How Good Will the ATL Falcons be in 2009?

[TFoA]

I've seen two mags so far, to say they'll win the South. I hope that they can stay conference contenders like SD, NE, Indy and Pitt in the AFC.

That's what they're building this team to be. They've learned from basically trying to build a team around a one-man show, or building a team that's only good for one year. They're really trying to make sure that the team has success. Plus, it helps when you basically hit the jackpot with a 3rd overall pick.

And where's skyaa at? (Sorry for forgetting the name change. I'm normally on top of those. ) I figured he'd be in here giving his view as a Saints fan in enemy territory, which would be entertaining to say the least.

[epper]

I don't know, I just think they're gonna have a big letdown of a season after last year's run. Everything just seemed to fall perfectly for them last year. I see 8-8, missing the playoffs.

[The_Admiral]

11-5 and a playoff berth. I just can't care about the NFC South, no matter how successful they are.

[Jamikel]

I don't know, I just think they're gonna have a big letdown of a season after last year's run. Everything just seemed to fall perfectly for them last year. I see 8-8, missing the playoffs.

A lot of things went right for them, but they were also in a division where every team finished at least .500, and the Falcons split with the Panthers, Bucs, and Saints. It's almost guaranteed that someone will slip, and I don't really see the Falcons losing ground to any of the other three, especially given the way the Bucs and Panthers ended their respective seasons.

[tBBP]

I done told y'all already...count the Buccaneers OUT of the division title race this year.

Hecks, I'd be surprised if the team gets seven wins this year (and that's being generous). I ain't seen not a nann nothin' down in Tampa to convince me Raheem and Mr. Dominink have any kind of solid plan, or any kind of plan, for that matter, for the future of this team. Not nann...not a nann nothin'.

Not nann...

[The_Admiral]

What

[tBBP]

What

Not nann. Not a nann nothin. Meaning...

...not a nann..NOTHIN'.

[BlueSky]

Thanks TFoA for the shout out, I am indeed tardy in weighing in here.

Last year's Falcons reminded me a lot of the '06 Saints. Nobody had any expectations (any good ones at least), they had a pretty weak schedule frontloaded with easier games that allowed them to get on a roll, and they snuck up on a lot of teams. In '07 the bar was a lot higher and we all know what happened then.

This year Atlanta faces a MUCH tougher schedule, nobody's taking them lightly, and expectations (and the pressure that goes with it) are much higher. Oh, and then there are those 5 defensive starters they lost.

Here's their sked:

1 Sept. 13 Miami Dolphins 1:00 p.m.

2 Sept. 20 Carolina Panthers 1:00 p.m.

3 Sept. 27 at New England Patriots 1:00 p.m.

4 Oct. 4 Bye Week

5 Oct. 11 at San Francisco 49ers 4:05 p.m.

6 Oct. 18 Chicago Bears 8:20 p.m.

7 Oct. 25 at Dallas Cowboys 4:15 p.m.

8 Nov. 2 at New Orleans Saints (Monday) 8:30 p.m.

9 Nov. 8 Washington Redskins 1:00 p.m.

10 Nov. 15 at Carolina Panthers 1:00 p.m.

11 Nov. 22 at N.Y. Giants 1:00 p.m.

12 Nov. 29 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1:00 p.m.

13 Dec. 6 Philadelphia Eagles 1:00 p.m.

14 Dec. 13 New Orleans Saints 1:00 p.m.

15 Dec. 20 at N.Y. Jets 1:00 p.m.

16 Dec. 27 Buffalo Bills 1:00 p.m.

17 Jan. 3 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1:00 p.m.

People are predicting 12-4 against that lineup? Good luck. Realistically, it's possible they start 1-2 or even 0-3. In fairness, if they reach their bye week at 2-1 or better, they may have a breakout year. But take note of their bye - it's in Week 4, meaning they'll have no break from the grind as the playoff race heats up.

Ryan looks like the real deal, but I think we'll see a sophomore slump as defenses learn his tendencies and start taking the Falcons seriously.

As for the rest of the South, the Saints could be very, very good if Brees stays healthy & Gregg Williams delivers a decent D; the Panthers are always tough and will be much better if Delhomme gets his groove back; and as for Tampa Bay...well, the D is getting old, the new coach is a question mark and so far they have no QB. Other than that, they're golden. Still, anything can happen and if anything is certain, it's that the NFC South is always entertaining. I'm jazzed about the Saints taking on Atlanta on MNF again. Those games are always fun to watch.

[FiddySicks]

I done told y'all already...count the Buccaneers OUT of the division title race this year.

Hecks, I'd be surprised if the team gets seven wins this year (and that's being generous). I ain't seen not a nann nothin' down in Tampa to convince me Raheem and Mr. Dominink have any kind of solid plan, or any kind of plan, for that matter, for the future of this team. Not nann...not a nann nothin'.

Not nann...

^Yup, not a nann... Or, whatever he said. ^

[JayJaxon]

That is a pretty tough schedule. But I really think the Falcons can go at least 2-1 in those first three games. If they sweep the first month of the season, the rest of the south can have fun trying to catch up.

Falcons and Saints on Monday Night! Does it get any better for fans of either team?

[BBTV]

It totally depends on the defense. If Brent Grimes ends up as a starting corner, they're screwed. Brent Grimes is 5' 10" and that's generous. The front should be good, depending on how Jerry ends up being. The linebackers are solid, even without Brooking and Boley.

If the defense is good, this team's winning the division. If not, we're eking into the playoffs.

Either way, that whole thing about "no back-to-back winning seasons" SHOULD end this upcoming season.

Thought I'd bring this one back to life, seeing as how this week's game could have a major impact on many of the predictions in this thread, as well as possibly extending one of the more odd distinctions in all of sports.

[TFoA]

Well, DEFINITELY wrong about the Falcons winning the division. Didn't see the Saints threatening to go undefeated, & I didn't see the Falcons losing what felt like half of the starters at one point due to injury. Also didn't see the playcalling get worse.

One thing I did see coming, injuries or not, was the bad defense. There were games like the Bears & Jets games where the defense looked stout, then there were games like the one against the Eagles where it looked like they had JUST learned how to tackle.

Yet & still, they've still got a pretty good shot at this. They need to win out, & fortunately they're getting healthy & have a favorable draw in the Bills & Bucs. I'm hoping that this doesn't result in the Same Ol Falcons' style: Come tantalizingly close to getting it done, only to fail in the end. So yeah, I hope that the 12,000,000 lb elephant in the room finally leaves after Week 17.

[BlueSky]

Last year's Falcons reminded me a lot of the '06 Saints. Nobody had any expectations (any good ones at least), they had a pretty weak schedule frontloaded with easier games that allowed them to get on a roll, and they snuck up on a lot of teams. In '07 the bar was a lot higher and we all know what happened then.

This year Atlanta faces a MUCH tougher schedule, nobody's taking them lightly, and expectations (and the pressure that goes with it) are much higher. Oh, and then there are those 5 defensive starters they lost.

Ryan looks like the real deal, but I think we'll see a sophomore slump as defenses learn his tendencies and start taking the Falcons seriously.

As for the rest of the South, the Saints could be very, very good if Brees stays healthy & Gregg Williams delivers a decent D; the Panthers are always tough and will be much better if Delhomme gets his groove back; and as for Tampa Bay...well, the D is getting old, the new coach is a question mark and so far they have no QB. Other than that, they're golden. Still, anything can happen and if anything is certain, it's that the NFC South is always entertaining. I'm jazzed about the Saints taking on Atlanta on MNF again. Those games are always fun to watch.

Ok, I'll admit I'm seldom this accurate, but hey, I'll take it.

Go Bills!

[TFoA]

Falcons win easily 31-3, but it was bizarre. Check all of this out:

-At the end of the first half, the Bills almost pulled off a mini-Cal-vs.-Stanford play, with the only thing saving the Falcons was the fact that during the last two minutes, a fumble can only be recovered by the man who fumbled. So touchdown averted there.

-DL Lawrence Sidbury scores his first touchdown as a pro by basically ripping the ball from the Bills' RB & carrying the pile into the endzone. Way to go.

-The football gods once again laid hands on the Falcons, in a bad way. The following players were hurt today: TE Tony Gonzalez (Calf, DNR), WR Roddy White (returned), K Matt Bryant (Only did extra point duty), P Michael Koenen (DNR), & OT Sam Baker (DNR). 5 players got hurt, one returned, the other only did spot work...but that leads me to my next point:

-DL Kroy Biermann did kickoffs, QB Chris Redman was the backup punter (thank goodness we were never in a situation to punt after Koenen got hurt), & since Koenen's the holder, Atlanta had to pull a Dallas & have the starting QB hold FGs. Needless to say, I'm beginning to worry about the Falcons even being able to field a team next week!

Of course, that plus the fact that they're gonna go face a team that just beat the Saints doesn't help either. But hey, nothing that's easy is worth having, right? They're just one game win from history, they had better treat next week like the Super Bowl...THE MOTHER:censored:ING SUPER BOWL. GO FALCONS.