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NFL Training Camp/Preseason Thread 2012 - A Farewell to snes :(

levious

That throwing stick stunt of yours has boomeranged on us.
rgiii-subway-statue-629x460.jpg


2012 Washington Redskins

that's even worse than that sculpture the blind chick made in the lionel richie video...
 

Greg

Member
I called my buddy who works at the bar I go to every Thursday for wing night... and all of the TVs are going to have the Steelers game on.

Strongly considering ditching my friends so I can watch the 1st quarter of the GB game at home.
 

TheFatOne

Member
For some reason I have a bad feeling about the Pats first preseason game. The oline has been garbage, and I just don't want to see Brady hurt.
 

Talon

Member
The Atlanta Falcons enter the 2012 season after a major coaching shakeup on offense and defense. Turkeyneck preemptively exited the team for a job at Auburn University, clearly reading the tealeaves. Mike Mularkey parlayed an offensive shutout in the postseason into the head coaching position at Jacksonville.

Enter Mike Nolan and Dirk Koetter.

Mike Nolan brings a reputation for using multiple fronts to Atlanta, a stark departure from the previous regime, which relied heavily on cover 3 in last season - taxing the defensive backfield over the course of the game. Nolan has a long history at DC in the NFL, working with the Giants, Redskins, Jets, and, most notably, the Ravens as Rex Ryan's predecessor. He parlayed that job into an unsuccessful GM/HC position in San Francisco, where he most notably passed over Aaron Rodgers for Alex Smith. Luckily, he bounced back from that job with a successful stint at Denver for one year. He moved onto Miami, where he served as DC for two seasons, most notably developing Cameron Wake into a pass rushing force. He has a reputation for bringing pressure from all players in the front 7, putting strain on his secondary.

Falcons fans who had grown frustrated with Turkeyneck's predictable playcalling are excited to see the results of Nolan's aggressive defense - particularly after seeing the elite quarterbacks of this league slice and dice his cover 3 look with nickel 3-3-5 personnel by picking on LB Stephen Nicholas and CB Chris Owen in the past season. However, it must be said that the Falcons had to deal with deficiencies in the defensive backfield over the past few seasons, and the reality is that the defense played its best half in the playoff tilt against the Giants before the damn broke.

On offense, the Falcons look to take the reins off the offense with the departure of Mularkey. Dirk Koetter has a reputation for vertical offense - with early offensive success at Boise State kick starting his career. At Arizona State, he developed a reputation for folding against ranked opponents, but their pass-happy attack was not at fault. In Jacksonville, he had much success developing Maurice Jones Drew, but weakness at the quarterback position, particularly last season, led to a lackluster departure.

Falcons fans were looking for change on the offensive side of the ball as well, although Mularkey and Ryan led the team to great highs. Mularkey's playcalling was lauded in his first two seasons, but fans had grown tired of the offense telegraphing run and lackluster screen plays and failing in short yardage situations.

The Atlanta Falcons regime of owner Arthur Blank, general manager Thomas Dmitroff, and head coach Mike Smith have seen outstanding results in the past four seasons. For a franchise that has largely been a joke throughout its existence, this is the first time it has ever seen back-to-back winning seasons (4 now) and back-to-back playoff berths. It seems that the Falcons agreed with the fans who had grown frustrated with the conservative and predictable playcalling on both sides of the ball. We'll see if the Falcons gamble for more aggression on both sides of the ball will turn out to be the right call.

POSITION PLAYERS

[QB] Matt Ryan enters his fifth season with fans wondering if he's reached his ceiling. He's improved every year in the league, throwing 29 TD with 7.4 YPA last season - this with rookie Julio Jones missing a few games and Roddy White dropping a league high 14 passes. It's a critical year for Ryan, as the team has assembled an explosive supporting cast around him, and he has shown up in training camp with a few more pounds of muscle and a greater focus on explosive plays down the field. He's shown success connecting with Jones in camp, and Ryan, as always, has been saying the same things and putting pressure on himself. However, the postseason is really where it counts. The reality is that he's already the best quarterback to ever don a Falcons uniform, but fans hope that he can bring a championship to the beleaguered football town. Chris Redman is entrenched as the backup, although he is more familiar with Mularkey's offense. John Parker Wilson and Dominique Davis are engaged in an all-out battle for the 3rd QB slot. Davis has shown a strong arm all camp, whereas Wilson has suffered accuracy issues. JPW is out of options to sit on the practice squad, whereas Davis can be kept, which may be the deciding factor.

[RB] Michael Turner returns as the lead back, although the Falcons staff is talking up Jacquizz Rodgers as more than a third down back. The Falcons’ failure to implement an effective screen game have been glaring in recent years, particularly as a division rival a few hundred miles west has had great success with it. Don’t expect Rodgers to be a major factor in fantasy leagues, but he will get a fair amount of touches. Turner is expected to have a lighter load, but the team expects that he will get closer to 250 carries rather than 350 carries, although this poster is a bit skeptical of that. Jason Snelling returns as the third back, and fans know that he has saved drives on more than one occasion with his surprising shiftiness in the open field. His versatility as a blocker and receiver out of the backfield makes him an invaluable asset to the squad.

The Falcons have deemphasized the fullback position, as shown by fan-favorite Ovie Mughelli being cut. Mike Cox and rookie Bradie Ewing are engaged in a battle for one job, particularly with Snelling having experience at FB.

[WR] The Falcons took a big gamble trading up for Julio Jones last season, but he rewarded the front office with spectacular play. Despite battling a foot and hamstring issue last season, he put up 959 yards in 13 games with 8 TD. His worst game of the year came against the Texans, dropping a series of key passes in the last drive – particularly a difficult but catchable pass in the endzone that could’ve given the Falcons a chance to the tie game. He bounced back with an outstanding 4 game stretch to close out the season with 6 TD. The burst in the open field and body control down the field is exactly what the Falcons expected when they drafted him, and he delivered with long YAC plays against the Jaguars and arguably single-handedly bringing the Falcons back against the Panthers with his second half plays. That’s not to forget Pro Bowler Roddy White, who broke 1000 yards for the fifth consecutive year but was plagued by a case of dropsies all season. Matt Ryan’s favorite target hopes to bounce back this season and find more space in the intermediate void left by Jones up top and with Gonzalez and Rodgers down low. Harry Douglas will man the slot for the Falcons after two seasons of inconsistency. Douglas has shown a penchant for getting downfield and making big plays despite his diminutive stature (see: New Orleans last season), but he’s disappeared for stretches. With even less of the attention focused on him, Douglas hopes to capitalize on a pivotal season in his career. Kerry Meier has been talked up by the coaching staff as a difference maker all over the field, but all he managed to do last year was piss off Vikings punter Chris Kluwe with his cheap shots on special teams. He’s expected to make the team, but the battle for the fourth WR position is up for grabs with speedy Michael Calvin dazzling fans last week at practice.

to be continued...
When I get home
 
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