Feb 22, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith speaks at a press conference during the 2013 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

You look at teams who have won the Super Bowl and all of them have one thing in common, depth at each position.

Depth is one of the very few things that set apart the Falcons from being a legitimate Super Bowl team.

The Draft is the perfect opportunity for teams to take advantage of building depth at multiple positions. A prime example of that is the New York Giants selecting Jason Pierre Paul with their first round selection in the 2010 draft, when they already had Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora at defensive end. Not only did Pierre Paul become a fantastic player, but he also helped the Giants become a dangerous defensive line with the depth that he provided.

Oh yeah, lets not forget that the Giants won the Super Bowl in that same year, primarily because of their depth.

Jan 20, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) throws in the pocket against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game at the Georgia Dome. The 49ers won 28-24. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

It’s a question that has been on my mind lately…

At one time (pre-teens to be exact) I was superficial jerk when it came to judging quarterbacks. My opinion at the time was if a QB didn’t have a Super Bowl ring, they weren’t good enough for me to acknowledge their existence. The reason why, is because I acknowledged every position on the field ALONG with the signal-caller. My father and other football fans I grew up around taught me that football was a team game, and that the quarterback was a part of the team. So I never put the QB above the team unless they were supremely talented. To me, Quarterbacks in the 90′s were not as fun to watch as some of the other positions, so they had to be really good for me to care about them.

Rather than pay attention to statistically mediocre QB’s, I only paid attention to the “Elite’ few. Back then, there were only a handful of QB’s I was familiar with…Brett Farve, Dan Marino, Steve Young, Troy Aikman, and Joe Montana. Even though Joe Montana was in the twilight of his career by the time I turned into a full-time football junkie, he was one of the first quarterbacks that I knew about due to his championships. Joe has four Super Bowl rings, and you can’t argue against the QB that has won that many titles. He’s the standard to which I’ve judged all elite signal-callers.

Unarguably the best team during the 90′s were Jimmy Johnson’s Dallas Cowboys. They were the face of the NFL during that particular decade and at the time, it was OK to call them ‘America’s Team’(How times have changed). They were stacked with talent; 4 future HOF’ers and a few perennial pro-bowlers to be exact.  Troy Aikman was the signal-caller for the talented team. He helped lead the Cowboys to 3 Super Bowl championships, solidifying his Hall Of Fame status before the end of the decade. Was he the star of the team? In my mind, no. Aikman was a solid QB, but I believe a lot of his success was attributed to the team around him. He had Emmitt Smith, an accomplished offensive line, and a distinguished defense to take pressure off of him, and he didn’t have to put up phenomenal stats game after game (He never threw over 25 td’s in a season). All he had to do was play mistake free and when he did, everything else took care of itself.

Let me reiterate by saying there’s nothing wrong with being the product of great coaching and a talented team, the problem is when fans/analysts fail to acknowledge the fact that most times it takes a great, balanced team to win a championship. If all it took was an ‘elite’ QB to win a championship, Dan Marino would have a handful of rings. But, even without the Super Bowl ring that evaded him his entire career, it could be argued that Marino is the greatest QB of all-time. He held almost every QB record when he retired in 2000. The lack of a championship should not hurt his legacy and what he’s accomplished in the NFL.

Lately, my perspective on how to evaluate an elite QB has changed a little. It started when I witnessed Joe Flacco win his first Super Bowl along with Super Bowl MVP. At the beginning of the 2012-13 season, people questioned whether Flacco was an elite signal caller. While he was up-and-down during the regular season, Joe answered his critics in the playoffs by playing flawless football. Flacco underwent a Montana-metamorphosis, then threw for 11 touchdowns with no ints on his way to his first Super Bowl victory. But even prior to this season, Flacco has had a reputation of slacking thru the regular season then heating up in the playoffs. He’s been in each of his first 5 seasons and has accumulated 9 post-season victories, tied with Tom Brady for most in a QB’s first five years starting.

Now lets speak on Joe Flacco’s 2008 draft counterpart Matt Ryan. Ryan has been to the playoffs in 4 of his first 5 seasons, but his first 3 playoff attempts were anything but successful; All ‘One-and-done’s’ until this past season. Prior to this season, Matt Ryan played with the ‘couldn’t win in the playoffs’ stigma. A stigma that frustrated fans and analysts who sided with the opinion that Ryan was a young superstar in the making. With a phenomenal rookie season, the bar was set high for the young Falcon-prodigy. While his regular-season work is among the best of any NFL QB their first five years in the league, his playoff success has left a lot to be desired. But, rather than speak on his 1-4 playoff record, lets speak on the infernal domain of a franchise that Matt Ryan was drafted into.

Matt Ryan was drafted 3rd overall by a Falcons team fresh off the Vick/Petrino debacle, and many thought it would take at least 3-4 years for Atlanta to recover. They were statistically and record-wise one of the worst teams in the NFL in 2007.

29th- Points allowed

29th- Points scored

30th- First downs made

26th- Rush yards gained and rush yards allowed

If there’s a statistical ‘Hell on Earth’, the 2007 Falcons were definitely submerged in it. Matt Ryan, Mike Smith, and Thomas Dimitroff turned this team into a perennial-winner in one off-season…Not to say that Joe Flacco didn’t step into an abysmal situation himself.

Baltimore went thru a line of QB’s before they found a winner in Flacco. The Ravens were lowly-ranked in just about every passing category for years. They were perennial top-15 in defense and running the football, but had trouble putting points on the board due to inept QB play. It’s amazing how much of a difference a good QB can make to a team.

Flacco took Baltimore from 5-11 team to 11-5 and from then on, the organization had his back. But, you could argue Joe inherited a pretty solid team. All the Ravens needed was a half-way decent QB to make them one of the formidable teams of the NFL and Joe is a lot more than what they asked for. When Joe was drafted in 2008, the Ravens had 4 established veterans and/or possibly future HOF’s on that defense…Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata, and Terrell Suggs made for one of the strongest defensive cores in the NFL during their time together. They also had a pretty good run game with Willis McGahee, Le’Ron McClain (and later Ray Rice).

The Atlanta Falcons had to approach the Matt Ryan’s situation differently; They had to continue to build around him. When Matt Ryan arrived, all Atlanta had was Roddy White, Michael Turner, and John Abraham. They had to continue to add playmakers on offense and defense in order to surround Ryan with a team that could take pressure off him. Thomas Dimitroff  added Sean Weatherspoon, William Moore, Julio Jones, Tony Gonzalez, and even newly signed Steven Jackson, doing everything in his power to make this team a Super Bowl contender. Because, in the end, it takes a team to win a Super Bowl, not just an ‘elite’ QB.

Before I began typing this article, I did some research on past Super Bowl winners. Drew Brees in 2009 and Peyton Manning in 2006 were the only two times I felt a QB truly carried their team to a championship in my entire life of watching football. The other teams the last eleven years? Baltimore, New England, Pittsburgh, and New York Giants all had talented defenses to put pressure on QB’s, which took pressure off their own. I think Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson are proof that you don’t have to be the greatest QB in the world to win a SB, just the beneficiary of being on the right team (with the right defense) at the right time.

Which brings me back to my question…What should an ‘Elite” QB be defined by?

Playoff wins? Is Mark Sanchez better than Matt Ryan? No.

Super Bowls? Is Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson better than Dan Marino? No.

Regular Season stats? Is Tony Romo better than Joe Flacco? Yes, unless it’s the 4th quarter or a meaningful game…

It should be a combination of all three…With (a lil’) less emphasis on the Super Bowl and more on playoff appearances, wins, and consistency. An ‘Elite’ QB should also be defined by his relentless work ethic and character on AND off the field. He’s a QB with the ability to create his own luck in clutch situations. He makes the right decisions, puts the team first, and makes them better whenever he’s on the field with them. With him calling the shots, the team is playoff bound year-in and year-out.

Who still argues Matt Ryan is not an Elite QB?

Oct 16, 2011; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson (22) is taken down by New York Giants cornerback Corey Webster (23) and defensive end Osi Umenyiora (72) at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

Two months after the tough loss to the San Francisco 49ers  in the NFC championship game, and one month from the NFL draft I take a look at what the Atlanta Falcons have to date at each position compared to that season ending January game that had a little bit of everything but not quite enough to get to the Super Bowl. I’ll be using a unique Baseball grading metric since the season of the National pastime starts in less than a week. So lets play ball.

Quarterback – Home Run. Matt Ryan had an M.V.P type season last year, proved it is his team, showed he has the ability to pull out a comeback, ran the no huddle as good as anyone, should be even more in tune with Dirk and is awaiting a new contract. If D. Davis has the preseason of a year ago, he should be the birds second string Q.B., a very athletic young back up that could be successful given the offensive firepower at hand. Have the Falcons ever been so comfortable at this position in leadership and talent ?
Running Back – Triple. Jaquizz Rodgers got the touches that were predicted last preseason, and did not disappoint.
His role grew as the season progressed and now is firmly planted to a bigger role. The addition of Steven Jackson tops the departure of our friend, Turner the Burner, because I do believe Jackson can hit the hole a little quicker and it is well documented that he is a much better receiver out of the backfield. The screen pass was instituted last year over previous years and should only grow in the arsenal. It remains to be seen what Brady Ewing can bring. Antone Smith and Jason Snelling give decent required depth.
Receiving – Home run. With White and Jones each getting over a thousand yards and combining for seventeen touchdowns it is no secret the defensive nightmare Atlanta can field in the passing game.
The inspiring return of sure and steady Tony G not only keeps the potent offense of 2012 in order but
may also benefit the team in a tutoring role for a future replacement. Jackson and Jaquizz out of the backfield is a added bonus here and H.D in the slot should improve numbers from last year.
Offensive Line- Single. The hits keep coming when discussing the offense. The Offensive line with the re-signing of Baker and Reynolds, the veteran Clabo, the solid Blalock and the growth of Konz, Johnson and Hawley along with a promising Manley and Holmes gives the unit nice youth and better stability from the start of last season. The departure to the ring of honor by McClure will probably cost one draft pick in April to fill out the line. Only a single, but have the chance to steal a base by forming a cohesive unit early.
Kicking Game – Double. Bryant and Bosher were very sound in 2012. When the kicking game is not in the news or discussed on sports talk shows, it is doing a good job. Bryant’s fifty five yard field goal November 29th against the Saints was one of the years top five highlights. Just a double because I don’t think they both can leg out a combined year as they had last season, but this is not an area of concern.
Defensive Line – Line Out. I’m believing the Osi signing reports but look at that and Abraham’s departure as a wash. That leaves one of the biggest holes the birds must fix from that Championship game. They must pressure the quarterback and stuff the run, and hope for improvement of Massaquoi, Matthews and a year of health from Corey Peters. I trust Nolan already has a plan to address this area of concern. This is where the draft will be most valuable, and I hope two picks go to help shore the leaks. A top first round quality pick and some depth and the Line Out drops for a hit. This is without question the Falcons largest need.
Linebackers – Double. Weatherspoon, Nicholas, and Dent were fairly solid in 2012. Dent’s first full year and Spoon’s takeover of Lofton were major moves. Many rip the lack of tight end coverage during the season, and justifiably, but a better pass rush could help. Schiller has to take Peterson’s place and I suspect a draft pick is going to add depth to this group. Will be better with a year behind them.
Secondary – Single. Signing Moore to team with DeCoud was a solid move and stables the secondary for a few years. The departure of starter Robinson along with the loss of Owens and the corner back position is almost as in need as the defensive line. The draft will play a big role here as well, Taylor from Boise State or Slay from Mississippi State ( over Banks) would be nice second round picks. Peyton Thompson can add nice depth also with another year in camp. This single could stretch to a gap Triple if Grimes gets signed.
Coaching – Triple. Smith , Nolan and Koetter did better than expected in their first year together. That has to signal good things now that they have a year to work with and make adjustments. The new coordinators improved each unit they commanded from the start, and Smith’s “One game at a time” year long approach. Steadied every hiccup and gave the Birds a division title and almost a super bowl trip.
Intangibles – Home run. The schedule will be a little harder, but Ryan and crew proved they can win on the road. Then there is the Dome, where visitors’ know they are in for a rough time, and after seeing Football in January the fans are wild and some of the best. So far this off season, the birds have done the better job in the South division. With the new Stadium on the horizon, it’s the top of the first and Atlanta’s still Batting.