The Atlanta Falcons will start their 2012 minicamp with a tremendous calm compared to rival New Orleans, and less big-picture questions than Carolina and Tampa Bay, but with the albatross of yet another first-round playoff flameout hanging around the franchise.
Pat Yasinskas of ESPN broke down the Falcons three biggest issues heading into minicamps as follows, with all three affected heavily by the arrival of new coordinators Dirk Koetter and Mike Nolan:
1. The Offensive Line. There's a mixture of new faces (second-round pick Peter Konz) and reclamation projects (embattled tackle Sam Baker), but both figure to be crucial if Matt Ryan wants to explore Koetter's celebrated deep passing attack
2. The Pass Rush. Yansinskas offers some excitement, especially for fans who wanted Atlanta to go after a high-profile name like Mario Williams in free agency. With John Abraham on one side and slew of suitors on the other, expect something new:
...I think Nolan is going to have to get creative and bring some blitzes to really have much of a chance at disrupting passing games.
3. Jacquizz Rodgers. Fans have heard about this all offseason - the need to limit Michael Turner's carries, the new offensive coordinator's success with speed back (Maurice Jones-Drew) and the need to break with the Falcons' rather vanilla attack of years prior.
For more on the 2012 Atlanta Falcons' Minicamp, check out The Falcoholic and SB Nation's NFL page.
