2010 RECORD: 13-3-0
(1st in NFC South)
HEAD COACH: Mike Smith
Offense: Matt Ryan returns at quarterback after a big season in 2010. Ryan threw for 28 touchdowns with only nine interceptions and was sacked only 23 times. He also racked up 3,705 yards passing while ranking fourth in the NFC among quarterbacks.
Michael Turner saw his numbers drop slightly in 2009 after making a huge splash in '08 with the team, but he rebounded nicely last year with 1,371 yards and scored 12 touchdowns while averaging 4.1 yards per carry.
Jason Snelling (324 yards rushing) backs up Turner and Ovie Mughelli is the fullback.
Julio Jones, a rookie from Alabama, joins Roddy White as the primary wide receivers.
White led the league in receptions last season with 115 for 1,389 yards (12.1 average) and ten touchdowns. Tight End Tony Gonzalez hauled in 70 passes for 656 yards and six touchdowns. Harry Douglas (22 catches) adds depth in this area.
The offensive line, which does a fine job protecting Ryan as well as opening the holes for Turner and company, will have guards Andrew Jackson and Mike Johnson, center Joe Hawley and tackles Will Svitek and Sam Baker.
The Falcons were pretty much in the middle of the pack on offense in 2010, averaging 341 yards per game (118 rushing, 223 passing) which was good for 16th overall.
Defense: In 2010, the Falcons did what they had to on defense, which ranked them 16th overall.
They allowed 332 yards per game with 106 yards rushing allowed. However, the lack of a real pass rush (31 QB sacks) is cause for concern when they face New Orleans twice. Atlanta also allowed 226 passing yards a game.
Up front in the Falcons' 4-3 defense are tackles Corey Peters and Jonathan Babineaux and ends John Abraham and Kroy Biermann. Ray Edwards comes over from Minnesota to add even more depth on the D-Line. Edwards totaled eight sacks with the Vikings in 2010. Abraham led the Falcons with 13 sacks a year ago.
The linebackers will have Curtis Lofton in the middle with outside support from Sean Weatherspoon and Mike Peterson.
The defensive secondary has safeties William Moore and Thomas DeCoud and cornerbacks Brent Grimes and Dunta Robinson. Grimes and Moore each intercepted five passes for the Falcons, which had 22 interceptions last season, good for fourth in the NFL.
OUTLOOK: The Falcons had a great regular season in 2010, but were completely destroyed at home by Green Bay in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
The Packers definitely exposed weaknesses in the Falcons' defense, so Head Coach Mike Smith is looking for the team to combat those concerns entering 2011.
With more pressure on opposing quarterbacks from the defensive front, the Falcons should be able to see better pass defense overall this season. Edwards, along with Abraham, should give the Falcons more speed up front to help that area.
Ryan should be steady once again and Turner can share the load with Snelling a little more after carrying the ball 334 times a year ago.
With Jones joining White and Gonzalez as the primary targets, look for the Falcons to air it out more frequently in 2011.
The Saints will be looking to rebound and the Buccaneers are a vastly improved team from two seasons ago, so Atlanta cannot take anything for granted in the NFC South.
Atlanta should be playoff bound once again this year, finishing 11-5 and likely winning the division for the second straight year. However, there once again appears to be too much competition in the NFC for the Falcons to advance to the Super Bowl.
TEAM SCHEDULE:
Week 1- at Chicago
Week 2- vs. Philadelphia
Week 3- at Tampa Bay
Week 4- at Seattle
Week 5- vs. Green Bay
Week 6- vs. Carolina
Week 7- at Detroit
Week 8- BYE WEEK
Week 9- at Indianapolis
Week 10- vs. New Orleans
Week 11- vs. Tennessee
Week 12- vs. Minnesota
Week 13- at Houston
Week 14- at Carolina
Week 15- vs. Jacksonville
Week 16- at New Orleans
Week 17- vs. Tampa Bay
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