The Falcons Due To Rise And Fall In 2012

The Atlanta Falcons have a lot of young talent. How many of those players will truly blossom in 2012?

That's a question I'm sure many of us have asked ourselves this off-season, given the team's need to have existing players climb to new heights in order to improve their fortunes this season. I know that I've wondered if guys along the offensive line can do so, for the simple reason that I don't enjoy watching Matt Ryan flee for his life.

So the question becomes who will see improvement this year and who will start to fall off. The obvious answers are "young guys" and "old guys," but it rarely works itself out that cleanly. I fully expect Sean Weatherspoon to continue his steady transformation into one of the league's elite linebackers, for example, but I also think Tony Gonzalez will have another great year.

It's a busy Sunday, so I'll turn the discussion over to you. Who do you think will be big risers and who will see their play drop off in 2012?