Matt Ryan

Often when people look to see if a team has improved, they will measure it with wins and losses. And while that is not a bad way to do so, it is not a true measure of a team’s ability. Because you’re not playing the same schedule year to year, and even the teams that you do play annually aren’t always the same quality as they were in previous years. Every NFL season brings a new and different set of challenges, and to simply measure them by how many games you’ve won or lost doesn’t accurately gauge whether you rose to meet those challenges.

Here are five areas that I think the Falcons need to improve in if they want to be able to say they have improved as a team from 2011 and previous years. These are five areas that you could set apart as mini-goals for this team. And if they were to accomplish all five by the end of the year, I believe this will result in more regular season wins for the Falcons as well as a greater chance of winning in the postseason. And not just winning one game in January, but potentially many multiple so that they could possibly be winning come February.

1. Matt Ryan Needs to Take the Next Step as a Passer

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Julio Jones celebrates after a TD

The Falcons lost their preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 31-17, but positives could be drawn from the game. Notably the Falcons starting offense and defense both had strong performances, getting out to a 14-0 lead early in the game before the reserves let the Ravens back into it.

Matt Ryan had a strong performance. He began the game completing his first six passes for 92 yards, including a touchdown. He finished the night completing 9 of 13 passes for 155 yards with a touchdown and an interception. All four Falcons quarterbacks got work from under center. Chris Redman entered the game to complete 1 of 6 passes for just 8 yards before giving way to John Parker Wilson. Wilson completed 8 of 13 passes for 69 yards, while Dominique Davis finished the game with 6 of 11 passing for 53 yards and an interception. On the ground, Jacquizz Rodgers led rushers with 33 yards on 9 carries, including a touchdown. Michael Turner had 5 carries for 17 yards, and Antone Smith also had 4 carries for 13 yards. Julio Jones had a dominant performance with 6 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. Roddy White added 3 catches for 46 yards in his brief work. Kevin Cone, Marcus Jackson, Aron White, Michael Palmer, and Tim Toone each had a pair of receptions for 25, 25, 22, 17, and 16 yards respectively. Matt Bryant connected on his lone field goal attempt of 31 yards to end the first half. Matt Bosher punted 4 times for an average of 44.8 yards with 2 placed inside the 20-yard line. Dawson Zimmerman also punted 5 times for an average of 47.6 yards.

Defensively, the Falcons were stout against the Ravens’ starting offense shutting them out and limiting them to 15 total yards in the first quarter. Once the reserves starting to enter the game, however the unit was far less stout. For the game, they gave up 321 total yards. But they also forced a late interception, and also brought down Ravens passers for 3 sacks on the evening. Robert McClain tied for the team lead alongside Shann Schillinger with 6 tackles. McClain also added the interception. Kroy Biermann (1 tackle, 1 sack); Rico Council (3 tackles); Akeem Dent (2 tackles, 1 sack); Dominique Franks (4 tackles); Robert James (5 tackles, 1 sack); Peria Jerry (3 tackles); Jonathan Massaquoi (4 tackles); Travian Robertson (3 tackles); and Peyton Thompson (3 tackles) had noteworthy games.

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Kerry Meier

The backup positions at wide receiver will likely be some of the most contested positions on the roster this summer in training camp. The Falcons are pretty much locked in at the top of their depth chart, but are intent on seeing what competition can brew on the back-end.

Roddy White and Julio Jones will remain starters this year, and the team is looking for the latter to really step up this year. Jones showed flashes of his ability, particularly in the latter half of last season. The team hopes that with a complete off-season this spring and summer, he’ll be better prepared to be able to play at a similarly high level throughout the course of the entire 2012 season.

White is one of the more reliabe players on the entire team, and you can be certain he’ll play very well this year. He is coming off a year where he had a large number of drops, and he’ll be looking to redeem himself in 2012. But you can expect White to be the team’s top wideout throughout the season. And if that is not the case, it’ll likely be because Jones has really stepped up his game rather than any fall-off from White.

Behind them on the depth chart, but playing what in today’s NFL is practically a starting position himself is third wideout Harry Douglas. Douglas showed improvement a year ago after having a full season coming off his knee injury, and the team hopes he will also continue that upward trend this year. Douglas is at home in the slot, but he got a lot more opportunities on the outside last year due to injuries to Jones. The team is hoping that getting stronger should help allow him to contribute more there this year.

Behind those three receivers is really where the question marks lie. The Falcons have a large number of unproven wideouts and prospects expected to compete for what will likely be two, possible three roster spots.

The player who is most likely to emerge from that group for a spot is third-year player Kerry Meier. The Falcons traditionally have given their fourth and fifth wideouts extensive reps on special teams rather than offense. But for Meier unlike the others, the team may be paying more attention to his contributions this summer on offense. His size, hands, and blocking potential gives him some upside to contribute on offense, but he hasn’t quite put it all together in his two previous summers. The team knows what he potentially brings to the table on special teams, which gives him an edge there, but it doesn’t fully know his potential on offense.

Returning from last year’s practice squad are Kevin Cone and D.J. Davis. Cone is a player that has a good combination of size, athleticism, and speed. He got some work on special teams in the season finale. If he can impress in coverage as well as showcase some big play ability in preseason will likely give him an edge over the others. Davis is more quick than fast that flashed some ability last summer. Between the two, much larger expectations are being heaped on Cone.

Among the rest of the position group, the team will have a bunch of undrafted free agents competing for spots. And it’s likely their ability on special teams will trump any offensive production they may be inclined to show. Also the vacant return duties will factor in here, as whoever becomes the team’s kickoff and punt returners could shake up depth across the roster. That mainly goes for James Rodgers, the brother of Jacquizz, who is competing for the open kick return duties. Rodgers was one of the few undrafted free agents that the Falcons signed that was productive throughout his college career on kickoff returns. He is now nearly two years removed from a major knee injury similar to Douglas, and the team is hopeful that similarly he can regain some of that explosive burst he showcased prior to the injury.

Mike Calvin was a backup throughout his Cal days. But that gave him a large amount of experience working on special teams. Like Cone, he has a good combination of natural size and speed which can be effective as a gunner on special teams. Marcus Jackson began his collegiate career as a quarterback, but made the eventual switch to wideout. Kenny Stafford’s biggest claim to fame is that his uncle is former NFL wideout Cris Carter, but he hopes that his play on the field this summer in camp and preseason will give the team and its fans another reason to remember his name. All three of these players weren’t super-productive while playing in college, but unlike most summers they all have a fairly strong chance to make the roster rather than just trying to impress enough for a practice squad position.

But an issue the Falcons may have to address in the late summer is that if none of the young guys really step up to be able to fill those depth roles, the team may have to sign a veteran player. A number of proven wide receivers will find themselves out of a job come late August and September as roster cuts are made, and the Falcons might make the decision to try and bolster it with a more known commodity than these untested players. That could especially become relevant based around how the competition at the return spots shakes up. Any veteran player the Falcons add between now and the start of the season is likely to be a guy they want to help as a return man rather than any potential offensive production.

Julio Jones

After discussing the quarterbacks and running backs, it’s time to look at the wide receiver position’s outlook for the Falcons in 2015.

To no one’s surprise, Julio Jones is the leader here. Jones rise to the top comes in 2013, which was the first year where he led the team in both receptions and receiving yards. And he has not looked back since. He has produced thousand-yard seasons in all but his rookie season. He is one of the elite receivers in the league with only Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Dez Bryant, and A.J. Green considered to be in the same stratosphere.

Over the ensuing years, Jones and Ryan have formed a strong rapport and it’s often Jones’ ability to make something out of nothing which is a key reason why the Falcons are potentially poised for huge success come 2015.

The team did not re-sign a 33-year old Roddy White following the 2014 season. White winds up with a bottom rung AFC team hoping that his veteran presence will uplift their meager passing attack. But White’s exit from Atlanta is not without its own glory. He finishes his Falcon career just shy of 800 career receptions, over 10,000 yards receiving, and 70 receiving touchdowns. It so far outpaces any other Falcon receiver that he is unanimously hailed as the team’s all-time greatest receiver. While White spent 2013 and 2014 as the second fiddle to Jones, he still was a highly productive player for the team and a big reason why the Falcons were able to achieve greater postseason success with one of the best starting pairs of receivers in the league.

Replacing White in the lineup is 2014 draft pick DeAndre Hopkins out of Clemson. Hopkins blend of speed and size make him a good complement to Jones, bringing many of the same tools to the offense that White once did. Hopkins spent his rookie year as the No. 3 receiver in the offense and his solid production in that role has the team willing and ready to promote him into the starting lineup.

Tyler Eifert

Behind Hopkins is still the now savvy veteran Harry Douglas, who adds quality depth in the slot for the Falcons. Douglas is entering what is expected to be his last season with the Falcons at age 31, but he’s been a solid third option for the team for the past few years, with Hopkins surpassing him the year before. But he’s back in the driver’s seat for the No. 3 spot. But he’s being pushed by Cody Pearcy, who after spending his rookie season on the Falcons practice squad has developed into a newer version of Tim Dwight. Pearcy’s primary value is on special teams, but they like his speed and potential to stretch defenses and are hoping to mix him more into the offense now that he’s got three years under his belt.

Tony Gonzalez walked away from the game after 2012, and the Falcons used their top pick the following spring on Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert. While Eifert doesn’t quite measure up to Gonzalez (who does?), he has been a solid starter from Day One giving Ryan a solid pass catcher and chain mover in the middle of the defense. By 2015, he is considered the team’s second-best weapon in the passing game behind Jones.

Teaming with Eifert is the Falcons 2014 free agent pickup Kellen Davis, formerly of the Chicago Bears. Davis lost his starting job in Chicago in 2013 to an up and comer, allowing the Falcons to snatch him up in free agency the following year. Davis’ combo of size, athleticism, and blocking ability makes him well-suited for the No. 2 role. But he’s also a solid pass catcher and the Falcons are taking a page from the New England Patriots among other teams with having a solid pair of tight ends. Davis’ presence made the decision not to bring back Michael Palmer in 2015 as a free agent easy.

In this week’s episode, Ryan and I get back to the grind of talking about the Falcons. Taking segments of recent live shows where we talk about different position groups on the offense, this episode is an amalgamation (I know, big word) of those discussions. Also included in this episode is our interview with The Bleacher Report’s Scott Carasik, another knowledgeable Falcon fan. If you want to hear practically every offensive player on the Falcons roster get discussed, then this is the episode for you. Topics range from who will make the roster to what can be expected from different players this year. What if any changes that Dirk Koetter has will affect different players and positions. Ryan and I get into a long debate about what exactly is an elite quarterback. Michael Turner’s future, Chris Redman, Kerry Meier, Julio Jones, and Sam Baker are other Falcon players that get extensive discussions in this episode.

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Duration: 1 hour, 39 minutes

If you have any questions and comments, you can hit us up on Twitter, post in the forums in the podcast thread, or drop Ryan an e-mail at: ryan-valdez@live.com. Don’t forget to drop by every week to hear our live broadcast at: justin.tv/didziojo

You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. You can also subscribe directly to our feed at the following URL: http://feeds.feedburner.com/falcfans/LXSt

Julio Jones

When looking over the final numbers that Julio Jones posted in 2011: 54 catches, 959 yards, 17.8 avg, and 8 touchdowns, you would think he was one of the most feared wideouts in the league. Then considering that he missed what combined to be 3.75 games (about 15 quarters), then his production becomes even more astounding. His projected 1253 yards over 16 games would have had him finished 10th in the league in yards not far behind Roddy White (1296 yards), and his 10 touchdowns would have ranked 6th, exceeding that of White and players like Wes Welker, Victor Cruz, Vincent Jackson, Larry Fitzgerald, and Greg Jennings. But as usual, when one examines only the raw numbers it can paint an inaccurate picture. A deeper look at Jones performance in 2011, particularly when you look at each game paints a slightly different picture.

Not to slight Jones and his excellent rookie season, but there were trademark signs of the inconsistency that is common among first-year wideouts that is not easily seen if you just look at the overall numbers. Two prime examples of this was his Week 3 performance against the Bucs and his Week 13 performance against the Panthers. In both games, his final box score numbers looked great with 6 catches for 115 yards against Tampa Bay and 3 catches for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns against Carolina. But in both games, Jones was extremely quiet for the first three quarters of the game.

Against Tampa Bay, he was targeted a grand total of 2 times in the first three quarters, catching the ball once for an 18-yard gain. With the Falcons down 16-3 going into the fourth quarter, Jones was able to turn things on, catching all 5 of his targets for 97 yards including a 49-yard bomb that set up a scoring play to Tony Gonzalez which cut the Bucs lead to 6 points with 10 minutes to go on the game.

Against the Panthers, through the first three quarters Jones had been targeted a total of 6 times, catching the ball only once for 12 yards. That also included 2 dropped passes. Then in the fourth quarter, he caught a pair of touchdowns on his only two targets for a total of 92 yards.

These two games are perfect illustrations of the highs and lows that Julio Jones experienced in 2011. With the highs you get that game-changing big play ability that this offense was sorely lacking in previous seasons. But with the lows, you get next to nothing where he is virtually a non-existent factor in the offense.

Another often overlooked thing was Jones number of drops. While most observers criticized Roddy’s league-leading 15 drops, forgotten is that Jones had 9 of his own. Once you factor in targets (91 for Jones, and 175 for White according to Pro Football Focus.com), you realize that Jones dropped a slightly higher percentage of passes than White did: 9.8% for Jones vs. 8.6% for White.

The key for the Falcons in 2012 is to find ways to minimize those lows while also being able to maintain or maximize the highs. That will be potentially the biggest priority that new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter will need to accomplish this year. And if the Falcons can get him to a point where opposing defensive coordinators have to fear him the most, then that opens up opportunities for their other weapons.

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Jones stiff arms a defender

The good people at The Falcoholic provide one of the best Falcon blogs out there. Everyday you can read something interesting in order to get your daily Falcons fix. So this is by no means meant to slight that site or the people that write for them.

But recently, one of their writers, one Caleb Rutherford wrote an interesting piece about Julio Jones trade, which has been a topic of division among the Falcon fan base since the day it was done. Some view that the Falcons gave up too much. Others view that the trade was well worth it. And probably even more, no longer care and just have learned to live with it. I fall into the former group.

One of the problems with disliking the trade for Julio Jones is that you are accused of disliking the player that is Julio Jones. And for me, that coudln’t be further from the truth. I like Julio Jones the player. I like him a lot. But at the same time, I’m not going to make him out to be bigger or better than he actually is. I think Julio Jones is going to become a very good NFL player and one of the better receivers in the NFL over the next several years. But even if that occurs, I still do not think the trade was worth what the Falcons gave up.

One of the problems I have with Mr. Rutherford’s article is that some of the arguments he made supporting the trade I think are misleading if not outright false.

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Ryan and I get together in this first part of a two-part episode to talk Falcons off-season once more with some updates on free agency, draft, and the Combine. We run down our thoughts on several current Falcons including Sam Baker, Michael Turner, John Abraham, and of course the obligatory Joe Hawley argument. We also share our thoughts on which free agents and draft prospects the Falcons should target in order to improve the team in some key areas. We also give our perspectives on whether the Julio Jones looks better or worse with the value of hindsight.

In part two, we talk about Brent Grimes and Curtis Lofton and their futures in Atlanta as well as comparign Thomas DeCoud and Reggie Nelson. We also talk about a bunch of non-football topics including UFC, dating, technology, social media, and about past and future guests on the show.

Part 1:

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Duration: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Part 2:

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Duration: 1 hour

If you have any questions and comments, you can hit us up on Twitter, post in the forums in the podcast thread, or drop Ryan an e-mail at: ryan-valdez@live.com. Don’t forget to drop by on gamedays to hear our live broadcast at: justin.tv/didziojo

You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. You can also subscribe directly to our feed at the following URL: http://feeds.feedburner.com/falcfans/LXSt

Giants Top WR Victor Cruz

There are a few questions that the Falcons must be able to answer on Sunday if they want to win their first playoff game under Mike Smith and beat the New York Giants.

1. Can the Falcons stop Victor Cruz?

The biggest potential mismatch for the Falcons in their secondary is their nickel corner on Victor Cruz. Cruz is the Giants top receiver, leading the team in catches (82), yards (1536), and touchdowns (9). The Falcons will be putting Dominique Franks in the nickel. Franks has had his moments in recent weeks, but has also had his issues working at the nickel. A notable issue was last week against the Bucs, where Franks was beat by Preston Parker for a 48-yard completion while working out of the slot. Plays like that cannot happen this week. The Falcons don’t need Franks to shut down Cruz, but just contain him similar to the Redskins did in Week 15 where he only caught 5 passes for 44 yards, which was one of the weaker performances of Cruz all year long.

2. Can the Falcons slow the Giants pass rush?

The other matchup that could cause potential problems for the Falcons is trying to slow down the Giants pass rushers: Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Osi Umenyiora. Tuck hasn’t had quite the season he is used to having with 5 sacks, but he’s still a tough matchup for any right tackle, and Tyson Clabo will have his hands full. Last time the Falcons played the Giants, Clabo gave up two pressures to Tuck. But the biggest question probably comes from the Falcons left tackle Will Svitek and whether he can face Jason Pierre-Paul and Osi Umenyiora. Pierre-Paul led the Gaints with 16.5. Umenyiora managed 9 sacks in 9 games, and came back in Week 17 after missing several games with an ankle injury to get a pair of sacks in a key game against the Cowboys. Svitek started strong when he first subbed in for Sam Baker at midseason, but down the stretch his play tailed off.

The Falcons are probably going to have give each of these guys a bit more help, by playing a few more times in max protection, where tight ends and backs stay in to chip and help slow those guys. Which will put more emphasis on the Falcons receivers to separate and get open.

3. Can the Falcons pound Michael Turner?

One the ways the Falcons can help slow down the Giants pass rush will be if they can effectively run the ball. Turner had a strong performance against the Bucs in Week 17, but the Bucs were one of the league’s worst run defenses. The Giants are better, but not exactly a strong in run defense. So the potential is there for the Falcons to be able to control the clock and tempo with a running game. The issue the Falcons face is that prior to the Bucs game, Turner had five pretty mundane performances, including two road games against Houston and New Orleans, where he was virtually a non-factor. That cannot be the case against the Giants, where the Falcons are going to need Turner to have success early, and be able to carry that through the rest of the game.
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We might just as well re-name this to the Julio Jones Trophy. I don’t really have to explain the Jones pick, but I’ll just use this space to recap what the other rookies did this year.

Jacquizz Rodgers managed to make plays whenever he got opportunities as a runner and receiver, but most observers including myself can’t seem to understand why he did not get more opportunities. He runs as hard as any back on the roster, able to get yards after contact, and with his speed and quickness to make guys miss and hit the hole quickly, you just wonder what the coaches were seeing that the rest of us didn’t that merited him only getting limited carries. His primary role was in pass protection, another area where he was solid. I believe Rodgers could have made the race with Jones for this award much more interesting if it did not seem that the coaching staff was conspiring against him.

Akeem Dent played predominantly on special teams, and seemed to start to find his stride in the latter half of the year in coverage units. To the point that he might have been our best cover guy this year, which is saying quite a bit when you consider Weems had earned a Pro Bowl bid due to his abilities there just as much as his return skills.

Bosher has already been discussed. And Andrew Jackson and Cliff Matthews respectively spent the entire season on the practice squad or inactive, so there is really nothing to say about them. The only other rookie to make the squad was Darrin Walls, who played fairly well relative to his youth when pressed into duty late in the season, showing doubters like myself that he legitimately was deserving of a roster spot and not a player that just stood out from a weak group of corners this summer.

And I’ll briefly touch on Jones season. He was a bit inconsistent early in the year, and the injuries that plagued him during the middle of the year weren’t helping. But he really picked things up down the stretch and really was much more consistently able to showcase his game-breaking potential. He’s hoping he becomes even more consistent with showing that skillset in the future for the Falcons.