PFF ranks the Falcons' roster the NFL's second-worst

According to Monson, the Falcons' top five players are Julio Jones, Desmond Trufant, Matt Ryan and -- believe it or not -- two offensive linemen, neither of whom is Jake Matthews, the sixth overall pick in the 2014 draft. (Monson identifies Jon Asamoah and Ryan Schraeder as Nos. 4 and 5 among Falcons.) But wait. It gets worse.

Matthews is listed -- alongside the likes of defensive end Tyson Jackson and fullback Patrick DeMarco -- as a Starter Who Should Be Upgraded. I understand that PFF can go only on its data, and in Matthews' case that data spans a rookie year in which he was hampered by a foot injury, but still: That seems a bit rough.

Enough quibbling. This roster ranking doesn't include rookies, so Vic Beasley doesn't figure, but the greater point remains: Even as the Falcons have two excellent players on offense and a rising star in Trufant, this would appear -- according to PFF, and not only according to PFF -- a roster that's thin in its midsection.

Writes Monson: "There's a worrying lack of quality elsewhere on the roster -- particularly on defense."

Which isn't to say that a rise from 6-10 to the top of the woeful NFC South can be dismissed out of hand. As noted, Football Outsiders -- another analytic web site -- projects the Falcons to go 10-6 . If Dan Quinn gets 10 wins out of the league's second-worst roster, should he not be coach of the year?