Falcons aim for another good run
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — From billboards to social media, the Atlanta Falcons were the punchline of the offseason after their epic Super Bowl collapse.
No more time to dwell on that now.
The Falcons come into the season eyeing another big run, and that starts with the opener against the Chicago Bears this afternoon.
“I’m not giving any predictions that we will make it back to the Super Bowl this year,” Atlanta safety Ricardo Allen said. “I’m just saying the way this team has developed, the way this team has pushed itself, we are a better team than we were last year. And if we made it to the Super Bowl last year, I think we have a fairly good chance of making it fairly far this year.”
The Falcons were a surprise NFC champion last year, going from 8-8 in coach Dan Quinn’s first season to 11-5. They appeared to be on their way to their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history with a 25-point lead over New England in the second half, only to have veteran quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots rally to beat them in overtime.
Worth noting: Not since the Buffalo Bills dropped four in a row in the 1990s has a losing team returned to the Super Bowl the following season.
But the Falcons seem poised for more big things with just about all their key players back, including MVP Matt Ryan, while Chicago has a long way to go. Coming off a lastplace finish in the NFC North at 3-13, the Bears made big changes at quarterback. They parted with Jay Cutler, signed starter Mike Glennon and drafted Mitchell Trubisky with the No. 2 overall pick.
As for their visitors, the NFL’s highest-scoring offense has only one major change going into the season. Wes Schweitzer beat out Ben Garland as the starting right guard, a position that opened up when Chris Chester retired. Quinn said it was “as close a battle as I’ve seen at position” but gave the nod to Schweitzer based on his consistency.
Also keep an eye on Atlanta tight end Austin Hooper, who could take on a bigger role in the offense as opponents focus on most prominent weapons such as wide receiver Julio Jones and running back Devonta Freeman.
Hooper had 19 receptions for 271 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie last year, but it’s not far-fetched to envision Ryan making him a much bigger part of the offense. Ryan had a huge connection with Tony Gonzalez during his time in Atlanta, so he’s accustomed to working with a productive tight end.
Quinn is also expecting big improvement from his young defense, which started as many as four rookies last season.
Players such as Deion Jones, De’Vondre Campbell, Keanu Neal and Brian Poole will be expected to take on much more responsibility and leadership, based on the improvement shown by Vic Beasley Jr., Grady Jarrett and Ricardo Allen from their first to second years. After wearing down in the Super Bowl collapse, the defense certainly feels as though it has something to prove.