Atlanta Falcons: Winning the NFC South is Within Reach

The expectations for the Atlanta Falcons in 2009 should be very high.

With a disappointing loss in the first game of the playoffs in 2008, the Falcons should be eager to get back to the playoffs and contend.

The obvious downfall last season was the defense giving up too many points in big games. In turn, that put pressure on a run-first offense and rookie quarterback Matt Ryan to make big plays early in his career.

Ryan handled himself very well in his rookie season, but is no longer a rookie and is expected to make the big plays when necessary. 

The Falcons finished with an overall record of 11-5 in the regular season, making it very hard to point fingers at anyone, especially after a 4-12 record just one year earlier.

With head coach Mike Smith, as well as players such as Matt Ryan and running back Michael Turner, the offense looks to be solid once again.

The Falcons improved their receiving core by going out and getting Tony Gonzalez, which will shore up the middle of the field as well as help the red zone passing game.

The offense is set to explode with a lot of young talent who will benefit from having a year in Smith's system.

When the run gets going and Ryan can pick and choose his spots for the big plays, the Falcons are unbelievably hard to beat. If they can keep with Smith's schemes and open it up a bit, I think they will exceed expectations and compete deep into the playoffs.

With that said, obstacles may come in the form of stopping the other team's offense instead of relying only on the ability to outscore the opposition.

The defense was helped greatly by picking up seven defensive players in eight picks in the 2009 draft. With the loss of great veteran linebackers Keith Brooking and Michael Boley, the defense needed a lot of help.

Hopefully, the rookies and new acquisitions can fill in and shore up the middle of that defense. If so, the Falcons have a great chance of winning the NFC South, which is arguably becoming the strongest division in the NFL.

It is definitely going to be a close race, but with Tampa Bay struggling to find itself, hopefully there will only be two teams to worry about.

The Falcons have to take care of business at home, which they have been able to do in the new system under Smith.

Atlanta has a great chance to have an 11-win season in back-to-back years and go beyond the NFC South title to make it deep into the playoffs in 2009.