Atlanta Falcons 2010 Season Preview

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08/08/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Falcons were not a championship team and did not trouble the playoff bracket in 2009. It is somewhat telling, however, that their offseason moves - or lack thereof - gave the appearance that all is well in Flowery Branch.

General manager Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Mike Smith did not get hysterical, far from it, when the team failed to build on its 11-5 finish and surprise postseason appearance of 2008. Clearly, the progress the team made with a three-game season-ending win streak last year was viewed as evidence that some of the problems the Falcons endured were an aberration.

In fact, Smith presided over a second straight winning season, the first time the organization had ever achieved that modest goal.

It was a 2-6 stretch of football in the middle of the season, including a home-and-home sweep at the hands of the Saints, that laid the team's weaknesses bare.

Quarterback Matt Ryan's painful bout with turf toe, which cost him the better part of three games, was a significant part of a difficult sophomore season for the former No. 3 overall pick. Ryan's completion percentage (58.3) and passer rating (80.9) were both down from his rookie year, and his interceptions (14) were up.

Backfield mate Michael Turner (871 yards) also regressed, with his health costing him five games and questions about his fitness lingering throughout the campaign.

Clearly, the Falcons' hopes for a rebound will require both Ryan and Turner to be back at their best.

The biggest personnel tweaks were on defense, where a team that struggled to cover spent money on a legitimate high-level corner, Dunta Robinson, while also drafting a big linebacker, Missouri's Sean Weatherspoon, to offer the unit more of a front seven presence.

None of the moves Atlanta made in the offseason were genuine headline- grabbers, but the message from the team's powerbrokers was that the core Dimitroff and Smith had already assembled was, with a few exceptions, one that was close to competing for a title with better health, luck, and execution.

"It's about being more consistent in everything we do from play to play, from practice to practice from game to game," Smith recently told USA Today.

"Everyone has ability in this league. The great teams and organizations are the ones who have sustainability."

Below we take a capsule look at the 2010 edition of the Atlanta Falcons, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

2009 RECORD: 9-7 (2nd, NFC South)

LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2008, lost to Arizona, 30-24, in NFC Wild Card

COACH (RECORD): Mike Smith (20-12 in two seasons with Falcons, 20-12 overall)

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Mike Mularkey

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Brian VanGorder

OFFENSIVE STAR: Matt Ryan, QB (2916 passing yards, 22 TD, 14 INT)

DEFENSIVE STAR: Dunta Robinson, CB (64 tackles with Houston)

OFFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 15th rushing, 14th passing, 13th scoring

DEFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: t10th rushing, 28th passing, t14th scoring

KEY ADDITIONS: G Mike Johnson (3rd Round, Alabama), DT Corey Peters (3rd Round, Kentucky), LB Sean Weatherspoon (1st Round, Missouri), CB Dunta Robinson (from Texans), S Matt Giordano (from Packers), K Steve Hauschka (from Ravens)

KEY DEPARTURES: RB Verron Haynes (not tendered), WR Marty Booker (not tendered), LB Tony Gilbert (not tendered), CB Antoine Harris (not tendered), CB Tye Hill (to Titans), CB Chris Houston (to Lions), S Jamaal Fudge (not tendered), LS Mike Schneck (retired)

QB: Ryan's 2009 season wasn't a complete loss, as he threw 22 touchdown passes and morphed from game-manager into a true offensive leader, but as the quarterback of the team, he was at the center of the club's slight regression. With improved health, both personally and from his supporting cast, there's little reason to expect Ryan won't be better in 2010. The depth chart behind him should remain static, with Chris Redman (781 passing yards, 4 TD, 3 INT) and John Parker Wilson sticking around. Redman was officially 0-2 filling in for Ryan last year, but did rally the team to a win over the Buccaneers and kept them in the game in a loss to the Saints.

RB: Turner (871 rushing yards, 10 TD) didn't come close to equaling his 1,699- yard, 17-touchdown campaign of 2008 a year ago, but it was probably unrealistic to expect him to do so. If he stays healthy, look for Turner to split the yardage difference between the two seasons, with scatback Jerious Norwood (252 rushing yards, 19 receptions, 1 TD) and power back Jason Snelling (613 rushing yards, 30 receptions, 5 TD) continuing to get some opportunities. Fullback Ovie Mughelli (7 receptions, 1 TD) remains a dependable lead blocker but won't get many touches.

WR/TE: The Falcons' passing game didn't quite take off after the team acquired tight end Tony Gonzalez (83 receptions, 6 TD) prior to last season, but that was hardly Gonzalez's fault. Gonzalez posted 80-plus catches for the fifth time in his career, and helped free things up for the likes of Roddy White (85 receptions, 11 TD) and Michael Jenkins (50 receptions, 1 TD). White and Jenkins will remain the top outside options, though Jenkins injured a shoulder early in '10 camp and his preseason availability is as yet unknown. In the slot, Harry Douglas is back after missing last year with an ACL tear, but whether he'll be an impact player coming off the injury is unknown. His bounce-back ability could affect the roster status of holdover Eric Weems (6 receptions, 2 TD) and/or fifth-round pick Kerry Meier (Kansas). Longest- tenured Falcon Brian Finneran (11 receptions) is 34 years old and seems perpetually on the roster bubble, but every Atlanta coach since Dan Reeves has loved his versatility and he always seems to make it. Blocking specialist Justin Peelle (12 receptions, 2 TD) will back Gonzalez, and a host of young players are vying for the No. 3 tight end job.

OL: The draft-day upgrades that the Falcons made to what is, frankly, a mediocre line were more subtle than earth-shattering. The third-round pick, guard Mike Johnson (Alabama), might challenge incumbents Justin Blalock (left side) and Harvey Dahl (right guard) but projects as a backup in year one. The same goes for fourth-round center Joe Hawley (UNLV), who might be better than the reliable Todd McClure at some point, but not now. It looks like the Falcons will stand pat with left tackle Sam Baker and right tackle Tyson Clabo, and while both can get the job done, Pro Bowl citations probably await neither. Will Svitek, who started a couple of games last year due to injuries, looks like the swing tackle. Quinn Ojinnaka and Brett Romberg are a couple of backup holdovers trying to hang on.

DL: Though it was the Falcons secondary that got much of the heat for the team's rank of 28th in the league against the pass last year, Smith has acknowledged that the pass rush wasn't nearly where it needed to be in 2009. John Abraham (35 tackles, 5.5 sacks) took a step back following a big season in 2008, and the long-awaited development of former first-round end Jamaal Anderson (27 tackles, 0.5 sacks) as a legitimate pass rusher never materialized. Anderson has 2.5 sacks in 44 NFL games, though he is decent against the run. Surprisingly, the Falcons didn't address the end position in the offseason, choosing to stick with Abraham, Anderson, and intriguing backups Kroy Biermann (49 tackles, 5 sacks) and Lawrence Sidbury (5 tackles, 1 sack). Biermann could siphon more reps away from Anderson this season. The team did upgrade the interior line, where third-round pick Corey Peters (Kentucky) should immediately join a rotation also including Peria Jerry and Jonathan Babineaux (47 tackles, 6 sacks). The 2009 first-rounder Jerry has been slow to recover from a knee injury that cost him most of 2009, and might not see much time in the preseason.

LB: Weatherspoon will undoubtedly strengthen a linebacking corps that might lack big names but has a chance to be one of the best in the league in 2010. His probable strong-side presence next to the solid Curtis Lofton (133 tackles) in the middle should give opposing backs a great deal of pause before running in their direction. The other outside job will produce a preseason competition, as 2009 starters Mike Peterson (109 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) and Stephen Nicholas (80 tackles, 3 sacks) aren't intent on being backups (or worse). The 34-year-old Peterson is near the end of the line, but in a vacuum is a better player than the much younger Nicholas. Coy Wire (17 tackles) isn't a player you'd want to have to rely upon for long stretches on defense, but is valuable on special teams.

DB: The addition of Robinson, who has never been to the Pro Bowl but is the bona fide No. 1 corner that the team has lacked, is expected to transform the Atlanta secondary. His presence will take the heat off of probable opposite starter Brent Grimes (66 tackles, 6 INT), who is athletic but is as prone to mental lapses as big plays. If Grimes has a disastrous camp, veteran Brian Williams (18 tackles, 1 INT) or part-time starter '09 Christopher Owens (29 tackles, 2 INT) could take on that role. Elsewhere in the secondary, free safety Thomas DeCoud (68 tackles, 3 INT, 2 sacks) and strong safety Erik Coleman (116 tackles) are the starters, but the team is trying to find a role for William Moore (2 tackles) as well. Newcomer Matt Giordano (2 tackles with Green Bay) will see most of his time on special teams. The team's two late- round secondary picks, cornerback Dominique Franks (5th Round, Oklahoma) and safety Shann Schillinger (6th Round, Montana), will need to prove their value on the coverage units as well.

SPECIAL TEAMS: The team re-signed kicker Matt Bryant (7-10 FG) after he did a nice job in a late-season role for them last year, but Bryant can be erratic when it comes to big kicks. That said, he's a mental Hercules compared to ex- Raven Steve Hauschka (9-13 FG with Baltimore), his competition in camp, who cost Baltimore multiple big games last season. Michael Koenen (42.6 avg.) will stick around as the punter, and Joe Zelenka the long snapper. Weems did a credible job on returns for the Falcons a year ago, (25.3 kickoff return avg., 10.0 punt return avg.), though the return of Douglas (11.3 punt return avg., 1 TD in 2008) could impact his usage.

PROGNOSIS: The Falcons began to unravel after a 4-1 start last year, with injuries, inconsistent play, and the rise of the New Orleans Saints all working against them. But, this was never a team that lacked talent, and that was reflected in the minimal upgrades Dimitroff and Smith made in the offseason. This is a team that really should contend for a playoff berth at the very least, and it's not inconceivable that they'll make a meaningful run at a Super Bowl appearance. Things won't be easy with the defending NFL champion Saints in the division, but if there is a NFC South unit to threaten their stature, it is Mike Smith's Atlanta group.