09-05-2021 Ravens Preview - Flipbook - Page 39
NFL2021
ATLANTA
39
FALCONS
COACH
Arthur Smith (1st season with team)
LAST SEASON
4-12 (4th in NFC South; no playoffs)
Record since 2011: 80-80 (4-4 in playoffs)
2020 TEAM STATISTICAL LEAGUE RANKINGS
2020 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICAL LEADERS
SCORING OFFENSE
16th of 32 (24.8 ppg)
RUSHING
Todd Gurley: 195 carries, 678 yards, 9 TDs, 45.2 ypg
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SCORING DEFENSE
19th of 32 (25.9 ppg)
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RUSHING OFFENSE
27th of 32 (95.8 ypg)
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PASSING OFFENSE
5th of 32 (272.7 ypg)
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PASSING
Matt Ryan: 407-626, 4,581 yards, 26 TDs, 11 ints, 292.1 ypg
SCORING
Younghoe Koo, PK: 144 points (37 FGs, 33 PAT, 9.6 ppg)
Stats from pro-football-reference.com
A fresh voice
Ryan getting used to hearing new coach call plays
By George Henry
Associated Press
M
Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley makes a catch during a training camp practice July 31 in
Flowery Branch, Ga. JOHN BAZEMORE/AP
att Ryan is getting used to hearing
a new voice in his helmet, so an
August practice at Mercedes-Benz
Stadium gave him a new chance to listen to
Arthur Smith call plays.
Ryan, the 14th-year quarterback of
the Atlanta Falcons and the 2016 NFL
MVP, made the most of having fans in the
stands — the team said it sold 25,000 tickets to give to charity — so he could practice
fine-tuning his listening skills with Smith,
the new head coach who will call plays this
season.
“For me, it’s a different voice in your ear
and when you’re on the field — it’s hard to
explain,” Ryan said. “It’s a very strange deal,
right? That somebody is talking to you while
you’re playing, so you have to get used to
their rhythm, their cadence, how they speak
because sometimes it gets loud in there.
Everybody’s tone is different. Everybody’s
pronunciation is different. Those kinds of
things. You’ve got to get used to those guys
talking in your headset.
“For me, today was a great opportunity to
have a little bit of noise and to have to kind
of listen through that and get a feel for how
Arthur communicates on there. I thought
that was a huge benefit for me today.”
Smith and Ryan have developed a working relationship built on mutual respect
since Smith took charge of the Falcons in
January. Smith respects Ryan’s longevity
and the success he’s had in his career and
Ryan respects Smith’s understanding of the
game.
“I love working with Matt Ryan,” Smith
said. “It’s very honest and open. But it’s
like any relationship. You have to work on
it every day. I’m very pleased with where
we’re at.”
Smith is the fifth coach who will call
plays for Ryan. He worked earlier in his
career with Mike Mularkey, Dirk Koetter,
Kyle Shanahan and Koetter again. Ryan sees
similarities in Smith’s playbook and likes the
wrinkles that Smith has added on his own.
“Arthur Smith has coached with a lot of
people that I’ve played for in my career,”
Ryan said. “You see a little bit of Mike
Mularkey in there. You see a little bit of
Matt LeFleur or you see a little bit of Terry
Robiskie who he coached with. Guys that I
spent a long time with. And then there are
things that are unique in his own flavor. It’s
fun to be a part of that.
“So there are things that are in it that I can
recall from other parts of my career that I’m
very familiar with and there are a lot of parts
of it that as I dive deeper into it, I need more
reps. I need to get comfortable with some of
those things. That’s what training camp is
for is to iron out things that we’re going to
do as a team moving forward and get really
good at.”
2021 SCHEDULE WEEK 6 BYE
WEEK 1
Sept. 12
WEEK 2
Sept. 19
WEEK 3
Sept. 26
WEEK 4
Oct. 3
PHI
1 p.m.
FOX
@TB
4:05 p.m.
FOX
@NYG
1 p.m.
FOX
WFT
1 p.m.
FOX
WEEK 5
Oct. 10
IN LONDON
NYJ
9:30 a.m.
FOX
WEEK 7
Oct. 24
WEEK 8
Oct. 31
WEEK 9
Oct. 31
WEEK 10
Nov. 8
WEEK 11
Nov. 18
WEEK 12
Nov. 28
WEEK 13
Dec. 5
WEEK 14
Dec. 12
WEEK 15
Dec. 19
WEEK 16
Dec. 26
WEEK 17
Jan. 2
WEEK 18
Jan. 9
@MIA
1 p.m.
FOX
CAR
1 p.m.
FOX
@NO
1 p.m.
FOX
@DAL
1 p.m.
FOX
NE
8:20 p.m.
FOX
@JAX
1 p.m.
FOX
TB
1 p.m.
FOX
@CAR
1 p.m.
FOX
@SF
4:05 p.m.
FOX
DET
1 p.m.
FOX
@BUF
1 p.m.
FOX
NO
1 p.m.
FOX
Note: This section was printed before final roster cuts, so personnel are subject to change; all times are Eastern and subject to change