32 in 31: Atlanta Falcons

Another year of 32 in 31. Sports News on Tap takes the month of August to preview the National Football League. We spend every day of the month looking at a new team and how they will fare in 2013

Atlanta Falcons have got so close to the alter in the last couple of years. They finally broke through from just being one of the best to nearly making it to the Super Bowl if not for a last second touchdown from the San Francisco 49ers. The Falcons are in what I like to call the 'weirds.' The weirds definition is when you day-drink then stop for a bit and start sobering up, leading to a feeling not knowing whether you're drunk or sober. The Falcons right now seem like a team who does not know if they are having a small rebuild or if they will be back in the playoffs. 

OFFENSE
The Falcons got rid of Michael Turner's corpse and upgraded to Steven Jackson. Yes, he is on the wrong side of 30 especially as a running back, but Jackson will finally be on a team where he is not the first option. He always was the go-to guy at St. Louis for so many years but now he just have to provide some yardage for Matt Ryan. I feel like Jackson has at least one more year in him before he starts trending downward. Remember how good Turner was in this system before he lost it, no reason to think Jackson will be different.

People forget how good of a season Ryan had last season. Adrian Peterson won MVP, but I could have made an argument Ryan deserves some consideration. Dirk Koetter finally opened up their offense and Ryan did some big things. With Julio Jones only getting better and Roddy White being one of the best in the business, Ryan will put up MVP numbers again this season.  It also does not hurt Ryan he gets Tony Gonzalez who pulled a Brett Favre in attempt to get his Super Bowl ring, but Gonzalez looks like he could play at least two more years.

DEFENSE
I am not completely sold on this defense. They got rid of a couple of their established players like John Abraham, Dunta Robinson, Brent Grimes and they probably have Asante Samuel as the leader of this defense... Yikes. Samuel is a fine player, but in reality, I would never peg him as a leader, but it looks like he is the only one left.  They do have Sean Weatherspoon whose a good young player at linebacker and Jason Babineaux is one of the more consistent defensive lineman in the game. They did add Osi Umenyiora who played all of last season, but he has seen his sack total decline since 2010.  Many are wondering how much gas is left in the tank.

SPECIAL TEAMS
The two Matts, Bryant and Bosher are both good at their job, kicking and punting, and will likely be a bright spot for this team. They lost Eric Weems to free agency so they will be looking for replacements like Jacquizz Rodgers in the first month of the season.

KEY ADDITIONS
RB Steven Jackson, DE Osi Umenyiora - Yeah they did not do much this offseason. Two big names though.

KEY SUBTRACTIONS
DE John Abraham, OT Tyson Clabo, CB Brent Grimes, C Todd McClure, RB Michael Turner, DT Vance Walker

FALCONS DRAFT PICKS
CB Desmond Trufant, CB Robert Alford, DE Malliciah Goodman, TE Levine Toilolo, DE Stansly Maponga, S Kemal Ishmael, S Zeke Motta, QB Sean Renfree - The two corners will have to learn fast as they should both see some playing time. Toilolo lined up with Gonzalez could be lethal.

GAME TO WATCH
Thursday November 21th vs. New Orleans 7:25 pm - I do not know if this is becoming a tradition, but it seems we have a Saints-Falcons game on Thursday night every year now. Always a good, close game and probably fighting for the NFC South

WIN TOTAL 
8-10 - The Falcons seem like they are a player or two away from being a great team. They have some tools on offense, but their offensive line is pretty scary meaning some added trouble for Matt Ryan and their defense has some holes. No guarantee they are a playoff team.

Charlie.

Read More

Keys to a Successful Fantasy Football Draft

As part of our continued increase in fantasy sports coverage here at SnoTap, this week we will look into some good strategies to take with you into your draft. If you missed last week’s article on how to improve your league here it is: Enhancing your Fantasy Football League

The draft is perhaps the most important day in your fantasy football league for multiple reasons. First off, if you’re able to do the draft in person, it’s the day that is the most fun, as you will gather together with the whole league. Second, it’s when you fill out your roster with the guys you will be working with through the rest of the year, whether it’s starting them, trading them, or cutting them when they don’t work out. Bryan Reynolds and I have put together some strategies we use for each draft. Feel free to use and of your favorites for your league this season.

Adam: Know your opponent:

Perhaps the most important aspect of fantasy football is to know your competition. What kind of player are they, what level of knowledge do they have about the sport, who are their favorite teams, who do they hate? This can be important because you can tell what they are going to do. For example, if you have someone who is an avid Packer fan, and not very experienced in fantasy sports, they’re likely to take Aaron Rodgers with their first pick, no matter where that falls in the draft. If you’re targeting Aaron as your stud QB, it’s important to pick him before that player. Knowing your enemy can tell you a lot about who they are going to draft, and help form your strategy.

Bryan: Know which position you can wait for:

Find which positions you are comfortable waiting for the 10^th-12^thbest player. An example of this is in the 2013 season, which will definitely be noticeable while looking at the QB and TE position. Rodgers leads the group of top tier QB’s, but he is one of few. The second tier is so large that there is likely a minimal difference between taking the fourth rated QB and the 10^th. Same goes for TE, where Jimmy Graham is running away with the top rank, but the difference is minimal after that.

Adam: Don’t Panic:

Every draft I have been featured a panic rush on players. In most seasons, there will be one position that is a little bit weaker than others, for instance this year it is running backs. What happens in these leagues is owners will reach for players above their value, and the players at that position will drop like flies. Next thing you know, you’re taking DeMarco Murray and Reggie Bush in the second round. My advice here is go against the trend. Instead of panicking, and taking a lesser value running back, take someone who will dominate their position. If you have top five players at QB, WR, and TE, you can patch together running backs from the waiver wire later in the season once injuries start happening. The key to this strategy is to look for sleepers later in the draft, once everyone else thinks they're set, and then finding quality contributors off of the waiver wire once the season has started.

Bryan: Analyze Defenses and Divisions:

It is important to analyze DEF season schedules and division matchups before the draft. I like to start the draft with three or four defenses in my head I am targeting for my team. A team like San Diego had a solid defense last year, but we have to remember they will face Denver twice throughout the season. Also, a team that can consistently stop opponents is better, as there is no method to calculate how many turnovers you can count on each week.

Adam: Know your scoring:

When looking at expert’s rankings, it is important to understand which scoring format they are considering. For example, most rankings assume four points-passing touchdown, no PPR, one point-ten yards rushing/receiving. Know where your scoring differentiates between the general leagues. If your league has six points per passing touchdown, some of the more pure passing quarterbacks will move up in the ranks, and not everyone may realize it. A lot of experts have Peyton Manning and Cam Newton on the same tier for quarterbacks. In a league where passing touchdowns are only four points, Cam might take the edge because of his rushing ability. However, if you’re looking at six points for a passing touchdown, Manning all of a sudden takes the lead, as he will rack up the points in that category. The same goes for teammates Julio Jones and Roddy White. Jones usually leads in touchdowns, but White gets more targets meaning more receptions.

Bryan: Visualize your Team:

Print off the list of rankings we will produce here on SnoTap (coming next 2 weeks) or use another site’s, such as ESPN. Once printed, go through each position and highlight your ideal candidate for each position. Obviously, it will be impossible for you to get all these players, so go through the categories again and highlight a few players outside of your top 5 that will sufficiently fit the role. You may find it helpful to highlight a lot of players in the WR and RB categories, as they will comprise a majority of your bench positions.

Adam: Look for Opportunity:

The key to all fantasy sports is playing time and opportunities to showcase skills. The players who provide the most points won’t always be the leaders in the talent department. For the last few years, Michael Turner has been a leader at the running back position, despite not being overwhelming in the talent department. What set him apart however was having no clear challenge to playing time, staying healthy, and having a team that wanted to utilize him. It allowed him to consistently deliver, while other, more talented running backs where stuck on the bench or the injured reserve.

Did we miss any strategies? What do you use for your league? Make sure to test out a few different strategies on various fantasy sites’ mock drafts. Next week, we will have rankings for the QB and TE positions. If you have any fantasy sports questions, send them to Snotap12@gmail.com, and we will make sure to get them answered in the following week’s column.

Adam

Read More