Five retired Atlanta Falcons who should be in the Hall of Fame

With the Hall of Fame inductions taking place over the weekend, it brings up the question of which Atlanta Falcons players should already be in the Hall of Fame.

There is an advantage for players who have played on great teams, something most Atlanta Falcons players know very little about. Teams like the Cowboys or the 49ers have an advantage when it comes to getting their own players into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Suffice to say that the Atlanta Falcons do not have the same advantage.

The Atlanta Falcons have numerous players who no doubt should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but due to being on bad teams, they have not been given the credit they deserve.

Jeff Van Note

A former 11th round pick of the Atlanta Falcons who the Pro Football Hall of Fame has zero arguments for him not being a part of.

Van Note, who played center, played an incredible 18 seasons and had six pro bowls with the team who drafted him, totaling 246 games in those 18 years.

What else is stunning is the fact that Van Note played until he was 40 years old. Rarely do you see that from non-quarterback players in the league? Center is not a position that is easy on the body, it takes durability as you take brutal contact on every snap of every game.

He was not a big guy either, only standing at 6-foot-2 weighing 247 pounds. It is mind-boggling that he was able to play that long and play at that high of a level, while also being smaller.

To put it into perspective, Kyle Pitts is four inches taller and weighs one less pound. The NFL has changed so much since Van Note played.