Every team has its own unique problems to sort out and obstacles to overcome during a season, but there’s one thing that struggling teams tend to have in common when the problems and obstacles start mounting.
They hold players-only meetings in an attempt to snap a losing streak and find a way to get their season pointed in the right direction. According to multiple reports, the Falcons responded to losing their fourth game in a row by holding just such a meeting this week.
There’s no word on the specifics of what was discussed in the meeting, but it’s a good bet that the offense was a main topic of conversation. They’ve turned the ball over 11 times in the losing streak and 19 times in the last seven games as a once-productive unit has gone downhill. Quarterback Matt Ryan has been the subject of much criticism and conversation in that span, although none of it has come publicly from members of the organization.
“I know that I’m capable of doing it, and I believe that I’m going to do it every time we step onto the field,’' Ryan said, via ESPN.com. “You have to believe in your ability. You have to believe in the guys around you. And I do. And I expect every time I go onto the field to play at a really high level and give us a winning performance. I haven’t done that the last couple weeks, but it’s in there. I’m hell-bent on doing everything that I can to ensure that happens this week.”
The Falcons are in Tampa on Sunday for the first test of the effectiveness of that meeting and the latest test of Ryan’s efforts to find what’s been missing from his game.