I have to admit that I didn’t respond to the hiring of Raheem Morris with glee and optimism. It was more like despair, you know, the feeling you get when you have a flat tire and you have to put on “de-spair.”
But the new Atlanta head coach has lots of admirers among current and former NFL players, so I guess we have no choice as Atlanta fans but to give the man a chance.
Just like Atlanta fans gave Norb Hecker a chance when Rankin Smith Sr. plucked him from Vince Lombardi’s staff way back in 1966.
Hecker had coached Green Bay’s defensive backs, and Willie Wood and Herb Adderly were named to the All-Pro team. So, Smith probably hoped Hecker would bring some of Lombardi’s magic to Atlanta’s new franchise.
Unfortunately, Hecker neglected to bring any magic and got fired three games into his third season after winning only four games as head coach.
To be fair, Hecker’s quarterback room was an unmitigated disaster, consisting of fledglings Randy Johnson and Steve Sloan, as well as Dennis Claridge who came over to Atlanta from Green Bay with Hecker. Claridge never won a game as an NFL quarterback, and neither did Sloan despite his Alabama pedigree.
Johnson was QB1 but won only nine games in his five years in Atlanta. He managed to stay employed in the NFL for 10 seasons, though, which was long enough for him to throw 90 interceptions, seven of which were returned for touchdowns.
Former Vikings head coach Norm Van Brocklin replaced Hecker and brought quarterback Bob Berry in to replace Johnson. Berry and Van Brocklin were both Oregon alumni. Hey, ducks are birds, too, aren’t they?
Berry was a competent quarterback, but he played on some bad teams. However, the Falcons were at last learning to fly and in 1971 had their first winning season (7-6-1).
Bob “General” Lee came along in 1973 and nearly led the Falcons to the playoffs with a 9-5 record, which included a victory over the 9-0 Vikings on Monday Night Football.
Lee came back to Earth the next season and the Falcons returned to last place in the NFC West.
In 1975, the Steve Bartkowski era began. Peachtree Bart and head coach Leeman Bennett would lead the Falcons to the playoffs three times. Rankin Smith was so impressed he fired Bennett.
The Falcons drafted Dave Archer in 1984 and he took over as QB1 in 1985.
Archer’s tenure in Atlanta was mostly unremarkable but he did throw for 6,023 yards as a member of the CFL’s Sacramento Gold Miners in 1993. “That’s a career, man!” to borrow a line from “Bull Durham.” The Falcons drafted Chris Miller – another Duck – in 1987, and he supplanted Archer. Miller led the Falcons to the playoffs in 1991 under second-year coach Jerry Glanville, then returned to Waycross where he lives with various bats and bears in a cave (obscure Bobby Bare reference).
Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre also was on that 1991 team. He threw four passes for the Falcons and two of them were caught … by members of the opposing team.
Favre would eventually lead the Packers to 11 playoff appearances and two Super Bowls, and Green Bay retired his number.
We’ll dispense with the moribund early ‘90s, and fast forward to 1998 when Chris Chandler and Coach Dan Reeves led the Falcons to their first Super Bowl.
The Falcons lost to Denver because … Eugene Robinson.
Predictably, the Falcons reversed course and finished 5-11 in 1999.
The Falcons drafted Michael Vick in 2001, and while he was an exciting player, he led the team to the playoffs only once before being sent to the Leavenworth federal pen for his part in a dog-fighting operation. He had already gotten Dan Reeves fired.
The Falcons and new head coach Mike Smith drafted the best quarterback in franchise history in 2008, and Matt Ryan led the team to the playoffs six times and had a 28-3 lead in Super Bowl 51 before … Tom Brady.
It’s the same thing every stinking time! Hope! Anticipation. Despair again.
It’s like you finally find the lone Brazil nut amongst a can of peanuts, almonds, and cashews … only to discover the Brazil nut is rotten and rancid.
Selah.