Even though we are still 4 months away from the 2013 season getting underwait’s never too early to predict how well the Atlanta Falcons will do next year starting with the first half of the season.

Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints

The dirty birds begin their 2013 season on the road and even more interesting, against the rival Saints. Sean Payton will be returning to coach the Saints making this game a little bit unpredictable. I see both teams playing to prove they’re the top dog in the NFC South but this will be the first game back after a very disappointing loss last year in the NFC Championship game for Atlanta. So I have to give the edge to the Falcons it will be a fun game to watch but I think Atlanta takes it 28-24 WIN

St. Louis Rams @ Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta will get their home opener in week 2 but whats more important than that is they will raise their NFC South Championship banner before the game. The biggest story however will be Steven Jackson playing against his former team. Look for Jackson to have a huge impact in this game even though it wasn’t a messy break for either side Steven Jackson will work extra hard in this game to beat his former team. Atlanta will have a strong game against the Rams taking the victory 27-13. WIN

Atlanta Falcons @ Miami Dolphins

Miami has made a ton of noise this offseason and has really improved their roster. The experience of Matt Ryan will be the difference maker in this game though if you ask me. I do see Mike Wallace having a big game though which will make it close but Atlanta wins 24-17 WIN

New England Patriots @ Atlanta Falcons

Prime time begins in week 4 against the always dangerous Patriots.Tom Brady vs Matt Ryan, Present vs Future. A huge game for the Falcons and if Atlanta wants to win they are going to have to have a great game offensively. Atlanta wont win this game if they don’t pressure Brady and I don’t see this happening therefore I have to give this game to New England 31-21 LOSS

New York Jets @ Atlanta Falcons

Back to back home games meet back to back prime time game for the Georgia Dome in week 5. Jets are a somewhat broken team and they have to come across an Atlanta team who just played one of the best teams in the NFL a week earlier. It all spells out a butt whooping for the Jets. I see this being the game that pushes Sanchez out as the starter we might even see Geno at some point in this game but it will be all about Atlanta winning 31-10. WIN

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons

This is a game I could have seen being harder to pick if the circumstances were not so much in the Dirty Birds Favor. Atlanta will play this game in week 7 following their bye week, t will also be 4 weeks since the team has had to travel away from the Georgia Dome. It makes this game a no brainer, Atlanta will show their dominance even if the “good” Buccaneers team shows up for this one. The Falcons take control early and finish strong beating the Bucs 27-17 WIN

Atlanta Falcons @ Arizona Cardinals

The Falcons take flight after a month at home to take on the Cardinals. Matt Ryan had his worst two games last season against the Cardinals and against Carson Palmer.Now that the two are together this does seem to be trouble for the Falcons but I think Matt Ryan makes adjustments and has a better game. I do see a close game here even though the Cardinals are nowhere near as good as Atlanta but I am gonna give Atlanta the fourth quarter victory    24-20. WIN

Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers

Atlanta will travel back east for back to back road games to finish the first half of the season. Cam Newton played great against the Falcons last year but Atlanta has spent time learning how to stop running QB’s this offseason, It all comes down to stopping Cam in this one. Matt will put up points but if Cam has his way with our defense again this year it is his game to win. I have to go with my gut and say the research in the offseason pays off enough to get the ‘W’ 28-24. WIN

The Atlanta Falcons have obviously a tougher schedule then last year but they are still arguably more talented than every team they face this season. I think every game will come down to the Falcons winning or the Falcons letting other teams beat them. No team in the first half of the season should be able to beat Atlanta if they play to their potential. At worst see a 5-3 record after 8 games but definitely there is the chance we see another 8-0 record this season. Only time will tell though.

Link to second half schedule predictions:  http://bloggingdirty.com/2013/05/20/atlanta-falcons-2nd-half-schedule-predictions/

Feb 5, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) passes the ball against the New York Giants during Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-US PRESSWIRE

Recently, ESPN’s NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas has been posting a list of the top 25 players in the NFC South. Many of the previous players haven’t been very surprising (Roddy White was No. 19, Julio Jones was No. 11, and I know I’m forgetting a couple other players for the time being). I was really counting down until Yasinskas posted Ryan. Surely, I thought, Ryan will be in the top-10, and even then probably in the top-5. I was right about the first of those.

I was a little surprised, but given the national opinion of Ryan around the league, this ranking didn’t really come as a blindside hit. Ryan is a fine quarterback true, but he is not yet elite. Yasinskas did have some positive things to say about Ryan’s game that should give all Falcons fans faith as well as hope for the future:

The knock on Ryan is he has yet to win in the postseason. You can’t argue that because it’s fact. But I do think Ryan’s postseason drought will end, probably this year. He’s a talented quarterback that works hard, has all the intangibles and has a great supporting cast at the skill positions. The Falcons have made some moves that should help their offensive line and that should allow Ryan more time to find receivers open downfield. Plus, the addition of new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter could mark a huge turning point in Ryan’s career. Ryan fared well under previous coordinator Mike Mularkey, but I’m not so sure the coordinator always put the quarterback in the best situations possible. I also don’t think Mularkey consistently let Ryan do the things he does best. Koetter has a reputation for being more creative and flexible than Mularkey and that’s exactly what Ryan needs. He’s on the cusp of being an elite quarterback. He just needs to be allowed to take the gloves off — and run the no-huddle offense the majority of the time.

That’s more than a mouthful from him, but I felt that it was worth quoting. Ryan certainly has the potential to do a whole lot more within the offense if A) the coordinator allows him more control and B) the offense is opened up a little more even when Ryan isn’t in a no-huddle situation. Mike Mularkey seemed to call plays that were absolutely mind-numbingly boring, but worst of all were extremely predictable. I could have told you a bootleg was coming on 1st down a often the last couple years. Other teams knew it was coming, and played against it. First, it isn’t Ryan’s strong suit (see this article here) and it generally just was a waste of a down. Granted, our offensive line play couldn’t really protect Ryan when he was in the pocket, but it didn’t help trying to get him mobile. As Yasinskas said in the previous paragraph in his article:

He did all that while being sacked a career-high 26 times and that number could have been significantly higher if Ryan hadn’t sidestepped some hits and thrown the ball away.

I’ve said it before, Ryan is the reason we didn’t lead the league in sacks surrendered, or at least be a league leader. If we protect him properly, there is no reason he can’t be a Philip Rivers type talent, a guy with decent arm strength but little to no mobility, who sees the rush well, avoids it when his line doesn’t pick it up, and is able to make things happen. We absolutely have to bring better talent to the o-line soon, or in the 2013 draft. But again, I digress.

There is a perfect player for Ryan to watch to see exactly how a pocket passer should mold his game after. That person is Tom Brady. Brady is so good and has been for such a long time, that I tend to forget exactly how he plays the position. And truth be told, he IS an absolute statue in the pocket. Ron Jaworski noted in his quarterback countdown that Ryan really needs to work on passing from a muddied or cluttered pocket. Once he does that, he will be vastly improved. He ranked Ryan No. 11, and he ranked Brady No. 3. One of the main things Jaws had to say about his was that despite his severe lack of mobility and his essentially being a statue in the pocket, he is so outstanding at recognizing blitzes, feeling the rush, standing tall in the pocket, and understanding the strengths/weaknesses on his offensive line that he makes up for it, and can stand in the pocket for long periods of time. I can’t argue that, I’ve witnessed it countless times. He keeps the play alive–not outside the pocket– but inside the pocket, and then shreds the defense to pieces. Ryan has to get better in a messy pocket, and the Falcons need to do their due diligence in protecting Ryan, or he will never realize his full potential.

UPDATE: Jaws recently announced the Nos. 1 and 2 quarterbacks on his list. They were Aaron Rodgers at 1, and Drew Brees at 2. Interestingly, the only knock that Jaws could pin on Brees was his arm strength, something that critics of Ryan have also used to detract from his game. The thing that Brees does is use pinpoint accuracy, which more than makes up for lack of arm strength. If Ryan can come close to the accuracy of Brees, he can be nearly as productive as Brees. Offseason training to increase the arm strength is absolutely crucial for Ryan, but accuracy with that arm is equally vital.

Jan 01, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick (7) passes the ball to tight end Brent Celek (87) during the third quarter against the Washington Redskins at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Redskins 34-10. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

A couple days ago, the Philadelphia quarterback of note made comments that he felt he was ‘ranked too low’ on the Top-100 NFL players. A couple weeks ago I wrote essentially the same thing, when I wrote that Matt Ryan was probably not going to make the list at all, and that it was a travesty that he didn’t. But now that I hear someone who consistently makes ridiculous comments like Vick complaining about their placement on an unimportant list, I think I am changing my tune.

Vick was whining and complaining about a list that has no impact on wins and losses, has no impact on your performance on the field, has no real impact on anything that is real or tangible at all. His comments that it was a joke was not surprising coming from Mike Vick; here in Atlanta we know Vick very well, and he has not always said the right things. But lets face the facts, based on his performance in 2011, I don’t think Vick deserves a higher place on the list; as a matter of fact, he may not deserve to even be on the list.

That, however, is beside the point. Do I blame Vick for wanting to be listed higher? Not one bit. But it would seem that, as essentially the face of the Eagles franchise, he would not comment on things like this and would be more focused on improving his game and making his team better. I like the approach of guys like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and even our own Matt Ryan who keep their mouths shut, their head down, grind daily, and work to improve their games. You can see it on a daily basis and by not hearing from them, you know they are out there working.

And that is where Vick has truly failed.