MVN: Most Valuable Network

First, I'd like to apologize for my absence. Over the last month-and-a-half, I've embarked on a new employment opportunity, and am in the process of re-balancing work, work, family and my Falcons blog.

But enough about me.

I wanted to share this link to an amusing article. Something about the greatness of man versus the greatness of ego.

It's June. Falcons OTAs are in full swing. The rookies are being signed and integrated in the offensive, defensive and special teams schemes. Falcons are helping charities, communities, and supporting our armed forces. Mike Vick is 600 miles away. Things are looking good. Heck...with Tony Gonzalez, Michael Turner and Roddy White, we even have three players in the Madden '10 top ten at their positions.

Still, Panthers, Saints and even Bucs fans seem to think they each have the best team in the division. Saints fans will - in the same breath, mind you - point out that the Falcons defense is unproven, so they can't beat the Saints this year, while the [ahem, unproven] new Saints defense will bolster the vicious attack by Drew Brees and company. Panthers fans tout their underachieving starting quarterback, their disgruntled DE and their one-dimensional passing game as their aces-in-the-hole in their quest to defend their division title. Buccaneers...well, they hope the Bucs can do what the Falcons did last year...

To give credit where credit is due, the Saints do still have a great passing offense, the Panthers a strong running duo, and the Bucs a better-than-average defense. But they can't all play us at once. The Falcons are attempting to build the best all-around team. The offense was already strong, and the addition of Tony Gonzalez completes their attack. The defense is young, and, I'll admit, unproven, but built around a solid core (Lofton, Abraham, Babineaux, Peterson, Coleman) and getting very deep at multiple positions. The competition for DE, DT, corner back, safety and linebacker is strong, and whomever emerges at the starting positions will have had to earn it. Mike Smith is a defensive mind, and that will only serve to make this team better. No one is resting on their laurels.

I've been reading a lot of reaction to many debates going on in the sports sites, and I'd like to address some of the misconceptions I've seen:

1. The Falcons have never had back-to-back winning seasons - Prior to 1998, they had never been to a Super Bowl. That didn't change the fact that they made it there. Unless you are willing to put your stock in superstitions about curses, there's no reason to believe that this kind of random statistic has any bearing about what can happen in the future.

2. The Falcons will have to beat the NFC East and AFC East, two of the toughest divisions in the NFL - Though I can't argue that, based on the statistics these teams have, these might be the toughest divisions in the NFL (though I'd argue the NFC South is right there with them), I would like to remind everyone that the Saints, Panthers and Bucs all have to play the same two divisions. The Saints will have to face the same pass defenses we do. The Panthers will have to try to build their running attack against the same defenses. The same potent offenses will try to beat the Bucs defenses. This division, as it usually does, will come down to how we do against each other, and I like the Falcons chances here.

3. Teams have plenty of tape on Matt Ryan and they will have figured him out - I'd like to point out that teams have even more tape on Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and even Drew Brees. There's not much to "figure out" about Matt Ryan - he reads defenses, checks down his receivers, and hits the open man in stride. I've seen Mike Tyson box plenty of times, that doesn't mean I can "stop him".

The best news of all of this chatter is, people wouldn't be so fixated on "proving" the Falcons can't do it, if they weren't terrified they could.

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Finally! Draft day is upon us! The Falcons started their draft early this week, swapping their 2nd round pick from 2010 for premier tight end Tony Gonzalez. Tony G. rounds out this already impressive offense, providing Matt Ryan with the only weapon he was missing last season. Hartsock did a great job blocking, but wasn't the pass-catching threat Gonzalez will be. Defenses will be unable to stack to box in hopes of stifling Michael Turner's running game, and can't double-cover everyone. Even blitz packages will be considered highly risky with Gonzalez running amok behind enemy lines. Red-zone scoring will go up. If this offense can stay on the field and eat up clock, it even improves the defense, keeping them rested and limiting what opposing offenses have the leisure to do. This offense is starting to look like my Madden PS fantasy draft team. What else this does is... Read more

I'll start with the good news. The Falcons have two prime-time games this season: Sunday the 18th of October hosting the Bears, and Monday, November 2nd at New Orleans. Chicago will be gunning for revenge for Atlanta's unlikely and amazing comeback late in last season's game, and with Jay Cutler at the helm, Ryan and the crew, and the restructured defense will have to step up all aspects of their game if they hope to repeat in victory. New Orleans has an amazing tendency to pull out Monday night home victories no matter how bad their team is or how good their opponent is. What makes it more difficult is that the Saints will not likely be a bad team this season. More good news: If the Falcons manage a 11-5 record again this season, or even a 10-6, naysayers will have a difficult time downplaying their success. Atlanta... Read more

As the off season progresses, with the exception of the signing of former Jacksonville LB Mike Peterson, the Falcons remain silent, waiting for the draft. Thomas Dimitroff has stated on several occasions that the team is committed to building in the future from the draft, in the Patriots' style. Given that, the move today, trading Laurent Robinson to the St. Louis Rams in exchange for advancing both the 5th and 6th round picks, isn't entirely a surprise. Robinson waits behind a strong list of accomplished receivers, Roddy White, Michael Jenkins, Harry Douglas, and Brian Finneran, so this move will serve to advance his own cause, and I couldn't be happier for him. Robinson was one of the bright spots in the checkered 2007 season, and, I believe barring his injury in '08, he would be one of the go-to receivers for this team going into the '09 season, and... Read more

The Falcons have signed LB Mike Peterson, of Jacksonville, to a two year deal, addressing two pressing team issues - pass coverage and defensive leadership. With the departures of safety Lawyer Milloy and LB Keith Brooking, the only player remaining from the Falcons' only Super Bowl appearance in 1998, team experience came quickly into question. Of the two elected defensive captains from last season, only eerily-silent John Abraham, the Predator, remains, with Milloy testing the free agent market. Peterson brings 15 career interceptions to the table in his 10 years in the NFL, as well as a prior five-year working relationship with head coach Mike Smith (formerly DC of the Jags). The signing of Peterson gives the team a great deal of leeway on how to deal with other defensive needs. A safety no longer has to be a pass coverage stud, as Peterson and free safety Erik Coleman,... Read more

The Vick-Capades Atlanta has opened the bidding for fallen icon Michael Vick, who will be serving the end of his dog-fighting sentence under house arrest. Not surprisingly, teams are reluctant to discuss their plans either for or against acquiring Vick. Mike Singletary's statement of possible interest, then reversal has been the only gleam of hope so far for Dimitroff's plans of trading Vick for draft picks. Several teams are in need of a starting quarterback, but Vick's questionable past will make him a gamble for any GM. This isn't the strongest year in the draft, and only a few backups will be testing the free-agency waters, plus Kurt Warner and Kerry Collins. Matt Cassel will also likely be shopped around by the Patriots, so Vick's name will probably come up in more than one team's board room. Detroit is in a position to take Matt Stafford with the number... Read more

Todd Weiner Retires Team leadership is an important issue to Mike Smith and Thomas Dimitroff, and with question marks surrounding the futures of Lawyer Milloy and Keith Brooking, Weiner's retirement adds a new angle to the upcoming off-season moves by the Falcons. Weiner, an 11-year veteran (7 with the Falcons), has been one of the go-to guys in the locker room, and kept the O-line intact when Sam Baker went out early with back surgery. Taking psychology out of the equation, this isn't a devastating loss, but in reality, pressure will fall on Todd McClure to step up in the locker room and provide the type of veteran leadership any team needs to be successful. Fortunately, McClure was selected, along with Matt Ryan, as an offensive team captain by his teammates, so at the very least, his other linemen and the rest of the team believe in his leadership... Read more

First of all, congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers on their Super Bowl win. They played a strong game, and Roethlisberger's drive to retake the lead late in the game will go down as one of the best in history. Additionally, congratulations to the Arizona Cardinals for making a real game out of it. I thought several times that the game was "over", and Larry Fitzgerald's catch and dash to the end zone was one of those times. All in all, it was a very good game, and one of the best finishes in Super Bowl history, and it is clear beyond question who's the best team in the NFL. (Take note, NCAA) Congratulations are in order for Thomas Dimitroff as well, for being named Executive of the Year. His bold and brilliant moves, both in free agency and the draft secured his win, and I am anxious to see... Read more

In this free agent market, there are several eye-popping names that the Falcons may have the gumption to go after. Much of the debate is obvious, as in, will Albert Haynesworth continue his good-boy image so sullied by his face stomping incident so many years back, or will the team make moves for corner back Nnamdi Asomugha or DE/OLB Terrell Suggs. But with Thomas Dimitroff in charge, the real question is, who is the next Michael Turner? What smart moves will be made by this seemingly-genius staff that will have prognosticators scratching their heads, wondering how this player got through their radars? And, perhaps most importantly, how much can they spend without sacrificing their future in a Michael Vick-like salary orgy? What are the smart moves, first of all? Haynesworth continues to prove his worth in Titans colors, and as the Falcons address their defensive woes, his name will... Read more

The Falcons exited the 2008 season with an inglorious loss to the now Super Bowl bound Arizona Cardinals, but expectations are high for Atlanta's chances of ending their existence-long failure to post back-to-back winning seasons. The team will return a rookie quarter back in Matt Ryan, who has taken home the AP's Rookie of the Year honors, as well as being selected one of the teams captains by the team, the highest honor he's achieved, according to head coach Mike Smith. Additionally, surprise sensation Michael Turner is back ready for his second season as a starter, and Roddy White and Michael Jenkins are chomping at the bit to prove that 2008 was not a fluke for either one of them. The team brings more strengths to the table than they have in quite some time, as well as some weaknesses they must address if they are to do something... Read more

As the Falcons move into the off-season, it's time to see what moves they will be making, what moves they should or should not make, and what moves we want them to make. After last year's phenomenal off-season, the additions of GM Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Mike Smith, and the great free agent and draft moves, expectations are high for what this team should accomplish. Last year, they made some bold and controversial cuts, including sending off crowd favorites Warrick Dunn and Alge Crumpler. Questions exist around the future of linebacker Keith Brooking, a one-time pro-bowler, who is in the final year of a pricey contract. Will they simply cut him, or maybe renegotiate his contract, giving him the possibility of another year or two with the team, or even keep him at his current rate? Or will he save the team the decision by retiring this year?... Read more