Patriots could be in trouble if Falcons' O-line starts spiking ball
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Ryan Schraeder didn’t hesitate when asked which member of the Atlanta Falcons offensive line has the best touchdown spike.
“Well, me, of course,” the right tackle said.
Schraeder is particularly proud of a spike during an October win at Green Bay. He put so much of his 6-foot-7, 300-pound frame into spiking the ball and it went so high that he’s not sure it has come down.
A few days later, Schraeder posted pictures of the moment around the team’s practice facility to remind those who may have missed it how good it was.
“I don’t blame him for feeling that way,” left tackle Jake Matthews said. “He’s had a few good ones. But if you go back and check the tape, I think mine went a little higher.
“Honestly, I’d say I’m the best.”
You don’t often hear offensive linemen debating about spiking the football. You don’t often hear about offensive linemen spiking the football. That honor typically goes to the player who scored the touchdown.
That changed in Atlanta in 2015 when running back Devonta Freeman showed his appreciation for the O-line after a Week 4 touchdown against the Houston Texans by letting then-center Mike Person celebrate with a spike.
This year, the spikes have become such a big deal that linemen unofficially rate who’s best.
But spikes aren’t the biggest deal on an offensive line that has helped Atlanta reach Super Bowl LI. What’s bigger? They’re the only group of linemen in the NFL to start every game this season.
Not just that, but the unit that should be dubbed the “Falcons Five” has barely missed a snap.
Schraeder and right guard Chris Chester haven’t missed a down. Center Alex Mack and left guard Andy Levitre have played 98 percent of the snaps, and Matthews has played 95 percent.
Mack, easily the most significant addition to the Falcons’ line last offseason, is being held out of practice this week with a sore ankle. But the four-time Pro Bowl selection is expected to return next week so the line can keep its streak intact against the AFC champion New England Patriots.
That’s important because continuity up front is a big reason the Falcons have the NFL’s top-scoring offense and are headed to the Super Bowl in Houston.
“It’s not just the quarterback,” Matthews said with a laugh.
But quarterback Matt Ryan has benefited. He’s thrown a career-best 38 touchdown passes and had a career-low seven interceptions to make himself the front-runner for the NFL Most Valuable Player Award.
He’s benefited in the same way reigning NFL MVP Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers did a year ago when only two of his five linemen missed a total of four starts. With a line decimated by injuries this season, Newton statistically had the worst season of his career.
“It’s huge,” backup Falcons quarterback Matt Schaub said of the continuity on the line. “It’s everything. That group is where it all starts, whether it’s the run game, the pass game, the protections, making all those calls. When you can have that continuity, it goes a long way.”
Before this season, Levitre, 30, hadn’t been part of a line at any level in which no starter missed a game. But it’s not as rare as you might think.
Over the past 15 seasons, 31 teams have started the same five offensive linemen in all 16 games, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Those who did typically were successful. Their average win total was 10, and only two of 31 finished under .500.
Atlanta is the fourth of those teams to make the Super Bowl. The 2007 New York Giants beat New England, the 2008 Arizona Cardinals lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the 2012 San Francisco 49ers lost to the Baltimore Ravens.
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“Having five guys stay healthy all year and start every game together is something that really goes to show how close we are and how tight-knit of a group we are,” Schraeder said.
The bond goes beyond the field. These guys hang out away from the meeting room and practice. During their playoff bye week, they had a team-building bowling outing.
They typically go to the nearby district of Buckhead for dinner at least once a week. There’s competition in that just as there is in spiking.
For that title, Schraeder concedes to Levitre.
“We can all put some food away, but he’s something special,” Schraeder said.
Told of his distinction, Levitre said: “I guess I can throw down every once in a while.”
He just doesn’t throw down spikes very well. He had never tried one until earlier this year.
“If you look, I had to get my grip right a couple of times before I spiked it,” Levitre said.
When it comes to throwing down spikes, Schraeder concedes nothing, although he admittedly wasn’t so proud of his muffed attempt against the Panthers.
“Somebody hit my arm,” he explained. “I don’t think too many people saw it, though.”
It wasn’t the worst spike of the year, though. That honor, Matthews said, goes to Chester.
“Chris one time tried to do a little stupid dance, and it slipped out of his hand when he tried to spike it,” Matthews said. “That would have to be the worst.
“We don’t have an official tally, but we do like to give each other a hard time.”
More importantly, the continuity up front allows the Falcons to give opponents a hard time.
