FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Running back Michael Turner knows a thing or two about the postseason. He's been in the league just five seasons, but January's playoff loss at Arizona was his sixth playoff game.
Turner and the Falcons hope to add to that experience by repeating some of the success from 2008 -- an 11-5 finish and a near miss on a division title. That begins with preparations for the 2009 season.
"The toughest thing is to maintain success," Turner said. "(We) actually want to take it up a notch and get to the Super Bowl and win a ring."
Turner went to the postseason three times as a Charger, experiencing everything from a conference championship game, to heart-breaking opening round losses to failing to repeat an appearance after a division championship (2005).
Seven teams that made the playoffs in 2007 failed to qualify for the postseason 2008. Five of those teams are in the NFC and finished last year with a combined 36-44 record.
Guarantees don't exist in the NFL, especially for a team that's no longer a surprise.
"We're not going to sneak up on people," said quarterback Matt Ryan, who earned Rookie of the Year honors and routinely surprised opposing defenses in 2008. " Anytime you go 11-5 the NFL rewards you with a tougher schedule. Teams are going to understand what we're capable of but, at the same time, we understand what we're capable of."
Last week Head Coach Mike Smith encouraged his team to stay "humble and hungry." Ryan said the mantra empowers the team to focus on upcoming tasks and remember that, with every level of success, comes needed improvements as individuals and a team.
"Just like we started last year, we basically turned the page on 2007 and what happened in the previous season... Really that's our approach," Smith said when asked about moving from one season to another for the first time in his head coaching career. "We have a little bit of history that you could bring up and I think there will be times we can learn from what we did."
That "history" is a piece of the Falcons past most fans would rather forget. The team has yet to record back-to-back winning seasons. But don't look for this current group of players to shoot for 9-7.
It's more about setting lasting, postseason goals and realizing that, for the near future, there's a target on the logo.
It won't be easy.
Just two of the Falcons 2009 opponents posted losing records last season. Four will be trying to make it into the playoffs for a second-straight year. The league is expected to announce dates and times for those matchups -- the schedule -- in the coming weeks.
"Once you get a little bit of success other teams are going to target you and they're going to bring their best game week-in and week-out," Turner said. "Last year we snuck up on everybody. People didn't know anything about us. People have tape on us now. They can watch us and know our scheme. It's going to be tough. Nothing is going to be handed to us."
