Northern_Falcon Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 1. Quarterback Matt Ryan has seized control of this team. After last season's loss to Green Bay in the NFC playoffs, when he threw two tough interceptions and the Falcons came out of character, Ryan took things hard -- but not in a hang-my-head-down-I-need-to-go-somewhere-to-clean-out-my-head hard. He got film from coaches before the lockout, studied during the lockout when he wasn't orchestrating player workouts, and put in the time to enhance his game. In Atlanta's preseason-opening loss, Ryan led the Falcons to a 17-0 lead before fans could order popcorn.Ryan was relentless in executing the offense and putting pass after pass on the mark during practice Sunday. Once the three-hour morning session wrapped up, he took backup Chris Redman to a side field and ran gassers while the rest of the team filtered into the locker room, which is customary. Ryan wants to be great, and for his team to win he clearly won't be outworked while trying to reach his goals.2. Cornerback Dunta Robinson, who signed a six-year, $57 million free-agent contract last season, looks like he's back to form. Robinson got off to a slow start last season, then suffered a concussion and injured his knee on the memorable head shot on Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson. He came on as the season went on and now that he's fully in tune with the scheme, Robinson looks really, really good."People don't remember he missed 30 practices in training camp because of his hamstring," coach Mike Smith said. "It was huge for him to be able to participate in all these practices. He progressed at the end of last season and is playing at the level that we anticipated."3. One of the most underrated position coaches in the NFL could be Falcons offensive line coach Paul Boudreau. He has crafted a nasty offensive line, which retained two core free agents in left guard Justin Blalock and right tackle Tyson Clabo -- one of the nastiest players in the league who was in the Pro Bowl last season. With the loss of right guard Harvey Dahl in free agency, Boudreau has inserted massive 6-foot-7, 310-pound guard Garrett Reynolds next to Clabo. Atlanta doesn't look as if it's missed a beat. The unit is a sum of its parts, and Boudreau has coached up the talent to where there is notable depth behind a very strong first unit.4. Defensive end John Abraham, 33, looks as fresh as ever. Coming off a season with 13.0 sacks and two forced fumbles, the highly underappreciated Abraham could actually have a bigger season due to the acquisition of defensive end Ray Edwards. Other than defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux, Abraham hasn't had a consistent presence to complement him. Now he does. To reinforce this point again, Abraham is much more than a pass rusher, too.5. I will state this now: safeties William Moore and Thomas DeCoud could emerge as the top back-end tandem in the NFL within the next year. Both can run, have good size and have great instincts.New guys to watch» Ray Edwards. Edwards is coming off knee surgery, so he's been limited to individual drills in practice and did not play in the preseason opener. The Falcons like the fact that he has the size, makeup and resume of what they want at the position. They also like that he can play the run and pass. The past few seasons they'd have to rotate pass rushers (Kroy Biermann) with run stoppers (ex-Falcons DE Jamaal Anderson), which would tip the defensive play call.» Jacquizz Rodgers. There was a lot of buzz about the former Oregon State running back when he was drafted in the fifth round, but he's deep on the depth chart and has an uphill climb. Antone Smith and Gartrell Johnson are currently behind Michael Turner and Jason Snelling. Rodgers, at 5-foot-6, has some scatback potential, but was physically overmatched in pass protection in the preseason opener against Miami.» Kerry Meier. He's entering his second season, but the 6-foot-3, 220-pound wide receiver is going to be a nice No. 4 wideout. Meier was impressing before he got hurt (knee) last season and he's back at it now.The acquisition of Julio Jones could take some of the offensive focus off Pro Bowl wide receiver Roddy White, but White has been very welcoming of the rookie. Don't expect that to change. Though White loves the fact that he's finally being recognized as one of the top wide receivers in the game, he likes that he finally might have someone other than TE Tony Gonzalez that can draw double coverages away from him.PredictionRyan will have his best season to date. He's got more options, but more importantly he's going to be a better player. He's one of the most driven players I've ever seen. I'm not sure that translates into a deeper playoff run because the defense has to play tougher and create more turnovers -- an element has been the key for the last two Super Bowl champs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconidae Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Great read- love the quote about Ryan being one of the most driven players he's ever seen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern_Falcon Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 Great read- love the quote about Ryan being one of the most driven players he's ever seenI agree it sets the tempo for the rest of the team Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdog 29 Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Nice post, makes me that much more excited for the season. I especially like what I'm hearing about our starting secondary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern_Falcon Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 Nice post, makes me that much more excited for the season. I especially like what I'm hearing about our starting secondary.I forgot how much time dunta missed last year with the leg injury, that alone is huge. 30 practices. He will be much improved this year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Dave Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Thanks for posting this +1 I agree with everything he wrote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeepItCrispy Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 (edited) I love reading stuff like this. I agree about Moore and Decoud, those two can be great. Edited August 14, 2011 by Cole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern_Falcon Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 I love reading stuff like this. I agree about Moore and Decoud, those two can be great.I bolded that part because it was my favorite part. If Moore plays like he did last year and with another year under him. He will improve and I could def see pro bowl potential. He just needs to wrap ppl up when he has the opportunity for a sack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtybird2k5 Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 I hate the word scatback...whenever I think of scat it certainly doesn't pertain to football. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaMeatTroughsEgo Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 (edited) I hate the word scatback...whenever I think of scat it certainly doesn't pertain to football.In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Poop. Edited August 14, 2011 by DaMeatTrough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twoism Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Excellent read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeytonMannings Forehead Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 (edited) That's my quarterback. *tear*This franchise is in good hands as long as that young man is on two feet. Edited August 14, 2011 by PeytonMannings Forehead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarterback Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I'm not sure that translates into a deeper playoff run because the defense has to play tougher and create more turnovers -- an element has been the key for the last two Super Bowl champs. Nothing is more important in this article!We all were well aware of both the Saints and then Packers offenses, but it was their defenses that made an equal impact in the postseason.Ryan and the offense could be the best in the NFL this season, but, with another defensive performance anywhere close to that which we witnessed against Green Bay, we will again end the season grossly unfulfilled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Zee Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Great read. I love Ryan's commitment to becoming a better football player each offseason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconState Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 GREAT READ!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Big A Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Humblimg halt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyDmx Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Matt has a intense desire to be great and we all should be proud that he represents our city . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Sider Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 That's the kind of read that gets the juices flowing. How could you not love Ryan? He will bring us the Lomabardi in the not-too-distant future. Also love reading that about Dunta. If he could play at another level this year it would prove to be a huge difference maker on defense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeepItCrispy Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 (edited) Matt has a intense desire to be great and we all should be proud that he represents our city .Yep, it's that type of desire that made Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, etc. the type of players they were/are. I think if Matt Ryan keeps working like he is now, it's gonna pay off huge! Edited August 15, 2011 by Cole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F*ckTheSaints Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 [Ryan] took backup Chris Redman to a side field and ran gassers while the rest of the team filtered into the locker roomLike people are saying.. its hard not to like him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falcon Fantom Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Ryan was relentless in executing the offense and putting pass after pass on the mark during practice Sunday. Once the three-hour morning session wrapped up, he took backup Chris Redman to a side field and ran gassers while the rest of the team filtered into the locker room, which is customary. Ryan wants to be great, and for his team to win he clearly won't be outworked while trying to reach his goals.NUFF SAID!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xfactor Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Great read thanks for the post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern_Falcon Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share Posted August 15, 2011 Ryan was relentless in executing the offense and putting pass after pass on the mark during practice Sunday. Once the three-hour morning session wrapped up, he took backup Chris Redman to a side field and ran gassers while the rest of the team filtered into the locker room, which is customary. Ryan wants to be great, and for his team to win he clearly won't be outworked while trying to reach his goals.NUFF SAID!!Simply Amazing, This type of hard work that not only Ryan but Gonzo, Peterson and more is just going to rub off on our rookies, which in turn helps our team grow and become great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerosmith67 Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 This is what needs to be at the top of the message board...not threads by Trollish individuals.Ryan is something special, fans of other teams may not understand why we like the guy so much...we've just had very few players at the QB position like this guy over the course of the franchises history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFanSince1970 Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Aside from the first series against MIA, Ryan looked sharp. His reads, footwork and passes were clean. He looked very different to me. If he can get a better handle on his 20-30 yard throws and stay healthy he could move up to the elite three to five QBs this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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