Last season the Altanta Falcons, led by Michael Turner and Matt Ryan, shocked the NFL world as they would finish the season 11-5 and earn themselves a playoff berth. No one outside of the Falcons locker room thought that they’d have a winning record, let alone a playoff berth but that’s what happened. Now inquiring minds wonder, are the Falcons legit or was last season merely a fluke, although a feel-good story. There is now pressure on Roddy White, Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and company to match last season’s effort and possibly even exceed what was done last season. There are those who now expect the Falcons to be contenders for a Super Bowl berth and if the Arizona Cardinals showed us anything, it’s that no matter what the team name on the front of your jersey is or no matter how good others think you are the Super Bowl is always a realistic possibility.

To give Matt Ryan another target in the passing game, the Falcons acquired tight end Tony Gonzalez in the off-season hoping he’d not only bring his ability to make plays, but his veteran leadership as well. There are some who question how much is left in the tank for Gonzalez, but to be fair to him, the last couple of seasons in Kansas City wasn’t anything special as they running game struggled, the offensive line struggled, and the quarterback position was never solved. He has a chance to be re-born in Atlanta with a Falcons team who hopes to be flying high this season.