The Falcons love adding depth on their roster, so why not to their coaching staff?
I know I mentioned this in passing when the Falcons inked Bratkowski, but ESPN's Pat Yasinskas has an interesting take on bringing the former Bengals offensive coordinator on board. Noting that Bill Musgrave was viewed as the heir apparent to Mike Mularkey before the Vikings snatched him away, Yasinskas sees the possibility that Bratkowski is being groomed in the same fashion.
It makes a lot of sense. Having people on your staff that you believe can ascend should one of your coordinators or (Football Gods forbid) head coach leave is an intelligent use of your resources. If you see a dude you think can be more than a position coach down the line, get him on board now in case Mike Mularkey or Brian Van Gorder bolt for jobs. And yes, I recognize that nobody's seriously considering BVG for another job right now.
So while Bratkowski isn't a Falcons guy yet, he'll have a chance to get acclimated in the team's system by working closely with Matt Ryan. With that experience under his belt and his decade as an offensive coordinator, the Falcons could be looking at Bratkowski as their next OC should Mularkey get more serious offers following the 2011 season.
Yasinskas' article does make an awful lot of sense to me. How about you?