Will #44 Be Here in '12? (AJC)

This is just a smaller new post thread to transition to a much more in-depth and longer post to come soon. Until the new post comes, we wanted to hear from The Bird Cage Faithful on the Atlanta Falcons biggest areas of need by position.

The Cage’s Take

Some will say defensive ends or cornerbacks or maybe even running backs, but the Falcons must finally infuse some much needed talent into an offensive line that has overachieved since its inception. Maybe a new OL coach, scheme, and offensive coordinator can make a big difference with the guys already on roster, but Dimitroff likely even concedes he hasn’t drafted enough talent.

Only two players are solid at two positions, Justin Blalock and Tyson Clabo, and the rest will be totally up for grabs. Joe Hawley gave some flashes and Will Svitek did an admirable job in relief, but still major question marks on Mike Johnson and Andrew Jackson remain. Garrett Reynolds …

Has Bier Been Under-utilized? (AP)

Thanks to Big Ray, WR, & Paddy O for their inspiration on this new post. Before diving into each of the Falcons soon-to-be free agents and whether they should sign or ship them, thought it an interesting idea to see how the Falcons have done with developing the players that have been drafted the last four years.

Has the coaching staff done a poor job of developing players, or at least failed to give them a legitimate change? Or have the draft picks simply been below par. It’s obviously a hard thing to figure out with limited knowledge for us fans, but it’s been frustrating never knowing if the Falcons had some quality players that were never given a chance to shine or if the picks just weren’t that good.

On one side of the coin is the belief that this Falcons coaching staff, led by Smith’s hyper-conservative philosophy on all fronts, have been entirely too cautious and …

Not Even a Debate on Lofton (AP)

As the Atlanta Falcons approach the 2012 off-season, one of the most interesting points to follow is how much the Birds roster, which has been extremely stable the last four year, will change. Those very few changes made a lot of sense when the Falcons were believed to be “right on the cusp of greatness.” But going 0-3 in the playoffs, including 2 straight embarrassing blowouts, has prompted the belief that its time for a minor overhaul of the roster.

The Falcons have a large amount of their own players set to become unrestricted free agents, 17 to be exact, which includes a large portion of key players from Dimitroff’s first draft. In the season review press conference, the Birds GM talked about their being “no sacred cows, tough decisions, & 8 or 9 guys which to build around.” In addition to having a limited amount of cap space, Dimitroff also has no 1st round or 4th round pick due to the Julio Jones trade. Your …

New Falcons OC (AP)

Well, the Atlanta Falcons have their new offensive coordinator. Several names were mentioned early last week that included Brian Schottenheimer, Brian Billick, Tom Clements, and Dirk Koettner. At the press conference, Thomas Dimitroff went out of his way to say they were under no deadline to hire the new coordinators. Early Sunday morning a report came out saying the Falcons had requested interviews for Tom Clements and Dirk Koetter, and literally no more than an hour later Chris Mortensen reported that the Falcons had in fact hired Koetter, the former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator.

Fans were absolutely shocked and blindsided by the news. Even though the Falcons top brass said they would conduct their search in private, the appearance was that the Birds didn’t even go through any process whatsoever when they hired Koetter. He obviously has had some success, but most have a hard time getting over him running the dead …

A New Coordinator Awaits (J.Getz/AJC)

The pain was deep and ugly from the 3rd playoff loss in 4 years and the second consecutive playoff embarrassment. Last year’s destruction involved the Falcons not stopping anyone. This year’s blowout involved the Falcons being unable to score any offensive points. Fans were worrying if any or enough changes would be made after the process, including the same coaching staff, had obviously reached its zenith.

Some felt that only one coordinator would go or that the organization and Arthur Blank would feel that a few small changes would fix what ailed the Falcons. That certainly has turned out not to be the case so far. No more than 24 hours after the Falcons were pummeled by the Giants, defensive coordinator Brian Van Gorder was bolting for Auburn and Mike Mularkey was headed to be Jacksonville’s new head coach.

We can debate for ages on the logistics of how it unfolded, but it’s at least safe to say that, …

Thankfully, It's Over (AP)

The Falcons aren’t any good in 2011. They never were and they lost to another good team. The truth hurts and the truth says that this team is nothing better than average and a team that can merely get in the playoffs on a regular basis because they sure as the hell can’t do anything once they’re there. They didn’t beat a good team all year besides Detroit and they failed yet again in the playoffs. No more excuses are to be had and what other proof does Arthur Blank need to know that serious changes need to be in order after 4 years of a “process” and you can’t win one playoff game or even score any offensive points for that matter. There’s really nothing else to say.

Game Over (AP)

It’s hard to imagine that Mike Mularkey will be a part of the Atlanta Falcons organization much longer. Yes, he’s done some good things and helped to stabilize this …

Can the Ground Game Get on Track? (AJC)

The question is obviously not can they do it, but will they do it, meaning will they finally take that huge step forward and win in the postseason. This is the big albatross that’s been hanging over this Falcons franchise under Head Coach Mike Smith, and by extension Thomas Dimitroff as General Manager. For as much as this franchise has accomplished in such a short amount of time, they have yet to win in the playoffs. The magnitude of this game needs little description.

Smith has done wonders for one of the most inconsistent and underperforming franchises in NFL history in his very short tenure here. He’s already the most winning coach in terms of percentage in franchise history, was the first to help the Falcons to consecutive winning seasons in franchise history, Smith was named NFL Coach of the Year in 2008, not to mention having them make the playoffs in 3 out of his 4 years as …

Was this the 3rd and 18 conversion? (AP)

Pulverized, crushed, ripped to shreds, smashed, blown out. Choose any word you like to describe the pathetic display by the Falcons in New Orleans last night, but we’ll just go with completely embarrassed. Making the playoffs is mostly an afterthought for most fans after getting absolutely destroyed by the bitter rival Saints. Some will point to the poor refereeing; others may say that Payton, Brees, and Co. poured it on. The fact is that an effort that poor should be get piled on.

Yes, this organization as a whole has made great strides during the Smith/Dimitroff Era, but anyone who believes this teams is “really close” or “right on the edge” of being great or elite is certifiably delusional. Some readers may think this too harsh a critique and that’s fine. But this anger, disappointment, and hollow feeling inside is pretty representative of most fans. If they wanted a mantra of “us against the …

Take Bow Mr. Smith, You've Done Us Proud! (C.Compton/AJC)

Well, the Falcons still have two games to go and it doesn’t get any bigger than Monday Night against their biggest rival in New Orleans against the Saints, but the Birds have made the playoffs in 3 out of the last 4 years. Sure, they didn’t punch their own ticket to “the tournament,” but they put themselves in the position to get the help needed to get in the tourney and immense credit goes to Coach Mike Smith, the entire coaching staff, all the players, Arthur Blank, Thomas Dimitroff, and everyone involved with the Atlanta Falcons organization on their 2011/12 playoff birth.

The Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears and the Falcons now have made the playoffs in consecutive seasons and 3 out of 4. Blank, Dimitroff, and Smith talked ad nauseum about wanting to be a consistent contender and be considered when playoff time came around. Sure, they still have bigger goals to reach, but for a …

JJ's Big Day (C.Compton/AJC)

Will be back soon with an in-depth post about the big game from the destruction of the Jaguars on Thursday Night. But for now let’s hear from the Bird Cage Faithful on the blowout from Thursday, as well as the game of they year in New Orleans a week from Monday Night.  A few questions to get you going…..

2) Did the offense finally turn some kind of mythical corner?

3) Are the Birds moving a little bit away from the run-heavy philosophy?

4) Will the Falcons pull off the big upset in New Orleans in a week?

5) Are any Birds headed for the Pro Bowl? If not, should any of them be?

Be back with a new post soon……….