5 Reasons the Atlanta Falcons Will Improve in 2012

Coming off a 2010 season that saw the first-seeded Atlanta Falcons embarrassed 48-21 by the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs, Atlanta thought it was one explosive player away from contending for the Super Bowl in 2011.

While the Falcons got that player in Julio Jones, they returned to the postseason last year only to be humbled yet again in a 24-2 loss to the New York Giants.

After taking such a noticeable step back last season, many expected the Falcons to chase after big-name free agents in the offseason. Yet as the team remains all but quiet three weeks into free agency, some are starting to wonder if Atlanta is headed towards regression this year.

However, here are five reasons Falcons fans should be confident Atlanta will improve in 2012.

The Offensive Line Will Come Around

After losing Harvey Dahl to free agency last year, the Atlanta Falcons witnessed a big drop-off in the performance of their offensive line as Matt Ryan was sacked a career-high 26 times in 2011 and the team's fourth-ranked rushing attack in 2010 fell to 17th. 

The Falcons seemingly put the blame on coaching, promptly firing offensive line coach Paul Boudreau following the team's playoff loss to the Giants.

Taking over for him is former Fresno State Bulldogs head coach Pat Hill, who returns to the NFL after a 15-year hiatus in the college ranks.

Hill, who held stints as offensive line coach for the Browns and Ravens in the '90s, will definitely help develop some of Atlanta's younger offensive linemen with new schemes and techniques as he looks to bring back some of the fire and energy that was lacking on the line last year. 

Along with a few key acquisitions in next month's NFL draft, the Falcons could be poised to turn their offensive line from a major weakness into a great asset. 

New Offensive Scheme

Former Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey found great success with his power-running offense in four seasons with the Falcons.  

However, Mularkey’s scheme relied heavily on eating up the clock to keep opposing offenses off the field.

It was a system that was effective when Atlanta’s running game was working on all four cylinders to take the lead early in games, but left little room for comeback when the Falcons found themselves trailing late.

Now, with Mularkey gone to coach the Jaguars, new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter plans to implement a vertical passing offense that will give the Falcons the chance to experience the same kind of success as New Orleans, Green Bay and New England in today’s pass-heavy NFL. 

More importantly, however, Koetter’s system has the potential to maximize Atlanta’s wealth of talent in the likes of Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Julio Jones, Tony Gonzalez and Jacquizz Rodgers—something Mularkey was never quite able to do during his tenure with the Falcons.

The Addition of Mike Nolan

While the Falcons are led by a star-studded cast on offense, the same couldn't be said for the defensive side of the ball.

The Falcons consistently ranked near the top of the league in rush defense the past four seasons, but one could argue that's simply due to opponents finding it easy to throw the ball on Atlanta's passive, zone-based defense.

The Falcons ranked 20th in the league against the pass last season—the highest they've finished since Brian VanGorder took over the coordinator position in 2008.

Enter Mike Nolan. 

Hired to replace VanGorder who left to coach at Auburn, Nolan brings 14 years of experience as a defensive coordinator and is an instant upgrade at the position.   

For proof, look no further than his stint with the Dolphins last year. Under Nolan's aggressive scheme, Miami allowed the sixth-fewest points in the NFL, finished in the top 10 in pass defense and ranked tied for 10th in sacks—all big areas of improvement for the Falcons.

If Nolan’s able to produce the same numbers as he did with the Dolphins, Atlanta’s defense could surprise many on its way to a dominant 2012 season.  

A Strong Core Group of Players

As other teams around the league were quick to acquire multiple high-profile players since the free-agency period began three weeks ago, Atlanta rather focused on keeping its own. 

The Falcons have re-signed all but seven of their 20 free agents, with returner Eric Weems and linebacker Curtis Lofton on defense as the team's biggest losses.

As a result, the Falcons have been rather quiet in free agency, picking up only Lofa Tatupu and Vince Manuwai so far.

However, the fact remains that Atlanta has developed a Matt Ryan-led core group of players that has helped the Falcons to a 43-21 regular-season record over the past four years and back-to-back playoff appearances.

If that's not a sign of success, I don't know what is. 

Atlanta has a strong foundation to work with and will only continue to build on it next season and beyond.

It's Time

All of that being said, there's no better time than now for the Falcons to join the ranks of the NFL's elite tier.

There's no denying the Falcons have been well on their way since the arrival of Mike Smith and Thomas Dimitroff in 2008, posting four straight winning seasons—three of which resulted in playoff appearances—and setting numerous franchise records along the way.

However, winning seasons and breaking records doesn't mean anything if they don't result in a Super Bowl ring at the end of the year.

That's not to disregard the great turnaround Dimitroff has orchestrated in Atlanta. After all, who could have predicted the Falcons would go from cellar dwellers in the debacle that was the 2007 season to playoff contenders the very next year?

Yet as this current regime gears up for its fifth season, Smith and company need to start producing postseason wins or risk sitting on the hot seat.

There are no more excuses—all the pieces are in place. Now the Falcons just need to go out and show why they deserve to be considered among the NFL's top teams.