2011 Season Preview: Atlanta Falcons

2010 Record: 13-3

2010 Rankings:

Total Offense - 16

Passing Offense - 15

Rushing Offense - 12

Scoring Offense - 5

Total Defense - 16

Pass Defense - 22

Rush Defense - 10

Scoring Defense - 5

Offense

The Falcons showed last year that they have arrived on the scene as serious contenders. Matt Ryan came into his own as one of the better quarterbacks in the league with Roddy White (one of the top 5 receivers) his primary target. RB Michael Turner is a solid back that is pretty much a complete back. He can shoulder the load in short yardage and take it to the house if he gets a seam. Tony Gonzalez will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame some day as one of the best tight ends in the game, and he's still got something left in the tank. The Falcons traded the house in the draft to move up and take Julio Jones (WR-Alabama) to be their #2 receiver. Jones has the ability to stretch the field and take some of the pressure off White. The Falcons offense should be just as dangerous in 2011 as it was in 2010. The Falcons offense may not rack up a ton of yards, but they are efficient and can get it done in the red zone.

Defense

The Falcons defense was built on generating turnovers, finishing 7th in the league in turnovers. However, their pass rush was basically John Abraham and no one else. The Falcons were 22nd in the league in sacks. They brought in DE Ray Edwards from Minnesota, the former book-end to Jared Allen to improve the pass rush. Besides Edwards, the Falcons made sure to re-sign their own guys on their defense, keeping together most of the unit that had a decent season last year.

Intangibles

With the weapons on offense, the Falcons should challenge for the NFC South division title again this year. Adding Jones on offense means they are no longer dependent on Roddy White in the passing game. Michael Turner has suffered injuries the last few seasons, but is still capable of shouldering the load. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Falcons take a small step back in terms of wins, but this team is still good enough to win 10+ games and make a charge in the playoffs.

If the Falcons were a Beer, they would be:

Bell's Two Hearted Ale

Many "beer people" think that Bell's Two Hearted Ale is one of the most complete, well-rounded beers on the market. It has a variety of flavors and is a solid beer on pretty much every level. It's hard to find anything wrong with this beer.