The Atlanta Falcons need to run the ball more to help take some pressure off of QB Matt Ryan while at the same time keeping the Falcons’ D on the sideline.  29-year old Michael Turner is off to a great start this year for the Falcons.  He has played in all six games for the Falcons so far this year and he has carried the ball 111 times for 499 yards (4.5 ypc) with 6 TD runs.  Turner has also caught 7 passes for 98 yards (14.0 avg), which is pretty darn good for him.  Rookie RB Jacquizz Rodgers has played in 6 games for the Falcons so far also, and he has carried the ball 15 times for 68 yards (4.5 ypc) and he has also caught 7 passes for 68 yards (9.7 avg).  Jason Snelling has fallen down to #3 on the depth chart at RB for the Falcons.  He has played in 5 games for the Falcons so far this year and he has carried the ball 6 times for 24 yards (4.0 ypc).  Snelling has also caught 11 passes for 71 yards (6.5 avg) so far in 2011.  This is a pretty darn good trio of RBs that the Falcons have and they need to use them more.  The Falcons are averaging 110.0 yards rushing per game so far this year and 4.4 yards per carry.

25-year old middle linebacker Curtis Lofton is playing at a high level for the Falcons, as usual, in 2011.  Lofton has played in all four games for the Falcons so far this year and he has 37 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 3 passes defensed and 1 interception.  He has now played in 52 games in his first four years with the Falcons and he has 382 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions and he has defensed 11 passes.  The Falcons really like having Lofton in the middle of the defense, because linebackers don’t come much tougher than he does.

22-year old WR Julio Jones and 21-year old RB Jacquizz Rodgers have looked pretty good so far this year for the Falcons.  The Falcons gave up a lot to trade up to get Jones last April, and he is proving to be worth the price so far.  In his first four games with the Falcons, Jones has caught 24 passes for 342 yards (14.3 avg).  Jacquizz Rodgers has played in all four games for the Falcons already this year.  He has carried the ball 13  times for 49 yards (3.8 ypc) and he has also caught 6 passes for 62 yards (10.3 avg) so far this year.  Jones is a game breaking WR, while Rodgers has been very valuable in giving Michael Turner a breather when he needs one.  The Falcons hope that both of these guys keep up the good work.

35-year old TE Tony Gonzalez is proving that he still has a lot left in the gas tank so far this year.  Gonzalez has played in all three of the Falcons’ games so far this year and he has caught 14 passes for 173 yards (12.4 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He has even been a bigger part of the offense so far this he was in his first two years with the Falcons.  Gonzalez played in 32 games in his first two years with the Falcons (2009 and 2010) and he caught 153 passes for 1,523 yards (10.0 avg) with 12 TD grabs.  The Falcons need Gonzalez to keep up the good work as he is Matt Ryan’s security blanket.

23-year old linebacker Sean Weatherspoon had his rookie season cut last year due to injury.  He played in 11 games for the Falcons last year and he had 42 tackles, 1 sack and 1 pass defensed.  It appears that Weatherspoon is going to try to make up for lost time in 2011 based on how he played yesterday.  Weatherspoon had 10 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 pass defensed against the Bears yesterday, when a lot of his teammates appeared to be sleepwalking.

25-year old QB Matt Ryan might not have played good in the playoffs against the Packers but he still had a good season.  He played in all 16 games for the Falcons last season and he completed 357 of 571 passes (62.5%) for 3,705 yards with 28 TD passes and 9 INTs (91.0 QB Rating).  Ryan also carried the ball 46 times for 122 yards (2.7 ypc) last season.  Ryan has now played in 46 games in his first three years with the Falcons and he has completed 885 of 1,456 passes (60.8%) for 10,061 yards with 66 TD passes and 34 INTs (86.9 QB Rating).  Ryan has also carried the ball 131 times for 275 yards (2.1 ypc) with 2 TD runs so far in his career.  Ryan just seems to be getting better and that’s a good thing for the Falcons in the future.

33-year old Chris Redman is a solid backup QB.  Redman only played in 1 game for the Falcons last season and he completed 4 of 6 passes (66.7%) for 20 yards with 0 TD passes and 0 INTs (71.5 QB Rating).  Redman also carried the ball 1 time for -1 yard last year.  Redman has now played in 24 games in his NFL career and he has completed 268 of 472 passes (56.8%) for 2,991 yards with 21 TD passes and 13 INTs (79.2 QB Rating).  Redman has also carried the ball 28 times for 31 yards (1.1 ypc) in his NFL career. 

VERDICT:  The Falcons are in good hands with Ryan & Redman at QB.

25-year old QB Matt Ryan has been outstanding for the Falcons once again this year.  Ryan has played in 12 games for the Falcons so far this year and he has completed 280 of 441 passes (63.5%) for 2,920 yards with 21 TD passes and 7 INTs (91.8 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 33 times for 79 yards (2.4 ypc) so far this year.  Ryan has led a few outstanding come from behind victories this season and he’s putting the Falcons in position to get home field advantage in the NFC.  If they get that they will be the favorite to get to the Super Bowl because Matt Ryan has only lost 1 game at home in his first three years in the NFL.

28-year old RB Michael Turner only played in 11 games last season and the Falcons really missed him despite Jason Snelling’s play.  They would have made the playoffs last season if Turner had been healthy.  Turner is making up for lost time this season.  He has played in 11 games for the Falcons so far this year and he has carried the ball 223 times for 974 yards (4.4 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  He has also added 11 catches for 73 yards (6.6 avg) this year.  Turner has rushed for over 100 yards six times already this year and his play is making things a lot easier for Matt Ryan this year.  Despite all of the talk about “Matty Ice” the Falcons would be in big trouble if something were to happen to Turner as it showed last season.

51-year old head coach Mike Smith has the Falcons flying high right now.  They are 7-2 on the season which has them in first place in the NFC South, 1 game ahead of the Bucs and Saints.  The Falcons are 2-0 in the division so they can pretty much control things by winning the last four division games (2 are against the Panthers).  The Falcons are now 27-14 (65.9%) in the last three years under Mike Smith as he’s quickly becoming the best coach in team history. 

29-year old WR Roddy White has been a sight to behold this year.  Teams must be too dumb to double cover him which is a huge mistake that the Falcons hope continues.  White has played in 9 games for the Falcons so far this year and he has 70 catches for 934 yards (13.3 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  Matt Ryan has completed 70 of 105 passes (66.7%) to White so far this year.  White has now played in 89 games in his first six years with the Falcons and he has caught 385 passes for 5,623 yards (14.6 avg) with 34 TD grabs.  He is truly having a year for the ages for the Falcons.