Five Questions the Atlanta Falcons Need To Answer Before the 2009 Season

The Atlanta Falcons had a phenomenal season last year; they went from being the NFC South joke to an 11-5 team that made the playoffs.

That was then.

The Falcons are now back at square one and despite the accolades of last season's players, including Rookie of the Year Matt Ryan (pictured above), this 2009 campaign is infinitely more important to the Falcons franchise than any other in the team's history.

Why? Because the Falcons have never had a back-to-back winning season. That's right, never.

The NFL draft promises to be interesting for Dimitroff and company, because they will have some serious holes to fill in the secondary and on the defensive line. Which will they choose to address first?

Two weeks ago, I would have said we need a defensive tackle first, but with the release of linebackers Keith Brooking and Michael Boley, there is now a big void in our linebacking corps that cannot be overlooked.

We still need that defensive tackle too, especially now that Grady Jackson has moved on to greener pastures, not to mention the loss of Lawyer Milloy at safety and talented corner Dominique Foxworth.

In short, the Falcons are looking thin on a defense that seemed to get better as the weeks wore on last year.

So as we prepare for the draft and look to the 2009 season, there are a few questions the Birds need to answer, starting with:

1. Is Matt Ryan a fluke or a future Hall of Famer?

Last season, Ryan showed us that he could be cool under pressure. One only need look to that game-winning drive against Chicago last year to see that the kid has poise beyond his years.

However, for all his great stats, there were still times when he looked fairly pedestrian.

He fumbled the ball six times last season and despite the 3,400 passing yards, Ryan is not a big passing numbers guy-he had seven games last season where he passed for under 200 yards.

That hardly seems like the numbers of a superstar in waiting.

Matt Ryan could be the next Peyton Manning or the next Derek Anderson. The verdict is still out on him.

2. Can Michael Turner duplicate his success from 2008?

Michael Turner had nearly 1,700 yards rushing last season, but he had to have 376 attempts to do it. That's a lot of running for a guy you expect to lead your franchise for several years to come. Can you really expect that kind of production from him again?

I say it would be foolish to do so, especially if you continue to use him as the workhorse.

By contrast, Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams had 1,500+ yards last season on 273 attempts. Far more efficient. The difference? Williams had Jonathan Stewart to spell him when needed.

The Falcons need to get Jerious Norwood involved more if they expect to keep Turner in the lineup and off the injury list. Norwood was excellent as a pass-catcher last season and averaged 5.1 yards per carry when called upon to run the ball.

Secondary to that, he was a phenomenal special teams guy, amassing over 1,300 yards in returns. He's clearly a jack of all trades.

They have to do something if they want to see their Pro Bowl running back have continued success.

3. Will another wide receiver finally step up?

Roddy White is no longer under the radar after posting his second consecutive 1,200-yard receiving season. So, it stands to reason that as the secondary's begin to key in on him, who will take the pressure off?

Will it continue to be sixth-year man Michael Jenkins, who caught 50 for 777 yards last season, his best season yet? Or the emerging Harry Douglas? Someone needs to step it up a little more if Matt Ryan is going to keep progressing.

Further, if White is going to remain the star that he is surely becoming, it is a must that he work on his drops. He has been notorious for dropping balls when he is wide open.

It shows a serious lack of focus on his part and it is a trait he needs to work on negating from his repertoire.

4. Will the Falcons address their pass-rush deficiencies? Last season, the Falcons only had 34 sacks. John Abraham was responsible for 16 of those. I don't expect him to do that again this year. We need to target a defensive end who can take some of the pressure off Abraham to be the guy.

The line needs more speed and more balance in order to stop opposing quarterbacks from having a passing field day. 

Jamaal Anderson was supposed to give us that big time production, but he has underachieved to this point and it is uncertain if that is due to coaching or his inadequate skill-set at the pro level. Whatever the case may be, we have to address this problem.

5. The offensive line needs to add more depth.

Offensive line coach Paul Boudreau did a great job making a line that was a joke into one that gave up the fifth lowest sack total in the league (17) and aided Michael Turner in gaining nearly 1,700 yards last season. However, we need to get more depth in order to remain competitive.

Last season, our main injury casualty was left tackle Sam Baker. He missed time due to a concussion and then back surgery. The rest of the line remained injury-free for the season. Todd Weiner filled in for Baker when he was injured, but Weiner retired after the year, leaving a void.

The Falcons need to add depth in order to ensure that improvements continue and there won't be a serious drop off in production next season.

These are just a few of the questions that I feel the Falcons will need to answer prior to the start of next season. If they are going to accomplish their first back-to-back winning seasons in franchise history, they need to have the right answers.