ESPN's Dan Orlovsky Blasts Atlanta Falcons Coaching Staff Following Steelers Loss

The Atlanta Falcons were anemic on offense against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and ESPN's Dan Orlovsky thinks quarterback Kirk Cousins never had a chance.

Pittsburgh Steelers edge T.J. Watt was thrilled with the stationary target the Atlanta Falcons presented him on Sunday. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons made a big splash in the offseason when they signed Kirk Cousins to $100-million-guaranteed deal at the start of free agency in March.

Cousins would be the one to unlock the weapons Atlanta so-heavily invested in the past-three NFL Drafts with tight end Kyle Pitts (No. 4 overall), wide receiver Drake London (No. 8 overall), and running back Bijan Robinson (No. 8 overall).

That may still come to fruition over the course of a 17-game season, but in Sunday's loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cousins found himself taking snaps for the first time in almost a year, with a new team, a new offensive coordinator, and an unfamiliar formation.

The #Falcons ran exactly one offensive play with QB Kirk Cousins under center yesterday, per @NextGenStats. The rest: 26 out of pistol and 22 out of shotgun. Atlanta gained only 6 yards out of pistol.

— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) September 9, 2024

The pistol is a shotgun formation with the running back lined up behind the quarterback instead of beside or in front of him. Evidently Cousins has never taken more than 10 snaps in a 12-year career out of the pistol formation.

ESPN's Dan Orlovsky ripped the Atlanta Falcons scheme from first-time play caller Zac Robinson on Get Up Football on Monday morning.

"Scheme wise, a complete and total joke," Orlovsky came out firing. "You're taking the play-action-pass king Kirk Cousins, you didn't do any play action. You were in the pistol it felt like every snap, pistol and/or gun. I don't think they took but 1 or 2 snaps from underneath the center. There's no play-action pass. Pittsburgh's defense knew exactly where they were. Kirk Cousins would not and could not move. Completely unexpected out of the Atlanta Falcons."

The Falcons Podcast: Spotify | Apple Pods | iHeart

Damien Woody had a quick retort for Orlovsky, and his answer for the Falcons ineptness is arguably more concerning than a bad-game plan.

"They're saying to me 'Kirk Cousins is not healthy.'" Woody said. "That's why they did it. Kirk Cousins clearly isn't healthy from that Achilles injury. The simple fact that you lineup in shotgun and pistol, almost every snap, the quarterback can't move, even in the run game. So T.J. Watt and company, they're sitting there looking like 'Boys, we're about to to have some fun, because we're gonna tee-off on this guy.'"

The Falcons tried to protect Cousins from contact. By making him a stationary target for the Pittsburgh defense and T.J. Watt working against Kaleb McGary, they failed.

Just as concerning was the decision making by Cousins. He put the ball in harm's way more times against the Steelers than he did in a month last year with the Vikings. Cousins timing and feel for the game should come back with more live reps, something he didn't get in the preseason.

Orlovsky called Cousins the play-action king. The Falcons didn't run a single play-action pass vs. the Steelers. Play action from the shotgun doesn't require the quarterback to be mobile.

The Falcons were the only team that was not credited with running a single play action pass yesterday.

96.0% of their snaps were out of shotgun, 2nd in the league behind only the Colts, who used play action a league-high 57.9% of the time.

— Rich Hribar (@LordReebs) September 9, 2024

The Falcons treated the preseason with disdain. They treated Week 1 like it was a preseason game to work out the kinks, explore some new wrinkles and keep everyone healthy.

It's Week 2 and the Falcons are already at a crossroads. If Cousins isn't healthy, sit him until he is and play No. 8 overall pick Michael Penix Jr. If he is healthy, remove the bubble wrap and let Kirk Cousins do what Kirk Cousins does best.