2014 Record: 6-10
2015 Non Division Opponents: NFC East, AFC South, Minnesota, and San Francisco
2014 in Review: The 2014 Falcons were terrible, yet they still would have made the playoffs with a win in week 17. At home. Against the then 6-8-1 Carolina Panthers. The Falcons got clobbered 34-3, and a day later Mike Smith was out of a job. Smith had done a terrific job in Atlanta, but back to back brutal seasons led to the end of his career. The Falcons should have been better. Matt Ryan started every game and threw for almost 4,700 yards. He had 28 touchdowns and only 14 interceptions. But their defense struggled, finishing 27th in the league. To fix this, the Falcons waited until after the Superbowl to name their new head coach, defensive whiz Dan Quinn from Seattle.
2015 Free Agency: Despite having the cap room, the Falcons took a wait and see approach in free agency. Early on, the Falcons signed Linebackers Justin Durant and Brooks Reed to small contracts. Leonard Hankerson was brought in, as the Falcons hope to catch lightning in a bottle. Jacob Tamme is the projected starting tight end after signing with Atlanta. Also, former Seahawks O’Brien Schofield, Jared Smith, and Tony Moeaki followed Quinn to Atlanta.
2015 Draft: Quinn continued the defensive overhaul by taking OLB Vic Beasley 8th overall and LSU Cornerback Jalen Collins in round 2. Beasley is already atop the depth chart and many expect an immediate impact from Collins as well. Third round pick Tevin Coleman is a popular fantasy sleeper pick as well, but that is more because the Falcons RB depth is awful.
Player on the Hot Seat: It’s the Running Back position. The Steven Jackson experiment is over, and now the presumed starter is Devonta Freeman. He will be pushed and pushed hard by Tevin Coleman, but all the Falcons want is one of these two to step up and grab the every down back position. The passing offense will be exceptional once again, but the Falcons need a running game to keep defenses honest.
Players you want on your Fantasy Team: Julio Jones will be the first Falcon to go, as he should be. He’s currently the #5 Wide Receiver, but I am definitely taking him over Odell Beckham (I don’t get the love, but we’ll talk about him tomorrow when the Giants hit 32 in 32). Roddy White is as solid as you can get as a WR #2. Matt Ryan is a definite QB 1 and terrific value after the big guns are off the board. The running back position is in flux, but both are worth a gamble. However, there are other rookie RB’s who you should gamble on first.
Season Prediction: The Falcons hope Dan Quinn can turn the defense around. With a competent defense, the Falcons are an NFC South contender. I expect the division to be slightly better than last season, but none of these four teams are world beaters. There’s no reason to think that the Falcons can’t improve by a couple of games and win this division. SFTB Prediction: 9-7