Falcons Can't Afford to Try to Cut Corners When it Comes to Special Teams

The most underpaid player on the Atlanta Falcons this season was cornerback Brent Grimes ($392,000). The next most underpaid player was probably middle linebacker Curtis Lofton (about $450,000). And then comes kicker Matt Bryant ($755,000).

You know about Grimes, the undrafted rookie free agent out of Shippensburg. He had a nice season before it all soured in the blowout loss to the Packers in the playoffs.

Bryant, 35, had an even better season. He kicked three game-winning field goals (San Francisco, New Orleans, Green Bay) and was 8 of 10 on kicks between 40 and 49 yards, the money distance. Bryant was 28 of 31 on field goals in 2010.

The NFL is ridiculously competitive and field goals win games -- or lose them -- all the time. Show me a team with an average field goal kicker and, usually, that is a .500 team, or worse.

Bryant is a free agent and he could end up over $1 million with the next contract. He was a Pro Bowl alternate this season.

Atlanta also has to make a deal with free agent punter Michael Koenen, who handles kickoffs. (It helps to be in the Georgia Dome -- of his 88 kickoffs, 23 were touchbacks).

Koenen's 40.8 yards per punt is modest by NFL standards, but that is not close to his value. He was third in the NFL in fair catches (24) and eighth in return yards (241). He does not kick the air out of the ball for distance. He drives it toward the roof.

There's more. Koenen was tied for eighth in the NFL in punts inside the 20.

The Falcons had three bad plays on special teams this season, but otherwise they were above average. Kick return man Eric Weems (restricted free agent) made the Pro Bowl because of his returns, but he was also a superb tackler.

The Falcons also got terrific special teams play from linebacker Stephen Nicholas, who had to fill in for injured starter Sean Weatherspoon.

Atlanta's identity is tied to Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez, and John Abraham, but this was a 13-3 team because it took care of business on special teams.