Training Camp Looms

July 25th. That is the day the collective sigh will be heard around this great land of ours. Relief that the long offseason has ended. Falcons fans rejoice in seeing their beloved dirty birds take flight for the 2008 season.  Now before I get any more poetic, let’s focus on three facts, a state of the Falcons address if you will:

1. This is a new team. We have lost a head coach Bobby Petrino (Arkansas), a very good CB in DeAngelo Hall (Raiders), and a downright awesome TE in Alge Crumpler (Titans).

2. We have started to build through a very strong draft. We got our QB, we got a solid core of young, high character playmakers.

3. We made the most brilliant move of our offseason in hiring head coach Mike Smith. Smith was the former defensive coach of the Jaguars and the architect of one of the more consistent and physical defensive units in the NFL for his tenure. He brings a wealth of knowledge, a strong work ethic and his return should signal a renewed focus on physicality and accountability. His teams play hard and they play to win.

What does this all mean you may ask? It means that in 2008 the Falcons will set a course for improvement. I will not say that we will be a playoff team right away, not with an offense that still needs as many pieces as we appear to at this time. But, with a strong foundation of youth, leadership and hard work we should be able to set things on the right course and continue to progress and improve over the next few years.

The Bird Speaks!