UPDATE: Somehow, I missed several nearly week-old reports that the Jaguars have retained Heck. I feel so smart now. Talk offensive line coach candidates instead.

Get the anti-Jacksonville invective out now, please. I'll wait.

For those who aren't familiar with Andy Heck, he's been the Jaguars' offensive line coach for the better part of the last seven years. By and large, he's done a fairly good job, though this last year was a disaster thanks to both personnel and the impossibility of protecting a quarterback who holds on to the ball as if it were a childhood teddy bear I think he's a good choice for the Falcons, who reportedly have interest.

What's more interesting about Heck, if you're willing to dive into his background, is his status as a former first round pick. He was selected 15th overall back in 1989, starting 164 games over a 12 year career. He never quite became an elite lineman, but he was good enough to start for 11 of those years. That's an impressive achievement, and it tells you that Heck should know how to connect with linemen.

He's the first name I've heard connected to the Falcons' offensive line coaching job, but stay tuned for more.

If you haven't been following along with them, I suggest you go back and read James' "Peace Out Homie" series. He's taking a look at the Falcons' various free agents and examining their situations in a whimsical way. Yes, I said whimsical. You'll also want to check out what Jeff Schultz has written on the subject we're about to discuss.

Now that I've told you that, it's time to jump into this afternoon's discussion. Which Falcons—free agents or otherwise—are most likely to be cut or allowed to walk to save cap space. To get you started, here's a few possibilities:

• Sam Baker, who is owed about $3 million in 2012
• Dunta Robinson, who is owed about $6 million in 2012
• Brent Grimes, who will be looking for a (deserved) lucrative contract
• Ovie Mughelli, who also counts about $3 million toward the cap this year

Let's stoke the fires of discussion, my friends.

I heart Mad TV. During the mediocre Saturday Night Live years, it was one of my favorite shows. And my favorite sketch was Lowered Expectations. If you've never seen it, then check out this clip and I'm sure you'll think it's awesome too.

You're probably wondering why I'd start out a Smitty-related post like this. Well, to be frank, our expectations as a fanbase are lower than they once were, and that's pathetic. Pathetic! OK, maybe pathetic isn't a good way to describe it. But, I can't lie, it's starting to irk me. At some point, it's natural to wonder whether there's a breaking point.

I'm in my mid-to-late 20s, and during my time as a Falcons fan, I've honestly expected a Lombardi every year. Maybe I'm just an enormous homer, or maybe my expectations are radically out of touch with reality. Our own Adam Schultz wrote a well-versed dissertation on this subject last week. My problem, and the problem most Falcons fans face, is the temptation to forgive.

It's true. I love this team. I can't quit them. Every year my expectations are raised, and every year, they come crashing down when the Falcons are knocked out of contention. By now I'm used to it.

As for Smitty, he's been nothing but solid. Solid I like. Solid I can live with. He's sure to field an average to slightly above-average squad each and every year. Heck, we even make the playoffs more often than not. He's like a professional darts player with superb technique. Sooner or later, the guy's going to hit the bull's eye, but every time he misses, you just cringe in despair.

That said, discuss the following: how much leeway does Smitty have at this point? Is being solid enough or will Mr. Blank raise his expectations in decisive fashion at some point? If you think this discussion is pointless, then don't participate. But when there's an elephant in the room, I find it's best to point it out. There has to be a breaking point, a point at which Mr. Blank won't tolerate coming to close to the bull's eye any longer.

Ready? Set? Go!

This news is unlikely to rage through your life like a tornado of...news...but Joe Danna is the new defensive backs coach.

You had to expect Mike Nolan to assemble a staff to his liking, and Danna is one of the early pieces of that. The defensive backs coach in Miami the last two years under Nolan, Danna brings experience and familiarity with the Nolan way to the franchise.

The good news? While the secondary in Miami wasn't the greatest thing since sliced bread, Danna worked directly with a talented group of young cornerbacks and safeties. He'll be asked to do something similar in Atlanta, where Chris Owens, Dominique Franks, Darrin Walls and William Moore are still developing.

I'm sure we'll have more coaching news in the weeks ahead. For now, talk secondary.

Prediction time? Prediction time.

After reading Daniel Cox's latest column on the mothership and ruminating on the cornerback depth chart, I'm ready to call Dominique Franks as a starter in 2012.

Franks' chief hurdle—assuming that Brent Grimes does not return to Atlanta, because if he does it would be a high hurdle indeed—would be Chris Owens. Owens has performed pretty well playing outside in his Falcons career and has been less effective out of the nickel, but I think a more aggressive scheme will play to both of their strengths. It's likely the two will rotate snaps outside, with a slightly larger percentage of them going to Franks.

Why, exactly? Because even though he was selected later in the draft, I think Franks has the higher upside out of the two. He's a bigger, more physical guy who matches up better against some of the rangy wide receivers in the NFL today, and his instincts are excellent. As Cox noted, Franks was defensing passes and making picks like a machine at the end of the season, and the progress he has made is apparent. The next step for him, really, is to take better angles to the ball carrier and not get turned around.

Ideally, Franks would matchup with bigger, more physical wide receivers out wide and get a chance to test his ballhawking skills against them. I figured he'd be a starter by 2012 or 2013, and I think he's probably ready to take on that role now. Mike Nolan's aggressive schemes should help him take another big step forward this year. Owens' speed should make him an asset anywhere on the field, as well, so Nolan likely won't be afraid to plug him in the nickel in something more closely resembling man defense.

I'm excited about both players, frankly. Do you think Franks will start?

I'm trying to get this Ben Jones post in before news emerges that the Falcons have interviewed him. Yes, I'm that certain they will.

So who is Ben Jones? Anyone who lives in Atlanta and is also a Georgia football fan can probably write some sonnets about the guy, so this is more for those who aren't familiar with Mr. Jones. He's a 300+ pound center, a multi-year starter at Georgia and a guy who profiles as a big ol' center or possibly guard at the NFL level. He's NFL Draft Scout's second-best center prospect for 2012, as well, thanks to his technically sound footwork and terrific strength.

Let's get this right out of the way: If the Falcons are seriously considering upgrading their offensive line, Jones would be a virtual lock to accomplish that. The Falcons could have him replace Todd McClure or fill in at the troubled right guard position, allowing them to shuffle around young talents like Joe Hawley and Mike Johnson at other positions of need. Some would argue the Falcons need an offensive tackle more than an interior lineman—I'm sympathetic to that point of view—but the reality is that the team has to get better at multiple positions on this line. Jones, by virtue of the fact that he's a center, may well last to the Falcons in the second round.

Then again, he may not. He's practicing well at the Senior Bowl and would probably rocket up boards with a quality combine. Polished, huge offensive linemen are not a dime a dozen in the NFL, especially those that play inside. The Falcons could be in a position where they have to move up to get at him, and at some point you have to stop throwing draft picks into the ether.

So if Jones is available in the second round, I expect him to be one of the top guys on the team's draft board. I'm just not certain he'll last that long.

What say you?

It's that magical time of year where we started looking back at 2011. I wanted to give you all a little distance before I tried this.

Basically, I'm asking you to nominate players, games or plays from the following categories for the consideration of your peers. I'll winnow down a list and start the voting next week, and we'll roll through the coming weeks looking back at the season that was.

Team MVP
Offensive Player
Defensive Player
Special Teams Player
Worst Player
Best Game
Worst Game
Best Play
Worst Play
Enduring Image

If you have further suggestions for categories, feel free to leave those in the comments, as well. Let's march ahead and get this thing going.