Are Your Expectations Higher For The 2013 Atlanta Falcons Season?

The 2012 season, by and large, exceeded our collective expectations. Going 13-3 in the regular season and coming close to a Super Bowl berth is not the ideal outcome, true, but it was an impressive one.

As we roll into the 2013 season, it's fair to start calibrating our expectations. For many of us, nothing short of a Super Bowl will be truly satisfying, especially after five seasons of excellent play that didn't quite result in a trip to the big game. But after coming so close in 2012, it's also fair to ask whether our expectations are higher or lower for this.

Personally, my expectations are higher, because while this team may not match their regular season record from a year ago, I think they're built to win a championship in 2013. Steven Jackson was brought aboard with an eye at winning at least one Super Bowl in the next couple of seasons, and while there are no guarantees, it's clear that the Falcons are pushing a few chips to the center of the table by signing Jackson and Osi Umenyiora and drafting to shore up that defense.

What are your expectations for 2013? Are they higher than in 2012?