With just a little over three months to go until kickoff and
the NFL draft taking place two weeks ago, football fans nationwide are starting
to get pumped again as teams gear up for another exciting season! Will our team
improve from last year? Can we dominate again? How will we stack up against our
division rivals? These are just a few questions fans ask themselves in the
off season each year, anticipating what’s to come. It’s a chance for new hope for those teams who
didn’t deliver and a continued optimism for those that performed well, eager to
continue the streak in the upcoming season.
After the excitement of the 2012-13 NFL season, last year, a
season that was dominated by losses and plagued by injuries, was an unfavorable
one for the Atlanta Falcons who went just 4-12. Falcons fans also had to face
the reality that it was in fact Tony Gonzalez’s final season.
General Manager, Thomas Dimitroff, made some moves in free agency
including the addition of Devin Hester, WR; Dwight Lowry, S; and John Wilson,
CB. There was a lot of speculation that the Falcons would trade up from their
No. 6 pick in this year’s draft in order to get Jadeveon Clowney, DE out of
South Carolina, who would be an asset to any squad. The Falcons chose to stay
at No. 6 and selected offensive tackle Jake Matthews from Texas A&M, a
selection widely praised by football analysts and fans across the nation.
Additional draft picks by the Falcons included: Devonta Freeman, RB; Marquis
Spruill, LB; Dezmen Southward, S; Prince Shembo, LB; Ricardo Allen, CB; Yawin
Smallwood, LB; Ra’Shede Hageman, DT and Tyler Starr, LB.
Wide receiver Roddy White has one year remaining on his current
contract and after suffering a season-ending foot injury last year, wide
receiver Julio Jones is gearing up for next season. The Falcons report Jones is
progressing well in his recovery and the team appears to be confident as they
recently exercised their 2015 contract option on him.
Dimitroff and head coach, Mike Smith, certainly have their work
cut out for the 2014-2015 season with “rebuilding” as the primary goal. With a
game in London next year, games against opponents such as the Steelers, Ravens and Packers, and a state-of-the-art stadium just a few seasons away, there is
major anticipation in Hotlanta about the Dirty Birds right now. It’s time to
Rise Up!
