Falcons have one of the top triple threats in NFL
Falcons wide receiver Roddy White (left) tries to avoid St. Louis Rams cornerback Jerome Murphy after catching a pass for an 8-yard gain during the fourth quarter. White led the league in receptions with 115 in 2010. (Associated Press)
The Falcons are one of four teams in the NFL with three players ranked in the top 15 at the three main skill positions, according to NFL.com senior writer Pat Kirwan.
Here’s a link to Kirwan’s list of the top players by position. Here’s what he has to say about the Falcons trio of quarterback Matt Ryan, wide receiver Roddy White and running back Michael Turner:
Falcons
Running back Michael Turner and receiver Roddy White are both in the top five at their positions, and Matt Ryan is in the top 10 at quarterback.
Michael Turner: A solid workhorse who finished third in the league in rushing and tied for fourth in rushing touchdowns. The Falcons’ passing game creates conflicts for defenses, and Turner will benefit from a high number of run audibles against two-high safeties. He could have a big year.
Roddy White: He has 200 receptions and 21 touchdowns over the past two seasons.
Matt Ryan: A rising star with 66 touchdown passes and just 34 interceptions in his first three years.
Houston, Philadelphia and the New York Giants also have three players rated in the top 15 at wide receiver, running back and quarterback.
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
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68 comments Add your comment
chickenman
June 14th, 2011
11:01 am
JULIOOOO
realitycheck
June 14th, 2011
11:01 am
That 13-3 was an absolute joke and the Packers certainly proved what a joke it was. The Falcons caught every regular season break imaginable, including hardly a single key injury. How has that defense that Green Bay torched improved? And what are the odds that the Falcons will continue to be blessed on the health front? With the NFC North replacing the NFC West on the schedule, the road to the playoffs will only get tougher. There is a decent possibility that the Falcons will not even make the playoffs this season.
ugaclassof2004
June 14th, 2011
11:37 am
Offense is what wins in the NFL no doubt about it. However, the defense needs to be able to generate sacks and force turnovers if they aren’t going to be dominant. Our secondary in particular needs to improve( I think we were like 22nd in the league last season). The Falcons had a “Bend but don’t break” philosophy where they tighted up in the redzone and forced turnovers. And for most of the season that worked out for them. But in the playoffs, when guys like Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady get hot, it doesn’t matter what the defense does because those guys are going to score points. And in those type of games your offense has to be able to win a shootout. Our offense didn’t have the capability to do that. Part of it is the conservative playcalling, and part of it is the focus on the running game.
But now that Ryan is in his 4th year, it is really time for him to be the guy and have the offense run through him. And I think he likes being the guy. He carried his team in college and he runs a great hurry up offense. If you have a QB that thrives in the 2 or 1 min. offense( which Matt Ryan does), then you can build your offense around him. I’m fine with having a top 15 defense, as long as we have a top 5 offense. Thats good enough to win a Super Bowl.
gcs
June 14th, 2011
11:42 am
Top 15? This is just stupid.
fanATicaL
June 14th, 2011
11:43 am
Oh YEAH of little faith.On the health front we did have several injuries on the team last season.Including several players recovering from previous year injuries not fully healed.
I would agree that the schedule is tougher tha last year.But the addition of JJ AND J Rodgers will definitely make our team better.Also the off season is not over.We still have a few moves left in free agency.
If the Falcons survive this schedule.They will be ready for an SB run.
Awful, Awful, Awful
June 14th, 2011
11:46 am
Who cares, they ain’t gonna play anyway.
Fan
June 14th, 2011
12:35 pm
SOME OF THE PEOPLE ON THIS BLOG ARE NOT FALCON FAN BECAUSE THIS ORGANIZATION IS WAY BETTER THAN 2007 SO QUIET THE CRAP.. YOUR ARE NOT FALCON FANS YOUR ARE JUST THE GET ALONG GANG WHEN TIMES ARE GOOD AND THE POINT THE FINGERS FANS WHEN TIMES ARE DIFFICULT. I FEEL SORRY FOR ATLANTA FALCONS WITH FANS LIKE YOURS IN GEORGIA … SAD SAD FANS SUPPORTING THE FALCONS
Not a falcon fan
June 14th, 2011
12:52 pm
Let’s be honest. All the Falcons have ever been is big hype. At the end of every season they choke. Just look at last season. I rest my case.
dallas cowboys
June 14th, 2011
1:01 pm
the falcons benefited from a easy schedule last year. tampa should have beat them the niners had the game won. The real falcons came out in the dome against green bay. Matty ice cant hit the deep ball, turner tip toes after he has gotten hit hard. roddy white is just an average reciever that got shut down with that said leets see what happens this year
FlexLuth
June 14th, 2011
1:47 pm
Plenty of talent on offense and more coming. Yet, will Mike Mularkey be able to actually call plays that score points? Will he still run , run , pass our way to more and more 3rd and long situations? Will he ever learn to us play action?
Seen (Sean Peyton) This (cross picket lines and play as a scab) B4
June 14th, 2011
5:42 pm
To quote Bill Parcells: You are what your record says you are. Sure the Falcons caught some breaks–maybe they were closer to a 10-6 team than 13-3. Either way, to malign the current GM/Coaching regime is absurd, given how they’ve resurrected this franchise after the 2007 debacle. And yes, the “D” is a concern, but as I recall, a team from New Orleans won a Super Bowl not that long ago with a suspect “D” that was torched by the likes of Chris Redmond that season and sub-.500 Seattle and Cleveland teams this season. I think they can easily win 10 or 11 against the 2011 schedule and that’s all it will take to be in the playoff mix.
Seen (Sean Peyton) This (Win a super Bowl ) B (And the Failcans can't ) 4
June 14th, 2011
7:35 pm
but then again , maybe they will show out as the 8-8 or 7-9 team that they really are. it’s of no consequence because if lightning strikes twice and the failcans make the playoffs by some miracle , then lightning will also strike twice and we’ll watch the failcans go to 0-3 in the playoffs under matty meltdown and coach-where is my peroxide- smitty ! the saints will take 2 and the bucs will maybe take 2 and definately 1. good luck getting into the playoffs at #3 in the nfc south!
Dukester
June 15th, 2011
9:10 am
Well in my opinion. I think if we didnt win the super bowl last year we will not win with this current QB, WR, and RB. Our offense is not explosive as some think. We rely on ball control explosive offenses take it to the defense. See the Rams (greatest show on turf) and the Saints 2 years ago. Like another poster said as long as we are playing the bottom feeders we look good. But the schedule we had last year was the easiest. We played Carolina(twice), Bengals, Rams, 49ers, Cardinals, and the Browns will be replaced with Chicago,Indy,Detroit, and Houston which will all be road games. O by the way I will take the Texans big 3 over ours. Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, Adrian Foster. Calm down this year will be the fall of this team and the over hyping that has went on over the last couple of years. And yes I am a falcons fan born and raised in Atlanta. I just love to tell the truth.
Benny Birds
June 15th, 2011
12:00 pm
The O- is ready for the Indy. D-, we need help. Bring Ray Edwards (DE), Rocky McIntosh (WLB) and Bob Sanders (S). Arthur, spend just a little money to get us to Indy.
Reality Check
June 15th, 2011
10:17 pm
Enter your comments here
Reality Check
June 15th, 2011
10:21 pm
Anybody heard the rumors that the Eagles are rumored to have Albert Haynesworth, Plax Burress, Reggie Bush and maybe even number 21 from Oakland (namdi), can’t spell his name.
I have even read the owner, GM and Andy Reid talking about they have big names in place, just waiting for the lockout to end before they pull the trigger.
With that explosive offense, this could be scary.
Reality Check
June 15th, 2011
10:26 pm
One more thing, how many Falcons are on the top 15 players selection top 100? I think the actual players that play this game know more about football.
Just saying.
patrick Sulley
June 16th, 2011
12:55 am
Falcons had Aaron Rodgers for a sack multiple times and he escaped. Most were on third down. Missed tackles (execution) not scheme and personnel lost that game.