at Tampa Bay 2 3 vs. Kansas City 14
- Atlanta has totaled 81 points over the first three games of the season (34 points against Detroit, 9 against Tampa Bay and 38 against Kansas City), which is the highest total in the opening three contest of a campaign since 1986 (101 points).
[edit] Division standings
| NFC South | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 71 | 57 | W-2 |
| Carolina Panthers | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 56 | 61 | L-1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 81 | 59 | W-1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 80 | 83 | L-2 |
[edit] 2008 NFL Draft Results
- 1st round(3)-Matt Ryan, Quarterback, Boston College
- 1st round(21)-Sam Baker, offensive tackle, University of Southern California
- 2nd round(37)-Curtis Lofton, linebacker, University of Oklahoma
- 3rd round(68)-Chevis Jackson, cornerback, Louisiana State University
- 3rd round(84)-Harry Douglas, wide receiver, University of Louisville
- 3rd round(98)-Thomas DeCoud, safety, University of California
- 5th round(138)-Robert James, linebacker, Arizona State University (IR)
- 5th round(154)-Kroy Biermann, linebacker, University of Montana
- 6th round(172)-Thomas Brown, running back, University of Georgia (IR)
- 7th round(212)-Wilrey Fontenot, cornerback, University of Arizona(no longer with the team)
- 7th round(232)-Keith Zinger, tight end, Louisiana State University (practice squad)
First round picks introductions
[edit] Roster
[edit] Notes and references
2.Birds fall but Ryan solid in preseason debut
3.Turner's runs christen new-look Georgia Dome
4. Falcons get victory in Ryan's first start
5. Reserves lead Falcons to victory in Baltimore
6. Turner leads Falcons to the victory against Detroit
7. Birds stumble against NFC South rival
9. Smith discusses about Milloy situation
10. Smith Addresses Milloy Arrest
|
|||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
This article relating to an American football season is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
