Fool's Gold

Every year we get fooled. There's one team in the NFL each year who we think is elite and its nothing but fools gold at the end of the year. Meets this years team of false hope, the Atlanta Falcons. To the untrained eye the Falcons seem like a lock to win the NFC south, the NFC championship and some may say they even have a shot at winning the Lombardi trophy in February. Don't get sucked in. Don't get fooled. How quickly we forget the years past when we see a team that is a good team, but tricks us into thinking they are a great team. A team that dominates the regular season, taking advantage of an easy schedule, and then inevitably wetting the bed during the playoffs.

Some of the teams to receive the honor of being the "fool's gold team" recently include the 2010 New England Patriots and the 2011 Green Bay Packers. In the case of the Patriots they used an easy schedule to glide to a number one seed in the AFC, only to end up dropping the ball at home to the Jets, who ended their season. As for the Packers they blew out teams despite a shaky defense. They met the Giants at home and that defense was exposed for what it was, and they too were sent home earlier than anyone imagined would happen. These teams put on  a show during the season beating up on lesser opponents, until it came time to play a team that could give them a fight when it counted. I can see the falcons doing the same thing. An over confident Matt Ryan playing a ball hawking defense with a solid pass rush? Sounds like a recipe for an upset to me.

So far the Falcons have played the Chiefs, who lost week one to a questionable San Diego team, lost to Atlanta week two, and barely beat a sputtering Saints team in week three. The chiefs are giving up 225 passing yards per game to opposing offenses, and allowing 122 yards on the ground. The Falcons took advantage of this shaky defense for their first win.

In week two Atlanta took on Denver, who is allowing similar numbers with 233 passing yards, and 98 rushing yards allowed per game. Atlanta also benefited in this game from Peyton Manning and his new found noodle arm throwing up three ducks for the Falcon's defense to snag. Again, Atlanta benefits from a teams own mistakes and holes, and still only manages a six point victory.

Week four brought arguably the best defense the Falcons have faced. San Diego, averaging 238 passing yards and 67 rushing yards allowed showed no fight whatsoever. They allowed Ryan to throw for 275 yards, and Phillip Rivers threw two picks, and managed only 173 yards, one of his weaker performances of the year.

A look ahead at the rest of their schedule, and you'll see the Falcons will benefit from playing the Panthers twice, the Saints twice, Tampa Bay twice, the Raiders, the Lions and the Redskins. All of those teams could easily be run over by the Falcons, giving their fans false visions of a championship, and giving the whole nation the illusion of a dominant team headed into the post-season.

NFL fans need to open their eyes, and not let ourselves be deceived once again by a good team, with a joke of a schedule. Sure Atlanta deserves to be in the playoffs, but they don't deserve the hype of a Super Bowl contender. Don't be fooled again. Recognize the 2012 Atlanta Falcons as what they are, a mirage.