Falcons: To Paraphrase The Roots. "How We Get Over"

[FullMetalFalcon23]

I’m already looking forwards next season because I think we will see another evolution in this team. Yes we are losing Tony G, but whilst it won’t be the same not seeing him out there, it is an inevitable part of football. Sometimes teams lose, and they do so in painful ways. I don’t mean to sound like I don’t care because I do. I barely slept last night, I’ve come to work on about 5 hours sleep and I have a long ass day ahead of me (now 12pm here)

Life goes on, we go on and this has to be accepted. The sooner some of you guys learn this the more you will be able to enjoy football as it is not the locus of your life.

Moving on from the 2012-2013 season I turn my attention to what is to come in 2013 – 2014.

We will likely be losing the majority of our Greybeard veteran core of players

Todd McClure: What I am confident in is that we have the infrastructure to absorb the loss of McClure from within the current roster. The O-Line really started to come together and they showed it in the playoffs. I don’t think we need to run out and get a Right Guard or Center who isn’t on the roster. Chemistry is huge on the O-Line and I think it’s starting to get going again. Either Konz will slide in to the middle and Reynolds takes over at guard, Hawley takes over at Center and Konz goes at Guard again. Personally I am hoping for the line to look like this Baker Blalock Konz Reynolds Clabo. That is a big tall O line to keep Matt protected and Jacquizz and our other backs clean. Running with this for two years or so would allow quality building time at other positions.

Tony Gonzalez: It is going to hurt losing Tony, however I believe that Coffman and Palmer would be able to do serviceable work and that another Tight End will be coming in either through draft or free agency. They said yesterday we had 2 great 3rd receivers. Truth is we have had 3; Julio showed up big yesterday and were it not for Matt having to evade pressure may have connected on another huge play. The pick your poison offense will evolve 2 players will have to do the work of one Tony, in some ways that may not be a bad thing as Douglas may get looked to more as well as the replacement Tight End not taking as much heat. Don’t forget, our running back field is also likely to be more passing dynamic and able to absorb some of this pressure too.

Mike Peterson: His veteran leadership which no disrespect to him I think was minimal at this point as he had done such a good job in previous years is all that would be missed. I think Spoon and Nicholas and Asante lead this defense. Now is the time to replace Peterson with a younger Linebacker who can do more. Cover side line to side line and tackle. One dimensional backups aren’t going to cut it anymore. I’m not saying the player has to be dominant in both phases but strong in one and capable in another is really what we need.

John Abraham: He could consider hanging it up, he may come back for one more year, he needs to be honest with himself. Either way we must draft, FA hire and scheme to get impact from an End opposite him and also a back up from his spot if he is around.

Michael Turner: I’m considering re reading War Room again as I remember part of the dialogue being about when the Pats had to let go of their running back who was a big part of the team but ultimately hurting them by being there. Turner hurts us more than he helps us now. In value assessment I think Jacquizz would grade higher than him. Possibly Snelling too, and add to that grades for draft picks. It’s sad we couldn’t get him the ring his hard work in the building years of this current regime deserved but it’s times like this that the honorary ring is made for I’m afraid. We need one more capable back to be the home run threat in our offense heck they may even be the main player in time to come but Jacquizz needs a running mate who can do damage differently to how he does. He is physical and breaks off big gains but isn’t electric enough to blow a play wide open. I really want us to get Giovanni Bernard a tough fast physical player. I don’t want another big lumbering back. The player has to be a threat out of the backfield.

2013 Outlook

The Offense

Will evolve again, Koetter is a smart and innovative co-ordinator I think will look to marry the productive running game he had at Jacksonville with the productive vertical attacks he had at ASU and Boise. For this to come to fruition we must be confident in the using our 3rd and 4th receivers more, our Tight Ends as a unit not just one player and our backs in the passing game. The running game is going to be better, Rogers, Snelling, and another back will share the load and be rotated in, hopefully with the aim of softening up and freezing up the defense for explosive ground gains and pass plays. I expect a top 10 offense again with more balance between the ground and passing game.

The Defense

This unit I feel has been deprived the opportunity for true growth. It’s a patch work quilt of players and where as offense seems to have a system a type going they have a conceptual identity that has steadily been growing and changing. Defense has been spinning in place. The way I see it we have looked for more FA/ External contributions than draft picks to build our D and it has been hit and miss. Amusingly we resemble the Patriots back in 07/08 strong offense but the defense was questionable and just seemed to be holding on reliant on the offense lighting up the scoreboard.

Robinson – Came around more this year, made some key plays for us. A lot of effort but really this is not what you pay $60 million for. This has hurt us.

Edwards - colossal waste of time and a waste of space. This guy basically mugged us, and we paid him to leave. This set our Defensive roster back in progression and money $30 million could have gone elsewhere. E.g. Keeping Harvey Dahl.

Samuel – A fine addition this was, he is providing energy leadership and a saving grace after losing Grimes. His deal is pretty cap friendly and his play is worthy of it. He allows us to build our roster both at this position and others so long as he stays at a competitive level.

The defense is a huge question mark for us. It just seems to be in limbo. We spent a lot of time in that hybrid 3-4 front, much to no avail. We’re don’t seem to be playing a hybrid so much as playing stuck between schemes that’s the impression I am getting. This needs to be figured out as we need to know what type of pass rusher we are going for what type of linebackers we are going for whether we are going for true Tweeners or players true to 3-4 or 4-3 philosophy.

Our defense is a mess of a unit and yet it still turns in good performances. Which is encouraging but we need to get this sorted. I personally believe that this year, a strong DT and a pass rusher need to be added, our linebackers need to be kept clean both in pass rushing and in run stopping. We are strong enough on the back end that if our front 7 know what they are about we would be a lot more successful.

Defense needs the front offices attention now. The offense has had it but now its sorted mostly just needs a few top ups every now and again. Defense is the building project that has to get done starting with FA and finishing with the draft.
Flacco is playing in his first Superbowl because he is backed by a defense that can back him up when the going gets tough, not sit there looking tired and dejected and force the offense to keep scoring which unless you are playing against pros playing against anyone up to D.II level is unrealistic, at some point even if by luck there is going to be a stop made somewhere.

We have to build the unit that Mike Nolan wants whatever it is, I’m excited to see it. The wheels came off towards the end of the season let’s get it the way it needs to be.

This is an exciting part of the season for me as I do love front office work and draft scouting as well as training camp and the physical work that goes in here. This is where it is done; this is where it begins for next season.

[ChrisD]

I hope we can grab Christine Michael in the 3rd round. I know Turner showed some stuff in the post season, but he's past his time. Michael is an easy 2nd round talent who runs hard, we could grab him in the 3rd round. Actually, I think he may have played in the shrine game Saturday - not sure.

[JDaveG]

I'm seriously concerned about the front office's view of our defense. I'm hoping we're taking it year at a time. If you look at last year's draft, it was obvious we were concentrating on the o-line and blocking. Konz, Holmes, Ewing out the gate. Then Massaquoi, Mitchell, Robertson late. I'd frankly like to see that flipped this year, but a bit more mixed up. Perhaps DT, DE, LB in the 1st and 2nd, RB or TE in the 3rd, maybe late flyers at DB, WR, RB/TE (whichever we don't get in the 3rd), etc. Some young talent on that d-line, especially a fat space eater in the middle, would do wonders for our defense. If we're going to do more 3-4, we need more (and better) linebackers too. A lot of work to do with 7-9 picks.

Hopefully they'll pick up some of the pieces in FA. I really wanted Soliai this past offseason, but it wasn't to be.

[ggp]

Agree that McClure, Turner and Gonzalez will be gone. I also think that we need to say good bye to Abraham.

I think that Konz will slide to Center and that we will find a definitive RG in FA.

You are right about the defense. We need a NT and some help with the pass rush. That pass rush help can come in the form of a LB or DE. I would not be surprised to see us draft a CB, as well.

[ATLBound]

I think we will see some nice role players picked up for defense in FA next year and then some high defensive picks.

I really like Nicholas but his defensive play yesterday destroyed us all game long. He couldn't keep up woth Davis and kept letting him go free. I think it may be a running QB problem with him. If h gets smarter when playing against running QBs then he can be mainstay.