I could spend a million years breaking down this Steve Wyche article, but by then all my readers would be dead and I'd just be a head in a jar, sending my thoughts via starwave to the Arthur Blank Memorial Blog-O-Center. Instead, we're going to spend a little time running this down like an enraged truck driver.
Second-Round Ain't Second Rate: Wyche says the Falcons are likely to look quarterback in the second round. This is a huge, massive, gargantuan relief for those of us who were concerned that the Falcons might either take Ryan at #3 or be dumb enough to move up two spots and select him first overall. We're not out of the woods until the draft bears this out, but the fact that people who have actual contact with the team are reporting this is encouraging. I don't expect Dolphins fans will quit speculating on how dumb we are, though.
Depending on how the draft unfurls, I expect the Falcons to target Brian Brohm or Joe Flacco more than Chad Henne or Josh Johnson. Brohm still represents the most complete QB to me, though Flacco's terrific arm makes him an interesting project. No matter who is drafted, they should get quite a bit of bench time to learn.
Tight End Looks Scary: If you had told me a month ago that we could go into next season with Martrez Milner and Ben Hartsock as our only two tight ends of note, I would probably have sunk to the floor and wept. Because it's a month later, I'll limit myself to silent tears. If the team is really sold on bringing Milner along slowly and using the tight end primarily to block, this might not be so bad. If they're looking for Crumpler's production--even his 2007 production--we're absolutely screwed. Milner would have to exceed the wildest expectations anyone can have for him coming off a major injury, which just doesn't seem possible.
I wouldn't count on tight end being a strong point for the team next year.
Brooking the Line(backers): Brooking's stats were pretty nice last year, and he's perhaps the last critical veteran from the Falcons' golden years. I'll be glad to see him here and hopefully finishing his career in Atlanta, as another terrific guy who's very active in the community. He's just aging, and the Falcons need to have depth at the position and a quality defensive tackle or two in front of him to make life easier. Tall order, right? If it's filled, Brooking ought to be effective again.
There's a lot more in here, but I'm fading fast. We'll revisit this post later on, but for now I point you in the direction of the kicker section of Wyche's article. Brandon Coutu, anyone?