The Atlanta Falcons have a lot of questions to answer in the bye week and most of them center around the team's struggling offense. The unit simply cannot get anything done as turnovers, penalties and dropped passes plagued them over the past four games. The Falcons are 1-3 in their last four games after starting the year undefeated and if they are going to save the season, things must change. According to Matt Ryan, the issue is with the players and not the coaches.
At the start of the season, the Falcons appeared to be thriving under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. The team was demonstrating a good mix of passing and running while keeping opposing defenses on their heels. However, that has not been the case over the past four games as interceptions and penalties have out-numbered touchdowns. On Sunday the Falcons settled for field goals before touchdowns which caused the loss against the 49ers. Ryan says the blame is on the players for not executing.
"I think any time you don't play up to your standards, we're all going to evaluate what we need to do differently," Ryan said, via ESPN.com. "But from a playcalling standpoint, I thought Kyle called a good game. From a player's perspective, we've got to make it work, and that's always the mindset that I have. I think it gets done during the bye week. We have the opportunity to be critical and self-evaluate and find out what we're doing well because I think there are a lot of things we've done well."
According to Roddy White, one way to improve is to pass him the ball. While the receiver is trying not to call out the coaching staff, he is not thrilled with his role in the offense that has left him with just a handful of targets each game this season while having two catchless games. White stressed the need for upping the tempo again like the team did earlier in the season. With no rhythm found in the past few games, White believes the pace needs to quicken.
"We're playing methodical football," White said. "Everything looks slow. The tempo's not up. You know what I'm saying? We've got to get ourselves in a groove. And I keep telling people we need to play ourselves into a groove, but we're not doing that."
The Falcons are hoping the bye week brings answers. The team is hopeful that Leonard Hankerson returns in Week 11. That would give Ryan back on of his favorite targets. The offensive line is also banged up. The Falcons will play the Colts in Week 11 with matchups against the Carolina Panthers looming in the distance. They might be sitting in second place in the division at the moment, but improvement must come if they are going to head into the playoffs.
