By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

Prepare for a trip to the NFL playoffs for Atlanta. Prepare almost as likely for a division championship.

That’s been the viewpoint from this seat for months and months, for logical – sorry – reasons.

Arthur Smith is a better head coach than who they’ve had.

The front office is better, although Atlanta still has to battle the cooties of Rich McKay, who needs to be completely removed from the Falcons’ letterhead.

The competitiveness despite being hamstrung roster-wise by the previous mismanagement regime, of which, yes, McKay is a part of, has been overlooked and underappreciated.

This is why – warning about research and reading and logic and objectivity – it’s easy to predict a good year for Atlanta. Many people prefer whining and perceived pity parties and bad luck and all that to being a little legitimately optimistic – for real and concrete reasons - rather than listen to broadcast blatherers overhype anything and everything.

Even the year of Dan Quinn’s firing is leading up to a playoff year and possible division title in 2023.

Thanks to ACE, FPD, John Milledge, and Northside for game-night boxes and Brentwood for game-night info, and boxes Sunday/Monday from Jones County, Macon County, Perry, Rutland, and Upson-Lee.

Teams should send game information on game night by 2 a.m., or by 10:30 a.m. Notes by email or text, or a picture of a stat sheet suffice. Please have MaxPreps or Hudl boxes -check stats and score on Hudl - sent to centralgasports@gmail.com as soon as updated.

In 2020, the 4-12 Falcons lost nine games by single digits. Worst loss was by 17 in the season finale at Tampa Bay. Even amid the disaster and a coaching change, Atlanta was competitive and fought, losing to Tampa Bay by 4, Kansas City by 3, New Orleans by 5 and 13.

It was one funky, inexplicable season. But the Falcons battled.

In 2021, Atlanta went 7-10, was outscored by 146 points, did better on the road (5-4) than home (2-6). Wins were by 3, 7, 2, 2, 7, 8, and 4, with only two losses by less than 10 points and four losses by 21 or more.

Still, the losses down the stretch were closer, somewhat winnable a sign of a team that didn’t quit. With a team that didn’t have the cap room to get better.

But the Falcons battled.

In 2022, Atlanta went 7-10, was outscored by 21 points (second-best in the division ninth best in the NFC, had the best home record in the division. Only one loss – one – was by more than 10 points.

With a team that didn’t have the cap room to get better and a huge quarterback transition, before and during the season. But the Falcons battled.

Central Georgia’s best coverage

Last week
* Roundup: Big comeback for Warner Robins, big OT W for West Laurens, Perry pops Peach County, Northeast & Woodford pull away, John Milledge sweats, Williams big for FPD
* Scouting Reports: Friday’s GHSA and GIAA games
* Maxwell Ratings picks, Central Georgia state rankings
* Who’s going to win this week’s Central Georgia football games?
* Monday Morning Quarterback: Raiders rock on the road, The Sequel; upsets, surprises; Loughdmouthings (Northeast-ACE, 2-AAA), Central Georgia polls
* Macon Touchdown Club players of the week

Pay attention to that part a little bit. The Falcons battled.

There’s a reason Arthur Smith got grumpy after last year’s opener. People kept whining and dismissing a team that was handcuffed, yet was competitive, and battled. Even that rough 7-10 year two years ago, they were technically in the playoff hunt deep into the season.

Last year, same thing.

Then, free from the cap shackles, they made wise moves. Didn’t care about media twits and broadcast bozo and the audience wanting splash moves.

I want splashing during the season, when splashing matters. They made a lot of moves there more rubbing-your-chin, pondering, and then nodding your head with a little “Hmmm. OK.”

Except for the media twits, broadcast bozos, and triggered fans, who just did what they do and miss the point.

The patience and progress from a run-oriented offense will pay off. Getting some hungry and steady veterans will pay off. A blue-collar mentality will pay off. Not forcing a young quarterback to be huge will pay off.

The Falcons will have one loss that will re-inspire misguided whining and bellyaching. That happens in the NFL. And they will quietly – yet not impressively enough for many – win games, starting winning games maybe they shouldn’t.

Which, people, is a good thing, sign of a good team.

Have said for months – and am backing it up with written-down-because-people-change-or-forget bets that the Falcons will be closer to 12-5 than a losing season.

Just because you feel burned doesn’t mean you can’t be realistic. It’s OK to be realistic, if not cautiously so, and do your own res – almost finished that with a straight face.

No, the NFC South wasn’t the worst division last year, not at all. The AFC South was.

NFC South’s non-conference record was 4-16, AFC South was 3-37. Overall, NFC S 29-39 overall and AFC S 23-45.

NFC South teams were overall outscored by 108 points, AFC by 276.

Folks need to live in the present, avail themselves of the vehicles of information that can lead to

And quit waking up triggered and whiny and wrong. Seeing misery all the time must be at least a little exhausting.

The Falcons – from somebody who wears no colors, drinks no Kool-Aid, kisses no ass – will make the playoffs, and maybe as a division champ.

It might be enough progress to keep Arthur Blank from meddling. One can only hope.

We still don’t know about many teams

Everybody has played four games, and for the most part, it’s fairly easy to get an idea of what a team is.

For the most part.

We know that Houston County is by a bit the best team in Central Georgia, the most complete team, area team most likely to make a deep run to a championship game. Even in that region.

Perry has a playoff hump to get over, and can.

Northeast played a lot like it was coached to on Friday against ACE, and when the Raiders do that, they’ll have to be legitimately dealt with on a statewide basis, but they need to play that way a few games in a row.

Macon County seems to be back to normal, just in time for a huge showdown with Schley County this week.

Teams have decent/good record, but we don’t know, because the opposition has been weak - like with Howard, Westside, and ACE, among others. Or we don’t know because of inconsistency, like Warner Robins, Northside, Baldwin, Upson-Lee and Lamar County.

Teams have a mediocre record, but show signs or are in transition of some sort, are tough, like Dodge County, Hawkinsville, Bleckley County, among others.

Let’s give it another week before we start wondering about John Milledge a little, and what some region games down the line will be like? The streak stays alive at least two more games, before the Trojans host Stratford and visit FPD.

What it does all lead to is some serious battles the final few weeks for the fourth playoff spot, and for second place and a home playoff game.

Last week’s upsets

West Laurens is happy to make progress toward the 4A school beating good lower-classification schools as being an upset, because that very much wasn’t the case not long ago.

The Raiders were (as per Maxwell/Georgia HS Football Daily) a 12-point underdog to Bleckley County, and won in overtime.

Last week’s surprises

John Milledge was 35-point favorite, won by 10. Indeed, big surprise.

For Maxwell, Dublin beating Metter by 28 – 25 points more than expected was surprise, but the Irish were a 15-point favorite from this spot.

Stat stuff

Southwest’s Chase Dupree (9th, 1,119 yards), Houston County’s Antwann Hill (18th, 989), Perry’s Colter Ginn (19th, 960), Veterans’ Jake Maxwell (21st, 950), and Westfield’s Brayden Gay (25th, 905) are among the top 25 in passing yards in the state, as per MaxPreps.

Tattnall’s Antone Johnson (15th, 643) is the lone Central Georgia rusher in the top 25.

Veterans’ Preston Bird (6th, 533 yards), Houston County’s Ricky Johnson (8th, 511), and Southwest’s Carmelo Mays (23rd, 397) are the top-25 pass-catchers by yards.

Jasper County’s Brandon Ridley (6th, 58 tackles) is the lone Central Georgia rep in the top 25 in tackles.

Would love to have kids from Warner Robins, Northeast, Dodge County, Peach County, ACE, among others, as well as players from teams that won’t do defensive stats, but, well, as you know, it’s a struggle.

Thus, the reminder: MaxPreps info is based solely on information provided by individual schools. Many schools don’t report stat information to MaxPreps, and many don’t regularly update those stats, or only update some stat categories.

The MaxPreps list is different than the one compiled by the Georgia High School Sports Daily. It shouldn’t be, at all, but it is, so we can have different year-end leaders for no reason other than, never mind.

Loughdmouthings

The shutouts last week were thrown by Howard, Southwest, Dublin, Lamar County, and Hawkinsville.

Everybody or most everybody played – aka margins of 35 points or more – for Howard, Southwest, Hawkinsville, Macon County, and Trinity Christian.

On the third hand, only four games were decided by a possession (eight points) or less, with one overtime game, and thankfully no ties. …

Here's hoping that between Colorado and Dallas-NY Jets that ESPN can squeeze in some "coverage" relevant to more people than Colorado and Dallas-NY Jets ("How the Jets responded to their first full week without Rodgers, and a visit with blahblahblah) in a few days.

Doubtful. …

Folks, please quit paying any attention at all to anything involving “overreactions” after a weekend of football. Why pay attention to what is going to be wrong? When is “knee-jerk” a good thing?

There’s too much clickbait, online and verbal, that just makes people dumber, and more paranoid, and whinier, and just wrong. Not supposed to enjoy whining and being wrong.

The “first takes” after a game aren’t much better. Little perspective and context aren’t supposed to be marketing tools. …

Brilliant recent Friday night screaming streamin’ observations: “There’s one minute and 16 minutes left.” Along with getting Northeast and Southeast confused (among getting sooooo very much confused).

On a quality effort in a quality loss as an underdog: “They have nothing to hang their hat on.” Um, head, dude. Hang their heads about. (Facepalm).

Your Sports Report’s time-saving not-paid-by-the-word skipping-weather-three-time-zones-away early kickoff weather this Friday: daytime high about in the low 80s, nighttime low in the low 60s – awwwww yeah - so about 70 at kickoff, chances of rain less than 10 percent all day long.

Polls

Ah, some shuffling, and the shuffling in Division II will continue. Division I is likely to stay put a 1 and 2 for awile, but 3-5 will be interchangeable, with maybe some new blood soon.

Northeast takes over No. 1 in Division II based on its quality performance against ACE, as well as John Milledge’s major struggle with a middlin’ Frederica team.

But they’re close, with a little gap after them.

Division II is getting a little tougher, which is a good thing, because it means more teams are getting better.

Division 1 (6A-5A-4A-3A, 13 teams)
1. Houston County
2. Perry
3. Warner Robins
4. Veterans
5. Northside
In the hunt: Baldwin, Jones County

Division II (AA-A-GISA, 34 teams)
1. Northeast
2. John Milledge
3. Dublin
4. Macon County
5. Lamar County
6. Dodge County
7. Washington County
8. Bleckley County
9. ACE
10. Hawkinsville
In the hunt: Central Fellowship, FPD, Hawkinsville, Tattnall, Taylor County