FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Five observations on the 2003 Atlanta Falcons, gleaned from an Aug. 13 practice session:

	Price was brought in to be more than just a deep threat.

1. Conventional wisdom holds that, with fleet wide receiver Peerless Price in the lineup, the Falcons' vertical passing game should prosper. And conventional wisdom is correct. Price had a breakout season with the Buffalo Bills in 2002, was rewarded with a contract that included a $10 million signing bonus when he was traded to Atlanta, and offers the kind of deep threat the Falcons have not enjoyed in five years. But here's a slight twist on the conventional wisdom: The presence of Price should also add ancillary benefits, like an upgrade to the Falcons' short- and intermediate-range passing attack, larger creases for the running backs, and enhanced accuracy for quarterback Mike Vick. For all his speed up the boundary, Price has a career average of just 10.3 yards per catch and, even in '02, he averaged only 13.3 yards. Not to demean that average but, among receivers with 60 or more catches, 14 had better averages. But just the fear factor created by Price's ability to run by cornerbacks, even if he isn't making 30-yard receptions every week, should pay dividends to Vick and the Atlanta offense. In recent seasons, the Falcons had no wideouts who scared secondaries. Now, when the Falcons break the huddle, cornerbacks will start to backpedal and that will result in more cushion with which Vick can work. Even with all the resultant hoopla, Vick remains a work in progress as a passer, a strong-armed kid who must improve his touch. Vick has made strides but still completed just 54.9 percent of his attempts in 2002. Imagine how fabulous the third-year veteran would be if he raised his completion rate to the 60-percent range. The presence of Price should help him close in on that number. As one team executive put it: "We should be able to throw the five-yard 'out' (pattern) now any time we have to." True enough. Still not the most accurate pure passer around, Vick won't have to be perfect with his shorter throws, because he figures to have plenty of room for error. Speed kills. But the mere perception of speed, and the opportunities it creates, can be every bit as murderous to an opposing defense. The Atlanta offense is faster across the board this year and that will mean more big plays. But it should, in theory, mean more productive "small" plays, too.

2. Everyone talks about how the league has evolved toward the bigger cornerback but the Falcons seem, better than most franchises, to have married rhetoric to reality. The eight cornerbacks in camp average 5-feet-11 and 196 pounds, and that's even accounting for Allen Rossum (5-feet-8 and 178 pounds), who is more noted as a return specialist. The Falcons have four cornerbacks who are at least six-feet tall, five who weigh 190 pounds or more, and they seem well situated for the future because of some physical youngsters. Second-round choice Bryan Scott, the club's highest-drafted player this year, is 6-feet-1 and listed at 219 pounds and very smooth. Waine Bacon (5-feet-10, 191 pounds), a sixth-round choice who played mostly safety at Alabama, is working primarily on the corner now. Both Scott and Bacon have the kind of flexible skills that should permit them to play inside at times, but to principally be aligned on the boundary. In a couple years, they could be the team's starting cornerback tandem. Two free agent additions from the Green Bay defense, starter Tyrone Williams and longtime "nickel" corner Tod McBride, added further size and, of course, experience, to the position. But the cornerback who might be having the best camp, and who needed to rehabilitate his game after a dismal campaign in 2002, is veteran Ray Buchanan. Part of Buchanan's problems in '02 were injury-related, but, those excuses aside, he simply didn't play very well. There was some discussion in the offseason about moving Buchanan inside to safety, where he began his career with the Indianapolis Colts, and where he likely will finish his NFL tenure. There were also some rumors that the Falcons were unhappy enough with Buchanan, with whom they had a few "issues" when he wasn't as diligent about workouts as the coaches felt he should be, and that he might be released. But his contract situation, with guaranteed base salary of $4.15 million, precluded the latter move and the team simply decided Buchanan was still best suited to play cornerback, so the former switch was scuttled. In response to the criticisms, Buchanan has worked to get himself into shape, and paid attention again to mechanics. Buchanan has always been a gambler, a guy who relied more on basic instincts than rudimentary techniques, but he realizes at this point of his career that he has to play more by the book. People had begun to whisper that Buchanan's longtime nickname, "Big Play Ray," might refer more to the deep passes he regularly surrendered than to interceptions. Buchanan allowed that he is hungrier and more determined, and his camp performance, according to club officials, has reflected that. It will be interesting to see how the former Packers hold up. Green Bay finished No. 3 in the league in pass defense in 2002, but did not make very strong efforts to keep either Williams or McBride.

3. Despite the contentions of newest ESPN analyst Bryan Cox (a guy with whom middle monster Keith Brookings, oops, we mean, Brooking, would like a word or two), linebacker remains the strength of this defense and the unit around which coordinator Wade Phillips has constructed his scheme. The Falcons have great depth at the position and there are a couple interesting battles for starting spots still being waged in preseason. But as solid as the Falcons are at linebacker, where they can go seven deep, that's how dubious the team remains with its defensive line. The clever Phillips compensated for a lack of size in 2002 with his usual assortment of confounding fronts. He clearly feels that speed can make up for the lack of girth and, at times last season, the Falcons' quickness upfront was more than sufficient. But the bottom line is that Atlanta finished just 23rd against the rush and permitted 4.6 yards per rush, the fifth-worst number in the league. While the team spent the free agency period addressing the secondary, there really were no major additions to the undersized line. The best 3-4 fronts in the game typically have a 325-pound run-stuffer, a commodity lacking here. The decision of tackle Ellis Johnson not to retire was a welcome one and gives the team another proven veteran. In terms of numbers, Atlanta has enough people with whom to line up, and who can rotate across the board. But the fact is, there is no dominating presence, no space-eater inside. Ends Patrick Kerney and Brady Smith are not very bulky, and while they are proven pass rushers, don't anchor as well against the run. Phillips can create pressure through schemes. It's another thing, though, to stop the run with finesse. It would help if the versatile Travis Hall, who played tackle in the past but is more an end in the 3-4, could stay healthy. But Hall, one of the game's good guys, has been cursed by injuries three straight seasons. If there remains one area of concern on a pretty good Atlanta roster it's the defensive line. The front seven was gashed too often by the run in '02 and all the smoke and mirrors and quickness in the world sometimes isn't enough to match up with brute strength.

4. If second-year tailback and 2002 first-round choice T.J. Duckett is as trim and better conditioned as he claims, and as he appeared to be Wednesday, the Atlanta offense will gain both flexibility and formation diversity. The former Michigan State star logged just 130 carries in 2002, when he was slowed by foot and knee injuries, and it meant that Warrick Dunn posted 100 more rushing attempts than his backfield partner. In fact, Dunn averaged 18.7 "touches" per game in '02, better than his career norm of 17.6. Coach Dan Reeves said when the Falcons acquired Dunn that he wanted to get him the ball 20 times a game, but that might have been a bit overstated. In truth, Reeves would prefer a more balanced split between Dunn and Duckett. For all the different formations Reeves likes to use, and even with the enhanced outside speed his club now possesses, the Atlanta coach still likes to bludgeon opponents with the running game. And Duckett, if he can just stay healthy, has the potential to be a human battering ram. It's ironic that Reeves has always been viewed as rather stodgy and predictable because, when you watch the offense he has designed, it is pretty creative from a formation standpoint. The possibility of having both Duckett and Dunn on the field at the same time, likely to be increased with the retirement of quiet standout fullback Bob Christian, provides Reeves and his offensive staff a myriad of packages. There were times Wednesday when Dunn was aligned in the slot, but just as often, Duckett was deployed in a receiving mode. Clearly, the tailbacks bring disparate skills to the table, but that should offer the Falcons plenty of options. "I'm just a lot more comfortable now," Duckett said. "All the rookie stuff is behind me. When you can go out and be comfortable, you should be productive, you know?"

5. One of the game's best preparation and game-day coaches, and a man who will merit Hall of Fame consideration even if he never claims a Super Bowl title, Reeves showed considerable wisdom in ceding much of his responsibility on personnel to vice president of football operations Ron Hill. The strength of Reeves was always at the chalkboard, not the draft board, and it is a testimony to him that he has been so successful despite some of his personnel snafus. Despite what Reeves' old buddy Bill Parcells thinks, sometimes it is better to let someone else shop for the groceries, even if you're going to cook the meal. In the hard-working Hill, the club has a pretty accomplished shopper, a talent evaluator who knows his way up and down the personnel aisles. The team's recent drafts have been better and Atlanta has been more discerning in free agency as well. There are times when Hill's emphasis on speed might color his decisions -- Alvis Whitted never became the receiver Hill felt he could be and MarTay Jenkins runs really fast but sometimes forgets to catch the football -- but there is no denying that under his stewardship the Atlanta roster is far deeper and more complete than it has been in many years. Hill has a knack for unearthing a guy or two every season who has a chance to contribute. Some of the past players he has plucked from the scrap heap include wide receiver Brian Finneran, defensive tackle Ed Jasper and safety Keion Carpenter, among others. Here are four undrafted free agents signed this spring who will either make the regular-season roster or will find a home on the practice squad: wide receiver Terrence Edwards, safety Travaris Robinson, defensive tackle Floyd Black and linebacker Ricardo Wimbush. Each has had some nice moments in camp so far. Edwards gets a lot of attention locally because he played at Georgia and, while he has added enough bulk now to be a legitimate contender in the crowded wideout corps, Robinson might be the free agent who makes some relative impact. The former Auburn star, who played most of his college career at corner before switching to safety as a senior, demonstrated excellent "ball" skills in the practice we saw. He had at least three passes defensed and really closed well on the inside, I-cut routes. Whether he makes the roster or not probably will come down to his performance on special teams, as it almost always does with undrafted players, but he seems to have enough skills to play in the league someday.

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