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Falcons’ Arthur Smith says team needs ‘self reflection’ after second blowout loss: ‘It feels ugly’

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Less than two weeks ago, the Atlanta Falcons were flying high after defeating the rival New Orleans Saints at the Superdome to move to .500 on the season and into the wild-card conversation in the NFC. Fast forward to now and they’ve not only lost two straight, they’ve been flat-out embarrassed — first with a 40-point loss to the Dallas Cowboys and, four days later, with a 25-point loss on their own field to rookie first-round pick Mac Jones and the New England Patriots

What’s worse is they haven’t scored a touchdown in their last two games and have mustered only three points in their last eight quarters, playing impotent football offensively that also failed to take advantage of an improved defensive effort on Thursday night.

“It feels ugly right now and in this moment,” head coach Arthur Smith told media after losing to the Patriots, via the team’s website. “You feel, obviously, pretty poor. When you go and get to 4-4, get a big win and then, obviously you guys have all watched the last two games. We’ve done it before. 

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“It’s continual improvement. You hope not to ride the roller coaster. We’ve got to fix things and we’re going to get them fixed and we’ll get them fixed in a hurry.”

That’s all saying the least, but a mini-bye before facing the Jacksonville Jaguars may not be enough time to address issues that had them start Smith’s inaugural season in Atlanta with a 1-3 record and now to two consecutive blowout losses to again fall two games under .500. The defense gave a better effort on Thursday night but they’re as inconsistent as the team’s offense, and it’s an offense that’s now thrown seven interceptions in the last to games and allowed six sacks on Ryan.

The Falcons weren’t lacking for opportunities against the Patriots, but simply couldn’t capitalize on any of them.

“There wasn’t a lot of things that we did well tonight offensively,” Smith said. “You don’t score points and you don’t take advantage when you do have the opportunity. … We didn’t do enough to put us in a chance to win at the end. 

“… We’ll take this weekend and do a lot of self reflection. We’re gonna get out of this hole. Because we have to and we will. And we’ve got the right guys to do it.”

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Looking at their coming slate of games, including rematches with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a Carolina Panthers team that’s reinstalled Cam Newton at QB, that’s going to be easier said than done.





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A Texans Rule Change Proposal Has Been Approved

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(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

 

It’s never an easy proposition to get the NFL to change things, especially in the first proposal.

But the Houston Texans were able to accomplish that task this week.

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The Texans submitted a proposal to have failed fourth-down plays reviewed automatically in the same way that every touchdown is reviewed immediately after a team scores to see if it is legitimate or not.

According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 News, the Texans were successful in their attempt to get the new review procedure approved by the NFL.

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of this new rule being approved is how long it will take and how much longer it will extend games.

In a society with an attention span that is getting less and less from year to year, professional sports going through a slow and methodical process is something no one wants to see.

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However, these fourth downs getting reviewed could and likely will change the outcome of a lot of games in the years to come, which is progress to some extent.

One thing NFL fans have grown tired of, and the same can be said for NBA fans, is that the review process can take too long.

Hopefully, for the sake of the fans and the entertainment factor of games, this review process will be quick, and NFL games can flow, making the experience as entertaining and fair as ever.

Only time will tell how this new rule is perceived and if it is a success for the league and its fans.

The post A Texans Rule Change Proposal Has Been Approved appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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De’Aaron Fox Is Being Rewarded For Staying Loyal

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(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

 

In six seasons in the NBA, all of them with the Sacramento Kings, point guard De’Aaron Fox has been through quite a bit.

He was taken with the fifth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by an organization that has long been a laughingstock and hadn’t made the playoffs since 2006, and he has had to endure a revolving door of teammates, coaches, and even front office personnel.

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But through it all, Fox kept fighting for his team, and this season has been his reward.

He made his first All-Star team, and now his Kings will finally be headed to the playoffs.

For the last few years, Fox had been one of the league’s rising young star point guards in a league that certainly doesn’t lack talent at that position, but he didn’t get as much love as some of his peers.

He has had his best season yet, as he has established career highs in overall shooting percentage (51.5 percent), 3-point shooting (33.4 percent), and free throw percentage (77.3 percent) while also averaging 25.2 points, which is tied for his career-best mark, and 6.1 assists per game.

Not only is his team going to participate in the playoffs, but they hold the third-best record in the Western Conference.

The seeds of what the Kings have done this season were planted last season.

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They traded Tyrese Haliburton, who is an All-Star point guard in his own right, plus sharpshooter Buddy Hield and veteran big man Tristan Thompson to the Indiana Pacers for All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb.

It has given Sacramento a deep squad that is leading the NBA with 121 points per game and has the potential to remain a very competitive team for years to come.

The post De’Aaron Fox Is Being Rewarded For Staying Loyal appeared first on The Cold Wire.





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Dan Orlovsky Says 1 QB Prospect Should Be Considered At No.1 Pick

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(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

 

Over the new few weeks leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft on April 27, the consensus over who should be the No. 1 overall pick is likely to change frequently, but one thing seems for sure as the Carolina Panthers will select a quarterback.

Four quarterbacks appear to be in contention for the top pick in the draft.

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Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson and Will Levis have all made a case to be headed to Carolina come draft day, but not one of these players has stood out among the rest.

However, former NFL quarterback and current analyst Dan Orlovsky believes that Richardson should get serious consideration by the Panthers.

There’s no question that the Florida product will get a look from the Panthers and could eventually become the consensus No. 1 in the coming weeks, but it’s still early in the process, with a lot of homework to be done by Carolina.

Even if Richardson doesn’t get taken No. 1 overall by the Panthers, there are plenty of quarterback-needy teams that will follow in the top seven come April 27.

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The Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders may all be looking to draft a quarterback with their first pick.

With so many teams potentially looking for a talented young quarterback, there could be another trade or two in the top seven, especially if a team becomes enamored with a player like Richardson.

There could be a lot of action between now and draft day, with teams starting to narrow down their options on their draft boards.

The post Dan Orlovsky Says 1 QB Prospect Should Be Considered At No.1 Pick appeared first on The Cold Wire.





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