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Atlanta Falcons’ Training Camp Necessities for 2015

By John Buhler

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The Atlanta Falcons begin their first Training Camp in the Dan Quinn Era on July 31st.  Atlanta will have almost an entirely new coaching staff this season, so there are plenty of new philosophies that need implementing before the regular season starts.  While I don’t expect that the 2015 Atlanta Falcons will have everything figured out before hosting the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football in Week 1, there are a few issues that need addressing before training camp comes to a close.

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I feel that the Atlanta Falcons need to have established a third reliable player in the secondary.  CB Desmond Trufant is well on his way to becoming a top-tier shutdown corner in this League, potentially earning his first Pro Bowl nod in 2015 as a third-year veteran.  SS William Moore is a proven veteran in the defensive backfield for the Dirty Birds.  He is a Pro Bowl caliber safety when he’s healthy.  Though that at times is a concern for Willy Mo, I’m usually confident that he will play well when he’s on the field for the Atlanta Falcons.

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    • Coach Quinn and Assistant HC Raheem Morris need to develop either CB Jalen Collins, CB Robert Alford, FS Ricardo Allen or S Kemal Ishmael into Atlanta’s third above-average defensive back.  Part of why Coach Q had so much success while in Seattle was through the player development in his defensive backfield.  I’m not expecting the Atlanta Falcons to have the second coming of the Legion of Boom in 2015.  But it would be great to see Atlanta finish dead last in pass defense because the team will have three established veteran players in their secondary.

    I would like to see if the new look offensive line is mobile enough to effectively run new OC Kyle Shanahan’s famed zone blocking scheme.  Atlanta’s front office has made many decisions with its personnel on its o-line this offseason to better equip its roster to play in a Shanahan offense.  Though I feel that the roster calibrations will ultimately pan out for the Atlanta Falcons offense, I still need to see how the offensive line performs in a full contact practice.

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    Atlanta is sacrificing size for speed on its o-line for the 2015 campaign.  I’m okay with the transition to the ZBS since the old man blocking scheme never really worked under former OC Dirk Koetter.  It seemed to me that footwork was a lingering problem on the Falcons offensive line for the last few seasons.  Bad footwork often put the line at a disadvantage when trying to protect QB Matt Ryan from an onslaught of pass rushers.  I really hope the ZBS works well in 2015…

    Lastly, Coach Quinn and his staff have to find a way to involve the tight end in the passing game.  Koetter all but abandoned it in 2014 when Levine Toilolo struggled to make plays on catchable Matt Ryan passes.  It seems that Quinn and Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff have addressed the pass catching tight end issue with the signings of veterans Jacob Tamme and Tony Moeaki.

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    For the Atlanta Falcons to truly have a balanced offensive attack in 2015, Shanahan is going to get production out of its tight ends.  It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Falcons run two tight end sets in 3rd and short or goal line situations.  I don’t doubt that Matt Ryan can deliver a strong throw between the hash marks to his ends.  I’m still somewhat concerned that Atlanta may not have to reliable pass catcher at tight end on the 2015 roster.

    There are certainly other issues for the Falcons heading into training camp.  Developing any semblance of a pass rush is an obvious one.  The Atlanta Falcons also need to get production out of its running back trio and not have the worst linebacker corps in the NFL by the time the season starts.  There is certainly room for improvement heading into 2015.  Should Dan Quinn and his staff thrive in teaching scenarios, I feel that the Atlanta Falcons will be a competitive team this fall.  After the last two seasons, that’s what I’m at least hoping for.

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