1. Defensive end Ray Edwards was added in free agency to help John Abraham terrorize quarterbacks. Edwards had 20.5 sacks over the past two seasons, including playoff games.
2. The Falcons are still sorting through candidates at the nickel-back position. They signed Kelvin Hayden on Thursday to enter the competition with Dominique Franks and Christopher Owens.
3. The linebacker unit will look different with Sean Weatherspoon at weakside, Curtis Lofton in the middle and Stephen Nicholas at strongside. Veteran Mike Peterson will be the top backup, while Spencer Adkins and Akeem Dent will be expected to contribute on special teams.
4. Safety James Sanders' leadership has been coveted by general manager Thomas Dimitroff since 2008. The newcomer will provide a veteran presence in the meeting room and back up safeties Thomas DeCoud and William Moore.
5. The unit is still searching for its personality in passing situations. Will these guys sit back in zone and keep things in front of them or will they blitz to create pressure? If Edwards and Abraham can get to the quarterback, a steady dose of zone is an option.
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