Surprises in 2012 preseason

By Dave Brown | dave@nflen.com

Through two weeks of the NFL preseason, there have been lots of stories hitting the internet. I have been taking these stories in, and working hard in the background to do something not done before on the internet.

What I have come up with is the listing of weekly team statistics. Sure, that has been done before, but the sites that keep track of these stats overwrite the previous week. By the end of this season, I will have the statistics for all 17 weeks for all 32 teams in total offense, passing offense, rushing offense, total defense, passing defense, and rushing defense.

These stats will also be in sortable tables, also something new here at NFL-EN.

Back in June, I wrote an article on the Detroit Lions defense, and how I thought they could be a pleasant surprise in 2012 for Lions fans. The basis of that article was the Lions defense from 2011, and where they were ranked before injuries hit the secondary.

I rapidly found out that information I needed for this article wasn't there. Where were the Lions ranked in passing defense in week two? Passing yards allowed per game?

Well, that is going to get corrected this season.

While keeping track of the statistics for this preseason, one thing that jumped out at me was the Detroit Lions and the Maurice Jones-Drew story.

Maurice Jones-Drew lead the NFL in rushing last season, and while he has two years remaining on his contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, is currently holding out for a bigger contract. He has indicated that he is open to a trade.

Lions fans jumped all over this news.

After an off-season that lead to a two game suspension for Lions running back Mikel Leshoure to start the season, and with Jahvid Best not yet cleared for contact, I can understand where the fans are coming from with their opinions.

This is a Lions team that finished 29th in average yards per carry, 29th in total rushing yards and rushing yards per game, and 31st in rushing attempts in the 2011 regular season.

Ryan getting stronger hoping to take Atlanta deeper in the playoffs

by Ryan Ebert

The NFL has become a league where the quarterback has to throw just about everywhere on the field.  Next year the Atlanta Falcons are to add more deep passes into their offense which means Matt Ryan will be heading to the gym and getting stronger.

"I've been working hard on that and getting with (director of athletic performance) Jeff Fish now that we're back to make sure that I'm ready to go," Ryan told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "(I'm) ready to be strong in December and January. I want to be able to play my best football at that time. That's one of the things I've tried to figure out and analyze myself; how do I get myself to be playing my very best, when your very best is needed. I'm still working on getting there."

Though Falcons head coach Mike Smith has established a run-first system in Atlanta, he will be leaning a bit and trusting in his new offensive coordinator, former Jaguars offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, knowledge of the vertical passing game.  Back in 2007, Mike Smith and Dirk Koetter worked together back in Jacksonville when Smith was the defensive coordinator for the Jaguars.

The offense should work better in Atlanta than it did with Jacksonville with the receivers Ryan has to throw to: Roddy White, Julio Jones, Tony Gonzales, Harry Douglas, and even running back Michael Turner who caught 17 passes for 168 yards."It's weight training, getting in there and training with weights," Ryan said. "It's learning to condition myself in the way that we play football and in a way that is productive to how we are playing football."

Ryan has thrown for more than 3,000 yards in three of his four seasons in the NFL, including a franchise-record 4,177 yards with 29 touchdowns.  In 2009 he fell short throwing for 2,916 yards, but because of a turf toe injury, he missed two games.

"It's making a bigger commitment to it and taking care of your body in a better way than I have in the past," Ryan said. "That is something that is important to me." 

Falcons fans not to be worried about quiet offseason

by Ryan Ebert

The Atlanta Falcons haven't made any big news this offseason, and have only signed LB Lofa Tatupu and G Vince Manuwai. Falcons owner Arthur Blank said in a statement "my team is on the field."

"I went back and studied this over a long period of time in the NFL and studied the great teams," Blank said. "Consistency is very important in terms of leadership with coaches and players. The great teams, what they have done is they've kept their head coaches for a longer period of time, kept their general managers for a longer period of time and they identified early enough their core players and they extended them. The football staff has done a great job of identifying the players that can help us and keep them."

The players Atlanta has resigned are DE John Abraham, RB Jason Snelling, and 35-year old C Todd McClure.

Head coach Mike Smith entering his fifth season with in Atlanta will be tested with two new coordinators as Dirk Koetter will take charge of the offense, and Mike Nolan to take charge of the defense.

Smith told ESPN.com the team pored over the roster to craft the offense for 2012: "We've spent a lot of time identifying the strengths and weakness of all our guys and what they do well and what they don't do well, and we want to put together an offense that accentuates their strengths."

The team is only one season removed from it's NFC South crown. Though they've had three playoff losses in four seasons which some see as missing talent in some positions. Arthur Blank says, "It's a matter of who is delivering the message and whether the players are hearing it or not."