THE FALCONS FILE
Home field: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Coach: Arthur Smith
Offensive star: TE Kyle Pitts
Defensive star: CB A.J. Terrell
2021 Season: Failed to Make Playoffs
Super Bowls: Lost 1998, 2017
Greatest Player: QB Matt Ryan
Factoid: Nickname, “Dirty Birds.”
By Lenn Robbins
It’s the losing.
Even before the epic collapse in the 2017 Super Bowl, the one in which the Falcons led the Patriots 28-3 in the third quarter only to lose 34-28 in OT, the Dirty Birds had taken losing to a new level.
Their overall record in 55 years as a franchise is 379-487-6.
Their playoff record, 10-14.
Their Super Bowl record, 0-2.
The ultimate collapse, Super Bowl, LI.
One has to have a measure of empathy, if not appreciation for Falcons fans who filled their stadium to
95.5-percent capacity last season, better than the Cincinnati Bengals, which had a season for the ages.
Let’s remember too that 2021 was another in a long line of rebuilds for the Falcons.
You have to wonder what’s the incentive for Atlanta fans in 2022? They traded away Matt Ryan, the best quarterback in franchise history. The Falcons had a good off-season, but not a great one.
And with the Bucs and Saints in the same division, it’s a safe bet that the Falcons will miss the playoffs for a fifth straight season.
Say this for the Falcons Faithful. They have an owner in Arthur Blank who seems genuinely committed
to putting a winning team on the field (Note: We’re always cautious when complimenting owners because there’s Dan Snyder, Stephen Ross, et al out there.)
"Yes, I've totally recovered from that (loss)," Blank said two years after that crushing Super Bowl loss. "That's history."
Unfortunately, so is the Falcons losing record.
New QB Marcus Mariota can prove us all wrong. Go Falcons!