October 7, 2012; Landover, MD, USA; Atlanta Falcons tackle Tyson Clabo (77) lines up against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

Up, down. High, low. Those have been the grades you would give to the performance of the Atlanta Falcons offensive line through the 2012 season. The first three weeks were very good, but since then they have been either very good, or sub-par. Against the Dallas Cowboys, the offensive line was good more often than it was bad, but when that unit decided to perform poorly, it was really obvious.

The Falcons only gave up three sacks on the day. One was registered by linebacker Victor Butler, another was registered by DeMarcus Ware, and the third was split between Ware and lineman Josh Brent. I’ll look at these in chronological order.

The first was a free shot by Ware on Matt Ryan. Dallas showed a five man front, and they must have believed they have the protection set to pick up the blitz. They felt certain that CB Morris Claiborne was going to blitz off the same edge Ware was lined up on, and that Ware was going to drop into coverage. The running back was going to chip Claiborne, which would be a Falcons victory. Baker went one on one with a defensive end, and the other four Falcons offensive linemen double teamed Dallas’ defensive tackle and other defensive end. Everyone was accounted for, assuming Ware dropped into coverage. Unfortunately, Claiborne dropped into coverage, and Ware came on the pass rush. Not a single person even attempted to block Ware, and he crushed Matt Ryan on a blind-side sack that created a fumble. Luckily the Falcons recovered, but you can’t just leave Ware unblocked. Hindsight is 20/20, but if you have to pick a player to block or leave unblocked, I’d block Ware and take my chances with Morris Claiborne blitzing off the edge. Not the best job of setting the protection to keep your quarterback upright. It’s lucky Ryan wasn’t injured on the play.

The second sack was a coverage sack, and Ware & Josh Brent ended up making the play. Ryan was trying to throw a short pass, and he needed to get the ball out as soon as he hit the fifth step in his drop. He had another beat to throw the ball before the pocket began collapsing. He stepped up, kept looking up the field, but at that point nobody was open, and there really wasn’t any way he could escape the speed of DeMarcus ware. Good initial rush off the snap by the defensive line, and then great coverage forced Ryan to take the sack.

The most costly and crucial sack of the game came with 9 minutes to play in the 4th quarter. The Falcons had taken the ball from their own 20 to the Dallas 18 in a little over three minutes, and it seemed like the Falcons were surely going to get the key touchdown to really put the game on ice. However, on 1st & 10 from the Dallas 18, Ryan was sacked for a 9 yard loss, a really huge sack in the red-zone late in the game. Once again, the Cowboys brought four men to pressure Ryan, and the fourth was linebacker Victor Butler off the left side. This time there was little doubt what was coming, but the Falcons couldn’t execute a block. Sam Bakers won a one-on-one against one of Dallas’ 3-4 defensive ends, and the Falcons executed double teams against the nose tackle and other defensive end. Butler was left coming off the left edge, and the Falcons had FB Lousaka Polite and RB Michael Turner trying to block Butler. It’s two against one, and in an ideal situation they’d be able to get a double team and at least make Butler take a different route and take more time. While Polite got a chip in, Turner was caught to the inside and was unable to get a hand on Butler, who easily got to Ryan for the sack. It took them out of the red-zone, and ultimately forced them to kick a field goal, something that could have cost them the game.

Now those weren’t the only hits in the passing game that the Falcons offensive line gave up. They allowed Ryan to get hit on several other occasions, but they didn’t result in a sack as he was able to get the pass off. Still, quarterback hits are a big time no no, and the less we see Matt getting clobbered in the pocket, the better.

The other area where the Falcons line really needs to improve is in run blocking. On the Falcons second possession of the game, they got the ball to the Dallas 18 yard line, and were able to get into a 2nd & 2. There’s no reason to not convert that in the red-zone. But they Falcons ran with Michael Turner for no gain, and then with Jacquizz Rodgers for a loss of one yard. That was the prime example of a situation where a conversion is necessary. Getting into the endzone is so crucial, and it would have been great for the Falcons to respond to the early field goal by Dallas with a touchdown. But the inability to convert on two consecutive short yardage situations is a major problem.

The contest against Dallas wasn’t the first time the Falcons have struggles in short yardage situations. The first time I noticed it was the very beginning of Week 2 against the Broncos when it took the Falcons three chances to get the ball one yard into the endzone. And it’s been a consistent struggle.

It may actually be the #1 most important thing for the Falcons to improve. It wasn’t like the Falcons offensive line was giving up sacks because they were getting beaten; they were mental errors, poor job of setting protections in the passing game. It’s easily fixable. But it’s not as positive when you can’t convert really short situations. The Falcons and o-line coach Pat Hill will work on it in the week ahead.

Nov 13, 2011; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Jacquizz Rodgers (22) dodges a tackle by New Orleans Saints outside linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar (56) during the first half at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Josh D. Weiss-US PRESSWIRE

The NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks wrote this piece on the Falcons offensive potential with new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, and he made a lot of very good points as to how a new offensive scheme could improve the Falcons. Most of his points I agree wholeheartedly on. However, there is one comment which I would disagree with, and I would chalk it up to the media’s inability to watch every snap of every team. You’ll see what I mean here in a few.

The first thing Brooks writes is that Matt Ryan will ‘raise his level of play under Koetter’. This has been well chronicled here on Blogging Dirty as well as by the AJC and others. It has been well reported that Ryan has been bulking up, strengthening his throwing arm, as well as doing the preparatory things like becoming accustomed to his playbook and the new scheme under Koetter. These ideas in addition to the thoughts that Ryan will have the freedom to use the no-huddle offense more are not new to Falcons fans, but they are further being publicized on a national level.

His second point is that Roddy White and Julio Jones will get the ball more often in a multitude of ways. He said that the Falcons will not only use these receivers on deep down-the-field routes, but also in crossing routes, dig routes, routes in the intermediate passing and quick passing game that will highlight their ability to run after the catch. I couldn’t agree more with that. Both are excellent at getting down the field on 9-routes, but can be used in far more expanded roles than simply down the field. Here is the part that I disagree completely with Brooks.

Brooks says that ‘the Falcons’ passing game has been viewed as a vertical attack in the past’ but that it might change under Koetter. Excuse me? Where was I for all the happy-go-lucky down the field bombardment that was the Falcons’ attack? I have no doubt that the 2011 Falcons WANTED to throw the ball down the field more, and WANTED to stretch the field more, but with extreme struggles on the offensive line were unable to accomplish that. A big deal was made in the 2011 pre-season that the Falcons would focus more on passing down the field, but that was scratched after the first three or four games of the season for nearly an identical offense as was run in 2010: power running, play-action passing into the short and intermediate passing game. There really wasn’t time to develop down field passing plays. I can’t really blame Brooks– both the Atlanta and National media made a big deal of the Falcons desire to pass deep down the field more. Obviously it created an impression with the national writers (who do NOT watch ever snap the Atlanta Falcons take) that the Falcons were airing the ball out in the Georgia Dome. Brooks perceptions are not reality. Like I said, I can’t blame him for saying that, but it highlights the fact that the national media is sometimes completely out of touch with individual franchises.

Brooks final three points will not come as surprises to Falcons fans. He predicts that Jacquizz Rodgers will become a bigger part of the Falcons offense, especially in the screen game. He is tougher than you would think running between the tackles, and is very shifty when working in open space. I think in two-back sets and out of shotgun sets, Rodgers will prove to be an invaluable weapon. Many compare him to Darren Sproles and that is a fair comparison, although Rodgers isn’t quite as fast. However, the Falcons have a lot of offensive firepower, and only need Rodgers to be himself, not imitate somebody else. That will be plenty for the Falcons. Point No. 4 was that the screen pass will become a greater part of Atlanta’s offense, and I couldn’t agree anymore with that. Not only will Rodgers (and perhaps Michael Turner) be dangerous in the screen game out of the backfield, but we can’t forget about the screen potential in Roddy White, Julio Jones, and Harry Douglas in the slot or line up outside. They can definitely do things with the ball in space, and screens aren’t limited to running backs; receivers can be important targets as well.

The last point that Brooks makes is that the Falcons’ offensive line will be tougher in 2012. I can’t imagine it being much easier to push around than it was in 2011. Pat Hill will be able to help a lot with toughness along this unit, but his addition is not the only reason it will be tougher. Baker should be healthy at left tackle, and the Falcons have added Peter Konz to compete at the Center/Right Guard positions. None of the players who played those positions in 2011 were able to generate a legitimate push to block for backs or protect the quarterback. With players returning healthy, and addition of additional young linemen, the Falcons line is poised to be much improved from last season.

Brooks article is excellent from the perspective of a Falcons fan. I would love to see all of these things happen, and for the Falcons to become one of the top two or three offenses in not only the NFC but in the NFL. I can definitely see it all coming together for Atlanta. I also think that for the most part, these are things that can be improved or worked on; the Falcons don’t have to wait for opportune time or blind luck for these things to fall into place. Through hard work and targeted practicing, the Falcons can and will achieve and work on these things. Hopefully it will translate into the Falcons becoming the No. 1 offense in the NFL.

Nov 19, 2011; Waco, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners offensive linesman Donald Stephenson (59) blocks Baylor Bears defensive end Terrance Lloyd (11) during their game at Floyd Casey Stadium. The Bears upset the Sooners 45-38. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

The Atlanta Falcons need help at the Left Tackle position, and they could find it in the person of Oklahoma Sooner Offensive tackle Donald Stephenson.

There is almost no doubt that Stephenson is a better prospect at this stage than Matt McCants, but he does not have the same potential to add size and strength that the other does. However, he is still 6’5″, 312 lbs, has good enough athleticism to hold up against speed rushers on the edge, and also the size and strength to anchor against the power ‘bull’ rush. Is definitely above average in pass protection. He also has good size and speed to run-block, and pull on specific run plays.

There are some questions as to his inconsistent footwork. At times Stephenson won’t set up wide enough to block the edge rusher, or too deep to effectively block the power-rusher. The same things happens in run-blocking where at times he gets caught flat-footed or off balance, but there is no doubt that he has the ability to balance properly and use proper footwork against elite competition and in the NFL, it is just a matter of him consistently doing so.

If Stephenson were taken in this years draft, I would expect him to go in the 3rd round. He is listed as the 86th best overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft. I don’t think that’s too far off. However, using a 3rd rounder seems so much significant this year due to the lack of a 1st and 4th round picks. Stephenson may not be ready initially this season, but with new offensive line coach Pat Hill, I think Stephenson could be a big hit for the Falcons. He may not be a pro-bowler, but then again he may. He certainly has the potential to be better than a tandem of Will Svitek and Sam Baker.