Atlanta, Georgia (AP)-- The NFL Preseason finally came to an end this week, and with it came a huge sigh of relief for teams all around the league knowing that they had escaped the preseason injury bug which unfortunately hit a few teams harshly in August. More information on these catastrophic injuries later. For the Falcons the end of the preseason restored an upbeat mood into the franchise after spending the previous three weeks of the preseason as a team looking for an identity, undecided upon what their actual goals were this season.

New-Falcon John Abraham sacks Packers QB Brett Favre during preseason.

After losing their first three preseason matchups to the New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, and Tennessee Titans by a combined score of 71-38, and showing no signs of improving on the spots, which were so weak in 2005, it seemed as if the Falcons were preparing for a season full of rebuilding and changes in management. However, a week 4 drubbing of the Jacksonville Jaguars, brought back some pride, and with the starters going three quarters into the game, Jim Mora and company made a statement to rest of the league that a Superbowl victory is the only thing on their checklist this season. Though it may have been a weak preseason, the Falcons kept reminding us that it is only preseason and competitive nature is turned down a bit and safety for oneself is highly regarded. However, all in all, it is clear that the Falcons have some work to do if they are to achieve their ultimate goal this season.
In the Falcons preseason opener against the Patriots, a 17-10 loss was suffered, but spirits were still high afterwards after the starting unit looked sharp with QB Michael Vick leading the attack. However backup QB Matt Schaub didn’t fill in well throwing two quick interceptions, which gave the Patriots a lead that they never give up, despite rookie QB D.J. Shockley having two attempts at a possible game tying drive. The following week another close loss was suffered against the Packers, were Shockley was once again unable to propel the Falcons to a lead late in the contest. Vick wasn’t as sharp at Lambeau this time round as he was picked off early, but rookie backups QB Bryan Randall and RB Jerious Norwood kept the Falcons close throughout. The third and final loss of the preseason against the Titans was the ugliest of them all, as rookie QB Vince Young made the Falcons defense look like that of USC’s back in the Rose Bowl in January, outscoring the Falcons 25-0 in the second half, as the Titans thumped the Falcons 38-14. A 28-3 win over the Jags to close the preseason was much needed for the Falcons in a game that they looked much better all around.
All in all the Falcons will look back at their preseason as a sign that things may not be what they expected. Their defense, particularly their secondary was just as bad as they were last year, and their ability to stop the run in clutch situations was all but clutch. Coach Mora kept his cool throughout the preseason saying “I’m not worried about how this team does in the preseason, as long as they turn it up with W when the season rolls around.
As for the rest of the NFL the Lions were the only team not to have better record than Atlanta in the preseason going 0-4, while the Bills looked flawless en route to a perfect 4-0 preseason. The Bears, Eagles, Buccaneers, and Vikings each had a 3-1 record. More importantly than the teams record was the number of injuries sustained by star running backs during the month long preseason. It all started in week 1 were Giants Tiki Barber coming off an 1800+ yards season suffered a foot fracture sidelining him for the rest of the season. In week 3 the bug returned as Titans Dominick Davis hung up his cleats for 06 with a severe concussion, leaving the Texans fan base even bitterer about not drafting Reggie Bush. Finally in week 4, the biggest of all injures struck as last years MVP Shaun Alexander broke his vertebrae causing him too to miss the rest of the year, and keeping the curse of Madden alive and more probable.
Luckily the Falcons suffered no major injures and will only be missing Brain Finneran when their season gets under way against the Carolina Panthers, a team tipped to win not only the NFC South crown but also the whole NFC.