Flying high
Falcons want to continue winning, prove they're no fluke
Posted: Tuesday February 02, 1999 08:36 PM
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Rookie linebacker Keith Brooking started out slowly, but may be a force next season AP |
ATLANTA (AP) -- Now comes the tough part for the Atlanta Falcons.
Sure, it was quite an accomplishment to make the Super Bowl for the first
time in 33 years. Obviously, the "Dirty Birds" went a long way toward
restoring the city's passion for pro football with their catchy nickname
and funky dance steps.
But the thing that still eludes this franchise is consistent success.
The Falcons have never had back-to-back winning seasons, a point noted
quite often by coach Dan Reeves even as he was guiding Atlanta to the NFC
championship.
"We have an awful lot of things to be proud of," Reeves said, after an
extraordinary season ended with a 34-19 loss to the Denver Broncos. "We've
come an awful long ways. What we're trying to do now is fight for
home-field advantage next year."
No team has ever played the NFL title game on its home field. Next year,
the Falcons have a chance to be the first when the Super Bowl comes to the
Georgia Dome.
Atlanta took care of its first piece of offseason business Tuesday,
making five players available to the Cleveland Browns for the expansion
draft: safety Chris
Bayne, running back Harold Green, tight end Ed Smith, linebacker Ben Talley and offensive
lineman Dave Widell.
Bayne, Green and Widell spent much of the season on the inactive list,
while Smith and Talley had limited roles as backups.
In 1999, the Falcons can expect heightened expectations, a tougher
schedule and an already long-in-the-tooth team that will be one year older.
The defense, in particular, is starting to take on the look of the "Over
The Hill Gang," with five starters who will be 32 years or older by the
start of next season. Average age of the entire unit: 30.
A youth movement is under way, centering around the team's last two No. 1
draft choices.
Cornerback Michael
Booker, the top choice in 1997, took on a larger role when injuries
plagued starter Ronnie
Bradford. Linebacker Keith Brooking, picked No.
1 last year, started slowly but gradually worked his way into a regular
role in passing situations.
"He needed early on to study films and anticipate, take notes and
understand," defensive coordinator Rich Brooks said. "I think he needs to
apply all the tools he has, because he has unbelievable tools and is going
to be a great player."
Brooking eventually figures to take over a regular spot at outside
linebacker, while second-year player Henri Crockett is the heir
apparent to Jessie
Tuggle at middle linebacker.
Both Tuggle and Cornelius
Bennett are entering the final year of their contracts, and both will
be 34 at the beginning of next season.
While the corners -- Bradford and Booker on one side, Pro Bowler Ray Buchanan on the other
-- are still in their 20s, how much longer can Eugene Robinson (36 in
May) and William White
(33 next month) keep producing at the safety positions?
Robinson was a Pro Bowler and the unquestioned leader of the secondary,
barking out orders on the field, reciting Bible passages in the locker
room. But his once-spotless reputation took a devastating blow when he was
arrested on a charge of soliciting an undercover police officer for sex the
night before the Super Bowl.
"I'm going to be a man about it," Robinson said of his off-the-field
scandal. "I'll let my lawyer handle it, but I won't run from you, I won't
try to evade you."
Age also is a concern at receiver. Terance Mathis and Tony Martin were the
second-most productive duo in the league -- combining for 2,317 yards --
but Mathis will be 32 in June and Martin turns 34 early next season.
The offensive line, led by Bob Whitfield at left
tackle and rookie Ephraim
Salaam on the right side, is a young group with plenty of room to
improve. Twenty-four-year-old O.J. Santiago needs to
work on his receiving skills, but seems set for a long, productive career
at tight end.
Of course, the offense revolves around All Pro running back Jamal Anderson and
quarterback Chris
Chandler, a Pro Bowler for the second year in a row. Depth at those
positions will be a major focus of the offseason.
Anderson set an NFL record with 410 carries this season, mainly because
his top backup was rookie Ken Oxendine, a
seventh-round pick. Byron
Hanspard, who missed the season with a knee injury, has barely started
his rehabilitation program.
Chandler was backed up by 45-year-old Steve DeBerg, so finding an
experienced -- but much younger -- backup also will be a priority.
But those are questions for the days and months to come. For now, the
Falcons want to relish the moment a little longer.
"It's been a magical season, without a doubt," Tuggle said. "It was more
than I expected. We worked hard this year to make true believers out of
everybody. We did that."
Now, they've got to do it again.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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