FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Head Coach Mike Smith inherited a Falcons team in search of many things.
A 4-12 season filled with equal parts on-field disappointment and off-the-field distractions left veterans and youngsters alike searching for something to rally around. Smith immediately provided a spark. Now at the bye week the Falcons have an engine running on fuel sources ranging from youthful exuberance, coaching philosophy to -- perhaps the most important -- confidence.
Of course no one forgets there's work to be done to build on a 4-2 start.
"You have to talk to your team in terms of this is the task at hand for today," Smith said after one of the team's bye-week workouts. "We can't worry about what happened two days ago. We can't worry about what's going to happen a week from now. We have to concern ourselves with today. When you have that type of attitude it instills a work ethic. And I think when you have a positive attitude and a strong work ethic then you're going to have an opportunity to be successful."
The Falcons applied that work ethic to correcting some key issues this week.
The defense ranks 15th in the NFL in points allowed but 24th in pass defense (231.7 yards per game). Bears quarterback Kyle Orton threw the ball 43 times against the Falcons for 286 yards and a late touchdown. He was 8-of-12 on the Bears final scoring drive.
Atlanta went on to win the game in heroic fashion but the team knows the game could have ended with a defensive stand.
"We're not where we want to be," veteran linebacker Keith Brooking said. "We want to be a top-10 defense in this league and we're not quite there yet. The thing that's hurt us are the explosive plays. A lot of that is not guys getting beat physically. A lot of it is technique -- things that can be corrected mentally."
Brooking said less than a dozen busted plays on defense kept the Falcons from reaching their goals in the first six games. They're close to success so they focus on many small victories.
"We want to accentuate the positives without a doubt but what we're really looking at is trying to evaluate what we're doing," Smith said. "The things we've done well we want to continue to do well and we want to give our players the best opportunity to succeed."
Young cornerbacks Chris Houston and Brent Grimes continue to improve but have played their best when the Falcons get a consistent pass rush. Defensive end John Abraham leads the league with seven sacks. Second-year end Jamaal Anderson got the first sack of his career against the Bears to go with two tackles for loss and two pass deflections.
Houston and Grimes got their first career interceptions against Kansas City, when Abraham got two sacks.
On the other side, the Falcons have done well limiting quarterback pressure.
The offensvie line hasn't allowed a sack the last two weeks. Standing comfortably in the pocket, rookie quarterback Matt Ryan shocked the NFL with his role in the Falcons start, particularly in resurrecting an offense that limped through much of 2007. Through the first six games the Falcons rank in the middle of the league in scoring and in the top 10 in total yards per game (350).
The Birds led the league in rushing through the first five weeks of the season behind Michael Turner. He held the individual honors as the league's top rusher until just a week ago. He's still second in the NFL with 597 rushing yards and touchdowns (six).
Ryan's passing numbers got a lift against the Bears thanks to a career-high 301 passing yards. His skills have him compared to Tom Brady and Peyton Manning and his ability to pick up Atlanta's offense so quickly has defenses guessing.
As a result, the Falcons have one of the most balanced attacks in the NFL.
But that hasn't stopped the team from stalling in the red zone. Twice this season the Falcons failed to score a touchdown (both losses) and last week kicker Jason Elam was called on to attempt six field goals. Like their defensive counterparts, offensive players say they're close to finding an answer.
"We just have to execute more down there and get third-and-shorts," wide receiver Roddy White said. "We've been in a bunch of third-and-longs when we get down there to the red zone."
White, who is second in the NFL with 566 receiving yards (three touchdowns), said he and Ryan are developing more quarterback-receiver chemistry with each passing week that could translate into more success inside the opponents 20-yard line.
The bye week offers a chance for more work.
I think we still have ways to improve and more stuff to do," White said. "We just have to go out there and practice more together. We just have to hit more balls. I feel like we have more opportunities that we aren't getting. There's still some room for improvement."
A continued theme of technical improvements thus highlighted the team's bye-week work.
"We have several ways, whether it's five (wide receivers) or loading it up with myself and more tight ends to run at them and score but it's not going to work if we don't execute the play exactly," fullback Ovie Mughelli said. "It's little things. Sometimes guys take different turns making mistakes and we have to be accountable to each other and feel like we have to be perfect on every play. It's not possible but we have to strive for that perfection when we play."
That drive to perfection pushed the Falcons to match the 2007 win total in just six games but Smith isn't letting anything -- past or future -- influence a vital self assessment over the bye week.
There's too much confidence at stake.
"I'm a taskmaster and I want our football team and our coaches to have that same attitude," Smith said. "We take it one play at a time and one game at a time. I know it's cliche but that's the thing we want to do. Your past success is no indicator of what your future success is going to be. It's really going to be how you prepare each day and how you play on game day that's really going to determine how successful you're going to be."
MORE FROM THE FALCONS BYE WEEK:
- FEATURE: Falcons use off week to work, reflect on success
- ASK A QUESTION: Managing Editor J. Michael Moore takes your questions
- FEATURE: Workouts proceed bye-week getaways
- TRANSCRIPT: Head Coach Mike Smith | Monday
- VIDEO: Head Coach Mike Smith
- ONE-ON-ONE: Matt Ryan answers fan questions
- RELEASE: League announces Pro Bowl voting details
- NEWS: Falcons make practice squad moves
- COMMUNITY: Rookies take part in second Falcons Cookoff
