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The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons were founded on June 30, 1965, and joined the NFL in 1966 as an expansion team, after the NFL offered then-owner Rankin Smith a franchise to keep him from joining the rival American Football League (AFL).
Morten Andersen, nicknamed "the Great Dane", is a Danish former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 25 seasons, most notably with the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. Following a career from 1982 to 2007, Andersen holds the NFL record for regular season games played at 382. He also ranks second in field goals (565) and points scored (2,544). In addition to his league accomplishments, he is the Saints' all-time leading scorer at 1,318 points. Andersen was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017 and, along with Jan Stenerud, is one of only two exclusive placekickers to receive the honor.
Sharod Lamor "Roddy" White is an American former professional football player who spent his entire career as a wide receiver with the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UAB Blazers, and was drafted by the Falcons in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft.
The 1991 NFL season was the 72nd regular season of the National Football League (NFL). It was the final season for coach Chuck Noll. The season ended with Super Bowl XXVI when the Washington Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills, 37–24, at the Metrodome in Minnesota. This was the second of four consecutive Super Bowl losses for Buffalo.
The 1966 NFL season was the 47th regular season of the National Football League, and the first season in which the Super Bowl was played, though it was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The league expanded to 15 teams with the addition of the Atlanta Falcons, making a bye necessary each week for one team.
Matthew Thomas Ryan, nicknamed "Matty Ice", is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at Boston College, where he won the Manning and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Awards as a senior, and was selected by the Atlanta Falcons third overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. As a member of the Falcons for 14 seasons, Ryan holds several franchise records with the team including passing yards, passing touchdowns, passer rating, and wins.
Michael David Haynes is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the seventh round of the 1988 NFL Draft. He played college football at Northern Arizona after attending Eastern Arizona College. Haynes also played for the New Orleans Saints.
The 1967 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 18th season with the National Football League. The Browns were back in the playoffs after a one-year absence. They finished 9–5, the same as in 1966, but this time, it was good enough for them to get in as they won the Century Division championship in the first year of play after the NFL split the Eastern and Western conferences into two divisions each. The division race was not close, as the Browns finished two games ahead of the runner-up New York Giants (7–7), their old arch rival in the 1950s and early 1960s.
Quintorris Lopez "Julio" Jones Jr. is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Alabama, and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He is regarded as one of the best receivers of the 2010s.
The 2005 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise’s 40th in the National Football League (NFL). It began with the team trying to defend their NFC South division title and 11–5 record in 2004. The Falcons started 6–2, but injuries on defense caused them to finish the second half 2–6 to finish the season 8–8. Bright spots included the Falcons ending their Monday Night Football jinx by going 3–0, and on Thursday, November 24, the Falcons played on Thanksgiving Day for the first time in franchise history with a 27–7 victory over the Detroit Lions. On the next-to-last game of the regular season, the Falcons were eliminated from postseason contention with a 27–24 overtime loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Falcons failed to improve over their 11–5 season, therefore finishing with a .500 record and once again failed to attain back-to-back winning seasons.
The 1974 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's ninth year in the National Football League (NFL). After coming close to their maiden postseason appearance the previous season and finishing with a best-to-date 9–5 record despite an upset loss to the Cardinals, the Falcons traded star cornerback Ken Reaves to the archrival New Orleans Saints to obtain in-demand guard Royce Smith, a former Georgia Bulldogs All-American, in a widely criticized move. During the strike-affected pre-season, they beat the Eagles 23 to 7 in a rain-soaked match, before losing to the Raiders, 28–16. Soon afterwards the Falcons lost key offensive tackle Bill Sandeman for the entire season with a slipped disc in his back.
The 1977 Atlanta Falcons season was the team's 12th year in the National Football League. The team finished the season 7–7, and did not qualify for the playoffs.
The 2003 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 38th season in the National Football League (NFL). It is best remembered for the third preseason game, in which quarterback Michael Vick broke his leg and was done for most of the season. Atlanta had two other quarterbacks take over for a combined 2–10 record. Vick returned in week 14 and ended the season with a 3–1 record.
The Falcons–Saints rivalry is an NFL rivalry between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints.
Daniel Patrick Quinn is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence as the defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks from 2013 to 2014, serving as the play-caller for the team's Legion of Boom secondary. Under Quinn, Seattle led the league in defense and made two consecutive Super Bowl appearances, winning the franchise's first in Super Bowl XLVIII. This success led to Quinn being named head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, where he served for six seasons.
Desmond Trufant is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington.
Robert Alford is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football at Southeastern Louisiana and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Devonta Cornellius Freeman is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Keanu Neal is an American football safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the 17th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida.
James Desmond Ridder is an American football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Cincinnati, where he was twice-named AAC Offensive Player of the Year before being selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
References
- ↑ "1967 Atlanta Falcons draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
