A players=only meeting normally means a team is in disarray. That is certainly the case for the Atlanta Falcons who are on a four-game losing streak and showing zero signs of life. The Falcons still hold some kind of grasp on the playoff picture heading into Week 13, but one more loss leaves them out of the running altogether. As a result a players-only meeting was held as trade rumors begin to swirl around the team.
According to ESPN's Vaughn McClure, the Falcons held a players-only meeting to discuss the lack of production being seen on the field. In desperate need of a win, the Falcons are hopeful this sparks change in the team. The person taking the most heat right now in the organization is quarterback Matt Ryan. The Falcons have 11 times in the past four games and most of those have been his fault. As a result, rumors of a trade or benching have surfaced around the quarterback leaving him to defend himself.
"I know that I'm capable of doing it, and I believe that I'm going to do it every time we step onto the field," Ryan said, via ESPN.com. "You have to believe in your ability. You have to believe in the guys around you. And I do. And I expect every time I go onto the field to play at a really high level and give us a winning performance. I haven't done that the last couple weeks, but it's in there. I'm hell-bent on doing everything that I can to ensure that happens this week."
Regardless of what is said in the media, the Falcons are not getting rid of Ryan in the short-term or long-term outlook. Everyone from owner Arthur Blank to head coach Dan Quinn have come out in support of the franchise star and plans to move on from him are non-existent. Instead the Falcons are doing things like player-only meetings hopeful that brings positive momentum going forward.
Ryan is focused on improvement and part of the key to that is getting players back from injuries. According to McClure, Devonta Freeman, Leonard Hankerson and Devin Hester are expected to be on the field when the Falcons take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That will give the quarterback a full roster to work with. The key to getting a win is likely feeding Julio Jones, utilizing Roddy White and keeping Freeman on the field. That is what worked in the first five games of the season which resulted in wins. Ultimately, the biggest factor is not turning the ball over and considering Ryan has been doing that more times than not, the pressure sits on his shoulders to improve or his seat will get even hotter.
"I understand, obviously from a fan's perspective, we need to give them something to cheer about, and that comes from playing well,'' Ryan said. "It comes from the fact that we haven't been scoring points the way that we're capable of. [We're] trying to manufacture something to make us score points, to get the spark going."