Falcons magical 2008 season comes to a dissappointing end

I've gotta say this. I'm disappointed but I'm not discouraged. The Falcons lost to the Arizona Cardinals in the wild card round of the NFL Playoffs 30-24. It was a game where they stared off slow, came back to take the lead in the second half and made too many mistakes at the end. Were the Cardinals the better team? On Saturday yes. But don't get it twisted, the Falcons exceeded expectations because nobody (and I do mean nobody) expected this team to accomplished what they did in 2008.

From Matt Ryan winning Offensive Rookie of the Year to Mike Smith winning NFL Coach of the Year, this team is built to win for many seasons to come. It's not like the 1998 Super Bowl season where the team was built around veterans and their only rookie that got a good amount of playing time is Keith Brooking. Or in 2002 or 2004 where the team would do well depending on how Michael Vick would do. What this team accomplished with so many young players is amazing and could make a run at the big game within the next three years. I think the only problem is that their schedule for next year is a daunting one to say the least. They will of course play Carolina, Tampa Bay and New Orleans at home and on the road, but the will face the NFC East opponents and the AFC opponents as well. That means that they will have to face Philadelphia, Dallas, New York Giants the Jets, New England and Miami. They will also have to face the Chicago Bears again at the Georgia Dome and will be back on the west coast to take on the San Fransisco 49ers.

If they are able to win at least 10 games in 2009, there is no reason that they can't reach the Super Bowl. This will be a busy offseason for Mike Smith and Thomas Dimtroff as they will evaluate the roster and see who they will keep and who they need to let go. Also Michael Vick will get out of Jail in July and if they can trade the rights to him and get a quality player, that would be beneficial to the franchise. But I can't wait for the 2009 season and I know that the players are looking forward to it as well because they want to get that bad taste of Arizona out of their mouths.