...and Matt Ryan, and Mike Mularkey and Thomas Dmitroff and Brian VanGorder and Michael Turner and every other Atlanta Falcon!

Did anyone, even in their wildest dreams, have the Falcons 6-3 at this stage of the season? I honestly thought a good season for the Falcons would be 6 wins and yet here we are with a realistic chance to get a playoff wildcard.

So, here begins the official I love Mike Smith thread!

I have to agree that I am very impressed with the Falcons. Cleaning house and bringing in young players who want to play has payed off for them. I was skeptical of Matt Ryan and Sam Baker coming out of college, but they have proved me wrong. When they played the Bears, Ryan looked like a 10 year pro and even won the game for them.

Ditto! And if I remember correctly I said double digit wins with this schedule is reasonable... I remember I got yelled at by bipolarboy for syaing it, btu I was right

You were also the guy who didnt want Matt Ryan!

There were a lot of people who didn't "want" Matt Ryan and would have preferred Glenn Dorsey, I myself included. But the moment our team drafted him, I started to support him and have now grown to love him.

This team has certainly far exceeded my expectations so far. There were many pundits, myself included, who didn't think they'd win six games all year, much less in their first nine attempts.

Where to begin?

Arthur Blank reassigned Rich McKay, hired Thomas Dimitroff, and then got the hell out of Dimitroff's way. Good start.

Dimitroff hired Mike Smith, and left Smith alone as he hired his coaching staff. Another good step.

Smith hired a bunch of veteran assistants with a history of success and/or previous head coaching experience. Keeps getting better.

That staff then establishes a culture of respect and communication, the complete opposite of the Petrino regime. Couldn't hurt.

Finally, that staff and Dimitroff worked together to shape a roster of players who a) fit the offensive and defensive systems, brought strong character to a much-maligned franchise, and c) brought youth, potential, health, and a more cap-friendly bunch of contracts to the team.

Maybe we should have all seen this coming, huh?

Think about it. Look at the draft picks: Ryan has at least lived up to expectations, if not exceeded them. Sam Baker (when healthy) has been the pass protector we all expected and has been better than anticipated as a run blocker. Curtis Lofton hasn't been the second coming of Patrick Willis, but he's a legitimate starting MLB in the National Football League. Harry Douglas has become the # 3 WR and # 1 PR. Chevis Jackson has been the nickel or dime CB all season and has been solid. Thomas DeCoud's lack of production, especially on special teams, has been mystifying. Robert James was lost for the year to injury. Kroy Biermann has been solid on ST and has seen action on defense. Thomas Brown was also lost for the year to injury, but he was impressing up until that point. Wilrey Fontenot made it up to the last round of cuts. Nobody expected much from Keith Zinger, anyway.

In free agency, trades, and daring depth chart decisions, things have been similarly positive. Michael Turner's lived up to the billing at RB. Ben Hartsock has blocked well at TE, as has Justin Peelle, who has also been surprisingly effective at TE. Harvey Dahl and Tyson Clabo have panned out at RG and RT, respectively. Grady Jackson has held the point at NT. Brent Grimes held his own at CB until injuries set him back, and Domonique Foxworth has more than picked up the slack in his absence. Erik Coleman has come on of late at FS. Jason Elam has been all but perfect at PK.

The playoffs are a legitimate aspiration at this point, especially when you consider how apathetic many supposedly "elite" teams in the NFC have been playing this year. Only the Giants have really been meeting or exceeding expectations. Dallas? Philly? Washington? Green Bay? Minnesota? New Orleans? Tampa? Carolina? Seattle? Arizona? Do any of these teams make you think "Oh, there's no way we can beat them?"

I didn't think so.

The Falcons do have holes, though. A TE who's a legitimate threat in the passing game would be nice. Some depth at FB. A little more beef on the OL, especially at C. DT is a major concern to me. WLB needs to be upgraded. Both CB and S needs to get better in pass defense.

Any comments?

I was pretty sure Smith would improve the defense, I thought the running game would bounce back, but the pass protection and how that's allowed Ryan to flourish THAT'S a shock to me.