I’m not sure how regular this will be as the season unfolds, but I’ll try to do one each week if I can. Since this is the first game of the season, I really don’t have any excuses not to do it. But I’m going to be looking at the different matchups that I like and don’t like as the Falcons prepare for the Steelers.

Matchups I Like

Dennis Dixon vs. the Falcons defense

I know many Falcon fans were worried about the possibility of Dixon starting this week instead of Byron Leftwich. They’d rather face the statue of Leftwich rather than the mobile Dixon.

I’m not too worried. Dixon will likely be able to make some plays with his legs, but his accuracy and decision making are the biggest areas of concerns for the Steelers offense. He has only had limited work with the first team offense, so he isn’t likely to be on the same page with most of his receivers. He is only making his second NFL start, so he will also be prone to making a lot of rookie mistakes. How he recognizes defense, how he sees the field, and whether he can make good decisions and put the ball on the money with accuracy to his receivers must be a major concern for the Steelers brass, otherwise they would not have been so reluctant to start him.

The Falcons will likely look to confine him to the pocket where he is going to be less dangerous. Safeties Thomas DeCoud and Erik Coleman will likely be a big reason why if the Falcons are able to take advantage, sitting back and reading Dixon’s eyes and breaking plays on the ball. The hallmark of young quarterbacks is a tendency to stare down his targets, which allows defensive backs, especially safeties a greater opportunity to jump routes and break up plays.

Steelers Right OL vs. Falcons Left DL

This matchup features rookie center Maurkice Pouncey, right guard Trai Essex, and right tackle Flozell Adams versus the Falcons left side of their line which will feature mainly Kroy Biermann at left end, Peria Jerry at left tackle, and Jamaal Anderson splitting time at both spots.

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The Falcons announced today that four of their restricted free agents signed their one-year tenders today. Those players that signed their tenders were offensive linemen Tyson Clabo, Harvey Dahl, and Quinn Ojinnaka, and running back Jason Snelling.

Today was the last day that restricted free agents could sign offer sheets with other teams. No word on whether or not punter Michael Koenen or running back Jerious Norwood signed their tenders, but since they did not sign offer sheets with other teams, they aren’t going anywhere.

Clabo and Dahl will earn $2.521 million in base salary this year. Snelling will make $1.684 million and Ojinnaka $1.176 million. When Koenen and Norwood sign, they will be set to earn $2.73 million and $1.759 million, respectively.

Steve Lansdale of The Ranch Report.com says that uncited rumors about the Dallas Cowboys pursuing Falcons restricted free agent Tyson Clabo are unlikely according to an anonymous source.

The reasons why the Cowboys interest isn’t expected to be high is because of the high tender the Falcons placed on their offensive tackle. If a team were to attempt to sign him, the Falcons would receive a first round pick in terms of compensation.

According to Lansdale’s source, Clabo is a good fit in Dallas because of his versatility to play both guard and tackle, but would likely be viewed primarily as a reserve, making the compensation to acquire him even more prohibitive.

The AJC reports that Falcons tackle Tyson Clabo and punter Michael Koenen have received their designated tenders as restricted free agents. Clabo will receive a first round tender worth $2.521 million, while Koenen will receive a second round tender worth 110% of his 2009 salary. Because Koenen was tagged with the franchise tag last spring, for a salary of $2.48 million, his tender will cost the team $2.73 million.

The Falcons did not release information as to what their other restricted free agent tenders are, which include running backs Jerious Norwood and Jason Snelling, offensive guards Harvey Dahl and Quinn Ojinnaka, and safeties Antoine Harris, Jamaal Fudge, and Charlie Peprah.

Traditionally, players that have accrued three years of experience are restricted free agents. Which permits them to sign with other teams, but their original team retains the right of first refusal, meaning they can match any contract signed by the free agent in order to retain them, or if they choose not to do so receive compensation in the form of a draft pick based on the level of tender they received. If Koenen and Clabo were to sign elsewhere, the team would receive a second and first round pick, respectively.

But due to the uncapped year that is approaching, players with less than six years of accrued NFL experience will also be restricted, which includes Koenen and Clabo.

We don’t know quite what the Falcons will do with their restricted free agent tenders. They have until Thursday to make decisions. But here is what I think should and could happen.

Chief among the Falcons restricted free agents are Jason Snelling, Tyson Clabo, Harvey Dahl, Jerious Norwood, and Michael Koenen. The Falcons will almost certainly tender all five of these players.

Because of the rules of the uncapped season, restricted free agents won’t be just fourth year players, instead fifth and sixth year players will also be restricted. And thus, because of their different levels of experience, players will have different tender levels. The way restricted free agency works is that teams tender players at certain levels to determine potential compensation if another team signs them to an offer sheet. If the original team chooses not to match the offer sheet, then they sign with the new team and the original team gets some sort of compensation, usually equaling the original round in which the player was drafted.

Snelling as a fourth year player at a minimum will be tendered with a $1.101 million tender. If that is the case, the Falcons will receive a 7th round pick in terms of compensation if another team was to sign him. But since the Falcons saw how valuable Snelling was last year both as a reserve fullback and tailback, it’s likely they will tender him at a higher level. That next highest level will be $1.684 million, which allows them to receive a second round pick as compensation.

Clabo, Dahl, and Norwood are fifth year players. Both Clabo and Dahl were undrafted free agents, which means if the Falcons tendered them at the lowest level they would receive nothing in terms of compensation. More than likely, the team will tender both starters at the first round level, which for players with their experience would be worth $2.521 million. Norwood as a former third round pick probably can be tendered at the minimum level of $1.176 million.

Koenen is a sixth-year player but since he was tagged with the Franchise tag last year his minimum tender will have to be 110% of what he made last year. The franchise tag for last season was $2.48 million, which means that the Falcons will have to tender him at $2.73 million.

The other restricted free agents on the roster include safeties Antoine Harris, Charlie Peprah, and Jamaal Fudge, and offensive linemen Quinn Ojinnaka. Ojinnaka is the most likely to get tendered because of his value as a utility backup on the offensive line. As a fifth round pick, he’ll likely be tendered at the minimum level for a fifth year player ($1.176 million).

The three safeties will be harder to decide. All three players can contribute on special teams, but more than likely next summer there will only be one roster spot available for any. So more than likely, the Falcons could probably get away with tendering one of them, whichever they see as the most valuable and most likely to win a camp competition, and let the other two walk. That player will more than likely be either Harris or Peprah. The team cut Fudge at the end of last year’s camp, and only brought him back after Brian William’s injury. So they’ve already seen him as expendable. Harris ended the season on injured reserve after tearing a PCL in December. The team can’t cut him because he’s injured, but not tendering him is a way of letting him go without having to come to an injury settlement. But a PCL tear is considerably less devastating as an ACL tear, and usually doesn’t require surgery (see Brian Finneran). Time to rest typically can heal them, so more than likely unless any complications come up during Harris’ rehab, he should be healthy enough to compete for a job come August. Peprah also ended the season injured with a sore hamstring, but that should also be healed in time for OTAs.

More than likely the team will tender both at the minimum level ($1.176 million). That would mean no compensation for Harris because he was undrafted, and fifth round pick for Peprah. If they decide to tender Fudge, it would put him in the same boat as Harris because he too was undrafted.

Brian McIntyre of FalconInsider.com reports that Falcons guard Harvey Dahl received the most on the team as far as the league’s performance-based pay roll. Annually, the league rewards players with low salaries that earn significant playing time.

Dahl earned the most on the team with $255,938. He started every game at right guard after having earned $445,000 in his regular base salary.

Second on the list was right tackle Tyson Clabo, who pocketed $254,297 adding to his $445,000 base salary as well.

FalconInsider.com lists ten other players’ extra payouts:

Kroy Biermann, DE – $162,469
Justin Blalock, OG – $144,273
Harry Douglas, WR – $112,217
Brent Grimes, CB – $189,409
Chris Houston, CB – $139, 921
Chevis Jackson, CB – $122,031
Justin Peelle, TE – $123,329
Marcus Pollard, TE – $1,386
Jason Snelling, RB – $121,308
Coy Wire, LB – $113,837

Pollard’s was the lowest on the team.

FalconInsider.com reports that the Falcons have tendered restricted free agent Tyson Clabo with a second round pick. Clabo will earn $1.545 million this year in salary. If another team attempts to sign him this off-season, the Falcons have the right to match the offer in order to keep him or will receive a second round pick as compensation if they choose not to.

The Falcons released their final injury report today with several of the team’s starters being listed on it. Linebacker Michael Boley, defensive tackle Grady Jackson, and offensive linemen Todd Weiner and Tyson Clabo were listed as questionable for this week’s contest against the Kansas City Chiefs. However offensive tackle Sam Baker was listed as probable.

Boley is listed with a neck injury telling the AJC that it is a “little stiff” and has improved as the week has progressed. Jackson injured his knee prior to last week’s contest against the Buccaneers and sat out that game. Weiner hurt his knee and Clabo injured his elbow. Clabo has started at right tackle this season, and Weiner filled in at left tackle last week for an injured Sam Baker. Baker suffered a concussion early in the Bucs game, but should be able to play this Sunday due to his probable status. Weiner’s knee injury will be one to watch. He missed much of last season after injury both knees and also sat for the majority of the off-season unable to practice.Also listed as doubtful was center Alex Stepanovich. He has already missed time due to a back injury he suffered in the summer.Also the Falcons would seem unlikely to sign free agent defensive Jason Babin before this week’s game. MLive.com reported on Wednesday that Babin was set to work out with the Falcons on Thursday, after he was released by the Seattle Seahawks earlier that day. Babin was a first round pick in 2004 by the Houston Texans and began his career as an outslide linebacker. But he was then traded to the Seahawks in 2007 and has played as a defensive end for them. He only played in 2 games in 2007, but in three seasons with the Texans had earned 22 starts. He has 13 career sacks and 126 tackles. The AJC reports that the Falcons are actively looking to improve their pass rush.

Pro Football Weekly reports that the Falcons are not moving forward in attempting to extend safety Lawyer Milloy’s contract until they can gauge the “team dynamic” after a few weeks of the upcoming season. Milloy is entering a contract year, meaning he will be a free agent next spring.

Milloy turns 35 in November, and per PFW is seeking to have his contract extended by at least one year. According to the report, if Milloy doesn’t receive an extension by the end of the year, he’ll likely decide to move on in free agency to a contending team.

Although none were explicitly mentioned, this could also be a stance the team is taking with other contract year players. That includes prospective unrestricted free agents linebacker Michael Boley, defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux, punter Michael Koenen, and wide receiver Michael Jenkins. Offensive linemen Tyson Clabo and Harvey Dahl both are set to become restricted free agents after this season.

Falcons new offensive line coach is virtually starting from scratch with the team’s offensive line. Much of the off-season activities involving the line have been spent shuffling different players to different positions. The only player so far that has not been shuffled around is incumbent starting center Todd McClure, who’s job security has been considered secure by AJC writer Steve Wyche.

“I have no pre-conceived notions. Right now guys are on a clean slate. Whether you were the coach’s favorite before. Whether you weren’t the coach’s favorite. Whether you were on the practice squad I don’t really care. My favorite guys are the guys who do everything right, do it on time and do it physically.” — Paul Boudreau

Right now, practice squad player Harvey Dahl has been working on the first time at right guard, ahead of Kynan Forney who has held that position since the middle of the 2001 season. Boudreau praises both Dahl and right tackle Tyson Clabo as being two of the team’s nastiest players. Clabo is considered to be ahead at right tackle, but both his and Dahl’s starting status is not fixed. Right tackle Todd Weiner is coming off a tough knee injury, but is expected to be 100% by the start of training camp. He could re-assume the starting spot at that position if that occurs. Clabo started 11 games last year in place for Weiner at right tackle.

Boudreau also praised rookie left tackle Sam Baker, who looks like he will have a good chance to hold the starting position there when the season starts.