State of The Falcons- Are we a Super Bowl Contender this year?

[gazoo 21,299]

9 minutes ago, ya_boi_j said:

I never said anything about being right or wrong. That's never my approach. You're giving me feedback to my opinion and i'm giving you feedback to yours

I’m sorry, I’m fully following your line of thinking and agreeing with the points you are making . I was sure you also felt same about it not being a right or wrong thing, I was just pointing that out to others reading this so they would understand my perspective better. 

I think some believe there is only one way to look at it, which causes conflict on the boards.

[ya_boi_j 67,519]

Just now, gazoo said:

I’m sorry, I’m fully following your line of thinking and agreeing with the points you are making . I was sure you also felt same about it not being a right or wrong thing, I was just pointing that out to others so they would understand my perspective better. 

they need to mind their business

[Draftnut57 4,298]

15 minutes ago, gazoo said:

I believe the OL fix is going to be an enormous, epic boost to this teams ability to put opponents away, even the very best of them. Being able to give Ryan a real pocket to drop back into in critical game situations, and giving him an OL that can play smash-mouth football in running game is going to show up the most against divisional teams and even more importantly against the better playoff teams. If we had this OL we would have beaten the Eagles in 2017 playoffs. 

And the false assumption is our defense will be no better than last year bwcuase we didn’t do anything to fix it. This is also nonsense on many levels. Just because we didn’t sign a 480lb DT or use our top pick in draft on a DT, doesn’t mean the defense will be no better in 2019. It’s going to be much better.

 

 Exactly !  I've never seen The FO go out and in facy and the Draft get exactly who we needed like they did this year.. And the great news is when this happens,, it will strengthen this team more than any other year I can think of.. Because they were so so Zoned in on out needs to get better. and not just pick the best players in the draft, but the best players of our needs.. This may end up being the best draft this team has ever had.

  If I could jut choose one who will make the most impact.. it would be at the position I made a post about right after the season was over on here.. I said.. Quote,, { If we just had ONE more Very strong DE with size , strength and Speed.. Just one! it would help our team more than any other one player.. Well, I think John Cominsky will be that player. Who is that big , strong , atheletic DE.. 6-5, 285,age 23' This one move will be the key that unlocks the door to our D#. 

Nuff said...  

[ADAMSVILLE GYM 5,213]

23 minutes ago, ya_boi_j said:

Here's the thing, all that power ranking and prediction stuff, it doesn't mean much when it comes to reality. That's why it's extremely rare you'll see me ranking teams, players, coaches, etc or making bold predictions before a single snap is made. Even the most talented teams can face their own adversity and not be able to bounce back.

Say no mo fam. I got'chu! 

"Top 7 D" "Top 5 O" "Top 3 Squad" "LIV"

[ya_boi_j 67,519]

2 minutes ago, ADAMSVILLE GYM said:

Say no mo fam. I got'chu! 

"Top 7 D" "Top 5 O" "Top 3 Squad" "LIV"

lol

[Draftnut57 4,298]

16 minutes ago, Falconsin2012 said:

You misunderstand.  Nothing has changed in terms of us still having a SB roster

So ,, are you saying we do have a SB roster ,, or No ??

[mvcrook 2,471]

No

[Atlantafan21 10,952]

The simple answer should be yes. This season really does depend on on the LOS. Are our first round picks gonna live up to expectations and are our former first rounds picks (Takk and Vic) finally gonna play up to expectations. If both happens or maybe even one, I see no reason as to why we won’t be legit contenders. 

[EpicBird 531]

I agree with some of the OP’s points but it shades a bit too optimistic for me. I agree on the secondary depth - if Trufant is injured then you have a 2nd year guy who is unproven at best, a guy who was playing safety last year, rookies drafted in the 4th and 5th rounds a few weeks ago, and practice squad guys. Not great. 

I’m not seeing quality depth at LB either. Duke Riley doesn’t belong in the NFL, Foye held the fort adequately and should make a jump but he’s a 6th round good athlete undersized guy who played in the Ivy League, Carter is a career bust/back up, Ishmael is a special teams guy tweener who can’t really help a defence. I don’t know why Zach Brown wasn’t looked at before he signed elsewhere.  

DE doesn’t keep me up at night but based on performance it is adequate at best as a group. Hope they sign Derrick Morgan if he’s healthy enough to replace Means.

My point is kind of obvious - barring catastrophic injuries to the offence, the season will go as the defence goes and all eyes are on DQ (and TD for that matter). 

[Falcons Fan MVP 3,929]

Just now, PokerSteve said:

Unquestionably the Falcons have the talent to be legit contenders for a SB run this season. As you said, a lot of things still have to go the Falcon's way for it to happen, but we can all be very optimistic.

We have to avoid injuries to key players, we have to avoid getting crapped on by the idiot zebras, players like Shede, Beasley and Takk have to step up their games. And, at least some of the draft picks have to come in and make an immediate impact.

But, looking at the big picture of how this team stacks up against every other team in the NFL, nobody else's chances look much better than ours to make it happen.

Things go the Patriots way almost every year. Lol tuck rules, winning coin tosses at overtime, teams not running the ball, probably should have lost to jags 2017

[gazoo 21,299]

19 minutes ago, EpicBird said:

I agree with some of the OP’s points but it shades a bit too optimistic for me. I agree on the secondary depth - if Trufant is injured then you have a 2nd year guy who is unproven at best, a guy who was playing safety last year, rookies drafted in the 4th and 5th rounds a few weeks ago, and practice squad guys. Not great. 

I’m not seeing quality depth at LB either. Duke Riley doesn’t belong in the NFL, Foye held the fort adequately and should make a jump but he’s a 6th round good athlete undersized guy who played in the Ivy League, Carter is a career bust/back up, Ishmael is a special teams guy tweener who can’t really help a defence. I don’t know why Zach Brown wasn’t looked at before he signed elsewhere.  

DE doesn’t keep me up at night but based on performance it is adequate at best as a group. Hope they sign Derrick Morgan if he’s healthy enough to replace Means.

My point is kind of obvious - barring catastrophic injuries to the offence, the season will go as the defence goes and all eyes are on DQ (and TD for that matter). 

I agree with pretty much everything you point out as depth concerns.

Keep in mind though, all teams in contention for the big dance have positions on their rosters where if they lose a particular starter they are in trouble with the guy behind them. QB is almost always one, unless you are Patriots who are designed to win games with backup system  QBs or the Eagles where you have 2 starter quality QBs. 

But yes, depth wise we are out of it if Ryan goes down, in trouble if Trufant, Oliver, Deion  or Grady go down. But again, all contenders at this point have positions with shallow depth.

my OP is a reasonable  projection based on a  current snapshot of situation. We so these projections all the time in business models 

[PokerSteve 27,873]

18 minutes ago, Falcons Fan MVP said:

Things go the Patriots way almost every year. Lol tuck rules, winning coin tosses at overtime, teams not running the ball, probably should have lost to jags 2017

That has been true for a good while, but nothing lasts forever. Brady is aging, Belichick is out of things to prove and Kraft has found a hobby that amuses him more than being an NFL owner. Their reign is rapidly coming to an end.

[EpicBird 531]

2 hours ago, gazoo said:

I agree with pretty much everything you point out as depth concerns.

Keep in mind though, all teams in contention for the big dance have positions on their rosters where if they lose a particular starter they are in trouble with the guy behind them. QB is almost always one, unless you are Patriots who are designed to win games with backup system  QBs or the Eagles where you have 2 starter quality QBs. 

But yes, depth wise we are out of it if Ryan goes down, in trouble if Trufant, Oliver, Deion  or Grady go down. But again, all contenders at this point have positions with shallow depth.

my OP is a reasonable  projection based on a  current snapshot of situation. We so these projections all the time in business models 

You’re right - there’s no perfect team in any pro sport. As fans most of us try to be as realistic as we can knowing that we all wear one shade or another of rose colored glasses. I agree that if most things roll the Falcons way - injuries, young guys coming along, coaching changes working out as planned, the schedule falling the right way, opponents’ injuries changing the competitive landscape week to week - then they are more than capable of a deep playoff run. They are a top 10 team in the league in my mind  

But part of the reality that I also see is that while they learned a painful lesson about the consequences of poor depth last year and the downside of making dubious personnel decisions on the fly (Jordan Richards) and have undoubtedly improved that depth, they are paying some under-performing and/or often injured players a lot of money, and two future hall of fame guys that have been here a long time, Ryan and Julio, have little to show for their years of production because the pieces around them have often been subpar. All chickens eventually come home to roost. 

[mqg96 2,317]

No.

 

[mqg96 2,317]

5 hours ago, runshoot said:

NFL: "defense wins championships"

AB/TD/TAFT: "Shut up, meg"

THIS right here.

Never mind the fact that the Falcons have only had 2 top 10 scoring defenses since 1998z

[Falcons Fan MVP 3,929]

2 minutes ago, mqg96 said:

THIS right here.

Never mind the fact that the Falcons have only had 2 top 10 scoring defenses since 1998z

Dan Quinn can coach them up

[Falcons Fan MVP 3,929]

3 minutes ago, mqg96 said:

THIS right here.

Never mind the fact that the Falcons have only had 2 top 10 scoring defenses since 1998z

It would be nice if McCoy came here

[FalconFanSince1970 24,755]

6 hours ago, ya_boi_j said:

Having the talent is one thing. Putting it together is another. Gotta wait to see how the final product looks for a few games before determining if they can actually be super bowl contenders or not

Gonna be tough to win the NFC:

• LAR - 13-3
• NO - 13-3
• CHI - 12-4
• DAL - 10-6
• SEA - 10-6
• PHI - 9-7

MIN and GB should be better too.

[FalconsIn2012 35,705]

5 hours ago, Draftnut57 said:

So ,, are you saying we do have a SB roster ,, or No ??

Of course we do.  Just like we did in 2018, 2017 & 2016

[gazoo 21,299]

1 hour ago, mqg96 said:

THIS right here.

Never mind the fact that the Falcons have only had 2 top 10 scoring defenses since 1998z

Ok, I’m going to have to address this I see. 

First, I believe Falcons WILL have a top 10 defense in points allowed.

In 2017 the Falcons defense was #8 in scoring and #9 in yards allowed. We get back several players, including Clayborn, Deion Jones, Hageman, Keanu Neal, Ricardo Allen, not to mention some rookies that were playing well by end of season in Foye and Senat, addition of Kazee and Davison who were here in 2017 and some good depth at safety. I believe Oliver will be better than the 2017 Alford was. May take him a few games but he’s got more talent that Alford had. We also get DQ back as coordinator.  That’s a big deal bruh.

Secondly, Your defense doesn’t give up a single point or yard while your offense is on the field. 

 Too many here see the game in a single dimension, but it’s more complex than that. A really good offense with a really good offensive line that can control games by running the ball has a big impact on a defense. We got bigger and stronger on OL, better blockers at TE, and a great big huge power running back. A defense plays far better when it’s fresh than if it’s wiped out from being on the field too many snaps. A big offensive line allows your offense to control the ball and give you defense a break if it needs it. Also allows a team to just run the ball like crazy late in a game where they have a big lead. 

And lastly, even though I strongly believe we will be top 10 defense in points allowed, many teams have won a Super Bowl with average or even bad defenses. The Falcons had the 2016 Super Bowl actually won, with the 25th ranked defense in yards and 27th ranked in points. Coaches gave that game back, but players had the game won.

Ae are built for a dynamic overwhelming offense just as the Colts were when they won and the Saints were when they won it, same with Giants. But we will have a much better defense than they did the years they won it.

We have a top pocket passer QB in his prime with a good OL now and tons of weapons. We will be an offensive juggernaut this year.  The Saints won the Super Bowl with the 25th ranked defense in yards and 20th in points allowed. The Giants won it with 27th ranked defense in yards and 25th in points allowed. The Colts won it with the 21st ranked defense in yards and 23rd ranked in points allowed. 

 

And again, the wealth of additions to running game by Mularkey, a bigger, stronger nastier  OL, more utilization of blocking  TEs and the monster RB will improve our defense standings simply as a product of ball control.

 

 

[ya_boi_j 67,519]

23 minutes ago, FalconFanSince1970 said:

Gonna be tough to win the NFC:

• LAR - 13-3
• NO - 13-3
• CHI - 12-4
• DAL - 10-6
• SEA - 10-6
• PHI - 9-7

MIN and GB should be better too.

Last season has no barring on this season and should be doesn’t equate to will be. 

[FalconFanSince1970 24,755]

8 minutes ago, ya_boi_j said:

Last season has no barring on this season and should be doesn’t equate to will be. 

So Falcons should be contenders doesn't equate to will be contenders.

[Ovie_Lover 29,811]

33 minutes ago, FalconFanSince1970 said:

Gonna be tough to win the NFC:

• LAR - 13-3
• NO - 13-3
• CHI - 12-4
• DAL - 10-6
• SEA - 10-6
• PHI - 9-7

MIN and GB should be better too.

LA got exposed

NO is good

CHI can't score

DAL we'll see, pretty good

SEA is good

MIN has no oline

GB is still overrated

PHI was a dumpster fire under Wentz

[FalconFanSince1970 24,755]

Just now, Yo_Lover said:

LA got exposed

NO is good

CHI can't score

DAL we'll see, pretty good

SEA is good

MIN has no oline

GB is still overrated

PHI was a dumpster fire under Wentz

And ATL went 7-9. Barely. Now they are Super Bowl bound. Only on TATF.

[gazoo 21,299]

40 minutes ago, FalconFanSince1970 said:

Gonna be tough to win the NFC:

• LAR - 13-3
• NO - 13-3
• CHI - 12-4
• DAL - 10-6
• SEA - 10-6
• PHI - 9-7

MIN and GB should be better too.

Yep, ain’t no cake walk. Thing is, our division is so tough whoever comes out on top is usually ready for any of the others.