If it sounds like a recording, it is. The team that really had to be good is getting worse and the young team continues to improve. Sound familiar? The Falcons pretty much phoned it in on Thanksgiving in a game that wasn’t very close, 31-17. It will now benefit the Falcons greatly to lose out and get a high draft pick.
On the other side of things, we have the Bulldogs. They actually took control early and rolled to a 45-21 game. That one wasn’t nearly as close as the final score. The big question now is, “Can they stay on the field with Alabama?” Thanks to Ohio State’s blowout win over Michigan, the Dogs should be in the top four and at least control their own destiny.
Let’s start with the bad. There’s no question that it’s the Falcons. The effort was awful. They made three turnovers in the red zone and the offensive line allowed six sacks. The question now is, “What’s next?” They need to make some franchise changing moves. First of all, they can’t keep Vic Beasley. The near 13 million dollar option can’t be vested. They need to keep players like Mohamed Sanu, Grady Jarrett and Tevin Coleman.
They need to take a serious look at whether defense backs Robert Alford and Desmond Trufant are worth the very large amount of money they are making. The biggest moves may need to be in the coaching ranks. A change at both coordinators spots may need to be looked at. Let’s be honest, this team may be playing for Dan Quinn’s Job. I know the excuses about the injuries might sell the ownership this year, but a big change is coming soon.
Now for the Dogs, they did their business as they blew out Tech 45-21. They played the first half and that was more than enough. Jake Fromm had a very strong game with four touchdown passes. Elijah Holyfield and D’Andre Swift did their thing as they combined for 184 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The defense was really good as Tech scored on a kickoff return and a pair of late touchdowns against the Georgia back ups.
Now, the match up everyone expected in the conference all year, Bama against Georgia. Can the Dogs win? With anything short of their very best, the answer is no. Short of kicking issues, Bama really doesn’t have much of a weakness. Let’s be honest, Georgia may be very good, but I just don’t think they can match up well with the Tide. I really don’t think any team in the country can beat them right now. Of course, anything can happen, so we will see.
Let’s wrap things up with some golf. Did any of you watch “The Match” with Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods? It was an 18 hole, winner takes all, match. The winner got nine million, which went to charity. I didn’t watch it myself, but it was close throughout as neither player led by more than one hole. Mickelson finally won on the fourth hole of sudden death. The purse didn’t come out of the player’s pockets, but the side bets did. Mickelson won $400,000.00 off of Woods. Mickelson did the most damage on closest to the pin on par three’s. I feel sure that’s the last we will see of him until the 2019 season gets going on the West Coast.
Things finally got interesting for the Braves on Monday. They brought back former catcher Brian McCann to be a strong lefty bat off the bench and he will catch some this year. The big signing was Josh Donaldson. He got only a one-year deal so the risk isn’t as high. It looks like the team is getting ready to be big contenders in 2019. They still need upgrades in pitching and the outfield. A very interesting off-season is just beginning.