NFL Betting Odds
Atlanta is 35:1 to win the
Super Bowl, 15:1 to win the NFC Championship,
and 11:4 to win the NFC South. The Falcons were
8-8 in 2005 .
Schedule
Atlanta’s 2006 opponents
had a record of 130-126 in 2005. That is tied
for the 6th hardest schedule in the NFC. The Falcons
get their bye-week after Week 5.
Atlanta plays four
out of their first six games at home, although
they open with a very tough game at Carolina.
The last five games of the season are very hard
with road games at Washington, Tampa Bay and Philadelphia.
Their two home games in that span are Dallas and
Carolina, certainly no gimmes.
Sports Edge Analysis
Quarterback, Michael Vick
is one of the NFL’s superstars, now all
he has to do is start playing like one. Vick’s
learning curve in the West Coast offense has been
slow, but the coaching staff hopes that he finally
gets it. Vicks running ability as a quarterback
is still second to none, but his improvement in
the passing game will determine how far this team
goes.
One factor that should help
get Vick untracked is a more mature receiving
group. Michael Jenkins and Roddy White are big,
fast and talented. It did hurt the Falcons that
third receiver, Brian Finneran was lost for the
year, but Ashley Lelie was just acquired to fill
that role. Alge Crumpler also remains one of the
best tight ends in the league.
Atlanta’s running game
was tops in the NFC last year, and it should continue
to be close to that level. Warrick Dunn is very
durable for someone with such a small frame, and
he does not appear to be slowing down in his 10th
season. Third round pick, Jerious Norwood looks
more than capable of being an effective backup
to Dunn, replacing T.J. Duckett.
Of course, the running game
would not be effective without a good offensive
line, and Atlanta has one. There is a question
mark at left tackle with veteran Wayne Gandy replacing
Kevin Shaffer. Fortunately, that is not Vick’s
blindside as he is left-handed.
Atlanta’s defense was
12th in the NFC in yards allowed last year, and
8th in points allowed. To better those numbers,
the team traded a first round pick to the Jets
for pass rusher John Abraham. Abraham's presence
will not help the Falcons stop the run though,
so the team just signed Grady Jackson.
The linebacking unit has
a marquee guy in Keith Brooking, and he should
benefit from a move back to the weak-side. That
puts Ed Hartwell in the middle and he is still
recovering from his Achilles tendon injury. Hartwell
needs to start playing like he did in Baltimore
or teams will continue to run right up the gut.
In the secondary, DeAngelo
Hall is a big name at one cornerback. Jason Webster
is the other scheduled starter, although Atlanta
did draft Jimmy Williams in the second round.
Lawyer Milloy was a solid veteran pickup at strong
safety, but the jury is still out on this group
overall.
Prediction
The old adage in football
is that you win games by running the ball and
stopping the run. Well, at least we know the Falcons
can do the first one right.
Atlanta will continue to
run the ball with success, but at some point a
defense is going to shut it down and force Vick
to beat them through the air. If he is able to
do that with regularity, then this is a playoff
team. If he continues to struggle, then the Atlanta
defense is not good enough to propel them into
the post-season. The prediction here is a 9-7
record.
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Posted by miker at August
25, 2006 09:01 AM
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