Special Teams
The Falcons have one of the better special teams in the division with solid coverage squads, an accurate punter, and the potential for a potent return game. Chris Mohr has a strong leg, gets good hang time, and is good at pinning opponents inside their own 20-yard line. Jay Feeley was a bit inconsistent last year, but he has a strong leg and still has the potential to be one of the best placekickers in the league.
Atlanta might be tempted to use a pair of rookies in the return game. DeAngelo Hall could very well land the punt return duties by displaying the explosiveness he showed at Virginia Tech, where he returned five punts for touchdowns during his career, and Michael Jenkins has the chance to land the job of returning kicks. But it may be too much to ask these youngsters to handle the return responsibilities along with the extensive roles the team already has planned for them at their true positions.
Overview
A healthy Michael Vick can mask a lot of deficiencies on this team, as he proved at the end of the year last year, but he must stay healthy. He must adjust to the new system and learn to protect himself better by exhausting all options before breaking out of the pocket. If he adjusts to the short-to-intermediate passing attack, and he utilizes some of the new weapons at his disposal, the Falcons have the potential to put together long drives on a consistent basis.
And those long drives that keep the team’s defense off the field are exactly what was missing last year. This offense is designed to chip its way down the field while controlling the clock, and a QB with the mobility of a Michael Vick, along with a solid one-two punch at running back, makes it nearly impossible to defend them on third-and-short situations… which should result in a lot of third-down conversions to keep drives alive.
There are still a lot of holes on the defensive side of the ball, and it is imperative that the pass defense improve. The rookie Hall should be a huge addition, but even if he proves to be capable of handling the starting duties, the Falcons cannot afford an injury at the corner or safety positions.
With Vick at 100%, the Falcons should be able to produce enough offense to compete for the playoffs and possibly a division title, but I don’t think they have the defense to take it deep into the post-season.
