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.

22-year old WR Julio Jones has been everything the Falcons thought he would be, and more.  He has been the true gamebreaking receiver that the Falcons have needed for quite some time.  Jones has played in 11 games for the Falcons so far this year and he has caught 42 passes for 755 yards (18.0 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 5 times for 47 yards (9.4 avg) so far this year.  The Falcons gave up a lot of draft picks to get Jones last April, but it appears that he has been worth it so far.

26-year old QB Matt Ryan has really stepped up in the last six weeks for the Falcons.  In his last six games, Ryan has completed 134 of 227 passes (59%) for 1,791 yards with 14 TD passes and 4 INTs.  He has now played in 13 games for the Falcons overall this year and he has completed 288 of 479 passes (60.1%) for 3,474 yards with 23 TD passes and 12 INTs (88.0 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 35 times for 87 yards (2.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  The Falcons need Matt Ryan to finish this season strongly if they are going to make the playoffs.

27-year old WR Harry Douglas is stepping up for the Atlanta Falcons lately.  In his last four games, Douglas has caught 18 passes for 270 yards (15.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has played in 12 games overall this year for the Falcons and he has caught 35 passes for 471 yards (13.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  The Falcons’ pass offense has been really solid with Douglas finally stepping up and they hope he keeps up the good work the rest of the season.  Douglas has now played in 44 games in his first three years with the Falcons and he has caught 80 passes for 1,085 yards (13.6 avg) with 3 TD grabs.

25-year old linebacker Curtis Lofton is a tackling machine for the Falcons.  He has played in 12 games for the Falcons so far this year and he has 111 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 6 passes defensed and 1 interception.  Lofton is playing at a very high level for the Falcons as he spearheads the run defense, which has been solid this year.  He has now played in 60 games in his first four years with the Falcons and he has 456 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, 4 sacks, 7 forced fumbles, 14 passes defensed and 2 interceptions.  The Falcons need Lofton to keep up the good work the rest of this year.

35-year old TE Tony Gonzalez continues to roll for the Atlanta Falcons.  He has played in 11 games for the Falcons so far this year and he has caught 59 passes for 630 yards (10.7 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  Gonzalez has now played in 233 games in his NFL career and he has caught 1,128 passes for 13,093 yards (11.6 avg) with 95 TD grabs.  He is #2 in NFL history in receptions with 1,128, which has him 441 behind Jerry Rice.  He is also #12 in receiving yards (13,093) and #9 in TD receptions (95) in NFL history.  Gonzalez is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down this year.

26-year old QB Matt Ryan is heating up for the Falcons as of late.  In his last three games, Ryan has completed 65 of 108 passes (60.2%) for 942 yards with 6 TD passes and 2 INTs.  The Falcons aren’t going to get back to the playoffs without Matt Ryan playing at a high level.  He has now played in 10 games for the Falcons so far this year and he has completed 219 of 360 passes (60.8%) for 2,625 yards with 15 TD passes and 10 INTs (85.5 QB Rating).  Ryan has also carried the ball 27 times for 74 yards (2.7 ypc) so far this year.

23-year old LB Sean Weatherspoon only made it through 11 games as a rookie last year before his season was cut short to injury.  He is making up for lost time this year for the Falcons.  Weatherspoon has played in 9 games for the Falcons so far this year and he has 76 tackles, 2 sacks, 6 passes defensed and 6 tackles for a loss.  He has now played in 20 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has 118 tackles, 3 sacks, 7 passes defensed and 6 tackles for a loss.  Weatherspoon is quickly turning into the player the Falcons thought they were getting when they drafted him.

The Atlanta Falcons are happy to have 52-year old head coach Mike Smith calling the shots.  The franchise has never been better than they have been under Smith the last four years.  Sure, they are only 5-3 this year, but they have won three in a row and they are playing their best football of the season right now.  The Falcons are now 38-18 (67.9%) under Mike Smith during the regular season in his first four years on the job.  The next step will be Smith getting the Falcons to have more success in the playoffs, and that might come this year.

WR Eric Weems has been focusing on his special teams work once again this year.  He has returned all of the Falcons’ kickoffs and punts this year.  He has returned 14 kickoffs for 320 yards (22.9 avg) and 14 punts for 142 yards (10.1 avg) so far this year.  The Falcons think he has the potential to do even better the rest of the way in 2011.