Matt Ryan was a huge draft pick. He gives the Falcons fans something to hope for. Michael Vick did give the Falcons a lot of good years and his legal problems should not diminish that. However, the Falcons have to move on and Matt Ryan has the potential to be the franchise quarterback the Falcons need now more than ever.
It will be interesting to see if they throw him in the fire now or wait until 2009. My guess is that Chris Redman or Joey Harrington could start the season and that by the middle of the year, Ryan will be the number one guy. However, I could also see where the Falcons throw the youngster into the fire on day one.
Ryan is signed, so he will be at training camp on day one. This won't be a JaMarcus Russell situation from last year where the Raiders had not choice but to sit the September arrival most of the season. How Ryan does in training camp will go a long way to determining his opening day status. Either way, it is going to hamper the Falcons from joining the top passing offenses in 2008. This is a rebuilding year and the Falcons must accept that.
The Falcons improved their offensive line by drafting Sam Baker in the first round. He should help the Falcons continue to upgrade the offensive line. hey also added Harry Douglas to give their QBs another target on offense.
On defense they added Curtis Lofton to upgrade their linebacker corp. In the secondary they added Chevis Jaskson and Thomas DeCoud. The Falcons are trying to retool a defense that had ranked in the middle of the NFL over the three seasons prior to 2007. The first round was geared to offense, with some of their other picks going to upgrade the defense.
Prediction: I like what the Falcons did this off-season. I thought Matt Ryan was a solid pick. I like the Michael Turner signing. I like that they brought in Jason Elam. The division is not very strong and they have an easy schedule based on last year’s results. That said it is very hard to win in this league with a rookie quarterback. Even if Harrington or Redman starts the season neither has proven they can win week in and week out in the NFL.
The key for the Falcons will be a fast start. They get Detroit, Tampa, Kansas City, and Carolina to open the season. The rest of the schedule is a mix of easier teams like Oakland, and tougher teams like Green Bay and Philadelphia. They have some tough games at the end of November and beginning of December, which include San Diego, at New Orleans, Tampa, and at Minnesota.
All in all, I look for the Falcons to be a more competitive team and not be outscored by over nine points per game. That probably won't show much in the win column, but it will make for better football in Atlanta. However, I don’t see where they will get much more than five wins in 2008. That doesn’t mean they aren’t on the right track. It means it takes time to rebuild a franchise. If they can develop their young talent and have another good off-season in 2009 they may be able to start thinking about competing for a playoff spot.
Atlanta’s Record: 5-11 – NFC South fourth Place; No Playoffs
That is how I see the NFC South playing out in 2008. Next week I will turn my focus to the AFC North. I look forward to reading your comments about what you expect from your favorite team.
Derek Lofland is the NFL director at Fantasy Maniaxs.com
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