As the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs and as a favorite on the BetUs Super Bowl odds – and odds virtually everywhere across the board – many fans are disappointed with the finish to the Falcons very promising season.

But on the whole, it was a very productive, impressive season for the Falcons and they don’t have much to hang their heads about. Do they have work to do? Yes. Should they be happy with their progress? Absolutely.

For the Falcons, they are clearly a Super Bowl contender and will be in the 2011-12 season once again, but they do need to make a few upgrades.

So what needs to be improved?

After losing 48-21 to the Green Bay Packers, the fingers are being pointed to the defense – and rightfully so.

Of the four remaining teams left in the playoffs, all boast defenses ranked in the NFL’s top 10. The Falcons unit ranked 16^th.  The Falcons clearly need to work on their pass defense and find someone to pressure the quarterback opposite of John Abraham.

But the Falcons offense also failed in the divisional round as it looks more and more evident that they need another explosive weapon alongside Roddy White. There’s no question that he’s become the premier receiver in the NFL but as Tony Gonzalez fades, the Falcons could really use a big-play wide receiver to take pressure off of white and give Matt Ryan another option when he’s in trouble.

The Falcons are in great shape to contend next season and for many years to come but they still have some minor renovations to do if they want to find themselves in the final four next season.