A View from the Other Side: An Atlanta writer's look at the Falcons

When New Orleans hosts Atlanta on Monday, you’ve likely read as much about the Saints as you possibly can.

But what do you know about the Falcons?

That’s where A View From the Other Side comes in. Every Friday during the Saints' season, WWL-TV.com will ask five questions to at least one beat writer covering the Saints’ opponent that week.

Today we talk with D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. His professional background includes work in both the print and broadcast media.

Attorney Ledbetter has appeared on ESPN’s First Take, Cold Pizza and Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith, MSNBC, and ESPN’s SportsCenter. He has been a sports reporter for the Charlotte Observer, the Cincinnati Enquirer, a sports reporter and columnist for the Milwaukee Journal and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and is currently the Atlanta Falcons Beat Writer for the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

He was one of the lead writers in the notorious Michael Vick dog-fighting federal case.
 
WWL-TV.com: Matt Ryan defied odds and had a very successful rookie season, leading the Falcons into the playoffs. What is he doing to defy the odds in his sophomore season?

D. Orlando Ledbetter: Matt Ryan is off to a solid start in his second season. The addition of Tony Gonzalez has helped to continue Matt Ryan's growth. Now he can look inside and find a viable option in the future hall of famer.

However, he has not played well in the last two games. He has thrown four interceptions – two against Chicago and two against Dallas. He has had his first back-to-back sub-70 passer rating games. Some of his numbers are starting to dip because teams have figured out how to stop the Falcons running attack, which has been stuck in neutral.

But the addition of Gonzalez and the play of Roddy White have helped Ryan get off to a good start.
 
WWL-TV.com: One of the knocks on the Falcons franchise has been that every successful season has been followed by a down year. It appears Mike Smith is changing that fact. What has he done to allow this?

DOL: Well, the Falcons have never had back-to-back winning seasons since their inception in 1966. Smith is trying to change the culture by stressing accountability through positive support systems.

He has stuck to the formula that helped the Falcons post an 11-5 record last season. However, some bold offseason moves – letting five defensive starters go – may come back to haunt the franchise. Smith has instituted his "Over 30" Club, which is expected to provide leadership and guidance to an extremely young roster.

This year's rookie class has been decimated by injury and will not contribute as heavily as last season's rookies did.
 
WWL-tv.com: Michael Turner burst onto the scene a year ago in his first year with Atlanta. Have opponents figured out his running style yet or is the offense more varied this season and less reliant on a dominant run game?

DOL: In the opening six games, the Falcons have four 3-4 defenses and they are traditionally more difficult to run against. Also, last season Turner piled up yards against the likes of Detroit, Oakland and Kansas City. He's playing against tougher competition that has had the opportunity to thoroughly scout the Falcons running attack.

Teams have successfully taken away the cutback lanes that Turner likes to power into. The Falcons would like to rely more heavily on the run and not pass as much. Getting the running game going is key for the rest of the season.
 
WWL-TV.com: The Dolphins won up front in the first half against the Saints and Sean Payton said the offensive line had problems with the power rushers. Will Atlanta try to employ the same technique to disrupt the Saints offense?

DOL: The Falcons don't appear to have the capacity to power rush. Their rush is based more on the speed of defensive ends John Abraham and Kroy Biermann, both have three sacks to lead the team. The Falcons have fabricated some pressure from their blitz packages. Overall, they have 12 sacks and four have come blitzers.

The Falcons will almost concede that they can't get to Brees, but what they will try to do is chase him around and get him off his mark. If they can have him throwing on the run, they'll count that as some disruption to the passing game.

WWL-TV.com: With New Orleans 6-0 and the Falcons 4-2, this isn’t a must-win for Atlanta but it seems close to it. How much pressure is on Atlanta to leave the Superdome with a win on Monday?

DOL: There is a great deal of pressure on the Falcons to come away with a win. For one, under Coach Mike Smith, they have not lost back-to-back games. They have rebounded nicely from every defeat. Also, they would most certainly like to close the gap with the NFC South Division leaders in what appears to be a two-team race for the title.

If the Falcons don't get this one, the Saints may just run away and hide with the title. Therefore, the Falcons will be regulated to playing for a wildcard spot less than halfway through the season. It's early, but this one does qualify for the "must win" category for the Falcons.