Atlanta Falcons Midseason Report Card: Offense
It's halftime of the 2010 NFL season, and we're taking this time to review the Atlanta Falcons' offense. My fellow BR Falcons Columnist Ryan Comstock took care of things on the defensive end, so make sure to check that out.
Going into this season, one of the biggest questions facing this team was whether or not QB Matt Ryan and the Falcons' offense would be able to take that next step into becoming a unit that could give opposing defenses nightmares. Despite some early bumps in the beginning of the year (most notably against Pittsburgh's vaunted defense) it seems as the Falcons' offense is taking shape and playing well while preparing to take one some of the big boys of the NFL in the second half.
We're breaking this down position by position, and looking into some areas that could stand improvement as the Falcons continue to position themselves for the postseason push.
Quarterbacks: A
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Matt Ryan has been playing well in the first seven games of the 2010 season, throwing for 12 TDs and only five INTs with a quarterback rating of 89. However, this grade goes beyond just mere stats (sorry Raheem Morris) and is about how Ryan has continued to keep this team afloat despite losing his second-best wide receiver in Michael Jenkins for the first five games of the season, and a solid but not great defense.
Ryan has continued to improve on his accuracy, completing 61 percent of his passes, and showing that he can make the short screen passes as well as the long bombs to Roddy White. Going back over this season so far, the only bad pass he made was in the San Francisco game when CB Nate Clements picked him off in the fourth quarter. However, Ryan got a second chance and went into Matty Ice mode, throwing pass after pass and leading the Falcons to victory.
The man is a winner, plain and simple, and if Atlanta is finally going to taste success in the postseason, it will start with No. 2 in the huddle.
Wide Receivers: B
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Before I get flamed, remember this is about the group as a whole. I know that Roddy White has pretty much been the entire unit so far this year, but I do believe that the guys who play alongside him haven't provided the help that he needs.
White has been the man so far this year as he is among the league leaders in receptions (54), yards (747) and yards per catch (13.8). His receptions and yards are nearly more than the remaining Falcons receivers (Jenkins, Harry Douglas, Brian Finneran and Eric Weems) combined. He has been the recipient on five of Matt Ryan's TDs, especially when the Falcons need to go deep.
Although Jenkins has been out for the first five games of the year, he will need to contribute to the offense so that teams won't feel that they need to double up on White. Since Atlanta is beginning to spread the offense in more three wide receiver sets, it will need to be up to guys like Douglas and Weems to take advantage of the coverage White will receive and make something happen in open space.
Tight Ends: B
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Gonzalez may not have had the gaudy stats that we are accustomed to (29 catches for 292 yards, three TDs) but the future Hall of Famer has been steady in his run protection, which is a must for a run-first offense. Also, Matt Ryan can count on TG to get the big catch in traffic, especially on third down situations when the defense is expecting the ball to go to Roddy White. The highlight of his season was becoming the first tight end in league history to catch 1,000 receptions.
TG's presence in the second half of the year will be huge as the Falcons face stout run defenses like Baltimore and Tampa Bay. He will be counted upon to help the team make the plays in clutch situations.
Justin Peele is used primarily in jumbo and two tight end sets, but is currently injured.
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Running Backs: B-
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For a team that is heavily dependent upon the run, the Falcons are solid but not great. Turner has rebounded well from an injury-plagued 2009 by rushing for 587 yards and a solid 4.43 yards per run. His running mate Jason Snelling has been on of the league's more dependable backups, and won NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts against the Arizona Cardinals when Turner went down. Snelling's presence will loom large the later the season gets, as his ability to gain tough yards will keep Turner fresh for the stretch run.
As Jerious Norwood had his usual season ending injury, rookie Gartrell Johnson has only had one carry, but it was a big 23-yard carry, and perhaps we'll see more of him coming out of the backfield as the Falcons look to more short passing plays to keep defenses on their toes.
I decided to also rank fullback Ovie Mughelli as well, getting a B. Although he is not used much in actual run plays, it is his great blocking which helps open up the holes for the running back duo.
Offensive Line: B
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Of course we can't measure the efforts of the Falcons' offensive line with stats, but give them credit for how they have kept Matt Ryan and Michael Turner on their feet and off the sidelines with injuries. There have been only two games in which this team has been dominated by opposing defensive lines, and they still held their own when facing the likes of Pittsburgh and New Orleans, teams that have shown they can play physical.
This ability to keep their QB upright will be crucial when they play a young but talented Tampa Bay defense as well as the vaunted Baltimore defense in a few weeks.
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