Todd McClure, Reserve?

It seems almost unthinkable now, but there's a chance that Todd McClure may not start in 2012. He has played in the majority of the Falcons' game since 2000, so if he takes the bench this year behind Joe Hawley or Peter Konz, it will be the end of an era.

It's certainly a possible. McClure is still a quality player, but the Falcons drafted Konz to take over at center in the near future, and he could conceivably be ready to do so this year. If Konz looks good at center, the Falcons have a backlog of at least three guys competing for right guard in Vince Manuwai, Joe Hawley and Mike Johnson, with Garrett Reynolds also a possibility.

Unless McClure clearly outclasses Konz at center and Konz plays better than the competition at guard, there's not a lot of sense in starting the rook at a position and forcing him to change after a year. The more I think about it, the more likely it seems that McClure may spend his first season since 1999 as primarily a backup. It's a sobering thought.

Do you think McClure will wind up on the bench?