The Atlanta Falcons recently lost their fourth game against the Indianapolis Colts. Facing the third straight backup quarterback in recent weeks, the Falcons looked terrible offensively. Quarterback Matt Ryan looked uncomfortable in every phase of the game. However, the blame can't be placed solely on him as he has a coordinator named Kyle Shanahan that isn't doing him any favors with this new scheme. The West Coast scheme just doesn't fit Ryan and he is now figuring things out the hard way. The question is, can the Atlanta Falcons be fixed? The answer to that question is yes. The following are examples of ways the Falcons can get their act together.

1. Tell the truth

It is very obvious that Matt Ryan is playing hurt. Suspiciously, Matt Ryan has never appeared on any injury report, but during the game the veteran quarterback was seen wearing a knee brace on his left leg. Ryan has been off target on the majority of the throws he makes, and he needs to sit down and rationalize with himself that he's not playing good football and he needs to watch the film to get better.

2. Tailor your scheme to the players

Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan appears to be forcing his scheme onto his players in a bad way. Matt Ryan doesn't look like the quarterback he was years prior. Mr. Shanahan needs to review film on Matt Ryan and tailor his scheme to Matt Ryan's capabilities. Forcing the ball to Julio Jones and not throwing to other receivers is not what a good team does. The Falcons right now are not a good team and to become one you have to spread the ball around. Matt Ryan needs to quickly develop trust for his other receivers to help the team in the long run. 

3. Drop the mediocrity

Julio Jones is an amazing talent at wide receiver. Throwing to him every down, however, is not a smart decision. They have plenty of talented receivers that are not allowed to shine because of either Matt Ryan or Kyle Shanahan's scheme. Leonard Hankerson drops the ball every other target he gets but is consistently in the gameplan. Find players who produce consistently and feature them within your offense. Quit the idiocy and actually listen to the fans for once. There are many players on this team that are itching to get their chance. Once you give those players an opportunity to shine, they will. 

VAVEL Logo
About the author