The Pass

The year was 2007. Jim Mora had been fired after 3 years on the job. Back-up QB Matt Schaub was shipped to the Texans for two second round picks. Out of nowhere the Falcons made the decision to hire Bobby Petrino as a Head Coach. Petrino was tasked with the job of heading the Falcons in the right direction after two disappointing seasons and getting the most out of QB Mike Vick. It was this summer that the Mike Vick Dog Fighting Scandal took root. Joey Harrington had been signed to back-up Mike Vick but with MV7 being incarcerated Harrington would be forced into a starting role. Petrino soon realized that he was over-matched in the NFL. Petrino led the Falcons to a 3-10 record in which they were often out coached. Arthur Blank gave Bobby Petrino support in a nationally televised game but Petrino had already made his decision. Petrino did the only thing he knew how to do when faced in a difficult situation. He tucked his tail between his legs, taped a note to the players lockers, left his brother in-law to face the brunt of the team/media and took off to Arkansas in the middle of the night to become the new Head Coach of the Razorbacks despite there still being three games left in the season. This was unheard of. Coaches make decisions to leave teams all the time, and vice versa teams make the decision to fire coaches all the time. But it never happens in the middle of the season. This was a low of lows for the Falcons. Their QB imprisoned, their college coach had realized he couldn't game plan against NFL caliber coaches, couldn't motivate men and revealed that he was an egg sucking yellow coward that was better served as a mercenary for hire in college. The Falcons were the laughing stock of the NFL. At an all time low.

Arthur Blank had taken a huge hit to his franchise. He had to make some difficult decisions. The first difficult decision was to move GM Rich McKay from the role of General Manager to the role of Team President. This was a publicly criticized move because McKay took most of the blame for the Petrino hire and for below par drafts. Many thought he should be exiled from the organization. Despite being up and down as a GM, McKay did have a lot to offer the organization and Blank tabbed him to help with the search for a new GM. Thomas Dimetroff was a guy that had grown up with football in his life since he was a kid but held mostly scouting positions. He was hired after a video interview never having met Blank or McKay in person. Dimetroff decided on the unassuming Defensive Coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaquars, Mike Smith, to be the next Falcons coach. The Falcons had hired two guys that knew a lot about football but were not hiring decisions that made big splashes. The Falcons ended up with the 3rd pick in the 2008 NFL Draft and they chose Matt Ryan to be their franchise QB. Not a hugely popular pick in Atlanta because some wanted to strengthen the DL with Glenn Dorsey and others were still enamored with MV7 despite all the harm he had done to the franchise and to the city.

Most picked the Falcons to come in dead last in 2008. They were breaking in a new coach, starting a rookie QB and had a first time starter at RB, Michael Turner. In 2007 Jon Kitna predicted the Detroit Lions would win 10 games. They started off 6-2 but then lost 6 straight games and finished 7-9. In 2008 Kitna made the same prediction. The Lions came into the season as a team that was thought to have the ability to finish 2nd or 3rd in their division and possibly make the playoffs. One thing was clear the Atlanta Falcons were supposed to lose their opener to the Detroit Lions. Then "the play" happened.

Atlanta got the ball first and Michael Turner got a first down on two carries. Then, Matt Ryan dropped back to pass for the first time in his pro career. The pocket began to collapse as Michael Jenkins broke into a post and Ryan delivered the ball right on stride to Jenkins and he took it the rest of the way for a 66 yard TD pass. It was in that moment that the Falcons knew they had something special in Matt Ryan. It quite possibly was the play that was the pivotal turning point in the history of two franchises. It was one of the most electric plays that I've ever seen. A play that brought me to my feet and raised my hands in the air. This play was the beginning of an epic slide for the Lions in which they went an imperfect 0-16. This play was the beginning of an improbably drive to the playoffs by the Falcons as they finished 11-5. The Lions now are at a crossroads, much like the Falcons were, as they have coaches in place that they believe in more than in the recent past. They also have big-time draft picks Matthew Stafford and Ndamukong Suh to help them make their comeback into relevancy. Do they also have "the play" to think for their new offensive and defensive stars? I woke up this morning thinking about that play. The Atlanta Falcons start their spring mini-camp today. I woke up with the need to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and relive the moment that confidence was restored in the Falcons franchise. Behind the arm of Matt Ryan and the legs of Michael Turner. It's still a long time until football season starts but this fan is ready for it to begin.