Prior to these last few days, I had very strong opinions about what needed to be done with the Falcons free agents this offseason. Whilst I would love us to go out and sign Carl Nicks, or Mario Williams, or Jerry Rice, or whoever, the fact remains that predicting free agent signings is just too difficult. There are too many factors, too many teams interested, and for a Falcons team which is undergoing some serious transformation, too much speculation as to how we're going to scheme next year. As such, I've given up on trying to guess who we'll go out and get. I've still got my preferences, but I'm not calling any predictions at this point.

However, what we do know for sure is that there are a lot of Falcons set to become free agents once the season ends. I believe the number is at least 20, but regardless of the exact number we can all agree it contains some seriously vital players. Notables who are up for external bids include; Curtis Lofton, John Abraham, Thomas DeCoud, Brent Grimes, Harry Douglas, Todd McClure, Chris Redman, Mike Peterson, Kroy Biermann, Jason Snelling and Kelvin Hayden.

I'm working this thread under the assumption that Redman, Peterson and McClure will all call it a day due to age (McClure being the least close to retirement for me, but I'd still put money on him going, or at least not starting). Redman was as good as we could of expected in 2007, and has filled in admirably for Matt Ryan when called on, but he'll be 36 at the start of next year. Peterson was a great acquistion (from Jacksonville, groan) and again filled in well this year, but saw a much reduced role. I still think he has a role on the team as a mentor, but he won't be looking at too many snaps should he come back, so I doubt we'll see him return. Hayden is an interesting case, as he's only been here a year and was injured for a solid part of the season. We're also stacked at CB, and Chris Owens/Dominique Franks showed a lot towards the end of the year in my opinion. However, he was still an improvement at nickel for me, and at 29 I think we'll see him back.

That leaves us with 7 players; Lofton, Abraham, DeCoud, Grimes, Douglas, Snelling and Biermann. Keep 4, cut 3.

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As many of you know, I am from Australia. The time difference is 13 hours I believe, so 1pm games for you are 2am for me. That's fine, it's the price I (along with other fans I know, such as Grayson and Yoko) pay for being Falcons. I am going to sleep now, to catch a few hours of rest before the game. When I wake up, I expect to see a sea of white and red descend on every Giants player out there. I want a body count today defence. I want a 40+ point game today offense. Do it for us. Do it for yourselves. Do it for Tony. But most importantly....do it for my sleep cycles guys. Come on. Be nice, this one time yeah?

Come on guys. Rise up, take over New York, then move onto Green Bay and get the revenge we've all so desperately wanted. Then to San Fran, then to Indy. Rise Up guys. Look forward to spending the game with everyone here on the Falcoholic. Let's stay positive - we're in it until 00:00 guys. Go Falcons!

Hey guys, Turner_The_Burner from the Falcoholic here. I'm just writing this to say to you, the Big Blue View readership, a sincere thank you for stopping by our blog this week. The Falcons have faced many opponents whilst I've been a member of the Falcoholic, and not once has there been such good discussion and contribution en masse from the 'visiting' team and their fans. Massive respect for the BBV readership, especially seeing as it's a playoff week, at the way you guys came over, answered our questions, added to the discussion and just got on great with most people on the blog. We had two great threads going on each board, with the 'Ask the _____' threads, and there was just a lot of respect on both sides I feel.

Writing to say thank you, it has made my week as a Falcoholic that much better, and I now have a newfound respect for your team, blog and readership. It's safe to say that if the Giants progress after this week I'll be firmly rooting for them now, thanks to you guys. Here's wishing an injury free game and, just because we can't be neutral 100% of the time, Go Falcons!

I'm not sure what SBNation blog it is, it's either the Eagles or Panthers blog, but the rules there dictate drunk blogging is not a right, it's a privelege. Well that rule be damned, I'm going to fanpost my ass off. Happy new years guys, from me and all of my Australian bretheren. Have a great one, preferably filled with Falcons wins (especially in the playoffs), and just enjoy your nights. Whilst I don't speak for dunlagh or grayson (or any of the other Aussie Falcoholics who I'm yet to meet) but merely represent their timezones, I'd just like to say thanks for being such a great community, and enjoy yourself guys. Be safe, be healthy, but have a blast - I've already had mine. Have a great 2012, and Mayan's be damned, I'm going to be here long enough to see a superbowl win from Matty Ice and my Falcons. Enjoy guys and girls, enjoy.

 G’day Falcons fans, and welcome back to the contribution I, in collaboration with fellow Aussie Falcons fan dunlagh, hope to be making to the Falcoholic. I’ll analyse the best case scenario for the Falcons, with what are, in my opinion, a few keys to victory, while dunlagh will play devil’s advocate and look at how the game will turn out if we play at our true worst.

Hey guys, it’s time for the Best Case/Worst Case again! This one will likely be a quick one as a) last week’s best case was close to 2000 words plus pictures, and I don’t want to be that guy who overstays his welcome and b) as I may have mentioned, I’m currently halfway through my final exams for university for the year so….study and that. Anyway, coming off the third most bitter loss in the last 10 games for the Falcons (I’m going Packers in the playoffs, Chicago, Saints game), we’re looking to bounce back against the recently reinvigorated Titans. Tennessee absolutely put Carolina to the sword last week, and did a fairly good job of containing Cam Newton too if my fantasy loss is anything go by, and it seems they still have a shot at the AFC South with the Matt Schaub injury potentially derailing the Texans’ season. As such they have everything left to play for, as do we. I’ll be absolutely distraught if we lose two in a row from here on in, as it all but rules us out of the playoffs, and we’ll need to stay sharp if we want to dodge that bullet for this week. This week, the best case scenario comes if we convert it the red zone, get some pressure and integrate some more weapons.

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After the heart-breaking loss to the Saints, the Falcons sit at 5-4 with the NFC South seemingly out of reach. With that, we turn our attention to occupying a wildcard spot.

I know many people are still upset with the Saints result, as am I, but if we cut the "This team is pathetic, we aren't going anywhere" talk and just look at the numbers, let's see how we line up with the other teams competing for the wildcard.

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G’day Falcons fans, and welcome back to the contribution I, in collaboration with fellow Aussie Falcons fan dunlagh, hope to be making to the Falcoholic. I’ll analyse the best case scenario for the Falcons, with what are, in my opinion, a few keys to victory, while dunlagh will play devil’s advocate and look at how the game will turn out if we play at our true worst.

G’day guys, putting this one out a little earlier this week because I am just so pumped for this game. Truth be told, I wrote this 12 hours after the Colts game, that’s how keen I am to see the first battle between the top two teams in the NFC South. Despite, or maybe due to, my loathing of the Saints, this matchup has been my favourite for many years now, and I just can’t wait for the kickoff.

Last week’s game was great; we performed well on defence, Ryan settled into a rhythm (eventually), Jacquizz got more involved than in previous games and, of course, Julio Jones happened. Not to take anything away from what was a great performance all round, but beating the winless Colts and battling the Saints are two completely different stories. Saints games have been tougher than usual recently, with the two teams splitting wins last year (both road teams won), and this year should be no exception. Setting their clash with the Rams aside, the Saints have been a powerhouse this year, and are 2nd in passing yards, total yards and score per game. If there is ever a test for our reinvigorated defence, this is it. The Saints are a great football team, but they’re not unbeatable, so this week the best case scenario comes if we test the deep ball early, utilise our nickel package and control the clock.

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G’day Falcons fans, and welcome back to the contribution I, in collaboration with fellow Aussie Falcons fan dunlagh, hope to be making to the Falcoholic. I’ll analyse the best case scenario for the Falcons, with what are, in my opinion, a few keys to victory, while dunlagh will play devil’s advocate and look at how the game will turn out if we play at our true worst.

Hey guys, back for the second half of the weekly Best Case/Worst Case post. The Falcons, coming off 2 wins and the bye, look to remain at worst a half game behind the NFC South lead with a win to the currently winless Colts. One of my best mates is a Colts fan, so I’ve got to say I feel pretty confident covering them this week. Sadly, that’s as far as my confidence goes. We all know that the Falcons seem to play to the level of the opposition, and (despite the 0-8 record and the heavy beatdowns) the Painter-era Colts have had some very good showings. Against Pittsburgh, the Colts looked like a legit playoff team. They also failed to do anything against the Titans or Browns. The Falcons have been clicking the past few weeks, but similarly also made Tavaris Jackson look like a champion a few weeks ago.

Knowing that the Colts still have the same talented team on the d-line, and are still stacked at WR, and knowing how the Falcons play in ‘trap games’, I think this has the possibility to go inside 7 points. On a much more positive note, the best case scenario is a 21+ point Falcons victory, in which everything clicks. The scary thing about this weekend is that either Falcons (and Colts for that matter) team could show up. But we’re not here to talk realistic scenarios – we’re here to talk Best Case Scenarios. For me, this week the best case comes if JJ returns smoothly, we generate pressure and make good half time adjustments.

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This week, we’re changing it up a little. Dunlagh had my back last week, and covered for me whilst I got up to some alcohol induced escapades, so this week it’s his turn to hit the town while I cover the Worst Case. This is only my second worst case scenario ever, so it’ll either be waaay too positive, or waaay too bleak. Let me know what you think in the comments. This is the second part to the Best Case Scenario, which can be read here.

Flipping it to the Packers

The Packers are the defending World Champions. They’re there for a reason – they have talent at WR, a great group of defensive players led by Clay Matthews, a quarterback who is easily top 3 in the league regardless of how you look at it (I’ve got him at #2 behind Brady I would say), and an excellent understanding on the field. At the moment, I’d say a win against the Packers represents a win against the best team in football. They’ve softened up a little in the secondary this season, but they make up for that with great pressure up front and an offense that can put up more points than some sides do in a month. They’re not unbeatable, but they definitely have a huge edge going in to this one. This week’s worst case scenario is: this.

In all seriousness, this week the worst case scenario comes if Rodgers settles down, the O-line catches turnstyle syndrome and the special teams don’t return to 2010 standard.

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G’day Falcons fans, and welcome back to the contribution I, in collaboration with fellow Aussie Falcons fan dunlagh, hope to be making to the Falcoholic. I’ll analyse the best case scenario for the Falcons, with what are, in my opinion, a few keys to victory, while dunlagh will play devil’s advocate and look at how the game will turn out if we play at our true worst.

Hey guys, sorry for the late post, dunlagh and I were both excruciatingly busy this week. I’m getting sick of writing how last week was pretty awful and that there’s a million areas we need to fix up, so this week I’m not going to! Let’s just pretend we’re coming into this game fresh, 4th quarter fade outs ignored. I’m not going to be dwelling on the past 4 weeks hugely, but rather my focus will be the last 2 matches we’ve played against the Packers – The Georgia Dome regular season win (!) and the Georgia Dome playoff humiliation that I will never forgive the Packers for as long as I live (aaww...). You can believe that most of the Falcons, especially Roddy White, have been waiting for this rematch for a few months. This week, the best case scenario comes if we generate pressure, tighten the zone and feed Turner early.

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We didn't deserve to beat Tampa, but how it ended was just shocking. High school football teams don't jump offside. Freeman's dirty bird was so damn aggrivating. The Bucs have gone from my least hated NFC South team to my most just like that. The conservative playbook needs a bullet, as does MM. Why can't we just let Ryan run the offense? At least we had a few better looking explosive plays. But....yeah just a sucky game.

At times like this all you can do is laugh right?

Right!??!

G’day Falcons fans, and welcome back to the weekly contribution I, in collaboration with fellow Aussie Falcons fan dunlagh, hope to be making to the Falcoholic. Each week I’ll outline what would constitute the best case for the Falcons this week, while dunlagh will handle doomsayer duty. Enjoy.

Hey there .500, how’s it going? A win was nice, but I think we can all agree we played some pretty poor football at a stage. It’s probably never a good time to meet an angry divisional rival, and the Bucs are probably feeling plenty pumped after a come from behind win against the Vikes. Josh Freeman is fast becoming Iceman jr, with a fair few 4th quarter wins in his short career. In positive news, the Falcons should be buoyed with the return of Todd McClure, a healthy Corey Peters and the lessons learned from a tough slog against Philly. This week, my best case scenario comes if Roddy White hits his peak, Todd McClure anchors the line and our DBs lock down.

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G’day Falcons fans, and welcome back to the weekly contribution I, in collaboration with fellow Aussie Falcons fan dunlagh, hope to be making to the Falcoholic. Each week I’ll outline what would constitute the best case for the Falcons this week, while dunlagh will handle doomsayer duty. Enjoy.

…Well. That sucked. Really. That’s my whole intro this week.

Ok maybe not. We got smoked by Chicago last week. The whole team, minus four or five players, went AWOL. Matt Ryan was forced to take the check down most plays, our pass defence was woeful, Eric Weems forgot that 50% of his job description is ‘Returner’. Eh…it was bad. Some positives were the run D, our running game (before we abandoned it, see: 5 minutes into the 2nd quarter) and the pass rush really stepped up. We didn’t come out of Soldier Field with 0 positives right? …Right?

The Eagles this week is a whole different test. The self-appointed ‘Dream Team’ took a while to get going against the Rams, and really only flourished late in the game. On the other hand, Philly have been our bogey team since forever. Last time in the Dome, we lost without Ryan. Last time in Philly, we lost despite Vick not playing. This week it is finally on. Best Case Scenario this week? The front four excel, we clamp down on ‘speed plays’ and the Ice Man cometh back.

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Ok guys. The Bears game. Words don't even describe. It was brutal, and I'm not trying to play this down. The Bears were great. We were fundamentally awful. Let's just have some perspective here though.

We lost (albeit in better fashion) our first game last year.

We know we have talent, and McClure returning from injury.

We have the Eagles next week - if we beat them all of this is forgotten.

Our pass rush looked ok today, as did our run game when it was a useful tool.

John Abraham deserves a point of to his own

Yes, Matt Ryan and our O-line were laughably bad. Write this game off. Learn from it. Move on. Mike Smith will be pissed. Ryan, Gonzalez, Abraham, Lofton, White - the team leaders will be pissed. We're all pissed. I woke up at 1am for this game. I also lost a good deal of money on it. I'll bet we all had better ways to spend our Sunday than watching that. But we need to cut it and move on. If you don't think the Falcons come out firing next week, even against perpetual bogey team Philly, I think you've got another thing coming. One game should not define our season. We need to learn and move on. Don't hit the panic buttons just yet. Rise up guys. Rise up.

G’day Falcons fans, and welcome back to the weekly contribution I, in collaboration with fellow Aussie Falcons fan dunlagh, hope to be making to the Falcoholic. If anybody remembers this from last year, basically each week dunlagh and I will outline some keys to the game on both the positive and negative side. I’ll be dealing with the best case, while he’ll be dealing worst case. Just a warning, I’ll probably be saying ‘colour’ and ‘defence’ at least once this season, don’t fret about the backwards spelling, it’s just how Australians get it done. Let’s get stuck in.

I think I speak for everyone here when I say "Thank the lord football is back". After 4 weeks of (mostly) avoiding injuries and some less than stellar preseason games, the Falcons head to Soldier Field to challenge the NFC runner ups – the Chicago Bears. This game is the perfect chance for the Falcons to unveil our new look offense, and if we can move the chains against the famed Bears defence I’d say we’ll be well on the way to another shot at the NFC South (at the very least). In my opinion, the best case this week is that Julio Jones explodes onto the scene, Ray Edwards steps up and the O-Line gel.

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Fantasy season is just starting to heat up for me, and I'm a pretty big fan of Falcons/puns in my fantasy name. Last season my team was called Michael Turner Overdrive, and this year I'm leaning towards Jacquizz in my pants. I've seen some great ones on the net for a lot of other teams, but very few Falcons ones. Anyone got any suggestions for Falcons names I could work into a team name?

Hey guys, I've not commented or posted on the Falcoholic for a while so if a similar thread has floated around and I'm repeating, apologies. Can I start off by saying I basically spent my life on the Falcoholic last season, and went cold turkey after the Green Bay game because that just shocked me so deeply I couldn't deal with football for a while. I watched the game to the very last second and I'm glad I did (for those who don't remember me I live in Australia and love Aussie Rules, and have never left a game early despite going for the bottom ranked team of the last four years), but even now I'm still stunned and hurt that we got so badly beaten. Now that the miserable stuff is dealt with, let's look forward to this year.

Is this season the best shot we have to win the championship? I'll divide that proposition up into three areas; roster, schedule and the future. More after the jump.

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G’day Falcons fans, and welcome back to the contribution I, in collaboration with fellow Aussie Falcons fan dunlagh, hope to be making to the Falcoholic. I’ll analyse the best case scenario for the Falcons, with what are, in my opinion, a few keys to victory, while dunlagh will play devil’s advocate and look at how the game will turn out if we play at our true worst.

Well, here it is; playoff football in Atlanta. It’s what we’ve been waiting all year for. I’m so excited about this matchup that I’m posting four days early. We could have had the Seahawks, but Michael Vick just loves to screw us over (I kid, the Packers dominated their game and deserved to win), so instead we get to welcome Green Bay into the Georgia Dome for the second time this season. Whilst we won the last game, Aaron Rodgers fumbled at the 1 yard line, so we can’t dismiss them based on past results. After a week to rest up, the Falcons hope to avoid any rust and get back to their strong form of the past 3 weeks. I was at first ok with getting the Packers (although I’d much rather have faced the ‘Hawks), but I think the stakes of the game are what has me worried rather than any one particular matchup itself. If we do what we do, the Falcons have a very good shot at going to the NFC Championship game. In the last Best Case Scenario vs Packers post, I talked mainly about the offense, but this week I think it’s all on our defense. As such, the best case scenario against the Packers comes if we win the battle inside, neutralise Kuhn and defend the deep ball.

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