South Atlanta News

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The term "spacing" emerged early in the 2023 season for the Atlanta Falcons. Following their Week 1 victory against the Carolina Panthers, then-head coach Arthur Smith identified it as a concern. Desmond Ridder was sacked four times in that game, which Smith attributed to issues in spacing rather than solely pass protection.

"We can all be better in our spacing, and targets are the most misunderstood thing in the National Football League," Smith said after the Week 1 game. "There's progressions, there's spacing, if somebody underneath is not right, that's the stuff where I'm a little irritated as a coach. We had to fix it at halftime. That's on me. That's on everybody."

Throughout the season, spacing became a recurring topic when discussing the Falcons' passing struggles. The passing attack often appeared congested with players either clustering together or spreading too thinly across the field.

By October, opponents began recognizing these issues and noted how they limited Atlanta's offensive capabilities. Safety Jimmie Ward commented before facing the Falcons in Week 5: "They got wide receivers if they use them... I don't think they're trying to pass the ball."

In November, former Falcons receiver Terrance Mathis also addressed spacing during an interview with FOX 5 Atlanta: "I'm a strong believer that if you want to throw the football... They have to be spread out... I've seen so many times where receivers were in the same spot over and over and over again."

Fast forward nearly a year later, and much has changed for the Falcons—new scheme, new quarterback, and new receivers. Interestingly, "spacing" resurfaced in recent interviews but with a different context.

Darnell Mooney praised current offensive play-caller Zac Robinson's scheme for its effective use of spacing: "I love the spacing of everybody," Mooney said. "Nobody's ever running into each other... It's Kirk (Cousins) throwing the ball to a wide-open person."

This comment signifies confidence within the team regarding their revamped passing attack for 2024. Robinson mentioned last month that most of their offense is already installed and highlighted how well everything is meshing together.

While it's yet to be fully tested on-field, Mooney's remark may resonate when observing this year's Falcons offense: "We're throwing the ball," he concluded. "We're getting the ball in the air."