*Was asked by official Falcons media & team personnel not to share any photos or videos from the practice, but will be doing so for the continuation of this series throughout the season*
*Featured pic used via @AtlantaFalcons on X.com*
We are officially one week away from kickoff of the 2023 NFL regular season between the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, and the Detroit Lions. While the entire world will have eyes on that matchup, the city of Atlanta will have to contain its excitement for a few more days before the Sunday home opener against the Carolina Panthers. With a new era ushered in officially with Desmond Ridder bringing his first offseason as starting Quarterback to a close, ATL fans are certainly full of questions with their QB being the biggest. With the information I was able to gather from attending this practice with my own eyes – see if you agree with me on the potential of these questions being answered ahead of that first snap come September 10th.
In contrast to all the question marks offensively, I predict the Falcons defense to be the team’s biggest strength heading into Week 1. This unit is lead by All Pro Cornerback AJ Terrell; who had a pick six on the first drive of team practice. It was a beautiful brake on the ball up against Drake London, and spotlights exactly why he is such a vital player in this defensive scheme. In combo with #24, we are talking about a defense that had no shortage of acquisitions. A couple of those new additions come in the form of safety Jessie Bates along with defensive end Calais Campbell; two players who are no strangers to winning organizations & having success, securing All Pro honors at one time or another in their careers along with conference championship appearances. If Campbell can have the same impact with his veteran presence as he did most recently in Baltimore, then Atlanta’s pass rush is much more likely to be successful than they have in recent years; after ranking 2nd to last in sacks for the 2022 Season, and dead last in 2021. Furthermore, we’ve seen the role Jessie Bates was able to preserve for the Bengals; especially in their 2021 Super Bowl run where a Cincinnati secondary that was arguably the defense’s biggest question mark became it’s biggest strength. A fan of this team can only hope all this can mesh quickly under new defensive coordinator Ryan Neilson, whom comes over from the division rival Saints.
Offensively, when it comes to the Falcons as I referenced earlier; Desmond Ridder comes with a huge amount of uncertainty. What one who has watched Atlanta over the past couple seasons can’t question is the front office’s desire to spend high draft capitol on offensive talent. In the past three years alone, Atlanta has used their first round selections that consisted of the 4th overall pick in 2020, and the 8th overall pick over the last two drafts. In the form of tight end Kyle Pitts, wide reciever Drake London, and newest addition Rookie running back Bijan Robinson – the Falcons have built themselves a loaded offensive machine with the potential to mesh early and last long. The biggest question mark from my perspective is if the fan base is willing to go through this process with these players. In practice, all of these stars I named appeared to me as more comfortable in their roles, while knowing they can trust these other players to do their jobs. Wether it’s Robinson elevating pressure off London & Pitts by catching passes out the backfield, or Pitts & London emerging as threats down the field resulting in less traffic in the box for Ridder & Robinson to deal with up front – it all will take time!
As I reference time, it will be a pleasure to look back after attending this practice at Mercedes Benz stadium and see what success these same Falcons will have their and around the league. There are an abundance of other players; guys like running back Tyler Allgeier who last year rushed for one thousand yards as a rookie – that will still have a huge impact on this Atlanta team this upcoming season. I strongly believe players that aren’t magnified make the biggest difference when speaking on the potential of what makes a good team great. When it comes to these Atlanta Falcons, I think it will start from the top down, however their biggest hope should be that it all meshes together in the middle.