After the meteoric rise of rookie quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco last year, it?s fair to wonder if the two will be afflicted by the dreaded sophomore slump. According to Ryan’s teammates and coaches, nothing could be further from the truth. Fullback Ovie Mughelli said, “it’s scary how much he’s improved, and it’s only his second year. People thought he couldn’t get much better than last year.”

Matt Ryan has said he’s come into this season focused on improving his game on third downs and in the red zone. He’s also said he’s focusing on closing out games and those critical decisions that are made in the final two minutes. Like the great quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, Matt Ryan has had a busy offseason pouring over tape and hitting the weight room to increase his arm strength. He’s doing all the little things that may not be a lot of fun, but will help his team succeed when they hit the field.

Expectations are high for this Falcons club that went 11-5 last season and made the playoffs after a disastrous 2007 campaign. The players have had a year to digest the playbook and learn Smith’s new system. “The thing you see out there across the board is confidence, starting with Matt at quarterback, all the way down,” said center Todd McClure.

Ryan closed out the 2008 season with a passer completion percentage of 61.1%, connecting for 16 touchdowns on 3440 yard and 11 interceptions. If what Mughelli said is true, it’s going to be a tough year for the NFC South, and Atlanta may just have themselves the next Manning in training.

Popularity: 39% [?]

The Atlanta Falcons bought some insurance and a healthy dose of experience on Monday with the acquisition of 12-year veteran center Jeremy Newberry. The 6-5, 315 pound Newberry has competed in 120 games over the breadth of his career, starting 107 of them.

He was initially selected in the second round of the 1998 draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Beyond going to two Pro Bowls in 2001-02, Newberry started every game he suited up for over eight seasons. Twice Newberry was awarded the Bobb McKittrick award by the 49ers for the team?s offensive linemen showing the greatest form of dedication, excellence and commitment. He also received the Ed Block Courage Award twice.

California has served as home for his entire 12 season career in the NFL. The first nine were spent in San Francisco, followed by a season in Oakland and finally a two-year stretch in San Diego.

The signing does raise a handful of question marks since the Falcons seemed set at center with Todd McClure and new editions Brett Romberg and Alex Stepanovich on the roster. Also Newberry’s mobility has been an issue in recent seasons due to knee injuries. More than likely he will serve as a safety net behind Todd McClure should anything happen mid-season.

Popularity: 36% [?]

Well it is official. The nightmare that was the Michael Vick saga is finally over for the Atlanta Falcons when they released him from the roaster on Friday. The Falcons had been trying to peddle the ex-franchise quarterback for as little as a late round draft pick, but they never found anyone willing to step up and take a chance on Mike. Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said in a statement, “In the very end, we came to a conclusion that it was time. It was best for both of us and Michael Vick to move on, to turn the chapter.”

Vick’s release comes as no surprise. Team owner Arthur Blank has made it known on numerous occasions that Vick’s time as with the Falcons was finished, and the proverbial nail was slammed into the coffin last season when the team handed over the keys to the franchise to golden-armed quarterback Matt Ryan out of Boston College.

Vick currently remains suspended from the NFL while he serves out the remainder of his prison term under house arrest in Hampton, Virginia. Vick will have to meet with commissioner Roger Goodell before he can be considered for reinstatement. Even though he is on the outside of the NFL looking in, he is able to begin negotiations with a new team while he is suspended. He is also free to pursue other options outside of the NFL such as the Canadian Football League and the fresh upstart UFL debuting in the fall. Goodell has said he would meet with Vick once he has satisfied his 23-month sentence on July 20.

When asked what criteria would be used to determine Vick’s reinstatement, Goodell has said, “Michael’s going to have to demonstrate to myself and the general public and to a lot of people, did he learn anything from this experience? Does he regret what happened? Does he feel that he can be a positive influence going forward? Those are questions that I would like to see when I sit with him.”

Michael Vick was once the highest paid player in the NFL, banking on a $130 million contract. Now he’s working construction for $10 an hour.

The Falcons have a salary cap hit coming in the form of a $7.11 million charge for the current season yet it has already been factored into management?s plans. The team currently sits $20 million under the $128 million salary cap limit.

Popularity: 33% [?]

Love it or despise it, few can argue that Fantasy Football is the vehicle that has made the NFL the wild success that it is today. Each week all those Fantasy owners don their jerseys and settle in for a Sunday of pigskin, franticly tallying up their points on their handheld device hoping to relish sweet victory by the close of Monday night. It’s a strange culture that has infected 22.5 million Americans so this phenomenon isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Since the coming drafts are months away, it?s time to turn our focus to how fantasy owners should evaluate the cogs that make up the Atlanta Falcons.

Since the Falcons introduced the league to true shock and awe in 2008, those savvy owners who took a flyer on workhorses like running back Michael Turner or wideout Roddy White were probably dusting their poor opponents all season. The problem is the word is officially out on the Atlanta Falcons so you?re not going to be finding these guys laying around on the waiver wires. We took a look around at how some of the sports sites were sizing up the Falcon?s talent and found striking similarities. Both CBSSports.com and ESPN.com have Michael Turner in the 2 spot for available running backs behind Viking’s sensation Adrian Peterson. NFL.com has Turner at a meager third. Roddy White is 8th on all three sites and Falcons new edition Tony Gonzalez finds himself anywhere between 1 and 4 for tight ends. Other offensive sparkplugs like rookie of the year Matt Ryan ranked as the eighth or ninth best fantasy quarterback. Kicker Jason Elam finds himself anywhere from 4 to 6. Not too shabby for a group most projected not to win more than two games this time last year.

Just because the Falcon’s arsenal of offensive talent found such successful in 2008 doesn’t mean those gaudy numbers will necessarily be mirrored in 2009. Look for the wealth to be spread around more. Roddy White’s numbers will probably take a small hit as Gonzalez will provide a reliable outlet up the middle for Ryan. Also if the Falcons keep feeding Turner the number of carries he had in 2008, he may not have him around for too much longer. Look for homerun threat Jerious Norwood to have his carries ratcheted up considerably to alleviate the considerable wear and tear off Turner. The largest factor putting the brakes on the Dirty Birds offensive stats may just be the brutal schedule. They go toe-to-toe with 14 teams who had records north of .500 during their 2008 campaigns. They also face up against the AFC East which is notorious for their defensive mettle.

Regardless, the Falcons should be a cornerstone in your upcoming draft. Just be aware that you won’t be the only one jockeying for their services.

Popularity: 40% [?]