Atlanta Falcons Season Preview

The Atlanta Falcons season starts on September 7, 2014 when they take on the New Orleans Saints. Last year the Falcons went 4-12, a disappointing end to future hall of fame tight end Tony Gonzalez's career. Not to mention the fact that the bar was set high after the 2012 season when the Falcons blew a 17 point lead, and came within seven yards of a Super Bowl birth in the NFC Championship game. But that is the beauty of a new season. You get to either push away the disappointments, or build on the achievements of the previous year.  This is the time where predictions are made, fantasy teams drafted, teams and quarterback ranked, and competition between friends become anything but friendly. This is football season.

So, after a dismal year, the Falcons begin the 2014-2015 campaign not expected to do much. This is expected after a 4-12 campaign, where Julio Jones was injured, and the defense was riddled with rookies, and desecrated by injuries. However this year, Matt Ryan has his two marquee targets in Julio Jones and Roddy White. This receiving core is one of the best in the league along with the Bear's Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. The defense is getting healthier. The only two players listed on the Falcons injury report, were Corey Peters, and Dezman Southward. Corey Peters, is still trying to recover from a torn Achilles that he suffered last year. He is questionable for Sunday's opener against the Saints, yet has been a full participator in practice for the past couple days. The other player listed on the injury report is Dezman Southward. The Falcons drafted him as a safety in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played his college football in Wisconsin. He suffered a concussion, but has also been a full time participant in practice.

So now the question is: Can the Falcons take advantage of the fact that they are relatively healthy. The have their receiving core. The main question remains their defense. If their defense can hold up and Matt Ryan has a good year. It might just be a very special season, for the Atlanta Falcons.