Atlanta Falcons
Head Coach: Mike Smith (60-36 all-time in Atlanta)
Last Year's Results: 4-12, no playoffs
Projected Starters:
(My Player Rankings Guide:
E - Elite Starter: Franchise changing player at his position
HQ - High Quality Starter: One of the best in the game at his position
GS - Good Starter: If this guy's on your team, he's likely starting and you should be perfectly fine with it
AS - Average Starter: This guy is OK, but if possible, I'd be looking for an upgrade
BAS - Below Average Starer: This guy should not be starting, but he will because he's the best option
??? - Not enough information regarding this guy and the jury is still out on him
R - Rookie: Pretty self-explanatory
PS - Poor Starter: This guy shouldn't be starting for your football team. NO EXCUSES!)
OFFENSE:
QB: Matt Ryan (HQ)
RB: Steven Jackson (AS)
RB: DeVonta Freeman (R)
WR: Julio Jones (HQ)
WR: Roddy White (GS)
TE: Levine Toiolo (BAS)
C: Joe Hawley (AS)
RG: Jon Asamoah (GS)
LG: Justin Blalock (AS)
RT: Jake Matthews (R)
LT: Sam Baker (BAS)
DEFENSE:
DE: Tyson Jackson (AS)
DE: Jonathan Babineaux (AS)
DT: Paul Soliai (GS)
LOLB: Kroy Biermann (BAS)
ROLB: Osi Umenyiora (AS)
ILB: Paul Worrilow (BAS)
ILB: Sean Weatherspoon (GS)
CB: Robert Alford (AS)
CB: Desmond Trufant (GS)
SS: William Moore (AS)
FS: Dwight Lowery (AS)
SPECIAL TEAMS:
K: Matt Bryant
P: Matt Bosher
Schedule:
vs. New Orleans
vs. @ Cincinnati
vs. Tampa Bay
vs. @ Minnesota
vs. @ New York Giants
vs. Chicago
vs. @ Baltimore
vs. Detroit
BYE WEEK
vs. @ Tampa Bay
vs. @ Carolina
vs. Cleveland
vs. Arizona
vs. @ Green Bay
vs. Pittsburgh
vs. @ New Orleans
vs. Carolina
Predicted Results: 7-9 (2-4 in division)
Team Analysis: The Atlanta Falcons are another one of those teams that I don't know what to make of this year. In 2012, the team went 13-3 and lost in the NFC Championship game to the San Francisco 49ers. Then last year, the wheels fell off and the team disappointed in a big way and finished with a 4-12 record. That's just another huge indication of how parity really does exist in the NFL and it only takes one or two injuries to key players for a team to put on a stinkfest. The good news for Falcons fans is, I see the team making an improvement over their four-win campaign last season. The bad news is, it's not a big enough of an improvement to get them back into the playoffs. There's just too many questions on the roster still and the division they play in is extremely tough. The NFC South this year will either have 3 playoff teams or they will have 3 teams that are 7-9.
If the Falcons do manage to get back into the playoffs, it will mainly be because of the offense. Matt Ryan is a high quality quarterback in the NFL with a nice arm. He'll win you games if you give him the right pieces and luckily for him, the Falcons have a few of those. Roddy White and Julio Jones combine to make arguably the scariest two-headed monster in the NFL. The Falcons gave up a crap ton of draft picks for Julio Jones and minus a few injury issues, the kid hasn't disappointed and has shown flashes that he can be a top-3 wide receiver in this league. Atlanta should also be fine at the running back position because even though Steven Jackson is getting old, they have Devonta Freeman ready to step up in a big way. Every year there's a rookie running back who comes out and puts up huge numbers, that guy could very well be Freeman this year. The offensive line isn't exactly a top-notch unit, but the addition of Jake Matthews should pay off immediately as that kid is a stud. Like I said earlier, if Atlanta's going to get back into the playoffs, it's going to be because of their offense. There isn't a whole lot of problems here (minus the tight end position, which I forgot to mention until now...).
Now the defense? That's a different story. Atlanta doesn't have a guy that I would consider "elite" or "high quality" anywhere on the defensive side of the ball. If you believe in the saying that "defense wins championships" (and let's face it, in the NFL...it does), then Atlanta Falcons fans are in for another disappointing season if they expect to bring a Super Bowl title to Georgia. With the Saints and the Panthers still good and the Buccaneers on the rise in this division, this defense just won't be enough to get the job done. However, the draft is only 10 months away so I'd start paying attention to the best defensive players in college football this year if you're a Falcons fan. One of those guys will probably be wearing an Atlanta jersey next season.
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