ESPN has the Falcons 8th-best in the NFL, which sounds low
One of these two is thinking the Falcons could go 16-0. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
The Falcons open camp Friday. As noted earlier, more than a few people are high on this team’s chances. We add to this growing list the folks who compile ESPN’s power rankings, the latest edition of which has the Falcons …
Ranked No. 8 in the 32-team NFL.
Given that the same ESPN had the Falcons 15th at the end of the 2009 regular season and 10th in the post-draft ranking, we’re witnessing a rising tide. But ESPN’s survey still doesn’t quite reflect the feeling I have for this team.
I think these Falcons will wind up being better than the eighth-best team in a 32-team league. I think they’ll be in the top five. (To be fair, John Clayton — one of ESPN’s four panelists — has the Falcons ranked fifth.) I think they’ll go 12-4, win the NFC South and play Dallas for the conference championship.
For the record, here are ESPN’s top seven teams: Indianapolis, New Orleans, Minnesota, Dallas, Baltimore, Green Bay and the Jets. Four of those, you’ll note, play in the NFC. But it does have the Falcons ahead of New England and San Diego, which is saying something. And it does slot Carolina, which some observers fancy for no reason I can discern, at No. 22.
And here’s a telling stat: All four of ESPN’s voters — the others are Mike Sando, James Walker and Paul Kuharsky — have the Falcons rated No. 9 or better. That’s something approaching a consensus, I’d say.
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128 comments Add your comment
FalconUGAFan
July 27th, 2010
1:51 pm
Reality Check-Call me crazy but thats one thing I like about TD and Smitty; they make incremental changes to personnel and allowed people to develop over time. We had some key injuries and still performed ok. We picked up a few pieces in the off season and some folks came back from injuries, but what do I know…I work on computers….
cheshire
July 27th, 2010
1:53 pm
It’s hard to put a lot of stock in preseason predictions with the 2010 Falcons because this team just has soooo many variables. I want to be positive and say we’re going to win 12 or 13 games (which we very well could), but this is Atlanta, and i’m used to my pre-season hopes being crushed in every sport. But i think there are very good reasons to optimistic about this team this year and for years to come. They are definitely in good hands.
The questions: Does Matt Ryan break out? Does Michael Turner return to form? Does Harry Douglas come back and have a big impact? Is the O-line effective at opening up holes? Does the pass rush improve? Does Jerry play injury free this year? What does Sean Weatherspoon give us this year? Will William Moore start, and if so, will he be a solid safety? Does Dunta have a big impact on the secondary? Who plays opposite Dunta (Williams/Grimes/Owens) and how effective are they? Does the kicking game improve from last year’s Elam-induced disaster?
That’s a lot of questions. If most of those work out in our favor, we go deep into the playoffs and no reason we can’t be a Superbowl contender. If we miss on a lot of them, we’re lucky to make it to .500. The only thing i can say for sure about this team right now is that Tony Gonzalez will be solid again. Past that I have no idea – i just hope for the best and trust in our coaches to set the players up for success.
One real positive though – if you look at this team top to bottom, there aren’t many holes anymore (assuming health of course). Compare that to the start of 2008 when there was nothing BUT holes. That says a lot about Dimitroff/Smith’s overhaul of this team. They are doing such a great job building this team and it has to excite you moving forward. It’s made the offseasons almost as fun as the actual seasons.
Southside Lady
July 27th, 2010
1:53 pm
I believe that the Falcons will go at least 11-5 this year and still win the NFC Championship!
Mark – Any w?ord on when we can expect the Falcons to sign Sean Weatherspoon
MalibuGT
July 27th, 2010
1:58 pm
I think the falcons will do better with lower expectations. this isn’t college football where people’s opinion influence where you finish your season. I think the schedule is easier, the offense and defense should be improved.
I figure we can win about 10 more games than Vick Supporter predicts for the falcons.
And I can’t see the Saints avoiding the post super bowl hangover. I think it will be one of epic proportions.
Wildebeast
July 27th, 2010
1:58 pm
Can anyone wait to see what John Abraham is going to do to Steelers quarterback Byron Leftwich, the human pigeon roost. Abe’s gonna be a “Fever Dream” to BL!
All I'm Saying Is...
July 27th, 2010
2:06 pm
First of all, thankfully at the pro level, the best team is determined on the field and pre-season ‘rankings’ don’t mean jack as no polls exist to pre-determine who might end up in the Super Bowl.
Second, I’m still celebrating Falcons getting that lack of consecutive winning seasons monkey off their back.
Third, occasionally you get a team that starts strong and then drops like a stone (see Broncos from last year) but typically one knows by the end of the first four games what a team’s prospects are for the season so let’s just see where we are at that point. Biggest thing is we need to take advantage of a Steeler team without Bathroom Ben and get a win and go from there.
LET’S GO FALCONS!
Dean
July 27th, 2010
2:19 pm
Didn’t ESPN just pick last year playoff teams minus Arizona? Typical, front running, thoughtlesness from the worst sports channel on TV. Minnesota doesn’t even know if their starting QB will be returning to the team.
Ted M
July 27th, 2010
2:20 pm
The Falcons have holes at defensive end.
cheshire
July 27th, 2010
2:21 pm
MalibuGT, totally agree about the Saints. Their fanbase is starting to play this “no one respects us” card, which is ridiculous. I think everyone respects them, but everyone is also aware how difficult it is to repeat.
One of the reasons it’s difficult to repeat is because while no one likes to admit it, football has a lot of luck involved. All Superbowl winning teams have to have things bounce their way which, like it or not, they don’t have a lot of control over. Injuries, when/where you play certain times, when you catch a team in the playoffs, etc.
The Saints were VERY fortunate last year in almost all those categories. They had injuries, but not to any positions where they couldn’t afford them… they started to lose their luster, but not until it was too late in the season for it to hurt them (everyone forgets they lost their last 3 games)… and they played teams who just had epic meltdowns in the playoffs that weren’t really induced by the Saints. Hats off to the Saints for taking advantage of mistakes, but both Indy and Minnesota should have beaten them. Instead, each team beat themselves.
I think the Saints are a great team and they deserved every bit of that Superbowl win, but let’s not kid ourselves into thinking there wasn’t some luck involved. That’s true of any Superbowl winner, and it was especially true for them. That’s the kind of luck that rarely comes around twice.
ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 27th, 2010
2:26 pm
Seriously, the Falcons wouldn’t even rank as the 8th-Best football team in the SEC.
Falcon Phil
July 27th, 2010
2:34 pm
That’s an insult—the falcons will use this for motivation to make the playoffs—revenge will be their goal.
Raybud
July 27th, 2010
2:46 pm
I think that the offense will be superb this year….it’s the defense that worries me. Granted, they got younger and faster, but the thing that I and most fans want to know is can they hold their own. The more time the offense can take off the clock, the better the defense will be.
D.W.
July 27th, 2010
2:50 pm
Time Out. You must have fallen and hit your head!!!
Bill W.
July 27th, 2010
2:58 pm
The Falcons are NOT going to win the South.
ON THE DOWN LOW 4 MV7
July 27th, 2010
2:59 pm
Forget about ESPN The Magazine!
When does that “MIke Vick” edition of PLAYGIRL due out at newstandz? Not THAT is what I am talking about! You all know what I am saying!
Delbert D.
July 27th, 2010
3:00 pm
In the NY Times preseason preview series of articles, Andy Benoit has the Jets 3rd in the AFC East.
chris
July 27th, 2010
3:12 pm
New Orleans we face twice and that will determine if we win the South. Minnesota is only a threat if Farve returns. Green Bay….That’s the team that scares me. Until Romo proves he can win big win it counts, I can’t give the Cowboys the benefit of the doubt. I think Green Bay is the team that can keep the Falcons out of the Super Bowl.
Media bias in sports look at the QB
July 27th, 2010
3:17 pm
AJC give the hype but can Ryan take a hit? I here those foot step ah coming?
ReddJonn68
July 27th, 2010
3:18 pm
I’ll take a 10-6 season with Matt becoming the leader, this would be right on scheldule with Peyton’s 3rd season. Matt doesn’t have a ready made team like Brady so time is what this squad needs. We don’t want to pull a San Diego ( Brees ) & give up on a guy then watch him win a ring. Just plain patience will do, just keep putting pieces around him & stand back.
yo mama
July 27th, 2010
3:19 pm
statistics, and preseason polls are for losers! toe meets leatha, lets play some football. i am always leary when the falcons are slotted so high in the preseason. we know they have let us down, more than they have impressed us. i can think of aonly like 4 seasons where the falcons out preformed most in the league. and they always returned the favor by falling flat on their faces. so, stay healthy, and do a better job on first down. cmon!
Heath
July 27th, 2010
3:23 pm
I can’t see into the future because Mike Smith’s hat is blocking my vision.
But the Falcons do have a favorable schedule this year, just like UGA. Should be a pretty good year for both.
ReddJonn68
July 27th, 2010
3:26 pm
Preseason picks & Fantasy football are nothing more than an NFL addict’s quick fix. Don’t forget Everyone had Dallas & New England in the Super Bowl last year, so there your credability for preseason hype . Just kick the ball off please.
atl fan
July 27th, 2010
3:31 pm
Mark Bradley — not being mean or anything but you are such a homer. I love Atlanta sports as much as anyone, and it amazes every time how much unbridled optimism you are able to generate considering our local teams.
The Falcs are definitely a good team, but 8 out of 32 seems pretty fair to me for a team that has never won anything.
Please, temper your optimism with reality!
CTK
July 27th, 2010
4:08 pm
Enter your comments here
WDEnATL
July 27th, 2010
4:08 pm
Does it really matter if they are ranked #1 or #32 at this point? This is why people do not want college rankings until well into the season. When the games are played, the order of success will be revealed.
-
I am not biting on your “controversy” Bradley.
GADAWG88
July 27th, 2010
4:08 pm
time out is nuts. matt ryan beats vick any day
CTK
July 27th, 2010
4:11 pm
I see the Falcons going 10-6 easily, 12-4 if we stay healthy.
NOLA
July 27th, 2010
4:34 pm
Who’s your daddy?
John
July 27th, 2010
5:16 pm
Say it loud, I’m a Falcon and I’m Proud. Being a Falcon fan when they played at old Atlanta Fulton County Stadium it appears to me that WE are going in the right direction. The Falcons need to keep doing things in the right way and the National Media will start and continue to give us our Due.
Mark "Crimson Crier" Ingram
July 27th, 2010
5:34 pm
Falcons just need to slap it on the bulletin board and prove ESPN wrong!
David Granger
July 27th, 2010
5:42 pm
Sounds a bit low to me, too, Mark. But just like in college football, a team always gets the chance to prove they deserve to be ranked higher…and the on-field rating that a team EARNS is always the one that counts. Gonna be a fun season to watch.
falcon
July 27th, 2010
5:58 pm
Pre-season polls don’t amount to a hill of beans. I think the Falcons can beat any team on their schedule, but I’m afraid we might lose one or two that we shouldn’t lose. Who knows? I’m ready for football. I want to see us beat Philadelphia on October 17. They slapped us around at home last year. I guess we’ll see if we’re man enough this time around.
Grady Jackson BarberShop
July 27th, 2010
6:07 pm
Dallas will be lucky if they end up 9-7.
The Vikings smoked em’ 34-3 in the playoffs.
Atlanta beat the big bad Jets in New York last year.
hiramsaint
July 27th, 2010
7:03 pm
the picture looks like jim carey and jeff daniels
tom
July 27th, 2010
7:22 pm
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?
MCook
July 27th, 2010
7:24 pm
hiramsaint, shows up like a bad penny.
I guess I’d be a bored idiot if I were from hiram, where ever the hell that is….
FALCONS SORRY
July 27th, 2010
7:38 pm
8TH PLACE??? NOODLE ARM WILL ALWAYS BE 1ST PLACE IN MY BOOK!!! HAW HAW HAW HALE NAW!!! THOSE SORRY BERDS ARE JEST STUK ON STUPPID!!! TO BAD TO SAD FATLANTA!!!
hiramsaint
July 27th, 2010
7:42 pm
m cook-i’m from new orleans so you win the idiot honors …LOL LOL
MCook
July 27th, 2010
8:07 pm
hsaint, your not fooling anybody.In any event, ya gotta be a broke d$#@ tool to live on all the Falcon blogs being an aints fan…nuff said.
hiramsaint
July 27th, 2010
8:22 pm
who sais i was tryin’ to fool anyone- falcons fans are fools all by themselves…LOL LOL
Whopper Dawg
July 27th, 2010
8:26 pm
The Falcons are a trendy pick this year, meaning the media trying to pick a sleeper like them a pretty good bit, and for good reason, the pieces appear to be there assuming everyone rebounds to a form once exhibited, everyone heals, the new draftees and I count Jerry and the safety as those and the FAs are sound personnel choices, they could be fantastic.
On the realistic side of the board, there are far too many questions, this team could finish third in the south and well south of NO.
Offense
- Can Ryan rebound?
- Can Turner rebound?
- Can Baker play a whole year and do we care?
- Is Douglas healthy?
- Can Norwood stay healthy and can we figure out how to use him?
- Do we have a second WR?
Defense
- Can Abraham rebound?
- Can anyone else rush the passer?
- Is Jerry healthy and can he play football?
- Same for Moore.
- Do we have a quality OLB? Do we have two?
- Is Robinson a shutdown corner, he hasn’t been for three years?
- Do we have another CB assuming Robinson can play? Do we have two if he can’t?
- Do we have a place kicker?
So, there are major or at least significant questions about QB, RB, LT, 2nd WR, 3rd WR, your only pass rusher, pass rushing in general, both OLB spots, one safety spot, and both CBs.
If the answers to all the questions are yeses, then great, chances are thought this team will have significant holes next year, and quite frankly if TD doesn’t get better in the draft, you may start to drift the other way.
POAD
July 27th, 2010
9:10 pm
Who is in charge of the Sports Vent? They don’t work very hard at their job. Sports is a 7/365 job. we want more sports vents too.
Don
July 27th, 2010
9:11 pm
Look what the moron wrote 5 days ago.
8 reasons why these Braves will NOT squander this lead
4:48 pm July 22, 2010, by Mark Bradley
This young man is about to get going again. Just watch. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
They’d suffered a bad loss late Wednesday, and now the Braves had to play an afternoon game against the team with the National League’s best record on a sweltering day. (Heat index: 106.) They won so easily as to make you believe there’s no way the final 10 1/2 weeks of this regular season hold any danger for this dauntless band. The reasons why:
1. They can pitch. It never changes. As long as you can pitch, you can win. The Braves won breezing Thursday — actually, they did some sweating, too — because Tim Hudson never gave the Padres a chance. He worked seven innings and yielded six baserunners, one of whom was erased by a double play. This isn’t a team apt to lose five in a row because the rotation won’t let that happen. Jair Jurrjens looks hale and hearty, and even if Tommy Hanson and Derek Lowe haven’t been dominant they’re fine as Nos. 3 and 4 starters.
2. They’re buoyant. Not 15 hours after a sobering loss, the Braves had taken a lasting lead in the decisive game of a three-game set against an opponent they might well see in October. Said Billy Wagner, who blew a save Wednesday night: “Good teams are resilient. The heat out there today was awful; I guarantee you the Padres had never felt anything like that. We jumped on them early and kept them out there a long time.”
3. They’re daring. The key play of the first inning was the rookie Jason Heyward going first-to-third on Chipper Jones’ single to left field, which isn’t easy to do. (Heyward scored the only run the Braves would need on Troy Glaus’ sacrifice fly.) Said Bobby Cox of Heyward: “His instincts are off the chart, and he’s got some larceny in him. He’s not afraid to take a base.”
4. They’re clever. The 20-year-old right fielder is wise in the ways of older men, and there are a bunch of older guys to backstop him. Back to Heyward taking third: “You’d be surprised how many [left fielders] at this level can’t make that throw,” Jones said. “We’re a smart team. We steal bases at a very high percentage [69.5 percent, to be precise]. We’re very good at taking the extra base.” Then this: “We’ve got ballplayers. We’ve got guys with great instincts.”
5. They have a dependable shortstop. Alex Gonzalez, nicknamed Sea Bass, had four hits Thursday and made another series of deft defensive swoops. Said Cox: “Watching him play shortstop these past few days has really been special.” Jones likened A-Gonz to Ozzie Smith and Omar Vizquel, saying: “It’s that he’s having a great offensive year, but what I want out of a shortstop is defense — to know that 99 percent of the time he gets his mitt on something he’s going to make the play.”
6. They have a healthier Heyward. He was hitting .251 at the All-Star break, but this is in no way a .251 hitter. He carried this team when nobody else could do a thing in April, and he’s capable of more heavy lifting. He hit .321 over the seven-game homestand. He will do even better very soon.
7. They have a working lead but they’re not impressed by it. Said Wagner: “We play as a team. Chipper has said it a million times, but it’s not one person keeping us going. It’s someone new, a new face in the bullpen, helping us win a game. And we worry about one game at a time, and that comes from the manager.”
8. They have it going in a way that makes you believe they’ll keep it going. They didn’t panic when they lost nine consecutive games in April. They didn’t wring their hands over the lost lead Wednesday night. They press on. They’ve won or halved 20 of their past 21 series. Said Gonzalez, on board only a week: “When you watch the way they play ball every day, you think, ‘This is a great team.’ ”
“Great” overstates. This is a good team that has come to maximize every resource. It isn’t without flaws, but after 95 games it holds the best record in its league. Gonzalez again: “We play hard. We do the little things you have to do. We want to put ourselves in position and see what happens at the end of the year.”
What will happen: The Braves will play beyond the 162nd game for the first time since 2005.
Numbers mean nothing
July 27th, 2010
9:41 pm
“ESPN has the Falcons 8th-best in the NFL, which sounds low”
preseason numbers mean absolutely nothing. For a team that has yet to step out on the field, 8th best is to high.
Angela
July 27th, 2010
9:59 pm
Will the uneducated loser and fake with no girlfriend who is fraudulently posting as “Falcons Sorry” @ 7:39 pm please get a life and get off this blog?
Tweets that mention ESPN has the Falcons 8th-best in the NFL, which sounds low | Mark Bradley -- Topsy.com
July 27th, 2010
10:03 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by John Robertson, Kari Wheeler and Candice Nicholson, Young Throwed Click. Young Throwed Click said: ESPN has the Falcons 8th-best in the NFL, which sounds low http://bit.ly/b5iKB3 [...]
FALCONS SORRY
July 27th, 2010
10:05 pm
UH OH ANGELA SOUNDS CRAMPY!!! OR HER MAN JEST AINT HITTIN IT RITE!! HAW HAW HAW HALE NAW!!!
I.MUS WRITE
July 27th, 2010
10:29 pm
Lets not jump the gun here, We heard the same predictions last year. Im optimistic like everyone else but we have to actually line up and prove it on the field. 11- 5 if we can stay healthy.
BT
July 27th, 2010
10:35 pm
8th seems about right for now.
The only poll that matters is the final one though and it`s settled on the field.
That`s part what makes the NFL better than collage ball.
Kris G
July 28th, 2010
4:13 am
Eighth sounds worse than it is. Seriously, eighth is actually pretty good. As a long time Falcons fan, perhaps I need to raise my level of expectation, but the NFL has no easy wins.