MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
USARARE
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Anyone think the falcons vs eagles will be a close one? Or is vick going to get his revenge THIS MONDAY NIGHT!
Cmon EAGLES.......................NO hacking/NO coughing/NO choking/NO GETTING SICK THIS SEASON.
Cmon EAGLES.......................NO hacking/NO coughing/NO choking/NO GETTING SICK THIS SEASON.
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next level. He needs to prove that he is on the same level as Brady and Manning. Can he not get hurt this year?
I think the Eagles will get exposed.
JS
All I hear is it’ll be Vick vs. the Philly defense, but the Atlanta defense is under-rated. They looked great in preseason this year. I was at the Falcons Rams game last year (the regular season game) and the Dome was deafening. As the season went on, the Dome got louder and louder as the bandwagon got bigger. And you can be sure; it will be LOUD on Monday night!
23-20 Falcons
30-21 Eagles.
edit: brain farted (twice!)
The line I saw was Eagles -2, but that of course is close to even. Before seeing the spread, I had the game handicapped at Eagles -4 1/2 and with of course the average 3 points given to the home team, the spread handicapped to me would have been Eagles -1 1/2, so the -2 looks just about right - no surprises.
Should be a very good football game. But I think there is no conceivable way that the Falcons could blow out the Eagles, however I think the Eagles are capable of blowing out the Falcons. Falcons are a very good football team, with a head coach who I think eventually could be one of the best coaches in the league, but this is gonna be the Eagles year of winning the Super Bowl. I cut myself shaving the other day and started dripping green blood so I'm ready for some Eagles football - BRING IT ON!
Go Eagles!!!!!
The Eagles have a MUCH better offense, and revenge is overrated.
Eagles win this game going away ... 38 - 17
<< <i><<< Vegas has neither team favored >>>
The line I saw was Eagles -2, but that of course is close to even. >>
FWIW, I believe it opened at Falcons +3 and is now Falcons +1. At Pinnaclesports, which I think is the largest internet site, they have the Falcons ML at -105 and the Eagles -108. Approx. 60% of the public is on the Eagles despite the line moving against them - someone has the Falcons for huge $
Sure the Eagles are the better team, but like you said Steve, the Atlanta homefield advantage is why the #'s are even. I don't see either team winning by huge margins since both defenses are solid; although I expected to see some Eagles fans to think they'll win by 3 TD's
so..welcome to the NFC SOUTH BABY
JS
Whether that will last the entire season or not, I believe Owens will have a HUGE game Monday night, in front of a national audience. Look out Falcons.
<< <i>although I expected to see some Eagles fans to think they'll win by 3 TD's >>
I am one of those fans.
Vick was stymied in the NFC Championship. Revenge is overrated, just ask the 2003 Eagles when the Link opened. Nothing personal to anyone, but Vick is not going to have his breakout year, not this year, not ever. He is not an NFL QB.
Last time I checked, the Falcons have never had back to back winning seasons. Hell, half the stadium will be rooting for the Eagles.
<< <i>
<< <i>although I expected to see some Eagles fans to think they'll win by 3 TD's >>
I am one of those fans.
Vick was stymied in the NFC Championship. Revenge is overrated, just ask the 2003 Eagles when the Link opened. Nothing personal to anyone, but Vick is not going to have his breakout year, not this year, not ever. He is not an NFL QB.
Last time I checked, the Falcons have never had back to back winning seasons. Hell, half the stadium will be rooting for the Eagles. >>
You're right. The Eagles CAN'T lose this game.
JS
Hi Brian - As you know, I don't gamble anymore but I love sports and still enjoy looking at and analyzing the lines, not at all wanting to gamble, but because it does give an indication of which team "will" win. The Vegas books are uncannily accurate at this as you know so that they in the long-run get equal betting action on each side, then they of course enjoy basically no risk with the average 10% juice.
With that being said...the Eagles are coming into the game with momentum of no major preseason injuries and other good things such as TO and McNabb seem to be making up. But yet the line is moving in favor of the Falcons - darn I don't like that one bit as that is a very, VERY bad sign for me...but a very good sign for you - LOL. But we all know that the football can bounce in any direction so we'll see whose team prevails and whose CU icon with us changes for the week after the MNF game - LOL. To be honest, I wouldn't like it one bit but I could live with having a Falcons icon for a week. Now having a stinkin' Cowboys icon for a week? - I would literally be sick to my stomach the whole week!!!
Steve
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My original prediction from weeks ago was Eagles winning by 17 points. It may not windup to be 17 points but unless the Eagles give this game away with turnovers, I see a handy Eagles win by one or two touchdowns.
and did someone mention opening night??
and did someone say "win by 17??"
ahhh
Kevin
<< <i>Possibly another reason for the line moves is that the Eagles are only 2 - 4 in their last six opening games. But I saw on Bodog that the Eagles are -2 so it seems like the Eagles are now getting the action which I think is justified. We all know the player matchups so I think the game will come down to coaching. Belichick is the best head coach in the league but I strongly believe that the Eagles have the best overall coaching staff in the league. Jimmy Johnson is a defensive genius and one of the best defensive coaches I have ever seen. The bottom line is that Mora is still only beginning his second season as an NFL head coach and Vick, while very good, I don't think it's arguable that he still remains a bit undisciplined out on the field and needs to have better coaching.
My original prediction from weeks ago was Eagles winning by 17 points. It may not windup to be 17 points but unless the Eagles give this game away with turnovers, I see a handy Eagles win by one or two touchdowns. >>
From my limited experience, I like Pinnacle's lines the bet. Their max wagers are enormous - almost $50K a bet so I regard their lines are the "true" lines since they receive the most $ and from professionals; moreover the "juice" or "vig" they offer is very low since they take in a huge volume of bets. From my experience, when another site such as bodog differs by a point or more, it reflects the "common man" or public is on that side, which usually is a bad sign for that side. Today for example Pinnacle had the Rams -5.5 for -109, but at sportsbetting they had the Rams -6.5 for -120. I interpreted this as the Rams were the sucker’s choice and immediately doubled down on SanFran, and they won straight up!
Plus I’ve played 3 times as the Falcons on Madden 2006 on all-Madden and have won by 3-14 points each time
<< <i>did someone mention monday night??
and did someone mention opening night??
and did someone say "win by 17??"
ahhh
Kevin >>
As much as I love the Bucs, the more you talk Joe the more retarded you look.
You do realize the Bucs aren't on MNF this year right? And that you are relishing memories of how long ago?
Good god grow up you buffoon.
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Expect the Falcons to take some early vertical chances in the passing game. Almost nothing will force Eagles' defensive coordinator Jim Johnson to back off the pressure, but the Falcons still want to make their opponents as honest as possible in order to give RBs Warrick Dunn and T.J. Duckett better fronts against which to run.
The Falcons lack reliable receivers at this point but Michael Jenkins, Dez White and Roddy White all have the speed to challenge DC's Sheldon Brown, Lito Sheppard and Dexter Wynn. QB Michael Vick has rare arm strength on the deep ball and can drive it downfield in a hurry if one of his receivers gets over the top. TE Alge Crumpler also has the deep speed and pass-catching ability to provide the big-play down the middle of the field. An early score would help build confidence after notching just 10 points in last season's playoff loss at Philly. And even if they don't connect, it at least will plant a seed in Johnson's mind.
• Duckett had a strong preseason but don't expect the Falcons' running back rotation to change at all early in the season. If Dunn starts to wear down later in the season, Falcons' offensive coordinator Greg Knapp might try to balance the load a bit in order to keep his premier back fresh. As far as this game is concerned, look for Dunn to continue to get more than twice as many snaps and carries. Duckett does have the size and power to wear down a somewhat undersized Eagles' defensive front, but Dunn provides more versatility as a receiver and more of a home-run threat as a runner. If the Falcons catch the Eagles in an all-out blitz, Dunn gives them a much better chance of exploiting a vacant crease and taking it to the house.
• Handling the blitz will be the biggest challenge for Vick and his offensive line. Atlanta's offensive line is much better opening holes in the running game than it is protecting Vick as a passer. In fact, Vick was sacked a ridiculous amount of times (46) for a quarterback with so few passing attempts (321) last season. David Carr (Texans) was the only quarterback in the league that was sacked more (49) but he attempted 145 more passes than Vick.
Vick trying to create too much and holding onto the ball too long have led to some of the problems in the past, but the offensive line has to be held accountable as well. All five starters return from a unit that did not adjust to the aggressive approach and speed of the Eagles' defensive front in the last meeting. The result from Vick was four sacks and an interception. If the Falcons do not communicate better up front and if Vick isn't more decisive as a passer, it could be another long outing against Johnson's attacking group.
The other thing to consider is the inexperience of second-year pro Jenkins and rookie White. If Vick is not on the same page with his "hot" receivers it could turn out disastrous.
• The effort of the Falcons' defensive front-four really stands out on film. Their defensive linemen, for the most part, lack ideal size but make up for it by constantly staying on the move. DE Patrick Kerney has the highest motor of them all and he pushes the others to keep up. In order to keep fresh and active, this unit needs its backups to contribute. It should be alright with Benard Thomas and rookie fourth round pick Chauncey Davis at defensive end, but it might be asking too much to expect two rookies (Jonathan Babineaux and Darrell Shropshire) to serve as the primary backups to DT's Rod Coleman and Chad Lavalais. That's something to monitor in the second half of this game.
• LDC DeAngelo Hall has elite size and speed, but he's still too inexperienced and inconsistent to leave alone on an island with WR Terrell Owens with any kind of regularity. As a result, the Falcons will have to play a lot of rolled coverage looks. The best way to defend Owens seems to be with double "in-out bracket" coverage. That means Hall will take an outside alignment and be responsible for preventing Owens from getting outside of him. The "bracket" will come from different defenders in different levels of the field. WLB Keith Adams will cheat outside in some cases, giving help inside and underneath in order to take away the quick slant. Adams will turn over the "inside bracket" responsibility to rolled-over SS Keion Carpenter, who will be responsible for in-routes and deep posts. Hall will turn and run vertically with Owens as if he is playing pure man-coverage but he will always have help to the inside -- underneath from an outside linebacker and deep from a safety. On top of coverage responsibility, the Falcons will also count on Adams and Carpenter to lay as many licks on Owens as possible in order to frustrate the hot-headed receiver.
• As such, even if his production is sub-par, Owens' mere presence opens ups so many other avenues that wouldn't be available without him. Because the Falcons frequently will need to run some form of the aforementioned "bracket" coverage against Owens, it limits what they can do in terms of cheating safeties up and different blitz packages. With as many as three defenders responsible for Owens on a given play, it really opens up other areas of the Eagles' offense. For starters, it can mean a lot of favorable five-and-six man fronts for RB Brian Westbrook to attack. It also gives QB Donovan McNabb a lot more room to spread the ball around to his other viable targets, such as the versatile Westbrook out of the backfield, TE L.J. Smith and WR's Greg Lewis, Reggie Brown, Billy McMullen and Darnerien McCants.
• In terms of injuries, the Falcons enter Monday night's game in better shape. Their only real injury concern was a sprained ankle for White, but he has been cleared to play and is expected to actively contribute out of the slot. The Eagles don't exactly have a rash of injuries but losing WR Todd Pinkston and RB Correll Buckhalter for the season will affect them. Pinkston was nothing more than a decent No. 2 receiver but with him out the team is hoping that Lewis can step up in that role. The Eagles also will have to rely on young WR's Brown and McMullen more than they would like. The team did add power runner Lamar Gordon after he was cut by the Dolphins, but he has been with the team just one week and will play a limited role due to inexperience within the system. Finally, PT Dirk Johnson will play but rust could be a factor after missing significant time with a hernia injury in the preseason.
Special Teams
This matchup pits two of the best special teams' units in the NFL. There is very little that separates these two groups but the uncertainty of the Falcons' punting situation gives the Eagles a slight edge heading into Monday night's game. Michael Koenen, a former All-American kicker and punter at Western Washington University, beat out Toby Gowin for the starting punter job during the preseason. While Koenen clearly earned the position, there still has to be concern regarding the rookie's debut against Dexter Wynn, who averaged 10.8 yards per punt return last season. If Koenen fails to get good hang-time and/or angles on all of his punts, Wynn will make him pay.
The good news for Falcons' fans is that RS Allen Rossum, who went to the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement, is explosive enough to counter. Rossum averaged 12.4 yards per punt return, including one for a score, and also averaged a solid 21.6 yards per kickoff return. Eagles PT Dirk Johnson recently came off the PUP list because of a hernia injury but he is healthy enough now to resume his role as the team's starting punter. A rusty Johnson could be a dangerous proposition versus Rossum.
In terms of the field goal kicking game, few are better than Eagles PK David Akers, who ranks as the most accurate all-time career field-goal kicker (83.2-percent) for kickers whose stadiums are outdoors. Akers also continues to have great range, as evidenced by his NFL-record of 17 field goals of 40 yards or more in 2004. The Falcons are hoping that Todd Peterson returns to his 1999 form when he ranked as one of the most accurate field goal kickers in the NFL. Peterson has had several ups and downs with four teams over the course of the last five seasons, but he did connect on 81.8-percent of his field goal attempts as the 49ers' kicker last year. Regardless, if the game does come down to a field goal, the Eagles clearly have the advantage.
Matchups
• Philadelphia WR Terrell Owens vs. Atlanta LDC DeAngelo Hall
• Philadelphia RB Brian Westbrook vs. Atlanta WLB Keith Brooking and MLB Ed Hartwell
• Atlanta QB Michael Vick vs. Philadelphia FS Brian Dawkins
• Atlanta ROT Todd Weiner vs. Philadelphia LDE Jevon Kearse
• Atlanta TE Alge Crumpler vs. Philadelphia SS Michael Lewis
Scouts' Edge
Monday Night Football kicks off with a bang. The Falcons claim revenge is not a motivating factor, but who are they kidding? After nearly eight months of stewing, the NFC runner-up gets a shot at redemption -- not to mention an opportunity to prove the benefit of home-field advantage.
Instead of traveling to Philly and playing on a frozen surface in front of 66,000-plus fans, the Falcons can relish in the comforts of home. Wind won't be a factor, Vick will be tougher to track down on the faster track and momentum will be easier for the Falcons to capture.
Defending McNabb, Owens and Westbrook is no easy task, but the Falcons defense is improved from a year ago and will feed on the emotions of the home crowd. Vick will make his mistakes against Jim Johnson's kamikaze unit, but a diverse running game -- mixed in with a couple big plays from the vertical passing attack -- will make the difference in what should be thriller of a MNF opener.
Prediction: Falcons 23, Eagles 20
Have Fun
<< <i>If the Falcons had a couple of decent WRs then this could get interesting. However, this is not the case. Eagles will win again. >>
It wouldn't matter...they had peerless price who is an outstanding receiver. The fault with the passing game lies directly in Vick. As exciting an athlete as he is, he will never be a top flight QB. He doesn't possess the ability to be an accurate passer or the patience to go to that second, third, fourth read in his progressions in order to make plays. Not a knock on him directly, but the falcons would much be much better served moving vick to RB/WR and having Schaub under center.