The Atlanta Falcons have to be the surprise team of the 2008 season and Mike Smith deserves to be Coach of the Year whether the Falcons make the playoffs or not. However, their reality will come crashing down on them in the final three games of the season.
Atlanta will play Tampa Bay this week and then play Minnesota and St. Louis to close out the season. The Falcons have already played Tampa Bay once this season and lost 9-24. Atlanta's youth and inexperience will unravel with the remaining schedule. The Dallas Cowboys are right behind the Falcons in the playoff hunt, but I project the Falcons to lost two of the next three.
That's not to take anything away from the incredible season they've had. Matt Ryan should be in the running for Rookie of the Year. With the NFC being so good this season a 10-6 or 9-7 team may not make it. I attribute the youth and inexperience of the Falcons to be the contributing factor. They haven't made the playoffs since 2004 and the current squad has only a handful of players on both sides of the ball that were on that team, one of the reasons for the 8-5 record thus far.
The Falcons' secondary and the defensive line are problems but an improvement from last season. The offensive line is solid and needless to say Matt Ryan has exceeded many expectations. The pro-style system he ran at Boston College is paying off. But the Falcons need to shore up the secondary and defensive lines in the draft, both positions where experience is a must. Come crunch time, odds are against the younger players. I would like nothing better than the Falcons to make the playoffs, but I see them being the seventh team in the NFC. Next season, however, is a different story. I not only see playoffs, but I see a deep run in the run playoffs.
Feel free to disagree with me. I'm just conjecturing, but who really thought they would do this well this soon?
Keywords: Atlanta Falcons, Matt Ryan, Mike Smith, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
