No, this isn't a joke article. And no I am not a Falcons fan (Love the Chicago Bears). Rather these are sincere observations from a dedicated observer of the NFL game. Sure the Falcons got torched in Phoenix last season by Arizona. Rookie QB Matt Ryan looked the part, flustered by an underrated Arizona D while Kurt Warner led the eventual NFC champion Cardinals to an easy win in Atlanta's first playoff berth since the Michael Vick era. This is a new year, and let me say just this. This a stacked team. Say what you wish about the suspect defense, which did lose All Pro safety Lawyer Milloy, perennial fan LB Keith Brooking, and the polarizing, but extremely talented cornerback, DeAngelo Hall, but the Falcons have the make up of a Super Bowl contender. They have a coach in Mike Smith, the 2008 NFL Coach of the Year, who, as a rookie head coach last season, took a rookie QB (Matt Ryan) and a career backup at RB (Michael Turner) to 11 wins and a playoff berth. Not only that, but this coming off a 4-12 debacle the prior year.
But of course coach Mike Smith alone isn't going to take the Falcons to the Super Bowl in January. Its their high octane offensive unit which can hang with any team in the league. QB Matt Ryan, only a second year QB in the league, is the real deal, and he now has multiple weapons to throw to. Tony Gonzalez, a game changer at the tight end position, was Antonio Gates before Antonio Gates. Roddy White has blossomed into a Pro Bowl WR, and worthy of a cover by the opposing teams best corner. And Michael Turner, once LaDainian Tomlinson's backup in San Diego is now a All Pro runner himself, with 1699 yards and 17 TDs on the ground last season. Which also happened to be his first as a starting RB in the NFL as well as his debut with the Falcons. Fullback Ovie Mughelli cleared the way for Jamal Lewis all those seasons in Baltimore, and anchored an elite running attack there before signing with the Falcons to clear holes for Michael Turner and Jerius Norwood, who now fills the role Michael Turner himself played in San Diego as the change of pace back.
This is a squad that has all the weapons on offense and defense, as well as one of the
greatest kickers of our generation (Pro Bowl K Jason Elam) anchoring the special teams unit. With an owner, Arthur Blank of Home Depot fame, firmly behind the players and the personnel, the Falcons have all the tools necessary to make a run in these playoffs. Not to mention they play in the Georgia Dome, the second largest domed structure in the world (The Millenium Dome in London is the largest).
But even with all these factors, good coaching and talented players alone don't gauruntee a Super Bowl appearance. Just ask the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, or the San Diego Chargers, who have been to the Super Bowl a total of 0 times in the last decade despite high payrolls and even higher expectations.
5 REASONS WHY ITS GOING TO HAPPEN
1) Michael Turner. Remember how the Falcons led the league in rushing all those years with TJ Duckett and Warrick Dunn? Turner is those two backs combined into an elite All Pro RB. Not only will he rip off a 60 yard run, but he'll punch it in for you as well. The man is absolutely ridiculous.
2) Matt Ryan is the real deal. Nobody knew how he was going to do fresh out of Boston College, but Matty Ice was the main reason the Falcons went from 4-12 to 11-5 in the span of a single season. Also, he threw only 11 picks, only the second time a rookie QB started all 16 games and threw under 16 INTs. Not to mention he won a 2009 ESPY (Best Breakthrough Athlete) over a field that included gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson, NBA Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose, and MLB's AL Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria.
3) The NFC South. The Falcons will play their NFC South brethren 6 times this season, and needless to say a 5-1 or even 6-0 record in their division does not seem out of the realm of possibility. The Panthers look like a complete mess so far in the early going, with QB Jake Delhomme throwing 4 INTs along with a lost fumble last week against the Philadelphia Eagles. Tampa Bay boasts a strong running game with Cadillac Williams and Derrick Ward, but little else of note on a rebuilding franchise. The Saints are a good team. Let me rephrase that. The Saints are a good offensive team. While they dropped 45 on the Lions last week, they also gave up 27 points to an absolutely horrendous Detroit offense in the process.
4) The '09 Falcons are a helluva lot better than the '98 squad, the Dirty Birds, who made it to the Super Bowl against the John Elway and the Denver Broncos. Chris Chandler and Jamal Anderson will always be heroes in Atlanta for their memorable Super Bowl run, but with all due respect the former have nothing on the latter day combo of Matt Ryan and Michael Turner.
5) Week 1 against Miami. The Miami Dolphins went from 1-15 in 2007 to 11-5 last season, and won the AFC East in the process. They also introduced the Wildcat to the NFL, and often caught offenses off guard with RBs Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown running roughshod over opposing defenses. At the Dome, the Falcons limited the Dolphins and their vaunted Wildcat package to 259 total yards and forced 4 turnovers in their 19-7 romp over the defending AFC East division champs.
The Falcons are now 1-0 with their immediate schedule reading as follows: home vs. Carolina, @ New England, @ San Francisco, home against the Chicago Bears, and @ Dallas. All of those games are very winnable, even the New England game as Brady and Co. looked very out of sync against the heavy underdog Buffalo Bills, and there is no reason why these Falcons can not manage easy wins against Carolina, San Francisco, and Chicago, with New England and Dallas being toss ups. If the Falcons can end up 4-2 or even 5-1 in their first 6 games, this sets them up in a huge game against division rival New Orleans on ESPN Monday Night Football.
And once again, do not underestimate the no respect angle. Even after a 11-5 season last year, the Falcons are flying, once again, under the radar. Vegas pegs the over/under on Atlanta's number of wins this season at 8.5, the same system which had that same number at 5.5 last season. And before you call me crazy remember this: Remember all those people who thought the Patriots were going to cream the Giants in the Super Bowl in '07? And you would be lying to yourself if you thought the Cardinals would be playing in their first Super Bowl in franchise history last season. Crazier things have happened, and in Atlanta the times seem ripe for a suprise run from an under the radar team.
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