Why can’t a team that has what it takes to win, win consistantly?
Oct 28, 2025
In one of the old Warner Brothers Looney Tunes features, created long before many Falcons fans were even born, a construction worker stumbles upon a singing, dancing frog that would proudly put on a show in the guy’s presence.
The dude saw incoming riches from this discovery, so he did everything he could to get the showstopping amphibian an audience. But there was one problem. Michigan J. Frog would only perform for the man who discovered him and no one else. When the lights came up and the curtain was drawn, the singing frog would drop to the floor of the stage with a deadpan look on his face.
Image courtesy GIPHY/Warner Bros.
“Rrrriiibbbittt,” he would say to booing and hissing audiences, and the guy who thought he would go from rags to riches with this singing frog wound up derided and embarrassed, sitting in a mental institution alongside his showtune belting frog.
What does this have to do with the Atlanta Falcons? This team has what I call the “Michigan J. Frog Syndrome.” Not being able to consistently play at a high level on a national stage despite having capable talent and a front office willing to give them everything they need to succeed.
The Falcons have what it takes to go far. They have some of the best players in the NFL. They have experienced, smart coaches who have been in the NFL long enough to know how to steer winning teams. They have an owner who has the resources to make things happen for his team and the wisdom to stay out of the intricate operations as much as possible and let the talent do their thing. On paper, and in some games, this team has what it needs to be contenders.
Like Michigan J., the Falcons come alive in some games, like the Monday Night Football win against the Super Bowl-contending Buffalo Bills, who many thought would send the Falcons to a huge loss. They also pulled off a convincing win over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1 and the Washington Commanders in Week 3.
And then there’s the past two weeks, when the curtain went up on the Dirty Birds and they clamped shut like Michigan J. did. Bombing against the 49ers and the Dolphins, and in Week 2, where they were shut out by the Carolina Panthers.
Like the future mascot for the defunct WB Network, the Falcons know how to put on a good show, but not consistently. And just when you think, based on their performance in their victories, that they are on the road to maybe sneaking into the playoffs or at least ending their seven-year winning season drought, in front of a nationwide audience, they lose games in ways that frustrate and embarrass fans.
Since the 49ers’ loss, and more so since their Dolphins faceplant, Atlanta sports talk radio alternates between hosts analyzing the team’s poor outcomes and moderating callers and critics blasting the team as pro football versions of the Bad News Bears or the Bingo Long Traveling All Stars. Sports analysts and columnists seem at a loss to figure out why the Falcons weave between greatness and mediocrity in a span of six games, and that’s just the LOCAL journalists. National journalists take the Falcons’ fortunes as validation of their derision and apathy for the team.
Here are a few of the key issues that are holding the Falcons back from bringing some winning consistency back to Flowery Branch.
Need flexibility in play calling.
You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge, and it’s time for the Falcons to acknowledge that offensive schemes need to change from week to week. OC Zac Robinson needs to bring a new bag of tricks every week to throw off opposing team defenses, and it’s obvious he’s coming up short in doing this. Like I pointed out on the Falcons Game Review of the Dolphins loss, Bijan Robinson doesn’t have breakout runs lately like he did against the Bills (where he rushed for 170 yards) because other teams know to expect him to run, and their instructions are to stop him in his tracks. He’s gotten only 65 total rushing yards since that breakout game. The problem is, there seems to be no sign that head coach Raheem Morris, who gave him plenty of encouraging words in the last presser, is advising his OC of the need to regularly change the offensive schemes to counter their opponent’s moves. This is not an issue that will correct itself. If Zac can’t change the way orders up plays, it may be time for the Falcons to order up a new OC.
Got injuries, Gotta have depth
It’s a fact of pro-athletic life that players get hurt. The injury reserve list at Flowery Branch seems to have a new addition every week, and mainly it’s the folks the Falcons were depending on for offensive or defensive success on the field. Storm Norton, Darnell Mooney (both of them were before the season started), Divine Deablo, Michael Penix Jr., Jake Matthews, Tyler Allgeier. The list goes on, and most of them are starters. All of these absences leave defensive and offensive holes in the lineup that are difficult to fill. Deablo’s absence, for example, set the Falcons’ defense back dramatically, and JD Bertrand so far has been unable to adequately fill the void. Since you can’t do much about injuries, illnesses, and unforeseen circumstances like whatever caused second-year WR Ray-Ray McCloud’s mysterious exit, it pays to have depth on your team, and the Falcons have done better this year than in previous years. The 2nd and 3rd stringers just need to be better at their roles, however.
The young and the scoreless
The Falcons have a lot of fresh, newly drafted talent on their roster. But the impact of these new jacks has been mixed. The team has been the recipient of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and so forth round draft picks that have been successes, works in progress, or just not meeting the marks. Having this new but inexperienced talent means getting them ready to be veteran ballers, and for some, like QB Penix Jr., that means on-the-job training. Penix has only played 8 games in the NFL, and many seem to forget this when he makes mistakes at game time. While a young prospect can be groomed into a capable playmaker, this takes time, and successful future outcomes are not assured. So folks expecting the next Michael Vick, Julio Jones, or Matt Ryan from a just-drafted newcomer may not have the patience for such talent to develop into a potential superstar. Their salary cap status may complicate this, but the Falcons may need to look closer at free agency moves, especially since they don’t have a first-round draft pick to count on next year.
That’s just three of the issues that are facing the Falcons. Not all of these problems stunting the Falcons’ performance can be easily corrected in a week’s time. The playcalling, however, is something that can be fixed immediately. Coming to the sidelines with the same schemes week after week won’t work when everybody in the NFL looks at film to check out their opponents. The playcalling must be more flexible going forward.
Falcon fans need to see something consistent and real from this team rather than another inconsistent losing showcase.
Photo © Brian Allen
Image courtesy GIPHY/Warner Bros.
