Almost nothing went wrong for the 2008 Falcons, and they went 11-5 but almost everything went wrong for the 2009 Falcons, and they finished 9-7. "We feel like we're a lot closer to 12 or 13 wins than we are to eight," quarterback Matt Ryan said Saturday. "Last year was frustrating because we didn't make the playoffs, but you always want to be in the mix. You always want to be playing for something, and really until the last three weeks we were." The 2009 schedule was a fright: Of the Falcons' seven losses, five came against playoff qualifiers; the other two were against teams that finished 8-8. As underwhelming as the season might have seemed, only three losses came by more than 10 points, and the worst beating - the 34-7 loss to Philadelphia - came on a day Ryan didn't play and yet two weeks later the Falcons, in Ryan's gimpy return, beat the Jets, who would play for the AFC title, in the Meadowlands. "Those losses were tough," Ryan said. "We won a lot of tight games, too, but it was frustrating to lose three or four games in a difficult way. And within those games, it comes down to small things." Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
they are already there on offense. the key to this team becoming a legit contender is their defense. it has been a real weakness under the current regime in atlanta and i'm not sure if they done enough to fix the problems. we will see, though. if the defense becomes average or a little above average, yes, they will be legit.
I think a lot of it will hinge on Jerry's health. He's the key right now. They're good enought to do what they did last year without him but he will probably affect the D enough to get a couple more wins. Or, if Sidbury and Bierman take the next step we could really make some strides. Heaven forbid it all come together at once, then you're talkin' SB contenders.
they are getting getting jerry on the field, moving anderson inside with babineaux as a rotation and hopefully sidbury becomes a legit end opposite abraham....and weatherspoon will fire that defense up in a big way...things look good for that defense imo
The defense is a huge question mark. Who outside of White will make plays at WR? Will Tony G keep it up at his age? Can Turner stay healthy? The Falcons can get 8-10 wins, but I don't think that's enough to make the playoffs.
Atlanta's 2 main problems: 1. No reliable WR outside of Roddy 2. No secondary. Injuries didn't help last year. We still managed to go 9-7 riddled with injuries and with a secondary that got burned repeatedly. Still, we've got a real tough schedule this year, and I'd be surprised if we get more than a wildcard spot.
Douglas coming back should help alot more than people think. He catches pretty much everything, as well a being our PR guy so thats 2 facets that improve. We also essentially get 2 1st rounders and a 2nd round this year due to Moore and Jerry coming back of injury. On D we will still have a couple of holes - OLB, CB#2 and only LDE by commitee as it were - not terrible and gives us a decent shot at making a good playoff run imo.
I don't think the Saints are losing the division, and the wildcard spots will be from the North and East. I think it will take at least 11 wins to get in the playoffs. Douglas is coming back from a major injury so ow much he helps is a mystery at best. Turner was injured after his first full season, so can he handle the load. Can the Line get a pass rush outside of Abraham. Even the best teams 12 - 13 wins isn't likely(13 more so).
