From the top of the organization to the bottom of the depth chart, the Atlanta Falcons underwent a dramatic overhaul during the offseason, one that has created at least a bit of a buzz about a franchise with a mostly miserable history. They changed owners, changed the starting quarterback, revamped the playbook and recreated the defense. Whether all the home team improvement wrought by new owner and former Home Depot founder Arthur Blank translates into many more wins, however, is dubious.

This much, though, is certain: The Falcons of 2002 should be a markedly more exciting team, and certainly a quicker one on both sides of the ball, than its recent predecessors.

In turning the starting quarterback role over to second-year pro Michael Vick, and then tossing out many of the pages from the overstuffed playbook coach Dan Reeves used for years, the Falcons have determined the best thing for the youngster is to learn on the job. As is the case with most first-year starters, Vick figures to have a roller coaster existence in 2002, one in which he'll intersperse brilliant individual efforts with silly pratfalls. It's that unpredictability -- wondering whether he will sprint from the pocket for a 60-yard gain or hold the ball too long and be sacked -- that will help put more fannies in the Georgia Dome this year.

Of course, it won't hurt, either, that Blank has dropped the price of some nose bleed-level season tickets to just 100 bucks. Just getting to watch Vick develop is worth that much.

The offense, with new tailback Warrick Dunn but no deep threat for the passing game, will rise and fall with Vick, who will rise and fall from one play to the next. The defense, with new coordinator and longtime Reeves buddy Wade Phillips calling the shots, will switch to a 3-4 front. Never mind that Atlanta doesn't appear to have the personnel to play the three-man front, since Phillips is preaching quickness over muscle. The Falcons are deep at linebacker, notably with emerging star Keith Brooking, and Phillips will try to build around that strength.

	CAMP AT A GLANCE
	Michael Vick has been handed the starting quarterback job in Atlanta.
	Location: Furman Univ., Greenville, S.C. Rookies report: July 25 Veterans report: July 25 Preseason schedule:    Aug. 9: Jacksonville    Aug. 17: N.Y. Giants    Aug. 24: at Dallas    Aug. 29: at Cincinnati

Where will this bring the Falcons?

For whatever reason, some Atlanta veterans have bought into the notion that the realigned division will benefit them immensely. Cornerback Ray Buchanan, thrilled that he won't have to play as much run support in the Phillips scheme, has hinted publicly the Falcons are superior to everyone in the NFC South except Tampa Bay. But the Saints aren't as bad as people are making them out to be, and Atlanta figures to finish behind both the Bucs and New Orleans.

Reeves has posted six losing seasons in the last seven years, dating back to his tenure with the New York Giants, and one more sub-.500 performance could mean the end of the line for the longtime sideline boss. This is a franchise that, in 36 years, has never had consecutive winning seasons, a remarkable statistic. Pencil the Falcons in for between six and eight wins, a number that could have Blank looking for a younger and more exciting head coach next spring. Blank knows public relations and, even if he gives tickets away, he won't fill the Georgia Dome until he develops a consistent winner.

Man in the spotlight
The focus is on Vick, a wondrous athlete but not yet a proven quarterback. The second-year veteran can traverse 40 yards in under 4.3 seconds and his left arm is a laser. But what he needs more than anything else, and will get in 2002 (sometimes painfully) is experience playing the game. In less than 300 snaps last season, Vick could not hone his recognitions skills and, until he does, defenses are going to load up on him and come with every blitz in the playbook.

Vick was sacked once every six "dropbacks" in 2001, an alarmingly high number for a guy whose strong suit is supposed to be his elusiveness, and most of those came because he held the football too long. The good news for Vick is that he needn't look over his shoulder when things are going poorly. With the departure of Chris Chandler, the next most experienced quarterback on the roster is little-used third-year pro Doug Johnson.

This team will sink or swim with Vick. More often, they'll sink, but on the occasions when he can at least tread water, the youngster will keep things interesting.

Keep an eye, too, on Dunn, who has averaged 18.3 "touches" per game over his career, but who has been promised 25 by the Falcons staff.

Key position battle
There figures to be plenty of shuffling and re-shuffling in camp as Phillips gets his first opportunity to see the defenders he inherited in pads. Some players will be ill-suited to the 3-4 alignment and the linemen clearly lack the kind of space-eater size you'd prefer. The most notable competition on a defense where a few spots will be contested could come at free safety. Journeyman veterans Keon Carpenter and Keith Lyle should be the primary options at the position, which is a key spot in the Atlanta secondary. Lyle hasn't been a starter in nearly three seasons, but seems to have a slight edge over Carpenter, who played for Phillips in Buffalo.

Two offensive matchups worth watching are on the line, where Roberto Garza and Todd McClure are neck-and-neck for the starting center job going into camp, and where the left guard spot remains unsettled. Former second-round draft choice Travis Claridge will be pushed by a number of candidates, including rookie Martin Bibla.

Injury update
With tailback Jamal Anderson (knee) having been jettisoned, there really are no key veterans coming back from 2001 injuries. Backup linebacker Jeff Kelly seems to have rebounded from a knee injury but, given the depth at the position, he will struggle just to make the roster.

Rookie report
The Falcons stunned most observers by passing on wide receivers in the first round and grabbing beefy tailback T.J. Duckett. In truth, it is not the stretch some made it out to be. No matter how much the Reeves offense has been altered, it still requires a workhorse back, and Vick will need the protection of a solid running game, too. Bibla, a fourth-round pick, has the kind of toughness the Falcons want in their offensive linemen, and he will play as a rookie. Third-rounder Will Overstreet, a college defensive end converting to outside linebacker, could find himself logging plenty of play time on passing downs.

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