In exchange for a 2010 second round pick, the Atlanta Falcons acquired perenial Pro-Bowl and future Hall of Fame tight end, Tony Gonzalez, from the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday.

The move automatically upgrades the Falcons from being one of the more potent offenses in the NFC a year ago, to arguably it's best. It also takes Atlanta from being just another playoff contender in the NFC to legitimate Super Bowl threat for the 2009 season.

Tony Gonzalez in and of himself doesn't not make just any team a potential Super Bowl hopeful (just look at Kansas City), but in this case he is the cherry on top to complete the sweet Atlanta offense, a development that should help propel the team deep into the playoffs this season.

With a young budding superstar at quarter back in Matt Ryan, a flashy big play wide receiver in Roddy White, and the unstoppable force that is Michael "the Burner" Turner at running back, by also adding the league's best tight end to the equation, the Atlanta Falcons have themselves a sure-fire top 5 NFL offense this year.

Already a team that could have perhaps played in the Super Bowl last year had they not had to travel to Arizona to give a team with a far less impressive record a chance to play in front of their home crowd (not to mention a huge mental mistake late in the game by Keith Brooking when he bit on play action on 4th and long), the Falcons have more than proven they have a volatile attack prior to adding a decent tight end to their arsenal.

It will be next to impossible for any opposing defense to stack the box against Michael Turner or indiscriminately try and blitz Matt Ryan with a highly experienced, reliable, and talented dump off option at the ready, otherwise the Falcons will move the sticks all day by connecting with Gonzalez.

Not that taking a different approach will result in a different outcome for either side. The Falcons now have elite options at every key offensive position and defenses will only be able to pick their poison.

Now that secondaries have another superstar to keep track of, Roddy White will also  have an easier go of it. That should be enough to make any defensive coordinator manic considering the statistics White has managed to accumulate over the last two seasons as the Falcons top receiving option despite the lack of another proven receiving talent to share the field with him.

The arrival of Gonzalez not only affects the Falcons playoff asperations and game plan, but their whole approach at this weekend's NFL Draft. With the offense completely taken care of, the Falcons can focus soley on defensive upgrades; where as before they would likely have needed to focus their sights on Brandon Pettigrew of Oklahoma State, the most talented TE in this year's Draft by far, but still an unproven commodity.

The team needs to improve defensively, but with the Draft addressing some of those needs, and the other top teams in the NFC struggling to find key components to fill voids on their respective offenses (New York, Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, just to name a few), the Atlanta Falcons have a good of chance as any of making a Super Bowl XLIV appearance.

In fact with the addition of Gonzalez, you have to like their chances more than any other team in the NFC at this point.