The NFL is back, and Sportsnet is breaking down everything you need to know about each of the 32 teams—including why you should or shouldn’t be rooting for them this season—in the month leading up to kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 8. Today, the Atlanta Falcons.
Last year’s record: 8-8
Head coach: Dan Quinn
Core players: Matt Ryan (QB), Julio Jones (WR), Ryan Schraeder (OT), Desmond Trufant (CB), Jake Matthews (OT), Matt Bryant (K)
2016 is about… Playing their best football against the other teams in the NFC South and limiting turnovers. Atlanta was 1-5 against division rivals in 2015 and it cost them a playoff spot. One reason the Falcons struggled mightily after a 5-0 start was they had turnover troubles: 16 of their 30 turnovers came after the Week 10 bye.
They lost… A pair of Falcons lifers. The Roddy White and William Moore eras in Atlanta are over. White had been with the team since being drafted in the first round in 2005. The four-time Pro Bowler is the franchise’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Moore spent the last seven seasons in the Falcons secondary. Unfortunately, both players lost a step or two and could keep their roster spots. Falcons fans will remember their entertaining rivalry from Hard Knocks a couple years ago.
Also gone are Paul Soliai and Justin Durant, who weren’t worth the price of their contracts. O’Brien Schofield, a favourite of Dan Quinn, couldn’t see eye-to-eye with management when attempting to rework a contract so he lasted just one year in Atlanta as did 2008 first-overall pick Jake Long, who isn’t the same player he once was.
But they got… A Pro Bowl centre. The Falcons had a top-five offensive line last year, according to Pro Football Focus, and it got even better with the addition of Alex Mack. He was excellent on the Browns and all indications are that he has adjusted well to the Flacons playbook.
Mohamed Sanu was the No. 3 receiver on the Bengals (but was really the fifth target on the Cincinnati depth chart when you include tight end Tyler Eifert and running back Giovani Bernard) and now serves as the primary supporting cast for Julio Jones. Sanu should be a significant upgrade to what White and Harry Douglas were in recent seasons but it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to being in the No. 2 spot.
Derrick Shelby and Courtney Upshaw add depth to a slightly improved defensive line, however signing veteran Dwight Freeney and bringing back linebacker Sean Weatherspoon might have the biggest impact on defence. Weatherspoon was drafted 19th overall by the team in 2010 and had great 2011 and 2012 campaigns before facing injury woes. He missed 10 games in 2013 and the entire 2014 season after tearing his Achilles. The 28-year-old spent last year with the Cardinals but now he’s back home with the Falcons where he belongs.
Atlanta took safety Keanu Neal in the first round of this year’s draft. He has drawn some comparisons to Kam Chancellor and even worked out with the Seahawks stalwart prior to camp. Neal recently underwent minor knee surgery so he’ll miss the start of the season but should start when he’s healthy. The team signed heavy hitter Dashon Goldson as a short-term solution.
Growing from within… Vic Beasley underperformed in his rookie year relative to the lofty expectations heaped on him as an eighth-overall pick. His four sacks actually led the Falcons in the category, which is a commentary on their terrible pass rush – they had a league-low 19 total sacks in 2015. Beasley was beastly at Clemson and we haven’t really seen that from him in the NFL yet. The team moved him from defensive end to linebacker in the hope that he’ll be able to get to opposing quarterbacks more frequently. Having a legendary pass rusher like Dwight Freeney to work with and learn from should be great for Beasley’s development.
Why this team? Any team with Julio Jones is must-see TV. It was thrilling to watch him rack up a league-leading 136 receptions (tied with Antonio Brown) and 1,871 receiving yards last season. In fact, he nearly set a pair of NFL single season records. Only 2002 Marvin Harrison had more receptions and 2012 Calvin Johnson had more receiving yards. Building an offence around a talent like Jones is a luxury most teams don’t have. Devonta Freeman had a breakout 2015 campaign and if Sanu plays well he’ll take pressure off Jones, who accounted for 31.3 per cent of the team’s scrimmage yards last year — only Adrian Peterson’s 33.2 per cent was higher.
One player who doesn’t get nearly as much credit league-wide as he deserves is Desmond Trufant. The shutdown corner was the least-targeted starting corner in the league last year and he’s still getting better.
Why not this team? It’s amazing that three of the four NFC South teams are in a similar situation – below average or downright bad defensive front sevens with a high-upside offence. The Falcons definitely share similarities with the Saints and Bucs in this department. Atlanta is strong on both sides of the line of scrimmage the way Quinn wants they have a chance at keeping pace with the Panthers. On the other hand, they’ve been a disappointment for three straight years and are a team that struggles to get over that final hurdle any time they seem to have a roster capable of making a splash in the playoffs.
How much hope? 7.3/10: They are still better than Tampa and New Orleans and there’s no way Carolina goes 15-1 again. Improving on an 8-8 record and challenging for a division title and/or wild-card spot is a realistic expectation.
