The Falcons have signed 23-year old RB Dimitri Nance to a reserve/future contract.  Nance didn’t play at all in the NFL in 2011.  In 2010, Nance played in 12 games for the Packers in which he carried the ball 36 times for 95 yards (2.6 ypc).  He also caught 3 passes for 30 yards (10.0 avg) in 2010 for the Packers.  Nance is a power runner, so it will be interesting to see if he fits into what the Falcons want to do at RB moving forward.

The Falcons gave up a lot to get WR Julio Jones last April, but he was very solid when healthy.  The Falcons also got their starting punter in the 6th round (Matt Bosher).  Here is a look at how they did pick by pick last April:

The Falcons traded a lot of picks to the Cleveland Browns for the right to move up and select 22-year old WR Julio Jones.  Jones played in 13 games for the Falcons last year and he caught 54 passes for 959 yards (17.8 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 6 times for 56 yards (9.3 ypc) last year.  Jones was the game breaking WR the Falcons really coveted as they made teams pay for trying to stop WR Roddy White and TE Tony Gonzalez on the shorter stuff.

In the 3rd round the Falcons picked 24-year old LB Akeem Dent.  Dent played in all 16 games for the Falcons and he had 20 tackles and he forced 2 fumbles.  Dent was pretty much a backup and special teams player for the Falcons in 2011.  They hope he will help out more down the road.

In the 5th round the Falcons picked 21-year old RB Jacquizz Rodgers.  Rodgers played in all 16 games for the Falcons last year and he carried the ball 57 times for 205 yards (3.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 21 passes for 188 yards (9.0 avg) with 1 TD grab and he also had 4 tackles.  Rodgers will likely vulture more carries from Michael Turner in 2012, but he is no threat to his starting job any time soon.

24-year old punter Matt Bosher came to the Falcons in the sixth round.  He played in all 16 games for the Falcons last year and he punted the ball 70 times for 2,990 yards (42.7 avg).  He also had only 4 touchbacks (5.7%) and he placed 27 punts inside their opponents 20-yard line (38.6%) last year.  Bosher also had 7 tackles and that’s usually not a good thing for a punter.

23-year old OG Andrew Jackson (he was cut before the season started) and 22-year old DE Cliff Matthews (practice squad) both came to the Falcons in the 7th round.

GRADE FOR 2011:  B

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  B+

The Atlanta Falcons had a day to forget yesterday.  They scored only on a Eli Manning safety when he grounded the ball in the end zone.  The offense did next to nothing against the Giants’ D.  Matt Ryan completed 24 of 41 passes for 199 yards without a TD pass or INT.  Michael Turner led the way for the Falcons in the running game with 41 yards on 15 carries (2.7 ypc).  WR Julio Jones (7 rec, 64 yards), WR Roddy White (5 rec, 52 yards) and TE Tony Gonzalez (4 rec, 44 yards) led the way for the Falcons in the passing game.  The Falcons finished up with 64 yards rushing on 21 carries (3.0 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 41 passes (58.5%) for 183 yards as they had possession of the ball for 25:26.

The defense was pretty awful as the Giants’ offense abused them yesterday.  LBs Curtis Lofton (12 tackles) and Sean Weatherspoon (12 tackles and 2 QB hits) led the way for the Falcons on D in this game.  Safety Thomas DeCoud pitched in with 9 tackles and 2 tackles for a loss in this game.  The Giants finished up with 172 yards rushing on 31 carries (5.5 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 32 passes (71.9%) for 270 yards.  The Falcons had another good regular season that ended in utter disappointment in the playoffs.

The Falcons come into this game pretty hot as they have won three of their last four games. The Giants have also won three of their last four games.  The Falcons are 4-4 on the road this year and the Giants are 4-4 at home this year.  Here’s a look at some pretty even matchups in this game:

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons gameplan will likely be to pound at the Giants’ D with Michael Turner for a while.  The Giants are giving up 121.3 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry this year, so Turner could be in line for a really big game this Sunday.  The Giants have 48 sacks this year, but the Falcons’ O-Line does a good job of keeping Matt Ryan’s jersey clean.  They are still going to have to double Giants’ DE Jason Pierre-Paul who had 16.5 sacks this year.  Matt Ryan is likely going to be throwing the short stuff to WR Roddy White and TE Tony Gonzalez early in the game, before taking some shots downtown to rookie WR Julio Jones as he has speed to burn.

When the Giants have the ball:  The Giants are going to come out throwing the ball this Sunday.  Eli Manning should have plenty of time to throw the ball this Sunday, so he’s likely to be pretty effective this Sunday.  WRs Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks are two of the best long ball threats in the NFL, so the Falcons’ CBs are going to have their hands full.  Look for the Falcons to try to let their safeties give help over the top against Nicks and Cruz this Sunday.  Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs had off-years, but they can change that at any time as they are a very talented pair of RBs.

PREDICTION:  FALCONS 33, GIANTS 30

26-year old Matt Ryan had another solid year for the Falcons in 2011 as he led them to a 10-6 record and a return to the playoffs.  Ryan played in 16 games (all starts) for the Falcons this year and he completed 347 of 566 passes (61.3%) for 4,177 yards with 29 TD passes and 12 INTs (92.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 37 times for 84 yards (2.3 ypc) with 2 TD runs this year.  Ryan has now played in 62 games (all starts) in his career with the Falcons and he has completed 1,232 of 2,022 passes (60.9%) for 14,238 yards with 95 TD passes and 46 INTs (88.4 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 168 times for 359 yards (2.1 ypc) with 4 TD runs so far in his NFL career. Ryan is now 43-19 (69.4%) as the Falcons starting QB during the regular season.

34-year old Chris Redman continues to be a decent backup QB for the Falcons.  He played in 5 games (0 starts) for the Falcons this year and he has completed 18 of 28 passes (64.3%) for 188 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT (68.8 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 5 times for -6 yards (-1.2 ypc) this year.  He has now played in 30 games (12 starts) in his NFL career so far and he has completed 286 of 500 passes (57.2%) for 3,179 yards with 21 TD passes and 14 INTs (78.6 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 33 times for 25 yards (0.8 ypc) so far in his NFL career.  He is now 4-8 (33.3%) as a starting QB in his NFL career.

The Falcons knew that if they won this game, that they would win the #5 seed in the playoffs and avoid a third matchup with the Saints in the first round of the playoffs.  With that in mind, it was all systems go last Sunday against the woeful Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  The Falcons rolled up a 42-0 lead with 6:49 left in the first half of the game, before essentially calling off the dogs.  Matt Ryan started this game at QB and he was excellent.  He completed 6 of 9 passes for 106 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Chris Redman didn’t fare as well as he completed 7 of 12 passes for 71 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT (his interception was returned 40 yards for a TD by CB Elbert Mack of the Bucs).  Michael Turner led the way on the ground for the Falcons in this game with 17 carries for an utterly amazing 172 yards (10.1 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  Jason Snelling (9 carries for 50 yards) and Jacquizz Rodgers (8 carries for 24 yards with 1 TD run) also pitched in for the Falcons in the running game.  WRs Julio Jones (4 rec, 76 yards, 2 TD grabs) and Roddy White (4 rec, 69 yards) led the way for the Falcons in the passing game.  The Falcons finished up with 251 yards rushing on 38 carries (6.6 ypc) and they also completed 13 of 21 passes (61.9%) for 177 yards as they had possession of the football for 30:08.

The Falcons turned in a great effort on D in this game.  LB Curtis Lofton led the way for the Falcons in this game with 14 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and a interception that he returned 26 yards for a TD.  Safety Thomas DeCoud (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed) and CB Dominique Franks (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) also had solid games for the Falcons.  DE John Abraham (1 sack) and CB Darrin Walls (interception) also pitched in for the Falcons on D in this game.  The Buccaneers finished with 35 yards rushing on 14 carries (2.5 ypc) and they also completed 31 of 45 passes (68.9%) for 259 yards.  The Falcons finished the 2011 season with a 10-6 record and they will play on the road against the New York Giants next weekend.

The Falcons will know before this game even starts if they have a shot at the #5 seed in the NFC Playoffs.  If the Packers beat the Lions tomorrow at 1 o’clock, the Falcons would move into the #5 slot in the playoffs and take on the winner of the AFC East….with a win over the Bucs.  If the Lions win against the Packers, the Falcons will likely rest a lot of their players.  The Buccaneers have lost 9 games in a row and they have been especially pathetic the last four weeks in which they have been outscored by a combined score of 158-64!  The Bucs did beat the Falcons 16-13 in Tampa in the first meeting back in September between these two teams.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons will likely come out running the ball with either Michael Turner or a combo of Jacquizz Rodgers and Jason Snelling against a Bucs’ D that is giving up 149.7 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry.  The Bucs’ pass D (242.5 yards per game) also sucks so Matt Ryan or Chris Redman are likely going to have a good game tomorrow throwing the pill.  The Falcons are going to throw the ball a lot more if this game has any meaning tomorrow.

When the Bucs have the ball:  LeGarrette Blount ended last week in Raheem Morris’ Dog House and that’s a good thing for the Falcons.  He is a big back who is hard to bring down, if he gets much of a chance to play.  QB Josh Freeman has had a hard time lately due to a bum shoulder, so he will likely keep the passing game of the shorter variety.  The Falcons will need to cover TE Kellen Winslow and WR Mike Williams closely as they are Freeman’s favorite targets in the passing game.

PREDICTION:  FALCONS 27, BUCCANEERS 16

The Falcons have placed 35-year old LB Mike Peterson (torn triceps) and 28-year old CB Kelvin Hayden (toe) on the Injured Reserve List, ending their seasons.  Mike Peterson played in 15 games for the Falcons this year and he had 24 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 interception and 3 passes defensed.  Kelvin Hayden played in 8 games for the Falcons this year and he had 24 tackles, 2 interceptions, 4 passes defensed and 1 tackle for a loss.  These injuries are going to hurt the Falcons’ depth on D.

35-year old TE Tony Gonzalez has been elected to his 12th Pro Bowl this year.  He has played in 15 games for the Falcons so far this year and he has caught 79 passes for 867 yards (11.0 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  Gonzalez has now played in 47 games (all starts) in his first three years with the Falcons and he has caught 232 passes for 2,390 yards (10.3 avg) with 19 TD grabs.  Tony Gonzalez has now played in 237 games in his first 15 years in the NFL and he has caught 1,148 passes for 13,300 yards (11.6 avg) with 95 TD grabs.  Gonzalez is #2 in NFL history in receptions.  He is also #11 in NFL history in receiving yards and he is also #9 in TD receptions.

The Falcons ran into a buzzsaw last night as the Saints beat the piss out of them.  Matt Ryan put up solid numbers as he completed 34 of 52 passes for 373 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Chris Redman finished up the game by completing 6 of 9 passes for 61 yards without a TD pass or INT.  Michael Turner didn’t get the ball too much in this game with the Falcons playing catch up ball.  Turner carried the ball 11 times for 39 yards (3.5 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 36 yards (9.0 avg).  Julio Jones caught 8 passes for 128 yards (16.0 avg) with 1 TD grab, but he also lost a fumble that was returned 30 yards by Saints’ safety Malcolm Jenkins for a TD.  WR Roddy White (11 catches for 127 yards) and TE Tony Gonzalez (5 rec, 41 yards) also had solid games for the Falcons last night.  The Falcons finished up with 35 yards rushing on 14 carries (2.5 ypc) and they also completed 40 of 61 passes (65.6%) for 434 yards as they had possession of the ball for 33:19.

The defense was pretty awful for the Falcons last night.  Safety Thomas DeCoud (10 tackles, 1 pass defensed), LB Curtis Lofton (9 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and CB Brent Grimes (7 tackles and 2 passes defensed) led the way for the Falcons on D in this game.  Safety William Moore (6 tackles and 4 passes defensed), CB Dunta Robinson (interception) and CB Dominique Franks (interception) also made big plays for the Falcons in this game.  The Saints finished up with 164 yards rushing on 23 carries (7.1 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 39 passes (59%) for 299 yards.  The Falcons are now 9-6 on the year.