For a few years now, the Falcons haven’t exactly been one of the NFL’s most talked about teams. There have been moments here and there, from drafting Kyle Pitts to unspeakable kickoff follies to a couple of out-of-nowhere drubbings of good teams like the 49ers, but by and large they’ve been in the background.
That has been true even in their own division, where the Saints sucked up plenty of oxygen with Sean Payton and Drew Brees’ increasingly feeble attempts to maintain playoff relevance and Tom Brady landing in Tampa Bay. The reason is pretty simple: The Falcons didn’t win much, and increasingly they weren’t even the fun, high-octane offense of yesteryear.