Atlanta Falcons: 6 Things We've Learned This Offseason

After losing a third playoff game in four years to the New York Giants this past January, it was clear changes had to be made if the Atlanta Falcons hope to compete for the Super Bowl this season.

Some argue the team had an uneventful offseason, but from the looks of things it was anything but.

From re-signing key role players like Jason Snelling and Harry Douglas to virtually stealing Asante Samuel away from the Philadelphia Eagles to picking up Peter Konz in the NFL draft, Atlanta made numerous moves in hopes of improving upon its 10-6 record and first-round playoff exit in 2011.

But what do all these moves tell us?  

Here are six things we learned about the Falcons this past offseason.

They Believe Coordinators, Not Players to Blame for Playoff Failures

In the press conference following the Falcons’ loss to the New York Giants last January, team owner Arthur Blank said, "There may be some sacrificial cows, but no sacred cows” on the roster (from NFL.com).

That led many to believe the Falcons would aggressively pursue high-profile players in free agency, but that was far from the case when March came along. Instead, the team focused on re-signing many of its own free agents, with the only new additions being Lofa Tatupu and Vince Manuwai—two players who weren’t even in the league last year—via free agency.

But with changes to the coaching staff, most notably the replacement of coordinators Mike Mularkey and Brian VanGorder with Dirk Koetter and Mike Nolan, the message became clear: the sacrificial cows weren’t the players, they were the coaches.  

The Falcons like the core group of players they have in place, and they’re not about to bring massive overhauls to a team that has enjoyed a four-year stretch of unparalleled success in franchise history.

Rather, Falcons head coach Mike Smith is putting his money on schemes being the reason for the team’s poor playoff showings.

Considering Smith enters the season with an 0-3 playoff record, he better be right for his sake.

They Mean Business

The Atlanta Falcons had a chance to get some free publicity when they were offered the starring spot on HBO’s Hard Knocks in April. 

The Falcons brass thought long and hard about the offer, but much to the fans’ dismay they decided to turn it down because (per ESPN's Pat Yasinkas) "they wanted their focus for the 2012 season to be exclusively on the football field."

That’s despite the arguably little distraction that come with the production of the show. After all, conducting interviews and being followed by a film crew for the few weeks of the preseason didn’t stop the New York Jets from making the AFC Championship Game in 2010. 

But distractions, as little as they may be, are distractions nonetheless. And they certainly would rather be avoided for a regime coming off a third consecutive postseason loss.

No doubt, Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff and Smith are showing that winning, not entertaining, is what’s on their mind this year.

Their Secondary Means Business, Too

Dimitroff and the Falcons pulled off perhaps one of the biggest steals in NFL history when they traded just a 2012 seventh-round draft pick for Eagles’ cornerback Asante Samuel on the eve of this year’s draft.

In the process, Dimitroff turned one of the team’s biggest weaknesses in 2011 into perhaps one of its greatest assets this year.

Samuel, a four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro with 45 career interceptions to his name, instantly upgrades one of last season’s worst passing defenses.

One could say the pass rush is mostly to blame, but when a team gives up as many yards a game through the air as the Falcons do, a solid secondary is a very welcome addition.

Samuel brings much-needed ball-hawking skills and should thrive across Brent Grimes at the outside cornerback positions in Mike Nolan’s aggressive scheme. With the physical Dunta Robinson moved to the slot cornerback spot, the Falcons will have a three-headed monster that won’t be as easy to pick apart as it was in years past.

And that’ll come in handy with top quarterbacks Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, Cam Newton, Matthew Stafford, Tony Romo and Eli Manning all set to take on the Falcons this season. 

They Believe Competition Breeds Excellence

The Falcons will have a number of open competitions to determine key starting spots this season.

None will be more important than the left tackle position, where long-time veteran Will Svitek, former first-round pick Sam Baker and rookie Lamar Holmes will compete for the opportunity to block Matt Ryan’s blindside.

The fact that there’s no clear starter at the most important position on the Falcons’ offensive line surely isn’t helping Ryan sleep at night.  

However, one positive of an open competition is that it breeds excellence, and that means Atlanta is sure to have the best of the three starting by Week 1

The same will be true for the starting center, right guard and middle linebacker positions, which will all be up for grabs when training camp starts in August.

There's No Reason They Shouldn't Make the Playoffs

The Atlanta Falcons 2012 schedule is far from a cakewalk, but fortunately for Ryan and the Falcons, a few factors may help their playoff push this season.

First, there’s the strength of schedule. Atlanta takes on the eighth easiest schedule this season, with the team’s 2012 opponents having gone 125-131 in the 2011 season.

Then, there’s the schedule itself. With the Falcons facing off against the Chiefs, Broncos, Panthers, Redskins and Raiders prior to their bye in Week 7, a much-needed fast start is a realistic possibility for Atlanta.  

The Falcons’ toughest stretch comes in weeks eight through 10, when they take on the Eagles, Cowboys and Saints in consecutive games.

And that last game may not even be as tough as expected with the suspension of Saints head coach Sean Payton for the entire 2012 season. The Saints have dominated the Falcons ever since Payton took over the team, winning five of the last six meetings against their NFC South Rivals.

With Payton gone, the Falcons have a golden opportunity to not only make the playoffs this year, but re-take the NFC South crown in the process.  

The 2012 Season Rests Upon Matt Ryan's Shoulders

As Michael Turner goes, the Atlanta Falcons go.

Hard to dispute such a claim considering the Falcons are 22-3 when Turner runs for over 100 yards in a game.

But if the team’s offseason moves are any indication, it appears there’ll be a slight modification to that line in 2012: As Matt Ryan goes, the Atlanta Falcons will go.

Atlanta’s offense ran primarily through Michael Turner when ex-coordinator Mike Mularkey was leading the charge, but with Turner getting older and a scheme change underway, those days may be over.

The Falcons announced in February they’ll be putting Turner on a pitch count this season, and new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter is bringing in a more aerial attack with his four-verticals offense coming to town.

With Ryan entering his fifth season, it looks as though he may finally get his chance to be the true centerpiece to the Falcons offense. He’s shown flashes of greatness when the team has had to lean on him, but has yet to prove he can do so week in and week out.

Can he make the jump from good game manager to elite quarterback? We may find out soon enough.