<p>ATLANTA FALCONS (5-11)</p><p>LAST YEAR: Failed to record consecutive winning seasons for the 38th straight year after star quarterback Michael Vick broke his right leg in a preseason game. The team was 1-7 at the halfway point, due in part to a horrendous defense that allowed a franchise-record 6,108 yards and finished last in five key NFL categories. Owner Arthur Blank fired coach Dan Reeves on Dec. 9, hired general manager Rich McKay on Dec. 15 and then announced Jim Mora as Reeves' replacement Jan. 8.</p><p>NEWCOMERS: CB DeAngelo Hall, CB Jason Webster, DT Rod Coleman, WR Michael Jenkins, WR Dez White, QB Matt Schaub.</p><p>PLAYERS TO WATCH: Vick led the team to a 3-1 finish as a starter last year, but injuries prevented him and RB Warrick Dunn _ Atlanta's top two rushers in 2002 _ from playing a game together. Peerless Price is poised for a breakout year after switching from wide receiver to flanker, a move that lessens the number of matchups he'll have with cornerbacks. Bruised knees limited the preseason availability of tight end Alge Crumpler, but the Pro Bowl selection should be ready for the Sept. 12 season opener at San Francisco. New offensive coordinator Greg Knapp must find ways to get the ball into the hands of T.J. Duckett, Dunn's backup. Keith Brooking, a three-time Pro Bowler, moves to outside linebacker and becomes a bigger threat to blitz. Defensive end Patrick Kerney won't face so many double-teams after Mora scrapped the 3-4 in favor of a conventional 4-3. Hall has potential to shut down the left side of the field, but the team expects him to have rookie growing pains. He is capable of changing games as a punt returner, too.</p><p>THEY MISS: Last year's NFL leader in sacks by interior linemen, defensive tackle Ellis Johnson is unoffically retired, but could return if the Falcons continue to suffer injuries at his position.</p><p>CAMP DISAPPOINTMENTS: A third-round pick in 2002, defensive end Will Overstreet faces season-ending shoulder surgery for the third straight year, and his career is in jeopardy. Overstreet's setback leaves converted outside linebacker Karon Riley as the primary backup to starter Brady Smith. New offensive line coach Alex Gibbs demoted new starting left guard Eric Beverly because of a pulled hamstring, so the team desperately tried to make him a blocking tight end after Hunter Goodwin, who signed as a free agent from Minnesota, suddenly retired three weeks before camp opened. Middle linebacker Chris Draft received a scare in early August when recurring asthma appeared to threaten his heart condition.</p><p>THIS YEAR'S PROSPECTS: In today's NFL, almost any team can reach the Super Bowl, and the Falcons could contend if Vick stays healthy and new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell rebuilds a unit that lacked a capable pass rush and a competent secondary in 2003.</p><p>LONG-TERM PROSPECTS: Good, but the franchise owns 28 losing records in 38 years. McKay build a Super Bowl winner in Tampa Bay, and San Francisco enjoyed success with Mora and Knapp working as its defensive and offensive coordinators. After Reeves' team fell apart last year, fans at the sold-out Georgia Dome will be impatient if the Falcons struggle under Mora, a first-time head coach. McKay's strength is the draft, and this year's crop includes Hall, Jenkins, Schaub, outside linebacker Demorrio Williams and defensive tackle Chad Lavalais.</p>
