While that's still a strange sentence to write for a long-suffering Falcons fan, everything points to a brighter tomorrow for the Dirty Birds. For the first time in recent memory, the team has a long-term plan, effective players in the here and now and the coaching staff to pull it all together. It's a great thing.
As nice as a plan for the future is, the Falcons still have to go out and make a name for themselves in 2010. I predict they'll do it. Let me tell you why.
Significant Offseason Additions/Subtractions
The Falcons did a little addition by subtraction early on by jettisoning Tye Hill, he of the first round bust pedigree. From there, it was all uphill.
The big splash this off-season was the signing of Dunta Robinson, the former Houston Texans cornerback. The Falcons will be gambling that he can be effective as the undisputed top cornerback on the team. While his interception numbers took a nosedive after his rookie season, he's clearly a coverage upgrade for the young secondary and should make a difference immediately.
Other than that, the Falcons chiefly built through the draft. Sean Weatherspoon is an extremely talented young linebacker who really only needs a coat of polish before he has an impact. Mike Johnson and Joe Hawley are future starters along the offensive line. The biggest loss so far has been promising rookie receiver Kerry Meier, who was slated for a reserve and special teams role because of his versatility and sure hands, but will now miss the season after tearing ligaments in his knees.
Overall, it's a low key kind of off-season, one aimed at bolstering our existing strengths. Speaking of which....
Offense
Matt Ryan. Michael Turner. Roddy White. Tony Gonzalez. Those are formidable offensive weapons, and it just so happens the Falcons have all of ‘em.
Don't let last year fool you. The Falcons are a very strong team offensively, but it starts and ends with Michael Turner. A workhorse back like Turner, who missed significant time last year with ankle injuries, sets up everything else the team does on offense. He looks lean, mean and healthy for 2010, which means the team should catapult into the Top 10 offenses.
Offensive Coordinator Mike Mularkey is an unusually conservative guy at times, but there's no denying the short passing game is difficult to stop with Gonzalez in the mix. White and newly healthy slot receiver Harry Douglas form a dangerous deep duo. The team should offer an extremely balanced attack, one that's going to give opposing defenses fits all year long.
Of course, the offensive line doesn't appear as strong as we'd like. There's a lot of hope that what we've seen in the pre-season thus far-poor blocking, lack of mobility, bad decision-making- is a fluke.
Defense
The real question mark for this team coming into this season remains the defense. It's a unit that has been improved, and a lot of holdovers have another year of experience under their belt and should play better. The Falcons still aren't a defensive juggernaut.
Up front, there's a lot of promise. Kroy Biermann is turning heads in the pre-season with his ability to get into the backfield and blow up the quarterback, and he seems poised to start opposite perennial sackster John Abraham. Our depth at defensive tackle is very good.
Linebacker is another potential strength. As mentioned, Weatherspoon seems to have the skillset necessary to be a very good outside linebacker in the Falcons' system, and middle linebacker Curtis Lofton is a perennial Pro Bowl candidate up the middle.
