The Biggest Question Marks for the Falcons

The euphoric buzz of the NFL Draft has worn off. The media is already gearing up for Brett Favre's "Should I Stay or Should I Go" number on American Idol, they've given us way more information on Ben Roethlesberger's junk then any of us have time for, Jeff Ireland brought us draft interview douchebaggery and now we are preparing for weeks of thoughts on Sean Peyton's alleged vicodin issues. I'm ready for actual football to start. The next chapter in getting to watch actual football is mini-camp. The Falcons mini-camp opens next weekend. Not much is going to be decided at these mini-camps but it gives us a chance to see the rookies in action and also a chance to see how some veterans are bouncing back from injuries. There are 105 days left until the Falcons gear up for their first pre-season game and 29 more after that until the Falcons suit up to face the Byron Leftwich led Pittsburgh Steelers. I am left to think about what I most interested in learning about the Falcons this year. Here are my big questions that need answering this year if the Falcons are to be successful:

Will the pass rush be improved?

The Falcons were tied for 26th in the league last year in sacks. It was one of the biggest weaknesses in our defense and yet we failed to directly address the issue in Free Agency or in the Draft. Indirectly we did do a couple of things that I think will help. We added a legit #1 corner back in Dunta Robinson that will help the secondary cover people for longer which will in turn create more time for our defense to get to the QB. We have last years #1 draft pick, Peria Jerry, coming back and he will impact the line of scrimmage. Third round pick Corey Peters also has some promise in terms of creating a disturbance up the middle. Former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah tabs Peters as someone to keep an eye on and someone who has the ability to be a disruptive pass rusher. Will Kroy Biermann and Chauncey Davis continue to make strides in their game. Will John Abraham show that he has more left in his tank than many of us think. Can the addition of Sean Witherspoon add to our ability to get to the QB. Is Dimetroff waiting to add another Pass Rusher when cuts are made in training camp. Only time will tell but I see this as our biggest question in the off-season.

Can Harry Douglas become an impact player?

As a rookie he caught 23 balls for 320 yards and a TD including 2 plays over 40 yards. He also had a rushing TD and ran back a punt for a TD. He runs a 4.3 40 yd dash and has a good burst which makes him a good deep threat. He's also a hard worker and a smart football player. Last year we missed having a Home Run hitter. We have a ton of good players on offense in Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Roddy White, Tony Gonzales, Michael Jenkins, Ovie Mughali, Brian Finnerann and Jason Snelling. But what we missed most last year was Jerious Norwood and/or Harry Douglas impacting the game by making a big unexpected play. The third receiver job will be his to lose this year provided that he is fully recovered from his injury. His ability to make plays and become a playmaker that defenses have to respect and account for could go a long way in opening up the offense and creating opportunities for others. And until teams account for him guys like Tony Gonzales, Roddy White and Michael Turner will open up opportunities for him to hit Home Runs.

Can the LineBackers become play makers?

Early on last year Mike Peterson came in and played at a very high level. In the first two games he had an interception and 2 forced fumbles. For the rest of the year he was shut out in each of those categories. He was still a productive player for us but he wasn't an impact player. Peterson is getting older and I'd like to see him become more of a situational guy this year. By doing that I feel he will be more productive and will be able to continue to make plays for the entire year instead of just at the beginning of the year. In order to this our number one draft pick Sean Weatherspoon needs to come in and be the explosive player that we think he can be. He needs to prove during training camp that we need him out on the field and he needs to bring his energy and athleticism to the defense from day one. Last year was the third year for Stephen Nicholas but the first year that he was a starter. We need him to use the experience that he gained last year and he needs to harness his versatility and aggressiveness. I think all 3 of those guys (Spoon, Peterson and Nicholas) can be really good linebackers for us. The question is whether or not they can make plays when we need them and do it on a consistent basis. The anchor of the defense and of the LB crew is former second round pick Curtis Lofton. Lofton has been strengthening his core this off-season by training in MMA. Lofton is also talking the talk. He knows he has to have more impact on the game and make game-changing plays. I'm excited about our LB crew but I want to see them develop into playmakers.

Can one of the young bucks at corner step up?

The Falcons make one big veteran move every year and then spend the rest of their time building through the draft. In 2008 we signed Michael Turner, In 2009 we traded for Tony Gonzales and this year we signed the top CB on the market in Dunta Robinson. Now we need someone to step up next to him. I'm looking at undersized Brent Grimes, second year player Christopher Owens and 5th round (possible) steal Dominique Franks. Brent Grimes is a scrappy player. He's the type of player who is going to give you 100% effort anytime he's out on the field. He's constantly going to be looked at as a mis-match but occasionally he does something that amazes you. He started getting some playing time last year and he had 4 picks in his final 3 games and 2 of them came against a NY Jets team that had their backs against the wall. Christopher Owens is a third round pick from last year that started getting playing time in Week 12 and played very well for a rookie. He had 2 picks in his final 2 games. I'm really looking for one of those two guys (or both) to step up and seize the number two corner spot. The last of these three is fifth round pick Dominique Franks. He is a second round talent that some thought was a Top 35 talent in the draft. I don't expect him to contend for a starters job this year but I am very interested to see what he can do and if he can play his way onto the field as a rookie. If one or two of these guys can step up and be consistent then we could have a very good year.

Our biggest questions remain on defense and we have questions at every level of our defense. I'm confident that with the additions of Dunta and Spoon that we have improved. There remain a lot of question marks. There also is a lot of guys that have the ability to impact our defense. Who will step up for the defense this year? Guys that got injured last year (Peria Jerry, William Moore), guys that weren't on the team last year (Dunta Robinson, Sean Witherspoon, Corey Peters, Dominique Franks), guys that are looking to improve this year (Brent Grimes, Chris Owens, Stephan Nicholas, Kroy Biermann, Chauncey Davis) or even the vets that we wonder if their time has passed (John Abraham, Brian Williams, Mike Peterson). We have a lot of questions to answer but we also have a lot of talent and a lot of guys that I think can step up and make a difference. On the offensive side of the football I sleep a lot better. I'm confident our defense will be better than last year I just question how much better it will be and who will be the guys who can get us to where we need to be.

On offense we got killed with injuries to Michael Turner, Matt Ryan, Jerious Norwood and Harry Douglas. In the draft we only addressed offensive line depth issues and didn't add anyone who looks to be a major player for us. We are going to get consistent play from Roddy White, Michael Turner and Tony Gonzales. The key is keeping everybody healthy and seeing continued improvement from Matt Ryan. I also think we need that home run hitter back. Harry Douglas or Jerious Norwood needs to step up this year and be that man for us to go deep in the playoffs.