Jan 1, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Tamba Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Preston Parker (87) gets tackled by Atlanta Falcons defensive back Chris Owens (21) and cornerback Dominique Franks (24) during the second quarter at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Josh D. Weiss-US PRESSWIRE

Something that the really good NFL teams rely on is depth at all spots on their roster. Obviously a team plays their best players at every position, and offensive linemen, quarterbacks, and some linebackers rarely come off the field. But it is important to have depth to keep the players fresh, and most importantly if a player goes down with an injury.

The Falcons have a very good first team of starters, which is going to be enough to accumulate a good amount of wins. Most of the scoring and good defense will be played with the first team players. Of that I feel fairly comfortable and confident after the good performance by the first teamers against the Baltimore Ravens last week.

The problem lies with the rest of the roster, who was outscored 31-3, including 24 unanswered points. That doesn’t bode well.

Look at the linebacker depth. The Falcons signed Mike Peterson when Lofa Tatupu went down with an injury, but he was signed to provide depth. Now that Akeem Dent has suffered a head injury, Peterson will play a good amount this preseason, and may end up starting in the regular season if Dent gets injured again. That would prevent him from being able to provide depth at other linebacker spots. And you never know how long the 36 year old Peterson will hold up, knock on wood.

Defensive tackle is another spot. Peria Jerry looked very good in the first preseason game, and that gave me some breathing room, but we all know not to count on him when the chips are down. Corey Peters is missing time with a foot injury. I don’t know when he will be back, but the Falcons need him to start at DT and allow Jerry to work in a rotation with Peters and Babineaux. I’m not sure how much production Vance Walker and Travian Robinson can bring. Then again, I could be wrong.

Secondary? We have three corners with great history, but if one of them is completely winded or is injured, who is going to fill in? Chris Owens and Dominique Franks haven’t been excellent in coverage in their careers, and the guys behind them aren’t much better.

Now for the big two. Quarterback. I don’t expect to have someone outstanding behind Matt Ryan on the depth chart, but nobody who played the Ravens looked good at all.

And finally offensive line. They had a good showing against the Ravens, but we don’t know how long that great protection is going to last. We also don’t know how productive the second team players would be if they were pressed into service. I know what Will Svitek can do, but beyond that there really isn’t anyone with a good track record. It is cause for concern.

Fatigue and injuries are something that are innate in the NFL. The best NFL teams don’t just win in spite of the non-starters on the depth chart: they win because of the solid depth on the team. I’m not a head coach, nor a GM of an NFL club, but I don’t think what the depth has shown will be enough to help the Falcons in 2012. Hopefully they won’t be a problem throughout the season.

August 9, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons defensive back Dominique Franks (24) makes a long punt return in the first half against the Baltimore Ravens at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

When Eric Weems left the Falcons this offeason to go to the Chicago Bears, I’ll admit I was a little worried. Special teams doesn’t always win or lose games, but you certainly must pay a good deal of attention to that phase of the game or you WILL get beat. Who was going to replace the kick return and punt return abilities that Eric Weems had brought over the past few years?

I think the answer came Thursday night as Dominique Franks did a very good job as a punt returner. On the first punt of the game, he called for a fair catch when nobody was within ten yards of him. He had to at least try to get a yard or two out of it. Granted, I don’t have eleven rabid individuals trying to rip the ball away from me, and I don’t know what the punt coverage looked like from his position, but I feel like he could have gotten a little something out of the return. Let’s chalk it up to early game duties.

The second punt, however, was outstanding. Franks found a lane, made a man miss, and used his speed to scoot down the field. He would have scored if he hadn’t been cornered by the punter who made the tackle.

It was a good play. It may have simply been blind luck, and it’s never a good thing to read too much into a preseason game. But Franks decision making as to when to take the ball out and when not to, field vision to find and hit the lane, and ball security was great. It was a big play, something that we will need to see more of in the future, and we can look forward to on special teams.

Franks may never be anything special on defense. He may be one day, but I’m not counting on that. However, he can still be a vital contributor as a returner on special teams. If he can effectively replace Eric Weems, he is going to be good for this team.

November 27, 2011; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Eric Weems (14) stiff arms Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen (97) on a punt return in the second quarter of the game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

One of the most overlooked aspects of a game of football is special teams. I think that just about everyone is guilty of not paying enough attention to this phase of the game, unless you are a special teams coach.  I know for certain that I am guilty of it. The Atlanta Falcons kick/punt returner over the past few seasons, Eric Weems, was a major part of the Falcons special teams. Over the years he has returned a pair of kickoffs and a couple punts for touchdowns, and those are very valuable plays. The most important thing that he brings to the table though, was that he was able to consistently put the Falcons in good field position. The best example of this that I saw was in the 2010 regular season matchup against the Green Bay Packers. The Falcons could easily have played for overtime in that game, but on the strength of a terrific kick return by Weems, the Falcons only needed to move the ball about 20 yards to get into field goal range and go for the win. Even if a returner doesn’t take the ball back for six points, he can still be a huge asset.

Here is the problem for the 2012 Falcons: Eric Weems is no longer with the team. After the 2011 season, Weems became a free agent, and signed a contract with the Chicago Bears. That puts the Bears in a great position from a special teams standpoint, but it leaves the Falcons is quite a bind.

Who will replace Weems as the Falcons kick returner? Here is my list of candidates for the position. This is in no way comprehensive or authoritative, but here are some of the people competing for the job:

1. Dominique Franks. Franks is a 4th or 5th string cornerback on the Falcons 2012 roster, and he could be a valuable contributor in special teams. He has only had 1 punt return in the NFL, but he did it a good bit in college. He may not be a kick returner, but I could see him as a punt returner.
2. Harry Douglas. I think that Douglas has a great chance at being the kickoff return man, as well as a shot at returning punts. Douglas is very fast, very quick, has experience returning at both the NFL and college levels. Hopefully he can take over as a dominant special teams player, without it adversely affecting his role in the offense.
3. Jacquizz Rodgers. Perhaps not as fast as he is quick, his high level of maneuverability makes his a potential weapon for the Falcons in the return game. He does have a good amount of speed, but more importantly he can make a man miss, and isn’t likely to get caught from behind. Yet another individual who could certainly contribute for the Falcons on special teams.

There are other players who doubtless could contribute that I haven’t mentioned, but as far as the return game, these are three of the best options that are already on the roster. Hopefully the Falcons get their return game figured out quickly, as beginning with poor field position is a heavy burden to bear.