John Abraham has always been a force for the Atlanta Falcons getting to the Quarterback with little help for many years. We must however look at his age and realize that this might not be as bad as it looks.

There are many factors in play but the biggest impact at defensive end is the ability to get to the Quarterback. Last year Atlanta didn’t get more then 3 sacks in any game they played in the regular season. Sure John had the majority of our sacks but we didn’t rely on sacks to win games. He did however put a ton of pressure on the QB and that will be missed. It makes it easier on the secondary when the Quarterback is hurried.

John Abraham does have a replacement in the name of Osi Umenyioura. He has let it be known he is very motivated this year, he has proven himself in the past and as long as he keeps this mentality he shoould fill Abe’s shoes quite nicely. Of course having both guys on the line would be better then one but the guys we do have should be more then capable of making an impact. Kroy seemed like a different player in 2012, Massaquoi should step it up and the draft has given us more guys to sub in.

I mentioned earlier how John Abraham is great at pressuring QB’s and because he’s not there it could become a negative for our Secondary. This is probably the biggest downside of not having John back. We have two rookie corners who are going to get a lot of playing time this year and if Osi and the rest of the crew can’t pressure the Quarterback it could cost us a few games. Trufant and Alford are young and they are going to make mistakes with the long time for QB’s to hold the ball and wide receivers to get down field. Our bend but don’t break defense might break a few times with him missing.

All hope is not lost though with Abraham letting us know he isn’t coming back. We have got to put some faith in the guys we do have. Don’t get me wrong Abraham is a great player who will be missed. I wanted him back just as much as the next guy. I am not going to hate him for not wanting to come back either, he has done to many good things. I don’t see any reason though that the Falcons won’t be just fine without him.

Lost in all the excitement coming from Atlanta about the drafting of Missouri Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon is the fact that the team still hasn’t addressed, arguably, their biggest need; Defensive End.

Weatherspoon will be able to pressure the passer but I believe his biggest strength will be as fierce tackler and playing in space i.e. coverage.

The Falcons still need a DE who can disrupt the opposing quarterback and in the words of Lawrence Taylor, “Go out there like a bunch of crazed dogs and have some fun!”

The Falcons finished 27th in sacks in 2009. They also finished 28th against the pass. Starting to see a pattern?

(more…)