High-flying birds

Falcons looking for first back-to-back winning seasons

Jamal Anderson fueled the Falcons offense with 1,846 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns. Andy Lyons/Allsport

The Atlanta Falcons, who opened camp July 28 at their new Furman University location, were the surprise team of the NFL last season, winning their first NFC championship. Here are a few questions from Sports Illustrated's Dr. Z, followed by CNNSI.com's perspective on some of the issues facing the Falcons this season. SI's season preview will post August 24.

Dr. Z wants to know:

1) Here's what I saw in the Super Bowl: I saw a front four that couldn't put pressure on the quarterback by itself, as it had done during the regular season, and a game plan that didn't adjust and take a chance by sending the blitzers after John Elway. Consequently, Elway sat back and read the newspaper for awhile and went out for sandwiches and completed all the passes he wanted to against an embarrassed secondary. My question: Will the Falcons approach 1999 with a bolder defensive scheme, ready to adjust to the kind of thing that happened in Super Bowl XXIII, or will it be the same old NFL coaching cliche routine -- Dance With Who Brung Ya; If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It; If it Ain't Fixed, Don't Break It, etc.?

2) At what point do we become concerned about Jamal Anderson's holdout? After witnessing upwards of 5,000 holdouts, I feel that it gets serious the week of the first regular season game.

3) Is anyone excited about the fact that the Falcons are on the verge of stringing together their first consecutive winning seasons in the history of the franchise? Yeah, me neither. Just thought I'd ask.

4) Any impact newcomers? Uh, no, unless you count quarterback Danny Kanell as an improvement over Steve DeBerg, should Chris Chandler happen to miss a game.

The Falcons can make the playoffs again: If workhorse running back Jamal Anderson returns to the fold and injured Byron Hanspard returns to form, the "Dirty Birds" should be a shoo-in for postseason. They could go far into postseason if quarterback Chris Chandler stays healthy and the defensive unit (eighth in the league) survives the loss of two backup ends and Cornelius Bennett. What greater incentive can you have than your city hosting the Super Bowl?

Pivotal games: The Minnesota Vikings Sept. 12 at Atlanta in a rematch of the NFC Championship game. This one will set the tone for the season. Dec. 12 at San Francisco. The winner should have the inside track for the NFC West title.

On the hot seat: Keith Brooking, the Falcons No. 1 draft pick in 1998, will be expected to have a strong impact this season. The Falcons allowed Cornelius Bennett, who lead the team in tackles last season, to go to the Colts for salary-cap reasons. Anderson will face increasing pressure the longer he holds out.

Up-an-comer: Patrick Kerney, the Falcons first-round draft pick out of Virginia, could see some playing time at defensive end with the losses of John Burrough and Antonio Edwards. Hanspard could have opportunities at running back. Proved early last year that he has breakaway ability.

Player Movement Unrestricted Free Agents Restricted Free Agents Players Lost Greg Bishop, G, from NYG Marty Carter, S, from Chi. Robert Kuberski, DT, from G.B. Gerald McBurrows, S, from Stl. Pellom McDaniels, LB, K.C. Ronnie Bradford, CB, re-signed Ronnie Harris, WR, re-signed Adam Schreiber, C, re-signed Ben Talley, LB, resigned Antonio Edwards, DE, Car. John Burrough, DE, Min. Devin Bush, S, Stl.

1999 Draft Picks Round Overall Pick Player Pos School 1 30 Patrick Kerney DE Virginia 2 42 Reginald Kelly TE Mississippi St. 3 92 Jeff Paulk FB Arizona St. 4 126 Johndale Carty S Utah State 5 164 Eugene Baker WR Kent 6 198 Jeff Kelly ILB Kansas St. 6 200 Eric Thigpen DB Iowa 7 237 Todd McClure C LSU 7 247 Rondel Melendez WR Eastern Kentucky