2000 season-in-review team reports —
NFC West
As published in print Jan. 31, 2001
|
| Overview |
| For the second year in a row, the Falcons were one of the league’s
worst teams. They had big problems on both sides of the ball, ranking 30th on offense
— ahead of only Cleveland — and 25th on defense. Head coach Dan Reeves was
particularly intent on improving his team’s ground game and rushing defense, but
problems continued to fester in both areas. |
| Turning point |
| Trailing the Rams 17-13 early in the second half in Week Four, the
Falcons drove inside St. Louis’ 10-yard line only to lose the ball when Rams DT Ray
Agnew forced a fumble by RB Jamal Anderson. Rams S Keith Lyle picked up the loose ball and
rumbled 94 yards for a touchdown, as the Rams pulled away for a 41-20 victory. Atlanta
went on to lose 10 of its next 11 games. |
| Offensive MVP |
| RB Jamal Anderson, by default. He looked much better as the season wore
on and managed to crack the 1,000-yard rushing mark. But Anderson was still a long way
from regaining the brilliant form he displayed in Atlanta’s 1998 Super Bowl season. |
| Defensive MVP |
| CB Ray Buchanan had an excellent season. He started off like gangbusters
with six interceptions in the first 10 games. Buchanan didn’t pick off any more
passes the rest of the season, but that’s mainly because teams made sure to avoid his
area. |
| Biggest surprises |
| The ability of young LBs Chris Draft, Mark Simoneau and, to a lesser
extent, Jeff Kelly to hold down the fort after season-ending injuries to starters Keith
Brooking and Jessie Tuggle. Draft, who was obtained on waivers primarily to play special
teams in case Gary Downs couldn’t return from injury, did a terrific job replacing
Brooking. Simoneau offered great flexibility, effectively manning all three LB positions.
Former Panthers DL Chuck Wiley also offered some surprising pass-rush ability, registering
the third-most sacks on the team with four. |
| Biggest disappointment |
| Atlanta’s offensive line was shockingly awful all season. The unit
never was able to develop any cohesiveness, with OLT Bob Whitfield as the only real
mainstay. The Falcons gave up 61 sacks, the second-most in the league, and averaged a mere
3.5 yards per rush. The line was especially shaky in third-down situations. |
| Rookie recap |
| The biggest contribution came from seventh-round pick Darrick Vaughn, who
emerged as one of the league’s most explosive kickoff returners (three kickoff
returns for touchdowns) while splitting time with Tim Dwight. Atlanta’s top pick,
second-rounder Travis Claridge, started every game — four at offensive right tackle
and 12 at right guard. Claridge struggled at times and is limited athletically, but
he’s a battler with a mean streak. Mark Simoneau (third round) appears to have a
future. OT Michael Thompson (fourth round) landed on injured reserve after six games with
a ruptured Achilles. Two undrafted free agents who could be keepers are QB Doug Johnson
and RB Maurice Smith. Johnson started a pair of games near the end of the season, and some
in the Falcons’ organization believe Smith could have done just as good a job as
Jamal Anderson as the featured back. |
| Free-agent/trade review |
| The Falcons may have overpaid for CB Ashley Ambrose, who is a very good
cover corner but a nonentity vs. the run. While not quite as meticulous a route runner as
Terance Mathis, hardworking WR Shawn Jefferson ended up leading the team in receptions.
Falcons vice president of football operations Ron Hill believes DE Brady Smith will
eventually become a difference-maker, but Smith was an inconsistent pass rusher who had a
tendency to get banged around by bigger, ground-oriented attacks. OG Anthony Redmon was a
bad mistake with bad knees. Chuck Wiley and Chris Draft were both great bang-for-your-buck
waiver pickups. |
Top of page
|
Regular-season record: 4-12
|
| Team leaders |
|
Rushing — Jamal
Anderson, 1,024 yards on 282 carries, 3.6 avg., 6 TDs.
Passing — Chris
Chandler, 192-331 attempts for 2,236 yards, 10 TDs, 12 interceptions, 73.5 rating.
Receiving — Shawn
Jefferson, 60 receptions for 822 yards, 13.7 avg., 2 TDs.
Scoring — Morten
Andersen, 98 points on 23 PATs and 25 FGs.
Kickoff returns — Darrick
Vaughn, 39 for 1,082 yards, 27.7 avg., 3 TDs.
Punt returns — Tim
Dwight, 33 for 309 yards, 9.4 avg., 1 TD.
Punting — Dan
Stryzinski, 84 for 41.0 avg., 37.9 net, 5 TB, 27 inside 20, 1 blk., 60L.
Interceptions — Ray
Buchanan, 6 for 114 yards, 19.0 avg., 0 TDs.
Sacks — Travis
Hall, Brady Smith, 4½. |
| Results |
|
| Pointspread Shown Refers to Atlanta. |
| Date |
Opponent |
Spread |
Score |
| Sept. 3 |
San Francisco |
(-7) |
36-28 |
| Sept. 10 |
At Denver |
(+3.5) |
14-42 |
| Sept. 17 |
At Carolina |
(+5.5) |
15-10 |
| Sept. 24 |
St. Louis |
(+7) |
20-41 |
| Oct. 1 |
At Philadelphia |
(+3) |
10-38 |
| Oct. 8 |
New York Giants |
(+2) |
6-13 |
| Oct. 15 |
At St. Louis |
(+17.5) |
29-45 |
| Oct. 22 |
New Orleans |
(+3) |
19-21 |
| Oct. 29 |
Carolina |
(+3) |
13-12 |
| Nov. 5 |
Tampa Bay |
(+8) |
14-27 |
| Nov. 12 |
At Detroit |
(+7.5) |
10-13 |
| Nov. 19 |
At San Francisco |
(+5.5) |
6-16 |
| Nov. 26 |
At Oakland |
(+12) |
14-41 |
| Dec. 3 |
Seattle |
(-1.5) |
10-30 |
| Dec. 10 |
BYE |
|
|
| Dec. 17 |
At New Orleans |
(+10) |
7-23 |
| Dec. 24 |
Kansas City |
(+4.5) |
29-13 |
|
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