The last time the Atlanta Falcons were in the Super Bowl, Dan Reeves was their coach. Now, with Super Bowl LI fast approaching, Reeves joined Gil Whiteley, Arran Anderson and former Denver Broncos wide receiver Mark Jackson on Mile High Sports Radio to discuss this weekend’s matchup.
Despite all the attention on Tom Brady and Matt Ryan, Reeves feels the running game will be the ultimate deciding factor.
“If you get the running game going and frustrate the other team and have a huge time of possession, you have increased your chances of winning,” stated Reeves.
Reeves also feels that New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick does a great job of being unpredictable with his game plans. With that being said, Reeves feels the Falcons defense will have to pressure Brady heavily.
“You never really know exactly what he’s (Belichick) going to do,” stated Reeves, “it’s going to be important that they make him uncomfortable, Brady, as much as they possibly can, to where he can’t set his feet and throw the football, because he’s not extremely good at on-the-move throwing the ball, he just stays in the pocket.”
On the other hand, Reeves also feels Belichick has his hands full with the incredibly talented Falcons offense. With multiple Pro Bowl offensive weapons, including Devonta Freeman, Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, the Patriots defense will have to have a solid game plan in place.
“Bill Belichick is noted for taking away what you do best and I don’t know how he’s going to figure out what the Falcons do best,” stated Reeves, furthermore saying, “they’ve got a lot of weapons. They’ve got some really good wide receivers, two outstanding running backs.”
Listen to the full interview with Dan Reeves, including his thoughts on his former player Mark Jackson, in the podcast below.
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