Atlanta Falcons
. Atlanta Falcons (1966–present)Team nicknames. The Dirty Birds. Grits Blitz (1977 defense)Championships(0)Conference championships (2). NFC:,Division championships (6). NFC West:,. NFC South:,Playoff appearances (14).
NFL:,Home fields. (1966–1991). (1992–2016). (2017–present)The Atlanta Falcons are a professional team based in,. The Falcons compete in the (NFL) as a member club of the league's (NFC) division. The Falcons joined the NFL in 1965 as an, after the NFL offered then-owner a franchise to keep him from joining the rival (AFL).In their 53 years of existence (through 2018), the Falcons have compiled a record of 368–466–6 ( 358–452–6 in the regular season and 10–14 in the playoffs), winning division championships in,. The Falcons have appeared in two, the first during the 1998 season in, where they lost to the 34–19, and the second was eighteen years later, a 34–28 overtime defeat by the in.The Falcons' current home field is, which opened for the season; the team's headquarters and practice facilities are located at a fifty-acre (20 ha) site in, northeast of Atlanta in.
Further information: Professional football comes to AtlantaProfessional football first came to Atlanta in, when the (AFL) staged two preseason contests, with one featuring the vs. The and the second pitting the against the. Two years later, the held another exhibition, this time with the taking on the.In 1965, after the (then known simply as Atlanta Stadium) was built, the city of Atlanta felt the time was right to start pursuing professional football. One independent group which had been active in NFL exhibition promotions in Atlanta applied for franchises in both the AFL and NFL, acting entirely on its own with no guarantee of stadium rights.
Another group reported it had deposited earnest money for a team in the AFL.With everyone running in different directions, some local businessmen worked out a deal and were awarded an AFL franchise on June 8, contingent upon acquiring exclusive stadium rights from city officials. NFL, who had been moving slowly in Atlanta matters, was spurred by the AFL interest and headed on the next plane down to Atlanta to block the rival league's claim on the city of Atlanta. He forced the city to make a choice between the two leagues; by June 30, the city picked Rankin Smith and the NFL.The AFL's original expansion plans in June 1965 were for two new teams in, in Atlanta and Philadelphia.
It later evolved into the in 1966 and the in. The NFL had planned to add two teams in; the competition with the AFL for Atlanta forced the first to be added a year early in. The odd number of teams (15) resulted in one idle team (bye) each week, with each team playing fourteen games over fifteen weeks (similar to: twelve games over thirteen weeks). The second expansion team, the, joined the NFL as planned in 1967 as its sixteenth franchise.The Atlanta Falcons franchise began on June 30, 1965, when Rozelle granted ownership to forty-year-old, an Executive Vice President of Life Insurance Company of Georgia.
He paid $8.5 million, the highest price in NFL history at the time for a franchise. Rozelle and Smith made the deal in about five minutes and the Atlanta Falcons brought the largest and most popular sport to the city of Atlanta. The Atlanta expansion team became the fifteenth NFL franchise, and they were awarded the first overall pick in the as well as the final pick in each of the first five rounds.
They selected consensus from the, making him the first-ever Falcon. The league also held the six weeks later in which Atlanta selected unprotected players from the fourteen existing franchises.
Although the Falcons selected many good players in those drafts, they still were not able to win right away.The Atlanta team received its nickname on August 29, 1965. Miss Julia Elliott, a school teacher from, was singled out from many people who suggested 'Falcons' as the nickname for the new franchise. She wrote: 'the Falcon is proud and dignified, with great courage and fight. It never drops its prey.
It is deadly and has a great sporting tradition.' 1966–1977: Early strugglesThe Falcons' inaugural season was in, and their first preseason game was on August 1, a loss to the. Under head coach, Atlanta lost their first nine regular season games in 1966; their first victory came on the road against the struggling on November 20 in. Two weeks later, Atlanta won at, and beat in Atlanta the next week for their first home win. The team finished the 1960s with twelve wins in four seasons.The Falcons had their first game in Atlanta during the season, a 20–7 loss to the. The only two winning seasons in their first twelve years were (7–6–1) and (9–5).
The Falcons' defense taking on quarterback during a game.In the season, the Falcons qualified for the playoffs for the first time and won the Wild Card game against the 14–13. The following week, they lost to the 27–20 in the Divisional Playoffs.In the season, after a nine-game winning streak, the Falcons posted a franchise then-best record of 12–4 and captured their first NFC West division title. The next week, their dream season ended at home with a loss to the Cowboys 30–27 in the divisional playoffs.
In the strike-shortened season, the Falcons made the playoffs but lost to the, 30–24. Falcons coach was fired after the loss. The team then had losing seasons for the next eight years.1989–1996In the, the Falcons selected cornerback in the first round, who helped them for the next four years, setting many records for the franchise.
'Neon Deion' (a.k.a. 'Prime Time') had a flashy appeal and helped bring media attention to one of the league's most anonymous franchises. Sanders was also famous for playing on major league baseball teams ( and the ) while simultaneously playing in the NFL.
The Falcons playing against the during a 1991 away game.After defeating the in the NFC Wild Card game, the Falcons' season ended in a divisional playoff loss to the. In the, the Falcons selected quarterback as the thirty-third overall pick. During his rookie season, he played in two games where he amassed a record of four passing attempts with no receptions and two interceptions. The following February, Favre was traded to the.In, the Atlanta Falcons opened a new chapter in their history moving into the newly constructed Georgia Dome, where the team has defeated all 31 other NFL teams at least once during its time there.1997–2000: The Dan Reeves eraIn 1998, under recently acquired head coach, quarterback and running back the 'Dirty Bird' Falcons had their greatest season to date. On November 8, they beat the 41–10, ending a streak of 22 losses at cold-weather sites. The team finished with a franchise-best 14–2 regular season record and the NFC West division championship.
On January 17, 1999, the Falcons upset the top-seeded Vikings at the in the 30–27, in an exciting overtime victory. However, in their first-ever Super Bowl appearance, they lost 34–19 to the defending champion in.In the second game of the Falcons 1999 season, running back, who had been a key player in the Falcons' 1998 success, suffered a season-ending knee injury. The Falcons finished the season with a very disappointing 5–11 regular season record. In 2000, the Falcons suffered through another horrendous season finishing 4–12 and once again missing the playoffs.2001–2006In the, the Falcons orchestrated a trade with the, acquiring the first overall pick (which was used on quarterback ) in exchange for wide receiver-return specialist and the fifth overall pick (used on running back ).The Falcons finished the with a record of 7–9 and missed the playoffs. Retired following 14 seasons in Atlanta. On December 6, 2001, reached a preliminary agreement with the Falcons' Taylor Smith to purchase the team.
In a special meeting prior to in New Orleans on February 2, 2002, NFL owners voted unanimously to approve the purchase.The 2002 season saw the Falcons return to the playoffs with a regular season record of 9–6–1, tying the. It was Vick's first year as the starter, and the team, with newly acquired running back Warrick Dunn, delivered the Green Bay Packers their first home playoff loss ever. A 20-6 loss to the -led Philadelphia Eagles the following week, however, ended the Falcons' season.On March 19, 2003, the Falcons presented their new logo.
During the 2003 preseason Vick broke his leg and missed the first twelve games of the season. After losing 7 straight games, the decision was made to release head coach Dan Reeves. Acted as interim coach for the final 3 games. Although the Falcons won 3 of their last 4 games after the return of Vick, they ended up with a 5–11 record that year.
In 2004, a new head coach, was hired and Vick returned for the. The Falcons went 11–5, winning their third division title and earning a first-round bye into the playoffs. In the divisional playoffs, the Falcons defeated the, 47–17, in the, advancing to the, which they lost to the, 27–10.The again fell short of achieving back-to-back winning seasons in, going 8–8. In, Michael Vick became the first quarterback in league history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season, with 1,039.
After finishing the season 7–9, however, coach Jim Mora was dismissed and, the 's football coach, replaced him. Before the season began, Vick was suspended indefinitely by the NFL after pleading guilty to charges involving dog fighting in the state of Virginia.
On December 10, 2007, Vick received a 23-month prison sentence and was officially cut from the Atlanta roster.2007. After the tumultuous and disappointing 2007 season, the Falcons made a number of moves, hiring a new General Manager and head coach, drafting a new starting quarterback, and signing a starting running back.On January 13, 2008, the Falcons named former Patriots director of college football scouting General Manager. On January 23, defensive coach and former linebackers coach for the 2000 Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens was named the Falcons' new head coach. Chargers back-up RB agreed to a 6-year deal, $30 million deal on March 2. On April 26, (quarterback from ) was drafted third overall in the by the Falcons. Main article:The Falcons finished the 2008 regular season with a record of 11–5, and the #5 seed in the playoffs. On December 21, 2008, Atlanta beat the Minnesota Vikings 24–17 to clinch a wild card spot, earning a trip to the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
The Falcons would go on to lose in the wild-card round of the 2008 NFL playoffs to the eventual NFC champion, 30–24.Matt Ryan started all 16 games in his rookie season and was named the Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year. First-year head coach Mike Smith was named 2008 NFL Coach of the Year.2009. Main article:The Falcons made a surprise trade up with the in the to select wide receiver sixth overall. In exchange, the Falcons gave up their first-, second- and fourth-round draft picks in 2011, and their first and fourth draft picks in 2012.
Jones, along with teammates and, have since been dubbed Atlanta's 'Big Three' (based on their total number of reception yards). On August 30, 2011, senior writer, who correctly predicted the 2011 Super Bowl, made his predictions for the 2011 season and picked the Falcons to defeat the San Diego Chargers in the 2012 Super Bowl. The Falcons finished the season at 10–6, securing the fifth seed after a Week 17 beatdown of Tampa Bay in which the Falcons pulled their starters after leading 42–0 just 23 minutes into the game.The Falcons then went on to play the in a 2011 NFC Wild Card Game at in. The first half was a defensive struggle, with the first points coming off of a safety by the Falcons, giving Atlanta a 2–0 lead. In the 2nd quarter, though, connected with for a short touchdown pass to make it 7–2 Giants heading into the 2nd half. Then the Giants took control, as Manning threw for two more TD passes to and Nicks and the defense completed its shutout of the Falcons to give the the win, 24–2, and the Falcons their third straight playoff loss with. After the season Defense Coordinator accepted a coaching job at, and the offensive coordinator took the head coaching job in Jacksonville.2012.
Main article:Atlanta exploded out of the gate, going a franchise best 8–0 and remaining the last unbeaten team in the NFL that year. Their hopes to get an undefeated season came to an end with a 27–31 loss to the division rival Saints. Julio Jones had a remarkable second year, grabbing 10 touchdowns and 1,198 yards. The Falcons finished the season 13–3, and clinched the number one seed in the NFC playoffs.The Falcons played the in their first playoff game. Although they went down 28–27 with only 31 seconds left on the clock, led the team to their first playoff victory, 30–28.
It was the only playoff victory in the Mike Smith era.The Atlanta Falcons then advanced to face the. The Falcons seized control of the game early with a field goal, a trio of Matt Ryan touchdown passes caught by and coupled with outstanding defensive play. By the end of the half, the score was 24–14. The tides of the game began to shift in the second half as the 49ers rallied back with a pair of touchdown runs. Atlanta's offense attempted to reply but were ultimately shut down by the 49er defense.
A few series later, late in the 4th quarter with little time remaining, Atlanta found themselves in a 4th and 4 situation at the 10-yard line. The Falcons needed just 10 more yards to secure victory and advance to their first Super Bowl berth in 14 years. Matt Ryan fired a pass to which was ultimately broken up by inside linebacker, resulting in a 28–24 defeat.2013. Main article:Following the success of the previous season, the Falcons were an expected Super Bowl contender. However, injuries hampered the team's performance and the team finished the season 4–12. With that, the streak of consecutive winning seasons came to an end and had his first losing season as a head coach., in his final season in the NFL, was selected to the as a starter representing Team Rice.
Following the conclusion of the 2012 season, director of player personnel departed the team to join the and, assistant to general manager, left the team to join the. Scott Pioli, former GM of the, was announced as the Falcons' new assistant GM. Mike Smith was given a one-year extension on his contract as head coach.
The Falcons had the 6th overall pick in the with which they selected, who played as offensive tackle for.2014. Main article:Despite having another rough season, the Falcons still had an opportunity to qualify for the playoffs at the end of the regular season. The Falcons hosted the in their regular season finale, with the winners clinching the division.
Unfortunately, the Falcons lost in a 34–3 blowout as threw two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns and got sacked six times. The Falcons finished the season 6–10, marking the second consecutive losing season for the team. The following day, was fired after seven seasons as head coach.
The Falcons would soon hire defensive coordinator as the team's 16th head coach. The Falcons had the 8th overall pick in the with which they selected, a defensive end from Clemson University. 2015–present: The Dan Quinn era 2015. In February 2015, the team was investigated by the NFL for alleged use of artificial crowd noise in the Georgia Dome. The Falcons lost a selection as a result of the league's investigation.Dan Quinn's first season saw a 5–0 start, the team's best start in four years. They would then struggle throughout the rest of the season by losing 8 of their last 11 games, resulting in an 8–8 record. They did, however, give the Panthers their only regular season loss.
The Falcons used their first-round pick in the on safety from the.2016. Main article:In the Falcons' 25th and final season in the Georgia Dome, Atlanta lost their Week 1 game to the Buccaneers 24–31. The Falcons would then win their next four including one over the Panthers, when the franchise set new records. Matt Ryan threw for 503 yards, and Julio Jones caught twelve passes for 300 yards. With a 41–13 thrashing of the in Week 15, the Falcons improved to 9–5 and secured their first winning season since 2012. One week later, the Falcons defeated the Panthers in and clinched their first NFC South division title since 2012. In their last regular season game at the Georgia Dome, the Falcons defeated the, and secured an 11–5 record and a first round bye.In the divisional round of the playoffs, Atlanta defeated the Seahawks 36–20 in the Georgia Dome, and hosted their last game at the Dome against the in the on January 22, 2017.
The Falcons defeated the Packers 44–21 to advance to as the NFC champions. Atlanta was up 28–3 late in the third quarter, and the scored 31 unanswered points, with the last 6 in the first-ever overtime in the Super Bowl.
The Patriots' 25-point comeback was the largest in Super Bowl history.In 2016, the Falcons scored 540 points in the regular season, the seventh-most in NFL history, tied with the (the ). However, the Falcons defense gave up 406 points, 27th in the league.
Main article:The Falcons moved into their new home, the, this season. Their first game ever played at the new stadium was a preseason loss to the.
The first regular season game at the new stadium was a rematch of the 2016–17 NFC Championship, with Atlanta defeating Green Bay 34–23. Their first loss of the season was a 23–17 home defeat to the in week 4. The team returned to the playoffs with a 10-6 record (albeit with a third-place finish in the NFC South). The Falcons defeated the Los Angeles Rams 26-13 in the Wild Card round, but their 2017 season came to an end a week later in the Divisional Playoff round at the hands of the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles 15-10.Stadiums. Main article:The Falcons have called three stadiums home in their 51 years of existence, and its third home in their history opened in the late summer of 2017. The first was the, sharing with the team until 1991. In 1992, the was built, and the Falcons played there from its opening to the 2016 season.
Atlanta Falcons
The Dome has been frequently used for, including football and college bowl games such as the.In an effort to replace the aging Georgia Dome and potentially host a future, team owner Arthur Blank proposed a deal with the city of Atlanta to build a new state-of-the-art stadium not far from where the Georgia Dome is located. Blank will contribute $800 million and the city of Atlanta will contribute an additional $200 million via bonds backed by the city's hotel/motel tax towards the construction of a retractable roof stadium. Blank will contribute additional money for cost overruns if it is needed. The team will provide up to $50 million towards infrastructure costs that weren't included in the construction budget and to retire the remaining debt on the Georgia Dome. In addition, Blank's foundation and the city will each provide $15 million for development in surrounding neighborhoods. Though the total cost of the stadium was initially estimated to be around $1 billion, the total cost was revised to $1.5 billion according to Blank. In March 2013, the Atlanta City Council voted 11–4 in favor of building the stadium.
The retractable roof broke ground in May 2014, and became the third home stadium for the Falcons and the first for the new club upon opening in 2017.Logo and uniforms. Atlanta Falcons uniform: 1997–2002The Atlanta Falcons' colors are red, black, silver and white. When the team began play in, the Falcons wore red helmets with a black falcon crest logo. In the center of the helmet was a center black stripe surrounded by two gold stripes and two white stripes. These colors represented the two college rival schools in the state of Georgia; rival schools (white and gold) and the (red and black). Although the gold was removed after several seasons, the white remains to this day. They wore white pants and either black or white jerseys.
At first, the falcon crest logo was also put on the jersey sleeves, but it was replaced by a red and white stripe pattern four years later. They switched from black to red jerseys in 1971, and the club began to wear silver pants in 1978. The facemasks on the helmets were initially gray, becoming white in 1978, and then black in 1984; the team has worn black facemasks since then.A prototype white helmet was developed for the team prior to the, but was never worn.In, the uniform design changed to black helmets, silver pants, and either black or white jerseys. The numbers on the white jerseys were black, but were changed to red in. (The red numerals could be seen on the away jerseys briefly in 1990.)Both the logo and uniforms changed in. The logo was redesigned with red and silver accents to depict a more powerful, aggressive falcon, which now more closely resembles the capital letter F.Although the Falcons still wore black helmets, the new uniforms featured jerseys and pants with red trim down the sides.
Atlanta Falcons Schedule 2019
The uniform design consisted of either black or white jerseys, and either black or white pants. During that same year, a red alternate jersey with black trim was also introduced. The Falcons also started wearing black cleats with these uniforms.In, the red jerseys became the primary jerseys, and the black ones became the alternate, both worn with white pants. In select road games, the Falcons wear black pants with white jerseys. The Falcons wore an all-black combination for home games against their archrivals, the, winning the first two contests (24–21 in and 36–17 in ), but losing 31–13 in. The Falcons wore the all black combination against the New Orleans Saints for four straight seasons starting in 2004, With the last time being in 2007, losing 34–14.
They wore the combination again in 2006, against the in Week 2. The Falcons won that game, 14–3. The Falcons also wore their all-black uniform in 2007 against the New York Giants, and in 2008 against the Carolina Panthers and against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (for the second time).In the 1980s, the Falcons wore their white uniforms at home most of the time because of the heat.
When the Falcons started playing in a dome, the team switched to their dark uniforms for home games but have worn their white uniforms at home a few times since switching to the dome. It was announced at the 2009 state of the franchise meeting that the Falcons would wear 1966 throwback uniforms for a couple games during the 2009 season. The Atlanta Falcons wore 1966 throwback jerseys for two home games in 2009 – against the Carolina Panthers on September 20 and against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 29. The Falcons won both of those games. They donned the throwbacks again for 2 games in 2010, against Baltimore and San Francisco, winning both of those games as well.The Falcons unveiled an all-red uniform on September 13, 2016; however, due to the fact that the Falcons and the had similar all-red Color Rush uniforms, the Falcons were unable to wear their Color Rush uniform until the 2017 season.
Rivalries New Orleans Saints. Main article: Record vs. East North South West East North South WestPro Football Hall of Famers Atlanta Falcons Hall of FamersPlayersNo.NamePositionTenureYear inducted–1920782019CoachesNamePositionTenureYear inductedHead Coach191Sanders, Humphrey, and Gonzalez are the only players in the Hall of Fame that have been inducted based substantially on their service with the Falcons. Andersen spent eight of his 25 NFL seasons with the Falcons, previously being the team's all-time scoring leader, but he also played his first 13 NFL seasons with the New Orleans Saints, leading that team's career scoring list.Ring of HonorThe Atlanta Falcons organization does not officially retire jersey numbers, but considers certain players' jerseys worthy of being honored. The Falcons Ring of Honor, which is featured in the rafters of the Georgia Dome, honors individual players.
Atlanta Falcons Ring of HonorNo.PlayerPositionTenureInducted1–2073, 1935–1947–19782008Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. See also:In their history, the Atlanta Falcons have had 15 head coaches. East North South West East North South WestRadio and televisionFalcons' flagship radio station is 92.9 The Game., son of longtime voice, is the Falcons' play-by-play announcer, with former Atlanta Falcons QB and pro football veteran, serving as color commentator.In 2014, owned-and-operated station became the official television station of the Falcons, gaining rights to its preseason games, which are produced by.In the regular season, the team's games are seen on Fox's O&O affiliate.
When the Falcons challenge an AFC team, CBS affiliate will air those games while Sunday night games are televised on, the local NBC affiliate.Radio affiliates. Map of radio affiliates.Source: Georgia CityCall signFrequency-AM1250 AM-AM960 AM-FM92.9 FM-AM790 AM102.9 FM-AM540 AM1270 AM-AM1230 AM-AM860 AM550 AM-AM1450 AM88.9 FM-AM720 AM-AM1370 AM105.5 FM-FM98.1 FM-AM1420 AM-FM92.1 FM-AM940 AM-AM1450 AM-AM1400 AM-FM101.9 FM-AM1400 AM-FM104.3 FM-AM850 AM-AM800 AM101.1 FM-AM630 AM105.9 FM-AM970 AM-AM1350 AMAlabama CityCall signFrequency-AM1310 AMMississippi CityCall signFrequency-FM103.9 FMSouth Carolina CityCall signFrequency104.9 FMTennessee CityCall signFrequency105.1 FMNotes and references.
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Atlanta Falcons Youtube
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The feeling of disappointment is a difficult one to ignore. In some cases, it is also hard to explain. For the 2019, that sense of discontent is arrived to from several directions.The elephant in the room at the moment is a 1-6 record that leaves the Falcons in last place currently in the NFC South and one of the worst teams in the league. Even in their one win on the season so far, they still were excruciatingly close to QB completing a game-winning drive.Want to run down what is wrong with this team so far?
If you have a weak stomach, prepare yourself. After seven games, the Falcons are:. 29th in rushing.
31st in scoring defense. 27th in total defense. Last in total sacks.
30th in QB hits allowed. Last in team penalties. 29th in turnover margin. Last in third down defense. 28th in red zone defensive percentageCatch your breath for a second, because that is a lot to digest. The Falcons are in the bottom of the league in a bunch of stats which plays an important hand in the team coming up short on a weekly basis.
As a result, the team looks completely outmatched and out-coached every game, and that usually means a final outcome that is embarrassing to discuss at times.Fingers are pointed everywhere. To head coach Dan Quinn, to the front office, to quarterback, to the defense, back to Quinn, to the offensive line, and circles back around to Quinn once again.
I wrote prior to the season into his own hands and why that can lead to prosperity or a massive dumpster fire that is too difficult to contain. Well, here we are. After seven weeks, the Falcons find themselves staring at a future of rebuilding instead of chasing a championship. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty ImagesWith so many issues at once, it is hard to pinpoint what may be deemed as the “biggest” or the “most pressing” issue. Coming into the season, the Falcons were viewed as talented on both sides of the ball and even as dark-horse contenders in the eyes of many. I was one of those individuals who thought very highly of the team, with a clear vision of them making a deep postseason run. But what we have seen transpired so far is a complete mess.
This is a team woeful in many areas.Just pick a loss so far this season. The season opener against the saw the team lose with Minnesota just attempting 10 passes the entire game. In Houston, the defense allowed (checks notes) 592 total yards and 53 points. In Arizona the next week, was 30-of-36 for 356 yards and four touchdowns with no turnovers and yet was on the losing end.
This past contest against the at home was somewhat a culmination of the first seven weeks where the team made a mockery of themselves in front of their home crowd.With a recent trade of former starter to the, the team appears to be fully embracing the fact that it may be time to start building anew again. The ever-revolving rumors of Quinn having the word ‘former’ in front of his head coaching title are as loud as they have ever been. Numerous players are also rumored to be traded during the season or by season’s end, and fans have already clamored their personal choices for the next head coach and possible general manager in Atlanta. The hopes of the summer are all gone.Face it, there is no righting the ship in a matter of weeks, which is all Atlanta has left in 2019.
Sure, they may win a couple more games here and there, but this is a fix in the form of complete remodeling. It may have to start at the top with the decision makers and work its way down to the roster from there. That window of opportunity for the Atlanta Falcons at the moment, meanwhile, is slammed shut. All that’s left is a house on fire.