Predicting 4 Problem Spots for the Atlanta Falcons in 2012

Coming off the heels of their third consecutive playoff loss in the past four years, the Atlanta Falcons have quietly addressed many of the team’s biggest weaknesses from last season.  

They beefed up their offensive line with the addition of draft picks Peter Konz and Lamar Holmes, traded for a ball-hawk in Asante Samuel, and re-signed key core veterans including Harry Douglas and John Abraham.

Yet as many moves as the Falcons have made to fix their current issues, other problems—be they old or new—are bound to arise in 2012.

Here’s a look at four possible problem spots that may slow the Falcons down on their quest for the Super Bowl this season.

Left Tackle

An open competition for the most important spot on the offensive line is a concern in itself, but it’s an even bigger one when the three players in contention are Sam Baker, Will Svitek and Lamar Holmes.

Baker, the four-year starter at the position, has had difficulty living up to his expectations as a first-round draft pick. Poor play and injuries led to him being replaced late in the season by Svitek, who didn’t prove to be that much of an upgrade himself.    

Holmes has perhaps the biggest upside of the three, but history shows that few rookie third-round draft picks have been able to come in and dominate at the position from day one.   

Bottom line

Barring a comeback year from Baker or sensational rookie season from Holmes, the left tackle position may continue to be a concern for the Falcons.

Defensive End

The pass rush has been the Falcons’ Achilles' heel on defense these past few seasons, and it looks as though it may continue to be a problem this year as well.

Atlanta re-signed the team’s sack leader in John Abraham to a three-year deal, which guarantees pressure from at least one of the defensive end positions.

However, fellow starter Ray Edwards is coming off a disappointing 3.5-sack season, and only fifth-round draft pick Jonathan Massaquoi has been added to a rotation that includes Kroy Biermann and Lawrence Sidbury.   

And that doesn’t bode well for a defensive unit that finished just 19th in the league in sacks in 2011.

Bottom line  

The replacement of Brian VanGorder with Mike Nolan at the defensive coordinator position figures to bring some much-needed improvement to the pass rush. Whether he’ll be good enough to turn Atlanta’s weakness into a strength, however, remains to be seen.

Running Back

Michael Turner is coming off a dominant 2011 campaign which saw him rush for 1,340 yards and 11 touchdowns. However, he also just turned 30 and has quite the mileage on his legs with 1,189 carries to his name since his arrival in Atlanta in 2008.

While Turner didn’t become a feature back until the age of 26, one can only wonder if this is the year the wheels finally fall off for him. And that might make for quite a problem considering the running game has been the Falcons’ greatest asset under head coach Mike Smith.

Bottom line

Turner’s light is fading fast, and with just career backup Jason Snelling and the diminutive Jacquizz Rodgers as reserves, the Falcons may have a difficult time moving the ball on the ground in 2012.

Middle Linebacker

The Falcons lost one of their brightest stars this offseason when starting middle linebacker Curtis Lofton departed to New Orleans via free agency.

Set to replace him is either Akeem Dent or Lofa Tatupu.

Neither is a sure thing.

Dent, a second-year veteran out of UGA, remains unproven after playing mostly on special teams since he was drafted by Atlanta in 2011.

Tatupu is a three-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro, but he was out of football for all of last season due to injuries and hasn’t played his best football since 2008.  

While he'll be in an open competition with Tatupu, signs point to the job being Dent’s to lose. However, that doesn’t mean he won’t experience some growing pains in his first year as a starter.

Bottom line

Unless Dent shines early on, Atlanta’s sixth-ranked run defense in 2011 is likely to see a sharp decline this season.