Falcons need to spice up their offense

FLOWERY BRANCH -- The Falcons' offense is designed by offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey to be a run-first power attack.

The origins of the scheme are derived from the Pittsburgh Steelers' system that he played in and coached in, one that has helped carry the Steelers to six Super Bowl titles since the mid-1970s.

Everything starts with the Falcons' ability to establish their ground game. Once the run is established, play-action fakes open up the passing game.

With running back Michael Turner turning in another Pro Bowl season -- in which he led the NFL with 334 carries, gained 1,371 yards and scored 12 touchdowns -- the offense hummed along as the team won 13 games, captured the NFC South title and finished fifth in the league in scoring, at 25.9 points per game.

In 2010, quarterback Matt Ryan blossomed into a Pro Bowler. He had a franchise-record 357 completions, threw 28 touchdowns and nine interceptions and ranked 11th in the league with a passer rating of 91.

The passing attack leaned heavily on wide receiver Roddy White, who led the NFL with 115 catches and was absolutely dazzling in most games.

The receiving unit received some good news for next season when tight end Tony Gonzalez, a projected Hall of Famer, announced he was returning. He caught 70 passes for 656 yards and six touchdowns.

However, in 2011 the team must improve both the rushing and passing attacks, a task made more difficult by what figures to be a revamped offensive line and the integration of a new quarterbacks coach.

While Turner had a big season, the team averaged only 3.8 yards per carry, which was 25th in the league. The unit clearly missed having a change-of-pace backup such as Jerious Norwood. Defenses didn't have to change much for Jason Snelling, a power runner in the same mold of Turner.

Fullback Ovie Mughelli, who's set to play in his first Pro Bowl, led the way for Turner as a lead blocker. Backup running backs Antone Smith and Gartrell Johnson combined for only 11 carries.

"I've always thought of Ovie as one of the best fullbacks in the league," Mularkey said.

The Falcons will look to the draft and possibly free agency to spice up the wide receiving corps. When defenses heavily focused on White, Michael Jenkins and Harry Douglas did not make enough plays.

Douglas, who was coming back from a knee injury that caused him to miss the 2009 season, had 22 catches, one less than in his 2008 rookie season.

By contrast, in the divisional playoff loss to Green Bay, as the Falcons focused on stopping their top wide receiver Greg Jennings, teammates Jordy Nelson and James Jones came up with big catches.

Against the Packers, the Falcons found themselves in a shootout and couldn't keep up or dig out of a massive hole. In 2011, Mularkey may elect to spice up the passing attack by operating more from the no-huddle attack, throwing deep more often and by working on the screen and quick passing game.

The offseason personnel focus will be on the offensive line, a unit that has remained intact for much of the past three seasons.

Pro Bowl right tackle Tyson Clabo, right guard Harvey Dahl and left guard Justin Blalock are all set to become free agents. The team drafted three linemen -- tackle Garrett Reynolds, guard Mike Johnson and center/guard Joe Hawley -- in the past two drafts and have been developing Jose Valdez on the practice squad over the past two seasons.

"We are very mindful of what we are doing along our offensive line," general manager Thomas Dimitroff said.

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Falcons' offseason

We take a look at the areas the Falcons will need to improve upon in order to advance further in the NFL playoffs next season.

Today: Offense