2007 Atlanta Falcons Picks & Predictions
May 21, 2008
The Falcons will have a new head man calling the shots this season in Louisville’s Bobby Petrino, but Vick’s off-the-field issues could be too big of a distraction to give Petrino a fighting chance in his first NFL campaign. Find out what Dave Price things the Falcons chances are in his 2007 Atlanta Falcons predictions.
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The downward spiral continued for the Atlanta Falcons in 2006, as they missed the playoffs for the second straight season and posted their first losing season under head coach Jim Mora. That proved to be the last straw as Falcons’ management showed him the door.
Owner Arthur, Mr. image conscious himself, fired Mora one day after the regular season ended for a series of embarrassing off-the-field episodes and for a declining product on the field. Blank quickly replaced Mora with another first time NFL head coach in Bobby Petrino, who spent the past four years as the University of Louisville head coach. Petrino is esteemed for his offensive wit and for being a strict disciplinarian. But let me assure him that the college and pro game are not two peas in the same pod when it comes to discipline. He comes aboard at a serious stage in Falcons history, with franchise QB Michael Vick entering the prime of his career. Petrino will hand Vick more responsibility than ever before, and if Vick succeeds under Petrino’s leadership, the Falcons have enough talent to compete for a division crown. If Vick falters, then the Falcons, a franchise that has never produced back-to-back winning seasons, will be in ruins, looking to start over once again. In other words, the future of this team lies in a guys hands who is becoming more and more of an off the field liability.
New Head coach Bobby Petrino plans to refurbish the offense, and he will start with taking out the zone blocking scheme that helped propel the rushing offense to the top of the charts the past thee seasons. Petrino’s offense is none other than the spread attack you saw at Louisville which employs many three and four wideout packages and a between-the-tackles run game. Most of the focus will again be on seemingly ill-starred QB Michael Vick. Petrino plans to give him more responsibility that ever before, urging him to audible plays at the line of scrimmage if he sees an opportunity to make a play himself. To help Vick, the Falcons added free agent WR Joe Horn, a sure handed vet who they hope can act as a mentor for young wide receivers Roddy White and Michael Jenkins. This team has been in desperate need of a solid receiving corps. This one still doesn’t qualify, but if Horn can stay healthy he will be a solid contributor.
New defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer comes from Dallas, where he directed a 3-4 defense under head coach Bill Parcells. Zimmer has always catered to a 4-3 scheme and plans to stick to his guns in Atlanta. The Falcons improved against the run last season, moving into the top 10 in the rankings despite several injuries. The defense took a hit when Patrick Kerney signed with Seattle, but the line remains firm with Pro Bowl talents John Abraham and Rod Coleman leading the way. Zimmer inherits the luxury of speed with this unit, especially at the linebacker position with Keith Brooking and budding star Michael Boley. Don’t be surprised to see some blitz packages employed to get these speed demons chasing QBs. The secondary is still a weakness despite the presence of Pro Bowl corner DeAngelo Hall. Somebody please get another DB in Atlanta.
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