Filed under: Falcons , NFC South Training camp is finally here and FanHouse breaks down the most important position battles heading into the season, team by team. As you would expect with a team that is coming off a season that could best be described as a train wreck combined with a earthquake topped off by a nice little forest fire just to make things tidy, the Falcons have a lot of wide-open starting jobs as training camp begins. They'll be looking to see if second-round pick Curtis Lofton is ready to take over at middle linebacker, which would allow Keith Brooking to move back outside. They'll be watching disappointing Michael Jenkins to see if he can outplay the unhappy carcass that once was Pro Bowler Joe Horn. And we'll have to see if rookie Sam Baker is ready to step in and start at offensive tackle. But the battle that will define the Falcons 2008 season will be the quarterback competition. If Chris Redman starts more than eight games this year, it either means that the Falcons are playing much better than expected, or that the offensive line is such a disaster that 0-16 seems possible. Obviously this is Matt Ryan's team, the question is just how quickly he'll take over the starting job. He has a stronger arm, more mobility and a much bigger contract than Redman, which makes the long-term decision really easy. But in the short-term, new coach Mike Smith will have a tough decision on when to start the No. 1 overall pick. ...
Anytime
Filed under: Falcons , NFC South Training camp is finally here and FanHouse breaks down the most important position battles heading into the season, team by team. As you would expect with a team that is coming off a season that could best be described as a train wreck combined with a earthquake topped off by a nice little forest fire just to make things tidy, the Falcons have a lot of wide-open starting jobs as training camp begins. They'll be looking to see if second-round pick Curtis Lofton is ready to take over at middle linebacker, which would allow Keith Brooking to move back outside. They'll be watching disappointing Michael Jenkins to see if he can outplay the unhappy carcass that once was Pro Bowler Joe Horn. And we'll have to see if rookie Sam Baker is ready to step in and start at offensive tackle. But the battle that will define the Falcons 2008 season will be the quarterback competition. If Chris Redman starts more than eight games this year, it either means that the Falcons are playing much better than expected, or that the offensive line is such a disaster that 0-16 seems possible. Obviously this is Matt Ryan's team, the question is just how quickly he'll take over the starting job. He has a stronger arm, more mobility and a much bigger contract than Redman, which makes the long-term decision really easy. But in the short-term, new coach Mike Smith will have a tough decision on when to start the No. 1 overall pick. ...