With training camps officially open all around The National Football
League, there might be a sense of urgency from The Atlanta Falcons in
Flowery Branch, Georgia. The Falcons have turned things around since
Mike Smith became the head coach in 2008. In that time Smith has changed
the culture in Atlanta. Smith’s first order of business was using the
third overall pick in The 2008 NFL Draft on Boston College quarterback
Matt Ryan. Ryan is already the franchise’s leader in quarterback passer
rating at 88.4 which included him throwing a touchdown on his first
career pro pass. Smith already has the third most wins by a head coach
in franchise history (43) and he has the highest winning percentage by a
Falcons head coach at .652. The Falcons have never had a losing record
with Smith and Ryan while making the postseason on three occasions, but
they do not have a postseason victory for their efforts which brings up
the question; is this a make or break year for them?
Despite losing inside linebacker Lofa Tatupu to a pectoral injury,
this team is loaded. Wide receiver Roddy White is the franchise’s
all-time leader in receiving yards with 7,374 yards while Michael Turner
is one of the toughest running backs to tackle in football. The Falcons
already had a deep secondary with the likes of free safety Thomas
DeCoud and cornerback Dunta Robinson. The unit is even deeper now since
The Falcons acquired Pro Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel and his 45 career
interceptions from The Philadelphia Eagles.
Besides losing three postseason games in four years, The Falcons
have had to go home with the notion that they were knocked out of the
playoffs by the team that would go on to represent The National Football
Conference in The Super Bowl on each occasion. The Arizona Cardinals
fell short of holding up The Vince Lombardi Trophy while The Green Bay
Packers and New York Giants were able to claim football’s ultimate
prize. In the three losses, The Falcons lost by a combined score of
102-47.
Smith has had to live with people criticizing his aggressive nature
as far as play-calling. It started in Week 10 last season when Smith
decided to go for it on fourth-and-short deep in his own territory
against The New Orleans Saints. The Saints defense prevailed and they
would win the game 26-23 in overtime. In The Wild Card Round against The
Giants, Smith decided to for it on fourth-and-short on two occasions in
Giants territory. On each occasion Smith opted for a quarterback sneak
with Ryan rather than giving the football to Turner or kicking the field
goal. Each time The Giants stopped them and they seized the momentum.
Before you knew it a 7-2 deficit became a 24-2 final score.
Although Ryan is still a young quarterback at only 27-years of age,
the title window could be closing on this team soon if they don’t
strike. All-Pro tight end Tony Gonzalez has hinted that this could be
his last season in The NFL as he is 36-years old. Since Turner has been
in Atlanta, he has 300 or more carries in three of his four seasons. I
know that he wasn’t the feature back early in his career with The San
Diego Chargers, but the carries still take an effect on a running backs
production later in his career.
This season is a golden opportunity to put all of the “not winning
the big one” noise to bed for The Falcons. With “Bountygate” hanging
over the heads of their NFC South rival Saints, this is the perfect time
for The Falcons to seize control of the division. The Carolina Panthers
are a young team on the rise while The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are trying
to get their footing under first year head coach Greg Schiano. The
Falcons do not until play an opponent with a winning record from 2011
until Week 10 this season when they travel to New Orleans. This could be
a make or break year for The Falcons because if they fail to advance in
the postseason again, Smith and Ryan will start to hear the whispers of
not being able to get it done when it counts.
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