2nd year man Matt Ryan will try to build on his outstanding rookie season in 2009.  The Falcons got Ryan a new toy in TE Tony Gonzalez which should really help loosen up the defense over the middle of the field.  Ryan has a good arm and he’s smart beyond his years.  Look for improvement this season from Ryan will him possibly making the Pro Bowl.  Chris Redman will be the #2 QB for the Falcons again in 2009.  Redman doesn’t have a great arm but he can still make all the throws needed to succeed.  He’s been a good mentor to Ryan and he would probably be at least a league average QB forced onto the field due to injury.  D.J. Shockley comes to camp as the #3 QB for the Falcons but he will have to fight undrafted rookie John Parker Wilson for his job.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON:  A-

For some reason the Falcons have been trying to save money at the kicker position the last couple of years and it has hurt them pretty badly.  So, with that in mind the Falcons have signed 38-year old Jason Elam to handle the kicking chores in 2008.  Elam played in all 16 games for the Broncos last season and he made 27 of 31 field goals (87.1%) last season.  He also converted all 33 of his extra points last year.  It will be interesting to see how much carry Elam will have on his kicks without kicking in the light air of Denver.  Elam has now played in 236 games in his NFL career and he has made 395 of 490 field goal attempts (80.6%).  He has also made 601 of 604 extra points (99.5%) in his career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

Alge Crumpler is gone but not forgotten and the Falcons will wish they kept him around.  28-year old Ben Hartsock will likely be the starting TE for the Falcons this season.  He’s a big guy at 6′4″, 265 pounds and he’s a good blocker in the running game but he’s not much of a receiver.  He played in all 16 games for the Titans last season and he caught 12 passes for 138 yards (11.5 avg) without a TD grab.  Hartsock has good hands but he doesn’t have much speed so don’t expect any big plays out of him.  Hartsock has now played in 45 games in his NFL career and he has caught 24 passes for 247 yards (10.3 avg) with 0 TD grabs.

Martrez Milner could be a surprise this season if the Falcons let him play.  He only played in 8 games as a rookie last season for the Falcons and he caught 9 passes for 50 yards (5.6 avg).  Milner is a local boy so the Falcons wouldn’t mind him making the people of Georgia happy.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  D-

The Falcons would be smart to stick with the young receivers on the roster as they build towards the future.  26-year old Roddy White had a breakout season in 2007 for the Falcons.  He benefitted from having QBs on the team that could throw the football with accuracy and that should be the case again in 2008.  White played in all 16 games for the Falcons last season and he caught 83 passes for 1,202 yards (14.5 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  There is no reason to think that White can’t do it all over again in 2008.  White has now played in 48 games in his NFL career and he has caught 142 passes for 2,154 yards (15.2 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 5 times for 10 yards (2.0 ypc) in his career.

23-year old Laurent Robinson appears to be a receiver on the rise for the Falcons.  He played in 15 games as a rookie last season for the Falcons and he caught 37 passes for 437 yards (11.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Look for him to improve on those numbers this season for the Falcons as he appears to be moving up the depth chart.

The Falcons really like 23-year old rookie WR Harry Douglas.  He’s super fast but he’s a small guy at 5′11″, 170 pounds.  His size didn’t hinder him at Louisville however as he played in 10 games (all starts) last season and he caught 71 passes for 1,159 yards (16.3 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  The Falcons envision Douglas as a huge deep threat for them in 2008.  He finished his career at Louisville having played in 47 games (28 starts) in which he caught 173 passes for 2,915 yards (16.8 avg) with 15 TD grabs.

The Falcons keep waiting for 26-year old Michael Jenkins to live up to his potential but it just hasn’t happened yet.  He is a big guy at 6′4″, 217 pounds and he’s fast so I can’t figure out why he isn’t a better football player than he is.  Jenkins played in 15 games for the Falcons last season and he caught 53 passes for 532 yards (10.0 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  It’s doubtful that Jenkins will put up better numbers in 2008 as the Falcons have more depth at WR this season.  Jenkins has now played in 61 games in his NFL career and he has caught 135 passes for 1,595 yards (11.8 avg) with 14 TD grabs.

36-year old Joe Horn is running out of time as he appears to be getting slower and he just can’t stay healthy anymore.  Horn played in 12 games with the Falcons last season and he caught 27 passes for 243 yards (9.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  The days of putting cell phones in the padding of the goalposts appear over for Horn who is on the last leg of his NFL career.  Horn has now played in 164 games in his NFL career and he has caught 603 passes for 8,744 yards (14.5 avg) with 58 TD grabs.  He has also carried the football 14 times for 54 yards (3.9 ypc) in his career.

The Falcons would love to see 32-year old Brian Finneran make it back to action this season.  He is a big target at 6′5″, 217 pounds and he has a great set of hands.  Finneran hasn’t played since the 2005 season as he tore his ACL in each of the last two training camps the Falcons have had.  He has played in 86 games in his NFL career and he has caught 187 passes for 2,647 yards (14.2 avg) with 15 TD grabs.

Adam Jennings is running out of time with the Falcons at WR.  He’s on the small side at 5′9″, 181 pounds but he’s pretty fast.  Jennings played in all 16 games for the Falcons last season and he caught 6 passes for 62 yards (10.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Jennings also played in 15 games in 2006 for the Falcons but he didn’t catch any passes as a rookie that season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

The Falcons only ask their fullbacks to block in the running game and they will likely do a decent job of that in 2008.  6′1″, 254 pound Ovie Mughelli will be the starting fullback again this season for the Falcons.  Mughelli played in 16 games (7 starts) for the Falcons last season and he carried the ball 6 times for 7 yards (1.2 ypc).  He also caught 6 passes for 36 yards (6.0 avg) last year.  Don’t look for him to get his hands on the football much but he will be leading the way for Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood in the running game.  Mughelli has now played in 54 games (19 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 18 times for 57 yards (3.2 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 30 passes for 231 yards (7.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs in his career.

Corey McIntyre will be the backup at fullback for the Falcons this year.  He is 6′0″, 244 pounds so he doesn’t bring as much pop blocking in the running game as Mughelli does.  He played in 14 games (0 starts) last season for the Falcons and he didn’t touch the football.  McIntyre is a good special teams player so his roster spot will not be in jeopardy.  McIntyre has now played in 33 games (1 start) in his NFL career and he has caught 1 pass for 10 yards.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C+