Falcons to Bounce Back into Playoffs?
You know an inevitable mistake that football fans seem to make every year? They look at a team’s performance from the previous season as a guide to what the team will accomplish the next year.
Every year, Super Bowl contenders seem to emerge from a team that was a middle-of-the-pack team the year before. Remember the ’99 Rams, the ’01 Patriots, or the ’07 Giants? All of those teams were teams that weren’t seen as contenders at the beginning of the season due to a less-than convincing season the year before. However, all of them won it all that year.
The Atlanta Falcons may fit into this category. While some will see their 9-7 season last year as a step back from their 11-5 record in 2008, some may rightfully see it as a healthy growing pain.
The same may go for Matt Ryan in particular. The young emerging quarterback (QB) had a 2009 season that may be considered a sophomore slump as his numbers slightly dropped from his rookie season.
However, a big reason for Ryan and the Falcons struggles were injuries. Their running backs (RBs) Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood both battled injuries. If the team stays healthy this year then they could be set for a return to the playoffs.
On offence, the team is pretty well shaped as a unit. Ryan has all the tools to soon be one of the league’s best quarterbacks. He has a strong arm, accuracy, toughness, poise, escape ability, and intelligence. He also has a good unit to back him up.
At running back, Turner has still not proven that he is a bona fide star, but he is very effective when he gets enough carries. Norwood is a more explosive runner and can score a touchdown on any given play, while Turner is powerful and will get the tough yards.
The Falcons have one of the best run-blocking schemes in the league as fullback Ovie Mughelli combined with Justin Peelle support the offensive line (O-line). Their pass-protection still must improve. It is often masked due to Ryans ability to release the ball quickly and escape pressure.
In the passing game, the Falcons must not rely too much on tight end (TE) Tony Gonzalez. While the 34 year-old is still one of the best tight ends in the game, the offence cannot revolve around him. Atlanta has to use all their weapons, including the field-stretching abilities of Roddy White, and sure-handed Michael Jenkins at wide receiver. Both are effective in their own way and should see their share of action.
Head coach Mike Smith is well aware that he’ll have to fix the pass-defence issues if the team is to return to the postseason. They were ranked 28th in pass defence as star players from 2008 struggled last season.
John Abraham’s totals dropped from 16.5 sacks in 2008 to 5.5 in 2009. The 11-year veteran is being counted on to bounce back and lead youngster defensive tackles (DTs) Corey Peters and Peria Jerry to form a solid pass-rush. Jonathan Babineaux also provides a good boost from the defensive end.
The team feels confident in Dunta Robinson as an addition at cornerback (CB). Although he doesn’t get the most interceptions, he constantly shadows receivers and will now get more chances to make plays in the zone-based scheme of the Falcons.
In the secondary, SS Eric Coleman is one of the best tacklers in the game while FS William Moore is no slouch himself as a hitter.
On special teams, Matt Bryant is a reliable kicker, but Michael Koenen will have to work on his 36.3 yard net average from last season. The electrifying Harry Douglas is likely to be the feature returner if he can stay healthy.
The Falcons are probably just one or two players away from being Super Bowl contenders. If Ryan has the breakout year everyone is expecting, the team should have little trouble returning to the playoffs. They are still missing a couple of pieces on defence that would put them into the next category of teams in the league. A return to the playoffs may be in place, but not quite a Super Bowl yet.
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