The Falcons Took Care Of The Wrong Dog
A piece of sage advice from a former mentor came to mind last Thursday when I learned the Atlanta Falcons had picked a back-up QB with their eighth pick in the NFL draft.
"You gotta take care of the dog that's bitin' you at the moment!" said our salty old teacher in his high-pitched east Texas twang. He was speaking to me and several other students about the right way to make big strategic decisions.
He could see that our group had become far too worried about some possible vague long-term risks, which then compromised our focus on much more pressing near term considerations. We were overthinking things, he said. Keep your priorities straight. Take care ot the dog that's biting you at the moment. He was right. And his country boy wisdom drove the point home vividly and precisely.
Since Thursday night's shocker from the Falcons' front office, I've heard all kinds of reasons about why their choice may have made sense. Here are several: you can never have too many quartebacks...our primary QB is old and coming off injury....this move will prevent our next QB from a painful baptism by fire, since he can sit and learn from the other guy we hired just a few months ago.
That last one is my favorite. It's called a "succession plan". That's a noble title for a plan. But here's a different idea.
I call it a "success plan". If your team hasn't won more games than it has lost in several years, and if you have known major holes in your lineup elsewhere (e.g. defense) then spending a high draft pick, plus big money on a quality back- up is a luxury that you cannot afford. It's not a necessity, much less a priority. And it's certainly not a high-minded insight. To further emphasize the point, the true cost of signing Kirk Cousins is not yet even fully known– there is almost certainly a draft pick or two to be lost to the league for "tampering".
The Falcons have a big ol' dog gnawing on their bird legs. It‘s called a substandard defense.
The Falcons have won only seven games in each of the last three seasons. The man who coached those teams was turned out. His reputation as an offensive guru did not play out here because he made an errant judgment on the capabilities of Desmond Ridder as a starting NFL quarterback.
The Atlanta GM recently addressed that issue by signing a proven free agent quarterback, with significant fanfare and significant cost. And recall, the Falcon offense has already been bolstered by the three most recent first round picks.
Now is the time to address the defense. Edge rusher and secondary are two yawning gaps. The linebacker position is not strong. Those holes are the dogs biting the Falcons at the moment.
Michael Penix will not make a sack or break up a pass this year- or any year. His position, backup QB, represents that dog way down the street, leashed and fenced, who might one day – might – become a problem. Not now.
With their painfully earned number 8 first round draft pick in 2024, the Falcons fervently hope that the player they selected won't even play for several years. That fact alone tells you that getting a backup quarterback was not taking care of the dog biting them at the moment. It was not the dog they needed to take care of. Last Thursday night in Detroit, Atlanta took care of the wrong dog.
Patrick Conarro
RamblinSports.com and