Adrian Fedkiw
Each day leading up to the official start of the NFL football season, I will be providing you with player rankings, team previews, analysis, predictions, opinions and a whole lot more.
What happened?
From a 5-0 start to a 3-8 finish, the Atlanta Falcons became the seventh NFL franchise since the merger to miss the playoffs after winning their first five games of the season.
As the weeks went by, the more and more the lackluster defense was exposed. If people thought head coach and former Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn would come in and be able to retool the defense this quickly, they were mistaken. Atlanta, while improved, still finished last in sacks (19), although it did finish in yards allowed per game (347.6) and 14th in points per game allowed (21.6).
The Falcons offense found themselves a running back in DeVonta Freeman, Julio Jones broke out in a huge way, but the offense finished out of the top 20 in scoring (21st, 21.2 ppg) for the first time since Matt Ryan was drafted in 2008.
They finished in the top 10 in yards (7th, 374.4 ppg), but not in the top 20 in points. That’s not good.
Grading the Roster
QBs- Matt Ryan (8), Matt Schaub (7.3)
RBs- Devonta Freeman (7.6), Tevin Coleman (7.3), Terron Ward (7.2)
WRs- Julio Jones (8.6), Mohamed Sanu (7.3), Justin Hardy (7.2), Nick Williams (7.1)
TEs- Jacob Tamme (7.3), Levine Tolilolo (7.2)
Ts- Jake Matthews (7..5), Ryan Schraeder (7.5), Tom Compton (7.2)
Gs- Andy LeVitre (7.4), Chris Chester (7.3), Mike Person (7.2)
Cs- Alex Mack (8), Ben Garland (7.1)
DEs- Adrian Clayborn (7.3), Derrick Shelby (7.3), Brooks Reed (7.5), Dwight Freeney (7.3)
DTs- Ra’Shede Hageman (7.4), Jonathan Babineaux (7.3), Grady Jarrett (7.3), Courtney Upshaw (7.3)
OLBs- Vic Beasley (7.5), Sean Weatherspoon (7.2), Philip Wheeler (7.2), Tyler Starr (7.1)
ILBs- Paul Worrilow (7.2), Deion Jones (7.1)
CBs- Desmond Trufant (8), Robert Alford (7.3), Jalen Collins (7.2), Akeem King (7.1)
Ss- Ricardo Allen (7.3), Keanu Neal (7.3), Kemal Ishmael (7.2)
K- Matt Bryant (7.3)
P- Matt Bosher (7.4)
KR- Devin Hester (7.4)
PR- Devin Hester (7.4)
Team Rankings
Team- 7.376 (18/32)
Offense- 7.47 (7/32)
Defense- 7.299 (31/32)
Quarterbacks-7.65 (10/32)
Running Backs- 7.37 (11/32)
Receivers- 7.45 (4/32)
Offensive Line- 7.43 (9/32)
Defensive Line- 7.34 (14/16)
Linebackers- 7.22 (16/16)
Secondary- 7.34 (20/32)
Special Teams- 7.375
Coaches- 7.3
PREDICTION– 6-10 (3rd NFC South)
QUARTERBACKS
Matt Ryan threw for 4,591 yards, the fifth most in the league, but was intercepted 16 times with four of them coming in the red zone.
Ryan has always been accurate and showcases enough arm strength to complete the intermediate and deep routes, which is obviously key with Jones on the roster. His miscues, however, always seem to come at the most inopportune of times.
Matt Schaub returs to Atlanta as the backup.
RUNNING BACKS
Freeman took the baton and ran with it after Tevin Coleman was injured. He ran for 1,056 yards and 11 scores in 13 starts.
Freeman is patient and decisive with his cuts, which is imperative in offensive coordinator Kyle Shannahan’s zone-blocking scheme. He isn’t fast, but has some quick twitchiness to him.
Coleman is an ideal fit for the scheme, but isn’t going to break a bunch of tackles.
RECEIVERS
While the production is obviously there, Jones’ 136 receptions and 1,871 yards is out of this world, the eight touchdowns aren’t. He’s only surpassed the double-digit mark just once over his five-year career. That number needs to go up considering the physical specimen that he is, but I am sort of nitpicking.
Jones is big and fast, he ran a 4.39 40 at the combine for a 6’3 220 pounder, that’s unreal. Guys his size aren’t supposed to be as athletically gifted as he is, the balance and quickness that he has, the change of direction, he’s electric. He routinely saw double teams last year and still hauled in 136 balls on 193 targets and only recorded 10 drops, which is good for that type of ratio.
Mohamed Sanu signed a huge five-year, $32.5 million contract during the offseason to replace Roddy White, who was released. Sanu is at his best when the ball is in his hand and his big frame makes it tough to bring him down.
Justin Hardy heads into his second season and was a wideout I liked coming out of East Carolina. Atlanta silently misses Harry Douglas.
Jacob Tamme and third-rounder Austin Hooper are pass-catching tight ends.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Atlanta’s offensive line hasn’t been a strength over recent years, but left tackle Jake Matthews and right tackle Ryan Schraeder seamlessly made the transition.
The interior linemen, however, was a different story. That’s why the Falcons went out and signed three-time Pro Bowl center Alex Mack.
Mack is a great fit for that outside zone blocking scheme. It’s a great get considering how bad the interior of Atlanta’s offensive line was last year. Mack’s agility and mobility is outstanding and has strong hands to go along with his athleticism. Mack came back from a broken fibula last year and the injury showed over his first half of the season, but he played really well over the final eight games. As a pass protector, Mack showcases balance and uses his athleticism in his recovery. He generates a lot of strength from his hips, which helps him when anchoring.
Veterans Adam LeVitre and Chris Chester are the starters at left and right guard, respectively.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Young defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman and Grady Jarrett provide the hope for Atlanta on the defensive line. Hageman has length, is powerful and athletic for a man his size, while Jarrett is short, but uses that frame to his advantage in the leverage game. Courtney Upshaw moves from linebacker to defensive tackle, something you don’t see often.
Adrian Clayborn and the underrated Derrick Shelby are the starters at defensive end, while Brooks Reed is making the move there from outside linebacker.
LINEBACKERS
Vic Beasley struggled getting off blocks and has been moved to outside linebacker so he doesn’t have to deal with as many of them. We’ll see how it pans out, but I find this to be interesting.
The aging Sean Weatherspoon will be the starter opposite Beasley and Philip Wheeler provides depth. Paul Worrilow has led the team in tackles the last three seasons as the starter at middle linebacker.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Desmond Trufant is the one shining start on that not-so-great Falcons defense. And his play really amazed me considering how non existent Atlanta’s pass rush was.
Trufant possesses great range, speed and instincts in man coverage. He’s tough, his hips are fluid and he’s extremely confident. He doesn’t have the best hands, but he’s always in position to make a play on the ball. Trufant is a solid tackler, but isn’t very big and struggles to get off blocks in the run game. Robert Alford is the other starter at cornerback and second-year corner Jalen Collins will serve a four-game suspension to start the season. He hasn’t impressed as of yet.
Ricardo Allen and DaShon Goldson are the starters at safety, with first-round pick Keanu Neal in the mix as well.
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TEAM PREVIEWS
AFC East: Buffalo Bills | New England Patriots | Miami Dolphins | New York Jets
AFC North: Baltimore Ravens | Cincinnati Bengals | Pittsburgh Steelers | Cleveland Browns
AFC South: Indianapolis Colts | Houston Texans | Jacksonville Jaguars | Tennessee Titans
AFC West: Denver Broncos | Kansas City Chiefs | San Diego Chargers | Oakland Raiders
NFC West: Los Angeles Rams | San Francisco 49ers | Seattle Seahawks | Arizona Cardinals
NFC South: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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NFL PLAYER RANKINGS