The Atlanta Falcons had a great regular season last year going 13-3. But when you really look at the stats you can see problems that were hidden by an easy schedule. Fortunately it’s clear that the Falcons are ready to fix these problems in 2011.
First thing to look at is sophomore linebacker Sean Weatherspoon. Spoon was brought in to add quickness to the defense and to help the falcons get off the field in 3rd down situations. The stats show why a healthy Spoon will greatly help the defense.
Let’s take a look at Sean Weatherspoon’s 2010 performance. He started a total of 5 games, including the first 3 games, but in the third he went down with an injury against the Saints. That injury put Spoon out 5 games. In the 5 games that Sean was out, the Falcons opponents had a 3rd down success rate of 55%. But in the 5 games he started, opponents 3rd down success rate was 32.8%. That is a HUGE difference. Defense is all about getting off the field so the offense can score. If Spoon stays healthy than the falcons are definitely looking at an improved defense.
Now lets move on to another huge hindrance in the 2010 defense. Sacks. The Falcons posted 31 last year, making them tied for 23rd in the league. No lets look at the 2011 defense. Before we get to Ray Edwards, lets talk about the DT’s. 2009 1st round pick Peria Jerry is finally getting healthy, and even though his value as a pass rusher is yet to be determined, it can only help to add a quality player to the Defense Line rotation. This is going to help keep Jonathan Babineaux and Corey Peters fresh and productive, and add more depth to the defensive line. Now, Ray Edwards. A great young Defensive End that is easily an 8-10 sack guy lining up opposite of Abe. With Kroy Biermann working his way into the rotation, this also allows our group of defensive ends to stay fresh. If Edwards can post close to 10 sacks next year (which I believe he will) the Falcons could easily jump into the top 10 in sacks.
Finally let’s talk about our offense. At the beginning of the 2010 season it appeared that the Falcons had all the talent they could ask for on offense. Michael Turner in the backfield. Tony Gonzalez at Tight end. Roddy White at wide receiver, and of course Matt Ryan at QB. But as the Year went on Teams began to figure out how to game plan for Roddy, because their wasn’t another huge threat on the other side of the field. And in addition to that the Running game started to look stagnant because the Falcons lacked a change-of-pace back. Well say hello to Julio Jones and Jacquizz Rodgers. Everyone went crazy over the Julio trade during the draft, because everyone saw how explosive he was. He is an NFL ready WR that now has the opportunity to be mentored under one of the best receivers in the league (Roddy White). With those two lining up at Wide Receiver, Matt Ryan should have a field day.
And now to the Running game. Everyone knows that Michael turner is a beast, but he’s not exactly known for making people miss, and catching balls out of the backfield. That’s why Rodgers is going to complement him perfectly. He is a small elusive back, that many expected to be drafted in the 2nd round. We grabbed him in the 5th. He is the perfect change-of-pace back for our system, and should be an absolute steal.
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