ATLANTA -- Here are five observations on the Atlanta Falcons from training camp and preseason play:

	Michael Vick played in eight games last season as a rookie.

1. It's an unfair slap at quarterback Michael Vick to suggest the Falcons "dumbed down" the offensive playbook to make life easier for the second-year pro and first-time starter. What the offensive staff actually did was to change the numbering system, removing some of the excess verbiage that has hindered many quarterbacks in the past in the Dan Reeves-designed offense, and added a few wrinkles that will dovetail well with Vick's running abilities. "It's the same playbook," Vick said. "In terms of the number of plays and formations and things like that, nothing has changed." Despite some private knocks on him, Vick is a very aware quarterback, but is a guy who needs "reps" to feel totally comfortable in a system. Since he has taken almost all the snaps with the first unit in camp, Vick is reaching a comfort zone, and will be able to better react to events in 2002, as opposed to having to think too much as a rookie. Vick has made great progress in his recognition skills, but must continue to improve, and has to get rid of the ball sooner. He took 23 sacks in just 163 "dropbacks" in 2001, a rate of one sack every six times he went into the pocket. At that rate, he would set new sack records, now that he is starting. His sub-4.3 speed notwithstanding, Vick can't elude every defender, and he's got to know when discretion is called for. Vick has worked hard this spring and summer to keep from bolting from the pocket too prematurely. Still, you don't want to stunt his running skills too much, because he is going to make some big plays with his feet, that's a given.

2. Just a hunch, but we're betting that the Falcons' second-round choice from the 2001 draft makes it to a Pro Bowl before their first-round selection of last spring. The second-round pick was tight end Alge Crumpler, who appears poised to emerge as one of the NFL's top young players at his position. Oh, yeah, the first-rounder was some guy named Vick, otherwise known as the Franchise Savior. Nothing against Vick, of course, whose derring-do style of play should generate more excitement than the Georgia Dome has witnessed in a while. But given the dearth of standout tight ends in the league, and Crumpler's obvious physical tools, he might already rank among the NFL's top 10. As a rookie, the former North Carolina star caught 25 passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns, while starting in 12 of his 16 appearances. Notable is that, among tight ends with at least 25 receptions in 2001, only Marcus Pollard of Indianapolis (15.7) had a better yards-per-catch average than Crumpler's 13.2-yard norm. Crumpler has Hoover-type hands, that suck up anything near them, and possesses decent speed, good route-running awareness and above average blocking skills. He might not have the height dimension some teams want at tight end, but Crumpler has a strong and compact body, and doesn't often get jammed at the line. He's also got good bloodlines, since both his father and brother played at the NFL level. It's ironic that most Falcons fans panned the choice of Crumpler with the 35th overall selection in 2001. What they may not have realized is that several teams had Crumpler rated as a potential first-round prospect. Their displeasure with the choice, though, had less to do with Crumpler than with what transpired during the '99 draft at the tight end position. In the second round of the '99 lottery, the Falcons dealt their first-round choice in 2000 to the Baltimore Ravens so Atlanta could choose tight end Reggie Kelly of Mississippi State. When the Falcons crashed to a 5-11 finish in '99, that first-round choice in 2000 became the fifth overall selection in the draft. Kelly is actually a better player than most people realize and, given the importance of the tight end in coach Dan Reeves' offense, he and Crumpler are a solid young tandem.

3. It will be nearly impossible for the Falcons to get tailback Warrick Dunn the 20-25 "touches" per game everyone has talked about since the Falcons signed the diminutive playmaker from the Tampa Bay Bucs. The coaches are still getting acclimated to having such a whirling-dervish back on the roster, plus rookie tailback and first-round choice T.J. Duckett appears to be the kind of physical inside runner Reeves covets. Blessed with straightline speed, Duckett has already demonstrated more "wiggle" than people knew he had. It could be Duckett, and not Dunn, who becomes the workhorse back in the ground game. That is hardly to suggest that Dunn won't be a big factor in what the Falcons are trying to accomplish in 2002 with the fastest team the franchise has fielded in years. In fact, with a lack of speed at the wide receiver positions, Dunn almost certainly will be used in the slot in a lot of situations. He'll create plenty of mismatches working against safeties and linebackers and the Falcons hope he can turn short and intermediate catches into long scoring plays. Dunn is a much tougher inside runner than he's ever been given credit for, but the Falcons need to find ways to get him into space, where he will cause secondaries all kinds of problems. A debate over whether Atlanta overspent for Dunn, one of the factors that kept former Green Bay general manager Ron Wolf from accepting a similar post here, has subsided for the time being. New owner Arthur Blank fell in love with Dunn and his personality and, at first blush, it appears a $6.5 million signing bonus was a reach. But the Falcons need playmakers and feel Dunn is far more than just the third-down specialist he has been portrayed as being. Time will tell if Blank made a savvy investment or a monumental blunder.

4. First-year owner Blank wasn't shy about breaking out his checkbook this spring to add veteran free agents, and he'd better be ready to open the coffers soon if the Falcons hope to retain a pair of standout young defenders in inside linebacker Keith Brooking and end Patrick Kerney. Both players are key to the 3-4 front new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has installed, but both are in the final season of their original contracts, and are eligible for unrestricted free agency next spring. The camp experiment to move Kerney from end to weakside linebacker, the primary "rush" position in the 3-4, ended last week. But the former Virginia star, who had a career-best 12 sacks in 2001, is still the team's best consistent pass rush threat and, at age 25, the Falcons can't afford to lose him. Ditto the ever-active Brooking, around whom Phillips has designed most of his defense, and who is a leader in the Atlanta locker room. Brooking had 127 tackles playing middle linebacker in a 4-3 front last season and, if his totals drop because of the switch to the 3-4, his significance to the unit will not be diminished. Blessed with great pursuit skills and a keen insight into the game, Brooking will be freed up to run to the ball even more in the new alignment. Having played at Georgia Tech, the former first-rounder is popular in the city, is a good spokesman for the team, and he must be retained by the Blank regime. The seven-year, $50 million contract that Ray Lewis signed with the Baltimore Ravens two weeks ago certainly didn't hurt Brooking's argument for a lucrative deal. He won't get close to the Lewis haul, but it will take an eight-figure signing bonus, perhaps as high as $12 million, to get Brooking's name on an extension. Despite plenty of buzz in the local media, the two sides haven't yet exchanged proposals, and really substantive discussions likely won't begin until the season starts. If the Falcons can't reach an agreement with Brooking, they almost certainly would use a "franchise" or "transition" designation to keep him.

5. There is a widespread suspicion the Falcons lack the personnel to effectively play the 3-4 front, but Phillips believes quickness, and not size, will be the key to success. The unit lacks the big "space-eater" type nose tackle typically associated with the three-man line, but there are plenty of players who can run to the ball. Atlanta is deepest at the linebacker spot and, in addition to Brooking, it looks like strongside starter Matt Stewart, a second-year veteran, is emerging as a force. Cornerbacks Ray Buchanan and Ashley Ambrose, both solid cover players, should benefit from not having to force the run as much as in the past. There remain question marks at both safety spots, where Phillips is hoping to get by most with retreads.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.