Falcons May Be Too Cocky

Overconfidence is a condition rarely associated with the Atlanta Falcons.

But now, in the midst of a six-game winning streak and leading the NFC West, there are signs they are not quite playoff-ready.

Three weeks in a row, the Falcons (11-2) have struggled against some of the league's weaker teams.

"We've had a lot of success this season," defensive end Chuck Smith said Monday. "We might be taking things for granted a little bit."

Even though the Falcons clinched a postseason berth earlier than ever and are assured at least one home playoff game thanks to Tampa Bay's victory over Green Bay on Monday night, consider this:

• On Sunday, the Falcons fell behind 14-0 and 21-7 against the Indianapolis Colts (2-11) before pulling out a 28-21 victory that maintained a one-game division lead over San Francisco. Atlanta had two critical turnovers and 65 yards in penalties.
• The week before, Atlanta led the Rams (3-10) only 3-0 at the half, fell behind when Tony Horne returned the second-half kickoff for a touchdown, then recovered to win 21-10 as Jamal Anderson rushed for a career-high 188 yards. The sluggish performance could be attributed largely to the absence of quarterback Chris Chandler, sidelinewith an ankle sprain.
• On Nov. 22, Chicago (3-10) led the Falcons 13-3 early in the second half at the Georgia Dome before Chandler threw a couple of touchdown passes to pull out a 20-13 victory.

"Maybe

Jamal Anderson's late heroics have saved the Falcons in recent weeks. (AP)

Coach Dan Reeves agreed the Falcons must improve before the playoffs, but he also became noticeably perturbed at his Monday news conference when asked about the slow starts.

"I don't think we've had a lack of emotion or a lack of effort," he said. "If you think just because we're 11-2 we're going to jump out to a 14-0 or 21-0 lead in every game, you're wrong. We're not that type of football team."

He pointed out that the Falcons are still getting accustomed to a new phenomenon -- playing opponents who look to salvage their own seasons by knocking off the Falcons. Of course, it used to be the other way around.

"Other teams are not going to lay down for us," Reeves said. "If anything, they're going to rise to the occasion. If you're 2-10 and you beat a team that's 10-2, you can turn your whole season around."

The Falcons came out of their latest victory with only one significant injury.

Defensive end Lester Archambeau underwent surgery Sunday night to insert pins in his broken left thumb. He actually played in the fourth quarter after the thumb was placed in a cast, and Reeves is hopeful Archambeau will be ready for next weekend's game at New Orleans.

Reeves said cornerback Ronnie Bradford continues to be plagued by a sore left knee. He sprained the medial collateral ligament in an Oct. 25 loss to the New York Jets and has yet to reclaim his starting job from second-year player Michael Booker.

"Ronnie is not 100 percent yet," Reeves said. "He was blocked on a play against the Rams and it set him back a little bit."

Even though Booker has played well in the starting roe, Bradford will reclaim the position when he is fully healthy, according to Reeves. But the cornerback took part in only six defensive plays against the Colts.

Linebacker Craig Sauer, who played extensively Sunday when Henri Crockett had trouble covering Marshall Faulk out of the backfield, was named co-defensive MVP of the game by Reeves. Sauer had his first career interception early in the third quarter, broke up two other passes and made three tackles.

But Crockett will remain the starter against the Saints, Reeves said.

"We'll probably find some more playing time for Craig," the coach said. "Henri did nothing to lose his job."

© 1998 SportsLine USA, Inc. All rights reserved