Aug. 24, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) throws a pass against Miami Dolphins defensive back Vontae Davis (21) during the second quarter at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

There is almost no doubt that the inclement weather affected this Falcons offense which had a difficult time gaining traction on the slick, grass turf in Miami last night. That being said, the offensive play calling was more realistic for what to expect in the regular season than what was on display against Baltimore and Cincinnati.

Dirk Koetter didn’t run the ball at all in the first two preseason games. In 50 snaps for the first team, only 14 of them were runs. That is a tremendously high percentage of passing plays, something that fans loved, but is unrealistic to expect against opponents in games that count.

The run, however, was a mixed bag. Michael Turner had 10 carries for 35-yards, and Jacquizz Rodgers had 4 carries for 4 yards. Both were very productive in the passing game however, notching 3 receptions for 36 yards, and 1 for 18 yards respectively.

Matt Ryan continued to look sharp and in-sync with his receivers. He was unafraid to take shots down the field, and hit on an appropriate percentage of them, including a 49-yard gain on a post route to Julio Jones, and a 20-yard strike to Roddy White down the right sideline for a touchdown in the corner of the endzone. Ryan was 18-of-26 for 220 yards; that is good for 8.5 yards per attempt, which is outstanding for a quarterback to be able to lead his team to victory. This preseason, Ryan has completed 75% of his passes for 549 yards, 3 TDs, and one INT, for a 112 passer rating. He is playing very efficiently.

Peter Konz was not to be seen with the first team offensive line, but Garrett Reynolds did a good job up the middle. The same can not be said for the Atlanta offensive tackles who gave up a good amount of pressure against the Dolphins line. At least Tyson Clabo was giving up pressure (and the two sacks that go with it) to Cameron Wake, a very good pass-rushing DE. The same cannot be said for Sam Baker who was giving up lots of pressure and a half of a sack to Olivier Vernon, a third round pick by the Dolphins in this year’s draft. Vernon may be a diamond in the rough, and become a future pro-bowler, but there is probably a very good reason he only went in the third round and I haven’t heard anything about him during the preseason aside from today. Sam Baker wasn’t outstanding by any means.

The offensive line wasn’t outstanding, but that doesn’t mean that Ryan wasn’t able to move around in the pocket to find the calm in the storm and deliver the pass. A couple times Ryan felt major pressure off the edge, was able to keep his eyes downfield and step up in the pocket, and deliver good passes down the field. The tackles may have given up some edge pressure, but they never lacked effort last night, something that is a very good sign.

Nobody who watched the game would say the Falcons defense was stifling last night, but I think the word ‘opportunistic’ would come to mind for anyone who watched the game. There was significant gains surrendered in the run game early, which allowed Ryan Tannehill to use the play-action and complete short to intermediate range throws. The rush/backside coverage was good enough where no really deep passes were attempted or completed, which is a good sign.

Keeping an opponent into long drives increases the likelihood that a mistake is made, and exactly that happened when Tannehill threw a pass to a crossing receiver, it was tipped by Sean Weatherspoon, and the tip was caught by FS Thomas DeCoud for an interception. It doesn’t really matter how turnovers are produced, as long as the defense does a little of that.

That wasn’t the only pass-breakups of the game for the defense. Sean Weatherspoon defended at least one other pass that was intended for a receiver, and the corners were nearly always in good position to play the ball, or make the tackle right after the reception. I can’t really complain too much about the pass coverage.

The defensive line didn’t get much pressure on Tannehill. John Abraham was able to generate a sack, but for the most part the Falcons were perpetually getting almost to the quarterback. The Dolphins have a very good left tackle, and surprisingly good talent at other spots on the offensive line, so I’m really not too surprised the rush didn’t always get to the passer.

The things that I think have to be improved from this game are things that have been needing improvement for a long time. First, improving the percentage on third downs on both sides of the ball. The Falcons allowed the Dolphins to convert 37% of their third downs, which is better than last year’s percentage, but still isn’t very good for a team that could be really rough. The Falcons only converted 20% on offense, which is absolutely atrocious. For a team seeking to do big things this season and bigger things in the postseason, 20% conversion rate isn’t going to get it done. A major reason this number was so low was the inability to convert short yardage situations by running the ball. It’s been a major issue since way back into last year, and I don’t think the problem is going anywhere anytime soon. The Falcons absolutely have to get tougher up front if they are going to win ballgames.

One last note: Lamar Holmes did very well at left tackle in relief of Sam Baker. He prevented the speed rush, the power rush, inside, and outside. Granted he was lined up against the 2nd team, but he still did a very good job. He won’t contribute much this season, but maybe he could be a replacement at left tackle of right tackle in the future.

July 26, 2012; Flowery Branch, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons tackle Will Svitek (74) during training camp at the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

This afternoon we have some really bad news out of Flowery Branch. The offensive line, which had very little good depth, just lost its best backup.

Offensive tackle Will Svitek, who is the backup behind Tyson Clabo at right tackle and Sam Baker at left tackle, is out for the season after suffering an upper arm injury. I don’t know what exactly the injury is, but it is obviously serious enough for Svitek to miss the rest of the 2012 season.

That makes the Falcons depth along the offensive line razor thin, and the margin of error for players along the line, especially the tackle position, even thinner. The backups behind Clabo and Baker for the tackle positions are Mike Johnson, and rookie Lamar Holmes. Holmes missed minicamp and the beginning of training camp, and was unable to vault past Svitek on the depth chart up to this point. Mike Johnson was injured in 2011, and has played with the second team in this year’s preseason. He has certainly not impressed anyone in that role with that unit.

It is even clearer now that the Falcons must address the offensive line in a big way the next couple positions. Sure the Falcons could use a great pass-rusher, but they have solid depth along the defensive line. Sam Baker was an injury issue in 2011, and never really played well last season. He will always be a concern for potential injuries. I say, draft offensive linemen to replace Baker and to play the right guard position, and at the very minimum, draft linemen to improve the depth on this team. There is currently next to no margin of error.

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

There are just a couple things to report from Atlanta Falcons training camp, but they are certainly worth mentioning. Isn’t it great to see the Falcon on the sides of the players helmets again? Every part of training camp gets me excited.

First, Tony Gonzalez says he is “95% sure” he will retire after 2012. I’m a little surprised it’s that low. I think if the Falcons win a playoff game or do even better, he will certainly retire after this season. His production isn’t what it once was, and he doesn’t really stretch the field vertically anymore, but he is extremely well versed in ways to box the defender out, use of route running to fool defenders, and getting to the first down marker. He is the best safety valve the Falcons could ask for. I just hope that if he does decide to come back for 2013 that he will remain with the Falcons. I can’t imagine him not.

Secondly, we have this video and Q&A session with Matt Ryan that D. Orlando Ledbetter posted this evening. Many of the things discussed are exactly what you would expect from this time of the year. It involves asking Ryan what he has done to improve his own, how the Falcons will operate under new coordinator Dirk Koetter, how the players are adjusting to Koetter’s new system, and similar questions. Nothing that you wouldn’t really expect, but absolutely worth reading nonetheless.

Finally, we have this last piece from the AJC discussing the offensive line situation. A couple weeks ago I brought up the fact that the guys from the NFL Network regarded Lamar Holmes as a ‘right tackle only’ prospect. The NFL Network guys made it seem like they drew those conclusions from what they had heard from scouts or maybe even the Falcons front office, but I’m not entirely sure where they got that from. In the AJC article, it says how Holmes has recently been cleared to practice with the team, something he wasn’t able to do during minicamp. That’s a good sign. The better sign is that he was the No. 3 Left Tackle on the depth chart. Now that doesn’t seem very impressive, and for most teams he would be years from being able to play a down. However with the Falcons, he is a lot closer than that. Everyone knows Sam Baker struggled last season and not been spectacular in previous seasons. If he is similar to his 2010 form, he is only slightly ahead of Will Svitek for the No. 1 LT spot. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t know what Lamar Holmes has played like so far in training camp, and I’m not saying that he will challenge for the starting job barring something horrible happening. But what I am saying is that it’s a big sign that he is the No. 3 Left tackle and not the No. 3 Right tackle. Obviously the Falcons think he has a future at LT rather than RT. That could change next week, but I sincerely hope Holmes improves and one day starts at left tackle.