Atlanta Falcons: No new messages needed – just win

For more than a decade, the Atlanta Falcons have used the battle cry “Rise Up” in commercials, billboards, and during game days. The marketing ploy started back in 2010 with actor Samuel L. Jackson appeared in his first Falcons commercial.

In addition to “Rise Up”, the Atlanta Falcons also had the “brotherhood” that former head coach Dan Quinn famously coined and used repeatedly. After their appearance in the 2016 Super Bowl, the Falcons fans and media talked as much about the brotherhood as Dan Quinn did.

With Dan Quinn gone and the Falcons in the midst of three straight losing seasons, it is time for the franchise to abandon all marketing plays and gimmicks and just win.

Atlanta Falcons fans will show up when you start winning

For four seasons now, Mercedes Benz Stadium has been nearly empty. Games are officially sold out, but no one is coming. Say what you want about fans just being elsewhere in the building but that simply isn’t true.

That has been painfully obvious from the media room in the building.

Market campaigns on local television or radio aren’t going to drive the fans into the building at this point – only winning will do that. Atlanta fans have shown for decades now that if you win they will show up, if you don’t, they won’t.

It could not be simpler.

The concession prices at MBS are great but no one is going to fight traffic and walk in the September Atlanta heat and humidity to catch a $3 burger or $1 coke. They will do that for a winning product – though it may not be in 2021.

The Atlanta Journal Constitutions Michael Cunningham wrote this week that the franchise was moving on and not looking back when it comes to the brotherhood moniker.

"The Falcons finally have left the “Brotherhood” behind for good. Quinn is gone, and so are most of the players who embraced his philosophy. Falcons players trickled in for training camp Tuesday looking for a new message to rally around. It’s on new coach Arthur Smith to give it to them."

Hopefully, Coach Smith will skip the new rallying cry and worry about what it takes to win. If there are players on this roster that still need a message or message board slights to get ready to play and win ball games, they shouldn’t be here.

Not wanting to miss the playoffs for a fourth straight year should be enough to have their attention and be focused on doing whatever it takes to win in an Atlanta Falcons uniform.