Head coach Mike Smith says it all the time, win or lose: If you win, you’ve got 24 hours to celebrate. If you lose, you’ve got 24 hours to be down about it.

The Falcons are definitely taking that philosophy to heart Monday as 24 hours since Sunday’s 30-20 loss to Carolina is up. It’s already time to move on.

And the Falcons are moving on to even more challenging territory as the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants come to the Georgia Dome on Sunday — a chance for the Falcons to not only rebound after a tough loss, but also a chance to see where they’re at this late in the season.

“You want to put your skills to the test against the best in the world, and obviously, Sunday’s going to be an opportunity for that,” right tackle Tyson Clabo said Monday. “As a competitor, that’s your goal, so I think that, if I know the guys in the locker room, we’ll respond and we’ll respond well and come out and play well.”

After Sunday’s loss that saw the Falcons run just 13 plays in the first half for 35 yards while going into halftime down 16-0 to a team that came into the game 3-9, the Falcons were more than happy to move on after watching film Monday.

Figuring out when to move on is something that Smith has built in to each game week. Figuring out how to move on doesn’t change regardless of the outcome.

“Even after a win, you just gotta move on,” running back Michael Turner said. “Don’t look at the past. Just keep moving forward and keep your eyes on what we’re really trying to accomplish here.”

And what the Falcons are trying to accomplish can’t be done without getting back to their winning ways — and quick. With the Giants coming off a 52-27 win over New Orleans, the Falcons will need to be at the top of their game against a New York team that looks once again to be hitting its stride in the last month of the season.

The Falcons are aware of this Giants team as it’s almost identical to the one that handed the Falcons a 24-2 loss in the playoffs in January.

That loss, however, isn’t on the Falcons’ minds as they head into preparations for Sunday’s game. After the loss to the Panthers and the issues that it brought up, the Falcons are focused on a simpler plan as Sunday’s game against the Giants won’t be about revenge and will instead be about getting some momentum going.

“I don’t begrudge or have this deep desire to ‘get ‘em back’ or anything like that,” Clabo said. “I just want to play well in the Dome and get a win, and as a professional, I think that’s what we all strive for.”

Head coach Mike Smith provided an update on cornerback Asante Samuel and safety William Moore during his Monday news conference with the Atlanta media.

Samuel, who has been bothered by a shoulder injury, was announced as active for Sunday’s game against Carolina, but didn’t end up playing in the game. Smith said the intention was to only use Samuel in an emergency situation — that is, only if an injury occurred in the secondary — so that the Falcons wouldn’t have to go into the game with only seven active defensive backs.

Moore, who didn’t practice last week due to a hamstring injury, wasn’t ready to play, Smith said, and a determination will be made on Moore on Wednesday to see if he’ll be available to practice next week.

Smith said he expects Samuel — who also did not practice last week — to practice Wednesday.

Click here to download the PDF of all playing time percentages for both teams

Some notes from the playing time percentages from Sunday:

• RB Jacquizz Rodgers was on the field for 30 offensive snaps, which came out to 46 percent of the total offensive snaps taken. Turner took 20 snaps for 31 percent. Jason Snelling had 15 snaps for 23 percent and Antone Smith had one for two percent.
• Cornerback Robert McClain played 67 of the 69 defensive snaps for 97 percent playing time. He also played 11 snaps on special teams. With Asante Samuel not getting any snaps despite being active, CB Chris Owens played 37 snaps for 54 percent.
• In relief of William Moore, who was inactive Sunday, Chris Hope played all 69 defensive snaps and 13 special teams snaps.
• DT Corey Peters played 60 snaps Sunday, which was 87 percent of the defensive snaps. DT Peria Jerry, in his return from a thigh injury that kept him out two games, played just 28 snaps for 41 percent.
• Middle linebacker Akeem Dent, whose snaps fluctuate week-to-week depending on if the Falcons spend more time in base or nickel, played 32 snaps for 46 percent of the defense.
• DT Jonathan Babineaux left the game in the first half due to a rib injury but ended up returning to the game in the third quarter. Usually the leader of the DTs in playing time percentage, Babs played just 28 snaps for 41 percent.

Tony Gonzalez didn’t try to sugarcoat it. He used the phrase “silver lining” just once, and seemingly begrudgingly.

Instead, he showed a passion and fire in the locker room that the Falcons seemed to lack in the first half Sunday against Carolina.

“Ridiculous. No doubt about it. We can’t leave our defense out there like we did, and we’ve got to put points up. We’re too good of an offense,” he said about the first-half Sunday. “We’ve got too many players. Too much talent.”

That was the feeling around the locker room after Sunday’s 30-20 loss to Carolina — a team the Falcons had to scratch and claw against earlier in the season to pull out a last-minute win.

During a week when the chatter was high between the two teams, the Panthers came out with intensity as a previously 3-9 team with not much to lose. The Falcons came out much different, amassing just 35 offensive yards on 13 total first-half plays, good for just 6:12 of offense.

“If we play like that in the first half, there’s no way. It’s not going to work out the way we want it to for the rest of the season,” Gonzalez said. “We’ve definitely got to learn from this game and we’ve got to go out there and play Falcon football, because we didn’t do that in the first half.”

The offensive struggles to start the game played a part in the Panthers jumping out to a 16-0 lead before halftime. A year earlier, the Falcons faced a 16-point deficit at the end of the first half against Carolina and came back to win.

Needing another one of Matt Ryan’s signature comeback performances, the Falcons fell down to 23-0 before the offense started clicking and Atlanta found itself on the scoreboard.

In true Falcons fashion, the team didn’t give up — Gonzalez’s lone silver lining of the day — and Atlanta was able to cut the score within 10 in the second half.

It’s as close as the Falcons would get as Carolina put Atlanta away with a 53-yard screen pass touchdown in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.

“It better be a bump in the road if we’re the team we think we are,” Gonzalez said. “I can hear them right now. They’re getting off the bandwagon. I can hear them jumping off, but that’s how it goes. Looking at our history, a lot of people are going to say, ‘See? I told you,’ or whatever.

“We’re a good football team — no doubt about it. And we’re going play better, because we have to. We’re going to get back and play the way we have, but it’s up to us to have a good week of practice and come out against a very good football team against the Giants and get this thing rolling.”

The Falcons just got defensive tackle Peria Jerry back for Sunday’s game and, within the first two quarters, lost another DT.

Jonathan Babineaux left Sunday’s game against Carolina in the second quarter and was reported as questionable to return. We’ll have more info as it comes.

UPDATE: Babineaux returned to the game in the third quarter.

There are just no words for how awesome this is. Check out the video tweeted as us by a young group of Falcons fans called D-Squared.

There’s still plenty of time to vote for your favorite Falcons players to be named to the 2013 NFC Pro Bowl roster, but as far as the cheerleaders go, the position has been filled.

With one spot given to each of the NFL’s cheerleading squads, the Falcons cheerleaders have selected captain Sabrina C. to represent the team in Hawaii on Jan. 27, 2013.

“I am beyond excited to have this opportunity to represent such an awesome organization,” Sabrina said. “Our Pro Bowl reps in the past have done a knock-out job of showing the league what the Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders are all about. Knowing that my team has faith in me to do the same is one of the best feelings of my AFC career. I feel honored, blessed and ready to show Hawaii how we Rise Up! Aloha!”

Sabrina was informed during the cheerleaders’ practice Thursday night. The team always votes on the member who will represent the team in Hawaii.

Click here to view a photo gallery of Sabrina C.

FRIDAY
Did Not Participate
LB James Anderson – Back (Questionable)
DT Dwan Edwards – Wrist (Questionable)
WR Brandon LaFell – Toe (Questionable)
RB Jonathan Stewart – Ankle (Doubutful)

Limited Participation
S Charles Godfrey – Back (Questionable)
C/G Jeff Byers – Back (Questionable)

Full Participation
TE Greg Olson – Back (Probable)

THURSDAY
Did Not Participate
LB James Anderson – Back
C/G Jeff Byers – Back
DT Dwan Edwards – Wrist
S Charles Godfrey – Back
WR Brandon LaFell – Toe
RB Jonathan Stewart – Ankle

Full Participation
TE Greg Olson – Back

WEDNESDAY
Did Not Participate
LB James Anderson – Back
DT Dwan Edwards – Wrist
S Charles Godfrey – Back
WR Brandon LaFell – Toe
TE Greg Olson – Back
RB Jonathan Stewart – Ankle

The word got out quickly Wednesday when Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy said he thought Carolina was a better football team than Atlanta and took umbrage with Matt Ryan showing some emotion after the Falcons beat the Panthers earlier this season on a last-minute drive.

The bulletin board material wasn’t lost on the Falcons as they spoke to the media Thursday, but wide receiver Roddy White downplayed it as just more smack talk between division opponents and said he understood what the Panthers were trying to do.

“I really don’t have a take on it. They’ve gotta say something, man. They’re fighting. They’re holding on. They’re in a different position than we are and they’re trying to save the rest of their season,” White said Thursday. “We’re trying to prepare ourselves for this playoff run, so whatever you say to get yourself going or motivate yourself to get it done on Sunday. You’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do. Those guys played well against us last time, so I really can’t talk about him or what he said or anything like that. They had seven sacks, so you might not want to get those guys riled up. Let ‘em sleep. We’re just gonna let ‘em sleep.”

Ryan, who was fired up after beating the Panthers in Week 4, was caught by Fox cameras basically letting the Panthers know where the exit was, in not so many words. White was quick to jump to Ryan’s defense.

“He’s a fiery guy. He’s a competitor. He wants to win. Just speaking in general, I didn’t have a problem with what he said,” White said before his trademark laugh as he began to joke with the media. “It is our field. So get off it. You just lost. It’s that simple. Those guys, they’ve been close to beating us the past couple of years and they feel like they should have won some of the games and they feel like they’re a better football team than us, so they’ve got a chip on their shoulder and we feel like we’re a better football team than them. The war of words always comes out. Y’all just happened to catch him saying that.”

Falcons safety Thomas DeCoud will be showing one of his favorite movies at the Studio Movie Grill in Duluth, Ga., at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11, and the only way to attend is to win a pass.

DeCoud is looking for Falcons fans 17 and over to enter for a chance to join him for a screening of a movie we can’t tell you here, but it’s a comedy classic.

Fans can win passes via random drawing by e-mailing their name, date of birth and a describing how they Rise Up to FalconsSMG@gmail.com by 10 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 10. Also, keep an eye on the Falcons’ official Twitter account @Atlanta_Falcons as we’ll be giving out passes.

Along with food, fun and DeCoud’s favorite flick, he’ll be doing a Q&A with the winners in the theater before the movie.

The last time the Falcons faced the Carolina Panthers, Atlanta has having a tough time fitting the run, as head coach Mike Smith would explain. As a result, the Panthers — a team that looked like it was ready to vie for the top spot in the NFC South — ran at will against the Falcons, racking up 199 yards on the ground thanks to quarterback Cam Newton’s 86-yard effort.

But times certainly have changed as the Falcons sit 11-1, in control of their fate as they move toward clinching the top spot in the conference, and the Panthers sit at 3-9 with their postseason fate sealed.

The mindset, however, hasn’t changed in Carolina, as was evident by Cam Newton’s comments to the media Wednesday about the potential of the Panthers’ run game against the Falcons defense.

“I don’t think it would be a problem,” Newton said when asked if he thinks the Panthers can rack up 199 yards on the ground against the Falcons again. “We’ve got guys that are hungry to play this game. If everybody executes, then it’ll be a good day at the office.”

The Falcons have made big strides in the run stopping department, namely with the full return of defensive tackle Corey Peters, which has allowed the Falcons to run a three-defensive tackle front to fit the run better. The defense held Dallas and Tampa Bay (with rookie running back sensation Doug Martin) to fewer than 70 yards each — both games occurring since the first time the Falcons and Panthers faced off.

Also of note is that the Falcons could get DT Peria Jerry back this week after missing two games with a quad injury, which would provide yet another run-stopping boost.

Last week before the Thursday night game against the Saints, ESPN.com NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas revealed some very positive numbers for the Falcons when it came to Pro Bowl voting.

With plenty of Falcons in the mix to earn a spot on the NFC’s Pro Bowl roster, there’s one player who is near the top of fan voting at his position and he’s pretty stunned about it.

Yasinskas wrote that Falcons left guard Justin Blalock is second in fan voting, which means if the voting ended today and players were determined by fan votes alone, Blalock would be a Pro Bowl starter.

“I’m pretty shocked, really. I guess all the campaigning is working,” the usually reserved guard said, tongue placed firmly in cheek. “It’s really a huge honor, obviously, that folks out there think so highly of what I try to do here. That being said, I hope I’m not able to play in it and that we’ll still be playing.”

That’s the hope of all the Falcons currently in the race for the NFC’s Pro Bowl roster as teams who play in a different bowl at the end of the season aren’t able to make their players available for the annual all-star game in Hawaii.

Still, the honor of being named to the Pro Bowl roster is huge for players whether they’re going or not. The mentality in the Falcons locker room is way more about team accolades than personal ones, but for an offensive lineman, earning personal accolades is directly related to the team’s success.

“The only thing that I can really look at is win-loss column. There’s not really official statistics for offensive linemen. No one’s really keeping too much track of it,” Blalock said. “When we’re able to have success with the offense, it does start somewhat up front, so hopefully we’ll be doing our jobs so everyone else can operate. Usually that ends up in W’s for the team.”

Don’t forget to continue to vote for Blalock and his Falcons teammates for the honor of being named to the NFC’s Pro Bowl roster. You can vote as much as you like so do it often!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR THE PRO BOWL

The Falcons had somewhat of a mini-bye week after playing Thursday night, meaning head coach Mike Smith had nine days until the Falcons’ next game to get his players healthy and ready for the final quarter of the season.

He started by giving them four days off before the team returned to practice Tuesday. The extra rest seemed to help at least one player as Smith expects DT Peria Jerry — who has been battling a thigh injury — back very soon.

“Peria worked out with our athletic performance group,” Smith said Tuesday. “We anticipate Peria Jerry will be practicing tomorrow.”

That’s big news for a defensive line that has been doing very well in recent weeks stopping the run.

Asante Samuel, who played three plays against the Saints before leaving the game with a shoulder injury that has been bothering him, spent Tuesday’s practice inside the training room.

Smith is more hopeful than anticipatory as far as Samuel’s status goes.

“Asante on a short week wasn’t able to finish the game,” Smith said. “We’ve got nine days in between games now, so hopefully, he’ll be feeling better as we get in our normal practice week on Wednesday.”

We poured over the scenarios on the site Monday, but with a 17-16 loss to the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football, the New York Giants have helped push the Falcons all the more closer to earning the NFC’s top seed in the playoffs this weekend.

The Giants’ loss means that the Falcons can clinch the No. 1 seed with a win over Carolina, a Chicago loss or tie to Minnesota (1 p.m. Sunday), a Green Bay loss or tie to the Lions (8:20 p.m. Sunday) and a San Francisco loss to the Dolphins (4:05 p.m., Sunday).

Perhaps more likely, however, is the Falcons earning a first-round bye this weekend, which would guarantee them one of the top two spots in the NFC.

In order for the Falcons to clinch a first-round bye this weekend, they’d need:

• ATL win + CHI loss or tie + GB loss or tie OR
• ATL win + SF loss OR
• ATL tie + CHI loss + GB loss

We all know that the Falcons just need to keep winning to reach one of their many goals this season, but getting a little help to secure things up earlier wouldn’t be a bad thing.

The Falcons are NFC South champions, which ensures they’ll have one of the top four seeds in the NFC playoffs and host at least one game at the Georgia Dome in the postseason.

But they’re interested in earning much more before the regular season is out. The Falcons are in prime position to earn the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC, which would guarantee home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

ESPN.com NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas revealed the Falcons’ No. 1 seed clinching scenarios Monday, and it looks like the Falcons are going to need some help if they’re going to earn the top spot this week.

Here’s what Yasinskas wrote:

“According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Falcons can clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs if they win at Carolina on Sunday and get some help. Along with a victory against the Panthers, the Falcons need San Francisco to lose, Green Bay to lose or tie, the New York Giants to lose or tie and Chicago to lose or tie.”

Notice the word “and” in there. Four of the top teams in the NFC need to lose or tie this weekend for the Falcons to earn the top spot in this scenario.

For reference, the 49ers host the Dolphins at 4:05 p.m. Sunday, the Packers host the Lions on Sunday Night Football, the Giants host the Saints on at 4:25 p.m. Sunday (but also play the Redskins tonight on Monday Night Football) and Chicago plays at Minnesota at 1 p.m. Sunday.

These scenarios are for the Falcons to clinch a first-round bye this weekend:

• An Atlanta win, plus a San Francisco loss, plus a Green Bay loss or tie, plus a loss or tie by the Giants.
• An Atlanta win, plus a San Francisco loss, plus a Green Bay loss or tie, plus a Chicago loss or tie.
• An Atlanta win, plus a San Francisco loss, plus a loss or tie by the Giants, plus a Chicago loss or tie.
• An Atlanta win, plus a Green Bay loss or tie, plus a loss or tie by the Giants, plus a Chicago loss or tie.
• An Atlanta tie, plus a loss by Green Bay, plus a loss by the Giants, plus a loss by Chicago.

Yep, it’ll be pretty confusing from here on out. But rest assured that we’ll let you know when/if the Falcons clinch the top seed in the NFC.

As the old cliche goes, football teams focus on one game at a time. They have a seven-day memory that gets wiped once the last game is complete, and players are trained to never look past the next seven days.

Not Mike Smith’s football teams.

Since his arrival in 2008, the Falcons head coach has preached to his teams at the start of each year that he wants them to focus on the season a quarter at a time. And, boy, has it ever worked.

The math here is pretty simple (even if you’re, like me, not remotely running the risk of being confused for a mathematician): 16 games, broken into 4 equal parts = 4 quarters of the season.

By taking on one quarter of the season at a time, Smith presents his team with digestible challenges to conquer. His goal is to win each quarter of the season, and he’s certainly done that in 2012 with a 4-0 start — tied for the franchise’s best start in its history.

Smith mentioned the mentality during his Monday news conference with the Atlanta media, but expounded on the idea and the intentions behind it.

“You’ve got to have focus on the task at hand, first and foremost, and that’s the next game but I think it’s also important for you to have some vision down the road,” Smith said. “I don’t want you to get too far down the road, but I think you can put an emphasis on it. … You compartmentalize them and present them to the team at the start of the season where they have an idea of what’s coming up in each quarter.”

In the first quarter of the season, Smith knew the Falcons would have just one division/conference game and face three AFC West teams. In the second quarter, which starts this season, the Falcons face three NFC East teams (Washington, Dallas and Philadelphia) and the Raiders, the final AFC West opponent. Easy bits of information that give players just enough to look forward to without letting them get too far into the future.

A tactic he picked up while coaching in Baltimore with Brian Billick, the four-quarters system has worked wonders during Smith’s tenure in Atlanta.

Through 17 “quarters” of seasons since 2008, Smith’s Falcons team have only lost one of those quarters — a stretch during 2009 when they went 1-3 in Weeks 10-13 of that season. During every other quarter, the Falcons have either been 4-0, 3-1 or 2-2.

So while other coaches are preaching to their teams the one-game-at-a-time mentality, Smith feels it’s OK to look forward a little bit, just as long as it’s not too far.

“Guys are going to look ahead, it’s just human nature. You’re going to look ahead,” he said. “But you want to have it where they don’t get too far ahead of themselves, and breaking it up by quarters, it gives an emphasis point.

“When we meet on Wednesday, the thing we’ll be talking about: we’ll be talking about the start of the second quarter of the season. The first quarter is behind us and we’re moving on to the next mission.”

Here’s a look at some of the top links of the day:

• If you like moving pictures, The Falcoholic has a new feature that you’ll enjoy as our friends on the site take a look at the game through GIFs. I suggested the name “Getting GIFfy With It” for the feature, but there’s no word yet on whether that’ll stick or if I just received the awkward “Heh, heh. Good one,” in hopes that I’d go away.
• NFL.com’s Dan Hanzus says the 59-yard completion Matt Ryan made to Roddy White on the game’s final drive tells you everything you need to know about Ryan’s status as a quarterback. He also adds that if you’re looking for an early MVP candidate, No. 2 will do.
• I tweeted last night just after the game ended that, it’s games like the ones Sunday that just make you think there’s something special about this team. The AJC’s Mark Bradley backed that sentiment up in his column from the game, stating that the Falcons are capable of winning much more than just the NFC South.
• Our friend over at ESPN.com, NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas, has a great piece on Matt Ryan’s resume after Sunday’s game. With Ryan on the field, Yasinskas writes, the Falcons always have a chance to win.
• In what is likely old news for most of you, but we’ll post it here anyway because it’s awesome, safety Thomas DeCoud hilariously played the “Meow Game” from the movie “Super Troopers” during an appearance on SportsCenter last week. The meow game is quite simple. Instead of the word “now,” you say “meow,” and if the person you’re talking to doesn’t pick up on it, you win riches beyond your wildest dreams. Or, in DeCoud’s case, you make good on a dare from two of his groomsmen. In any case, it’s funny, so you should watch it right meow.
• From the Upcoming Enemy files, the Falcons face a Washington team this Sunday coming off an interesting win of their own. The Redskins downed the Bucs 24-22 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa yesterday in a performance that truly saw victory snatched from the jaws of defeat. First of all, kicker Billy Cundiff squeezed in the game-winning field goal after going 0-for-3 on the day to that point. Secondly, the headset inside rookie QB Robert Griffin’s helmet blanked out on the final drive as he moved his team into scoring position. Crazy end to the game that you can read up on here.

The backup tight end position may seem trivial in the grand scheme of things, but when you take a deeper look, it can be as important as nearly any position on the field.

And when it comes to positions of importance, it’s probably helpful to know which players are filling those roles.

You say you don’t know who Tommy Gallarda is? Never heard of him? Well, now’s the time to get to know him, because he’ll be playing a big role in Sunday’s game against Carolina.

Tight end Michael Palmer is on the shelf, ruled out of Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury, and Gallarda — who is in his second year with the Falcons — is his backup on the 53-man roster. With Palmer out, Gallarda slides in to not only backup future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez, but also to fill in for Palmer, who has become a reliable blocker and option in the passing game in his three years with the Falcons.

So, just who is Tommy Gallarda and what can be bring to the table? Allow him to explain:

“I just want to be someone who can be relied on,” he said Thursday. “I like to be someone that can be able to make an impact in the run game, make an impact in the pass game and also on special teams. Really, I just want to be a balanced guy that they can rely on and trust in any situation and just be able to deliver when I’m called upon.”

Gallarda, who spent last season on the Falcons’ practice squad, is a Boise State product who started out as a wide receiver in high school before adding weight and making the transition to tight end in college. He spent much of his college time with Boise State learning the fine art of blocking.

Through the air with the Broncos, Gallarda caught 25 passes for 257 yards and nine touchdowns during his career — a red zone threat who could also make a lane for his running back if he needed to.

“I was able to learn a lot about blocking in college,” Gallarda said Thursday. “Here behind Tony, it’s more about receiving, so I’m really just trying to shape my whole game to make it more balanced.”

Flying completely under the radar since he’s been with the Falcons, Gallarda is eager to have a bigger role on Sunday. He has played on special teams units during the first three games, but now he’ll have a chance to show what he’s got at the tight end position against Carolina.

“It’s whatever (the team) needs,” Gallarda said. “These last few weeks, I’ve been doing a lot of special teams and I’ve been wanting to make an impact there. Mike (Palmer) is a great guy and with him going down right now, I want to be able to step in there. We’re all close. He’s helping me, teaching me all the tricks about how he plays his position, so it’s really a group effort from the whole tight end room. We’re all just trying to improve and get better together.”

Falcons owner & chairman Arthur Blank appeared on NFL Network’s NFL AM show Thursday morning to discuss the end to the referee lockout and the new deal with the NFLRA. Toward the end of his appearance, Blank was asked by NFL Network’s Steve Wyche to comment on the great start to the season the Falcons are off to.

Here’s what Blank had to say:

“I’m thrilled with the way we’re playing ball, obviously on both sides of the ball. The six new coaches — particularly the two new coordinators — I think have made a huge difference, with credit to Coach Smith for bringing in Dirk Koetter and Mike Nolan. I think they both have been very effective, whether it’s the schemes, whether it’s trying to look at things a little bit differently. A lot of it, like in business — the business of football, the business of life, the business of business — is trying to put square pegs in square holes and round pegs in round holes, and I think these guys have put our players in the best position to win. The players are responding well to that, but it is only three games into the season. Obviously, we’re 3-0 and there’s not much to complain about — there’s little to complain about, because we’ve played well in all three games on both sides of the ball. I’m thrilled at where we are, but I also understand, having been an owner for 11 years, you’ve got to focus game-to-game and just keep focused, and that’s what we’re doing.”

Click here to watch Blank’s entire appearance on NFL AM

One of the biggest stories of the first three weeks of the regular season has been how hot the Falcons’ offense has become under a new system and new coordinator. One look at the offensive stats, however, and it may raise plenty of questions.

The Falcons are 19th in the league in total offense, 25th in the league in net rushing yards per game and 15th in net passing yards per game — stuck in the bottom half in all three big offensive categories.

But while you look at those stats and start to think up all sorts of questions about how the Falcons’ offense has been so efficiently hot with those types of numbers, know that the answer to all of those questions is quite simple: field position.

The Falcons are tops in the league in that category, starting offensive drives on average at their own 34.2-yard line. Between special teams and the Falcons’ defense — which, oh, by the way, has accounted for 11 forced turnovers — the offense hasn’t exactly had a full field to work with much.

“It’s a complete team stat, even though it may fall under an offensive category,” guard Justin Blalock said Wednesday. “If we’re bottom 10, as long as we’re winning games and putting up points, I think, to a man, we’ll be fine with that.”

So far, so good.

The Falcons are tied for third in the league in points scored per game (31.2) and have scored the most points in the league off of turnovers (40), making the unit the league’s most efficient when it comes to capitalizing on opportunities.

Even when the offense is faced with more than a handful of yards to go for a score to start a drive, the unit is producing. During Sunday’s 27-3 win over San Diego, the Falcons converted a 17-play, 96-yard drive into a touchdown in the second quarter after starting the game with a 10-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a Jacquizz Rodgers touchdown.

Believe it or not, there’s still room for improvement.

“(The defense has) been getting us the football a whole lot and giving us opportunities with short fields to score touchdowns,” wide receiver Roddy White said. “They’ve been playing lights out. If they can continue this pace, there’s a lot of good things we could do.

“The sky is the limit, but I think we’ve got to pick it up a little more on the offensive side of the ball. There’s a lot of stuff that we’re still leaving out there on the field that I think we can fix.”

NFL.com and ESPN.com are unanimous: The Falcons are the (second) best team in all the land.

Releasing their power rankings Tuesday, the two entities each have the Falcons at No. 2 of 32 teams, sitting behind the Houston Texans.

The Falcons are one of three teams — along with Houston and the Arizona Cardinals — as the only remaining undefeated teams, all at 3-0. The Falcons face the 1-2 Panthers at the Georgia Dome on Sunday.

Thoughts?

The Atlanta Falcons will be wearing their throwback uniforms this weekend at the Georgia Dome against the Carolina Panthers.

The Falcons are 5-1 in their black throwback uniforms since they started wearing them in 2009. The Falcons will don red helmets, black jerseys and white pants for Sunday’s game.

They will wear the uniforms again Nov. 29 during a Thursday Night Football appearance against the New Orleans Saints at the Georgia Dome.

Click here to view our entire 2012 uniform schedule.

NFL teams are allowed only three uniforms, and the Falcons have chosen home (black helmets, red jerseys, white pants), away (black helmets, white jerseys, white pants) and throwback (red helmets, black jerseys, white pants) for the 2012 season.

The throwback uniform dates are Sunday, Sept. 30 vs. Carolina at the Georgia Dome and Thursday, Nov. 29 vs. New Orleans at the Georgia Dome.

Click here to see the entire 2012 uniform schedule