It’s finally here: 2009 Atlanta Falcons Football. We’re now hours away from teeing it up in the Terror-Dome against the Miami Dolphins for real. The long, suffering wait at last will come to an end on Sunday @ 1pm. This game is one of the biggest of the opening weekend, pitting two of the best turnaround teams from last year. The Falcons went from 4-12 in 2007 to 11-5 in 2008 and making the playoffs. The Dolphins completed an even bigger turnaround going from a lowly 1-15 in 2007 to 11-5 in 2008 and winning the AFC East. This one has a lot more implications than simply being an opener.
2008 AFC East Champ
Big Omen, One Way or Another
Every single game in the National Football League is huge because you never know what it might take to get in the playoffs and which game could be the deciding factor. Although this game doesn’t have any inter-division implications, it’s a big test for both franchises to show that last year was no fluke and that they belong in the discussion with the top teams in the NFL. This will certainly be a big omen for the Falcons, one way or another. If the Falcons are victorious against the Dolphins on Sunday, it bodes well for the brutal run of next two games including at home against the Panthers and hitting the road to Foxboro to play the hated Patriots. It would be ridiculous to say that the first game of the season is a must win game, but it will give a good likely sign of what’s to come, because the Falcons face one of the hardest schedules in the NFL and many games will not get too awful much easier. With a win, the possibilities of 12-4, 11-5, or 10-6 become likely, but a loss would make that road much, much more difficult.
Coaching
This game will feature two of the better coached teams in the NFL. Mike Smith barely edged out Tony Sparano in the Coach of the Year award last year. The two men did a magnificent job of turning around two franchises in dire straits. Coach Smith helped fans forget about the MV debacle and the Bobby Prictrino cowardly midnight jolt, and Coach Sparano helped Dolphin fans forget that they were one game away from going 0-16. Both coaches came in with a gameplan and meshed with a new GM that set out to completely alter the franchise towards a more grounded, long-term approach. Both coaches do an excellent job of preparing their respective teams week in and week out.
Off-Season Transactions
Falcons
Free Agency/Trade - Tony Gonzalez, Mike Peterson, Brian Williams, Tye Hill
Draft - Peria Jerry, William Moore, Chris Owens, Lawrence Sidbury
Losses - Dominique Foxworth, Grady Jackson, Keith Brooking, Lawyer Milloy, Michael Boley, Harry Douglas (IR)
How Much Pat White will the Falcons See?
Dolphins
Free Agency/Trade - Gibril Wilson, Eric Green, Jason Taylor
Draft - Vontae Davis, Sean Smith, Pat White
Losses - Derek Smith, Renaldo Hill, Vonnie Holiday, Matt Roth(IR)
Atlanta Falcons Season Prediction Friendly Competition
And now for the Big Competition of the Year: time to put on your prediction hat and prognosticate how the Falcons season will play out, game by game. Predictions will be kept on hard drive, scored from week to week, and standings will be updated. No need to guess the final score, except for the first game: Falcons-Dolphins for tie-breaking purposes. In event of likely ties, Cage members with more direct hits (choosing wins-losses against correct opponents) will be first tie-breaker and Falcons-Dolphins score will be second tie-breaker. Only rule is to post it on this topic, or the Big Game preview post coming Friday before noon on Sunday. Do your best to forecast how the Birds will pan out this year and be named King of the Bird Cage after the final whistle blows against the Bucs on January 3rd, 2010. Here’s my attempt:
Falcons vs. Dolphins - Loss (Falcons 27, Dolphins 34)
Tough, hard fought game until the end. Late field goal puts Dolphins ahead for good and they claim the W.
