Post by Guvmintcheeze on Sept 26, 2014 11:26:26 GMT
Atlanta Falcons need to turn over new leaf on road
By Vaughn McClure | ESPN.com
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Wide receiver Roddy White put it best when discussing the Atlanta Falcons' upcoming schedule, which features six of the next seven games on the road, one of which is a "home game" in London.
"We've got to be Road Warriors," White said. "We've got to go out there on the road and win games. That's what it's about in this league. We're going to be away from home for a minute. ... We've got to go out there and win games on the road. We've got to go over .500, so this would be a good week to start."
The Falcons take a 24-25 record under coach Mike Smith into Sunday's outdoor road clash with the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. They have lost three straight on the road dating back to last season and are 1-8 over their last nine road contests. The last time they've won on the road at a true outdoor stadium was Nov. 25, 2012, at Tampa Bay (24-23).
"It's one of those things, it is what it is," quarterback Matt Ryan said of the road woes. "Going on the road in this league is tough, especially when you're playing against good football teams. I think the biggest thing for us has got to be that when we're on that road, it's 53 guys together, and that's all we've got. And we've got to be locked in and understand our plan really, really well. And I think if we take that heightened focus up there, we'll execute better than we did two weeks ago (at Cincinnati)."
The common denominator for the Falcons over the last nine road games has been turnovers. They committed a total of 23, with 17 interceptions thrown by Ryan and six fumbles lost.
The Falcons enter Sunday's game against the Vikings with a minus-1 turnover ratio with eight giveaways and seven takeaways.
"We've been terrible the last two weeks," offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said of the turnovers.
"We've definitely got to get that trend stopped. We've got to hang on to the football, whether it be interceptions or fumbles. That's always our top priority. We've been doing plenty of things well, but that's not one of them."
If they can get off to fast starts and avoid turnovers, maybe the Falcons will be the type of "Road Warriors" White wants them to be.
By Vaughn McClure | ESPN.com
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Wide receiver Roddy White put it best when discussing the Atlanta Falcons' upcoming schedule, which features six of the next seven games on the road, one of which is a "home game" in London.
"We've got to be Road Warriors," White said. "We've got to go out there on the road and win games. That's what it's about in this league. We're going to be away from home for a minute. ... We've got to go out there and win games on the road. We've got to go over .500, so this would be a good week to start."
The Falcons take a 24-25 record under coach Mike Smith into Sunday's outdoor road clash with the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. They have lost three straight on the road dating back to last season and are 1-8 over their last nine road contests. The last time they've won on the road at a true outdoor stadium was Nov. 25, 2012, at Tampa Bay (24-23).
"It's one of those things, it is what it is," quarterback Matt Ryan said of the road woes. "Going on the road in this league is tough, especially when you're playing against good football teams. I think the biggest thing for us has got to be that when we're on that road, it's 53 guys together, and that's all we've got. And we've got to be locked in and understand our plan really, really well. And I think if we take that heightened focus up there, we'll execute better than we did two weeks ago (at Cincinnati)."
The common denominator for the Falcons over the last nine road games has been turnovers. They committed a total of 23, with 17 interceptions thrown by Ryan and six fumbles lost.
The Falcons enter Sunday's game against the Vikings with a minus-1 turnover ratio with eight giveaways and seven takeaways.
"We've been terrible the last two weeks," offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said of the turnovers.
"We've definitely got to get that trend stopped. We've got to hang on to the football, whether it be interceptions or fumbles. That's always our top priority. We've been doing plenty of things well, but that's not one of them."
If they can get off to fast starts and avoid turnovers, maybe the Falcons will be the type of "Road Warriors" White wants them to be.
