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Atlanta Falcons Rumors: Jake Long Would Significantly Improve Offensive Line


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The Atlanta Falcons are hosting offensive tackle Jake Long today for a tryout at their facility. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft suffered a torn ACL on Oct. 26, 2014 while playing for the St. Louis Rams. On Mar. 9 of this year, the Rams made the decision to release Long, making him an unrestricted free agent. He’s still only 30 years old, and he’s a four-time Pro Bowler. A player with his talent should get one more shot with a NFL team, and that team could be the Falcons.

While the Falcons’ offensive line was much improved last season compared to 2013, the unit still allowed 31 sacks on Matt Ryan. If the team is going to win the NFC South division, that number has to decrease in 2015. Looking at the five teams with the least amount of sacks allowed last season, the Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans and New England Patriots, only the Texans didn’t make the playoffs, and they only missed by one game.

Although the Falcons were just 6-10 in 2014, the team only missed the playoffs by a game and a half due to the sad performance by the entire NFC South division. The Carolina Panthers won the division with a 7-8-1 record, and while the Panthers added some nice pieces this offseason, it wasn’t enough to make them the clear favorites in 2015.

With new head coach Dan Quinn sure to improve the porous Falcons defense and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan implementing a system built around the running game, the Falcons will be much improved in 2015. The division is there for the taking, and adding a player like Long to the offensive line would go a long way towards making the Falcons the favorites in the NFC South.

http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2015/07/28/atlanta-falcons-rumors-jake-long-would-significantly-improve-offensive-line/

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Yes, we know. It WAS freaking awesome for us, but wasn't he a rookie Olineman getting plowed by one of the best pass rushers in the league at the time?

it was actually his second year, but he had made the Pro Bowl the previous season so it ain't like he was a scrub.

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He was a rookie. Abe was one on the best pure pass rushers to ever lace them up.

Lots of olinemen seemed to forget about Abe's bull rush. Man I miss ol' 55 terrorizing QB's for the Falcons.

He won have been even more of a beast in Quinn's system.

Nah, this was in the 2009 season. He was a rookie in 2008.

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You have to love revisionist history. At the time, most people said it was one of the best sacks they've ever seen and now some call it "garbage" because we might sign the OT 6 years later after several injuries.

Happens all the time man. This is what I end up getting into it about the most.

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