Just a year after nearly going to the Super Bowl, the Atlanta Falcons were one of the favorites to again make a deep run in-depthin the playoffs. Instead, Atlanta is picking sixth in the NFL draft after one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory.

Was it injuries that set the Falcons astray? Or is this an aging team with salary cap issues on a downward slide? Two bloggers shared their thoughts on what went wrong in 2013 and what the team has to do to fix things in 2014. Here’s what Ben Sullivan, editor of Blogging Dirty, and Aaron Freeman, founder of FalcFans.com have to say.

Zoneblitz: A year off the NFC Championship game the Falcons took a huge step back in 2013. How would you assess the season and where it went wrong?

Sullivan: In one word, awful. The Falcons struggled on all three phases of the game, including special teams. The team is built around the offense, but injuries and poor offensive line play left them with a stagnant offense. I think the success they had recently left them with some blinders on when it came to the holes in the team. Sometimes you need a kick in the teeth to really take a harsh look at your own house, and last year was just that for them.

Freeman: It was a combination of injuries and other factors. Simply put three of the team’s top 5 players: Julio Jones, Roddy White and Sean Weatherspoon missed a lot of time. And the Falcons did not respond well to it. Backups and newcomers like Steven Jackson and Osi Umenyiora didn’t step up or contribute to the levels expected.

Zoneblitz: What are your thoughts on the Mike Smith/Rich McKay/Thomas Dimitroff tandem and what did you think of adding Scott Pioli as an assistant GM?

Freeman: It’s nice to get a relatively fresh set of eyes into the front office with Pioli. Mike Smith is coming off by far his worst season as a coach, and the team’s inability to adjust their game plans and roster when injuries hit got exposed. Confidence in both Smith and Dimitroff are at an all-time low, although they’ve done more than enough good work to be given a little leeway.

Sullivan: As a group they’ve done a good job, and the results speak for themselves. The Falcons were in a bad position in the post-Vick era and they very easily could have gone into a long period of bad football, but they quickly turned things around.

McKay is better as a team president than as a GM. He was instrumental in getting the deal done for the new stadium, which will ensure the team can stay financially viable for the foreseeable future.

Dimitroff has been up and down as a GM, but there has been more good than bad. He’s an excellent evaluator of talent, but has hamstrung the team with a few bad contracts. That can happen to a new GM, especially one that had a mandate to turn around a team quickly. Bringing Pioli in is a great idea because his best skill is cap management, which is Dimitroff’s biggest weakness and the area that the Atlanta front office needs to improve going forward.

As for Mike Smith, I’m not totally sold on him as the coach going forward. He’s done a good job getting the team to where it is, but I have a sinking feeling he’s a Lovie Smith / Andy Reid type — a coach that can make a bad team competitive but can’t get them over the hump.

Zoneblitz: The offense scored 66 fewer points in 2013 than in 2012 and Matt Ryan clearly took a beating. Was the falloff primarily injuries and subpar offensive line play or is there more to it?

Sullivan: I think that pretty much sums it up. Ryan has proven that he can be a good quarterback in the NFL if he has the proper support around him. The offensive line was abysmal last year and the receiving corps was never healthy. Give him time to throw and someone to throw to, and he’ll be just fine.

Freeman: Injuries were a major factor. The offensive line play was poor, but perhaps not substantially worse than it was in 2012. However in that season the Falcons got significantly better production from Jones, White and Gonzalez, as all three played some of their best football seen in a long time. With Jones going down after Week 5 and White not looking like his old self until Week 13, the team lacked the playmakers that could mask the poor line play as they had in previous seasons.

Zoneblitz: What are your thoughts on adding Mike Tice to coach the line?

Freeman: Tice is the third line coach under Mike Smith, and if he can’t get some of these young offensive linemen to step up, then no one can and the finger must be pointed to personnel not coaching.

Zoneblitz: With Tony Gonzalez retiring, Steven Jackson nearing the end and Julio Jones coming off injury, what does the future of this offense look like?

Freeman: It will be interesting because the Falcons offense has been so heavily reliant on their passing game to carry them in recent years. Gonzalez’s departure could inhibit their ability to do that and their running game is simply not good enough to pick up the slack. While Harry Douglas produced last year, he disappeared for long stretches and hasn’t been able to step up on third downs and in the red zone, both being areas where Gonzalez was extremely valuable.

Sullivan: Hopefully it looks a little more balanced. Owner Arthur Blanks came out after the season and admitted that the team needs more toughness up front. They brought in Mike Tice to coach the offensive line, and that should mean a little more downhill running in the future.

Julio Jones should come back healthy next year, and I would like to see them move Roddy White to the slot for his last few years. Running backs can be found pretty easily in the draft, so I have no worries about replacing Jackson. As long as they fix the offensive line and continue to draft well, they have the foundation of a really good offense moving forward.

That offense will always revolve around Matt Ryan and the passing game as long as he’s still in town, but a little more balance will get them back on track.

Zoneblitz: Speaking of Julio Jones, what are you hearing about his injury status? Do you have any concerns that the problem with his foot may linger?

Sullivan: There hasn’t been much information coming out of his camp lately, but all signs point to him being ready to go at full strength come the opener next season. Arthur Blank touched on the subject briefly at his end of the season press conference, just saying that he is rehabbing and doing well.

You always have to be concerned about foot injuries, they tend to linger, but shutting him down for the year last season was the right move. If he comes back at 100% he’ll immediately regain his status as an elite receiver, but even if he never gets back to that level he’ll still be really, really good.

Freeman: Jones has been bitten by the injury bug seemingly every year dating back to his early career at Alabama. While all indications are that he’ll suffer no ill effects and will be ready when OTAs begin, history says it’s only a matter of time before he goes down again with another nagging injury.

Zoneblitz: With the price Atlanta paid to get Jones, would you make the deal to acquire him again?

Sullivan: I would. They gave up a ton to get him, but he is one of the best playmakers in the league right now and still has his best days ahead of him. Good wide receivers are easy to find, great ones are almost impossible. He changes the way a defense has to play just by being on the field.

Normally I’m not a huge fan of giving up a king’s ransom to trade up and get a guy in the draft, especially when at the time you don’t know how they will perform at the NFL level, but you can’t argue with what he has shown so far in his career. As long as he comes back fully healthy, he’s just getting started.

Zoneblitz: With the release of Stephen Nicholas and Asante Samuel, and the rumored release of Thomas DeCoud (am I missing anyone?) it appears as though management is beginning some housecleaning. What’s your assessment of those moves and what has to happen to get the defense back to the 2012 level when it gave up just 299 points?

Sullivan: Yeah, that’s the reality of the league today that you back-load contracts knowing you can always release someone later down the line if their production drops. Nicholas and Samuel were no brainers, but DeCoud is a tough choice. His salary is too much for a safety, but Atlanta doesn’t really have anyone to step in and take his place. He’ll likely be gone, but it will hurt the team in the short run.

The defense has the same problem as the offense — they have to get better up front. They had no pass rush last year and finished second to last in the league against the run. If they can get better on the defensive line the rest of the unit will fall into place. The secondary has a bright future with two promising young corners in Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford to go along with the better-than-expected performances they got from linebackers Paul Worrilow and Joplo Bartu last year. If they get better up front, they have enough talent to be at least a serviceable defense next year.

Freeman:  Nicholas and Samuel are victims of the youth movement the defense underwent in 2013, where the unit was so bad the team just decided to get young guys more reps. LB Joplo Bartu and CB Robert Alford both flashed potential making Nicholas and Samuel expendable. The Falcons have gone a very long time since they had a good defense, and are expected to make several additions this offseason to upgrade the unit.

Zoneblitz: The Falcons are in a division with playoff teams in Carolina and New Orleans. Can the Falcons turn around quickly and get back to the playoffs or is there a more substantial rebuild at play?

Freeman: They have the potential if they can make some significant upgrades to their offensive line and pass rush this offseason. The Falcons have always managed to succeed because of their uncanny ability to win close games, but the tide reversed on them last year and they lost several of those types of games. If they can revert back to their previous trend, there’s every reason to believe Atlanta will be in the playoff hunt in 2014.

Sullivan: I think they’re closer to getting back to the playoffs than most people do. The Saints will always be a contender as long as Drew Brees is under center and Payton is calling the plays, but Carolina faces some real challenges heading into next season.

The Panthers are in one of the worst salary cap positions in the league and will likely lose several top players from last year, including Greg Hardy and maybe even Steve Smith. Cam Newton is one of the best young quarterbacks in the game today, but if they can’t put a good team around him he’s going to start to struggle again.

Zoneblitz: What would you like to see Atlanta do in the draft and free agency?

Sullivan: Offensive line, defensive line, rinse and repeat. Both units need major rebuilds on the lines, and the Falcons need to use both the draft and free agency to fix the problem. I’m in the minority that would like to see them use their first-round pick on the offensive side of the issue, instead of trading up to get Jadeveon Clowney.

They have other needs at tight end and safety (if they cut DeCoud), and I would like to see them add a playmaker at either running back or slot receiver. Safeties, running backs and receivers can be found in the later rounds of the draft, but if they want a good tight end they will have to spend a little money in the free agent market on a guy like Brandon Pettigrew.

Freeman: Focus on building up the offensive and defensive lines, which have been too often neglected. And in past years where the team did expend high picks on linemen, they have yet to work out: e.g. Peria Jerry, Mike Johnson, Peter Konz, etc.

Zoneblitz: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Sullivan: I think 2013 will go down as a lost year due to injuries and a misguided faith in a failing offensive line. The future is still bright for this team as long as they can get their salary cap game back on track. RiseUp2014!

Freeman: Rise Up.

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