2007 Atlanta Falcons, what could have been
By Joe Beasley
Everyone knows about the debacle that was the 2007 Atlanta Falcons. Watching the ESPN 30 for 30 on Michael Vick, got me thinking how good that 2007 Falcons teams could have been. All of the pieces were in place, except for Vick himself.
Instead, that Atlanta Falcons team turned out to be one of the worst seasons in team history and not only because of what happened on the field but off of it too.
Michael Vick went through his issues with the dogfighting scandal and head coach Bobby Petrino practically quit 13 games into the season by leaving a note.
What if none of those events took place? What if the Falcons came into the season with a healthy, trouble-free Vick with a head coach like Petrino?
Petrino wasn’t hired for no reason. He was one of the more successful college football coaches at that time with an innovative offense that would have made Mike look like the best QB in the NFL. The front office was hoping that he could be the coach that could help Vick take that next step and there was no doubt something like that took place.
Look at what he did with Lamar Jackson while he was a Louisville. He helped turned a freakishly athletic quarterback into one that would end up winning the Heisman and NFL MVP. Hue Jackson was the offensive coordinator and even though he doesn’t have the best resume when being a head coach, he knows his offense.
The next time Vick saw the football field after his scandal, he threw for 21 touchdown and six interceptions with a completion percentage over 60 percent. What’s to say he wouldn’t have been able to do that under Petrino?
The defense was led by Mike Zimmer who is currently the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings and usually keeps his defense ranking among the NFL’s best.
With players on the defense like John Abraham, Keith Brooking, and Deangelo Hall, the Falcons wouldn’t have had many issues on that side of the ball.
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Would this team have been able to make the playoffs, absolutely? Would they have been able to beat the Patriots, Packers or stop the run that the Giants were on in the playoffs? Probably not, but had things fallen in place for this team and if none of the off-field and coaching issues took place, there’s no doubt that 2007 would have been a great season for the Falcons.