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The dirty bird became the hottest dance in the NFL as RB Jamal Anderson had a breakout season rushing for 1,846 yards, while scoring 16 TDs. Led by Anderson the Falcons would seize the momentum they had from the last season and would get off to a 5-1 start. After a horrid 28-3 loss toe the Jets in New York the Falcons embarked on a season ending 9-game winning streak that helped them capture the NFC West with a 14-2 record. However, the season was not without it tenuous moments as Coach Dan Reeves missed the final 2 games of the season recovering form an emergency Quadruple bypass on his heart. Dan Reeves, who earned Coach of the Year honors, would return for the playoffs as the Falcons hosted the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Playoffs.
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The Falcons would jump out quickly to a 14-0 lead. However the offense would stall, and would need the defense to step it up as the held on for a heart stopping 20-18 win the advance to the NFC Championship for the first time. Facing the 15-1 Vikings the Falcons were considerable underdogs traveling to Minnesota. Down 20-7 late in the 2nd Quarter the Falcons looked to be going down for the count. However, the Falcons would suddenly grab momentum seize on a turnover, to get back into the game at halftime 20-14. The Falcons defense would step it up and limit the high-powered Vikings offense to just 7 points in the 2nd half. However, with late in the 4th Quarter the Falcons still trailed 27-20, with Vikings kicker Gary Anderson setting up for a 38-yard FG. Anderson had not missed a FG all season, but his kick sailed left, and kept the Falcons hopes alive. The Falcons would go on to tie the game when Chris Chandler connected with Terrance Mathis just after the 2-minute warning. The game would go into overtime where Morten Andersen nailed a 39-yard FG to give the Falcons an improbable victory sending them to the Super Bowl.Super Bowl XXXIII: Facing the Denver Broncos in Miami, the Falcons became a victim of Super Bowl hype, early as Coach Dan Reeves, got involved in verbal sparring with Broncos Coach Mike Shanahan, and QB John Elway, both of whom he had a major falling out with while Coaching in Denver. Things would only get worse the night before the game when FS Eugene Robinson is arrested for soliciting prostitution the night before the game. The Broncos would jump out to a 17-6 halftime lead as Robinson is beaten on an 80-yuard TD pass. The Broncos would go on to jump out to a 31-6 lead, before Tim Dwight provide the Falcons lone highlight of the game with a 94-yard kickoff return for a TD, as the Falcons season ended with a bitter 34-19 loss.
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Did You Know
The '''Atlanta Falcons''' are an American professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are currently a member of the NFC South division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Falcons joined the NFL in 1965 as an expansion team, after the NFL offered then-owner Rankin Smith a franchise to keep him from joining the rival American Football League. The AFL instead granted a franchise to Miami. In their 43 years of existence, the Falcons have compiled a record of 275–400–6 with division championships in 1980, 1998 and 2004. They have one Super Bowl appearance, Super Bowl XXXIII in 1999.
Franchise history
Once a stadium, Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, was built, Atlantans felt the time was ripe to start pursuing Professional Football. One independent group which had been active in NFL exhibition promotions in Atlanta applied for franchises in both the American Football League and the 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 7, 1965, contingent upon acquiring exclusive stadium rights from city officials. NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, 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. On June 30 Rankin Smith and the NFL were the choice.
The Atlanta Falcons franchise began on June 30, 1965 when NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle granted ownership to Rankin Smith Sr. The expansion team was awarded the first pick in the 1966 NFL Draft as well as the final pick in each of the first five rounds.
The Falcons had their first season in , and their first preseason game on August 1, , losing to the Philadelphia Eagles. They lost their first nine regular-season games and secured their first victory on the road against the New York Giants. The team finished the 1960s with only 12 wins. The Falcons had their first Monday Night Football game in Atlanta during the 1970 season. The 1971 season was their first with a winning record.
In the 1978 season, the Falcons entered their first playoff series and won the Wild Card game against the Philadelphia Eagles 14–13. The following week, they lost to the Dallas Cowboys 27–20 in the Divisional Playoffs.
In 1980, 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 1982 season, the Falcons made the playoffs but lost to the Minnesota Vikings, 30–24. Falcons coach Leeman Bennett was fired after the loss.
In 1989, the Falcons drafted CB Deion Sanders 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 kept The Falcons in media circles which helped to establish a new young fan base for the 90's. Sanders was also famous for playing on major league baseball teams NY Yankees and Atlanta Braves while simultaneously playing in the NFL.
In 1991, the Falcons season ended in a loss to the Washington Redskins in the Divisional Playoffs.
In 1992, the Atlanta Falcons opened a new chapter in their history moving into the newly constructed Georgia Dome.
In 1998, under recently acquired head coach Dan Reeves, QB Chris Chandler and RB Jamal Anderson led the "Dirty Bird" Falcons to their greatest season to date. On November 8, they won 41-10 over the New England Patriots, ending a streak of 22 losses at cold-weather sites. The team finished with a 14–2 regular season record and the NFC West division championship. On January 18, 1999, the Falcons upset the top-seeded 15–1 Vikings at Minnesota in the NFC Championship Game, 30–27 in an amazing overtime victory. Advancing to their first ever Super Bowl, they were overwhelmed 34–19, by the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII.
In the 2001 NFL Draft, the Falcons orchestrated a trade with the San Diego Chargers, acquiring the first overall pick (which was used on quarterback Michael Vick) in exchange for wide receiver Tim Dwight and the fifth overall pick (used on running back LaDainian Tomlinson). Co-founder of Home Depot, Arthur Blank purchased the Falcons franchise on December 6, 2001. Michael Vick saw minimal game time in 2001, playing backup and learning the system under starting QB Chris Chandler. Vick named starter for the 2002 season, rushed for 173 yards in an overtime win at Minnesota, the highest single-game rushing total for an NFL quarterback ever. Setting many records and supplying the media with numerous highlights for the season, Vick and the Falcons led the Falcons to the playoffs. During their ensuing playoff run, the Falcons were the first team in history to claim a playoff win over the Green Bay Packers 27-7 in Lambeau Field. Their season ended with a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles 20-6 in the Divisional Playoffs..
On March 19, 2003, the Falcons presented their new logo. “The new Atlanta Falcons logo is fresh, strong and dynamic, and yet appreciates the tradition and history of this franchise,” said Falcons owner and CEO Arthur Blank. “The new logo depicts a more powerful, aggressive Falcon - one of fast movement. It is also representative of the evolution and direction of our team.” During the 2003 preseason Michael 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. Wade Phillips acted as interim coach for the final 3 games. The Falcons ended up with a dismal 5–11 record that year.
New head coach Jim Mora was hired and Michael Vick returned for the full season in , when the Falcons went 11–5. The Falcons won their 3rd Division Title and earn a 1st round bye into the playoffs. In the divisional playoffs, the Falcons defeat the St. Louis Rams 47-17 advancing to the Conference Championship, in which they lost to the Eagles 27-10. The Falcons fell short again to maintain back-to-back winning seasons in , going 8–8. In , the Falcons Michael Vick becomes the first quarterback in League history to rush for over 1,000 yards with 1,039. After finishing the season 7–9 coach Jim Mora was dismissed. In 2007, Vick was suspended indefinitely by the NFL after pleading guilty to charges involved with dog fighting in the state of Virginia. On December 10, Vick received a 23 month sentence and was cut from the Atlanta roster. In the beginning of the 2007 season, the Falcons were forced to put Joey Harrington as starting quarterback. On December 11, 13 games into his first NFL season as coach, Bobby Petrino resigned without notice, and ran away to coach at the University of Arkansas. Secondary Coach Emmitt Thomas was named interim coach for the final three games of 2007 on December 12.
On January 13, 2008, Atlanta Falcons named the former Patriot's director of college football scouting Thomas Dimitroff General Manager.[http://www.atlantafalcons.com/People/Staff/Executive/Thomas_Dimitroff.aspx] On January 23, 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coach and former linebackers coach for the 2000 Super Bowl winning Baltimore Ravens Mike Smith was named the Falcons' new head coach.[http://www.atlantafalcons.com/People/Coaches/Mike_Smith.aspx] On March 2, former back-up to LaDainian Tomlinson on the San Diego Chargers Michael Turner agreed to a 6 year deal worth 30 million.[http://www.atlantafalcons.com/People/Players/Active/Michael_Turner.aspx] On April 26, Matt Ryan (Quarterback from Boston College) was drafted 3rd overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. He started all 16 games in his rookie season and was named the Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year.[http://www.atlantafalcons.com/People/Players/Active/Matt_Ryan.aspx]
On December 21, 2008 Atlanta Falcons 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 finished the 2008 regular season with a record of 11–5.[http://www.nfl.com/teams/atlantafalcons/statistics?teamATL] The Falcons would go on to lose in the wild-card round of the 2008 NFL playoffs to the eventual NFC champion Arizona Cardinals, 30–24.
The Atlanta Falcons hold the record among all major American sports leagues for the longest streak of seasons without consecutive winning seasons, a streak that lasted from 1966-2008. Though they failed to make the playoffs, the streak ended in 2009 when the Falcons defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-10 in the final game of the season to improve their record to 9-7.
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