Defensive Line

Who's on the Roster?
#71 Bruce Adrine (6-4 280, 1st, Georgia)
#77 Charles Alston (6-5 276, 1st, Bowie State)
#75 Rod Coleman (6-2 285, 6th, East Carolina)
#98 Travis Hall (6-5 295, 10th, Brigham Young)
#93 Ray House (6-2 277, 1st, Arkansas)
#95 Ed Jasper (6-2 293, 8th, Texas A&M)
#61 Ellis Johnson (6-2 288, 10th, Florida)
#97 Patrick Kerney (6-5 273, 6th, Virginia)
#96 Antwan Lake (6-4 308, 2nd, West Virginia)
#94 Chad Lavalais (6-1 293, rookie, LSU)
#90 Will Overstreet (6-3 259, 3rd, Tennessee)
#92 Karon Riley (6-2 268, 4th, Minnesota)
#91 Brady Smith (6-5 274, 9th, Colorado State)
#99 Demetrin Veal (6-2 288, 2nd, Tennessee)

Starters: Coleman (under tackle), Jasper (nose tackle), Kerney (left end), Smith (right end)
Top Backups: Hall (left end), Johnson (under tackle), Lavalais (nose tackle), Overstreet (right end)

Newcomers: Adrine (free agent), Coleman (free agent/Raiders), Lake (free agent), Lavalais (5th round pick).

The team moves back to the 4-3 defensive alignment which will change their defensive line for the positive.

The Falcons personnel never really fit the 3-4 defense, particularly on the defensive line due to having more players that were smaller and quicker than bigger and stronger, the latter being the ideal for the 3-4. But now new head coach Jim Mora and defensive coordinator Ed Donatell return the unit to its ideal fit.

Defensive Ends

The defensive ends should benefit the most from this switch. Starter Patrick Kerney saw his sack totals drop in 2003. Kerney is a good pass rusher that has good quickness, size, and technique. He doesn't rank among the league's elite in terms of his edge speed, but he uses all his attributes to get at the quarterback. The best of them being his motor, thus putting Kerney in the category of a finesse pass rusher. Over the past two seasons, he's gone through a lot of fluctuations by adding and losing weight in order to fit into the defense at either linebacker or defensive end, but now he shouldn't have to worry about that. He will line up outside the offensive tackle, which will help him up his sacks this year. Last time, the defense was in the 4-3, Kerney recorded 11.5 sacks in 2001. He's not particularly strong against the run or at the point of attack, but his work in the 3-4 should have improved that. He'll man the left strongside end position, which is typically assigned to the best run stopper. But it should also allow the team to create the best matchups since the right tackle typically is the weaker pass protection for most teams, which should boost Kerney's effectiveness on third downs. He will benefit a lot from the defense's shift into a more aggressive mode allowing its ends to attack, rather than diagnose like they did the past two seasons.

The other end position will be handled by Brady Smith. Smith has fought through injuries and inconsistency during his days in Atlanta, but with Kerney he should benefit a lot from the team's switch back to the 4-3. Smith is a better run stopper than Kerney, but is not as good a pass rusher. He too is a finesse type that doesn't possess great edge speed, but an adequate amount to be a solid complementary pass rusher.

While both players will benefit from the system switch, they will also be greatly helped by a boosted rotation. Both tend to wear down as the season progresses, mostly due to the team lacking any viable reserves that they can successfully use to rest their starters.

This year, the Falcons hope they can find one in either Will Overstreet or Karon Riley. Both players entered the league as defensive ends, but were switched to outside linebacker in their 3-4 scheme. But now they'll be moving back to their natural positions, and the team hopes that they will be more successful.

Overstreet is always a looming question mark. He's always managed to impress during the summer, but has struggled through injuries as he's been limited to only six career games in two seasons due to lingering shoulder problems. All indications show that the shoulder should be healthy this summer, but those same indications have been made each of the past two years, and Overstreet's ability to stay healthy remains to be seen. He's a gifted edge pass rusher that is undersized versus the run. The experiment at linebacker failed because he struggled with coverage assignments and chasing ball carriers rather than quarterbacks. If Overstreet does show some durability this summer, he's likely to earn the team's situational pass rusher role, where he can come in on passing downs to put pressure on the quarterback. Most likely he'll spell Smith on the right side. But Overstreet's shoulder will be tested since he'll be taking on stronger and more physical blockers now that he is on the line.

Riley is a similar player to Overstreet. He's undersized versus the run, but has good edge speed and he too will be competing for a chance to play on passing downs. He's a bit bigger than Overstreet, but had similar struggles adjusting to the linebacker position. He has remained healthy, but has been unable to log significant time in the past due to those struggles adjusting. But at times, he's flashed good pass rush ability despite not recording a single sack in three career seasons. Riley is the lesser player, but has the edge over Overstreet because he is more likely to be healthy through preseason.

Also on the roster is end Ray House, who spent most of last year on the team's practice squad. House played under line coach Bill Johnson at Arkansas. House was a better fit for the 3-4 than the 4-3 because he has good size and plays more like an undersized defensive tackle. House lacks great edge speed for an end, but he could impress the coaching staff with his quickness. He plays the run fairly well too. The team may be able to find a way to use him as a rotation player at both end and tackle, which could help his stock. He's a longshot to make the roster, but will be vying for another chance to stick around on the practice squad for another year.

Also on the roster is end Charles Alston. Alston spent the spring in NFL Europe, which hurts his chances of making the roster since the coaching staff hasn't been able to monitor him themselves. But he was very productive in Europe, recording 5 sacks and 46 tackles. He has good quickness, that was a bit raw coming into the league last year as an undrafted free agent. But the coaching staff recognized his ability and added him to the practice squad late in the year. He has good quickness and edge speed. His abilities against the run are questionable. He too will be vying for a chance to be the team's third down pass rusher. Because of his extended stint in Europe, he's a longshot to earn that role, but he could continue to impress the coaching staff during the preseason, which would make them try to lock him up on the eight-man practice squad.

The team also has Bruce Adrine on the roster. Adrine is a bigger end that plays the run better than rushes the passer. He's played in the Arena Leagues the past two years, where he has played on both sides of the ball. It is unknown if that versatility has improved his game, but theoretically one could say he has a better insight into offensive blocking schemes which could work to his advantage. He's in a similar boat as House since he could make a good rotation player, but is not quick enough to earn a position as a situational pass rusher.

The team will be hard-pressed to keep either Adrine or House for their run-stopping abilities since the team also has tackle Travis Hall on the roster. Hall's greatest asset is his ability to play all four defensive line positions, and he will help boost the rotation at end because he can spell either Kerney or Smith on run downs.

If the team comes into problems with either Overstreet or Riley emerging as viable reserves, it could seek help via free agency. Also the team might try to find a way to use rookie Demorrio Williams as a situational pass rusher. As a senior, Williams played end and finished the season with 128 tackles and 11 sacks, so the team knows he can be quite a disruptor. He doesn't have the size to play end full-time, but Mora might be able to find ways on third downs to line either as an end or linebacker to keep offenses guessing. But Williams will only be an option if the team can't get help anywhere else.

Defensive Tackle

While there are questions abound at the end spots, particularly on the bench, the defensive tackle position seems pretty solid. Mora is emphasizing disruption and quickness rather than size at the position, and he's going to get it. Not a single tackle on the roster is a better run stopper than pass rusher.

Newcomer Rod Coleman is the epitamy of that philosophy. Coleman entered the league as a 245-pound linebacker, and over time has bulked up into a 265-pound rush end, and now weighs 285 in the middle. He has good pass rush ability and quickness is the ultimate disruptor. Coleman's problems come from his inability to stop the run and the fact that he wears down when not part of a proper rotation. In Oakland, as a situational player in 2002, he recorded 11 sacks. As a full-time starter this past year, his totals slipped to 5.5. But even if Coleman is the main starter, he'll be helped by a solid group of players to help keep him fresh.

The main centerpiece of the rotation outside Coleman is Ed Jasper. Jasper was miscast at nose tackle the past two years in the 3-4 defense, but will continue to play that same position in the 4-3. But it's only the same in name and alignment rather than duty. He will line up over the center and should face significantly less double teams. He won't be responsible will eating up space, rather the team wants him to get upfield. Jasper is good at that and has good quickness and speed to be the same type of disruptor that Coleman is. Jasper has yet to be really productive, but there is high hope for this year. In 2001, as a rotational player, he recorded 4.5 sacks, and the team thinks that number will improve now that he is a full-time starter. But Jasper has had durability issues and he will wear down as a season progresses. But again, a good rotation can keep him fresh.

The rotation will benefit greatly by the return of Ellis Johnson. Johnson is another pass rusher just like Coleman. Johnson in fact, maybe the team's best defensive tackle on the roster. But he's stayed away from mini-camps and is threatening to hold out of training camp due to being upset over his contract situation. But the team too is disgruntled, and is unlikely to settle the matter in the way that Johnson prefers. Instead, the team will take a hard line approach with him. If Johnson returns, then they'll accept him back. If not, then they won't lose any sleep over him. But the return of Johnson would greatly help the defense. Johnson is not a good run stopper, but is adequate there. He's best working as a situational pass rusher, as he's shown the past two years with 15 combined sacks as Jasper's backup at nose tackle. He was never a good fit for that defense, but would be a perfect fit in Mora's new disruptive 4-3 alignment. Even if Johnson returns, he's unlikely to start, but as the season progresses and he gets into better playing shape, he could log a significant amount of more time. But the team is unlikely to break to Johnson's demands of a new contract. Every year he's been in Atlanta has been believed to be his last and the team is not going to reward a player, no matter how good his play is, if they are unsure he'll even play for them the following year.

Travis Hall is the other piece to the rotational puzzle. Hall has seen his playing time and production slip a bit over recent years. Much of it has been due to age, but he showed something last year with 5.5 sacks as a reserve, his best totals since 1997. Hall's versatility to play either nose or under tackle helps a lot. If Johnson returns, he'll likely be the first nose tackle off the bench. If not, then he'll split most of his time at under tackle behind Coleman. Hall is a capable run stopper and has some quickness to put pressure on the pass rusher. He's unlikely to rack up big totals this year in the sack department due to the presence of other better pass rushers, but he should definitely help the unit.

The team is looking for some early production from rookie Chad Lavalais. Lavalais will play nose tackle and could log significant time if Johnson is not back. Lavalais is a disruptive player that is pretty good against the run. The team is not expecting a huge contribution as a rookie, but hopes that Lavalais can log significant time in the rotation to keep its key personnel fresh. Lavalais will have to get back into shape, as he added 15 pounds between the end of his senior season and the draft, and it was one of the reasons his stock slipped so much. He likely won't be in great shape when camp starts, but by the end of it, he should be in ideal shape. In the near future, the team could see Lavalais as a starter, and they will be monitoring him closely this summer.

Slotted behind Lavalais at the nose positions are Demetrin Veal and Antwan Lake. Veal didn't play much last year and was miscast in the 3-4 due to lack of size. But he's a disruptive player that if he can make a big splash during the preseason, might be able to lock up a roster position. He's not particularly strong against the run, but he's improving in that area and has been adding both quickness and strength.

Lake has played both end and tackle, and that versatility could help him make the roster. He spent 2002 as a backup for the Detroits Lions, but sat out last season. He has good size, strength, and athleticism but is still raw as a pass rusher. He doesn't possess great speed or burst. But his potential to be a utility player like Hall helps his chances of making the roster. But both he and Veal are more likely to be practice squad candidates than actually on the roster. Their chances drop even more if Johnson returns.

Salary Cap Sense

Hall is the highest paid lineman on the unit despite being a reserve. His $3.7 million cap hit might be tough to swallow, particularly if young players at end and tackle emerge. The team would save $750,000 if they cut him. If Johnson is cut, the team could purge $1.5 million from their salary cap this year. Riley's release will bring savings of $628,000 while Overstreet's will only bring $380,000.

Roster Projection

1. Kerney (starter)
2. Smith (starter)
3. Coleman (starter)
4. Jasper (starter)
5. Hall (backup)
6. Riley (backup)
7. Overstreet (backup)
8. Lavalais (backup)
9. Alston (practice squad)
10. Veal (practice squad)
11. Johnson (cut)
12. House (cut)
13. Adrine (cut)
14. Lake (cut)