Rise up, ATL!
The Pats may have gotten all the attention in recent years, but many say it’s time share the spotlight, and the Atlanta Falcons may just be the ones to dethrone the perennial playoff glory hogs. Everyone loves a good underdog, especially one with as much heart and soul as the Falcons.
Having never won a Super Bowl since their inception into the NFL in 1965, here are the top seven facts about the Falcons you either know, or you didn’t know you didn’t know.
The Falcons have been to the Super Bowl, once.
Though they contended in 1999 against the Denver Broncos, they were defeated by John Elway’s all-star squad. At least they had a solid, well-rounded halftime show, starring the Big Bad Voodoo Daddies, Stevie Wonder, and Gloria Estefan.
Matt Ryan is doing the things.
He’s had a helluva season. He’s thrown 38 touchdowns and has a 117.1 quarterback passer rating, the first time he’s broken 100 in his career. Even rival QB Tom Brady thinks Ryan deserves MVP this year. He also threw out “Jessie’s Girl” as his go-to karaoke song.
Samuel L. Jackson is a huuuge Falcons fan.
So much so that he famously made the “Rise up” commercial, popularizing the team (and city) motto. More recently, he blew up Twitter when the Falcons beat out the Packers in the playoffs (“Julio Jones ALWAYS OPEN like Waffle House” – that man is a national treasure).
Julio Jones is crazy good.
And always open like Waffle House, apparently. One of the NFL’s top receivers, Jones had a great year with the Falcons: 83 catches, 1,409 receiving yards, six touchdowns. He’s electrifying to watch, AND, he has a Ferrari. Cool dude.
Tony Gonzalez played from 2009-2013.
This dreamy tight end rocked the Falcons’ offense for a good stint, and just had a spirited lip sync battle against Ray Lewis. He also recently starred in xXx: Return of Xander Cage, also starring Falcons superfan, Samuel L. Jackson. Six degrees of separation — starring Samuel L., a former Falcon, and Turo.
Dan Quinn may be a good luck charm.
Head coach Dan Quinn has coached in three of the last four Super Bowls, including being the defensive coordinator for Seattle Seahawks both when they beat the Broncos and then lost to the Patriots. Loss aside, taking your team to the Super Bowl three times in four years ain’t too shabby.
The NFC Championship game was the The Georgia Dome’s last.
The iconic Dome has been home to the Dirty Birds, as well as a couple generations of football fans, since it was built in ‘92, and sadly for the nostalgics, is due for demolition later this year.
Good luck tomorrow, fellows, and may the best team win.