Nov 29, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) is hit by Atlanta Falcons defensive end Kroy Biermann (71) to force the incompletion in the first half at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

When I was in high school, I was a defensive end.  I wasn’t all that great and I only started my senior year.  But I didn’t really get overly caught up in the NFL until I had already started college.  In all honesty, it’s one of my greatest regrets.  If I knew as much about the defensive end position then as I do now, I would have started much earlier and may have even gotten into college with a fancy scholarship.  But now I’m left watching my favorite team on television.

Last year, the defense had a hole on the line of scrimmage.  John Abraham was and has been a great pass rusher in a long Falcons career.  Besides him, there wasn’t really any pass rush option anywhere.  Babineaux is useful up the middle, but 3 sacks all season hardly qualifies as a legitimate pass rush.  It was no surprise when Atlanta drafted two defensive ends in the draft.

But I honestly believe that the next man up is right under your nose.  Kroy Biermann is the utility guy.  He’s so versatile, he is used absolutely everywhere.  He can drop back in coverage, he can rush, and he can stuff the run.  Many fans don’t see him as a pass rusher because of a lack in sacks.  But let’s clear things up: After he was drafted in 2008, he was splitting snaps with Jamaal Anderson.  In 2011, he was splitting snaps with Ray Edwards.  Both of them were busts that got a considerable amount of playing time.  That’s playing time that Kroy did not get.  Not to mention when he is on the field, he doesn’t rush every down.  John Abraham wasn’t pulled into coverage nearly as often because he was obviously primarily a pass rusher.  I’m not saying that Kroy could get 10 sacks every season, but I do think he can be a 5-7 sacks every season while being able to help with the run defense problem and drop into zone coverage.

If you do not believe he could be an effective pass rusher, I encourage you to watch the Falcons-Saints game in the Georgia Dome from last year.  You’ll see Drew Brees constantly getting rushed by Kroy Biermann.  No sacks, but he was definitely a difference maker.

At the very least, the Falcons could get a lot of production form Biermann while building up either Malachi Goodman or Jonathan Massaquoi for a future starting role.

Who would be your choice to take over the defensive end position?

Aug 16, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) throws passes to warm up before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Josh D. Weiss-US PRESSWIRE

In the Falcons preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, there were certainly some things to take away from the game. It is obviously imprudent to read too much into these games, but based on what I saw early on, there are some very good conclusions to be made.

First thing that popped off the screen when watching the game was that Matt Ryan was under duress on the first two drives. I think this Bengals defensive front is very good even without Carlos Dunlap, and was able to generate pressure on the pocket. I think it was highlighted by the second offensive possession of the game when Matt Ryan faced massive amounts of pressure, dropped back twenty yards, and then completed a pass to Jacquizz Rodgers that went for a seven yard loss. Not only was Ryan under fire early, but the running game had a tough time getting rolling. Ryan didn’t take any sacks or any hits worth speaking of, but he was under pressure. My apologies to Bengals fans: your defensive front is very good. The Falcons offensive line didn’t do anything to bail them out, though.

The Falcons didn’t hesitate to use the screen pass. A running back screen to Michael Turner garnered decent gains, and wide receiver screens twice to Roddy White were extremely productive as well. We all clamored for more screen passes, and Dirk Koetter has acquiesced our collective requests. With that, the Falcons offense can offset the pass-rush a little, keep them on their heels, and keep more pressure off of Ryan.

One final thing about offense. In the third and fourth offensive series, the Falcons looked very comfortable, particularly Matt Ryan. He was sharp as a tack on those drives, and even though he threw his first incomplete passes of the game in the third drive,  he was very effective and efficient. He utilized various personnel sets, play action, shotgun, and most importantly a healthy amount of the no-huddle attack. Ryan was hitting all of his receivers in spots where only they could catch the ball, and for solid gains. Even Michael Palmer collected a 21-yard catch. I think on the first two drive, Dirk Koetter was trying to work short underneath routes, but allowed Ryan to take some shots in the no-huddle. Ryan threw a deep pass down the left sideline that was extremely well covered, and placed the ball deep to Jones in stride. It was a little long, but it was in a spot that only Jones could get, and it showed Ryan can make that throw. Despite a dropped pass by Tony Gonzalez that would have resulted in a touchdown, the Falcons offense looked great on those two drives. Look at the back to back 16-yard pass to White and 23-yard post to Jones on the touchdown drive. Great series, great chemistry between Ryan and his receivers, great use of the no-huddle, and the great threat of deep passing plays to explosive receivers. Awesome two series.

I would never have thought this coming into the season, but Peria Jerry has been a force up front all throughout this preseason. He has been constantly applying pressure as a pass rusher from defensive tackle, been very good against the run, and been in on a great many tackles. We desperately need a third defensive tackle to play alongside Jonathan Babineaux and Corey Peters, and so far Jerry is looking like he may take that role. If he keeps up this, Corey Peters won’t have a spot when he returns from an injury, and will be the third guy in the rotation. If Jerry keeps this up, this could be a good situation to have.

I thought John Abraham, Kroy Biermann, and Ray Edwards were doing a great job of applying pressure on Dalton. The unfortunate thing is that they always seemed to be just a beat short of actually getting a sack. The pressure forces Dalton out of the pocket, to do things he didn’t want to do, and to release a couple throws before he really wanted to. No interceptions or the like, but eventually those pressures will turn into sacks. I also saw Abraham get blocked in the back on two sure sacks, so that and fifty cents will get you a cup of coffee as the proverbial saying goes.

Coverage was something that the Falcons first team did a decent job of, but they got burnt badly once by A.J. Green. Earlier in the game, Dunta Robinson was matched up against Green, and lined up in off-man coverage. He left a cushion on Green that was eaten up and he only got slightly past the first down marker. That is definitely better than the alternative, which would be giving up a long touchdown pass. Asante Samuel played in off-man coverage, but he bit a little bit on a stutter & go route, and got beat by Green’s speed. He eventually caught up, but only after Green made the catch, and then got dragged into the endzone by Green. Not a good look for Samuel. However, he did have a couple deflections otherwise on the night. The other corner who looked really good? Dunta Robinson. He was good in space, and a fine tackler. I think this could be an up year for Robinson.

One final thing that absolutely has to be cleaned up for the Falcons is silly penalties. These aren’t the penalties that were poor calls by the replacement officials; these penalties that need to be cut out is ones like touching the quarterback’s head, late hits, offsides. It is very easy to eliminate hitting the QB in the head, and a penalty like that can lose the game for you at some point. It’s nothing serious, but it has to be addressed and taken care of.

Aug 9, 2012; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) catches a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens during the first quarter of a preseason game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Josh D. Weiss-US PRESSWIRE

I think it would be safe to say that Julio Jones was the story of the preseason game. About that, I have no doubt. 6 catches for 109 yards and  TD in just over a quarter of play is very impressive.

The other impressive thing was how sharp Matt Ryan & Co. looked offensively (with the exception of the interception which I will address). The first series started with two Michael Turner runs, but quickly followed with a 13-yard slant to Roddy White, a 26-yard post route to Julio Jones, a WR screen to Jones for 19 yards, and another fade route for 6 yards. Man, this offense was hitting on the first drive. It consummated in a beautiful goal-line fade to Jones for a touchdown. If you know anything about me, you’d know I am in love with the goal-line fade, and this was a well thrown ball and an even better catch. My goodness, it was just so well executed. That is my dream for this Falcons team, for them to abuse defensive backs who don’t turn to play the ball by using jump balls to Jones and White. I really, really loved that fade play.

One thing I have to comment on was that the touchdown pass as well as a couple of the other passes weren’t thrown at the Ravens #1 corner Ladarius Webb; they were thrown at the #2 corner Cary Williams. He obviously isn’t as good as Webb is, but he is still going to be a starter for the Ravens in 2012. The Falcons picked mercilessly on him.

There was one play that stood out to me that the Falcons did pick on Webb was a 36-yard pass down the field to Julio Jones. It was a go where Webb tried to jam Jones, but instead got called for pass interference. The pass was perfect nonetheless, right past Webb, and right in front of the safety. Neither of them could make the play, or even get a big hit on Jones, the connection went that well. Very exciting play. Ryan had to loft it to put it in that perfect spot so he didn’t really get to showcase his arm strength. However, he did get to showcase his newfound connection and confidence in Jones.

The defense, not to be outdone, looked really good when the first team was on the field. The first three defensive series, the Falcons forced 3 three-and-outs. The tackling from the corner positions was very good (Asante Samuel did a good job on Torrey Smith), and there was a good amount of contribution. There were a couple other players who really looked good yesterday. First was Stephen Nicholas. There were lots of plays where he took up blocks, but there was one where he really penetrated into the backfield and made the tackle on Ray Rice. It really was a fantastic play. On the very next play he batted down a pass from Flacco that was intended for a receiver. I watched at he came clear across the field, got in the passing lane, and made a disruption. It was another great play.

Sean Weatherspoon didn’t play long, but he made his presence felt. On 3rd down in the first defensive series, Weatherspoon came in and smashed Flacco right as he was releasing the ball. It didn’t result in a sack, but it was a very hard yet clean quarterback hit, something the Falcons rarely did and we need to see more of. Weatherspoon looked good.

The final contributor of great note is Peria Jerry. There has been a lot of talk about how much the Falcons need him to start producing at some level. He certainly did that last night by getting in the backfield, putting pressure back there, and even got what looked to me like a couple quarterback hits. He looked really sharp.

Others of note: Kroy Biermann tripped into a sack; Akeem Dent had a big hit for a sack.

The one thing that I paid special attention to was the offensive line situation. The line that started the game was Baker, Blalock, McClure, Garrett Reynolds, and Clabo. I’m not too terribly surprised. I was surprised that Reynolds didn’t fold like a chair when asked to block someone. He actually performed fairly well. Granted Terrell Suggs was out, and I didn’t even see rookie Courtney Upshaw on the field, but they still had all of their big nasty three up front (including Haloti Ngata) which is most of what an o-line needs to block against a 3-4 scheme. They performed admirably and Ryan was rarely hit. Like I said, a major pass-rusher was missing for the Ravens, but they sill protected him well.

In the third offensive series, Joe Hawley took over from McClure, and he performed well. He was the center when they ran the ball into the end-zone with Jacquizz Rodgers. It wasn’t the most forceful push up front, but it certainly moved the defensive line enough to get diminutive Rodgers into the endzone for a touchdown. I think Hawley did well.

I’m sure everyone is curious to see what Peter Konz did; I didn’t see him until the late in the second quarter and he lined up at right guard with the second team unit. I didn’t see anything special out of him mostly because the other linemen were giving up a lot of pressure at this point. It is the second and third stringers at this point I guess, but I would have liked to see a little more out of them.

There was one thing that really worried me, and that was the injuries to important players on special teams. Bradie Ewing went down early with what looked like a knee injury after a punt coverage play. He is probably the best fullback on our roster and we need him if Mike Cox doesn’t perform well.

The most pressing injury was that to Akeem Dent. He is projected as our middle linebacker in 2012, but also suffered a head injury on special teams. Why a stater with a key role like MLB is playing special teams, I have no idea. But he suffered the injury nonetheless. I just hope that he recovers quickly, the injury isn’t serious, and that he can practice and play really soon. If the Falcons are weak at the MLB position without Dent, it could be really bad for the defense in 2012.