Preseason Perils: NFL football is here! Well, almost

Hello, and welcome once again into the world of professional sports in the ATL!

It’s been a long summer in Atlanta, what with the Braves fading fast in the National League East. So it was a great relief to find that football season is once again upon us. NFL training camp is underway, and this weekend marked the beginning of the preseason schedule.

With a new coaching staff roaming the Georgia Dome sidelines, no one really knows what to expect from the birds this year. A number of questions about the upcoming season loom: Can head coach Dan Quinn find a way to improve the Falcons’ porous defense? Will one of the young running backs break out? Can first round draft pick Vic Beasly help out Atlanta’s anemic pass rush?  In an effort to get a few answers, Edge of the Abyss dispatched a crack investigative team consisting of me and Matt to the Falcons-Titans preseason opener.

We left Athens at 4:30, which gave us two hours and thirty minutes to make the 70 mile trip to the Georgia Dome. I can hear my fellow Atlanta area drivers laughing already. In theory, 180 minutes is nearly three times as long as it takes to cover such a distance. But when you take into account that (A) both the Falcons and Braves were playing at home, (B) it was a Friday evening, and (C) Atlanta has one of the worst commute times in the country, there was no guarantee that we’d make it in time.

We drove to Doraville, which is famous (well, probably not) for being home to the Northern end of the MARTA rail line. MARTA (Moving At the Rate of a Turtle with Arthritis) is Atlanta’s public transit system. What better way to save time than to park in the suburbs and let someone else’s tax dollars work for us?

In hindsight, there were two major problems with our plan. First of all, due to auto accidents, police traffic stops, and imaginary road construction (not to mention that fact that it is apparently impossible for an eighteen-wheeler to make it through the metro area without breaking down), it took ninety minutes to reach Doraville. This left us just an hour to get to the Dome. No problem, you might be thinking. An hour is more than enough time. Enough time!? There is no such thing! What are you, out of your mind? We arrived at the Georgia Dome station at 7:05, which would have been fine had the game not started at seven.

Still, we made it to our seats just as Matt Ryan finished off an eighty yard drive with a 13 yards touchdown pass to Julio Jones. After going 6-6 on the drive Ryan called it a night, as did most of the Falcons starting offense. When Atlanta got the ball back at the Tennessee 10 yard line, courtesy of a Justin Durant interception of rookie QB Marcus Mariota, TJ Yates took over and promptly led the Falcons on a 3 play, -18 yard drive. Matt Bryant salvaged three points with a 45 yard field goal, which gave the Falcons a 10-0 lead.

On Tennessee’s next possession Mariota turned the ball over again, fumbling the ball deep in Titans territory. Paul Worrilow scooped up the loose ball and returned it 14 yards for a score and suddenly, Atlanta lead 17-0. Our good fortune seemed too good to be true! It was. The Titans put up 13 unanswered points on Dexter McCluster’s six yard run and former Georgia Bulldog Zach Mettenberger’s 30 yard pass to Rico Richardson.

Late in the first half, with the Falcons facing a fourth down, Matt headed for the smoking area. I decided to beat the halftime rush and get something to eat, since I-85 had robbed us of any chance at grabbing dinner. The game was on a television screen just above the snack bar, so I was able to see the Falcons go for it and pick up the first down.

As I perused the $8 hot dogs and $17 chicken strip baskets, an older woman in an Antone Smith jersey wandered up and down the concourse loudly stating “Give it to 35. Give it to 35.” On third and goal at the one yard line, Yates did just that. Smith raced around right end and lunged for the pylon. A replay upheld the call of touchdown, and the Falcons took a 24-13 lead into halftime.

As the third quarter began, we sat in our seats, sharing a bag of roasted peanuts; the only semi-reasonably priced item on the menu. Tennessee threatened to get back in the game midway through the period, marching 88 yards in 13 plays with former Falcon Harry Douglas notching several key receptions. Antonio Andrews scored on a one yard run, then ran in a two-point conversion to cut the lead to three. An Atlanta turnover then led to a Ryan Succop field goal, and the game was tied.

It didn’t look good for the Falcons. Even though winning or losing a preseason game doesn’t mean much, it wouldn’t help morale to blow a 17 point lead. Help was on the way though. Sean Renfree relieved Yates and, facing Tennessee’s third string defense, led Atlanta on a 16 play 86 yard drive. He completed 6 of 7 passes, mostly to Marquez Clark and 3^rd round draft pick Justin Hardy, to move the Falcons into scoring position. On third and goal, Michael Ford bulled in for the touchdown..

But Tennessee wasn’t finished. For awhile it seemed that overtime might be on the horizon. The Titans moved the ball into Falcon territory before the defense finally stiffened, forcing a punt. The offense then ground out a pair of first downs, effectively ending the game. Final score: Falcons 31, Titans 24.

A win in hand, we left our seats and joined the other few thousand people who’d stayed to the end in heading for the exits. After a few bumps and hip checks, we poured out into the warm Georgia night. The Atlanta skyline, lit up and glowing, stood out against the dark sky as we headed back the way we’d come. The stairs we’d taken from the MARTA station to the gate were closed for no apparent reason, so we wandered the streets looking for an alternate route.

Eventually we saw a herd of people zig-zagging its way down a flight of stairs across the street. We joined them and soon found ourselves waiting for the train back to Doraville. Let that be a lesson to you, if you ever see a crowd of people doing anything, you should always follow them, no matter what.

After a few minutes, a train pulled up to the stop. The only problem was that it was nearly full already, and only a few people were allowed on. The rest of us had no choice but to wait for the next train. Soon one appeared, its whistle rising over the din of the potential passengers assembled in the station, many of whom jostled for position as it approached.

The train was mercifully empty! There would be room for all of us! I relaxed and took a deep breath. There was no need to fight our way to the front. Certainly with so many unoccupied seats, it would be a calm and orderly boarding process. The train pulled to a stop, as a cheer rose from the crowd. Matt and I nodded to each other. There was nothing to worry about. The doors slid open.

Later, when I had time to think it over, I decided that the only way to accurately convey the chaos that ensued would be to say that it was like a zombie apocalypse. As soon as the doors opened, the crowd surged forward as if hell itself was headed our way. I didn’t so much as step onto the train as I was carried onto it. An ocean of people, most wearing Falcons gear, moved forward, propelling me with all the force of a tsunami out of the station and onto the train. Seconds later, we were on our way back to the car.

We arrived at the Doraville station just after 11pm. Once we’d rescued my car from the parking deck and were on our way home, I reflected on the evening spent at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons had recorded a win, though only in a meaningless preseason game. As for the questions that led us to Atlanta in the first place, we weren’t much closer to answers than we’d been before. The starting offense looked like a well-oiled machine (particularly Ryan and Jones, without whom we’d be in a world of hurt). The defense obviously still has work to do, though it seems headed in the right direction.

For the first time in three years, I feel guarded optimism regarding our Falcons. After two poor seasons, it does seem that the new coaching staff is in the process of installing a new attitude. I can’t help but look forward to the coming season. We could improve, perhaps even enough to make a playoff run. Either way, it will be a fun ride.

That does it for now. As always, keep the faith Atlanta! Our time will come. It has to eventually, doesn’t it?