SAY IT AIN'T SO
by Andy Mindzak


With Michael Vick's status very much in doubt,
the Falcons will be depending on Joey Harrington
to lead their offense.....UH-OH!

The Atlanta Falcons finished a disappointing 7-9 in 2006, and thought that 2007 would bring better fortunes.  Boy, were they wrong!  The mess that was created by Michael Vick and his canine WWE this offseason has taken the focus off the team and put it on Vick and his pending trial (or plea deal).  Now, I’m not a gambling man (seriously, I don’t have a problem) but I would wager that new head coach Bobby Petrino was not expecting a situation like this in his first season as in Atlanta.  Something tells me Atlanta execs are kicking themselves for dealing backup Matt Schaub.

Petrino and defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who led the Cowboys defense in the mid to late 90’s, are just two of the many new faces in Atlanta this season.   To replace backup Schaub, the Falcons went out and got Joey Harrington (I’m sure Miami was broken up about him leaving).  As it turns out, Harrington will be the starter, unless Vick is somehow proven innocent and is eligible to play.  At press time of this article, he is still banned from even being at the Falcons training camp.  Atlanta added WR Joe Horn from New Orleans to hopefully be a boost to a lackluster receiving corps.  On the other side of the ball, the Falcons lost DE Patrick Kerney to Seattle and his presence will be sorely missed up front.

Offensively the Falcons ranked #1  running the ball, averaging 183.7 yards per game.  Unfortunately, the passing offense was the polar opposite, averaging 148.2 yards per game, and overall their offense ranked 25th in the NFL with 292 points (so maybe Vick won’t be missed all that much).  Harrington will now lead the Falcons new-look offense under Petrino (ok, so maybe Vick will be missed), and if all goes according to plan, he should just give the ball to RB Warrick Dunn all game.  Tight end Alge Crumpler remains Atlanta’s #1 pass catching threat, as he hauled in 56 balls last year, which were 26 more than their top WR.  Wide outs Michael Jenkins and Roddy White couldn’t catch crabs from a $2 hooker (insert Ron Mexico joke here), so the team is hoping Horn can recover some of his old magic.  Maybe if the higher-ups act now, they can just say, ‘Hey we were kidding about the whole trading Matt Schaub thing.’  Ok, maybe not.

Defensively, the Falcons are a solid unit.  They ranked 15th overall, giving up 328 points in 2006, but DE John Abraham missed most of the year with a groin injury.  If healthy, Abraham will be a big force up front, and safety Lawyer Milloy shores up a secondary led by cornerback DeAngelo Hall.  Rookie Jamaal Anderson from Arkansas will look to replace Kerney at DE, which will not be an easy task.  Overall, the Atlanta defense will remain right in the middle of the NFL pack, and should hold up quite well.

BEST-CASE SCENARIO:
When you have Harrington under center, your best case scenario might be putting him back on the bench.  Atlanta plays Houston, Tennessee, Tampa Bay (twice) and Arizona should prove solid shots at wins for the Falcons, but I wouldn’t expect anything better than 8-8.

WORST-CASE SCENARIO:
The coaching staff keeps Harrington as the starter.  I would see Atlanta finishing up around 6-10, which seems the more likely scenario.  Playing 2 games each against New Orleans and Carolina, and also games against Minnesota, Jacksonville, Indianapolis, and Seattle would not bode well for any team, let alone a Harrington-led team (or Vick for that matter).  Atlanta will be dogs for most of the 2007 season (no pun intended…ok, so maybe it was intended, but someone had to say it).