Alex Mack is the unsung hero of the Falcons offense

How did the Atlanta Falcons build a Super Bowl team just a year after blowing a 6-1 start with a 2-7 finish to miss the playoffs entirely?

There are a lot of reasons for the turnaround, but one acquisition in particular, signing center Alex Mack in the offseason, played a major role in the transformation of Atlanta’s offense.

Update: It was revealed Sunday morning that Mack will play the game with a broken left fibula.

The former Browns center, signed to a five-year, $45 million deal, gave offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and Atlanta’s offensive line the missing piece needed to turn what had been a subpar line into the league’s best zone-blocking unit.

Devonta Freeman, already a great running back prior to 2016, vastly improved behind Mack and the now-solidified line, increasing his yards-per-carry average from 4.0 to 4.8. With about 40 fewer carries in 2016 than his previous season, Freeman managed to tally similar numbers both in rushing yards (23 more yards in 2016) and touchdowns (11 in both seasons).

Tevin Coleman also improved, transforming into one of the NFL’s best pass-catching running backs. The second-year player averaged an unprecedented 13.6 yards per catch on 31 grabs, leading all qualifying running backs (at least 20 catches) in yards per catch by a wide margin.

Just for perspective, Coleman’s yards-per-catch average was higher than those of Odell Beckham, Travis Kelce, Jordy Nelson, and many, many others. The next closest running back to qualify, Ezekiel Elliott, averaged just 11.3 yards per catch, more than two yards less than Coleman.

Again, it’s hard to give credit where it’s due when so many pieces work together to compose one offensive unit. But much of the offense’s success in the running game should be attributed to Mack and the rest of the line.

”I think offensive line play is really important,” Mack said in an interview after Atlanta’s victory over Green Bay. “You really set your team up to have success. It’s a team sport without a doubt, but we need to do our job. We need to keep the quarterback clean in the pass game and try to open up some holes and get the runner to the second level. It takes everybody.

“It’s not just one person really making a play. Why we have had a lot of success is that everyone has really bought in and they are making the blocks. Receivers are blocking great on the run plays and making those small runs really big ones because they are on the second level blocking.”

Mack isn’t kidding when he says it takes everyone. Shanahan’s offense in Atlanta has been predicated on outside zone runs, plays where the entire O-line has to work in unison to pin opposing defenders inside and create a corner for the Falcons’ backs to turn.

“It’s different,” Mack said on playing in the Falcons’ offense. “You really commit to the outside zone scheme. You’re moving fast and you are moving fast a lot of the time. If you’re not quite used to that, you have to get in shape and you have to be really committed to the techniques you use to be successful. Everyone has to be on the same page. If somebody is doing the wrong technique, there’s going to be a breakdown and then it doesn’t work as well.”

“He’s a key member for sure of the offensive line,” head coach Dan Quinn said of Mack. “Every play he’s at the front of it. His intent coming out of the huddle. The way he’s at the ball, making the calls. He’s big like a guard, but has the quickness of a center. And that’s a pretty rare combination for a guy to have, where he’s a 300-pounder who could easily play guard in this league. That’s the type of strength that he has. He has a really high football IQ that enables him to sort things out.”

In summation, the Falcons’ unlikely success resulted from a litany of smart moves. Big free-agency gets (Mack and Mohamed Sanu), smart drafting (this year’s outstanding rookie class, second-year players Vic Beasley, Jalen Collins, Coleman, Justin Hardy and Grady Jarrett) and even players added in the second wave of free agency, such as Patrick DiMarco — the NFL’s best fullback — and Chester, made significant contributions toward the Falcons’ Super Bowl run.

Of course, having two quality cornerstones in Ryan, a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback, and Julio Jones, one of the NFL’s best wide receivers, also helps. But it was the Falcons’ near-flawless successes in identifying talented players via the draft and in free agency during Quinn’s brief tenure which helped the Falcons soar over the proverbial hump and onward toward the Super Bowl.