Falcons were 28th in pass yards a season ago

Of course, before each season, hope springs eternal and somesuch other cliches about how things can go right for nearly any NFL team under the correct set of circumstances. And, indeed, the Falcons are one of those teams that can fare very well, provided everything falls into place for them. But such calculated assessments don't do well with the ticket-buying public.

Though the new Atlanta Falcons jerseys (28/1 Super Bowl odds) missed the playoffs, they managed to post a winning season in consecutive years for the first time in team history. Here is Atlanta's 2010 training camp outlook.

After a ridiculous 2008 season (1,699 rush yards, 17 touchdowns), Michael Turner fell off in 2009 as he dealt with injuries. Word on the street is he's lost considerable weight and is poised for a return to glory. Matt Ryan enters his third year at quarterback and may be ready for a jump to the next level.

If anything needs a fix, it's the pass defense; the Falcons were 28th in pass yards a season ago. Generating a stronger pass rush should be a priority this year, as Atlanta managed just 28 sacks last season. Unfortunately, very little was done to correct the defense in the offseason Jamaal Anderson and not much could change in 2010.

As you can probably tell, we're impressed with this ad. SI's Jimmy Traina is too, saying he's "ready to become a Falcons fan" after seeing the video. While we wouldn't go that far, it's a fine piece of advertising, and if we were Falcons jerseys fans, we'd definitely be ready to run through a wall.