Following yet another exhilarating Super Bowl, the 2009 NFL
season officially came to an end. And
so begins the off-season, highlighted by free agency, coaching changes and open
position competitions. For Atlanta quarterback DJ Shockley, the primary concern
during this off-season will be his own competition for the third spot on the
depth chart behind Matt Ryan and Chris Redman. At this point, it appears the
competition will be the team’s number three quarterback from last season, John
Parker Wilson. It’s difficult to
ascertain an advantage for either player at this point, as neither one has
taken an NFL snap at this point, but Shockley has been in the league for a
longer period of time, which could certainly play to his benefit.
Overall, the 2010 season for the Atlanta Falcons was a
bittersweet one. It might have been the first time the franchise had
back-to-back winning seasons in their history, but their 9-7 record was only
good enough for the seventh seed in the NFC, causing them to miss out on the
playoffs.
Regardless, this is a team and a franchise that is clearly
on the rise. They possess a very strong core of starters on both offense and
defense, spearheaded, of course, by third year starting quarterback Matt Ryan.
Their stud running back Michael Turner has clearly established himself as one
of the best runners in the league, but even if he goes down with injury,
backups Jerious Norwood and Jason Snelling have proven their ability to carry
the load. Virtually any quarterback would be content to have wide receiver
Roddy White and ageless tight end Tony Gonzalez catching their passes and the
offensive line, led by veteran center Todd McClure, has been very impressive in
their last two seasons. The defensive unit has made some dramatic improvements
in recent seasons, but it will still likely get the most attention this
offseason as head coach Mike Smith looks to bring this franchise back to the
Super Bowl for the first time since 1998, when they lost to the Denver Broncos
34-19. Linebackers Curtis Lofton and Mike Peterson will need to lead a mostly
young defensive unit while the Falcons look to improve their pass rush and
coverage enough to make it a championship-caliber unit. Veteran John Abraham
experienced a sharp decline in production in last season, but Atlanta is hoping
he can yield one more strong season as they groom some younger players to step
up in future seasons.
Of course, there is still a great deal of uncertainty in the
entire league, as franchises continue to wait to see if any agreements can be
reached in the negotiations for a new CBA. Several players, including a number
of important Falcons starters, could become unrestricted free agents in an
agreement is not reached by March 1st, and that could potentially
play a dramatic role in the way this team handles the off-season.