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2008 Team Report: Atlanta Falcons

Quarterbacks

Starter: Matt Ryan [R]
Backup(s): Chris Redman, D.J. Shockley

Starting QB: When the Falcons drafted Matt Ryan 3rd overall it was inevitable he would be the starter. It was a question of when, not if. After a surprisingly strong preseason the answer is "NOW" as Ryan will be the Falcons starter from the get go. Ryan is a prototypical strong-armed passer and has shown a confidence in the huddle, as well as a maturity with the media, that belies his experience. While at Boston College, Ryan started 32 games and tossed 807 completed passes out of 1,347 attempts (59.9 percent) for 9,313 yards, 56 TDs and 37 interceptions.

Backup QB: Chris Redman was out of football for several years selling insurance before rejoining the league last year as a backup for the QB-starved Falcons. By the end of the season, he had climbed the depth chart to starter. Over six games, Redman racked up 1079 yards, 10 TDs and five interceptions. The Falcons only managed 18 passing TDs all year long -- over half of them due to Redman's efforts. For his career, he has compiled 2190 yards, 17 TDs and 10 interceptions during 18 games, just a tad more than one season's worth of games. Now that Atlanta has added Matt Ryan with the third pick in the 2008 Draft, Redman will serve as his backup and potentially a fill in starter if needed. Local boy D.J. Shockley sticks with the team as the emergency QB.

Running Backs

Starter: Michael Turner
Backup(s): Jerious Norwood, Jason Snelling, Thomas Brown [IR]
Fullback(s): Ovie Mughelli

Starting RB: After years of backing up LaDainian Tomlinson in San Diego, Michael Turner will be the featured running back in Atlanta this year. Over the last three seasons in San Diego, he averaged 4.5, 6.3 and 5.9 YPC, respectively. To date during his four-year career, Turner averages a whopping 5.5 YPC (228/1,257/6 rushing with 11/71/0 receiving). Turner skipped the team's first April minicamp as he continued to recover from minor shoulder surgery performed during the 2007 season, but has been healthy throughout camp. Considering that the Falcons averaged 3.9 yards per carry on offense last season while only punching in 7 TDs on the ground all season long, Turner may have his work cut out for him at the line of scrimmage.

Backup RBs: Jerious Norwood managed to shine last year despite poor line play, racking up 103/617/1 rushing (6.0 YPC) with 28/277/0 receiving to his credit. He is an explosive threat -- Norwood has averaged 6.0 and 6.4 YPC during his two years in the league -- who gains yardage in big chunks, and will probably play a large role on passing downs given his solid receiving skills. Little-used Jason Snelling (13/43/1 rushing during his rookie season) may see some work as the short-yardage specialist during 2008. Sixth-round draft pick Thomas Brown is a developmental prospect out of Georgia who will redshirt this year on injured reserve.

Fullback: Ovie Mughelli is primarily a lead-blocker with only 18/57/1 rushing and 30/231/2 receiving during his three years in the league. In his first season with the Falcons last year, he posted 6/7/1 rushing and 6/36/0 receiving over the full slate of 16 games.

Wide Receivers

Starters: Roddy White, Michael Jenkins
Backups: Laurent Robinson, Brian Finneran, Adam Jennings, Harry Douglas [R]

Starting WRs: Roddy White rose above the chaos at the QB position posting a breakout season with 137 targets for 83 catches, 1,202 yards and six TDs. Over twice as many passes came his way last year than during his first two seasons in the league. White accounted for a third of the team's receiving TDs last year and has a firm grip on the top spot in the WR stable. Michael Jenkins, another former 1st round pick, had briefly lost his starting spot to Laurent Robinson exiting minicamp but played well enough to earn his way back into the starting lineup with a consistent training camp. Jenkins must improve his explosiveness in order to hold onto a top spot.

Backup WRs: Laurent Robinson climbed into the starting lineup as of the team's April minicamp, displacing last year's No. 2 wideout, but came back to Earth a bit in training camp. Robinson posted his best game of the season last year in Week 16 versus Arizona (7/114/1) on his way to compiling 37/437/1 during his rookie campaign. Robinson has a chance to win increasing playing time if he can recapture the precision he showed in mini-camps. Veteran Brian Finneran missed the last two seasons with knee injuries and was considered a long shot entering camp. But he looks healthy and, as a result, is in line for major playing time. Finneran is the team's most precise route runner, and has experience that will be welcome to the coaching staff given the relative inexperience of the other skill position players.

Tight Ends

Starters: Martrez Milner
Backups: Ben Hartsock, Jason Rader

The Falcons aren't going to try to replace Alge Crumpler with one player, it would be impossible. Instead, they are going to throw some combination of Martrez Milner, Ben Hartsock and Jason Rader at opposing defenses. Milner, who had 9/50/0 over eight games during his rookie year in 2007, and free-agent acquisition Ben Hartsock (12/138/0 with the Titans) battled for much of camp to earn the starting spot. Backup TE Jason Rader has spent time with Miami and New England since 2006 but has yet to notch a reception in the NFL.

Place Kicker

Jason Elam : After two consecutive years of struggling to find a kicker in preseason, and then bringing in Morten Andersen early in the regular season to fix the problem, the Falcons splurged in free agency this year. Jason Elam returns to the area of his childhood home and family, and will get to kick in a dome during the twilight of his career. During his fifteen years in Denver, he scored at least 100 points every year and finished in the top ten in kicker scoring 13 times. Atlanta on the other hand has finished in the bottom of half of the league in kicker scoring in four of the last five years. The offense will be starting over this year with a new coaching staff, new offensive system, and new players at several key positions.

Kick and Punt Returners

Kick Returners: Jerious Norwood; Adam Jennings; Michael Turner; Harry Douglas

RB Jerious Norwood had some success as a backup during his rookie year in 2006 (13 returns, 24.6 avg.). Last year he took over the lead kickoff returner role (52 returns, 25.3 avg.). WR Adam Jennings ranked 7th in kickoff return average (29.0 yards) as a senior at Fresno State in 2005, and has served as a backup for the Falcons the last two years (17 returns, 25.2 avg. in 2007). Free agent acquisition RB Michael Turner proved to be a capable backup kickoff returner for the Chargers in 2006 (36 returns, 26.5 avg.). Third round draft pick WR Harry Douglas averaged 19.7 yards on 18 kickoff returns during his college career at Louisville.

Punt Returners: Adam Jennings; Jerious Norwood; Harry Douglas; Brent Grimes

Adam Jennings ranked 17th in punt return average (12.4 yards) during his final year at Fresno State. During his rookie year with the Falcons, he watched Allen Rossum handle all the punt returns. Last year Jennings took over the lead punt returner role (30 returns, 6.2 avg.). His 17 fair catches were fourth most in the NFL. Despite his lackluster numbers, he should remain the primary PR due to lack of competition. Jerious Norwood occasionally returned punts during his career at Mississippi State. Harry Douglas averaged 2.7 yards on six punt returns during his college career. The last time the Falcons ranked in the top ten in fantasy return points was 2003. CB Brent Grimes practiced on punt returns during minicamp.

Offensive Line

Projected Starters: LT Sam Baker [R], LG Justin Blalock, C Todd McClure, RG Harvey Dahl, RT Tyson Clabo
Key Backups: Renardo Foster, Quinn Ojinnaka, Alex Stepanovich

Commentary coming soon.

Team Defense

There wasn't much to like about the Falcons defense last year. Atlanta finished in the bottom five in both points and total yardage, and were well below-average in sacks and turnovers. Firmly in rebuilding mode, the Falcons aren't likely to improve on those numbers much this year. New coach Mike Smith isn't likely to be more aggressive than Mike Zimmer was in 2007, which doesn't bode well for an increase in big-play stats. The only defensive acquisition of note is rookie MLB prospect Curtis Lofton, who was immediately inserted at MLB in the team's post draft minicamp. Meanwhile, the team traded its best big-play threat in the secondary, DeAngelo Hall, and will look to replace him with a committee of less talented players. To put it bluntly, this year's defense will feature a weak pass rush and few playmakers while spending a lot of time on the field. They shouldn't be drafted in any scoring system.

Defensive Line

Starters: LDE Jamaal Anderson, DT Jonathan Babineaux, DT Kindal Moorehead, RDE John Abraham
Backups: DE Chauncey Davis, DT Tim Anderson, DE/DT Simon Fraser

Starting DL: Abraham returns as the primary pass rusher of this group. He'll turn 30 this offseason, but made it through the 2007 season without major injury and will be counted on heavily again this year. The Falcons are hoping Anderson provides better all-around play in his second season after the 2007 first round pick failed to get to the quarterback a single time last year. Babineaux was productive in relief of oft-injured undertackle Rod Coleman last year, but his sack rate dropped as a full time player. He'll be a major contributor to the Falcons' tackle rotation. Moorehead opened the team's post-draft full squad minicamp with the first team. Moorehead was signed away from Carolina this offseason and will likely be a part time player even if he wins the starting position.

Backup DL: Davis returns in the third end rotational role. Davis showed some improvement against the run in spot duty last year and could push Anderson for time should the young player continue to struggle in his second season. Stanley will be the primary competition for Kindal Moorehead. He was serviceable as a starter late in the year after Grady Jackson sat with injury. Anderson and Fraser round out the tackle rotation.

Linebackers

Starters: SLB Michael Boley, MLB Keith Brooking, WLB Stephen Nicholas
Backups: LB Curtis Lofton [R], LB Tony Taylor, LB Robert James [R], LB Kroy Biermann [R]

Starting LBs: Boley showed exponential improvement for a third straight season, and has grown into one of the better all-around linebackers in the league. Though undersized, Boley plays big for his size and has above average range, cover skills and pass rush ability. Brooking will again start the season at middle linebacker. Though he's a better fit outside, Brooking provides a stabilizing veteran influence in the middle and still has enough in the tank to compete for an every down role. Nicholas, last year's fourth round pick, moves into the starting weak side role after Demorrio Williams signed with the Chiefs in free agency. Nicholas is an undersized backer in the mold of Boley. He is more physical than he looks and better than expected in pass rush. It remains to be seen if Nicholas will be as good in coverage as Williams was.

Backup LBs: Lofton, the team's second round draft pick, will compete for time at MLB. If he proves capable, he could push the Falcons to release Keith Brooking, who was a rumored veteran casualty as free agency began, or bump Brooking to WLB with Nicholas moving to the bench. Whenever Lofton arrives, the team sees him as Brooking's replacement rather than an option at OLB. Taylor slips further down the depth chart and will contribute only on special teams. James and Biermann were added in the later rounds of the draft to further solidify the depth chart.

Defensive Backs

Starters: LCB Von Hutchins, SS Lawyer Milloy, FS Erik Coleman, RCB Chris Houston
Backups: CB Brent Grimes, CB David Irons, CB Chevis Jackson [R], DB Jimmy Williams, S Thomas DeCoud [R]

Starting DBs: The Falcons will have two new starters in the secondary this year with Pro Bowl corner DeAngelo Hall traded to Oakland and Chris Crocker moved on in free agency. Hutchins was the replacement for Hall at corner during the team's pre-draft mini-camp. A safety-corner swing player, Hutchins is probably better suited to the nickel corner role but has the early favor of the coaching staff over a handful of young players. Coleman was signed as an UFA to replace Crocker. Coleman fell out of favor with nagging injuries and some inconsistencies in his coverage as a Jet. He should be an improvement over Crocker in all phases. Houston returns as a starter, moving into the #1 corner role. Houston improved as his rookie season wore on in 2007 and the team is looking for him to make further strides this year. Milloy returns as a valuable veteran presence and will provide his usual all-around physical play at strong safety.

Backup DBs: The Falcons have a glut of corners to battle for the slot vacated by DeAngelo Hall, who was traded to Oakland this offseason. Irons and Grimes will compete for the third corner role, and third round draft pick Chevis Jackson could also see early playing time. Williams has yet to settle into a position after bouncing back and forth between corner and safety during his first two seasons in Atlanta. It won't help his cause that he left the team's pre-draft voluntary mini-camp early. Second year safety Stone is likely the future at strong safety and should see more playing time in rotation with Milloy and Coleman this year. The team used it's second third round pick on DeCoud, who will provide a stiff challenge to Coleman over the next two seasons.

Last modified: 2008-08-30 20:20:38