The Atlanta Falcons will be fighting their long, frustrating history as much as the rest of the NFL this season.

The Falcons have never posted back-to-back winning seasons in their history, and since they're coming off an 11-5 year in which they reached the NFC championship game only to fall short against the Philadelphia Eagles, they will have to overcome their past as much as their opponents. The latter may be easier than it might seem, however, because despite their successes of a year ago, the Falcons’ schedule is considered the easiest in the league with opponents sporting a cumulative winning percentage of only .434.

With the rapidly changing nature of the NFL, last year's record often means little, although barring injury not in the case of the Falcons. Atlanta's running game is among the best in football, its passing game is erratic but won't be for long if talented Michael Vick settles down a bit in the pocket.

On the other side of the ball, the defense is young, getting faster and improving as it masters the theories of coach Jim Mora, Jr. That defense should be bolstered considerably by the return to good health of left defensive tackle Rod Coleman, who had 11 1/2 sacks before he was hurt.

In the 13 games Coleman played, Atlanta put up 47 sacks. The Falcons had only one in the three games Coleman missed. Coleman is back at full strength and so is his running partner, left defensive end Patrick Kearney, who had 13 sacks himself and makes a powerful duo when both are running free. Mora wanted to add more defensive speed and he got it by landing free agent linebackers Ed Hartwell and Ike Reese. Hartwell starts in the middle but reese couldn't beat out Keion Carpenter, which is a good sign for the young Falcon defense. Mora then drafted three defensive linemen and two linebackers among his eight picks, including defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux in the second round.

None are likely to unseat a starter this year, but they add speed and will make some plays. Hartwell adds speed at middle linebacker and gives more playmaking ability to a unit that already featured Pro Bowl selection Keith Brooking on the outside. They can also get after the quarterback too but are fast enough to get into coverage and help out a zone defense that gave up a lot of passing yards but not that many scores.

Offensively, everything revolves around Michael Vick. The better he plays the higher the Falcons will soar.

HOT SEAT: Dez White. The Falcons cut Peerless Price two years after signing him to a huge contract and now they're making clear their dissatisfaction with White as well. Jenkins took Price's job and No. 1 pick Roddy White is pressing Dez. Vick blasted White after one pre-season game and Mora wasn't any kinder. If he doesn't make some catches early, he'll be watching a younger White becoming the focus of Vick's affections.

OVERHEARD: Atlanta led the NFL in rushing in large part because Vick rambled for a remarkable 902 yards, third highest total by a quarterback in  NFL history.

But in his second year in the West Coast offense, the Falcons want to see him passing more often and more accurately and not fleeing the pocket so quickly. Critics have charged he's more athlete than quarterback and he bristles at the accusation even though he's been an inconsistent passer, fumbled a league-high 16 times and had nearly as many interceptions (12) as touchdown passes (14) last year. Despite his elusiveness, Vick was also sacked once every eight times he dropped back, worst in the league, and his quarterback rating was 26th in the league at 78.1. He needs to improve on that and can do it best by improving on his 56.4 completion percentage in an offense where the low 60s is the goal.

OUTLOOK: The defense is important and so, too, is the running game but the facts are this: Atlanta has made the playoffs both years Vick started more than four games and has won 65.3 percent of their games. When he hasn't played, Atlanta is 9-19. Enough said about if he's a quarterback or not?

PREDICTION: Second.

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