Rewriting the Falcons’ Record Book
Terance Mathis, Steve Bartkowski and Gerald Riggs. Those three names have been the all-time leaders in all the major offensive categories for the Atlanta Falcons.
With Roddy White, Matt Ryan and Michael Turner in tow, how long can their records stand? With the Falcons first regular season game less than 100 days away, we are a little more than three months away from seeing Tony Gonzalez become the seventh player – and first tight end – to catch 1,000 passes. In addition, he’ll likely move into the top 10 in touchdown catches (he’s currently 18th).
White needs only 511 yards to reach 5,000 for his career. With those milestones in mind, I thought it would be interesting to see what Falcon-specific milestones could fall. Hit the jump to see which records could fall.
Definitely Will Happen (Barring Injury)
| Current Record | Current Holder | Best Chance to Break It | Year It Could Happen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Receiving Yards | Terance Mathis – 7,349 | Roddy White – 4,689 | 2012 |
| Most Passing Yards | Steve Bartkowski – 23,470 | Matt Ryan – 6,356 | 2015 |
White is averaging 938 yards per season to Mathis’ 919. Three more healthy seasons and White will own this record.
Bartkowski’s passing record isn’t very daunting so even with average performances for several years, Ryan will pass #10.
Likely To Happen (Barring Injury)
| Current Record | Current Holder | Best Chance to Break It | Year It Could Happen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Passing Touchdowns | Steve Bartkowski – 154 | Matt Ryan – 38 | 2016 |
| Most Rushing Touchdowns | Gerald Riggs – 48 | Michael Turner – 27 | 2011 |
| Most Receptions | Terance Mathis – 573 | Roddy White – 315 | 2014 |
Bartkowski played 11 seasons and averaged 14 touchdown passes a year. Ryan is headed into his third season averaging 19 touchdowns a year. If Ryan keeps his current pace, I expect him to break Bartkowski’s touchdown pass record in 2016 (Ryan’s ninth season).
At the clip Turner is scoring touchdowns, he has a real chance of passing Riggs.
The same goes for White who has a stud quarterback delivering him the ball in a pass-happy league.
Probably NOT Going to Happen
| Current Record | Current Holder | Best Chance to Break It | Year It Could Happen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Receiving Touchdowns | Terance Mathis – 57 | Roddy White – 27 | 2015 |
| Most Rushing Yards | Gerald Riggs – 6,631 | Michael Turner – 2,570 | 2013 |
White would have to really turn it on to get to 58 career touchdowns. It could happen, but I think this is one Mathis holds onto.
Running Backs have a short shelf life, but Turner was used so sparingly his first three years in the league, he might have a shot. My gut, though, says Riggs is still the leader when Turner leaves/retires.