If I were the GM- Atlanta

The Falcons had a nice season in 2009.  I think they were a better team than in 2008, but played a tougher schedule.  Also, they deserve a congratulations for posting their first back-to-back winning seasons in franchise history.  I liked their acquisition of Tony Gonzalez was a smart move, because he gave Matt Ryan a target other than Roddy White.  Their front office and coaching staff seem to be in synch, and have the building blocks of a consistent winner in place.

There is a lot of young talent on this roster, especially on the offensive side of the ball.  Ryan suffered some injuries this season, and some pundits say he's regressed.  I don't believe that's the case.  I think he tried to force the ball a little too much to Gonzalez, which led him to trouble at times.  2010 should be a bounce back season for him.  They have a nice group of running backs- led by Michael Turner.  I like both Jerrious Norwood and Jason Snelling as change of pace backs to take some of the load off of Turner.  Their group of receivers is both good and young.  The aforementioned White is one of the most under appreciated players in the league at the position.  Michael Jenkins is a burner, and made some strides this season.  A player who's showed promise, but was injured in the preseason is Harry Douglas.  He should come back to be a nice number three receiver.  Gonzalez is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, tight ends ever.  Their line is very underrated.  Led by left tackle Sam Baker, this unit allowed the sixth fewest hits on the quarterback this season.  The star of their defense was middle linebacker Curtis Lofton.  He's a tackling machine.  They lost youngster Peria Jerry for the season early on, which hurt their ability to create pressure.

As good as their offense is, their defense still needs to make strides to catch up.  Their secondary is in need of an infusion of talent.  They could use another defensive end opposite of Jamaal Anderson to assist in creating pressure.  They could also use some depth at the outside linebacker position to assist Lofton and Mike Peterson.  As much as I like their wide receivers, they could use another player to create depth at the position.

Some players they should consider are defensive backs Kyle Wilson, Trevor Mays, Earl Thomas, and Devin McCourty.  For the defensive line, they should consider Everson Griffen, Dan Williams, and Jared Odrick.