3 Good 3 Bad: Atlanta Falcons

wow been a while since I've last posted
been working at a camp the last several weeks and had nothing else to do so here goes:

I will talk about several teams in the future, stating 3 positives and 3 negatives about the team heading into the season. I will start with the Atlanta Falcons.

3 Good:

*Bobby Petrino's vertical offense should take better advantage of Michael Vick's powerful arm. Vick's accuracy throughout his career has been very mediocre, and under Coach Mora he was thrown into a system where timing and precision were vital. Needless to say, Vick had his share of struggles and moving away from that system to a more vertical offense could be Vick's last hope to prove himself to be a good NFL passer, as his exceptional arm strength has always been the reason why Vick hasn't yet been given up on.

*Jerious Norwood had a very solid rookie season, averaging over 6 yards per carry and showcasing himself to be arguably the fastest RB in the NFL. With aging Warrick Dunn nearing the end of his career, Falcons fans could see a Taylor/Jones-Drew - like RB tandem in Atlanta. Norwood should see increased carries and could even emerge as Atlanta's feature back of the future if he can prove he can carry the load.

*The offense gains two receivers in Joe Horn and Brian Finneran. Horn was signed as a Free Agent and Finneran should finally be healthy again. Both veteran wideouts will offer the much needed mentoring to young WRs Michael Jenkins and Roddy White. Furthermore, Petrino likes the depth he has at receiver and will look to use numerous 3- and 4-WR sets in 2007. Vick should have more options lined up in the passing game and in Horn finally has a receiver that will hold on to his passes.

edit: this is a bit of a moot point as the poster below me has stated

3 Bad:

*Atlanta's stellar rushing attack could take a severe step back by abandoning the successful zone blocking schemes utilized by Mora. Dunn's career flourished after turning 30 in this blocking system for two reasons: it enabled him to use his excellent cutback ability and the Linemen in Atlanta fit the zone-blocker's profile (small, agile and athletic). Moving away from the zone blocking system towards a more power running game doesn't seem to make much sense, given that both Dunn and Norwood are smallish backs that are much better outside the Tackles. Furthermore, Tackle Todd Weiner and Center Todd McClure are undersized and could severely struggle in more of a power scheme.

*The secondary is a mess. DeAngelo Hall is on his own back there. Lawyer Milloy's gas tank has very few miles left in it and is probably the most reliable DB besides Hall. Second round Rookie Chris Houston is a fairly raw player who came out after his Junior season at Arkansas and will most likely be asked to assume a prominant role in the Falcons' secondary. Houston struggles especially with zones and could be picked on all season, especially given that Hall is across the field. And the FS picture is no better: Chris Crocker is a decent depth man but really shouldn't be Atlanta's long term answer at Safety, which is why Jimmy Williams will be tried there. Williams struggled as a rookie CB, and hasn't shown he has the physicality to play FS either. In any case Atlanta will likely be matching up some very raw talent against the NFC South's many playmaking receivers.

*The Defensive Line is made of question marks. Rod Coleman could potentially miss the early part of the season after an off-season boating accident. Grady Jackson has been winded for the last 3 years and is no longer an every down Tackle. Jonathan Babineaux is facing a felony charge and could be suspended by the league is found guilty. John Abraham is a constant injury concern while Jamaal Anderson will be forced into a starting role despite his lack of lower body strength coming out of college. Overall it's going to have to be the Linebackers Brooking, Boley and Williams who will need to step up if these question marks remain.


OVERALL:
I am not a Michael Vick fan, but he could have a decent bounce back year under Petrino. Unfortunately it seems that every other element to the Falcons team has holes. The defense could be an absolute mess this season, especially if Brooking is less effective moving to MLB. Depth pretty much everywhere is frightening, especially considering how injury prone many of Atlanta's players have been. To sum up: any NFL team will have its struggles when 3 rookies are favorites to start at their respective positions.