What Are the Falcons Waiting On?

The big news out of Atlanta this week is that Michael Vick got fined for giving the 1 finger salute to the fans. Ten large to the league. Ten large to a charity. (BTW, since when is a charitable deduction punishment? Is the league trying to send a message about tax preparation?)

I'm waiting for more. But apparently, the Falcons are not going to change.

All over the league, teams are sending the message they want to win.

Brian Billick fired his best friend to get it done. The Ravens were probably going to be in the playoffs anyway. They didn't have to make any changes

Bill Parcells fired the most accurate kicker in NFL history to get it done. The Cowboys are practically on cruise control to the Superbowl at this point. They didn't have to make any changes.

The God forsaken Texans have resorted to trying out shamed track star, Justin Gatlin, in order to get a halfway decent receiver on their squad.

Even the Raiders are still trying to get better. Art Shell demoted a coordinator and not so subtly called out management.

So, where is the Falcons' urgency? Congratulations for being the most supportive and loyal team in the NFL, but I would prefer to get some W's. Changes need to be made with the team. Why delay the inevitable? Vick is not getting any younger and the team should be tweaking as much as possible before they find themselves being forced to rebuild.

But it was nice to see that the national media actually watched the game this week. Last week, it was Vick. Now everyone realizes it's the receivers (only part of the problem, but I hope the firm of Drop, Drop and Drop will be shamed into productivity this week). Even when they were slurping Vick a few weeks ago, it was obvious not a single analyst had actually watched the game. For example, in the Pittsburgh game, everybody on the team executed well, but 3 of Vick's 4 TD's were really defensive touchdowns. The defense made some plays and got some turnovers. Three touchdowns started in or near the red zone. It wasn't like we drove the field or moved the chains or anything crazy like that. Vick got all the credit, but it wasn't just him.

And it's not all Jim Mora's fault, but why is this dude not getting thrown under the bus more? He has no leg to stand on! He never had a head coaching job before. He doesn't otherwise have a track record of greatness. He is the obvious scapegoat, not Vick.

That's it. I'm too angst ridden to focus on a concluding statement.