The opening of free agency this month pushed the Super Bowl-hopeful Falcons into their systematic attempt to hold on to valued free agents while fixing the holes from last season’s NFC South championship team. Tony Gonzalez, William Moore and Sam Baker were the top three re-signed pieces from last season that management believes are key ingredients in a championship team moving forward.
OFFENSIVE ADJUSTMENTS …
The first offseason inquiries resolved were on the offensive side of the ball. Baker at left tackle has arguably the most important job on the team in protecting franchise quarterback Matt Ryan’s blind side. Baker signed a six-year, $41.1 million deal, and will add security to the position for several seasons.
All-Pro tight end Tony Gonzalez returns after his most productive season since arriving in Atlanta. The future hall of famer resumes his role with Julio Jones and Roddy White to form the triple-threat receiving corps many consider to be the best in the league.
Signing running back Steven Jackson was the finishing touch to improve the offense and resolve the lulls from last season. The move could be considered one of the biggest free-agent signings of the offseason, and the Falcons anticipate the powerful inside runner will improve them from their 29th-ranked rushing effort in 2012.
“I think this is a very big signing for us,” Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff told the Associated Press. “It continues to bolster our offensive firepower. It gives us not only strength, power in running ability but also the versatility to catch out of the backfield, which is a very important part of this offense.”
In the NFC Championship game, Ryan was 3-for-3 when targeting Harry Douglas, 11-for-13 to Jones and 8-for-8 passing to Gonzalez. The passing offense struggled on screens and tosses out to the flats and Ryan was 0-for-3 when targeting Jacquizz Rodgers out of the backfield. Rodgers had success during the season, pulling in 53 receptions for 402 yards, but could not find anything against the 49ers’ defense. Jackson brings a new aspect within the passing game with his combination of speed and size out of the backfield.
In 2006, Jackson caught 90 passes for 806 yards. His receptions have gone down since his career-high receiving season, but this is still a key aspect of his skillset and Atlanta could take advantage of it.
Former running back Michael Turner was phased out of the playbook last season as the Falcons began adapting to a passing attack behind the arm of Ryan. The expectations of this offense are to be the best in the league and the mutual respect between Jackson and the organization has the relationship off to a promising start.
Jackson proved his worth by essentially doing the impossible during his nine-year career in St. Louis by being consistent in the midst of unremitting change and, at times, chaos. The former Ram has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his last eight seasons and did so while playing under six coaches, three sets of owners and four general managers. On the field he was also faced with change, playing with 13 different quarterbacks, 20 tight ends and 50 offensive linemen over the nine-year span. Jackson kept a positive attitude while waiting for his contract to end instead of demanding a trade and gratefully accepted his new contract in Atlanta with a reputation of class.
“For nearly a decade, Steven Jackson served as an inspiration for his St. Louis Rams teammates and our fans,” said Rams owner Stan Kroenke.
Jackson joins a Falcons’ veteran unit that has tallied five straight winning seasons and four playoff appearances. In the red zone, the Falcons should become increasingly dangerous. Gonzalez single-handedly makes the redzone offense deadly, but with a 6-foot-2, 240-pound running back able to bust through the goal line, the Falcons will be difficult to stop.
HELP WANTED …
Defensively, Mike Nolan will have some rearranging to do with his personnel and depth chart before the season. Once the Jackson deal was made, all of the attention within the franchise has refocused to the defense where a lot of work remains to be done. The Falcons released John Abraham on March 1, and the franchise’s all-time sack leader still sits on the free-agent shelf. Abraham recorded 10 of the team’s 29 total sacks last season and his production will have to be both matched and supplemented with a replacement and second effective pass rusher in order to improve the team defense. The 29 sacks ranked the Falcons 28th last season, and the lack of pressure on the quarterback had repercussions in other phases of the defense.
Atlanta was the 25th-ranked team in third-down defense and allowed opponents a 40.5 percent conversion rate. The defensive line struggled against the rush for much of the season and gave up 123.2 yards per game and 4.8 yards per carry. They allowed 16 total rushing touchdowns, which was tied for 24th with the Tennessee Titans.
The pass defense performed well on multiple occasions last season and credit can be given to a solid secondary led by Moore. The unit was first in the league in fewest passing touchdowns allowed with 14. Big plays in the open field, especially to the tight ends, hurt the pass defense the most. The defense gave up 7.4 yards per pass attempt on the season and 12.0 yards per completion, allowing 242 yards per game through the air. Nolan will likely be aiming to bring in a defender that can physically defend the tight ends in the upcoming draft.
Linebacker Mike Peterson is a free agent and the defense is left with just five linebackers on the roster. The thin defensive line and linebacking corps require Dimitroff to mine for his starting caliber talent in the draft. Making the switch to a 3-4 base could be in the future. The 4-3 did not stand the test against the NFC’s multitude of read-option offenses and a 3-4 could allow the Falcons to profit from incoming hybrid players with more versatility. Having the freedom to run both a 4-3 or a 3-4 will help the Falcons because they can focus on getting the most NFL-ready guys and shape the defense to their strengths depending on which scheme has more available talent. Other than Dimitroff’s first year in 2008, this is his most important draft to date and the defensive side of the ball depends on it.
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