SPORTS Golf Falcons still have time to prove themselves from page 13 By MICHAEL KLEIN Falcons have trouble scoring from board. State now found themselves [email protected] within 20 yards. But when you in 12th place, 29 strokes behind the watch the play calling in the red team from Louisville. zone, it becomes a lot clearer. Just Klatten was able to rebound Coming into this year's NFL about every time the Falcons have from her early morning struggles season, most critics had two ques­ first and goal, the next two plays to lead the team in the afternoon tions about the . are running plays right up the gut. round with a 75, while Starkie fell Could they stop the run after fin­ And judging by the fact that the off of the pace with a round two score of 78. Freshman Cathrine ishing 26th in the NFL in run Falcons have the fewest red zone Madsen, sophomore Karin defense last year, and could in the league, some­ Dedering and senior Pamela Torres finally start throw­ thing needs to change. all ended round two with a score of ing the football with accuracy and With Vick's speed, the 77. consistency? Falcons need to use more play With a tournament title well In this past off-season it was action in the red zone, get Vick on out of reach, the Lady Panthers obvious to everyone that the the run, and let him have the entered the final round focused on Falcons front office was not option of throwing the ball or playing a solid round and hopeful­ pleased with numerous parts of keeping it for himself. There may ly finishing the tournament in the the defense. So, they brought in Special I Signal be more risk in doing this, but the top-10. While a final round score the hard-hitting free safety Chris Receiver catching has been a problem this season for the Birds. Falcons cannot keep settling for of 304 was unable to place them in Crocker, three-time field goals and expect to beat the top 10, it was their lowest score defensive end John Abraham, record, tied with the New Orleans voodoo doll, Tiki Barber and the good teams. of the tournament. The Lady Giants offense absolutely man­ four-time Pro Bowl strong safety Saints going into their bye week. The other area for the Falcons Panthers were showing signs of Lawyer Milloy, and 345-pound Perfect. Abraham was close to handled the Atlanta D. Barber fin­ that needs improvement is the improvement. defensive tackle Grady Jackson. recovery, linebacker Ed Hartwell ished the game with 185 yards on play of its wide receivers. Week Klatten was remarkable in the the ground, Eli threw two touch­ This defense seemed to match up was starting to practice and coach after week, fans see dropped pass­ final round, firing a team best of 73 with the best of the NFL, and after Jim Mora and his staff had an downs to his tight end Jeremy es and lack of effort from the to put herself in a tie for 35th place the first four weeks of the season extra week to prepare for Eli Shockey and the Falcons had as receivers, especially overall for the tournament. Dedering continued her consistent you could make a good argument Manning and the New York many missed tackles as dropped and Michael Jenkins. The offense play with a final round score of 76 that the Dirty Birds' defense was Giants. This off-week was coming passes which was, well, a lot. needs to get the wide outs and placing 48th overall, while the best. at the perfect time. And through On top of what Vick called involved early in the games with the most disappointing loss of his freshman Madsen fired her third Even with the ferocious the first half of the Giants game, passes for short gains in order to Abraham injuring his hamstring everything seemed fine. The career, the Falcons saw defensive consecutive 77 to tie for 52nd increase their confidence and let overall. in the first week, the defense did defense intercepted Manning ends and John them know they are essential for "I played well," Madsen said. not miss a beat and did not allow twice and a 22-yard scamper by Abraham aggravate old injuries, success on offense. "I shot 77, 77, 77, so at least I was a 100-yard rusher through four Vick gave the Falcons a 7-3 lead as well as defensive tackle Rod This week the Falcons host consistent. It was like a tournament weeks. But, what about the other going into halftime. Coleman needing to be added to the defending Super Bowl cham­ where nothing really worked per­ the DL. side of the ball? With the stingy The Falcons seemed fired up pion Pittsburgh Steelers. A win fectly." This was not the performance defense giving Vick and his coming out of the locker room for would be huge for the Falcons Those words sum up the offense plenty of time to work and the second half because the first the team and its fans were expect­ morale and it could make every­ whole tournament for the Lady good field position, number 7 play from scrimmage for Atlanta ing, especially after an extra week one forget about the 14-point loss Panthers. A fine outing, but noth­ of found his rhythm. was a franchise record 90-yard rest and preparation. And, to to the Giants. The Falcons will be ing really worked perfectly. make things worse, the Falcons' The first four weeks had Vick run by running back missing some key players due to "We're a bit disappointed," throwing for 522 yards and rush­ Warrick Dunn. Up 14-3 over New divisional rivals keep winning. injury, but if the offense can score said Madsen. "We want to at least ing for 333 yards, by far the most York, it seemed like the Falcons The Falcons still have a legitimate touchdowns in the red zone and be in the top-10 ... if not better at the playoffs, but some rushing yards by a quarterback would cruise to a 4-1 record. But shot the receivers can hold on to the than that, like top-five. We're not this season. Sure, there were a few then something happened to the things need to change if they plan ball, Atlanta can prove to every­ that far off, it's only like 10 drops by the wide receivers every team that fans just cannot figure on winning once they get into one that they can contend with strokes." post-season play. The Lady Panthers will now now and then, but with Vick out. The defense forgot how to any team in the league. journey to Kiawah Island, S.C. for throwing bullets to his wide outs, tackle, the offensive line forgot First, the red zone offense for Editor's note: The results of the Edwin Watts/Palmetto it's not too surprising that they how to block and the receivers the Falcons has been absolutely Sunday's Atlanta Falcons game don't always hold on to the ball. forgot how to catch the ball. dreadful. With the number one Intercollegiate on Oct. 30-31 with was not available at the time of hopes of that ever elusive top-10 So, the Falcons were sitting at With the team playing like rushing attack in the NFL, it publication. finish. the top of their division with a 3-1 some Giants fan had a Falcons comes as a surprise that the

Thinking about a career in Catching up with Physical Therapy? Dathan Knott Favorite hobby? Relaxing and chillin when I have some time Come to the because my schedule is always so School of Health Professions busy. I really have no time to do Division of Physical Therapy Open House anything else. for the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree Biggest misconception about soc­ November 8,2006 cer players that you have heard? 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Most people think that soccer is not an American sport and they Speaker's Auditorium wonder why all Americans dont Georgia State University Student Center play basketball or football.

Playing the field or relation­ • Meet the faculty and current MPT students ships? I would have to say both, • Ask questions about the program because I am married to the game. • Get detailed application information • Meet academic advisors Complete the sentence. In five years, I will be... hopefully relax­ GeorgiaState ing on a private Island sipping RSVP by November 1r 2006 University apple martini while fishing on my Dathan Knott (M) Soccer Email [email protected] yacht. But who knows, wherever or caM (404) 651-3091 College of Health and Human Sciences the wind takes me.