If Matt Ryan threw for 3,705 yards and 28 touchdowns without a second wide receiver threat, then what’s he going to do with Julio Jones in his arsenal? The Falcons made a huge splash in the 2011 NFL Draft, ponying up a ton of picks to draft Jones with the sixth overall choice. He’ll fill in opposite Roddy White and be a part of an incredible-looking offense in Atlanta.

And it was that trade that set expectations for the Falcons higher than they’ve ever been. A season after going 13-3 and landing the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff picture, Fantasy owners expect not just a repeat of big stats from the Falcons’ skill-position players, but improvement. With White posting career highs in catches (115) and yards (1,389) to go with 10 scores, Michael Turner rumbling for double-digit touchdowns for the third straight year in Atlanta, and career-best numbers across the board for Ryan, improvement is going to be tough to come by.

But the Falcons worked on it. While other players couldn’t organize team workouts with their mates, Ryan got his teammates — including Jones — together in Atlanta and held some training sessions. Time will tell if they serve the team well, but at the very least it built chemistry and camaraderie while getting Jones, a key cog in the offense, a chance to get his feet wet with his new quarterback.

The Falcons’ coaching staff more or less remains intact (quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave is gone). Jones was a healthy addition, as was fellow rookie rusher Jacquizz Rodgers, and for now there doesn’t seem to be any major subtractions from the offense. With a schedule that favors the dome-loving team quite a bit, those lofty expectations the Falcons have built for themselves are attainable.

Impact rookie … Julio Jones, WR

When Reggie Wayne and Torry Holt entered the league paired with big-time receivers, it took them a little bit of time to get acclimated to the speed of the game. Wayne didn’t score in his rookie season and collected just four touchdowns in his second year; Holt sped out to a faster start but still had just less than 800 yards with six scores as a rookie. The same kind of slow start happened to recent first-round rookies like Dez Bryant, Jeremy Maclin and Santonio Holmes. Really, the last first-round rookie receiver who paired with a veteran and had a lights-out campaign was Randy Moss back in 1998. Sure, there have been other 1,000-yard rookie wideouts, but they all came into the league with no one else on the roster to threaten their precious targets. Jones not only must fight for balls opposite White, but tight end Tony Gonzalez will also be an option for the Falcons’ pass attack. Jones, who became familiar with the Falcons’ offense quickly because it was a lot like what he ran at Alabama, should be a candidate for a good first season, but 1,000 yards and anything more than, say, seven touchdowns would be a huge shock. Remember that when you think about drafting Jones — a bona fide low-end No. 3 Fantasy option — in your league.

Keeper-league target … Jacquizz Rodgers, RB

Michael Turner has the starting job on lockdown … so long as he’s healthy. Back in 2009 Turner was coming off of a 394-carry season (including the playoffs) and ran into ankle problems after eight and a half games. Last year Turner totaled 344 carries, and chances are the Falcons won’t grind Turner for 20 touches a game every single week. Enter Rodgers, a terrific change-of-pace option with quick-twitch moves and speed. He’ll step into the role Jerious Norwood couldn’t stay healthy enough to play and could get in the mix if Turner slows down in 2011.

Bounce-back candidate … Tony Gonzalez, TE

It’s amazing how Gonzalez has just fallen and fallen in Fantasy drafts I’ve been in this summer. Maybe no one wants him because he’s not the shiny new kid on the block like Rob Gronkowski or Jimmy Graham. Maybe everyone just thinks he’s an old man who can’t get it done anymore. But Gonzo has finished as a Top 10 Fantasy tight end in each of his two seasons in Atlanta, and now he might be the guy to ultimately benefit from Jones coming to town. There will definitely be opportunities for Gonzalez that he didn’t have before because safeties can’t shadow him with two towering and speedy receivers along the outside. Tack on his red-zone involvement and Gonzalez is a sensational starter for shrewd owners who spend a middle- to late-round pick on him.

Schedule breakdown

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17
@CHI	PHI	@TB	@SEA	GB	CAR	@DET	bye	@IND	NO	TEN	MIN	@HOU	@CAR	JAC	@NO	TB

If the Falcons bomb out in 2011, they can’t blame the schedule. If they’re not up against a tough opponent, chances are they’re at least playing indoors as 12 of 16 games will be under a roof. Their toughest road game (at Chicago) kicks off the season, and at no point will Turner face a shut-down run defense after that first game. Remember all those expectations we talked about? The schedule is a big reason for them, and the schedule should be a key factor in some big statistics, too.

Training camp topics

How soon will Jones jell? While the offense he was in at Alabama is comparable to what he’ll be in with the Falcons, and while he did spend a good amount of time this offseason running and catching passes from Matt Ryan, the fact remains that he went months after the draft without coaching and is probably behind in his development. Push comes to shove, that might not be a factor past the midpoint of the season, but obviously as soon as Jones gets in gear this offense might be on the level of the Packers from 2010: nearly unstoppable.

Turner enters the 2011 season healthy but there’s some chatter that he won’t be on the field as much compared to previous years. The Falcons know they have to limit his touches so he doesn’t break down. To that end, they drafted Jacquizz Rodgers and should retain Jason Snelling. That provides not only great depth but also some opportunities to use younger, fresher backs at different stages throughout a game. Turner’s done nothing to lose the starting job and should still be the main back to cash in from the goal line, so really the only strikes against Turner for Fantasy owners shopping for an early round running back are that he doesn’t catch many passes and could get banged up as he did in ’09. Really, these aren’t issues that owners should toss and turn over — or so we’ve been led to believe based on Turner’s track record.

Defensively, the big question is whether head coach Mike Smith’s crew can finally slam down on the pass. The Falcons were adept against the run, giving up just nine touchdowns on the ground all of last season, but the pass defense gave up some big plays. Still, the 23 passing touchdowns allowed vs. the 22 interceptions the team had were impressive. This could go either way — the Falcons might have to throw to keep up with their opponents throwing on them, or their opponents will have to throw to keep up with Matt Ryan. Either way, chances are they’ll still get shelled through the air.

Injury update

Jerious Norwood (knee; questionable for the start of training camp) … Kerry Meier (knee; questionable for the start of training camp).

Stay in touch with the most passionate Fantasy staff in the business by following us via Twitter . You can also follow Dave at @daverichard . Do you have a question or a comment for our Fantasy staff? Drop us a line at dmfantasyfootball@cbs.com .

ATLANTA, Ga. — Paul Ryczek was drafted out of Virginia by the Atlanta Falcons in 1974, when the Peachtree Road Race was in its infancy.  Nevertheless, something about it intrigued him, and he ran his first race in 1977.

“The crowd in the NFL was all kind of big lugs, so I thought, I’ll be something different, I’ll be a runner”.  Ryczek was a center, who played behind Jeff VanNote, so there weren’t many snaps to be had.  But he and wife Carol knew they’d found a home, and they raised a family in Roswell.

Now, he walks the 6.2 mile Peachtree route.  Cycling is an exercise regimen that he enjoys as well, and a recent ride through the Rockie mountains with about 1500 others made him appreicate the Atlanta Track Club and those who make the Peachtree the well oiled machine it’s become.

“Riders were wondering when they reached a certain point, if they were going to be met by the proper people with the right resources.  It was just a little chaos”.

He’s looking forward to Monday, and another well organized event with about 60 thousand others.

 

ATLANTA, Ga. — Paul Ryczek was drafted out of Virginia by the Atlanta Falcons in 1974, when the Peachtree Road Race was in its infancy.  Nevertheless, something about it intrigued him, and he ran his first race in 1977.

“The crowd in the NFL was all kind of big lugs, so I thought, I’ll be something different, I’ll be a runner”.  Ryczek was a center, who played behind Jeff VanNote, so there weren’t many snaps to be had.  But he and wife Carol knew they’d found a home, and they raised a family in Roswell.

Now, he walks the 6.2 mile Peachtree route.  Cycling is an exercise regimen that he enjoys as well, and a recent ride through the Rockie mountains with about 1500 others made him appreicate the Atlanta Track Club and those who make the Peachtree the well oiled machine it’s become.

“Riders were wondering when they reached a certain point, if they were going to be met by the proper people with the right resources.  It was just a little chaos”.

He’s looking forward to Monday, and another well organized event with about 60 thousand others.

 

By Johnny Jackson
jjackson@henryherald.com

Hard work has paid off for Stockbridge resident, Brandon Ruth, now awaiting marching orders to begin work as an event marketing assistant with the Atlanta Falcons, whenever the 2011 National Football League season begins.

“I see him doing really well in the sports and entertainment industry,” said Hamzah Ahmad, who hired the recent college graduate this past spring.

Ahmad, the senior event marketing coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, said he had worked with Ruth some before he hired him. The now 21-year-old Ruth would make the three-hour drive from the University of South Carolina, in Columbia, S. C., to participate in sports-event planning and management with some of Atlanta’s professional sports teams.

“Brandon’s helped me out before on game day,” Ahmad said. “He’s very reliable and very professional about everything he did. He’s very mature and professional. He’s got a great personality to be successful in the sports and entertainment field.”

An anxious Ruth reflected on his path to his first career job, which, while unique in some ways, is also similar in others to the journeys of many other job-seeking college graduates.

Ruth, the son of Patricia Hazel and Stanley Ruth, said he moved to metro Atlanta in 1996, from Elizabeth, N.J., by way of Dayton, Ohio. Then a curious 6-year-old, he said he was spellbound by the 1996 Olympics and its athletes.

“When you are a kid, you always have the goals of doing something big and great,” he said. “Being able to see the Olympics upfront as a kid, and being able to see all the passion and desire in the athletes, you want to feel that.”

Ruth joined his high school basketball team at Dutchtown High School, in Hampton. He was a point guard, from his sophomore year to his senior year. He also ran cross country in his sophomore and junior years. He said he lettered in both sports. “Ever since I was a kid, I was always the kid playing basketball, going to Falcons games with my dad,” Ruth said. “My mom is a diehard Falcons fan.

“But, when I learned I couldn’t be a superstar athlete, after graduating from Dutchtown [in 2007], I knew I still wanted to be around sports,” he continued. “That’s why I majored in sport and entertainment management. It basically plays right into what I wanted.”

Ruth received top honors during the May 14 commencement ceremonies at the University of South Carolina. South Carolina’s director of Internal News and Communications, Margaret Lamb, affirmed that he graduated summa cum laude.

Ruth said he earned a 3.96 grade point average during his time at the university, and was partly inspired by his falling short of earning top honors as a member of the first graduating class at his former high school. “When I graduated from Dutchtown, one of my goals was to be in the top 10 percent,” said Ruth. “That didn’t happen. When I left and went to South Carolina, I wanted to prove that I could do it.”

He said he was not offered college scholarships, which presented financial challenges for him as an entering freshman at South Carolina, paying out-of-state tuition and fees. He said the first semester of his college experience was paid by his mother, out of pocket.

“I promised my mom that I would do everything in my power, so that she wouldn’t have to pay,” he said. He ended up receiving a Dan Reeves Memorial Scholarship/ Dan Reeves Sport Administration Scholarship, following his first semester. The scholarship paid $1,000 per semester, and reduced his tuition from out-of-state costs, to in-state costs.

“Back in high school, I was very competitive,” he said. “My goal was to win every race. I expected to win every game. I never wanted to fail. That’s probably the biggest thing I learned through sports. I still have that competitive streak, it’s just moved from the basketball court into the office and into the classroom.”

Ruth helped make ends meet as an intramural sports supervisor at South Carolina. “I was just looking for something to do, someplace to work,” he explained. “I was lucky enough to be at the gym one day, and I saw a flyer for intramural sports.”

Ruth acknowledged that some of his friends and family members were surprised to learn about his successes while away at college. “I think they were proud,” he said. “They were going to be proud of me regardless, but I don’t think they knew of the motivation that I had to do what I did. And if I could do it all over again, I would go to South Carolina.”

The Atlanta Falcon’s first pre-season game is scheduled for Aug. 12, and Ruth plans to be on the football field. “That’s where my heart is,” he said. “That’s where my desire is.”

Chatham, VA – Few people would know better than NFL trainers how intense an offseason workout program can be.

Two of the Atlanta Falcons trainers recently visited with physical therapist Gray Cook in Chatham, and shared some wisdom for area athletes, especially those who might be training for high school football.

“I would make sure there’s a plan in place to hit all the areas that you’re gong to be demanded to perform in once the season or two-a-days starts,” Director of Athletic Performance Jeff Fish said.

“If you do hurt your ankle don’t try to fight through it, you might make it worse. Try to see either a local physician or local trainer — just at least get the right advice — when to ice, when to do the right things. You don’t want that problem to become worse, because that’s when you’re not going to make any gains during the summer,” Head Trainer Marty Lauzon added.