2006 Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons had a disappointing season in 2005, when three losses at the end left them with 8 wins and 8 losses. Just the same, the team has plenty of loyal fans, thousands of whom bought tickets and showed up at the Georgia Dome to cheer them on. In fact, their paid attendance averaged well over 70,000 tickets sold per game.

Six of the opponents the Falcons face during 2006 will be teams that made the playoffs of 2005: the Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Bucs, New York Giants, Cincinnati Bengals, Washington Redskins, and the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Coach Jim Mora will rely on QB Michael Vick plus a highly-rated batch of linebackers including Keith Brooking to respond aggressively.

Some Atlanta Falcons history: Altanta was awarded an NFL franchise for the 1966 season and was coached by Norb Hecker, a former assistant to Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers. Linebacker Tommy Nobis, the team's first draft pick, captured the 1966 NFL rookie of the year award.

During the 1960s and early 1970s the Falcons produced several more top players, including running back Dave Hampton and quarterback Steve Bartkowski. In 1978 the Falcons made their playoff debut after posting a 9-7 record. Entering the playoffs as a wild card team, Atlanta beat out the Philadelphia Eagles before falling to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Dallas Cowboys.

Atlanta won the Western Division in 1980 and returned to the playoffs in 1982. But that playoff appearance was followed by three consecutive last-place finishes, despite Riggs's 1,719 yards in 1985, which led all NFL rushers that year. The club endured eight straight losing seasons and four coaching changes from 1983 through 1990. In 1991 former Houston Oilers head coach Jerry Glanville ended the playoff drought by guiding the team to a 10-6 record and a wild card berth. A strong player on the team was cornerback Deion Sanders, who also played in the outfield for the Atlanta Braves of major league baseball.

June Jones, a former Falcons backup quarterback from the team's 1978 playoff season, returned to Atlanta as head coach in 1994. A strict believer in a powerful, high-scoring offense, Jones stressed an aggressive game that allowed quarterback Jeff George to pass for 3,734 yards in 1994. A year later George passed for an NFL-best 4,143 yards as the team posted a 9-7 win-loss record. Atlanta went to the playoffs that year but lost in the first round to the Green Bay Packers. In 1996 the team dropped to a 3-13 record. After the 1996 season, Jones was replaced by former Denver Broncos head coach Dan Reeves.

In 1998 Atlanta posted a 14-2 win-loss record and captured the NFC Western Division title. Led by Bennett, Chandler, running back Jamal Anderson, and receiver Terance Mathis, the Falcons defeated the San Francisco 49ers and the Minnesota Vikings in the playoffs, and won the NFC championship. Atlanta met Reeves's former team, the Broncos, in the Super Bowl, which the Broncos won, 34-19.