Things To Look For In Training Camp: Offense Edition

At least once every summer since 2009, I get into the car and drive up I-85 for about an hour or so toward The Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, GA to sit on the hill and watch the Atlanta Falcons prepare for the upcoming season.  Today marks Day 6 of the team’s Training Camp, and just like the previous three Summers I intend on being there (weather permitting of course).

Like the years before, there is buzz a plenty surrounding the Falcons. Coming off an inconsistent season and another humiliating playoff exit, Atlanta is on the rebound and is looking to silence critics. Following last season the Falcons retooled the coaching staff, bringing in Pat Hill to help stabilize the offensive line and Dirk Koetter with his highly touted vertical passing attack to replace the predictable power run, vanilla, PLEASE STOP WITH THE ROLL OUTS play calling of the coach formerly known as Inspector Gadget on offense.

There is no denying the Falcons have talent and with many people ready to shift the focus and the blame onto Mike Smith, they knew that returning the same coaching staff from the previous two playoff debacles wouldn't sit well with the fans and more importantly Owner Arthur Blank. Tomorrow, if I can make my trip to The Branch, I’ll be looking to see how different the flow of practice feels on both sides of the ball.

As I said before, Mularkey is out Koetter is in as offensive coordinator. With Mularkey leaving to become the Head Coach in Jacksonville, Koetter (who is formerly of the Jaguars) is coming in with more toys than Hasbro to play with but that's not what I’m going to focus on, well not yet. While seeing how he is going to work his weapons is going to be fascinating, there are just some other things that I need to address.

• Offensive Line
• Running back Carries
• Replacing a Legend
• Depth at WR
• New Offense

Offensive Line

As the season went on it became more and more obvious that the Falcons line just wasn't the same as it was from the previous year. Starting the year the line had health problems, Ryan was sacked 26 times, Turner had a hard time finding holes and for most of the season they were pretty bad. So gone is the former line coach Paul Boudreau and enter Pat Hill who coached at Fresno State since 1997. The team didn't stop there, holding six picks in the 2012 draft, they used the first three on the offensive side of the ball, taking (C) Peter Konz from Wisconsin, (OT) Lamar Holmes out of Southern Miss and (FB) Bradie Ewing also from Wisconsin. If Hill can come in and whip the line into shape, Sam Baker can stay healthy and Konz can be productive at the right guard position look for the line to resemble its 2010 form when it was regarded as one of the best in football.

Running Back Carries

Next, who is getting what out of the backfield? For the past two seasons the Falcons have been planning to limit Turners carries and this year might be the year to do so. Many are making a big deal about Turner being on the wrong side of 30, I am not one of those people; I'm more of the ones who want his carries limited because I want to see what Quizz can do in a more consistent role. In limited time he opened eyes last season and provided a nice change of pace when Turner was getting stuffed in the backfield. Some say it’s because he was so small and was getting lost behind the blockers, which I won’t deny. However I think there is more to it, while he is small he is powerful and refuses to go down and I think will translate well into Koetter's system since he had a similar back on his last team, maybe you hear of him... Maurice Jones-Drew. Let’s not forget about Snelling, who has been a fan favorite since his rookie season and is so versatile he can play FB and RB which makes him more of a threat. Not to mention from the pictures surfacing from training camp, he has lost a few pounds.

Replacing a Legend

Also on my list is replacing a legend. Yes I’m talking about Tony Gonzalez. Gonzalez has been pondering retirement for two years and says he is 95% sure that this will be his last season. It would be completely crazy to let someone with the knowledge that he has just walk away from the game and not leave an heir to the throne. Which is why I expected the Falcons to draft a Tight End that could be a mentored by the Future Hall of Famer, but that didn't happen. It will be interesting to see what shapes up from the position in camp. I've got my eye on Michael Palmer because he could very well be the starter next season so I hope he is taking in as much as he can from the vet while he has the opportunity.

Depth at WR

Wide receiver for the Falcons, in my opinion is the teams’ greatest strengths. Well, it’s strong until you get to the fourth and fifth spots on the depth chart, then things get a little shaky. Of course you have Roddy White, Julio Jones, and Harry Douglas but after that you have Michael Calvin, Kevin Cone, Drew Davis, Marcus Jackson, Kerry Meier, James Rodgers, Kenny Stafford and Tim Toone most of which except Kerry Meier, Tim Toone, and Kevin Cone are were undrafted Free Agents from '11 or '12. Meier is having a nice camp after coming of a knee injury two seasons ago and saw very little offensive action during the 2011 season. After losing Eric Weems to the Chicago Bears via free agency I expect Meier to win the fourth WR spot leaving the fifth up for grabs for either James Rodgers, brother of running back Jacquizz Rodgers, or my favorite Michael Calvin. 

New Offense

The last thing on my training camp offensive check list is the new look offense. Early rumblings out of camp are that things are coming along great. Reports are Matt Ryan has been in the weight room getting stronger, maybe to better be suited for the increase in vertical passes he is going to be throwing in Dirk Koetter new offense. Koetter was the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars last year, a rather uninspiring bunch I must say, and finished last in passing, passing yards, passer rating and second to last in completion percentage ahead of Tebow and the Denver Broncos (Shocker Right?). So why be excited about a coach who finished last? Quick.... name a WR for the Jaguars without looking.... Exactly. Matt Ryan is much better than Blaine Gabbert, and with a better overall team. If that's not enough that but Koetter promised us screen passes which he used to his aide to win over the fan base who was scratching their heads at the hire early in the off season. With these Weapons at his disposal there is no reason for this team’s offense to be outside of the top ten in any offensive category.

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