Miggy_Ray
Starter
New ownership took over in Atlanta near the end of last season. The Falcons under previous ownership were just hovering around mediocre finishing the season at 8-8. Guys were playing out of position the depth was not being utilized properly. It was a mess, so whatever team you saw last year was just a shell of what this team is capable of. Just a couple of seasons ago this was a Super Bowl team and most of the same key pieces to that team are still here. Now they are going to have to fight and claw to try and get back to that point.
Let's breakdown the roster to see where we stand right now.
QUARTERBACKS:
Absolutely no QB controversy in Atlanta with the franchise quarterback Matty Ice still on the roster. Ryan is one of the elite pocket passers in this league as long as he is healthy. Last year that was a bit of a problem as he missed a few games which forced Matt Barkley to be the teams starter. Barkley is gone this season as well as 3rd stringer Matt Schaub. AJ McCarron was signed in the offseason to he Ryan's primary backup. AJ might not have the greatest arm strength but he does have some accuracy on the short to medium pass routes. Also in limited work he has shown some ability to be a starter in this league so he has some experience if needed to be called upon. In the 6th Round of the draft this year the Falcons selected Jake Browning from the University of Washington. While he also does not have elite arm strength he played in some bigtime college football games at Washington. He has the confidence we like to see in a QB at this level. One of his biggest traits in college was taking care of the football. He was really good at not forcing things and taking what the defense gave him.
The Breakdown:
As long as Matt Ryan is healthy for a majority of the season things will be fine here. AJ McCarron should be ok a short stretch but anything over 4 games it could get dicey. Also, Matt Ryan is 33 years old and entering the final year of his contract. The Falcons will have to figure out a way to keep him.
RUNNING BACKS/FULLBACKS
The Falcons are set at Halfback as well with one of if not the best 1-2 combos in all of football Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. They both can run between the tackles and both have the speed to get to the outside with ease. Both are excellent catching it out of the backfield as well. No matter which one or if both are in the game the Falcons feel confident. Backing them up is little known Brian Hill in his 2nd year out of Wyoming. Hill has good size at 6'0 and 219 Lbs. He is more of inside tough yardage runner but his speed is not slow either.
At FB the Falcons are carrying a human bowling ball. Nikita Whitlock entering his 5th season out of Wake Forest comes in at 5'10 and 265 LBs. He is a solid lead blocker when called upon but does not offer much with the ball in his hands.
The Breakdown:
Depth could be a problem if injuries start to mount. The Falcons would like to possibly add at least one more HB before the season starts. However, if both Freeman and Coleman can stay relatively healthy then the Falcons should have a formidable rushing attack. Tevin Coleman is in the final year of his extremely team friendly contract.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
The beast and the freak of nature that is Julio Jones is still here. Arguably the best overall WR in the league is the key to the Falcons passing attack. Even if he is not the main target just the fact he is out on the field forces the opposing defenses to be aware and possibly change the way they like to play just to account for his presence. Opposite of Julio will once again be the steady veteran Mohamed Sanu. Sanu often gets overlooked because he has played opposite of the likes of Julio here in Atlanta and AJ Green in Cincy. But Sanu is a dependable pass catcher and a good downfield run blocker as well. The Falcons lost a big weapon when Taylor Gabriel opted to leave via free agency. So in order to replace the hole in the slot receiver spot first we went out and signed Albert Wilson from the KC Chiefs to a 3 yr deal. Wilson has pretty nice speed and has solid hands. Then the Falcons front office decided to draft Dante Pettis like Browning out of the University of Washington. Pettis is a skilled playmaker with the ball in his hands as evident by his NCAA record Punt Returns for TD record. Pettis and Wilson will both see time in the slot but Pettis will be the primary returner man from day 1. Justin Hardy will see playing time as well and is quality insurance down the depth chart. Free agent signee Alex Erickson was brought in on a 1 year deal to compete for a returner spot and that is likely his best chance at making the 53 man roster.
At TE we feel like this is either an unknown or underrated group led by Austin Hooper from Stanford who is a solid combination of both receiver and blocker. The #2 TE spot will be a training camp battle between Eric Saubert entering his 2nd year or the veteran of the group and the massive Levine Toilolo at 6'8 265 LBs. Saubert is more of an athlete but Toilolo has the better hands and a slightly better overall blocker.
The Breakdown:
We know who the starters will be at WR and TE but the slot receivers and backup TEs will all be fighting for more prominent roles. The only contracta set to expire at either position is Justin Hardy and Alex Erickson. So this group will all be together through at least next season.
OFFENSIVE LINE:
The offensive line only made one change from last season and will once again be anchored by the man in the middle veteran Center Alex Mack. On either side of him will be another 10 year vet Andy Levitre at LG. On the right side Alvin Bailey looked to have the starting spot locked up but in mini-camp 2nd year pro Sean Harlow has started to gain on him. This could be a position battle by the time the preseason rolls around. At the tackle spots are both returning starters. At LT Jake Matthews will be protecting Matt Ryan's blindside and on the right side is one of the better RTs in the league Ryan Schraeder.
Ty Sambrailo will serve as the primary backup at both tackle positions heading into training camp. As mention Sean Harlow is one backup Guard at the moment but the Falcons have 2 others Sebastian Tretola who has some physical skills but still working on the mental part of the game. Wes Schweitzer is the final backup guard and he is more of a run blocking type but is currently working on his pass blocking to increase his chances of making the 53 man. The Falcons also signed a solid young Center Chris Watt as a possible replacement in the future for the aging Alex Mack. We are hoping Watt can learn some of the tricks of the trade from Mack while he also could be in the mix to possibly get a look at the RG position in camp.
The Breakdown:
4 of the 5 OL jobs are set in stone for this season but a few questions marks could be in the near future. As of now the Falcons have 2 starters both going into their 10the years in the league. Their starting LT Jake Matthews is also set to become a free agent at seasons end. The Falcons may have some big decisions to make come next offseason.
Let's breakdown the roster to see where we stand right now.
QUARTERBACKS:
Absolutely no QB controversy in Atlanta with the franchise quarterback Matty Ice still on the roster. Ryan is one of the elite pocket passers in this league as long as he is healthy. Last year that was a bit of a problem as he missed a few games which forced Matt Barkley to be the teams starter. Barkley is gone this season as well as 3rd stringer Matt Schaub. AJ McCarron was signed in the offseason to he Ryan's primary backup. AJ might not have the greatest arm strength but he does have some accuracy on the short to medium pass routes. Also in limited work he has shown some ability to be a starter in this league so he has some experience if needed to be called upon. In the 6th Round of the draft this year the Falcons selected Jake Browning from the University of Washington. While he also does not have elite arm strength he played in some bigtime college football games at Washington. He has the confidence we like to see in a QB at this level. One of his biggest traits in college was taking care of the football. He was really good at not forcing things and taking what the defense gave him.
The Breakdown:
As long as Matt Ryan is healthy for a majority of the season things will be fine here. AJ McCarron should be ok a short stretch but anything over 4 games it could get dicey. Also, Matt Ryan is 33 years old and entering the final year of his contract. The Falcons will have to figure out a way to keep him.
RUNNING BACKS/FULLBACKS
The Falcons are set at Halfback as well with one of if not the best 1-2 combos in all of football Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. They both can run between the tackles and both have the speed to get to the outside with ease. Both are excellent catching it out of the backfield as well. No matter which one or if both are in the game the Falcons feel confident. Backing them up is little known Brian Hill in his 2nd year out of Wyoming. Hill has good size at 6'0 and 219 Lbs. He is more of inside tough yardage runner but his speed is not slow either.
At FB the Falcons are carrying a human bowling ball. Nikita Whitlock entering his 5th season out of Wake Forest comes in at 5'10 and 265 LBs. He is a solid lead blocker when called upon but does not offer much with the ball in his hands.
The Breakdown:
Depth could be a problem if injuries start to mount. The Falcons would like to possibly add at least one more HB before the season starts. However, if both Freeman and Coleman can stay relatively healthy then the Falcons should have a formidable rushing attack. Tevin Coleman is in the final year of his extremely team friendly contract.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
The beast and the freak of nature that is Julio Jones is still here. Arguably the best overall WR in the league is the key to the Falcons passing attack. Even if he is not the main target just the fact he is out on the field forces the opposing defenses to be aware and possibly change the way they like to play just to account for his presence. Opposite of Julio will once again be the steady veteran Mohamed Sanu. Sanu often gets overlooked because he has played opposite of the likes of Julio here in Atlanta and AJ Green in Cincy. But Sanu is a dependable pass catcher and a good downfield run blocker as well. The Falcons lost a big weapon when Taylor Gabriel opted to leave via free agency. So in order to replace the hole in the slot receiver spot first we went out and signed Albert Wilson from the KC Chiefs to a 3 yr deal. Wilson has pretty nice speed and has solid hands. Then the Falcons front office decided to draft Dante Pettis like Browning out of the University of Washington. Pettis is a skilled playmaker with the ball in his hands as evident by his NCAA record Punt Returns for TD record. Pettis and Wilson will both see time in the slot but Pettis will be the primary returner man from day 1. Justin Hardy will see playing time as well and is quality insurance down the depth chart. Free agent signee Alex Erickson was brought in on a 1 year deal to compete for a returner spot and that is likely his best chance at making the 53 man roster.
At TE we feel like this is either an unknown or underrated group led by Austin Hooper from Stanford who is a solid combination of both receiver and blocker. The #2 TE spot will be a training camp battle between Eric Saubert entering his 2nd year or the veteran of the group and the massive Levine Toilolo at 6'8 265 LBs. Saubert is more of an athlete but Toilolo has the better hands and a slightly better overall blocker.
The Breakdown:
We know who the starters will be at WR and TE but the slot receivers and backup TEs will all be fighting for more prominent roles. The only contracta set to expire at either position is Justin Hardy and Alex Erickson. So this group will all be together through at least next season.
OFFENSIVE LINE:
The offensive line only made one change from last season and will once again be anchored by the man in the middle veteran Center Alex Mack. On either side of him will be another 10 year vet Andy Levitre at LG. On the right side Alvin Bailey looked to have the starting spot locked up but in mini-camp 2nd year pro Sean Harlow has started to gain on him. This could be a position battle by the time the preseason rolls around. At the tackle spots are both returning starters. At LT Jake Matthews will be protecting Matt Ryan's blindside and on the right side is one of the better RTs in the league Ryan Schraeder.
Ty Sambrailo will serve as the primary backup at both tackle positions heading into training camp. As mention Sean Harlow is one backup Guard at the moment but the Falcons have 2 others Sebastian Tretola who has some physical skills but still working on the mental part of the game. Wes Schweitzer is the final backup guard and he is more of a run blocking type but is currently working on his pass blocking to increase his chances of making the 53 man. The Falcons also signed a solid young Center Chris Watt as a possible replacement in the future for the aging Alex Mack. We are hoping Watt can learn some of the tricks of the trade from Mack while he also could be in the mix to possibly get a look at the RG position in camp.
The Breakdown:
4 of the 5 OL jobs are set in stone for this season but a few questions marks could be in the near future. As of now the Falcons have 2 starters both going into their 10the years in the league. Their starting LT Jake Matthews is also set to become a free agent at seasons end. The Falcons may have some big decisions to make come next offseason.