Well, the NFL draft is done. The Colts and Redskins got the quarterbacks they wanted (in what was probably the quickest 1-2 picks ever), and the Falcons finally concentrated on their offensive line. Hopefully Peter Konz turns out to be a bit more solid and dependable than Sam Baker. Lamar Holmes already has a foot injury, which is great...but at least Bradie Ewing looks to be a promising replacement for Ovie Mughelli, who was just released for salary cap reasons.
Am I optimistic about the upcoming Falcons season? Sort of. I think the Falcons will be at least a 10-win team, but with the roster they now have that's not really the criteria I'm judging them by any more. They're solid enough across the board to have a winning season every season, so the measuring stick now becomes playoff performance. So far they've been abysmal in the playoffs, scoring a measly 2 points last year against the Giants. I don't care if the G-Men went on to win it all...they aren't superhuman. Not even scoring an offensive point against a team in a playoff game means that you were either outcoached (possibly), or your team had such glaring weaknesses that the other team exploited them all day (likely). When it came down to it, the Falcons couldn't run the ball all that well, and they couldn't rush opposing quarterbacks that well either. Hopefully their draft-day additions will pan out and allow them to do both of these things better in 2012-2013.
It'll also be interesting to see how Dirk Koetter and Mike Nolan fare as OC and DC. Koetter made something out of nothing in Jacksonville, and Nolan's defenses have historically been quite good. I don't think these were bad coaching hires, but it remains to be seen if they can get the Falcons over the hump. I always thought Mike Mularkey and Brian Van Gorder were a bit overrated, to be honest. Let me put it this way: I never came away from a Falcons game saying, "Boy, the Falcons sure did outcoach the other team." If anything, it was completely the opposite.
I remain cautiously optimistic. Hopefully they can make something happen this year!
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