Atlanta's NFL future looked bleak after a 4-12 record in 2007 plus the Michael Vick trouble. Mike Smith and Matt Ryan are major reasons for the quick turnaround.
Two years ago, you could've bought football stock on the Atlanta Falcons for dirt cheap. After all, they were coming off of a year where they had the worst record in the NFL and were about to be starting some rookie at quarterback that was supposed to change the face of the franchise following the whole Michael Vick fiasco.
Little did we know that this would be a playoff team the very next season. Even though Atlanta went 9-7 last year, its NFL betting stock is getting higher and higher by the day. Check out just how high that stock will go in 2010.
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Blue Chip Stock in the Making: QB Matt Ryan
I'll be the first to admit that I thought that the Falcons really screwed up when they bought into "Matty Ice" with the third overall selection in the 2008 NFL Draft two years ago. Little did I know that he was going to throw for 3,440 yards and 16 TDs in that first year and lead the team to the playoffs. Had the Boston College product not missed two games last year, he would've thrown for 3,000+ yards for the second straight year and probably would've had 25 TD passes.
Things are only bound to get better for this youngster, as he clearly has the tools to become one of the next great crop of young quarterbacks in the NFL. Continue buying this as a 5* stock without any hesitations!
Stock to Look Out For: DB Dunta Robinson
The Falcons had an absolutely atrocious secondary that ranked 28th in the NFL with an average of 241.9 yards per game in 2009. The team tried to bolster this unit in the offseason by signing Robinson, a former first-round draft selection of the Houston Texans.
Many feel as though Robinson underachieved in his final years in Houston due to the fallout from a contract dispute with GM Rick Smith. As a result, the former South Carolina Gamecock went without an interception in his final year in the Lone Star State.
His stock has really plunged from a rookie campaign in which he picked off six passes, but we expect that this could be a man to really keep an eye on to make a huge difference in Hot 'Lanta in '10.
Market Watcher: Mike Smith
When the Falcons signed head coach Mike Smith in 2008, many (myself included) asked one very obvious question: Who?
The former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator immediately brought a bit of a spark to the city of Atlanta where there had been nothing but disaster before, and he helped salvage the franchise and turn it into a winner.
We still aren't so sure that Smith really has the goods to make it in the long run as an NFL coach, but we know that he has done wonders for the Falcons. This is a stock that you can still get relatively cheaply, and it should continue to be on your watch list in 2010.
Buying or Selling the Atlanta Falcons
Even though all hope seemed to be lost for the Falcons at the end of the 2009 season, the team finished up by winning three straight games, including being the last team to beat the New York Jets before their fantastic run to the AFC Championship Game. This is a sign of a team that is willing to fight, scratch and claw to post wins, and it is a characteristic that most of the 32 teams in the NFL just don't have.
We know that we will always going to get the best effort out of the Falcons, and it really showed last year with an 11-5 ATS record that was nearly parlayed into a playoff berth. The young guns for Atlanta are only going to get better, particularly in the passing game as Ryan continues to learn the nuances of the NFL.
Jump aboard the boys in black and red for another great year in 2010. Buy Atlanta as a playoff team and a solid 4* investment at +3000 to win the Super Bowl.
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