October 9, 2011; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Harry Douglas (83) runs after a catch in the second quarter of the game against the Carolina Panthers at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

It seems to me like every single season that Harry Douglas is expected to have a great level of production with the amount of talent around him on the offensive side of the ball. In 2010 he was supposed to be a solid contributor, but I know that he wasn’t completely healed from his 2009 severe knee injury. Coming into the 2011 season, I expected him to contribute a great deal. He was a major safety valve in the home game against the Saints, but for the other 15 games he wasn’t really a factor. He only had 1 TD catch on the season for crying out loud! Considering opposing defenses have Roddy White, Julio Jones, Tony Gonzalez, and Michael Turner to worry about, you’d think he would be the forgotten man who could easily find the void in the defense.

For whatever reason, HD hasn’t been a great contributor in his four seasons in a Falcons uniform. Maybe this is going to be the year he really becomes that guy who wins in single-man coverage. At this point, I’m no longer going to count on it. I want HD to take the job by the reigns, grab the slot receiver job, take some underneath covering defenders out of their shoes, and score a handful of touchdowns. But I don’t think we can just expect it anymore.

What are your thoughts on Harry Douglas and his role with the Falcons?

Sep 25, 2011; Tampa, FL, USA; Atlanta Falcons center Joe Hawley (61) stretches during warm up drills before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Fernando Medina-US PRESSWIRE

Lately, any Atlanta Falcons blog entry wouldn’t be complete without some mention of the offensive line. With the addition of new a new offensive coordinator, new pieces on the offensive line, and the rest of the talent on the line getting older or more veteran, not enough can be said for the players who could play a major part at more than one position on the O-line. Joe Hawley is, perhaps, the #1 example of this for the Falcons.

Hawley was a 4th round pick in 2010 out of UNLV where he played both Guard and Center, although he showed more promise at the Center position. He only saw playing time as a backup in 2010, but saw the field extensively in 2011. He started the first two games of the season at Center when Todd McClure was injured, and then he moved over to Right Guard when McClure returned. His cross training in college allowed him to be serviceable at both positions in 2011. He was fairly good Center, who was serviceable at RG. At the time, I thought he was the C of the future. He may still be, but at the time he was also better than any other options we had at RG. His versatility made life slightly easier on the turbulent offensive line of 2011.

Here comes the dilemma in 2012. Where will he play? I don’t think there is any doubt that Peter Konz will play RG in 2012. He hasn’t won the job yet, but I think that is only a matter of time. Without a doubt, Hawley will be the backup at C and RG. But should he be? Perhaps he can beat McClure out of camp. McClure has loads more experience making the offensive line calls at the line of scrimmage and how to properly gain leverage, but Hawley is at this stage a lot more physically capable of generating a push from his position. I’m not saying that he is a mauler at either of those positions (as our performance against the NY Giants in 4th&inches situations would indicate), but that he could legitimately step in at C this season, or as the starter in 2013.

Having that type of versatility is a tremendous asset, but the Falcon fan as well as front office would be wise not to become dependent on that. It would be great if Hawley would beat out McClure at C, play there for the next ten years, allow Konz to play RG for the next ten years, and have solid options at 80% of the offensive line. The reality is that he may not work out, we may have to move Konz to the C position in 2013, leaving Hawley and an entire cast of characters to duke it out for the starting job. We would also have the Left Tackle position to address (pending Baker/Svitek’s 2012 performance. If Hawley has been gaining size and strength enough to complete and win the center position from here on out, the Falcons could be in excellent shape for the foreseeable future. If this jack-of-all-trades turns out to be a master of none, his versatility won’t really matter, and the Falcons will be in trouble indeed.

Nov 13, 2011; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez (88) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half at the Georgia Dome. The Saints defeated the Falcons 26-23. Mandatory Credit: Josh D. Weiss-US PRESSWIRE

The Atlanta Falcons may not have the national brand that teams like the Packers, Cowboys, or equally popular teams may have, but they are represented well by the talent they have.

The NFL Top 100 is an annual list of players, voted on by their peers, and counts down the Top 100 players in the League. This is far from the most accurate or fool-proof way to compile a list, but who better to poll than the individuals who actually play the game and game plan for their opponents?

The Falcons are well represented on the 2012 list so far, and I believe that there will most likely be another addition to this list.

Michael Turner is listed at No. 88 on this list. That is not a huge shocker, as he has slowed down the last couple seasons and doesn’t have quite the breakaway speed that he had his first couple seasons in Atlanta. However, he is still incredibly talented, and his placement in the Top-100 is warranted, and quite fair.

Roddy White was the second Falcon to be named. He came in at No. 65 on the list, which is almost 40 spots lower than he was ranked in the 2011 edition of this list. There is no denying that he suffered a lot last season with a horrendous bout of the drops, and last year was not his finest by any stretch of the imagination. Still, White is a physical receiver who has a lot of speed, and is a very reliable target for Matt Ryan. I can’t argue too much with his placement on this year’s list.

The real surprise was that Tony Gonzalez was listed as the 53rd best player in the NFL. When you consider the supremely talented individuals who play in the League it is incredible that Gonzalez, one of the elder statesmen of the League, is this high on the list. After No. 70-61 were named last week, I wasn’t sure that Gonzalez would be named at all. But I think the players understand just how much Gonzalez understands this game, to what extent he does the little things that go unnoticed during the game or during a reception on TV, but are crucial for his team winning games week in and week out. It says a lot about a guy that he is ranked so highly.

Those are the Falcons that have been named so far. I think there are two others that may be on this list: one player could be here, and the other would be foolish to be left off.

Julio Jones has potential to be on this list. Sure he only played 13 games in his rookie season and it took him a while to make a real impact on this team, but Jones is extremely talented, and could take over games by himself. His size, speed, strength, and hands could place him in the top-50 on this years list, or certainly in the top-100 in future editions of this list.

It would be an absolute travesty if Matt Ryan were left completely off the 2012 Top-100 list. He was ranked No. 52 in 2011, and by all accounts that was a tremendous season. He struggled at times last season, but I think players in the league recognize his talent and he will be on the list in the next couple weeks. One pundit for NFL.com said that he would not be surprised at all if Ryan was left off the list completely. Don’t get me wrong, the Falcons were not as successful in the regular season as they were in 2010, and Ryan’s stats were only slightly better in the 2011 season, so I would not have been surprised to see him bumped down a few spots on the list. We don’t know that he will be on the list this year, but at this point there are only two options: Ryan was left off the list completely, or he moved up a couple spots from the 2011 Top-100 list. I believe he is on the list, and that he climbed a few spots up the rankings. He will not be in the top-10, but I’m sure he will be on this list. If he is not, I would be floored.

While the top-100 is an interesting thing to look at and talk about from a fan perspective, this does little to really cement a player’s legacy, or make his team better. It is simply a list to generate conversation among the fans, and to gauge a player’s respect among his peers (the other NFL players). I am very proud to have the Falcons that have already been named on my team. I am also curious to see if the players gave Ryan more respect than last year, or give him a slap in the face by leaving him off the list completely in favor of guys like Joe Flacco. I am also curious if Julio Jones is on the list. If he is, he would be ranked higher than fellow 2011 Draft Class WR A.J. Green. The opinions of the NFL players are interesting, and clearly fans (including me) and dying to hear their opinions.