Happy Thursday, Falcons fans! We're really in the thick of the NFL season now, aren't we? There's a big enough sample size to have really substantive conversations, in-depth debates and make more accurate predictions for the season to come.
These debates are truly the lifeblood of sports, and why I love football, in particular. It's complex and hard. Anyone who thinks they have it all completely figured out is proven wrong eventually. It can't be solved, and yet we try anyway.
That is why I love doing The Mailbox, in particular. Y'all ask some truly excellent questions, and they mirror the exact ones happening inside of the building. Let's get to a few of those questions, shall we?
If you'd like to submit a question for a future mailbag, *click here*.
Sevyhnn H. from College Park, Ga.
What do we have to do as unwaveringly proud fans to see the throwbacks become the consistent uniforms? Black-Home, White-away, Red-Alternate, with consistent red helmets and coordinated socks… are we asking too much? Everybody, well most everybody, wants to know the answer to this.
Hi Sevyhnn! Thank you for the question, and I can assure you that most everybody does want to know the answer to anything uniform related based on the number of questions we receive about them. So, I'm hoping my answer to you will help clear up anything on that front.
Uniform usage is regulated by the NFL, so teams aren't exactly free to do anything they want at any time. There is some flexibility with the specific combinations, but teams have a standard home look (for Atlanta, that would be all black), a standard away look (all white), an alternate (gradient) and a throwback set. Teams can mix and match from their standard sets — they wore white jerseys with black pants against Carolina, for example — but they are only allowed to wear their alternate or throwback uniforms three times per season.
They've already worn their throwback uniforms twice this season, against the Saints and Bucs in Weeks 4 and 5, respectively. They will wear them one more time in Week 16 against the New York Giants, according to the team’s uniform schedule.
I know your question is more specifically about why the throwback look isn't the permanent standard option, but that is unfortunately knowledge I'm not privy to, either. I do agree with you that they look super clean and just great in general, and I love whenever the team wears them, especially with the red helmets. But at this time, they aren't the standard uniforms and so they are limited to three uses per year.
(I also received a question — shout out to you, JR — about the team's red pants shown in the uniform concept release a little while back but, at least to my knowledge, those aren't in the rotation at this time.)
Mike S. from Calgary, Alberta
Hate to belabor the point even more but...
The pass rush!! Falcons have very notably taken a TE, WR, RB and QB (who ideally won't even play this year) with first-round picks over the last few years, and those players have a combined 0 career sacks.
Is there a later-round player or players we have on the roster from recent drafts who we could try out to generate some pressure that maybe you've seen flash in practice but those of us outside of the building might not be as aware of?
When the games are this tight across the NFL you need someone who can flip the entire game getting after the QB or the good ones will pick you apart.
Belabor away, Mike, because I promise you the pass rush has the attention of the coaching staff here as well. You're right, the last four drafts have involved an offensive first-round selection, but that shouldn't be all that surprising in light of general manager Terry Fontenot stating clearly in his opening press conference that they would prefer the best-player-available approach instead of reaching for needs in the draft.
Against Carolina, we saw what the offense can look like when Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts are all involved and productive, and I was pretty pleased with how it looked. Of course, the cost of those selections is no first-round defender in those drafts, but the team has tried to supplement those selections in the other rounds with guys like Arnold Ebiketie, Ade Ogundeji and the rookies from this year's class. And, if you remember, the Falcons reportedly did try to trade back into the first round of the draft in April to land a coveted edge rusher.
I firmly believe Bralen Trice was going to have an impact on this defense right away, and he was probably going to be the rookie who was heavily involved from the jump. But injuries happen in this league, and that's just a hard reality teams (and fans) have to deal with. To more directly answer your question: I haven't seen an Ace up the Falcons' sleeves that they are waiting to put out there. If that player existed, he'd be out there.
The Falcons have a deep rotation of players they like on the defensive line, it's just about getting more production from them. They've gotten close, but they haven't gotten the quarterback on the ground. It's that last piece of the puzzle the Falcons need to figure out. They are blitzing, they are simulating pressures, they are rotating for fresh legs — they are doing all of the normal things I'd point to if they weren't doing those things.
It's a frustrating answer, I know, but it's a difficult problem to solve. More importantly, to your question, I think any forthcoming answer to that problem is going to involve the guys you're already seeing out there on Sundays, barring any move in the future.
Randy W. from Columbus, Ga.
I just wanted to know: What's it going to take to get a Myles Garrett or a Max Crosby if the pass rush is just missing one more piece to the puzzle? I think we're great and all, but it seems a little troubling closing out games and not getting to the opposing team's QB.
I'm sure you're voicing what a lot of fans are thinking with the trade deadline approaching on Nov. 5, Randy. Personally, I find it difficult to speculate on trades because they involve so many private discussions and may involve players we had no idea were even available. And whose to say the Falcons are even looking to make a move in the first place? Only the coaching staff knows how they feel about their guys, and they did do a lot of work on the defensive line this offseason.
However, it is good to at least consider all options, so let's take a look at the Falcons' financial situation and draft assets.
According to Over The Cap, the Falcons have just shy of $9 million in cap space, and there are some interesting pass rushers they could add under that number. For a team at 4-2 and in great shape in the division after a 3-0 run, that could be an enticing proposition as they continue to push for the postseason. But remember, the front office has worked hard to eschew cap baggage the last few offseasons, so they will weigh the future costs of any short-term moves.
In terms of draft picks to work with, the Falcons have picks in rounds one, two, four, five and seven of next year's draft. They also have picks in every round of the 2026 NFL Draft, including a conditional pick from the Los Angeles Chargers from the Taylor Heinicke that will either be a sixth- or a seventh-round pick depending on his playing time. That's enough to get creative with a trade package, but they have already invested a third-round pick in the trade for Judon.
The theme of today's Mailbox has clearly been the pass rush — it was the theme of Tuesday's, too — and I can assure you all parties are aware of where they stand in that category and are working towards a solution.
Bill P. from Blue Ridge, Ga.
Why does our secondary seem to let opposing receivers catch a pass and then make the tackle instead of contesting the catch in such a way as to stop the catch from being made at all? Thanks.
Alright, let's end on a fun one. Thanks for the chance to get into defensive philosophy. With a new defense in place and defensive coordinator in Jimmy Lake, the Falcons are employing looks designed to discourage passes downfield. Put simply, Atlanta wants opposing teams to check down the ball, which then allows them to rally and make the tackle.
In those efforts, they have been extremely successful. The Falcons are forcing short completions against good offenses—their 5.77 air yards per target allowed is the lowest mark in the league. They are preventing opposing receivers to gain extra yardage, as evidenced by their 3.9 yards after catch per reception allowed, which ranks second in the NFL. That adds up to an NFL-best 8.6 yards per catch allowed this season for Atlanta. Those numbers come from TruMedia, by the way.
Per Next Gen Stats, the Falcons are running two-high-safety looks at the seventh-highest rate in the league. Those looks are designed to take deep shots away, and, again, that approach is working. The Falcons have allowed only eight passes of 20-plus yards this season, which is the best mark in the league.
Atlanta's secondary is being very stingy in its own way.
Thank you all for today's questions! If I didn't get to yours today, it may be selected in future editions of The Mailbox. The next one will be published Tuesday morning, when Tori will answer your questions.
