It was like watching a bad car crash.  Terrifying and gruesome, and yet for some reason, I couldn't look away.  After St. Louis selected Chris Long with the second pick in the NFL draft on Saturday, it was once again time for the Falcons to demonstrate how little they understand about building a championship football team.  Back in March, the Falcons got the party started by signing free agent and former San Diego Charger running back Michael Turner.  In
http://sportdork.com/2008/03/03/the-winning-lottery-numbers-are----------.aspx , I offered my two cents on the move.  I also provided the following nugget:

There's only one way the Falcons can compound this mistake and further cement their place at the bottom of the NFC South.  If NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stands up at the podium in New York in April and utters the following words, the Falcons will have demonstrated that they can screw up free agency and the draft in the same year:

"With the third pick of the 2008 NFL draft, the Atlanta Falcons select Matt Ryan, quarterback from Boston College."

Congratulations are in order.  With LSU All-American defensive lineman Glenn Dorsey still on the board - a guy that many considered the best prospect in the entire draft - the Falcons couldn't get out of their own way.  While the Miami Dolphins were busy drafting six linemen and creating the foundation for a title contender, the Falcons were focused on creating the right image.  Say hello to the man who is supposed to make us forget all about Michael Vick:  
 

"Wait - you want me to start right away?"

The best part about the Falcons' plan is how awful it is.  Yes, they drafted Boston College's Matt Ryan because they need a quarterback.  But they also drafted him because they are determined to put the Michael Vick debacle behind them and are hoping that by bringing in a "franchise quarterback" who will be the new face of the Falcons, the people of Atlanta will forget all about Vick.  Unfortunately, when Ryan gets thrown to the wolves and spends the upcoming season running for his life behind a miserable offensive line, it's only going bring greater scrutiny to the quarterback position and increase the chatter about Vick and whether they should bring him back when he gets out of prison.  Falcons fans are never going to forget about Vick, and bringing in a quarterback with the third pick in the draft - under that kind of pressure - is only going to increase the talk when he fails to be the next Joe Namath. 

Don't get me wrong - the Falcons need a quarterback, but why take Matt Ryan third overall when they could have had Glenn Dorsey and then picked up a guy like Michigan's Chad Henne in the second round, like the Dolphins did (57th pick overall)?  Is Matt Ryan fifty-four picks better than Chad Henne?  Who knows.  But at least you'd come out of the deal with arguably the best defensive lineman in the entire draft AND a quarterback, and your new quarterback wouldn't come in with expectations that were so high that he feels like he's holding the entire fate of the franchise on his shoulders. 

I have to give the Falcons credit.  Somehow they never fail to disappoint.  I can't wait to see who they take with their top five pick next year.