Since their arrival as a franchise in the late 1960s, the Atlanta Falcons have fielded some elite talent on offense.
The Atlanta Falcons may not have a history of consistent winning or championships, but what they do have is a long list of elite-level talent that have all become immortalized in Atlanta sports history over the last five and a half decades of football.
The Atlanta Falcons have had a star at every position on the offense side of the ball at some point in the organization’s history. The beginning stages of the organization were extremely rough, with constant losing becoming the cornerstone of the organization for quite some time.
Shockingly, the Atlanta Falcons didn’t even have consecutive winning seasons until going 11-5 in 2008 and 9-7 in 2009.
However, for all of the disappointment and lack of consistent success, the Atlanta Falcons have never lacked talent. There have been players that came into the organization and instantly made an impact in helping to bring success to the Atlanta Falcons.
It’s not easy to pick a dream team starting line-up because, again there have been so many great players throughout the Atlanta Falcons’ five and a half decades of football, but, there are a select few that truly shined during their respective tenures and are considered among the very best to ever put on an Atlanta Falcons uniform.
The Atlanta Falcons dream team has to have Matt Ryan as the quarterback. There is no debate. He is the greatest quarterback the team has ever had and possibly will ever have, so obviously, he will be the starting quarterback for the dream team.
When all is said and done, Ryan will easily hold the majority of, if not all of the major records for an Atlanta Falcons quarterback.
At running back, the honor has to go to Gerald Riggs. This was an extremely difficult decision, but ultimately, Riggs was the right pick. He is the organization all-time leading rusher and ran through teams throughout the 1980s, giving fans a reason to be excited for an organization that had not seen much winning at all throughout the late 1960s and 1970s.
He was a very consistent runner and gave it his all for the team while he was here, ultimately leading to being honored in the Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor.
The starting full back for the Atlanta Falcons dream team is Ovie Mughelli. Mughelli came to the Atlanta Falcons from the Baltimore Ravens in 2007, already an experienced player who was a Pro Bowler in 2006.
He was a great blocker, and a great weapon on the ground and through the air if needed. He earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2010 and spent five great seasons here in Atlanta.
The two starting wide receiver positions will go to two guys who have put their heart and soul into the organization and are considered to be Atlanta sports legends. These two men are Roddy White and Julio Jones.
These two have done so much for the Atlanta Falcons. Both men have helped to propel the organization into heights that fans didn’t think they would ever see again after the tumultuous 2006 season.
Both White and Jones have put up unbelievable numbers and have shattered the team record books. With all due respect to the wide receivers who have put on the Atlanta Falcons uniform for the last five and a half decades, nobody even comes close to White and Jones, which is why they are the starting wide receivers for the dream team.
Tony Gonzalez will be the starting tight end for the dream team, but it was honestly difficult to choose. Alge Crumpler had a great career with the Atlanta Falcons and was a four-time pro bowler.
Crumpler was great, but Gonzalez is one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history and is deserving of the starting spot because of his body of work over his career.
The Atlanta Falcons have had the fortune of having plenty of great offensive lineman throughout the years, with many going on to have very successful careers. Unfortunately, there are only five slots available on the starting line-up.
The two starting tackle positions will go to Mike Kenn and Bob Whitfield, while the two guard positions will go to Bill Fralic and Justin Blalock. Finally, at the center, is Jeff Van Note.
This is one hell of an offensive line that any defensive line would have trouble getting through. These are some of the most dominant blockers in the team’s history.
These men had great careers as Atlanta Falcons and they were some of the best that the league had to offer. All of them left their mark on the organization that still remains to this day, which is why they deserve their starting positions.
This extremely talented offense would be able to beat anyone and would go on to win several Super Bowls and set many offensive records the likes that nobody has ever seen.