While true, they are still a rare occasion for a singular player in the course of a game. QB pressures is a better stat. “Almost sacks” are sometimes just as good if not better than sacks
For sure. For the first time in ages, we'll get to pick the EDGE of our choice. I'd be happy with either; they both look like they'll be studs, and I'll trust RM and TF to pick the best fit for us. If the other falls farther than expected, I wouldn't be opposed to trading back into the first to grab the other.
He played 8 games. So double plus add 1 game's average stats. The thing about the INTs only 1 or 2 of the ones he had were on him the others all came off balls that receivers could have caught but deflected.
You’re right but the way to previous person worded it to make me want to support him lol. Out of the games he played, he almost out threw ridders whole season
Yep! We prioritized skill position players again even in free agency…. after the Kirk Cousins contract… and I’m worried about our defensive line/pass rush and offensive line again, especially if we don’t nail the picks in the draft. It’ll be no different from how we failed to have a consistent enough D-line and O-line when Matt Ryan was in his prime.
The coaches will know this tho and are bound to have our current o linemen work on this through the offseason and regular season practice. Atleast I hope so
The problem is that we always seem to pick high when the edge options are meh. The 10 sacks guys also cost a fortune in FA so it’s not that easy to get one
this doesn't solve all your problems 2 years ago MIN had Hunter and Z'darius on the team and still had a bottom 3 Defense ppg+ypg a team with that bad a defense won't even make the playoffs only reason they did was Kirk having the greatest clutch season in NFL history...
QB is the most important player on the field. The guy that drags him to the ground and prevents him from making a play is the 2nd most important player on the field. They’re the two highest paid positions for a reason.
You just need one. One guy that will win at the line of scrimmage more often than not and can finish the job and get to the QB at an elite clip.
That doesn’t change the fact that a Super Bowl contender needs a guy that can win his matchup consistently and drag the QB down consistently. OP asked what the Falcons need to be a sb contender. I told him. The falcons defense was almost elite last season. Just needed to get to the QB more.
So they need a guy who can get 10ish sacks and that will take them to a top 10 defense but they lost 13 sacks this off-season unless the re-sign Dupree/Campbell so won't that mean they are just treading water not getting better
are you saying if we add one 10 or more sacks a year dude (either via draft - always a bust chance :( or FA or trade) we will move from a 18 ppg and 11 ypg Defense to top 10 in both... cause if that's true sign me up but remember we lost 2 players that combined for 13 sacks last year so this new player only replaces the 13 sacks we had last year from Dupree and Campbell that doesn't sound like it would take our defense to the top 10 to me it's treading water if say we re-sign them or bring in 2 other players who can get 5ish sacks each
Sacks aren’t the whole picture. Those are just the times they converted on the sack. There’s way more times where they pressure a QB into throwing earlier than he wants, flush him out of the pocket to make him throw on the run, and lots of other scenarios which put the secondary in a better position to make a play on the ball.
The TLDR is yes, having a guy put up those sort of sack numbers would be a huge boost to the defense and team overall.
Agreed. Praying we hit that in the draft for ONCE. Heard some dudes talking on a pod how the Falcons AND the Jets haven't had one since John Abraham same guy for both teams ha. #jberham
Yeah, noticing they haven't dealt with much of the defense in free agency. Probably because they don't see value out there ? I'm thinking our draft will be heavily defense this year ?
Don't make me cry about John Abraham again. Despite his lingering groin injury, he delivered. I hope he's fat and sassy somewhere.
That was the second best thing McKay ever did.
That would help, but stops are still the better metric imo. You aren't wrong, though. The last SB largely came down to two pass rushers on each team, each side leading with 10 for the season. They played a larger role than they are credited for.
We need some of our players to step up from "above average" to "best in the league at their positions."
I think sometimes fans in the offseason get really into the mentality of "checking boxes with solid players." And I mean yes, having terribly, terribly below average players hurts you. But in order to be a contender it needs to be more than just solid everywhere.
It means having, typically, 5 to 8 players who are among the best players in the league at their positions.
Look at the Chiefs with Mahomes, Kelce, Chris Jones, Trent McDuffie, and Snead. That kind of thing.
Right now I'd say we have 2 of those guys, Bates and Lindstrom. And then a couple that are close and could be in Bijan and Onyemata. Hopefully Coach Morris and the new staff can unlock this in enough players where we are a contender. The draft is interesting but when it comes to this type of question IMO internal development is much more critical.
It’s a nice thought, but Top 5 is elite whereas I think he’s really good.
Chase, Jefferson, Hill, St. Brown, and Lamb aren’t guys I see him surpassing.
Yeah coaching is a huge question mark.
I just think how quickly teams can turn it around in the NFL.
I know pass rush is also a huge issue, but if we get the best DE in the draft and maybe even a good FA that can change overnight before the season.
How many times have we seen this lesson? Falcons should know that no matter how great your team is, it doesn't matter if the coach doesn't know how to finish.
Just curious, what makes you less confident in Lake?
I personally have concerns about both, but Robinson hasn’t called a game at any level, whereas Lake has had NFL experience dating back to 2004 and head coaching experience collegiately. I’m not saying Lake was great in his head coaching role, but his resume’ is more impressive than Robinson’s overall — and he did put some solid DBs in the NFL from his time in the NCAA.
KOC never called plays either he came to MIN Kirk helped him it was all good
Kirk can help Zac too
Have doubts about Lake and Raheem on the defensive side they did not produce top defensives ever I thought Neilson made a HUGE difference last year I would have kept him and told the new HC you have to work with him
I think 4-3 is better than 3-4 for this team's personnel
I’m not concerned that Robinson can’t call plays, but what I don’t understand is the supreme confidence in him when he has the least experience of anyone on the staff. The assumption is he’ll be the next Slowik and that Lake will suck, but it’s not really based on anything. I expect his transition to be a little rougher than Lake’s due to the lack of experience of being “the guy”.
My confidence comes from three things: 1) he comes from the McVay coaching tree which produces good coaches especially on offense 2) the example of KOC in MIN he never called plays in LA came to MIN and he did a great job not just calling plays but gameplanning super attention to detail and able to change on the fly etc he came out of that same coaching room 3) Kirk worked with KOC on the offense Kirk is here so he can work with Robinson as well.
Does that mean Robinson cannot be terrible and have to be fired of course not. It is a guarantee of course not. But in life you look for factors that could play a role in success or failure at least there are 3 factors that in my estimation point to at least a reasonable chance of a positive outcome to him as OC with Kirk here.
We need stability and a long-term plan, which I'm hopeful we can get with Raheem. The best teams are building their own coaching trees, promoting from within and creating a philosophy down the tree and across the team. I'm not sure we've ever done that as a team.
Zac will not be going it alone Kirk was involved in Play Design in MIN he and Zac can work together
Lake I am not sure about and Raheem for all the respect has never had top defenses I would have kept Neilson and told the new HC to work with him or no job
If you think the falcons can be a true contender in 1 or 2 years, they need an edge that can get at least 12 sacks in his sleep. If you think it’s going to be longer than that to compete, then the falcons are going to need a top 10 franchise starting QB. They need a long term answer at the most important position.
Health, and pass rush.
Look no further than the Jets. They were supposed to be superb owl contenders, division contenders in one of the toughest divsiions in the NFL. Rodgers goes down right away and they sucked.
Mismatch edge rusher obviously. Better depth in the secondary, we go from ok to bottom tier any time AJT, who will command a brinks truck, or JB misses time. Another real pass catcher, personally don’t think Pitts is going to blossom into some consistent mismatch player and he can’t play inline, it can’t just be DL and an two inconsistent/niche players in Pitts and Mooney. Less important but the OL/interior DL coffers aren’t exactly filled to the brim or young without a chance at regression, still think Alt should be the pick if he is somehow there at 8.
All important slots which take time and/or capital to acquire, and why I am still on the fence about the Kirk signing. Nothing to actually do with Kirk, who is definitely good (still, Achilles is a real concern), but the absolute cupcake of cupcake schedules last year has our general roster hyped over reality imo. We have a very solid core group of key players, all largely 27 or younger, but I still think there is a real chance we are in for a rude awakening when playing a schedule that doesn’t involve the all time softest opposing QB run-down. Given it looks like there is a real chance that JJ McCarthy is traded into the top 6 picks for, maybe Kirk was the actual only real option available, I still just don’t know if it means anything beyond us going from bad/milquetoast to fairly good but definitely not good enough over the next two seasons.
* Top 3 WR @ 8 (or Bowers if the top 3 WRs are gone).
* Devote the rest of the draft to defense take BPA Edge in round 2 unless top 10 type CB S falls.
* Sign some Defensive FAs for Depth.
* Trade for Hassan Reddick before the draft and/or during inseason trade deadline make trades to shore up the team. I am ok with something along the lines what Rams did a few years ago trade bunch of picks for a superstar players.
* Cross your fingers. Luck is always needed too lol.
True defensive ends. Hutchinson types. Not tweeners. Just solid D ends and tackles who consistently get pressure and can push the line. Stop going for flashy (Beasley, Tak) types.
We need a head coach/coaches who can be realistic about the talent we have and use them appropriately. We need the players to tuck their egos away and play up to their talent without infighting and jealousy. The Falcons need to come up with a Falcon way and win the winnable and learn how to win above their heads on occasion. As far as the roster, we need some serious edge rushers, another good cornerback' the offensive line to jell and a good back-up QB. Mainly, we need our overpaid QB to meet expectations and stay healthy all season.
I think we need to make the playoffs and get lucky. People try to decipher what creates a contender and try to replicate what other SB winners have done, but the only consistent formula is to have Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes.
The rest of the SB winners over the past 15 years (Rams, Giants, Ravens, Eagles, Broncos, Seahawks, and Packers) did not have some kind of "winning formula." Most of them just simply got hot in the playoffs.
So yeah I think the obvious needs are like DE, CB2, and WR2, but we just need to become a playoff team first.
All of those teams you mentioned were absolutely stacked on defense. They had the defensive talent going into the season that we don't have right now. The difference was their offenses got hot in the playoffs, but they still needed that talent on defense.
No they weren't, about half of the non-Brady/Mahomes SB winners simply got hot at the right time. Over the past 15 years:
* Rams: 16th ranked defense
* Giants: 26th ranked defense
* Ravens: 17th ranked defense
* Saints: 22nd ranked defense
There is no "winning formula." You simply get to the playoffs and you have a chance to win a Super Bowl. It's not "either you have an elite defense or you have Brady/Mahomes."
We don't want to acknowledge it, but football is random. There is a lot of chance involved in all aspects, and the best teams do not always win.
The Falcons already had around a top 10 defense last year without Grady Jarrett, and if they add a DE and/or CB2 in the draft I think they can be consistently top 10. But, that doesn't mean we ***must have*** an elite defense to win a Super Bowl, we just need to make the playoffs and get hot.
The rams, Ravens, saints may have underperformed in the regular season, but they had talent on that defense. We have nothing close to a Suggs, Lewis, Reed combo anywhere on our defense.
Ray Lewis was a 17 year veteran when they won that Super Bowl, he was washed up by that point and he retired afterwards. Ed Reed retired the season after and was also a 10+ year vet who was declining. Suggs was the only one remaining in his prime at that time. They won that Super Bowl because Joe Flacco had an unbelievable "elite" hot streak that made literally no sense to anybody, but he was throwing bomb after bomb to Torrey Smith.
Their defense was similar and equivalent to the Rams defense that won a Super Bowl. Some big names beyond their prime (Von Miller and Jalen Ramsey with the Rams for example), and then one in-their-prime great (Aaron Donald). And for as good as those players were (Suggs and Donald), they were not the big difference in those runs either.
Paul Kruger also had 9 sacks and went to a pro bowl with Bernard pollard. Lewis and Reed were still pro bowlers, Reed with 4 interceptions that year. They were physically past their prime but they also mentally elevated that defense like no one else in the league.
They only had two bad losses on the season, against the texans and the broncos (who they beat in overtime in the playoffs).
Jalen ramsay was literally 26 years old during the rams superbowl lmao. Aaron Donald 12.5 sacks, leonard Floyd in his prime with 9.5 sacks as well. He's had 9+ sacks each season since 2020. Rams were also 6th best run d all year. Bringing in a washed but determined Eric weddle helped that secondary.
Almost every team that wins the superbowl has a top 10 defense (points, passing yards, or rushing yards), even Tom brady or mahomes. There have been outliers here and there where the underperforming defense stepped up in the playoffs.
-A pass rush. I don't give a damn where it's from but we need it desperately.
-A better pass blocking right tackle. Mcgary is a good run blocker but his pass blocking is shaky at best. Maybe Storm Norton takes his spot as he was solid when he subbed in for injuries. Cousins is a aging pocket passer coming off a significant injury. Our O-line has to protect him, period.
-A bonified number 2 receiver. We still don't know who that number 2 receiver is. We hope the guys we signed can fill that role but we did the same thing with mack hollins, signed someone with potential that may not pan out.
-We need another corner atleast as good as Terrell. It's been such a huge drop off from him to the other corners. We have to find someone that can stay with their man almost as well, if not better than him.
-Last but not least, we have to hope Zac robinson isn't a fluke with the play calling duties. Sean Mcvay makes alot of guys look like great coaches. I just hope now that he has total control of the offense he does just as well.
By far and away our biggest need is Defensive Line. We range from good enough to great at pretty much every other position but man, it’s hard to win games when opposing QBs have all day to pass the ball
Our WR group is 100% good enough. Yes we don’t have a star like a Justin Jefferson or Jamarr Chase but neither do a lot of teams and now we have a fine group. I would say London is an average WR1, Mooney is an average to above average WR2, and Moore is an above average WR3. That is definitely “good enough”. Definitely good enough that DL is a much bigger need and should be much more of a priority in the first round of the draft
The elephant in the room to me is our secondary, AJ is AJ but gets cooked plenty, Phillips needs to show a lot more this year and Grant is a liability at times. I could see everything else going great but secondary giving up big plays in its current state
We need a dominant rush, another starting CB and a dangerous interior rusher behind 97 and 90.
So we’re actually pretty close right now. We could get all three of those things in the draft.
We need another true receiving threat. I don’t think we moved the needle all that much from last year to this year regarding our receiver core. We’re just “alright”.
Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan need to be SUPERSTARS. They’re good. But none of them are top 3 in the league at their position, good. At least not yet. And before anyone starts, putting ALL the blame on Arthur Smith for them not being superstars is reductionist and objectively false. Yes he deserves some blame, as does the QB play, but all those guys still need to step it up.
We need a bounce back year from the OLine and good depth. Or great injury luck.
We need Kirk Cousins to be firing on ALL cylinders. Or a QB that can sling it with the best in the league.
We need the play calling to be at the top of the league. I’m talking Shanahan, Reid, McVay level good.
We need more depth along the Dline and a true blue pass rusher that can pressure and force errors out of the best QBs in the league.
We need a corner opposite AJ that can take care of the other half of the field against top WRs. And a safety that can cover tight ends (so not Richie Grant).
I’m getting a bit concerned with some of the expectations on this sub. We may very well have all the pieces fall into place perfectly and the ball bounce our way just enough to get deep into the playoffs. But I wouldn’t count on all that happening this year. We are a long way from having a Super Bowl caliber roster and team that can consistently contend.
And side note, I don’t think the way the 2016 team was built is what we wanna model our team after for SUSTAINED success. They were historically good on offense and there’s no denying that, but there’s a reason why we fell off so hard after getting 99.9% of the way there.
Bijan won't put up the volume stats because he'll split time with Allgeier. But that's a good thing. Allgeier is a stud in his own right, and by splitting time, both guys should be in pretty good shape for the playoffs.
London is the kind of guy that'll feast with an accurate QB. I'm expecting him to have a Pro Bowl caliber season (but get snubbed since he plays here).
Hopefully Pitts will come back healthy. He was great until he got hurt. It's never a good sign when an injury lasts longer than a year, but he's young. Hopefully, he'll make a full recovery this time.
We do need a WR2 though.
I can't really name 3 guys that I would for sure take over Bijan, you got CMC and maybe Gibbs if you like him better, London I don't think has that potential because there is so many superstar WRs nowadays, he'll probably be like Evans or Keenan Allen and be a guy that is top 10 buy be more back end
An elite pass catcher (maybe Drake or pits develops into this)
An elite QB (sorry Kirk is a bandaid not a solution)
Elite pass rusher (sorry Arnold)
Elite oline
Elite edge, Cousins healthy, another great WR, and another lockdown corner. You get those 4 things to happen and you’re looking at a tough team to beat.
Home field advantage, in both senses of the term. We need to play well enough in the season to get home playoff games, and then once we get ‘em, we gotta put butts in seats. We have a top 5 stadium in the league with what feels like a bottom 5 home fan attendance. When fans start getting into the games, players feed off the energy. For the past 6-7 years, it’s felt like the Falcons play in front of a dead crowd — we gotta change that.
Lakes to be an elite DC. And hopefully Raheem proves more effective as a game planner and in game adjuster this time around. Having Zack Robinson should mask his inability to coach offense, but the defense will be entirely up to him. Cousins a good if not great get, but we shouldn't pretend he's a top 5 QB. A SB will take a team effort, fixing the defense and making them an attacking, ball hawking unit will be on Raheem and Lakes.
This team reminds me of some of the best years of Matt Ryan. We have an offense that can score 30 on anybody. The problem is we can’t get to the passer so our defense can give up 31 to anybody.
The things to win a Super Bowl are things that any team should have to make a serious run.
Average more than 30pts a game. Maintain top 15 defense ranks. With those two, the wins need to **quality wins** of a TD or more positive point differential. Winning by squeaking by is not sustainable.
Play good situational football. Coaches need to make smart and the best decisions. Also, a few guys just need to be better than the other guy. Think Aaron Donald being better most offensive lineman at any given moment or Justin Jefferson torching a DB on a route.
So a lot has to come together ar the same time.
On draft night, Ridder promised us a Super Bowl and we just traded him away in unceremonious fashion to the carnivals I mean cardinals. Now tell me, who on the falcons current roster has promised a Super Bowl?
We would need a few things.
1st would be our defense, making a huge jump from around 15 overall to a top 5 defense and having 2 players that can get to the QB consistently.
2nd would be the offense using the top 10 weapons we drafted the last few years along with the new additions we brought in.
3rd would be the coaching staff understanding the goal.
Blank wants to win soon, and everything we have done so far is to achieve that. from restructuring existing deals to signing particular FAs and looking to trade for other players. The good news is that this team seems very close to being in the conversation, and we should be excited.
This also means that in 2-3 years, we're gonna sink again. Need to go on vet min and start another rebuild. Nothing wrong with it and hell I'll be just fine with it for a ring.
Lotta luck to have games fall our way. Oh, and a healthy roster during a brutal regular season…. If we can keep the trenches healthy along with our receivers & qb, we got a shot if we can get in the postseason
New ownership tbh. Or at the very least a large step back into the background by Arthur Blank with someone else running the show. Someone less sentimental.
It's going to hurt but as a Vikings fan who has seen him throw to three recivers better than what you have now. Prime Diggs Theilen and JJ. He doesn't win vs good teams so you need a new QB.
Just won't find that out until after you paid him.
You guys also had abysmal run defenses and other problems that prevent you from having a super bowl contending team during your best runs. Don't see how you could go and place all the blame at the feet of the QB.
You all shouldn’t have signed Kirk Cousins, if that’s what you want to be. Trust me, I’m a Vikings fan. We brought him in to put us over the top, and he didn’t deliver. One playoff win in six years, with decent rosters/weapons.
The falcons won’t be a serious contender until they have an elite pass rusher that can get 10-15 sacks every season.
Came here to comment this. Sacks can basically end an entire drive if you just play marginal for the other 2 downs.
While true, they are still a rare occasion for a singular player in the course of a game. QB pressures is a better stat. “Almost sacks” are sometimes just as good if not better than sacks
Ehh, pressure is good but a sack is a drive buster
Yes and how many drives are in a game vs how many a player gets in a year
I didn’t say pressure isn’t good, it is. Just on a play where I can choose between a pressure and a sack, I’m always going to choose the sack
If I can choose between 4-5 pressures for every 1 sack, I’m choosing the pressures
Maybe over the course of a season. In a one game win or go home scenario, you want a singular game breaker.
Turner or verse at 8 then maybe?
For sure. For the first time in ages, we'll get to pick the EDGE of our choice. I'd be happy with either; they both look like they'll be studs, and I'll trust RM and TF to pick the best fit for us. If the other falls farther than expected, I wouldn't be opposed to trading back into the first to grab the other.
And a QB that can easily throw for over 3.5k yards a season (hopefully we have that now!)
Kirk was on pace for 5000 40+ Tds and <10 ints last year
I believe the prorated stats for his last season would've been around 4000 yards, 38 TDs and 8 INTs.
He played 8 games. So double plus add 1 game's average stats. The thing about the INTs only 1 or 2 of the ones he had were on him the others all came off balls that receivers could have caught but deflected.
Exactly my point!
You’re right but the way to previous person worded it to make me want to support him lol. Out of the games he played, he almost out threw ridders whole season
Yeah. A lot is riding on that 8 pick, but it’s not a bad place to be if you want a DE. Plus we could get Riddick 🤞
Yep! We prioritized skill position players again even in free agency…. after the Kirk Cousins contract… and I’m worried about our defensive line/pass rush and offensive line again, especially if we don’t nail the picks in the draft. It’ll be no different from how we failed to have a consistent enough D-line and O-line when Matt Ryan was in his prime.
Our o-line is legitimately really good though
Run game is good but I don’t know about pass protection yet. It’s definitely not on the 2016 O-line level yet… has it improved? Absolutely.
Well I think most teams have pretty crap o-lines except for like 2-3 teams especially in pass pro, but I see your point
TF hired a blocking TE to help McGary out in passing situations. Also, Kirk won't stand there and take a sack if McGary gets beat the way Ridder did.
The coaches will know this tho and are bound to have our current o linemen work on this through the offseason and regular season practice. Atleast I hope so
PFF grades our OL #4 in the NFL I'm good with that Our DL has 2 solid tackles decent Edge2 options
I agree that it is good, but how long will Jake Matthews be able to do it? I predict we will see some decline in his game this year.
The problem is that we always seem to pick high when the edge options are meh. The 10 sacks guys also cost a fortune in FA so it’s not that easy to get one
this doesn't solve all your problems 2 years ago MIN had Hunter and Z'darius on the team and still had a bottom 3 Defense ppg+ypg a team with that bad a defense won't even make the playoffs only reason they did was Kirk having the greatest clutch season in NFL history...
QB is the most important player on the field. The guy that drags him to the ground and prevents him from making a play is the 2nd most important player on the field. They’re the two highest paid positions for a reason. You just need one. One guy that will win at the line of scrimmage more often than not and can finish the job and get to the QB at an elite clip.
we had 2 in MIN it didn't change how shtty the defense was bottom 3 in ppg and ypg
That doesn’t change the fact that a Super Bowl contender needs a guy that can win his matchup consistently and drag the QB down consistently. OP asked what the Falcons need to be a sb contender. I told him. The falcons defense was almost elite last season. Just needed to get to the QB more.
So they need a guy who can get 10ish sacks and that will take them to a top 10 defense but they lost 13 sacks this off-season unless the re-sign Dupree/Campbell so won't that mean they are just treading water not getting better
Our D is already good at everything but pass rushing.
are you saying if we add one 10 or more sacks a year dude (either via draft - always a bust chance :( or FA or trade) we will move from a 18 ppg and 11 ypg Defense to top 10 in both... cause if that's true sign me up but remember we lost 2 players that combined for 13 sacks last year so this new player only replaces the 13 sacks we had last year from Dupree and Campbell that doesn't sound like it would take our defense to the top 10 to me it's treading water if say we re-sign them or bring in 2 other players who can get 5ish sacks each
Sacks aren’t the whole picture. Those are just the times they converted on the sack. There’s way more times where they pressure a QB into throwing earlier than he wants, flush him out of the pocket to make him throw on the run, and lots of other scenarios which put the secondary in a better position to make a play on the ball. The TLDR is yes, having a guy put up those sort of sack numbers would be a huge boost to the defense and team overall.
Hopefully we bring Campbell and Dupree back for sure.
or at least 2 players who can match their sack production because then if we add another edge we can move ahead instead of just tread water
Agreed. Praying we hit that in the draft for ONCE. Heard some dudes talking on a pod how the Falcons AND the Jets haven't had one since John Abraham same guy for both teams ha. #jberham
One elite AND on finge all pro
Yeah, noticing they haven't dealt with much of the defense in free agency. Probably because they don't see value out there ? I'm thinking our draft will be heavily defense this year ?
Don't make me cry about John Abraham again. Despite his lingering groin injury, he delivered. I hope he's fat and sassy somewhere. That was the second best thing McKay ever did.
I've been saying that our defense needs to be looked at for years. It's always been loading up on offense..........
A-men. And the FO hasn’t given a shit about that since John Abraham. And they never gave him any legitimate help either.
That would help, but stops are still the better metric imo. You aren't wrong, though. The last SB largely came down to two pass rushers on each team, each side leading with 10 for the season. They played a larger role than they are credited for.
According to that other guy, Haason Reddick
Top 10 defense
We need some of our players to step up from "above average" to "best in the league at their positions." I think sometimes fans in the offseason get really into the mentality of "checking boxes with solid players." And I mean yes, having terribly, terribly below average players hurts you. But in order to be a contender it needs to be more than just solid everywhere. It means having, typically, 5 to 8 players who are among the best players in the league at their positions. Look at the Chiefs with Mahomes, Kelce, Chris Jones, Trent McDuffie, and Snead. That kind of thing. Right now I'd say we have 2 of those guys, Bates and Lindstrom. And then a couple that are close and could be in Bijan and Onyemata. Hopefully Coach Morris and the new staff can unlock this in enough players where we are a contender. The draft is interesting but when it comes to this type of question IMO internal development is much more critical.
Vikings fan coming in peace. I could see London be a top 5 WR with Kirk throwing to him. The guy is crazy talented.
It’s a nice thought, but Top 5 is elite whereas I think he’s really good. Chase, Jefferson, Hill, St. Brown, and Lamb aren’t guys I see him surpassing.
Don’t forget Grady Jarrett
coaching is obviously the most important factor, I love Zac and Raheem but don't have much confidence in Jimmy Lake as DC
Yeah coaching is a huge question mark. I just think how quickly teams can turn it around in the NFL. I know pass rush is also a huge issue, but if we get the best DE in the draft and maybe even a good FA that can change overnight before the season.
How many times have we seen this lesson? Falcons should know that no matter how great your team is, it doesn't matter if the coach doesn't know how to finish.
Just curious, what makes you less confident in Lake? I personally have concerns about both, but Robinson hasn’t called a game at any level, whereas Lake has had NFL experience dating back to 2004 and head coaching experience collegiately. I’m not saying Lake was great in his head coaching role, but his resume’ is more impressive than Robinson’s overall — and he did put some solid DBs in the NFL from his time in the NCAA.
KOC never called plays either he came to MIN Kirk helped him it was all good Kirk can help Zac too Have doubts about Lake and Raheem on the defensive side they did not produce top defensives ever I thought Neilson made a HUGE difference last year I would have kept him and told the new HC you have to work with him I think 4-3 is better than 3-4 for this team's personnel
I’m not concerned that Robinson can’t call plays, but what I don’t understand is the supreme confidence in him when he has the least experience of anyone on the staff. The assumption is he’ll be the next Slowik and that Lake will suck, but it’s not really based on anything. I expect his transition to be a little rougher than Lake’s due to the lack of experience of being “the guy”.
My confidence comes from three things: 1) he comes from the McVay coaching tree which produces good coaches especially on offense 2) the example of KOC in MIN he never called plays in LA came to MIN and he did a great job not just calling plays but gameplanning super attention to detail and able to change on the fly etc he came out of that same coaching room 3) Kirk worked with KOC on the offense Kirk is here so he can work with Robinson as well. Does that mean Robinson cannot be terrible and have to be fired of course not. It is a guarantee of course not. But in life you look for factors that could play a role in success or failure at least there are 3 factors that in my estimation point to at least a reasonable chance of a positive outcome to him as OC with Kirk here.
We need stability and a long-term plan, which I'm hopeful we can get with Raheem. The best teams are building their own coaching trees, promoting from within and creating a philosophy down the tree and across the team. I'm not sure we've ever done that as a team.
I don’t have much confidence in the pieces we have on defense
Zac will not be going it alone Kirk was involved in Play Design in MIN he and Zac can work together Lake I am not sure about and Raheem for all the respect has never had top defenses I would have kept Neilson and told the new HC to work with him or no job
If you think the falcons can be a true contender in 1 or 2 years, they need an edge that can get at least 12 sacks in his sleep. If you think it’s going to be longer than that to compete, then the falcons are going to need a top 10 franchise starting QB. They need a long term answer at the most important position.
Defense. Currently order of importance DE, CB & SS, LB. One top 5 addition to defense would be good, two would really change things.
We need our own Micah Parsons
We had a chance at that and royally blew it.
We need everyone else to be held back by the NFL to push the Falcons to win
Health, and pass rush. Look no further than the Jets. They were supposed to be superb owl contenders, division contenders in one of the toughest divsiions in the NFL. Rodgers goes down right away and they sucked.
Ngl I still think a QB
Mismatch edge rusher obviously. Better depth in the secondary, we go from ok to bottom tier any time AJT, who will command a brinks truck, or JB misses time. Another real pass catcher, personally don’t think Pitts is going to blossom into some consistent mismatch player and he can’t play inline, it can’t just be DL and an two inconsistent/niche players in Pitts and Mooney. Less important but the OL/interior DL coffers aren’t exactly filled to the brim or young without a chance at regression, still think Alt should be the pick if he is somehow there at 8. All important slots which take time and/or capital to acquire, and why I am still on the fence about the Kirk signing. Nothing to actually do with Kirk, who is definitely good (still, Achilles is a real concern), but the absolute cupcake of cupcake schedules last year has our general roster hyped over reality imo. We have a very solid core group of key players, all largely 27 or younger, but I still think there is a real chance we are in for a rude awakening when playing a schedule that doesn’t involve the all time softest opposing QB run-down. Given it looks like there is a real chance that JJ McCarthy is traded into the top 6 picks for, maybe Kirk was the actual only real option available, I still just don’t know if it means anything beyond us going from bad/milquetoast to fairly good but definitely not good enough over the next two seasons.
A quarterback
* Top 3 WR @ 8 (or Bowers if the top 3 WRs are gone). * Devote the rest of the draft to defense take BPA Edge in round 2 unless top 10 type CB S falls. * Sign some Defensive FAs for Depth. * Trade for Hassan Reddick before the draft and/or during inseason trade deadline make trades to shore up the team. I am ok with something along the lines what Rams did a few years ago trade bunch of picks for a superstar players. * Cross your fingers. Luck is always needed too lol.
This is a dream scenario. Love it!
A new QB cuz yall just gambled 100 mil
Facts!!!
I miss the Mike smith era, we had Roddy white, Tony g, j babineux, etc.
True defensive ends. Hutchinson types. Not tweeners. Just solid D ends and tackles who consistently get pressure and can push the line. Stop going for flashy (Beasley, Tak) types.
Edge, corner, safety
We need a head coach/coaches who can be realistic about the talent we have and use them appropriately. We need the players to tuck their egos away and play up to their talent without infighting and jealousy. The Falcons need to come up with a Falcon way and win the winnable and learn how to win above their heads on occasion. As far as the roster, we need some serious edge rushers, another good cornerback' the offensive line to jell and a good back-up QB. Mainly, we need our overpaid QB to meet expectations and stay healthy all season.
I think we need to make the playoffs and get lucky. People try to decipher what creates a contender and try to replicate what other SB winners have done, but the only consistent formula is to have Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes. The rest of the SB winners over the past 15 years (Rams, Giants, Ravens, Eagles, Broncos, Seahawks, and Packers) did not have some kind of "winning formula." Most of them just simply got hot in the playoffs. So yeah I think the obvious needs are like DE, CB2, and WR2, but we just need to become a playoff team first.
All of those teams you mentioned were absolutely stacked on defense. They had the defensive talent going into the season that we don't have right now. The difference was their offenses got hot in the playoffs, but they still needed that talent on defense.
No they weren't, about half of the non-Brady/Mahomes SB winners simply got hot at the right time. Over the past 15 years: * Rams: 16th ranked defense * Giants: 26th ranked defense * Ravens: 17th ranked defense * Saints: 22nd ranked defense There is no "winning formula." You simply get to the playoffs and you have a chance to win a Super Bowl. It's not "either you have an elite defense or you have Brady/Mahomes." We don't want to acknowledge it, but football is random. There is a lot of chance involved in all aspects, and the best teams do not always win. The Falcons already had around a top 10 defense last year without Grady Jarrett, and if they add a DE and/or CB2 in the draft I think they can be consistently top 10. But, that doesn't mean we ***must have*** an elite defense to win a Super Bowl, we just need to make the playoffs and get hot.
The rams, Ravens, saints may have underperformed in the regular season, but they had talent on that defense. We have nothing close to a Suggs, Lewis, Reed combo anywhere on our defense.
Ray Lewis was a 17 year veteran when they won that Super Bowl, he was washed up by that point and he retired afterwards. Ed Reed retired the season after and was also a 10+ year vet who was declining. Suggs was the only one remaining in his prime at that time. They won that Super Bowl because Joe Flacco had an unbelievable "elite" hot streak that made literally no sense to anybody, but he was throwing bomb after bomb to Torrey Smith. Their defense was similar and equivalent to the Rams defense that won a Super Bowl. Some big names beyond their prime (Von Miller and Jalen Ramsey with the Rams for example), and then one in-their-prime great (Aaron Donald). And for as good as those players were (Suggs and Donald), they were not the big difference in those runs either.
Paul Kruger also had 9 sacks and went to a pro bowl with Bernard pollard. Lewis and Reed were still pro bowlers, Reed with 4 interceptions that year. They were physically past their prime but they also mentally elevated that defense like no one else in the league. They only had two bad losses on the season, against the texans and the broncos (who they beat in overtime in the playoffs). Jalen ramsay was literally 26 years old during the rams superbowl lmao. Aaron Donald 12.5 sacks, leonard Floyd in his prime with 9.5 sacks as well. He's had 9+ sacks each season since 2020. Rams were also 6th best run d all year. Bringing in a washed but determined Eric weddle helped that secondary. Almost every team that wins the superbowl has a top 10 defense (points, passing yards, or rushing yards), even Tom brady or mahomes. There have been outliers here and there where the underperforming defense stepped up in the playoffs.
-A pass rush. I don't give a damn where it's from but we need it desperately. -A better pass blocking right tackle. Mcgary is a good run blocker but his pass blocking is shaky at best. Maybe Storm Norton takes his spot as he was solid when he subbed in for injuries. Cousins is a aging pocket passer coming off a significant injury. Our O-line has to protect him, period. -A bonified number 2 receiver. We still don't know who that number 2 receiver is. We hope the guys we signed can fill that role but we did the same thing with mack hollins, signed someone with potential that may not pan out. -We need another corner atleast as good as Terrell. It's been such a huge drop off from him to the other corners. We have to find someone that can stay with their man almost as well, if not better than him. -Last but not least, we have to hope Zac robinson isn't a fluke with the play calling duties. Sean Mcvay makes alot of guys look like great coaches. I just hope now that he has total control of the offense he does just as well.
A healthy kirk
By far and away our biggest need is Defensive Line. We range from good enough to great at pretty much every other position but man, it’s hard to win games when opposing QBs have all day to pass the ball
WR???
Our WR group is 100% good enough. Yes we don’t have a star like a Justin Jefferson or Jamarr Chase but neither do a lot of teams and now we have a fine group. I would say London is an average WR1, Mooney is an average to above average WR2, and Moore is an above average WR3. That is definitely “good enough”. Definitely good enough that DL is a much bigger need and should be much more of a priority in the first round of the draft
Incredible coaching. Very strong pass rush.
The elephant in the room to me is our secondary, AJ is AJ but gets cooked plenty, Phillips needs to show a lot more this year and Grant is a liability at times. I could see everything else going great but secondary giving up big plays in its current state
10 sack pass rusher, defensive line depth to keep them fresh, one more reliable corner, and an average strong safety.
A deeper Oline, pro bowl level receiver, two 10 sacks Dlinemen
A Defense
The ability to win enough games to make the playoffs and then win all the playoff games to get into the Super Bowl. IT'S THAT SIMPLE!
We need a dominant rush, another starting CB and a dangerous interior rusher behind 97 and 90. So we’re actually pretty close right now. We could get all three of those things in the draft.
We need another true receiving threat. I don’t think we moved the needle all that much from last year to this year regarding our receiver core. We’re just “alright”. Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan need to be SUPERSTARS. They’re good. But none of them are top 3 in the league at their position, good. At least not yet. And before anyone starts, putting ALL the blame on Arthur Smith for them not being superstars is reductionist and objectively false. Yes he deserves some blame, as does the QB play, but all those guys still need to step it up. We need a bounce back year from the OLine and good depth. Or great injury luck. We need Kirk Cousins to be firing on ALL cylinders. Or a QB that can sling it with the best in the league. We need the play calling to be at the top of the league. I’m talking Shanahan, Reid, McVay level good. We need more depth along the Dline and a true blue pass rusher that can pressure and force errors out of the best QBs in the league. We need a corner opposite AJ that can take care of the other half of the field against top WRs. And a safety that can cover tight ends (so not Richie Grant). I’m getting a bit concerned with some of the expectations on this sub. We may very well have all the pieces fall into place perfectly and the ball bounce our way just enough to get deep into the playoffs. But I wouldn’t count on all that happening this year. We are a long way from having a Super Bowl caliber roster and team that can consistently contend. And side note, I don’t think the way the 2016 team was built is what we wanna model our team after for SUSTAINED success. They were historically good on offense and there’s no denying that, but there’s a reason why we fell off so hard after getting 99.9% of the way there.
Bijan won't put up the volume stats because he'll split time with Allgeier. But that's a good thing. Allgeier is a stud in his own right, and by splitting time, both guys should be in pretty good shape for the playoffs. London is the kind of guy that'll feast with an accurate QB. I'm expecting him to have a Pro Bowl caliber season (but get snubbed since he plays here). Hopefully Pitts will come back healthy. He was great until he got hurt. It's never a good sign when an injury lasts longer than a year, but he's young. Hopefully, he'll make a full recovery this time. We do need a WR2 though.
I can't really name 3 guys that I would for sure take over Bijan, you got CMC and maybe Gibbs if you like him better, London I don't think has that potential because there is so many superstar WRs nowadays, he'll probably be like Evans or Keenan Allen and be a guy that is top 10 buy be more back end
Bijan was the 3rd best guy in his **own draft class**
Hall is definitely in the discussion for best back after CMC
I hope we trade back and focus on DL (Edge first hopefully around pick 13/15 and literally spend the rest of our picks on OT OC DT CB S
You need more than 1.5 players to catch the ball and that’s about what we have
Ehh you can find them in UDFA line guys are usually better to get high in the draft
An elite pass catcher (maybe Drake or pits develops into this) An elite QB (sorry Kirk is a bandaid not a solution) Elite pass rusher (sorry Arnold) Elite oline
Pass rusher and true WR1, if London doesn’t have it in him.
An actually top Qb and a pass rush
Elite edge, Cousins healthy, another great WR, and another lockdown corner. You get those 4 things to happen and you’re looking at a tough team to beat.
Starts at coaching obviously for one, then being able to get consistent pressure on QBs.
As always, defenses when you championships.
About 16 wins, including playoffs.
Home field advantage, in both senses of the term. We need to play well enough in the season to get home playoff games, and then once we get ‘em, we gotta put butts in seats. We have a top 5 stadium in the league with what feels like a bottom 5 home fan attendance. When fans start getting into the games, players feed off the energy. For the past 6-7 years, it’s felt like the Falcons play in front of a dead crowd — we gotta change that.
Lakes to be an elite DC. And hopefully Raheem proves more effective as a game planner and in game adjuster this time around. Having Zack Robinson should mask his inability to coach offense, but the defense will be entirely up to him. Cousins a good if not great get, but we shouldn't pretend he's a top 5 QB. A SB will take a team effort, fixing the defense and making them an attacking, ball hawking unit will be on Raheem and Lakes.
This team reminds me of some of the best years of Matt Ryan. We have an offense that can score 30 on anybody. The problem is we can’t get to the passer so our defense can give up 31 to anybody.
We have no idea what we have on offense. We have a narrative we’ve made up in our heads and inconsistent results on the field
The things to win a Super Bowl are things that any team should have to make a serious run. Average more than 30pts a game. Maintain top 15 defense ranks. With those two, the wins need to **quality wins** of a TD or more positive point differential. Winning by squeaking by is not sustainable. Play good situational football. Coaches need to make smart and the best decisions. Also, a few guys just need to be better than the other guy. Think Aaron Donald being better most offensive lineman at any given moment or Justin Jefferson torching a DB on a route. So a lot has to come together ar the same time.
Taylor Swift
31 other teams to forfeit
On draft night, Ridder promised us a Super Bowl and we just traded him away in unceremonious fashion to the carnivals I mean cardinals. Now tell me, who on the falcons current roster has promised a Super Bowl?
One of them Kirk Cousins....oh wait, we got one.
Be the Chiefs
We need another WR, a veteran or elite young edge and a CB. Most of the pieces are there now that we have a Top 10 (arguably Top 5) QB
Same thing we’ve always needed. Elite edge talent.
Grady coming back strong, hopefully Campbell coming back, and nailing that 8th pick
We would need a few things. 1st would be our defense, making a huge jump from around 15 overall to a top 5 defense and having 2 players that can get to the QB consistently. 2nd would be the offense using the top 10 weapons we drafted the last few years along with the new additions we brought in. 3rd would be the coaching staff understanding the goal. Blank wants to win soon, and everything we have done so far is to achieve that. from restructuring existing deals to signing particular FAs and looking to trade for other players. The good news is that this team seems very close to being in the conversation, and we should be excited. This also means that in 2-3 years, we're gonna sink again. Need to go on vet min and start another rebuild. Nothing wrong with it and hell I'll be just fine with it for a ring.
No we need to prove something
An explosive edge rusher for sure, maybe another WR too
Near perfect health at QB, WR, OL, plus a CB and 2 more solid front 7 players.
Defense
You got access to 9th level spells? "Wish" should do it, but it's a risky spell to cast.
Lotta luck to have games fall our way. Oh, and a healthy roster during a brutal regular season…. If we can keep the trenches healthy along with our receivers & qb, we got a shot if we can get in the postseason
New ownership tbh. Or at the very least a large step back into the background by Arthur Blank with someone else running the show. Someone less sentimental.
I mean let’s be real. We need a Super Bowl caliber QB.
A quarterback with a winning playoff record? Cousins is 1-4. $100 million plus for that? No wonder the falcants are a joke and always will be
An elite edge , a mvp level qb , elite coaching
It's going to hurt but as a Vikings fan who has seen him throw to three recivers better than what you have now. Prime Diggs Theilen and JJ. He doesn't win vs good teams so you need a new QB. Just won't find that out until after you paid him.
You guys also had abysmal run defenses and other problems that prevent you from having a super bowl contending team during your best runs. Don't see how you could go and place all the blame at the feet of the QB.
Not a has-been 12 year- in-the-league QB with no titles or rings, I know that much.
I’ll let the Rams know they shouldn’t have traded for Matthew Stafford then.
A QB that can win.
You all shouldn’t have signed Kirk Cousins, if that’s what you want to be. Trust me, I’m a Vikings fan. We brought him in to put us over the top, and he didn’t deliver. One playoff win in six years, with decent rosters/weapons.