On the topic of the Falcons' offensive line...
How bad was this group? The Falcons used their first-round draft pick here and hired a new coach just to address the unit's poor play. Atlanta hopes rookie tackle Jake Matthews and new position coach Mike Tice, a former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, can fix a porous line that helped limit the Falcons to a league-worst 77 yards a game on the ground last year. They also signed guard Jon Asamoah from the Kansas City Chiefs to add toughness. Baker's health is the key here; if he can hold down the left side, Matthews can adjust to the NFL on the right side, where he figures to be above average from the start.
The upgrades along the line will go a long way to determining what type of season Steven Jackson has. Jackson pulled his hamstring last season, which was just one of the many injuries that plagued the Falcons in 2013. However, his FP/touch of 0.607 was not far off his career average of 0.617 prior to arriving in Atlanta. So while he was on the field, Jackson was pretty much himself. He’s no longer a 1st/2nd round pick, but with his ADP down in the 6th/7th round, he’s shaping up to be a good value as the clear RB1 for the Falcons.
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