I am sure everyone else has noticed that the Falcons 2008 Playoff run was rewarded with a much tougher 2009 schedule. Making matters worse, is that the Falcons face four difficult games in a six week stretch where Atlanta faces teams coming off a bye week.
- Chicago Bears (Oct 18)
- at Dallas Cowboys (Oct 25)
- Washington Redskins (Nov 8th)
- New York Giants (Nov 22)
I think the Falcons are going to be in for a rough time if you consider (A) the schedule is difficult (B) the schedule features four teams that get extra time to prep and heal up before facing the Falcons (C) the secondary sucks (D) the defensive line does not have anyone to compliment John Abraham.
Maybe (C) the secondary sucks – will change with the acquisition of Ty Hill, but until I see him in action, I do not have high hopes.
Hill is a guy who still has some upside. In fact, Hill is the kind of first-round talent the Falcons haven’t had on their roster since … well, DeAngelo Hall, but that’s a bad example. Atlanta went through last season kind of patching things together at cornerback and they seemed destined to do the same thing this year.
They didn’t have any blue-chip corners and appeared ready to go into the season with Chris Houston and Brent Grimes as the starters and rookie Chris Owens and second-year pro Chevis Jackson as the backups. Houston’s been good at times, but not so good at other times. He came into the league as a second-round draft pick and Grimes came in as an undrafted free agent. Owens and Jackson were third-round choices.
So now the questions are – can Hill perform and what did the Falcons have to give up?
