I’m not a big fan of meddling owners, a bit like Arthur Blank.

          But the Falcons boss needs to make his head coach run.

          Have said for years I’ll defend refs 99 percent of the time and coaches 95-98. And I’ve been a believer in Smith (because I’m logical, I understand the goal and intent, and have no fan card).

          But, man, Arthur Smith had a bad day Sunday, and not because his still-a-rookie-in-experience quarterback had a bad day.

          Coaches are just about allergic to logic, so Smith defended the absurd decision to go for two, with an example of going for two before in, well, losses.

          Good thing he’s not a lawyer.

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

The belief here is that a failed conversion, for one or two points, takes a lot of juice off of the touchdown and turns a major win into just better than draw. The offense trudges back to the sideline, the defense has more spring in it’s step.

          Failed conversions, especially illogical decisions to go for two, are momentum- and confidence-sappers.

          He should have been substantially more embarrassed by the wretched game and time management late, leading to a delay of game and then just giving the feeling of being rushed and unprepared.

          If you don’t think the players felt rushed and unprepared, think again. A lack of organization is easier to see for them than us, because they see it/hear it before we do.

          Sometimes, just stick the on-field personnel and try to keep the other side on its heels. To not be dictating the overly-complex playcall as soon as the QB’s helmet radio is activated is odd.

          The allergy to logic and the obsession with overcomplicating the game are what get coaches in trouble. Is it really thinking to call it overthinking is so unthinking or flawed thinking?

          Once again, Ridder threw too many passes. Once again, the Falcons didn’t run the ball enough early. The defense was a letdown, though one special teams play really was the difference maker.

          Ridder, like most quarterbacks, needs to be a football player more often and less a quarterback, and just run the bleepin’ ball and slide. That inspires more yelling at the TV from this seat, when a QB ignores a farmland of open field to throw it amid 1,300 pounds of humans.

          Again, for the playcallers and QBs in the back of the room: If you have so-so pass protection and/or face an upper-level pass rush, you bounce twice and throw or go. Just go. Learn from the tablet, and realize there’ll be room.

          You will not be pulled for getting yardage.

          I completely understand, really, what I don’t understand, but I get the basics. And the ignoring of logic and obsession with overcomplicating things. That much disorganization at this point in the process goes to those on the sideline.

          Smith said Ridder didn’t panic, when a better answer would’ve been that “I put a young quarterback in a difficult situation that he’s not used to, and I shouldn’t have.”

          I’m all for sharing blame when it should be shared, and I’m not sure how much of that should be. Conversely, Ridder should know now at times to just snap the ball and run and don’t wait so long, or just call a base play and save a timeouts.

          The lecture about timeout usage will come another day.

          Funny thing. I look at the box score, and it’s puzzling. Atlanta almost doubled up Washington in first downs, more than doubled the Commanders up in total yards (402-193), yards passing (296-121), got 1.6 more yards per snap, punted half as many times, and so on.

          You look at the box and wonder what the hell happened?

          As I posted Sunday, sometimes those headphones and helmets pinch the head so hard, the brain is affected.

          That box score and the discombobulated mess are, oddly, while I still think Atlanta will get on a roll. But Taylor Heinecke better be ready, and Smith better be ready to use him, even if only to calm Ridder down.

          Or they’ll have blown a season of potential.

Last week’s upsets

          Among the upsets of the year, prediction-wise, was GMC over Hancock Central by 12 after entering the game as a huge 29-point underdog.

Last week’s surprises

          The projection of a 32-point win by Mary Persons over Peach wasn’t a huge stretch on paper, but it sure looked funny, considering the underdog was Peach County against another Class AAA team, and the margin was so big.

          Weather was likely something of a neutralizer, as well as the expectation that Peach County was improving.

          Dublin hammering Dooly County qualifies, because the Irish are still in the tough-to-figure category. Westfield did 42 points better than expected in the win over Heritage.

          Otherwise, surprises are in the eye of the beholder.

 

Loughdmouthings

          Showdowns? This week has a few, and the home teams might spend the week reminding fans of as much so the crowds live up to what the teams deserve, compared to the last time they hosted a big game.

          If you’d like to check out a Saturday afternoon high school game between state championship contenders, mosey on down to Freedom Field – it’s two exits north on 75 of Buc-cees – for Thomas County Central and Houston County.

          It’s No. 2 and No. 6 in 6A. Former Jones County head coach Justin Rogers leads TCC, and is 19-1 in his second season there, 90-23 overall.

          Underrated running backs and top-level quarterbacks and receivers will put a premiums on simple coverage – COVER YOUR GUY, DANGIT – and tackling – TACKLE LIKE YOU’VE BEEN TAUGHT FOR A DECADE, WHICH IS ‘PROPERLY’ – and some special teams.

          The only chance left until the playoffs to see Northeast’s Nick Woodford and the Raiders against a playoff-caliber team is this week at Thompson.

          Northeast clinches the first region title for a Bibb County public school since 2012 with a win over the team that won 16-6 a year ago to win the title.

          And it’s a good opportunity to watch one of the state’s top backs against a playoff defense. It could easily be as funky as last year, when Woodford went for 246 yards on 33 carries, but the Raiders lost 14-13.

          Woodford won’t come close the 3,200 yards he set in the preseason, mainly because Northeast is using him wisely – and less – to keep him fresh for the playoff run.

          Which will include him throwing some passes.

          John Milledge brings its 57-game winning streak to FPD as well. A year ago, yeah, we all thought this would be a decent game, and it was, for about 10 minutes of game time, which was all it took for the Trojans to go up 21-0 on the way to a 56-7 win.

          The availability and health of FPD QB Jakhari Williams is the key, and it should be better, with the Vikings off last week. But the Vikings, even after that, are of below average health at this point, so we’ll see.

          A very good time go to a local high school game instead of just talking about it. …

          Any chance the national “media” will jump off the head coach’s lap now? Or that the teeveecomtwits will stop calling Boulder, Colorado the epicenter of college football? Or that, well, any of that embarrassingly atrocious fawning over a mediocre program being mediocre will stop?

          Fingers are crossed. Skeptically.

          ESPN, of course, is a mess. Saturday night, the head coach of a team that had a historical gag at home had 10 solid minutes of his postgame press conference televised, straight through.

          Then the quarterback, who had a nice game but heaved up the game-clinching interception, got five minutes of his talk broadcast.

          National championship coaches get less on the main clust, er, network.

          Any postgame press conference from the team that accomplished its biggest comeback in the 132-year history of the program?

          Nope.

          So much unprofessionalism the last several months. You half expect these broadcast bozos to slobber over the possibility of a Sanders-Swift commercial at Cowboys Stadium with Aaron Rodgers hovering in the background. …

          From what may become a weekly feature: Teams that need more lipstick on their Sunday pig than Atlanta:

          The unbeaten 49ers lost to a third-string quarterback and team without one of the best RBs in the league (Nick Chubb). The undefeated Eagles lost to a starting QB who will eventually be a second-string QB in place of an attention-seeking prima donna.

          And those saying how bad the NFC South is might consult the watchers of the Atlanta Braves, who spent months slobbering and hyperbolizing about an epic team – with a history of nice regular seasons and shocking postseasons – and can attest that it’s all a marathon, and that – as stated here for years – no rings are award for the first quarter or third or half or three quarters of the season. …

          Your early time-saving, not-paid-by-the-word, no performance art kickoff weather: IT’S FOOTBALL SEASON. High of near 70, low of around 50, but as of now, looks more like rain than not.

 

Polls

          *Yawn*

          Another week, and little change.

          It’s still almost a coin flip for 1 and 2 in Division II with Northeast and John Milledge, with a little bit of gap after that. And then it’s more snug than an offensive lineman’s jeans after laundry.

          The good news is that more Division I teams than usual are above .500, eight. Division II has 14.

         

Division I (6A-5A-4A-3A, 13 teams)

1. Houston County, 6-1

2. Perry, 7-1

3. Mary Persons, 7-1

4. Jones County, 6-2

5. Warner Robins, 4-3

In the hunt: Upson-Lee, Westside

Division II (AA-A, FGIAA, 34 teams)

1. Northeast, 6-1

2. John Milledge, 7-0

3. Bleckley County, 6-2

4. Lamar County, 6-2

5. Dublin, 5-2

6. Macon County, 5-2

7. ACE, 6-1

8. Jasper County, 5-2

9. Hawkinsville, 5-2

10. Putnam County, 5-2

In the hunt: FPD, Tattnall