The Falcons offense will feature a power running game headlined by Michael Turner (5-foot-11, 244 pounds). Although a first-time starter—his first four years in the league were spent backing up San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson—Turner’s career 5.5 yards per carry and impressive preseason are positives. “The Burner” will be spelled by fellow speedster Jerious Norwood (5-11, 202), an explosive player in either the run or pass game (career 7.9 yards per play average). Fullback Ovie Mughelli (6-1, 245) can deliver a hit and will see more of the ball in 2008 – that is if Jason Snelling does not steal his carries. Snelling (5-11, 229) was a quiet revelation in preseason with 167 rushing yards. Head coach Mike Smith wants to control the line of scrimmage, which translates to the Falcons ranking among the league leaders in rushing.
That will all depend on the offensive line, which exceeded expectations in preseason. The front five, headlined by first-round left tackle Sam Baker, is a nasty bunch which paved the way for 100-yard rushing efforts in all four preseason games. Second-year guard Justin Blaylock partners with Baker to form one of the league’s rising left sides, while veteran Todd McClure, Harvey Dahl and Todd Weiner complete the quintet. Dahl (6-5, 308) is a classic mauler who has been a pleasant surprise and Weiner is returning from offseason knee surgery. McClure has started 72 consecutive games at center.
Leading a diverse group of pass catchers is Roddy White (6-0, 208), who is out to prove his 1,202 receiving yards in 2007 were not an aberration. He will be accompanied by tall targets in Laurent Robinson (6-2) and Michael Jenkins (6-5). In the preseason, Jenkins showed better concentration and a good rapport with rookie quarterback Matt Ryan. The sleeper of the bunch could be third-rounder Harry Douglas, who has sure hands in the slot. Brian Finneran looks fully recovered from two decimated seasons of knee injuries and the tight end spot has been bolstered by the signing of 12-year vet Marcus Pollard and Ben Hartsock, who excels in run blocking.
Proving his much-touted moxie in the preseason, the No. 3 overall pick Ryan (6-4, 220) gets the nod as the starting quarterback. Despite mounds of pressure, Ryan was composed in his preseason audition, separating himself from the four-man Falcons quarterback race. Six-year vet Chris Redman will backup Ryan while hometown hero D.J. Shockley will occupy the third spot.
ON DEFENSE
Arguably the biggest surprise of the Falcons preseason was their stinginess on the defensive side. The defense enters the regular season on a hot streak, not having allowed a touchdown in 13 consecutive quarters of play.
The mantra of controlling the line of scrimmage echoes on the defensive side as well, and the front four are led by potential Pro Bowler John Abraham at defensive end. When healthy, the 6-4, 263-pounder is one of the top edge rushers in football. On the other end, 2007 first-rounder Jamaal Anderson must recover from a sub-par rookie year. He fared better in preseason, but must develop in order to fend off Chauncey Davis or rookie playmaker Kroy Biermann. After an unjustified release during the Bobby Petrino era, massive tackle Grady Jackson returns to shore up a run defense that was porous in 2007. Jackson’s size and (6-2, 345) and penetration (13 tackles for loss in 2006 – best in NFL) were missed from a defense that conceded 127.1 rushing yards per game last season. Jackson will occupy blockers so the lighter combination of Kindal
Moorehead and Jonathan Babineaux can get to the quarterback.
The linebacker corps is the strength of the defense. Despite losing Demorrio Williams (Kansas City), the linebackers are deeper and more experienced than last season. It all starts with 11-year pro Keith Brooking, who can move back to outside linebacker thanks to the excellent preseason of second-round pick Curtis Lofton (team-leading 18 tackles, sack, fumble recovery). The final piece is Michael Boley, who continues to rise after establishing career highs in tackles (109), sacks (three) and interceptions (two) last season. Brooking, Lofton and Boley will be backed up by a series of hard hitters including Georgia product Tony Taylor and second-year man Stephen Nicholas.
The secondary is primarily young, with vets sprinkled in. On the outside are Chris Houston, who takes over No. 1 cover duties for the departed DeAngelo Hall, and diminutive former undrafted free agent Brent Grimes. The 5-9, 200-pound Shippensburg product has excelled in man coverage and surprised many by winning a starting spot. 2008 third-rounder Chevis Jackson and Blue Adams have impressed as backups. At strong safety,
Lawyer Milloy enters his 13th season in the NFL and will line up alongside the versatile Erik Coleman, who was signed from the New York Jets. Rookie Thomas DeCoud provides good ball skills and size as cover for the veterans.
SPECIAL TEAMS AND COACHING
With Morten Anderson hanging up the golden boots, in steps Jason Elam. The 38-year-old brings 16 years of experience to the Georgia Dome and kicking indoors should preserve the two-time Super Bowl champion. Punter Michael Koenen was one bright spot last season, dropping 30 punts inside the 20. Koenen’s numbers should improve with a headhunting special teams unit that was fifth in the NFL during the preseason in net yards. “Coach [Keith] Armstrong and coach [Tom] McMahon have really got those guys [special teams] running down the field and playing with a lot of energy,” Smith said.
First-year head coach Smith comes from Jacksonville where he spearheaded one of the NFL’s most aggressive defenses for five seasons. His 4-3 defense starts with big, punishing bodies up front. Those bodies will be coached up by another first-year man in defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder, formerly head coach at Georgia Southern and defensive coordinator at the University of Georgia. He is the “fire” to Smith’s “ice”, often the most vocal coach on the field and the man behind the high-energy revamping of the defensive unit. On offense, Mike Mularkey comes from Miami with head coaching experience of his own (Buffalo – 2004-2005).
OVERALL OUTLOOK
The initial prognosis in the offseason was that the Falcons would be one of the league’s worst teams. The revamped running game, a much improved offensive line, and a surprisingly aggressive defense, however, give the Falcons a better than anticipated shot at contending in an inconsistent division.
Ten of the Falcons’ 16 games are against teams who finished under .500 last year. It should be noted that Denver and New Orleans are included among those teams, and New Orleans will certainly finish above their 7-9 mark from a season ago. Thus, the Falcons will be favorites in no more than four games (Detroit, Kansas City, maybe against Chicago and St. Louis – all at home). The NFL, however, is the easiest of professional sports to go from worst to first. The Falcons will not do that, but they will not win less than four games either. Mark down those four home wins for the Birds, along with upsets at Oakland in Week 9 and a home win against Carolina in Week 12 to give the Falcons a 6-10 season. The Falcons will be a bright surprise in a resurgent NFC, and they could finish better than Carolina in the NFC South.
Horne can be reached at ehorne@scoreatl.com.
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