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Major achievement that's been flying under the radar... (1 Viewer)

SSOG

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New Orleans' SB appearance got me thinking tonight about some of the league's real tough-luck marks when I suddenly realized that my favorite mark of futility came to a close this season without any fanfare whatsoever. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, the Atlanta Falcons have officially posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in their 44 year franchise history. The 11th winning season in franchise history came just one short year on the heels of the 10th winning season in franchise history.

To put their mark of futility into some perspective, the Detroit Lions (the only team that has existed continuously since the advent of the SB that has yet to reach the big game) have, since the birth of the Falcons, posted back-to-back-to-back winning seasons *AND* back-to-back-to-back-to-back winning seasons over that span. The Cardinals have posted back-to-back winning seasons twice in addition to back-to-back-to-back winning seasons in that span.

For some more perspective... with Atlanta finally getting the monkey off their back, Carolina takes up the flag as the oldest franchise without back-to-back winning seasons. The Panthers would need to go another 29 seasons in order to match Atlanta's mark. At that point, Steve Smith will be a couple of months away from his 59th birthday.

It truly was a remarkable streak while it lasted, but like all streaks, it had to eventually come to an end. Congratulations, Falcons! :football:

 
They've had some good seasons over the past 20 years and some playoffs wins so I never realized how big their dropoffs after their winning seasons have been:

1991 (10 Wins) -> 1992 (6 Wins)

1995 (9 Wins) -> 1996 (3 Wins)

1998 (14 Wins) -> 1999 (5 Wins)

2002 (9 Wins) -> 2003 (5 Wins)

2004 (11 Wins) -> 2005 (8 Wins)

 
SSOG said:
New Orleans' SB appearance got me thinking tonight about some of the league's real tough-luck marks when I suddenly realized that my favorite mark of futility came to a close this season without any fanfare whatsoever. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, the Atlanta Falcons have officially posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in their 44 year franchise history. The 11th winning season in franchise history came just one short year on the heels of the 10th winning season in franchise history.To put their mark of futility into some perspective, the Detroit Lions (the only team that has existed continuously since the advent of the SB that has yet to reach the big game) have, since the birth of the Falcons, posted back-to-back-to-back winning seasons *AND* back-to-back-to-back-to-back winning seasons over that span. The Cardinals have posted back-to-back winning seasons twice in addition to back-to-back-to-back winning seasons in that span.For some more perspective... with Atlanta finally getting the monkey off their back, Carolina takes up the flag as the oldest franchise without back-to-back winning seasons. The Panthers would need to go another 29 seasons in order to match Atlanta's mark. At that point, Steve Smith will be a couple of months away from his 59th birthday.It truly was a remarkable streak while it lasted, but like all streaks, it had to eventually come to an end. Congratulations, Falcons! :no:
why the "hide the ball" tactic on the post title?
 
why the "hide the ball" tactic on the post title?
:shrug:
He's asking why you didn't put the topic being discussed in the title of the thread.In this case "hiding the ball" = not putting "Atlanta breaks 44 year streak" or something similar in the thread title.Either way, props to the Falcons. Great job by GM Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Mike Smith to turn that ship around after the Mike Vick fiasco and the bail job by Bobby Petrino.
 
Ya know, I actually thought of this when the Falcons were winning their week 17 game, but between them being a non-factor in the playoff race and focusing on all of the games that had playoff implications, I kind of forgot about it, as I suspect most people did, too.

 
why the "hide the ball" tactic on the post title?
:confused:
He's asking why you didn't put the topic being discussed in the title of the thread.In this case "hiding the ball" = not putting "Atlanta breaks 44 year streak" or something similar in the thread title.Either way, props to the Falcons. Great job by GM Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Mike Smith to turn that ship around after the Mike Vick fiasco and the bail job by Bobby Petrino.
Oh. In that case, I "hid the ball" in an effort to create a sense of anticipation. I wanted people clicking the link curious to find out what the major achievement was.
 
Certainly didn't go under the radar for Falcons fans, and a bit surprised it's under the radar for the hardcore fans here. Announcers usually couldn't mention the Falcons for the last 2 or 3 years without citing that stat, and a big deal was being made of it for the last 3 games.

I'm quite relieved to never have to hear it again. It's a big monkey off our backs. In fact, Blank was told back in 2006 if he realized that was the case when he bought the team, and he didn't believe the reporter, he had to go look it up. Both TD and Smith downplayed it during the season, but it was clearly on their minds as it was mentioned more than a few times. In fact, in an AJC article that I can't find right now, once the season was over, Smith pulled down an article about it that was taped inside a closet in his office. Oh yeah, it meant something to them. And I'm excited about the future of a team who played 3 games with nothing on the line but getting rid of that stat, and made it happen. They showed a lot of heart in that stretch, and I'm looking forward to seeing how long of a winning streak we can put together.

Blank does not get enough credit for what he's put together after the Petrino debacle.

 
why the "hide the ball" tactic on the post title?
:excited:
He's asking why you didn't put the topic being discussed in the title of the thread.In this case "hiding the ball" = not putting "Atlanta breaks 44 year streak" or something similar in the thread title.Either way, props to the Falcons. Great job by GM Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Mike Smith to turn that ship around after the Mike Vick fiasco and the bail job by Bobby Petrino.
Oh. In that case, I "hid the ball" in an effort to create a sense of anticipation. I wanted people clicking the link curious to find out what the major achievement was.
how dare you ...
 
I kind of thought every one knew about this. Its not for a lack of Falcon fans gloating over it thats for sure. I never bought into the monkey on the back thing with the no back to back winning seasons anyway. I think it was odd but nothing that shouldn't be broken. Kind of like the whole "No team that has lost 3 games to end the season has made it to the Superbowl" thing. By the way has Tampa Bay returned a kick for a Touchdown yet?

 
SSOG said:
New Orleans' SB appearance got me thinking tonight about some of the league's real tough-luck marks when I suddenly realized that my favorite mark of futility came to a close this season without any fanfare whatsoever. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, the Atlanta Falcons have officially posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in their 44 year franchise history. The 11th winning season in franchise history came just one short year on the heels of the 10th winning season in franchise history.To put their mark of futility into some perspective, the Detroit Lions (the only team that has existed continuously since the advent of the SB that has yet to reach the big game) have, since the birth of the Falcons, posted back-to-back-to-back winning seasons *AND* back-to-back-to-back-to-back winning seasons over that span. The Cardinals have posted back-to-back winning seasons twice in addition to back-to-back-to-back winning seasons in that span.For some more perspective... with Atlanta finally getting the monkey off their back, Carolina takes up the flag as the oldest franchise without back-to-back winning seasons. The Panthers would need to go another 29 seasons in order to match Atlanta's mark. At that point, Steve Smith will be a couple of months away from his 59th birthday.It truly was a remarkable streak while it lasted, but like all streaks, it had to eventually come to an end. Congratulations, Falcons! :2cents:
why the "hide the ball" tactic on the post title?
:football: SSOG should change the post title. Not only is it hiding the ball, but it is a very borderline "major achievement."
 
They've had some good seasons over the past 20 years and some playoffs wins so I never realized how big their dropoffs after their winning seasons have been:1991 (10 Wins) -> 1992 (6 Wins)1995 (9 Wins) -> 1996 (3 Wins)1998 (14 Wins) -> 1999 (5 Wins)2002 (9 Wins) -> 2003 (5 Wins)2004 (11 Wins) -> 2005 (8 Wins)
I was pretty surprised by this. I just assumed they were like Carolina recently with one good year, one mediocre year, etc. I also agree with the fact you mentioned they have been decent over the past 20 years, so their early futility kind of got forgotten (we may see the same soon with the Bucs...anyone 25 and under would most likely think they have always been decent). Personally, I did not really follow football until college (1992-96), but I thought they were better in their Glanville years...I guess the excitement of the play coupled with Deon Sanders made them appear better than they were.
 
I kind of thought every one knew about this. Its not for a lack of Falcon fans gloating over it thats for sure. I never bought into the monkey on the back thing with the no back to back winning seasons anyway. I think it was odd but nothing that shouldn't be broken. Kind of like the whole "No team that has lost 3 games to end the season has made it to the Superbowl" thing. By the way has Tampa Bay returned a kick for a Touchdown yet?
Yep I believe they have 2 more this season.
 
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I kind of thought every one knew about this. Its not for a lack of Falcon fans gloating over it thats for sure. I never bought into the monkey on the back thing with the no back to back winning seasons anyway. I think it was odd but nothing that shouldn't be broken. Kind of like the whole "No team that has lost 3 games to end the season has made it to the Superbowl" thing. By the way has Tampa Bay returned a kick for a Touchdown yet?
Gloating? Who's gloating over not being a perennial loser anymore? A lot of relief, a lot to look forward to, a lot to be positive about, but gloating? Please.
 
:lmao: SSOG should change the post title. Not only is it hiding the ball, but it is a very borderline "major achievement."
Even commonplace achievements become major when your franchise goes 44 years without doing it. In the same way, Arizona winning a playoff game was a "major achievement" back in '98, and Dallas finally winning a playoff game this year was also a "major achievement" for the Cowpokes.
 

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