I am a big Falcons fan. I have been my whole life. Yes, there have been times when it has been hard to root for them, but nothing will stop me from being a fan of the team. This season, the Falcons have the potential to overcome the Buccaneers and cement themselves as the better team.

While last season was rather disappointing, it was still an improvement from the year before where the Falcons had a 4-12 record. This shows with this new coaching staff, the Falcons have grown so the stats from last year, while important, do not reflect this current team.

However, if you wish to talk about accomplishments made in the past, the Falcons have made it to the playoffs a total of 24 times to the Buccaneers’ 12 times. They also have a total of eight Hall of Famers while the Buccaneers only have seven.

While we could sit here and discuss the predictions for this upcoming season, that does not matter as those predictions can be biased and do not end up being right a lot of the time. What matters is who is on the team.

Former Tennessee Titan Marcus Mariota is the new QB for the Falcons this season. In his first game against the Buccaneers, Mariota threw a 52-yard pass that led to a touchdown. By the end of his first game, he threw four touchdowns in a 42-14 win.

Another new player is wide receiver Drake London. By his senior year of high school, London had 62 receptions and 12 touchdowns. As a college freshman, he had 39 receptions and five touchdowns.

Our defense also has some great players such as Grady Jarrett who has 359 tackles in only seven seasons. We also now have Richie Grant who had 109 tackles in only his sophomore year.

Despite people doubting them and the struggles along the way, the Falcons are a great team. They can and will overcome the Buccaneers.