Atlanta Falcons Are Playing with House Money in Year One of Renovations

A year ago, the Atlanta Falcons were no closer to winning the Super Bowl than the Hawks, Braves or Thrashers. A team that finished the 2006 season 7-9 and looking for a new coach, was on its way to a 4-12 finish and its second coaching search in 11 months.

Bobby Petrino had abandoned the team like a coward backs out of a dark and dangerous back alley, leaving his wife and kids to face the uncertainty alone. Michael Vick had been sentenced in a federal dog fighting trial, leaving behind him a city of fans divided in allegiances and morals.

Perhaps worse yet, “Meangelo” Hall and other teammates chose the low road, exacerbating the issue of low morale within the Georgia Dome and on the streets that surround it.

To put things plainly, the Falcons weren’t a bag of trash at the top of the can waiting for the truck to come along and take them away. They were the soiled napkin, stuck at the bottom and unable to change its station in life. Without help…..

I grew up about 60 miles outside of Atlanta, yet rarely was able to see the Falcons play. Sunday afternoon games were eternally blacked out (unless the Falcons were playing the Cowboys), and the teams were rarely worth a drive over to the big city. I think the first time I saw them live was when my high school marching band played at their halftime show.

What do I remember about that trip? Saints fans walking out of Atlanta Fulton County Stadium screaming, “Who dat?”

As owner Arthur Blank began his rebuilding process last December, I remember feeling uncertain. Despite an unequivocal trust in the former Home Depot founder, there was a feeling that this franchise was doomed, destined to sporadic seasons of greatness, followed by decades of futility.

When Thomas Dimitroff was hired as the new GM, it didn’t send shockwaves through the city or the league. But it was clearly more than a step in the right direction. Together they tapped longtime assistant Mike Smith of Jacksonville as the new coach.

While it was hard to deny the coach’s resume, many fans had been waiting for a coach that would make a bigger splash. After all, Parcells had used Blank as a bargaining chip and the newspapers had fed the frenzied fans with name dropping exercises. Cowher. Carroll.

Despite the disappointing feeling, the signs of a turnaround were real and came early.

Personnel subtractions were made both for monetary reasons (Warrick Dunn), team identity reasons (DeAngelo Hall) and both (Alge Crumpler). While waving goodbye to one of the NFL’s classiest players in Dunn was difficult, it was necessary to free up room under the cap.

Hall will be the first (and likely only) one to tell you that he is one of the most talented corners in the league, but his mouth divided the Atlanta locker and had proven to be hazardous to the franchise’s health.

The Falcons were undergoing an extreme makeover. They were looking for good players and great men to give them a fresh start.

Michael Turner was the offseason’s biggest talent at free agent running back, despite being a backup his entire career in San Diego. He made Atlanta his first stop on what could have been an extensive tour of suitors bidding for his services.

He landed in Atlanta and the Blank-Dimitroff team convinced him that he was the right fit and that they were headed in the right direction.

Turner never got back on the plane.

Michael Boley and Chauncey Davis signed tenders as restricted free agents in April after Jason Elam had capped off an impressive free agent signing period in late March. Nothing flashy. No huge names. But all significant steps towards a competitive product to put on the field turf of the Georgia Dome.

Dimitroff parlayed a successful early free agent signing period with a draft that has proven to be Atlanta’s best ever. Matt Ryan was supposed to be a risky pick for a team needing defensive help. Instead he is not just a Rookie of the Year option, but a viable MVP candidate.

Sam Baker and Curtis Lofton have provided much needed help at the tackle and linebacker position. Chevis Jackson and Harry Douglas didn’t make an immediate impact but have shown they aren’t your average third rounders.

Fans would be surprised just how early these moves would pay dividends.

With most of the personnel decisions made, changes were needed within the minds of the players that had witnessed the tragedy that was the ’07 season. Mindsets would need to be reset. Both tweaks and major shifts of purpose were necessary to build the foundation that Dimitroff and Smith were pouring.

Not all the changes, however small they seemed, were easy. For instance, Abraham was asked to cut back on the downs he plays. He hedged, postured. You could read his body language to say, “I’m a star at my position. You need me out there first through third downs.” As we approach Week 16, everyone can see the difference it is making. Abraham included.

A much maligned receiving corps would be counted on to block. A lot. And well. The result is that Roddy White and Michael Jenkins are having incredible seasons both on and away from the ball.

And it was small changes like those that lead to a major renovation in the hearts and minds of the players in the Atlanta locker room. Those renovations have provided something palpable, something tangible for fans to grasp a hold of.

Case in point: Week Six against the visiting Bears. Chicago scored with 11 seconds remaining to take a 20-19 lead and fans that weren’t preparing to stream away from the Georgia Dome with heads lowered, already had. The Falcons would lose, right? They don’t win games like this do they?

But that isn’t the mantra of the new Falcon. Mike Smith’s Falcons play for 60 minutes and with an attitude of a prize fighter. Ryan collects his offense near midfield after a pooch kick and a quick 10 yard return. He finds Michael Jenkins along the sideline with the poise of a Troy Aikman during his glory years and the skill of a Dan Marino at his prime.

Jason Elam atones for a 33-yard hook that missed earlier and connects from 48 yards, his fifth field goal of the game. Falcons win their fourth game of the season in dramatic style, matching their win total from the season before in just the sixth week of the season.

Bobby who? Michael who?

Yes, while the national media was busy acknowledging the work done in the offseason on one hand, and picking the Falcons to finish in the cellar on the other, Mike Smith was telling his team that there was no reason they couldn’t win this season. A team expected by both experts and fans alike to win just a handful of games was expecting to win each and every game.

So now a team that has never had back to back winning seasons is two wins and a little help away from making the playoffs. The Atlanta Falcons, who a year ago were looking for emotional-show-of-support wins for an interim coach, are now staring at a possible 11 win season.

One season that has changed the attitude of the team on the field and the attitude of the fans in the stands.

The Falcons may win 10 or 11 games and still miss the playoffs (what a travesty for a team that has come so far). But they are stacked for the future. Franchise cornerstones Ryan and Turner are inked for the long haul.

Dimitroff and Smith, while relatively new to their respective jobs, are vested in the future of this organization. And most importantly, there are more No. 2 jerseys around town than there are No. 7 jerseys.

A not so subtle sign that regardless of the outcome of this season, the Atlanta Falcons are no longer gamblers in the market of the National Football League. They’re playing with house money now and will soon see free agents do more than entertain their offers.

They’ll see more season ticket holders renew for a chance to see a team that was once forgotten at the bottom of a smelly can, rise to heights yet unexplored.