Game Preview
Atlanta Falcons at Arizona Cardinals
saturday, january 3, 2009 - 4:30 pm
*Upstart Falcons look to continue run vs. Cardinals *
Atlanta (11-5) at Arizona (9-7), Saturday, 4:30 pm EST
GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) -- Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan achieved the unthinkable this season - making fans in Atlanta forget about his predecessor, Michael Vick.
But Ryan and his teammates will have to have short memories when the upstart Atlanta Falcons visit the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday in the NFC wild card round.
Behind Ryan, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, and free-agent running back Michael Turner, Atlanta pulled off one of the more stunning turnarounds in league history, finishing 11-5 after a disaster-filled 4-12 campaign in 2007.
But the Falcons do not sound like a bunch satisfied with this fairy-tale season, noting it will not mean much if it comes crashing to a halt in the desert of Arizona.
"We are very proud of what we have accomplished up until this point with 11 wins," first-year coach Mike Smith said. "But now we are all zero and zero."
"It's great to put the regular season behind us," added veteran linebacker Keith Brooking. "We're 11-5 ... and we're on a four-game mission."
While the record alone signifies the Falcons' rise from the ashes, it doesn't begin to explain how much the franchise was in shambles at the end of 2007.
Vick was indicted on federal dogfighting charges in the preseason and rookie coach Bobby Petrino packed up and abandoned the team after 13 games to take a similar post at Arkansas.
The final slap came when Bill Parcells agreed to take the position as Atlanta's head of football operations - only to reverse course hours later and accept the same position with the Miami Dolphins.
Into the morass stepped Ryan, who was charged with bringing some stability to the franchise - as well the minor task of purging the ghost of Vick, a breathtaking athlete who was the face of the franchise.
But 11-5? Even team owner Arthur Blank said he was not expecting more from the Falcons than an 8-8 mark.
"It's about having a chance," Ryan said of making the playoffs, "and we're happy to have a chance."
While Ryan has played with uncommon poise for a rookie in directing Atlanta to seven wins in its last nine games, including a season-ending three-game winning streak, Turner may wind as up the league's Most Valuable Player.
The former backup to LaDainian Tomlinson in San Diego, Turner easily was the jewel of the free-agent class, amassing 1,699 yards - second in the league - and a franchise-record 17 touchdowns.
Turner opened the season with a 220-year performance against Detroit and bookended it with a 208-yard effort against the Rams in the regular-season finale.
"I believed in my abilities," Turner said. "I just show up to work every week and see what happens."
The Falcons likely will feed the ball to Turner early and often to keep Arizona's vaunted offense off the field.
The Cardinals feature three Pro Bowl starters in quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, who each went over 1,000 yards and combined for 23 touchdowns.
After clinching the woeful NFC West title, Arizona wobbled down the stretch, absorbing beatings from Minnesota (35-14) and New England (47-7) before closing the season with a 34-21 victory over Seattle.
"It was important that we played well," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said of the season finale.
The offense juggernaut directed by Warner, who finished the season with 4,583 yards and 30 touchdowns, received another boost when Edgerrin James rushed for a season-high 100 yards on just 14 carries against Seattle. James had asked for a trade earlier in the season after being benched.
"I think a lot of guys in the locker room want to prove around the country we're not the team from two weeks ago (in New England) and laid an egg, basically," Arizona safety Adrian Wilson said.