Who? The Atlanta Falcons? Atlanta still has a team?
Well, of course, they do…at least in name…and our Colts are heading down to the land of clogged highways, Outkast and peaches for a game people keep calling a “showdown.” Snicker. Showdown…So who are these Falcons anyway – that is, sans the dog bully. A little history to impress your friends and family with leading up to Thursday’s matchup:
The Last Meeting:
The Colts have met the Falcons 13 times, and have a 12-1 advantage dating back to 1966. The last time Indy played the Falcons was on December 14, 2003, when Peyton led them to an easy 38-7 victory, clinching a playoff berth that year. Manning was in form with 5 TDs and went 25-30 for 290 yards and no INTs, Edgerrin James rushed for 126 yards and Marvin Harrison caught 2 TDs for 117 yards. The defense sacked Vick four times that game. During that game, Manning also became the first and only Colts QB to have 5 TDs in one game (now he has six of these), and also he was the 5th QB in NFL history to reach that mark.
Big things happen when we play the Falcons, I guess. The meeting before, in 2001, gave us a 41-27 victory, and a young Dominic Rhodes produced the 3rd largest rushing day among Colts rookies.
Atlanta Falcons (3-7):
This NFC South team is at the bottom of their division with a 1-4 divisional record.
They’re coming off a 7-9 season last year, and are in the midst of a QB shuffle.
Star QB Michael Vick decided to become subhuman and pit dog versus dog to the death in his residence, so now he is facing many years in prison. He recently turned himself in to begin serving jail time three weeks prior to his sentencing hearing.
After Joey Harrington led the Falcons to a 2-game win streak, the Falcons decided to put in the Colts old arch-nemesis Byron Leftwich, whom they signed on September 18, 2007. He’s injured and rusty, and it showed against the Bucs this past Sunday. As of today, we still don’t know who will start at QB on Turkey Day.
Warrick Dunn seems to be the shining star on this squad, needing only 26 yards to reach the 10,000-yard milestone. He’s coming off a terrible game against the Bucs, only gaining 32 yards on the ground (getting stuffed by former-Colt, Cato June). He’s backed up by a talented young Jerious Norwood in his 2nd year out of Mississippi State. He’s become a critical piece in the 4th quarter Falcons run game, finishing last year 2nd only to KC’s Larry Johnson in Q4 rush yards.
Despite their record, the Falcons have one of the most feared secondary’s in the league today: CBs DeAngelo Hall and Chris Houston are quick and great with their hands, while Lawyer Milloy and Chris Crocker are intelligent, calculating, big-hitting safeties. Between them, they have 25 years of professional football experience!
That’s your quick rundown of the Falcons, a team we rarely play, but a team that should push us to 9-2 for the season.
And, hey, when the game gets boring maybe the cameras will pan over so we can watch something more interesting: