Falcons present unique challenge with ample weapons

The Atlanta Falcons are aiming for their first Super Bowl title in franchise history, and they have the goods to deliver this time around.

This is the best offense in the NFL. In offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s second season, this unit has progressed incredibly well. The Falcons were wise to add reinforcements like Alex Mack, Mohamed Sanu and Tyler Gabriel. The passing game has become less reliant on its superstar, Julio Jones. Matt Ryan, favorite for the NFL MVP award, is playing at a remarkable level.His cohesion with Shanahan is apparent and extremely impressive.

In fact, not only has Ryan progressed and excelled in all areas from a year ago, but it is actually difficult to find holes in his game right now. Ryan and Jones are playing at about as high a level as  can for their respective positions.

While they are instrumental in Shanahan’s offense, but this attack starts with the zone running scheme. Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman have differing skill sets, but make up possibly the league’s best one-two punch at the running back position. Freeman has the better lateral agility and pad level, while Coleman possesses rare long speed for a bigger runner. Freeman and Coleman are also superb receivers, and Shanahan has become a master at creating ways to get them into favorable matchups in this phase.

The Falcons use a fullback as much as any team in the league and overall, are on the extreme end in terms of diversity with offensive personnel, including sets with three tight ends on the field together. Atlanta has more quality skill position players than it can get on the field together at one time and uses this to its advantage.

The addition of Mack to Atlanta’s front has gone a long way to make this an upper tier unit in both pass protection and the run game, but they are just average at the guard positions. When protected, Ryan has been utterly unstoppable this year. It will be of paramount importance for the Patriots to pressure him in some form.

The Falcons have also developed into a lethal play-action passing attack, often taking shots deep downfield in this capacity. Ryan has developed into one of the league’s best deep passers, while also cutting down on his poor decisions and bad throws. This is especially true in the red zone.

In the end, this is an offense that can play any style they want, attack in many ways (keep an eye on Sanu as a passer as well) and is extremely difficult to defend and prepare for, even for a mastermind like Bill Belichick. Atlanta is superb at making in-game adjustments. Few defenses have the personnel to match up to all the possibilities that Atlanta’s offense can throw at them. This great offense starts fast and finishes strong.

Defensively, the Falcons have made a concerted effort to draft for improvement on this side of the ball , stressing athletic ability and speed. As a result, this has become a very aggressive, fast and free-flowing unit that gets ample defenders to the ball. This coaching staff and scouting department are very much in sync with not only their pursuit of fast defenders, but also with defensive players that have excellent length, which carries over from Seattle.

It also should be noted that Thomas Dimitroff and Scott Pioli both got their managerial starts in New England and share similar team building principles as their foe in the upcoming Super Bowl. Based off of Seattle’s heavy Cover 3 scheme that Dan Quinn had so much success with as the Seahawks defensive coordinator, this group has become much more adept in man-to-man coverage as the season has gone on. Also, the Falcons were one of the very least blitz-happy defenses in the league, but came after Aaron Rodgers last week with extra pass-rushers early and often…and it worked well.

So there is a line of thinking, especially with a bye week before the Super Bowl, that this defense continues to evolve and institutes more blitzing into its repertoire. Still, even while it is missing its best defensive player, Desmond Trufant, this scheme is mirroring what Seattle has done so well in recent memory. And while this defense seems to get better by the week, by no means does it deserve comparison to the great units that Seattle has dominated with.

However, this year’s first-round pick, Keanu Neal, has a lot of potential as Atlanta’s version of Kam Chancellor and their second round selection, Deion Jones, is the classic run-and-hit second level defender. Other recent draft picks such as Jalen Collins, with his great size and length, and Ra’Shede Hageman, with his ability to act as the “oversized defensive end” on early downs and then bump inside against the pass, has a Seattle feel. Vic Beasley led the NFL in sacks this year, coming a long way from his rookie season.

Still, Beasley’s sack production is a little misleading, as he is still developing his one-on-one skills and got a lot of his production from stunts and designed movement from Atlanta’s defensive front, a tactic it employs quite a bit.

While there is no doubt that Atlanta’s young talent base on defense has improved a great deal, the same could be said about Pittsburgh’s defense… the same Steelers defense that Tom Brady carved up in the AFC Championship Game. Will this inexperienced group be able to not only handle Brady, but also the strain of the big game?