Dec, 11, 2011; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) is pressured by Atlanta Falcons defensive end John Abraham (55) in the fourth quarter. The Falcons defeated the panthers 31-23 at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-US PRESSWIRE

Brian VanGorder wasn’t the greatest defensive coordinator in Atlanta Falcons history. Nobody aside from Auburn fans would argue that. He served his purpose for a couple years with the Falcons. But his play-calling was extremely suspect, and by suspect I mean extremely predictable. Vanilla. Unimaginative. You get the gist of what I’m trying to say.

The one thing that VanGorder did that was creative was to use our best pass-rusher in coverage. I’m all for blitzing the safety, or sometimes dropping a lineman into coverage. But that lineman can never be the best pass-rusher the team has.

According to the Football Outsiders 2012 Almanac, John Abraham dropped into coverage on a zone-blitz more than any defensive lineman in the NFL.

There are a couple hundred defensive linemen in the NFL. Not one of them dropped into coverage more than Abraham.

That’s disturbing. I know that John Abraham is extremely athletic, very versatile, and his veteran status makes him extremely smart at being productive, no matter what his role in the play is. However, there is no good reason in the world for Abraham to be dropped into coverage routinely, let alone more than any lineman in the league. The Falcons had one devil of a time generating a pass rush in 2011. Abraham only had 9.5 sacks last year while dropping a good bit. If he rushes more consistently, I see no reason he can reach double digit sacks in 2012 despite his advance football age. Not only will his rush take up a blocker and a chip blocker at the minimum, but it will help the rest of the line be productive. Occasionally sending Abraham into coverage is a good idea, but he is certainly more valuable as a pass-rusher. It’s what the Falcons need the most.

July 27, 2012; Flowery Branch, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) throws a pass during training camp at the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

Today ESPN blogger Pat Yasinskas came out with his Atlanta Falcons Camp Confidential. It is one of the longest posts of the season that he dedicates solely to the Falcons. He said a lot of things that I expected, but also a couple things that I hadn’t even thought about.

• Falcons fans, players, and front office people alike are counting on the hiring of new offensive and defensive coordinators Dirk Koetter and Mike Nolan to make the difference over 2011. Having them see the same players from a different perspective will certainly help as they mix things up. Koetter will be beneficial to the continued development of Matt Ryan, and Nolan has always made a difference wherever he has been the defensive coordinator. And he has been the head of defenses for 14 years.
• Three topics that Yasinskas brings up that are controversial or represent big questions for the Falcons are the use of Michael Turner (i.e. how many carries will he get in 2012), the use of the word ‘positive’ when referring to the Falcons coordinators (I guess as opposed to Mularkey and Van Gorder?), and where the pass rush is going to come from. Our very own Cam Adamczyk tackled this very issue yesterday, and it is obvious his age is an issue. I find it hard to believe that Thomas Dimitroff and the front office would say things as subtle slights to the previous coordinators, but I can tell you that I personally would find it difficult to hold back my true feelings on them. I’m glad they’re gone. I just hope our new coordinators are better.
• Speaking of coordinators, the pass rush is what Mike Nolan is hoping to bring. Nolan has been various locations as a coordinator, but wherever he goes he turns that D into a top-10 unit. He is going to do whatever he can to bring pressure on the quarterback, and that includes blitzing linebackers, safeties, and even corners. Whereas Van Gorder was known for playing a very vanilla Cover-2 defense, Nolan will bring pressure from all different areas. That’s enough to give some identity to this Falcons defense.
• I really like the ‘swagger’ that Asante Samuel has brought to this defense. I’m not a huge fan of that word, but it’s exactly what he is bringing to this team. We have been known as a sit-back-and-wait vanilla defense who didn’t talk a lot. With the introduction of Nolan and the feisty Samuel, this defense has to be more confident and ready to go out and crack some skull. (Pardon the phrase Mr. Goodell.
• Yasinskas’ reason that Falcons fans should feel optimism is Matt Ryan. I have a hard time arguing with him. There is a wealth of talent at the offensive skill positions surrounding him, Ryan has been very good in past seasons, and shows all signs that he is going to get better. Add on the offense that will include more down-field passing, the screen game, and that Ryan has been bulking up and added arm strength, and the needle is certainly pointing up for Ryan. Yasinskas believes this is the season that Ryan will move into the elite category. If they really let him loose with the no-huddle offense, I believe it will happen.
• If there is something to feel optimistic about, there is also something to feel pessimistic about. Without a doubt, nobody should feel really good about the offensive line situation. Is Sam Baker going to perform? Will Todd McClure hold up? Can Peter Konz win the right guard position– I mean really win it? I can’t honestly answer those with absolute certainty. I hope it all works out, but there are certainly questions surrounding this line.
• Peria Jerry has been working out with the 1st team defensive line. I assumed this was going to happen a couple weeks ago, and he’s only with that unit because Corey Peters is still injured. Peters will get his job back when he returns, but if the Falcons could get good production from Jerry in 2012, that would be outstanding.
• Yasinskas also shot down fans’ thoughts that Lamar Holmes would be the Falcons starting left tackle in 2012. Its not realistic in 2012, and I would like to see us draft a left tackle in 2013.
• I hope you have read all the way down to this final point, because this little nugget was the one that stood out the most to me that was really innovative thought, something I hadn’t thought of before. Yasinskas talks about how people expect Dunta Robinson to play nickel corner for the ‘Birds, and that Grimes and Samuel will play the outside. Yasinskas says, however, that on obvious running downs, that they Falcons might be wise to remove Samuel from the field to preserve his health, and to add a strong, run playing corner. Samuel is physical against the receiver, but isn’t particularly strong playing the run game. Robinson is excellent at this. I agree with Yasinskas– to a point. This day and age in the NFL, people don’t always run on first down. Lots of teams (like the Packers and Saints) treat every down like third down, and there really wouldn’t be a good situation for the Falcons to take Samuel off the field. I understand where he is coming from, and we all know that Robinson plays the run better, but I just don’t know when you’d want a playmaker like Samuel off the field.

May 12, 2012; Flowery Branch, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith (right) and defensive coordinator Mike Nolan talk during Falcons rookie camp at the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-US PRESSWIRE

For the Atlanta Falcons, change is afoot. Thus saith Gil Brandt, the NFL’s resident godfather who knows this league as well if not better than anyone alive today. His comments on the Atlanta Falcons couldn’t be more dead on:

Change is afoot in Atlanta with two new coordinators: Dirk Koetter on offense, Mike Nolan on defense — both upgrades for the Falcons. Matt Ryan needs to take that next step for this team to follow suit. This is a make-or-break season for left tackle Sam Baker. Defensively, the Falcons still need to find a pass rusher. John Abraham turned 34 last month and Ray Edwards just isn’t the impact player the Falcons thought they’d signed last offseason.

All of these are points that have been discussed in at least the past month. The hiring of new offensive and defensive coordinators are truly upgrades as Brandt points out, but it is absolutely necessary for this team that they be better than their predecessors. The reason is that the Falcons have decided to stick with essentially the same roster they had in 2011. Aside from the signing of Lofa Tatupu, the loss of Lofton in free-agency, and the influx of talent through the draft, the new coordinators have to get more out of this team than Brian Van Gorder and Mike Mularkey got on defense and offense respectively.

It is also very hard to argue with his depiction of the Matt Ryan situation. It seems like everyone who is truly knowledgeable and well education about quarterback play in the NFL says the same thing about Ryan: he is both ready and capable of taking the next step towards becoming an elite QB in this league. It is just a matter of him actually executing that leap in his play. If he does, the Falcons can be a force to reckon with.

We all know the situation at Left Tackle with Sam Baker as well as the situation along the rest of the offensive line. The two articles that I have included talk a great deal about those situations which Brandt is obviously well education about.

The only other thing that is preventing the Falcons from achieving greatness in the post-season in addition to the regular season is a better pass rush. I agree with Brandt that Ray Edwards was not the defensive end we thought we were signing a year ago, but I don’t think we have unlocked the full potential that he has. His ceiling may not be as high as guys like Julius Peppers and Jared Allen, but Atlanta is not paying him like either of those guys. I have no doubt the Falcons will see increased production from Edwards in 2012, and that combined with a new scheme from Mike Nolan will mean increased pressure on the quarterback this next season.

The Falcons are ranked 11th in Brandt’s power rankings, but I see them having the potential to surpass many of the teams listed above them. Increased production or ‘the next step’ from Ryan, a better season from Ray Edwards, and better offensive line play can translate into at a top-5 position in the mid-season rankings, and almost hopefully a playoff win or two.