Falcons have to better protect Ryan
Over his first four seasons in the league, the Falcons have gone to great lengths to put weapons around quarterback Matt Ryan.
Now, they have to round out the circle by getting him some top flight protection and some road graders to guarantee that the run game continues to flourish.
The Falcons found out early that they would have problems throwing the ball deep off of five- and seven-step drops.
After Ryan took a pounding from Chicago in the season opener, they had to abandon their plan for a deep-passing fireworks show. In the game against the Bears, Ryan was sacked five times and hit 11 times.
The Falcons eventually had to stay with their short passing attack and had to use backs and extra tight ends to help protect Ryan. They mostly ran out of 11 personnel formations with three wide receivers. They rarely went with four receivers or with empty backfield sets.
"That's going to be important for us to really analyze what's in free agency and really dig into where we are with the draft," Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. "It just allows us to be a little bit more creative; whether if we want to make moves and how we are going to approach things."
Dimitroff's main offseason focus is to improve the offensive line. All of the positions along the offensive line will be open for competition.
"We've talked very openly about looking at every aspect of our football operations," Dimitroff said.
The left tackle and right guard positions were problematic for them. Sam Baker battled through elbow and back injuries. He had back surgery and never reclaimed his starting position from Will Svitek.
The Falcons had trouble replacing Harvey Dahl at right guard. Garrett Reynolds struggled mightily and after a porous game against Detroit and Ndamukong Suh, he was replaced in the starting lineup by Joe Hawley.
Offensive line coach Paul Boudreau was fired after the season. He quickly landed in St. Louis.
The Falcons don't have a first- or fourth-round pick and will likely have to address the line in free agency.
The Falcons will certainly look at New Orleans guard Carl Nicks if he reaches the open market.
Also, San Diego left tackle Marcus McNeill will get his tires kicked. He is likely to be released over injury concerns by the San Diego Chargers. When healthy, McNeill has been one of the best left tackles in the league. He's been selected to two Pro Bowls.
The Falcons have medically passed players with neck concerns in the past. Kevin Mathis, Coy Wire and Kelvin Hayden have all been cleared by the Falcons after suffering neck injuries.
Last season, six teams flunked Hayden before the Falcons cleared him and he signed a one-year deal. He ended the season on injured reserve with a dislocated/turf toe.
McNeill, who turned 28 in November, is massive at 6-7 and 336 pounds. His neck and back injuries have led to him playing in just 20 of 32 games over the past two seasons.
Over the first four seasons in the league, McNeill started 62 out of a possible 64 games. He was selected in the second round (50th overall) of the 2006 NFL draft. He's stated that he plans to continue playing.
The Falcons' athletic performance staff will have to make sure McNeill is healthy and then try to get a functional movement screen on him. There might be a simple weight or muscle imbalance that can be corrected to alleviate his neck and spine issues.
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