2008 atlanta falcons

season in review
11-5, 0-1, second in nfc South

www.atlantafalcons.com/press • Username: press • Password: falcons

a revived franchise leads ATLANTA FALCONS 2008

to 11 wins & playoff berth SCHEDULE and results
In just one season, the Atlanta Preseason
Falcons rebounded from four wins in 2007 Date Opponent Time Result
to an 11-5 regular season record and the Aug. 9 at Jacksonville 7:30 p.m. L, 20-17
team’s first playoff berth since 2004. The Aug. 16 INDIANAPOLIS 7:30 p.m. L, 16-9
‘08 campaign was a year of firsts as first Aug. 22 TENNESSEE 7:30 p.m. W, 17-3
year Head Coach Mike Smith and first Aug. 28 at Baltimore 7:00 p.m. W, 10-9
year quarterback Matt Ryan became the
first rookie head coach and quarterback Regular Season
duo to compete in a playoff contest since Date Opponent Time Result
1945 when the Cleveland Rams accom- Sept. 7 DETROIT 1:00 p.m. W, 34-21
plished the feat. In Smith’s stellar first Sept. 14 at Tampa Bay 4:05 p.m. L, 24-9
season, he also became only the fourth Sept. 21 KANSAS CITY 1:00 p.m. W, 38-14
Head Coach Mike Smith
Head Coach in franchise history to record Sept. 28 at Carolina 1:00 p.m. L, 24-9
11 or more victories in a single year en route to Associated Press Oct. 5 at Green Bay 1:00 p.m. W, 27-24
Coach of the Year honors. The distinction marked only the second Oct. 12 CHICAGO 1:00 p.m. W, 22-20
occasion a Falcons coach earned the award in franchise history. Oct. 26 at Philadelphia 1:00 p.m. L, 27-14
The Falcons witnessed an entire team effort in the turnaround Nov. 2 at Oakland 4:15 p.m. W, 24-0
as an organization with a fresh look that took the NFL by storm, Nov. 9 NEW ORLEANS 1:00 p.m. W, 34-20
winning five of their last six games on the way to a second place Nov. 16 DENVER 1:00 p.m. L, 24-20
finish in the NFC South Division. Atlanta garnerned two Pro Bowl Nov. 23 CAROLINA 1:00 p.m. W, 45-28
selections in running back Michael Turner and wide receiver Nov. 30 at San Diego 4:05 p.m. W, 22-16
Roddy White who will both be making their first visits to the Dec. 7 at New Orleans 1:00 p.m. L, 29-25
league’s all-star game. Quarterback Matt Ryan earned Associated Dec. 14 TAMPA BAY 1:00 p.m. W, 13-10 OT
Press Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and was named NFC Dec. 21 at Minnesota 4:15 p.m. W, 24-17
Rookie of the Month (October), a first in both categories in team Dec. 28 ST. LOUIS 1:00 p.m. W, 31-27
history. The Falcons also finished the regular season with five NFC
Player of the Week accolades. Turner earned the honor on three Postseason - NFC Wild Card
occasions, while Ryan was named NFC Offensive Player of the Date Opponent Time Result
Week after his performance against the Oakland Raiders in Week
Jan. 3 at Arizona 4:30 p.m. L, 30-24
9 and wide receiver Harry Douglas was named NFC Special
Teams Player of the Week after returning a punt 61 yards against
HOME GAMES - BOLD
Carolina in Week 12.
All Times Eastern*
In his first season with the Atlanta Falcons, Turner was voted
tied for second in the final NFL MVP voting as he finished second
in the league in rushing (1,699 yards) while topping the 1,000-yard
plateau for the first time in his career. Turner also posted 17 rush- final 2008 nfc south standings
ing touchdowns, which set a new franchise record. White also
logged a career year as he set a new franchise record with 1,382 Team W L T Pct. PF PA Div. Conf.
receiving yards in a single-season while becoming the first wide Carolina 12 4 0 .750 414 329 4-2 8-4
receiver in team history to post back-to-back 1,200-yard cam-
paigns. Defensively, John Abraham set a new team record and a Atlanta 11 5 0 .688 391 325 3-3 8-4
personal best with 16.5 sacks, topping the old record of 16.0 held Tampa Bay 9 7 0 .563 361 323 3-3 8-4
by Joel Williams, which was set in 1980. New Orleans 8 8 0 .500 463 393 2-4 5-7

REGGIE ROBERTS - Vice President of Football Communications TED CREWS - Manager of Football Communications
RROBERTS@FALCONS.NFL.COM, (770) 965-2761 TCREWS@FALCONS.NFL.COM, (770) 965-2764
FRANK KLEHA - Senior Director of Media Relations MATT CONTI - Football Communications Coordinator
FKLEHA@FALCONS.NFL.COM, (770) 965-2763 MCONTI@FALCONS.NFL.COM, (770) 965-4350
 falcons reach playoffs for first time since 2004

TALE OF THE TAPE 2009 falcons opponents

2008 Final Regular Season Statistics Atlanta will attempt to top its 2008 regular season record (11-5)
Falcons (NFL rank) next season with a challenging schedule that includes opponents
Points Per Game 24.4 (10) from the AFC East, NFC East, two meetings against NFC South
Total Offense Per Game 361.2 (6) rivals a home meeting against Chicago and a road match-up at
Net Rushing Yards Per Game 152.7 (2) San Francisco. The Falcons will face four 2008 playoff teams,
Net Passing Yards Per Game 208.5 (14) including the Carolina Panthers twice, the New York Giants,
Possession Average 30:49 Philadelphia Eagles and the Miami Dolphins. Atlanta will also make
Opponent Points Per Game 20.3 (11) a trip to Dallas and the Cowboys’ brand new stadium which will
Opponent Total Offense Per Game 347.9 (24) open next season. Collectively, the Falcons hold a 74-64 record
Opponent Net Rushing Yards Per Game 127.5 (25) against their NFC South foes and have posted 90 victories against
Opponent Net Passing Yards Per Game 220.4 (21) their remaining opponents on the 2009 schedule.
Turnover Differential -3 (21)
HOME 2007 Record Last Time Played Result
Carolina 12-4 Nov. 23, 2008 W, 45-28
2008 REGULAR SEASON LEADERS New Orleans 8-8 Dec. 7, 2008 L, 29-25
Tampa Bay 9-7 Dec. 14, 2008 W, 13-10 OT
Leading Passers: Comp. Att. Yards TDs INTs Rating Philadelphia 9-6-1 Oct. 26, 2008 L, 27-14
Matt Ryan 265 434 3,440 16 11 87.7 Washington 8-8 Dec. 3, 2006 W, 24-14
Chicago 9-7 Oct. 12, 2008 W, 22-20
Leading Rushers: Att. Yards Avg. Long TDs
Buffalo 7-9 Sept. 25, 2005 W, 24-16
Michael Turner 376 1,699 4.5 70 17
Miami 11-5 Nov. 6, 2005 W, 17-10
Leading Receivers: Rec. Yards Avg. Long TDs
Roddy White 88 1,382 15.7 70t 7 AWAY 2007 Record Last Time Played Result
Carolina 12-4 Nov. 23, 2008 W, 45-28
New Orleans 8-8 Dec. 7, 2008 L, 29-25
nfl offseason dates Tampa Bay 9-7 Dec. 14, 2008 W, 13-10 OT
Dallas 9-7 Dec. 16, 2006 L, 38-28
January 10-11 Divisional Playoffs New York Giants 12-4 Oct. 15, 2007 L, 31-10
January 18 Conference Championships San Francisco 7-9 Nov. 4, 2007 W, 20-16
February 1 Super Bowl XLIII, Tampa, Florida (NBC) New England 11-5 Oct. 9, 2005 L, 31-28
February 8 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl, Honolulu, Hawaii (NBC) New York Jets 9-7 Oct. 24, 2005 W, 27-14
February 18-24 NFL Scouting Combine, Indianapolis, Indiana
February 23 Falcons offseason conditioning begins
February 27 Free agency begins who was new in 2008
March 22-25 NFL Annual Owners Meeting, Dana Point,
California Atlanta welcomed 31 members to the team in 2008. Below is a
April 25-26 NFL Draft, New York City breakdown of how the Falcons were built in 2008.

QUOTING THE COACH
Head Coach Mike Smith following the Falcons performance
against the Arizona Cardinals -
"First, let me say I'm disappointed, our whole football team is dis-
appointed, in the outcome of the game today, but we're not dis-
couraged. I'm proud of the way these guys fought today. We just
didn't get it done. They made the plays when they had to. It's tough
to win when you're minus on the turnover ratio. The three turnovers
I thought were very, very big. I really thought the guys fought
extremely hard and they showed their resiliency there. It's tough to
have a chance there at the end to get a stop and we weren't able
to get a stop. That's tough. My hat's off to Coach (Ken)
Whisenhunt. I congratulate his football team. They played very
passionate, hard-nosed football and I thought it was a hard-nosed
game. We'll go into this off season with some issues we've got to
address. This is all part of the process. It's just another step in the
process. We're going to remember how we feel as a football team
because we plan on being back in this situation and we want to
remember how this feels."
By Draft (10):
QB Matt Ryan (first round), OT Sam Baker (first round), LB Curtis
Lofton (secon round), CB Chevis Jackson (third round), WR Harry
Douglas (third round), S Thomas DeCoud (third round), LB Robert
James (fifth round, injured reserve), DE Kroy Biermann (fifth
round), RB Thomas Brown (sixth round, injured reserve), TE Keith
Zinger (seventh round, practice squad)
Free Agents (20):
S Eric Brock, S Erik Coleman, K Jason Elam, DE Simon Fraser, S
Jamaal Fudge, OT Wayne Gandy, LB Tony Gilbert, TE Ben
Hartsock (injured reserve), CB Von Hutchins (injured reserve), DT
Grady Jackson, DT Jason Jefferson, DT Kindal Moorehead, TE
Justin Peelle, TE Marcus Pollard, TE Jason Rader, CB Glenn
Sharpe, C Alex Stepanovich, RB Michael Turner, WR Eric Weems,
LB Coy Wire
By Trade (1):
CB Domonique Foxworth (Trade from Denver)
 PLAYOFF WING TIPS
playoff first
In Atlanta’s NFC Wild Card Playoff meeting against Arizona, Head
Coach Mike Smith and quarterback Matt Ryan became the first
rookie Head Coach and rookie quarterback to compete in a play-
off game since the Cleveland Rams accomplished the feat in 1945.
Baltimore Head Coach John Harbaugh and rookie quarterback Joe
Flacco followed with the same acheivement the following day in an
AFC Wild Card match-up against the Miami Dolphins.
receiving a record
Wide receiver Roddy White caught eight
receptions in the first half of Atlanta’s
Wild Card playoff meeting against
Arizona setting a new franchise postsea-
son record. The old mark was held by
Andre Rison, who totaled five first half
catches at Washington on January 4,
1992. White finished the game with 11
receptions for 84 yards and one touch-
down on a five-yard reception in the
fourth quarter. His total of 11 catches in
the game also set a franchise record for
Wide receiver Roddy White
receptions in a postseason game, best-
ing Eric Metcalf’s total of eight, which he set against the Green Bay
Packers on December 31, 1995.
dueling in the desert
Against the Arizona Cardinals, Falcons
quarterback Matt Ryan set a franchise
record for completion percentage in a
postseason contest with a 65.0 mark.
Ryan completed 26 of 40 passes, which
included a streak of nine consecutive
completions from the 1:54 mark in the
first quarter to the 8:21 mark in the sec-
ond quarter. Since starting the game one
of four in passing, Ryan went on to com-
plete a streak of 17 of 21 passes. He set
a NFL playoff rookie record with 26 com-
Quarterback Matt Ryan
pletions in a single postseason game.
Ryan also became the first Falcons quarterback to throw for two
touchdown passes in a playoff game since January 15, 2005. He
completed his first career postseason touchdown pass on a two-
yard strike to tight end Justin Peelle with 23 seconds remaining in
the second quarter. The score gave the Falcons a 17-14 halftime
lead. The touchdown for Peelle was the first of his postseason
career. Ryan added his second touchdown strike of the game on a
five-yard completion to WR Roddy White. The score and kicker
Jason Elam’s extra point cut Arizona’s lead to 30-24. The touch-
down was the first in the postseason for White in his career.
another playoff first
Cornerback Chevis Jackson intercepted his first career postsea-
son pass to give the Falcons possession at the Cardinals 23-yard
line in the in the second quarter. The interception was the first for
Atlanta in a postseason game since Jason Webster picked off St.
Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger on January 15, 2005.
FALCONS TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL
PLAYOFF RECORDS
Following Atlanta’s Wild Card Playoff meeting against the Arizona
Cardinals, below is a look at the Falcons single and team playoff
records.
Rushing
Rushing Yards – 142, Warrick Dunn (1/15/05) vs. St. Louis
Rams
Rushing Attempts – 29, Jamal Anderson (1/9/99) vs. San
Francisco 49ers
Rushing Touchdowns – 2, two players tied (last) Warrick Dunn
(1/15/05) vs. St. Louis Rams
Rushing Long – 62t, Warrick Dunn (1/15/05) vs. St. Louis Rams
Rushing Average – 8.4, Warrick Dunn (1/15/05) vs. St. Louis
Rams
Team Rushing Yards – 327, 1/15/05 vs. St. Louis Rams (third-
highest rushing total for a playoff game in NFL history)
Passing
Passing Yards – 366, Jeff George (12/31/95) vs. Green Bay
Packers
Passing Attempts – 54, Jeff George (12/31/95) vs. Green Bay
Packers
Passing Completions – 30, Jeff George (12/31/95) vs. Green
Bay Packers
Passing Completion % – 65.0, Matt Ryan (1/3/09) vs. Arizona
Cardinals
Passing Touchdowns – 3, two players tied (last) Chris Chandler
(1/17/99) vs. Minnesota Vikings
Passing Long – 70, Chris Chandler (1/17/99) vs. Minnesota
Vikings
Receiving
Receiving Yards – 155, Alfred Jenkins (1/4/81) vs. Dallas
Cowboys
Receptions – 11, Roddy White (1/3/09) vs. Arizona Cardinals
Receiving Touchdowns – 2, two players tied (last) Terance
Mathis (1/17/99) vs. Minnesota Vikings
Receiving Long – 70, Tony Martin (1/17/99) vs. Minnesota
Vikings
Miscellaneous/Defense/Special Teams
Points – 47, (1/15/05) vs. St. Louis Rams
Total Net Yards – 427, (1/17/99) vs. Minnesota Vikings
Total Net Yards Allowed – 217, (12/24/78) vs. Philadelphia
Eagles
Team Interceptions – 3, (1/9/99) vs. San Francisco 49ers
Individual Interceptions – 2, two players tied (last) Keion
Carpenter (1/4/03) vs. Green Bay Packers
Team Sacks – 4, (1/15/05) vs. St. Louis Rams
Individual Sacks – 1, 15 players tied (last) Patrick Kerney
(1/23/05) vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Field Goals – 3, (1/17/99) vs. Minnesota Vikings
Individual Field Goals Made – 3, Morten Andersen (1/17/99) vs.
Minnesota Vikings
Field Goal Long – 52, Jay Feely (1/11/03) vs. Philadelphia
Eagles
 PLAYOFF WING TIPS
coaching playoff experience
Prior to the start of the 2008 season, the Falcons organization saw
a drastic coaching change bringing in 13 new members, including
Head Coach Mike Smith, Offensive Coordinator Mike Mularkey
and Special Teams Coordinator Keith Armstrong. As a whole,
Atlanta’s 2008 coaching staff totaled 188 years of combined NFL
experience. At the start of the 2008 playoffs, the staff had logged
54 years of playoff experience (93 games), with 43 playoff wins.
Three coaches, including Head Coach Mike Smith (Baltimore,
2000), Assistant Head Coach/Secondary Emmitt Thomas
(Washington, 1987, 1991) and Wide Receivers Coach Terry
Robiskie (Oakland, 1983) have all won Super Bowls. Below is a
look at the current Falcons coaching staff’s playoff experience.
Assistant Head Coach/Secondary
Emmitt Thomas: 12 years
(1982, 1986-87, 1990-92, 1995-96, 2000,
2002, 2004, 2008)
Offensive Line Coach Paul Boudreau:
12 years (1987, 1990-92, 1994-95, 1997-
2000, 2005, 2008)
Defensive Line Coach Ray Hamilton:
Nine years (1985-86, 1993, 1997-98,
2002, 2005, 2007-08)
Wide Receivers Coach Terry Robiskie:
Head Coach Mike Smith is one of Nine years (1982-85, 1990, 1993, 1999,
three Falcons coaches who has 2002, 2008)
won a Super Bowl.
Head Coach Mike Smith: Five years
(2000-01, 2005, 2007-08)
Offensive Coordinator Mike Mularkey: Five years (1996-97,
2001-02, 2008)
Defensive Backs Coach Alvin Reynolds: Four years (1993,
2005, 2007-08)
Special Teams Coordinator
Keith Armstrong: Three years (1995, 2001, 2008)
Defensive Coordinator Brian VanGorder: Two years (2005,
2008)
Quarterbacks Coach Bill Musgrave: Two years (2005, 2008)
Linebackers Coach Glenn Pires: Two years (1998, 2008)
Running Backs Coach Gerald Brown: One year (2008)
Defensive Assistant Joe Danna: One year (2008)
Assistant Offensive Line Coach Paul Dunn: One year (2008)
Assistant Special Teams Coach Tom McMahon: One year
(2008)
Tight Ends Coach Chris Scelfo: One year (2008)
Offensive Assistant Glenn Thomas: One year (2008)
Total years: 71
Total games: 110
Total record: 43-67
Total Super Bowls: four
postseason return
With an 11-5 regular season record and 7-1 home mark at the
Georgia Dome, the Falcons tied their best record in a campaign in
four years (2004). Atlanta also reached the postseason in ‘04 and
made a NFC Championship game appearance against the
Philadelphia Eagles.
PLAYOFFs by the numbers
• The Falcons made their first postseason appearance since 2004
season (11-5 regular season record).
• The playoffs marked the ninth occassion the team reached post-
season play in the club annals. The other years Atlanta made play-
off appearances include: 1978, 1980, 1982, 1991, 1995, 1998,
2002 and 2004.
• Atlanta competed in its 15th postseason game in the team’s his-
tory (four at home, 10 on the road and one neutral site).
• The Falcons finished the regular season with a 1,000-yard rush-
er and a 1,000-yard receiver for the eighth time in franchise histo-
ry. Atlanta made playoff appearances in the seven previous sea-
sons the team accomplished the feat.
• Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan threw for
3,440 yards in the regular season. The
Falcons have seen five occasions where
a quarterback has thrown for over 3,000
yards and made the playoffs. Those
years include: 1980, 1991, 1995, 1998
and 2008.
Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan
Below are the Falcons players with the most postseason
experience:
K Jason Elam: nine years (1993, 1996-98, 2000, 2003-05, 2008)
TE Marcus Pollard: eight years (1995-96, 1999-00, 2002-04, ‘07, ‘08)
DT Grady Jackson: seven years (2000-02, 2003-04, 2007, 2008)
S Lawyer Milloy: five years (1996-98, 2000, 2008)
LB Keith Brooking: four years
(1998, 2002, 2004, 2008)
T Todd Weiner: four years
(2000, 2002, 2004, 2008)
DE John Abraham: three years
(2001, 2002, 2008)
S Erik Coleman: three years
(2004, 2006, 2008)
WR Brian Finneran: three years
(2002, 2004, 2008)
T Wayne Gandy: three years
Falcons linebacker Keith Brooking
(2001, 2002, 2008)
made his fourth-career playoff C Todd McClure: three years
appearance.
(2002, 2004, 2008)
FB Ovie Mughelli: three years (2003, 2006, 2008)
RB Michael Turner: three years (2006-08)
CB Domonique Foxworth: two years (2005, 2008)
S Jamal Fudge: two years (2007, 2008)
LB Tony Gilbert: two years (2005, 2008)
WR Michael Jenkins: two years (2004, 2008)
DT Kindal Moorehead: two years (2005, 2008)
TE Justin Peelle: two years (2004, 2008)
QB Chris Redman: two years (2001, 2008)
 PLAYOFF WING TIPS

u-turn FALCONS PLAYOFF RECAP

Following a tumultuous 2007 campaign, the Falcons rebounded in Year Record Game Date Opponent Score
just one season and posted their best record (11-5) since 2004. 1978 9-7 NFC Wild Card 12-24 vs. Philadelphia (W) 14-13
The turnaround is one of the best in franchise history as the seven- Recap: The Falcons scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter
and QB Steve Bartkowski threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns as the
win difference is tied for the best in the 43-year history. Below are Falcons earned their first playoff victory in franchise history.
the biggest turnarounds in club annals and the postseason appear-
ances in that year. NFC Divisional 12-30 at Dallas (L) 27-20
Recap: After capturing an early lead at halftime, the Cowboys posted 14
Record Difference Game Difference Postseason points in the second half to claim a 27-20 win. Atlanta RB Bubba Bean
recorded 72 yards and one touchdown in the effort.
2007 (4-12) - 2008 (11-5) Seven games NFC Wild Card Game
1997 (7-9) - 1998 (14-2) Seven games NFC Divisional Game 1980 12-4 NFC Divisional 1-4-81 vs. Dallas (L) 30-27
NFC Championship Recap: Falcons QB Steve Bartkowski completed 18 of 33 passes for 320
Super Bowl XXXIII yards and two touchdowns in a 30-27 loss against Dallas.
2003 (5-11) - 2004 (11-5) Six games NFC Divisional Game
1982 5-4 NFC Divisional 1-9-83 at Minnesota (L) 30-24
NFC Championship Recap: Atlanta K Mick Luckhurst rushed for a touchdown and DB Bob
1979 (6-10) - 1980 (12-4) Six Games NFC Wild Card Game Glazebrook returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown in a 30-24
1990 (5-11) - 1991 (10-6) Five Games NFC Wild Card Game loss at Minnesota.
NFC Divisional Game
1991 10-6 NFC Wild Card 12-28 at New Orleans (W) 27-20
Recap: The Falcons earned their second playoff victory in franchise histo-
ry with the help of WR Michael Haynes who caught six passes for 144
from rookie to playoffs yards and two touchdowns in a 27-20 win over New Orleans.

Since the NFL merger took place in NFC Divisional 1-3-92 at Washington (L) 24-7
1970, only three rookie quarterbacks Recap: Washington jumped out to a 14-point lead in the second quarter
and the Falcons offense coud not make up the difference, falling 24-7
have started all 16 games of a season. against the Redskins.
Those players include Rick Mirer
(Seattle) in 1993, Peyton Manning 1995 9-7 NFC Wild Card 12-31 at Green Bay (L) 37-20
(Indianapolis) in 1998 and David Carr Recap: Falcons WR Eric Metcalf finished with eight receptions for 114
(Houston) in 2002. Falcons quarterback yards and one touchdown, but it was not enough to overcome a Packers
27-10 lead at halftime.
Matt Ryan and Baltimore QB Joe Flacco
joined the trio following the regular sea- 1998 14-2 NFC Divisional 1-9-99 vs. San Francisco(W) 20-18
son finale last Sunday. Ryan and Flacco Recap: Atlanta took its first steps toward a Super Bowl appearance as
both became the only rookies to lead Jamal Anderson paced a ground attack with 29 carries for 113 yards and
Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan led two touchdowns in a Falcons 20-18 win.
the Falcons to a 11-5 regular sea- their respective teams to the playoffs
son record this year.
after starting every game in the regular NFC Championship 1-17-99 at Minnesota (W) 30-27
season. Below is a look at the success of the five rookie QBs who Recap: The underdog Falcons fought back from a 10-point fourth quarter
have started all 16 games in their first seasons. deficit to win the NFC title on the road in an overtime thriller. Kicker Morten
Andersen split the uprights on a 38-yard attempt to clinch the win in OT.
Player Year Reg. Season Rec. Postseason
Super Bowl XXXIII1-31-99 vs. Denver (L) 34-19
Matt Ryan, Atl 2008 11-5 NFC Wild Card Recap: The Falcons lost their only Super Bowl appearnce, 34-19, at the
Joe Flacco, Bal 2008 11-5 AFC Wild Card hands of the Denver Broncos. WR Tim Dwight returned a kickoff 94 yards
David Carr, Hou 2002 4-12 - for a touchdown and RB Jamal Anderson registered 96 yards in the losing
Peyton Manning, Ind 1998 3-13 - effort.
Rick Mirer, Sea 1993 6-10 -
2002 9-6-1 NFC Wild Card 1-4-03 at Green Bay (W) 27-7
Recap: The Falcons became the first team ever to defeat the Green Bay
Packers in the postseason at Lambeau Field with a 27-7 victory. Atlanta
rush to the end zone logged 309 net yards and three touchdowns in the win.

NFC Divisional 1-11-03 at Philadelphia (L) 20-6

This season, running back Michael Recap: Eagles QB Donovan McNabb completed 20 of 30 passes for 227
Turner set a new franchise record with yards and one touchdown as the Falcons fell, 20-6, in a Divisional playoff
17 rushing touchdowns while contribut- game at Veterans Stadium.
ing with 1,699 rushing yards. In Atlanta’s
NFC Wild Card Playoff meeting against 2004 11-5 NFC Divisional 1-15-05 vs. St. Louis (W) 47-17
Recap: Atlanta used the fourth-highest team rushing total in NFL postsea-
Arizona, Turner found the end zone one son history (327 yards) to defeat the Rams, 47-17 at the Georgia Dome.
last time on the season with a seven-
yard carry in the second quarter. The 14- NFC Championship 1-23-05 at Philadelphia (L) 27-10
play 77-yard scoring drive cut the Recap: In their second NFC Championship Game appearance in franchise
Cardinals lead to 14-10. The touchdown history, Atlanta failed to contain a potent Eagles offense as the Falcons fell,
Running back Michael Turner 27-10, at Lincoln Financial Field.
was the second for Turner in his post-
season career and the first since January 14, 2007 when he was 2008 11-5 NFC Wild Card 1-3-09 vs. Arizona (L) 30-24
a member of the San Diego Chargers. Recap: Following a slow start, Atlanta grabbed a halftime lead, however,
turnovers caused the team in the second half as the Falcons fell 30-24.
 WING TIPS
UNDER HIS FIRST YEAR AT THE HELM MIKE SMITH
LEADS THE FALCONS TO THE PLAYOFFS

Head Coach Mike Smith led the Atlanta Falcons to one of the biggest turnarounds in team his-
tory (11 wins) while leading the team to its first playoff berth since 2004. Atlanta witnessed several
improvements from the previous season, which included points per game average, rushing yards per
game average, passing touchdown to interception ratio and sacks allowed. Smith had the Falcons ready
to play in every game this season as Atlanta ranked first in the NFL in first quarter points scored and sixth
in first quarter points allowed. The team also recorded a streak of 12 of 15 games holding opponents to
under 20 rushing yards in the opening 15 minutes of play.
Under Smith’s guidence, rookie quarterback Matt Ryan quickly developed into an offensive
leader as he became the first Falcons quarterback to win 10 games in his first season. Ryan also threw
for over 3,000 passing yards, becoming Atlanta’s first rookie quarterback to accomplish the feat. Free
agent running back Michael Turner revived the Falcons rushing attack and he finished the regular sea-
son ranked second in the league in rushing yards. Turner also topped the 1,000-yard plateau for the first
time in his career. Finally, Smith witnessed Roddy White become the first wide receiver in franchise his-
tory to post back to back 1,200-yard seasons while setting a single-season mark with 1,382 yards.

best records for rookie head coaches taking

over teams that finished below .500
the previous season (since 1978)
Coach (Team - Year) Record Previous Season Playoffs (Round)
Mike Smith (Atlanta, 2008) 11-5 4-12 0-1 (NFC Wild Card Game)
John Harbaugh (Baltimore, 2008) 11-5 5-11 1-0 (AFC Wild Card Game)
Tony Sparano (Miami, 2008) 11-5 1-15 0-1 (AFC Wild Card Game)
Jim Mora (Atlanta, 2004) 11-5 5-11 1-1 (NFC Championship Game) MOST Falcons
Bill Cowher (Pittsburgh, 1992) 11-5 7-9 0-1 (Divisional Playoff Game) HEAD COACHING
Bobby Ross (San Diego, 1992) 11-5 4-12 1-1 (Divisional Playoff Game) WINS IN A SEASON
Jim Fassel (NY Giants, 1997) 10-5-1 6-10 0-1 (Wild Card Playoff Game) Coach Record Year
Eric Mangini (NY Jets, 2006) 10-6 4-12 0-1 (AFC Wild Card Game) Dan Reeves 14-2 1998
Sean Payton (New Orleans, 2006) 10-6 3-13 1-1 (NFC Championship Game) Leeman Bennett 12-4 1980
Jim Haslett (New Orleans, 2000) 10-6 3-13 1-1 (Divisional Playoff Game) Jim Mora 11-5 2004
Chan Gailey (Dallas, 1998) 10-6 6-10 0-1 (Wild Card Playoff Game) Mike Smith 11-5 2008
Ray Rhodes (Philadelphia, 1995) 10-6 7-9 1-1 (Divisional Playoff Game) Jerry Glanville 10-6 1991

GREATEST IMPROVEMENT IN WINS BETWEEN

SEASONS BY A FIRST-YEAR HEAD COACH

Coach Team Win Improvement

Tony Sparano 2008 Miami Dolphins +10 (11-5 from 1-15)
Al Davis 1963 Oakland Raiders +9 (10-4 from 1-13)
Bill Parcells 1997 New York Jets +8 (9-7 from 1-15)
Ted Marchibroda 1992 Indianapolis Colts +8 (9-7 from 1-15)
Ted Marchibroda 1975 Baltimore Colts +8 (10-4 from 2-12)
Mike Smith 2008 Atlanta Falcons +7 (11-5 from 4-12)
Sean Payton 2006 New Orleans Saints +7 (10-6 from 3-13)
Jim Haslett 2000 New Orleans Saints +7 (10-6 from 3-13
Bobby Ross 1992 San Diego Chargers +7 (11-5 from 4-12)
Don Shula 1970 Miami Dolphins +7 (10-4 from 3-10-1)
John Harbaugh 2008 Baltimore Ravens +6 (11-5 from 5-11)
Jim Mora 2004 Atlanta Falcons +6 (11-5 from 5-11)
Eric Mangini 2006 New York Jets +6 (11-5 from 5-11)

rookie head coaches who won 11+ games

Coach Team Year Wins Coach Team Year Wins

Mike Smith Atlanta 2008 11 Barry Switzer Dallas 1994 12
John Harbaugh Baltimore 2008 11 Bill Cowher Pittsburgh 1992 11
Tony Sparano Miami 2008 11 Dennis Green Minnesota 1992 11
Jim Mora Atlanta 2004 11 Bobby Ross San Diego 1992 11
Bill Callahan Oakland 1997 11 George Seifert San Francisco 1989 14
Steve Mariucci San Francisco 1994 12
 WING TIPS
final 2008 regular season rankings

NFL LEADING RUSHERS (Yards) NFC LEADING SCORERS (Kickers)

Rusher Yards Kicker Points
1. Adrian Peterson, Min. 1,760 1. David Akers, Phi. 144
2. Michael Turner, Atl. 1,699 2. John Carney, NYG 143
3. DeAngelo Williams, Car. 1,515 3. Matt Bryant, TB 131
4. Clinton Portis, Was. 1,487 4. John Kasay, Car. 130
5. Thomas Jones, NYJ 1,312 5. Jason Elam, Atl. 129

NFL LEADING RUSHERS (Carries) NFL YARDS FROM SCRIMMAGE

Rusher Carries Player Yards
1. Michael Turner, Atl. 376 1. Adrian Peterson, Min. 1,885
2. Adrian Peterson, Min. 363 2. Michael Turner, Atl. 1,740
3. Clinton Portis, Was. 342 3. Matt Forte, Chi. 1,715
4. Matt Forte, Chi 316 4. Clinton Portis, Was. 1,705
5. Ryan Grant, GB 312 5. Steve Slaton, Hou. 1,659

NFL LEADING RECEIVERS (Yards) NFL LEADERS IN FIRST DOWNS

Receiver Yards Player First Downs
1. Andre Johnson, Hou. 1,575 1t. Michael Turner, Atl. 86
2. Larry Fitzgerald, Ari. 1,431 1t. Clinton Portis, Was. 86
3. Steve Smith, Car. 1,421 1t. Matt Forte, Chi. 86
4. Roddy White, Atl. 1,382 4. Adrian Peterson, Min. 85
5. Calvin Johnson, Det. 1,331 5. Andre Johnson, Hou. 79

NFC LEADING RECEIVERS (Receptions) NFL LEADERS IN YARDS PER COMPLETION

Receiver Receptions Player Yards/Completion
1. Larry Fitzgerald, Ari. 96 1. Jake Delhomme, Car. 13.37
2. Anquan Boldin, Ari. 89 2. Matt Ryan, Atl. 12.98
3. Roddy White, Atl. 88 3. Philip Rivers, SD 12.85
4t. Antonio Bryant, TB 83 4. Tony Romo, Dal. 12.49
4t. Chris Cooley, Was. 83 5. Drew Brees, NO 12.27

NFL LEADING RECEIVERS (Third Down Receptions) NFL LEADERS IN SACKS

Receiver Receptions Player Sacks
1. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Cin. 31 1. DeMarcus Ware, Dal. 20.0
2t. Roddy White, Atl. 29 2. Joey Porter, Mia. 17.5
2t. Jason Witten, Dal. 29 3. John Abraham, Atl. 16.5
2t. Tony Gonzalez, KC 29 4. James Harrison, Pit. 16.0
5. Derrick Mason, Bal. 26 5. Jared Allen, Min. 14.5

NFL LEADING SCORERS (Nonkickers) FALCONS MOST RUSHING YARDS IN A SEASON

Player Points Player Yards
1. DeAngelo Williams, Car 122 1. Jamal Anderson, 1998 1,846
2t. Michael Turner, Atl. 102 2. Gerald Riggs, 1985 1,719
3t. Three players tied 90 3. Michael Turner, 2008 1,699
4. William Andrews, 1983 1,567
NFL LEADING SCORERS (Touchdowns) 5. Gerald Riggs, 1984 1,486
Player TDs
1. DeAngelo Williams, Car. 20 FALCONS SINGLE-GAME RUSHING TOTALS
2. Michael Turner, Atl. 17 Player Yards
3t. Brandon Jacobs, NYG 15 1. Michael Turner, 2008 220
3t. Thomas Jones, NYJ 15 2. Michael Turner, 2008 208
3t. LenDale White, Ten. 15 3. Gerald Riggs, 1984 202

FALCONS MOST RUSHING TDS IN A GAME

Player Touchdowns
1. Michael Turner, 2008 4
2. T.J. Duckett, 2004 4
3. Three players tied 3
 WING TIPS
final 2008 regular season rankings

FALCONS MOST RECEIVING YARDS IN A SEASON NFL TEAM RUSHING LEADERS

Player Yards Team Rushing Avg.
1. Roddy White, 2008 1,382 1. New York Giants 157.3
2. Alfred Jenkins, 1981 1,358 2. Atlanta Falcons 152.7
3. Terance Mathis, 1994 1,342 3. Carolina Panthers 152.3
4. Baltimore Ravens 148.5
FALCONS MOST RECEPTIONS IN A SEASON 5. Minnesota Vikings 145.8
Player Receptions
1. Terance Mathis, 1994 111 NFC TEAM LEADERS IN TOTAL OFFENSE
2. Eric Metcalf, 1995 104 Team Yardage Avg.
3. Andre Rison, 1992 93 1. New Orleans Saints 410.7
4. Roddy White, 2008 88 2. Arizona Cardinals 365.8
5. Andre Rison, 1993 86 3. Atlanta Falcons 361.2
4. New York Giants 355.9
FALCONS MOST SACKS IN A SEASON 5. Green Bay Packers 351.1
Player Sacks
1. John Abraham, 2008 16.5 NFL FIRST QUARTER POINTS SCORED
2. Joel Williams, 1980 16.0 Team Points
3. Claude Humphrey, 1976 15.0 1. Atlanta Falcons 114
2. Chicago Bears 109
FALCONS MOST NET YARDS GAINED (Season) 3. Denver Broncos 106
Season Yards
1. 2008 5,779 NFC FIRST QUARTER POINTS ALLOWED
2. 1981 5,661 Team Points
3. 1980 5,650 1. New York Giants 39
2. Chicago Bears 47
FALCONS MOST RUSHING YARDS IN A SEASON 3. Atlanta Falcons 52
Team Yards
1. 2006 2,939* NFL FIRST QUARTER RUSHING YARDS ALLOWED
2. 2004 2,672* Team Rushing Yards
3. 2005 2,546* 1. Pittsburgh Steelers 255
4. 1985 2,466 2. New York Giants 288
5. 2008 2,443 3t. Atlanta Falcons 310
*Led NFL 3t. Dallas Cowboys 310

FALCONS BEST COMPLETION % IN A SEASON NFL LEADERS IN RUSHING PLAYS OF 10+ YARDS
Team Percentage Team Plays
1. 1982 64.0 1. New York Giants 73
2. 1983 63.3 2. Atlanta Falcons 69
3. 1984 61.5 3. Carolina Panthers 63
4. 1992 61.3
5. 2008 61.1 NFL PUNT RETURN YARDS ALLOWED (Season)
Team Return Yards
FALCONS MOST POINTS IN A SEASON 1. Atlanta Falcons 49 (NFL Record)
Team Points 2. New York Giants 140
1. 1998 442 3. San Diego Chargers 146
2. 1981 426 4. New England Patriots 158
3. 1980 405 5. Buffalo Bills 187
4. 2002 402
5. 2008 391

FALCONS SACKS ALLOWED PER PLAY (Season)

Season Sacks/Per Play
1. 2008 25.5
2. 1997 17.1
3. 1994 17.1
 falcons in the pro bowl

39TH PRO BOWL

FEBRUARY 8, 2009
ALOHA STADIUM - HONOLULU, HAWAII

The National Football League announced that Atlanta Falcons running back Michael
Turner and wide receiver Roddy White have been selected to the 2009 Pro Bowl. Both
Turner and White will be making their first Pro Bowl appearances.

“It’s always a good thing when players from your team are recognized for outstanding
seasons,” said Falcons Head Coach Mike Smith. “Michael and Roddy have each played
extremely well this season and I’d like to congratulate them both on behalf of our entire
organization.”

In his first season in an Atlanta Falcons uniform, Michael Turner posted 1,699 rushing
RB Michael Turner WR Roddy White
yards, which ranks second the NFL in the category. Along with producing eight 100-yard
games this season, Turner set a franchise single-game rushing record with a 220-yard performance against the Detroit Lions in the open-
ing week of the season. He also tied a club record with four rushing touchdowns in one game against the Carolina Panthers in Week 12
and in the same contest, topped the 1,000-yard rushing plateau for the first time in his career. Turner also scored 17 touchdowns this sea-
son, which sets a team record for rushing touchdowns in a campaign. On three occasions, Turner was named NFC Offensive Player of the
Week. The first was for his performance against the Lions in Week 1. Turner earned the award again following Week 3 against Kansas City
and the season finale against the St. Louis Rams.

“Every player who plays this game wants to be recognized by his peers, coaches and fans as being one of the top players in the game,”
said Turner. “Nobody gets to the Pro Bowl by themselves and I want to thank my coaches and my teammates, especially my offensive line-
men. Those guys have done a great job all season and I wouldn’t be in the NFL’s all-star game without them.”

White became the first Falcons receiver to post back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since 1998-99 and the first player in team history to reg-
ister back-to-back 1,200-yard campaigns. His 1,382 receiving yardage total ranks fourth in the NFL and set a new franchise record for
receiving yards for a season. He also broke career highs in receptions (88) and touchdowns (seven). White recorded seven 100-yard games
this year, which included a Week 14 performance at New Orleans where he set a career-high in receiving yards (164) on 10 receptions.
White also ranks second in the NFL in third down receptions (29) and leads the league in third down receiving yards (516).

“It’s great to finally accomplish one of my goals I’ve had since I was drafted into the NFL,” said White. “I’d like to thank all of my teammates
for their hard work this season. Those guys are a big reason why I’m getting to play in my first Pro Bowl.”

falcons pro bowl notes

• White and Turner are the 112th and 113th Pro Bowl selections in team history.
• Both White and Turner are making their first Pro Bowl appearances.
• Turner is the eighth different Falcons running back to earn Pro Bowl honors.
• White is the fourth different Falcons wide receiver to earn Pro Bowl accolades
and the first since Terance Mathis in 1995.
• White and Turner are the first Falcons selections to the Pro Bowl since 2006.
• 2008 marks the 10th season Atlanta has posted a winning record with at least
one Pro Bowl selection.
• Turner and White are the second Falcons RB and WR duo to be voted to the
Pro Bowl in the same year (first since 1980).

TURNER 2008 ACCOMPLISHMENTS WHITE 2008 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Set a Falcons single-game rushing record with 220 yards against the Detroit Lions in
the first week of the season.
• Set a franchise record with his 17th rushing touchdown in a game against St. Louis
(Week 17).
• Topped the 1,000-yard rushing plateau for the first
time in his career after posting 117 yards on 24 car-
ries against Carolina in Week 12.
• Tied a team record with a four-touchdown game
against the Panthers in Week 12.
• Recorded eight 100-yard games this season (third
most ever for the Falcons in a season).
• Ranked second in the NFL in rushing yards (1,699)
behind Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings.
• Has been named NFC Offensive Player of the Week
on three occasions and Fed Ex Ground Player of the
Week twice.
• The Falcons posted an 8-0 record when Turner
rushed for 50 yards or more in the first half.
• Totaled four multiple-TD games this year.
• Became the first Falcons wide receiver to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons
since 1998-99 and the first receiver in franchise history to total back-to-back 1,200-
yard campaigns.
• Ranked fourth in the NFL in receiving yards (1,382) while setting a career-high in
receptions (88) and touchdowns (seven).
• Ranked second in the league in third down recep-
tions (29) and led the league in third down receiving
yards (516).
• Finished third in the conference and ninth in the
NFL in receptions with 88 and topped his old career-
high of 83 catches.
• Finished the season ranked third in the NFL in
receptions of over 25 yards with 14.
• Posted seven 100-yard games this season, includ-
ing a career-high in receiving yardage (164) at New
Orleans in Week 14.
• Set a career-high with two receiving touchdowns in
one game against Philadelphia in Week 8.
 COACH OF THE YEAR HONORS
FALCONS HEAD COACH MIKE SMITH
NAMED NFL COACH OF THE YEAR
Atlanta Falcons Head Coach Mike Smith was named the prestigious Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year in an announcement by the
AP. In his first season with the Falcons, Smith led the team to an 11-5 regular season record and the club’s first playoff appearance since
2004.

Under Smith’s guidance, the Falcons posted one of the biggest turnarounds in franchise history (+7 wins from 2007) while finishing second
in the NFC South Division. Since 1978, Smith’s 11 victories tie him for the best record for rookie head coaches in the NFL taking over a
team that finished below .500 the previous season. He joins other 2008 rookie head coaches, John Harbaugh (Baltimore) and Tony
Sparano (Miami) in that category.

Smith led a Falcons offense which witnessed massive improvements from 2007. The rushing attack finished second in the
league with a 152.7 average, while running back Michael Turner ranked second in the NFL in rushing yards (1,699), topped
the 1,000-yard plateau for the first time in his career and was named to the 2009 Pro Bowl. Atlanta posted a 24.4 points per
game average in 2008, which was an 8.2-point upgrade from 2007 and the offensive line set a franchise record by allowing
only 17 sacks. The Falcons passing offense, led by Associated Press Rookie of the Year Matt Ryan, improved four spots
in the conference from ’07 (18th to 14th) and the team’s total offensive average of 361.2 ranked third in the NFC
compared to a 12th place finish last season. Wide receiver Roddy White was the recipient of a franchise record
1,382 receiving yards as the four-year veteran will make his first trip to the Pro Bowl. Ryan became the first rook-
ie quarterback in team history to win 11 games and the first rookie in franchise annals to throw over 3,000 passing
yards (3,440) in his first season. Smith and Ryan also became the first rookie Head Coach and rookie quarterback to
compete in a playoff game since the Cleveland Rams accomplished the feat in 1945.

Defensively, Smith guided defensive end John Abraham to a career season as the South Carolina alum set a new fran-
chise record with 16.5 sacks in a single-season while forcing four fumbles and blocking one punt against Carolina in
Week 4. Atlanta’s special teams were also a highlight this season as the unit set a NFL record allowing only 49 punt
return yards. Wide receiver/punt returner Harry Douglas also became the first Falcon to return a punt for a touchdown
(61 yards against Carolina in Week 12) since 2004.

Smith becomes only the second Head Coach in Falcons history to earn coach of the year honors and the first since Dan
Reeves achieved the award after leading Atlanta to a 14-2 regular season record and a Super Bowl appearance in 1998.

MIKE SMITH BY THE NUMBERS

1 - The Falcons ranked first in the NFL in first quarter points and 4 - The number of consecutive home victories to open the 2008
outscored their opponent in the opening 15 minutes of play by a campaign, the highest amount of consecutive home wins to start a
114-52 margin. season since 1998.

2 - Atlanta’s rank in the NFL in rushing average (152.7) at the
conclusion of the 2008 regular season. The Falcons improved 24
spots in rushing average compared to last season.
4 - Coach Smith was the fourth head coach in Falcons history to
record 11 or more wins in a season.
4 - The number of years (2004) between the last playoff appear-
ance for the Falcons and the NFC Wild Card game against the
Arizona Cardinals on January 3, 2009.
7 - The Falcons win improvement from the 2007 season under the
leadership of Coach Smith. The seven wins are tied for the sixth-
highest improvement between seasons by a first-year head coach
in NFL history.
8.2 - Atlanta’s improvement in points per game average com-
pared to the 2007 campaign. The Falcons finished the season
averaging 24.4 points per game.
9 - Coach Smith is the ninth head coach in the NFL to win 11-plus
games in his rookie campaign.
10 - The number of players who earned opening day starts for
the first time in their NFL careers.
11 - The number of regular season wins Coach Smith and the
Falcons accumulated during the 2008 campaign.
17 - The number of sacks allowed by the offensive line in the
2008 regular season, which set a new franchise record low.
51 - The number of points the Falcons totaled off of 18 no-huddle
possessions in 2008. Atlanta scored six touchdowns and three field
goals.
5,779 - The total number of net yards for the Falcons offense in
2008, which set a team record for a single-season.
 rookie of the year honors
FALCONS QUARTERBACK MATT RYAN
NAMED NFL OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Matt Ryan was named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in an announcement by the Associated Press. This season, Ryan complet-
ed 265 of 434 passes for 3,440 yards, 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for an 87.7 passer rating. He also contributed with 104 rushing
yards and one rushing touchdown. His 3,440 passing yards ranks sixth in a single-season in Falcons annals as he became only the sec-
ond rookie quarterback ever in the NFL to amass over 3,000 passing yards. Ryan became one of two rookie quarterbacks in the NFL since
2003 to start a regular season opener. He guided Atlanta to an 11-5 record, which made him the first rookie quarterback in franchise histo-
ry to win 11 games. Ryan also became the first quarterback in club history to reach the 3,000-yard passing plateau. Along with Ravens quar-
terback Joe Flacco, Ryan became the first rookie quarterback to start all 16 regular season games and lead his team to the playoffs.

On his first career NFL passing attempt against the Detroit Lions in Week 1, Ryan found wide receiver Michael Jenkins
for a 62-yard touchdown to become the first quarterback in the NFL since 2000 to throw a TD on his first career pass-
ing attempt. He led Atlanta to a 7-1 record at the Georgia Dome and guided the Falcons to a 6-2 mark in games decid-
ed by one score or less this year.

For his performance in the month of October, Ryan earned NFC Rookie of the Month accolades, becoming the
first player in franchise history to accomplish the feat. In October, Ryan and the Falcons defeated the Green
Bay Packers at historic Lambeau Field in Week 5 and posted a victory against the Chicago Bears in Week 6.
Against the Bears, Ryan tallied his first career 300-yard passing game (301) and completed a 26-yard pass
to Jenkins with one second remaining to set up kicker Jason Elam’s game-winning field goal. During the
month of October, Ryan completed 61 of 100 passes for 772 yards and five touchdowns.

One week after being named NFC Rookie of the Month, the Falcons posted a shutout over the Oakland Raiders
(24-0) at Oakland Alameda County Coliseum. In that game, Ryan registered the ninth-highest NFL passer rating
in a single game this season with a 138.4 mark. For his efforts, he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week.

This season, Ryan totaled a streak of nine consecutive 200-yard passing games from Weeks 6-15 and notched
eight contests with a 65.0 completion percentage or higher. He also ranked second in the league in yards per
completion with a 12.98 average.

Ryan is the only player in franchise history to earn offensive rookie of the year honors. He joins linebacker
Tommy Nobis (1966-76) and defensive end Claude Humphrey (1968-74, 76-78) as the only other Falcons to
earn rookie of the year accolades (both defensive rookie of the year).

MATT RYAN BY THE NUMBERS

1 - The number of passes it took for Matt Ryan to throw his first 9 - The number of consecutive 200-yard passing games this sea-
career touchdown pass (62 yards to Michael Jenkins, Week 1).
2 - The number of conference accolades Ryan earned throughout
the season (NFC Rookie of the Month in October and NFC
Offensive Rookie of the Week following a contest vs. Oakland).
6 - The number of victories Matt Ryan and the Falcons earned in
games decided by one score or less.
7 - The number of wins Matt Ryan and the Falcons earned at the
Georgia Dome this season as the rookie quarterback completed
121 of 188 passes for 1,777 yards and six touchdowns for a 94.7
quarterback rating in eight home contests.
son from Weeks 6-15.
11 - The number of wins Matt Ryan compiled this season,
becoming the first rookie quarterback in team history to win 11
games in a campaign.
11 - The number of interceptions Matt Ryan threw this season
becoming one of two rookie quarterbacks in the history of the NFL
to start every regular season game and throw under 15 INTs.
11 - The number of seconds remaining in a fourth quarter come-
back against the Chicago Bears when Ryan completed a 26-yard
pass to set up K Jason Elam’s game-winning field goal.
16 - The number of games Matt Ryan started (entire regular sea-
son) while becoming one of two rookies in NFL history to lead his
team to the playoffs in his first season.
12.98 - The yards per completion percentage for Matt Ryan this
season, which ranked second in the NFL this season.
138.4 - Matt Ryan’s passer rating against the Oakland Raiders
in Week 9, the ninth-highest rating in a single-game this season
among quarterbacks in the NFL.
3,440 - The number of passing yards Matt Ryan threw for in his
rookie campaign, which ranks sixth in a season in team history. He
also became this first rookie in team history to throw for over 3,000
passing yards.
 2008 falcons starters

offensive starters defensive starters

OFFENSE
WR Roddy White - Led the Falcons in receiving with 88 catches for
1,382 yards and seven touchdowns. His receiving total set a new
franchise record for receiving yards in a season. Tallied seven 100-
yard games and back-to-back 1,200-yard seasons while earning his
first trip to the Pro Bowl.
LT Sam Baker - Started in five career games at the left tackle posi-
tion in his rookie season.
LG Justin Blalock – Assisted a Falcons rushing attack that posted
2,443 yards this season, the sixth-highest total in team history.
DEFENSE
RE John Abraham - Posted his third three-sack performance in
Week 15 against Tampa Bay as his 16.5 sacks in 2008 set a season
record in club annals. This year, totaled 42 tackles (35 solo), four
forced fumbles and one pass defensed.
DT Grady Jackson - Totaled 23 tackles (21 solo), two sacks and
one pass defensed.
DT Jonathan Babineaux - Recorded 38 tackles (30 solo), a career-
best 3.5 sacks for a loss of 26.5 yards, two passes defensed and
one fumble recovery in 2008.

C Todd McClure - Started his 112th consecutive game on the offen-
sive line in Week 17.
RG Harvey Dahl - Started his 16th career NFL game in a Week 17
meeting against the St. Louis Rams.
RT Tyson Clabo - Made his 37th career start following the Falcons
meeting with the Rams in Week 17.
LE Jamaal Anderson - Totaled two sacks, which includes his first-
career quarterback takedown in Week 6 vs. Chicago. Also added 36
tackles and three passes defensed.
OLB Keith Brooking - Increased his starting streak to 128 consec-
utive regular season games following the season finale against St.
Louis and has now led the Falcons in tackles for eight straight sea-
sons with 133 (80 solo).

TE Justin Peelle - Caught 15 passes for 159 yards and two touch-
downs.
WR Michael Jenkins - Totaled 50 catches for 777 yards and three
touchdowns, which included a 62-yard touchdown on Matt Ryan’s
first career pass against Detroit in Week 1.
QB Matt Ryan - Started every game under center and completed
265 of 434 passes for 3,440 yards, 16 touchdowns and 11 intercep-
tions for a 87.7 passer rating en route to earning AP Rookie of the
Year honors.
RB Michael Turner - Posted 376 carries for 1,699 yards and 17
touchdowns while setting a Falcons single-game record with 220
yards against Detroit in Week 1. Also tallied four touchdowns against
Carolina in Week 12 while topping the 1,000-yard rushing plateau
for the first time in his career. Turner earned his first trip to the Pro
Bowl as well.
FB Ovie Mughelli - Created lanes for Falcons rushers to total 2,443
rushing yards this season.
KEY CONTRIBUTOR:
RB Jerious Norwood - Finished the season with 489 rushing yards,
338 receiving yards and six TDs. Also tallied 1,311 kickoff return yards.
MLB Curtis Lofton - Totaled his first-career sack against
Philadelphia in Week 8, while forcing a fumble on the play. Ranked
fourth on the team in tackles with 108.
OLB Michael Boley - Recorded 90 tackles, nine passes defensed
and one interception.
RCB Chris Houston - Intercepted his first-career pass against the
Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3 and returned it 10 yards for a touch-
down. Added his second INT against New Orleans (Week 10) and
contributed with 59 tackles and 16 passes defensed.
LCB Domonique Foxworth - Started 10 games in 2008 and totaled
39 stops, 11 passes defensed and one interception.
SS Lawyer Milloy - Ranked third on the team in tackles with 117 (76
solo) while adding one interception and five passes defensed.
FS Erik Coleman - Ranked second on the Falcons in tackles with a
career-high of 127 and contributed with three interceptions, six pass-
es defensed and two forced fumbles.
KEY CONTRIBUTOR:
RE Chauncey Davis - This season, recorded 35 tackles, three fum-
ble recoveries, one forced fumble and four sacks, which included a
two-sack game against Carolina in Week 12.

a new starting staff

The Falcons featured 10 new starters in 2008 compared to the 2007 regular season finale against the Seattle Seahawks. Different starters
are underlined while rookies are bolded.

2007 Offensive Starters 2008 2007 Defensive Starters 2008

Roddy White WR Roddy White Jamaal Anderson LE Jamaal Anderson
Quinn Ojinnaka LT Sam Baker Montavious Stanley NT Jonathan Babineaux
Justin Blalock LG Justin Blalock Jonathan Babineaux UT Grady Jackson
Todd McClure C Todd McClure John Abraham RE John Abraham
Kynan Forney RG Harvey Dahl Michael Boley BLB Michael Boley
Tyson Clabo RT Tyson Clabo Keith Brooking MLB Curtis Lofton
Alge Crumpler TE Justin Peelle Demorrio Williams WLB Keith Brooking
Joe Horn WR Michael Jenkins DeAngelo Hall LCB Domonique Foxworth
Chris Redman QB Matt Ryan Chris Houston RCB Chris Houston
Warrick Dunn RB Michael Turner Lawyer Milloy SS Lawyer Milloy
Ovie Mughelli FB Ovie Mughelli Chris Crocker FS Erik Coleman
 WING TIPS
John Abraham
sack master
Defensive End

55
6-4, 263 pounds John Abraham registered 16.5 sacks this season setting a new
9th year in the NFL season-high for the nine-year veteran, topping his previous high of
13.0, which he set with the New York Jets in 2001. His 16.5 sacks
South Carolina also rank first in a season in Falcons annals.
Atlanta Falcons Highest Sack Totals in a Season
Acquired by the Falcons in Player Year Sacks
a trade with the New York John Abraham 2008 16.5
Joel Williams 1980 16.0
Jets in 2006
Claude Humphrey 1976 15.0

climbing the charts brisk september

Defensive end John Abraham continued In four games this September, defensive end John Abraham
his dominance on opening day as the nine- totaled six sacks, which included a three-sack performance against
year veteran posted three sacks for a loss the Detroit Lions in the season opener at the Georgia Dome. Since
of 16 yards and four tackles against the sacks became an official NFL stat in 1982, Abraham’s six sacks in
Detroit Lions in Week 1. He registered his the month are the most by a Falcons player in team history. Below
third three-sack performance of the sea- is a look at the Falcons top three in this category.
son against Tampa Bay (Week 15) en
route to a 13-10 Falcons overtime victory. Player Season Sacks in Sept.
At the conclusion of the season, he has John Abraham 2008 6.0
now tallied 18.5 sacks in his last 17 games, Chris Doleman 1995 5.5
26.5 in his last 31 contests and has recorded 84.0 for his career. Patrick Kerney 2004 5.0
As a Falcon, Abraham has posted 30.5 sacks in 40 games played.

NFL Sack Leaders 2008 forcing the issue

Rank Player Sacks Yards
1 DeMarcus Ware, Dal 20.0 113.0 After dropping Minnesota quarterback Tarvaris Jackson for one
2 Joey Porter, Mia 17.5 96.0 sack in a Week 16 meeting, John Abraham forced a fumble on the
3 John Abraham, Atl 16.5 109.5 takedown and increased his career forced fumble total to 31.
4 James Harrison, Pit 16.0 114.5 Following his ninth season, 26 of his forced fumbles have come on
a sack, which is just under one-third of his career sack total of 84.0
NFL Sack Leaders 2000-2008 (Active Players) (30.9 percent). Below is a list of Abraham’s forced fumbles on a
Rank Player Sacks Yards sack by season.
1 Jason Taylor, Was 104.0 680.0
2 John Abraham, Atl 84.0 534.0 Year Sack Total Forced Fumbles Percent
3 Joey Porter, Mia 81.0 510.0 2008 16.5 4 .242
2007 10.0 4 .400
John Abraham’s Sacks In 2008 2006 4.0 4 1.000
Date Opponent Sacks Yards 2005 10.5 6 .571
9/7 vs. Detroit 3.0 16.0 2004 9.5 2 .211
9/14 at Tampa Bay 1.0 5.0 2003 6.0 1 .166
9/21 vs. Kansas City 2.0 11.0 2002 10.0 1 .100
10/5 at Green Bay 1.0 5.0 2001 13.0 2 .153
11/2 at Oakland 3.0 16.0 2000 4.5 2 .444
11/9 vs. New Orleans 1.0 6.0 Total 84.0 26 .309
11/23 vs. Carolina 1.0 8.0
11/30 at San Diego 0.5 4.5
12/14 vs. Tampa Bay 3.0 33.0 A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH
12/21 at Minnesota 1.0 5.0
Defensive end John Abraham ranks fourth in the league in forced
fumbles from 2000-2008. Abraham knocked his first ball to ground
Mr. VERSATILITY in 2008 against Tampa Bay in Week 2, added his second against
Kansas City in Week 3, posted his third in a Week 9 contest at
Defensive end John Abraham has shown that he has the ability to
Oakland and tallied his latest in Week 16 at Minnesota. Below is a
get to the quarterback no matter what the situation presents.
look at the NFL’s forced fumble leaders over the last nine seasons.
Abraham’s 16.5 sacks in 2008 came from both sides of the defen-
sive line in Atlanta’s 4-3 defense.
Player Forced Fumbles
QB Jason Taylor, Was 37
RT RG C LG LT Dwight Freeney, Ind 35
Leonard Little, Stl 33
DE NT NT DE
John Abraham, Atl 31
(five sacks, one FF) (11.5 sacks, three FF)
 WING TIPS
Jason Elam
RACKING UP THE POINTS

1
Kicker
5-11, 194 pounds This season, kicker Jason Elam split the
uprights on 29 of 31 field goal attempts
16th year in the NFL while converting all 42 PATs to log 129
Hawaii points. His scoring total ranks fifth in the
NFC and was 15 points shy of
Philadelphia Eagles kicker David Akers’
Signed by the Falcons as total (144). Elam’s 129 points this year
an unrestricted free agent fell nine points shy of an Atlanta fran-
(Den.) in 2008. chise record for a season (138 set by
kicker Jay Feely in 2002). The point total
also fell three points shy of Elam’s
30-straight career-high (132 set in 1995).

Falcons kicker Jason Elam split the NFC Leading Scorers Among Kickers
uprights on five of six field goal attempts Player PAT FG Total Points
against the Chicago Bears in Week 6. In David Akers, Phi 45/45 33/40 144
the fourth quarter of the game, he missed John Carney, NYG 38/38 35/38 143
his first attempt of the season, which broke Matt Bryant, TB 35/36 32/38 131
a streak of 30 consecutive field goals dat- John Kasay, Car 46/46 28/31 130
ing back to the 2007 campaign. This year, Jason Elam, Atl 42/42 29/31 129
Elam totaled 129 points and registered his
16th career 100-point season. He became Falcons Franchise Scoring Leaders In a Season
the first player in NFL history to record at Player Year PAT FG Total Points
least 100 points in each of his first 16 sea- Jay Feely 2002 42/43 32/40 138
sons, which is also the longest streak in the league. He is also sec- Jason Elam 2008 42/42 29/31 129
ond in the league to former Falcons kicker Morten Andersen in Morten Andersen 1995 29/30 31/37 122
consecutive games scoring at least one point (252). Andersen Morten Andersen 1998 51/52 23/28 120
ended last season with his streak at 360 games. Jay Feely 2001 28/28 29/37 115

fifty-plus is a must IT’S LONg GONE

Jason Elam ranks third all-time in the NFL Rewind to a chilly October day in
with 38 field goals of 50 yards or more. He Denver, Colorado in 1998. The
tallied his best season total of five field goals Broncos were hosting the
from 50-plus yards in 1995 and tied the mark Jacksonville Jaguars and were
again in 1999. Elam is also perfect in 50- about to enter halftime with a 24-
plus-yard field goals throughout the postsea- 10 lead. Instead of running out the
son, splitting the uprights on one attempt in clock, Broncos Head Coach Mike
1997 and one attempt in 2005. Below is a list Shanahan wanted to see if he
of the top five kickers in 50-plus yard field could increase his lead against a
goals and their percentages. strong Jaguars team. Kicker Jason
Elam jogged to his position and
Player 50-plus FG made (att.) Percentage
lined up for a monumental kick. He
Jason Hanson, Det 41 (75) 54.7
booted the ball, which sailed 63 K Jason Elam celebrates after splitting the
Morten Andersen 40 (84) 47.6
yards through the uprights and tied uprights on a 63-yard field goal which tied the
Jason Elam, Atl 38 (63) 60.3 NFL record.
Tom Dempsey’s 28-year-old
John Kasay, Car 36 (70) 51.4
record. Elam’s cleats from that game are currently displayed in the
Jeff Wilkins 26 (36) 72.2
Pro Football Hall of Fame.

WILD WEST elam’s career bests

This season, the Falcons battled the AFC West, which is familiar Field Goals Made Field Goals Attempted Longest Field Goal Made
territory for kicker Jason Elam. The 16-year veteran has competed 5, four times 6, three times 63 (tied NFL record)
in 92 games against AFC West opponents (Kansas City, Oakland, (last vs. Chicago 10/12/08) (last vs. Chicago 10/12/08) vs. Jacksonville (10/25/98)
San Diego and Denver), 90 of which as a member of the Denver PATs Made PATs Attempted Points Scored
Broncos. 7 vs. Philadelphia (10/20/05) 7 vs. Philadelphia (10/20/05) 16, four times
(last vs. Chicago 10/12/08)
Games 1-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 Total Pct. PATs Pts
Kansas City 30 0/0 14/14 20/23 12/16 5/8 51/61 .836 78/78 231
Oakland 30 0/0 26/27 19/19 11/19 3/5 59/70 .843 63/63 240
San Diego 31 0/0 17/19 17/18 11/19 7/10 52/66 .788 80/80 236
Denver 1 0/0 0/0 1/1 1/1 0/0 2/2 1.000 2/2 8
Total 92 0/0 57/60 57/61 35/55 15/23 164/199 .824 223/223 715
 WING TIPS
Matt Ryan
MR. OCTOBER

2
Quarterback
6-4, 220 pounds Quarterback Matt Ryan was named NFC
Rookie Rookie of the Month (for October) becoming the
first player in franchise history to earn confer-
Boston College ence Rookie of the Month accolades. In three
games during October, Ryan completed 61 of
Selected as a first round 100 passes for 772 yards and five touchdowns
while leading the Falcons to a 2-1 record. Atlanta defeated the
(3rd overall) draft choice by Green Bay Packers by a 27-24 margin on October 5 as Ryan threw
the Falcons in 2008 for 194 yards with two touchdowns. The second victory of the
month was an unprecedented comeback against the Chicago
Bears with a 22-20 win. In that game, Ryan completed 22 of 30
Starting early (73.3 pct.) passes for 301 yards (his first career 300-yard passing
outing) and a 116.1 passer rating. With 11 seconds remaining in
Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan completed the game, Ryan completed a 26-yard pass to wide receiver
nine of 13 passes for 161 yards and one Michael Jenkins, setting up the game-winning field goal as time
touchdown for a 137.0 passer rating in his expired from kicker Jason Elam. In Week 8, the Falcons fell to the
first career start under center against Philadelphia Eagles, however, Ryan totaled 277 passing yards in
Detroit in Week 1. Ryan became the first the outing while throwing two touchdown strikes to wide receiver
Falcons rookie quarterback to start a sea- Roddy White.
son opener since Steve Bartkowski in
1975. On Atlanta’s first offensive posses-
sion of the 2008 season, the Falcons flying high
recorded a three-play, 74-yard drive that
was capped by a WR Michael Jenkins 62- This season, quarterback Matt Ryan
yard touchdown on Ryan’s first career completed 265 of 434 passes for 3,440
NFL pass. Ryan became the first quarter- Quarterback Matt Ryan yards and 16 touchdowns. His streak
back to throw a touchdown on his first of nine consecutive games with 200 or
career pass since October 8, 2000 when more passing yards ended against
Michael Bishop completed the feat as Minnesota in Week 16. He also record-
member of the New England Patriots. ed seven contests with a 60 percent or
The 62-yard touchdown strike made better completion percentage. Ryan’s
Ryan the first player to throw a touch- passing total ranked sixth in a single-
down pass of 50 yards or longer in the season in Falcons annals. Below are
first quarter of his NFL debut since Roger the top 10 Atlanta quarterbacks in
Staubach tossed a 75-yard touchdown to Quarterback Matt Ryan passing yards in a season.
Lance Rentzel in 1969.
Quarterback Roger Staubach Player Season Passing Yards
*Jeff George 1995 4,143
Steve Bartkowski 1981 3,829
already a first *Jeff George 1994 3,734
Steve Bartkowski 1980 3,544
Matt Ryan and Ravens QB Joe Flacco started their respective Chris Miller 1989 3,459
Week 1 match-ups under center marking the first time since 2003 Matt Ryan 2008 3,440
a rookie quarterback started on opening day (Kyle Boller, Steve Bartkowski 1983 3,167
Baltimore). The last time the league saw two rookie QBs starting Chris Chandler 1998 3,154
on the same day came in 1971 when Archie Manning (Saints) and *Bobby Hebert 1996 3,152
Jim Plunkett (Patriots) started at quarterback. In the past 11 sea- *Chris Miller 1991 3,103
sons (1998-2008), only five rookie quarterbacks prior to Ryan and *Bobby Hebert 1993 2,978
Flacco have started the first game of the regular season. In Week
Quarterback Steve Bartkowski
1 of the 2008 campagin, both Ryan and Flacco recorded victories *Run ‘N Shoot Offense
in their first career starts.

Rookie QBs Starting In Regular Season Openers (‘98-‘08) ONE AND ONLY
Team Player Year Note
Atlanta Matt Ryan 2008 NFC Wild Card Game This season, Matt Ryan and Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco
Baltimore Joe Flacco 2008 AFC Wild Card Game became the first NFL rookie quarterbacks to have played in all 16
Baltimore Kyle Boller 2003 AFC North Champs games and thrown fewer than 15 interceptions. Only three prior
Houston David Carr 2002 Won season opener rookie quarterbacks have started 16 games of a season (Rick
Carolina Chris Weinke 2001 Won season opener Mirer in 1993, Peyton Manning in 1998 and David Carr in 2002)
Indianapolis Peyton Manning 1998 Lost season opener and none threw fewer than 15 INTs in their respective seasons.
San Diego Ryan Leaf 1998 Won season opener
 WING TIPS

dome sweet dome highly rated

In Atlanta’s eight home contests this season, quarterback Matt Against the Oakland Raiders in Week 9, Matt Ryan completed 17
Ryan showed flashes of brilliance and looked anything but a rook- of 22 passes for 220 yards, two touchdowns and a 138.4 passer
ie. Ryan completed 121 of 188 passing attempts for 1,777 yards rating. The rating is his highest this season, which topped his first
and six touchdowns while guiding the Falcons to a 7-1 record. He career start against Detroit (137.0). His mark against the Raiders
also posted three touchdown passes of 60 yards or more. The first was the ninth-highest passer rating this season among all quarter-
was a 62-yard strike to wide receiver Michael Jenkins on his first backs in the league. Below are the highest single-game passer rat-
career pass against Detroit. Two weeks later against Kansas City, ings this season.
Ryan hit wide receiver Roddy White for a 70-yard score, marking
the longest passing touchdown in his career. In Week 10 against Player Date Opponent Rating
New Orleans, Ryan found RB Jerious Norwood for a 67-yard Kurt Warner, Ari 9/14 Miami 158.3
touchdown, the longest reception and score for the third-year run- Drew Brees, NO 11/24 Green Bay 157.5
ning back in his career. In eight home games, Ryan has also accu- Drew Brees, NO 10/12 Oakland 144.4
mulated a 94.7 passer rating. This season in dome venues, Ryan Matt Schaub, Hou 10/26 Cincinnati 144.0
completed 158 of 245 passes for 2,226 yards and eight touch- Shaun Hill, SF 11/16 St. Louis 142.3
downs en route to an 8-2 record. Philip Rivers, SD 10/12 New England 141.9
Philip Rivers, SD 12/28 Denver 141.0
Matt Ryan’s Home Performances This Season Peyton Manning, Ind 12/18 Indianapolis 140.7
Week Opponent Comp Att Yards TD INT QB Rating Matt Ryan, Atl 11/2 Oakland 138.4
1 Detroit 9 13 161 1 0 137.0
3 Kansas City 12 18 192 1 0 120.6
6 Chicago 22 30 301 1 0 116.1 bear attack
10 New Orleans 16 23 248 2 0 134.0
11 Denver 20 33 250 0 1 71.5 In a Week 6 meeting against the Chicago Bears, Matt Ryan com-
12 Carolina 17 27 259 0 0 94.5 pleted 22 of 30 passes for 301 yards and one touchdown in a 22-
15 Tampa Bay 15 23 206 0 2 57.5 20 victory. The 301 yards mark the first time Ryan reached the
16 St. Louis 10 21 160 1 2 49.8 300-yard passing plateau in his rookie season. The total was also
the highest for the Falcons as a team since QB Chris Redman
posted 315 yards last season against Arizona in Week 17. With 11
raiding oakland seconds remaining in the game, Ryan completed a 26-yard pass
to wide receiver Michael Jenkins, setting up the game-winning field
In a Week 9 contest against the Oakland goal from kicker Jason Elam. Ryan also completed one touchdown
Raiders, quarterback Matt Ryan completed pass to wide receiver Roddy White in the fourth quarter, which was
13 of 16 passes in the first half for 184 yards his fifth scoring strike of the season. On Atlanta’s first offensive
and two touchdowns en route to a 24-0 drive of the game, Ryan completed all five of his passing attempts
Falcons win. In the opening drive of the for 57 yards en route to a Falcons field goal and a 3-0 lead. He
game, wide receiver Michael Jenkins slipped continued his completion streak and went eight for eight to start the
by former Falcons cornerback DeAngelo game while tallying 107 yards. Ryan also posted a previous sea-
Hall to haul in a 37-yard touchdown grab, his son-high in first half passing yards with 159 on 14 completions. For
first of two touchdowns in the game. The his performance against the Bears, Ryan was named Diet Pepsi
score marked the fourth time that Atlanta tal- Rookie of the Week (6) on an online vote from fans at NFL.com.
lied points on its opening offensive posses-
sion this season. Ryan also tabbed the contest as his third multi-
ple-touchdown game after totaling two TDs at Green Bay and two X MARKS THE SPOT
at Philadelphia. He achieved first half career-highs in passing
yardage (184), completion percentage (81.3) and tallied a passer This season, Matt Ryan completed 265 of 434 passes for 3,440
rating of 154.2. Ryan went on to finish the game with a career-high yards and 16 touchdowns for a 61.1 completion percentage. The
passer rating of 138.4 and final completion percentage of 77.3. rookie quarterback did an excellent job finding his targets for big
gains as he ranked third in the NFL in yards per completion with a
Playing in front of 60,000 hostile fans at Oakland-
12.98 mark. Below is a look at the top five quarterbacks in the cat-
Alameda County Coliseum, Matt Ryan guided the
egory.
Falcons to a victory against the Oakland Raiders and
earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, just
Quarterback Yards Per Completion
one week after being named NFC Rookie of the Month (October).
Jake Delhomme, Car 13.37
Ryan joins Michael Turner (two NFC Offensive Player of the Week
Matt Ryan, Atl 12.98
honors) as one of two Falcons who have earned conference acco-
Philip Rivers, SD 12.85
lades this season.
Tony Romo, Dal 12.49
Drew Brees, NO 12.27
perfect 10
Matt Ryan won 11 of 16 starts this season and became the first four and looking for more
rookie quarterback in Falcons history to win 11 games. Ryan also
threw for 3,440 yards and also became the first Falcons rookie to Matt Ryan became the first rookie quarterback in the NFL to start
reach the 3,000-yard plateau. his first six games under center and win at least four since the NFL
merger took place in 1970.
 WING TIPS

pace yourself IMPACT IN Beantown

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was impressive leading the Quarterback Matt Ryan emerged as a
offense throughout the season. In 2008, he put up numbers that Heisman Trophy candidate during his
are not conducive to a rookie quarterback and made dents in sev- senior season at Boston College after
eral franchise seasonal records. Ryan compiled a season passer completing 388 of 654 passes for
rating of 87.7 and faired better at the Georgia Dome, posting a 7- 4,507 yards and 31 touchdowns. He
1 record while averaging a 94.7 rating. He also totaled nine games was also named ACC Player of Year
with zero interceptions and ended a streak of nine consecutive
for his efforts last season. Below is a
contests with 200-plus passing yards in Week 15. Ryan’s 87.7
quarterback rating, ranks 12th in a campaign in Falcons history. look at other highlights and accom-
Below is a look at the top Falcons passer ratings in a year. plishments during Ryan’s career with
the Eagles.
Year Quarterback Rating
*1992 Wade Wilson 110.2
1969 Bob Berry 106.7
1998 Chris Chandler 100.9 Career:
1983 Steve Bartkowski 97.6 Completed 807 of 1,347 passes for 9,313 yards and 56 touch-
1997 Chris Chandler 95.1
downs. His career completions and attempts are both school
1985 Steve Bartkowski 92.8
1992 Chris Miller 90.7 records.
2007 Chris Redman 90.4
1984 Steve Bartkowski 89.7 His 9,313 passing yards placed him third in school annals behind
1995 Jeff George 89.5 Doug Flutie and Glenn Foley.
1980 Steve Bartkowski 88.2
2008 Matt Ryan 87.7 2007:
Boston College ranked eighth in the nation in total offense while
*Only started three games Ryan established school records for 400-yard passing performanc-
Ryan finished the season with 434 pass attempts, which ranks es in both a career and a season.
seventh in a season in Falcons annals. His 265 completions at the
conclusion of the season also ranks seventh in franchise history. Became only the third quarterback in ACC history (Philip Rivers,
North Carolina State and Ben Bennett, Duke) to complete over 300
passes in a season (388).
Matty ice
His 31 touchdown passes broke the old school season-record of
From 2005-07, Matt Ryan started in 31 games at Boston College, 27 by Doug Flutie in 1984.
including every game in 2006 and 2007. Over the span of his 31
starts during that time, Ryan and the Eagles recorded an 11-4 His career-high 435 passing yards against Georgia Tech ranks
record in games decided by one score (seven points) or less. Ten sixth on the school’s game-record passing list.
of the 11 wins also came against teams who finished their respec-
tive seasons with a winning record. Below is a look at the Boston Named ACC Player of the Week on six occasions.
College victories decided by one score or less.
2007 2006 2005 2006:
10/25 at Va. Tech 14-10 8/31 Central Mich. 31-24 9/24 Clemson 16-13 Set school records after completing 263 of 427 passes while con-
11/17 at Clemson 20-17 9/9 Clemson 34-33 10/15 Wake Forest 35-30 tributing with 2,942 pasing yards and 15 touchdowns.
12/28 vs. Mich. State 24-21 9/16 BYU 30-23 12/28 Boise State 27-21
10/21 at Fla. State 24-19
12/30 Navy 25-24 Named an ACC first-team choice.
Ryan continued this trend to the professional ranks as he led the Led the ACC in total offense (242.3 ypg.) and passing yards per
Falcons to a 6-2 record this season in games decided by one score game (245.2).
or less. The Falcons recorded wins against Green Bay in Week 5,
Chicago in Week 6, San Diego in Week 13, Tampa Bay in Week
15, Minnesota in Week 16 and St. Louis in the season finale. RYAN’S FALCONS career bests
Against the Bears Ryan notched his first 300-yard passing game,
which included one touchdown and a late completion with one sec- Completions Attempts Passing Yards
ond remaining to set-up kicker Jason Elam’s game-winning field 24 at New Orleans (12/7/08) 44 at Philadelphia (10/26/08)315 at New Orleans (12/7/08)
23 at Philadelphia (10/26/08) 41 at Carolina (9/28/08) 301 vs. Chicago (10/12/08)
goal. Atlanta’s two losses by one possession were a 24-20 defeat 22 vs. Chicago (10/12/08) 33 (three times), Last 277 at Philadelphia (10/26/08)
versus Denver in a Week 11 meeting and a 29-25 loss against at New Orleans (12/7/08)
New Orleans in Week 14.
Passing Touchdowns Longest Passes Quarterback Rating
2 (five times), last 70t vs. Kansas City (9/21/08) 138.4 at Oakland (11/2/08)
sweet 16 at San Diego (11/30/08) 69 vs. Carolina (11/23/08) 137.0 vs. Detroit (9/7/08)
67t vs. New Orleans (11/9/08) 134.0 vs. New Orleans (11/9/08)
Quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens) are
the first rookies in NFL history to start all 16 regular season games Rushing Yards
19 vs. Tampa Bay (12/14/08)
and lead their respective teams to the playoffs.
 WING TIPS
Michael Turner
four score and seven
Running Back

33
5-10, 244 pounds In a Week 12 meeting against the Carolina Panthers, Michael
5th year in the NFL Turner tied a franchise record with four touchdowns in one game,
tying T.J. Duckett’s mark in 2004. The game was also his fourth-
Northern Illinois career multiple-touchdown contest and his second three score or
more game. Turner’s career-high of four TDs made him only the
Signed by the Falcons as second Falcons running back in team history to register four touch-
downs in a game. Turner finished the season ranked second in the
an unrestricted free agent league in scoring (non-kickers) with 102 points and second in the
(S.D.) in 2008. NFL rushing touchdowns with 17. Below is a look at Turner’s mul-
tiple-touchdown games this season.

Opponent Date Rushing TDs

CENTURY MARK
Carolina 11/23/08 4
Running back Michael Turner posted his 11th career 100-yard Kansas City 9/21/08 3
game after totaling 25 carries for 208 yards and one touchdown Denver 11/16/08 2
against St. Louis in Week 17. Turner topped the 200-yard mark for Detroit 9/7/08 2
the second time this season and hit the century mark for the eighth
occasion (220 yards vs. Detroit, 104 yards vs. Kansas City, 121 Against the Panthers, Turner first found the end zone on a one-
yard rush in the second quarter, scored for the second occasion on
yards at Green Bay, 139 at Oakland, 117 yards vs. Carolina, 120
a four-yard run in the fourth quarter, logged his third TD on a one-
yards at San Diego and 152 yards vs. Tampa Bay) and recorded
yard run with 7:13 remaining and tallied his last on a 16-yard scam-
1,699 yards this season, which ranks second in the NFL. Below is
per in the fourth quarter to seal a Falcons 45-28 victory.
a look at Turner’s career 100-yard games.
Falcons Most Rushing Touchdowns in a Game
Date Opponent Carries Yards TDs
Player Touchdowns Game
9/7/08 vs. Detroit 22 220 2
Michael Turner 4 vs. Carolina (11/23/08)
12/28/08 vs. St. Louis 25 208 1
T.J. Duckett 4 vs. Oakland (12/12/04)
12/14/08 vs. Tampa Bay 32 152 1 Three Players Tied 3 -
10/7/07 at Denver 10 147 1
11/2/08 at Oakland 31 139 0 Against St. Louis in Week 17, Turner found the end zone in the
9/17/06 vs. Tennessee 13 138 0 second quarter, which marked his 17th rushing touchdown. The
10/5/08 at Green Bay 26 121 1 last score continued his new franchise record for the most rushing
11/30/08 at San Diego 31 120 0 TDs in a campaign, which topped the previous record of 14 held by
11/23/08 vs. Carolina 24 117 4 Jamal Anderson (1998).
12/18/05 at Indianapolis 8 113 1
9/21/08 vs. Kansas City 23 104 3 Falcons Most Rushing Touchdowns in a Season
Player Touchdowns Year
Michael Turner 17 2008
burning through 1,000 Jamal Anderson 14 1998
Gerald Riggs 13 1984
At the 12:46 mark in the first quarter
against the Carolina Panthers in
Week 12, Falcons running back rushing to the top
Michael Turner rushed for a six-yard
gain and topped the 1,000-yard Running back Michael Turner totaled
plateau for the first time in his 1,699 rushing yards, which ranked sec-
career. Turner is Atlanta’s first run- ond in the NFL following the regular
ning back to accomplish the feat season. In a Week 17 meeting against
since 2006 (Warrick Dunn, 1,140) the St. Louis Rams, Turner posted 208
and the 20th running back in fran- yards and fell just 61 yards shy of Adrian
chise history to reach 1,000 yards in Peterson who paced the NFL in the cat-
a season. In 2008, Turner recorded egory with 1,760 yards. Turner’s second
Running back Michael Turner reached the
1,000-yard plateau for the first time in his 1,699 rushing yards, which ranks place ranking is the highest mark for a
career. third in a campaign in Falcons Falcons running back since Jamal
annals. Below is a look at Atlanta’s top five rushers in a season. Anderson led the NFL in rushing at the
conclusion of the 1998 season with
Year Player Yards 1,846 yards on 410 carries. Below is a look at the top three NFL
1998 Jamal Anderson 1,846 rushers at the conclusion of the 2008 regular season
1985 Gerald Riggs 1,719
2008 Michael Turner 1,699 2008 NFL Rushing Leaders
1983 Williams Andrews 1,567 Rank Player Att. Yards Avg. TDs
1984 Gerald Riggs 1,486 1 Adrian Peterson, Min 363 1,760 4.8 10
2005 Warrick Dunn 1,416 2 Michael Turner, Atl 376 1,699 4.5 17
3 DeAngelo Williams, Car 273 1,515 5.5 18
 WING TIPS

conference accolades first impression

Michael Turner was named NFC Offensive
Player of the Week on three occassions and Fed
Ex Ground Player of the Week twice in 2008.
Turner earned both accolades for his perform-
ance against the Detroit Lions in his Atlanta
Falcons debut, earned conference acco-
lades again following a Week 3 game
against Kansas City and posted his latest in
the season finale against the Rams. His last
Fed Ex Ground Player of the Week recognition came in Week 12
after recording four touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers.
Turner set a Falcons single-game
rushing record with 220 yards on 22
carries for a 10.0 yards per carry
average in the season opener
against Detroit while adding two
touchdowns in a Falcons 34-21 win-
ning effort. The two touchdowns
marked his first multiple-touchdown
game of his career. Turner con-
tributed with a 66-yard touchdown
run on Atlanta’s second offensive
possession of the game, which is the
fourth-longest rush in his career and
Running back Michael Turner recorded
the Falcons single-game rushing record the eighth-longest carry in Falcons
with 220 yards against Detroit. history. His 220 yards against the
Lions are also the most in NFL annals by a player in his first game
with a team.
Seldom has a new acquisition to a team
made as impressive of an opening day
performance as running back Michael
Turner made against the Detroit Lions at
the Georgia Dome in Week 1. In his first
game in a Falcons uniform, Turner set a
team single-game rushing record after
posting 220 yards on 22 carries for an
extraordinary 10.0 yards per carry aver-
age. Not only are the 220 yards a career-
high for Turner, but he eclipsed Atlanta’s
old record held by Gerald Riggs (202
yards) which was previously set on
September 2, 1984 at New Orleans. In
the regular season finale, Turner also
recorded the second-highest single-game rushing total with 208
yards against the Rams.
Falcons Top 5 Single-Game Rushing Records
Player Game Carries Yards
Michael Turner 9/7/08 vs. Detroit 22 220
Michael Turner 12/28/08 vs. St. Louis 25 208
Gerald Riggs 9/24/84 at New Orleans 35 202
Gerald Riggs 12/8/85 at Kansas City 26 197
Erric Pegram 9/19/93 at San Francisco 27 192
The five-year veteran also added two touchdowns in a Falcons 34-
21 winning effort against Detroit, which marked his first-career mul-
tiple-touchdown game. Turner’s last touchdown prior to the season
opener came on October 7, 2007 at Denver as a member of the
San Diego Chargers.

Against the Chiefs, Turner recorded his fifth-career 100-yard game Finally, on Atlanta’s second offensive possession in the first quar-
after totaling 23 carries for 104 yards and career-high three touch- ter against the Lions, Turner posted a 66-yard touchdown, which is
downs. He sparked the Falcons first scoring drive of the game the fifth-longest rush in his career and the ninth-longest rush in
when he posted a 38-yard rush in the first quarter and capped the Falcons history. The 66-yard run led to 117 rushing yards in the
drive with a four-yard touchdown run, his first of the day. Turner first quarter, which marked the most in an opening quarter of a
found the end zone on two more occasions logging his second game for the Falcons in at least two decades. Turner topped his
Week 1 season-high rush after scampering for a 70-yard gain
career multiple-touchdown game.
against St. Louis in Week 17, marking the Falcons fourth-longest
In Week 12 against Carolina, Turner posted 24 carries for 117 carry in team history.
yards and four touchdowns, becoming only the second player in
Falcons Top 9 Longest Rushes
team history to tally four touchdowns in a game. The performance
Player Game Long Rush
also marked his fifth 100-plus rushing contest of the season. Warrick Dunn 10/15/06 vs. NYG 90t
Jerious Norwood 10/1/06 vs. Arizona 78t
In the 2008 season finale, Turner posted 208 rushing yards, the Byron Hanspard 9/14/97 vs. Oakland 77
second-highest total in a game in Falcons history. He also con- Michael Turner 12/28/08 vs. St. Louis 70
tributed with one touchdown in the winning effort. Jerious Norwood 12/3/06 at Washington 69t
Warrick Dunn 10/19/03 vs. New Orleans 69t
Turner became the first Falcons player to earn NFC Offensive Jerious Norwood 10/15/07 vs. NYG 67t
Player of the Week accolades three times in a year and the first Mike Rozier 12/30/90 vs. Dallas 67
player to earn it twice in a three-week span in team history. Michael Turner 9/7/08 vs. Detroit 66t
Following his record-setting performance against Detroit in Week Harmon Wages 12/7/69 vs. New Orleans 66t
1, Turner became the first Falcons offensive player to earn player
of the week honors after a season opener since 1984 (Gerald
Riggs). grand opening
If Michael Turner’s career day against Detroit in the regular season
half way there opener wasn’t already impressive, the fifth-year running back fell
30 yards short of tying a record held by a legendary running back
Following the first half of play against the St. Louis Rams in the and Hall of Famer. Turner’s 220 yards against the Lions marked
season finale at the Georgia Dome, running back Michael Turner the second-highest opening day rushing total behind O.J. Simpson
tallied 13 carries for 59 yards. This season, when the fifth-year (Bills) who rushed for 250 yards in a season opener in 1973.
running back rushed for 50 yards or more in the first half, the Turner’s total was also the most in NFL history by a player in his
Falcons registered an 8-0 record. first game with a new team.
 WING TIPS

to the finish line franchise gain

This season, running back Michael Turner ranked second in the Michael Turner’s rushing total against St. Louis in Week 17 (208
NFL in fourth quarter rushing, contributing with 389 yards on 74 yards) contributed to his final season mark of 1,699 rushing yards,
rushes and five touchdowns. The Falcons finished the year with an which surpassed William Andrews’ total of 1,567 yards (1983) for
11-1 record when taking a lead into the fourth quarter. Below are third place on the Falcons single-season rushing yards list. Turner
the league’s top fourth quarter rushers. finished the season 20 yards shy of second place on the list
(Gerald Riggs, 1,719 yards in 1985) and 147 yards behind Jamal
2008 Fourth Quarter Rushing Leaders Anderson’s record of 1,846 yards, which he set in the 1998 sea-
Rank Player Carries Yards Avg. TDs son.
1 Steve Slaton, Hou 83 464 5.6 5
2 Michael Turner, Atl 74 389 5.3 5
3 Le’Ron McClain, Bal 80 388 4.9 3 A NEW SET
4 Clinton Portis, Was 80 378 4.7 3
Running back Michael Turner was a reliable option for the Falcons
when the team looked to earn a first down. The five-year veteran
big gains finished the season tied for first in the NFL with 86 first downs, 84
of which came on the ground. Turner has also converted 10 of 13
Running backs Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood contributed in third-and-one rushing opportunities for a new set of downs. Below
several ways through the 2008 season. Another example of the is a look at the league leaders in first downs.
powerful duo’s success this year were the 62 combined rushes of
Player Rush Rec Total
10 or more yards between the two. Turner finished the season
Michael Turner, Atl 84 2 86
ranked first in the category.
Matt Forte, Chi 63 23 86
Clinton Portis, Was 75 11 86
2008 Rushes of 10-Plus Yards
Adrian Peterson, Min 81 4 85
Player 10+ Yd. Rushes 10+ Yd. TDs 10+ Yd Avg.
Michael Turner, Atl 45 3 18.4
Adrian Peterson, Min 42 5 21.6
DeAngelo Williams, Car 39 10 21.6 two-headed monster
Chris Johnson, Ten 36 5 19.0
The duo of Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood gave the Falcons
a signifcant “one-two punch” at the running back position.
Following the season opener against Detroit, the two combined for
carrying the load 313 yards (Turner - 220, Norwood - 93) and were seven yards shy
of tallying a 200 and 100-yard rusher in the same game. At the
In the first starting role in his five-year career, Michael Turner had
conclusion of the season, Turner ranks second in the league in
not seen close to the amount of carries the Falcons coaching staff
rushing while Norwood contributed with 489 yards. Both running
had given him this season. Turner responded well and showed no
backs posted impressive rushing averages as Turner held a 4.5
signs of wearing down as he led the NFL in carries with 376.
mark while Norwood contributed with a 5.1 average. From 2007-
Turner’s total also ranks third for a season in franchise history.
08, Norwood ranks at the top of the league in rushing average
Below is a look at the top five NFL rushers in terms of carries.
(minimum 100 attempts). In 2006, Turner set his career-high with
a 6.3 average on 80 carries, which ranked second in the NFL
Player Rushes Yards Touchdowns
behind Norwood. Turner also registered a 5.9 average on 57
Michael Turner, Atl 376 1,699 17
attempts in 2005 and a 5.2 average on 20 carries in 2004.
Adrian Peterson, Min 363 1,760 10
Norwood boasts a career average of 5.8 yards per carry.
Clinton Portis, Was 342 1,487 9
Matt Forte, Chi 316 1,238 8 2007-08 NFL Rushing Avg. Leaders (100-plus att.)
Ryan Grant, GB 312 1,203 4 Player Rushing Avg.
Jerious Norwood, Atl 5.6
Leon Washington, NYJ 5.4
five and counting DeAngelo Williams, Car 5.4
Kevin Faulk, NE 5.3
Michael Turner’s three touchdowns in a Falcons 38-14 win over Michael Turner, Atl 4.5
the Chiefs gave him a total of five TDs in his first three games with
Atlanta. That total matched the highest total that any player has
recorded in his first three games for a team during the NFL's mod- TURNER’S career bests
ern era (since 1933). The last player to do that before Turner was
his former teammate, LaDainian Tomlinson, for the Chargers in Rushing Yards Rushing Attempts Rushing Touchdowns
220 vs. Detroit (9/7/08) 32 vs. Tampa Bay (12/14/08) 4, vs. Carolina (11/23/08)
2001. The all-time NFL record in a player's first three games with 208 vs. St. Louis (12/28/08) 31 at San Diego (11/30/08) 3, vs. Kansas City (9/21/08)
a team is six touchdowns by Dutch Sternaman of the Decatur 152 vs. Tampa Bay (12/14/08)31 at Oakland (11/2/08)
Staleys in 1920.
Long Rushes Rushing Avg. min 10 att.
83T at Indianapolis (12/18/05) 14.7 at Denver (10/7/07)
74T at Denver (10/7/07) 10.6 vs. Tennessee (9/17/06)
73 vs. Tennessee (9/17/06) 10.0 vs. Detroit (9/7/08)
 WING TIPS
Roddy White
Wide Receiver tops through the air

84
6-0, 208 pounds Roddy White fell just short of becoming the first receiver in fran-
4th year in the NFL chise history to lead the NFL in receiving yards since Alfred
Jenkins accomplished the feat in 1981 (1,358 yards). To this point,
UAB Jenkins is the only Atlanta receiver to have led the NFL in receiv-
ing yards in a season. This year, White logged 1,382 yards, which
Selected as a first round ranked third in the NFC and fourth in the league. Below is a look
at the 2008 top five in NFL receiving yardage.
(27th overall) draft choice
by the Falcons in 2005 Player Rec. Yards Avg. TD
Andre Johnson, Hou 115 1,575 13.7 8
Larry Fitzgerald, Ari 96 1,431 14.9 12
BACK-TO-BACK FOR 1,000 Steve Smith, Car 78 1,421 18.2 6
Roddy White, Atl 88 1,382 15.7 7
Last season, wide receiver Roddy White Calvin Johnson, Det 78 1,331 17.1 12
recorded 1,202 receiving yards becoming the
first Falcons receiver since 1999 to top the
1,000-yard receiving mark (Terance
Mathis). White also established numer-
ous career-highs in receptions (83), yards
(1,202) and touchdowns (six) while post-
ing five 100-yard games.

Following a Week 13 meeting at San

Diego in 2008, White topped the 1,000-yard
plateau following his first two receptions of 19
and nine yards in the first quarter and became the first receiver to
record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since Terance Mathis
accomplished the feat in 1998 (1,136) and ‘99 (1,016). Following a
career-high 164-yard performance in Week 14 against the New
Orleans Saints, White also became the first receiver in franchise
history to post back-to-back 1,200-yard campaigns. Following the
regular season finale against St. Louis, White caught three passes
for 48 yards to set a new Falcons single-season receiving yardage
record after ending the year with 1,382 yards. With his three catch-
es against the Rams, the fourth-year receiver finished the regular
season with a streak of 36 contests with at least one catch and set
new career-bests with 88 catches and seven 100-yard games.
Below is a look at the top three single-season receivers in fran-
chise history.
Player Year Yardage Total
Roddy White 2008 1,382
Alfred Jenkins 1981 1,358
Terance Mathis 1994 1,342
Wide receiver Roddy White stiff arms a Denver defender en route to a 102-yard perform-
ance against the Broncos in Week 11.
DYNAMIC DUO
Roddy White and Michael Turner became the first
Falcons duo to record 1,000-yard rushing and
receiving campaigns in the same season since
1998. Atlanta only saw seven previous occasions
where a receiver and running back both posted
1,000-yard seasons, including
back-to-back years from running
back William Andrews and wide
receiver Alfred Jenkins. White and
Turner were the first teammates in
WR Roddy White the NFL to have both recorded

Below is a glance at Falcons receivers who have tallied back-to- over 1,000 yards this season. Below is a look
back 1,000-yard seasons in franchise history. Atlanta’s 1,000-yard combinations in fran-
chise history.
Player Years (Yards)
RB Michael Turner
Roddy White 2007 (1,202) and 2008 (1,382)
Terance Mathis 1998 (1,136) and 1999 (1,016) Year 1,000-Yard Rusher 1,000-Yard Receiver
Terance Mathis 1994 (1,342) and 1995 (1,039) 2008 Michael Turner (1,699) Roddy White (1,382)
Andre Rison 1992 (1,119), 1993 (1,242) and 1994 (1,088) 1998 Jamal Anderson (1,846) Tony Martin (1,181)
Alfred Jenkins 1980 (1,035) and 1981 (1,358) Terance Mathis (1,136)
1995 Craig Heyward (1,083) Eric Metcalf (1,189),
Terance Mathis (1,039)
record that mark Bert Emanuel (1,039)
This season, the Falcons finished 4-3 in games where wide 1993 Erric Pegram (1,185) Andre Rison (1,242)
receiver Roddy White totaled 100 or more receiving yards. Atlanta 1984 Gerald Riggs (1,486) Stacey Bailey (1,138)
was also 5-1 when White recorded one or more touchdowns in a 1981 William Andrews (1,301) Alfred Jenkins (1,358)
game. 1980 William Andrews (1,308) Alfred Jenkins (1,035)
1979 William Andrews (1,023) Wallace Francis (1,013)
 WING TIPS

breaking 100 airborne

Following a Week 14 meeting against On top of a potent rushing attack, the Falcons balanced their
New Orleans, wide receiver Roddy offense with impressive receiving numbers, led by Roddy White
White totaled his seventh 100-yard who posted over 1,000 receiving yards this season. This year,
contest of the season (breaking a fran- Atlanta ranked second in the NFL in receiving average with a 13.0
chise record) and the 14th of his yards per catch mark. Below is a look at the top three teams in the
career. After finishing with 112 yards category.
against San Diego in Week 13, White
topped his career total of five 100-yard Team Rec. Yards Avg.
perfomances in a campaign (2007). Carolina Panthers 246 3,288 13.4
Below is a look at his 100-yard games Atlanta Falcons 265 3,440 13.0
this season. San Diego Chargers 312 4,009 12.8

Game Rec Yards Avg Long TD

Week 3 vs. Kansas City 5 119 23.8 70t 1
Week 5 at Green Bay 8 132 16.5 37 1
pro bowl caliber play
Week 6 vs. Chicago 9 112 12.4 26 1 The year 2007 was without a doubt a
Week 7 at Philadelphia 8 113 14.1 55t 2 breakout campaign for wide receiver
Week 11 vs. Denver 5 102 20.4 37 0 Roddy White. In 2008, White continued
Week 13 at San Diego 6 112 18.7 38 0 his strong play as he set numerous
Week 14 at New Orleans 10 164 16.4 59 0 season and career marks. Most
notably, White topped his career-high
in receiving yards (1,202) after finishing
IN THE CLUTCH the year with a franchise-best 1,382.
He also overtook his career highs in
Wide receiver Roddy White established himself as a go-to receiv- receptions and touchdowns as well.
er for quarterback Matt Ryan. Along with leading the team in
receiving, White also ranked second in the NFL in third down Category Previous Career High 2008 Total
receptions (29) and led the league in third down receiving yards Receiving Yards 1,202 1,382
(516). He added two touchdowns on third down plays, including a Receptions 83 88
long catch of 70 yards, which went for a score. Below is a glance Receiving Touchdowns 6 7
at the league’s top players in the category at the end of the year. Long reception (70t which was set in Week 3)

Player Rec Yards Avg Long TD

T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Cin 31 344 11.1 26 3
Roddy White, Atl 29 516 17.8 70t 2 Rowdy Roddy
Tony Gonzalez, KC 29 325 11.2 28 2 Along with recording a career-long reception of 70 yards in Week
Jason Witten, Dal 29 315 10.9 30 1 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Roddy White ranked third in the
Derrick Mason, Bal 26 355 13.7 35 2 league this season in receptions of over 25 yards with 14. His total
also includes catches of 46 yards (Week 1 vs. Detroit), 55 yards
(Week 8 at Philadelphia), 38 yards (Week 13 at San Diego) and 59
catch this yards (Week 14 at New Orleans). Below is a look at the league
leaders in the category.
This season, Roddy White caught 88 passes, which ranked third in
the NFC and ninth in the NFL. His 2008 reception total eclipsed his Player Receiving Yards Receptions of 25+
career-high of 83, which was previously set last season. Below is Steve Smith, Car 1,421 19
a look at the top nine receivers in the NFL in terms of receptions. Calvin Johnson, Det 1,331 17
Roddy White, Atl 1,382 14
Player Rec Yards Avg Long TD Two players tied - 13
Andre Johnson, Hou 115 1,575 13.7 65 8
Wes Welker, NE 111 1,165 10.5 64 3
Brandon Marshall, Den 104 1,265 12.2 47 6 WHITE’S career bests
Larry Fitzgerald, Ari 96 1,431 14.9 78t 12
Tony Gonzalez, KC 96 1,058 11.0 35 10 Receptions Receiving Yards Receiving Touchdowns
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Cin 92 904 9.8 46 4 12 at Arizona (12/23/07) 164 at New Orleans (12/7/08) 2, at Philadelphia (10/26/08)
Eddie Royal, Den 91 980 10.8 93t 5 10 at New Orleans (12/7/08)146 at St. Louis (12/2/07) 1 (10 times), Last
10 at St. Louis (12/2/07) 141 at Arizona (12/23/07) vs. New Orleans (11/9/08)
Anquan Boldin, Ari 89 1,038 11.7 79t 11
Roddy White, Atl 88 1,382 15.7 70t 7 Long Reception
70t vs. Kansas City (9/21/08)
69t vs Carolina (9/23/07)
59 at New Orleans (12/7/08)
55t vs. Philadelphia (10/26/08)
 WING TIPS

high definition something special

Falcons wide receiver/punt returner Harry Douglas was named NFC Special Teams
Harry Douglas scored his first two Player of the Week for his performance against the
career touchdowns in a Week 12 Carolina Panthers in a Week 12 victory. Douglas
meeting against Carolina. He first notched his first career punt return for a touchdown
found the end zone on a seven-yard when he returned a kick 61 yards in the fourth quar-
end around in the first quarter to give ter against the Panthers, giving the Falcons a 38-21 lead. The
the Falcons a 10-0 lead. “HD” then return made Douglas the 10th player in Falcons history and the
became the 10th player in Falcons his- first since 2004 (Allen Rossum) to return a punt for a touchdown.
tory and the first since 2004 (Allen Douglas finished the game with three punt returns for 93 yards
Rossum) to return a punt for a touch- (31.0 avg.) and his long return of 61 yards topped his previous high
down when he returned a kick 61 of 33 yards, which he set against New Orleans in Week 10. Atlanta
yards in the fourth quarter. Douglas’ witnessed several other contributions from Douglas against
Wide receiver Harry Douglas
return is the longest in his career, top- Carolina as the rookie posted a seven-yard end around, which
ping the previous mark of 33 yards against New Orleans in Week went for his first career touchdown in the first quarter. He led the
10. Below is a look at the last five punt returns for a touchdown in team in receiving with four receptions for 92 yards (23.0 avg.) and
Falcons history. totaled career-highs in offensive touches with six (two rushing, four
receiving), all-purpose yards with 188 (which included three rush-
Player Punt Return Yardage Game ing, 92 receiving and 93 yards on punt returns) and a long recep-
Harry Douglas 61t 11/3/08 vs. Carolina tion of 69 yards, which he registered in the fourth quarter. Douglas
Allen Rossum 75t 10/24/04 vs. Kansas City became the third Falcons player this season to earn conference
Allen Rossum 59t 11/23/03 vs. Tennessee accolades. Running back Michael Turner was named NFC
Tim Dwight 70t 1/3/00 vs. San Francisco Offensive Player of the Week following performances against
Tim Dwight 70t 10/1/00 vs. Philadelphia Detroit (Week 1), Kansas City (Week 3) and St. Louis (Week 17)
and quarterback Matt Ryan was named NFC Rookie of the Month
Along with a 61-yard punt return, Douglas totaled career-highs in (October) and NFC Offensive Player of the Week after a 24-0
offensive touches with six (two rushing, four receiving) and all pur- shutout against the Oakland Raiders in Week 9.
pose yards with 188 (including three rushing, 92 receiving and 93
yards on punt returns) against the Panthers. He also became the
Falcons third rookie this season to account for a touchdown along shut out and shut down
with QB Matt Ryan’s 16 touchdown passes and one rushing TD
and CB Chevis Jackson’s 95-yard interception return in Week 10. In Week 9, the Atlanta Falcons made its first trip to Oakland since
2000 and not only brought a victory back to Atlanta, but shut out
Finally, Douglas posted a career-long reception with a 69-yard the Raiders, 24-0. The result was the first shutout for the Falcons
catch in the fourth quarter against the Panthers. He finished the since November 24, 2002 in a road meeting against the Carolina
game with 92 receiving yards, which led the team and fell four Panthers (41-0). In the same year, the Falcons shut out Carolina
yards short of his career-high (96 vs. Chicago, October 12). Below again, this time at the Georgia Dome, 30-0, on October 20. Safety
is a glance at Atlanta’s longest receptions in a game this season. Erik Coleman preserved the shutout after intercepting Oakland
quarterback JaMarcus Russell in the end zone for his second pick
Player Reception Long Game of the season and the ninth of his career. In total, Atlanta sacked
Roddy White 70t Week 3 vs. Kansas City Russell on four occasions, three of which came from defensive end
Harry Douglas 69 Week 12 vs. Carolina John Abraham, while defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux recov-
Jerious Norwood 67t Week 10 vs. New Orleans ered his first fumble of the season and the fourth of his career.
Michael Jenkins 62t Week 1 vs. Detroit • Along with the shutout victory, the Falcons offense and defense
both pieced together impressive performances. Atlanta totaled 453
net yards compared to Oakland’s 77, which was the lowest total for
what a difference the Raiders in a game since 1961. Oakland’s 10 net passing yards
is the lowest total for a Falcons opponent since December 9, 1973
In 2008, Atlanta witnessed a drastic difference in statistics from the when the Falcons held St. Louis to nine net yards. The Raiders 67
2007 regular season totals. Along with the most notable differ- rushing yards is the lowest mark for a Falcons opponent since
ence, the team’s record (11-5), the Falcons also dominated sever- October 3, 2004 when Atlanta held New Orleans to 67 yards.
al offensive categories from the previous season. Below is a look •The Falcons also held the advantage in the first down category,
at some comparisons. finishing with 30 compared to three by the Raiders. After the first
half, Atlanta led Oakland in first downs, 20-0, which was the high-
2007 2008 est difference since October 28, 2001 when Tampa Bay posted 20
W-L 4-12 11-5 first downs compared to zero by Minnesota.
PPG 16.2 24.4 •The Falcons defense held the Raiders to -2 net yards in the first
Rush YPG 95.0 152.7 (2nd in NFL) half marking the first time a NFL team has held an opponent to
Pass TDs-INT 18-15 16-11 negative net yardage in the first half of a game since November 1,
Sacks Allowed 47 17 1992 when the San Diego Chargers defense held the Indianapolis
Colts to negative net yardage in the first two quarters.
 WING TIPS

Making a statement RUNNIN’ WILD

Atlanta notched a field goal on its opening offensive possession Dating back to the 2000 season, the Falcons have remained con-
against the St. Louis Rams in Week 17 when kicker Jason Elam sistent with their rushing attack, which includes leading the NFL in
split the uprights from 39 yards. The field goal marked the eighth the category for three seasons (2004, 2005 and 2006). Part of
occasion the Falcons scored on their opening drive of the game, Atlanta’s success in the rushing game has been gaining yardage
which led to an 8-0 record. Atlanta also posted an 11-1 record in chunks. Over the last nine seasons (2000-08), the Falcons rank
when scoring first in a game in 2008. second in the league in rushes of 10-plus yards.
Week Opponent Scoring Result
NFL Team Leaders in 10+ Yard Rushes 2000-08
1 Detroit QB Matt Ryan 62-yard touchdown
Team 10+ Yard Rushing Plays
pass to WR Michael Jenkins
5 Green Bay QB Matt Ryan 1-yard touchdown pass Minnesota Vikings 541
to TE Justin Peelle Atlanta Falcons 525
6 Chicago K Jason Elam 29-yard field goal Jacksonville Jaguars 516
9 Oakland QB Matt Ryan 37-yard touchdown Pittsburgh Steelers 512
pass to WR Michael Jenkins New York Giants 499
12 Carolina K Jason Elam 23-yard field goal
13 San Diego K Jason Elam 35-yard field goal Along with ranking second in the NFL in rushing plays of 10-plus
16 Minnesota RB Michael Turner one-yard TD run yards from 2000-08, Atlanta contributed to this total with 69 plays
17 St. Louis K Jason Elam 39-yard field goal of 10-plus rushing yards in 2008, which ranked second in the
league behind the New York Giants.
Following a 12-yard touchdown run by running back Jerious
Norwood on Atlanta’s second offensive possession against the
2008 NFL Team Leaders in 10+ Yard Plays
Oakland Raiders in Week 9, the Falcons registered their third con-
test in which they posted a rushing and receiving touchdown in the Team 10+ Yard Plays
first quarter. New York Giants 73
Atlanta Falcons 69
Carolina Panthers 63
OFF TO A FAST START Minnesota Vikings 59
Two teams tied 55
Falcons Head Coach Mike Smith stressed a fast start in each game
in 2008 and the Falcons responded. This season, Atlanta outscored
its opponent 114-52 in the opening 15 minutes of play. The Falcons
114 first quarter points led the NFL while the 52 first quarter points
TOTAL PACKAGE
allowed ranked tied for third in the NFC. Below is a look at Atlanta’s This season, the Falcons rushing
first quarter point totals against their opponents this season, the top attack ranked second in the NFL aver-
three teams in the NFL in first quarter scoring and the top three
aging 152.7 yards per game. Atlanta’s
teams in first quarter points allowed in the NFC.
rushing total also led to a total offen-
Opponent 1st Quarter Score Opponent 1st Quarter Score sive effort which ranked third in the
Week 1 vs. Det 21-0 Week 10 vs. NO 7-3 NFC with a 361.2 yards per game
Week 2 at TB 0-7 Week 11 vs. Den 3-7
Week 3 vs. KC 14-0 Week 12 vs. Car 10-0
average. Running back Michael Turner
Week 4 at Car 3-7 Week 13 at SD 6-7 ranked second in the league in rushing
Week 5 at GB 10-0 Week 14 at NO 0-7 with 1,699 yards while quarterback
Week 6 vs. Chi 6-0 Week 15 vs. TB 10-0 Matt Ryan contributed with 3,440 pass-
Week 8 at Phi 0-0 Week 16 at Min 7-7 ing yards en route to a 208.5 net pass-
Week 9 at Oak 14-0 Week 17 vs. Stl 3-7 ing average per game.
Quarterback Matt Ryan
2008 NFL Team Leaders in First Quarter Scoring
Team First Quarter Points 2008 NFL Team Rushing Leaders
Atlanta Falcons 114 Team Total Rushing Yards Rushing Avg.
Chicago Bears 109 New York Giants 2,518 157.4
Denver Broncos 106 Atlanta Falcons 2,443 152.7
2008 NFC Team Leaders in First Quarter Points Allowed Carolina Panthers 2,437 152.3
Team First Quarter Points Baltimore Ravens 2,376 148.5
New York Giants 39 Minnesota Vikings 2,332 145.8
Chicago Bears 47
Atlanta Falcons 52 2008 NFC Team Leaders in Total Offense
Team Rushing Avg. Passing Avg. Yardage Avg.
New Orleans Saints 99.6 311.1 410.7
POINT well TAKEN Arizona Cardinals 73.6 292.1 365.8
Atlanta’s 24 points in the first half against the Raiders are tied for Atlanta Falcons 152.7 208.5 361.2
the fifth-highest total in franchise history since 1991. The first half New York Giants 157.4 198.6 355.9
point total is also the most in a game since October 2, 2005 Green Bay Packers 112.8 238.3 351.1
against Minnesota where the Falcons defeated the Vikings, 30-10.
 WING TIPS

BALANCED ATTACK at the buzzer

Following a Week 1 game against Detroit where Atlanta set a team
record with 318 rushing yards, the Falcons used a balanced offen-
sive attack in eight of their last 16 games, including a 222 net-yard
performance against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16. Against
the Vikings, Atlanta posted a difference of 26 yards between its net
rushing and passing totals. Below is a breakdown of Atlanta’s
offensive attack in each game this season.
Atlanta’s 22-20 win over the Chicago Bears in a Week 6 meeting
at the Georgia Dome is only the third game since the NFL merger
(1970) in which a team won despite the fact that their opponent
took the lead with fewer than 15 seconds remaining in the 4th
quarter. All three teams that lost in this category had taken the lead
with exactly 11 seconds remaining in the game. Below is a recap
of the three victories.

Game Net Rushing Net Passing Net Yards October 12, 2008 – Falcons 22, Bears 20
vs. Detroit (Week 1) 318 156 474
at Tampa Bay (Week 2) 105 129 234 The Bears, with 11 seconds remaining,
vs. Kansas City (Week 3) 186 192 378 take a 20-19 lead at the Georgia Dome
at Carolina (Week 4) 118 150 268 with a 17-yard TD strike from Chicago
at Green Bay (Week 5) 176 194 370 quarterback Kyle Orton to wide receiver
vs. Chicago (Week 6) 75 301 376 Rashied Davis. The ensuing kickoff is a
at Philadelphia (Week 8) 77 258 335 squibb kick and returned to the Falcons
at Oakland (Week 9) 252 201 453 44-yard line by wide receiver Harry
vs. New Orleans (Week 10) 113 248 361 Douglas. Falcons quarterback Matt
vs. Denver (Week 11) 114 250 364 Ryan finds wide receiver Michael
vs. Carolina (Week 12) 133 259 392 Jenkins on a corner route for a 26-yard
at San Diego (Week 13) 141 207 348 gain to set up the potential game-win-
at New Orleans (Week 14) 99 315 414 ning FG. Falcons kicker Jason Elam
vs. Tampa Bay (Week 15) 175 198 373 connects from 48 yards away to give the
at Minnesota (Week 16) 98 124 222 Falcons the walk-off win as time expired.
vs. St. Louis (Week 17) 263 154 417 Wide receiver Michael Jenkins caught this 26-yard pass
with one second remaining in the game to set-up kicker
Jason Elam’s game-winning field goal.

rolling off September 15, 2003 – Cowboys 35, Giants 32 (OT)

This season, the Atlanta Falcons The Giants, on Monday Night Football at the Meadowlands, got a
offense recorded 5,779 net yards en 30-yard FG with 11 seconds remaining from Matt Bryant to take a
route to an 11-5 record and a 7-1 32-29 lead. Bryant then booted the ensuing kickoff out of bounds.
mark at home. Running back Michael Cowboys quarterback Quincy Carter then hit wide receiver Antonio
Turner paced a ground game which Bryant for a 26-yard gain with four seconds remaining. Cowboys
posted 2,443 yards while quarter- kicker Billy Cundiff then forced OT with a 52-yard FG for the
back Matt Ryan and wide receivers Cowboys. Cundiff later kicked the game-winning 26-yarder in OT
Roddy White and Michael Jenkins to give Dallas a 35-32 win in the OT period.
contributed to an air attack which tal-
lied 3,336 net passing yards. The November 8, 1970 – Saints 19, Lions 17
Falcons 2008 net yardage total set a
franchise record for total offensive The Saints get their final win of a 2-11-1 year in Week 8. The Lions
net yards in a season, topping the Wide receiver Michael Jenkins and the kicked a FG with 11 seconds remaining to take a 17-16 lead at old
previous best of 5,661 yards in 1981. Falcons celebrate a touchdown. Tulane Stadium. The Saints received the ensuing kickoff, and
Below is a look at Atlanta’s top offenses in terms of net yards in a stepped out of bounds immediately and then completed a pass to
season. set up a 63-yard FG attempt by Tom Dempsey. Dempsey would
Year Net Yards Gained kick the game-winning FG (setting the NFL record for the longest
2008 5,779 FG ever made) and the Saints won 19-17.
1981 5,661
1980 5,650
1983 5,628 fall rush
Atlanta’s rushing offense totaled 727 yards in four games through
Along with posting an impressive offensive package, the Falcons
the month of September, which led the NFL and was the third high-
finished fifth in points scored in a season (391) and tied for sixth in
est total for the month in franchise history. The Falcons rushing
touchdowns (43). Below is a glance at Atlanta’s top seasons in
mark also tops September totals from 2004 (531 yards), 2005 (551
terms of points.
yards) and 2006 (675 yards) when Atlanta finished the season
Year Points in the Season leading the league in rushing. Below is a look at the Falcons high-
1998 442 est rushing totals in the month of September in team annals.
1981 426
Year Games Att Yards
1980 405
1986 4 183 871
2002 402
1984 5 162 750
2008 391
2008 4 129 727
 WING TIPS

offensive explosion HUDDLE IS OPTIONAL

Against the Detroit Lions in a Week 1 match-up, the Falcons This season Atlanta saw suc-
logged 474 yards of total offense, the third highest total for a team cess utilizing the no-huddle
in the opening weekend and broke a team regular season rushing offense in 13 contests. Falcons
record with 318 yards (7.4 avg.), topping the previous record, fans first saw Head Coach Mike
which was set on September 17, 2006 against Tampa Bay (306 Smith and the offense use the
yards). Atlanta’s 318 yards marked the first game the Falcons no-huddle this season against
totaled over 200 rushing yards since December 3, 2006 against Tampa Bay in Week 2 and
Washington (256). through Week 17, used it for a
total of 18 offensive posses-
Highest Team Rushing Yards in a Game in Falcons History sions while totaling 51 points.
Date Opponent Rushing Yards Below is a look at Atlanta’s suc-
9/7/08 vs. Detroit 318 cess with the no-huddle offense
9/17/06 vs. Tampa Bay 306 by game this season. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan makes adjust-
10/1/72 vs. Los Angeles Rams 297 ments at the line of scrimmage.

On Atlanta’s first offensive pos- Game No-Huddle Possessions Result

session of the 2008 season, the
Falcons recorded a three-play
74-yard drive that was capped by
a wide receiver Michael Jenkins
62-yard touchdown reception
from rookie quarterback Matt
Ryan on his first career NFL
pass. Jenkins’ touchdown catch
was the longest of his career and
the longest touchdown pass
recorded by the Falcons since
Wide receiver Michael Jenkins took his only
reception against the Lions 62 yards for a December 23, 2007 when Chris
touchdown. Redman completed a 74-yard
touchdown to wide receiver Laurent Robinson against Arizona. It
was also the longest touchdown pass for the Falcons on opening
day since September 3, 2000, when Chris Chandler completed a
48-yard touchdown in a 36-28 win.
Week 2, vs. Tampa Bay
Week 4, at Carolina
Week 5, at Green Bay
Week 6, vs. Chicago
Week 8, at Philadelphia
Week 9, at Oakland
Week 10, vs. New Orleans
Week 11, vs. Denver
Week 12, vs. Carolina
Week 14, at New Orleans
Week 15, vs. Tampa Bay
Week 16 at Minnesota
Week 17 vs. St. Louis
Total
COVERING THE DISTANCE
1 Punt
1 Field Goal
1 Touchdown
1 Punt
1 Turnover
3 TD, TD, Punt
1 Punt
1 Turnover
1 Touchdown
2 FG, TD
1 Turnover
2 TD, Punt
2 FG, Punt
18 51 points

On Atlanta’s second possession of Running back Jerious Norwood tallied

the game, running back Michael his longest career kickoff return after
Turner rushed for a 66-yard touch- brining back a kick 92 yards in the sec-
down to give the Falcons a 14-0 lead. ond quarter against the St. Louis Rams
Including Turner’s 117 first quarter in Week 17 to set up a Falcons touch-
rushing yards, Atlanta went on to down. The return topped his previous
total 216 yards of total offense in the season-high of 85 yards, which he set
first quarter, which is the highest total against the Chicago Bears in Week 6.
in over two decades. The previous This season, Norwood notched 1,311
high for the Falcons came on kickoff return yards on 51 attempts
October 13, 1991 with 172 yards Running back Jerious Norwood (25.7 avg). His 25.7 yards per return
against San Francisco. average ranked 4th in the NFC. Norwood’s five kickoff returns for
192 yards against St. Louis marked the seventh-highest kickoff
The Falcons 21 points in the first return yardage total in a game in club annals.
RB Michael Turner
quarter marked the fifth time in team In his career (2006-08) with the Falcons, Norwood has posted a
history Atlanta posted that point total in an opening quarter of play. total of 2,948 kickoff return yards, which ranks third in team annals.
The last time it happened came on November 23, 2003 against His 25.4-yard career kickoff return average currently ranks second
Tennessee. in the 44-year history of the franchise as well.
Highest Falcons Point Totals in a First Quarter Most Kickoff Return Yards in Falcons History
Date Opponent Point Total Player Yards Years
9/7/08 vs. Detroit 21 Allen Rossum 5,489 (2002-06)
11/23/03 vs. Tennessee 21 Deion Sanders 3,388 (1989-93)
12/27/98 vs. Miami 21 Jerious Norwood 2,948 (2006-08)
9/9/90 vs. Houston 21 Tim Dwight 2,597 (1998-00)
9/23/84 vs. Houston 21 Darrick Vaughn 2,573 (2000-01)
 WING TIPS

go long A WALL UP FRONT

Against the New Orleans Saints in Week 10, Falcons RB Jerious This season, the Falcons beefed up its
Norwood registered a total of 178 all-purpose yards by rushing for starting five on the offensive line as the
17, receiving for 88 and totaling 73 yards on two kickoff returns. In squad was collectively 22 pounds heav-
the fourth quarter, Norwood grabbed a 67-yard touchdown pass ier than the starting five in the first week
from QB Matt Ryan to give the Falcons a 27-6 lead over their of the 2007 regular season. Atlanta also
Southern Division foe. The touchdown reception marked the first of featured Sam Baker, the Falcons second
Norwood’s three-year career and also set a career-long, surpass- selection in the first round of the 2008
ing his previous best of 46 yards vs. New Orleans on December NFL Draft. Baker, weighed in at 312
10, 2007. The catch was also the fourth play of 60-plus yards from pounds and started five games at left
scrimmage for Norwood in his career as the explosive running tackle in 2008.
back has amassed five career catches of over 30 yards in 44 Center Todd McClure
career games. Below is a look at his longest career receptions. Weight of Atlanta’s 2008 Starting Offensive Line
LT Sam Baker 312 pounds
Norwood’s Longest Career Receptions LG Justin Blalock 333 pounds
Date Opp. Long C Todd McClure 301 pounds
11/9/08 vs. New Orleans 67t RG Harvey Dahl 308 pounds
12/10/07 vs. New Orleans 46 RT Tyson Clabo 332 pounds
12/30/07 vs. Seattle 35
10/29/06 at Cincinnati 32 Total Weight - 1,586 pounds
9/21/08 vs. Kansas City 30
Weight of Atlanta’s 2007 Starting Offensive Line in Week 1
LT Wayne Gandy 315 pounds
LG Justin Blalock 329 pounds
C Todd McClure 295 pounds
RG Kynan Forney 311 pounds
RT Todd Weiner 314 pounds

Total Weight - 1,564 pounds

Running back Jerious Norwood slides past a Denver defender.
first down fin
Against the Minnesota Vikings in a
Week 16 meeting, wide receiver Brian
Finneran logged one reception on third
down for a gain of 13 yards and a new
set of downs. At the conclusion of the
regular season, Finneran has posted
132 of 194 career receptions that have
gone for a first down or touchdown
(68.0 percent). This season, the veter-
an receiver was a target for rookie
quarterback Matt Ryan as 16 of his 24
catches came on third down plays, 13
Wide receiver Brian Finneran
of which were converted for a new set of downs. Finneran’s team-
mate, Roddy White, led the team in the category with 29 third down
receptions for a first down.
home stand
With a 31-27 victory over St. Louis in Week 17, the Falcons won
their seventh game at home and brought their 2008 record at the
Georgia Dome to 7-1. Prior to a Week 11 loss against Denver,
Atlanta’s previous 4-0 mark set the best start at home for the
Falcons since 1998 when Atlanta finished with an undefeated
Georgia Dome record (8-0) en route to a Super Bowl appearance.
The ‘98 and ‘08 campaigns are the only two seasons the Falcons
have started 4-0 at home in franchise history.
MAX PROTECTION
The Falcons allowed an average of only one sack for every 25.5
plays, which set a team record and topped the old average of one
sack for every 17.1 plays (1994, ‘97). Atlanta’s offensive line also
allowed only 17 sacks on 434 passing attempts, which broke the
current club record of 25 sacks allowed in one campaign (1982 on
219 passing attempts).
starting debuts...
The Falcons had 10 players earn opening day starts for the first
time in their NFL careers. The players lining up as starters for the
first time included: QB Matt Ryan, LT Sam Baker, RB Michael
Turner, TE Ben Hartsock, RG Harvey Dahl, RT Tyson Clabo, DT
Jonathan Babineaux, MLB Curtis Lofton, LCB Brent Grimes and
RCB Chris Houston.
Three of the 10 new opening day starters included Falcons offen-
sive linemen who helped block for an Atlanta offense that record-
ed a team record 318 rushing yards and 474 yards of total offense
in a Week 1 meeting against Detroit.
“The most underappreciated but most outstanding position group
of Week 1 in the NFL was the Atlanta Falcons offensive line. Left
to right: Sam Baker, Justin Blalock, Todd McClure, Harvey Dahl
and Tyson Clabo. The line paved the way for 318 rushing yards.
The line allowed one sack and one pressure of Matt Ryan. The
line cleared the way for an average of 8.3 yards per play.”
- Peter King
Monday Morning Quarterback, CNNSI
 WING TIPS

TACKLING THE TOP CAREER DAY

Following linebacker Keith Brooking’s 11-tackle performance Falcons defensive end Jamaal Anderson registered one of his best
against the St. Louis Rams in the 2008 season finale, the 11-year games in a Falcons uniform in a Week 6 meeting against the
veteran solidified his eighth consecutive year leading the team in Chicago Bears. Anderson logged his first career sack as an Atlanta
tackles. Brooking finished first on the team with 133 stops and led Falcon when he dropped Bears quarterback Kyle Orton in the sec-
the defensive unit with 53 assisted tackles. He also contributed ond quarter. The sack led to a Bears punt. Along with adding two
with three passes defensed throughout the course of the 2008 tackles, Anderson also finished the day with two passes defensed,
campaign. both of which came on Chicago’s opening possession of the third
quarter to force a punt.
Keith Brooking’s Tackle Totals from 2001-2008
Year Tackles Solo Assisted Rank on Falcons
2001 167 110 57 1st first things first
2002 212 100 112 1st
2003 207 130 77 1st The Falcons defensive unit allowed St. Louis to rush for 67 yards
2004 144 71 73 1st in the first quarter of Week 17, marking only the fourth time this
2005 150 90 60 1st season a team has rushed for over 20 rushing yards in the open-
2006 165 109 56 1st ing 15 minutes of play. Against the Oakland Raiders in Week 9, the
2007 127 82 45 1st Falcons tied their season best which was set against Tampa Bay
2008 133 80 53 1st in Week 2. Atlanta held the Buccaneers to two rushing yards in the
opening 15 minutes, which was the lowest total in the first quarter
of a game for a Falcons opponent since December 14, 2003 (vs.
Indianapolis, two rushing yards). Below is a look at Atlanta’s oppo-
nent rushing totals in the first quarter of each game this season.
Opponent Rushing Yards Opponent Rushing Yards
Week 1 vs. Det 13 Week 10 vs. NO 37
Week 2 at TB 2 Week 11 vs. Den 8
Week 3 vs. KC 14 Week 12 vs. Car 6
Week 4 at Car 16 Week 13 at SD 8
Week 5 at GB 7 Week 14 at NO 65
Week 6 vs. Chi 6 Week 15 vs. TB 9
Week 8 at Phi 17 Week 16 at MIN 33
Week 9 at Oak 2 Week 17 vs. Stl 67

Atlanta’s defensive performance in the first quarter also ranked tied

Linebacker Keith Brooking stops Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew. for third in the NFL in opponents first quarter rushing yards allowed.

Team 1st Quarter Att. 1st Quarter Yards

BABINEAUX IN THE BACKFIELD Pittsburgh Steelers 100 255
New York Giants 92 288
Defensive tackle Jonathan Atlanta Falcons 82 310
Babineaux pieced together a strong Dallas Cowboys 100 310
season as a full-time starter and
totaled 38 tackles (30 solo) and a
career-high 3.5 sacks for a loss of BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW...
26.5 yards in 2008. In Week 13 • The oldest player - K Jason Elam, 38 years old (3/8/70)
against San Diego, he dropped • The youngest player - LB Curtis Lofton, 22 years old (6/9/86)
Chargers QB Philip Rivers for 1.5 • The tallest player - OT Tyson Clabo, DE Jamaal Anderson and DE
sacks in the fourth quarter, his sec- Simon Fraser, 6-6.
ond career multiple-sack game. At • The shortest player - S Jamaal Fudge and WR Eric Weems, 5-9
the conclusion of the 2008 regular • The heaviest player - DT Grady Jackson, 345 pounds
season, Babineaux ranked fourth in • The lightest player - WR Harry Douglas, 171 pounds
• Most seasons with the Falcons - LB Keith Brooking, 11 seasons
the NFL in tackles for loss with 9.5 DT Jonathan Babineaux
• Most seasons in the NFL - K Jason Elam, 16 seasons
(not including sacks) according to STATS, Inc. Below is a look at • The farthest distance a player has to travel from their hometown to
the league’s top five in the category. Flowery Branch, Ga. - S Erik Coleman is 2,559.9 miles from his home-
town of Sacramento, Ca.
Rank Player Tackles for Loss • The shortest distance a player has to travel from their hometown to
1 Alex Brown, Chi 11.5 Flowery Branch, Ga. - QB D.J. Shockley is 54.6 miles away from his
2 Terrell Suggs, Bal 11.0 hometown of College Park, Ga.
3 Clint Session, Ind 10.0 • The college that is represented the most on the roster - Ohio State and
LSU with three players.
4 Jonathan Babineaux, Atl 9.5
• The state that is represented the most on the roster - Nine players rep-
5 Two players tied 9.0
resent the state of Florida.
 WING TIPS

behind enemy lines ROOKIE IMPACT

Atlanta did not wait to put nose tack- This season, the Falcons rookie class played a role in helping the
le Grady Jackson back in a Falcons team to a successful campaign. Three rookies, including QB Matt
uniform after his stint with the Ryan, OT Sam Baker and LB Curtis Lofton all earned the starting
Jacksonville Jaguars at the end of job at their respective positions while another four first-year play-
the 2007 campaign. In 15 games ers saw action. Below is a breakdown of Atlanta’s contributions
played in 2008, Jackson recorded 23 from its rookie class in 2008.
tackles (21 solo). From 2005-08,
Jackson ranks tied for fifth in the Quarterback Matt Ryan - Started all 16 games under center and
completed 265 of 434 passes for 3,440 yards, 16 touchdowns and
league in tackles for loss (30)
11 interceptions for an 87.7 passer rating. Ryan completed a 62-
according to STATS, Inc. while col-
yard touchdown strike on his first career NFL pass in Week 1
laring 4.5 stops behind the line of
Nose tackle Grady Jackson posts his first against Detroit.
scrimmage in 2008. Below is a look sack of the season after dropping Green
at the NFL’s leaders in tackles for Bay QB Aaron Rodgers in Week 5.
Offensive Tackle Sam Baker - The USC graduate pieced togeth-
loss from 2005-08. er an impressive preseason and started five games at left tackle.
Player Tackles for loss
Trent Cole, Phi 31.5 Linebacker Curtis Lofton - This season, led all Falcons rookies
Terrell Suggs, Bal 31.5 and ranked fourth on the team with 108 tackles (67 solo).
Jared Allen, Min 31.0
Lance Briggs, Chi 30.5 Wide Receiver Harry Douglas - Douglas posted his first two
Grady Jackson, Atl 30.0 career touchdowns in Week 12 against Carolina. His first came on
a seven-yard end around in the first quarter. Douglas stuck again
with a 61-yard punt return in the fourth quarter. In 2008, he totaled
320 receiving yards, 69 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
negative progress
Following the 2008 regular season finale, the Falcons defense Cornerback Chevis Jackson - Posted 33 tackles and five passes
forced 47 negative rushes this season, which accounted for a loss defensed this season. Returned his first career INT 95 yards for a
of 100 yards (does not include quarterback kneeldowns). Atlanta touchdown against New Orleans in Week 10.
also forced a total of 88 negative plays totaling a loss of 356 yards.
Defensive End Kroy Biermann - Posted his first career sack in a
Week 13 match-up against San Diego and added his second in the
season finale against St. Louis. Also contributed with 14 tackles in
three and out 2008.
This season, the Falcons defense ranked ninth in the NFC and tied Safety Thomas DeCoud - Saw action on special teams and fin-
for 13th in the NFL in opponent three-and-out drives. Against ished the season with five special teams tackles.
Tampa Bay in Week 15, the Falcons held the Bucs to three three-
and-outs in the contest. In 178 defensive series, the Falcons
forced 42 three-and-outs for a 23.6 percentage. Below is a look at current falcons streakS
the top NFC teams in three-and-out percentage.
252 Consecutive regular season games K Jason Elam has
Team Defensive Series 3 & Out Drives Percentage scored at least one point.
Philadelphia 198 58 29.3 128 Consecutive regular season games LB Keith Brooking has
Washington 176 56 31.8 started, dating back to 2000.
Tampa Bay 192 51 26.6
Chicago 207 49 23.7 112 Consecutive regular season games C Todd McClure has
Green Bay 192 45 23.4 started, dating back to 2001.
Dallas 185 44 23.8
Minnesota 191 43 22.5 36 Consecutive regular season games in which WR Roddy
White has caught at least one pass.
New York Giants 174 43 24.7
Atlanta 178 42 23.6 33 Consecutive regular season games DE John Abraham has
started, dating back to 2006.

time on your side
The Falcons defense significantly helped the offense utilize its time
on the field, especially in the first half of play this season. Atlanta
held its opponents to an average of six minutes and one-second in
time of possession in the first quarter, which ranked first in the
league. Along with a seven-minute and 14-second average in the
second quarter, the Falcons ranked second in the league in oppo-
nents first half time of possession with a 13-minute and 16-second
mark.
32 Consecutive field goals K Jason Elam has converted from
20-29 yards.
26.5 The number of sacks John Abraham has totaled in his last
31 games on the defensive line.
15 Consecutive field goals K Jason Elam has converted from
40-49 yards.
8 Consecutive seasons LB Keith Brooking has led the Falcons
in tackles.
 WING TIPS
they’ve got your back
Following the 2007 season the Falcons made adjustments to their
linebacker positions. Although Michael Boley remained at the out-
side linebacker spot, Keith Brooking moved from the middle line-
backer position to outside linebacker and 2008 NFL Draft second
round selection, Curtis Lofton, earned the starting role at middle
linebacker. This season, the three all ranked in the Falcons top five
in tackles and combined for 331 stops.
OLB Keith Brooking - Ranked first on the
Falcons with 133 tackles and led the team
stops for the eighth consecutive season. Along
with starting in every contest, Brooking also
lead Atlanta in assisted tackles with 53.
MLB Curtis Lofton - Led all Falcons rookies
with 108 tackles (67 solo) and ranked second in
the league in stops among first year players. In
Week 6 versus Chicago, he led the team with
11 tackles. Two Sunday’s later against
Philadelphia, Lofton tallied his first career sack
while forcing a fumble on the play.
OLB Michael Boley - Ranked fifth on the
Falcons with 90 tackles and contributed with
nine passes defensed and one interception.
Set a season-high with nine tackles in a Week
6 meeting against Chicago and tied the mark
against the Saints in Week 10.
record takedown
This season, the Falcons offensive line did not allow a sack of
quarterback Matt Ryan on seven occasions. Atlanta out-sacked its
opponents in 2008 by a 34.0-17.0 margin and held an 11-1 record
when posting more sacks then its opponent in a game.
Atlanta’s 2008 Victories When Out-Sacking its Opponent
Opponent Sack Difference
Week 1 vs. Detroit Atl 3.0 - Det 1.0
Week 3 vs. Kansas City Atl 2.0 - KC 0.0
Week 5 at Green Bay Atl 2.0 - GB 0.0
Week 6 vs. Chicago Atl 1.0 - Chi 0.0
Week 9 at Oakland Atl 4.0 - Oak 3.0
Week 10 vs. New Orleans Atl 1.0 - NO 0.0
Week 12 vs. Carolina Atl 3.0 - Car 1.0
Week 13 at San Diego Atl 3.0 - SD 0.0
Week 15 vs. Tampa Bay Atl 4.0 - TB 1.0
Week 16 at Minnesota Atl 3.0 - Min 2.0
Week 17 vs. St. Louis Atl 3.0 - Stl 1.0
LAW DOG
For the third consecutive year, the Falcons featured Lawyer Milloy
in the starting safety position. Milloy, who just finished his 13th reg-
ular season, ranked third on the Falcons in tackles with 117 and
ranked fourth in the NFC in tackles among safeties (92), three
stops behind his teammate Erik Coleman, according to STATS,
Inc. He also intercepted his 25th career pass in the season open-
er against Detroit. Milloy has accumulated 1,586 tackles, 17.0
sacks and 85 passes defensed and has earned Pro Bowl honors
on four occasions (1998, 1999, 2001 and 2002).
TO THE RESCUE
Following safety Erik Coleman’s performance against
Kansas City in Week 3, the Falcons realized exactly
why they signed the free agent acquisition during the
free agency period this past offseason. Coleman
finished third on the team in tackles with nine
against the Chiefs, while contributing with one
interception, one pass defensed, one forced
fumble and one tackle for loss. On several occa-
sions, the five-year veteran made significant
tackles to prevent big plays from Kansas City,
including a touchdown-saving tackle on Chiefs
running back Larry Johnson on the first play of the third quarter.
Coleman also forced a fumble on the stop. This season, Coleman
ranked second on the team with a career-high 127 stops (82 solo).
pick three
In a Week 3 meeting against the Kansas
City Chiefs, the Falcons secondary wit-
nessed three players record interceptions
off of Chiefs QB Tyler Thigpen. The first
came from S Erik Coleman who tallied
his first INT in a Falcons uniform and the
eighth of his career. CB Brent Grimes fol-
lowed with his first career interception in
the second quarter, which was returned
25 yards leading to a Falcons touch-
down. Finally, CB Chris Houston picked
off his first pass in the fourth quarter and Safety Erik Coleman
returned the ball 10 yards for his first career touchdown to seal a
Falcons 38-14 victory.
Against the New Orleans Saints in Week 10, the Falcons intercept-
ed quarterback Drew Brees on three occasions (tied for his highest
total in a game this season). Atlanta safety Erik Coleman stepped in
front of a Brees pass on the Saints first offensive play of the game,
which marked his second pick of the season. Cornerback Chris
Houston followed in the fourth quarter when he stalled a potential
New Orleans scoring drive with an interception in the end zone.
Finally, rookie cornerback Chevis Jackson intercepted his first career
pass and returned it 95 yards for a touchdown to seal a Falcons vic-
tory.
jacked up
Rookie cornerback Chevis Jackson
recorded his first career interception in a
Week 10 meeting against the New
Orleans Saints. Jackson stepped in front
of a pass from QB Drew Brees intended
for WR Devery Henderson and returned it
for a 95-yard touchdown. His return
became the second-longest in Falcons
history behind a 101-yard INT return by
Tom Pridemore against the San Francisco
49ers on September 20, 1981. Jackson
also became the third Falcons defensive
back to record his first career interception
Cornerback Chevis Jackson
this season, along with cornerbacks Brent
Grimes and Chris Houston (Week 3 vs. Kansas City).
 WING TIPS

FIRST YEAR AT THE HELM INSIDE THE GEORGIA DOME

Falcons Head Coach Mike Smith was one of four Fans who entered the Georgia Dome in 2008 enjoyed the result of
new head coaches to start the NFL season. The a two-year, $50 million investment by the Falcons and Georgia
others include: John Harbaugh (Ravens), Tony World Congress Center. Following renovations to suites and the
Sparano (Dolphins) and Jim Zorn (Redskins). In club seat area, and the addition of super suites and LED ribbon
boards in 2007, the Falcons, along with the GWCC Authority, com-
2007, three of four new head coaches to the
pleted enhancements this year to the interior and exterior of the
league led their teams to a higher win total than Dome. The Dome feels more like the “home of the Falcons,” with
the previous 2006 season. Ken Whisenhunt of red and black paint on the exterior, and red and black seats
the Arizona Cardinals posted the highest margin throughout the interior. In addition, refurbished concourse areas
with a plus-3 mark followed by Lane Kiffin of the boast enhanced lighting and signage and improved concessions
Oakland Raiders (plus-2) and Mike Tomlin of the and restrooms.
Pittsburgh Steelers (plus-2). Below is a look at 2008 first year head
coaches and their team’s record from the previous season. “We think it’s important to maintain the Georgia Dome to NFL stan-
dards for our fans,” Falcons Owner & CEO Arthur Blank explained.
Coach Team 2008 Record 2007 Record “It’s another way we can add value to their game day experience.”
Mike Smith Atlanta Falcons 11-5 4-12 Inside the Georgia Dome
John Harbaugh Baltimore Ravens 11-5 5-11 Capacity: 71,228
Tony Sparano Miami Dolphins 11-5 1-15 Club Seats: 5,737
Jim Zorn Washington Redskins 8-8 9-7 Suites: 203 (16 or 24 seats)
Cost: $210 million
With Atlanta’s Week 17 win over the Rams, the combination of Financed: Hotel/motel tax, no taxpayer money
Mike Smith and Matt Ryan coupled with Ravens Head Coach John Groundbreaking: 11-22-89
Owned by: The State of Georgia
Harbaugh and QB Joe Flacco tied for the most wins by a rookie
Managed: World Congress Center
head coach and quarterback since 1966. Construction: 859 days to build,
covers 8.6 acres, 275 feet tall (27 stories)

BUILT FOR SUCCESS • The Georgia Dome is the second largest cable-supported Dome
in the world with a translucent teflon roof to allow natural lighting.
The 2008 Atlanta Falcons competed with a
revamped coaching staff, complete with 17 • First Preseason Game:
coaches who hold 188 years of combined NFL August 23, 1992 - Falcons 20 Eagles 10
experience. The Falcons also brought aboard • First Regular Season Game:
Offensive Coordinator Mike Mularkey who, September 6, 1992 - Falcons 20 Jets 17
along with Assistant Head Coach/Secondary
Emmitt Thomas and Wide Receivers Coach
Assistant Head Coach Terry Robiskie, have served as previous head 2008 falcons opponents
Emmitt Thomas has coaches. Mularkey served as the Head Coach
logged 28 seasons in the
NFL. of the Buffalo Bills from 2004-05, Thomas This season the Falcons faced the NFC North and AFC West in
served as the Interim Head Coach of the Falcons for three games cross-division play while battling NFC South opponents, Tampa
last season and Robiskie totaled three games as Interim Head Bay, New Orleans and Carolina twice a year. Atlanta also matched-
Coach of the Washington Redskins (2000) and five games with the up with the St. Louis Rams in a home game at the Georgia Dome
and traveled to Philadelphia to meet the Eagles for the first time
Cleveland Browns (2004). Below is a breakdown of the Falcons
since the 2006 season finale. Collectively, the Falcons hold a 74-64
2008 coaching staff and their NFL experience (including this sea- record against their NFC South foes while totaling 94 all-time victo-
son). ries against their opponents on the 2008 schedule. The NFC South
also tallied a 26-5 combined home record in 2008.
Assistant Head Coach Emmitt Thomas - 28 years
Wide Receivers Coach Terry Robiskie - 27 years
HOME Last Time Played Prior to ‘08 Result 2008 Result
Offensive Line Coach Paul Boudreau - 22 years
Carolina Nov. 11, 2007 W, 20-13 W, 45-28
Defensive Line Coach Ray Hamilton - 22 years New Orleans Dec. 10, 2007 L, 34-14 W, 34-20
Defensive Backs Coach Alvin Reynolds - 16 years Tampa Bay Dec. 16, 2007 L, 37-3 W, 13-10 OT
Offensive Coordinator Mike Mularkey - 15 years Detroit Nov. 5, 2006 L, 30-14 W, 34-21
Special Teams Coordinator Keith Armstrong - 15 years Chicago Dec. 18, 2005 L, 16-3 W, 22-20
Linebackers Coach Glenn Pires - 13 years Kansas City Dec. 24, 2004 L, 56-10 W, 38-14
Head Coach Mike Smith - 10 years Denver Oct. 31, 2004 W, 41-28 L, 24-20
Quarterbacks Coach Bill Musgrave - 10 years St. Louis Dec. 2, 2007 L, 28-16 W, 31-27
Defensive Coordinator Brian VanGorder - 3 years
AWAY Last Time Played Prior to ‘08 Result 2008 Result
Assistant Special Teams Coach - Tom McMahon - 2 years Carolina Nov. 11, 2007 W, 20-13 L, 24-9
Running Backs Coach Gerald Brown - first year New Orleans Dec. 10, 2007 L, 34-14 L, 29-25
Defensive Assistant Joe Danna - first year Tampa Bay Dec. 16, 2007 L, 37-3 L, 24-9
Assistant Offensive Line Coach Paul Dunn - first year Green Bay Nov. 13, 2005 L, 33-25 W, 27-24
Tight Ends Coach Chris Scelfo - first year Minnesota Sept. 9, 2007 L, 24-3 W, 24-17
Offensive Assistant Glenn Thomas - first year Oakland Dec. 12, 2004 W, 35-10 W, 24-0
San Diego Oct. 17, 2004 W, 21-20 W, 22-16
Total Years of NFL experience - 188 Philadelphia Dec. 31, 2006 L, 24-17 L, 27-14
 WING TIPS

PINNED DEEP 2008 NFL RANKINGS

This season, Falcons punter Michael Offensive Rankings - 2008 Week by Week
Koenen punted on 63 occasions for Total Rush Pass NFC NFL
2,566 yards and a 40.7 average. His
Week 1 (after Det.) 474.0 318.0 156.0 3-1-13 3-1-24T
total included four touchbacks and a
long kick of 60 yards. Koenen also Week 2 (after T.B.) 354.0 211.5 142.5 6-1-14 9-3-26
pinned 25 punts inside the opponent’s Week 3 (after K.C.) 362.0 203.0 159.0 7-1-14 9-1-23
20-yard line, which ranked fourth in the Week 4 (after Car.) 338.5 181.8 156.8 8-1-16 10-1-26
conference. Koenen was vital in helping Week 5 (after G.B.) 344.8 180.6 164.2 7-2-14 8-2-25
the Falcons rank second in the NFL in Week 6 (after Chi.) 350.0 163.0 187.0 6-2-13 8-2-21
opponents average starting field position Week 7 (BYE)
following kickoffs with a 24.6-yard line
Week 8 (after Phi.) 347.9 150.7 197.1 7-3-13 10-3-21
Punter Michael Koenen average.
Week 9 (after Oak.) 361.0 163.4 197.6 5-1-14 7-1-22
Week 10 (after N.O.) 361.0 157.8 203.2 4-2-11 6-2-19
dirty harry Week 11 (after Den.) 361.3 153.4 207.9 5-2-7 7-2-14
Week 12 (after Car.) 364.1 151.5 212.5 4-2-7 6-2-14
In a Week 6 meeting against the Week 13 (after S.D.) 362.8 150.7 212.1 4-2-7 6-2-14
Chicago Bears, wide receiver Harry
Week 14 (after N.O.) 366.7 146.7 220.0 3-2-7 5-2-13
Douglas was insterted as the main punt
Week 15 (after T.B.) 367.1 148.7 218.4 3-1t-7 5-1t-13
returner for the Falcons through the
duration of the season. In the 12 weeks Week 16 (after Min.) 357.5 145.3 212.1 3-4-7 6-5-14
that he returned punts, Douglas ranked Week 17 (after Stl.) 361.2 152.7 208.5 3-2-8 6-2-14
fifth in the NFC in punt return yards with
226. He averaged 11.9 yards per return Defensive Rankings - 2008 Week by Week
and also returned one kick 61 yards for a Total Rush Pass NFC NFL
touchdown against the Carolina Week 1 (after Det.) 308.0 62.0 246.0 7-3-14 15-5-27T
Panthers in Week 12.
Wide receiver Harry Douglas
Week 2 (after T.B.) 309.5 113.0 196.5 8-11-7 17-20-18
Week 3 (after K.C.) 306.7 136.7 170.0 9-13-3 15-23-10
Week 4 (after Car.) 332.3 131.3 201.0 11-13-4 20-23-13
splitting the uprights Week 5 (after G.B.) 347.4 125.8 221.6 11-11-10 23-21-22
Week 6 (after Chi.) 349.7 118.0 231.7 12-11-13 25-20-24
Atlanta kicker Jason Elam converted 29 of 31 field goal attempts in
Week 7 (BYE)
his first season in a Falcons uniform. He finished the season with
129 points, just three shy of his career-high (132 set in 1995). Week 8 (after Phi.) 361.4 128.6 232.9 13-13-11 25-23-24
Elam’s 93.5 field goal percentage in 2008 ranked second in a sea- Week 9 (after Oak.) 325.9 120.9 205.0 9-13-8 16-22-16
son in team history behind Norm Johnson who hit 26 of 27 field Week 10 (after N.O.) 347.6 119.1 228.4 12-12-10 23-21-22
goal attempts (96.3) in 1993. Week 11 (after Den.) 346.0 119.6 226.4 12-13-10 23-22-22
Week 12 (after Car.) 351.6 120.9 230.7 13-12-12 24-21-23
Week 13 (after S.D.) 339.1 116.7 222.4 12-12-12 22-21-23
LAND OF NO RETURN
Week 14 (after N.O.) 344.8 121.8 223.0 12-13-11 22-22-23
Against the St. Louis Rams in the season finale, the Falcons Week 15 (after T.B.) 343.4 120.2 223.2 12-13-11 23-22-23
allowed zero punt return yards. The total gave Atlanta 49 punt Week 16 (after Min.) 343.9 122.5 221.3 13-12-11 24-21-22
return yards on the season, which set a new NFL record, topping
Week 17 (after Stl.) 347.9 127.5 220.4 13-13-11 24-25-21
the old mark of 53 yards allowed (Buffalo Bills in 1991).

ATLANTA’S 2008 REGULAR SEASON OPPONENTS

Opponent Date/Result Regular Season Finale Result Final Record

Detroit W, 34-21 Lost to the Green Bay Packers, 31-21 0-16
at Tampa Bay L, 24-9, W, 13-10 OT Lost to the Oakland Raiders, 31-24 9-7
Kansas City W, 38-14 Lost to the Cincinnati Bengals, 16-6 2-14
at Carolina L, 24-9, W, 45-28 Defeated the New Orleans Saints, 33-31 12-4
at Green Bay W, 27-24 Defeated the Detroit Lions, 31-21 6-10
Chicago W, 22-20 Lost to the Houston Texans, 31-24 9-7
at Philadelphia L, 27-14 Defeated the Dallas Cowboys, 44-6 9-6-1
at Oakland W, 24-0 Defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-24 5-11
New Orleans W, 34-20, L, 29-25 Lost to the Carolina Panthers, 33-31 8-8
Denver L, 24-20 Lost to the San Diego Chargers, 52-21 8-8
at San Diego W, 22-16 Defeated the Denver Broncos, 52-21 8-8
at Minnesota W, 24-17 Defeated the New York Giants, 20-19 10-6
St. Louis W, 31-27 Lost to the Atlanta Falcons, 31-27 2-14
 WING TIPS

FIRST ROUND FINDS GEORGIA ON MY MIND

The Falcons were one of five teams with two selections in the first Currently, the Falcons yield four players from the state of Georgia
round of the NFL Draft. With the third overall selection, Atlanta on their active roster. Two Falcons including quarterback D.J.
drafted quarterback Matt Ryan. The Falcons then made a deal with Shockley and linebacker Tony Gilbert hail from the University of
the Washington Redskins to trade back into the first round and Georgia. Linebacker Keith Brooking, a native of Senoia, Ga., is an
grab offensive tackle Sam Baker with the 21st overall pick. Both alum of Georgia Tech.
players earned opening day starts coming out of training camp.
Below is a look at the five teams with multiple first round picks and Where They’re From
the players selected this year. 1. Keith Brooking - Senoia, Ga.
2. Harry Douglas - Jonesboro, Ga.
TEAM PLAYERS 3. D.J. Shockley - College Park, Ga.
Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan and T Sam Baker 4. Tony Gilbert - Macon, Ga.
Carolina Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart and T Jeff Otah
Dallas Cowboys RB Felix Jones and CB Mike Jenkins
Kansas City Chiefs DT Glenn Dorsey and T Branden Albert
New York Jets LB Vernon Gholston and TE Dustin Keller

DRAFT BREAKDOWN
For the second consecutive year, the Falcons drafted 11 players, a
particularly large draft class. Following the first round selections of
Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan and USC offensive tackle 3 2
Sam Baker, the Falcons solidified the linebacker position,
addressed the secondary, found a gem at wide receiver and
1
selected two players from the National Champion LSU Tigers. 4
Below is Atlanta’s draft class breakdown and a look at players from
the 2008 Falcons draft class who earned a spot on the roster. Two
draft picks, LB Robert James and RB Thomas Brown are current-
ly on the injured reserve list.

Round Name Pos. College Roster Status

1 Matt Ryan QB Boston College Active Roster
1 Sam Baker OT USC Active Roster
*from Washington
2 Curtis Lofton LB Oklahoma Active Roster
3 Chevis Jackson CB LSU Active Roster
3 Harry Douglas WR Louisville Active Roster
*from Washington
3 Thomas DeCoud S California Active Roster
5 Kroy Biermann DE Montana Active Roster immortalized in the hall
*from Washington
7 Keith Zinger TE LSU Practice Squad Falcons Assistant Head Coach/Secondary Coach
*from Pittsburgh Emmitt Thomas was inducted into the Pro Football
Hall of Fame on August 2, 2008. It was a well-
deserved and long-overdue accomplishment for
SCORING IN BUNCHES the Kansas City Chiefs cornerback who played 13
stellar seasons in the League. Thomas competed
In the first three games of the 2008 season, Atlanta totaled 81 in 181 career games, including Super Bowls I and
points (34 against Detroit, nine against Tampa Bay and 38 against IV and five Pro Bowls. He finished with 58 inter-
Kansas City). The 81 points marked the higest total in the first ceptions, which is still tied for the eighth-most
three games of a season for the Falcons since 1986 when Atlanta ever in NFL history, as he led the League twice in
collected 101 points. The Falcons started with a 5-1-1 record in INTs in a single season. Thomas is a member of
their first seven games to open the ‘86 campaign. On only two the Chiefs Hall of Fame and his name is etched
other occasions has Atlanta posted more than 81 points in the first on the walls at Arrowhead Stadium.
three contests of a season. In 1981, the Falcons totaled 92 points
and in 1972, the team registered 88 points. prep honors
Local Falcons athletes LB Keith Brooking and WR Harry Douglas
were honored by their high schools. Douglas, a graduate of
Jonesboro High, had his No. 25 jersey retired while Brooking
received the same honor when his No. 35 jersey was retired by
East Coweta High School.
POSITION BY POSITION BREAKDOWN

quarterbacks (3)

No Name
2 Matt Ryan - Started 16 games under center and completed 265 of 434 passes for 3,440 yards, 16
touchdowns and 11 interceptions for an 87.7 passer rating. Was named NFC Rookie of the Month
(October) and NFC Offensive Player of the Week (Week 9). Guided the Falcons to a 7-1 home record.
Totaled a career-high with 315 passing yards against the Saints in Week 14.

3 D.J. Shockley - Listed as the third (inactive) quarterback in all 16 contests this season.

8 Chris Redman - Served as the back-up quarterback to Matt Ryan in 2008.

RUNNING BACKS (4)

No Name
32 Jerious Norwood - Compiled 489 rushing yards on 95 carries for a 5.1 average, 338 receiving
yards on 36 catches and six total touchdowns. Led the Falcons in receiving with 88 yards against
New Orleans (Week 10) while recording his longest reception and first receiving touchdown of 67
yards. Posted two rushing touchdowns, one against the Lions in Week 1 and the other at Oakland in
Week 9. Recorded 51 kickoff returns for 1,311 yards and a long return of 92 yards against St. Louis
in Week 17.

33 Michael Turner - In his first game in an Atlanta uniform, set the Falcons single-game rushing record
with 220 yards on 22 carries (10.0 avg.) vs. Detroit. Totaled his 11th-career 100-yard game against
St. Louis in Week 17. This season, ranked second in the NFL with 376 carries for 1,699 yards while
contributing with 17 touchdowns (set a franchise-high for a single season). Turner also topped the
1,000-yard mark in Week 12 while tying a club record with four touchdowns. Was named NFC
Offensive Player of the Week on two occasions (Week 1 vs. Detroit and Week 3 vs. Kansas City).

34 Ovie Mughelli - Blocked for a Falcons running game which totaled 2,443 rushing yards this sea-
son (ranked second in the NFL). Caught a season-high 18-yard reception against the Oakland
Raiders in Week 9 and contributed with 57 receiving yards and 16 rushing yards.

44 Jason Snelling - Led the Falcons with 17 special teams tackles and posted 15 rushes for 62 yards.

WIDE RECEIVERS (5)

No Name
12 Michael Jenkins - Caught Matt Ryan’s first-career NFL pass and ran 62 yards for a touchdown
against Detroit in Week 1. Added his second-career multiple-touchdown game after grabbing two
touchdown passes against the Oakland Raiders in Week 9 while leading the team in receiving
yardage. This season, compiled 50 catches for 777 yards and three TDs.

14 Eric Weems - Caught his first-career catch against Carolina in Week 12 with a four-yard gain in the
first quarter and provided a key block for WR Harry Douglas’ seven-yard touchdown run in the
same game. Recovered his first career fumble on a Minnesota muffed punt in Week 16.

83 Harry Douglas - Rushed 12 times for 69 yards and caught 23 passes for 320 yards this season.
Tallied his first-career touchdowns in a Week 12 meeting against Carolina, when he rushed for a
seven-yard score and became the 10th player in Falcons history to return a punt for a touchdown
with a 61-yard return in the fourth quarter. Also caught one touchdown against San Diego in Week
13. Totaled 19 punt returns for 226 yards (11.9 avg.).

84 Roddy White - Tallied his seventh 100-yard receiving game of the season and set a career-high
with 164 yards on 10 receptions against New Orleans in Week 14. Topped the 1,000-yard plateau
after catching six passes for 112 yards against San Diego in Week 13. Led the team and ranked
fourth in the NFL in receiving with 88 receptions for 1,382 yards and six touchdowns. His 1,382
yards made him the first Falcons receiver to record back-to-back 1,200-yard seasons in franchise
history. His yardage total also set a new franchise record for receiving yards in a season.
POSITION BY POSITION BREAKDOWN

WIDE RECEIVERS CONT...

No Name
86 Brian Finneran - Totaled 21 receptions for 169 yards and a long catch of 14 yards in 2008. Caught
his first touchdown since November 6, 2005 on a two-yard strike from QB Matt Ryan against the
Saints in Week 14. Also lined-up to return punts.

TIGHT ENDS (3)

No Name
81 Marcus Pollard - Was signed to the Falcons active roster on December 16, 2008.

85 Jason Rader - Caught his first-career pass for 26 yards in a Week 15 meeting against the Tampa
Bay Buccaneers.

87 Justin Peelle - Significantly contributed with 15 receptions for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
Caught his first touchdown pass in an Atlanta Falcons uniform against the Green Bay Packers in
Week 5 and added his second score against the Chargers in Week 13.

OFFENSIVE LINE (10)

No Name
62 Todd McClure - Started his 112th consecutive game on the offensive line to tie Jeff Van Note for
third place in Falcons annals in that category.

63 Justin Blalock - Started every game of the season for the second consecutive year.

67 Ben Wilkerson - Saw action for the Falcons primarily on special teams.

68 Wayne Gandy - Was signed to the Falcons active roster in Week 9 and saw action on the offensive
line in seven games.

69 Alex Stepanovich - Competed in four games on special teams and the offensive line.

72 Sam Baker - Started in five contests as a rookie and helped open holes for Atlanta’s 2,443 rushing
yards.

73 Harvey Dahl - Competed in his 17th game in a Falcons uniform after starting every game in the
2008 season.

74 Todd Weiner - Assisted the offense in averaging 361.2 net yards per game and 152.7 net rushing
yards per game in 2008.

76 Quinn Ojinnaka - Saw action on the offensive line and special teams in eight weeks this year.

77 Tyson Clabo - Started in 37 career contests and helped the Falcons rush for a team record of
318 yards in the season opener against Detroit.

Defensive Line (9)

No Name
55 John Abraham - Ranked second in the NFC with a franchise-best 16.5 sacks, which included three
three-sack performances against the Detroit Lions in Week 1, the Oakland Raiders in Week 9 and
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 15. Also posted four forced fumbles all on sacks to give him 31
for his career. This season, registered 42 tackles (35 solo).

71 Kroy Biermann - Contributed with 14 tackles and two sacks in his rookie campaign.

75 Simon Fraser - Posted two tackles this season and added one pass defensed against Carolina in
Week 12.

90 Grady Jackson - Totaled 23 tackles (21 solo), one pass defensed and two sacks, one of which
against Green Bay (Week 5) and one versus Tampa Bay in Week 15 this season.
POSITION BY POSITION BREAKDOWN

DEFENSIVE LINE cont...

No Name
92 Chauncey Davis - Notched 35 tackles (27 solo), three fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and
one pass defensed this season. Also totaled four sacks, including a career-high two sacks against
the Carolina Panthers in Week 12.

94 Kindal Moorehead - Made 18 stops (15 solo), one sack, one pass defensed and one forced fumble
on the defensive line in 2008.

95 Jonathan Babineaux - This season, recorded 38 tackles (30 solo), 3.5 sacks, two passes defensed
and one fumble recovery. Notched 1.5 sacks against San Diego in Week 13.

98 Jamaal Anderson - In 2008, totaled 36 tackles (29 solo), two sacks and three passes defensed.
Posted a career day against the Chicago Bears in Week 6 after earning his first-career sack and
deflecting two passes. In Week 13 against San Diego, blocked his first-career field goal to help the
Falcons maintain a 22-13 lead.

99 Jason Jefferson - Competed in 14 games and posted his best outing in Week 2 at Tampa
Bay when he notched three tackles and recovered a fumble. Logged nine stops this year.

linebackers (6)

No Name
50 Curtis Lofton - Led all Falcons rookies and ranked fourth on the team with 108 tackles (67 solo).
According to STATS Inc., Lofton finished second in the league among rookies in stops. In a Week 8
meeting at Philadelphia, posted his first-career sack while forcing a fumble on the play.

51 Tony Gilbert - Was listed as inactive for Atlanta in every contest this season.

52 Coy Wire - Posted 24 tackles while lining up at outside linebacker and 15 stops competing on
the special teams unit in 2008.

54 Stephen Nicholas - Competed at both linebacker and on special teams this season. Ranked third
on the Falcons with 13 special teams tackles and added one sack against the Rams in Week 17.

56 Keith Brooking - Extended his consecutive games starting streak to 128 and ranked first on the
team in tackles for the eighth straight season with 133 (80 solo).

59 Michael Boley - This season, tallied 90 tackles (65 solo), one interception and nine passes
defensed. His lone interception of the year came against the Green Bay Packers in a Week 5
meeting.

DEFENSIVE BACKS (10)

No Name
20 Brent Grimes - Intercepted his first-career pass against Kansas City in Week 3 and contributed with
36 tackles (29 solo) and six passes defensed.

22 Chevis Jackson - In 2008, recorded 33 tackles, five passes defensed and one interception. His
first-career INT, the second-longest in Falcons history, was returned 95 yards for a touchdown
against New Orleans in Week 10.

23 Chris Houston - Returned his first-career interception in Week 3 versus Kansas City 10 yards for a
touchdown. Also added 59 tackles (52 solo), 16 passes defensed and another INT while starting
all 16 games at right cornerback.

24 Domonique Foxworth - Started in 10 contests and contributed with 39 tackles (34 solo), 11 passes
defensed and his first interception of the season, which he made against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
in Week 15.

26 Erik Coleman - Ranked second on the team with 127 tackles (82 solo) while adding six passes
defensed, three interceptions and two forced fumbles in 2008.
POSITION BY POSITION BREAKDOWN

DEFENSIVE BACKS cont...

No Name
28 Thomas DeCoud - Saw action in 10 games and recorded five special teams tackles.

29 Jamaal Fudge - Saw action in 11 games, starting in one at strong safety, while posting 12 tackles
and two special teams stops this season.

36 Lawyer Milloy - Ranked third on the team in tackles with 117 (76 solo) and deflected five passes.
Intercepted his 25th career pass against the Detroit Lions in the season opener.

37 Glenn Sharpe - Was inactive for the final three contests of the 2008 season.

42 Eric Brock - Saw action on special teams in the season finale against the St. Louis Rams.

SPECIALISTS (3)
No Name
1 Jason Elam - Split the uprights on 29 of 31 field goal attempts and 42 points after touchdowns
for 129 points this season. Following a missed field goal in Week 6, the 16-year veteran posted a
streak of 30 consecutive field goals dating back to 2007. Notched his 38th field goal of 50-plus yards
in the season opener versus Detroit.

9 Michael Koenen - Totaled 63 punts for 2,566 yards, 25 of which were pinned inside the 20-yard line
and a long kick of 60 yards. Set a career-high with five punts downed inside the 20-yard line in
Week 8 at Philadelphia.

46 Mike Schneck - Served as the Falcons long snapper in every contest this season and finished the
year with one special teams stop.
 2008 Atlanta Falcons Alphabetical Roster

# PLAYER POS H W Birthdate EXP COLLEGE ACQUIRED HOMETOWN

55 Abraham, John DE 6-4 263 5/6/78 9 South Carolina Tr '06 (NYJ) Timmonsville, SC
98 Anderson, Jamaal DE 6-6 282 2/6/86 2 Arkansas D1 '07 Little Rock, AR
95 Babineaux, Jonathan DT 6-2 284 10/12/81 4 Iowa D2 '05 Port Arthur, TX
72 Baker, Sam OT 6-5 312 5/30/85 R USC D1b '08 Tustin, CA
71 Biermann, Kroy DE 6-3 241 9/12/85 R Montana D5b '08 Hardin, MT
63 Blalock, Justin OG 6-4 333 12/20/83 2 Texas D2a '07 Dallas, TX
59 Boley, Michael LB 6-3 223 8/24/82 4 Southern Miss D5a '05 Gadsden, AL
42 Brock, Eric S 6-0 202 4/24/85 R Auburn FA '08 Alexander City, AL
56 Brooking, Keith LB 6-2 241 10/30/75 11 Georgia Tech D1 '98 Senoia, GA
77 Clabo, Tyson OT 6-6 332 10/17/81 3 Wake Forest FA '06 Knoxville, TN
26 Coleman, Erik S 5-10 206 5/16/82 5 Washington State FA '08 Sacramento, CA
73 Dahl, Harvey OG 6-5 308 6/24/81 2 Nevada-Reno FA '07 Fallon, NV
92 Davis, Chauncey DE 6-2 274 1/27/83 4 Florida State D4 '05 Bartow, FL
28 DeCoud, Thomas S 6-0 197 3/19/85 R Cal-Berkeley D3c '08 Vallejo, CA
83 Douglas, Harry WR 5-11 171 9/16/84 R Louisville D3b '08 Jonesboro, GA
1 Elam, Jason K 5-11 194 3/8/70 16 Hawaii UFA '08 (Den) Ft. Walton Beach, FL
86 Finneran, Brian WR 6-5 206 1/31/76 9 Villanova FA '00 Mission Viejo, CA
24 Foxworth, Domonique CB 5-11 180 3/27/83 4 Maryland Tr '08 (Den) Cantonsville, MD
75 Fraser, Simon DE 6-6 274 3/27/83 4 Ohio State FA '08 Upper Arlington, OH
29 Fudge, Jamaal S 5-9 194 5/17/83 3 Clemson W '08 (Jax) Jacksonville, FL
68 Gandy, Wayne OT 6-5 308 2/10/71 14 Auburn FA '08 Haines City, FL
51 Gilbert, Tony LB 6-0 248 10/16/79 5 Georgia FA '08 Macon, GA
20 Grimes, Brent CB 5-10 185 7/19/83 1 Shippensburg FA '07 Philadelphia, PA
23 Houston, Chris CB 5-11 175 10/18/84 2 Arkansas D2b '07 Austin, TX
22 Jackson, Chevis CB 5-11 185 12/11/85 R LSU D3a '08 Mobile, AL
90 Jackson, Grady DT 6-2 345 1/21/73 12 Knoxville FA '08 Greensboro, AL
99 Jefferson, Jason DT 6-1 295 12/20/81 4 Wisconsin W '08 (Buf) Chicago, IL
12 Jenkins, Michael WR 6-4 215 6/18/82 5 Ohio State D1b '04 Tampa, FL
9 Koenen, Michael P 5-11 199 7/13/82 4 Western Washington FA '05 Ferndale, WA
50 Lofton, Curtis LB 6-0 248 6/2/86 R Oklahoma D2 '08 Kingfisher, OK
62 McClure, Todd C 6-1 301 2/16/77 10 LSU D7a '99 Baton Rouge, LA
36 Milloy, Lawyer S 6-0 216 11/14/73 13 Washington FA '06 St. Louis, MO
94 Moorehead, Kindal DT 6-2 299 10/14/78 6 Alabama UFA '08 (Car) Memphis, TN
34 Mughelli, Ovie FB 6-1 245 6/10/80 6 Wake Forest UFA '07 (Balt) Boston, MA
54 Nicholas, Stephen LB 6-3 232 5/1/83 2 South Florida D4a '07 Jacksonville, FL
32 Norwood, Jerious RB 5-11 202 7/29/83 3 Mississippi State D3 '06 Jackson, MS
76 Ojinnaka, Quinn OT 6-5 305 4/23/84 3 Syracuse D5 '06 Seabrook, MD
87 Peelle, Justin TE 6-4 250 3/15/79 7 Oregon FA '08 Fresno, CA
81 Pollard, Marcus TE 6-3 255 2/8/72 14 Bradley FA '08 Valley, AL
85 Rader, Jason TE 6-4 271 4/12/81 3 Marshall FA '08 St. Albans, WV
8 Redman, Chris QB 6-3 221 7/7/77 6 Louisville FA '07 Louisville, KY
2 Ryan, Matt QB 6-4 220 5/17/85 R Boston College D1a '08 Exton, PA
46 Schneck, Mike LS 6-1 234 8/4/77 10 Wisconsin FA '07 Whitefish Bay, WI
37 Sharpe, Glenn CB 6-0 185 2/27/84 R Miami (Fla.) FA '08 Miami, FL
3 Shockley, D.J. QB 6-0 222 3/23/83 2 Georgia D7 '06 College Park, GA
44 Snelling, Jason RB 5-11 229 12/29/83 2 Virginia D7 '07 Chester, VA
69 Stepanovich, Alex C 6-4 296 9/25/81 5 Ohio State UFA '08 (Cin) Berea, OH
33 Turner, Michael RB 5-10 244 2/13/82 5 Northern Illinois UFA '08 (SD) Waukegan, IL
14 Weems, Eric WR 5-9 191 7/4/85 1 Bethune-Cookman FA '07 Ormond Beach, FL
74 Weiner, Todd OT 6-4 300 9/16/75 11 Kansas State UFA '02 (Sea) Coral Springs, FL
84 White, Roddy WR 6-0 208 11/2/81 4 Alabama-Birmingham D1 '05 James Island, SC
67 Wilkerson, Ben C 6-4 310 11/22/82 3 LSU FA '07 Port Arthur, TX
52 Wire, Coy LB 6-0 228 11/7/78 7 Stanford FA' 08 Camp Hill, PA

PRACTICE SQUAD
38 Barclay, Chris RB 5-10 180 10/15/83 2 Wake Forest FA '08 Louisville, KY
66 Bennett, Nate OG 6-4 315 1/19/84 R Clemson FA '08 Dallas, GA
70 Butterworth, Michael OL 6-7 298 1/7/85 R Slippery Rock FA '08 Northern Cambria, PA
96 Evans, Willie DE 6-1 267 3/5/84 1 Mississippi State FA '08 Waynesboro, MS
11 Kinoshita, Noriaki** WR 5-10 179 12/29/82 1 Ritsumeikan (Japan) FA '08 Osaka, Japan
91 Myles, Tywain DT 6-2 305 10/1/84 R Tarleton State FA '08 Nacogdoches, TX
35 Vinnett, Darius CB 5-8 170 9/30/84 2 Arkansas FA '08 New Orleans, LA
18 Williams, Chandler WR 5-11 178 8/9/85 1 Florida International FA '08 Miami, FL
82 Zinger, Keith TE 6-4 268 10/9/84 R LSU D7b '08 Leesville, LA

INJURED RESERVE
27 Brown, Thomas RB 5-8 200 5/15/86 R Georgia D6 '08 Tucker, GA
41 Harris, Antonie S 5-10 197 4/8/82 2 Louisville FA '07 Columbus, OH
89 Hartsock, Ben TE 6-4 264 7/5/80 5 Ohio State FA '08 Chillicothe, OH
25 Hutchins, Von CB 5-10 185 2/14/81 5 Mississippi FA '08 Natchez, MS
30 Irons, David CB 5-11 197 10/9/82 2 Auburn D6b '07 Dacula, GA
51 James, Robert LB 5-11 218 12/26/83 R Arizona State D5a '08 Glendale, AZ
64 McCoy, Pat OL 6-5 328 12/14/80 2 West Texas A&M FA '07 Fairfield, CA
19 Robinson, Laurent WR 6-2 194 5/20/85 2 Illinois State D3 '07 Fort Lewis, WA

RESERVE/PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO PERFORM

79 Foster, Renardo OL 6-7 340 7/15/84 2 Louisville FA '07 Ripley, TN
97 Lewis, Trey DT 6-3 323 5/23/85 2 Washburn D6a '07 Topeka, KS

** International practice squad player

COACHING STAFF
Mike Smith (Head Coach), Emmitt Thomas (Assistant Head Coach/Secondary),
Mike Mularkey (Offensive Coordinator), Brian VanGorder (Defensive Coordinator), Keith Armstrong (Special Teams Coordinator),
Paul Boudreau (Offensive Line), Gerald Brown (Running Backs), Joe Danna (Defensive Assistant), Paul Dunn (Assistant Offensive Line), Jeff Fish (Director of Athletic Performance),
Ray Hamilton (Defensive Line), Josh Hingst (Team Nutritionist), Bill Hughan (Assistant Director of Athletic Performance), Tom McMahon (Assistant Special Teams),
Bill Musgrave (Quarterbacks), Glenn Pires (Linebackers), Doug Plank (Coaching Assistant), Alvin Reynolds (Defensive Backs), Terry Robiskie (Wide Receivers),
Chris Scelfo (Tight Ends), Glenn Thomas (Offensive Assistant).

updated 1/6/2009
 2008 Atlanta Falcons Numerical Roster

# PLAYER POS H W AGE EXP COLLEGE ACQUIRED HOMETOWN

1 Jason Elam K 5-11 194 38 16 Hawaii UFA '08 (Den) Ft. Walton Beach, FL
2 Matt Ryan QB 6-4 220 23 R Boston College D1a '08 Exton, PA
3 D.J. Shockley QB 6-0 220 25 2 Georgia D7 '06 College Park, GA
8 Chris Redman QB 6-3 221 31 6 Louisville FA '07 Louisville, KY
9 Michael Koenen P 5-11 199 26 4 Western Washington FA '05 Ferndale, WA
12 Michael Jenkins WR 6-4 215 26 5 Ohio State D1b '04 Tampa, FL
14 Eric Weems WR 5-9 191 23 1 Bethune-Cookman FA '07 Ormond Beach, FL
20 Brent Grimes CB 5-10 200 25 1 Shippensburg FA '07 Philadelphia, PA
22 Chevis Jackson CB 5-11 185 23 R LSU D3a '08 Mobile, AL
23 Chris Houston CB 5-11 175 24 2 Arkansas D2b '07 Austin, TX
24 Domonique Foxworth CB 5-11 180 25 4 Maryland Tr '08 (Den) Cantonsville, MD
26 Erik Coleman S 5-10 206 26 5 Washington State FA '08 Sacramento, CA
28 Thomas DeCoud S 6-0 197 23 R Cal-Berkeley D3c '08 Vallejo, CA
29 Jamaal Fudge S 5-9 194 25 3 Clemson W '08 (Jax) Jacksonville, FL
32 Jerious Norwood RB 5-11 202 25 3 Mississippi State D3 '06 Jackson, MS
33 Michael Turner RB 5-10 244 26 5 Northern Illinois UFA '08 (SD) Waukegan, IL
34 Ovie Mughelli FB 6-1 245 28 6 Wake Forest UFA '07 (Balt) Boston, MA
36 Lawyer Milloy S 6-0 216 35 13 Washington FA '06 St. Louis, MO
37 Glenn Sharpe CB 6-0 185 24 R Miami (Fla.) FA '08 Miami, FL
42 Eric Brock S 6-0 202 23 R Auburn FA '08 Alexander City, AL
44 Jason Snelling RB 5-11 229 25 2 Virginia D7 '07 Chester, VA
46 Mike Schneck LS 6-1 234 31 10 Wisconsin FA '07 Whitefish Bay, WI
50 Curtis Lofton LB 6-0 248 22 R Oklahoma D2 '08 Kingfisher, OK
51 Tony Gilbert LB 6-0 248 29 5 Georgia FA '08 Macon, GA
52 Coy Wire LB 6-0 228 30 7 Stanford FA' 08 Camp Hill, PA
54 Stephen Nicholas LB 6-3 232 25 2 South Florida D4a '07 Jacksonville, FL
55 John Abraham DE 6-4 263 30 9 South Carolina Tr '06 (NYJ) Timmonsville, SC
56 Keith Brooking LB 6-2 241 33 11 Georgia Tech D1 '98 Senoia, GA
59 Michael Boley LB 6-3 223 26 4 Southern Miss D5a '05 Gadsden, AL
62 Todd McClure C 6-1 301 31 10 LSU D7a '99 Baton Rouge, LA
63 Justin Blalock OG 6-4 333 25 2 Texas D2a '07 Dallas, TX
67 Ben Wilkerson C 6-4 310 26 3 LSU FA '07 Port Arthur, TX
68 Wayne Gandy OT 6-5 308 37 14 Auburn FA '08 Haines City, FL
69 Alex Stepanovich C 6-4 296 27 5 Ohio State UFA '08 (Cin) Berea, OH
71 Kroy Biermann DE 6-3 241 23 R Montana D5b '08 Hardin, MT
72 Sam Baker OT 6-5 312 23 R USC D1b '08 Tustin, CA
73 Harvey Dahl OG 6-5 308 27 2 Nevada-Reno FA '07 Fallon, NV
74 Todd Weiner OT 6-4 300 33 11 Kansas State UFA '02 (Sea) Coral Springs, FL
75 Simon Fraser DE 6-6 274 25 4 Ohio State FA '08 Upper Arlington, OH
76 Quinn Ojinnaka OT 6-5 305 24 3 Syracuse D5 '06 Seabrook, MD
77 Tyson Clabo OT 6-6 332 27 3 Wake Forest FA '06 Knoxville, TN
81 Marcus Pollard TE 6-3 255 36 14 Bradley FA '08 Valley, AL
83 Harry Douglas WR 5-11 171 24 R Louisville D3b '08 Jonesboro, GA
84 Roddy White WR 6-0 208 27 4 Alabama-Birmingham D1 '05 James Island, SC
85 Jason Rader TE 6-4 271 27 3 Marshall FA '08 St. Albans, WV
86 Brian Finneran WR 6-5 206 33 9 Villanova FA '00 Mission Viejo, CA
87 Justin Peelle TE 6-4 250 29 7 Oregon FA '08 Fresno, CA
90 Grady Jackson DT 6-2 345 36 12 Knoxville FA '08 Greensboro, AL
92 Chauncey Davis DE 6-2 274 26 4 Florida State D4 '05 Bartow, FL
94 Kindal Moorehead DT 6-2 299 30 6 Alabama UFA '08 (Car) Memphis, TN
95 Jonathan Babineaux DT 6-2 284 27 4 Iowa D2 '05 Port Arthur, TX
98 Jamaal Anderson DE 6-6 282 22 2 Arkansas D1 '07 Little Rock, AR
99 Jason Jefferson DT 6-1 295 27 4 Wisconsin W '08 (Buf) Chicago, IL

PRACTICE SQUAD
11 Noriaki Kinoshita** WR 5-10 179 26 1 Ritsumeikan (Japan) FA '08 Osaka, Japan
18 Chandler Williams WR 5-11 178 23 1 Florida International FA '08 Miami, FL
35 Darius Vinnett CB 5-8 170 24 2 Arkansas FA '08 New Orleans, LA
38 Chris Barclay RB 5-10 180 25 2 Wake Forest FA '08 Louisville, KY
66 Nate Bennett OG 6-4 315 25 R Clemson FA '08 Dallas, GA
70 Michael Butterworth OL 6-7 298 24 R Slippery Rock FA '08 Northern Cambria, PA
82 Keith Zinger TE 6-4 268 24 R LSU D7b '08 Leesville, LA
91 Tywain Myles DT 6-2 305 24 R Tarleton State FA '08 Nacogdoches, TX
96 Willie Evans DE 6-1 267 24 1 Mississippi State FA '08 Waynesboro, MS

INJURED RESERVE
19 Laurent Robinson WR 6-2 194 23 2 Illinois State D3 '07 Fort Lewis, WA
25 Von Hutchins CB 5-10 185 27 5 Mississippi FA '08 Natchez, MS
27 Thomas Brown RB 5-8 200 22 R Georgia D6 '08 Tucker, GA
30 David Irons CB 5-11 197 26 2 Auburn D6b '07 Dacula, GA
41 Antoine Harris S 5-10 197 26 2 Louisville FA '07 Columbus, OH
51 Robert James LB 5-11 218 25 R Arizona State D5a '08 Glendale, AZ
64 Pat McCoy OL 6-5 328 28 2 West Texas A&M FA '07 Fairfield, CA
89 Ben Hartsock TE 6-4 264 28 5 Ohio State FA '08 Chillicothe, OH

RESERVE/PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO PERFORM

79 Renardo Foster OL 6-7 340 24 2 Louisville FA '07 Ripley, TN
97 Trey Lewis DT 6-3 323 23 2 Washburn D6a '07 Topeka, KS

* Birthdays through the month of January

** International practice squad player
COACHING STAFF
Mike Smith (Head Coach), Emmitt Thomas (Assistant Head Coach/Secondary),
Mike Mularkey (Offensive Coordinator), Brian VanGorder (Defensive Coordinator), Keith Armstrong (Special Teams Coordinator),
Paul Boudreau (Offensive Line), Gerald Brown (Running Backs), Joe Danna (Defensive Assistant), Paul Dunn (Assistant Offensive Line), Jeff Fish (Director of Athletic Performance),
Ray Hamilton (Defensive Line), Josh Hingst (Team Nutritionist), Bill Hughan (Assistant Director of Athletic Performance), Tom McMahon (Assistant Special Teams),
Bill Musgrave (Quarterbacks), Glenn Pires (Linebackers), Doug Plank (Coaching Assistant), Alvin Reynolds (Defensive Backs), Terry Robiskie (Wide Receivers),
Chris Scelfo (Tight Ends), Glenn Thomas (Offensive Assistant).

updated 1/6/2009
 2008 Atlanta Falcons Roster By Experience
# PLAYER POS H W Birthdate EXP COLLEGE ACQUIRED HOMETOWN
1 Elam, Jason K 5-11 194 3/8/70 16 Hawaii UFA '08 (Den) Ft. Walton Beach, FL
68 Gandy, Wayne OT 6-5 308 2/10/71 14 Auburn FA' 08 Haines City, FL
81 Pollard, Marcus TE 6-3 255 2/8/72 14 Bradley FA '08 Valley, AL
36 Milloy, Lawyer S 6-0 216 11/14/73 13 Washington FA '06 St. Louis, MO
90 Jackson, Grady DT 6-2 345 1/21/73 12 Knoxville FA '08 Greensboro, AL
56 Brooking, Keith LB 6-2 241 10/30/75 11 Georgia Tech D1 '98 Senoia, GA
74 Weiner, Todd OT 6-4 300 9/16/75 11 Kansas State UFA '02 (Sea) Coral Springs, FL
62 McClure, Todd C 6-1 301 2/16/77 10 LSU D7a '99 Baton Rouge, LA
46 Schneck, Mike LS 6-1 234 8/4/77 10 Wisconsin FA '07 Whitefish Bay, WI
55 Abraham, John DE 6-4 263 5/6/78 9 South Carolina Tr '06 (NYJ) Timmonsville, SC
86 Finneran, Brian WR 6-5 206 1/31/76 9 Villanova FA '00 Mission Viejo, CA
87 Peelle, Justin TE 6-4 250 3/15/79 7 Oregon FA '08 Fresno, CA
52 Wire, Coy LB 6-0 228 11/7/78 7 Stanford FA' 08 Camp Hill, PA
94 Moorehead, Kindal DT 6-2 299 10/14/78 6 Alabama UFA '08 (Car) Memphis, TN
34 Mughelli, Ovie FB 6-1 245 6/10/80 6 Wake Forest UFA '07 (Balt) Boston, MA
8 Redman, Chris QB 6-3 221 7/7/77 6 Louisville FA '07 Louisville, KY
26 Coleman, Erik S 5-10 206 5/16/82 5 Washington State FA '08 Sacramento, CA
51 Gilbert, Tony LB 6-0 248 10/16/79 5 Georgia FA '08 Macon, GA
12 Jenkins, Michael WR 6-4 215 6/18/82 5 Ohio State D1b '04 Tampa, FL
69 Stepanovich, Alex C 6-4 296 9/25/81 5 Ohio State UFA '08 (Cin) Berea, OH
33 Turner, Michael RB 5-10 244 2/13/82 5 Northern Illinois UFA '08 (SD) Waukegan, IL
95 Babineaux, Jonathan DT 6-2 284 10/12/81 4 Iowa D2 '05 Port Arthur, TX
59 Boley, Michael LB 6-3 223 8/24/82 4 Southern Miss D5a '05 Gadsden, AL
92 Davis, Chauncey DE 6-2 274 1/27/83 4 Florida State D4 '05 Bartow, FL
24 Foxworth, Domonique CB 5-11 180 3/27/83 4 Maryland Tr '08 (Den) Cantonsville, MD
75 Fraser, Simon DE 6-6 274 3/27/83 4 Ohio State FA '08 Upper Arlington, OH
99 Jefferson, Jason DT 6-1 295 12/20/81 4 Wisconsin W '08 (Buf) Chicago, IL
9 Koenen, Michael P 5-11 199 7/13/82 4 Western Washington FA '05 Ferndale, WA
84 White, Roddy WR 6-0 208 11/2/81 4 Alabama-Birmingham D1 '05 James Island, SC
77 Clabo, Tyson OT 6-6 332 10/17/81 3 Wake Forest FA '06 Knoxville, TN
29 Fudge, Jamaal S 5-9 194 5/17/83 3 Clemson W '08 (Jax) Jacksonville, FL
32 Norwood, Jerious RB 5-11 202 7/29/83 3 Mississippi State D3 '06 Jackson, MS
76 Ojinnaka, Quinn OT 6-5 305 4/23/84 3 Syracuse D5 '06 Seabrook, MD
85 Rader, Jason TE 6-4 271 4/12/81 3 Marshall FA '08 St. Albans, WV
67 Wilkerson, Ben C 6-4 310 11/22/82 3 Louisiana State FA '07 Port Arthur, TX
98 Anderson, Jamaal DE 6-6 282 2/6/86 2 Arkansas D1 '07 Little Rock, AR
63 Blalock, Justin OG 6-4 333 12/20/83 2 Texas D2a '07 Dallas, TX
73 Dahl, Harvey OG 6-5 308 6/24/81 2 Nevada-Reno FA '07 Fallon, NV
23 Houston, Chris CB 5-11 175 10/18/84 2 Arkansas D2b '07 Austin, TX
54 Nicholas, Stephen LB 6-3 232 5/1/83 2 South Florida D4a '07 Jacksonville, FL
3 Shockley, D.J. QB 6-0 222 3/23/83 2 Georgia D7 '06 College Park, GA
44 Snelling, Jason RB 5-11 229 12/29/83 2 Virginia D7 '07 Chester, VA
20 Grimes, Brent CB 5-10 185 7/19/83 1 Shippensburg FA '07 Philadelphia, PA
14 Weems, Eric WR 5-9 191 7/4/85 1 Bethune-Cookman FA '07 Ormond Beach, FL
72 Baker, Sam OT 6-5 312 5/30/85 R USC D1b '08 Tustin, CA
71 Biermann, Kroy DE 6-3 241 9/12/85 R Montana D5b '08 Hardin, MT
42 Brock, Eric S 6-0 202 4/24/85 R Auburn FA '08 Alexander City, AL
28 DeCoud, Thomas S 6-0 197 3/19/85 R Cal-Berkeley D3c '08 Vallejo, CA
83 Douglas, Harry WR 5-11 171 9/16/84 R Louisville D3b '08 Jonesboro, GA
22 Jackson, Chevis CB 5-11 185 12/11/85 R LSU D3a '08 Mobile, AL
50 Lofton, Curtis LB 6-0 248 6/2/86 R Oklahoma D2 '08 Kingfisher, OK
2 Ryan, Matt QB 6-4 220 5/17/85 R Boston College D1a '08 Exton, PA
37 Sharpe, Glenn CB 6-0 185 2/27/84 R Miami (Fla.) FA '08 Miami, FL

PRACTICE SQUAD
38 Barclay, Chris RB 5-10 180 10/15/83 2 Wake Forest FA '08 Louisville, KY
35 Vinnett, Darius CB 5-8 170 9/30/84 2 Arkansas FA '08 New Orleans, LA
96 Evans, Willie DE 6-1 267 3/5/84 1 Mississippi State FA '08 Waynesboro, MS
11 Kinoshita, Noriaki** WR 5-10 179 12/29/82 1 Ritsumeikan (Japan) FA '08 Osaka, Japan
18 Williams, Chandler WR 5-11 178 8/9/85 1 Florida International FA '08 Miami, FL
66 Bennett, Nate OG 6-4 315 1/19/84 R Clemson FA '08 Dallas, GA
70 Butterworth, Michael OL 6-7 298 1/7/85 R Slippery Rock FA '08 Northern Cambria, PA
91 Myles, Tywain DT 6-2 305 10/1/84 R Tarleton State FA '08 Nacogdoches, TX
82 Zinger, Keith TE 6-4 268 10/9/84 R LSU D7b '08 Leesville, LA

INJURED RESERVE
89 Hartsock, Ben TE 6-4 264 7/5/80 5 Ohio State FA '08 Chillicothe, OH
25 Hutchins, Von CB 5-10 185 2/14/81 5 Mississippi FA '08 Natchez, MS
41 Harris, Antonie S 5-10 197 4/8/82 2 Louisville FA '07 Columbus, OH
30 Irons, David CB 5-11 197 10/9/82 2 Auburn D6b '07 Dacula, GA
64 McCoy, Pat OL 6-5 333 12/14/80 2 West Texas A&M FA '07 Fairfield, CA
19 Robinson, Laurent WR 6-2 194 5/20/85 2 Illinois State D3 '07 Fort Lewis, WA
27 Brown, Thomas RB 5-8 200 5/15/86 R Georgia D6 '08 Tucker, GA
51 James, Robert LB 5-11 218 12/26/83 R Arizona State D5a '08 Glendale, AZ

RESERVE/PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO PERFORM

79 Foster, Renardo OL 6-7 340 7/15/84 2 Louisville FA '07 Ripley, TN
97 Lewis, Trey DT 6-3 323 5/23/85 2 Washburn D6a '07 Topeka, KS

** International practice squad player

COACHING STAFF
Mike Smith (Head Coach), Emmitt Thomas (Assistant Head Coach/Secondary),
Mike Mularkey (Offensive Coordinator), Brian VanGorder (Defensive Coordinator), Keith Armstrong (Special Teams Coordinator),
Paul Boudreau (Offensive Line), Gerald Brown (Running Backs), Joe Danna (Defensive Assistant), Paul Dunn (Assistant Offensive Line), Jeff Fish (Director of Athletic Performance),
Ray Hamilton (Defensive Line), Josh Hingst (Team Nutritionist), Bill Hughan (Assistant Director of Athletic Performance), Tom McMahon (Assistant Special Teams),
Bill Musgrave (Quarterbacks), Glenn Pires (Linebackers), Doug Plank (Coaching Assistant), Alvin Reynolds (Defensive Backs), Terry Robiskie (Wide Receivers),
Chris Scelfo (Tight Ends), Glenn Thomas (Offensive Assistant).

updated 1/6/2009
 2008 Atlanta Falcons Roster By Position
Offense: 25 Defense/Special Teams: 28
Coordinator: Mike Mularkey Coordinator: Brian VanGorder
Offensive Assistant: Glenn Thomas Defensive Assistant: Joe Danna
QUARTERBACKS (3) DEFENSIVE LINE (9)
Coach: Bill Musgrave Coach: Ray Hamilton
2 Matt Ryan 55 John Abraham
3 D.J. Shockley 71 Kroy Biermann
8 Chris Redman 75 Simon Fraser
90 Grady Jackson
RUNNING BACKS (4) 92 Chauncey Davis
Coach: Gerald Brown 94 Kindal Moorehead
32 Jerious Norwood 95 Jonathan Babineaux
33 Michael Turner 98 Jamaal Anderson
34 Ovie Mughelli 99 Jason Jefferson
44 Jason Snelling
LINEBACKERS (6)
WIDE RECEIVERS (5) Coach: Glenn Pires
Coach: Terry Robiskie 50 Curtis Lofton
12 Michael Jenkins 51 Tony Gilbert
14 Eric Weems 52 Coy Wire
83 Harry Douglas 54 Stephen Nicholas
84 Roddy White 56 Keith Brooking
86 Brian Finneran 59 Michael Boley

TIGHT ENDS (3) DEFENSIVE BACKS (10)

Coach: Chris Scelfo Coach: Emmitt Thomas
81 Marcus Pollard Coach: Alvin Reynolds
85 Jason Rader 20 Brent Grimes
87 Justin Peelle 22 Chevis Jackson
23 Chris Houston
OFFENSIVE LINE (10) 24 Domonique Foxworth
Coach: Paul Boudreau 26 Erik Coleman
62 Todd McClure 28 Thomas DeCoud
63 Justin Blalock 29 Jamaal Fudge
67 Ben Wilkerson 36 Lawyer Milloy
68 Wayne Gandy 37 Glenn Sharpe
69 Alex Stepanovich 42 Eric Brock
72 Sam Baker
73 Harvey Dahl SPECIALISTS (3)
74 Todd Weiner Coach: Keith Armstrong/Tom McMahon
76 Quinn Ojinnaka 1 Jason Elam
77 Tyson Clabo 9 Michael Koenen
46 Mike Schneck
 2008 ATLANTA FALCONS UNOFFICIAL DEPTH CHART
(End of the Season)

OFFENSE
WR 12 Michael Jenkins 86 Brian Finneran
LT 72 Sam Baker 76 Quinn Ojinnaka 68 Wayne Gandy
LG 63 Justin Blalock 67 Ben Wilkerson
C 62 Todd McClure 67 Ben Wilkerson 69 Alex Stepanovich
RG 73 Harvey Dahl 77 Tyson Clabo
RT 77 Tyson Clabo 74 Todd Weiner
TE 87 Justin Peelle 85 Jason Rader 81 Marcus Pollard
WR 84 Roddy White 83 Harry Douglas 14 Eric Weems
QB 2 Matt Ryan 8 Chris Redman 3 D.J. Shockley
RB 33 Michael Turner 32 Jerious Norwood 44 Jason Snelling
FB 34 Ovie Mughelli

DEFENSE
RE 55 John Abraham 92 Chauncey Davis 71 Kroy Biermann
DT 90 Grady Jackson 99 Jason Jefferson
DT 95 Jonathan Babineaux 94 Kindal Moorehead
LE 98 Jamaal Anderson 75 Simon Fraser
OLB 59 Michael Boley 54 Stephen Nicholas
MLB 50 Curtis Lofton 51 Tony Gilbert
OLB 56 Keith Brooking 52 Coy Wire
RCB 23 Chris Houston 22 Chevis Jackson
LCB 24 Domonique Foxworth 20 Brent Grimes 37 Glenn Sharpe
SS 36 Lawyer Milloy 29 Jamaal Fudge 42 Eric Brock
FS 26 Erik Coleman 28 Thomas DeCoud

SPECIALISTS
K 1 Jason Elam
KO 9 Michael Koenen 1 Jason Elam
P 9 Michael Koenen 1 Jason Elam
KR 32 Jerious Norwood
PR 83 Harry Douglas
LS 46 Mike Schneck
H 9 Michael Koenen

PRONUNCIATION GUIDE

Jonathan Babineaux BAB-in-NO

Kroy Biermann Beer-man
Thomas DeCoud DAY-coo
Michael Koenen KANE-in
Ovie Mughelli OH-vee mah-HAY-lee
Jerious Norwood JAIR-ee-us
Quinn Ojinnaka O-ja-NAH-ka
Todd Weiner WINE-er
 2008 PARTICIPATION
DET @TB KC @CAR @GB CHI @PHI @OAK NO DEN CAR @SD @NO TB @MIN STL *PL S DNP IA
55 Abraham, J. RE RE RE RE RE RE RE RE RE RE RE RE RE RE RE RD 16 16 0 0
98 Anderson, J. LE LE LE LE LE LE LE LE LE LE LE LE LE LE LE IA 15 15 0 1
95 Babineaux, J. DT DT DT DT DT DT DT DT DT DT DT DT P DT DT DT 16 15 0 0
72 Baker, S. LT LT LT IA LT LT IA IA IA IA IA IA IA P P P 8 5 0 8
71 Biermann, K. P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P 16 0 0 0
63 Blalock, J. LG LG LG LG LG LG LG LG LG LG LG LG LG LG LG LG 16 16 0 0
59 Boley, M. OLB OLB P OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB P P P 16 13 0 0
42 Brock, E. IA P 1 0 0 1
56 Brooking, K. OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB 16 16 0 0
77 Clabo, T. RT RT RT RT RT RT RT RT RT RT RT RT RT RT RT RT 16 16 0 0
26 Coleman, E. FS FS FS FS FS FS FS P FS FS FS FS FS FS FS FS 16 15 0 0
73 Dahl, H. RG RG RG RG RG RG RG RG RG RG RG RG RG RG RG RG 16 16 0 0
92 Davis, C. P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P LE 16 1 0 0
28 DeCoud, T. DNP P P P P IA IA IA IA IA P P P P P P 10 0 1 5
83 Douglas, H. P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P 16 0 0 0
1 Elam, J. P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P 16 0 0 0
86 Finneran, B. P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P 16 0 0 0
24 Foxworth, D. IA P P P P P LCB LCB LCB LCB LCB LCB LCB LCB LCB LCB 15 10 0 1
75 Fraser, S. IA P IA IA P P IA IA IA IA P IA IA IA IA P 5 0 0 11
29 Fudge, J. DNP IA IA P P P P P P P IA IA P P P SS 11 1 1 4
68 Gandy, W. P P P P P P IA P IA 7 0 0 2
51 Gilbert, T. IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA 0 0 0 16
20 Grimes, B. LCB LCB LCB LCB LCB LCB P P P IA P IA IA IA P P 12 6 0 4
41 Harris, A. P P P P P P P P P P P P IA IR IR IR 12 0 0 1
89 Hartsock, B. TE TE TE TE TE TE TE TE TE TE TE IR IR IR IR IR 11 11 0 0
23 Houston, C. RCB RCB RCB RCB RCB RCB RCB RCB RCB RCB RCB RCB RCB RCB RCB RCB 16 16 0 0
30 Irons, D. P IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA P IA P P P IR IR 5 0 0 9
22 Jackson, C. P P P P P P P CB P P P P CB P P P 16 2 0 0
91 Jackson, G. DT IA DT DT DT DT DT DT DT DT DT DT DT DT DT DT 15 15 0 1
99 Jefferson, J. IA DT P P IA IA P P P P P P P P P P 12 1 0 3
12 Jenkins, M. WR WR WR P WR WR P P P WR WR WR WR WR WR WR 16 11 0 0
81 Jennings, A. P P P P P P P IA IA 7 0 0 2
9 Koenen, M. P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P 16 0 0 0
50 Lofton, C. MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB P MLB MLB MLB 16 15 0 0
62 McClure, T. C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C 16 16 0 0
96 Miller, B. DNP 0 0 1 0
36 Milloy, L. SS SS SS SS SS SS SS SS SS SS SS SS SS SS SS IA 15 15 0 1
88 Milner, M. IA IA 0 0 0 2
94 Moorehead, K. P P P P P P P P P IA IA P DT P P P 13 1 0 2
34 Mughelli, O. FB FB FB P FB FB P FB FB FB FB FB FB FB FB FB 16 14 0 0
54 Nicholas, S. P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P 16 0 0 0
32 Norwood, J. P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P 16 0 0 0
76 Ojinnaka, Q. IA IA IA P IA IA P P IA P P P P P IA IA 8 0 0 8
87 Peelle, J. P P P TE P TE TE TE TE TE P TE TE TE TE TE 16 11 0 0
81 Pollard, M. IA P 1 0 0 1
85 Rader, J. IA IA IA DNP TE P P P P P 6 1 1 3
8 Redman, C. DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 0 0 16 0
19 Robinson, L. P P P IA IA IA IA P P P IA IA IA IA IR IR 6 0 0 8
2 Ryan, M. QB QB QB QB QB QB QB QB QB QB QB QB QB QB QB QB 16 16 0 0
46 Schneck, M. P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P 16 0 0 0
37 Sharpe, G. IA IA IA 0 0 0 3
3 Shockley, D. IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA 0 0 0 16
44 Snelling, J. P P P FB P P P P P P P P P P P P 16 1 0 0
69 Stepanovich, A. IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA P IA P P P IA IA IA 4 0 0 12
33 Turner, M. RB RB RB RB RB RB RB RB RB RB RB RB RB RB RB RB 16 16 0 0
14 Weems, E. P P P P P P 6 0 0 0
74 Weiner, T. P P P LT P P LT LT LT LT LT LT LT LT LT LT 16 11 0 0
84 White, R. WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR 16 16 0 0
67 Wilkerson, B. P P P P P P P P P P IA IA IA P P P 13 0 0 3
52 Wire, C. P P OLB P P P P P P P P P P OLB OLB OLB 16 4 0 0

Position - start P - played IA - inactive DNP - did not play IR - injured reserve MR - reserve/military NFI - reserve/non-football injury
PUP- physically unable to perform SR - Supsended/Reserve PS/IN - practice squad/Injured
 HOW THE FALCONS WERE BUILT
Year By Draft By Trade Undrafted Free Agents Free Agents
2008 QB Matt Ryan (D1a-‘08) CB Domonique Foxworth S Eric Brock
OT Sam Baker (D1b-‘08) (Tr ‘08 - Den) S Erik Coleman
LB Curtis Lofton (D2-‘08) K Jason Elam (UFA-‘08 - Den.)
CB Chevis Jackson (D3a-‘08) DE Simon Fraser
WR Harry Douglas (D3b-‘08) S Jamaal Fudge (W ‘08 - Jax)
S Thomas DeCoud (D3c-‘08) OT Wayne Gandy
DE Kroy Biermann (D5b-‘08) LB Tony Gilbert
DT Grady Jackson
DT Jason Jefferson (W ‘08 - Buf)
DT Kindal Moorehead (UFA-‘08 - Car.)
TE Justin Peelle
TE Marcus Pollard
TE Jason Rader
CB Glenn Sharpe
C Alex Stepanovich (UFA-‘08 - Cin.)
RB Michael Turner (UFA-‘08 - S.D.)
WR Eric Weems
LB Coy Wire

2007 DE Jamaal Anderson (D1-‘07) G Harvey Dahl

OG Justin Blalock (D2a-‘07) CB Brent Grimes
CB Chris Houston (D2b-‘07) FB Ovie Mughelli (UFA-‘07 - Bal.)
LB Stephen Nicholas (D4a-‘07) QB Chris Redman
RB Jason Snelling (D7-‘07) LS Mike Schneck
C Ben Wilkerson

2006 RB Jerious Norwood (D3-‘06) DE John Abraham (Tr-‘06 - NYJ) OT Tyson Clabo
OT Quinn Ojinnaka (D5-‘06) S Lawyer Milloy
QB D.J. Shockley (D7-‘06)

2005 WR Roddy White (D1-‘05) P Michael Koenen

DT Jonathan Babineaux (D2-‘05)
DE Chauncey Davis (D4-‘05)
LB Michael Boley (D5a-‘05)

2004 WR Michael Jenkins (D1b-‘04)

2003

2002 OT Todd Weiner (UFA-‘02 - Sea.)

2001

2000 WR Brian Finneran

1999 C Todd McClure (D7a-‘99)

1998 LB Keith Brooking (D1-‘98)

 2008 ATLANTA FALCONS TRANSACTIONS
Date Transaction
January 2 Signed LB Earl Everett, DB C.J. Gaddis, LB Cameron Vaughn and WR Todd Watkins to Reserve/Future contracts
January 2 Offensive Line Coach Mike Summers and Offensive Quality Control Coach Derrick Nix resign from the team
January 8 Signed free agent DE Willie Evans
January 10 Linebackers Coach Brian VanGorder resigns from the team
January 13 Named Thomas Dimitroff General Manager of the Falcons
January 16 Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer resigns from the team
January 23 Named Mike Smith the 14th Head Coach of the Atlanta Falcons
January 23 Named Emmitt Thomas Assistant Head Coach/Secondary Coach
January 25 Named Mike Mularkey Offensive Coordinator
January 25 Named Brian VanGorder Defensive Coordinator
January 26 Ollie Wilson not retained as Running Backs Coach
January 26 Andy Sugarman not retained as Offensive Assistant
January 26 Kevin Wolthausen not retained as Defensive Line Coach
January 26 Hue Jackson not retained as Offensive Coordinator
January 26 Evan Marcus not retained as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach
January 26 Dave Puloka not retained as Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach
January 26 Jon Gannon not retained as Defensive Assistant
January 26 Jerry Rosburg not retained as Special Teams Coordinator
January 26 Named Terry Robiskie Wide Receivers Coach
January 26 Named Ray Hamilton Defensive Line Coach
January 26 Named Gerald Brown Running Backs Coach
January 26 Named Glenn Thomas Offensive Assistant
January 29 Named Keith Armstrong Special Teams Coordinator
January 29 Named Jeff Fish Director of Athletic Performance
January 29 Named Bill Hughan Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach
January 30 Named Chris Scelfo Tight Ends Coach
January 30 Named Paul Dunn Assistant Offensive Line Coach
January 31 Named Paul Boudreau Offensive Line Coach

February 4 Named Joe Danna Defensive Assistant

February 5 Signed free agent tight end George Cooper
February 6 Named Alvin Reynolds Defensive Backs Coach
February 11 Waived WR Todd Watkins
February 11 Joe Whitt Jr. not retained as Assistanta Defensive Backs Coach
February 11 Keith Rowen not retained as Tight Ends Coach
February 13 Named Glenn Pires Linebackers Coach
February 13 Retained Billy “White Shoes” Johnson as Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach
February 15 Released LB Marcus Wilkins, CB Lewis Sanders, QB Byron Leftwich, TE Alge Crumpler, DT Rod Coleman, OL Wayne
Gandy and WR Jamin Elliott
February 29 Re-signed QB Chris Redman and waived RB Taurean Henderson

March 1 Signed free agent S Erik Coleman and signed free agent CB Von Hutchins
March 2 Signed unrestricted free agent (SD) Michael Turner and signed free agent TE Ben Hartsock
March 3 Released RB Warrick Dunn
March 5 Released QB Joey Harrington
March 7 Signed unrestriced free agent (Car) DL Kindal Moorehead and free agents DL Simon Fraser and Rashad Moore
March 10 Re-signed DT Tim Anderson and signed Unrestricted Free Agent (Cin) Alex Stepanovich
March 12 Re-signed QB Joey Harrington
March 14 Signed free agent TE Jason Rader
March 19 Retained exclusive rights for OL Tyson Clabo
March 20 Traded CB DeAngelo Hall to the Oakland Raiders for a second round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft and a future fifth
round selection in the 2009 draft
March 21 Signed unrestricted free agent (Den) K Jason Elam
March 24 Retained exclusive rights for DT Montavious Stanley

April 9 LB Michael Boley signs tender offer

April 14 DE Chauncey Davis and P Michael Koenen sign tender offers
April 18 FB Corey McIntrye signs tender offer
April 24 Signed free agent K Kevin Lovell
April 26 Acquired the No. 21, No. 84 and No. 154 overall selections in the 2008 NFL Draft for the No. 34, No. 48 and No. 103 over
all selections in a trade with the Washington Redskins
April 26 Drafted QB Matt Ryan in the first round (3rd overall), OT Sam Baker in the first round (21st overall) and LB Curtis Lofton in
the second round (37th overall)
April 27 Drafted CB Chevis Jackson in the third round (68th overall), WR Harry Douglas in the third round (84th overall), S Thomas
DeCoud in the third round (98th overall), LB Robert James in the fifth round (138th overall), DE Kroy Biermann in the fifth
round (154th overall), RB Thomas Brown in the sixth round (172nd overall), CB Wilrey Fontenot in the seventh round (212th
overall) and TE Keith Zinger in the seventh round (232nd overall)
April 28 Signed rookie free agents LB Isaac Brown, P Jimmie Kaylor, CB Glenn Sharpe, FS D.J. Wolfe, DE Brandon Miller, RB
Jamar Brittingham and OT Michael Butterworth
April 29 Signed free agent WR Chandler Williams and claimed the contract of free agent CB Nick Turnbull from the Cincinnati
Bengals
April 30 David Caldwell hired as the Director of College Scouting
 2008 ATLANTA FALCONS TRANSACTIONS
May 8 Lionel Vital hired as the Assistant Director of Player Personnel
May 11 Waived CB C.J. Gaddis
May 19 Signed free agents WR Tony Gonzalez, S Eric Brock and S Jamal Lewis. Waived S Nick Turnbull and LB Earl Everett
May 20 Signed QB Matt Ryan to a six-year contract
May 21 Signed free agent TE Brad Listorti
May 22 Waived P Jimmie Kaylor
May 23 Waived S D.J. Wolfe

June 7 Signed TE Keith Zinger to a four-year contract

June 10 Signed CB Chevis Jackson and S Thomas DeCoud to four-year contracts. Waived TE George Cooper
June 17 Waived S Jimmy Williams and signed CB Wilrey Fontenot to a four-year contract
June 18 Signed RB Thomas Brown to a four-year contract, waived OL Michael Butterworth, DE Derrick Jones, OL Kurt Quarterman
and DB Jamal Lewis, signed free agent DB Deke Cooper
June 20 Signed WR Harry Douglas to a four-year contract
June 23 Waived C Doug Datish
June 26 Signed DE Kroy Biermann to a four-year contract

July 15 Signed LB Robert James to a four-year contract

July 18 Waived WR Tony Gonzalez
July 23 Signed Doug Plank as a seasonal coaching assistant
July 23 Signed Noriaki Kinoshita as the team’s international practice squad player
July 25 Signed LB Curtis Lofton to a four-year contract agreed to terms with OL Sam Baker, signed OL Michael Butterworth, signed
linebacker Coy Wire, signed CB Blue Adams, placed DT Trey Lewis on Active/Non-Football Injury list, placed OT Renardo
Foster on the Physically Unable to Peform list, waived OL Pat McCoy, waived LB Travis Williams and waived CB Glenn
Sharpe
July 29 Signed DT Grady Jackson and CB Glenn Sharpe, placed CB Von Hutchins on injured reserve and waived DL David
Patterson

August 4 Signed TE George Cooper and waived RB Jamar Brittingham

August 5 Waived/Injured LB Robert James
August 6 Signed LB Mickey Pimentel and placed LB Robert James on injured reserve
August 7 Signed C Doug Datish and waived K Kevin Lovell
August 11 Waived/Injured TE Brad Listorti
August 19 Released WR Joe Horn and waived/injured LB Isaac Brown
August 24 Waived TE George Cooper and signed TE Marcus Pollard
August 26 Moved OL Renardo Foster to the reserve physically unable to perform list and moved DT Trey Lewis to the reserve non
football injury list
August 30 Waived OL D'Anthony Batiste, S Eric Brock, OL Michael Butterworth, S Deke Cooper, C Doug Datish, DE Willie Evans, QB
Joey Harrington, CB Wilrey Fontenot, OL Kynan Forney, DE Brandon Miller, DT Rashad Moore, OL Terrance Pennington,
LB Mickey Pimentel, TE Marcus Pollard, CB Glenn Sharpe, DT Montavious Stanley, S Daren Stone, LB Cameron Vaughn,
WR Eric Weems, WR Chandler Williams, TE Keith Zinger and placed RB Thomas Brown on injured reserve
August 31 Signed TE Keith Zinger, WR Eric Weems, OL D’Anthony Batiste, DB Glenn Sharpe, DB Eric Brock, DE Brandon Miller and
WR Noriaki Kinoshita to the practice squad and DT Jason Jefferson off of waivers (Buf)

September 1 Signed RB Kenneth Davis and DE Sean Conover to the practice squad, signed free agents TE Justin Peelle and LB Tony
Gilbert and released TE Jason Rader and LB Tony Taylor
September 2 Traded a 2009 seventh round draft pick to the Denver Broncos for CB Domonique Foxworth, claimed Jamaal Fudge off of
waivers (Jax) and released CB Blue Adams and FB Corey McIntyre
September 16 Waived TE Martrez Milner
September 17 Signed TE Jason Rader

October 14 Signed free agent RB Chris Barclay to the practice squad, RB Kenneth Darby signed off of the Falcons practice squad to
the St. Louis Rams active roster
October 29 Signed free agent OT Wayne Gandy, signed free agent DT J’Vonne Parker to the practice squad, released TE Jason Rader
and released DE Sean Conover from the practice squad

November 11 Released WR Adam Jennings, signed DE Brandon Miller from the practice squad to the active roster and signed free
agent WR Chandler Williams to the practice squad
November 19 Waived DE Brandon Miller and signed WR Eric Weems from the practice squad to the active roster
November 20 Signed DE Willie Evans to the practice squad
November 26 Placed TE Ben Hartsock on injured reserve and signed free agent TE Jason Rader

December 9 Placed S Antoine Harris on injured reserve, signed CB Glenn Sharpe from the practice squad to the active roster and
signed OG Nate Bennett to the practice squad
December 10 OL D’Anthony Batiste was signed off the practice squad to the Washington Redskins roster
December 16 Placed CB David Irons and WR Laurent Robinson on injured reserve, signed S Eric Brock from the practice squad to the
active roster, signed free agent TE Marcus Pollard to the active roster and signed OL Michael Butterworth and CB Darius
Vinnett to the practice squad
December 24 DT J’Vonne Parker signed from the Falcons practice squad to the Carolina Panthers roster, signed DT Tywain Myles to the
practice squad
ATLANTA FALCONS / WEEK 17 / THROUGH SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2008

WON 11, LOST 5 * RUSHING No. Yds Avg Long TD

09/07 W 34-21 Detroit 62,310 Turner 376 1699 4.5 70 17
09/14 L 9-24 at Tampa Bay 63,611 Norwood 95 489 5.1 45t 4
09/21 W 38-14 Kansas City 62,434 Ryan 55 104 1.9 17 1
09/28 L 9-24 at Carolina 72,688 Douglas 12 69 5.8 33 1
10/05 W 27-24 at Green Bay 70,610 Snelling 15 62 4.1 13 0
10/12 W 22-20 Chicago 64,096 Mughelli 5 16 3.2 9 0
10/26 L 14-27 at Philadelphia 69,144 White 2 4 2.0 2 0
11/02 W 24- 0 at Oakland 61,196 TEAM 560 2443 4.4 70 23
11/09 W 34-20 New Orleans 64,826 OPPONENTS 415 2040 4.9 68t 17
11/16 L 20-24 Denver 64,358 * RECEIVING No. Yds Avg Long TD
11/23 W 45-28 Carolina 64,841 White 88 1382 15.7 70t 7
11/30 W 22-16 at San Diego 67,200 Jenkins 50 777 15.5 62t 3
12/07 L 25-29 at New Orleans 70,011 Norwood 36 338 9.4 67t 2
12/14 W 13-10 OT
Tampa Bay 65,045 Douglas 23 320 13.9 69 1
12/21 W 24-17 at Minnesota 62,889 Finneran 21 169 8.0 14 1
12/28 W 31-27 St. Louis 64,617 Peelle 15 159 10.6 18t 2
Atl. Opp. Snelling 8 89 11.1 27 0
TOTAL FIRST DOWNS 313 309 Mughelli 8 57 7.1 18 0
Rushing 131 108 Turner 6 41 6.8 18 0
Passing 157 189 Robinson 5 52 10.4 23 0
Penalty 25 12 Hartsock 3 26 8.7 17 0
3rd Down: Made/Att 95/219 79/208 Rader 1 26 26.0 26 0
3rd Down Pct. 43.4 38.0 Weems 1 4 4.0 4 0
4th Down: Made/Att 6/13 10/20 TEAM 265 3440 13.0 70t 16
4th Down Pct. 46.2 50.0 OPPONENTS 325 3771 11.6 56t 20
POSSESSION AVG. 30:49 29:11 * INTERCEPTIONS No. Yds Avg Long TD
TOTAL NET YARDS 5779 5566 Coleman 3 48 16.0 32 0
Avg. Per Game 361.2 347.9 Houston 2 10 5.0 10t 1
Total Plays 1011 998 C. Jackson 1 95 95.0 95t 1
Avg. Per Play 5.7 5.6 Milloy 1 38 38.0 38 0
NET YARDS RUSHING 2443 2040 Grimes 1 25 25.0 25 0
Avg. Per Game 152.7 127.5 Boley 1 16 16.0 16 0
Total Rushes 560 415 Foxworth 1 1 1.0 1 0
NET YARDS PASSING 3336 3526 TEAM 10 233 23.3 95t 2
Avg. Per Game 208.5 220.4 OPPONENTS 11 74 6.7 23 0
Sacked/Yards Lost 17/104 34/245 * PUNTING No. Yds Avg Net TB In Lg B
Gross Yards 3440 3771 Koenen 63 2566 40.7 37.5 4 25 60 2
Att./Completions 434/265 549/325 TEAM 65 2566 39.5 37.5 4 25 60 2
Completion Pct. 61.1 59.2 OPPONENTS 76 3458 45.5 39.2 5 21 64 1
Had Intercepted 11 10 * PUNT RETURNS Ret FC Yds Avg Long TD
PUNTS/AVERAGE 65/39.5 76/45.5 Jennings TM 23 6 151 6.6 37 0
NET PUNTING AVG. 65/37.5 76/39.2 Douglas 19 3 226 11.9 61t 1
PENALTIES/YARDS 71/591 109/854 Finneran 1 3 2 2.0 2 0
FUMBLES/BALL LOST 18/10 18/8 TEAM 43 12 379 8.8 61t 1
TOUCHDOWNS 43 38 OPPONENTS 20 27 49 2.5 12 0
Rushing 23 17 * KICKOFF RETURNS No. Yds Avg Long TD
Passing 16 20 Norwood 51 1311 25.7 92 0
Returns 4 1 Douglas 4 46 11.5 22 0
* SCORE BY PERIODS Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT PTS Finneran 1 5 5.0 5 0
TEAM 114 120 43 111 3 391 Mughelli 1 17 17.0 17 0
OPPONENTS 52 87 60 126 0 325 Weems 1 19 19.0 19 0
* SCORING TD-Ru-Pa-Rt K-PAT FG S PTS Wilkerson 1 10 10.0 10 0
Elam 0 0 0 0 42/42 29/31 0 129 TEAM 59 1408 23.9 92 0
Turner 17 17 0 0 0 102 OPPONENTS 71 1536 21.6 88 0
White 7 0 7 0 0 42 * FIELD GOALS 1-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50+
Norwood 6 4 2 0 0 36 Elam 0/ 0 11/11 7/ 8 10/10 1/2
Jenkins 3 0 3 0 0 20 TEAM 0/ 0 11/11 7/ 8 10/10 1/2
Douglas 3 1 1 1 0 18 OPPONENTS 1/ 1 9/ 9 6/ 7 3/ 5 1/3
Peelle 2 0 2 0 0 12 Elam: (50G,25G)(32G,27G,24G)(27G)(33G,44G,44G)
Blalock 1 0 0 1 0 6 (42G,41G)(29G,48G,32G,41G,33N,48G)()(48G,51N)
Finneran 1 0 1 0 0 6 (22G,27G)(46G,36G)(23G)(35G,40G)(23G)(26G,34G)
Houston 1 0 0 1 0 6 (22G)(39G)
C. Jackson 1 0 0 1 0 6 OPPONENTS: ()(33G)(32N)(44G)(53N,50G)(36G,32G)
Ryan 1 1 0 0 0 6 (36G,18G)()(24G,44G)(49N,20G)(23G,21G)(43B,
TEAM 43 23 16 4 42/42 29/31 1 391 28G)(26G,46G,25G)(53N,38G)(29G)(31G,27G)
OPPONENTS 38 17 20 1 35/35 20/25 0 325
2-Pt. Conversions: Jenkins, TEAM 1-1,
OPPONENTS 1-3
SACKS: Abraham 16.5, Davis 4, Babineaux 3.5,
Anderson 2, Biermann 2, G. Jackson 2,
Lofton 1, Moorehead 1, Nicholas 1, (group) 1,
TEAM 34, OPPONENTS 17
FUM/LOST: Ryan 6/1, Jennings (TM) 3/2,
Turner 3/2, Norwood 2/1, Douglas 1/1,
Finneran 1/1, Rader 1/1, White 1/1

* PASSING Att Cmp Yds Cmp% Yds/Att TD TD% Int Int% Long Sack/Lost Rating
Ryan 434 265 3440 61.1 7.93 16 3.7 11 2.5 70t 17/ 104 87.7
TEAM 434 265 3440 61.1 7.93 16 3.7 11 2.5 70t 17/ 104 87.7
OPPONENTS 549 325 3771 59.2 6.87 20 3.6 10 1.8 56t 34/ 245 84.6
 2008 ATLANTA FALCONS
DEFENSIVE/SPECIAL TEAMS STATS
Based on Coaches Breakdown

DEFENSIVE STATS SPECIAL TEAMS STATS

PLAYER TOTAL SOLO ASSISTS SK/YDS INT PD FF FR PLAYER TOTAL SOLO ASSISTS FF FR blk

Keith Brooking 133 80 53 0.0 0 3 0 0 Jason Snelling 19 16 3 0 0 0

Erik Coleman 127 82 45 0.0 3 6 2 0 Coy Wire 15 11 4 0 0 0

Lawyer Milloy 117 76 41 0.0 1 5 1 0 Stephen Nicholas 12 10 2 0 0 0

Curtis Lofton 108 67 41 1.0/7.0 0 2 1 0 Ovie Mughelli 8 8 0 0 0 0

Michael Boley 90 65 25 0.0 1 9 0 0 Kroy Biermann 7 7 0 0 0 0

Chris Houston 59 52 7 0.0 2 16 0 1 Curtis Lofton 6 6 0 0 0 0

John Abraham 42 35 7 16.5/109.5 0 1 4 0 Thomas DeCoud 5 4 1 0 0 0

Domonique Foxworth 39 34 5 0.0 1 11 0 0 Adam Jennings 4 4 0 0 0 0

Jonathan Babineaux 38 30 8 3.5/26.5 0 2 0 1 Jerious Norwood 4 3 1 0 0 0

Brent Grimes 36 29 7 0.0 1 6 0 0 David Irons 4 3 1 0 0 0

Jamaal Anderson 36 29 7 2.0/10.0 0 3 0 0 Michael Koenen 3 3 0 0 0 0

Chauncey Davis 35 27 8 4.0/25.0 0 1 1 3 Brent Grimes 3 2 1 0 0 0

Chevis Jackson 33 27 6 0.0 1 5 0 0 Eric Weems 3 3 0 0 0 0

Coy Wire 24 17 7 0.0 0 1 0 0 Jamaal Fudge 2 1 1 0 0 0

Grady Jackson 23 21 2 2.0/14.0 0 1 0 0 Antoine Harris 2 2 0 0 0 0

Kindal Moorehead 18 15 3 1.0/29.0 0 1 1 0 Brian Finneran 2 2 0 0 0 0

Kroy Biermann 14 11 3 2.0/13.0 0 0 0 0 Mike Schneck 1 1 0 0 0 0

Jamaal Fudge 12 9 3 0.0 0 0 0 0 Chris Houston 1 0 1 0 0 0

Jason Jefferson 9 8 1 0.0 0 0 0 1 Laurent Robinson 1 1 0 0 0 0

Stephen Nicholas 9 7 2 1.0/6.0 0 2 0 0 Michael Boley 1 1 0 0 1 0

Simon Fraser 2 1 1 0.0 0 1 0 0 John Abraham 0 0 0 0 0 1

Team Sack 0 0 0 1.0/5.0 0 0 0 0 Jamaal Anderson 0 0 0 0 0 1

TOTALS 1004 722 282 34.0/245.0 10 76 10 6 TOTALS 103 88 15 0 1 2

ATLANTA FALCONS / WEEK 18 / THROUGH SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2009 / POSTSEASON

WON 0, LOST 1 * RUSHING No. Yds Avg Long TD

01/03 L 24-30 at Arizona 62,848 Turner 18 42 2.3 13 1
Atl. Opp. Norwood 2 12 6.0 8 0
TOTAL FIRST DOWNS 20 15 Ryan 4 6 1.5 2 0
Rushing 6 5 TEAM 24 60 2.5 13 1
Passing 14 9 OPPONENTS 28 86 3.1 10 1
Penalty 0 1 * RECEIVING No. Yds Avg Long TD
3rd Down: Made/Att 6/14 6/15 White 11 84 7.6 12 1
3rd Down Pct. 42.9 40.0 Jenkins 5 51 10.2 21 0
4th Down: Made/Att 1/1 0/0 Peelle 3 11 3.7 6 1
4th Down Pct. 100.0 0.0 Finneran 2 11 5.5 7 0
POSSESSION AVG. 29:58 30:02 Pollard 2 7 3.5 6 0
TOTAL NET YARDS 250 357 Norwood 1 28 28.0 28 0
Avg. Per Game 250.0 357.0 Turner 1 7 7.0 7 0
Total Plays 67 60 Douglas 1 0 0.0 0 0
Avg. Per Play 3.7 6.0 TEAM 26 199 7.7 28 2
NET YARDS RUSHING 60 86 OPPONENTS 19 271 14.3 71t 2
Avg. Per Game 60.0 86.0 * INTERCEPTIONS No. Yds Avg Long TD
Total Rushes 24 28 C. Jackson 1 0 0.0 0 0
NET YARDS PASSING 190 271 TEAM 1 0 0.0 0 0
Avg. Per Game 190.0 271.0 OPPONENTS 2 3 1.5 3 0
Sacked/Yards Lost 3/9 0/0 * PUNTING No. Yds Avg Net TB In Lg B
Gross Yards 199 271 Koenen 5 212 42.4 42.6 0 0 49 0
Att./Completions 40/26 32/19 TEAM 5 212 42.4 42.6 0 0 49 0
Completion Pct. 65.0 59.4 OPPONENTS 6 239 39.8 34.7 0 4 49 0
Had Intercepted 2 1 * PUNT RETURNS Ret FC Yds Avg Long TD
PUNTS/AVERAGE 5/42.4 6/39.8 Douglas 3 0 31 10.3 21 0
NET PUNTING AVG. 5/42.6 6/34.7 TEAM 3 0 31 10.3 21 0
PENALTIES/YARDS 6/52 6/47 OPPONENTS 2 1 -1 -.5 0 0
FUMBLES/BALL LOST 2/1 0/0 * KICKOFF RETURNS No. Yds Avg Long TD
TOUCHDOWNS 3 4 Norwood 2 54 27.0 30 0
Rushing 1 1 TEAM 2 54 27.0 30 0
Passing 2 2 OPPONENTS 5 86 17.2 23 0
Returns 0 1 * FIELD GOALS 1-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50+
* SCORE BY PERIODS Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT PTS Elam 0/ 0 0/ 0 1/ 1 0/ 0 0/0
TEAM 0 17 0 7 0 24 TEAM 0/ 0 0/ 0 1/ 1 0/ 0 0/0
OPPONENTS 7 7 14 2 0 30 OPPONENTS 0/ 0 0/ 0 0/ 0 0/ 0 0/1
* SCORING TD-Ru-Pa-Rt K-PAT FG S PTS Elam: (30G)
Elam 0 0 0 0 3/ 3 1/ 1 0 6 TEAM: (30G)
Peelle 1 0 1 0 0 6 OPPONENTS: (51N)
Turner 1 1 0 0 0 6
White 1 0 1 0 0 6
TEAM 3 1 2 0 3/ 3 1/ 1 0 24
OPPONENTS 4 1 2 1 4/ 4 0/ 1 1 30
2-Pt. Conversions: TEAM 0-0, OPPONENTS 0-0
SACKS: TEAM 0, OPPONENTS 3
FUM/LOST: Pollard 1/0, Ryan 1/1

* PASSING Att Cmp Yds Cmp% Yds/Att TD TD% Int Int% Long Sack/Lost Rating
Ryan 40 26 199 65.0 4.98 2 5.0 2 5.0 28 3/ 9 72.8
TEAM 40 26 199 65.0 4.98 2 5.0 2 5.0 28 3/ 9 72.8
OPPONENTS 32 19 271 59.4 8.47 2 6.3 1 3.1 71t 0/ 0 94.7
 2008 ATLANTA FALCONS POSTSEASON
DEFENSIVE/SPECIAL TEAMS STATS
Based on Coaches Breakdown

DEFENSIVE STATS SPECIAL TEAMS STATS

PLAYER TOTAL SOLO ASSISTS SK/YDS INT PD FF FR PLAYER TOTAL SOLO ASSISTS FF FR Blk

Erik Coleman 11 6 5 0.0 0 0 0 0 Thomas DeCoud 3 3 0 0 0 0

Lawyer Milloy 8 3 5 0.0 0 0 0 0 Eric Weems 2 2 0 0 0 0

Coy Wire 8 5 3 0.0 0 0 0 0 Jason Snelling 1 1 0 0 0 0

Keith Brooking 7 6 1 0.0 0 1 0 0 Coy Wire 1 1 0 0 0 0

Curtis Lofton 6 5 1 0.0 0 0 0 0

Domonique Foxworth 4 2 2 0.0 0 0 0 0

Grady Jackson 4 3 1 0.0 0 0 0 0

Jonathan Babineaux 3 2 1 0.0 0 0 0 0

Chauncey Davis 3 2 1 0.0 0 0 0 0

Chris Houston 3 2 1 0.0 0 0 0 0

Kroy Biermann 2 2 0 0.0 0 1 0 0

Michael Boley 2 0 2 0.0 0 0 0 0

Chevis Jackson 2 2 0 0.0 1 1 0 0

Stephen Nicholas 2 1 1 0.0 0 0 0 0

John Abraham 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0

Kindal Moorehead 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 67 43 24 0.0/0.0 1 3 0 0 TOTALS 7 7 0 0 0 0

 2008 GAME-BY-GAME STARTERS
OFFENSE
WR LT LG C RG RT TE WR QB RB FB
09/07 DET M. Jenkins S. Baker J. Blalock T. McClure H. Dahl T. Clabo B. Hartsock R. White M. Ryan M. Turner O. Mughelli
09/14 @TB M. Jenkins S. Baker J. Blalock T. McClure H. Dahl T. Clabo B. Hartsock R. White M. Ryan M. Turner O. Mughelli
09/21 KC M. Jenkins S. Baker J. Blalock T. McClure H. Dahl T. Clabo B. Hartsock R. White M. Ryan M. Turner O. Mughelli
09/28 @CAR J. Peelle (TE) T. Weiner J. Blalock T. McClure H. Dahl T. Clabo B. Hartsock R. White M. Ryan M. Turner J. Snelling
10/05 @GB M. Jenkins S. Baker J. Blalock T. McClure H. Dahl T. Clabo B. Hartsock R. White M. Ryan M. Turner O. Mughelli
10/12 CHI M. Jenkins S. Baker J. Blalock T. McClure H. Dahl T. Clabo B. Hartsock J. Peelle (TE) M. Ryan M. Turner O. Mughelli
10/26 @PHI J. Rader (TE) T. Weiner J. Blalock T. McClure H. Dahl T. Clabo B. Hartsock R. White M. Ryan M. Turner J. Peelle (TE)
11/02 @OAK R. White T. Weiner J. Blalock T. McClure H. Dahl T. Clabo B. Hartsock J. Peelle (TE) M. Ryan M. Turner O. Mughelli
11/09 NO J. Peelle (TE) T. Weiner J. Blalock T. McClure H. Dahl T. Clabo B. Hartsock R. White M. Ryan M. Turner O. Mughelli
11/16 DEN M. Jenkins T. Weiner J. Blalock T. McClure H. Dahl T. Clabo B. Hartsock R. White M. Ryan M. Turner J. Peelle (TE)
11/23 CAR M. Jenkins T. Weiner J. Blalock T. McClure H. Dahl T. Clabo B. Hartsock R. White M. Ryan M. Turner O. Mughelli
11/30 @SD M. Jenkins T. Weiner J. Blalock T. McClure H. Dahl T. Clabo J. Peelle R. White M. Ryan M. Turner O. Mughelli
12/07 @NO M. Jenkins T. Weiner J. Blalock T. McClure H. Dahl T. Clabo J. Peelle R. White M. Ryan M. Turner O. Mughelli
12/14 TB M. Jenkins T. Weiner J. Blalock T. McClure H. Dahl T. Clabo J. Peelle R. White M. Ryan M. Turner O. Mughelli
12/21 @MIN M. Jenkins T. Weiner J. Blalock T. McClure H. Dahl T. Clabo J. Peelle R. White M. Ryan M. Turner O. Mughelli
12/28 STL M. Jenkins T. Weiner J. Blalock T. McClure H. Dahl T. Clabo J. Peelle R. White M. Ryan M. Turner O. Mughelli

DEFENSE
LE DT DT RE OLB MLB OLB LCB RCB SS FS
09/07 DET J. Anderson G. Jackson J. Babineaux J. Abraham M. Boley C. Lofton K. Brooking B. Grimes C. Houston L. Milloy E. Coleman
09/14 @TB J. Anderson J. Jefferson J. Babineaux J. Abraham M. Boley C. Lofton K. Brooking B. Grimes C. Houston L. Milloy E. Coleman
09/21 KC J. Anderson G. Jackson J. Babineaux J. Abraham C. Wire C. Lofton K. Brooking B. Grimes C. Houston L. Milloy E. Coleman
09/28 @CAR J. Anderson G. Jackson J. Babineaux J. Abraham M. Boley C. Lofton K. Brooking B. Grimes C. Houston L. Milloy E. Coleman
10/05 @GB J. Anderson G. Jackson J. Babineaux J. Abraham M. Boley C. Lofton K. Brooking B. Grimes C. Houstoin L. Milloy E. Coleman
10/12 CHI J. Anderson G. Jackson J. Babineaux J. Abraham M. Boley C. Lofton K. Brooking B. Grimes C. Houston L. Milloy E. Coleman
10/26 @PHI J. Anderson G. Jackson J. Babineaux J. Abraham M. Boley C. Lofton K. Brooking D. Foxworth C. Houston L. Milloy E. Coleman
11/02 @OAK J. Anderson G. Jackson J. Babineaux J. Abraham M. Boley C. Lofton K. Brooking D. Foxworth C. Houston L. Milloy C. Jackson
11/09 NO J. Anderson G. Jackson J. Babineaux J. Abraham M. Boley C. Lofton K. Brooking D. Foxworth C. Houston L. Milloy E. Coleman
11/16 DEN J. Anderson G. Jackson J. Babineaux J. Abraham M. Boley C. Lofton K. Brooking D. Foxworth C. Houston L. Milloy E. Coleman
11/23 CAR J. Anderson G. Jackson J. Babineaux J. Abraham M. Boley C. Lofton K. Brooking D. Foxworth C. Houston L. Milloy E. Coleman
11/30 @SD J. Anderson G. Jackson J. Babineaux J. Abraham M. Boley C. Lofton K. Brooking D. Foxworth C. Houston L. Milloy E. Coleman
12/07 @NO J. Anderson G. Jackson K. Moorehead J. Abraham M. Boley C. Jackson (CB) K. Brooking D. Foxworth C. Houston L. Milloy E. Coleman
12/14 TB J. Anderson G. Jackson J. Babineaux J. Abraham C. Wire C. Lofton K. Brooking D. Foxworth C. Houston L. Milloy E. Coleman
12/21 @MIN J. Anderson G. Jackson J. Babineaux J. Abraham C. Wire C. Lofton K. Brooking D. Foxworth C. Houston L. Milloy E. Coleman
12/28 STL C. Davis G. Jackson J. Babineaux J. Abraham C. Wire C. Lofton K. Brooking D. Foxworth C. Houston J. Fudge E. Coleman

2008 gameday inactives

DET D. Shockley (3rd QB) D. Foxworth T. Gilbert A. Stepanovich S. Fraser Q. Ojinnaka M. Milner J. Jefferson
@TB D. Shockley (3rd QB) J. Fudge D. Irons T. Gilbert A. Stepanovich Q. Ojinnaka M. Milner G. Jackson
KC D. Shockley (3rd QB) J. Fudge D. Irons T. Gilbert A. Stepanovich S. Fraser Q. Ojinnaka J. Rader
@CAR D. Shockley (3rd QB) L. Robinson D. Irons T. Gilbert A. Stepanovich S. Baker S. Fraser J. Rader
@GB D. Shockley (3rd QB) L. Robinson D. Irons T. Gilbert A. Stepanovich Q. Ojinnaka J. Rader J. Jefferson
CHI D. Shockley (3rd QB) L. Robinson T. DeCoud D. Irons T. Gilbert A. Stepanovich Q. Ojinnaka J. Jefferson
@PHI D. Shockley (3rd QB) L. Robinson T. DeCoud D. Irons T. Gilbert A. Stepanovich S. Baker S. Fraser
@OAK D. Shockley (3rd QB) T. DeCoud D. Irons T. Gilbert A. Stepanovich S. Baker S. Fraser A. Jennings
NO D. Shockley (3rd QB) T. DeCoud D. Irons T. Gilbert S. Baker S. Fraser Q. Ojinnaka A. Jennings
DEN D. Shockley (3rd QB) B. Grimes T. Decoud T. Gilbert A. Stepanovich S. Baker S. Fraser K. Moorehead
CAR D. Shockley (3rd QB) L. Robinson J. Fudge D. Irons T. Gilbert B. Wilkerson S. Baker K. Moorehead
@SD D. Shockley (3rd QB) L. Robinson B. Grimes J. Fudge T. Gilbert B. Wilkerson S. Baker S. Fraser
@NO D. Shockley (3rd QB) L. Robinson B. Grimes A. Harris T. Gilbert B. Wilkerson S. Baker S. Fraser
TB D. Shockley (3rd QB) L. Robinson B. Grimes G. Sharpe T. Gilbert W. Gandy A. Stepanovich S. Fraser
@MIN D. Shockley (3rd QB) G. Sharpe E. Brock T. Gilbert A. Stepanovich S. Fraser Q. Ojinnaka M. Pollard
STL D. Shockley (3rd QB) L. Milloy G. Sharpe T. Gilbert W. Gandy A. Stepanovich Q. Ojinnaka J. Anderson
 3rd and 4th DOWN CONVERSIONS
FALCONS OPPONENTS
3rd Down 4th Down 3rd Down 4th Down
OPPONENT Made Att. Effic. Made Att. Effic. Made Att. Effic. Made Att. Effic.
DET 3 9 33% 0 0 0% 2 9 22% 0 0 0%
@TB 7 19 37% 0 1 0% 6 14 43% 0 1 0%
KC 6 13 46% 0 0 0% 8 18 44% 1 2 50%
@CAR 2 13 15% 0 2 0% 3 12 25% 0 0 0%
@GB 6 12 50% 1 1 100% 7 13 54% 0 0 0%
CHI 6 14 43% 0 0 0% 9 16 56% 1 2 50%
@PHI 6 16 38% 1 2 50% 3 12 25% 0 0 0%
@OAK 9 17 53% 1 2 50% 1 9 11% 0 1 0%
NO 5 11 45% 0 0 0% 7 15 47% 2 3 67%
DEN 11 18 61% 0 1 0% 7 12 58% 0 0 0%
CAR 6 13 46% 2 2 100% 5 14 36% 1 1 100%
@SD 8 16 50% 1 2 50% 3 12 25% 0 1 0%
@NO 7 12 58% 0 0 0% 4 10 40% 1 1 100%
TB 6 14 43% 0 0 0% 3 14 21% 0 0 0%
@MIN 5 12 42% 0 0 0% 6 13 46% 2 4 50%
STL 2 10 20% 0 0 0% 5 15 33% 1 3 33%

TOTALS 95 219 45% 6 13 46.2% 79 208 37.9% 10 20 50%

2008 ATLANTA FALCONS RED ZONE STATISTICS “INSIDE THE 20”

Score Drives in
OPPONENT ATL Opp Red Zone Scores Scoring % Pts TDs TD% FGs Turnovers
DET 34 21 4 3 75.0 17 2 50.0 1 0
@TB 9 24 3 3 100.0 9 0 0.0 3 0
KC 38 14 4 4 100.0 24 3 75.0 1 0
@CAR 9 24 2 1 50.0 3 0 0.0 1 0
@GB 27 24 3 2 66.7 14 2 66.7 0 1
CHI 22 20 4 3 75.0 13 1 25.0 2 0
@PHI 14 27 2 1 50.0 7 1 50.0 0 1
@OAK 24 0 4 2 50.0 14 2 50.0 0 1
NO 34 20 4 4 100.0 20 2 50.0 2 0
DEN 20 24 2 2 100.0 10 1 50.0 1 0
CAR 45 28 6 6 100.0 38 5 83.3 1 0
@SD 22 16 4 3 75.0 17 2 50.0 1 0
@NO 25 29 4 4 100.0 25 3 75.0 1 0
TB 13 10 3 3 100.0 13 1 33.3 2 0
@MIN 24 17 4 3 75.0 21 3 75.0 0 0
STL 31 27 3 3 100.0 21 3 100.0 0 1

TOTALS 391 325 56 47 83.9 266 31 55.3 16 4

2008 ATLANTA FALCONS OPPONENTS’ RED ZONE STATISTICS “INSIDE THE 20”

Score Drives in
OPPONENT ATL Opp Red Zone Scores Scoring % Pts TDs TD% FGs Turnovers
DET 34 21 2 2 100.0 14 2 100.0 0 0
@TB 9 24 5 3 60.0 17 2 60.0 0 1
KC 38 14 4 2 50.0 14 2 50.0 0 0
@CAR 9 24 1 1 100.0 7 1 100.0 0 0
@GB 27 24 1 1 100.0 7 1 100.0 0 0
CHI 22 20 5 4 80.0 20 2 40.0 2 0
@PHI 14 27 4 4 100.0 20 2 50.0 2 0
@OAK 24 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 1
NO 34 20 4 2 50.0 10 1 25.0 1 2
DEN 20 24 4 4 100.0 24 3 75.0 1 0
CAR 45 28 5 5 100.0 28 3 60.0 2 0
@SD 22 16 2 2 100.0 10 1 50.0 1 0
@NO 25 29 5 5 100.0 26 3 60.0 2 0
TB 13 10 1 1 100.0 3 0 0.0 1 0
@MIN 24 17 3 1 33.0 7 1 33.3 0 1
STL 31 27 3 4 70.0 21 3 100.0 0 0

TOTALS 391 325 50 40 80.0 228 27 54.0 12 5

 2008 FALCONS SCORING DRIVES
Opponent Qtr Time Rem. Plays Net Yards Poss. How Acquired Scoring Play
Detroit 1 13:33 3 74 1:27 Kickoff M. Jenkins 62yd. pass from M. Ryan
Detroit 1 7:33 4 80 2:06 Punt M. Turner 66 yd. run
Detroit 1 3:20 6 67 3:11 Punt M. Turner 5 yd. run
Detroit 3 9:45 5 17 2:25 Interception J. Elam 50 yd. Field Goal
Detroit 3 5:57 5 68 2:09 Punt J. Norwood 10 yd. run
Detroit 4 10:23 12 73 6:17 Kickoff J. Elam 25 yd. Field Goal
@ Tampa Bay 2 0:12 7 9 1:34 Punt J. Elam 32 yd. Field Goal
@ Tampa Bay 3 1:03 13 75 6:43 Punt J. Elam 27 yd. Field Goal
@ Tampa Bay 4 5:12 13 77 6:22 Fumble J. Elam 24 yd. Field Goal
Kansas City 1 3:20 6 92 3:24 Punt M. Turner 4 yd. run
Kansas City 1 0:07 3 69 1:26 Punt R. White 70 yd. pass from M. Ryan
Kansas City 2 9:15 4 9 1:49 Interception J. Elam 27 yd. Field Goal
Kansas City 2 2:11 10 40 5:44 Interception M. Turner 1 yd. run
Kansas City 3 5:13 8 60 4:36 Kickoff M. Turner 2 yd. run
Kansas City 4 1:01 1 10 0:06 Interception C. Houston 10 yd. interception return
@ Carolina 1 1:33 12 65 5:40 Kickoff J. Elam 33 yd. Field Goal
@ Carolina 2 12:12 4 -1 1:18 Blocked Punt J. Elam 44 yd. Field Goal
@ Carolina 2 0:37 7 57 1:54 Kickoff J. Elam 44 yd. Field Goal
@ Green Bay 1 9:53 10 81 5:07 Kickoff J. Peelle 1 yd. pass from M. Ryan
@ Green Bay 1 4:15 8 37 3:52 Punt J. Elam 42 yd. Field Goal
@ Green Bay 2 6:02 9 90 3:40 Kickoff R. White 22 yd. pass from M. Ryan
@ Green Bay 4 7:19 6 25 2:49 Kickoff J. Elam 41 yd. Field Goal
@ Green Bay 4 3:35 3 19 0:58 Interception M. Turner 2 yd. run
Chicago 1 9:13 10 48 5:47 Kickoff J. Elam 29 yd. Field Goal
Chicago 1 0:59 11 49 5:30 Punt J. Elam 48 yd. Field Goal
Chicago 2 7:49 4 -2 1:27 Fumble J. Elam 32 yd. Field Goal
Chicago 3 10:36 8 56 3:19 Punt J. Elam 41 yd. Field Goal
Chicago 4 13:25 10 76 3:59 Kickoff R. White 3 yd. pass from M. Ryan
Chicago 4 0:00 2 26 0:11 Kickoff J. Elam 48 yd. Field Goal
@ Philadelphia 2 8:56 5 66 1:57 Punt R. White 55 yd. pass from M. Ryan
@ Philadelphia 4 3:55 14 82 4:02 Kickoff R. White 8 yd. pass from M. Ryan
@ Oakland 1 8:56 10 88 6:04 Kickoff M. Jenkins 37 yd. pass from M. Ryan
@ Oakland 1 5:02 7 70 2:50 Punt J. Norwood 12 yd. run
@ Oakland 2 12:54 13 88 5:31 Punt M. Jenkins 27 yd. pass from M. Ryan
@ Oakland 2 6:29 9 42 5:02 Punt J. Elam 48 yd. Field Goal
New Orleans 1 9:07 5 50 1:59 Punt R. White 16 yd. pass from M. Ryan
New Orleans 2 12:04 9 80 5:11 Kickoff M. Turner 2 yd. run
New Orleans 2 3:05 12 75 5:28 Kickoff J. Elam 22 yd. Field Goal
New Orleans 3 2:06 13 60 8:30 Punt J. Elam 27 yd. Field Goal
New Orleans 4 14:40 5 80 1:52 Punt J. Norwood 67 yd. pass from M. Ryan
New Orleans 4 1:17 1 95 0:13 Interception C. Jackson 95 yd. interception return
Denver 1 2:26 12 41 7:00 Kickoff J. Elam 46 yd. Field Goal
Denver 2 12:33 8 54 2:42 Punt J. Elam 36 yd. Field Goal
Denver 2 7:34 7 61 3:53 Missed FG M. Turner 9 yd. run
Denver 4 10:41 8 77 4:15 Kickoff M. Turner 28 yd. run
Carolina 1 11:16 8 70 3:44 Kickoff J. Elam 23 yd. Field Goal
Carolina 1 5:03 7 75 4:37 Punt H. Douglas 7 yd. run
Carolina 2 13:20 10 37 5:19 Punt M. Turner 1 yd. run
Carolina 4 14:57 12 80 5:30 Kickoff M. Turner 4 yd. run
Carolina 4 7:13 7 74 3:44 Kickoff M. Turner 1 yd. run
Carolina 4 4:47 1 61 0:16 Punt H. Douglas 61 yd. punt return
Carolina 4 0:54 5 36 1:29 Kickoff M. Turner 16 yd. run
@ San Diego 1 5:56 10 49 4:38 Downs J. Elam 35 yd. Field Goal
@ San Diego 1 0:00 5 42 1:41 Kickoff J. Elam 40 yd. Field Goal
@ San Diego 2 9:24 8 46 3:31 Punt J. Peelle 18 yd. pass from M. Ryan
@ San Diego 2 7:54 - - - - Penalty on P. Rivers enforced in end zone
for a safety
@ San Diego 4 14:56 11 72 5:46 Punt H. Douglas 5 yd. pass from M. Ryan
@ New Orleans 2 9:55 4 74 2:10 Kickoff M. Turner 5 yd. run
@ New Orleans 2 2:13 10 77 3:57 Kickoff B. Finneran 2 yd. pass from M. Ryan
@ New Orleans 3 3:06 15 69 9:15 Punt J. Elam 23 yd. Field Goal
@ New Orleans 4 7:51 11 73 5:04 Kickoff M. Ryan 12 yd. run
Tampa Bay 1 6:50 7 26 3:40 Punt J. Elam 26 yd. Field Goal
Tampa Bay 1 1:01 9 72 3:46 Punt M. Turner 1 yd. run
Tampa Bay OT 4:04 11 55 6:23 Punt J. Elam 34 yd. Field Goal
@ Minnesota 1 8:47 12 74 6:13 Kickoff M. Turner 1 yd. run
@ Minnesota 2 14:06 5 22 1:20 Kickoff J. Norwood 8 yd. pass from M. Ryan
@ Minnesota 2 0:03 9 43 3:52 Fumble J. Elam 22 yd. Field Goal
@ Minnesota 3 2:49 7 51 3:29 Punt J. Blalock fumble recovery in end zone
St. Louis 1 10:02 8 55 2:52 Punt J. Elam 39 yd. Field Goah
St. Louis 2 4:43 5 55 2:28 Downs M. Turner 9 yd. run
St. Louis 2 0:11 2 8 0:21 Kickoff J. Norwood 8 yd. run
St. Louis 3 12:20 5 75 2:40 Kickoff R. White 18 yd. pass from M. Ryan
St. Louis 4 3:41 6 80 2:58 Kickoff J. Norwood 45 yd. run

FALCONS KICKOFF ANALYSIS

Opponent No. No. in EZ TB Opp. Ret. Ret. Yds. Ret. Avg. Squib Out of Bounds Onside Rec/Att
DET 7 3 1 6 123 20.5 0 0 0/0
@TB 4 3 1 3 61 20.3 0 0 0/0
KC 7 0 0 7 130 18.6 0 0 0/0
@CAR 4 3 1 3 62 20.7 0 0 0/0
@GB 6 1 1 5 110 22.0 0 0 0/0
CHI 6 0 0 6 121 20.2 0 0 0/0
@PHI 3 0 0 3 47 15.7 0 0 0/0
@OAK 5 2 0 5 123 24.6 0 0 0/0
NO 7 4 2 5 127 25.4 0 0 0/0
DEN 5 2 0 5 159 31.8 0 0 0/0
CAR 8 5 3 5 86 17.2 0 0 0/0
@SD 5 3 1 4 75 18.8 0 0 0/0
@NO 5 4 1 4 147 36.8 0 0 0/0
TB 4 2 0 4 72 18.0 0 0 0/0
@MIN 5 3 2 3 40 13.3 0 0 0/0
STL 6 4 3 3 53 17.7 0 0 0/0
TOTALS 87 39 16 71 1,536 21.6 0 0 0/0
 2008 TEAM HIGHS & LOWS

MOST POINTS FEWEST POINTS

Falcons: 45 vs. Carolina 11/23 Falcons: 9 (2 times) at Carolina 9/28
Opponents: 29 at New Orleans 12/7 Opponents: 0 at Oakland 11/2

MOST POINTS IN A HALF FEWEST POINTS IN A HALF

Falcons: 24 (two times) at Oakland 11/2 Falcons: 3 at Tampa Bay 9/14
Opponents: 17 at Tampa Bay 9/14 Opponents: 0 at Oakland 11/2

MOST FIRST DOWNS FEWEST FIRST DOWNS

Falcons: 30 at Oakland 11/2 Falcons: 14 at Tampa Bay 9/14
Opponents: 25 vs. New Orleans 11/9 Opponents: 3 at Oakland 11/2

MOST RUSHING YARDS FEWEST RUSHING YARDS

Falcons: 318 vs. Detroit 9/7 (franchise-high) Falcons: 75 vs. Chicago 10/12
Opponents: 202 vs. St. Louis 12/28 Opponents: 62 vs. Detroit 9/7

M O S T R U S H I N G AT T E M P T S F E W E S T R U S H I N G AT T E M P T S
Falcons: 57 at Oakland 11/2 Falcons: 23 at Carolina 9/28
Opponents 37 vs. St. Louis 12/28 Opponents: 11 at Oakland 11/2

MOST PASSING YARDS FEWEST PASSING YARDS

Falcons: 315 at New Orleans 12/7 Falcons: 134 at Minnesota 12/21
Opponents: 416 vs. New Orleans 11/9 Opponents: 31 at Oakland 11/2

M O S T P A S S AT T E M P T S F E W E S T P A S S AT T E M P T S
Falcons: 44 at Philadelphia 10/26 Falcons: 13 vs. Detroit 9/7
Opponents: 58 vs. New Orleans 11/9 Opponents: 19 at Oakland 11/2

MOST PASS COMPLETIONS FEWEST PASS COMPLETIONS

Falcons: 23 at Philadelphia 10/26 Falcons: 9 vs. Detroit 9/7
Opponents: 31 vs. New Orleans 11/9 Opponents: 6 at Oakland 11/2

MOST SACKS FEWEST SACKS

Falcons: 4 (2 times) vs. Tampa Bay 12/14 Falcons: 0 (2 times) at New Orleans 12/7
Opponents: 4 at Tampa Bay 9/14 Opponents: 0 (7 times) at New Orleans 12/7

M O S T T O TA L N E T Y A R D S F E W E S T T O TA L N E T Y A R D S
Falcons: 474 vs. Detroit 9/7 Falcons: 222 at Minnesota 12/21
Opponents: 521 vs. New Orleans 11/9 Opponents: 77 at Oakland 11/2

MOST TIME OF POSSESSION FEWEST TIME OF POSSESSION

Falcons: 45:15 at Oakland 11/2 Falcons: 24:47 vs. St. Louis 12/28
Opponents: 34:46 vs. Tampa Bay 12/14 OT Opponents: 14:45 at Oakland 11/2

MOST INTERCEPTIONS FEWEST INTERCEPTIONS

Falcons: 3 (2 times) vs. New Orleans 11/9 Falcons: 0 (10 times) at Minnesota 12/21
Opponents: 2 (3 times) vs. Tampa Bay 12/14 Opponents: 0 (7 times) at Minnesota 12/21

MOST PENALTIES (No.) FEWEST PENALTIES (No.)

Falcons: 8 at Tampa Bay 9/14 Falcons: 2 (2 times) vs. New Orleans 11/9
Opponents: 11 (3 times) vs. Tampa Bay 12/14 Opponents: 3 (3 times) vs. St. Louis 12/28

MOST YARDS PENALIZED FEWEST YARDS PENALIZED

Falcons: 70 at Minnesota 12/21 Falcons: 14 vs. St. Louis 12/28
Opponents: 97 at Green Bay 10/5 Opponents: 13 vs. Kansas City 9/21
2008 individual highs FALCONS TOP PERFORMANCES

MOST YARDS RUSHING RUSHING YARDS

Falcons: 220 Michael Turner (franchise-high) vs. Detroit 9/7 220 Michael Turner (franchise-high) vs. Detroit 9/7
Opponents: 167 Brian Westbrook at Philadelphia 10/26 208 Michael Turner vs. St. Louis 12/28
152 Michael Turner vs. Tampa Bay 12/14
M O S T R U S H I N G AT T E M P T S 139 Michael Turner at Oakland 11/2
Falcons: 32 Michael Turner vs. Tampa Bay 12/14 121 Michael Turner at Green Bay 10/5
Opponents: 30 Steven Jackson vs. St. Louis 12/28
R U S H I N G AT T E M P T S
32 Michael Turner vs. Tampa Bay 12/14
MOST RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
31 Michael Turner at San Diego 11/30
Falcons: 4 Michael Turner vs. Carolina 11/23
30 Michael Turner at Oakland 11/2
Opponents: 2 (two times) Steven Jackson vs. St. Louis 12/28
27 Michael Turner vs. New Orleans 11/9
25 Michael Turner vs. St. Louis 12/28
MOST YARDS PASSING
Falcons: 315 Matt Ryan at New Orleans 12/7 LONGEST RUSH
Opponents: 422 Drew Brees vs. New Orleans 11/9 70 Michael Turner vs. St. Louis 12/28
66T Michael Turner vs. Detroit 9/7
M O S T P A S S I N G AT T E M P T S 45 Jerious Norwood vs. St. Louis 12/28
Falcons: 44 Matt Ryan at Philadelphia 10/26 44 Jerious Norwood vs. Kansas City 9/21
Opponents: 58 Drew Brees vs. New Orleans 11/9 40 Jerious Norwood at Carolina 9/28
38 Michael Turner vs. Kansas City 9/21
MOST COMPLETIONS 33 Harry Douglas at Tampa Bay 9/14
Falcons: 24 Matt Ryan at New Orleans 12/7
Opponents: 31 Drew Brees vs. New Orleans 11/9 RECEPTIONS
10 Roddy White at New Orleans 12/7

HIGHEST COMPLETION PCT. (min. 15 att.) 9 Roddy White vs. Chicago 10/12

Falcons: 77.3 Matt Ryan at Oakland 11/2 8 Roddy White at Philadelphia 10/26

Opponents: 72.7 Jon Kitna vs. Detroit 9/7 8 Roddy White at Green Bay 10/5

RECEIVING YARDS
MOST TOUCHDOWN PASSES 164 Roddy White at New Orleans 12/7
Falcons: 2 Matt Ryan (5 times) at San Diego 11/30 132 Roddy White at Green Bay 10/5
Opponents: 3 Aaron Rodgers at Green Bay 10/5 119 Roddy White vs. Kansas City 9/21
113 Roddy White at Philadelphia 10/26
MOST RECEPTIONS
Falcons: 10 Roddy White at New Orleans 12/7 LONGEST RECEPTION
Opponents: 8 Antonio Bryant vs. Tampa Bay 12/14 70T Roddy White vs. Kansas City 9/21
69 Harry Douglas vs. Carolina 11/23

MOST RECEIVING YARDS 67T Jerious Norwood vs. New Orleans 11/9

Falcons: 164 Roddy White at New Orleans 12/7 PASSING YARDS

Opponents: 168 Steve Smith vs. Carolina 11/23 315 Matt Ryan at New Orleans 12/7
301 Matt Ryan vs. Chicago 10/12
MOST TOUCHDOWN RECEPTIONS 277 Matt Ryan at Philadelphia 10/26
Falcons: 2 Michael Jenkins (2 times) at Oakland 11/2 259 Matt Ryan vs. Carolina 11/23
Opponents: 1 Antonio Bryant vs. Tampa Bay 12/14
P A S S I N G AT T E M P T S
MOST POINTS 44 Matt Ryan at Philadelphia 10/26

Falcons: 24 Michael Turner vs. Carolina 11/23 41 Matt Ryan at Carolina 9/28

Opponents: 12 (3 times) Steven Jackson vs. St. Louis 12/28 PASS COMPLETIONS
24 Matt Ryan at New Orleans 12/7
MOST SACKS 23 Matt Ryan at Philadelphia 10/26
Falcons: 3.0 John Abraham (3 times) vs. Tampa Bay 12/14
Opponents: 2.0 Gaines Adams at Tampa Bay 9/14 LONGEST KICKOFF RETURn
92 Jerious Norwood vs. St. Louis 12/28

MOST INTERCEPTIONS 85 Jerious Norwood vs. Chicago 10/12

Falcons: 1 Domonique Foxworth vs. Tampa Bay 12/14 54 Jerious Norwood at Green Bay 10/5

Opponents: 1 (three times) Jonathan Wade vs. St. Louis 12/284 LONGEST FIELD GOAL
50 Jason Elam vs. Detroit 9/7
 THE FALCONS RECORD WHEN...

2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 5-Year Total

W L W L W L W L W L W L T
Overall Record 11 5 4 12 7 9 8 8 11 5 41 39 0
Home 7 1 2 5 3 5 4 4 7 1 23 16 0
Away 4 4 1 7 4 4 4 4 4 4 17 23 0

By Month
September 2 2 1 3 2 1 2 1 3 0 10 7 0
October 2 1 0 3 3 1 3 1 3 2 11 8 0
November 4 1 2 2 0 4 2 2 3 0 11 9 0
December 3 1 1 4 2 3 1 3 2 2 9 13 0
January 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 0

vs. AFC 3 1 1 3 2 2 3 1 3 1 12 8 0
South 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0
East 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 3 1 0
North 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 0
West 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 6 2 0

vs. NFC 6 4 3 9 5 6 5 7 8 4 27 30 0
South 3 3 1 5 3 3 2 4 4 2 13 17 0
East 0 1 0 1 1 3 1 0 1 0 3 5 0
North 4 0 0 1 0 1 2 2 0 1 6 5 0
West 1 0 2 2 1 0 0 1 3 1 7 4 0

Playing Conditions
On grass 3 3 1 4 3 1 1 3 3 2 11 13 0
On Turf 8 2 3 8 4 7 7 5 8 3 30 25 0
Outdoors 3 3 1 3 4 2 2 4 4 3 14 15 0
Indoors 8 2 3 9 3 7 6 4 7 2 27 24 0
Day 10 5 4 9 7 8 5 7 10 5 36 34 0
Night 0 0 0 3 0 1 3 1 1 0 4 5 0
Temp. 85 or higher 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0
Temp. 32 or lower 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0

Following a win 5 5 1 2 4 4 3 3 7 4 20 18 0
Following a loss 5 0 3 9 2 5 4 3 3 1 17 18 0

Falcons score on first drive 8 0 1 2 2 1 5 1 5 2 21 6 0

Opp. score on first drive 0 3 2 2 5 3 1 3 1 1 9 12 0
Falcons score first 11 1 2 3 4 2 7 3 9 3 33 12 0
Opp. score first 0 4 2 9 3 7 1 5 2 2 8 27 0

Leading at halftime 11 1 2 2 3 2 8 1 9 1 33 7 0
Tied at halftime 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 1 1 0 2 4 0
Trailing at halftime 0 4 1 8 4 6 0 6 1 4 6 28 0
Ahead going into 4th quarter 10 1 2 1 7 0 7 1 9 0 35 3 0
Tied going into 4th quarter 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 3 3 4 0
Trailing going into 4th quarter 1 4 1 11 0 9 0 6 0 2 2 32 0

Outcome 3 points or less 3 0 1 1 2 0 2 3 5 1 13 5 0

Outcome 7 points or less 3 2 2 4 1 3 4 4 6 2 16 15 0

Scoring 20 or more points 10 2 4 2 5 1 6 4 9 1 34 10 0

Allowing 20 or more points 6 5 1 11 2 7 2 6 4 4 15 33 0

+ turnover margin 5 0 4 3 7 1 4 3 6 0 26 7 0
Even turnover margin 2 1 0 2 0 4 3 0 3 1 8 8 0
- turnover margin 4 4 0 7 0 4 1 5 2 4 7 24 0

Falcons 300+ total offense yards 10 3 2 5 6 6 7 4 10 2 35 20 0

Falcons -300 total offense yards 1 2 2 7 1 3 1 4 1 3 6 19 0
Falcons 30+ rushing attempts 10 2 2 1 7 2 8 3 8 1 35 9 0
Falcons -30 rushing attempts 1 3 2 10 0 7 0 5 3 4 6 29 0

Time of Poss. 30:00+ 6 2 3 6 6 2 5 3 6 2 26 15 0

Time of Poss. -30:00 5 3 1 6 1 7 3 5 5 3 15 24 0

Falcons 100-yard rusher 8 0 1 0 4 2 5 0 6 1 24 3 0

Falcons 100-yard receiver 4 3 0 5 1 1 1 2 2 0 8 11 0
Falcons 300-yard passer 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 4 0

Opp. 100-yard rusher 3 3 0 4 1 4 1 7 2 2 7 20 0

Opp. 100-yard receiver 5 1 3 3 3 3 1 4 5 0 17 11 0
Opp. 300-yard passer 2 0 1 4 1 3 0 1 3 0 7 8 0
 2008 falcons weekly team rankings

NFL NFC
OFFENSE DEFENSE OFFENSE DEFENSE
OVERALL RUSH PASS OVERALL RUSH PASS OVERALL RUSH PASS OVERALL RUSH PASS

Week 1 3/474.0 1/318.0 24T/156.0 15/308.0 5/62.0 27T/246.0 Week 1 3/474.0 1/318.0 13/156.0 7/308.0 3/62.0 14/246.0
Week 2 9/354.0 3/211.3 26/142.5 17/309.5 20/113.0 18/196.5 Week 2 6/354.0 1/211.5 14/142.5 8/309.5 11/113.0 7/196.5
Week 3 9/362.0 1/203.0 23/159.0 15/306.7 23/136.7 10/170.0 Week 3 7/362.0 1/203.0 14/159.0 9/306.7 13/136.7 3/170.0
Week 4 10/338.5 1/181.8 26/156.8 20/332.3 23/131.3 13/201.0 Week 4 8/338.5 1/181.8 16/156.8 11/332.3 13/131.3 4/201.0
Week 5 8/344.8 2/180.6 25/164.2 23/347.4 21/125.8 22/221.6 Week 5 7/344.8 2/180.6 14/164.2 11/347.4 11/125.8 10/221.6
Week 6 8/350.0 2/163.0 21/187.0 25/349.7 20/118.0 24/231.7 Week 6 6/350.0 2/163.0 13/187.0 12/349.7 11/118.0 13/231.7
Week 7 BYE WEEK BYE WEEK Week 7 BYE WEEK BYE WEEK
Week 8 10/347.9 3/150.7 21/197.1 25/361.4 23/128.6 24/232.9 Week 8 7/347.9 3/1450.7 13/197.1 13/361.4 13/128.6 11/232.9
Week 9 7/361.0 1/163.4 22/197.6 16/325.9 22/120.9 16/205.0 Week 9 5/361.0 1/163.4 14/197.6 9/325.9 13/120.9 8/205.0
Week 10 6/361.0 2/157.8 19/203.2 23/347.6 21/119.1 22/228.4 Week 10 4/361.0 2/157.8 11/203.2 12/347.6 12/119.1 10/228.4
Week 11 7/361.3 2/153.4 14/207.9 23/346.0 22/119.6 22/226.4 Week 11 5/361.3 2/153.4 7/207.9 12/346.0 13/119.6 10/226.4
Week 12 6/364.1 2/151.5 14/212.5 24/351.6 21/120.9 23/230.7 Week 12 4/364.1 2/151.5 7/212.5 13/351.6 12/120.9 12/230.7
Week 13 6/362.8 2/150.7 14/212.1 22/339.1 21/116.7 23/222.4 Week 13 4/362.8 2/150.7 7/212.1 12/339.1 12/116.7 12/222.4
Week 14 5/366.7 2/146.7 13/220.0 22/344.8 22/121.8 23/223.0 Week 14 3/366.7 2/146.7 7/220.0 12/344.8 13/121.8 11/223.0
Week 15 5/367.1 1t/148.7 13/218.4 23/343.4 22/120.2 23/223.2 Week 15 3/367.1 1t/148.7 7/218.4 12/343.4 13/120.2 11/223.2
Week 16 6/357.5 5/145.3 14/121.1 24/343.9 21/122.5 22/221.3 Week 16 3/357.5 4/145.3 7/121.1 13/343.9 12/122.5 11/221.3
Week 17 6/361.2 2/152.7 14/208.5 24/347.9 25/127.5 21/220.4 Week 17 3/361.2 2/152.7 8/208.5 13/347.9 13/127.5 11/220.4

2008 TURNOVER TABLE

---TAKEAWAYS--- ---GIVEAWAYS---
OPPONENT FUMBLES INT TOTAL FUMBLES INT TOTAL DIFFERENCE RESULT
DET 0 1 1 0 0 0 +1 W, 34-21
@TB 1 0 1 0 2 2 -1 L, 24-9
KC 0 3 3 1 0 1 +2 W, 38-14
@CAR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 L, 24-9
@GB 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 W, 27-24
CHI 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 W, 22-20
@PHI 1 0 1 1 2 3 -2 L, 27-14
@OAK 1 1 2 1 0 1 +1 W, 24-0
NO 0 3 3 0 0 0 +3 W, 34-20
DEN 0 0 0 0 1 1 -1 L, 24-20
CAR 0 0 0 1 0 1 -1 W, 45-28
@SD 0 0 0 3 0 3 -3 W, 22-16
@NO 0 0 0 0 1 1 -1 L, 29-25
TB 0 1 1 1 2 3 -2 W, 13-10
@MIN 4 0 4 0 0 0 +4 W, 24-17
STL 0 0 0 1 2 3 -3 W, 31-27

TOTALS 8 10 18 10 11 21 -3

TAKEWAYS POINTS OFF TAKEAWAYS

INT Fumbles Total TDs FGs Total Score % Points

FALCONS 10 10 20 5 5 10 50.0 54
Opponents 11 18 29 7 5 12 41.4 63
 BIG PLAYS

FALCONS COMPLETIONS OVER 20 YARDS OPPONENTS COMPLETIONS OVER 20 YARDS

YDS RECEIVER PASSER QTR DATE OPP YDS RECEIVER PASSER QTR DATE OPP
70T R. White M. Ryan 1 9/21 KC 56T S. Smith J. Delhomme 2 9/28 @CAR
69 H. Douglas M. Ryan 4 11/23 CAR 48 M. Colston D. Brees 4 11/9 NO
67T J. Norwood M. Ryan 4 11/9 NO 47 B. Marshall J. Cutler 4 11/16 DEN
62T M. Jenkins M. Ryan 1 9/7 DET 44T D. Driver A. Rodgers 2 10/5 @GB
59 R. White M. Ryan 2 12/7 @NO 41 S. Smith J. Delhomme 3 11/23 CAR
55T R. White M. Ryan 2 10/26 @PHI 38 C. Johnson J. Kitna 2 9/7 DET
46 R. White M. Ryan 3 9/7 DET 37 T. Humphrey A. Rodgers 4 10/5 @GB
47 H. Douglas M. Ryan 3 10/12 CHI 36 S. Jackson M. Bulger 3 12/28 StL
41 M. Jenkins M. Ryan 2 12/28 StL 36 D. Henderson D. Brees 4 12/7 @NO
38 R. White M. Ryan 1 11/30 @SD 36 G. Jennings A. Rodgers 4 10/5 @GB
37 R. White M. Ryan 2 11/16 DEN 36T M. Muhammad J. Delhomme 4 9/28 @CAR
37T M. Jenkins M. Ryan 1 11/2 @OAK 36 J. Gilmore B. Griese 4 9/14 @TB
37 R. White M. Ryan 1 10/5 @GB 33 T. Holt M. Bulger 4 12/28 StL
32 M. Jenkins M. Ryan 2 11/9 NO 32T L. Moore D. Brees 4 11/9 NO
31 M. Jenkins M. Ryan 4 10/5 @GB 31 V. Shiancoe T. Jackson 4 12/21 @MIN
30 R. White M. Ryan 1 12/14 TB 31 S. Smith J. Delhomme 2 11/23 CAR
30 R. White M. Ryan 1 11/23 CAR 30 D. Jackson D. McNabb 2 10/26 @PHI
30 J. Norwood M. Ryan 1 9/21 KC 29 J. Klopfenstein M. Bulger 4 12/28 StL
28 H. Douglas M. Ryan 2 12/7 @NO 27 S. Smith J. Delhomme 4 11/23 CAR
27 J. Snelling M. Ryan 1 11/23 CAR 27 C. Buckhalter D. McNabb 3 10/26 @PHI
27T M. Jenkins M. Ryan 2 11/2 @OAK 25 K. Curtis D. McNabb 3 10/26 @PHI
26 J. Rader M. Ryan 3 12/14 TB 25T G. Jennings A. Rodgers 4 10/5 @GB
26 M. Jenkins M. Ryan 2 12/14 TB 23 B. Miller D. Brees 4 11/9 NO
26 R. White M. Ryan 3 12/7 @NO 23 B. Miller D. Brees 4 11/9 NO
26 M. Jenkins M. Ryan 4 10/12 CHI 23 M. Muhammad J. Delhomme 1 9/28 @CAR
26 R. White M. Ryan 3 10/12 CHI 22 A. Bryant B. Griese 2 12/14 TB
26 R. White M. Ryan 2 10/5 @GB 22 S. Smith J. Delhomme 3 11/23 CAR
25 R. White M. Ryan 3 11/30 @SD 22 D. Jackson D. McNabb 2 10/26 @PHI
23 M. Jenkins M. Ryan 1 12/14 TB 22 G. Olsen K. Orton 4 10/12 CHI
23 R. White M. Ryan 2 9/28 @CAR 21 V. Shiancoe T. Jackson 3 12/21 @MIN
23 L. Robinson M. Ryan 4 9/14 @TB 21T V. Shiancoe T. Jackson 1 12/21 @MIN
22 J. Norwood M. Ryan 1 12/28 StL 21 J. Shockey D. Brees 2 12/7 @NO
22 R. White M. Ryan 3 12/28 StL 21 D. Rosario J. Delhomme 4 11/23 CAR
22 M. Jenkins M. Ryan 3 9/21 @MIN 21 M. Colston D. Brees 4 11/9 NO
22 M. Jenkins M. Ryan 2 11/30 @SD 21 L. Smith D. McNabb 3 10/26 @PHI
22 H. Douglas M. Ryan 1 10/12 CHI 21 M. Muhammad J. Delhomme 1 9/28 @CAR
22T R. White M. Ryan 2 10/5 @GB 21T R. Williams J. Kitna 2 9/7 DET
22 R. White M. Ryan 1 9/28 @CAR 21 C. Johnson J. Kitna 1 9/7 DET
21 M. Jenkins M. Ryan 3 12/7 @NO 21 D. Campbell J. Kitna 2 9/7 DET
21 J. Norwood M. Ryan 2 11/9 NO 20 B. Wade T. Jackson 1 12/21 @MIN
21 M. Jenkins M. Ryan 4 10/26 @PHI 20T A. Bryant B. Griese 2 12/14 TB
21 H. Douglas M. Ryan 3 9/14 @TB 20 M. Clayton B. Griese 2 12/14 TB
20 J. Norwood M. Ryan 4 10/26 @PHI 20 D. Henderson D. Brees 4 11/9 NO
20 J. Norwood M. Ryan 3 10/26 @PHI 20 D. Jackson D. McNabb 2 10/26 @PHI
20 B. Celek D. McNabb 2 10/26 @PHI
20 G. Jennings A. Rodgers 3 10/5 @GB

FALCONS RUSHES OVER 15 YARDS OPPONENTS RUSHES OVER 15 YARDS

YDS RUSHER QTR DATE OPP YDS RUSHER QTR DATE OPP
70 M. Turner 4 12/28 StL 68T E. Graham 4 9/14 @TB
66T M. Turner 1 9/7 DET 48 L. Johnson 3 9/21 KC
45 J. Norwood 4 12/28 StL 43 R. Bush 1 12/7 @NO
44 J. Norwood 4 9/21 KC 39T B. Westbrook 4 10/26 @PHI
40 J. Norwood 2 9/28 @CAR 36 S. Jackson 1 12/28 StL
38 M. Turner 1 9/21 KC 30 D. Henderson 2 11/9 NO
33 H. Douglas 2 9/14 @TB 29 T. Jackson 2 12/21 @MIN
29 M. Turner 1 9/7 DET 28 J. Hester 4 11/30 @SD
28T M. Turner 4 11/16 DEN 24 J. Russell 4 11/2 @OAK
26 M. Turner 1 12/7 @NO 23 S. Jackson 2 12/28 StL
23 M. Turner 2 10/12 CHI 22 J. Russell 4 11/2 @OAK
22 M. Turner 3 12/14 TB 21 D. Williams 3 11/23 CAR
22 M. Turner 3 10/26 @PHI 21 D. Williams 3 9/28 @CAR
22 M. Turner 1 10/5 @GB 20 B. Westbrook 4 10/26 @PHI
21 J. Norwood 3 10/12 CHI 20 B. Westbrook 2 10/26 @PHI
20 M. Turner 2 11/9 NO 20 M. Forte 3 10/12 CHI
19 M. Turner 1 11/23 CAR 18 T. Jackson 3 12/21 @MIN
18 M. Turner 1 12/14 TB 18 P. Thomas 2 12/7 @NO
18 H. Douglas 1 10/5 @GB 18 P. Thomas 2 12/7 @NO
17 M. Turner 3 12/28 StL 18 B. Westbrook 3 10/26 @PHI
17 M. Turner OT 12/14 TB 17 A. Peterson 2 12/21 @MIN
17 M. Turner 1 10/26 @PHI 17T W. Dunn 2 9/14 @TB
17 M. Ryan 4 10/5 @GB 16 D. Williams 4 11/23 CAR
17 M. Turner 1 9/14 @TB 16T B. Westbrook 3 10/26 @PHI
17 M. Turner 4 9/7 DET 16 J. Stewart 2 9/28 @CAR
17 J. Norwood 2 9/7 DET 15 P. Pope 3 11/16 DEN
16T M. Turner 4 11/23 CAR
16 M. Turner 4 11/23 CAR
16 M. Turner 3 11/16 DEN
16 M. Turner 2 11/2 @OAK
16 M. Turner 3 9/7 DET
15 M. Turner 2 12/14 TB
15 M. Turner 3 11/30 @SD
15 M. Ryan 3 9/21 KC
15 M. Turner 4 9/7 DET
 2008 GAME-BY-GAME rushing
SCORE HARRY DOUGLAS OVIE MUGHELLI JERIOUS NORWOOD MATT RYAN
Game Atl Opp Att Yds Avg LG TD Att Yds Avg LG TD Att Yds Avg LG TD Att Yds Avg LG TD

DET 34 21 1 7 7.0 7 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 14 93 6.6 17 1 5 -2 -0.4 2 0

@TB 9 24 1 33 33.0 33 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 6 18 3.0 6 0 6 10 1.7 7 0
KC 38 14 1 -8 -8.0 -8 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 11 75 6.8 44 0 1 15 15.0 15 0
@CAR 9 24 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 51 17.0 40 0 2 11 5.5 6 0
@GB 27 24 1 18 18.0 18 0 1 9 9.0 9 0 4 12 3.0 5 0 4 16 4.0 17 0
CHI 22 20 1 -11 -11.0 -11 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 31 10.3 21 0 1 1 1.0 1 0
@PHI 14 27 2 10 5.0 6 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 4 5 1.3 4 0 1 4 4.0 4 0
@OAK 24 0 1 2 2.0 2 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 14 63 4.8 12T 1 4 1 0.3 3 0
NO 34 20 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 6 17 2.8 8 0 2 -2 -1.0 -1 0
DEN 20 24 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 4 18 4.5 12 0 5 18 3.6 9 0
CAR 45 28 2 3 1.5 7T 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 4 11 2.8 8 0 3 2 0.7 2 0
@SD 22 16 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 5 1.7 3 0 4 18 4.5 10 0 4 -3 -0.7 1 0
@NO 25 29 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 2 2.0 2 0 5 18 3.6 11 0 4 13 3.3 12T 1
TB 13 10 1 11 11.0 11 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 4 -7 -1.7 2 0 6 19 3.2 9 0
@MIN 24 17 1 4 4.0 4 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 6 10 1.7 8 0 3 2 0.7 4 0
STL 31 27 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 56 18.7 45 2 4 -1 -0.2 1 0

TOTALS 391 325 12 69 5.75 33 1 5 16 3.2 9 0 95 489 5.1 45 4 55 104 1.9 22 1

2008 GAME-BY-GAME rushing

SCORE JASON SNELLING MICHAEL TURNER RODDY WHITE

Game Atl Opp Att Yds Avg LG TD Att Yds Avg LG TD Att Yds Avg LG TD

DET 34 21 0 0 0.0 0 0 22 220 10.0 66T 2 0 0 0.0 0 0

@TB 9 24 0 0 0.0 0 0 14 42 3.0 17 0 1 2 2.0 2 0
KC 38 14 0 0 0.0 0 0 23 104 4.5 38 3 0 0 0.0 0 0
@CAR 9 24 0 0 0.0 0 0 18 56 3.1 10 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
@GB 27 24 0 0 0.0 0 0 26 121 4.7 22 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
CHI 22 20 0 0 0.0 0 0 25 54 2.2 23 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
@PHI 14 27 0 0 0.0 0 0 17 58 3.4 22 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
@OAK 24 0 8 47 5.9 13 0 30 139 4.5 16 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
NO 34 20 0 0 0.0 0 0 27 96 3.6 20 1 1 2 2.0 2 0
DEN 20 24 1 -3 -3.0 -3 0 25 81 3.2 28T 2 0 0 0.0 0 0
CAR 45 28 0 0 0.0 0 0 24 117 4.9 19 4 0 0 0.0 0 0
@SD 22 16 1 1 1.0 1 0 31 120 3.9 15 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
@NO 25 29 2 5 2.5 3 0 18 61 3.4 26 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
TB 13 10 0 0 0.0 0 0 32 152 4.8 22 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
@MIN 24 17 3 12 4.0 8 0 19 70 3.7 13 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
STL 31 27 0 0 0.0 0 0 25 208 8.3 70 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

TOTALS 391 325 15 62 4.1 21 0 376 1,699 4.5 70 16 2 4 2.0 2 0

 2008 GAME-BY-GAME PASSING
SCORE MATT RYAN CHRIS REDMAN
Game Atl Opp Att Comp Comp% Gross Net Long TD Int Rate Att Comp Comp% Gross Net Long TD Int Rate

DET 34 21 13 9 69.2 161 156 62T 1 0 137.0 DID NOT PLAY

@TB 9 24 33 13 39.4 158 129 23 0 2 29.6 DID NOT PLAY
KC 38 14 18 12 66.7 192 192 70T 1 0 120.6 DID NOT PLAY
@CAR 9 24 41 21 51.2 158 150 23 0 0 60.8 DID NOT PLAY
@GB 27 24 26 16 61.5 194 194 37 2 1 94.1 DID NOT PLAY
CHI 22 20 30 22 73.3 301 301 47 1 0 116.1 DID NOT PLAY
@PHI 14 27 44 23 52.3 277 258 55T 2 2 68.1 DID NOT PLAY
@OAK 24 0 22 17 77.3 220 201 37T 2 0 138.4 DID NOT PLAY
NO 34 20 23 16 69.6 248 248 67T 2 0 134.0 DID NOT PLAY
DEN 20 24 33 20 60.6 250 250 37 0 1 71.5 DID NOT PLAY
CAR 45 28 27 17 63.0 259 259 69 0 0 94.5 DID NOT PLAY
@SD 22 16 23 17 73.9 207 207 38 2 0 130.2 DID NOT PLAY
@NO 25 29 33 24 72.7 315 315 59 1 1 99.9 DID NOT PLAY
TB 13 10 23 15 65.2 206 198 30 0 2 57.5 DID NOT PLAY
@MIN 24 17 24 13 54.2 124 134 22 1 0 84.4 DID NOT PLAY
STL 31 27 21 10 47.6 160 154 41 1 2 49.8 DID NOT PLAY

TOTALS 391 325 434 265 61.1 3,440 3,336 70T 16 11 87.7 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
 2008 GAME-BY-GAME rECEIVING
SCORE HARRY DOUGLAS BRIAN FINNERAN BEN HARTSOCK MICHAEL JENKINS
Game Atl Opp Rec Yds Avg LG TD Rec Yds Avg LG TD Rec Yds Avg LG TD Rec Yds Avg LG TD
DET 34 21 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 17 17.0 17 0 1 62 62.0 62T 1
@TB 9 24 2 34 17.0 21 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
KC 38 14 2 10 5.0 6 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 19 9.5 16 0
@CAR 9 24 2 8 4.0 5 0 2 10 5.0 5 0 1 7 7.0 7 0 3 32 10.7 12 0
@GB 27 24 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 38 12.7 31 0
CHI 22 20 5 96 19.2 47 0 3 29 9.7 13 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 4 58 14.5 26 0
@PHI 14 27 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 20 6.7 8 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 50 16.7 21 0
@OAK 24 0 1 12 12.0 12 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 2 2.0 2 0 2 64 32.0 37T 2
NO 34 20 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 6 6.0 6 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 6 72 12.0 32 0
DEN 20 24 0 0 0.0 0 0 4 44 11.0 14 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 5 55 11.0 15 0
CAR 45 28 4 92 23.0 69 0 1 9 9.0 9 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 4 48 12.0 19 0
@SD 22 16 3 13 4.3 5T 1 2 14 7.0 7 0 INJURED RESERVE 1 22 22.0 22 0
@NO 25 29 2 45 22.5 28 0 2 8 4.0 6 1 INJURED RESERVE 5 69 13.8 21 0
TB 13 10 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 4 4.0 4 0 INJURED RESERVE 3 55 18.3 26 0
@MIN 24 17 1 4 4.0 4 0 1 13 13.0 13 0 INJURED RESERVE 4 61 15.3 22 0
STL 31 27 1 6 6.0 6 0 1 12 12.0 12 0 INJURED RESERVE 4 72 18.0 41 0

TOTALS 391 325 23 320 13.9 69 1 21 169 8.0 14 1 3 26 8.7 17 0 50 777 15.5 62T 3

SCORE OVIE MUGHELLI JERIOUS NORWOOD JUSTIN PEELLE LAURENT ROBINSON

Game Atl Opp Rec Yds Avg LG TD Rec Yds Avg LG TD Rec Yds Avg LG TD Rec Yds Avg LG TD
DET 34 21 1 3 3.0 3 0 2 6 3.0 3 0 1 13 13.0 13 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
@TB 9 24 1 6 6.0 6 0 1 8 8.0 8 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 4 45 11.3 23 0
KC 38 14 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 30 30.0 30 0 1 7 7.0 7 0 1 7 7.0 7 0
@CAR 9 24 0 0 0.0 0 0 4 1 0.3 7 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 INACTIVE
@GB 27 24 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 9 3.0 7 0 2 15 7.5 14 1 INACTIVE
CHI 22 20 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 6 6.0 6 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 INACTIVE
@PHI 14 27 1 2 2.0 2 0 5 55 11.0 20 0 1 17 17.0 17 0 INACTIVE
@OAK 24 0 2 23 11.5 18 0 2 20 10.0 14 0 3 33 11.0 16 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
NO 34 20 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 88 44.0 67T 1 1 14 14.0 14 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
DEN 20 24 2 22 11.0 14 0 3 25 8.3 11 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
CAR 45 28 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 5 5.0 5 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 INACTIVE
@SD 22 16 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 8 4.0 8 0 3 38 12.7 18T 1 INACTIVE
@NO 25 29 0 0 0.0 0 0 4 20 5.0 9 0 1 9 9.0 9 0 INACTIVE
TB 13 10 1 1 1.0 1 0 2 24 12.0 17 0 1 5 5.0 5 0 INACTIVE
@MIN 24 17 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 11 5.5 8 1 1 8 13.0 8 0 INJURED RESERVE
STL 31 27 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 22 22.0 22 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 INJURED RESERVE

TOTALS 391 325 8 57 7.1 18 0 36 338 9.4 64T 2 15 159 10.6 18T 2 5 52 10.4 23 0

SCORE JASON SNELLING MICHAEL TURNER ERIC WEEMS RODDY WHITE

Game Atl Opp Rec Yds Avg LG TD Rec Yds Avg LG TD Rec Yds Avg LG TD Rec Yds Avg LG TD
DET 34 21 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 6 6.0 6 0 2 54 27.0 46 0
@TB 9 24 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 6 6.0 6 0 4 59 14.8 19 0
KC 38 14 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 5 119 23.8 70T 1
@CAR 9 24 1 11 11.0 11 0 1 -1 -1.0 -1 0 7 90 12.9 23 0
@GB 27 24 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 8 132 16.5 37 1
CHI 22 20 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 9 112 12.4 26 1
@PHI 14 27 2 20 10.0 18 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 8 113 14.1 55T 2
@OAK 24 0 1 12 12.0 12 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 5 54 10.8 17 0
NO 34 20 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 5 68 13.6 16T 1
DEN 20 24 1 2 2.0 2 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 5 102 20.4 37 0
CAR 45 28 2 31 15.5 27 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 4 4.0 4 0 4 70 17.5 30 0
@SD 22 16 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 6 112 18.7 38 0
@NO 25 29 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 10 164 16.4 59 0
TB 13 10 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 30 15.0 18 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 4 61 15.3 30 0
@MIN 24 17 1 13 13.0 13 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 24 8.0 12 0
STL 31 27 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 48 16.0 22 1

TOTALS 391 325 8 89 11.1 27 0 6 41 6.8 18 0 1 4 4.0 4 0 88 1,382 15.7 70T 7

 2008 GAME-BY-GAME SACKS

SACKS (NUMBER, YARDS)

PLAYER 9/7 9/14 9/21 9/28 10/5 10/12 10/26 11/02 11/09 11/16 11/23 11/30 12/7 12/14 12/21 12/28 TOTALS

DET @TB KC @CAR @GB CHI @PHI @OAK NO DEN CAR @SD @NO TB @MIN STL

DE John Abraham 3.0/16.0 1.0/5.0 2.0/11.0 1.0/5.0 3.0/16.0 1.0/6.0 1.0/8.0 0.5/4.5 3.0/33.0 1.0/5.0 16.5/109.5

DT Jonathan Babineaux 1.0/8.0 1.0/8.0 1.5/10.5 3.5/26.5

DT Grady Jackson 1.0/4.0 1.0/10.0 2.0/12.0

DE Jamaal Anderson 1.0/4.0 1.0/6.0 2.0/10.0

LB Curtis Lofton 1.0/7.0 1.0/7.0

TEAM SACK 1.0/5.0 1.0/5.0

DE Chauncey Davis 2.0/13.0 1.0/4.0 1.0/8.0 4.0/25.0

DE Kroy Biermann 1.0/3.0 1.0/10.0 2.0/13.0

DT Kindal Moorehead 1.0/29.0 1.0/29.0

LB Stephen Nicholas 1.0/6.0 1.0/6.0

TEAM TOTALS 3.0/16.0 2.0/13.0 2.0/11.0 0.0/0.0 2.0/9.0 1.0/4.0 2.0/13.0 4.0/21.0 1.0/6.0 1.0/8.0 3.0/21.0 3.0/18.0 0.0/0.0 4.0/43.0 3.0/38.0 3.0/24.0 34.0/245.0

2008 GAME-BY-GAME INTERCEPTIONS

INTERCEPTIONS (NUMBER, YARDS)

PLAYER 9/7 9/14 9/21 9/28 10/5 10/12 10/26 11/2 11/9 11/16 11/23 11/30 12/7 12/14 12/21 12/28 TOTALS

DET @TB KC @CAR @GB CHI @PHI @OAK NO DEN CAR @SD @NO TB @MIN STL

S Lawyer Milloy 1/38 1/38

S Erik Coleman 1/16 1/0 1/32 3/48

CB Brent Grimes 1/25 1/25

CB Chris Houston 1/10 1/0 2/10

LB Michael Boley 1/16 1/16

CB Chevis Jackson 1/95 1/95

CB Domonique Foxworth 1/1 1/1

TEAM TOTALS 1/38 0/0 3/51 0/0 1/16 0/0 0/0 1/0 3/127 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 1/1 0/0 0/0 10/233
 2008 GAME-BY-GAME OFFENSIVE STATISTICS

GAME FIRST DOWNS 3RD TOTAL OFFENSE RUSHING PASSING PENALTIES FUMBLES PUNTING
DOWN

T R P PN PCT. Plays Yards Att Yds Net Sacked Gross Att-Comp-Yds-TD-Int No-Yards No-Lost No-Avg T.O.P

DET 23 17 5 1 3-9-33% 56 474 42 318 156 1/5 161 13 - 9 - 161 - 1 - 0 7 - 68 0-0 3 - 38.3 29:07

@TB 14 2 8 4 7-19-37% 65 234 28 105 129 4/29 158 33 - 13 - 158 - 0 - 2 8 - 60 2-0 5 - 36.2 29:38

KC 16 9 7 0 6-13-46% 54 378 36 186 192 0/0 192 18 - 12 - 192 - 1 - 0 4 - 22 1-1 6 - 43.2 30:10

@CAR 17 5 9 3 2-13-15% 66 268 23 118 150 2/8 158 41 - 21 - 158 - 0 - 0 5 - 45 0-0 6 - 42.3 27:45

@GB 22 10 9 3 6-12-50% 62 370 36 176 194 0/0 194 26 - 26 - 194 - 2 - 1 2 - 15 1-0 3 - 41.7 28:43

CHI 18 4 14 0 6-14-43% 60 376 30 75 301 0/0 301 30 - 22 - 301 - 1 - 0 6 - 46 1-1 2 - 41.0 30:50

@PHI 19 3 13 3 6-16-38% 70 335 24 77 258 2/19 277 44 - 23 - 277 - 2 - 2 6 - 51 1-1 7 - 37.7 27:39

@OAK 30 14 12 4 9-17-53% 82 453 57 252 201 3/19 220 22 - 17 - 220 - 2 - 0 4 - 40 1-1 2 - 16.5 45:15

NO 18 6 11 1 5-11-45% 59 361 36 113 248 0/0 248 23 - 16 - 248 - 2 - 0 2 - 25 0-0 4 - 35.3 31:12

DEN 20 6 13 1 11-18-61% 68 364 35 114 250 0/0 250 33 - 20 - 250 - 0 - 1 5 - 36 0-0 2 - 31.0 33:42

CAR 21 10 10 1 6-13-46% 61 392 33 133 259 1/0 259 27 - 17 - 259 - 0 - 0 3 - 25 1-1 3 - 43.0 28:49

@SD 20 9 10 1 8-16-50% 66 348 43 141 207 0/0 207 23 - 17 - 207 - 2 - 0 3 - 20 3-3 2 - 53.0 34:58

@NO 22 9 13 0 7-12-58% 63 414 30 99 315 0/0 315 33 - 24 - 315 - 1 - 1 5 - 34 1-0 4 - 47.5 32:52

TB 18 9 9 0 6-14-43% 67 373 43 175 198 1/8 206 23 - 15 - 206 - 0 - 2 3 - 20 3-1 6 - 37.5 36:10

@MIN 18 9 7 2 5-12-42% 58 222 32 98 124 2/10 134 24 - 13 -124 -1- 0 6 - 70 1-0 6 - 42.2 27:05

STL 17 9 7 1 2-10-20% 54 417 32 263 154 1/6 160 21- 10-160 -1-2 3 - 14 0-0 4 - 36.8 24:27

2008 GAME-BY-GAME OPPONENTS STATISTICS

GAME FIRST DOWNS 3RD TOTAL OFFENSE RUSHING PASSING PENALTIES FUMBLES PUNTING
DOWN

T R P PN PCT. Plays Yards Att Yds Net Sacked Gross Att-Comp-Yds-TD-Int No-Yards No-Lost No-Avg T.O.P

DET 21 4 14 3 2-9-22% 57 308 21 62 246 3/16 262 33 - 24 - 262 - 2 - 1 5 - 30 1-0 6 - 42.5 30:53

@TB 15 5 10 0 6-14-43% 61 311 28 164 147 2/13 160 31 - 18 - 160 - 1 - 0 11 - 94 1-1 5 - 46.6 30:22

KC 17 10 7 0 8-18-44% 71 301 33 184 117 2/11 128 36 - 14 - 128 - 1 - 3 3 - 13 2-0 6 - 51.5 29:50

@CAR 19 5 13 1 3-12-25% 62 401 33 107 294 0/0 294 29 - 20 - 294 - 2 - 0 11 - 90 0-0 6 - 40.8 32:15

@GB 21 6 14 1 7-13-54% 62 408 23 104 304 2/9 313 37 - 25 - 313 - 3 - 1 9 - 97 0-0 3 - 41.0 31:17

CHI 22 4 17 1 9-16-56% 67 361 23 79 282 1/4 286 43 - 26 - 286 - 1 - 0 6 - 57 1-1 3 - 43.3 29:10

@PHI 24 11 11 2 3-12-25% 68 432 32 192 240 2/13 253 34 - 19 - 253 - 0 - 0 7 - 70 1-1 7 - 40.9 32:21

@OAK 3 3 0 0 1-9-11% 34 77 11 67 10 4/21 31 19 - 6 - 31 - 0 - 1 7 - 55 2-1 6 - 50.2 14:45

NO 25 5 20 0 7-15-47% 76 521 17 105 416 1/6 422 58 - 31 - 422 - 2 - 3 7 - 45 0-0 3 - 48.3 28:48

DEN 19 7 11 1 7-12-58% 53 332 25 124 208 1/8 216 27 - 19 - 216 - 1 - 0 6 - 36 0-0 3 - 42.3 26:18

CAR 22 7 15 0 5-14-36% 64 408 26 134 274 3/21 295 35 - 21 - 295 - 1 - 0 8 - 48 0-0 6 - 46.2 31:11

@SD 13 5 7 1 3-12-25% 52 201 19 70 131 3/18 149 30 - 17 - 149 - 0 - 0 9 - 84 1-0 4 - 43.5 25:02

@NO 24 9 14 1 4-10-40% 62 414 30 184 230 0/0 230 32 - 18 - 230 - 2 - 0 3 - 30 0-0 3 - 50.7 27:08

TB 19 5 14 0 3-14-21% 67 325 26 99 226 4/43 269 37 - 26 - 269 - 1 - 1 11 - 76 0-0 9 - 45.9 34:46

@MIN 24 11 11 2 6-13-46% 70 350 31 155 195 3/38 233 26 - 22 - 195 - 2 - 0 3 - 15 7-4 1 - 44.0 32:55

STL 22 11 11 0 5-15-33% 72 408 37 202 206 3/24 230 32 - 19 -230 - 1 - 0 3 - 14 0-0 5 - 48.8 35:13
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - OFFENSE

T SAM BAKER 72 G JUSTIN BLALOCK 63

Ht: 6-5 Wt: 312 Year: Rookie Ht: 6-4 Wt: 333 Year: 2nd
Southern California Texas
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (8/ 5/ 0/ 8) GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 16/ 0/ 0)
Career GP / GS: (8/5) Career GP / GS: (30/30)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 0) 2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 1/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/0) Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/1)

• Started at left tackle in his NFL debut and helped open running lanes • Started on an offensive line that paved the way for a franchise sin-
for a ground attack that amassed a franchise single-game high 318 gle-game high 318 rushing yards vs. Detroit (9/7), including a career
yards vs. Detroit (9/7). and franchise-high 220 rushing yards by RB Michael Turner.
• Started at left tackle at Tampa Bay (9/14) before leaving the game • Member of a an offensive line that opened running lanes for a
with an injury (head). ground attack that totaled 105 yards at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Started at left tackle vs. Kansas City (9/21), but left the game follow- • Part of an offensive line that did not allow a sack on 18 pass
ing the second quarter (head). attempts vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Inactive at Carolina (9/28). • Started at left guard at Carolina (9/28).
• Started at left tackle for an offensive line that did not allow a sack on • Member of an offensive line that cleared rushing lanes for a ground
26 pass attempts at Green Bay (10/5). attack that recorded 176 total yards at Green Bay (10/5).
• Member of an offensive line that helped produce a season-high 301 • Started on an offensive line unit that did not allow a sack on 30 pass
passing yards vs. Chicago (10/12). attempts vs. Chicago (10/12).
• Inactive at Philadelphia (10/26). • Started at left guard at Philadelphia (10/26).
• Inactive at Oakland (11/2). • Member of an offensive line that opened rushing lanes for a ground
• Inactive vs. New Orleans (11/9). attack that posted 252 total yards at Oakland (11/2).
• Inactive vs. Denver (11/16). • Part of an offensive attack that recorded 361 total yards vs. New
• Inactive vs. Carolina (11/23). Orleans (11/9).
• Inactive at San Diego (11/30). • Started at left guard vs. Denver (11/16).
• Inactive at New Orleans (12/7). • Member of an offensive line that helped tie a franchise-high in rush-
• Saw his first action on the offensive line in nine weeks against ing touchdowns (five) vs. Carolina (11/23).
Tampa Bay (12/14). • Started for an offensive line that cleared rushing lanes for a ground
• Competed on the offensive line against Minnesota (12/21) and attack that recorded 141 yards at San Diego (11/30).
helped the team rush for 98 yards in a victory over the Vikings. • Started at left guard for an offensive line that did not allow a sack on
• Helped open holes for RB Michael Turner to record 208 rushing 33 pass attempts at New Orleans (12/7).
yards aginst St. Louis (12/28). • Started at left guard and helped block for RB Michael Turner’s 152
• Was part of an offensive line that blocked for QB Matt Ryan to com- rushing yards vs. Tampa Bay (12/14).
pleted two touchdowns passes against Arizona (1/3/09) in a NFC • Recovered a Matt Ryan fumble in the end zone and became the first
Wild Card meeting. Falcons offensive lineman to record a touchdown since 1996 (Robie
Tobeck) against Minnesota (12/21).
• Blocked for a Falcons rushing attack, which totaled 263 yards
against St. Louis (12/28).
• Opened holes for RB Michael Turner to rush for 42 yards and one
touchdown against Arizona (1/3/09) in a NFC Wild Card match-up.
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - OFFENSE
T TYSON CLABO 77
Ht: 6-6 Wt: 332 Year: 3rd
Wake Forest
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 16/ 0/ 0)
Career GP / GS: (37/37)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 1/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/1)
• Started on an offensive line that helped produce 474 total offensive
yards vs. Detroit (9/7), including a franchise single-game high 318
rushing yards.
• Part of an offensive line that cleared running lanes for a ground
game that tallied 105 total rushing yards at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Member of an offensive line that opened rushing holes for a ground
attack that recorded 186 total yards vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Started at right tackle at Carolina (9/28).
• Started on an offensive line that did not allow a sack in 26 pass
attempts at Green Bay (10/5).
• Member of an offensive line that assisted in producing 376 total
yards vs. Chicago (10/12).
• Started at right tackle at Philadelphia (10/26).
• Started on an offensive line that helped posses the ball for a fran-
chise-high 45:15 at Oakland (11/2).
• Member of an offensive unit that did not allow a sack on 23 pass
attempts vs. New Orleans (11/9).
• Started at right guard vs. Denver (11/16).
• Part of an offensive unit that produced 392 total yards of offense vs.
Carolina (11/23).
• Member of an offensive line that did not allow a sack on 23 pass
attempts at San Diego (11/30).
• Started at right tackle for an offensive line that helped produce 414
total yards of offense at New Orleans (12/7).
• Started at right tackle and paved the way for Atlanta’s 175 rushing
yards against Tampa Bay (12/14).
• Started at right tackle and blocked for the Falcons to produced 222
yards of net offense in a win against Minnesota (12/21).
• Started his 16th game at right tackle against St. Louis (12/28) and
was part of an offensive line that gave up only one quarterback sack
while Matt Ryan threw for 160 passing yards.
• Started in his first career postseason contest and provided time for
the offense to record 190 net passing yards at Arizona (1/3/09) in a
NFC Wild Card contest.
G HARVEY DAHL 73
Ht: 6-5 Wt: 308 Year: 2nd
Nevada
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 16/ 0/ 0)
Career GP / GS: (21/16)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 1/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/1)
• Made his first career NFL start vs. Detroit (9/7) for an offensive line
that led the way for RB Michael Turner career and franchise single-
game high 220 rushing yards.
• Member of an offensive line that created holes for a ground attack
that recorded 105 total rushing yards at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Started on an offensive line that did not allow a sack in 18 pass
attempts vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Started at right guard at Carolina (9/28).
• Part of an offensive line that cleared rushing lanes for a ground
attack that tallied 176 total rushing yards at Green Bay (10/5).
• Started at right guard for an offensive line that did not allow a sack
on 30 pass attempts vs. Chicago (10/12).
• Started at right guard at Philadelphia (10/26).
• Member of an offensive line that cleared rushing lanes for a ground
game that amassed 252 total yards at Oakland (11/2).
• Part of an offensvie line that helped tally 248 passing yards vs. New
Orleans (11/9).
• Started on an offensive line that did not allow a sack on 30 pass
attempts vs. Denver (11/16).
• Member of an offensive group that tied a franchise-high in rushing
touchdowns (five) vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Part of an offensive line unit that opened running lanes for a ground
attack that recorded 141 total yards at San Diego (11/30).
• Started at left guard at New Orleans (12/7) for an offensive line that
did not allow a sack on 33 pass attempts.
• Started at left guard against Tampa Bay (12/14) and blocked for QB
Matt Ryan’s 206 passing yards.
• Started at left guard at Minnesota (12/21) and created rushing lanes
for RB Michael Turner to record 70 yards and one touchdown.
• Started at left guard versus St. Louis (12/28) and helped open holes
for Atlanta’s 263 net rushing yards.
• Started at right guard in Atlanta’s NFC Wild Card game at Arizona
(1/3/09) and opened holes for the Falcons to register 60 rushing
yards and one rushing touchdown.
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - OFFENSE

WR HARRY DOUGLAS 83 douglas’ Game-By-Game RETURN

Statistics
Ht: 5-11 Wt: 171 Year: Rookie DATE OPP. KR YDS AVG. TD PR YDS AVG. FC LG TD
Louisville 9/7 DET 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 0/ 0/ 0) 9/14 @TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
Career GP / GS: (16/0)
9/21 KC 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 1/ 0/ 0)
9/28 @CAR 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/1)
10/5 @GB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
• Tallied seven rushing yards on one carry in his NFL debut vs. Detroit 10/12 CHI 1 10 10.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
(9/7). 10/26 @PHI 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
• Posted a career-high 33 rushing yards on one carry at Tampa Bay 11/2 @OAK 0 0 0.0 0 2 13 6.5 0 7 0
(9/14) in addition to adding two receptions for 34 yards. 11/9 NO 0 0 0.0 0 2 33 16.5 0 25 0
• Recorded two catches for 10 yards vs. Kansas City (9/21). 11/16 DEN 0 0 0.0 0 1 9 9.0 1 9 0
• Logged two receptions for eight yards at Carolina (9/28). 11/23 CAR 0 0 0.0 0 3 93 31.0 0 61T 1
• Registered one carry for 18 yards at Green Bay (10/5). 11/30 @SD 0 0 0.0 0 2 32 16.0 1 32 0
• Hauled in a career-high five grabs for a career-high 96 yards vs.
12/7 @NO 0 0 0.0 0 2 2 1.0 0 2 0
Chicago (10/12).
12/14 TB 0 0 0.0 0 4 37 9.3 1 17 0
• Posted 10 rushing yards on two carries at Philadelphia (10/26).
12/21 @MIN 0 0 0.0 0 1 4 4.0 0 4 0
• Hauled in one reception for 12 yards and carried the ball one time for
two yards on offense at Oakland (11/2) and added 13 punt return 12/28 STL 0 0 0.0 0 2 3 1.5 0 6 0
yards on two attempts on special teams. 2008 TOTALS 1 10 10.0 0 19 226 11.9 3 61T 1
• Notched 33 punt return yards on two attempts vs. New Orleans CAREER 1 10 10.0 0 19 226 11.9 3 61T 1
(11/9), including a season-long 25-yard return in the first quarter
leading to the Falcons first score of the game. douglas’ POSTSEASON Statistics
• Tallied nine yards on one punt return vs. Denver (11/16). DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD
• Logged 188 all-purpose yards vs. Carolina (11/23) by recording 92 1/3/09 ARI 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
receiving yards on four catches, three rushing yards with one score
2008 TOTALS 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
on two carries and a career-high 93 punt return yards on three
CAREER 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
attempts with one touchdown. His 61-yard punt return in the fourth
quarter was the first punt returned for a touchdown by a Falcon since
Allen Rossum in 2004 (at KC, 10/24/04). douglas’ POSTSEASON RETURN
• Recorded three receptions for 13 yards and his first career receiving Statistics
touchdown at San Diego (11/30) in addition to posting two punt DATE OPP. KR YDS AVG. TD PR YDS AVG. FC LG TD
returns for 32 yards. 1/3/09 ARI 0 0 0.0 0 3 31 10.3 0 21 0
• Posted 45 receiving yards on two receptions at New Orleans (12/7) 2008 TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0 3 31 10.3 0 21 0
and added two punt return yards on two attempts. CAREER 0 0 0.0 0 3 31 10.3 0 21 0
• Logged one rush for 11 yards in his 14th career game vs. Tampa Bay
(12/14) and contributed with four punt returns for 37 yards.
season highs
• Totaled one rush for four yards, one reception for four yards and one
RECEPTIONS: 5 vs. Chicago (10/12)
punt return for four yards at Minnesota (12/21).
RECEIVING YARDS: 96 vs. Chicago (10/12)
• Caught one pass for six yards against St. Louis (12/28) while con-
tributing with two punt returns. PUNT RETURN YARDS: 93 vs. Carolina (11/23)
• Earned his first career start in the Falcons Wild Card meeting against PUNT RETURN ATTEMPTS: 4 vs. Tampa Bay (12/14)
Arizona (1/3/09), caught one pass and returned three punts for 31 LONG PUNT RETURN: 61T vs. Carolina (11/23)
yards including a long return of 21 yards.

douglas’ Game-By-Game Statistics

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD
9/7 DET 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 7 7.0 7 0
9/14 @TB 2 34 17.0 21 0 1 33 33.0 33 0
9/21 KC 2 10 5.0 6 0 1 -8 -8.0 -8 0
9/28 @CAR 2 8 4.0 5 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
10/5 @GB 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 18 18.0 18 0
10/12 CHI 5 96 19.2 47 0 1 -11 -11.0 -11 0
10/26 @PHI 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 10 5.0 6 0
11/2 @OAK 1 12 12.0 12 0 1 2 2.0 2 0
11/9 NO 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/16 DEN 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/23 CAR 4 92 23.0 69 0 2 3 1.5 7T 1
11/30 @SD 3 13 4.3 5T 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/7 @NO 2 45 22.5 28 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/14 TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 11 11.0 11 0
12/21 @MIN 1 4 4.0 4 0 1 4 4.0 4 0
12/28 STL 1 6 6.0 6 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 23 320 13.9 69 1 12 69 5.8 33 1
CAREER 23 320 13.9 69 1 12 69 5.8 33 1
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - OFFENSE

WR BRIAN FINNERAN 86 FINNERAN’S Game-By-Game RETURN

Statistics
Ht: 6-5 Wt: 206 Year: 9th
DATE OPP. KR YDS AVG. TD PR YDS AVG. FC LG TD
Villanova
9/7 DET 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 0/ 0/ 0)
Career GP / GS: (102/35) 9/14 @TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 0) 9/21 KC 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
Career Postseason GP / GS: (5/2) 9/28 @CAR 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
10/5 @GB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
• Saw action in a regular season game for the first time in two seasons 10/12 CHI 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
after missing time with a knee injury vs. Detroit (9/7).
10/26 @PHI 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
• Saw action at Tampa Bay (9/14).
11/2 @OAK 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
• Saw action vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Recorded two catches for 10 yards at Carolina (9/28) in his 90th 11/9 NO 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
career game. 11/16 DEN 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 1 0 0
• Saw action at Green Bay (10/5). 11/23 CAR 1 5 5.0 0 1 2 2.0 0 2 0
• Tallied three catches for 29 yards vs. Chicago (10/12). 11/30 @SD 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
• Logged three receptions for 20 yards at Philadelphia (10/26). 12/7 @NO 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
• Saw action on special teams and at wide receiver at Oakland (11/2).
12/14 TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 1 0 0
• Registered one catch for six yards vs. New Orleans (11/9).
12/21 @MIN 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
• Notched season highs in receptions (four) and receiving yards (44)
vs. Denver (11/16). 12/28 STL 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 1 0 0
• Hauled in one reception for nine yards vs. Carolina (11/23). 2008 TOTALS 1 5 5.0 0 1 2 2.0 0 2 0
• Posted 14 receiving yards on two catches at San Diego (11/30). CAREER 2 7 3.5 5 5 9 1.8 14 5 0
• Recorded two catches for 18 yards and his first receiving touchdown
since November 11, 2005 at Miami. FINNERAN’S POSTSEASON Statistics
• Caught one pass for four yards and fair caught one punt vs. Tampa
DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD
Bay (12/14).
• Registered one catch for 13 yards, which was converted for a new 1/3/09 ARI 2 11 5.5 7 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
set of downs at Minnesota (12/21). 2008 TOTALS 2 11 5.5 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
• Caught one pass for 12 yards against St. Louis (12/28). CAREER 14 159 11.4 29 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
• Posted two receptions for 11 yards, including one third down catch
for a new set of downs at Arizona (1/3/09) in a NFC Wild Card match- FINNERAN’S POSTSEASON RETURN
up. Statistics
DATE OPP. KR YDS AVG. TD PR YDS AVG. FC LG TD
finneran’s Game-By-Game Statistics 1/3/09 ARI 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD
2008 TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
9/7 DET 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
CAREER 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
9/14 @TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
9/21 KC 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
season highs
9/28 @CAR 2 10 5.0 5 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
RECEPTIONS: 4 vs. Denver (11/16)
10/5 @GB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
RECEIVING YARDS: 44 vs. Denver (11/16)
10/12 CHI 3 29 9.7 13 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 3 20 6.7 8 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/2 @OAK 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/9 NO 1 6 6.0 6 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/16 DEN 4 44 11.0 14 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/23 CAR 1 9 9.0 9 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/30 @SD 2 14 7.0 7 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/7 @NO 2 8 4.0 6 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/14 TB 1 4 4.0 4 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/21 @MIN 1 13 13.0 13 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/28 STL 1 12 12.0 12 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 21 169 8.0 14 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
CAREER 208 2,816 13.5 53 16 0 0 0.0 0 0
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - OFFENSE

T WAYNE GANDY 68 TE BEN HARTSOCK 89

Ht: 6-5 Wt: 308 Year: 14th Ht: 6-4 Wt: 264 Year: 5th
Auburn Ohio State
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (7/ 0/ 0/ 1) GP / GS / DNP / IA: (11/ 11/ 0/ 0)
Career GP / GS: (219/205) Career GP / GS: (56/26)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (0/ 0/ 0/ 1) 2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (0/ 0/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (4/4) Career Postseason GP / GS: (3/1)

• Saw action on the offensive line at Oakland (11/2).
• Saw action on the offensvie line vs. New Orleans (11/9).
• Saw action in his 215th career game vs. Denver (11/16).
• Saw action on special teams vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Saw action on special teams at San Diego (11/30).
• Saw action on special teams at New Orleans (12/7).
• Listed as inactive against Tampa Bay (12/14).
• Saw action on special teams at Minnesota (12/21).
• Listed as inactive against St. Louis (12/28).
• Listed as inactive for Atlanta’s Wild Card contest at Arizona (1/3/09).
• Hauled in one catch for 17 yards in his Falcons debut vs. Detroit
(9/7).
• Started at tight end at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Started at tight end vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Posted seven receiving yards on one reception at Carolina (9/28).
• Started at tight end at Green Bay (10/5).
• Started at tight end vs. Chicago (10/12).
• Started at tight end at Philadelphia (10/26).
• Tallied one reception for two yards at Oakland (11/2).
• Started at tight end vs. New Orleans (11/9).
• Started at tight end vs. Denver (11/16).
• Started at tight end vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Placed on injured reserve November 26.

hartsock’s Game-By-Game Statistics

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD
9/7 DET 1 17 17.0 17 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
9/14 @TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
9/21 KC 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
9/28 @CAR 1 7 7.0 7 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
10/5 @GB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
10/12 CHI 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/2 @OAK 1 2 2.0 2 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/9 NO 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/16 DEN 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/23 CAR 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/30 @SD INJURED RESERVE
12/7 @NO INJURED RESERVE
12/14 TB INJURED RESERVE
12/21 @MIN INJURED RESERVE
12/28 STL INJURED RESERVE
2008 TOTALS 3 26 8.7 17 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
CAREER 27 273 10.1 27 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

hartsock’s POSTSEASON Statistics

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD
1/3/09 ARI INJURED RESERVE
2008 TOTALS INJURED RESERVE
CAREER 3 16 5.3 6 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - OFFENSE

WR MICHAEL JENKINS 12 season highs

RECEPTIONS: 6 vs. New Orleans (11/9)
Ht: 6-4 Wt: 215 Year: 5th
RECEIVING YARDS: 72 (two times) last time vs. St. Louis (12/28)
Ohio State
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 11/ 0/ 0) RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS: 2 at Oakland (11/2)
Career GP / GS: (77/45)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 1/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (3/1)

• Logged a career-long 62-yard touchdown reception vs. Detroit (9/7).

• Started at wide receiver at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Hauled in two receptions for 19 yards vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Registered three receptions for 32 yards at Carolina (9/28).
• Recorded three receptions for 38 yards at Green Bay (10/5).
• Posted four catches for 58 yards vs. Chicago (10/12). His 26-yard
grab with one second remaining in the game led to the game-winning
48-yard field goal by K Jason Elam as time expired.
• Tallied three receptions for 50 yards at Philadelphia (10/26).
• Logged two receptions for 64 yards with two touchdowns at Oakland
(11/2).
• Notched a team-high six receptions for a season-high 72 yards vs.
New Orleans (11/9).
• Recorded five catches for 55 yards vs. Denver (11/16).
• Hauled in four receptions for 48 yards vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Registered one catch for 22 yards at San Diego (11/30).
• Posted 69 receiving yards on five receptions at New Orleans (12/7)
and caught a two-point conversion.
• Made his 10th start of the season vs. Tampa Bay (12/14) and caught
three passes for 55 yards (18.3 avg.) and a long catch of 26 yards.
• Led the team in receiving with four receptions for 61 yards (15.3 avg.)
and a long catch of 22 yards at Minnesota (12/21).
• Caught four passes from Matt Ryan for 72 yards to match his sea-
son-high in receiving for a second time this season against St. Louis
(12/28).
• Started his first career postseason game in Atlanta’s Wild Card meet-
ing at Arizona (1/3/09) and finished second on the team in receiving
with five receptions for 51 yards (10.2 avg.).

jenkins’ Game-By-Game Statistics

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD
9/7 DET 1 62 62.0 62T 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
9/14 @TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
9/21 KC 2 19 9.5 16 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
9/28 @CAR 3 32 10.7 12 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
10/5 @GB 3 38 12.7 31 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
10/12 CHI 4 58 14.5 26 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 3 50 16.7 21 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/2 @OAK 2 64 32.0 37T 2 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/9 NO 6 72 12.0 32 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/16 DEN 5 55 11.0 15 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/23 CAR 4 48 12.0 19 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/30 @SD 1 22 22.0 22 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/7 @NO 5 69 13.8 21 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/14 TB 3 55 18.3 26 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/21 @MIN 4 61 15.3 22 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/28 STL 4 72 18.0 41 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 50 777 15.5 62T 3 0 0 0.0 0 0
CAREER 185 2,372 12.8 62T 17 2 4 2.0 2 0

jenkins’ POSTSEASON Statistics

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD
1/3/09 ARI 5 51 10.2 21 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 5 51 10.2 21 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
CAREER 8 77 9.6 21 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - OFFENSE

C TODD MCCLURE 62 FB OVIE MUGHELLI 34

Ht: 6-1 Wt: 301 Year: 10th Ht: 6-1 Wt: 245 Year: 6th
LSU Wake Forest
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 16/ 0/ 0) GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 14/ 0/ 0)
Career GP / GS: (136/134) Career GP / GS: (69/33)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 1/ 0/ 0) 2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (5/5) Career Postseason GP / GS: (3/0)

• Started on an offensive line that helped open rushing lanes for a • Recorded one reception for three yards vs. Detroit (9/7) in addition to
ground attack that recorded a franchise single-game high 318 rush- opening running lanes for a ground game that totaled a franchise sin-
ing yards vs. Detroit (9/7). gle-game high 318 yards.
• Started his 120th career game at Tampa Bay (9/14). • Hauled in one catch for six yards at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Member of an offensive line that cleared running lanes for a ground • Helped open rushing lanes for a ground attack that recorded 186
game that tallied 186 total yards on 36 attempts vs. Kansas City total yards vs. Kansas City (9/21).
(9/21). • Saw action at fullback for an offense that recorded 118 rushing yards
• Started his 100th consecutive game at Carolina (9/28). at Carolina (9/28).
• Part of an offensive line that did not allow a sack in 26 pass attempts • Tallied one carry for nine yards at Green Bay (10/5).
at Green Bay (10/5). • Started a fullback vs. Chicago (10/12).
• Started at center for an offensive line that did not allow a sack on 30 • Registered one catch for two yards at Philadelphia (10/26) in his 60th
pass attempts vs. Chicago (10/12). career game in addition to recording 17 kickoff return yards on one
• Started at center for his 125th career start at Philadelphia (10/26). attempt.
• Member of an offensvie line that helped produce 252 total rushing • Logged two catches for 23 yards at Oakland (11/2) and helped block
yards at Oakland (11/2) and record a franchise-high 45:15 minutes for a rushing game that tallied 252 total yards.
of time of possession. • Started at fullback vs. New Orleans (11/9).
• Started at center for an offensive line that did not allow a sack on 23 • Notched two receptions for 22 yards vs. Denver (11/16).
pass attempts vs. New Orleans (11/9), marking the fouth time the • Started at fullback for an offensive attack that totaled 392 yards vs.
offensvie line has accomplished the feat in 2008. Carolina (11/23).
• Part of an offensive line that did not allow a sack on 30 pass attempts • Recorded five rushing yards on three carries at San Diego (11/30).
vs. Denver (11/16). • Posted one carry for two yards at New Orleans (12/7).
• Started on an offensive line that helped produce five rushing scores • Started his 12th game of the season in a Week 15 contest vs. Tampa
vs. Carolina (11/23). Bay (12/14) and caught one pass for one yard.
• Member of an offensive line that did not allow a sack on 23 pass • Started his 13th game at fullback and helped block for a running
attempts in his 130th career start at San Diego (11/30). game which totaled 98 yards against Minnesota (12/21).
• Started on an offensive line that helped Matt Ryan throw for a career- • Saw action at fullback for an offensive unit that totaled 417 yards
high 315 yards at New Orleans (12/7). against St. Louis (12/28).
• Started at center against Tampa Bay (12/14) in his 110th consecutive • Saw action in Atlanta’s Wild Card contest at Arizona (1/3/09) and
game and blocked for an offensive attack which registered 373 net paved the way for RB Michael Turner to record 42 yards and one TD.
offensive yards.
• Started at center at Minnesota (12/21) and blocked for quarterback Mughelli’s Game-By-Game Statistics
Matt Ryan who threw for 134 yards and one touchdown.
DATE OPP RUSH YDS AVG LG TD REC YDS AVG LG TD
• Started at center against St. Louis (12/28) and set a franchise record
9/7 DET 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 3 3.0 3 0
as a member of an offensive line that allowed only 17 quarterback
sacks this season. 9/14 @TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 6 6.0 6 0
• Started his fifth career postseason contest in the Falcons Wild Card 9/21 KC 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
game at Arizona (1/3/09) and blocked for QB Matt Ryan to complete 9/28 @CAR 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
65 percent of his passes (26 of 40). 10/5 @GB 1 9 9.0 9 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
10/12 CHI 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 2 2.0 2 0
11/2 @OAK 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 23 11.5 18 0
11/9 NO 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/16 DEN 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 22 11.0 14 0
11/23 CAR 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/30 @SD 3 5 1.7 3 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/7 @NO 1 2 2.0 2 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/14 TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 1 1.0 1 0
12/21 @MIN 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/28 STL 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 5 16 3.2 9 0 8 57 7.1 19 0
CAREER 23 73 3.2 12 1 38 288 7.6 30T 2

Mughelli’s Game-By-Game Statistics

DATE OPP RUSH YDS AVG LG TD REC YDS AVG LG TD
1/3/09 ARI 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
CAREER 2 6 3.0 3 0 2 11 5.5 9 0
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - OFFENSE

RB JERIOUS NORWOOD 32 norwood’s Game-By-Game Statistics

DATE OPP RUSH YDS AVG LG TD REC YDS AVG LG TD
Ht: 5-11 Wt: 202 Year: 3rd 9/7 DET 14 93 6.6 17 1 2 6 3.0 3 0
Mississippi State 9/14 @TB 6 18 3.0 6 0 1 8 8.0 8 0
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 0/ 0/ 0) 9/21 KC 11 75 6.8 44 0 1 30 30.0 30 0
Career GP / GS: (45/2) 9/28 @CAR 3 51 17.0 40 0 4 1 0.3 7 0
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 0) 10/5 @GB 4 12 3.0 5 0 3 9 3.0 7 0
Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/0) 10/12 CHI 3 31 10.3 21 0 1 6 6.0 6 0
10/26 @PHI 4 5 1.3 4 0 5 55 11.0 20 0
• Registered 164 all-purpose yards vs. Detroit (9/7) by posting 93 rush-
11/2 @OAK 14 63 4.8 12T 1 2 20 10.0 14 0
ing yards on 14 carries with one touchdown, 65 kickoff return yards
11/9 NO 6 17 2.8 8 0 2 88 44.0 67T 1
on two attempts and six receiving yards on two catches.
• Logged 84 kickoff return yards on four attempts at Tampa Bay (9/14) 11/16 DEN 4 18 4.5 12 0 3 25 8.3 11 0
in addition to recording 18 rushing yards on six carries. 11/23 CAR 4 11 2.8 8 0 1 5 5.0 5 0
• Posted a season-high 149 all-purpose yards vs. Kansas City (9/21) 11/30 @SD 4 18 4.5 10 0 2 8 4.0 8 0
by recording 75 rushing yards on 11 carries, 44 kickoff return yards 12/7 @NO 5 18 3.6 11 0 4 20 5.0 9 0
on two attempts and 30 receiving yards on one catch. 12/14 TB 4 -7 -1.7 2 0 2 24 12.0 17 0
• Recorded 51 rushing yards on three carries at Carolina (9/28) and 12/21 @MIN 6 10 1.7 8 0 2 11 5.5 8 1
added 37 kickoff return yards on two attempts on special teams. 12/28 STL 3 56 18.7 45 2 1 22 22.0 22 0
• Tallied 85 kickoff return yards on three attempts including a season- 2008 TOTALS 95 489 5.1 45 4 36 338 9.4 67T 2
long 54-yard return at Green Bay (10/5). He also added 12 rushing CAREER 297 1,735 5.8 78T 7 76 717 9.4 67T 2
yards on four carries and hauled in three catches for nine yards.
• Logged a career-high 178 kickoff return yards on four attempts vs. NORWOOD’S Game-By-Game Statistics
Chicago (10/12) including a career-long 85-yard return in the fourth DATE OPP. KR YDS AVG. TD PR YDS AVG. FC LG TD
quarter. Added 31 rushing yards on three carries and hauled in one 9/7 DET 2 65 32.5 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
reception for one yard on offense to record 215 all-purpose yards.
9/14 @TB 4 84 21.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
• Registered 128 all-purpose yards at Philadelphia (10/26) by record-
9/21 KC 2 44 22.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
ing a season-high 55 receiving yards on a career-high five receptions
9/28 @CAR 2 37 18.5 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
and five rushing yards on four carries on offense, in addition to post-
ing 68 kickoff return yards on four attempts. 10/5 @GB 3 85 28.3 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
• Posted 63 rushing yards on 13 carries with one touchdown and two 10/12 CHI 4 178 44.5 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
catches for 20 yards on offense at Oakland (11/2) in addition to log- 10/26 @PHI 4 68 17.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
ging 26 kickoff return yards on one attempt. 11/2 @OAK 1 26 26.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
• Notched 178 all-purpose yards by recording 17 rushing yards, 73 11/9 NO 2 73 36.5 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
kickoff return yards and 88 receiving yards on two catches and his 11/16 DEN 4 80 20.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
first career receiving touchdown vs. New Orleans (11/9). 11/23 CAR 3 47 15.7 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
• Recorded 123 all-purpose yards vs. Denver (11/16) by posting 18 11/30 @SD 3 54 18.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
rushing, 25 receiving and 80 kickoff return yards. 12/7 @NO 6 142 23.7 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
• Tallied 11 rushing yards on four carries and one catch for five yards 12/14 TB 3 56 18.7 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
on offense vs. Carolina (11/23) and added 47 kickoff return yards on 12/21 @MIN 3 80 26.7 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
three attempts on special teams. 12/28 STL 5 192 38.4 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
• Logged 80 all-purpose yards at San Diego (11/30) by recording 18 2008 TOTALS 51 1,311 25.7 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
rushing, eight receiving and 54 on three kickof returns.
CAREER 116 2,948 25.4 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
• Registered 180 all-purpose yards at New Orleans (12/7) by posting
142 kickoff return yards, 20 receiving yards and 18 rushing yards.
norwood’s postseason Statistics
• Caught two passes for 24 yards and logged four rushes against
Tampa Bay (12/14). Also added three kickoff returns for 56 yards and DATE OPP RUSH YDS AVG LG TD REC YDS AVG LG TD
a long return of 20 yards. 1/3/09 ARI 2 12 6.0 8 0 1 28 28.0 28 0
• Tallied six rushes for 10 yards and two receptions for 11 yards. 2008 TOTALS 2 12 6.0 8 0 1 28 28.0 28 0
Recorded his fourth touchdown of the season (second receiving) on CAREER 2 12 6.0 8 0 1 28 28.0 28 0
an eight-yard shovel pass from Matt Ryan in the second quarter at
Minnesota (12/21). Also returned three kickoffs for 80 yards. NORWOOD’S postseason return
• Posted 192 kickoff return yards to set a new season high while also Statistics
recording a 92-yard return in the second quarter against St. Louis DATE OPP. KR YDS AVG. TD PR YDS AVG. FC LG TD
(12/28). Also totaled three rushes for 56 yards, which includes a 45- 1/3/09 ARI 2 54 27.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to seal a Falcons victory and 2008 TOTALS 2 54 27.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
added one reception for 22 yards. CAREER 2 54 27.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
• In his first career postseason contest tallied two rushes for 12 yards
and one reception for 28 yards in Atlanta’s Wild Card contest at season highs
Arizona (1/3/09). Also returned two kickoffs for 54 yards (27.0 avg.)
RUSHING ATTEMPTS: 14 vs. Detroit (9/7)
and a long return of 30 yards.
RUSHING YARDS: 93 vs. Detroit (9/7)
LONGEST RUSH: 45T vs. St. Louis (12/28)
RECEPTIONS: 5 at Philadelphia (10/26)
RECEIVING YARDS: 88 vs. New Orleans (11/9)
LONGEST RECEPTION: 67T vs. New Orleans (11/9)
KICKOFF RETURNS: 6 at New Orleans (12/7)
KICKOFF RETURN YARDS: 192 vs. St. Louis (12/28)
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS: 270 vs. St. Louis (12/28)
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - OFFENSE

T QUINN OJINNAKA 76 TE JUSTIN PEELLE 87

Ht: 6-5 Wt: 305 Year: 3rd Ht: 6-4 Wt: 250 Year: 7th
Syracuse Oregon
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (8/ 0/ 0/ 8) GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 11/ 0/ 0)
Career GP / GS: (30/7) Career GP / GS: (109/50)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (0/ 0/ 0/ 1) 2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 1/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (0/0) Career Postseason GP / GS: (2/2)

• Inactive vs. Detroit (9/7). • Posted 13 receiving yards on one grab in his Falcons debut vs.
Detroit (9/7).
• Inactive at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Saw action at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Inactive vs. Kansas City (9/21). • Hauled in one catch for seven yards vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Saw action at Carolina (9/28). • Started at tight end at Carolina (9/28).
• Inactive at Green Bay (10/5). • Recorded two grabs for 15 yards and one touchdown at Green Bay
• Inactive vs. Chicago (10/12). (10/5).
• Saw action at Philadelphia (10/26). • Started at tight end vs. Chicago (10/12).
• Saw action on special teams at Oakland (11/2). • Started at tight end and hauled in one reception for 17 yards at
Philadelphia (10/26).
• Inactive vs. New Orleans (11/9).
• Tallied season highs in receptions (three) and receiving yards (33) at
• Saw action on special teams vs. Denver (11/16). Oakland (11/2).
• Saw action vs. Carolina (11/23). • Logged one catch for 14 yards vs. New Orleans (11/9).
• Saw action on special teams at San Diego (11/30). • Started at tight end vs. Denver (11/16).
• Saw action on special teams at New Orleans (12/7). • Saw action at tight end vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Saw action on special teams vs. Tampa Bay (12/14). • Posted a season-high 38 receiving yards on three receptions at San
• Inactive at Minnesota (12/21). Diego (11/30), including a season-long 18-yard touchdown recep-
tion.
• Inactive vs. St. Louis (12/28).
• Registered one reception for nine yards at New Orleans (12/7).
• Inactive in Atlanta’s Wild Card match-up at Arizona (1/3/09). • Caught one pass for five yards against Tampa Bay (12/14).
• Made his 10th start at tight end and caught one pass for eight yards
at Minnesota (12/21).
• Started his 50th career game at tight end against St. Louis (12/28).
• Started at tight end in Atlanta’s Wild Card contest at Arizona (1/3/09)
and caught three passes for 11 yards and one touchdown.

Peelle’s Game-By-Game Statistics

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD
9/7 DET 1 13 13.0 13 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
9/14 @TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
9/21 KC 1 7 7.0 7 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
9/28 @CAR 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
10/5 @GB 2 15 7.5 14 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
10/12 CHI 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 1 17 17.0 17 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/2 @OAK 3 33 11.0 16 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/9 NO 1 14 14.0 14 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/16 DEN 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/23 CAR 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/30 @SD 3 38 12.7 18T 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/7 @NO 1 9 9.0 9 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/14 TB 1 5 5.0 5 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/21 @MIN 1 8 8.0 8 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/28 STL 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 15 159 10.6 18T 2 0 0 0.0 0 0
CAREER 100 773 7.7 35 9 0 0 0.0 0 0

peelle’s POSTSEASON Statistics

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD
1/3/09 ARI 3 11 3.7 6 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 3 11 3.7 6 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
CAREER 6 45 7.5 20 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - OFFENSE

TE MARCUS POLLARD 81 TE JASON RADER 85

Ht: 6-3 Wt: 255 Year: 14th Ht: 6-4 Wt: 271 Year: 3rd
Bradley Marshall
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 1) GP / GS / DNP / IA: (5/ 1/ 1/ 3)
Career GP / GS: (192/133) Career GP / GS: (9/2)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 0) 2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (14/10) Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/0)

• Inactive at Minnesota (12/21). • Signed on September 17.

• Saw action against St. Louis (12/28). • Inactive vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Caught his first two passes of the season for seven yards in Atlanta’s • Inactive at Carolina (9/28).
Wild Card meeting at Arizona (1/3/09). • Inactive at Green Bay (10/5).
• Did not play vs. Chicago (10/12).
Pollard’s Game-By-Game Statistics
• Started at tight end at Philadelphia (10/26).
• Waived on October 29.
DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD
• Signed on November 26.
9/7 DET • Saw action at San Diego (11/30).
9/14 @TB • Saw action at New Orleans (12/7).
9/21 KC • Caught his first career pass on a 26-yard strike from quarterback
9/28 @CAR Matt Ryan against Tampa Bay (12/14).
10/5 @GB • Saw action at Minnesota (12/21).
• Saw action against St. Louis (12/28).
10/12 CHI
• Saw action in the Falcons Wild Card match-up at Arizona (1/3/09).
10/26 @PHI
11/2 @OAK
rader’s Game-By-Game Statistics
11/9 NO
DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD
11/16 DEN
9/7 DET
11/23 CAR
9/14 @TB
11/30 @SD
9/21 KC INACTIVE
12/7 @NO
9/28 @CAR INACTIVE
12/14 TB
10/5 @GB INACTIVE
12/21 @MIN INACTIVE
10/12 CHI DID NOT PLAY
12/28 STL 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/2 @OAK
CAREER 349 4,280 12.3 86T 40 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/9 NO
11/16 DEN
pollard’s POSTSEASON Statistics
11/23 CAR
DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD
11/30 @SD 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
1/3/09 ARI 2 7 3.5 6 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/7 @NO 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 2 7 3.5 6 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/14 TB 1 26 26.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
CAREER 19 235 12.4 32 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/21 @MIN 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/28 STL 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 1 26 26.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
CAREER 1 26 26.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

rader’s POSTSEASON Statistics

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD
1/3/09 ARI 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
CAREER 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - OFFENSE

QB CHRIS REDMAN 8 WR LAURENT ROBINSON 19

Ht: 6-3 Wt: 221 Year: 6th Ht: 6-2 Wt: 194 Year: 2nd
Louisville Illinois State
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (0/ 0/ 15/ 0) GP / GS / DNP / IA: (6/ 0/ 0/ 8)
Career GP / GS: (17/10) Career GP / GS: (21/6)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (0/ 0/ 1/ 0) 2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (0/ 0/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (2/0) Career Postseason GP / GS: (0/0)

• Did not play Weeks 1-17. • Saw action on special teams vs. Detroit (9/7).
• Did not play in Atlanta’s Wild Card Playoff meeting at Arizona (1/3/09). • Tallied four receptions for 45 yards at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Posted one catch for seven yards vs. Kansas City (9/21) before leav-
redman’s Game-By-Game Statistics ing the game with an injury (knee).
• Inactive at Carolina (9/28).
DATE OPP ATT CMP PCT YDS TDINT LG SK RTG RSH YDS AVG TD
• Inactive at Green Bay (10/5).
9/7 DET DID NOT PLAY
• Inactive vs. Chicago (10/12).
9/14 @TB DID NOT PLAY • Inactive at Philadelphia (10/26).
9/21 KC DID NOT PLAY • Saw action on special teams at Oakland (11/2).
9/28 @CAR DID NOT PLAY • Saw action at wide receiver vs. New Orleans (11/9).
10/5 @GB DID NOT PLAY • Saw action on special teams vs. Denver (11/16).
10/12 CHI DID NOT PLAY • Inactive vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Inactive at San Diego (11/30).
10/26 @PHI DID NOT PLAY
• Inactive at New Orleans (12/7).
11/2 @OAK DID NOT PLAY
• Inactive vs. Tampa Bay (12/14).
11/9 NO DID NOT PLAY • Placed on injured reserve December 16.
11/16 DEN DID NOT PLAY
11/23 CAR DID NOT PLAY robinson’s Game-By-Game Statistics
11/30 @SD DID NOT PLAY DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD
12/7 @NO DID NOT PLAY 9/7 DET 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/14 TB DID NOT PLAY 9/14 @TB 4 45 11.3 23 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/21 @MIN DID NOT PLAY 9/21 KC 1 7 7.0 7 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/28 STL DID NOT PLAY 9/28 @CAR INACTIVE
2008 TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 10/5 @GB INACTIVE
CAREER 347 195 56.2 2,190 17 10 74T 43 79.5 21 28 1.3 0 10/12 CHI INACTIVE
10/26 @PHI INACTIVE
redman’s postseason Statistics 11/2 @OAK 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
DATE OPP ATT CMP PCT YDS TDINT LG SK RTG RSH YDS AVG TD 11/9 NO 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
1/3/09 ARI DID NOT PLAY 11/16 DEN 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
2008 TOTALS DID NOT PLAY 11/23 CAR INACTIVE
CAREER 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 11/30 @SD INACTIVE
12/7 @NO INACTIVE
12/14 TB INACTIVE
12/21 @MIN INJURED RESERVE
12/28 STL INJURED RESERVE
2008 TOTALS 5 52 10.4 23 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
CAREER 42 489 11.6 74T 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

robinson’s POSTSEASON Statistics

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD
1/3/09 ARI INJURED RESERVE
2008 TOTALS INJURED RESERVE
CAREER 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - OFFENSE

QB MATT RYAN 2 ryan’s Game-By-Game Statistics

DATE OPP ATT CMP PCT YDS TDINT LG SK RTG RSH YDS AVG TD
Ht: 6-4 Wt: 220 Year: Rookie 9/7 DET 13 9 69.2 161 1 0 62T 1 137.0 5 -2 -0.4 0
Boston College 9/14 @TB 33 13 39.4 158 0 2 23 4 29.6 6 10 1.7 0
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 16/ 0/ 0)
9/21 KC 18 12 66.7 192 1 0 70T 0 120.6 1 15 15.0 0
Career GP / GS: (16/16)
9/28 @CAR 41 21 51.2 158 0 0 23 2 60.8 2 11 5.5 0
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 1/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/1) 10/5 @GB 26 16 61.5 194 2 1 37 0 94.1 4 16 4.0 0
10/12 CHI 30 22 73.3 301 1 0 47 0 116.1 1 1 1.0 0
• Started his first NFL game vs. Detroit (9/7) and completed nine of 13 10/26 @PHI 44 23 52.3 277 2 2 55T 2 68.1 1 4 4.0 0
passes for 161 yards with one touchdown. His first career pass was com- 11/2 @OAK 22 17 77.3 220 2 0 37T 3 138.4 4 1 0.3 0
pleted for a 62-yard touchdown strike to WR Michael Jenkins, making 11/9 NO 23 16 69.6 248 2 0 67T 0 134.0 2 -2 -1.0 0
him the first quarterback to throw a touchdown pass on his first career
11/16 DEN 33 20 60.6 250 0 1 37 0 71.5 5 18 3.6 0
NFL pass since October 8, 2000 when Michael Bishop accomplished the
feat as a member of the New England Patriots. 11/23 CAR 27 17 63.0 259 0 0 69 1 94.5 3 2 0.7 0
• Completed 13 of 33 passes for 158 yards at Tampa Bay (9/14) and added 11/30 @SD 23 17 73.9 207 2 0 38 0 130.2 4 -3 -0.7 0
six carries for 10 yards on the ground. 12/7 @NO 33 24 72.7 315 1 1 59 0 99.9 4 13 3.3 1
• Threw for 192 yards on 12 of 18 passing with one touchdown vs. Kansas 12/14 TB 23 15 65.2 206 0 2 30 1 57.5 6 19 3.2 0
City (9/21) and added 15 rushing yards on one carry. 12/21 @MIN 24 13 54.2 134 1 0 22 2 84.4 3 2 0.7 0
• Completed 21 of 41 passes at Carolina (9/28) in addition to throwing for 12/28 STL 21 10 47.6 160 1 2 41 1 49.8 4 -1 -0.2 0
158 yards.
2008 TOTALS 434 265 61.1 3,340 16 11 70T 17 87.7 55 104 1.9 1
• Connected on 16 of 26 passes for 194 yards with two touchdowns at
Green Bay (10/5) in addition to recording 16 rusing yards on four carries. CAREER 434 265 61.1 3,340 16 11 70T 17 87.7 55 104 1.9 1
• Recorded 301 passing yards on 22 of 30 passing with one touchdown vs.
Chicago (10/12). He completed a caree-high 73.3 pct. of his passes RYAN’s postseason Statistics
including his final completion of 26 yards to WR Michael Jenkins with one DATE OPP ATT CMP PCT YDS TDINT LG SK RTG RSH YDS AVG TD
second remaining; setting up a game-winning field goal by K Jason Elam 1/3/09 ARI 40 26 65.0 199 2 2 28 3/9 72.8 4 6 1.5 0
as time expired. 2008 TOTALS 40 26 65.0 199 2 2 28 3/9 72.8 4 6 1.5 0
• Set career highs in completions (23) and attempts (44) at Philadelphia
CAREER 40 26 65.0 199 2 2 28 3/9 72.8 4 6 1.5 0
(10/26) in addition to throwing for 277 yards and two scores.
• Completed a career-high 77.3 pct of his passes (17 of 22) for 220 yards
with two touchdowns and a career-high 138.4 passer rating. at Oakland season highs
(11/2). COMPLETIONS: 24 at New Orleans (12/7)
• Notched 248 passing yards on 16 of 23 passing with two touchdowns vs. ATTEMPTS: 44 at Philadelphia (10/26)
New Orleans (11/9). PASSING YARDS: 315 at New Orleans (12/7)
• Threw for 250 yards on 20 of 33 passing vs. Denver (11/16) in addition
PASSING TOUCHDOWNS: 2 (four times) last time: vs. New Orleans (11/9)
to recording a career-high 18 rushing yards on five carries.
COMPLETION %: 77.3 at Oakland (11/2)
• Completed 17 of 27 passes for 259 yards vs. Carolina (11/23), including
completing his second-longest pass of his career, a 69-yard completion
to WR Harry Douglas in the fourth quarter.
• Connected on 17 of 23 passes for 207 yards with two touchdowns at San
Diego (11/30).
• Logged a career-high 315 passing yards on 24 of 33 passing with one
touchdown at New Orleans (12/7) and added four carries for 13 yards
with his first career rushing touchdown.
• Completed 15 of 23 passes for 206 yards and added six rushes for 19
yards against Tampa Bay (12/14).
• Completed 13 of 24 passes for 134 yards and one touchdown while
adding three rushes for two yards at Minnesota (12/21). Hit RB Jerious
Norwood for an eight-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
• Connected with Michael Jenkins for a 41-yard strike en route to com-
pleteing 10 of 21 passes for 160 yards and one touchdown against St.
Louis (12/28).
• In his first career playoff start in Atlanta’s Wild Card contest at Arizona
(1/3/09), completed 26 of 40 passes (65 percent) for 199 yards, two
touchdowns and two interceptions. Also rushed on four occasions for six
yards. Set a NFL rookie postseason record with 26 completions and his
65 percent completion percentage ranks first for a Falcons quarterback
in postseason franchise history.
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - OFFENSE

QB D.J. SHOCKLEY 3 RB JASON SNELLING 44

Ht: 6-0 Wt: 222 Year: 3rd Ht: 5-11 Wt: 229 Year: 2nd
Georgia Virginia
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (0/ 0/ 0/ 16) GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 1/ 0/ 0)
Career GP / GS: (0/0) Career GP / GS: (23/1)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (0/ 0/ 0/ 1) 2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (0/0) Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/0)

• Designated as the third quarterback Weeks 1-17. • Saw action on special teams vs. Detroit (9/7).
• Listed as the third quarterback in Atlanta’s Wild Card meeting against • Posted a team-high three tackles on special teams at Tampa Bay (9/14).
Arizona (1/3/09). • Collared two special teams tackles vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Started his first career game at Carolina (9/28) and hauled in one recep-
tion for 11 yards.
Shockley’s Game-By-Game Statistics
• Recorded two tackles on special teams at Green Bay (10/5).
DATE OPP ATT CMP PCT YDS TDINT LG SK RTG RSH YDS AVG TD • Logged a team-high three special teams tackles vs. Chicago (10/12).
9/7 DET INACTIVE • Hauled in two receptions for 20 yards at Philadelphia (10/26) in addition
9/14 @TB INACTIVE to adding one tackle on special teams.
9/21 KC INACTIVE • Tallied 47 rushing yards on eight carries and hauled in one pass for 12
9/28 @CAR INACTIVE yards at Oakland (11/2) in addition to adding one tackle on special
10/5 @GB INACTIVE
teams.
• Saw action on special teams vs. New Orleans (11/9).
10/12 CHI INACTIVE
• Hauled in one catch for two yards vs. Denver (11/16) in addition to post-
10/26 @PHI INACTIVE ing minus-three rushing yards on one carry.
11/2 @OAK INACTIVE • Notched a career-high 31 receiving yards on two catches vs. Carolina
11/9 NO INACTIVE (11/23), including a career-long 27-yard reception in the first quarter.
11/16 DEN INACTIVE • Posted one rushing yard on one carry at San Diego (11/30).
11/23 CAR INACTIVE • Collared one tackle on special teams at New Orleans (12/7) and added
11/30 @SD INACTIVE
five rushing yards on two attempts.
• Saw action on special teams vs. Tampa Bay (12/14) and notched one
12/7 @NO INACTIVE
tackle.
12/14 TB INACTIVE • Recorded three rushes for 12 yards and caught one pass for a 13-yard
12/21 @MIN INACTIVE gain at Minnesota (12/21).
12/28 STL INACTIVE • Notched two tackles on special teams against St. Louis (12/28).
2008 TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 • Saw action in his first career playoff game in Atlanta’s Wild Card match-
CAREER 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 up at Arizona (1/3/09) and posted one special teams tackle.

Shockley’s postseason Statistics snelling’s Game-By-Game Statistics

DATE OPP ATT CMP PCT YDS TDINT LG SK RTG RSH YDS AVG TD DATE OPP RUSH YDS AVG LG TD REC YDS AVG LG TD
1/3/09 ARI INACTIVE 9/7 DET 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
2008 TOTALS INACTIVE 9/14 @TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
CAREER 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 9/21 KC 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
9/28 @CAR 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 11 11.0 11 0
10/5 @GB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
10/12 CHI 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 20 10.0 18 0
11/2 @OAK 8 47 5.9 13 0 1 12 12.0 12 0
11/9 NO 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/16 DEN 1 -3 -3.0 -3 0 1 2 2.0 2 0
11/23 CAR 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 31 15.5 27 0
11/30 @SD 1 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/7 @NO 2 5 2.5 3 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/14 TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/21 @MIN 3 12 4.0 8 0 1 13 13.0 13 0
12/28 STL 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 15 62 4.1 13 0 8 89 11.1 27 0
CAREER 28 105 3.8 17 1 8 89 11.1 27 0

SNELLING’S postseason Statistics

DATE OPP RUSH YDS AVG LG TD REC YDS AVG LG TD
1/3/09 ARI 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
CAREER 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - offense

C ALEX STEPANOVICH 69 RB MICHAEL TURNER 33

Ht: 6-4 Wt: 296 Year: 5th Ht: 5-10 Wt: 244 Year: 5th
Ohio State Northern Illinois
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (4/ 0/ 0/ 12) GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 16/ 0/ 0)
Career GP / GS: (46/34) Career GP / GS: (75/17)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (0/ 0/ 0/ 1) 2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 1/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (0/0) Career Postseason GP / GS: (5/1)

• Inactive vs. Detroit (9/7). • Logged a franchise and career single-game high 220 rushing yards
• Inactive at Tampa Bay (9/14). with two touchdowns on 22 carries in his Falcons debut vs. Detroit
• Inactive vs. Kansas City (9/21). (9/7). His 220 rushing yards led a Falcons ground attack that
• Inactive at Carolina (9/28). amassed a franchise single-game high 318 total yards.
• Inactive at Green Bay (10/5). • Recorded 14 carries for 42 yards at Tampa Bay (9/14) in addition to
• Inactive vs. Chicago (10/12). hauling in one catch for six yards.
• Inactive at Philadelphia (10/26). • Posted a team-high 104 rushing yards on 23 carries with a career-
• Inactive at Oakland (11/2). high three touchdowns vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Made his Falcons debut on special teams vs. New Orleans (11/9). • Tallied 56 rushing yards on 18 attempts at Carolina (9/28).
• Inactive vs. Denver (11/16). • Registered 26 rushing attempts for 121 yards with one touchdown at
• Saw action on special teams vs. Carolina (11/23). Green Bay (10/5).
• Saw action on special teams at San Diego (11/30). • Logged 54 rushing yards on 25 attempts vs. Chicago (10/12).
• Saw action on special teams at New Orleans (12/7). • Posted 17 carries for 58 rushing yards at Philadelphia (10/26).
• Inactive vs. Tampa Bay (12/14). • Recorded his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season at
• Inactive at Minnesota (12/21). Oakland (11/2) with 139 yards on a career-high 31 carries.
• Inactive vs. St. Louis (12/28). • Notched 96 rushing yards on 27 carries with one score vs. New
• Listed as inactive for the Falcons Wild Card Playoff meeting at Orleans (11/9).
Arizona (1/3/09). • Tallied 25 carries for 81 yards with two touchdowns vs. Denver
(11/16).
• Tied single-game franchise highs in rushing touchdowns (four) and
points scored (24) vs. Carolina (11/23) by recording 117 rushing
yards on 24 carries.
• Carried the ball a career-high 31 times for 120 yards at San Diego
(11/30).
• Registered 61 rushing yards on 18 attempts with one touchdown at
New Orleans (12/7). His rushing score tied Jamal Anderson for the
most rushing scores (14) in a single-season in team history.
• Logged his third-highest rushing total of his career with 152 yards on
32 attempts against Tampa Bay (12/14). Added his 15th rushing
touchdown of the season, which set a franchise record and moved
into fifth place in rushing yards for a season (1,421). Also caught two
passes for 30 yards, both of which went for his first two receiving first
downs of the season.
• Led the team in rushing with 19 carries for 70 yards and added one
touchdown on Atlanta’s opening offensive possession of the game at
Minnesota (12/21). His touchdown was the 16th of the season, tying
a Falcons franchise record for the most TDs in a campaign.
• Posted 208 yards on 25 carries against St. Louis (12/28) to mark his
second 200-yard game this season and set the second-highest rush-
ing total in a single game in franchise history. Turner also finished the
regular season with 1,699 yards, which ranks third in a single-sea-
son in franchise history.
• In his first career playoff start in a Wild Card contest at Arizona
(1/3/09), totaled 18 carries for 42 yards and one touchdown in the
second quarter. Also caught one pass for seven yards.
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - offense

turner’s Game-By-Game Statistics WR ERIC WEEMS 14

DATE OPP RUSH YDS AVG LG TD REC YDS AVG LG TD
9/7 DET 22 220 10.0 66T 2 1 6 6.0 6 0 Ht: 5-9 Wt: 191 Year: 1st
Bethune-Cookman
9/14 @TB 14 42 3.0 17 0 1 6 6.0 6 0
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (6/ 0/ 0/ 0)
9/21 KC 23 104 4.5 38 3 0 0 0.0 0 0
Career GP / GS: (7/0)
9/28 @CAR 18 56 3.1 10 0 1 -1 -1.0 -1 0 2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 0)
10/5 @GB 26 121 4.7 22 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/0)
10/12 CHI 25 54 2.2 23 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 17 58 3.4 22 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 • Hauled in one catch for four yards vs. Carolina (11/23).
11/2 @OAK 30 139 4.5 16 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 • Saw action at San Diego (11/30).
• Saw action at New Orleans (12/7).
11/9 NO 27 96 3.6 20 1 1 0 0.0 0 0
• Saw action on special teams against Tampa Bay (12/14) and logged
11/16 DEN 25 81 3.2 28T 2 0 0 0.0 0 0
two special teams tackles.
11/23 CAR 24 117 4.9 19 4 0 0 0.0 0 0 • Competed against Minnesota (12/21) mainly on special teams.
11/30 @SD 31 120 3.9 15 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 Recovered his first career fumble on a muffed Vikings punt.
12/7 @NO 18 61 3.4 26 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 • Saw action against St. Louis (12/28).
12/14 TB 32 152 4.8 22 1 2 30 15.0 18 0 • Saw action in the Falcons Wild Card meeting at Arizona (1/3/09) and
12/21 @MIN 19 70 3.7 13 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 totaled two special teams stops.
12/28 STL 25 208 8.3 70 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 376 1,699 4.5 70 17 6 41 6.8 18 0 weems’ Game-By-Game Statistics
CAREER 604 2,956 4.9 83T 23 17 112 6.6 30 0 DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD
9/7 DET
turner’s postseason Statistics 9/14 @TB
DATE OPP RUSH YDS AVG LG TD REC YDS AVG LG TD 9/21 KC
1/3/09 ARI 18 42 2.3 13 1 1 7 7.0 7 0 9/28 @CAR
2008 TOTALS 18 42 2.3 13 1 1 7 7.0 7 0 10/5 @GB
CAREER 64 230 3.6 19 2 2 12 6.0 7 0 10/12 CHI
10/26 @PHI
season highs 11/2 @OAK
RUSHING ATTEMPTS: 32 vs. Tampa Bay (12/14) 11/9 NO
RUSHING YARDS: 220 vs. Detroit (9/7) 11/16 DEN
RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS: 4 vs. Carolina (11/23) 11/23 CAR 1 4 4.0 4 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
LONGEST RUSH: 70 vs. St. Louis (12/28) 11/30 @SD 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
POINTS SCORED: 24 vs. Carolina (11/23) 12/7 @NO 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/14 TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/21 @MIN 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/28 STL 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 1 4 4.0 4 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
CAREER 1 4 4.0 4 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

weems’ POSTSEASON Statistics

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD
1/3/09 ARI 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
CAREER 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - offense

T TODD WEINER 74 WR RODDY WHITE 84

Ht: 6-4 Wt: 300 Year: 11th Ht: 6-0 Wt: 208 Year: 4th
Kansas State Alabama-Birmingham
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 11/ 0/ 0) GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 15/ 0/ 0)
Career GP / GS: (152/118) Career GP / GS: (64/43)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 1/ 0/ 0) 2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 1/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (6/5) Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/1)

• Saw action vs. Detroit (9/7).
• Saw action at left tackle at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Saw action at left tackle for an offensive line that did not allow a sack
in 18 pass attempts vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Started at left tackle at Carolina (9/28).
• Saw action at Green Bay (10/5).
• Saw action vs. Chicago (10/12).
• Started at left tackle at Philadelphia (10/26) before leaving the game
with an injury (knee).
• Started on an offensive line that helped post 252 total rushing yards
at Oakland (11/2).
• Started at left tackle on an offensive line that did not allow a sack on
23 pass attempts vs. New Orleans (11/9).
• Started at left tackle vs. Denver (11/16).
• Member of an offensive line that helped tie a franchise record in rush-
ing touchdowns (five) vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Part of an offensive line that helped produce 141 total rushing yards
at San Diego (11/30).
• Started on an offensive line that did not allow a sack on 33 pass
attempts at New Orleans (12/7).
• Started at left tackle and helped block for a Falcons rushing attack,
which totaled 175 net rushing yards vs. Tampa Bay (12/14).
• Started at left tackle and opened holes for a Falcons running game
which produced 98 rushing yards at Minnesota (12/21).
• Started at left tackle against St. Louis (12/28) for an offensive unit that
set a franchise recored with allowing only 17 quarterback sacks in
the regular season.
• Started at left tackle in Atlanta’s Wild Card contest at Arizona (1/3/09)
and opened holes for RB Michael Turner to rush for 42 yards and
one touchdown.
• Posted two receptions for 54 yards vs. Detroit (9/7).
• Led the team in receiving with four grabs for 59 yards at Tampa Bay
(9/14).
• Logged 119 receiving yards on five receptions with one touchdown
vs. Kansas City (9/21). His 70-yard touchdown catch in the first quar-
ter marked the longest reception of his career and his 100-yard
receiving game was the eighth of his career.
• Recorded seven catches for 90 yards at Carolina (9/28).
• Hauled in eight catches for a season-high 132 yards with one touch-
down at Green Bay (10/5).
• Posted a season-high nine receptions for 112 yards with one score
vs. Chicago (10/12).
• Registered 113 receiving yards on eight grabs with a season-high
two touchdowns at Philadelphia (10/26).
• Logged five receptions for 54 yards at Oakland (11/2).
• Notched five catches for 68 yards with one score vs. New Orleans
(11/9).
• Tallied his fifth 100-yard receiving game of the season by hauling in
five catches for 102 yards vs. Denver (11/16).
• Recorded 70 receiving yards on four grabs vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Hauled in six receptions for 112 yards at San Diego (11/30). He
became the first Falcons receiver to record back-to-back 1,000-yard
receiving seasons since Terance Mathis (1998 and 99).
• Recorded a career-high 164 receiving yards on a season-high 10
receptions at New Orleans (12/7).
• Led the team in receiving with four receptions for 61 yards vs. Tampa
Bay (12/14) and his long reception of 30 yards in the first quarter
moved him into ninth place on Atlanta’s career receiving list (3,464).
• Caught three passes for 24 yards at Minnesota (12/21) and moved into
fifth place in club annals for receptions in a season (85).
• Recorded his seventh receiving touchdown of the season against St.
Louis (12/28) while setting the franchise record for receiving yards in a
season with 1,382.
• Started his first career playoff game in Atlanta’s Wild Card match-up at
Arizona (1/3/09) and led the team in receiving with 11 receptions for 84
yards and one touchdown. Set postseason franchise records with
eight first half catches and 11 total receptions in a game.

white’s Game-By-Game Statistics

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD
9/7 DET 2 54 27.0 46 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
9/14 @TB 4 59 14.8 19 0 1 2 2.0 2 0
9/21 KC 5 119 23.8 70T 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
9/28 @CAR 7 90 12.9 23 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
10/5 @GB 8 132 16.5 37 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
10/12 CHI 9 112 12.4 26 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 8 113 14.1 55T 2 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/2 @OAK 5 54 10.8 17 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/9 NO 5 68 13.6 16T 1 1 2 2.0 2 0
11/16 DEN 5 102 20.4 37 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/23 CAR 4 70 17.5 30 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
11/30 @SD 6 112 18.7 38 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/7 @NO 10 164 16.4 59 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/14 TB 4 61 15.3 30 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/21 @MIN 3 24 8.0 12 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
12/28 STL 3 48 16.0 22 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 88 1,382 15.7 70T 7 2 4 2.0 2 0
CAREER 230 3,536 15.4 70T 16 7 14 2.0 16 0
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - offense

white’s POSTSEASON Statistics C BEN WILKERSON 67

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD
1/3/09 ARI 11 84 7.6 12 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
Ht: 6-4 Wt: 310 Year: 3rd
LSU
2008 TOTALS 11 84 7.6 12 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (13/ 0/ 0/ 3)
CAREER 11 84 7.6 12 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 Career GP / GS: (32/0)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 0)
season highs Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/0)
RECEPTIONS: 10 at New Orleans (12/7)
RECEIVING YARDS: 164 at New Orleans (12/7) • Saw action on special teams vs. Detroit (9/7).
• Saw action on special teams at Tampa Bay (9/14).
RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS: 2 at Philadelphia (10/26)
• Saw action on special teams vs. Kansas City (9/21).
LONGEST RECEPTION: 70T vs. Kansas City (9/21)
• Saw action on special teams at Carolina (9/28).
• Saw action on speical teams at Green Bay (10/5).
• Saw action on speical teams vs. Chicago (10/12).
• Saw action on special teams at Philadelphia (10/26).
• Saw action on special teams at Oakland (11/2).
• Saw action on special teams vs. New Orleans (11/9).
• Saw action on special teams vs. Denver (11/16).
• Inactive vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Inactive at San Diego (11/30).
• Inactive at New Orleans (12/7).
• Saw action on special teams vs. Tampa Bay (12/14).
• Saw action on special teams at Minnesota (12/21).
• Saw action on special teams vs. St. Louis (12/28).
• Saw action on special teams in Atlanta’s Wild Card Playoff meeting
at Arizona (1/3/09).
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - special teams

K JASON ELAM 1 elam’s Game-By-Game Statistics

OPP 0-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50+ TOTAL LG PCT PATS PTS
Ht: 5-11 Wt: 194 Year: 16th DET 0-0 1-1 0-0 0-0 1-1 2-2 50 1.00 4-4 10
Hawaii
@TB 0-0 2-2 1-1 0-0 0-0 3-3 32 1.00 0-0 9
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 0/ 0/ 0)
Career GP / GS: (256/0) KC 0-0 1-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-1 27 1.00 5-5 8
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 0) @CAR 0-0 0-0 1-1 2-2 0-0 3-3 44 1.00 0-0 9
Career Postseason GP / GS: (15/0) @GB 0-0 0-0 0-0 2-2 0-0 2-2 42 1.00 3-3 9
CHI 0-0 1-1 1-2 3-3 0-0 5-6 48 .833 1-1 16
• Tallied 10 points by connecting on two field goals (50 and 25) in addi- @PHI 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 --- --- 2-2 2
tion to making all four PATs in his Falcons debut vs. Detroit (9/7). @OAK 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-1 0-1 1-2 48 .500 3-3 6
• Logged nine points at Tampa Bay (9/14) by splitting the uprights on
NO 0-0 2-2 0-0 0-0 0-0 2-2 27 1.00 4-4 10
three field goals (32, 27 and 24).
• Connected on five PATs vs. Kansas City (9/21) in addition to connect- DEN 0-0 0-0 1-1 1-1 0-0 2-2 46 1.00 2-2 8
ing on a 27-yard field goal in the second quarter. CAR 0-0 1-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-1 23 1.00 6-6 9
• Recorded nine points at Carolina (9/28) by connecting on all three @SD 0-0 0-0 1-1 1-1 0-0 2-2 40 1.00 2-2 8
field goal attempts (33, 44 and 44). His second field goal of 44 yards @NO 0-0 1-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-1 23 1.00 2-2 5
marked his 100th career successful field goal between 40 and 49 TB 0-0 1-1 1-1 0-0 0-0 2-2 34 1.00 1-1 7
yards. @MIN 0-0 1-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-1 22 1.00 3-3 6
• Posted nine points at Green Bay (10/5) by hitting two field goals (42
STL 0-0 0-0 1-1 0-0 0-0 1-1 39 1.00 4-4 7
and 41) and splittng the uprights on all three PATs.
• Tied his career highs in points (16) and field goals made (five) vs. 2008 0-0 11-11 7-8 10-10 1-2 29-31 50 .933 42-42 129
Chicago (10/12) including a game-winning 48-yard field goal as time CAREER4-4 146-152 128-139 108-163 39-64 424-521 63 .813 641-644 1,915
expired. The field goal marked the 22nd game-winning field goal of
his career. elam’s postseason Statistics
• Connected on both PAT attempts at Philadelphia (10/26). OPP 0-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50+ TOTAL LG PCT PATS PTS
• Tallied six points at Oakland (11/2) by hitting on all three PATs and a
ARI 0-0 0-0 1-1 0-0 0-0 1-1 301.000 3-3 6
48-yard field goal.
2008 0-0 0-0 1-1 0-0 0-0 1-1 301.000 3-3 6
• Notched 10 points by connecting on two field goals (22 and 27) and
four PATs vs. New Orleans (11/9). CAREER14-0 2-2 8-9 4-6 2-2 16-19 51 .842 42-43 90
• Logged eight points in his 250th career game vs. Denver (11/16) by
hitting two field goals (46 and 36) and two PATs.
• Posted nine points vs. Carolina (11/23) by connecting on all six PATs
and splitting the uprights on a 23-yard field goal.
• Recorded eight points by hitting both PATs and connecting on two
field goals (35 and 40) at San Diego (11/30).
• Tallied five points by connecting on one field goal (23 yards) and two
PATs at New Orleans (12/7).
• Split the uprights on both of his field goal attempts and one PAT,
which included his second game-winning kick of the season (34
yards) in overtime against Tampa Bay (12/14). His seven points gave
him 116 for the season, which moved him into fourth place in team
history in points for a season.
• Tacked on his 28th field goal this season with three seconds remain-
ing in the first half at Minnesota (12/21). On top of three extra points,
the veteran kicker finished with six points on the day, moving into a
tie for the second-most points in a season with 122.
• Totaled seven points against St. Louis (12/28) to give him 129 for the
season. Elam’s total ranks second in scoring in a season and is the
highest total since Jay Feely (138) in 2002.
• Split the uprights on one field goal attempt from 30 yards and added
three PATs to give him six points at Arizona (1/3/09) in Atlanta’s Wild
Card Playoff game.
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - special teams

P MICHAEL KOENEN 9 KOENEN’S Game-By-Game Statistics

DATE OPP FGATTFG% LG PATPTSPUNT YDS AVG NET IN20LGKO/TB
Ht: 5-11 Wt: 199 Year: 4th 9/7 DET 0 0 --- --- 0 0 3 115 38.3 38.3 0 51 7/1
Western Washington
9/14 @TB 0 0 --- --- 0 0 5 181 36.2 36.2 2 55 4/1
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 0/ 0/ 0)
Career GP / GS: (64/0) 9/21 KC 0 0 --- --- 0 0 6 259 43.2 40.8 3 51 7/0
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 0) 9/28 @CAR0 0 --- --- 0 0 6 254 42.3 34.8 1 60 4/1
Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/0) 10/5 @GB 0 0 --- --- 0 0 3 125 41.7 41.7 3 53 5/1
10/12 CHI 0 0 --- --- 0 0 2 82 41.0 31.0 0 45 6/0
• Logged three punts for 115 yards with a long of 51 vs. Detroit (9/7) in 10/26 @PHI 0 0 --- --- 0 0 7 264 37.7 38.4 5 53 3/0
addition to posting six kickoffs with one touchback. 11/2 @OAK0 0 --- --- 0 0 1 33 33.0 16.5 1 33 5/0
• Registered five punts for 181 yards with two being downed inside the
11/9 NO 0 0 --- --- 0 0 4 141 35.3 35.3 3 44 7/2
20-yard line at Tampa Bay (9/14) including a season long of 55
yards. He also recorded one touchback on four kickoffs. 11/16 DEN 0 0 --- --- 0 0 2 62 31.0 31.0 1 34 5/0
• Tallied six punts for a season-high 259 yards vs. Kansas City (9/21) 11/23 CAR 0 0 --- --- 0 0 3 129 43.0 43.0 0 48 8/3
with a season-high three being downed inside the 20-yard line. 11/30 @SD 0 0 --- --- 0 0 2 106 53.0 47.0 1 55 5/1
• Posted one touchback on four kickoffs at Carolina (9/28) and added 12/7 @NO 0 0 --- --- 0 0 4 190 47.5 47.5 1 52 5/1
six punts for 254 yards with one being downed inside the 20-yard 12/14 TB 0 0 --- --- 0 0 5 225 45.0 34.8 2 52 4/0
line, including a season-long 60-yard punt. 12/21 @MIN 0 0 --- --- 0 0 6 253 42.2 37.7 2 50 5/3
• Recorded three punts for 125 yards at Green Bay (10/5) with all three
12/28 STL 0 0 --- --- 0 0 4 147 36.8 36.8 0 40 6/3
being downed inside the 20-yard line.
• Logged two punts for 82 yards vs. Chicago (10/12). 2008 0 0 --- --- 0 0 63 2,566 40.7 37.5 25 60 86/17
• Registered season highs in punts (seven) and punting yards (264) in CAREER 4 13 30.8 58 4-4 16 300 12,888 43.0 37.3 103 67 283/56
addition to posting a career-high in punts downed inside the 20-yard
line (five). KOENEN’S postseason Statistics
• Tallied one punt for 33 yards with one being downed inside the 20- DATE OPP FGATTFG% LG PATPTSPUNT YDS AVG NET IN20LGKO/TB
yard line at Oakland (11/2).
11/3/09 ARI 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 5 212 42.4 42.6 0 49 6/1
• Recorded four punts for 141 yards with three being downed inside
2008 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 5 212 42.4 42.6 0 49 6/1
the 20-yard line vs. New Orleans (11/9). Also added two touchbacks
on seven kickoffs. CAREER 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 5 212 42.4 42.6 0 49 6/1
• Notched 62 yards on two punts with one being downed inside the 20-
yard line vs. Denver (11/16).
• Logged a season-high three touchbacks on eight kickoffs vs.
Carolina (11/23) and added three punts for 129 yards.
• Posted one touchback on five kickoffs at San Diego (11/30) and aver-
aged 53 yards on two punts.
• Registered one touchback on five kickoffs at New Orleans (12/7) and
added four punts that covered 190 yards with one being downed
inside the 20-yard line.
• Recorded five punts for 225 yards, two of which were pinned inside
the 20-yard line and a long kick of 52 yards vs. Tampa Bay (12/14).
• Totaled six punts for 253 yards (42.2 avg.) on touchback, and two
kicks pinned inside the 20-yard line at Minnesota (12/21).
• Posted five punts for 147 yards and a long kick of 40 yards against
St. Louis (12/28).
• In his first career postseason game in Atlanta’s Wild Card meeting at
Arizona (1/3/09), punted on five occasions for 212 yards (42.4 avg.)
and a long kick of 49 yards. Also tallied one touchback in six kickoffs.
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - special teams

LS MIKE SCHNECK 46

Ht: 6-1 Wt: 234 Year: 10th

Wisconsin
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 0/ 0/ 0)
Career GP / GS: (152/0)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (7/0)

• Handled all snapping duties Weeks 1-17.

• Served as the Falcons long snapper in Atlanta’s Wild Card Playoff
game at Arizona (1/3/09).
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - DEFENSE

DE JOHN ABRAHAM 55 season highs

TACKLES: 6 at Green Bay (10/5)
Ht: 6-4 Wt: 266 Year: 8th SOLO TACKLES: 5 (two times) last time: at Oakland (11/2)
South Carolina SACKS: 3 (three times) last time: vs. Tampa Bay (12/14)
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 16/ 0/ 0)
FORCED FUMBLES: 1 (four times) last time: at Minnesota (12/21).
Career GP / GS: (113/ 102)
ADDITIONAL SPECIAL TEAMS STAT: Blocked a punt against
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 1/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (4/ 4) Carolina (9/28)

• Collared five tackles and three sacks (16 yards) vs. Detroit (9/7). His
three sacks are the most in single-game for him since 2004 (vs.
Buffalo, 3.0) and have him 70.5 for his career.
• Recorded two tackles, one sack (five yards) and one forced fumble
at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Posted two tackles, two sacks (11 yards) and one forced fumble vs.
Kansas City (9/21) in his 100th career game.
• Tallied one tackle at Carolina (9/28).
• Registered a season-high six tackles and one sack (five yards) at
Green Bay (10/5).
• Collared three tackles vs. Chicago (10/12).
• Logged two tackles at Philadelphia (10/26).
• Logged three sacks (16 yards), one forced fumble and five tackles
at Oakland (11/2) for a defense that recorded the first shut-out in
franchise history since 2002 at Carolina (11/24).
• Recorded two tackles, one sack (six yards) and one pass defensed
vs. New Orleans (11/9).
• Notched one tackle vs. Denver (11/16).
• Tallied three tackles and one sack (eight yards) vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Collected one tackle and a half of sack (4.5 yards) at San Diego
(11/30).
• Collared one tackle at New Orleans (12/7).
• Totaled his third three-sack game this season (33 yards) vs. Tampa
Bay (12/14) while adding three tackles.
• Posted four tackles and added one sack at Minnesota (12/21). His
sack gave him 16.5 on the year, which sets a new single-season
record in franchise history.
• Logged one tackle in his 16th start against St. Louis (12/28).
• Started at right defensive end and notched one tackle in Atlanta’s
Wild Card Playoff game at Arizona (1/3/09).

ABRAHAM’s Game-By-Game Statistics

DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
9/7 DET 5 4 3.0 16.0 0 0 0 0
9/14 @TB 2 2 1.0 5.0 0 1 0 0
9/21 KC 2 2 2.0 11.0 0 1 0 0
9/28 @CAR 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/5 @GB 6 5 1.0 5.0 0 0 0 0
10/12 CHI 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 2 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/2 @OAK 5 5 3.0 16.0 0 1 0 0
11/9 NO 2 2 1.0 6.0 0 0 0 1
11/16 DEN 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/23 CAR 3 3 1.0 8.0 0 0 0 0
11/30 @SD 1 1 0.5 4.5 0 0 0 0
12/7 @NO 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/14 TB 3 3 3.0 33.0 0 0 0 0
12/21 @MIN 4 3 1.0 5.0 0 1 0 0
12/28 STL 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 42 35 16.5 109.5 0 4 0 1
CAREER 431 305 84.0 534.0 0 31 5 12

ABRAHAM’s postseason Statistics

DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
1/3/09 ARI 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 14 9 2.0 20.0 0 0 0 1
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - DEFENSE

DE JAMAAL ANDERSON 98 DT JONATHAN BABINEAUX 95

Ht: 6-6 Wt: 283 Year: 2nd Ht: 6-2 Wt: 288 Year: 4th
Arkansas Iowa
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (15/ 15/ 0/ 1) GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 15/ 0/ 0)
Career GP / GS: (31/ 31) Career GP / GS: (62/31)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (0/ 0/ 0/ 1) 2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 1/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (0/ 0) Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/ 1)

• Posted five tackles vs. Detroit (9/7) for a defense that allowed 62
rushing yards in the 34-21 win.
• Tied a career-high in tackles (seven) including a career-high six solo
tackles at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Recorded three tackles vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Logged three tackles at Carolina (9/28).
• Collared two tackles at Green Bay (10/5).
• Registered two tackles, two passes defensed and his first career
sack (four yards) vs. Chicago (10/12).
• Tallied two tackles and one sack (six yards) at Philadelphia (10/26).
• Started at defensvive end for a defensive unit that did not allow a first
down in the first half at Oakland (11/2).
• Notched two tackles vs. New Orleans (11/9).
• Posted two tackles vs. Denver (11/16).
• Logged two tackles and one pass defensed vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Recorded two tackles and blocked his first career field goal at San
Diego (11/30).
• Started at defensive end at New Orleans (12/7).
• Started at defensive end vs. Tampa Bay (12/14) and recorded two
tackles.
• Started at defensive end at Minnesota (12/21) and collared one tack-
le.
• Listed as inactive due to an injury against St. Louis (12/28).
• Inactive for Atlanta’s Wild Card Playoff meeting at Arizona (1/3/09).
• Recorded three tackles vs. Detroit (9/7).
• Collared three tackles and one sack (eight yards) at Tampa Bay
(9/14).
• Tallied three tackles vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Logged three tackles at Carolina (9/28) in his 50th career game.
• Posted two tackles at Green Bay (10/5).
• Registered a season-high five tackles vs. Chicago (10/12).
• Recorded one tackle at Philadelphia (10/26).
• Notched one tackle and one fumble recovery at Oakland (11/2) for a
defense that allowed a franchise-low three first downs in the contest.
• Started at defensive tackle vs. New Orleans (11/9).
• Tallied two tackles and one sack (eight yards) vs. Denver (11/16).
• Collared three tackles and one pass defensed vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Posted two tackles, 1.5 sacks (10.5 yards) and one pass defensed
at San Diego (11/30).
• Registered three tackles at New Orleans (12/7).
• Collared three tackles while making his 13th start of the season
against Tampa Bay (12/14).
• Started at defensive tackle and posted one tackle for loss at
Minnesota (12/21).
• Posted three tackles, which included one tackle for loss against St.
Louis (12/28).
• Started in Atlanta’s Wild Card meeting at Arizona (1/3/09) and tallied
three tackles (two solo).

Anderson’s Game-By-Game BABINEAUX’S Game-By-Game

Statistics Statistics
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
9/7 DET 5 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 9/7 DET 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/14 @TB 7 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 9/14 @TB 3 2 1.0 8.0 0 0 0 0
9/21 KC 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 9/21 KC 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/28 @CAR 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 9/28 @CAR 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/5 @GB 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 10/5 @GB 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/12 CHI 2 2 1.0 4.0 0 0 0 2 10/12 CHI 5 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 2 2 1.0 6.0 0 0 0 0 10/26 @PHI 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/2 @OAK 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 11/2 @OAK 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0
11/9 NO 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 11/9 NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/16 DEN 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 11/16 DEN 2 2 1.0 8.0 0 0 0 0
11/23 CAR 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1 11/23 CAR 3 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
11/30 @SD 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 11/30 @SD 2 2 1.5 10.5 0 0 0 1
12/7 @NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 12/7 @NO 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/14 TB 2 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 12/14 TB 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/21 @MIN 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 12/21 @MIN 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/28 STL 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 12/28 STL 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 36 28 2.0 10.0 0 0 0 3 2008 TOTALS 38 30 3.5 26.5 0 0 1 2
CAREER 81 57 2.0 10.0 0 1 0 6 CAREER 165 117 8.0 54.0 1 3 4 8

ANDERSON’S postseason Statistics BABINEAUX’S postseason Statistics

DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
1/3/09 ARI INACTIVE 1/3/09 ARI 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS INACTIVE 2008 TOTALS 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 CAREER 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0

season highs season highs

TACKLES: 7 vs. Tampa Bay (9/14) TACKLES: 5 vs. Chicago (10/12)
SOLO TACKLES: 6 vs. Tampa Bay (9/14) SOLO TACKLES: 4 vs. Chicago (10/12)
PASSES DEFENSED: 2 vs. Chicago (10/12) SACKS: 1.5 at San Diego (11/30)
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - DEFENSE

DE KROY BIERMANN 71 LB MICHAEL BOLEY 59

Ht: 6-3 Wt: 241 Year: Rookie Ht: 6-3 Wt: 242 Year: 4th
Montana Southern Miss
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 0/ 0/ 0) GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 12/ 0/ 0)
Career GP / GS: (16/0) Career GP / GS: (63/53)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 0) 2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 1/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/ 0) Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/ 1)

• Saw action at defensive end in his NFL debut vs. Detroit (9/7). • Logged six tackles and one pass defensed vs. Detroit (9/7).
• Tallied one tackle at Tampa Bay (9/14). • Collared four tackles in his 50th career game at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Saw action vs. Kansas City (9/21). • Posted six tackles vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Saw action at Carolina (9/28). • Recorded eight tackles and one pass defensed at Carolina (9/28).
• Recorded one tackle at Green Bay (10/5). • Tallied four tackles, one pass defensed and one interception at Green
• Collared one tackle vs. Chicago (10/12). Bay (10/5).
• Registered two tackles at Philadelphia (10/26). • Posted nine tackles and one pass defensed vs. Chicago (10/12).
• Saw action on special teams at Oakland (11/2). • Collared seven tackles including a season-high six solo tackles at
• Logged a team-high three tackles on special teams vs. New Orleans Philadelphia (10/26).
(11/9). • Notched one tackle for a defense that allowed a franchise-low 77 net
• Notched one tackle on special teams vs. Denver (11/16).
yards at Oakland (11/2).
• Saw action on special teams and defense vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Tied a season-high in tackles (nine) and logged two passes defensed
• Posted two tackles and his first career sack (three yards) at San
vs. New Orleans (11/9).
Diego (11/30).
• Logged three tackles and one pass defensed vs. Denver (11/16).
• Recorded one tackle on special teams at New Orleans (12/7).
• Registered seven tackles vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Notched three tackles (two solo) against Tampa Bay (12/14).
• Tallied two tackles at Minnesota (12/21). • Tallied three tackles and one pass defensed at San Diego (11/30).
• Notched two solo tackles and contributed with his second sack of the • Posted six tackles and one pass defensed at New Orleans (12/7).
season against St. Louis (12/28). • Saw action vs. Tampa Bay (12/14), but did not record a tackle.
• Saw action against Arizona (1/3/09) in a NFC Wild Card contest and • Registered four tackles (two solo) and recovered a fumble on special
posted two tackles and one pass defensed. teams at Minnesota (12/21).
• Against St. Louis (12/28), compiled a season-high 13 tackles which
also led the team.
biermann’s Game-By-Game Statistics
• Started at outside linebacker in Atlanta’s Wild Card Playoff game at
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
Arizona (1/3/09) and finished with two tackles.
9/7 DET 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/14 @TB 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 boley’s Game-By-Game Statistics
9/21 KC 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
9/28 @CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 9/7 DET 6 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
10/5 @GB 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 9/14 @TB 4 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/12 CHI 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 9/21 KC 6 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/28 @CAR 8 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
10/26 @PHI 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/5 @GB 4 2 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 1
11/2 @OAK 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/12 CHI 9 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
11/9 NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 7 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/16 DEN 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 11/2 @OAK 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/23 CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 11/9 NO 9 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 2
11/30 @SD 2 2 1.0 3.0 0 0 0 0 11/16 DEN 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
12/7 @NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 11/23 CAR 7 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/14 TB 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 11/30 @SD 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
12/21 @MIN 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 12/7 @NO 6 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
12/14 TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/28 STL 2 2 1.0 10.0 0 0 0 0
12/21 @MIN 4 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 14 11 2.0 13.0 0 0 0 0
12/28 STL 13 11 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 14 11 2.0 13.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 90 65 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 9
CAREER 365 260 6.0 33.0 5 5 3 28
biermann’s postseason Statistics
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD boley’s postseason Statistics
1/3/09 ARI 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1 DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
2008 TOTALS 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1 1/3/09 ARI 2 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1 2008 TOTALS 2 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 2 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0

season highs
TACKLES: 13 vs. St. Louis (12/28)
SOLO TACKLES: 11 vs. St. Louis (12/28)
PASSES DEFENSED: 2 vs. New Orleans (11/9)
ADDITIONAL SPECIAL TEAMS STAT: 1 fumble recovery at Minnesota
(12/21)
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - DEFENSE

S ERIC BROCK 42 LB KEITH BROOKING 56

Ht: 6-0 Wt: 202 Year: Rookie Ht: 6-2 Wt: 241 Year: 11th
Auburn Georgia Tech
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 1) GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/16/ 0/ 0)
Career GP / GS: (1/0) Career GP / GS: (161/145)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (0/ 0/ 0/ 1) 2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 1/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (0/ 0) Career Postseason GP / GS: (8/5)
• Inactive for his first contest on the 53-man roster at Minnesota
• Tied for the team lead in tackles (eight) vs. Detroit (9/7).
(12/21).
• Posted seven tackles at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Saw his first NFL action on special teams against St. Louis (12/28).
• Logged a season-high 10 tackles vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Inactive for Atlanta’s Wild Card Playoff meeting at Arizona (1/3/09).
• Registered seven tackles at Carolina (9/28).
• Collared a team-high 12 tackles at Green Bay (10/5) in his 150th
brock’s Game-By-Game Statistics career game.
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD • Recorded 10 tackles vs. Chicago (10/12).
9/7 DET • Tallied eight tackles at Philadelphia (10/26).
9/14 @TB • Collected one tackle at Oakland (11/2) for a defense that allowed a
9/21 KC franchise-low three first downs.
9/28 @CAR • Notched 10 tackles vs. New Orleans (11/9).
10/5 @GB • Logged five tackles vs. Denver (11/16).
10/12 CHI • Led the team in tackles (eight) vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Collared seven tackles at San Diego (11/30).
10/26 @PHI
• Posted a team-high 10 tackles and one pass defensed at New
11/2 @OAK
Orleans (12/7).
11/9 NO
• Tied a season-high with 12 tackles while making his 14th start of the
11/16 DEN season against Tampa Bay (12/14). Also registered two passes
11/23 CAR defensed.
11/30 @SD • Totaled seven tackles (five solo) at Minnesota (12/21).
12/7 @NO • Started his 128th consecutive game at linebacker and collared 11
12/14 TB tackles against St. Louis (12/28). Finished with 133 tackles on the
12/21 @MIN INACTIVE season to lead the Falcons for the eighth straight year in the catego-
12/28 STL 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 ry.
• Started at middle linebacker for Atlanta’s Wild Card match-up at
2008 TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
Arizona (1/3/09), collared seven tackles (six solo) and deflected one
CAREER 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
pass.

brock’s postseason Statistics brooking’s Game-By-Game Statistics

DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
1/3/09 ARI INACTIVE 9/7 DET 8 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS INACTIVE 9/14 @TB 7 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 9/21 KC 10 8 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/28 @CAR 7 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/5 @GB 12 9 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/12 CHI 10 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 8 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/2 @OAK 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/9 NO 10 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/16 DEN 5 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/23 CAR 8 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/30 @SD 7 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/7 @NO 10 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
12/14 TB 12 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 2
12/21 @MIN 7 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/28 STL 11 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 133 80 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 3
CAREER 1,474 886 17.0 115.5 12 8 10 47

brooking’s postseason Statistics

DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
1/3/09 ARI 7 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
2008 TOTALS 7 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
CAREER 49 35 2.0 31.0 0 0 0 2

season highs
TACKLES: 12 (two times) last time: vs. Tampa Bay (12/14)
SOLO TACKLES: 9 at Green Bay (10/5)
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - DEFENSE

S ERIK COLEMAN 26 season highs

TACKLES: 12 vs. St. Louis (12/28)
Ht: 5-10 Wt: 206 Year: 5th SOLO TACKLES: 10 at Green Bay (10/5)
Washington St.
INTERCEPTIONS: 1 (three times) last time: vs. New Orleans (11/9)
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 15/ 0/ 0)
PASSES DEFENSED: 1 (six times) last time: at San Diego (11/30)
Career GP / GS: (79/64)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 1/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (4/4)

• Led all defensive backs with eight tackles in his Falcons debut vs.
Detroit (9/7).
• Tallied six tackles at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Posted a season-high nine tackles, one interception, one pass
defensed and one forced fumble vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Logged eight tackles and one pass defensed at Carolina (9/28).
• Recorded 10 tackles at Green Bay (10/5).
• Collared six tackles vs. Chicago (10/12).
• Registered a team-high 10 tackles and one pass defensed at
Philadelphia (10/26).
• Notched two tackles, one interception and one pass defensed at
Oakland (11/2). His interception came in the endzone in the fourth
quarter to preserve the Falcons first shut out since November 24,
2002 at Carolina.
• Collected a team-high 11 tackles, one interception, one pass
defensed and one forced fumble vs. New Orleans (11/9).
• Registered nine tackles vs. Denver (11/16).
• Logged seven tackles vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Posted four tackles and one pass defensed at San Diego (11/30).
• Collared four tackles at New Orleans (12/7).
• Tallied 10 tackles against Tampa Bay (12/14).
• Started his 14th game at free safety and tied his season-high of 11
tackles (seven solo) at Minnesota (12/21).
• Compiled a season-high with 12 tackles against St. Louis (12/28)
while starting at free safety.
• Led the team in tackles (11) in Atlanta’s Wild Card Playoff contest at
Arizona (1/3/09).

coleman’s Game-By-Game Statistics

DATE OPP. TKLS SOLO SACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
9/7 DET 8 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/14 @TB 6 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/21 KC 9 7 0.0 0.0 1 1 0 1
9/28 @CAR 8 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
10/5 @GB 10 10 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/12 CHI 6 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 10 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
11/2 @OAK 2 2 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 1
11/9 NO 11 7 0.0 0.0 1 1 0 1
11/16 DEN 9 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/23 CAR 7 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/30 @SD 4 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
12/7 @NO 4 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/14 TB 10 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/21 @MIN 11 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/28 STL 12 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 127 82 0.0 0.0 3 2 0 6
CAREER 478 322 2.0 9.0 10 3 1 28

coleman’s postseason Statistics

DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
1/3/09 ARI 11 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 11 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 35 20 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 1
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - DEFENSE

DE CHAUNCEY DAVIS 92 S THOMAS DECOUD 28

Ht: 6-2 Wt: 274 Year: 4th Ht: 6-0 Wt: 197 Year: Rookie
Florida St. Cal-Berkeley
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 1/ 0/ 0) GP / GS / DNP / IA: (10/ 0/ 1/ 5)
Career GP / GS: (64/10) Career GP / GS: (10/0)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 1/ 0/ 0) 2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/ 1) Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/ 0)

• Recorded two tackles vs. Detroit (9/7) for a defense that allowed only • Did not play vs. Detroit (9/7).
62 rushing yards. • Saw action on special teams in his NFL debut at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Posted two tackles in his 50th career game at Tampa Bay (9/14). • Saw action on special teams vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Saw action vs. Kansas City (9/21). • Saw action on special teams at Carolina (9/28).
• Tallied a season-high three tackles at Carolina (9/28). • Saw action on special teams at Green Bay (10/5).
• Logged one tackle at Green Bay (10/5). • Inactive vs. Chicago (10/12).
• Registered two tackles vs. Chicago (10/12). • Inactive at Philadelphia (10/26).
• Led all defensive linemen with five tackles and one fumble recovery • Inactive at Oakland (11/2).
at Philadelphia (10/26). • Inactive vs. New Orleans (11/9).
• Member of a defensive unit that did not allow a first down in the first • Inactive vs. Denver (11/16).
half at Oakland (11/2). • Assisted on one special teams tackle vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Saw action vs. New Orleans (11/9). • Saw action on special teams at San Diego (11/30).
• Posted two tackles vs. Denver (11/16). • Recorded one tackle on special teams at New Orleans (12/7).
• Collared two tackles and two sacks (13 yards) vs. Carolina (11/23), • Saw action on special teams against Tampa Bay (12/14).
marking the first time he had recorded two sacks in a single-game in • Saw action on special teams at Minnesota (12/21).
his career. • Saw action on special teams against St. Louis (12/28).
• Recorded his first career forced fumble at San Diego (11/30). • Saw action on special teams in Atlanta’s Wild Card contest at Arizona
• Led all defensive linemen in tackles (five) at New Orleans (12/7). (1/3/09) and registered three tackles.
• Contributed with four tackles against Tampa Bay (12/14).
• Finished with four tackles while adding one sack for a loss of four decoud’s Game-By-Game Statistics
yards and two fumble recoveries at Minnesota (12/21).
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLO SACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
• Made his first start of the season at left defensive end and contributed
9/7 DET DID NOT PLAY
with three tackles and his fourth sack of the season for a loss of eight
yards against St. Louis (12/28). 9/14 @TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
• Started at defensive tackles in Atlanta’s Wild Card game at Arizona 9/21 KC 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
(1/3/09) and finished the game with three tackles (two solo). 9/28 @CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/5 @GB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
davis’ Game-By-Game Statistics 10/12 CHI INACTIVE
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLO SACKS YDS INT FF FR PD 10/26 @PHI INACTIVE
9/7 DET 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 11/2 @OAK INACTIVE
9/14 @TB 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 11/9 NO INACTIVE
9/21 KC 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 11/16 DEN INACTIVE
9/28 @CAR 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 11/23 CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/5 @GB 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 11/30 @SD 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/12 CHI 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 12/7 @NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 5 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 12/14 TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/2 @OAK 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 12/21 @MIN 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/9 NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1 12/28 STL 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/16 DEN 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2008 TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/23 CAR 2 2 2.0 13.0 0 0 0 0 CAREER 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/30 @SD 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 1 0 0
12/7 @NO 5 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 decoud’s postseason Statistics
12/14 TB 4 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
12/21 @MIN 4 1 1.0 4.0 0 0 2 0 1/3/09 ARI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/28 STL 3 2 1.0 8.0 0 0 0 0 2008 TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 35 27 4.0 25.0 0 1 3 1 CAREER 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 147 104 8.0 49.0 1 1 7 3

davis’ postseason Statistics

DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
1/3/09 ARI 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - DEFENSE

CB DOMONIQUE FOXWORTH 24 DE SIMON FRASER 75

Ht: 5-11 Wt: 180 Year: 4th Ht: 6-6 Wt: 274 Year: 4th
Maryland Ohio State
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (15/ 10/ 0/ 1) GP / GS / DNP / IA: (6/ 0/ 0/ 10)
Career GP / GS: (61/28) Career GP / GS: (54/6)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 1/ 0/ 0) 2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (3/3) Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/ 0)

• Inactive vs. Detroit (9/7). • Saw action vs. Detroit (9/7).

• Saw action on defense and special teams at Tampa Bay (9/14). • Tallied one tackle in his 50th career game at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Saw action on special teams vs. Kansas City (9/21). • Inactive vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Saw action on special teams at Carolina (9/28). • Inactive at Carolina (9/28).
• Saw action at defensive back at Green Bay (10/5) in his 50th career • Saw action at Green Bay (10/5).
game. • Saw action vs. Chicago (10/12).
• Saw action at defensive back vs. Chicago (10/12). • Inactive at Philadelphia (10/26).
• Started his first game as a member of the Falcons and logged four • Inactive at Oakland (11/2).
tackles and one pass defensed at Philadelphia (10/26). • Inactive vs. New Orleans (11/9).
• Started his 20th career game at Oakland (11/2) and logged one tack- • Inactive vs. Denver (11/16).
le and one pass defensed. • Recorded one pass defensed vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Tallied three tackles and three passes defensed vs. New Orleans • Inactive at San Diego (11/30).
(11/9). • Inactive at New Orleans (12/7).
• Notched a season-high five tackles vs. Denver (11/16). • Inactive against Tampa Bay (12/14).
• Logged four tackles vs. Carolina (11/23). • Inactive at Minnesota (12/21).
• Recorded three tackles and one pass defensed at San Diego (11/30). • Competed in his sixth game of the season against St. Louis (12/28)
• Collared five tackles at New Orleans (12/7). and finished with one tackle.
• In his eighth start this season, totaled four tackles, three passes • Saw action in his first career playoff contest when the Falcons battled
defensed and his first interception in a Falcon uniform against Tampa Arizona (1/3/09) in a NFC Wild Card meeting.
Bay (12/14).
• Started his ninth game at left cornerback and posted five solo tackles fraser’s Game-By-Game Statistics
at Minnesota (12/21).
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLO SACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
• Started his 10th game at left cornerback and tied a season-high with
9/7 DET 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
five tackles while adding two passes defensed against St. Louis
(12/28). 9/14 @TB 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
• Started at left cornerback in Atlanta’s Wild Card match-up at Arizona 9/21 KC INACTIVE
(1/3/09) and posted four tackles (two solo). 9/28 @CAR INACTIVE
10/5 @GB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
FOXWORTH’S Game-By-Game Statistics 10/12 CHI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLO SACKS YDS INT FF FR PD 10/26 @PHI INACTIVE
9/7 DET INACTIVE 11/2 @OAK INACTIVE
9/14 @TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 11/9 NO INACTIVE
9/21 KC 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 11/16 DEN INACTIVE
9/28 @CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 11/23 CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
10/5 @GB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 11/30 @SD INACTIVE
10/12 CHI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 12/7 @NO INACTIVE
10/26 @PHI 4 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1 12/14 TB INACTIVE
11/2 @OAK 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1 12/21 @MIN INACTIVE
11/9 NO 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 3 12/28 STL 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/16 DEN 5 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2008 TOTALS 2 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
11/23 CAR 4 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 CAREER 56 37 4.5 11.5 0 1 1 5
11/30 @SD 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
12/7 @NO 5 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 fraser’s postseason Statistics
12/14 TB 4 3 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 3 DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
12/21 @MIN 5 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1/3/09 ARI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/28 STL 5 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 2 2008 TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 39 34 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 11 CAREER 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 205 172 0.0 0.0 4 3 1 45

FOXWORTH’S postseason Statistics

DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
1/3/09 ARI 4 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 4 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 24 15 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - DEFENSE

S JAMAAL FUDGE 29 LB TONY GILBERT 51

Ht: 5-9 Wt: 194 Year: 3rd Ht: 6-0 Wt: 248 Year: 5th
Clemson Georgia
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (10/ 1/ 1/ 4) GP / GS / DNP / IA: (0/ 0/ 0/ 16)
Career GP / GS: (30/1) Career GP / GS: (56/0)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 0) 2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (0/ 0/ 0/ 1)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (3/ 0) Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/0)

• Did not play vs. Detroit (9/7). • Inactive Weeks 1-17.

• Inactive at Tampa Bay (9/14). • Inactive for Atlanta’s Wild Card Playoff game at Arizona (1/3/09).
• Inactive vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Saw action on special teams and defense at Carolina (9/28). gilbert’s Game-By-Game Statistics
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLO SACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
• Saw action on special teams at Green Bay (10/5).
9/7 DET INACTIVE
• Saw action on special teams vs. Chicago (10/12).
9/14 @TB INACTIVE
• Saw action on special teams at Philadelphia (10/26).
9/21 KC INACTIVE
• Saw action on special teams at Oakland (11/2).
9/28 @CAR INACTIVE
• Saw action on special teams vs. New Orleans (11/9).
10/5 @GB INACTIVE
• Saw action on special teams vs. Denver (11/16).
10/12 CHI INACTIVE
• Inactive vs. Carolina (11/23).
10/26 @PHI INACTIVE
• Inactive at San Diego (11/30).
11/2 @OAK INACTIVE
• Saw action on special teams at New Orleans (12/7).
11/9 NO INACTIVE
• Saw action on special teams against Tampa Bay (12/14).
11/16 DEN INACTIVE
• Recorded his first two tackles of the season at Minnesota (12/21).
11/23 CAR INACTIVE
• Made his first start of the season at strong safety and set a career-
11/30 @SD INACTIVE
high with 10 tackles (eight solo) against St. Louis (12/28).
12/7 @NO INACTIVE
• Competed in the secondary and on special teams in Atlanta’s Wild
12/14 TB INACTIVE
Card contest at Arizona (1/3/09).
12/21 @MIN INACTIVE
12/28 STL INACTIVE
fudge’s Game-By-Game Statistics
2008 TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLO SACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
CAREER 23 15 1.0 0.0 0 0 1 0
9/7 DET DID NOT PLAY
9/14 @TB INACTIVE
9/21 KC INACTIVE
gilbert’s postseason Statistics
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
9/28 @CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
1/3/09 ARI INACTIVE
10/5 @GB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS INACTIVE
10/12 CHI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/2 @OAK 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/9 NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/16 DEN 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/23 CAR INACTIVE
11/30 @SD INACTIVE
12/7 @NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/14 TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/21 @MIN 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/28 STL 10 8 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 12 9 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 27 21 0.0 0.0 1 1 1 2

fudge’s postseason Statistics

DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
1/3/09 ARI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - DEFENSE

CB BRENT GRIMES 20 CB ANTOINE HARRIS 41

Ht: 5-10 Wt: 185 Year: 1st Ht: 5-10 Wt: 197 Year: 2nd
Shippensburg Louisville
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (12/ 6/ 0/ 4) GP / GS / DNP / IA: (12/ 0/ 0/ 1)
Career GP / GS: (14/6) Career GP / GS: (25/0)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 0) 2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (0/ 0/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/0) Career Postseason GP / GS: (0/0)

• Started his first NFL game at left cornerback vs. Detroit (9/7) and • Saw action on speical teams vs. Detroit (9/7).
posted six tackles. • Saw action on special teams at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Collared three tackles and one pass defensed at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Saw action on special teams vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Tallied four tackles, two passes defensed and his first career intercep-
• Saw action on spectial teams at Carolina (9/28).
tion vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Logged a season-high 11 tackles and one pass defensed at Carolina • Saw action on special teams at Green Bay (10/5).
(9/28). • Saw action on special teams vs. Kansas City (10/12).
• Recorded six tackles at Green Bay (10/5). • Logged a team-high two tackles on special teams at Philadelphia
• Posted five tackles and two passes defensed vs. Chicago (10/12). (10/26).
• Registered one tackle on special teams at Philadelphia (10/26). • Saw action on special teams at Oakland (11/2).
• Saw action on special teams at Oakland (11/2).
• Saw action on special teams vs. New Orleans (11/9).
• Saw action on special teams vs. New Orleans (11/9).
• Inactive vs. Denver (11/16). • Saw action on special teams vs. Denver (11/16).
• Saw action vs. Carolina (11/23). • Saw action on special teams vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Inactive at San Diego (11/30). • Saw action on special teams at San Diego (11/30).
• Inactive at New Orleans (12/7). • Inactive at New Orleans (12/7).
• Inactive vs. Tampa Bay (12/14). • Placed on injured reserve December 9.
• Saw action at Minnesota (12/21).
• Saw action on special teams against St. Louis (12/28).
harris’ Game-By-Game Statistics
• Saw action on special teams in Atlanta’s Wild Card meeting at
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLO SACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
Arizona (1/3/09).
9/7 DET 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/14 @TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
grimes’ Game-By-Game Statistics
9/21 KC 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLO SACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
9/28 @CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/7 DET 6 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/5 @GB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/14 @TB 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
10/12 CHI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/21 KC 4 2 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 2
10/26 @PHI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/28 @CAR 11 9 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
11/2 @OAK 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/5 @GB 6 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/9 NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/12 CHI 5 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 2
11/16 DEN 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/23 CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/2 @OAK 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/30 @SD 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/9 NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/7 @NO INACTIVE
11/16 DEN INACTIVE
12/14 TB INJURED RESERVE
11/23 CAR 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/21 @MIN INJURED RESERVE
11/30 @SD INACTIVE
12/28 STL INJURED RESERVE
12/7 @NO INACTIVE
2008 TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/14 TB INACTIVE
CAREER 10 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
12/21 @MIN 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/28 STL 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 36 29 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 6
harris’ postseason Statistics
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
CAREER 47 39 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 6
1/3/09 ARI INJURED RESERVE
2008 TOTALS INJURED RESERVE
grimes’ postseason Statistics
CAREER 13 8 2.0 20.0 0 0 0 1
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
1/3/09 ARI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0

season highs
TACKLES: 11 at Carolina (9/28)
SOLO TACKLES: 9 at Carolina (9/28)
INTERCEPTIONS: 1 vs. Kansas City (9/21)
PASSES DEFENSED: 2 (two times) last time: vs. Chicago (10/12)
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - DEFENSE

CB CHRIS HOUSTON 23 season highs

TACKLES: 8 at San Diego (11/30)
Ht: 5-11 Wt: 175 Year: 2nd
SOLO TACKLES: 7 at San Diego (11/30)
Arkansas
INTERCEPTIONS: 1 (two times) last time: vs. New Orleans (11/9)
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 16/ 0/ 0)
Career GP / GS: (32/27) PASSES DEFENSED: 4 vs. Kansas City (9/21)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 1/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/ 1)

• Logged three tackles vs. Detroit (9/7).

• Tallied three tackles at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Recorded a career-high four passes defensed and his first career
interception vs. Kansas City (9/21) in addition to posting one tackle.
He returned the interception 10 yards for a touchdown.
• Posted three tackles at Carolina (9/28).
• Collared one tackle at Green Bay (10/5).
• Registered a season-high six tackles vs. Chicago (10/12).
• Logged three tackles and one pass defensed at Philadelphia (10/26).
• Notched one tackle at Oakland (11/2) for a defense that allowed a
franchise-low 77 total net yards.
• Posted three tackles, two passes defensed and one interception vs.
New Orleans (11/9).
• Tallied six tackles and one pass defensed vs. Denver (11/16).
• Collected three tackles and one pass defensed vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Logged a season-high eight tackles and one pass defensed at San
Diego (11/30).
• Collared six tackles and a team-high three passes defensed at New
Orleans (12/7).
• Notched seven tackles (five solo) while contributing with one pass
defensed in his 14th start of the season vs. Tampa Bay (12/14).
• Started in his 15th game at right cornerback and totaled three solo
tackles and one fumble recovery at Minnesota (12/21).
• Started at right cornerback and posted two solo tackles and two pass-
es defensed against St. Louis (12/28).
• Started at right cornerback and logged three tackles (two solo) in
Atlanta’s Wild Card Playoff contest at Arizona (1/3/09).

houston’s Game-By-Game Statistics

DATE OPP. TKLS SOLO SACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
9/7 DET 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/14 @TB 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/21 KC 1 1 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 4
9/28 @CAR 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/5 @GB 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/12 CHI 6 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
11/2 @OAK 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/9 NO 3 3 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 2
11/16 DEN 6 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
11/23 CAR 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
11/30 @SD 8 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
12/7 @NO 6 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 3
12/14 TB 7 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
12/21 @MIN 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0
12/28 STL 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 2
2008 TOTALS 59 52 0.0 0.0 2 0 1 16
CAREER 112 100 0.0 0.0 2 1 1 25

houston’s postseason Statistics

DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
1/3/09 ARI 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - DEFENSE

CB DAVID IRONS 30 CB CHEVIS JACKSON 22

Ht: 5-11 Wt: 197 Year: 2nd Ht: 5-11 Wt: 185 Year: Rookie
Auburn LSU
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (5/ 0/ 0/ 9) GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 2/ 0/ 0)
Career GP / GS: (20/0) Career GP / GS: (16/2)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (0/ 0/ 0/ 0) 2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 1/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (0/ 0) Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/ 1)

• Saw action on special teams vs. Detroit (9/7). • Tallied two tackles in his NFL debut vs. Detroit (9/7).
• Inactive at Tampa Bay (9/14). • Saw action at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Inactive vs. Kansas City (9/21). • Saw action vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Inactive at Carolina (9/28). • Recorded one tackle at Carolina (9/28).
• Inactive at Green Bay (10/5). • Posted two tackles and one pass defensed at Green Bay (10/5).
• Inactive vs. Chicago (10/12). • Logged a season-high three tackles vs. Chicago (10/12).
• Inactive at Philadelphia (10/26). • Collared one tackle at Philadelphia (10/26).
• Inactive at Oakland (11/2). • Started his first career NFL game and tallied one pass defensed at
• Inactive vs. New Orleans (11/9). Oakland (11/2).
• Logged one tackle on special teams vs. Denver (11/16). • Notched one tackle, three passes defensed and his first career inter-
• Inactive vs. Carolina (11/23). ception vs. New Orleans (11/9). He returned the interception 95 yards
• Collared a team-high two tackles on special teams at San Diego for a touchdown, marking the second longest interception return in
(11/30). Falcons history.
• Recorded one tackle on special teams at New Orleans (12/7). • Tallied two tackles vs. Denver (11/16).
• Saw action on special teams against Tampa Bay (12/14) before exit- • Collected four tackles vs. Carolina (11/23).
ing the game with a knee injury. • Registered three tackles at San Diego (11/30).
• Placed on injured reserve December 16. • Started at cornerback at New Orleans (12/7) and recorded four tack-
les.
irons’ Game-By-Game Statistics • Recorded three tackles (two solo) vs. Tampa Bay (12/14).
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLO SACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
• Tallied three tackles (two solo) at Minnesota (12/21).
• Tied a season-high with four tackles against St. Louis (12/28).
9/7 DET 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
• Earned a start in the secondary in Atlanta’s Wild Card game at
9/14 @TB INACTIVE Arizona (1/3/09), posted two tackles, one pass defensed and the
9/21 KC INACTIVE Falcons first postseason interception since January 15, 2005.
9/28 @CAR INACTIVE
10/5 @GB INACTIVE jackson’s Game-By-Game Statistics
10/12 CHI INACTIVE DATE OPP. TKLS SOLO SACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
10/26 @PHI INACTIVE 9/7 DET 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/2 @OAK INACTIVE 9/14 @TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/9 NO INACTIVE 9/21 KC 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/16 DEN 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 9/28 @CAR 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/23 CAR INACTIVE 10/5 @GB 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
11/30 @SD 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 10/12 CHI 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/7 @NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 10/26 @PHI 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/14 TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 11/2 @OAK 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
12/21 @MIN INJURED RESERVE 11/9 NO 1 1 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 3
12/28 STL INJURED RESERVE 11/16 DEN 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 11/23 CAR 4 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 11/30 @SD 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/7 @NO 4 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
irons’ postseason Statistics 12/14 TB 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD 12/21 @MIN 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
1/3/09 ARI INJURED RESERVE 12/28 STL 4 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS INJURED RESERVE 2008 TOTALS 33 27 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 5
CAREER 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 CAREER 33 27 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 5

jackson’s postseason Statistics

DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
1/3/09 ARI 2 2 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 1
2008 TOTALS 2 2 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 1
CAREER 2 2 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 1
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - DEFENSE

DT GRADY JACKSON 90 DT JASON JEFFERSON 99

Ht: 6-2 Wt: 345 Year: 12th Ht: 6-1 Wt: 295 Year: 4th
Knoxville Wisconsin
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (15/ 15/ 0/ 1) GP / GS / DNP / IA: (13/ 1/ 0/ 3)
Career GP / GS: (170/117) Career GP / GS: (33/2)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 0) 2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (10/7) Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/0)

• Posted three tackles vs. Detroit (9/7) for a defensive unit that allowed • Inactive vs. Detroit (9/7).
only 62 rushing yards. • Started at defensive tackle and logged three tackles and one fumble
• Inactive at Tampa Bay (9/14). recovery in his Falcons debut at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Logged one tackle vs. Kansas City (9/21). • Saw action vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Tallied three tackles and one pass defensed at Carolina (9/28). • Saw action at Carolina (9/28).
• Recorded two tackles and one sack (four yards) at Green Bay (10/5). • Inactive at Green Bay (10/5).
• Collared one tackle vs. Chicago (10/12). • Inactive vs. Chicago (10/12).
• Registered one tackle at Philadelphia (10/26). • Saw action at defensive tackle at Philadelphia (10/26).
• Started at defensive tackle for a defense that allowed a franchise-low • Collected one tackle at Oakland (11/2).
77 total net yards at Oakland (11/2). • Recorded one tackle vs. New Orleans (11/9).
• Collected one tackle vs. New Orleans (11/9). • Saw action on defense vs. Denver (11/16).
• Started at defensive tackle vs. Denver (11/16). • Collared one tackle vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Tallied two tackles vs. Carolina (11/23). • Saw action on defense at San Diego (11/30).
• Started at defensive tackle at San Diego (11/30). • Saw action on defense at New Orleans (12/7).
• Logged one tackle at New Orleans (12/7). • Finished with one tackle against Tampa Bay (12/14).
• Posted his second sack of the season (10 yards) while adding six • Saw action on the defensive line at Minnesota (12/21).
solo tackles vs. Tampa Bay (12/14). • Against St. Louis (12/28), collared two solo tackles.
• Made his 14th start at defensive tackle at Minnesota (12/21). • Saw action in his first career postseason contest in Atlanta’s Wild
• Started his 15th game of the season at defensive tackle against St. Card game at Arizona (1/3/09).
Louis (12/28) and finished the game with two solo tackles.
• Totaled four tackles (three solo) while competing on the defensive line jefferson’s Game-By-Game
in Atlanta’s Wild Card playoff match-up at Arizona (1/3/09).
Statistics
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLO SACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
JACKSON’S Game-By-Game Statistics
9/7 DET INACTIVE
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLO SACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
9/14 @TB 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0
9/7 DET 3 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/21 KC 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/14 @TB INACTIVE
9/28 @CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/21 KC 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/5 @GB INACTIVE
9/28 @CAR 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
10/12 CHI INACTIVE
10/5 @GB 2 2 1.0 4.0 0 0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/12 CHI 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/2 @OAK 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/9 NO 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/2 @OAK 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/16 DEN 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/9 NO 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/23 CAR 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/16 DEN 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/30 @SD 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/23 CAR 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/7 @NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/30 @SD 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/14 TB 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/7 @NO 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/21 @MIN 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/14 TB 6 6 1.0 10.0 0 0 0 0
12/28 STL 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/21 @MIN 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 9 8 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0
12/28 STL 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 35 19 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0
2008 TOTALS 23 21 2.0 14.0 0 0 0 1
CAREER 530 383 35.5 256.0 0 8 7 27
jefferson’s postseason Statistics
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
JACKSON’S postseason Statistics
1/3/09 ARI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
2008 TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
1/3/09 ARI 4 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 4 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 39 30 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0

season highs
TACKLES: 6 vs. Tampa Bay (12/14)
SOLO TACKLES: 6 vs. Tampa Bay (12/14)
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - DEFENSE

LB CURTIS LOFTON 50 S LAWYER MILLOY 36

Ht: 6-0 Wt: 248 Year: Rookie Ht: 6-0 Wt: 216 Year: 13th
Oklahoma Washington
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 15/ 0/ 0) GP / GS / DNP / IA: (15/ 15/ 0/ 1)
Career GP / GS: (16/15) Career GP / GS: (202/196)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 0) 2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 1/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/0) Career Postseason GP / GS: (10/10)

• Registered five tackles in his NFL debut vs. Detroit (9/7). • Collared six tackles, one pass defensed and one interception vs.
• Tallied a team and career-high 10 tackles at Tampa Bay (9/14). Detroit (9/7). The interception marked the 25th of his career.
• Posted six tackles vs. Kansas City (9/21) and added one tackle on • Led all secondary players in tackles (nine) at Tamp a Bay (9/14).
special teams. • Tallied a team-high 12 tackles and two passes defensed vs. Kansas
• Recorded 10 tackles at Carolina (9/28). City (9/21).
• Logged six tackles at Green Bay (10/5). • Posted seven tackles at Carolina (9/28).
• Collared a career-high 11 tackles vs. Chicago (10/12) including a • Logged eight tackles at Green Bay (10/5).
career-high eight solo tackles. • Recorded five tackles vs. Chicago (10/12).
• Tallied two tackles, one forced fumble and his first career sack (seven • Collared eight tackles at Philadelphia (10/26)
yards) at Philadelphia (10/26). .• Notched three tackles at Oakland (11/2) for a defense that allowed
• Notched a team-high seven tackles at Oakland (11/2) for a defense only 10 net passing yards.
that did not allow a first down in the first half and allowed a franchise- • Collected 10 tackles and one pass defensed vs. New Orleans (11/9)
low three in the whole game. in his 190th career start.
• Registered six tackles and one pass defensed vs. New Orleans • Registered a team-high 10 tackles vs. Denver (11/16).
(11/9). • Tallied seven tackles and one pass defensed vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Posted seven tackles vs. Denver (11/16). • Logged six tackles at San Diego (11/30).
• Collected six tackles vs. Carolina (11/23). • Posted seven tackles at New Orleans (12/7).
• Logged eight tackles at San Diego (11/30). • Collared a season-high 13 tackles (eight solo) vs. Tampa Bay (12/14).
• Collared nine tackles at New Orleans (12/7). • Tallied six solo tackles at Minnesota (12/21) while added one forced
• Posted seven tackles and one special teams stop in his 13th start of fumble.
the season against Tampa Bay (12/14). • Listed as inactive against St. Louis (12/28) with an injury.
• Notched five tackles (three solo) at Minnesota (12/21). • Finished with eight tackles (three solo) while starting at strong safety
• Started at middle linebacker and totaled three tackles and two pass- in the Falcons Wild Card game at Arizona (1/3/09).
es defensed against St. Louis (12/28).
• Collared six tackles (five solo) in Atlanta’s Wild Card meeting at milloy’s Game-By-Game Statistics
Arizona (1/3/09).
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLO SACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
9/7 DET 6 6 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 1
lofton’s Game-By-Game Statistics
9/14 @TB 9 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLO SACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
9/21 KC 12 9 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 2
9/7 DET 5 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/28 @CAR 7 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/14 @TB 10 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/5 @GB 8 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/21 KC 6 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/12 CHI 5 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/28 @CAR 10 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 8 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/5 @GB 6 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/2 @OAK 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/12 CHI 11 8 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/9 NO 10 8 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
10/26 @PHI 2 1 1.0 7.0 0 1 0 0
11/16 DEN 10 8 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/2 @OAK 7 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/23 CAR 7 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
11/9 NO 6 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
11/30 @SD 6 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/16 DEN 7 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/7 @NO 7 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/23 CAR 6 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/14 TB 13 8 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/30 @SD 8 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/21 @MIN 6 6 0.0 0.0 0 1 0 0
12/7 @NO 9 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/28 STL INACTIVE
12/14 TB 7 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 117 76 0.0 0.0 1 1 0 5
12/21 @MIN 5 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 1,586 1,032 17.0 144.5 25 11 9 85
12/28 STL 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 2
2008 TOTALS 108 67 1.0 7.0 0 1 0 3
milloy’s postseason Statistics
CAREER 108 67 1.0 7.0 0 1 0 3
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
1/3/09 ARI 8 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
lofton’s postseason Statistics
2008 TOTALS 8 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
CAREER 65 43 0.0 0.0 2 0 0 7
1/3/09 ARI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
season highs
CAREER 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
TACKLES: 13 vs. Tampa Bay (12/14)
SOLO TACKLES: 9 vs. Kansas City (9/21)
season highs
INTERCEPTIONS: 1 vs. Detroit (9/7)
TACKLES: 11 vs. Chicago (10/12)
PASSES DEFENSED: 2 vs. Kansas City (9/21)
SOLO TACKLES: 8 vs. Chicago (10/12)
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - DEFENSE

DT KINDAL MOOREHEAD 94 LB STEPHEN NICHOLAS 54

Ht: 6-2 Wt: 299 Year: 6th Ht: 6-3 Wt: 232 Year: 2nd
Alabama South Florida
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (14/ 1/ 0/ 2) GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 0/ 0/ 0)
Career GP / GS: (89/14) Career GP / GS: (29/0)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 1/ 0/ 0) 2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (4/1) Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/0)

• Tallied two tackles vs. Detroit (9/7). • Posted one tackle on special teams vs. Detroit (9/7).
• Saw action at Tampa Bay (9/14). • Saw action at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Saw action vs. Kansas City (9/21). • Collared three tackles on special teams vs. Kansas City (9/21).
• Recorded one tackle at Carolina (9/28). • Registered one tackle on defense at Carolina (9/28) and added two
• Logged one tackle and one pass defensed at Green Bay (10/5). tackles on special teams.
• Registered four tackles vs. Chicago (10/12). • Recorded three tackles and one pass defensed at Green Bay (10/5).
• Collared four tackles at Philadelphia (10/26). • Tallied two tackles on special teams vs. Chicago (10/12).
• Member of a defensive unit that allowed only three total first downs at • Saw action at Philadelphia (10/26).
Oakland (11/2). • Member of a denfense that allowed a franchise-low 77 total net yards
• Saw action vs. New Orleans (11/9). at Oakland (11/2).
• Inactive vs. Denver (11/16). • Collared one tackle vs. New Orleans (11/9).
• Inactive vs. Carolina (11/23). • Assisted on one tackle vs. Denver (11/16).
• Tallied one tackle at San Diego (11/30). • Logged two tackles vs. Carolina (11/23).
• Started at defensive tackle at New Orleans (12/7). • Saw action on defense and special teams at San Diego (11/30).
• Recorded one assisted tackle vs. Tampa Bay (12/14). • Posted one pass defensed and one tackle on special teams at New
• Against Minnesota (12/21), collared three tackles, his first sack of the Orleans (12/7).
season for a loss of 29 yards and a forced fumble. • Saw action on defense and special teams vs. Tampa Bay (12/14).
• Posted one solo tackle against St. Louis (12/28). • Competed against Minnesota (12/21) and added one special teams
• Tallied one solo tackle in Atlanta’s Wild Card match-up at Arizona tackle.
(1/3/09) while starting at left defensive end. • Logged his first career sack which went for a loss of six yards against
St. Louis (12/28).
moorehead’s Game-By-Game • Posted two tackles in his first career postseason game in Atlanta’s
Wild Card meeting at Arizona (1/3/09).
Statistics
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLO SACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
nicholas’ Game-By-Game Statistics
9/7 DET 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLO SACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
9/14 @TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/7 DET 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/21 KC 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/14 @TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/28 @CAR 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
9/21 KC 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/5 @GB 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
9/28 @CAR 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/12 CHI 4 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/5 @GB 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
10/26 @PHI 4 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/12 CHI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/2 @OAK 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/9 NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/2 @OAK 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/16 DEN INACTIVE
11/9 NO 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/23 CAR INACTIVE
11/16 DEN 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/30 @SD 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/23 CAR 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/7 @NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/30 @SD 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/14 TB 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/7 @NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
12/21 @MIN 3 2 1.0 29.0 0 1 0 0
12/14 TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/28 STL 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/21 @MIN 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 18 15 1.0 29.0 0 1 0 1
12/28 STL 1 1 1.0 6.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 156 100 10.5 101.0 1 1 3 5
2008 TOTALS 9 7 1.0 6.0 0 0 0 2
CAREER 20 17 1.0 6.0 0 0 0 2
moorehead’s postseason Statistics
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
nicholas’ postseason Statistics
1/3/09 ARI 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
2008 TOTALS 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
1/3/09 ARI 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
 UPDATED PLAYER bios - DEFENSE

CB GLENN SHARPE 37 LB COY WIRE 52

Ht: 6-0 Wt: 185 Year: Rookie Ht: 6-0 Wt: 228 Year: 7th
Miami (Fla.) Stanford
GP / GS / DNP / IA: (0/ 0/ 0/ 3) GP / GS / DNP / IA: (16/ 4/ 0/ 0)
Career GP / GS: (0/0) Career GP / GS: (96/25)
2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (0/ 0/ 0/ 1) 2008 Playoffs GP / GS / DNP / IA: (1/ 0/ 0/ 0)
Career Postseason GP / GS: (0/0) Career Postseason GP / GS: (1/0)

• Signed to the Falcons active roster on December 9, 2008. • Recorded one tackle on special teams vs. Detroit (9/7).
• Inactive Weeks 15-17. • Saw action on special teams at Tampa Bay (9/14).
• Inactive for Atlanta’s Wild Card meeting at Arizona (1/3/09). • Started at outside linebacker vs. Kansas City (9/21) and posted five
tackles in addition to recording three tackles on special teams.
SHARPE’S Game-By-Game Statistics • Saw action on special teams at Carolina (9/28).
• Saw action on special teams at Green Bay (10/5).
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLO SACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
• Assisted on one tackle on special teams vs. Chicago (10/12).
9/7 DET
• Saw action on special teams at Philadelphia (10/26).
9/14 @TB • Saw action on special teams at Oakland (11/2).
9/21 KC • Tallied one tackle vs. New Orleans (11/9).
9/28 @CAR • Saw action on special teams vs. Denver (11/16).
10/5 @GB • Registered a team-high two tackles on special teams vs. Carolina
10/12 CHI (11/23).
• Assisted on one tackle on special teams at San Diego (11/30).
10/26 @PHI
• Saw action on special teams at New Orleans (12/7).
11/2 @OAK
• Made his second start of the season at outside linebacker and regis-
11/9 NO tered a season-high nine tackles (eight solo), one pass defensed and
11/16 DEN three special teams stops vs. Tampa Bay (12/14).
11/23 CAR • Started his second consecutive game at linebacker and totaled eight
11/30 @SD tackles (five solo) and one special teams stop at Minnesota (12/21).
12/7 @NO • Started his fourth game of the season at outside linebacker against
St. Louis (12/28) and notched one solo tackle.
12/14 TB INACTIVE
• Totaled eight tackles (five solo) in Atlanta’s Wild Card Playoff game at
12/21 @MIN INACTIVE
Arizona (1/3/09).
12/28 STL INACTIVE
2008 TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
wire’s Game-By-Game Statistics
CAREER 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLO SACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
9/7 DET 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
SHARPE’S postseason Statistics 9/14 @TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
9/21 KC 5 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
1/3/09 ARI INACTIVE
9/28 @CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS INACTIVE
10/5 @GB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/12 CHI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
10/26 @PHI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/2 @OAK 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/9 NO 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/16 DEN 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/23 CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
11/30 @SD 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/7 @NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/14 TB 9 8 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
12/21 @MIN 8 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
12/28 STL 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 24 17 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
CAREER 188 117 5.0 0.0 0 1 0 5

wire’s postseason Statistics

DATE OPP. TKLS SOLOSACKS YDS INT FF FR PD
1/3/09 ARI 8 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2008 TOTALS 8 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
CAREER 8 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
 DOMONIQUE FOXWORTH
CORNERBACK
24
HT: 5-11 WT: 180 COLLEGE: Maryland NFL SEASON: 4th

GP/GS: 46/18 POSTSEASON: 2/2 BORN: March 27, 1983 ACQ: Tr. ‘08 (Den)

TRANSACTIONS
• Selected as a third round (97th overall) draft choice by the Denver Broncos in 2005.
• Traded to the Falcons on September 2, 2008.

CAREER
• Has competed in 46 games starting in 18 while contributing with 166 tackles (138 solo), three interceptions, 34 passes defensed, three
forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
• Averaged 55 tackles and 11 passes defensed each season with the Broncos while seeing regular season action for the club on spe-
cial teams, registering 18 career stops on coverage units.

2007 (BRONCOS)
• Played in 14 games with six starts while totaling 42 tackles (32 solo), four passes defensed and one forced fumble.
• Led the secondary with 10 tackles filling in for injured cornerback Champ Bailey vs. Pittsburgh (10/21).

2006 (BRONCOS)
• Saw action in all 16 games, starting in five and finished the season with 58 tackles (47 solo), one interception, 12 passes defensed
and one forced fumble.
• Intercepted his lone pass of the season against Baltimore (10/9) and posted a 45-yard return.
• Led Denver with a career-high 14 tackles and a forced fumble that led to a turnover versus Cincinnati (12/24).

2005 (BRONCOS)
• Competed in all 16 games (seven starts) and tallied 66 tackles (59 solo), two interceptions, 18 passes defensed, one forced fumble
and one fumble recovery.
• Named to USA Today’s All-Joe Team
• Earned Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week honors after posting seven tackles, one interception for a return of 23 yards and one fum-
ble recovery against Jacksonville (10/2).
• Had one interception and a season-high four passes defensed against Philadelphia (10/30).

COLLEGE
• Played four seasons at the University of Maryland, where he started all 40 career games played and earned All-Atlantic Coast
Conference honors during each of his last three seasons.
• Totaled 143 tackles (121 solo), eight interceptions, 31 passes defensed and four fumble recoveries.

PERSONAL
• Attended Western Tech High School in Catonsville, Md.
• Chosen as a consensus all-state defensive back and Big School All-State choice (Associated Press) while earning first-team All-Metro
and All-Baltimore County honors from the Baltimore Sun.
• Totaled a school-record 14 interceptions and recorded 2,037 all purpose yards as a senior.

FOXWORTH’S DEFENSIVE STATISTICS

Year Team GP/GS Tackles Solo Asst. Sacks Yards INT YDS TD PD FF FR YDS TD
2005 Den 16/7 66 59 7 0.0 0.0 2 23 0 18 1 1 0 0
2006 Den 16/5 58 47 11 0.0 0.0 1 45 0 12 1 0 0 0
2007 Den 14/6 42 32 10 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 0
Totals 46/18 166 138 28 0.0 0.0 3 68 0 34 3 1 0 0
 JAMAAL FUDGE
SAFETY
29
HT: 5-9 WT: 194 COLLEGE: Clemson NFL SEASON: 3rd

GP/GS: 20/0 POSTSEASON: 2/0 BORN: May 17, 1983 ACQ: W ‘08 (Jax)

TRANSACTIONS
• Originally signed as a rookie free agent in 2006 by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
• Claimed off of waivers by the Falcons on September 2, 2008.

CAREER
• In 20 career games, has totaled 15 tackles (12 solo), one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

2007 (JAGUARS)
• Played in a career-high 14 games, seeing action on special teams and as a back-up safety.
• Finished the season with 10 tackles (seven solo), one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception.
• Saw action in 25 snaps while contributing with two passes defensed and his first career interception against Oakland (12/23).

2006 (JAGUARS)
• Competed in six games and posted five tackles.
• Saw extensive action at free safety for Deon Grant and posted five tackles against New England (12/24).

COLLEGE
• A three-year starter at Clemson, competing in 49 consecutive games.
• Totaled 74 tackles and three interceptions in 2005.
• Started all 11 games as a junior and finished with three interceptions and 10 passes defensed.

PERSONAL
• Attended Ed White High School in Jacksonville, Florida.
• Registered 81 tackles and nine interceptions.
• Named All-Area and All-Conference as a junior and senior.

FUDGE’S DEFENSIVE STATISTICS

Year Team GP/GS Tackles Solo Asst. Sacks Yards INT YDS TD PD FF FR YDS TD
2006 Jax 6/0 5 5 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2007 Jax 14/0 10 7 3 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 2 1 1 0 0
Totals 20/0 15 12 3 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 2 1 1 0 0
 ERIC BROCK
SAFETY
42
HT: 6-0 WT: 202 COLLEGE: Auburn NFL SEASON: Rookie

GP/GS: 0/0 POSTSEASON: 0/0 BORN: April 24, 1985 ACQ: FA ‘08

TRANSACTIONS
• Signed by Atlanta on May 19, 2008.
• Waived by the Falcons on August 30, 2008 and was signed to the Atlanta practice squad one day later.
• Signed to the 53-man roster from the practice squad on December 16, 2008.

COLLEGE
• Finished fifth on an Auburn Tigers defense with 59 tackles in 2007 while setting a season-high with eight stops against LSU.
• Finished fourth on the team in tackles with 50 in 2006 and tied for third on the team with five tackles against Nebraska in the Cotton
Bowl.
• Competed in all 12 games in 2005 making seven starts and posting 30 stops.

PERSONAL
• Attended Benjamin Russell High School (Alabama) and finished with 84 tackles, six interceptions and four blocked punts as a senior.
• Caught 25 passes for 515 yards and six touchdowns on offense.
• Helped lead his team to a 13-2 record and 5A state championship as a junior and a 10-3 record as a senior.
 TONY GILBERT
LINEBACKER
51
HT: 6-0 WT: 248 COLLEGE: Georgia NFL SEASON: 5th

GP/GS: 56/0 POSTSEASON: 1/0 BORN: October 16, 1979 ACQ: FA ‘08

TRANSACTIONS
• Originally selected by Arizona in the sixth round (210th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft.
• Released by the Cardinals on September 1, 2003 and was signed to the Arizona practice squad the following day.
• Signed off of the Arizona practice squad by the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 29, 2003.
• Signed by the Falcons as a free agent on August 31, 2008.

CAREER
• Dominant special teams player who has served as a backup middle linebacker.
• Has seen action in 56 career games with Jacksonville while contributing with 23 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery.
• Tied for sixth in Jacksonville team history with 38 special teams tackles.
• Allocated to the Rhine Fire of NFL Europa in 2005.

2007 (JAGUARS)
• Spent the season on the team’s injured reserve list.

2006 (JAGUARS)
• Played in all 16 games for the third consecutive season and led the squad with 16 special teams tackles.
• Recorded a career-high 16 tackles and one sack. Posted his first career sack against the New York Jets (10/8).

2005 (JAGUARS)
• Appeared in all 16 games and ranked fifth on the squad with nine special teams stops.
• Finished the season with seven tackles and one fumble recovery.

2004 (JAGUARS)
• Saw action in all 16 games playing primarily on special teams. Made six special teams stops.

2003 (JAGUARS)
• After being signed off of the Arizona practice squad on October 29, 2003, appeared in eight games for the Jaguars while totaling seven
special teams tackles.

COLLEGE
• Earned All-SEC second-team honors as a senior at Georgia as he tied for the team lead with 114 tackles.
• Voted the team’s most valuable player as a junior middle linebacker.

PERSONAL
• Attended Central High School in Macon, Georgia where he was named a 4-A all-state first-team selection by the Atlanta Journal-
Constitution.
• Served as the team’s captain his senior season while contributing with 105 tackles and two interceptions.
• Played on the varsity basketball team and threw shot put for the track team.

GILBERT’S DEFENSIVE STATISTICS

Year Team GP/GS Tackles Solo Asst. Sacks INT YDS TD PD FF FR YDS TD
2003 JAX 8/0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2004 JAX 16/0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2005 JAX 16/0 7 3 4 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
2006 JAX 16/0 16 12 4 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2007 INJURED RESERVE
Totals 56/0 23 15 8 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
 COY WIRE
LINEBACKER
52
HT: 6-0 WT: 228 COLLEGE: Stanford NFL SEASON: 7th

GP/GS: 80/21 POSTSEASON: 0/0 BORN: November 7, 1978 ACQ: FA ‘08

TRANSACTIONS
• Selected as a third round (97th overall) pick by the Buffalo Bills in the 2002 NFL Draft.
• Signed by the Falcons as a free agent on July 25, 2008.

CAREER
• Spent the first six seasons of this career in a Buffalo Bills uniform and tallied 164 tackles in 80 games played.
• Was voted the Bills special teams captain in 2007.

2007 (BILLS)
• Named the Bills special teams captain prior to the start of the season.
• Competed in seven games with one start and finished the season with four tackles.

2006 (BILLS)
• Saw action in all 16 games and contributed with 16 tackles and 19 special teams stops.

2005 (BILLS)
• Played in 13 games and recorded six tackles and one forced fumble.

2004 (BILLS)
• Competed in 12 games, starting in three and totaled 31 tackles (12 solo) and one sack.

2003 (BILLS)
• In 16 games, finished the year with 15 tackles (10 solo), one sack and two passes defensed.

2002 (BILLS)
• Pieced together a stellar rookie season after starting in 15 of 16 games and finished fourth on the team in tackles with 92 (67 solo).
• Recorded his first career NFL sack when he dropped Brian Griese for an eight-yard loss at Denver (9/22).
• Was second on the team with a career-high 12 tackles (nine solo) in a loss to New England (11/3).

COLLEGE
• Competed at running back, linebacker and safety in his collegiate career at Stanford University.
• Led Stanford in rushing in 1998 and then in tackles in 2000 and ’01.
• Finished his career with 177 tackles (111 solo) and 11 sacks for 70 yards.
• Was a first-team All-Pac 10 Conference choice in 2001.

PERSONAL
• Attended Cedar Cliff High School and was an All-America selection after rushing for 2,087 yards and 29 touchdowns on 334 carries.
• Was voted Conference Offensive Player of the Year as well as Central Pennsylvania Player of the Year.
• Full name is Coy Michael Wire.

WIRE’S DEFENSIVE STATISTICS

Year Team GP/GS Tackles Solo Asst. Sacks INT YDS TD PD FF FR YDS TD
2002 Buf 16/15 92 67 25 3.0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
2003 Buf 16/1 15 10 5 1.0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
2004 Buf 12/3 31 12 19 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2005 Buf 13/0 6 3 3 0.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2006 Buf 16/1 16 8 8 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

2007 Buf 7/1 4 0 4 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Totals 80/21 164 100 64 5.0 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 0
 WAYNE GANDY
OFFENSIVE TACKLE
68
HT: 6-5 WT: 308 COLLEGE: Auburn NFL SEASON: 14th

GP/GS: 212/205 POSTSEASON: 4/4 BORN: February 10, 1971 ACQ: FA ‘08

TRANSACTIONS
• Originally selected as a first round (15th pick overall) draft choice by the Los Angeles Rams in 1994.
• Signed as an unrestricted free agent by the Pittsburgh Steelers on April 6, 1999.
• Signed as an unrestricted free agent by the New Orleans Saints on March 2, 2003.
• Traded to the Falcons for safety S Bryan Scott and the Falcons 2007 seventh-round draft pick on April 6, 2006.
• Signed as a free agent on October 29, 2008.

CAREER
• Consistent player on the offensive line, who has played in 212 career games while starting in every contest from 1995-2007.
• Has started all 16 games in 10 of the past 12 seasons, missing only one start in 2001 and 11 in 2007.

2007 (FALCONS)
• Started the first five games of the season before being placed on injured reserve with a knee injury following a Week 5 match-up at
Tennessee.

2006 (FALCONS)
• Started all 16 games for the fifth consecutive season, helping the team lead the NFL in rushing for the third consecutive year, while
setting a Falcons franchise record with 2,939 rushing yards (ninth highest in NFL history).
• Blocked for a running game that tallied six, 200-yard rushing games, while also leading the NFL in rushes of 20+ yards (23) and 10+
yards (82).
• Blocked for an offense that produced 252 rushing yards at Carolina (9/10), followed by a franchise-record 306 rushing yards vs. Tampa
Bay (9/17).
• Paved the way for Vick to rush for 166 rushing yards vs. New Orleans (11/26), which marked the second highest rushing total for a
quarterback in a single game.

2005 (SAINTS)
• Started all 16 games for the fourth straight season and for the tenth time in his 12-year career.

2004 (SAINTS)
• Started all 16 games at left tackle for the third straight season, and the ninth time in his career.

2003 (SAINTS)
• Started all 16 regular season games and was part of a unit that helped pave the way for RB Deuce McAllister's record-breaking sea-
son. McAllister finished second in the NFC with a career-high 1,641 yards (4.7 avg. on 351 carries) and posted a club-record nine-
straight 100-yard games (from vs. Indianapolis, Sept. 28 to vs. Tampa Bay, Dec. 7). McAllister's nine-straight 100-yard performances
tied for the third-longest streak in NFL history.

2002 (STEELERS)
• Started all 16 regular season games and both postseason contests.
• Was instrumental in the offense's record-setting performance vs. Atlanta (11/10), in which the team amassed 645 total yards.
• Started his third postseason game in a Wild Card clash vs. Cleveland (1/5/03) and his fourth postseason game in the Divisional Playoff
game at Tennessee (1/11/03).

2001 (STEELERS)
• Earned first-team All-Pro honors from Football Digest as he started 15 games.
• Anchored an offensive line that produced a third-straight 200-yard rushing performance at Tampa Bay (10/21).
• Had his string of 102 straight games end vs. Baltimore (11/4) because of a hamstring injury.
• Started the first postseason game of his career vs. Baltimore (1/20/02) and started his second postseason game in the AFC
Championship Game vs. New England (1/27/02).
2000 (STEELERS)
• Produced a solid season despite playing the majority of it with a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder.
• Helped the offense finish as the fourth-best rushing team in the NFL and one of only 10 units in the league to compile more than 2,000
yards.

1999 (STEELERS)
• Started every game at left tackle and provided stability in his first season with the Steelers.
• Instrumental in his Steelers debut as the team produced 460 total yards, including 213 rushing yards, at Cleveland (9/12).

1998 (RAMS)
• Started in all 16 games at right tackle for the Rams.

1997 (RAMS)
• Showed versatility by starting Games 1-4 and 10-12 at left tackle, and Games 5-9 and 13-16 at right tackle.
• Played in 1,005 of possible 1,011 plays.

1996 (RAMS)
• Started 16 games at left tackle.
• Received game ball from coaches vs. Atlanta (11/10) after not allowing a sack and helping the Rams to 279 rushing yards.

1995 (RAMS)
• Started 16 games at left tackle.

1994 (RAMS)
• Played in 16 games with nine starts at right tackle. Was only Rams rookie offensive lineman to start more than half of season since G
Tom Newberry (14) in 1986.
• Made first career start vs. New York Giants (10/16), replacing an injured Jackie Slater.

COLLEGE
• Started 37 games during his four-year career at Auburn, earning first-team All-America honors from Football Writers Association and a
unanimous All-Southeastern Conference selection as a senior. Was also a finalist for the Outland Trophy.
• Started every game at left tackle as junior and senior.

PERSONAL
• Lettered three times in football, basketball and track (shot put) at Haines City (FL) High School.
• Was an All-State first-team selection as two-way lineman as a senior. Averaged 10 tackles per game and had 20 sacks as senior.
• Member of National Honor Society.
• Born Wayne Lamar Gandy on February 10, 1971 in Haines City, Florida.

GANDY’S CAREER GAMES PLAYED/STARTED

Career Totals: 212/205
Regular season: 2007 (Atl 5/5), 2006 (Atl 16/16), 2005 (NO 16/16), 2004 (NO 16/16), 2003 (NO 16/16), 2002 (Pit 16/16), 2001 (Pit
15/15), 2000 (16/16), 1999 (Pit 16/16), 1998 (StL 16/16), 1997 (StL 16/16), 1996 (StL 16/16), 1995 (StL 16/16), 1994 (StL 16/9)
Postseason: 2002 (Pit 2/2), 2001 (Pit 2/2)
 MARCUS POLLARD
TIGHT END
81
HT: 6-3 WT: 255 COLLEGE: Bradley NFL SEASON: 14th

GP/GS: 191/133 POSTSEASON: 13/10 BORN: February 8, 1972 ACQ: FA ‘08

TRANSACTIONS
• Originally signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent on January 24, 1995.
• Signed from the Colts practice squad to the active roster on October 10, 1995.
• Signed by the Detroit Lions as an unrestricted free agent on March 7, 2005.
• Released by the Lions on March 3, 2007 and was signed by the Seattle Seahawks on March 13, 2007.
• Signed by the New England Patriots as a free agent on April 23, 2008.
• Released by the Patriots on August 20, 2008 and was signed by the Falcons as a free agent on August 24, 2008.
• Signed by the Falcons as a free agent on December 16, 2008

CAREER
• Has competed in 191 career games with 133 starts and has caught 349 passes for 4,280 yards (12.3 avg.) and 40 touchdowns.
• Posted eight career 100-yard receiving games and has also recorded 57 special teams tackles.
• Led Seattle tight ends in receiving in 2007 with 28 receptions for 273 yards and two touchdowns.
• Left the Indianapolis Colts after the 2004 season ranked second among the franchise’s tight ends with 263 career receptions, third with
3,391 receiving yards and third with 35 touchdowns.
• Set career highs in all receiving categories in 2001, catching 47 passes for 739 yards and eight touchdowns while starting in all 16
games for the first time in his career.

2007 (SEAHAWKS)
• In 14 games, totaled 28 receptions for 273 yards and two touchdowns.
• Started his first game against Tampa Bay (9/9) and caught five passes for 43 yards.
• Caught two passes for 23 yards and a 14-yard touchdown, his first in a Seahawks uniform at San Francisco (9/30).
• Caught a key two-point conversion in a Wild Card Playoff Game against Washington (1/5).

2006 (LIONS)
• Saw action in 15 games while registering 12 catches for 100 yards.
• Surpassed 4,000 career receiving yards for his career against San Francisco (11/12).

2005 (LIONS)
• Started all 16 games during the regular season and led the team with 46 receptions while tallying 516 yards and three touchdowns.
• Caught his first touchdown pass as a Lion against Green Bay (9/11) while finishing the game with 58 receiving yards.
• Tied his career long pass of 86 yards to set up a Lions field goal versus Carolina (10/16).
• Led the team with six receptions at New Orleans (12/24) which included his 300th career catch.

2004 (COLTS)
• Started in all 13 games he appeared in while logging 29 catches for 309 yards and six touchdowns.
• Totaled two receptions for 29 yards, which both went for a season-high two touchdowns against Minnesota (11/7).
• Posted a season-high 52 yards on three catches with a 26-yard long against Jacksonville (10/24).

2003 (COLTS)
• Played in 14 games starting in 13 and notched 40 receptions for 541 yards and three touchdowns.
• Made a season-high 51-yard grab at Miami (11/2) finishing the game with 68 yards.
• Caught a seven-yard touchdown pass in the AFC Championship Game at New England (1/18).

2002 (COLTS)
• Started in 15 games and caught at least one pass in every contest, totaling 43 catches for 478 yards and six touchdowns.
• Caught a season-long 41-yard touchdown catch at Pittsburgh (10/21) capping a three-game touchdown streak from 10/6-10/21.

2001 (COLTS)
• Started in all 16 games and set career highs in receptions (47), yards (739) and a long catch of 86 yards for a touchdown.
• Averaged 15.7 yards per catch (a career best) which ranked first among all NFL tight ends with 40-plus receptions.
• Pulled down an 86-yard touchdown pass at New Orleans (11/18), the fifth longest touchdown reception in Colts history and the sec-
ond longest by a tight end.
2000 (COLTS)
• Started 14 games and registered 30 catches for 439 yards and three touchdowns.
• Had a season-high five catches for 74 yards and a 50-yard touchdown at Miami (12/17).

1999 (COLTS)
• Started in 10 of 16 games and finished the season with 34 receptions for 374 yards and four touchdowns.

1998 (COLTS)
• Started in 11 games and caught four touchdowns on 24 receptions for 309 yards.
• Made a then-career-high six catches at New England (9/13) for 53 yards.
• Caught a 44-yard touchdown pass against Carolina (12/27).

1997 (COLTS)
• Started in six contests while seeing action in every game and finished the season with 10 catches for 116 yards.

1996 (COLTS)
• Started in four contests and finished the campaign with six catches for 86 yards and one touchdown.
• His first career reception was also his first career touchdown on a 48-yard grab from quarterback Jim Harbaugh at Dallas (9/15).

1995 (COLTS)
• Played in eight games in his rookie season and saw action primarily on special teams.

COLLEGE
• Did not play college football, but was a two-year starter at power forward in basketball for Bradley.
• Transferred to Bradley after starting two years at Seward County Community College in Liberal, Kansas.

PERSONAL
• Attended Valley High School in Valley, Alabama.
• Grew up idolizing Billy “White Shoes” Johnson and the Atlanta Falcons as a child.
• An avid golfer who sports a handicap of 10.
• Coached the Rhein Fire of NFL Europa in 2006.
• Majored in Criminal Justice.
• Marcus and his wife Amani have two sons, Myles Ashton and Micah Jayden, and one daughter, Aja Amani.

POLLARD’S OFFENSIVE STATISTICS

Year Team GP/GS Rec Yds Avg LG TD Rush Att Yds Avg LG TD
1995 Ind 8/0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
1996 Ind 16/4 6 86 14.3 48t 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
1997 Ind 16/6 10 116 11.6 28 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
1998 Ind 16/11 24 309 12.9 44t 4 0 0 0.0 0 0
1999 Ind 16/10 34 374 11.0 33 4 0 0 0.0 0 0

2000 Ind 16/14 30 439 14.6 50t 3 0 0 0.0 0 0

2001 Ind 16/16 47 739 15.7 86t 8 0 0 0.0 0 0

2002 Ind 15/15 43 478 11.1 41t 6 0 0 0.0 0 0

2003 Ind 14/13 40 541 13.5 70 3 0 0 0.0 0 0

2004 Ind 13/13 29 309 10.7 31 6 0 0 0.0 0 0

2005 Det 16/16 46 516 11.2 86 3 0 0 0.0 0 0

2006 Det 15/5 12 100 8.3 22 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

2007 Sea 14/10 28 273 9.8 22 2 0 0 0.0 0 0

Totals 191/133 349 4,280 12.3 86t 40 0 0 0.0 0 0
 POLLARD’S POSTSEASON OFFENSIVE STATISTICS
Year Team GP/GS Rec Yds Avg LG TD Rush Att Yds Avg LG TD
1995 Ind 2/0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
1996 Ind 1/0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
1999 Ind 1/1 1 10 10.0 10 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
2000 Ind 1/1 1 13 13.0 13 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
2002 Ind 1/1 1 16 16.0 16 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

2003 Ind 3/3 10 156 15.6 32 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

2004 Ind 2/2 3 30 10.0 25 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

2007 Sea 2/2 1 3 3.0 3 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

Totals 13/10 17 228 13.4 32 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
 JUSTIN PEELLE
TIGHT END
87
HT: 6-4 WT: 250 COLLEGE: Oregon NFL SEASON: 7th

GP/GS: 93/39 POSTSEASON: 1/1 BORN: March 15, 1979 ACQ: FA ‘08

TRANSACTIONS
• Originally selected as a fourth-round draft choice (103rd overall) by the San Diego Chargers in 2002.
• Signed as a free agent by the Miami Dolphins on March 20, 2006.
• Signed as a free agent by Atlanta on August 31, 2008.

CAREER
• Has competed in 93 games (39 starts) in six NFL seasons.
• Has caught 85 career passes for 614 yards and seven touchdowns.

2007 (DOLPHINS)
• Competed in all 16 games starting in 10 and tallied career-high totals of 29 receptions for 228 yards and two touchdowns.
• Posted at least one reception in 13 of 16 games.
• Caught one touchdown reception in the season opener at Washington (9/9).
• Totaled 10 receptions for 84 yards in back-to-back contests against New England (10/21) and the New York Giants (10/28).

2006 (DOLPHINS)
• Played in 15 games, starting in 10 and finished the season with 16 catches for 116 yards and one touchdown.
• Caught a season-high three catches for 21 yards and one touchdown on an 11-yard pass versus Minnesota (11/19).

2005 (CHARGERS)
• Saw action in all 16 games with four starts and caught 11 passes for 38 yards and one touchdown.
• Caught three passes for 20 yards and one touchdown pass from RB LaDainian Tomlinson against Oakland (10/31).

2004 (CHARGERS)
• Started in four of 16 contests and recorded 10 receptions for 84 yards and two touchdowns.
• Caught a 10-yard touchdown from Drew Brees in a Chargers victory over Tennessee (10/3) and notched his second score of the year
on a 17-yard strike against Oakland (10/31).

2003 (CHARGERS)
• Appeared in 15 games starting in nine and caught 16 passes for 133 yards and one touchdown.
• Caught lone touchdown pass on a seven-yard strike from Drew Brees at Oakland (9/28).

2002 (CHARGERS)
• Saw action in 15 games during his rookie campaign while catching three passes for 15 yards.

COLLEGE
• Started 28 of 42 games at Oregon totaling 63 receptions for 944 yards and 14 touchdowns.
• Was a first-team All-Pac 10 selection as a senior when he caught 34 passes for 491 yards and nine touchdowns.

PERSONAL
• Attended Dublin High School (CA) and earned first-team Tri-County Athletic League offensive and defensive honors.
• Peellee and his wife, Sara, have one son, Morris David.
 PEELLE’S OFFENSIVE STATISTICS
RECEIVING RUSHING
Year Team GP/GS No. Yards Avg. LG TD No. Yards Avg. LG TD
2002 SD 15/2 3 15 5.0 10 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
2003 SD 15/9 16 133 8.3 24 1 0 0 0.0 0 0
2004 SD 16/4 10 84 8.4 17t 2 0 0 0.0 0 0
2005 SD 16/4 11 38 3.5 11 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

2006 Mia 15/10 16 116 7.3 25 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

2007 Mia 16/10 29 228 7.9 35 2 0 0 0.0 0 0

Totals 93/39 85 614 7.2 35 7 0 0 0.0 0 0
 GRADY JACKSON
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
90
HT: 6-2 WT: 345 COLLEGE: Knoxville College NFL SEASON: 12th

GP/GS: 155/102 POSTSEASON: 9/7 BORN: January 21, 1973 ACQ: FA ‘08

TRANSACTIONS
• Originally selected by the Oakland Raiders in the sixth round (193rd overall) of the 1997 Draft.
• Signed by New Orleans Saints as an unrestricted free agent on April 12, 2002.
• Waived by the Saints on November 3, 2003. Claimed off waivers by Green Bay Packers on November 4, 2003.
• Signed with the Falcons as an unrestricted free agent on August 22, 2006.
• Waived by the Falcons on October 23 and was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 31, 2007.
• Signed by the Falcons as a free agent on July 29, 2008.

CAREER
• A remarkable athlete and impactful defender, who anchored the Packers defensive line from 2003-05.
• Has the ability to generate significant inside pass rush.
• An agile force at defensive tackle, Jackson had an impressive year for the Packers in 2005, starting all 16 games for the second time
(also 2001 with Oakland) in his career and tallying a career-high 72 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and a career-high four pass-
es defensed.
• In 2004, Green Bay allowed nearly 40 less rushing yards per game (39.9) in Jackson’s 10 regular season contests than what the
Packers gave up without him.
• Possesses a keen understanding of the game from nearly a decade of working in the NFL trenches.
• Led all NFL players with 13 tackles for loss in 2006.

2007 SEASON (FALCONS/JAGUARS)

• Spent the first seven weeks of the season with the Falcons and collared 18 tackles and one sack.
• Joined the Jaguars on Oct. 31 and competed in nine games while logging eight tackles.
• Recorded his 500th tackle at Tennessee (11/11).

2006 SEASON (FALCONS)

• Led all NFL players with 13 tackles for loss in 2006 while starting in 15 of 16 games.
• Logged 52 tackles, one forced fumble and two passes defensed.
• Recorded a season-high nine tackles vs. New Orleans (11/26).
• Led all defensive linemen with seven tackles at Washington (12/3).

2005 SEASON (PACKERS)

• Started in all 16 games while totaling 72 tackles (47 solo) one sack, four passes defensed and one forced fumble.
• Recorded seven tackles, sharing a sack on two occasions, with two pressures and one pass defensed, at Minnesota (10/23).
• Led the defensive line with seven tackles vs. Pittsburgh (11/6).
• Led the defensive line and matched his season-high with seven tackles at Seattle (1/1).
2004 SEASON (PACKERS)
• Served as a key contributor to the Green Bay run defense in his first full season as the starting nose tackle, finishing with 36 tackles,
one sack and two passes defensed in 10 starts. Was inactive the remaining six contests. Also started NFC Wild Card playoff game
against Minnesota
• Played in his 100th NFL game at Washington (10/31), recording three stops plus a pass defensed.
• Picked up his lone ‘04 sack when he dropped QB Donovan McNabb among three tackles at Philadelphia (12/5).
• Posted a season-high seven tackles in a victory over Detroit (12/12), while leading the Packers’ defensive line in stops.

2003 SEASON (SAINTS/PACKERS)

• Saw action in 15 games between the Saints and Packers while notching 54 tackles, six sacks, two passes defensed and one forced
fumble.
• Posted a season-high six tackles with the Packers against the Denver Broncos (12/28).
• Split a sack of QB Donovan McNabb with Larry Smith, among five tackles, in a Monday night game vs. Philadelphia (11/10), his Green
Bay debut.
• With Saints, made a season-best seven tackles, including a sack of Titans QB Steve McNair, in Week 3 loss at Tennessee (9/21).
2002 SEASON (SAINTS)
• Started 14 games at defensive tackle in his first season with New Orleans and led the Saints’ interior linemen in total tackles (55), sacks
(5.5), and fumble recoveries (a career-high, three). Also forced a pair of fumbles and had one pass defensed.
• Sacked Redskins QB Patrick Ramsey twice among eight tackles at Washington (10/13).
• Had a pair of sacks in season finale with Carolina (12/29), dropping QB Rodney Peete and QB Chris Weinke once each. Additionally,
recovered a first-quarter fumble by RB Nick Goings at the Panthers 12-yard line, setting up a field goal.
• Blocked a K Neil Rackers extra point attempt at Cincinnati (12/22).
2001 SEASON (RAIDERS)
• Started all 16 games for the first time in his pro career in addition to two playoff starts as he recorded 69 tackles in his final season with
Oakland. Also tallied four sacks, one forced fumble and two passes defensed.
• Registered a career-high 10 stops at Seattle (11/11).
• Sacked QB Brian Griese twice at Denver (12/30).
• Made eight stops against Tennessee (12/22), then finished the regular season with a team-high seven tackles vs. the N.Y. Jets (12/6).

2000 SEASON (RAIDERS)

• Moved into the starting lineup in his fourth NFL season, playing in all 16 games for the first time, making 15 starts. Also started
Oakland’s two playoff contests.
• Led the Raiders with a career-high 8.0 sacks, second among AFC defensive tackles, behind the Broncos Trevor Pryce (12). Also post-
ed 68 tackles, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and three passes defensed.
• Enjoyed a pair of two-sack games vs. Denver (9/17) and at New Orleans (11/19).
• Matched his then-career high with nine tackles in an AFC Championship Game against Baltimore (1/14).
1999 SEASON (RAIDERS)
• Continued to make regular contributions as an Oakland reserve, seeing action in 15 games and was inactive for one contest (vs. Seattle
(12/5). Recorded four sacks among 34 total tackles, forced one fumble, recovered a fumble and broke up three passes.
• Made a season-high six stops, including a forced fumble, in an overtime win at Kansas City to end the year (1/2).

1998 SEASON (RAIDERS)

• Became more a part of the Raiders’ defensive line rotation in his second season, playing in 15 games and making one start.
• Credited with 37 tackles, including three sacks, plus one fumble recovery, one forced fumble and three passes defensed.
• Contributed five stops plus a pass defensed in the season finale with Chiefs (12/26).
1997 SEASON (RAIDERS)
• Saw action in five games as a rookie and recorded six tackles. Did not play in two contests and was inactive for the other nine games.
• Made his NFL debut at Carolina (11/2).
• Blocked a Todd Peterson field goal try vs. Seattle (12/14).
COLLEGE
• Spent the 1996 season at Knoxville (Tenn.) College, where he broke the Bulldogs’ single-game sacks record with five.
• Initially had played two seasons (1994-95) at Hinds Community College in Raymond, Mississippi.
• Was a two-time Junior College All-America selection at Hinds.
• Also was named a team MVP for the Eagles and National Junior College ‘Defensive Player of the Year’ following the 1994-95 seasons.
• Majored in Business and Physical Education.
PERSONAL
• Was an all-state, all-league and All-West Alabama selection in football at Greensboro (AL) East High School, where he lettered in foot-
ball and basketball.
• Was named MVP of the basketball team his junior year.
• Enjoys hunting and fishing, as well as playing basketball and softball.
• Born Grady O’Neal Jackson in Greensboro, Alabama.
 JACKSON’S DEFENSIVE STATISTICS
Year Team GP/GS Tackles Solo Asst. Sacks YDS INT YDS TD PD FF FR
1997 Oak 5/0 6 4 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1998 Oak 15/1 37 27 10 3.0 21.0 0 0 0 3 1 1
1999 Oak 15/0 34 25 9 4.0 35.0 0 0 0 3 1 1
2000 Oak 16/15 68 51 17 8.0 58.0 0 0 0 4 2 1
2001 Oak 16/16 69 52 17 4.0 31.5 0 0 0 2 0 1

2002 NO 15/14 55 40 15 5.5 30.0 0 0 0 4 1 3

2003 NO 7/6 29 20 9 3.5 21.0 0 0 0 2 0 0

GB 8/1 25 16 9 2.5 32.0 0 0 0 0 1 0

2004 GB 10/10 36 25 11 1.0 5.0 0 0 0 2 0 0

2005 GB 16/16 72 47 25 1.0 3.5 0 0 0 4 1 0

2006 ATL 16/15 52 34 18 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 2 1 0

2007 ATL 7/7 18 16 2 1.0 5.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

JAX 9/0 8 8 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Totals 155/101 507 362 144 33.5 242.0 0 0 0 26 8 7
 JASON JEFFERSON
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
99
HT: 6-1 WT: 295 COLLEGE: Wisconsin NFL SEASON: 4th

GP/GS: 20/1 POSTSEASON: 0/0 BORN: December 20, 1981 ACQ: W ‘08

TRANSACTIONS
• Originally selected in the sixth round (193rd overall) by the New Orleans Saints in the 2005 NFL Draft.
• Waived by the Saints on August 28, 2005 and signed was to the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad on October 4, 2005.
• Signed by the Buffalo Bills from the Eagles practice squad on October 12, 2005.
• Claimed off of waivers by the Atlanta Falcons on August 31, 2008.

2007 (BILLS)
• Saw action in a career-high 11 games totaling a career-high 20 tackles.
• Tied a career-high of four tackles against the New York Jets (9/30).

2006 (BILLS)
• Competed in four games while contributing with six tackles (two solo).

2005 (BILLS)
• Played in five of the last eight games during the 2005 campaign, but did not record a tackle.

COLLEGE
• Started every game on the Wisconsin defensive line as a senior and posted 25 tackles (14 solo), three sacks and one forced fumble.
• Collared 30 tackles and one sack in 14 games as a junior.
• Took over the starting role as a sophomore in 2002 and posted a career-best 45 tackles.

PERSONAL
• Attended Leo High School where he was a three-time offensive line MVP and team captain in both football and track.
• Won the 1998 state title in the shot put.
• Registered 310 career tackles and 43 sacks.
• Earned Academic All-State honors.

JEFFERSON’S DEFENSIVE STATISTICS

Year Team GP/GS Tackles Solo Asst. Sacks INT YDS TD PD FF FR YDS TD
2005 Buf 5/0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2006 Buf 4/0 6 2 4 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2007 Buf 11/0 20 9 11 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Totals 20/0 26 11 15 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
 falcons 34
LIONS 21
September 7, 2008
Georgia Dome - Atlanta, GA
Michael Turner rushed for a franchise-record 220 yards and scored TEAM STATISTICS
two touchdowns as the Falcons defeated the Detroit Lions 34-21 in the
2008 opener. Lions Falcons
Atlanta (1-0) exploded out of the gate, scoring on the first three TOTAL FIRST DOWNS 21 23
offensive possessions and racking up 216 yards of total offense in the THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 2-9-22% 3-9-33%
opening period. Quarterback Matt Ryan's first pass attempt of the sea- FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 0-0-0% 0-0-0%
son -- and his career -- was a 62-yard scoring strike to Michael Jenkins. TOTAL NET YARDS 308 474
That was followed by 66- and 5-yard touchdown runs by Turner. NET YARDS RUSHING 62 318
Turner rushed for 117 yards and both touchdowns the first quarter NET YARDS PASSING 246 156
but that was just a sign of big things to come for a Falcons football team
PASS ATTEMPTS - COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED 33-24-1 13-9-0
eager to show off a new form of intensity for first-year Head Coach Mike
Smith. KICKOFFS - NUMBER - IN ENDZONE - TOUCHBACK 4-2-1 7-3-1
A 21-0 lead -- and a season-opening victory also seemed to breathe PUNTS - NUMBER AND AVERAGE 6-42.5 3-38.3
new life into a fan base that witnessed just four 'W's' in a tumultuous FGS - PATS HAD BLOCKED 0-0 0-0
2007. Each score in the Falcons first-quarter barrage met with boister- NET PUNTING AVERAGE 40.0 38.3
ous approval from the 62,310 inside the refurbished Georgia Dome. TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (NOT INCLUDING KICKOFFS) 0 53
Ryan, who became the first rookie to start a season for the Falcons PENALTIES NUMBER AND YARDS 5-30 7-68
since Steve Bartkowski in 1975, finished with a solid 161 passing yards
FUMBLES NUMBER AND LOST 1-0 0-0
and 137.0 quarterback rating. Turner led a ground game that picked up
TOUCHDOWNS 3 4
a franchise-record 318 rushing yards (7.6 yards per carry). The amount
of big plays resulted in plenty of big celebrations, as Falcons players EXTRA POINTS MADE-ATTEMPTS 3-3 4-4
danced around the field almost nonstop during the game. FIELD GOALS MADE-ATTEMPTS 0-0 2-2
In all, 10 young players got their first opening day start with the RED ZONE EFFICIENCY 2-2-100% 2-4-50%
Falcons on Sunday. GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY 2-2-100% 2-3-67%
Some excitement was expected. SAFETIES 0 0
That easygoing mentality helped when the Lions started to make a TIME OF POSSESSION 30:53 29:07
run.
The defense surrendered 14-second quarter points, but reasserted
itself on the Lions opening drive of the third quarter with a Lawyer Milloy SCORING DRIVE
interception. The 13-year veteran returned the ball 38 yards back to the
Team Qtr Time Scoring Play Lions Falcons
lions 49. Four plays later, Jason Elam kicked a 50-yard field goal to
open a 24-14 lead.
The Falcons hit the accelerator again on the next possesion, using Falcons 1 13:33 M. Jenkins 62 yd. pass from M. Ryan (J. Elam kick) 0 7
a 46-yard completion from Ryan to Roddy White to set up a 10-yard
Falcons 1 7:33 M. Turner 66 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 0 14
touchdown run by Norwood.
Turner and Norwood were nothing short of dominant in the second Falcons 1 3:20 M. Turner 5 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 0 21
half (158 rushing yards) as they darted through holes in the middle of
the defense and delivered hits to tiring Lions defenders. The Falcons Lions 2 4:06 Kevin Smith 3 yd. run (J. Hanson kick) 7 21
talked throughout the off-season and training camp about estabilishing
an identy based on toughness and a punishing run game. Mission Lions 2 0:16 R. Williams 21 yd. pass from J. Kitna (J. Hanson kick) 14 21
accomplished.
With Norwood's 93 rushing yards, the Falcons came just seven Falcons 3 9:45 J. Elam 50 yd. Field Goal 14 24
yards away from having a 200- and 100-yard rusher for the first time in Falcons 3 5:57 J. Norwood 10 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 14 31
team history. Turner rushed for multiple touchdowns for the first time in
his career, which started behind All-Pro LaDanian Tomlinson in San Lions 3 1:40 C. Fitzsimmons 1 yd. pass from J. Kitna (J. Hanson kick) 21 31
Diego.
As a Charger, Turner often watched as Tomlinson re-wrote the Falcons 4 10:23 J. Elam 25 yd. Field Goal 21 34
record books.
Some would say he shattered the previous numbers (202 yards by Gerald Riggs), which will outshine the solid performance of the team's defense as Week 2 begins.
The group bent, but failed to break Sunday as defensive end John Abraham sacked Lions quarterback Jon Kitna three times.

ATLANTA FALCONS Falcons vs. LIONS DETROIT LIONS

RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD Starters RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD
Turner 22 220 10.0 66t 2 Kevin Smith 16 48 3.0 10 1
FALCONS LIONS R. Johnson 3 14 4.7 12 0
Norwood 14 93 6.6 17 1
J. Kitna 2 0 0.0 8 0
Douglas 1 7 7.0 7 0 OFFENSE OFFENSE
WR M. Jenkins WR R. Williams Total 21 62 3.0 12 1
Ryan 5 -2 -0.4 2 0 LT S. Baker LT J. Backus
Total 42 318 7.6 66t 3 LG J. Blalock LG E. Mulitalo PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT
C T. McClure C D. Raiola
RG H. Dahl RG S. Peterman Kitna 33 24 262 3/16 2 38 1 103.3
PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT
RT T. Clabo RT G. Foster
TE B. Hartsock TE M. Gaines Total 33 24 262 3/16 2 38 1 103.3
Ryan 13 9 161 1/5 1 62t 0 137.0 WR R. White WR C. Johnson
QB M. Ryan QB J. Kitna RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD
Total 13 9 161 1/5 1 62t 0 137.0
RB M. Turner FB J. Felton C. Johnson 7 107 15.3 38 0
RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD FB O. Mughelli RB Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith 4 32 8.0 12 0
White 2 54 27.0 46 0 DEFENSE DEFENSE S. McDonald 4 29 7.3 11 0
Norwood 2 6 3.0 3 0 RE J. Abraham LE J. DeVries
R. Williams 3 47 15.7 21t 1
Jenkins 1 62 62.0 62t 1 DT G. Jackson NT C. Darby
DT J. Babineaux UT C. Redding M. Furrey 2 14 7.0 12 0
Hartsock 1 17 17.0 17 0 LE J. Anderson RE D. White M. Gaines 2 11 5.5 6 0
Peelle 1 13 13.0 13 0 OLB M. Boley WLB E. Sims D. Campbell 1 21 21.0 21 0
MLB C. Lofton MLB P. Lenon C. Fitzsimmons 1 1 1.0 1t 1
Turner 1 6 6.0 6 0 OLB K. Brooking SLB A. Lewis
Mughelli 1 3 3.0 3 0 LCB B. Grimes LCB B. Kelly Total 24 262 10.9 38 2
Total 9 161 17.9 62t 1 RCB C. Houston RCB T. Fisher
SS L. Milloy FS G. Alexander
FS E. Coleman SS D. Smith
 BUCCANEERS 24
FALCONS 9
September 14, 2008
Raymond James Stadium - Tampa, FL
Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan threw the first interceptions of his TEAM STATISTICS
career into an aggressive Buccaneers defense as the Falcons fell to
their division rival 24-9 at Raymond James Stadium Sunday afternoon. Buccaneers Falcons
Ryan rebounded and the Birds showed incredible heart in the second TOTAL FIRST DOWNS 15 14
half, but didn't overcome first-half miscues. THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 6-14-43% 7-19-37%
Ryan misfired on his first nine pass attempts as the offense strug- FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 0-1-0% 0-1-0%
gled to get into the powerful groove it established in a Week 1 victory TOTAL NET YARDS 311 234
over Detroit. The quarterback's first interception came on the first drive NET YARDS RUSHING 164 105
as a third-down throw went through the hands of rookie wide receiver NET YARDS PASSING 147 129
Harry Douglas and into the mitts of cornerback Aqib Talib.
PASS ATTEMPTS - COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED 31-18-0 33-13-2
Five plays later Brian Griese found tight end John Gilmore with a 5-
yard touchdown pass. KICKOFFS - NUMBER - IN ENDZONE - TOUCHBACK 5-2-1 4-3-1
Ryan didn't complete a pass until the 6:27 mark of the second quar- PUNTS - NUMBER AND AVERAGE 5-46.6 5-36.2
ter and the team converted just 2-of-10 third downs in the first half. Balls FGS - PATS HAD BLOCKED 0-0 0-0
were dropped, Ryan was pressured and good plays were erased with NET PUNTING AVERAGE 38.0 36.2
holding penalties and shoe-string tackles. Ryan was 13 of 33 for 158 TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (NOT INCLUDING KICKOFFS) 24 43
yards in the game and was sacked four times. PENALTIES NUMBER AND YARDS 11-94 8-60
The Falcons defense held the Bucs to 36 net rushing yards in the
FUMBLES NUMBER AND LOST 1-1 2-0
first half -- the lowest total in a half since the 2006 season finale -- but
TOUCHDOWNS 3 0
Tampa Bay did just enough in the run game to stay on the move.
Former Falcon Warrick Dunn rushed for 49 yards on 12 carries in the EXTRA POINTS MADE-ATTEMPTS 3-3 0-0
game including a 17-yard touchdown. The score -- a gutsy draw play on FIELD GOALS MADE-ATTEMPTS 1-1 3-3
third-and-goal from the 17 -- gave his team a 14-0 lead midway through RED ZONE EFFICIENCY 2-5-40% 0-3-0%
the second quarter. GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY 2-3-67% 0-2-0%
Ryan's second interception of the day came on the next series. That SAFETIES 0 0
led to a 33-yard field goal by Matt Bryant. But the tide started to turn for TIME OF POSSESSION 30:22 29:38
the Falcons at the close of the first half despite a 17-0 disadvantage.
A 37-yard punt return by Adam Jennings set the Falcons up at the
Bucs 25 with just more than two minutes to play. A key completion to
SCORING DRIVE
Roddy White on third-and-13 gave Jason Elam a chance at a 32-yard
field goal, which he made to get the Falcons on the scoreboard. Team Qtr Time Scoring Play Bucs Falcons
It was the longest return in Jennings' career and the longest for the
team since 2006. The Falcons got on the board again with 6:43 remain-
ing in the third quarter with a 27-yard field goal by Elam. The drive cov- Bucs 1 12:37 J. Gilmore 5 yd. pass from B. Griese (M. Bryant kick) 7 0
ered 75 yards in 13 plays as Ryan completed 6 of 7 passes for 62
yards. Bucs 2 11:08 W. Dunn 17 yd. run (M.Bryant kick) 14 0
The Bucs went on the move on next series, pushing the ball deep
into Falcons territory. But, as he's done numerous times in his career, Bucs 2 9:07 M.Bryant 33 yd. Field Goal 17 0
Abraham made a big play. He sacked Griese and forced a fumble in the
red zone that was recovered by Jason Jefferson. Defensive tackle
Falcons 2 0:12 J. Elam 32 yd. Field Goal 17 3
Jonathan Babineaux also had a sack in the game. Abraham's sack is
his 14th in the last 17 games.
The play kicked off a key drive for the Birds, who drove into Bucs Falcons 3 1:03 J. Elam 27 yd. Field Goal 17 6
territory and took two cracks at the end zone with Ryan's arm. The quar-
terback was forced to throw it away on both attempts, however, bring- Falcons 4 5:12 J. Elam 24 yd. Field Goal 17 9
ing in Elam for a 25-yard field goal which made the score 17-9 with 5:12
remaining. It wasn't a one-possession game for long. Bucs 4 3:08 E. Graham 68 yd. run (M.Bryant kick) 24 9
Bucs running back Earnest Graham notched a 68-yard touchdown
run on the next series to put the game away. The Falcons got the ball twice more but the Bucs defensive line didn't let up. Ryan was pressured heavily through the end
of the game.

ATLANTA FALCONS Falcons at bucs TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD Starters RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD
M. Turner 14 42 3.0 17 0 E. Graham 15 116 7.7 68T 1
FALCONS BUCS W. Dunn 12 49 4.1 17T 1
H. Douglas 1 33 33.0 33 0
B. Griese 1 -1 -1.0 -1 0
J. Norwood 6 18 3.0 6 0 OFFENSE OFFENSE
Total 28 164 5.9 68T 2
WR M. Jenkins WR J. Galloway
M. Ryan 6 10 1.7 7 0 LT S. Baker LT D. Penn
R. White 1 2 2.0 2 0 LG J. Blalock LG A. Sears PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT
C T. McClure C J. Faine
Total 28 105 3.8 33 0 RG H. Dahl RG J. Zuttah Griese 31 18 160 2/13 1 36 0 82.7
RT T. Clabo RT J. Trueblood
PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT TE B. Hartsock TE A. Smith Total 31 18 160 2/13 1 36 0 82.7
WR R. White TE J. Gilmore
Ryan 33 13 158 4/29 0 23 2 29.6 QB M. Ryan WR A. Bryant RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD
RB M. Turner QB B. Griese I. Hilliard 4 41 10.3 13 0
Total 33 13 158 4/29 0 23 2 29.6 FB O. Mughelli RB E. Graham
W. Dunn 3 21 7.0 12 0
RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD DEFENSE DEFENSE B. Askew 3 1 0.3 2 0
R. White 4 59 14.8 19 0 RE J. Abraham LE K. Carter J. Gilmore 2 41 20.5 36 1
L. Robinson 4 45 11.3 23 0 DT J. Jefferson DT C. Hovan
DT J. Babineaux DT J. Haye A. Smith 2 20 10.0 10 0
H. Douglas 2 34 17.0 21 0 LE J. Anderson RE G. Adams J. Galloway 2 18 9.0 12 0
J. Norwood 1 8 8.0 8 0 OLB M. Boley SLB C. June E. Graham 1 12 12.0 12 0
O. Mughelli 1 6 6.0 6 0 MLB C. Lofton MLB B. Ruud M. Clayton 1 6 6.0 6 0
OLB K. Brooking WLB D. Brooks
M. Turner 1 6 6.0 6 0 LCB B. Grimes LCB P. Buchanon Total 18 160 8.9 36 1
Total 13 158 12.2 23 0 RCB C. Houston SS J. Phillips
SS L. Milloy FS T. Jackson
FS E. Coleman RCB R. Barber
 falcons 38
chiefs 14
September 21, 2008
Georgia Dome - Atlanta, GA
Five touchdowns, 378 yards on offense, three interceptions, a TEAM STATISTICS
defensive score and a tie for the NFC South lead.
Chiefs Falcons
The Birds improved to 2-0 at the Georgia Dome Sunday with an
TOTAL FIRST DOWNS 17 16
impressive 38-14 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Running back Michael Turner rushed for 104 yards and a THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 8-18-44% 6-13-46%
career-high three touchdowns while rookie quarterback Matt Ryan FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 1-2-50% 0-0-0%
found Roddy White on a 70-yard touchdown as the offense recov- TOTAL NET YARDS 301 378
ered from a rough outing in Week 2. NET YARDS RUSHING 184 186
Defensive backs Erik Coleman, Brent Grimes and Chris NET YARDS PASSING 117 192
Houston each recorded an interception off second-year quarterback PASS ATTEMPTS - COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED 36-14-3 18-12-0
Tyler Thigpen, who was starting his first NFL game. Houston KICKOFFS - NUMBER - IN ENDZONE - TOUCHBACK 3-0-0 7-0-0
returned his for a touchdown late in the game. The defense opened PUNTS - NUMBER AND AVERAGE 6-51.5 6-43.2
the game by forcing five straight three-and-outs. FGS - PATS HAD BLOCKED 0-0 0-0
Turner's performance made a fitting encore after he introduced NET PUNTING AVERAGE 45.3 40.8
himself to the home crowd with a franchise record, 220 yards in a TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (NOT INCLUDING KICKOFFS) 14 88
Week 1 win over Detroit. He took a different route to success this PENALTIES NUMBER AND YARDS 3-13 4-22
time, however, giving fans a taste of grit and persistence. He had
FUMBLES NUMBER AND LOST 2-0 1-1
just two yards on his first four carries as the offense eased out of the
TOUCHDOWNS 2 5
locker room. But, as if to prove patience can pay, Turner set the tone
EXTRA POINTS MADE-ATTEMPTS 2-2 5-5
on the next carry.
The stout running back broke a tackle and spun away from FIELD GOALS MADE-ATTEMPTS 0-1 1-1
another on his way to a 38-yard run with 6:44 remaining in the open- RED ZONE EFFICIENCY 2-4-50% 3-4-75%
ing quarter. A 30-yard completion from Ryan to Jerious Norwood GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY 1-2-50% 3-3-100%
later in the drive set Turner up for a touchdown run and a 7-0 SAFETIES 0 0
Falcons lead. TIME OF POSSESSION 29:50 30:10
Turner's three rushing touchdowns tied for the second-most in
franchise history while Ryan's big completion to White set the team
mark for longest scoring pass by a rookie. It also marked the longest SCORING DRIVE
reception of White's career. Team Qtr Time Scoring Play Chiefs Falcons
White finished the day with five catches for 119 yards and a
touchdown. Ryan didn't throw an interception for the second time
this season and completed 12-of-18 passes for 192 yards (120.6 Falcons 1 3:20 M. Turner 4 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 0 7
passer rating). Falcons 1 0:07 R. White 70 yd. pass from M. Ryan (J. Elam kick) 0 14
The defense held the Chiefs to just 7 yards and zero first downs
in the first quarter while Coleman and Grimes interceptions led to a Falcons 2 9:15 J. Elam 27 yd. Field Goal 0 17
Jason Elam field goal and the second of Turner's touchdowns.
Defensive end John Abraham chipped in with two sacks and a Falcons 2 2:11 M. Turner 1 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 0 24
forced fumble. He now leads the league with six sacks through three
games. Chiefs 2 0:03 D. Bowe 15 yd. pass from T. Thigpen (N. Novak kick) 7 24
Kansas City managed consecutive touchdown drives to pull
within 14 points with 9:42 remaining in the third quarter. Chiefs 3 9:49 L. Johnson 1 yd. run (N. Novak kick) 14 24
But Turner and the offense responded, putting together a 60-
Falcons 3 5:13 M. Turner 2 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 14 31
yard drive that ended with a third-quarter touchdown effectively put-
ting the game away. The defense kept up the pressure through the Falcons 4 1:01 C. Houston 10 yd. interception return (J. Elam kick) 14 38
end of the game, keeping the Chiefs out of the end zone with a
fourth-down tackle by rookie Curtis Lofton and Houston's interception return.

ATLANTA FALCONS Falcons vs. chiefs KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD Starters RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD
M. Turner 23 104 4.5 38 3 L. Johnson 24 121 5.0 48 1
FALCONS CHIEFS J. Charles 7 38 5.4 13 0
J. Norwood 11 75 6.8 44 0
T. Thigpen 1 18 18.0 18 0
M. Ryan 1 15 15.0 15 0 OFFENSE OFFENSE
K. Smith 1 7 7.0 7 0
WR M. Jenkins WR D. Bowe
H. Douglas 1 -8 -8.0 -8 0 LT S. Baker LT B. Albert Total 33 184 5.6 48 1
Total 36 186 5.2 44 3 LG J. Blalock LG B. Waters
C T. McClure C R. Niswanger PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT
PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT RG H. Dahl RG A. Jones
RT T. Clabo RT D. McIntosh Thigpen 36 14 128 2/11 1 15T 3 23.8
TE B. Hartsock TE T. Gonzalez
Ryan 18 12 192 0/0 1 70T 0 120.6
WR R. White WR D. Darling Total 36 14 128 2/11 1 15T 3 23.8
Total 18 12 192 0/0 1 70T 0 120.6 QB M. Ryan QB T. Thigpen
RB M. Turner RB L. Johnson RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD
RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD FB O. Mughelli FB M. Cox D. Bowe 4 43 10.8 15T 1
R. White 5 119 23.8 70T 1 DEFENSE DEFENSE T. Gonzalez 4 35 8.8 12 0
M. Jenkins 2 19 9.5 16 0 RE J. Abraham LE T. McBride J. Charles 3 24 8.0 13 0
H. Douglas 2 10 5.0 6 0 DT G. Jackson DT T. Tyler
DT J. Babineaux DT G. Dorsey D. Darling 1 11 11.0 11 0
J. Norwood 1 30 30.0 30 0 LE J. Anderson RE T. Hali K. Smith 1 8 8.0 8 0
L. Robinson 1 7 7.0 7 0 OLB C. Wire MLB P. Thomas M. Hagans 1 7 7.0 7 0
MLB C. Lofton OLB D. Johnson
J. Peelle 1 7 7.0 7 0 Total 14 128 9.1 15T 1
OLB K. Brooking OLB D. Edwards
Total 12 192 16.0 70T 1 LCB B. Grimes RCB B. Flowers
RCB C. Houston LCB B. Carr
SS L. Milloy FS J. Page
FS E. Coleman SS B. Pollard
 panthers 24
falcons 9
September 28, 2008
Bank of America Stadium - Charlotte, NC
The Falcons hit the road this week determined to correct the mis- TEAM STATISTICS
takes that plagued them in their first division game.
Panthers Falcons
The Falcons (2-2, 0-2) found a way to stick around for three quar-
ters in Sunday's game at Bank of America Stadium but injuries, dropped TOTAL FIRST DOWNS 19 17
passes and untimely penalties filled the afternoon. Atlanta lost starting THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 3-12-25% 2-13-15%
strong safety Lawyer Milloy in the first half after he took a shot to the FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 0-0-0% 0-2-0%
ribs and played the entire game without starting left tackle Sam Baker. TOTAL NET YARDS 401 268
Holding calls extended the field on offense while six dropped pass- NET YARDS RUSHING 107 118
es kept the team from picking up momentum. The Falcons finished the NET YARDS PASSING 294 150
day 2-of-13 on third down. PASS ATTEMPTS - COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED 29-20-0 41-21-0
Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme finished the day 20-of-29 for KICKOFFS - NUMBER - IN ENDZONE - TOUCHBACK 5-4-3 4-3-1
294 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He worked heavily against Falcons PUNTS - NUMBER AND AVERAGE 6-40.8 6-42.3
cornerback Brent Grimes with wide receiver Mushin Muhammad (eight FGS - PATS HAD BLOCKED 0-0 0-0
catches for 147 yards and a score). Later in the game Delhomme NET PUNTING AVERAGE 30.0 34.8
worked the middle of the field attacking safeties Erik Coleman and TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (NOT INCLUDING KICKOFFS) 5 25
Jamaal Fudge, who replaced Milloy.
PENALTIES NUMBER AND YARDS 11-90 5-45
Wide receiver Steve Smith, in his second game back after a two-
FUMBLES NUMBER AND LOST 0-0 0-0
game suspension ran through the Falcons secondary to get open on a
TOUCHDOWNS 3 0
56-yard touchdown play.
The Panthers (3-1, 1-0) lost starting offensive tackles Jordan Gross EXTRA POINTS MADE-ATTEMPTS 3-3 0-0
and Jeff Otah in the game to injury and also went several series with- FIELD GOALS MADE-ATTEMPTS 1-1 3-3
out starting cornerback Ken Lucas. But that didn't stop the NFC South RED ZONE EFFICIENCY 1-1-100% 0-2-0%
leaders from imposing their will on both sides of the ball and put up GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY 1-1-100% 0-0-0%
more than 400 yards of total offense. SAFETIES 0 0
Atlanta got the ball to start and escaped a game-changing play from TIME OF POSSESSION 32:15 27:45
the Panthers defense. Ryan's first pass attempt was intercepted and
returned for a touchdown by Richard Marshall but the play was
reversed after a roughing the passer call on defensive end Julius SCORING DRIVE
Peppers. Another personal foul penalty helped the Falcons move into
Team Qtr Time Scoring Play Panthers Falcons
Panthers territory but the team would be forced to punt.
The Panthers answered with an 11-play, 80-yard scoring drive that
ended with an 8-yard touchdown run by rookie Jonathan Stewart. Panthers 1 7:13 J. Stewart 8 yd. run (J. Kasay kick) 7 0
Unlike two weeks ago in Tampa, the Falcons clawed back earlier in
the game. The Birds didn't convert a third down in the first half, but a Falcons 1 1:33 J. Elam 33 yd. Field Goal 7 3
no-huddle offense kept the Panthers off balance enough to create scor-
ing opportunities. Falcons 2 12:12 J. Elam 44 yd. Field Goal 7 6
Unfortunately those scores came from the foot of Jason Elam. The
Falcons stalled in the red zone as league rushing leader Michael Turner Panthers 2 2:31 S. Smith 56 yd. pass from J. Delhomme (J. Kasay kick) 14 6
was held to 56 yards on the ground.
The veteran kicker connected on field goals of 33, 44 and 44 yards Falcons 2 0:37 J. Elam 44 yd. Field Goal 14 9
in the opening half to keep it a one-score game into the third quarter.
The Panthers responded, however, with two scores in the second half - Panthers 3 1:39 J. Kasay 44 yd. Field Goal 17 9
- a field goal and the game-clinching touchdown pass to Muhammad.
The Falcons were benefactors of strong special teams play Panthers 4 12:03 M Muhammad 36 yd. pass from J. Delhomme (J. Kasay kick) 24 9
throughout the game and got select strikes on offense. Defensive end
John Abraham got the first blocked punt of his career. That set up a field goal, as did a 40-yard run by Jerious Norwood near the end of the second quarter.
Atlanta rushed for 118 yards and got seven-catch, 90-yard game from White.

ATLANTA FALCONS Falcons at panthers CAROLINA PANTHERS

RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD Starters RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD
M. Turner 18 56 3.1 10 0 D. Williams 16 57 3.6 21 0
FALCONS PANTHERS J. Stewart 14 52 3.7 16 1
J. Norwood 3 51 17.0 40 0
J. McCown 3 -2 -0.7 0 0
M. Ryan 2 11 5.5 6 0 OFFENSE OFFENSE
Total 33 107 3.2 21 1
TE J. Peelle WR S. Smith
Total 23 118 5.1 40 0 LT T. Weiner LT J. Gross
LG J. Blalock LG T. Wharton PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT
PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT C T. McClure C R. Kalil
RG H. Dahl RG K. Vincent Delhomme 29 20 294 0/0 2 56T 0 124.8
Ryan 41 21 158 2/8 0 23 0 60.8 RT T. Clabo RT J. Otah
TE B. Hartsock TE J. King Total 29 20 294 0/0 2 56T 0 124.8
Total 41 21 158 2/8 0 23 0 60.8 WR R. White WR M. Muhammad
QB M. Ryan QB J. Delhomme RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD
RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD RB M. Turner RB D. Williams M. Muhammad 8 147 18.4 36T 1
FB J. Snelling FB B. Hoover
R. White 7 90 12.9 23 0 S. Smith 6 96 16.0 56T 1
J. Norwood 4 1 0.3 7 0 DEFENSE DEFENSE D. Hackett 2 24 12.0 12 0
M. Jenkins 3 32 10.7 12 0 RE J. Abraham LE T. Brayton D. Rosario 2 18 9.0 12 0
B. Finneran 2 10 5.0 5 0 DT G. Jackson DT M. Kemoeatu
DT J. Babineaux DT D. Lewis D. Williams 2 9 4.5 7 0
H. Douglas 2 8 4.0 5 0 LE J. Anderson RE J. Peppers Total 20 294 14.7 56T 2
J. Snelling 1 11 11.0 11 0 OLB M. Boley SLB N. Diggs
MLB C. Lofton MLB J. Beason
B. Hartsock 1 7 7.0 7 0 OLB K. Brooking WLB T. Davis
M.Turner 1 -1 -1.0 -1 0 LCB B. Grimes LCB C. Gamble
Total 21 158 7.5 23 0 RCB C. Houston RCB K. Lucas
SS L. Milloy SS C. Harris
FS E. Coleman FS C. Godfrey
 falcons 27
packers 24
October 5, 2008
Lambeau Field - Green Bay, WI
On a field that's seen its share of great quarterback-receiver combina- TEAM STATISTICS
tions Matt Ryan and Roddy White introduced themselves to the NFL.
The Falcons rookie quarterback and veteran wide receiver went to work Packers Falcons
at historic Lambeau Field Sunday afternoon leading their team to a 27-24 vic- TOTAL FIRST DOWNS 21 22
tory over the Green Bay Packers. THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 7-13-54% 6-12-50%
The game came down to fourth-quarter heroics, but overall Ryan engi- FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 0-0-0% 1-1-100%
neered the best game of his short career, completing 16 of 26 passes for 194
yards and two touchdowns. One of those scores went to White, who finished TOTAL NET YARDS 408 370
the day with eight catches for 132 yards, all in the first half. NET YARDS RUSHING 104 176
The duo started quickly, hooking up for 37 yards on the first snap of the NET YARDS PASSING 304 194
game. Nine plays later Ryan found tight end Justin Peelle in the end zone for PASS ATTEMPTS - COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED 37-25-1 26-16-1
an early touchdown. The score -- symbolically and literally -- ended earlier KICKOFFS - NUMBER - IN ENDZONE - TOUCHBACK 5-3-1 6-1-1
problems that plagued the Falcons in two previous road games. Ryan finished
PUNTS - NUMBER AND AVERAGE 3-41.0 3-41.7
4-of-4 on the opening drive and found Peelle on a fourth-and-goal play -- an
example of the team's desire to succeed in the red zone. FGS - PATS HAD BLOCKED 0-0 0-0
Atlanta drove down the field on the next possession, but a dropped pass NET PUNTING AVERAGE 40.0 41.7
killed the drive before entering the red zone. Jason Elam added points with TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (NOT INCLUDING KICKOFFS) 0 19
4:20 left in the first quarter with a 42-yard field goal. PENALTIES NUMBER AND YARDS 9-97 2-15
On defense the Falcons found ways to harass quarterback Aaron
FUMBLES NUMBER AND LOST 0-0 1-0
Rodgers. Atlanta recorded two sacks (Grady Jackson and John Abraham) and
did enough early to keep Green Bay off balance. The Packers opened the TOUCHDOWNS 3 3
game with two three-and-out possessions and the Falcons dominated the first EXTRA POINTS MADE-ATTEMPTS 3-3 3-3
quarter (8-0 on first downs, four plays of 18 yards or more on offense, 147-10 FIELD GOALS MADE-ATTEMPTS 1-2 2-2
on net offensive yards and 75-7 on rushing yards). RED ZONE EFFICIENCY 1-1-100% 2-3-67%
Rodgers threw for more than 300 yards in the game, but most of that
GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY 1-1-100% 2-2-100%
came in the fourth quarter as he put together drives to keep attacking a
Falcons lead. SAFETIES 0 0
The Falcons were hurt by the big play in Sunday's game, including a 44- TIME OF POSSESSION 31:17 28:43
yard touchdown from Rodgers to Donald Driver. That ended an eight-play, 87-
yard scoring drive for the Packers pulled the home team to within three points
in the first half. SCORING DRIVE
But Ryan responded with a drive of his own, piloting the Falcons on a a Team Qtr Time Scoring Play Packers Falcons
nine-play, 90-yard march that ended with the 22-yard touchdown pass to
White.
As the game continued, penalties and special teams play did more for the Falcons 1 9:53 J. Peelle 1 yd. pass from M. Ryan (J. Elam kick) 0 7
Falcons' cause.
Punter Michael Koenen placed two punts inside the Packers 5 yard line Falcons 1 4:15 J. Elam 42 yd. Field Goal 0 10
and a holding call on the Packers special teams unit wiped a field goal off the
Packers 2 9:42 D. Driver 44 yd. pass from A. Rodgers (M. Crosby) 7 10
board for Mason Crosby. The kicker tried again, but missed from 53 yards out
with 1:15 remaining in the first half. Green Bay was penalized nine times for Falcons 2 6:02 R. White 22 yd. pass from M. Ryan (J. Elam kick) 7 17
97 yards in the game.
The 17-7 score would hold until the 0:32 mark of the third quarter when Packers 3 0:27 M. Crosby 50 yd. Field Goal 10 17
Crosby connected on a 50-yard attempt. The Falcons marched down the field
on the next drive helped by a third-down catch by Michael Jenkins that went Packers 4 10:08 G. Jennings 25 yd. pass from A. Rodgers (M. Crosby kick) 17 17
for 31 yards into Packers territory. A personal foul moved the ball to the Green
Bay 12 where Ryan had tight end Ben Hartsock open in the end zone. But the Falcons 4 7:19 J. Elam 41 yd. Field Goal 17 20
quarterback floated the ball into the hands of cornerack Tramon Williams.
Four plays later Rodgers found Greg Jennings in the back of the end Falcons 4 3:35 M. Turner 2 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 17 27
zone to tie the game with 10:08 to play.
Faced with another chance to correct some previous wrongs, the Falcons Packers 4 1:56 D. Lee 4 yd. pass from A. Rodgers (M. Crosby kick) 24 27
took the field again.
Return man Jerious Norwood returned the ensuing kickoff 54 yards into Green Bay territory to help set up a go-ahead field goal by Elam. An interception by Michael Boley with
4:33 remaining gave the Falcons the ball back at the Packer 19-yard line and three plays later Michael Turner busted through the middle for a touchdown.
A late score by the Packers would close the gap, but an onside kick attempt failed. A few runs by Turner polished off his 121-yard day and allowed the Falcons to run out the clock.

ATLANTA FALCONS Falcons at packers GREEN BAY PACKERS

RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD Starters RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD
M. Turner 26 121 4.7 22 1 R. Grant 18 83 4.6 14 0
FALCONS PACKERS B. Jackson 2 11 5.5 9 0
H. Douglas 1 18 18.0 18 0
D. Driver 1 6 6.0 6 0
M. Ryan 4 16 4.0 17 0 OFFENSE OFFENSE
A. Rodgers 2 4 2.0 3 0
WR M. Jenkins WR G. Jennings
J. Norwood 4 12 3.0 5 0 LT S. Baker LT C. Clifton Total 23 104 4.5 14 0
O. Mughelli 1 9 9.0 9 0 LG J. Blalock LG D. Colledge
C T. McClure C S. Wells PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT
Total 36 176 4.9 22 1 RG H. Dahl RG J. Spitz
RT T. Clabo RT M. Tauscher A. Rodgers 37 25 313 2/9 3 44T 1 109.4
PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT TE B. Hartsock TE D. Lee
WR R. White WR D. Driver Total 37 25 313 2/9 3 44T 1 109.4
QB M. Ryan QB A. Rodgers
M. Ryan 26 16 194 0/0 2 37 1 94.1 RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD
RB M. Turner RB R. Grant
Total 26 16 194 0/0 2 37 1 94.1 FB O. Mughelli FB J. Kuhn B. Jackson 5 12 2.4 7 0
DEFENSE DEFENSE G. Jennings 4 87 21.8 36 1
RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD
RE J. Abraham LE A. Kampman T. Humphrey 4 67 16.8 37 0
R. White 8 132 16.5 37 1 DT G. Jackson DT R. Pickett D. Lee 4 25 6.3 10 1
M. Jenkins 3 38 12.7 31 0 DT J. Babineaux DT J. Jolly
LE J. Anderson RE M. Montgomery D. Driver 3 68 22.7 44T 1
J. Norwood 3 9 3.0 7 0 OLB M. Boley SLB B. Poppinga R. Martin 3 31 10.3 14 0
J. Peelle 2 15 7.5 14 1 MLB C. Lofton MLB N. Barnett J. Nelson 1 14 14.0 14 0
Total 16 194 12.1 37 2 OLB K. Brooking WLB A. Hawk J. Jones 1 9 9.0 9 0
LCB B. Grimes LCB C. Woodson
RCB C. Houston RCB T. Williams Total 25 313 12.5 44T 3
SS L. Milloy SS C. Peprah
FS E. Coleman FS N. Collins
 falcons 22
bears 20
October 12, 2008
Georgia Dome - Atlanta, GA
His shot at redemption at hand, kicker Jason Elam left little doubt TEAM STATISTICS
about the power in his 48-yard, game-winning field goal. The kick jetted
off his 38-year-old foot and through the uprights as time expired to give Bears Falcons
the Falcons a thrilling 22-20 victory over the Chicago Bears. TOTAL FIRST DOWNS 22 18
The 16-year veteran's celebration was interrupted by a swarm of THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 9-16-56% 6-14-43%
teammates near midfield. It was his fifth successful kick of the day but
just moments before he missed a kick that could have iced the game. FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 1-2-50% 0-0-0%
Chicago came off the miscue with a 77-yard touchdown drive to take a TOTAL NET YARDS 361 376
20-19 lead with 11 seconds to play. But a 9-yard return off a short kick- NET YARDS RUSHING 79 75
off by Harry Dougals and a 26-yard strike from rookie quarterback Matt NET YARDS PASSING 282 301
Ryan to Michael Jenkins set Elam up for the game-winner with 1 sec-
ond left. PASS ATTEMPTS - COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED 43-26-0 30-22-0
Ryan finished the game 22-of-30 for a career-high 301 passing KICKOFFS - NUMBER - IN ENDZONE - TOUCHBACK 5-3-0 6-0-0
yards. He also had a key fourth-quarter touchdown to Roddy White, PUNTS - NUMBER AND AVERAGE 3-43.3 2-41.0
who posted his second-straight 100-yard receiving game. With the vic- FGS - PATS HAD BLOCKED 0-0 0-0
tory the Birds (4-2) match the win total from all of 2007 and go into the
NET PUNTING AVERAGE 41.3 31.0
bye week on a winning note.
Ryan led an efficient offense that faced off against a Bears team TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (NOT INCLUDING KICKOFFS) 0 6
that entered the game ranked fourth in the NFL in rushing defense. The PENALTIES NUMBER AND YARDS 6-57 6-46
Falcons scored on three of their first four possessions -- all field goals - FUMBLES NUMBER AND LOST 1-1 1-1
- and controlled the ball for more than 19 minutes in the first half.
TOUCHDOWNS 2 1
Chicago sported trademark blitz looks throughout the game but the
Falcons offensive line did not allow a sack for a second week in a row. EXTRA POINTS MADE-ATTEMPTS 2-2 1-1
The rookie found five different receivers and performed regular FIELD GOALS MADE-ATTEMPTS 2-2 5-6
Houdini-like acts to find open players down the field for third-down con- RED ZONE EFFICIENCY 2-5-40% 1-4-25%
versions. Fellow rookie Douglas caught five passes for 96 yards includ-
GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY 0-1-0% 1-1-100%
ing a 47-yard strike on third down that set up a 3-yard scoring toss to
White with 13:25 remaining. SAFETIES 0 0
Ryan opened the game eight of eight for 107 yards and captained TIME OF POSSESSION 29:10 30:50
nearly identical scoring drives in the first quarter, leading the team on
48- and 49-yard marches that ended with field goals.
A chance at a touchdown came with 9:16 remaining in the first half SCORING DRIVE
after a curious turn of events near the goal line. A third-down run by Team Qtr Time Scoring Play Bears Falcons
Jerious Norwood came up short and ended with a fumble. Bears defen-
sive tackle Tommie Harris recovered but lost the ball before he was
touched down. Jason Snelling recovered the ball for the Falcons, who Falcons 1 9:13 J. Elam 29 yd. Field Goal 0 3
got a fresh set of downs.
But the Birds didn't convert. A touchdown pass to White was taken Falcons 1 0:59 J. Elam 48 yd. Field Goal 0 6
off the board after a penalty and the offense settled for another Elam
Falcons 2 7:49 J. Elam 32 yd. Field Goal 0 9
field goal and a 9-0 advantage.
The defense made up for an early lack of offensive production by Bears 2 4:02 R. Gould 36 yd. Field Goal 3 9
delivering on the statistical slugfest promised between the two teams.
Running back Matt Forte was held to 20 rushing yards in the first half Falcons 3 10:36 J. Elam 41 yd. Field Goal 3 12
and the Bears were held scoreless until late in the second quarter.
Defensive end Jamaal Anderson paced a defense that fed off the Bears 3 2:24 M. Forte 3 yd. run (R. Gould kick) 10 12
crowd's energy. He finished with four tackles (two for loss) and the first
sack of his two-year career. Anderson also had two pass deflections on Falcons 4 13:25 R. White 3 yd. pass from M. Ryan (J. Elam kick) 10 19
the Bears' first drive of the second quarter.
The Falcons offense started the second half with a no-huddle Bears 4 4:00 R. Gould 32 yd. Field Goal 13 19
offense and added another Elam field goal to take a 12-3 lead. Chicago
stuck with the running game and added a touchdown from Forte with Bears 4 0:11 R. Davis 17 yd. pass from K. Orton (R. Gould kick) 20 19
2:24 remaining in the third quarter. Falcons 4 0:00 J. Elam 48 yd. Field Goal 20 22
The Falcons added a fourth-down stop at the goal line with 7:59 in
the game but Gould added two more field goals in the final period. His 32-yard field goal with 4:00 remaining pulled the Bears to within a single possession. Norwood
returned the next kickoff 85 yards to the Chicago 17-yard line but three plays later Elam misfired on a field goal that nearly proved a fatal mistake. The Bears would drive
for the go-ahead touchdown but the Falcons didn't give up with time on the clock.

ATLANTA FALCONS Falcons vs. bears CHICAGO BEARS

RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD Starters RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD
M. Turner 25 54 2.2 23 0 M. Forte 20 76 3.8 20 1
FALCONS BEARS K. Jones 2 3 1.5 3 0
J. Norwood 3 31 10.3 21 0
J. McKie 1 0 0.0 0 0
M. Ryan 1 1 1.0 1 0 OFFENSE OFFENSE
Total 23 79 3.4 20 1
WR M. Jenkins WR R. Davis
H. Douglas 1 -11 -11.0 -11 0 LT S. Baker LT J. St. Clair
Total 30 75 2.5 23 0 LG J. Blalock LG J. Beekman PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT
C T. McClure C O. Kreutz
RG H. Dahl RG R. Garza K. Orton 43 26 286 1/4 1 22 0 87.9
PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT RT T. Clabo RT J. Tait
TE J. Peelle TE D. Clark Total 43 26 286 1/4 1 22 0 87.9
M. Ryan 30 22 301 0/0 1 47 0 116.1 TE B. Hartsock WR M. Booker
QB M. Ryan QB K. Orton RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD
Total 30 22 301 0/0 1 47 0 116.1 RB M. Turner RB M. Forte D. Hester 6 87 14.5 17 0
FB O. Mughelli FB J. McKie
RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD D. Clark 5 50 10.0 13 0
R. White 9 112 12.4 26 1 DEFENSE DEFENSE M. Forte 5 34 6.8 11 0
H. Douglas 5 96 19.2 47 0 RE J. Abraham LE A. Ogunleye
DT G. Jackson DT I. Idonije R. Davis 4 41 10.3 17T 1
M. Jenkins 4 58 14.5 26 0 DT J. Babineaux NT D. Dvoracek G. Olsen 3 41 13.7 22 0
B. Finneran 3 29 9.7 13 0 LE J. Anderson RE A. Brown M. Booker 3 33 11.0 15 0
J. Norwood 1 6 6.0 6 0 OLB M. Boley WLB L. Briggs
MLB C. Lofton MLB B. Urlacher Total 26 286 11.0 22 1
Total 22 301 13.7 47 1 OLB K. Brooking SLB H. Hillenmeyer
LCB B. Grimes LCB C. Tillman
RCB C. Houston RCB C. Graham
SS L. Milloy SS K. Payne
FS E. Coleman FS M. Brown
 eagles 27
falcons 14
October 26, 2008
Lincoln Financial Field - Philadelphia, PA
The Falcons spent much of the first half keeping McNabb and the TEAM STATISTICS
Eagles high-flying offense on the ground. Atlanta didn't allow a first-
Eagles Falcons
quarter point for the fifth time this season and picked up two sacks, a
forced fumble and a turnover in the first 30 minutes. TOTAL FIRST DOWNS 24 19
But McNabb rebounded toward the end of the second quarter and THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 3-12-25% 6-16-38%
got Pro Bowler Brian Westbrook involved in the offense late to send the FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 0-0-0% 1-2-50%
Birds back to Atlanta with a 27-14 defeat. The Pro Bowl quarterback TOTAL NET YARDS 432 335
threw for 253 yards and rushed for a touchdown in the game. NET YARDS RUSHING 192 77
The Birds rattled McNabb in the early going, holding the Eagles to NET YARDS PASSING 240 258
a 33-percent success rate on third down and coming away with a pair PASS ATTEMPTS - COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED 34-19-0 44-23-2
of sacks -- one from upstart defensive end Jamaal Anderson -- in the KICKOFFS - NUMBER - IN ENDZONE - TOUCHBACK 5-0-0 3-0-0
first half. Rookie linebacker Curtis Lofton would later force a fumble. PUNTS - NUMBER AND AVERAGE 7-40.9 7-37.7
Ryan gave the Falcons an early lead with 8:56 remaining in the first FGS - PATS HAD BLOCKED 0-0 0-0
half when he threaded a pass between two Eagles defenders and into NET PUNTING AVERAGE 37.7 38.4
the hands of Roddy White. White scampered toward the end zone for a TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (NOT INCLUDING KICKOFFS) -5 22
55-yard score and a 7-0 lead.
PENALTIES NUMBER AND YARDS 7-70 6-51
But Philadelphia responded with 20 unanswered points, including
FUMBLES NUMBER AND LOST 1-1 1-1
scoring drives of 60, 70 and 69 yards. Twice McNabb scrambled for key
TOUCHDOWNS 3 2
first downs. The Falcons did not record a sack in the second half.
McNabb turned from prolific passer to game-manager as the after- EXTRA POINTS MADE-ATTEMPTS 3-3 2-2
noon progressed, finding openings in the Falcons zone defense for FIELD GOALS MADE-ATTEMPTS 2-2 0-0
short to medium gains and handing the ball off to Westbrook. The All- RED ZONE EFFICIENCY 2-4-50% 1-2-50%
Pro rushed for 63 yards on 10 carries in the first half and finished with GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY 1-2-50% 1-2-50%
22 carries for 167 yards. He also had six catches for 42 yards, one of SAFETIES 0 0
six Eagles receivers with two or more catches. TIME OF POSSESSION 32:21 27:39
The Falcons run game sputtered and suffered from untimely penal-
ties. Starting left tackle Sam Baker missed the game with a hip injury
and was replaced by Todd Weiner. Weiner would leave with an injury SCORING DRIVE
and was replaced by Quinn Ojinnaka. Michael Turner rushed for 58
Team Qtr Time Scoring Play Eagles Falcons
yards on 17 carries.
Ryan threw for 277 yards in his seventh career start but also had a
pair of interceptions. The defense held the Eagles after the first turnover
Falcons 2 8:56 R. White 55 yd. pass from M. Ryan (J. Elam kick) 0 7
but Ryan's second mistake came in the end zone, eliminating a red-
zone scoring chance.
Eagles 2 2:25 D. McNabb 3 yd. run (D. Akers kick) 7 7
The Birds would get another shot, however.
A late goal-line stand held the Eagles to a field goal and kept it a
Eagles 2 0:00 D. Akers 36 yd. Field Goal 10 7
two-possesion game with 7:57 remaining. Ryan led a no-huddle offense
into the red zone on the next series and found White with a second
touchdown with less than four minutes to play. Eagles 3 10:24 B. Westbrook 16 yd. run (D. Akers kick) 17 7
Trailing 20-14, the Falcons defense stepped up with a key three-
and-out but an odd turn of events kept the Birds offense from getting a Eagles 4 7:57 D. Akers 18 yd. Field Goal 20 7
shot at the win.
Return man Adam Jennings decided at the last second not to field Falcons 4 3:55 R. White 8 yd. pass from M. Ryan (J. Elam kick) 20 14
the punt after the Eagles' three-and-out drive. Officials ruled Jennings
touched the ball and the muffed punt was recovered by the Eagles. The Eagles 4 1:51 B. Westbrook 39 yd. run (D. Akers kick) 27 14
Falcons did not have a timeout left and, by rule, could not challenge the
play.
Three plays later Westbrook rushed over the left side for a 39-yard, game-clinching touchdown.

ATLANTA FALCONS Falcons at eagles PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD Starters RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD
M. Turner 17 58 3.4 22 0 B. Westbrook 22 167 7.6 39T 2
FALCONS EAGLES D. McNabb 6 25 4.2 12 1
H. Douglas 2 10 5.0 6 0
C. Buckhalter 4 0 0.0 2 0
J. Norwood 4 5 1.3 4 0 OFFENSE OFFENSE
Total 32 192 6.0 39T 3
TE J. Rader WR K. Curtis
M. Ryan 1 4 4.0 4 0 LT T. Weiner LT T. Thomas
Total 24 77 3.2 22 0 LG J. Blalock LG T. Herremans PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT
C T. McClure C J. Jackson
RG H. Dahl RG M. Jean-Gilles D. McNabb 34 19 253 2/13 0 30 0 79.7
PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT RT T. Clabo RT J. Runyan
TE B. Hartsock TE L. Smith Total 34 19 253 2/13 0 30 0 79.7
M. Ryan 44 23 277 2/19 2 55T 2 68.1 WR R. White WR D. Jackson
QB M. Ryan TE B. Celek RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD
Total 44 23 277 2/19 2 55T 2 68.1 RB M. Turner RB B. Westbrook B. Westbrook 6 42 7.0 11 0
TE J. Peelle QB D. McNabb
RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD D. Jackson 3 72 24.0 30 0
R. White 8 113 14.1 55T 2 DEFENSE DEFENSE K. Curtis 3 45 15.0 25 0
J. Norwood 5 55 11.0 20 0 RE J. Abraham LE J. Parker
DT G. Jackson DT M. Patterson L. Smith 2 29 14.5 21 0
M. Jenkins 3 50 16.7 21 0 DT J. Babineaux DT B. Bunkley C. Buckhalter 2 29 14.5 27 0
B. Finneran 3 20 6.7 8 0 LE J. Anderson RE T. Cole B. Celek 2 28 14.0 20 0
J. Snelling 2 20 10.0 18 0 OLB M. Boley WLB O. Gaither H. Baskett 1 8 8.0 8 0
MLB C. Lofton MLB S. Bradley
J. Peelle 1 17 17.0 17 0 OLB K. Brooking SLB C. Gocong Total 19 253 13.3 30 0
O. Mughelli 1 2 2.0 2 0 LCB D. Foxworth LCB A. Samuel
RCB C. Houston RCB S. Brown
Total 23 277 12.0 55T 2 SS L. Milloy SS Q. Mikell
FS E. Coleman FS B. Dawkins
 FALCONS 24
RAIDERS 0
November 2, 2008
Alameda County Coliseum - Oakland, CA
Raider Nation got loud throughout Sunday's game against Atlanta TEAM STATISTICS
at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The Falcons just made sure to
Raiders Falcons
convert early screams and hisses to a chorus of boos against the home
team. TOTAL FIRST DOWNS 3 30
The Birds took a big lead into halftime and cruised to a 24-0 victo- THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 1-9-11% 9-17-53%
ry over the Silver and Black. Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan threw two FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 0-1-0% 1-2-50%
first-half touchdowns to wide receiver Michael Jenkins as Atlanta out- TOTAL NET YARDS 77 453
gained Oakland in total yards 309 to minus-2 in the opening two quar- NET YARDS RUSHING 67 252
ters. They would finish the game with a 453-77 advantage. NET YARDS PASSING 10 201
The Raiders (2-6) ran just 13 offensive plays in the first half, three PASS ATTEMPTS - COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED 19-6-1 22-17-0
of which ended with John Abraham sacks. KICKOFFS - NUMBER - IN ENDZONE - TOUCHBACK 1-1-0 5-2-0
Atlanta (5-3) kept former Falcon DeAngleo Hall and the rest of the PUNTS - NUMBER AND AVERAGE 6-50.2 2-16.5
Raiders defense off balance with a mixture of techniques that worked in FGS - PATS HAD BLOCKED 0-0 0-0
four previous victories: power running, working without a huddle, and NET PUNTING AVERAGE 48.0 16.5
moving players around before the snap. TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (NOT INCLUDING KICKOFFS) 0 13
It worked well, as the Falcons have now outscored opponents 68-
PENALTIES NUMBER AND YARDS 7-55 4-40
14 in the first quarter and surpassed last season's win total.
FUMBLES NUMBER AND LOST 2-1 1-1
Ryan piloted the Falcons on long scoring drives of 88, 77, and 88
TOUCHDOWNS 0 3
yards in the game. The team chewed clock in the second half with a
steady dose of Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood, who combined for EXTRA POINTS MADE-ATTEMPTS 0-0 3-3
202 rushing yards and a touchdown. FIELD GOALS MADE-ATTEMPTS 0-0 1-2
Turner talked earlier in the week about bulldozing over teams that RED ZONE EFFICIENCY 0-1-0% 2-4-50%
loaded up near the line of scrimmage to stop the run. He did most of the GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY 0-0-0% 0-0-0%
heavy-hitting between the tackles, breaking away from defenders and SAFETIES 0 0
gaining 139 yards on 31 carries. Second-year man Jason Snelling TIME OF POSSESSION 14:45 45:15
spelled Turner late in the game and picked up an additional 47 yards.
The Birds picked up 30 first downs. The Raiders, three. Atlanta con-
trolled the ball for more than 45 minutes -- the second highest total in
the NFL since 1991. SCORING DRIVE
Abraham led an aggressive defense that feasted on opportunities
and forced the Raiders offense into mistake after mistake. In the Team Qtr Time Scoring Play Raiders Falcons
process, the Birds shutout an opponent for the first time since 2002.
The only blemish on Ryan's scorecard came late in the second half.
The rookie fumbled while waiting for a third-down passing lane to open.
The ball was recovered by the Raiders but an Abraham sack ran out the
half. The rookie finished the game with the highest completion percent- Falcons 1 8:56 M. Jenkins 37 yd. pass from M. Ryan (J. Elam kick) 0 7
age of his career (77.3). He threw for 220 yards and posted a quarter-
back rating of 138.4. He also completed passes to eight different
receivers. Falcons 1 5:02 J. Norwood 12 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 0 14
In fact, Atlanta's defense stepped up each time the Raiders began
to put a drive together.
Defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux recovered a fumble with 8:08 Falcons 2 12:54 M. Jenkins 27 yd. pass from M. Ryan (J. Elam kick) 0 21
remaining in the third quarter that ended a drive. A scramble by quarter-
back JaMarcus Russell put the Raiders in scoring range early in the
fourth quarter but two tackles for loss and an incompletion on fourth- Falcons 2 6:29 J. Elam 48 yd. Field Goal 0 24
and-17 gave the ball back to Atlanta.
Safety Erik Coleman intercepted Russell in the end zone with 7:27 left to preserve shutout.

ATLANTA FALCONS Falcons at RAIDERS OAKLAND RAIDERS

RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD Starters RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD
M. Turner 31 139 4.5 16 0 J. Russell 2 46 23.0 24 0
FALCONS RAIDERS J. Fargas 6 23 3.8 13 0
J. Norwood 13 63 4.8 12T 1
M. Bush 3 -2 -0.7 5 0
J. Snelling 8 47 5.9 13 0 OFFENSE OFFENSE
Total 11 67 6.1 24 0
WR R. White WR J. Walker
H. Douglas 1 2 2.0 2 0 LT T. Weiner LT K. Harris
M. Ryan 4 1 0.3 3 0 LG J. Blalock LG R. Gallery PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT
C T. McClure C J. Grove
Total 57 252 4.4 16 1 RG H. Dahl RG C. Carlisle J. Russell 19 6 31 4/21 0 7 1 19.0
RT T. Clabo RT C. Green
PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT TE B. Hartsock TE Z. Miller Total 19 6 31 4/21 0 7 1 19.0
TE J. Peelle WR C. Schilens
M. Ryan 22 17 220 3/19 2 37T 0 138.4 QB M. Ryan QB J. Russell RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD
FB O. Mughelli FB L. Lawton M. Bush 3 15 5.0 6 0
Total 22 17 220 3/19 2 37T 0 138.4 RB M. Turner RB J. Fargas
Z. Miller 2 9 4.5 6 0
RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD DEFENSE DEFENSE J. Walker 1 7 7.0 7 0
R. White 5 54 10.8 17 0 RE J. Abraham DE K. Edwards
DT G. Jackson DT T. Kelly Total 6 31 5.2 7 0
J. Peelle 3 33 11.0 16 0
DT J. Babineaux DT G. Warren
M. Jenkins 2 64 32.0 37T 2 LE J. Anderson RE J. Richardson
O. Mughelli 2 23 11.5 18 0 OLB M. Boley OLB R. Thomas
MLB C. Lofton MLB K. Morrison
J. Norwood 2 20 10.0 14 0 OLB K. Brooking OLB T. Howard
H. Douglas 1 12 12.0 12 0 LCB D. Foxworth CB D. Hall
J. Snelling 1 12 12.0 12 0
CB C. Houston CB N. Asomugha
CB C. Jackson FS H. Eugene
B. Hartsock 1 2 2.0 2 0 SS L. Milloy SS G. Wilson
Total 17 220 12.9 37T 2
 FALCONS 34
saints 20
November 9, 2008
The Georgia Dome - Atlanta, GA
Members of the Falcons secondary heard talk about the potency of TEAM STATISTICS
the Saints passing game all week.
Saints Falcons
That doesn't mean it affected them. TOTAL FIRST DOWNS 25 18
The Birds (6-3) met the challenges presented by the Saints top- THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 7-15-47% 5-11-45%
ranked offense Sunday at the Georgia Dome and came away with a 34- FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 2-3-67% 0-0-0%
20 victory. The win snaps a four-game losing streak to the Saints and TOTAL NET YARDS 521 361
keeps the Falcons in the middle of the NFC playoff picture. NET YARDS RUSHING 105 113
Safety Erik Coleman intercepted Saints quarterback Drew Brees on NET YARDS PASSING 416 248
his first attempt of the afternoon to set the tone for one of the best PASS ATTEMPTS - COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED 58-31-3 23-16-0
defensive performances of the year. KICKOFFS - NUMBER - IN ENDZONE - TOUCHBACK 4-1-1 7-4-2
Nine Falcons finished with at least one pass defensed and Brees PUNTS - NUMBER AND AVERAGE 3-48.3 4-35.3
was held to his lowest completion rate of the season (53.4 percent). The FGS - PATS HAD BLOCKED 0-0 0-0
Birds also recorded two second-half interceptions, one returned 95 NET PUNTING AVERAGE 37.3 35.3
yards for a touchdown by rookie Chevis Jackson. TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (NOT INCLUDING KICKOFFS) 0 160
The Saints did not score a touchdown in the first half for the first PENALTIES NUMBER AND YARDS 7-45 2-25
time this season. FUMBLES NUMBER AND LOST 1-0 0-0
Cornerback Domonique Foxworth knocked away three passes in TOUCHDOWNS 2 4
the first quarter, including a shot to the end zone intended for Marques EXTRA POINTS MADE-ATTEMPTS 2-2 4-4
Coleston with 3:42 left in the opening quarter. FIELD GOALS MADE-ATTEMPTS 2-2 2-2
The Falcons didn't have an issue scoring early and improved to 4- RED ZONE EFFICIENCY 1-4-25% 2-4-50%
GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY 0-1-0% 1-2-50%
0 at the Dome this season.
SAFETIES 0 0
Quarterback Matt Ryan finished 16-of-23 for 248 yards and a pair
TIME OF POSSESSION 28:48 31:12
of touchdowns in the game, his first going to wide receiver Roddy White
with 9:12 remaining in the first quarter. He also led the Falcons on an
80-yard drive into the second quarter that ended with a Michael Turner SCORING DRIVE
touchdown run. Team Qtr Time Scoring Play Saints Falcons
The Saints managed a pair of field goals in the first half after scor-
ing 107 first-half points in the previous eight games. Falcons 1 9:07 R. White 16 yd. pass from M. Ryan (J. Elam kick) 0 7
They struggled because each time the Falcons defense took the Saints 1 2:15 G. Hartley 24 yd. Field Goal 3 7
field a new face made plays.
Falcons 2 12:04 M. Turner 2 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 3 14
Defensive end John Abraham picked up his 11th sack of the sea-
son on a key third-down stop in the first half. Chris Houston recorded Saints 2 8:33 G. Hartley 44 yd. Field Goal 6 14
an interception in the end zone that put down a fourth-quarter scoring
Falcons 2 3:05 J. Elam 22 yd. Field Goal 6 17
threat. Linebacker Michael Boley had two pass breakups in one sec-
ond-half series that further took wind out of the Saints' sails. Falcons 3 2:06 J. Elam 27 yd. Field Goal 6 20
Atlanta took a 17-6 lead into halftime after a 22-yard field goal by Falcons 4 14:40 J. Norwood 67 yd. pass from M. Ryan (J. Elam kick) 6 27
Jason Elam. Elam added another score in the third quarter but the
Falcons blew the game 20 seconds into the final quarter when Jerious Saints 4 9:54 D. McAllister 15 yd. pass from D. Brees (G. Hartley kick) 13 27
Norwood took a short pass from Ryan and turned it into an epic, 67-yard Falcons 4 1:17 C. Jackson 95 yd. interception return (J. Elam kick) 13 34
touchdown.
Saints 4 0:00 L. Moore 32 yd. pass from D. Brees (G. Hartley kick) 20 34
Brees threw a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including a Hail
Mary at the end of the game, but the stars of the day were still members of the team's much-examined pass defense, which forced turnovers and slowed down one of
the league's best despite getting just one sack from the defensive line.

ATLANTA FALCONS Falcons vs. saints NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD Starters RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD
M. Turner 27 96 3.6 20 1 D. Henderson 1 30 30.0 30 0
FALCONS SAINTS P. Thomas 6 26 4.3 9 0
J. Norwood 6 17 2.8 8 0
A. Stecker 3 21 7.0 12 0
R. White 1 2 2.0 2 0 OFFENSE OFFENSE
D. McAllister 5 18 3.6 7 0
TE J. Peelle WR M. Colston
M. Ryan 2 -2 -1.0 -1 0 LT T. Weiner LT J. Brown D. Brees 2 10 5.0 6 0
Total 36 113 3.1 20 1 LG J. Blalock LG C. Nicks Total 17 105 6.2 30 0
C T. McClure C M. Lehr
RG H. Dahl RG J. Evans
PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT RT T. Clabo RT J. Stinchcomb PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT
TE B. Hartsock TE M. Campbell
M. Ryan 23 16 248 0/0 2 67T 0 134.0 WR R. White WR D. Henderson D. Brees 58 31 422 1/6 2 48 3 66.9
QB M. Ryan QB D. Brees
Total 23 16 248 0/0 2 67T 0 134.0 FB O. Mughelli TE J. Shockey Total 58 31 422 1/6 2 48 3 66.9
RB M. Turner RB D. McAllister
RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD
M. Jenkins 6 72 12.0 32 0 DEFENSE DEFENSE M. Colston 7 140 20.0 48 0
R. White 5 68 13.6 16T 1 RE J. Abraham NT K. Clancy
DT G. Jackson DT S. Ellis L. Moore 6 76 12.7 32T 1
J. Norwood 2 88 44.0 67T 1 DT J. Babineaux RDE W. Smith B. Miller 5 65 13.0 23 0
J. Peelle 1 14 14.0 14 0 LE J. Anderson SLB S. Fujita
OLB M. Boley MLB J. Vilma P. Thomas 5 34 6.8 9 0
B. Finneran 1 6 6.0 6 0
MLB C. Lofton WLB S. Shanle D. Patten 2 35 17.5 19 0
M. Turner 1 0 0.0 0 0 OLB K. Brooking LCB M. McKenzie
LCB D. Foxworth SS R. Harper D. Henderson 2 33 16.5 20 0
Total 16 248 15.5 67T 2
RCB C. Houston FS K. Kaesviharn D. McAllister 2 23 11.5 15T 1
SS L. Milloy RCB R. Gay
FS E. Coleman DE B. McCray J. Shockey 2 16 8.0 10 0
Total 31 422 13.6 48 2
 broncos 24
falcons 20
November 16, 2008
The Georgia Dome - Atlanta, GA
Running back Michael Turner rushed for two touchdowns, including TEAM STATISTICS
a 28-yard score to give the Falcons a fourth-quarter lead, but it wasn't
Broncos Falcons
enough as the Denver Broncos left the Georgia Dome Sunday after- TOTAL FIRST DOWNS 19 20
noon with a 24-20 win. THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 7-12-58% 11-18-61%
Turner's last score of the day put the Falcons up 20-17 with 10:41 FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 0-0-% 0-1-0%
remaining. That brought a sold-out crowd to life but they could do noth- TOTAL NET YARDS 332 364
ing but watch as Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler piloted his team on a NET YARDS RUSHING 124 114
10-play, 86-yard drive into the red zone. NET YARDS PASSING 208 250
Cutler hit tight end Daniel Graham with a 9-yard pass for a touch- PASS ATTEMPTS - COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED 27-19-0 33-20-1
down with 5:35 remaining. The Falcons moved the ball to the Denver KICKOFFS - NUMBER - IN ENDZONE - TOUCHBACK 5-2-0 5-2-0
45 and took a shot to the end zone, but Matt Ryan's last-chance pass PUNTS - NUMBER AND AVERAGE 3-42.3 2-31.0
on fourth-and-18 flew over the head of wide receiver Michael Jenkins. FGS - PATS HAD BLOCKED 0-0 0-0
Atlanta trailed twice in the game but fought back with gritty running NET PUNTING AVERAGE 39.3 31.0
from Turner, who finished with 81 rushing yards, and clutch plays from TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (NOT INCLUDING KICKOFFS) 5 9
Ryan and his receivers. The team was 11-of-18 on third down (61 per- PENALTIES NUMBER AND YARDS 6-36 5-36
cent) but didn't stay on the field when it mattered most. FUMBLES NUMBER AND LOST 0-0 0-0
The defense also played well in spurts, closing out the first half by TOUCHDOWNS 3 2
forcing four-straight three-and-outs. EXTRA POINTS MADE-ATTEMPTS 3-3 2-2
Denver (6-4) started the game with a score on the opening drive FIELD GOALS MADE-ATTEMPTS 1-2 2-2
when reserve fullback Peyton Hillis slammed into the end zone from 7 RED ZONE EFFICIENCY 3-4-75% 1-2-50%
yards out. Atlanta (6-4) tried to catch a banged-up Broncos defense off GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY 2-3-67% 1-1-100%
SAFETIES 0 0
guard in the passing game but struggled out of the gate. The Falcons
TIME OF POSSESSION 26:18 33:42
managed a pair of Jason Elam field goals to open the game and trailed
7-6 in the second quarter.
But, after a missed field goal by Broncos kicker Matt Prater, the SCORING DRIVE
Falcons went on the move.
Team Qtr Time Scoring Play Broncos Falcons
Seven plays after the Denver miscue Turner was in the end zone
for his first touchdown, a nine-yard run through the middle of the
defense. The drive included a key, third-down completion to Roddy Broncos 1 9:26 P. Hillis 7 yd. run (M. Prater kick) 7 0
White that went for 37 yards into the red zone.
Falcons 1 2:26 J. Elam 46 yd. Field Goal 7 3
White finished with game-high 102 yards on five catches. He said
Sunday's loss would be tough to swallow and took blame for an incom- Falcons 2 12:33 J. Elam 36 yd. Field Goal 7 6
pletion in the end zone with 1:16 left that could have given the Falcons
a win. Falcons 2 7:34 M. Turner 9 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 7 13
Ryan, who threw for 250 yards and an interception in the game,
Broncos 3 9:59 P. Hillis 2 yd. run (M. Prater kick) 14 13
rolled out of the pocket and found White but the ball slipped through his
hands as he fell toward the ground. Broncos 4 14:56 M. Prater 20 yd. Field Goal 17 13
Denver took a 14-13 lead in the third quarter with a two-yard touch-
down run by Hillis -- a rookie that started the season as a fullback. A Falcons 4 10:41 M. Turner 28 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 17 20
goal-line stand by the Falcons defense forced a Prater field goal that
Broncos 4 5:35 D. Graham 9 yd. pass from J. Cutler (M. Prater kick) 24 20
pushed the lead to four with 14:56 to play in the game.
The Broncos converted every third down they faced in the final period as momentum shifted. Cutler threw for 70 yards in the fourth quarter and wrapped up the game
with 216 yards through the air, a touchdown and a 106.4 passer rating.

ATLANTA FALCONS Falcons vs. broncos DENVER BRONCOS

RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD Starters RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD
M. Turner 25 81 3.2 28T 2 P. Hillis 10 44 4.4 12 2
FALCONS BRONCOS P. Pope 4 35 8.8 15 0
M. Ryan 5 18 3.6 9 0
T. Bell 7 34 4.9 9 0
J. Norwood 4 18 4.5 12 0 OFFENSE OFFENSE
E. Royal 3 7 2.3 12 0
WR M. Jenkins WR B. Marshall
J. Snelling 1 -3 -3.0 -3 0 LT T. Weiner LT R. Clady J. Cutler 1 4 4.0 4 0
Total 35 114 3.3 28T 2 LG J. Blalock LG B. Hamilton Total 25 124 5.0 15 2
C T. McClure C C. Wiegmann
RG H. Dahl RG C. Kuper
PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT RT T. Clabo RT R. Harris PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT
TE B. Hartsock TE D. Graham
M. Ryan 33 20 250 0/0 0 37 1 71.5 WR R. White WR E. Royal J. Cutler 27 19 216 1/8 1 47 0 106.4
QB M. Ryan QB J. Cutler
Total 33 20 250 0/0 0 37 1 71.5 RB M. Turner RB P. Hillis Total 27 19 216 1/8 1 47 0 106.4
TE J. Peelle FB S. Larsen
RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD
R. White 5 102 20.4 37 0 DEFENSE DEFENSE B. Marshall 6 89 14.8 47 0
M. Jenkins 5 55 11.0 15 0 RE J. Abraham LE E. Ekuban
DT G. Jackson LT D. Robertson E.Royal 4 34 8.5 18 0
B. Finneran 4 44 11.0 14 0 DT J. Babineaux RT M. Thomas B. Stokley 3 26 8.7 12 0
J. Norwood 3 25 8.3 11 0 LE J. Anderson RE E. Dumervill
OLB M. Boley WLB W. Woodyard P. Hillis 3 26 8.7 14 0
O. Mughelli 2 22 11.0 14 0
MLB C. Lofton MLB S. Larsen N. Jackson 2 32 16.0 17 0
J. Snelling 1 2 2.0 2 0 OLB K. Brooking SLB J. Winborn
RCB C. Houston LCB J. Bell D. Graham 1 9 9.0 9T 1
Total 20 250 12.5 37 0
LCB D. Foxworth RCB D. Bly Total 19 216 11.4 47 1
SS L. Milloy SS M. Manuel
FS E. Coleman FS C. Lowry
 falcons 45
panthers 28
November 23, 2008
The Georgia Dome - Atlanta, GA
Michael Turner isn't one for flamboyant end zone celebrations. TEAM STATISTICS
But the mild-mannered running back couldn't help celebrate a bit Panthers Falcons
after a fourth-down touchdown run with 7:13 remaining in Sunday's TOTAL FIRST DOWNS 22 21
victory over the Panthers. THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 5-14-36% 6-13-46%
An approving Georgia Dome crowd roared as the running back FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 1-1-100% 2-2-100%
scored his third touchdown of the day. The gutsy play gave the TOTAL NET YARDS 408 392
Falcons a 10-point, fourth-quarter lead and sparked an exciting NET YARDS RUSHING 134 133
close to a 45-28 victory. Atlanta (7-4) scored 28 fourth-quarter points NET YARDS PASSING 274 259
in the win. PASS ATTEMPTS - COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED 35-21-0 27-17-0
Attitude was everything for the Falcons, who got off to an early KICKOFFS - NUMBER - IN ENDZONE - TOUCHBACK 6-2-2 8-5-3
PUNTS - NUMBER AND AVERAGE 6-46.2 3-43.0
,17-0 lead, withstood a Panthers surge and put the game away
FGS - PATS HAD BLOCKED 0-0 0-0
when it counted. It mattered most after Panthers quarterback Jake NET PUNTING AVERAGE 27.0 43.0
Delhomme rushed for a 12-yard touchdown with 10:57 left in the TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (NOT INCLUDING KICKOFFS) 0 95
game. Carolina (8-4) pulled within three, 24-21, with a two-point PENALTIES NUMBER AND YARDS 8-48 3-25
conversion. FUMBLES NUMBER AND LOST 0-0 1-1
Matt Ryan and the offense faced a quick third down on the next TOUCHDOWNS 3 6
possession, but the quarterback found rookie wide receiver Harry EXTRA POINTS MADE-ATTEMPTS 3-3 6-6
Douglas on a 69-yard pass play to the Panthers 6. Four plays later FIELD GOALS MADE-ATTEMPTS 2-2 1-1
Turner got his key, fourth-down touchdown. RED ZONE EFFICIENCY 3-5-60% 5-6-83%
The Panthers faced an energized defense and a raucous crowd GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY 1-2-50% 3-3-100%
SAFETIES 0 0
on the next possession. Defensive end Chauncey Davis recorded
TIME OF POSSESSION 31:11 28:49
his second sack of the day and back-to-back false start penalties
backed Carolina into the shadow of its own goal line. The Panthers SCORING DRIVE
punted from the end zone, giving Douglas a chance for a big return.
Team Qtr Time Scoring Play Panthers Falcons
The rookie brought the kick back up the middle 61 yards for a
touchdown. Falcons 1 11:16 J. Elam 23 yd. Field Goal 0 3
Delhomme found Muhsin Muhammad for a touchdown on the Falcons 1 5:03 H. Douglas 7 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 0 10
next series but the Falcons had already done plenty of damage. Falcons 2 13:20 M. Turner 1 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 0 17
Still, Turner found the end zone for a final time with just 54 seconds
Panthers 2 5:22 J. Kasay 23 yd. Field Goal 3 17
to play.
Panthers 3 12:21 D. Williams 5 yd. run (J. Kasay kick) 10 17
The NFL's leader in rushing touchdowns (13) also surpassed
the 1,000-yard mark for the 2008 season. He rushed for 117 yards Panthers 3 5:27 J. Kasay 21 yd. Field Goal 13 17

Sunday as the Falcons pulled within one game of the NFC South Falcons 4 14:57 M. Turner 4 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 13 24
lead. Panthers 4 10:57 J. Delhomme 12 yd. run (D. Williams run) 21 24
Atlanta out-gained Carolina 162-0 in the first quarter thanks to Falcons 4 7:13 M. Turner 1 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 21 31
solid defense and ball-hogging offense. Falcons 4 4:47 H. Douglas 61 yd. punt return (J. Elam kick) 21 38
The Falcons darted down the field on the first series of the game
Panthers 4 2:23 M. Muhammad 16 yd. pass from J. Delhomme (J. Kasay kick) 28 38
but settled for a field goal. That was followed by touchdowns from
Falcons 4 0:54 M. Turner 16 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 28 45
Douglas and Turner.
Carolina scored 10-straight points in the third quarter negating some of the work the Falcons did in the opening half. But, when it mattered most, the team
found a way to hit the accelerator.

ATLANTA FALCONS Falcons vs. panthers CAROLINA PANTHERS

RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD Starters RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD
M. Turner 24 117 4.9 19 4 D. Williams 19 101 5.3 21 1
FALCONS PANTHERS J. Delhomme 2 18 9.0 12T 1
J. Norwood 4 11 2.8 8 0
J. Stewart 5 15 3.0 9 0
H. Douglas 2 3 1.5 7T 1 OFFENSE OFFENSE
Total 26 134 5.2 21 2
WR M. Jenkins WR S. Smith
M. Ryan 3 2 0.7 2 0 LT T. Weiner LT J. Gross
Total 33 133 4.0 19 5 LG J. Blalock LG T. Wharton PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT
C T. McClure C R. Kalil
RG H. Dahl RG K. Vincent Delhomme 35 21 295 3/21 1 41 0 96.7
PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT RT T. Clabo RT J. Otah
TE B. Hartsock TE J. King Total 35 21 295 3/21 1 41 0 96.7
M. Ryan 27 17 259 1/0 0 69 0 94.5 WR R. White WR M. Muhammad
QB M. Ryan QB J. Delhomme RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD
Total 27 17 259 1/0 0 69 0 94.5 RB M. Turner RB D. Williams
FB O. Mughelli FB B. Hoover S. Smith 8 168 21.0 41 0
RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD
M. Muhammad 4 40 10.0 16T 1
H. Douglas 4 92 23.0 69 0 DEFENSE DEFENSE
D. Rosario 3 43 14.3 21 0
R. White 4 70 17.5 30 0 RE J. Abraham LE T. Brayton
DT G. Jackson LT M. Kemoeatu D. Williams 2 19 9.5 11 0
M. Jenkins 4 48 12.0 19 0 DT J. Babineaux RT D. Lewis D. Jarrett 2 15 7.5 11 0
J. Snelling 2 31 15.5 27 0 LE J. Anderson RE J. Peppers
OLB M. Boley SLB N. Diggs J. King 2 10 5.0 7 0
B. Finneran 1 9 9.0 9 0
MLB C. Lofton MLB J. Beason Total 21 295 14.0 41 1
J. Norwood 1 5 5.0 5 0 OLB K. Brooking WLB T. Davis
E. Weems 1 4 4.0 4 0 RCB C. Houston LCB C. Gamble
LCB D. Foxworth RCB K. Lucas
Total 17 259 15.2 69 0 SS L. Milloy SS C. Harris
FS E. Coleman FS C. Godfrey
 falcons 22
chargers 16
November 30, 2008
Qualcomm Stadium - San Diego, CA
The Falcons defeated the Chargers 22-16 Sunday in a game filled TEAM STATISTICS
with emotional plays on both sides of the ball.
Three turnovers led to Chargers scores but a solid effort by the Chargers Falcons
Falcons defense turned back the Chargers on multiple occasions. The TOTAL FIRST DOWNS 13 20
unit also forced a key score just before halftime. THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 3-12-25% 8-16-50%
Atlanta took an early 3-0 lead off a Jason Elam field goal but fell FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 0-1-0% 1-2-50%
behind after a fumbled punt by Harry Douglas inside Falcons territory.
Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson got in for a touchdown four TOTAL NET YARDS 201 348
plays later, but that would be some of the only success the All Pro had NET YARDS RUSHING 70 141
in the afternoon. NET YARDS PASSING 131 207
Tomlinson was held to the second-lowest rushing total of his career PASS ATTEMPTS - COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED 30-17-0 23-17-0
(24 yards) and the Chargers didn't have an offensive play of more than KICKOFFS - NUMBER - IN ENDZONE - TOUCHBACK 5-0-0 5-3-1
18 yards in the game. Michael Turner, who backed up Tomlinson for the
first four years of his career before joining the Falcons, rushed for 120 PUNTS - NUMBER AND AVERAGE 4-43.5 2-53.0
yards on 31 careers. FGS - PATS HAD BLOCKED 1-0 0-0
Atlanta (8-4) got another Elam field goal in the first quarter, scored NET PUNTING AVERAGE 35.5 47.0
with a Matt Ryan to Justin Peelle touchdown pass and then opened the TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (NOT INCLUDING KICKOFFS) 12 32
game up off a defensive play. In the process, the Falcons got their first PENALTIES NUMBER AND YARDS 9-84 3-20
win of the season when not leading after the first quarter.
The Falcons defense worked tirelessly to get in the face of FUMBLES NUMBER AND LOST 1-0 3-3
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers and was rewarded for the effort with TOUCHDOWNS 2 2
eight minutes remaining in the first quarter. EXTRA POINTS MADE-ATTEMPTS 1-2 2-2
A special teams tackle on a kickoff return by David Irons gave San FIELD GOALS MADE-ATTEMPTS 1-2 2-2
Diego first-and-10 inside its own 10-yard line. The defense took over RED ZONE EFFICIENCY 1-2-50% 2-4-50%
from there, dropping Tomlinson for a loss and forcing Rivers to throw
GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY 1-1-100% 1-2-50%
from his own end zone on third down.
Defensive end John Abraham bull rushed over the left side and got SAFETIES 0 1
his left arm on Rivers. The quarterback escaped but threw the ball to an TIME OF POSSESSION 25:02 34:58
empty space just over the line of scrimmage. The subsequent intention-
al grounding penalty resulted in a safety and an additional two points for
the Falcons. SCORING DRIVE
It was the first safety for the Birds since Dec. 12, 2005 (New
Orleans) but they would not capitalize after a Chargers free kick, driv- Team Qtr Time Scoring Play Chargers Falcons
ing down field but getting held out of the end zone on four tries from
inside the 2-yard line.
The 15-7 lead carried into halftime. Falcons 1 5:56 J. Elam 35 yd. Field Goal 0 3
Atlanta got the ball to open the third quarter and again moved down
the field but a rare Brian Finneran fumble was recovered by safety Eric Chargers 1 1:41 L. Tomlinson 3 yd. run (N. Kaeding kick) 7 3
Weddle and returned 86 yards for a Chargers touchdown. Smith chal-
lenged the play but there wasn't enough to overturn the original call. Falcons 1 0:00 J. Elam 40 yd. Field Goal 7 6
San Diego missed on a two-point conversion attempt, however, and the
Falcons retained a thin, two-point lead, 15-13. Falcons 2 9:24 J. Peelle 18 yd. pass from M. Ryan (J. Elam kick) 7 13
The missed opportunity could have haunted the team, which
missed out on touchdowns three times in the red zone, but a defensive Falcons 2 7:54 Penalty on P. Rivers enforced in the end zone for a safety 7 15
stop was followed by a key drive for the Birds, who ate up the rest of
the third quarter with an 11-play, 72-yard drive that ended with a five- Chargers 3 12:08 E. Weddle 86 yd. fumble return (pass failed) 13 15
yard touchdown pass from Ryan to Douglas on the first play of the
fourth quarter. Falcons 4 14:56 H. Douglas 5 yd. pass from M. Ryan (J. Elam kick) 13 22
Ryan finished the game with a solid 207 yards and a pair of touch-
downs. He found Roddy White six times for 112 yards as the receiver Chargers 4 5:15 N. Kaeding 28 yd. Field Goal 16 22
went over the 1,000 yard mark for the second-straight season. Rookie
DE Kroy Biermann got his first professional sack on the next Chargers possession, setting the tone for another defensive stop. But it was a 28-yard gain on a fake punt
that gave San Diego new life in Falcons territory.Forced to answer the bell again, the defense forced a field goal attempt that was blocked by Jamaal Anderson. A fum-
ble by Turner gave the ball back to San Diego with 9:05 to play but the defense held the home team to a field goal. Atlanta went three-and-out on the next possession,
but the defense held San Diego again thanks to the second of two fourth-quarter sacks by defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux.
ATLANTA FALCONS Falcons at chargers SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD Starters RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD
M. Turner 31 120 3.9 15 0 J. Hester 1 28 28.0 28 0
FALCONS CHARGERS L. Tomlinson 14 24 1.7 6 1
J. Norwood 4 18 4.5 10 0
P. Rivers 4 18 4.5 10 0
O. Mughelli 3 5 1.7 3 0 OFFENSE OFFENSE
Total 19 70 3.7 28 1
WR M. Jenkins WR C. Chambers
J. Snelling 1 1 1.0 1 0 LT T. Weiner LT M. McNeill
M. Ryan 4 -3 -0.7 1 0 LG J. Blalock LG S. Mruczkowski PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT
C T. McClure C N. Hardwick
Total 43 141 3.3 15 0 RG H. Dahl RG M. Goff P. Rivers 30 17 149 3/18 0 18 0 70.0
RT T. Clabo RT J. Clary
PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT TE J. Peelle TE A. Gates Total 30 17 149 3/18 0 18 0 70.0
WR R. White WR V. Jackson
M. Ryan 23 17 207 0/0 2 38 0 130.2 QB M. Ryan QB P. Rivers RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD
RB M. Turner RB L. Tomlinson
Total 23 17 207 0/0 2 38 0 130.2 FB O. Mughelli FB J. Hester M. Floyd 5 59 11.8 18 0
L. Tomlinson 5 42 8.4 15 0
RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD DEFENSE DEFENSE
A. Gates 3 27 9.0 11 0
R. White 6 112 18.7 38 0 RE J. Abraham DE I. Olshansky
DT G. Jackson DT J. Williams J. Hester 3 19 6.3 9 0
J. Peelle 3 38 12.7 18T 1
DT J. Babineaux DE L. Castillo C. Chambers 1 2 2.0 2 0
H. Douglas 3 13 4.3 5T 1 LE J. Anderson OLB S. Phillips
B. Finneran 2 14 7.0 7 0 OLB M. Boley ILB S. Cooper Total 17 149 8.8 18 0
MLB C. Lofton ILB T. Dobbins
J. Norwood 2 8 4.0 8 0 OLB K. Brooking OLB J. Tucker
M. Jenkins 1 22 22.0 22 0 RCB C. Houston LCB Q. Jammer
Total 17 207 12.2 38 2
LCB D. Foxworth RCB A. Cromartie
SS L. Milloy SS C. Hart
FS E. Coleman FS E. Weddle
 saints 29
falcons 25
December 7, 2008
Louisiana Superdome - New Orleans, LA
Wide receiver Roddy White notched a new career in receiving TEAM STATISTICS
yards and Matt Ryan showed some moxie down the stretch but a sur-
Saints Falcons
prising Saints running proved too much as the Falcons fell in New
TOTAL FIRST DOWNS 24 22
Orleans, 29-25.
THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 4-10-40% 7-12-58%
The Falcons held a 25-22 lead with eight minutes to play, but an 88-
FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 1-1-100% 0-0-0%
yard kickoff return by Saints running back Pierre Thomas led to the go-
TOTAL NET YARDS 414 414
ahead score.
NET YARDS RUSHING 184 99
Falcons linebacker Michael Boley nearly intercepted a Drew Brees
NET YARDS PASSING 230 315
pass on third-and-1 at the Atlanta 7, but the Saints stayed on the field
PASS ATTEMPTS - COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED 32-18-0 33-24-1
and converted the fourth down. Thomas went in for the go-ahead touch-
KICKOFFS - NUMBER - IN ENDZONE - TOUCHBACK 6-3-0 5-4-1
down on the following play.
PUNTS - NUMBER AND AVERAGE 3-50.7 4-47.5
It was a rough day for the Falcons defense, which faced a Saints
FGS - PATS HAD BLOCKED 0-0 0-0
team that stepped away from its dominance in the passing game to run
NET PUNTING AVERAGE 50.0 47.5
the ball up the middle with running backs Thomas and Reggie Bush.
The pair combined for 182 yards on the ground and each caught touch- TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (NOT INCLUDING KICKOFFS) 23 2
down passes from Brees inside the red zone. The teams both had 414 PENALTIES NUMBER AND YARDS 3-30 5-34
yards of total offense in this back-and-forth game but New Orleans held FUMBLES NUMBER AND LOST 0-0 1-0
TOUCHDOWNS 3 3
the advantage in rushing yards, 184-99.
The Saints (7-6) opened the game with five straight running plays EXTRA POINTS MADE-ATTEMPTS 2-3 3-3
and didn't immediately look to Brees, who leads the NFL in passing FIELD GOALS MADE-ATTEMPTS 3-3 1-1
yards, as the first option. He still finished with 230 yards and two touch- RED ZONE EFFICIENCY 3-5-60% 3-4-75%
downs on 32 attempts. GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY 3-4-75% 2-3-67%
Falcons running back Michael Turner had a big, 26-yard run on the SAFETIES 0 0
team's first possession, but finished the day with just 61 yards on a TIME OF POSSESSION 27:08 32:52
touchdown (3.4 yards per carry).
Ryan bounced back after an early interception to throw for a career- SCORING DRIVE
high 315 yards. He also rushed for his first career touchdown and had Team Qtr Time Scoring Play Saints Falcons
a toss to wide receiver Brian Finneran to cap a 14-point second quarter
for the Birds (8-5). His favorite target, White, caught 10 passes for a Saints 1 8:29 R. Bush 5 yd. pass from D. Brees (G. Hartley kick) 7 0
career-high 164 yards.
Atlanta responded from a 10-0 deficit to take a 14-13 lead with 2:13 Saints 2 12:05 G. Hartley 26 yd. Field Goal 10 0
remaining in the first half. The Saints got down field without a timeout, Falcons 2 9:55 M. Turner 5 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 10 7
however, and took a 16-14 lead into halftime after a Garrett Hartley field
goal. Saints 2 6:10 G. Hartley 46 yd. Field Goal 13 7
Atlanta went three-and-out on the first drive of the third quarter but Falcons 2 2:13 B. Finneran 2 yd. pass from M. Ryan (J. Elam kick) 13 14
came back with a 15-play, 69-yard drive that ended in a Jason Elam
field goal. Ryan completed third-down passes of 21, 5 and 6 yards Saints 2 0:00 G. Hartley 25 yd. Field Goal 16 14
before missing on a throw to the end zone. Falcons 3 3:06 J. Elam 23 yd. Field Goal 16 17
Another key third down almost led to the game-winning score.
After a Brees-to-Thomas touchdown the Falcons got the ball back Saints 4 12:55 P. Thomas 7 yd. pass from D. Brees (run failed) 22 17
and drove into the red zone with a chance to take the lead. Facing third- Falcons 4 7:51 M. Ryan 12 yd. run (M. Ryan-M. Jenkins pass) 22 25
and-4 from the New Orleans 12 Ryan opted not to force the ball into
Saints 4 5:47 P. Thomas 5 yd. run (G. Hartley kick) 29 25
coverage and ran the ball in with eight minutes to play. He found wide
receiver Michael Jenkins in the back of the end zone on the two-point conversion to stretch the Birds lead.
But Thomas got his 88-yard return on the next kickoff. Atlanta got the ball back but was forced to punt, opening the door for Thomas to pick up a final first down that
gave the Saints a chance to run out the clock.

ATLANTA FALCONS Falcons at SAINTS NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD Starters RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD
M. Turner 18 61 3.4 26 1 P. Thomas 16 102 6.4 18 1
FALCONS SAINTS R. Bush 10 80 8.0 43 0
J. Norwood 5 18 3.6 11 0
M. Karney 1 2 2.0 2 0
M. Ryan 4 13 3.3 12T 1 OFFENSE OFFENSE
D. Brees 2 0 0.0 1 0
WR M. Jenkins WR M. Colston
J. Snelling 2 5 2.5 3 0 LT T. Weiner LT J. Brown D. McAllister 1 0 0.0 0 0
O. Mughelli 1 2 2.0 2 0 LG J. Blalock LG C. Nicks Total 30 184 6.1 43 1
C T. McClure C J. Goodwin
Total 30 99 3.3 26 2 RG H. Dahl RG J. Evans PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT
RT T. Clabo RT J. Stinchcomb
PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT TE J. Peelle TE J. Shockey
D. Brees 32 18 230 0/0 2 36 0 99.7
WR R. White WR D. Henderson
M. Ryan 33 24 315 0/0 1 59 1 99.9 QB M. Ryan QB D. Brees Total 32 18 230 0/0 2 36 0 99.7
RB M. Turner RB P. Thomas
Total 33 24 315 0/0 1 59 1 99.9 FB O. Mughelli RB R. Bush RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD
RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD DEFENSE DEFENSE J. Shockey 5 64 12.8 21 0
R. White 10 164 16.4 59 0 RE J. Abraham LE B. McCray D. Henderson 3 72 24.0 36 0
M. Jenkins 5 69 13.8 21 0
DT G. Jackson NT K. Clancy
DT K. Moorehead DT S. Ellis L. Moore 3 35 11.7 15 0
J. Norwood 4 20 5.0 9 0 LE J. Anderson RE W. Smith R. Bush 3 26 8.7 15 1
H. Douglas 2 45 22.5 28 0 OLB M. Boley SLB S. Fujita
NB C. Jackson MLB J. Vilma M. Colston 3 26 8.7 11 0
B. Finneran 2 8 4.0 6 1 OLB K. Brooking WLB S. Shanle P. Thomas 1 7 7.0 7T 1
J. Peelle 1 9 9.0 9 0 RCB C. Houston LCB R. Gay
LCB D. Foxworth RCB J. David Total 18 230 12.8 36 2
Total 24 315 13.1 59 1
SS L. Milloy SS R. Harper
FS E. Coleman FS J. Bullocks
 falcons 13
buccaneers 10 (ot)
December 14, 2008
Georgia Dome - Atlanta, GA
In a game defined by wild momentum swings, the Falcons had the TEAM STATISTICS
ball last.
Bucs Falcons
And that made all the difference. TOTAL FIRST DOWNS 19 18
Jason Elam's 34-yard field goal with 4:08 remaining in overtime lift- THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 3-14-21% 6-14-43%
ed Atlanta to a 13-10 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers. FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 0-0-0% 0-0-0%
The win moves Atlanta (9-5) into a second-place tie in the NFC South TOTAL NET YARDS 325 373
and keeps playoff hopes very much alive with just two weeks left in the NET YARDS RUSHING 99 175
season. NET YARDS PASSING 226 198
Running back Michael Turner picked up 34 of his game-high 152 PASS ATTEMPTS - COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED 37-26-1 23-15-2
rushing yards on the game-winning drive, setting up Elam for his sec- KICKOFFS - NUMBER - IN ENDZONE - TOUCHBACK 3-0-0 4-2-0
ond game-winning kick in the Georgia Dome this season. Tampa Bay PUNTS - NUMBER AND AVERAGE 9-45.9 6-37.5
won the coin toss to start the overtime period and took the ball, but John FGS - PATS HAD BLOCKED 0-0 0-0
Abraham sacked quarterback Brian Griese on third-and-eight with NET PUNTING AVERAGE 39.6 34.8
11:07 left to force a punt. TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (NOT INCLUDING KICKOFFS) 14 38
Abraham notched three sacks in the game to move his career-high PENALTIES NUMBER AND YARDS 11-76 3-20
sack total to 15.5 for the season. FUMBLES NUMBER AND LOST 0-0 3-1
Turner rushed for more than 100 yards in a game for the seventh TOUCHDOWNS 1 1
time this season. His first quarter touchdown run (15) also broke the EXTRA POINTS MADE-ATTEMPTS 1-1 1-1
Falcons single-season record set by Jamal Anderson in 1998. FIELD GOALS MADE-ATTEMPTS 1-2 2-2
Turner carried a Falcons offense that jumped out to a 10-0 first RED ZONE EFFICIENCY 0-1-0% 1-3-33%
quarter lead but stalled in the second half. Quarterback Matt Ryan GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY 0-0-0% 1-1-100%
SAFETIES 0 0
threw a pair of interceptions. A third quarter drive collapsed when tight
TIME OF POSSESSION 34:46 36:10
end Jason Rader fumbled at the goal line. Another possession ended
with a blocked punt that set up the Bucs game-tying field goal.
The defense forced momentum shifts after almost every offensive
miscue. SCORING DRIVE
Cornerback Domonique Foxworth intercepted his first pass as a
Falcon on the drive following Rader's fumble. He would later knock the Team Qtr Time Scoring Play Bucs Falcons

ball away from tight end Alex Smith and tip a pass intended for Antonio
Bryant on consecutive plays. That forced one of nine Buccaneer punts.
The defense also benefited from a missed field goal with 3:38 Falcons 1 6:50 J. Elam 26 yd. Field Goal 0 3
remaining in regulation. The Bucs rushed for just 99 yards in the game
and committed five false start penalties, which Smith attributed to crowd Falcons 1 1:01 M. Turner 1 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 0 10
noise in an energized Georgia Dome.
Tampa Bay finished with 11 penalties for 76 yards.
Bryant finished with eight catches for 108 yards and touchdown. Bucs 2 0:11 A. Bryant 20 yd. pass from B. Griese (M. Bryant kick) 7 10
Griese, playing in place of an injured Jeff Garcia, helped engineer that
scoring drive just before halftime and cut into the Falcons lead, 10-7. Bucs 4 0:44 M. Bryant 38 yd. Field Goal 10 10
But the Falcons redirected that momentum swing as well, holding the
Bucs No. 1 receiver to just one catch the rest of the game.
Falcons OT 4:04 J. Elam 34 yd. Field Goal 10 13
With the win, a playoff picture is starting to take shape for the
Falcons. Sunday's thriller also improved the Birds to 6-1 in the Dome and improved the overall division record to 25-2 at home.

ATLANTA FALCONS Falcons vs. buccaneers TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD Starters RUSHING No Yds Avg LG TD
M. Turner 32 152 4.8 22 1 C. Williams 14 59 4.2 12 0
FALCONS BUCS W. Dunn 12 40 3.3 10 0
M. Ryan 6 19 3.2 9 0
Total 26 99 3.8 12 0
H. Douglas 1 11 11.0 11 0 OFFENSE OFFENSE
WR M. Jenkins WR A. Bryant
J. Norwood 4 -7 -1.7 2 0 LT T. Weiner LT D. Penn PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT
Total 43 175 4.1 22 1 LG J. Blalock LG A. Sears
C T. McClure C J. Faine B. Griese 37 26 269 4/43 1 27 1 88.7
RG H. Dahl RG D. Joseph
PASSING No Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT RT T. Clabo RT J. Trueblood Total 37 26 269 4/43 1 27 1 88.7
TE J. Peelle WR M. Clayton
M. Ryan 23 15 206 1/8 0 30 2 57.5 WR R. White TE A. Smith RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD
QB M. Ryan TE J. Stevens A. Bryant 8 108 13.5 27 1
Total 23 15 206 1/8 0 30 2 57.5 RB M. Turner QB B. Griese
FB O. Mughelli RB W. Dunn W. Dunn 7 50 7.1 16 0
RECEIVING No Yds Avg LG TD
M. Clayton 3 41 13.7 20 0
R. White 4 61 15.3 30 0 DEFENSE DEFENSE
I. Hilliard 3 29 9.7 12 0
M. Jenkins 3 55 18.3 26 0 RE J. Abraham LE K. Carter
DT G. Jackson DT J. Wilkerson J. Stevens 2 27 13.5 20 0
M. Turner 2 30 15.0 18 0 DT K. Moorehead DT R. Sims J. Gilmore 1 12 12.0 12 0
J. Norwood 2 24 12.0 17 0 LE J. Anderson RE G. Adams
J. Rader 1 26 26.0 26 0 OLB C. Wire SLB C. June A. Smith 1 2 2.0 2 0
MLB C. Lofton MLB B. Ruud C. Williams 1 0 0.0 0 0
J. Peelle 1 5 5.0 5 0 OLB K. Brooking WLB D. Brooks
B. Finneran 1 4 4.0 4 0 RCB C. Houston LCB P. Buchanon Total 26 269 10.3 27 1
LCB D. Foxworth RCB R. Barber
O. Mughelli 1 1 1.0 1 0 SS L. Milloy SS J. Phillips
Total 15 206 13.7 30 0 FS E. Coleman FS T. Jackson
 falcons 24
vIKINGS 17
December 21, 2008
Hubert Humphrey Metrodome - Minneapolis, Minnesota
In a matter of a week, the Falcons went from being controllers of their TEAM STATISTICS
own playoff destiny to a team that needed help from multiple teams to make
Vikings Falcons
the postseason. In just more than 24 hours in Week 16, the Birds regained
TOTAL FIRST DOWNS 24 18
control and played themselves into the playoffs for the first time since 2004. THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 6-13-46% 5-12-42%
Atlanta held off a fourth quarter charge and defeated the Minnesota FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 2-4-50% 0-0-0%
Vikings, 24-17, Sunday afternoon. The win, coupled with Tampa Bay and TOTAL NET YARDS 350 222
Dallas losses, clinches at least a Wild Card spot in the playoffs for Atlanta. The NET YARDS RUSHING 155 98
Falcons can still win the NFC South and get a postseason home game with a NET YARDS PASSING 195 124
win next week over St. Louis and a Carolina Panthers loss at New Orleans. PASS ATTEMPTS - COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED 36-22-0 24-13-0
Atlanta turned four Vikings turnovers into 10 points Sunday afternoon, KICKOFFS - NUMBER - IN ENDZONE - TOUCHBACK 4-1-1 5-3-2
taking advantage of an offense that found ways to put the breaks on itself for PUNTS - NUMBER AND AVERAGE 1-44.0 6-42.2
much of the game. Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson fumbled twice and FGS - PATS HAD BLOCKED 0-0 0-0
quarterback Tarvaris Jackson fumbled off a Kindal Moorehead sack in the NET PUNTING AVERAGE 40.0 37.7
third quarter. Wide receiver Eric Weems also forced a Bernard Berrian fumble TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (NOT INCLUDING KICKOFFS) 7 4
on a first quarter punt. The Vikings fumbled thrice more in the game but man- PENALTIES NUMBER AND YARDS 3-15 6-70
aged to recover the ball. FUMBLES NUMBER AND LOST 7-4 1-0
Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan led a 64-yard scoring drive off the open- TOUCHDOWNS 2 3
ing kick and got the Falcons in the end zone with a shovel pass to Jerious EXTRA POINTS MADE-ATTEMPTS 2-2 3-3
Norwood on the first play of the second quarter to put the Birds up 14-7. FIELD GOALS MADE-ATTEMPTS 1-1 1-1
Atlanta added a 22-yard Jason Elam field goal to go up 17-7 at halftime. RED ZONE EFFICIENCY 1-3-33% 3-4-75%
GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY 0-0-0% 3-4-75%
A lackluster third quarter showed signs of life with Moorhead's sack and
SAFETIES 0 0
forced fumble with 11:11 remaining. The ball was recovered at the Atlanta 46
TIME OF POSSESSION 32:55 27:05
by Davis, his second fumble recovery of the afternoon, but the Falcons were
forced to punt after three plays.
The Falcons defense forced another punt with 6:20 left, setting the stage SCORING DRIVE
for one of the more dramatic moments of the season. Atlanta took over at its
own 49 and marched into the red zone. On second and goal from the
Team Qtr Time Scoring Play Falcons Vikings
Minnesota 5-yard line, Ryan rolled out of the pocket and sprinted toward the
end zone. He dove for the goal line, but the ball was knocked free. Falcons 1 8:47 M. Turner 1 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 7 0
The quarterback was up-ended and landed on his face just inside the end Vikings 1 2:00 V. Shiancoe 21 yd. pass from T. Jackson (R. Longwell kick) 7 7
zone. The ball bounced around a bit but was recovered by offensive lineman
Falcons 2 14:06 J. Norwood 8 yd. pass from M. Ryan (J. Elam kick) 14 7
Justin Blalock for a touchdown. The second-year player became the first line-
man to score a touchdown since 1996 (Robbie Tobeck) and put the Falcons up Falcons 2 0:03 J. Elam 22 yd. field goal 17 7
24-7 with just more than 17 minutes to play in the game. Ryan finished with Falcons 3 2:38 J. Blalock fumble recovery in end zone (J. Elam kick) 24 7
134 passing yards on 13 completions. His favorite target was wide receiver
Vikings 4 11:32 R. Longwell 29 yd. Field Goal 24 10
Michael Jenkins, who caught four passes for 61 yards. Minnesota was led by
tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, who led all pass catchers with seven grabs for Vikings 4 2:44 V. Shiancoe 17 yd. pass from T. Jackson (R. Longwell kick) 24 17
136 yards (two touchdowns). Besides fumbling three times, Peterson rushed
for 76 yards. The defense was led again by Abraham, who got one sack and set a new franchise record (16.5). Davis also recorded a sack.
Minnesota added 10 fourth-quarter points and pulled within one score with 2:40 remaining. The Vikings had the ball at their own 33 with 2:14 remaining but steady pressure from
the Falcons defense proved too much.
The clock ran out on the Vikings has not finished for the Falcons, who are guaranteed at least 17 games in this magical season.

ATLANTA FALCONS Falcons vs. Vikings MINNESOTA VIKINGS

RUSH. No Yds Avg LG TD Starters RUSH. No Yds Avg LG TD
M. Turner 19 70 3.7 13 1 A. Peterson 22 76 3.5 17 0
FALCONS Vikings
J. Snelling 3 12 4.0 8 0 OFFENSE OFFENSE T. Jackson 8 76 9.5 29 0
J. Norwood 6 10 1.7 8 0 WR M. Jenkins WR B. Berrian C. Taylor 1 3 3.0 3 0
H. Douglas 1 4 4.0 4 0 LT T. Weiner LT B. McKinnie Total 31 155 5.0 29 0
LG J. Blalock LG S. Hutchinson
M. Ryan 3 2 0.7 4 0 C T. McClure C M. Birk
Total 32 98 3.1 13 1 RG H. Dahl RG A. Herrera PASS. Att Cmp Yds TD LG INT RT
RT T. Clabo RT R. Cook
TE J. Peelle TE V. Shiancoe T. Jackson 36 22 233 2 31 0 98.5
PASS. Att Cmp Yds TD LG INT RT WR R. White WR B. Wade Total 36 22 233 2 31 0 98.5
Ryan 24 13 134 1 22 0 84.4 QB M. Ryan QB T. Jackson
RB M. Turner HB A. Peterson
Total 24 13 134 1 22 0 84.4 FB O. Mughelli FB N. Tahi REC. No Yds Avg LG TD
V. Shiancoe 7 136 19.4 31 2
DEFENSE DEFENSE
REC. No Yds Avg LG TD B. Wade 5 38 7.6 20 0
RE J. Abraham LE R. Edwards
M. Jenkins 4 61 15.3 22 0 DT G. Jackson NT F. Evans C. Taylor 5 26 5.2 11 0
R. White 3 24 8.0 12 0 DT J. Babineaux UT K. Williams B. Berrian 2 18 9.0 10 0
LE J. Anderson RE J. Allen
J. Norwood 2 11 5.5 8 1 OLB C. Wire SLB C. Greenway A. Peterson 2 16 8.0 11 0
B. Finneran 1 13 13.0 13 0 MLB C. Lofton MLB N. Harris N. Tahi 1 -1 -1.0 -1 0
OLB K. Brooking WLB B. Leber
J. Snelling 1 13 13.0 13 0 RCB C. Houston LCB A. Winfield Total 22 233 10.6 31 2
J. Peelle 1 8 8.0 8 0 LCB D. Foxworth RCB C. Griffin
H. Douglas 1 4 4.0 4 0 SS L. Milloy SS D. Sharper
FS E. Coleman FS M. Williams
Total 13 134 10.3 22 1
 falcons 31
RAMS 27
December 28, 2008
Georgia Dome - Atlanta, Georgia
Running back Jerious Norwood took his time entering the Georgia TEAM STATISTICS
Dome before Sunday's game against the Rams. He greeted security
Rams Falcons
personnel and cruised to his parking space and into the locker room at TOTAL FIRST DOWNS 22 17
a steady pace. THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 5-15-33% 2-10-20%
The speedy running back rushed for a pair of touchdowns, includ- FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 1-3-33% 0-0-0%
ing a 45-yard game-winner, in a 31-27 victory over St. Louis. Norwood TOTAL NET YARDS 408 417
also rushed for an 8-yard score off a direct snap just before halftime, NET YARDS RUSHING 202 98
which was setup by his 92-yard kickoff return with 20 seconds to go in NET YARDS PASSING 195 263
the second quarter. PASS ATTEMPTS - COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED 32-18-0 21-10-2
Norwood split time with Pro Bowl running back Michael Turner (208 KICKOFFS - NUMBER - IN ENDZONE - TOUCHBACK 6-2-1 6-4-3
yards and a score). Norwood touched the ball just four times on offense PUNTS - NUMBER AND AVERAGE 5-48.8 4-36.8
but made every play count in a game that secured a No. 5 seed in the FGS - PATS HAD BLOCKED 0-0 0-0
NFC Playoffs. Atlanta will travel to Arizona next week for a Wild Card NET PUNTING AVERAGE 44.2 36.8
game against the Cardinals. TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (NOT INCLUDING KICKOFFS) 24 3
The Rams (2-14) did not back away from the playoff-bound PENALTIES NUMBER AND YARDS 3-14 3-14
Falcons, pulling out a fake punt and an onside kick in the game. St. FUMBLES NUMBER AND LOST 0-0 1-1
Louis led three times, including a 27-24 advantage with 6:39 left in the TOUCHDOWNS 3 4
ball game. Running back Steven Jackson rushed for 161 yards and a EXTRA POINTS MADE-ATTEMPTS 3-3 4-4
pair of touchdowns and quarterback Marc Bulger added to a 91.9 rating FIELD GOALS MADE-ATTEMPTS 2-2 1-1
with a 16-yard touchdown to Donnie Avery with less than a minute to RED ZONE EFFICIENCY 3-4-75% 3-3-100%
GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY 1-1-100% 2-2-100%
play in the first half.
SAFETIES 0 0
Atlanta scored three-straight touchdowns to take a 10-point lead in
TIME OF POSSESSION 35:13 24:47
the third quarter but the Rams stormed back, running 24 plays in the
fourth period before the Falcons defense closed out the game by forc-
ing a turnover on downs. SCORING DRIVE
Linebacker Michael Boley was credited with a team-high 11 tackles
while Chauncey Davis, playing for an injured Jamaal Anderson, record-
Team Qtr Time Scoring Play Rams Falcons
ed a sack. Rookie Kroy Biermann and linebacker Stephen Nicholas also
dropped Bulger for a loss in the game. Falcons 1 10:02 J. Elam 39 yd. Field Goal 0 3
Offensively the Falcons weren't without mistakes. Rams 1 6:18 S. Jackson 4 yd. run 7 3
Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan threw a pair of interceptions, one
Falcons 2 4:43 M. Turner 9 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 7 10
leading to a St. Louis score, and Turner had a 70-yard run nullified with
a fumble at the Rams 4-yard line. That play was reviewed, but upheld. Rams 2 0:32 D. Avery 16 yd. pass form M. Bulger (J. Brown kick) 14 10
Still the Birds combined to rush for 263 rushing yards -- the second-high- Falcons 2 0:11 J. Norwood 8 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 14 17
est total of the season. Wide receiver Roddy White (three catches for 48
Falcons 3 12:20 R. White 18 yd. pass from M. Ryan (J. Elam kick) 14 24
yards) also set the team single-season record for receiving yards
(1,382). His 18-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter also gave the Rams 3 1:39 J. Brown 31 yd. Field Goal 17 24
Falcons a 10-point lead. Rams 4 13:18 S. Jackson 2 yd. run (J. Brown kick) 24 24
The biggest plays went to Norwood, who appears fully healed from a rib Rams 4 6:39 J. Brown 27 yd. Field Goal 27 24
injury that limited his explosiveness in the second half of the year. The
Falcons 4 3:41 J. Norwood 45 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 27 31
Falcons will be with his services -- and speed -- for the "second" season,
which starts in less than a week.

ATLANTA FALCONS Falcons vs. Rams ST. LOUIS RAMS

RUSH. No Yds Avg LG TD Starters RUSH. No Yds Avg LG TD
M. Turner 25 208 8.3 70 1 S. Jackson 30 161 5.4 36 2
FALCONS Rams
J. Norwood 3 56 18.7 45 2 OFFENSE OFFENSE K. Darby 3 20 6.7 8 0
M. Ryan 4 -1 -0.2 1 0 WR M. Jenkins WR T. Holt A. Pittman 2 12 6.0 11 0
Total 32 263 8.2 70 3 LT T. Weiner LT O. Pace K. Burton 1 5 5.0 5 0
LG J. Blalock LG A. Goldberg
C T. McClure C B. Romberg T. Minor 1 4 4.0 4 0
PASS. Att Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT RG H. Dahl RG J. Greco Total 37 202 5.5 36 2
RT T. Clabo RT A. Barron
M. Ryan 21 10 160 1/6 1 41 2 49.8 TE J. Peelle TE J. Klopfenstein
Total 21 10 160 1/6 1 41 2 49.8 WR R. White WR D. Avery PASS. Att Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT
QB M. Ryan QB M. Bulger M. Bulger 32 19 230 3/24 1 36 0 91.9
RB M. Turner TE A. Becht
REC. No Yds Avg LG TD FB O. Mughelli RB S. Jackson Total 32 19 230 3/24 1 36 0 91.9
M. Jenkins 4 72 18.0 41 0
DEFENSE DEFENSE
R. White 3 48 16.0 22 1 REC. No Yds Avg LG TD
RE J. Abraham LDE V. Adeyanju
J. Norwood 1 22 22.0 22 0 DT G. Jackson UT A. Carriker T. Holt 6 90 15.0 33 0
B. Finneran 1 12 12.0 12 0 DT J. Babineaux NT C. Ryan D. Avery 5 40 8.0 16 1
LE C. Davis RDE C. Long
H. Douglas 1 6 6.0 6 0 OLB C. Wire SLB Q. Culberson S. Jackson 4 54 13.5 36 0
Total 10 160 16.0 41 1 MLB C. Lofton MLB C. Draft K. Darby 2 9 4.5 10 0
OLB K. Brooking WLB P. Tinoisamoa
J. Klopfenstein 1 29 29.0 29 0
RCB C. Houston LCB R. Bartell
LCB D. Foxworth RCB J. Wade K. Burton 1 8 8.0 8 0
SS J. Fudge FS O. Atogwe Total 19 230 12.1 36 1
FS E. Coleman SS T. Johnson
 NFC Wild Card Game
Cardinals 30
Falcons 24
January 3, 2008
University of Phoenix Stadium - Glendale, Arizona

The Falcons wrote the final chapter in a storybook season Saturday TEAM STATISTICS
afternoon, losing 30-24 to the Arizona Cardinals in the first round of the
playoffs. Cardinals Falcons
The defense gave up touchdown passes of 42 and 71 yards in the first TOTAL FIRST DOWNS 15 20
half as the team fell behind 14-3 in the second quarter. But the unit settled THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 6-15-40% 6-14-43%
in to allow just four first-half first downs and give the offense a chance at FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 0-0-0% 1-1-100%
the field. TOTAL NET YARDS 357 250
A Jason Elam field goal got the Falcons on the board with 7:31 remain-
ing in the second quarter to start a Falcons rally. Rookie quarterback Matt NET YARDS RUSHING 86 60
Ryan began the game 1 of 4 with an interception but rebounded to pilot a NET YARDS PASSING 271 190
14 play, 77-yard drive that ended with a Michael Turner touchdown run. PASS ATTEMPTS - COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED 32-19-1 40-26-2
Ryan completed 17 of his next 21 pass attempts after the shaky start. KICKOFFS - NUMBER - IN ENDZONE - TOUCHBACK 5-5-3 6-3-1
The offense held the ball for more than 21 minutes in the first half and PUNTS - NUMBER AND AVERAGE 6-39.8 5-42.4
successfully flipped the momentum put in play by the Cardinals offense.
Cornerback Chevis Jackson picked off quarterback Kurt Warner on the FGS - PATS HAD BLOCKED 0-0 0-0
next series, giving the ball back to the Falcons in Cardinals territory with NET PUNTING AVERAGE 34.7 36.8
2:03 to play. Ryan completed three passes on the ensuing possession, the TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (NOT INCLUDING KICKOFFS) 2 31
last a 2-yard throw to tight end Justin Peelle in the back of the end zone. PENALTIES NUMBER AND YARDS 6-47 6-52
The Falcons took a 17-14 halftime lead off that play and stood ready FUMBLES NUMBER AND LOST 0-0 2-1
to take the ball to open the third quarter. But a bizarre play sent the Birds
back on their heels for nearly the rest of the game. TOUCHDOWNS 4 3
A muffed handoff on the second play of the third quarter was recov- EXTRA POINTS MADE-ATTEMPTS 4-4 3-3
ered by Cardinals defensive back Antrel Rolle and returned 27 yards for a FIELD GOALS MADE-ATTEMPTS 0-1 1-1
touchdown. The play started a rough second half for the Falcons, who RED ZONE EFFICIENCY 1-1-100% 3-4-75%
wouldn't find the end zone again until late in the game. GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY 1-1-100% 3-3-100%
A penalty-laden stretch on the next possession forced the Birds to punt
from their own end zone for the second time in the game. The teams SAFETIES 1 0
swapped punts on the next two drives but the Cardinals pieced together a TIME OF POSSESSION 30:02 29:58
clock-eating march that began with 10:31 left in the third quarter. A Tim
Hightower touchdown run put the Cardinals up by 11.
The Falcons went deep on the next offensive play but Ryan threw his SCORING DRIVE
second interception of the game, this one to fellow rookie Dominique
Rodgers-Cromartie. It was the third, and final, turnover of the day.
Ryan and wide receiver Roddy White, who set a franchise postseason Team Qtr Time Scoring Play Cardinals Falcons
record with 11 catches for 84 yards, hooked up for a touchdown with 4:19
to play but the Cardinals offense picked up first downs to wash away Cardinals 1 10:28 L. Fitzgerald 42 yd. pass from K. Warner (N. Rackers kick) 7 0
Atlanta's final timeouts.
Falcons 2 10:00 J. Elam 30 yd. Field Goal 7 3
The Falcons strong running game was held in check, especially as the
team tried to piece together a comeback. Turner rushed for 42 yards on 18 Cardinals 2 8:58 A. Boldin 71 yd.pass from K. Warner (N. Rackers kick) 14 3
carries but was held to just three carries -- zero yards -- in the final two peri-
ods. Falcons 2 2:55 M. Turner 7 yd. run (J. Elam kick) 14 10
Warner took a knee on the final three snaps as Cardinal fans celebrat- Falcons 2 0:23 J. Peelle 2 yd. pass from M. Ryan (J. Elam kick) 14 17
ed just the second playoff win since the team's move to Arizona. The
Falcons could only watch but left the field with reason to hold their heads Cardinals 3 14:08 A. Rolle 27 yd. fumble return (N. Rackers kick) 21 17
high.
Ryan was named Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Cardinals 3 2:48 T. Hightower 4 yd. run (N. Rackers kick) 28 17
Press. Turner rushed for a record 17 touchdowns, 1,699 yards and finished Cardinals 4 12:37 M. Ryan sacked in end zone by A. Smith for a Safety 30 17
second in league MVP voting. White set a new single-season record for
receiving yards and will join Turner at the Pro Bowl in February -- the first Falcons 4 4:15 R. White 5 yd. pass from M. Ryan (J. Elam kick) 30 24
trip for both players. The offensive line allowed just 17 sacks in the regular
season (down from 47 in 2007) and led the way for the league's No. 2 rushing offense. And that's just a brief list...
Even storybook seasons must come to a close, but the Falcons can always look back on the accomplishments of 2008. And get an early start on a better sequel in
2009.
ATLANTA FALCONS Falcons vs. Cardinals ARIZONA CARDINALS
RUSH. No Yds Avg LG TD RUSH. No Yds Avg LG TD
Starters
M. Turner 18 42 2.3 13 1 E. James 16 73 4.6 10 0
J. Norwood 2 12 6.0 8 0 FALCONS Cardinals T. Hightower 6 23 3.8 7 1
M. Ryan 4 6 1.5 2 0
OFFENSE OFFENSE K. Warner 4 0 0.0 6 0
WR M. Jenkins WR L. Fitzgerald
Total 24 60 2.5 13 1 LT T. Weiner LT M. Gandy J. Arrington 1 -2 -2.0 -2 0
LG J. Blalock LG R. Wells S. Breaston 1 -8 -8.0 -8 0
C T. McClure C L. Sendlein Total 28 86 3.1 10 1
PASS. Att Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT RG H. Dahl RG D. Lutui
M. Ryan 40 26 199 3/9 2 28 2 72.8 RT T. Clabo RT L. Brown
Total 40 26 199 3/9 2 28 2 72.8 TE J. Peelle TE S. Spach PASS. Att Cmp Yds Sk/Yd TD LG INT RT
WR R. White WR S. Spach
QB M. Ryan QB K. Warner K. Warner 32 19 271 0/0 2 71 1 94.7
REC. No Yds Avg LG TD RB M. Turner RB E. James Total 32 19 271 0/0 2 71 1 94.7
WR H. Douglas WR A. Boldin
R. White 11 84 7.6 12 1
M. Jenkins 5 51 102 21 0 DEFENSE DEFENSE REC. No Yds Avg LG TD
J. Peelle 3 11 5.7 6 1 RE J. Abraham NT B. Robinson L. Fitzgerald 6 101 16.8 42 1
DT C. Davis DT D. Dockett
B. Finneran 2 11 5.5 7 0 DT J. Babineaux RDE B. Berry S. Spach 3 34 11.3 23 0
M. Pollard 2 7 3.5 6 0 LE K. Moorehead SLB C. Okeafor A. Boldin 2 72 36.0 71 1
OLB M. Boley MLB G. Hayes S. Breaston 2 36 19.5 25 0
J. Norwood 1 28 28.0 28 0 OLB K. Brooking WLB K. Dansby
M. Turner 1 7 7.0 7 0 RCB C. Houston LCB R. Hood J. Urban 2 7 3.5 5 0
H. Douglas 1 0 0.0 0 0 LCB D. Foxworth RCB D. Rodgers-Cromartie E. James 1 9 9.0 9 0
SS L. Milloy SS A. Wilson
Total 26 199 7.7 28 2 FS E. Coleman FS A. Rolle B. Patrick 1 8 8.0 8 0
DB C. Jackson SS A. Francisco T. Smith 1 4 4.0 4 0
J. Arrington 1 -3 -3.0 -3 0
Total 19 271 14.3 71 2
 National Football League Game Summary
NFL Copyright © 2008 by The National Football League. All rights reserved. This summary and play-by-play is for the express purpose of assisting media in
their coverage of the game; any other use of this material is prohibited without the written permission of the National Football League. Updated: 1/3/2009

Date: Saturday, 1/3/2009 Atlanta Falcons At Arizona Cardinals Start Time: 2:36 PM MST
at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ

Game Day Weather

Game Weather: Indoor/ Dome Closed
Played Indoor on Turf: Grass
Officials
Referee: Parry, John (132) Umpire: Paganelli, Carl (124) Head Linesman: Bowers, Derick (74)
Line Judge: Marinucci, Ron (107) Side Judge: Coleman, James (95) Field Judge: Wrolstad, Craig (4)
Back Judge: Paganelli, Perry (46) Replay Official: Sullivan, Terry
Lineups
Atlanta Falcons Arizona Cardinals
Offense Defense Offense Defense
WR 12 M.Jenkins RE 55 J.Abraham WR 11 L.Fitzgerald NT 97 B.Robinson
LT 74 T.Weiner DT 92 C.Davis LT 69 M.Gandy DT 90 D.Dockett
LG 63 J.Blalock DT 95 J.Babineaux LG 74 R.Wells RDE 92 B.Berry
C 62 T.McClure LE 94 K.Moorehead C 63 L.Sendlein SLB 56 C.Okeafor
RG 73 H.Dahl OLB 59 M.Boley RG 76 D.Lutui MLB 54 G.Hayes
RT 77 T.Clabo OLB 56 K.Brooking RT 75 L.Brown WLB 58 K.Dansby
TE 87 J.Peelle RCB 23 C.Houston TE 83 S.Spach LCB 26 R.Hood
WR 84 R.White LCB 24 D.Foxworth WR 15 S.Breaston RCB 29 D.Rodgers-Cromarti
QB 2 M.Ryan SS 36 L.Milloy QB 13 K.Warner SS 24 A.Wilson
RB 33 M.Turner FS 26 E.Coleman RB 32 E.James FS 21 A.Rolle
WR 83 H.Douglas DB 22 C.Jackson WR 81 A.Boldin DB 47 A.Francisco

Substitutions
K 1 J.Elam, P 9 M.Koenen, WR 14 E.Weems, CB 20 B.Grimes, S 28
T.DeCoud, S 29 J.Fudge, RB 32 J.Norwood, FB 34 O.Mughelli, RB 44
J.Snelling, LS 46 M.Schneck, LB 50 C.Lofton, LB 52 C.Wire, LB 54
S.Nicholas, C 67 B.Wilkerson, DE 71 K.Biermann, OT 72 S.Baker, DE
75 S.Fraser, TE 81 M.Pollard, TE 85 J.Rader, WR 86 B.Finneran, DT
90 G.Jackson, DT 99 J.Jefferson
Did Not Play
QB 8 C.Redman
Not Active
QB 3 D.Shockley, CB 37 G.Sharpe, S 42 E.Brock, LB 51 T.Gilbert, OT
68 W.Gandy, C 69 A.Stepanovich, OT 76 Q.Ojinnaka, DE 98
J.Anderson
Substitutions
K 1 N.Rackers, P 5 B.Graham, CB 20 R.Brown, S 22 M.Ware, CB 27
M.Adams, RB 28 J.Arrington, RB 34 T.Hightower, FB 45 T.Smith, FB
46 T.Castille, LS 48 N.Hodel, LB 51 P.Togafau, MLB 52 M.Beisel, G/T
61 E.Brown, WR 85 J.Urban, WR 87 S.Morey, TE 89 B.Patrick, DE 91
K.Iwebema, DE 93 C.Campbell, DE 94 A.Smith, DT 98 G.Watson
Did Not Play
QB 7 M.Leinart, LB 57 V.Hobson, C 70 P.Ross
Not Active
QB 2 B.St. Pierre, CB 25 E.Green, DE/LB 55 T.LaBoy, T 68 E.Vallejo,
T 72 B.Keith, DT 78 A.Branch, WR 80 E.Doucet, TE 82 L.Pope

Field Goals (made ( ) & missed)

J.Elam (30) N.Rackers 51WL

1 2 3 4 OT Total
VISITOR: Atlanta Falcons 0 17 0 7 0 24
HOME: Arizona Cardinals 7 7 14 2 0 30
Scoring Plays
Team Qtr Time Play Description (Extra Point) (Drive Info) Visitor Home
Cardinal 1 10:28 L.Fitzgerald 42 yd. pass from K.Warner (N.Rackers kick) (4-63, 2:03) 0 7
Falcons 2 10:00 J.Elam 30 yd. Field Goal (14-80, 7:31) 3 7
Cardinal 2 8:58 A.Boldin 71 yd. pass from K.Warner (N.Rackers kick) (3-72, 1:02) 3 14
Falcons 2 2:55 M.Turner 7 yd. run (J.Elam kick) (14-77, 6:03) 10 14
Falcons 2 0:23 J.Peelle 2 yd. pass from M.Ryan (J.Elam kick) (6-23, 1:40) 17 14
Cardinal 3 14:08 A.Rolle 27 yd. fumble return (N.Rackers kick) 17 21
Cardinal 3 2:48 T.Hightower 4 yd. run (N.Rackers kick) (14-76, 7:43) 17 28
Cardinal 4 12:37 M.Ryan sacked in end zone by A.Smith for a Safety 17 30
Falcons 4 4:15 R.White 5 yd. pass from M.Ryan (J.Elam kick) (9-58, 3:36) 24 30

Paid Attendance: 62,848 Time: 3:02

 Atlanta Falcons vs Arizona Cardinals
1/3/2009 at University of Phoenix Stadium

Final Individual Statistics

Atlanta Falcons Arizona Cardinals
RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD
M.Turner 18 42 2.3 13 1 E.James 16 73 4.6 10 0
J.Norwood 2 12 6.0 8 0 T.Hightower 6 23 3.8 7 1
M.Ryan 4 6 1.5 2 0 K.Warner 4 0 0.0 6 0
J.Arrington 1 -2 -2.0 -2 0
S.Breaston 1 -8 -8.0 -8 0

Total 24 60 2.5 13 1 Total 28 86 3.1 10 1

PASSING ATT CMP YDS SK/YD TD LG IN RT PASSING ATT CMP YDS SK/YD TD LG IN RT
M.Ryan 40 26 199 3/9 2 28 2 72.8 K.Warner 32 19 271 0/0 2 71 1 94.7

Total 40 26 199 3/9 2 28 2 72.8 Total 32 19 271 0/0 2 71 1 94.7

PASS RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD PASS RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

R.White 11 84 7.6 12 1 L.Fitzgerald 6 101 16.8 42 1
M.Jenkins 5 51 10.2 21 0 S.Spach 3 34 11.3 23 0
J.Peelle 3 11 3.7 6 1 A.Boldin 2 72 36.0 71 1
B.Finneran 2 11 5.5 7 0 S.Breaston 2 39 19.5 25 0
M.Pollard 2 7 3.5 6 0 J.Urban 2 7 3.5 5 0
J.Norwood 1 28 28.0 28 0 E.James 1 9 9.0 9 0
M.Turner 1 7 7.0 7 0 B.Patrick 1 8 8.0 8 0
H.Douglas 1 0 0.0 0 0 T.Smith 1 4 4.0 4 0
J.Arrington 1 -3 -3.0 -3 0

Total 26 199 7.7 28 2 Total 19 271 14.3 71 2

INTERCEPTIONS NO YDS AVG LG TD INTERCEPTIONS NO YDS AVG LG TD

C.Jackson 1 0 0.0 0 0 R.Brown 1 3 3.0 3 0
D.Rodgers-Cromartie 1 0 0.0 0 0

Total 1 0 0.0 0 0 Total 2 3 1.5 3 0

PUNTING NO YDS AVG NET TB IN20 LG PUNTING NO YDS AVG NET TB IN20 LG
M.Koenen 5 212 42.4 42.6 0 0 49 B.Graham 6 239 39.8 34.7 0 4 49

Total 5 212 42.4 42.6 0 0 49 Total 6 239 39.8 34.7 0 4 49

PUNT RETURNS NO YDS AVG FC LG TD PUNT RETURNS NO YDS AVG FC LG TD
H.Douglas 3 31 10.3 0 21 0 S.Breaston 1 0 0.0 1 0 0
[DOWNED] 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 A.Rolle 1 -1 -1.0 0 -1 0
[Blank] 0 0 0.0 1 0 0
[OUT OF BOUNDS] 1 0 0.0 0 0 0

Returns 3 31 10.3 0 21 0 Returns 2 -1 -0.5 1 0 0

KICKOFF RETURNS NO YDS AVG FC LG TD KICKOFF RETURNS NO YDS AVG FC LG TD
J.Norwood 2 54 27.0 0 30 0 J.Arrington 3 51 17.0 0 22 0
[TOUCHBACK] 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 S.Breaston 2 35 17.5 0 23 0
[TOUCHBACK] 1 0 0.0 0 0 0

Returns 2 54 27.0 0 30 0 Returns 5 86 17.2 0 23 0

Atlanta Falcons
FUMBLES FUM LOST OWN-REC YDS TD FORCED OPP-REC YDS TD OUT-BDS
M.Pollard 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
M.Ryan 1 1 0 -3 0 0 0 0 0 0
J.Norwood 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 2 1 1 -3 0 0 0 0 0 0
Arizona Cardinals
FUMBLES FUM LOST OWN-REC YDS TD FORCED OPP-REC YDS TD OUT-BDS
A.Wilson 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
A.Rolle 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 27 1 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 27 1 0
 Atlanta Falcons vs Arizona Cardinals
1/3/2009 at University of Phoenix Stadium

Final Team Statistics

Visitor Home
Falcons Cardinals
TOTAL FIRST DOWNS 20 15
By Rushing 6 5
By Passing 14 9
By Penalty 0 1

THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 6-14-43% 6-15-40%

FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 1-1-100% 0-0-0%

TOTAL NET YARDS 250 357

Total Offensive Plays (inc. times thrown passing) 67 60
Average gain per offensive play 3.7 6.0

NET YARDS RUSHING 60 86

Total Rushing Plays 24 28
Average gain per rushing play 2.5 3.1
Tackles for a loss-number and yards 4-6 2-10

NET YARDS PASSING 190 271

Times thrown - yards lost attempting to pass 3-9 0-0
Gross yards passing 199 271

PASS ATTEMPTS-COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED 40-26-2 32-19-1

Avg gain per pass play (inc.# thrown passing) 4.4 8.5

KICKOFFS Number-In End Zone-Touchbacks 6-3-1 5-5-3

PUNTS Number and Average 5-42.4 6-39.8

Had Blocked 0 0

FGs - PATs Had Blocked 0-0 0-0

Net Punting Average 42.6 34.7

TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (Not Including Kickoffs) 31 2

No. and Yards Punt Returns 3-31 2--1
No. and Yards Kickoff Returns 2-54 5-86
No. and Yards Interception Returns 1-0 2-3

PENALTIES Number and Yards 6-52 6-47

FUMBLES Number and Lost 2-1 0-0

TOUCHDOWNS 3 4
Rushing 1 1
Passing 2 2
Fumbles 0 1

EXTRA POINTS Made-Attempts 3-3 4-4

Kicking Made-Attempts 3-3 4-4

FIELD GOALS Made-Attempts 1-1 0-1

RED ZONE EFFICIENCY 3-4-75% 1-1-100%
GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY 3-3-100% 1-1-100%
SAFETIES 0 1
FINAL SCORE 24 30
TIME OF POSSESSION 29:58 30:02
 Atlanta Falcons vs Arizona Cardinals
1/3/2009 at University of Phoenix Stadium

Ball Possession And Drive Chart

Atlanta Falcons
# Time Time Time How Ball Drive # Yds Yds Net 1st Last How
Recd Lost Poss Obtained Began Play Gain Pen Yds Down Scrm Given Up
1 13:56 12:31 1:25 Punt ARZ 48 3 4 0 4 0 ARZ 44 Interception
2 10:28 7:11 3:17 Kickoff ATL 20 6 11 -5 6 1 ATL 26 Punt
3 4:16 2:53 1:23 Punt ATL 7 3 -1 0 -1 0 ATL 6 Punt

4 2:31 10:00 7:31 Punt ATL 8 14 80 0 80 6 * ARZ 12 Field Goal

5 8:58 2:55 6:03 Kickoff ATL 23 14 77 0 77 6 * ARZ 7 Touchdown
6 2:03 0:23 1:40 Interception ARZ 23 6 18 5 23 3 * ARZ 2 Touchdown

7 15:00 14:08 0:52 Kickoff ATL 27 2 0 0 0 0 ATL 30 Fumble

8 14:08 12:47 1:21 Kickoff ATL 20 3 -1 -14 -15 0 ATL 5 Punt
9 11:57 10:31 1:26 Missed FG ATL 41 3 5 0 5 0 ATL 46 Punt
10 2:48 2:39 0:09 Kickoff ATL 20 1 0 0 0 0 ATL 20 Interception

11 0:57 14:49 1:08 Punt ATL 16 3 4 0 4 0 ATL 20 Punt

12 12:44 12:37 0:07 Punt ATL 3 1 -3 0 -3 0 ATL 3 Safety
13 7:51 4:15 3:36 Punt ATL 42 9 53 5 58 4 * ARZ 5 Touchdown

(356) Average ATL 27

Arizona Cardinals

# Time Time Time How Ball Drive # Yds Yds Net 1st Last How
Recd Lost Poss Obtained Began Play Gain Pen Yds Down Scrm Given Up
1 15:00 13:56 1:04 Kickoff ARZ 12 3 8 0 8 0 ARZ 20 Punt
2 12:31 10:28 2:03 Interception ARZ 37 4 63 0 63 2 ATL 42 Touchdown
3 7:11 4:16 2:55 Punt ARZ 24 5 40 0 40 1 ATL 36 Punt
4 2:53 2:31 0:22 Punt ARZ 45 3 0 0 0 0 ARZ 45 Punt

5 10:00 8:58 1:02 Kickoff ARZ 28 3 72 0 72 1 ARZ 29 Touchdown

6 2:55 2:03 0:52 Kickoff ARZ 20 3 0 0 0 0 ARZ 20 Interception
7 0:23 0:00 0:23 Kickoff ARZ 16 1 0 0 0 0 ARZ 16 End of Half

8 12:47 11:57 0:50 Punt ATL 38 4 5 0 5 0 ATL 33 Missed FG

9 10:31 2:48 7:43 Punt ARZ 24 14 76 0 76 6 * ATL 4 Touchdown
10 2:39 0:57 1:42 Interception ARZ 38 3 5 0 5 0 ARZ 43 Punt

11 14:49 12:44 2:05 Punt ARZ 44 4 4 15 19 1 ATL 37 Punt

12 12:37 7:51 4:46 Kickoff ARZ 8 5 33 -15 18 1 ARZ 26 Punt
13 4:15 0:00 4:15 Kickoff ARZ 20 9 51 0 51 3 ATL 27 End of Game

(378) Average ARZ 29

* inside opponent's 20

Time of Possession by Quarter 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT Total

Visitor Atlanta Falcons 8:36 12:43 4:45 3:54 29:58

Home Arizona Cardinals 6:24 2:17 10:15 11:06 30:02

Kickoff Drive No.-Start Average Falcons: 5 - ATL 22 Cardinals: 6 - ARZ 17

 Atlanta Falcons vs Arizona Cardinals
1/3/2009 at University of Phoenix Stadium

Final Defensive Statistics

Atlanta Falcons Regular Defensive Plays Special Teams Misc

TKL AST COMB SK / YDS TFL QH IN PD FF FR TKL AST FF FR BL TKL AST FF FR

E.Coleman 6 2 8 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
C.Wire 5 2 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
K.Brooking 6 0 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
C.Lofton 5 0 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
L.Milloy 4 1 5 0.0 0.0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
C.Davis 3 1 4 0.0 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
C.Houston 2 1 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
J.Abraham 2 0 2 0.0 0.0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
C.Jackson 2 0 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
D.Foxworth 2 0 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
G.Jackson 1 1 2 0.0 0.0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
S.Nicholas 1 1 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

J.Babineaux 1 0 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

J.Fudge 1 0 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
K.Biermann 0 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
K.Moorehead 0 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

M.Boley 0 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

T.DeCoud 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
E.Weems 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
J.Snelling 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
R.White 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
J.Norwood 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

Total 41 12 53 0.0 0.0 3 3 1 3 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1

TKL /TK=Tackle AST /AS=Assist COMB=Combined TFL=Tackles for a Loss QH=Quarterback

Hit
IN=Interception PD=Pass Defense FF =Forced Fumble FR=Fumble Recovery BL=Blocked
Arizona Cardinals Regular Defensive Plays Special Teams Misc

TKL AST COMB SK / YDS TFL QH IN PD FF FR TKL AST FF FR BL TKL AST FF FR

D.Rodgers-Cromartie 9 1 10 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
K.Dansby 6 2 8 0.0 0.0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
R.Hood 6 1 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
G.Hayes 6 0 6 0.0 0.0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
C.Okeafor 4 0 4 1.0 2.0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A.Wilson 4 0 4 0.0 0.0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B.Berry 3 0 3 1.0 4.0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A.Smith 3 0 3 1.0 3.0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A.Rolle 2 1 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
G.Watson 2 0 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A.Francisco 1 0 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B.Robinson 1 0 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
D.Dockett 1 0 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
C.Campbell 0 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
R.Brown 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
M.Adams 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
N.Rackers 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
M.Ware 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
S.Breaston 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

Total 48 6 54 3.0 9.0 7 5.0 2 6 1 1 5 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

 Atlanta Falcons vs Arizona Cardinals
1/3/2009 at University of Phoenix Stadium

First Half Summary

PERIOD SCORES TIME OF POSSESSION
Falcons (Visitor) 0 17 = 17 Falcons 21:19
Cardinals (Home) 7 7 = 14 Cardinals 8:41

Scoring Plays
Team Qtr Time Scoring Play Score
Visitor Home
Cardinal 1 10:28 L.Fitzgerald 42 yd. pass from K.Warner (N.Rackers kick) (4-63, 2:03) 0 7
Falcons 2 10:00 J.Elam 30 yd. Field Goal (14-80, 7:31) 3 7
Cardinal 2 8:58 A.Boldin 71 yd. pass from K.Warner (N.Rackers kick) (3-72, 1:02) 3 14
Falcons 2 2:55 M.Turner 7 yd. run (J.Elam kick) (14-77, 6:03) 10 14
Falcons 2 0:23 J.Peelle 2 yd. pass from M.Ryan (J.Elam kick) (6-23, 1:40) 17 14

Falcons Cardinals
TOTAL FIRST DOWNS 16 4
First Downs Rushing-Passing-by Penalty 5 - 11 - 0 1-3-0
THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 5-9-56% 1-5-20%

TOTAL NET YARDS 189 183

Total Offensive Plays 45 22

NET YARDS RUSHING 54 31

NET YARDS PASSING 135 152

Gross Yards Passing 141 152
Times thrown-yards lost attempting to pass 2-6 0-0

Pass Attempts-Completions-Had Intercepted 25 - 18 - 1 15 - 6 - 1

Punts-Number and Average 2 - 49 3 - 41.7
Penalties-Number and Yards 1-5 1-5
Fumbles-Number and Lost 1-0 0-0
Red Zone Efficiency 2-3-67% 0-0-0%
Average Drive Start ATL 31 ARZ 26

Atlanta Falcons Arizona Cardinals

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD
M.Turner 15 42 2.8 13 1 E.James 6 33 5.5 9 0
J.Norwood 1 8 8.0 8 0 J.Arrington 1 -2 -2.0 -2 0
M.Ryan 2 4 2.0 2 0

Total 18 54 3.0 13 1 Total 7 31 4.4 9 0

PASSING ATT CMP YDS SK/YD TD LG IN RT PASSING ATT CMP YDS SK/YD TD LG IN RT
M.Ryan 25 18 141 2/6 1 21 1 82.3 K.Warner 15 6 152 0/0 2 71 1 89.4
Total 25 18 141 2/6 1 21 1 82.3 Total 15 6 152 0/0 2 71 1 89.4

PASS RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD PASS RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

R.White 8 70 8.8 12 0 L.Fitzgerald 3 72 24.0 42 1
M.Jenkins 4 48 12.0 21 0 A.Boldin 2 72 36.0 71 1
M.Pollard 2 7 3.5 6 0 B.Patrick 1 8 8.0 8 0
B.Finneran 1 7 7.0 7 0
M.Turner 1 7 7.0 7 0
J.Peelle 1 2 2.0 2 1
H.Douglas 1 0 0.0 0 0

Total 18 141 7.8 21 1 Total 6 152 25.3 71 2

Atlanta Falcons Regular Defensive Plays Special Teams Misc

TKL AST COMB SK / YDS TFL QH IN PD FF FR TKL AST FF FR BL TKL AST FF FR

E.Coleman 4 0 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
C.Jackson 2 0 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
C.Davis 1 1 2 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
J.Babineaux 1 0 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Arizona Cardinals Regular Defensive Plays Special Teams Misc

 Atlanta Falcons vs Arizona Cardinals 2
1/3/2009 at University of Phoenix Stadium

First Half Summary

TKL AST COMB SK / YDS TFL QH IN PD FF FR TKL AST FF FR BL TKL AST FF FR
D.Rodgers-Cromartie 7 0 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
K.Dansby 5 2 7 0.0 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
R.Hood 5 1 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
G.Hayes 5 0 5 0.0 0.0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
 Atlanta Falcons vs Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium

Play By Play 1st Quarter 1/3/2009 Page 1

ARZ wins toss, elects to Receive, and ATL elects to defend the North goal.
M.Koenen kicks 67 yards from ATL 30 to ARZ 3. J.Arrington to ARZ 12 for 9 yards (T.DeCoud).
Arizona Cardinals at 15:00, (1st play from scrimmage 14:54)
1-10-ARZ 12 (14:54) K.Warner pass incomplete short left to L.Fitzgerald.
2-10-ARZ 12 (14:50) K.Warner pass incomplete deep right to D.Rodgers-Cromartie.
3-10-ARZ 12 (14:45) (Shotgun) K.Warner pass short right to B.Patrick to ARZ 20 for 8 yards (C.Jackson, S.Nicholas).
4-2-ARZ 20 (14:09) B.Graham punts 49 yards to ATL 31, Center-N.Hodel. H.Douglas pushed ob at ARZ 48 for 21 yards
(C.Campbell).
Atlanta Falcons at 13:56
1-10-ARZ 48 (13:56) M.Ryan scrambles right end to ARZ 46 for 2 yards (C.Okeafor).
2-8-ARZ 46 (13:19) M.Turner up the middle to ARZ 44 for 2 yards (K.Dansby).
3-6-ARZ 44 (12:37) (Shotgun) M.Ryan pass short right intended for R.White INTERCEPTED by R.Brown at ARZ 34. R.Brown
to ARZ 37 for 3 yards (R.White).
Timeout at 12:31.
Arizona Cardinals at 12:31
1-10-ARZ 37 (12:31) E.James left end to ARZ 43 for 6 yards (C.Lofton).
2-4-ARZ 43 (11:54) (Shotgun) E.James up the middle to ATL 48 for 9 yards (K.Brooking). R1
1-10-ATL 48 (11:15) E.James up the middle to ATL 42 for 6 yards (E.Coleman).
2-4-ATL 42 (10:37) K.Warner pass deep left to L.Fitzgerald for 42 yards, TOUCHDOWN. flea-flicker P2
N.Rackers extra point is GOOD, Center-N.Hodel, Holder-B.Graham.
Timeout at 10:28.
ATL 0 ARZ 7, 4 plays, 63 yards, 2:03 drive, 4:32 elapsed
N.Rackers kicks 70 yards from ARZ 30 to end zone, Touchback.
Timeout at 10:28.
Atlanta Falcons at 10:28
1-10-ATL 20 (10:28) M.Turner left tackle to ATL 20 for no gain (G.Hayes).
2-10-ATL 20 (9:50) PENALTY on ATL-J.Rader, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at ATL 20 - No Play.
2-15-ATL 15 (9:30) M.Turner up the middle to ATL 20 for 5 yards (G.Watson, K.Dansby).
3-10-ATL 20 (8:52) (Shotgun) M.Ryan pass short right to R.White pushed ob at ATL 31 for 11 yards (D.Rodgers-Cromartie). P1
1-10-ATL 31 (8:28) M.Ryan pass incomplete short left.
2-10-ATL 31 (8:22) M.Turner right end to ATL 28 for -3 yards (K.Dansby).
Timeout #1 by ARZ at 07:50.
3-13-ATL 28 (7:49) (Shotgun) M.Ryan sacked at ATL 26 for -2 yards (C.Okeafor).
4-15-ATL 26 (7:22) M.Koenen punts 49 yards to ARZ 25, Center-M.Schneck. A.Rolle to ARZ 24 for -1 yards (T.DeCoud).
Timeout at 07:11.
Arizona Cardinals at 7:11
1-10-ARZ 24 (7:11) E.James left tackle to ARZ 29 for 5 yards (E.Coleman, C.Davis).
2-5-ARZ 29 (6:32) K.Warner pass deep left to L.Fitzgerald to ATL 41 for 30 yards (E.Coleman). P3
1-10-ATL 41 (5:53) E.James right tackle to ATL 34 for 7 yards (E.Coleman).
Timeout #2 by ARZ at 05:08.
2-3-ATL 34 (5:08) J.Arrington up the middle to ATL 36 for -2 yards (C.Davis).
3-5-ATL 36 (4:31) (No Huddle) K.Warner pass incomplete short middle to A.Boldin.
4-5-ATL 36 (4:26) B.Graham punts 29 yards to ATL 7, Center-N.Hodel, downed by ARZ-S.Spach.
Atlanta Falcons at 4:16
1-10-ATL 7 (4:16) M.Turner left tackle to ATL 10 for 3 yards (G.Watson).
2-7-ATL 10 (3:36) M.Ryan pass incomplete deep right to M.Jenkins (R.Hood).
3-7-ATL 10 (3:30) (Shotgun) M.Ryan sacked at ATL 6 for -4 yards (B.Berry).
4-11-ATL 6 (3:03) M.Koenen punts 49 yards to ARZ 45, Center-M.Schneck. S.Breaston to ARZ 45 for no gain (T.DeCoud).
Arizona Cardinals at 2:53
1-10-ARZ 45 (2:53) K.Warner pass incomplete short right to L.Fitzgerald.
2-10-ARZ 45 (2:49) (Shotgun) K.Warner pass incomplete short middle to A.Boldin [L.Milloy].
3-10-ARZ 45 (2:45) (Shotgun) K.Warner pass incomplete short middle to A.Boldin (K.Brooking).
4-10-ARZ 45 (2:39) B.Graham punts 47 yards to ATL 8, Center-N.Hodel. H.Douglas to ATL 8 for no gain (M.Adams).
Atlanta Falcons at 2:31
1-10-ATL 8 (2:31) M.Turner up the middle to ATL 10 for 2 yards (B.Robinson).
2-8-ATL 10 (1:54) M.Ryan pass short left to R.White to ATL 20 for 10 yards (D.Rodgers-Cromartie) [G.Hayes]. P2
1-10-ATL 20 (1:15) M.Turner left end to ATL 22 for 2 yards (R.Hood).
2-8-ATL 22 (:35) J.Norwood up the middle to ATL 30 for 8 yards (A.Wilson, K.Dansby). R3
END OF QUARTER Score Time First Downs Efficiencies
==== Quarter Summary ==== Poss R P X T 3Down 4Down
Atlanta Falcons 0 8:36 1 2 0 3 1/4 0/0
Arizona Cardinals 7 6:24 1 2 0 3 0/3 0/0
 Atlanta Falcons vs Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium

Play By Play 2nd Quarter 1/3/2009 Page 1

Atlanta Falcons continued.
1-10-ATL 30 (15:00) M.Turner left tackle to ATL 43 for 13 yards (R.Hood). R4
1-10-ATL 43 (14:21) (No Huddle) M.Ryan pass short left to M.Jenkins to ARZ 44 for 13 yards (K.Dansby, R.Hood). P5
1-10-ARZ 44 (13:41) (No Huddle) M.Ryan pass short middle to M.Turner to ARZ 37 for 7 yards (D.Dockett).
2-3-ARZ 37 (13:13) (No Huddle) M.Turner up the middle to ARZ 31 for 6 yards (G.Hayes, A.Rolle). R6
1-10-ARZ 31 (12:39) (No Huddle) M.Ryan pass short left to H.Douglas to ARZ 31 for no gain (R.Hood).
2-10-ARZ 31 (11:54) (No Huddle, Shotgun) M.Ryan pass short right to R.White pushed ob at ARZ 21 for 10 yards (D.Rodgers-Cromartie). P7
Penalty on ARZ-B.Berry, Defensive Offside, declined.
1-10-ARZ 21 (11:31) M.Ryan pass short right to M.Pollard to ARZ 20 for 1 yard (A.Wilson). FUMBLES (A.Wilson), recovered by ATL-
J.Norwood at ARZ 20. J.Norwood to ARZ 20 for no gain (A.Wilson).
2-9-ARZ 20 (10:48) M.Turner up the middle to ARZ 21 for -1 yards (G.Hayes).
3-10-ARZ 21 (10:08) (Shotgun) M.Ryan pass short left to M.Jenkins ran ob at ARZ 12 for 9 yards.
Timeout #1 by ATL at 10:03.
4-1-ARZ 12 (10:03) J.Elam 30 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-M.Schneck, Holder-M.Koenen.
Timeout at 10:00.
ATL 3 ARZ 7, 14 plays, 80 yards, 7:31 drive, 5:00 elapsed
M.Koenen kicks 62 yards from ATL 30 to ARZ 8. J.Arrington to ARZ 28 for 20 yards (C.Wire).
Arizona Cardinals at 10:00, (1st play from scrimmage 9:54)
1-10-ARZ 28 (9:54) K.Warner pass incomplete short left to L.Fitzgerald (K.Biermann).
2-10-ARZ 28 (9:52) (Shotgun) K.Warner pass short left to A.Boldin to ARZ 29 for 1 yard (D.Foxworth).
3-9-ARZ 29 (9:10) (Shotgun) K.Warner pass short left to A.Boldin for 71 yards, TOUCHDOWN. P4
N.Rackers extra point is GOOD, Center-N.Hodel, Holder-B.Graham.
Timeout at 08:58.
ATL 3 ARZ 14, 3 plays, 72 yards, 1:02 drive, 6:02 elapsed
N.Rackers kicks 71 yards from ARZ 30 to ATL -1. J.Norwood to ATL 23 for 24 yards (A.Francisco).
Timeout at 08:53.
Atlanta Falcons at 8:58, (1st play from scrimmage 8:53)
1-10-ATL 23 (8:53) M.Ryan pass short right to R.White to ATL 30 for 7 yards (G.Hayes).
2-3-ATL 30 (8:21) M.Ryan pass short right to R.White pushed ob at ATL 37 for 7 yards (D.Rodgers-Cromartie). P8
1-10-ATL 37 (7:58) M.Ryan pass incomplete deep left to R.White.
2-10-ATL 37 (7:50) M.Ryan pass incomplete short right to M.Jenkins.
3-10-ATL 37 (7:46) (Shotgun) M.Ryan pass deep right to M.Jenkins ran ob at ARZ 42 for 21 yards. P9
1-10-ARZ 42 (7:15) M.Ryan pass short right to M.Jenkins pushed ob at ARZ 37 for 5 yards (R.Hood).
2-5-ARZ 37 (6:51) (No Huddle) M.Turner up the middle to ARZ 38 for -1 yards (K.Dansby).
3-6-ARZ 38 (6:05) (Shotgun) M.Ryan pass short left to R.White to ARZ 30 for 8 yards (D.Rodgers-Cromartie). P10
1-10-ARZ 30 (5:22) M.Ryan pass incomplete short right to J.Snelling.
2-10-ARZ 30 (5:17) M.Ryan pass short middle to R.White to ARZ 18 for 12 yards (A.Rolle). P11
1-10-ARZ 18 (4:33) M.Ryan scrambles right end ran ob at ARZ 16 for 2 yards (D.Rodgers-Cromartie).
2-8-ARZ 16 (4:06) M.Turner up the middle to ARZ 14 for 2 yards (G.Hayes, C.Campbell).
3-6-ARZ 14 (3:23) (Shotgun) M.Ryan pass short right to B.Finneran pushed ob at ARZ 7 for 7 yards (R.Hood). P12
1-7-ARZ 7 (3:00) M.Turner left end for 7 yards, TOUCHDOWN. R13
J.Elam extra point is GOOD, Center-M.Schneck, Holder-M.Koenen.
ATL 10 ARZ 14, 14 plays, 77 yards, 6:03 drive, 12:05 elapsed
M.Koenen kicks 70 yards from ATL 30 to end zone, Touchback.
Arizona Cardinals at 2:55
1-10-ARZ 20 (2:55) E.James up the middle to ARZ 20 for no gain (J.Babineaux).
2-10-ARZ 20 (2:14) K.Warner pass incomplete short middle to S.Spach [J.Abraham].
3-10-ARZ 20 (2:10) K.Warner pass short middle intended for J.Urban INTERCEPTED by C.Jackson at ARZ 23. C.Jackson to ARZ 23 for no
gain (S.Breaston).
Atlanta Falcons at 2:03
1-10-ARZ 23 (2:03) M.Ryan pass short right to M.Pollard to ARZ 17 for 6 yards (C.Okeafor).
Two-Minute Warning
2-4-ARZ 17 (1:57) M.Turner up the middle to ARZ 13 for 4 yards (K.Dansby). R14
1-10-ARZ 13 (1:20) PENALTY on ARZ-G.Watson, Defensive Offside, 5 yards, enforced at ARZ 13 - No Play. unabated to the quarterback
1-5-ARZ 8 (1:18) M.Ryan pass incomplete short left to R.White.
Timeout #2 by ATL at 01:12.
2-5-ARZ 8 (1:12) M.Turner up the middle to ARZ 7 for 1 yard (A.Smith).
3-4-ARZ 7 (:32) (Shotgun) M.Ryan pass short right to R.White pushed ob at ARZ 2 for 5 yards (D.Rodgers-Cromartie). P15
1-2-ARZ 2 (:27) M.Ryan pass short right to J.Peelle for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN. P16
J.Elam extra point is GOOD, Center-M.Schneck, Holder-M.Koenen.
ATL 17 ARZ 14, 6 plays, 23 yards, 1 penalty, 1:40 drive, 14:37 elapsed
M.Koenen kicks 76 yards from ATL 30 to ARZ -6. J.Arrington to ARZ 16 for 22 yards (E.Weems).
Arizona Cardinals at 0:23, (1st play from scrimmage 0:17)
1-10-ARZ 16 (:17) (Shotgun) K.Warner pass short left to L.Fitzgerald to ARZ 16 for no gain (C.Jackson).
END OF QUARTER Score Time First Downs Efficiencies
==== Quarter Summary ==== Poss R P X T 3Down 4Down
Atlanta Falcons 17 12:43 4 9 0 13 4/5 0/0
Arizona Cardinals 14 2:17 0 1 0 1 1/2 0/0
 Atlanta Falcons vs Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium

Play By Play 3rd Quarter 1/3/2009 Page 1

ATL elects to Receive, and ARZ elects to defend the North goal.
N.Rackers kicks 73 yards from ARZ 30 to ATL -3. J.Norwood to ATL 27 for 30 yards (N.Rackers).
Atlanta Falcons at 15:00, (1st play from scrimmage 14:53)
1-10-ATL 27 (14:53) M.Ryan pass short left to J.Peelle to ATL 30 for 3 yards (C.Okeafor).
2-7-ATL 30 (14:17) M.Ryan FUMBLES (Aborted) at ATL 25, RECOVERED by ARZ-A.Rolle at ATL 27. A.Rolle for 27 yards,
TOUCHDOWN.
Arizona Cardinals at 14:08
N.Rackers extra point is GOOD, Center-N.Hodel, Holder-B.Graham.
ATL 17 ARZ 21, 0 plays, 27 yards, 0:00 drive , 0:52 elapsed
N.Rackers kicks 70 yards from ARZ 30 to end zone, Touchback.
Timeout #1 by ARZ at 14:08.
Atlanta Falcons at 14:08
1-10-ATL 20 (14:08) M.Turner right tackle to ATL 19 for -1 yards (K.Dansby).
2-11-ATL 19 (13:30) M.Ryan pass short right to R.White to ATL 30 for 11 yards (D.Rodgers-Cromartie, K.Dansby) [D.Dockett].
PENALTY on ATL-H.Dahl, Offensive Holding, 9 yards, enforced at ATL 19 - No Play.
2-20-ATL 10 (13:07) M.Ryan pass incomplete short middle to J.Snelling.
3-20-ATL 10 (13:03) (Shotgun) PENALTY on ATL-M.Ryan, Delay of Game, 5 yards, enforced at ATL 10 - No Play.
3-25-ATL 5 (13:03) (Shotgun) M.Ryan pass incomplete deep right to M.Jenkins.
4-25-ATL 5 (12:58) M.Koenen punts 48 yards to ARZ 47, Center-M.Schneck, downed by ATL.
PENALTY on ATL-C.Jackson, Interference with Opportunity to Catch, 15 yards, enforced at ARZ 47.
Arizona Cardinals at 12:47
1-10-ATL 38 (12:47) E.James up the middle to ATL 33 for 5 yards (C.Lofton).
2-5-ATL 33 (12:08) (Shotgun) K.Warner pass incomplete deep left to L.Fitzgerald.
3-5-ATL 33 (12:02) K.Warner pass incomplete short left to L.Fitzgerald.
4-5-ATL 33 (11:59) N.Rackers 51 yard field goal is No Good, Wide Left, Center-N.Hodel, Holder-B.Graham.
Atlanta Falcons at 11:57
1-10-ATL 41 (11:57) M.Turner up the middle to ATL 42 for 1 yard (A.Smith).
2-9-ATL 42 (11:21) M.Ryan pass short left to R.White to ATL 46 for 4 yards (D.Rodgers-Cromartie).
3-5-ATL 46 (10:43) (Shotgun) M.Ryan pass incomplete short right to R.White (D.Rodgers-Cromartie) [A.Wilson].
4-5-ATL 46 (10:38) M.Koenen punts 30 yards to ARZ 24, Center-M.Schneck, out of bounds.
Timeout at 10:31.
Arizona Cardinals at 10:31
1-10-ARZ 24 (10:31) E.James up the middle to ARZ 26 for 2 yards (G.Jackson).
2-8-ARZ 26 (9:54) E.James up the middle to ARZ 32 for 6 yards (C.Lofton, E.Coleman).
3-2-ARZ 32 (9:17) K.Warner pass short middle to S.Spach to ARZ 37 for 5 yards (E.Coleman). P5
1-10-ARZ 37 (8:35) E.James up the middle to ARZ 38 for 1 yard (J.Abraham, C.Wire).
2-9-ARZ 38 (7:56) K.Warner pass short right to T.Smith pushed ob at ARZ 42 for 4 yards (C.Wire).
3-5-ARZ 42 (7:28) (Shotgun) K.Warner scrambles right end ran ob at ARZ 48 for 6 yards (K.Brooking). R6
1-10-ARZ 48 (7:02) E.James right end pushed ob at ATL 42 for 10 yards (L.Milloy, E.Coleman). R7
1-10-ATL 42 (6:40) T.Hightower up the middle to ATL 39 for 3 yards (C.Wire, K.Moorehead).
2-7-ATL 39 (5:59) (Shotgun) K.Warner pass short left to J.Urban pushed ob at ATL 34 for 5 yards (E.Coleman).
3-2-ATL 34 (5:41) K.Warner pass short right to E.James to ATL 25 for 9 yards (K.Brooking, L.Milloy). P8
1-10-ATL 25 (4:58) T.Hightower right tackle to ATL 20 for 5 yards (L.Milloy).
2-5-ATL 20 (4:16) T.Hightower up the middle to ATL 18 for 2 yards (C.Wire, G.Jackson).
3-3-ATL 18 (3:39) (Shotgun) K.Warner pass short middle to S.Breaston to ATL 4 for 14 yards (J.Fudge) [G.Jackson]. P9
1-4-ATL 4 (2:54) T.Hightower left end for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN. R10
N.Rackers extra point is GOOD, Center-N.Hodel, Holder-B.Graham.
ATL 17 ARZ 28, 14 plays, 76 yards, 7:43 drive, 12:12 elapsed
N.Rackers kicks 70 yards from ARZ 30 to end zone, Touchback.
Atlanta Falcons at 2:48
1-10-ATL 20 (2:48) M.Ryan pass deep right intended for R.White INTERCEPTED by D.Rodgers-Cromartie (D.Rodgers-Cromartie) at ARZ 38.
D.Rodgers-Cromartie to ARZ 38 for no gain (R.White).
Arizona Cardinals at 2:39
1-10-ARZ 38 (2:39) E.James right tackle to ARZ 43 for 5 yards (C.Wire).
2-5-ARZ 43 (1:59) E.James up the middle to ARZ 43 for no gain (C.Houston).
3-5-ARZ 43 (1:15) (No Huddle) K.Warner pass incomplete short right.
4-5-ARZ 43 (1:06) B.Graham punts 41 yards to ATL 16, Center-N.Hodel, downed by ARZ-M.Adams.
Atlanta Falcons at 0:57
1-10-ATL 16 (:57) M.Turner left tackle to ATL 16 for no gain (B.Berry).
2-10-ATL 16 (:20) J.Norwood up the middle to ATL 20 for 4 yards (A.Wilson).
END OF QUARTER Score Time First Downs Efficiencies
==== Quarter Summary ==== Poss R P X T 3Down 4Down
Atlanta Falcons 17 4:45 0 0 0 0 0/2 0/0
Arizona Cardinals 28 10:15 3 3 0 6 4/6 0/0
 Atlanta Falcons vs Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium

Play By Play 4th Quarter 1/3/2009 Page 1

Atlanta Falcons continued.
3-6-ATL 20 (15:00) (Shotgun) M.Ryan pass incomplete short left to M.Jenkins.
4-6-ATL 20 (14:56) M.Koenen punts 36 yards to ARZ 44, Center-M.Schneck, fair catch by S.Breaston.
Arizona Cardinals at 14:49
1-10-ARZ 44 (14:49) E.James right tackle to ARZ 49 for 5 yards (C.Lofton, C.Wire).
PENALTY on ATL-C.Lofton, Face Mask (15 Yards), 15 yards, enforced at ARZ 49. X11
1-10-ATL 36 (14:24) K.Warner pass short right to J.Arrington to ATL 39 for -3 yards (C.Davis).
2-13-ATL 39 (13:42) (Shotgun) K.Warner pass short right to J.Urban to ATL 37 for 2 yards (C.Davis).
3-11-ATL 37 (13:00) (Shotgun) K.Warner pass incomplete deep left to S.Breaston.
4-11-ATL 37 (12:54) B.Graham punts 31 yards to ATL 6, Center-N.Hodel, downed by ARZ-C.Campbell.
PENALTY on ATL-C.Houston, Offensive Holding, 3 yards, enforced at ATL 6.
Atlanta Falcons at 12:44
1-10-ATL 3 (12:44) M.Ryan sacked in End Zone for -3 yards, SAFETY (A.Smith).
PENALTY on ARZ-D.Dockett, Unsportsmanlike Conduct, 15 yards, enforced between downs.
ATL 17 ARZ 30, Safety, 2:23 elasped
M.Koenen kicks 62 yards from ATL 35 to ARZ 3. S.Breaston MUFFS catch, and recovers at ARZ 3. S.Breaston to ARZ 15 for 12 yards
(J.Snelling).
PENALTY on ARZ-K.Iwebema, Personal Foul, 7 yards, enforced at ARZ 15.
Timeout at 12:33.
Arizona Cardinals at 12:37, (1st play from scrimmage 12:33)
1-10-ARZ 8 (12:33) K.Warner pass short right to L.Fitzgerald to ARZ 16 for 8 yards (D.Foxworth).
2-2-ARZ 16 (11:50) E.James up the middle to ARZ 22 for 6 yards (K.Brooking). R12
1-10-ARZ 22 (11:07) PENALTY on ARZ-L.Sendlein, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at ARZ 22 - No Play.
1-15-ARZ 17 (10:43) K.Warner pass short right to S.Spach to ARZ 23 for 6 yards (K.Brooking).
2-9-ARZ 23 (10:00) E.James left end to ARZ 21 for -2 yards (K.Biermann).
PENALTY on ARZ-L.Sendlein, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at ARZ 23 - No Play.
2-19-ARZ 13 (9:28) T.Hightower up the middle to ARZ 20 for 7 yards (C.Wire, K.Biermann).
3-12-ARZ 20 (8:42) K.Warner pass short middle to L.Fitzgerald to ARZ 26 for 6 yards (S.Nicholas, M.Boley).
4-6-ARZ 26 (8:02) B.Graham punts 42 yards to ATL 32, Center-N.Hodel. H.Douglas to ATL 42 for 10 yards (M.Ware).
Timeout at 07:51.
Atlanta Falcons at 7:51
1-10-ATL 42 (7:51) M.Ryan pass incomplete deep left to H.Douglas.
2-10-ATL 42 (7:45) M.Ryan pass short right to B.Finneran to ATL 46 for 4 yards (A.Rolle).
3-6-ATL 46 (7:10) (No Huddle) M.Ryan pass incomplete short left to M.Jenkins (R.Hood).
4-6-ATL 46 (7:03) (Shotgun) M.Ryan pass short left to J.Norwood to ARZ 26 for 28 yards (A.Francisco). P17
1-10-ARZ 26 (7:03) M.Ryan pass short middle to J.Peelle to ARZ 20 for 6 yards (G.Hayes, D.Rodgers-Cromartie).
2-4-ARZ 20 (5:54) (No Huddle) M.Ryan pass short left to M.Jenkins to ARZ 17 for 3 yards (R.Hood).
3-1-ARZ 17 (5:32) M.Ryan up the middle to ARZ 15 for 2 yards (B.Berry). R18
1-10-ARZ 15 (4:57) PENALTY on ARZ-B.Berry, Defensive Offside, 5 yards, enforced at ARZ 15 - No Play. unabated to the
quarterback
1-5-ARZ 10 (4:53) M.Ryan pass short right to R.White to ARZ 5 for 5 yards (D.Rodgers-Cromartie). P19
1-5-ARZ 5 (4:19) M.Ryan pass short right to R.White for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN. P20
J.Elam extra point is GOOD, Center-M.Schneck, Holder-M.Koenen.
Timeout at 04:15.
ATL 24 ARZ 30, 9 plays, 58 yards, 1 penalty, 3:36 drive, 10:45 elapsed
M.Koenen kicks 73 yards from ATL 30 to ARZ -3. S.Breaston to ARZ 20 for 23 yards (E.Weems).
Arizona Cardinals at 4:15, (1st play from scrimmage 4:10)
1-10-ARZ 20 (4:10) K.Warner pass short middle to L.Fitzgerald to ARZ 35 for 15 yards (C.Houston). P13
1-10-ARZ 35 (3:25) E.James right end to ARZ 35 for no gain (K.Brooking).
Timeout #1 by ATL at 03:18.
2-10-ARZ 35 (3:18) K.Warner pass deep left to S.Breaston to ATL 40 for 25 yards (L.Milloy). P14
1-10-ATL 40 (2:29) T.Hightower right end to ATL 38 for 2 yards (C.Lofton, C.Houston).
Timeout #2 by ATL at 02:21.
2-8-ATL 38 (2:21) S.Breaston up the middle to ATL 46 for -8 yards (J.Abraham).
Timeout #3 by ATL at 02:17.
3-16-ATL 46 (2:17) K.Warner pass deep middle to S.Spach to ATL 23 for 23 yards (L.Milloy). P15
Two-Minute Warning
1-10-ATL 23 (2:00) K.Warner kneels to ATL 26 for -3 yards.
2-13-ATL 26 (1:17) K.Warner kneels to ATL 27 for -1 yards.
3-14-ATL 27 (:36) K.Warner kneels to ATL 29 for -2 yards.
END OF QUARTER Score Time First Downs Efficiencies
==== Quarter Summary ==== Poss R P X T 3Down 4Down
Atlanta Falcons 24 3:54 1 3 0 4 1/3 1/1
Arizona Cardinals 30 11:06 1 3 1 5 1/4 0/0
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 1/4/09

Cardinals clipped the Falcons’ ground game

By JACK MAGRUDER

Glendale, Ariz. — Michael Turner was not accusing the Cardinals of dirty tricks, just a good game plan.

“It seemed like they knew what play we were going to run before we ran it,” Turner said after the Falcons’ 30-24 loss to Arizona
in the NFC playoffs Saturday.

And “run it” is the operative phrase.

When Atlanta does not run, it has trouble winning. You can look it up.

The Falcons (11-6) suffered all six of their losses this season in their eight worst rushing games, and this one was the biggest
stinker at perhaps the most unexpected time.

Atlanta ran for a season-low 60 yards and Turner tied his season low with 42 yards against a Cardinals defense that was ranked in
the middle of the NFL. They gave up 165 yards to Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson on Dec. 14 and 110 to Philadelphia’s Michael
Westbrook two games before that.

“They loaded the box and they did a very good job controlling the line of scrimmage,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said.

Turner, who entered with 1,699 yards and a Pro Bowl invitation, had trouble finding holes from the beginning, rushing for 2, 0, 5,
minus-3, 3, 2 and 2 yards on his seven first-quarter carries.

When the Falcons dropped into a 14-3 hole shortly thereafter, the game plan skewed away from the running game. He finished
with 18 carries.

“They just played great football, period. Their defense was fired up. They were running around all day,” Turner said. “It seemed
like they had guys everywhere. They had a good game plan.”

“Our plan was to fly to the ball and make tackles,” Cardinals outside linebacker Karlos Dansby said. “He’s a great running back.
To hold him to 42 yards is huge.”

Jerious Norwood was not a factor, carrying twice for 12 yards. Matt Ryan scrambled four times for six yards. That was the extent
of the Falcons’ ground game.

“I thought they played physical up front,” said Ryan, who completed an NFL rookie playoff-record 26 passes. “Their linebackers
scraped (off blocks) and made some plays. Credit them. They played a very good game defensively.”

Roddy White had a season-high 11 receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown when the Falcons accentuated the passing game, but
said he would have liked to see the offensive mix that had worked all season.

“Yeah, it’s tough,” he said of the inability to run.

“You want to establish the run and the play-action pass. They scored and made two big plays and it kind of threw us behind the
eight ball.”

The Cardinals had three sacks and three turnovers, the biggest one coming when defensive tackle Darnell Dockett got into the
Falcons’ backfield early to force a fumbled exchange between Ryan and Turner that turned into a touchdown.

“That’s one of the chips we had on our shoulders all week,” Dockett said. “I was watching the TV before the game started:
‘Michael Turner will have a big game. He’ll run all over the Cardinals defense.’ We can’t stop the run. We suck against the run.
The d-line took it as a challenge.

“Sixty yards in a playoff game. We did a good job of stopping the run.”
The Cardinals were 19th in the NFL in rushing defense entering the playoffs.
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 12/29/08

Roddy White’s record-setting day

Falcon wide out experiencing most prolific season in Falcon history
By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER

Falcons wide receiver Roddy White set a franchise record for most receiving yards in a season with a fine game against St. Louis
Sunday.

After catching three passes for 48 yards, White finished the regular season with 1,382 yards. He broke the 27-year-old team mark
of 1,358 yards that was set by Alfred Jenkins in 1981.

White caught a pass for eight yards in the first quarter. He caught a deep square-in route in the third quarter for a 21-yard gain to
set the record.

“It means a lot to me,” White said. “Especially after the first two seasons when everybody was saying that I was going to be a bust.
Just to come back and this happen to me, it’s been great. It’s been a great season for us and it’s been a good season for me, too.”

White was also selected to his first Pro Bowl this season.

Punt coverage record

The punt coverage unit broke the NFL mark for fewest punt return yards giving up in a season with 49 yards.

The old mark of 53 was set by the 1991 Buffalo Bills.

The Falcons, working off Michael Koenen’s booming punts, forced three fair catches against the Rams. One of his punts had 4.97
seconds of hang time.

The booming kicks allow defenders to get down the field and stalk the return men, who usually make a fair catch.

“That’s not only a tribute to our coverage units, but also to our punter,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “I thought he did a nice
job all season long. That’s big when you know that you’re not going to get the field flipped on you.”

Two more picks

Quarterback , despite throwing two interceptions, became the first rookie quarterback to finish a season having played in all 16
games and thrown under 15 interceptions. Only three quarterbacks — , and — have started 16 games as a rookie and none threw
fewer than 15 picks. Ryan has 11 interceptions.

Second sack

Linebacker ’ sack of Rams quarterback in the first quarter was just the second of the season by a Falcons linebacker.

Nicholas was on the field in the Falcons 3-3-5 formation and came on a blitz. Middle linebacker Curtis Lofton has the other sack
and it came on a blitz against Philadelphia in Week 8.

Milloy, Anderson sit

Defensive starters safety (back) and defensive end (high ankle sprain) were inactive for the regular-season finale.

Milloy was replaced by Jamaal Fudge and Anderson was replaced by Chauncey Davis.

Also, defensive end John Abraham started but was pulled right before halftime.

St. Louis running back Steven Jackson rumbled for 161 yards rushing and had 54 yards receiving against the defense.

“We were a little under-manned in term of the guys, but that’s no excuse,” Smith said. “The next guy has to come in, step up and
make plays. I thought that Jamaal Fudge stepped up for Lawyer Milloy.”

Davis had a sack.

Starting fast

’s 39-yard field goal on the Falcons opening drive was a good omen. The Falcons are now 8-0 when they score on their opening
drive.

Burner watch

The Falcons are now 8-0 when running back rushes for 50 yards or more in the first half. He had 13 carries for 59 yards at halftime
against the Rams.

Turner finished with 208 yards on 25 carries and a touchdown.

 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 12/22/08

Falcons secure playoff spot, hungry for more

By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER

Minneapolis — Now that the Falcons have done the improbable, they are set on doing something most thought utterly impossible.

Making the playoffs after a season of turmoil is just fine. But now, with a taste of success, they want the whole thing.

They want to bring the first Vince Lombardi trophy to Atlanta.

With Minnesota treating the football like a steaming hot potato, the Falcons capitalized on four turnovers for a 24-17 victory
Sunday at the Metrodome.

“I don’t think there is a team out there that we can’t compete with,” center Todd McClure said. “I’m looking forward to it, it’s
going to be a lot of fun.”

The victory secured at least a wild-card playoff berth for the Falcons, their first trip to the playoffs in three years. They could still
claim the NFC crown, depending on the results of Sunday night’s Carolina-New York Giants game.

In the Falcons jubilant locker room, one thing was clear. Just making the playoff is not enough.

“Especially for the older guys, you don’t know how many times you are going to have this opportunity to get in again,” McClure
said. “So we have to make the most of it.”

The Falcons, predicted by most to be NFL doormats and in a rebuilding mode, are back in the playoffs for the first time since after
the 2004 season. They reached the NFC championship game in Jim Mora’s first season before losing to Philadelphia.

That was followed by seasons of 8-8 season and 7-9 and Mora’s dismissal. Then there was last season, which started with a federal
dogfighting investigation that landed Michael Vick in prison and ended with new coach Bobby Petrino leaving to coach the
University of Arkansas.

“It’s been a long four years, up and down,” Pro Bowl wide receiver Roddy White said.

Most of the players were thinking big, White included.

“It means you’re going to be in this thing until the end,” White said. “It means you’re going to have a chance to win the Super
Bowl. You’re in the tournament.”

Running back Jerious Norwood, who scored on an 8-yard shovel pass to make it 14-7 early in the second quarter, was also
considering the possibilities.

“It’s a great feeling, just to have chance,” Norwood said. “All you can ask for is a chance.”

With a new general manager, new head coach, rookie quarterback, a re-tooled offensive line and a young secondary, most had the
Falcons winning between one and four games this season.

They heard the naysayers.

“We kind of used that to fuel our fire,” McClure said. “Nobody gave us a chance.”

Before the Falcons took the field, they knew their position. Dallas lost on Saturday and 25 minutes before kickoff, news of Tampa
Bay’s loss was already making its way up an down the sidelines.

The Falcons took the potentially raucous crowd out of the game by scoring on their opening drive out of the no-huddle attack. It
was a good omen for them. The Falcons are 7-0 when they score on the opening drive.

Offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey was ruthless with is play calling. He knew the Vikings were without Pro Bowl defensive
tackle Pat Williams, so he attacked his replacement Fred Evans. By the time the Falcons drove deep into Minnesota territory,
Evans was replaced by Jimmy Kennedy.
“We ran the ball a lot,” quarterback Matt Ryan said. “That’s been our trademark this year.”

The Falcons didn’t take full advantage of the three first-half fumble, but managed a 17-7 halftime lead.

The Falcons opened a 17-point lead, after Ryan scrambled down to the 1-yard line before fumbling. The ball slipped through the
hands of Minnesota safety Darren Sharper in the end zone. Left guard Justin Blalock, for the second consecutive week, came away
with a key fumble down in the pile.

Blalock was credited with a touchdown, the first by a Falcons lineman since Robbie Tobeck scored a touchdown against Pittsburgh
on Oct. 27, 1996.

The Vikings’ rallied, adding a field goal and touchdown, but came up short with cornerback Domonique Foxworth knocked down
a pass intended for Bobby Wade late in the fourth quarter.

The celebration started.

Turner, who scored his 16th rushing touchdown of the season, was not in the middle of the festivities. He’s been to the playoff two
times in four seasons with San Diego and reached the AFC Championship game last season.

“I was just happy seeing the other guys who have never been, see them celebrate,” Turner said. “The guys that have been there
before know this is just the beginning. There is something that’s bigger, out there for us.”
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: YahooSports.com Date: 12/19/08

Dimitroff’s rise as unlikely as Falcons’ ascent

By Charles Robinson

Some of the most important moments happened 15 years ago, when almost nobody knew of Thomas Dimitroff. When he would
trudge in from his job painting football fields for the Cleveland Browns, slump into a chair across from Scott Pioli, and wonder
aloud, what the hell am I doing?

Pioli chuckles at the thought of those lunchtime meetings, when he was a scout working up through the ranks for the Browns, and
Dimitroff was far, far removed from his current perch as the celebrated 42-year-old architect of the Atlanta Falcons. Long before
Pioli would carve out his own esteemed reputation as an executive with the New England Patriots, and long before Dimitroff
would vault from that franchise to become general manager and central redeemer of the 9-5 Falcons.

“Thomas would come in and there were times where he’d just be covered in paint. He’d have it in his hair and he’d stink from
sweat,” Pioli said. “We would be talking and I’m like ‘Thomas, get a shower.’ ”

It was the time in Dimitroff’s life when, as Pioli put it, “He was just waiting and hoping for the break.”

This is a common yarn for personnel men, who all collect tales of woe while crossing the NFL’s scouting tundra. But even
amongst the most hardened talent evaluators, Dimitroff’s path was as unique as it was scattered – from the Canadian Football
League in Saskatchewan, to the dying moments of the World League of American Football, to a little-known corporate football
league in Japan.

It’s a winding path that lends itself to one of the best stories in the NFL this season: how Thomas Dimitroff went from painting
football fields to resurrecting a scorched Falcons franchise and leaving the outside world to wonder how the hell did he do it?

Fraught with pitfalls

It was a staggering nexus – football’s version of a hurricane coming ashore in the midst of an earthquake.

One year ago at this time, Falcons star quarterback Michael Vick was incarcerated; Pro Bowl cornerback DeAngelo Hall was
seeking a trade; and head coach Bobby Petrino had abruptly quit after 13 games. And if that wasn’t enough, a courtship with Bill
Parcells ended in an embarrassing snub when he headed for Miami to take over football operations for the Dolphins.

“People 20, 30, 40 years in the NFL said ‘There’s nobody that ever went through a year like you went through last year,’ ” Falcons
owner Arthur Blank said. “There’s no franchise in the history of the league that ever did.”

Eventually, this was the mess Dimitroff inherited. He took a team that some said would take years to fix, and mended it in his first
offseason. And he did it in the best way possible – with a strong draft class, and free-agent signings that were used to accentuate
existing talent.

A first-year foray that lived up to the billing of former New York Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi, who called Blank and
championed Dimitroff as the right man for the job.

“Very smart guy,” Accorsi told Blank. “A little different.”

In the world of personnel, those six words are the framework of Dimitroff’s pigeon hole. The son of former Boston Patriots
quarterback and football lifer Tom Dimitroff, Thomas always seemed slightly removed from the NFL scouting assembly line.
Over the years, he has gotten sideways glances over his hair – which was once long and at the shoulders, but is now tall and spiky.
He’s been called a “spy” by one college coach because he didn’t look like a typical scout.

“Everyone has something that they are attached to,” Thomas Dimitroff said. “There can be some good things, and there can be
some things that aren’t very good. I think that has stuck with me – that I didn’t beat to the same drum always. Maybe I was a little
alternative in my approach. And yet, I really felt like in the end I would come through.”

But it wouldn’t come without some arrows flung in his direction. He was given a hard time during the 13 years he was a vegan,
and still gets the occasional sideways glance for being a vegetarian. While living in Boulder, Colo., and scouting for the Detroit
Lions, Dimitroff indulged his enthusiasm for fitness, cycling, rock climbing and snowboarding. Even his demeanor, which has a
diplomatic and philosophical feel to it, has been mistaken for West Coast ambivalence.
“I had no issue that he was ‘from Boulder’ and all the things that theoretically meant – long hair, snowboarder and all that kind of
stuff,” Blank said. “What impressed me with what Ernie Accorsi told me is ‘This is a very smart young man who has great
experience, a fine pedigree, and the fact that he came out of the New England system … all those things are really important to
me.”

But criticisms naturally come with being a personnel man in the NFL – you are part of a cannibalistic tribe that prides itself on
sizing up not only the players, but the other members of the scouting community.

“There are a lot of things that just aren’t mainstream for this business from a perception standpoint,” Pioli said. “I think at times
people have not been fair in their judgments of him, in terms of how passionate he is about football and how good he is at what he
does, and how smart he is.

“Because of his personal lifestyle, he doesn’t appear to be a stereotypical football guy.”

And yet, in some aspects – particularly the journey across the scouting desert – he couldn’t be more traditional.

Whirlwind tour

Dimitroff was born in Ohio but spent much of his youth in Canada. He played defensive back at the University of Guelph, in
Ontario, Canada. His first scouting job after college would be in the prairies of Saskatchewan with the Roughriders – a two-year
stint that involved him in virtually every aspect under the personnel umbrella, from tickets to scouting to promotion and
operations. All the while, he earned $16,000 a year and rode his bike though the snow to the team’s facility.

When a regime change in the franchise had Dimitroff moving to the video department, he left for the Dallas-based office of the
World League of American Football, where he split up an 18-month duration as a self-described “plebe-like administrator”. When
the league folded, he headed to – where else? – Japan, to join a friend who was coaching a corporate league football team.

Spending his free time hanging out in Shinjuku Station, enjoying sake and stretching his cultural horizons, this is nearly where the
football trail went off a cliff. With a pad-less Dimitroff teaching tackling drills to team Hitachi players who understood little
English, they often looked at their coach like he was crazy.

And it might have ended at that, with Dimitroff considering staying and teaching English, and moving on from his NFL
aspirations. It wasn’t entirely unusual. At various times, Dimitroff had thought about going into the business world.

But as often happened in his life, his father Tom was there to play the centering force, focusing and renewing his son’s dream. And
with Dimitroff in another country, his father delivered a singular dose of reality: NFL teams weren’t going to find Dimitroff in
Japan. He needed to come home and join his father, who was scouting with the Browns.

After a few months, that’s where Dimitroff ended up, working on Cleveland’s grounds crew, writing reports part-time for the
Kansas City Chiefs, and forming a lasting bond with Pioli.

After several months of field maintenance, the Detroit Lions offered a full-time scouting position. Dimitroff was officially on his
way. He’d eventually return to Cleveland’s personnel department before rejoining Pioli in New England in 2002.

His father would eventually succumb to cancer in 1996, but it was his call that ultimately set Dimitroff onto a track that was
unimaginable only a few years earlier.

The right choice

It didn’t take Arthur Blank long to know he had made the right decision. Forget the lovefest over Dimitroff’s hiring, which was
locked with a detailed presentation via teleconference. Forget the free-agent coups, which included the signing of running back
Michael Turner. Dimitroff’s budding relationship with new head coach Mike Smith, and their work together on the NFL draft
board became Atlanta’s shining moment – particularly when the phones were ringing and quarterback Matt Ryan was hanging in
the balance.

On one line, the Baltimore Ravens wanted to move up for Ryan. On the other, the St. Louis Rams were sitting one spot ahead of
Atlanta and using Baltimore’s interest in Ryan as leverage to try to squeeze Atlanta into moving up to the No. 2 spot to get their
man.

It was a moment ripe for panic. But Dimitroff, who had spent six years in New England watching Pioli in this type of situation,
seized on advice his friend had given him: Trust your instincts, and trust your draft. Don’t be manipulated.
“I was impressed he didn’t act ‘stupidly’ [saying] ‘I’m not taking the phone call. I know what I’m doing,’ ” Blank said. “We took
all those phone calls. It’s not like we didn’t listen. [Thomas] did listen. At the end of the day, he went around the room. He
listened, expressed himself and he and [Mike Smith] made the decision.”

By the end of the draft, Dimitroff had selected quarterback Matt Ryan, who he was certain was special; left tackle Sam Baker, who
he was sure could fit the same position at the pro level; starting middle linebacker Curtis Lofton; and cornerback Chevis Jackson
and wideout Harry Douglas. All that was left was to meld the pieces into a talent base that Dimitroff believed was better than
advertised, and a coaching staff that Blank thought was vastly underrated.

“Honestly, I think there were guys in the locker room who felt a little shaky about the moves at first,” defensive end John Abraham
said. “You were talking about a rookie quarterback, a rookie tackle, and a running back who had never been a starter before. But
that’s why [Dimitroff] is who he is. He came from a winning organization.”

Fourteen games later?

“I don’t think there is anyone in the locker room who isn’t shocked about how things have flipped,” Abraham said.

For now, that might be the ultimate validation. A personnel man who was nitpicked and pigeon holed and run to another continent
and back has earned the ultimate form of respect: faith in his plan. Surely, the expectations are only beginning, along with a public
microscope more brutal than anything he’s faced from the scouting community.

And when that moment comes, it will likely be his father’s words that prove most critical. A few months before his passing, Tom
Dimitroff urged his son to stick to his core beliefs – both in his work and in his life.

“He had said to me ‘You stick to what you believe in,’ ” Dimitroff said. “[He said] ‘That’s what is getting you to where you are.
Don’t deviate. Stay the course. You’re doing things the right way, even if they are a little anti-establishment. In the end, your work
ethic and abilities will come through.”

One year into Dimitroff’s greatest opportunity, truer words have never been spoken.
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 12/15/08

Elam field goal gives Falcons 13-10 win in OT

Atlanta improves playoff hopes, ensures winning season
By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER

As Jason Elam’s 34-yard game-winning field goal eased its way through the uprights, Falcons owner Arthur Blank shot both arms
into the air.

Elam’s kick capped a hard fought 13-10 overtime victory over Tampa Bay on Sunday to guarantee the Falcons a non-losing season
and keep their NFC playoff hopes vibrant.

A jubilant Blank made his way down the team’s sideline and first greeted the man of the hour, running back Michael Turner, with
a slap on the shoulder pads.

Blank then gave Roddy White a fist-bump before making his way to the locker room.

“This is a big win for us,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “We’ve gone through this entire season and have not had back-to-back
losses.”

The Falcons and Buccaneers both stand at 9-5 and, at least temporarily, hold the wild card spots. The Bucs hold tiebreakers over
the Falcons and Dallas based on conference record. The Cowboys, 8-5 heading into Sunday night’s game against the New York
Giants, would hold the final wild card spot with a win based on the conference record tiebreaker.

The Falcons needed all of the 152 yards rushing that Turner amassed on 32 carries. Also, defensive end John Abraham came up
with three timely sacks, but none was bigger than his sack of Brian Griese in overtime on third down.

“He was just outstanding,” Smith said. “I think without a doubt John Abraham is having a Pro Bowl year. When we needed him to
come up and make a play, he was able to do that. He’s done that all season for us too.”

Once the Falcons got the ball back, Turner and the offensive line took over.

Quarterback Matt Ryan, who didn’t have one of his better outings, nearly gave the ball back to the Buccaneers, when he fumbled
on a scramble. Left guard Justin Blalock dove into the pile and came away with the ball to keep the drive and their playoff hopes
alive.

“I saw the ball out and I wasn’t even sure if it was a fumble or not,” Blalock said. “One of their guys had a hand on it. He wasn’t
able to cradle it. So I got in there and worked by magic.”

Two plays later, Turner busted loose for 17 yards down to Tampa Bay’s 18-yard line and well within Elam’s range.

The Falcons ran two more plays before sending Elam out to win the game.

“We have to keep winning,” Turner said. “The key to our success is somebody stepping up big every week. It’s something special
in this locker room right now.”

The Bucs had given up 299 yards rushing last week against Carolina.

“We just had to be patient,” said Turner, who rushed for a season-low 42 yards in the first meeting with Tampa Bay. “We wanted
to stay with it. We knew it was going to open up for us.”

The Falcons got the ball at their 29-yard line in overtime.

“It seems like in overtime, we just locked in and got on our guys,” right tackle Tyson Clabo said. “We got a good push.”

Turner set the tone for the drive with a 9-yard run, carrying about three Buccaneers the last four yards. He picked up three yards on
the next play to convert the first down.

Ryan made a first-down throw to White to pick up 14 yards to enter in Tampa Bay territory.
“Our offensive line just kept plugging away,” Ryan said. “That’s what they’ve done all year. They kept doing their job and played
physical all game and at the end of the game the holes seem to get a little bit bigger.”

Behind a 26-yard field goal and a 1-yard touchdown run by Turner, the Falcons held at 10-7 lead at halftime.

The Falcons defense came through in regulation after Micheal Koenen had a punt block by Brian Clark.

Tampa Bay had the ball at Atlanta’s 22. The Bucs reached the 9-yard line before Abraham, on his hands and knees, fought his way
to Griese and dropped him a loss of 11 yards. A holding penalty on Tampa Bay’s Arron Sears pushed them back 10 more yards.

After a run by Warrick Dunn, Matt Bryant, who’d missed a 52-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter, came on and made a
38-yarder with 48 seconds left.

The Falcons lost the coin toss, but the defense was got the ball back for the offense.

“When things get tough, we expect to make the plays that will lead us to victory,” said cornerback Domonique Foxworth, who had
a third-quarter interception.
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: USAToday.com Date: 12/15/08

It's not pretty, but Falcons' win keeps them in playoff spotlight
By Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY

ATLANTA — This time of year, it is not about winning pretty.

Matt Ryan undoubtedly knew that all along, but the concept came to life Sunday at the Georgia Dome as the Atlanta Falcons
rookie quarterback stitched together a game-winning drive in overtime against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, helping notch a 13-10
victory that keeps the NFC South race too close to call.

Sometimes, improvisation works.

On a second-and-8 from the Buccaneers 43, Ryan scrambled up the middle after a passing play broke down — only to have
defensive lineman Kevin Carter poke the ball loose as Ryan fell to the turf. Atlanta's Justin Blalock recovered, but Ryan had to
think fast to salvage another busted play on third-and-3.

Off a shotgun snap, he faked a toss to tailback Michael Turner then found himself staring at a crack in the middle of the defense
and no runner to hand off to. So Ryan put his head down and barreled ahead for the first down.

"Mike's first thought on third-and-3 is not to have me running the football," Ryan said, referring to first-year coach Mike Smith.
"But that's just the way it worked out. We had to make a play."

Ryan didn't pass for a touchdown, threw two interceptions, fumbled twice (the Falcons recovered both) and was thrown for a series
of loops by the Bucs' fast, sophisticated defense.

But he won. And Ryan had the right kind of help, with a defense fortified by John Abraham's three sacks and a running game
powered by Turner's season-high 32 carries for 152 yards and his franchise-record 15th rushing touchdown of the season.

After Ryan's back-to-back dashes, Turner took over for four consecutive run plays, ripping off 17- and 9-yard chunks to set up
Jason Elam's game-winning 34-yard field goal with 4:08 remaining in the extra period.

"Winning a game like this is all part of the process," said Smith, whose 9-5 squad is even with Tampa Bay but two games behind
the first-place Carolina Panthers in the division.

The Falcons won despite the blown protection that led to the block of Michael Koenen's punt with just 2:29 left in the fourth
quarter. That set up a 38-yard field goal by the Bucs' Matt Bryant, forcing overtime. Atlanta won despite three turnovers, including
a goal line fumble by tight end Jason Rader.

"They didn't have their best stuff," said Falcons owner Arthur Blank. "I said to coach, 'This is a little like when you watch Tiger
Woods and he doesn't have his A game but figures out a way to win.' At the end of the day, it's a W. The good teams figure out
how to win with their B games."

Turner was the last man to leave the Falcons' locker room, still wearing his uniform pants after all of his teammates had departed.
It was fitting. He carried a big load all afternoon.

Of his 32 carries, 21 were for 3 yards or fewer. But Atlanta kept pounding, and Turner obliged with runs of 18, 15, 22 and 17 yards
against a worn-down Tampa Bay defense that allowed a franchise-record 299 rushing yards last Monday night at Carolina.

"You've got to stay patient with the running game," Turner said. "You know one's going to pop. You just never know which one it
is."

But the Atlanta defense did more than just limit Tampa Bay to 10 points.

Abraham kept coming at Tampa Bay from all directions, including a possession-ending sack in overtime that caused Bucs tackle
Jeremy Trueblood to throw up his hands in frustration.

On Abraham's first sack, he shoved a Tampa Bay lineman into Brian Griese. On the second, he crawled under tackle Donald Penn
to get at the fill-in quarterback.
"This will be a fun game to sit down and watch on film," said Abraham, who had his third three-sack game of the season, giving
him 15.5 overall.
The Bucs have back-to-back losses for the first time this season and missed a chance to possibly clinch their playoff berth. They
were hampered by 11 penalties for 76 yards.

"I'm not going to take any credit away from Atlanta, but I don't feel like they were the better team," said Tampa Bay receiver
Antonio Bryant, who had eight catches for 108 yards and got into a brief confrontation with Smith on the Falcons' sideline.

The Falcons pulled even with Tampa Bay in the NFC South behind first-place Carolina, ensuring their first winning season since
2004.

Turner had his seventh 100-yard rushing game of the season against a Tampa Bay defense that was looking for redemption after
giving up 299 yards on the ground in a loss to Carolina. The Bucs surrendered 175 yard to the Falcons, most of them piled up by
their bull of a running back.

Turner had a 1-yard touchdown early on that gave Atlanta a 10-0 lead. He was running just as hard at the end.

"As the game wore on, he got stronger and stronger," Smith said.

The rookie coach laughed off his staredown with Bryant, who had given cornerback Domonique Foxworth a shove in front of the
Atlanta bench.

"Antonio was on our sideline and I politely asked him to go back over to his sideline," Smith quipped.

The Bucs had to go without starting quarterback Jeff Garcia, sidelined by a calf injury. Griese completed 26 of 37 for 269 yards,
hooking up with Bryant on a 20-yard touchdown with 11 seconds left in the first half.

But Griese also threw an interception and was sacked four times in all. The Bucs converted just 3-of-14 chances on third down.

"We shot ourselves in the foot on offense," he said.

The Falcons jumped ahead 10-0 in the first quarter, but two turnovers deep in Tampa Bay territory kept the Bucs in the game.
Ryan got greedy and went for the touchdown on second-and-8 from the Tampa Bay 34. The pass was underthrown and Aqib Talib
picked it off at the 1.

In the third quarter, Ryan found Rader alone down the right sideline, and the backup tight end hauled in the pass and headed for a
touchdown. Bucs safety Jermaine Phillips stripped the ball from behind just as Rader was going in, and Phillip Buchanan scooped
it up in the end zone.

The officials initially ruled TD, but referee Terry McAulay overturned the call after Tampa Bay challenged, even though replays
from several angles looked inconclusive.

Notes: NFC South teams are now 11-0 at home in division games. ... Turner broke Jamal Anderson's franchise record with his 15th
rushing touchdown of the season. ... Former Falcons RB Warrick Dunn rushed for 40 yards and caught seven passes for 50 yards
in his return to the Georgia Dome. ... Elam had the 17th game-winning kick of his career in the final 2 minutes of regulation or
overtime.
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: CBSSports.com Date: 12/14/08

Surprising Falcons won't go down without a fight

By Mike Freeman

ATLANTA -- Not exactly sure what the hell Atlanta coach Mike Smith was thinking. In a remarkably physical game, a game that
had the feel of a postseason contest, Smith decided to channel his inner Cassius Clay, and get in the face of much stronger, fully
shoulder-pad armored football player and all but challenge him to a fight on the sideline.

The player was Antonio Bryant, who is 6-feet-1 and 205 pounds and seems to be a rider on the crazy train. In the second half of a
highly chippy and physical contest -- won in overtime 13-10 by the most dangerous team in the NFC, the Atlanta Falcons -- Bryant
found himself near the Falcons bench after one particular play. Bryant started to mouth off to Falcons players.

Smith momentarily lost his freaking mind and attempted to intimidate Bryant -- and back his players -- by moving to within inches
of Bryant's facemask and staring him down. Bryant gave Smith a look that said: "Are you nuts old man?"

Smith is as threatening as a grandpa wrapping Christmas presents, and a Bryant beatdown of the coach would be considered
patricide in some states.

Smith had to be separated from Bryant, and later, after the spirited Buccaneers blocked a Falcons punt with just minutes
remaining, Smith was separated from his wits.

"I just politely asked him to go back to his sideline," Smith said, laughing, when asked about the confrontation.

"I don't recall what he said," Bryant explained. "I just looked at him. It's nothing personal."

If there is an underdog coach of the year candidate it has to be Mike "Bonecrusher" Smith. And if there is an underdog for the title
of most dangerous team in the conference, it might be held by the Falcons.

Because this was a playoff game. It felt like it. It looked like it. It tasted like it. And this young Falcons team stared down a
seasoned Buccaneers group and beat them head up even as their coach was about to get his ass beat.

Think about how wonderful a story the Falcons are after the disgrace that was Mike Vick.

Think about it for a moment.

Smith won't talk about the playoffs, but I can. The Falcons have not only a good chance to make the postseason but also do some
damage. They've gone the entire season without back-to-back losses, Matt Ryan is one of the best rookie throwers in recent years
and the Atlanta defense gets better with every game.

What you have to love about this Atlanta team is that it mirrors its hard-nosed coach. The Falcons are tougher than you think,
much tougher, and will be a hard out for any team in the playoffs. That is if they can hold on and make it.

Their toughness was evident against the Buccaneers, usually the team doing the exclusive head-knocking. While other games
coming into Sunday had the billing of being the most brutal of the day, the violence quotient in this one was significant. Scuffles
broke out after the first several plays of the Falcons' first possession -- then again after the Buccaneers' first series, and then after
Tampa Bay's first punt.

It probably didn't help that several Falcons players were taking deep inhalations of those metabolism kick-starting ammonia
capsules several times before taking the field. They were chemically primed for a fight or two.

The officials were in serious danger of losing control at more than one point. Finally, they regained at least some. In the second
half, after Harvey Dahl cheap-shotted one of the Buccaneers players while he wasn't looking, and a Tampa Bay player responded
to Dahl, officials flagged both. Nevertheless, soon after that, another scuffle broke out after a Tampa Bay interception.

On one play, Buccaneers tight end Alex Smith was hit so hard by defensive back Domonique Foxworth while he was trying to
make a catch across the middle -- hit fairly and squarely -- I'm not sure how he ever stayed conscious.

There was also so much trash talking in this game it violated local recycling laws, but instead of telling players to shut the hell up
and play, game officials let the talking continue.
In the end, Tampa Bay was punch drunk from exchanging swings with a franchise that is clearly on the way up.

Atlanta's mental toughness is also impressive. The team could've folded after Michael Koenen's punt was blocked with 2:37 left in
the game and the Falcons leading by three. The Buccaneers turned the blocked kick into a game-tying 38-yard field goal. Jason
Elam went on to make the game-winning field goal in overtime.

Now, if they could only keep their head coach from getting his butt kicked.
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 12/11/08

Falcons were right on Ryan, I was wrong

By Terence Moore

No way did it seem wise for the usually NFL draft-challenged Falcons to use their No. 3 pick overall during the spring on
quarterback Matt Ryan instead of defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey.

No way did it seem likely that Ryan would do anything more than become your typical rookie at that position and stumble when
he wasn’t rumbling or bumbling.

No way did it seem possible for the Falcons to go from sorry to solid within a year courtesy of that same rookie quarterback.

OK, I was wrong. Then again, so were a slew of others, including a Hall of Fame quarterback who still rubs his eyes while
watching Ryan become, well, let Steve Young tell you.

“Frankly, what this guy is doing is unprecedented in the history of the game, and to be honest with you, I really can’t fathom it
all,” said Young, now an ESPN analyst and a Ryan groupie, failing to contain his glee over the phone from his home city of Palo
Alto, Calif.

This is a guy who owns two NFL MVP trophies. He has the league’s highest career passer rating. He was a Super Bowl MVP after
throwing a record six touchdowns. He won six league passing titles. This also is a guy who shuns hyperbole, so this is significant:
Young said without hesitation that, ‘“Even though it won’t be a bed of roses along the way, Matt Ryan already has shown me
enough to say that he’ll be one of the all-time greats.”

Wow.

Let’s catch our breath. Young rarely did during this interview. He was so eager to discuss Ryan that he continued to talk on his
cellphone while jogging.

Said Young, recalling the Falcons’ chaos of last season involving Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino, “It was almost a year ago to
the day that I was in Atlanta for a Monday night game, and I thought the Falcons were flat on their backs. There already had been
among the worst teams in the NFL for years, and given everything that happened last season, there was absolutely no way you
could expect this.”

Here’s what “this” entails: Ryan, Ryan and more Ryan. He has helped the 8-5 Falcons double their 2007 victory total to become
playoff contenders. He throws every type of pass well (short, medium, deep, impossible, improbable and unbelievable). He is a
master at handling the blitz. He inspires his teammates. He looks as poised now as Young did at the height of his career with the
San Francisco 49ers.

Although the Falcons lost in New Orleans last Sunday, Ryan still was impressive with 315 yards courtesy of clutch throws. His
passer rating of 92.0 is ninth-best in the league, but it remains 6.8 points shy of Young’s career mark.

So Ryan isn’t there yet.

Young laughed, saying, “Just wait. Dan Marino had success as a rookie, but he had a Dolphins team that already was a playoff
contender. Ben Roethlisberger had success as a rookie, but his Steelers team also was a playoff contender already. This guy was
drafted by the worst team in football, and he’s like a bolt of lightning.”

That bolt needed a spark, and it came from Young’s old backup with the 49ers, Bill Musgrave, now the Falcons quarterback coach.
“Billy knows football and quarterbacks as well as anybody I’ve ever met, and he’s into details,” Young said. “If you want to be the
consummate quarterback, Billy is your guy, and you can see his influence here.”

Young stopped jogging to add, “These are just flat-out facts in my mind. (Ryan) passes the eyeball test.”

He passes every test.

 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 12/8/08

Falcons fall to Saints on road

By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER

New Orleans — In this season of thrilling comebacks, surprising victories and unmatched togetherness, some things started to
unravel for the Falcons here in the Big Easy.

With a chance to put a stamp on the season and keep marching toward the playoffs, the Falcons couldn’t hold two fourth-quarter
leads and fell to desperate New Orleans 29-25 before 70,011 fans Sunday at the raucous Superdome.

“We definitely took a step back as a team today,” Falcons safety Lawyer Milloy said.

The Falcons dropped to 8-5. They will be two games behind the winner of Monday night’s NFC South Division showdown
between Tampa Bay (9-3) and Carolina (9-3) with three games to play. The loss also dropped the Falcons behind Dallas (8-5) for
the final Wild Card spot in the NFC. Dallas currently has a better conference win percentage.

A division title will likely require a sweep and some help, while making the playoffs as a wild card would likely require winning at
least two of the final three games.

The Saints were on life support, but put air back into their playoff hopes by improving to 7-6.

Milloy, a 13-year veteran, knows about these playoff marches from New England days.

“It’s all about controlling your own destiny,” Milloy said. “At the end you never want to be looking at who’s winning and who’s
losing. … Most of the times that I’ve been in that situation it has never turned out. To be able to control your own destiny is the
way you go about it.”

Now, the Falcons will be fighting with a group of teams, which includes Dallas, Washington, Philadelphia, Chicago and
Minnesota for the two NFC wildcard spots. The field is crowded now.

“Every game is crucial from here on out,” Milloy said.

Wide receiver Roddy White, who turned in a spectacular game with 10 catches for 164 yards, concurred with Milloy.

“We felt like we could beat this team,” White said. “We started out good. It was nothing they did. We just did little things to stop
our selves today.”

White admitted that the defeat, in which the defense couldn’t stop the run, the special teams allowed an untimely 88-yard kickoff
return and the offense couldn’t execute on a key fourth-quarter drive, was not playing well in the locker room.

“We can’t let this linger, because if we do it’s all downhill from there,” White said.

Smith was not happy with the run defense, which gave up 184 yards on 30 carries. Saints running back Pierre Thomas ran for 102
yards on 16 carries and Reggie Bush added 80 yards on 10 carries.

“We’ll have to definitely take a good hard look at that,” Smith said. “After our film evaluation, we have lot of things that will have
to get corrected.”

The Saints were 0-17 when trailing entering the fourth quarter under coach Sean Payton. The Falcons led 17-16 going into the final
period.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Thomas. The two-point conversion was stopped to make it 22-
17.

Riding the hot passing of Matt Ryan — who passed for a career-high 315 yards — the Falcons had scrambled back to take a 25-22
lead with 7:51 left. Ryan scored on a 12-yard scramble and tossed a two-point conversion pass to Michael Jenkins.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Saints slipped Thomas into the game. Courtney Roby had been returning kicks.
Thomas hit a seam to his left and then broke back to the middle. Eric Weems, Thomas DeCoud and kicker Michael Koenen all had
shots at him, but whiffed.

“Yeah, I had a shot at him,” Weems said. “I just missed the tackle. I had a clear opening toward him. … It’s tough, letting one out
at the end.”

DeCoud and David Irons hustled back to keep Thomas from scoring. But the Saints had the ball at the Falcons’ 16-yard line.

“I came from the left side,” DeCoud said. “He tried to bounce it and then he cut back inside through the middle. Then I just had to
go run him down.”

Smith was not pleased with the return.

“It’s very disappointing that we weren’t able to cover that kick more efficiently and make them, at least go a long way,” Smith
said. “We put ourselves on a short field.”

Thomas would later score from five yards out for the 29-25 lead.

The Falcons had the ball with 5:47 to play but were stopped. When faced with a decision to punt or go for it on fourth-and-5 from
their 35, Smith elected to punt.

“You have to play the odds there,” Smith said. “They get one first down and they are kicking a field goal. The way we approached
it was that we were going to go back out there, punt and try to get the stop.”

The Falcons had not stopped the Saints, but once on their six previous possessions.

The Saints ran out the clock and put a dent in the Falcons playoffs hopes.
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 12/1/08

‘Resilient’ Falcons hold on to beat Chargers

By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

San Diego — A sign of a good team is being able to win when all cylinders are not firing.

The Falcons didn’t bring anything close to their A-game to the west coast, but made just enough timely plays to hold on for a 22-
16 victory over San Diego Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium.

“This is a resilient football team,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “This is a group of men that enjoy being around each other.
They fight hard every single day.”

The Falcons (8-4) remain only one game behind NFC South leaders Tampa Bay (9-3) and Carolina (9-3). Atlanta and the Panthers
hold the two wild-card playoff slots with four games remaining.

The defense, which has been yielding a lot of passing yards and couldn’t hold a fourth-quarter lead against Denver, came through
with clutch plays.

The stage was set for San Diego to mount a victory drive with 2:46 to play. However, the Falcons defense came up three big stops
to force a punt. Running back Michael Turner then closed out a stellar game with a first down and the Falcons ran out the clock.

But it was the defense that came through late.

Cornerback Chris Houston chased LaDainian Tomlinson out of bounds for no gain on first down.

Jonathan Babineaux and John Abraham crashed the pocket to sack San Diego quarterback Philips Rivers for a 9-yard loss on
second down.

Then safety Erik Coleman broke up a pass intended for wide receiver Malcom Floyd on third down.

“It was something that we needed to work on going into this game, finishing games and finishing critical situations like that,”
linebacker Michael Boley said. “We had some problems with that the past few weeks. I think it was huge for us to come in and
improve that part of our game.”

Babineaux, who signed a contract extension on Tuesday, also had another sack and batted down a pass.

“I gave him a head fake outside and I came back underneath him,” Babineaux said of Chargers guard Mike Goff. “I thought
LaDainian (Tomlinson) was going to chip me but he didn’t. (John) Abraham had a piece of (Rivers) and I just finished him off.”

Babineaux summed it up.

“Sacks kill drives,” he said.

In addition to the key stop, the defense held San Tomlinson, a two-time rushing champion, to 24 yards rushing on 14 carries, his
second lowest total over his career.

“I thought it was, beside our trip out to Oakland, it was our best defensive performance,” Smith said. “We had some guys step up.
Babineaux rushing the passer. “They were able to get some yards in the passing game, but this quarterback is the No. 1 rated
quarterback in the league in terms of passer rating.”

Turner, returning to play against his former team, powered the offense with 120 yards rushing on 31 carries.

The Falcons did have miscues. Three turnovers resulted in all 16 Chargers points. Quarterback Matt Ryan missed an open receiver
in the end zone. Harry Douglas muffed a punt. A Brian Finneran fumble was returned 86 yards for a touchdown. Turner even had a
fourth-quarter fumble when the Falcons were trying to run out the clock.

“You’ve got to win the ugly ones sometimes,” center Todd McClure said.
San Diego, one of the league’s hardluck stories with four losses in the final 24 seconds of games, dropped to 4-8.

The Falcons held a 15-7 lead at halftime, but could have built a larger lead if they hadn’t got stuffed on four tries from the 1-yard
late in the second quarter.

“That’s part of the game,” Ryan said. “You have to understand that there are going to be some ups and downs.”

The Falcons got the ball to start the second half, but a promising drive was stopped when Finneran fumbled the ball while fighting
for a first down. San Diego’s Eric Weedle scooped up the fumble and returned it for a touchdown. The Chargers two-point
conversion attempt, a pass to Floyd was incomplete to make it 15-13.

After an exchange of punts, the Falcons cobbled together a nice 11-play, 72-yard scoring drive. Douglas was wide open in the left
corner of the end zone an a third-and-goal from the 5. Elam’s kick made it 22-13 with 14:56 left.

Defensive end Jamaal Anderson blocked a field goal attempt on San Diego’s ensuing possession. The Falcons took over at their 25
with 11:33 left.

Turner fumbled and it was recovered by San Diego’s Quentin Jammer with 9:05 left.

San Diego got a 28-yard field goal to make it 22-16 with 5:15 left.

The Falcons defense stood firm and closed the door.

“Our team has been growing every week,” safety Lawyer Milloy said. “We showed our progression. It’s been a steady progression
even through some of our losses. We are team that is getting stronger as the season goes on.”
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: ProFootballWeekly.com Date: 11/30/08

No turning back
After fighting through some false starts, Falcons WR Roddy White has turned a corner to become one of the league’s top
receivers
By Dan Parr

It can be a long, lonely road from first-round bust to potential Pro Bowler.

Roddy White’s path from the bottom up was marked by failure, struggles and self-doubt. There are still lapses for the Falcons’ first
pick, 27th overall, of 2005. Drops and diminished confidence have yet to be completely wiped out of his game, but when they
creep back in, he has someone who doesn’t just remind him of how good he can be, but demands that he be even better.

Falcons WR Roddy White

After White dropped two passes in a crucial loss to the Panthers in late September, he turned to his mentor, former Falcons and
Saints receiver Joe Horn, as the two sat across the table from each other at Stoney River, a steak house just outside Atlanta.

Horn was fuming. He gets angry when mistakes are made by the player he helped guide once they became teammates months prior
to White’s breakout year last season.

“You want people to respect you?” Horn asked that night over dinner. “The only way you’re going to get respect is if you show
those (defensive backs) on Sunday that they’re not at your level. You got to show all those receivers around the league that you are
the best in the business.”

Then Horn simplified his message.

“I just said he needed to be more pissed off,” he said.

Horn, a four-time Pro Bowler and veteran of 13 NFL seasons, told White he wasn’t going to watch his next game. If he didn’t
respond after that conversation, Horn said he didn’t think White would ever rise to become one of the best.

Tough treatment from the man you look up to, but White came up with a strong rebuttal.

Against the Packers a few days later, White had eight catches, 132 yards and a touchdown by halftime. He didn’t have a single
catch in the second half and didn’t need one as the Falcons won at Lambeau, 27-24.

He still has moments of weakness — a brief glimpse of the past shows up once in a while, as it did in the Carolina game and again
in Week 11, when White, in his fourth year out of UAB, dropped what could have been the game-winning touchdown pass in the
endzone during Atlanta’s loss to the Broncos. However, White ranks among the league’s leaders in receiving yards (973),
receptions (62) and has matched a career high in touchdowns (six). His turnaround from a guy who couldn’t live up to the hype to
one of the most feared weapons in the league has helped lead the Falcons to their surprising 7-4 start. Last season, he became the
first Falcons receiver of this decade to gain 1,000 yards — he had fewer than 1,000 in his first two years combined.

“It was disappointing, because I knew I was talented enough,” White said of the slow start to his career. “I never folded my tent,
though. I always kept my head up. I just walked around and thought to myself, ‘What am I doing wrong?’

“At the time I wasn’t doing my job. I was letting the team down.

“But I got myself going.”

The Falcons’ success and White’s individual milestones over the past two seasons make his trying times seem far away.

Horn, though, hasn’t forgotten the Roddy White he met before things started to change.

“(He was) quiet,” Horn said. “He held a lot of stuff inside of him, and I noticed that before the (’07) season started. We went on a
trip to Florida, and I got to know him a little bit. I started telling him what I felt would bring him out, what would make him one of
the elite receivers.
“He listened to the formula. … He had to earn his respect, and the only way he was going to do that was catching balls and talking
junk if he had to talk junk and walking the walk.”

The talent that Atlanta’s scouts were enamored with was always there, but it took Horn’s prodding, White’s determination and a
decision to clean up some things in his personal life, particularly his diet, that led him in the right direction for the first time as a
pro.

“Joe Horn had a lot to do with it,” White said. “He said, ‘I’ve been watching you, man, you can play.’ But he said, ‘You’re playing
like you don’t want to be that guy, but you can be that guy.’

“(Horn) caught (603) balls in this league. So when he tells you, ‘You can be that guy, you can be a No. 1 in this league,’ then, you
should know you can be a No. 1.

“That was the thing for me.”

White needed to believe. Growing up in James Island, S.C., White didn’t have a lot of reasons for optimism, he said. White was
raised by a single mother and didn’t have many positive influences.

“We were in neighborhoods with a lot of people that had drugs and things like that,” he said. “That’s kind of what we saw every
day. Everybody thought that was the way of living.

“When I went to high school, that’s all I thought about. I just wanted to find a way to get my family out of there.”

We’ve heard that type of story before. Many players have come and gone from the league in short order because they were unable
to shake the bad habits and bad people that latched on to them in their younger days. White’s former teammate, Michael Vick, is
an example.

With the help of Horn, White was able to push back on the tide he’d been succumbing to in his first couple of seasons.

“I finally realized it was me,” White said. “I have to live with myself and go out there and do what I’m supposed to do.

“I told myself I’m not ever going back.”

 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: CBSSports.com Date: 11/27/08

That's dandy, kid: Ryan's in mix as best rookie QB ever

By Pete Prisco

It was a Tuesday in September and Mike Smith, the first-year head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, was sitting in his office looking
out onto the practice field below him.

Since it was the players' day off, Smith didn't expect to see much activity.

"You know what's going on out there now?" Smith asked. "My rookie quarterback is working on his drops. He's out there putting
in the time."

That rookie is Matt Ryan. Putting in the time is what he does.

The rookie wants to be great.

He's off to a heck of a start in trying to get there.

The Falcons are one of the shocking stories of 2008. They are 7-4, and Ryan's a big reason. He has been the starter since opening
day and he hasn't disappointed.

Some have already said he's the best rookie quarterback ever.

I think one Dan Marino might have something to say about that. Some might point to Ben Roethlisberger, who went 13-0 as a
starter for the Steelers in 2004 and threw 17 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions. But Ryan is having an outstanding season and
making a case for himself.

In 11 starts, he has thrown for 2,418 yards, 11 touchdown passes and six interceptions. He has completed 60 percent of his passes
and his yards-per-attempt is an impressive 7.8, which shows he isn't just managing the game.

As a rookie, Marino threw for 2,210 yards in nine starts -- he opened the season on the bench -- threw 20 touchdown passes and
six interceptions and had a completion percentage of 58.4. His yards-per-attempt average was 7.5.

So Ryan has him on completion percentage and yards-per-attempt. He'd need to catch fire to overtake him in touchdown passes,
and yards-per-game is Marino's.

Marino lost his first playoff game before reaching the Super Bowl the following year.

Matt Ryan's stats show only part of his rookie success story. (US Presswire)
Can Ryan take the Falcons there in his first try? If he does, it just might be the greatest rookie quarterback season ever.

This Falcons group was a team picked to win maybe two games. And now they're one game out of the lead in the NFC South.

"I think one of the best things we've done is that we haven't worried about the outside expectations," Ryan said. "We believed in
ourselves. We bought into it. The hard work could pay off."

You're not surprised?

"I don't think you use the word surprised," Ryan said. "We had expectations for ourselves, even if others didn't."

When the Falcons drafted him with the second overall pick last April, they were hoping to get the franchise passer they badly
needed after the Mike Vick fiasco. Ryan is everything Vick wasn't. Call him the anti-Vick.

He throws from the pocket. He scans the field. He works at his job tirelessly.

And, no, he doesn't own any pit bulls.

How do I know?

I always ask. I asked him at the scouting combine. I asked during a chat during training camp and I asked again during this
interview.

"Still no pit bulls," Ryan said.

What Ryan has done in 11 games is make people forget the misery of the Vick situation. Those who held on to the notion that Vick
might someday be back in a Falcons uniform can forget that. Owner Arthur Blank has said as much, and Vick isn't a better
quarterback than Ryan.

Not when it comes to throwing the football -- and that's what the NFL is all about.

The challenge of taking over as quarterback was daunting for Ryan. He was thrown into a situation where people were labeling
him the savior, while others were saying he's no Vick, many of those Vick backers holding onto their No. 7 jerseys.

It didn't take long for teammates, coaches and even the fans to realize that Ryan has that "it" you need from the quarterback
position.

"He never seemed like a rookie," Falcons center Todd McClure said.

McClure did say it was a few games before Ryan really took over the huddle. That's understandable for any rookie quarterback.
Now it's his huddle for sure.

"I think it takes time to earn the respect of your teammates," Ryan said. "The early playing time helps that happen, but in a lot of
ways I'm still working toward that."

To see Ryan work and practice and talk to him made me think he's cut from Peyton Manning-Tom Brady fiber. That's high praise.
He isn't there yet, of course, but he has that look playing the position.

"It's a great compliment," Ryan said. "But I have a long way to go to get to that level."

As a rookie in 1998, Manning threw 26 touchdown passes but 28 interceptions. His completion percentage was 56.7 and his yard-
per-attempt was 6.5. And his team won only three games.

That's an advantage to Ryan.

Brady threw three passes as a rookie, completing one for 6 yards. That's a blowout for Ryan.

The hard part is sustaining it. Manning and Brady got better and better. It's hard to imagine that Ryan won't follow their lead.

Showing up at the practice facility on a day off to work on minor details is all the proof of that we need.

"Doing the extra work comes with playing the position," Ryan said.

The next five weeks will decide whether the Falcons are a playoff team or not. If they make it, and even make some noise once
there, I just might have to re-evaluate my thinking that Marino is the greatest rookie quarterback ever.

The fact that Ryan is even in the debate has to make Falcons fans happier than a pit bull tearing into a steak.
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 11/24/08

Turner, Douglas power Falcons over Panthers

By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER

Jason Elam had already trotted onto the field.

Falcons head coach Mike Smith had another notion. Facing a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, he ordered the place-kicker
back to the sideline.

On this day, with the secondary hemorrhaging yardage again and the Falcons holding a precarious three-point lead, Smith made
the call of the season.

The first-year coach determined that a field goal wasn’t going to help the team’s cause against division leader Carolina Sunday at
the Georgia Dome. The Falcons needed a touchdown.

The Falcons went for it and running back Michael Turner barreled into the end zone, making a statement and paving the way to a
stunning 45-28 victory over the Panthers before a sellout crowd of 64,841. The Falcons are now one game out of first place in the
NFC South.

“We were able to get ourselves into what we felt was the best play,” Smith said. “Our offensive line did a great job on the surge.”

Smith was bucking the old football axiom to put the sure points — the field goal — on the scoreboard. But after Carolina has
stormed back from a 17-0 deficit to make it 24-21, the Falcons needed much more than three points.

“I really felt there was no other choice but to go ahead and do it,” Smith said. “A three point field goal, gives you a six-point lead.
I thought we could score a touchdown. That made it a real easy decision.”

The call was a big hit in the huddle.

“The call came in from Smitty,” quarterback Matt Ryan said. “He’s got confidence in us. Any time that you’ve got an offensive
line and guys like Mike Turner, it makes those decisions a little easier.”

The linemen wanted to prove their mettle and Turner had been pounding the ball at the Panthers all day.

“It was just an attitude thing,” said Turner, who rushed for four touchdowns. “Carolina had a little momentum. We had to try to
counter that. It was just an attitude thing. Go in there and punch it in and try to put them away.”

The left side of the Falcons line all blocked down. Wayne Gandy appeared to get a good block on Carolina defensive end Julius
Peppers.

“It wasn’t a situation were we were trying to attack Peppers or anything,” said Turner, who finished with 117 yards on 24 carries
and went over the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his five-year career. “It was just a play we wanted to execute. Peppers just
happened to be on that side.”

There was no hesitation along the line. Nobody ran off the field.

“Smitty said there wasn’t a doubt in his mind,” center Todd McClure said. “That was huge. To get that ball into the end zone at
that point in the game, that was huge.

“It just comes down to a mentality and a mindset.”

The touchdown gave the Falcons a 31-21 lead. After the defense got a stop, rookie Harry Douglas, who put on a show of his own,
caught a Carolina punt and hit the middle seam of the coverage at rocket speed. He bounced out to the right side and scored on a
69-yard return. Elam’s extra point made it 38-21 with 4:47 to play.

It was Douglas’ second touchdown, he’d scored earlier on a 7-yard run. He finished with 3 yards rushing (two carries), 92
receiving on four catches and 93 on three punt returns — 188 total yards.

The Panthers would not go away.

Delhomme, who carved up the secondary for 295 yards on 21-of-35 passing, tossed a 16-yard touchdown pass to Muhsin
Muhammad with 2:23 left to close with in 10.

Turner closed the day with his fourth touchdown, a 16-yard run with 54 seconds left to secure the victory.

With the victory, the Falcons have thrust themselves into the NFC South Division title race as they improved to 7-4, 2-2 division,
one game behind Carolina and Tampa Bay. The Panthers, which had won four straight, dropped to 8-3, 2-2.

Behind the pinpoint passing of Ryan and running of Turner, the Falcons held a 17-3 halftime lead.

The Falcons got a field goal on their opening drive. They are now 5-0 when they score on the opening drive.

In Carolina’s 24-9 victory on Sept. 28, the Panthers held Turner to 56 yards rushing on 18 carries. He had 56 yards on 12 carries
by halftime.

“We didn’t maintain our blocks,” McClure said the earlier meeting. “We tried to get to the second level too quick, up to the
linebackers. We didn’t spend enough time pushing their lineman and that’s what we focused on today.”

Carolina came out strong in the third quarter. Passing the ball to Steve Smith, the Panthers cut the Falcons lead to 17-13 heading
into the fourth quarter.

The Falcons were forced to move the Domonique Foxworth over to right cornerback and sit down starting cornerback Chris
Houston. Brent Grimes was inserted at left cornerback.

Carolina wide receiver Steve Smith finished with eight catches for 168 yards.

When the game was on the line, the Falcons put the ball in the hands of Turner and powered their way to victory.
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 11/24/08

Ryan playing like no rookie before him

By Mark Bradley

It was a moment in a game that was slipping away, and if this game slips away then maybe this improbably sunny season does,
too. Third-and-10 at the Atlanta 45-yard line, Carolina having closed within 17-13, and here the Falcons looked at their rookie
quarterback and said, “Make a play.”

The play as designed fizzled on the launch site. The pocket collapsed and the rookie was forced to scramble to his left, away from
his first read, and now he had a choice: He could keep running and come up short of the vital first down, or …

Running left, he threw to his right. Michael Jenkins caught the ball and skittered for 19 precious yards, and five snaps later the
Falcons had an 11-point lead. And right about here the realization struck:

In Matt Ryan, we are watching the greatest rookie quarterback ever.

Tom Brady threw three passes his rookie season; Brett Favre threw four. Bart Starr and Joe Montana each started one game as
rookies. Troy Aikman had to be benched midway through, having gone 0-11 as a starter. Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions
his first season. John Elway completed 47.5 percent of his rookie passes, Terry Bradshaw 38.1 percent.

Joe Namath was 3-5-1 as a lavishly salaried — he was making $400,000 — rookie. Fran Tarkenton was 2-8 as a first-year starter;
Johnny Unitas was 4-3, Bob Griese 3-7. Ben Roethlisberger was 13-0 as a rookie quarterback on a loaded Pittsburgh team but
didn’t start until Week 3. Sammy Baugh made All-Pro as a rookie but threw six more interceptions than touchdown passes. Bob
Waterfield was league MVP as a rookie but started only four games. (Doubtless he got bonus points for being married to Jane
Russell.)

Dan Marino is considered the gold standard of rookie quarterbacks, but his first start only came in Week 6, and he joined a team
that had reached the Super Bowl the previous season. And now we consider Matt Ryan, who has started from Day 1 for a
dilapidated team the Sporting News pegged to finish 1-15, who stands now as the chief reason the refurbished Falcons are 7-4.

He completed 17-of-27 passes for 259 yards against Carolina Sunday. He completed nine of his first 11 passes in staking the
Falcons to a 17-0 lead. Said Roddy White, who ran under a 30-yard rainbow off a Ryan pump-and-go on the second snap Sunday:
“Sometimes you luck up and get the guy. We got the guy.”

Eleven games in, the Falcons have stopped waiting for Ryan to have a Rookie Moment. “He hasn’t given me a reason to [expect
one],” said Mike Mularkey, the offensive coordinator. And then, asked if Ryan has already absorbed the entire playbook and
thereby given the Falcons license to call anything at any time, Mularkey said, “Yes.”

We saw it again Sunday, same as we’ve seen it since August. We saw it in the fourth quarter, the Panthers having drawn within a
field goal again, the Falcons facing third-and-11 at their 25 with eight minutes left. We saw Ryan drop back and step forward into
a big rush and loft the ball down the right side for Douglas to snatch, and the 69-yard gain positioned the Falcons to bang home the
clincher.

“I threw it on time, actually a little early,” Ryan said. “He had man coverage, and I was hoping he’d roll his hips back toward me.
But he was able to put his foot in the ground and stop [and make the catch]. It was a great play by Harry Douglas, not me.”

That’s typical Ryan. Everybody else makes the plays. He just carries out his assignments. But we on the periphery, having watched
all along, know better. We know this rookie quarterback has made a difference in a way no other rookie quarterback — not
Marino, not Roethlisberger, not anybody — ever has.
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 11/19/08

Finally a feature back, Turner key to Falcons' turnaround

By Dennis Dillon

Among the numbers Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner has put up this season -- 220 rushing yards in the season
opener, nine touchdowns, an average of 4.3 yards per carry -- the one that stands out in bold type is his league-leading 227 rushing
attempts.

Turner has one fewer carry in 10 games this season than he did in four seasons in San Diego, where he was the understudy for
LaDainian Tomlinson.

After finally stepping out of L.T.'s shadow, Turner has proved he has the makeup to be a No. 1 back. He has rushed for 971 yards,
third in the NFL behind Minnesota's Adrian Peterson (1,100) and Washington's Clinton Portis (1,063). Turner is a primary reason
why the Falcons are 6-4 and in the hunt for a playoff spot one year after they went 4-12.

There's no arguing this point: The Falcons have received a good return on their six-year, $34.5 million ($15 million guaranteed)
investment. Their addition of Turner was one of the best free-agent moves of the offseason.

"It was a great signing, and it has made a difference for their team, obviously," said Mark Dominik, director of pro personnel for
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. "He's been a big part of their turnaround."

Last year was one of the darkest in the history of the Atlanta franchise. There was the dogfighting saga involving Michael Vick,
coach Bobby Petrino's walking out on the team with three games left and a lot of empty seats in the Georgia Dome.

Now, the Falcons are enjoying a rebirth largely because of three men: first-year head coach Mike Smith, rookie quarterback Matt
Ryan and Turner, who is reducing the stress level of each of the other two.

What distinguishes Turner is his rare combination of power and speed. He is a big back (5-10, 240) who can hit the seam and go
long distances. He has 25 runs of 10 yards or more, including a 28-yarder, a 38-yarder and a 66-yarder.

"There aren't a lot of guys like him in the NFL," said linebacker Na'il Diggs, whose Carolina Panthers take on Turner and the
Falcons on Sunday in an NFC South clash. "They're doing a great job in Atlanta as far as getting him the ball and letting him just
run down the middle, which is what he likes to do."

Because of his size and speed, Turner presents a big challenge for defenses.

"You've got to try to get early penetration -- you can't let him build up a lot of steam going downhill -- and obviously you've got to
tackle well," Dominik said. "You can't be a coward. You've got to go up and want to hit him, even though he's a big man."

This is the time of year when every NFL player's body feels tired and beat up. But Turner went through that phase earlier in the
season -- it took several games for his body to get used to taking a full-time beating -- and now he says he feels energized.

"I'm feeling fresh," he said. "I'm ready to go."

The statistics support Turner's claim that he's not wearing down. He is averaging almost as many yards per attempt in the fourth
quarter (4.8) as he is in the first (4.9). His average on his first 10 carries in a game (4.5) is similar to his average on carries 21 to 30
(4.4).

One reason Turner has stayed fresh is that the Falcons have rotated in Jerious Norwood at running back. Norwood, who is more of
an edge runner than Turner, has carried 69 times for 383 yards. The Falcons have the second-best rushing average per game in the
NFL (153.4 yards) behind only the New York Giants (172.7).

At his current pace (22.7 carries per game), Turner would wind up with 363 carries in his first year as a feature back. That would
be more than any running back had in 2007. Can he continue to handle that kind of load?

"I don't know," Turner said. "I've never been through a whole season as a starting running back, so this is my trial year. I'm going
with the flow. When coach calls my number, I'm ready every time."

And Smith will continue to call on Turner. He knows a winning number when he sees one.
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 11/17/08

Falcons fall to Broncos at home

By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER

The stage was set for another magical finish at the Georgia Dome.

Quarterback Matt Ryan’s fourth-quarter dagger intended for the Denver Broncos’ heart, went in and out of the outstretched arms
of wide receiver Roddy White in the end zone.

“I just dropped it,” White said.

The key drop allowed Denver to hold on for a 24-20 victory on Sunday before the announced sellout crowd of 54,644 fans.

White has made big plays all season long and registered another 100-yard receiving game against the Broncos. But with the
Falcons needing a big catch to pull out the game, White was tough on himself.

Denver took the lead on a 9-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Graham with 5:35 left in the game. The Falcons picked up three first
downs on its final drive and converted on a third-and-7. Ryan connected with Brian Finneran for a 13-yard gain.

On third-and-18 from Denver’s 45-yard line, White got open and made his way to the right corner of the end zone. Ryan’s pass
wasn’t perfect, but White got to it.

Receivers live by the creed that if they touch the ball, they are supposed to catch it.

“I felt it hit my hands,” White said. “I was trying to reach for it again, but by that time it had already gotten away from me.”

White finished with five catches for 102 yards and had a long catch of 37 yards.

It wasn’t a routine catch, but White felt he still should have made it. The touchdown would have put the Falcons ahead 27-24 with
1:16 left.

“Yeah, I feel responsible for this one,” White said. “I’m a leader on this team and you know, when they expect me to go out there
and makes plays for us to win, when we have a chance to win, I have to go out there and make those. It’s a tough one. We should
be celebrating right now.”

White appeared to have his feet down in bounds. All he needed was the ball.

“Every time that you’re in that position, you know the sidelines are there,” White said. “You know you have to get the ball in and
get your feet in. I just kind of dropped it basically.”

The defeat dropped the Falcons to 6-4 and was their first loss at home. Denver improved to 6-4.

“It’s a tough loss for us, especially for us at home,” White said. “We have to bounce back next week. We have to let this one go.”

White didn’t have to shoulder all of the blame for the loss.

The Falcons held a 13-7 halftime lead behind two field goals from kicker Jason Elam and a 9-yard touchdown by running back
Michael Turner.

Denver scored on the opening drive of the second half. Peyton Hillis’ 2-yard touchdown run made it 14-13.

On the Falcons ensuing drive, Ryan threw an interception while under duress on a third-down blitz. The Falcons had converted a
37-yard Ryan-to-White pass play earlier on similar blitz, but Denver cornerback Dre Bly was ready the second time.

“But (Bly) kind of ran over there and Matt threw the ball,” White said. “Good job by the defense.”

The Broncos converted the turnover into a 20-yard Matt Prater field goal to take a 17-13 lead.

“It was a cover zero,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “We didn’t make a good decision there. We’d like to have that one back if
we could.”
The Falcons battled back and Turner scored on a 28-yard touchdown run to make it 20-17 with under 11 minutes to play.

The Falcons defense was off balance for most of the day. They were expecting long passes, but Denver threw underneath. They
weren’t expecting Denver to run, but they ran the ball effectively.

Even though the Broncos were staying two steps ahead of the defense, the unit still had a chance to stop the drive and protect the
three-point lead.

They stopped Denver running back P.J. Pope for three yards on first down and quarterback Jay Cutler threw an incomplete pass on
second down.

On third-and-7 from Denver’s 20, the Dome came alive with chants of “Defense, Defense.”

With the Falcons looking for underneath routes, Cutler tossed a strike deep down the field for Brandon Marshall for a 47-yard
gain. Cornerback Chris Houston was in coverage.

“He’s a real big receiver and he’s athletic,” Houston said. “He came down with the ball.”

Seven plays later, Cutler threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to tight end Daniel Graham for the winning margin.

The Falcons had their final shot, but White’s drop and a holding call on Tyson Clabo hurt their chances.

“That last drive was a big drive for us,” running back Jerious Norwood said. “You’ve got to take the good with the bad and keep
rolling.”
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: NFL.com Date: 11/15/08

Mularkey has given Falcons extreme makeover on offense

By Steve Wyche

ATLANTA -- The success of the Atlanta Falcons this season has been, to say the least, unexpected, especially with first-time
leadership charged with fixing a franchise mired in on- and off-field ruin.

But it's even more remarkable when you consider that rookie quarterback Matt Ryan, free-agent tailback Michael Turner,
emerging star wide receiver Roddy White and a hodgepodge of characters on the offensive line were turned over to a new
offensive coaching staff that managed a combined eight NFL victories with their respective teams in 2007.

On top of that, Mike Mularkey, who lost his play-calling duties as offensive coordinator in Miami and was re-assigned to be the
woeful Dolphins' tight ends coach last season, was named offensive coordinator in Atlanta, hired to design the scheme that would
be the foundation for years. In addition, the only coach on the Falcons' staff that Mularkey had ever worked with before was wide
receivers coach Terry Robiskie, who was with him in Miami.

"I guess you can say things are going pretty good," Mularkey, 46, said.

The one-time offensive guru who had helped turn Kordell Stewart into a Pro Bowl quarterback, who revitalized the career of
journeyman quarterback Tommy Maddox in Pittsburgh, who spent two unsuccessful seasons as the Buffalo Bills head coach, who
was Miami's offensive coordinator under Nick Saban in 2006, and who was Cam Cameron's tight ends coach with the Dolphins in
2007, got his groove back.

Through 10 weeks, Mularkey's offense in Atlanta ranks second in rushing and sixth overall.

"My experience in Miami, I'm not going to say it was bad, but I was attempting to call and run other people's offenses that I didn't
have familiarity with," Mularkey explained. "This (in Atlanta) is the one I used in Pittsburgh and Buffalo. It's nice to have some
common things back. The coaching staff picked right up on it, which was the biggest thing.

"I went to Miami (in 2006) thinking I was expected to run (former Dolphins offensive coordinator) Scott Linehan's offense, use the
same terminology and succeed. I've seen other coaches try to do that and fail. I said I would not fail, and I did. It's hard to explain
to people. As hard as you want to try, if it's not your philosophy, you can't just call a game."

With a cerebral quarterback in Ryan and a group of intelligent, if not overly physical offensive linemen, Mularkey has been able to
call plays that he could not do with Daunte Culpepper, Joey Harrington, Drew Bledsoe, J.P. Losman or Kelly Holcomb -- or even
Stewart, for that matter. The recognition ability of Ryan is off the charts, which is why the third overall draft pick has been so
effective so early into his career.

In Atlanta's 34-20 victory over the Saints on Sunday, the Falcons drove to the New Orleans 34-yard line in the second quarter
using a no-huddle set. Slot receiver Harry Douglas went in motion, from left to right, and a defensive back went with him,
signaling man coverage. Ryan, in shotgun formation, changed the play and threw a deep lob down the left sideline to Michael
Jenkins, who was matched up in man coverage on Aaron Glenn. Jenkins caught it and was brought down at the 2. Less-cerebral
quarterbacks wouldn't have been able to make that read, and Mularkey wouldn't have put many in the position to make that
decision.

The offense is a personnel-based scheme, where Mularkey and his staff tailor plays and play calls to the abilities of the talent. It's a
system Mularkey devised as Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator in 2001 with fellow offensive assistants Russ Grimm and Ken
Whisenhunt, currently the assistant head coach and head coach, respectively, with the Arizona Cardinals, who, like the Falcons,
boast a 6-3 record.

"It started with us meeting and evaluating our personnel, and in reality, this system started with Kordell and worked its way down
from there," Mularkey said. "We saw what we had offensively, player-wise, and said, 'Let's fit what we have here. Tinker some
things -- don't even install things -- that we know our left tackle can't do. Even though it looks good or another team is successful
with it, let's not put any player in a position where he is uncertain if he can do it.'

"You want your quarterback to have success, but if one guy isn't put in the position to be successful, you can't run that play."

The only real constants through the years in Mularkey's system have been blocking tight ends and tough tailbacks. The
quarterbacks and offensive lines have had a variety of skill sets, so Mularkey has had a variety of ideas, sets and schemes.
Veteran offensive tackle Wayne Gandy was with Mularkey in Pittsburgh and now is a reserve with the Falcons. Before getting cut
last spring and re-signed two weeks ago, Gandy predicted Mularkey would run a semi-pedestrian, mistake-free offense based on
the team's personnel. The mistake-free part was dead on but Mularkey's offense has hardly been vanilla.

"Mike likes to change stuff up, and with Matt and the offensive line, which is very heady, that allows Mike to change this and that
weekly," Gandy said. "This system is about allowing the quarterback to play, to make throws or runs or do things he can do. It's
about moving the chains. If it's second-and-2 you go get the first down. Not, 'Oh, it's second-and-2, let's go long.' It's a very
efficient offense. It's about constantly keeping the pressure on the defense and using the talent. He's not trying to make Jerious
Norwood into Jerome Bettis or make Michael Turner try things he's not comfortable with."

As well as things have run over nine games, Mularkey isn't looking to acquit himself for his past failures, including his 14-18 mark
as head coach of the Bills. He's also not angling for another head-coaching job.

"I have coaching aspirations," said Mularkey, clearly leaving "head coaching" out of his answer. "l love coaching. I don't have to
be anything more than I am. If it's less, I'll be happy. I enjoy coaching. I'm not doing this for any other reason. I'm enjoying this
job. I enjoyed coaching tight ends last year.

"People say, 'You went from head coach to a tight ends coach. How do you feel about that?' I looked at it as a privilege and I had
fun being in the classroom again. I don't have to be any more than I already am to be happy. If it happens, great; if not, that's fine.
I'm not reaching out for it."

Mularkey's trek in coaching is very much in the now. He's only had Ryan for nine games, which is hardly enough time to get
everything right. With seven regular-season games left, there's also plenty of time to mess things up.

What has helped the Falcons offense more than anything is that it's getting off to quick starts and being able to dictate the tempo.
Falling behind and putting more pressure on players who aren't quite equipped -- as was the case in losses to Tampa Bay and
Carolina -- makes the good work he and his staff have managed thus far look very ordinary.

"This is a work in progress," Mularkey said. "We've got a long way to go. We've come a long way. It's been a long time since I've
seen a whole group work like this -- especially with the situations we've all come from."
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: USAToday.com Date: 11/14/08

Ryan's quick development turning Falcons' hope to reality

By Skip Wood, USA TODAY

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Last January, when general manager Thomas Dimitroff took over an Atlanta Falcons team still
reeling from the Michael Vick dogfighting travesty, he knew that whomever he selected with the third overall pick in the draft may
have to deal with becoming the new face of a troubled franchise.
Dimitroff wrestled with the weight of the decision.

"I knew in the back of my mind I more than likely was going to be defined by this move in the draft, being my first as a general
manager," he says. "And it obviously was going to be very crucial for this franchise."

Enter quarterback Matt Ryan.

Dimitroff hoped the Boston College product could help erase the memory of Vick's 2007 conviction on federal charges related to
dogfighting and the defection of then-coach Bobby Petrino to the college ranks 13 games into what would be a 4-12 season.

Dimitroff, who had spent the previous five years as director of college scouting for the New England Patriots, liked what he had
heard from multiple sources about the quarterback who played his home games about 25 miles from Foxborough. He liked what he
saw when watching hours of video footage and liked Ryan's unmistakably genuine, yes-sir-no-sir demeanor.

In Ryan, he sees a player with a rare, innate grasp of the position. He initially saw it when he and a group of Falcons
representatives, including first-year coach Mike Smith and quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave, visited Ryan last season.

"We're in a meeting room, and Bill is tossing around and firing a lot of what we refer to as 'exotics' at him," Dimitroff says. "So
Matt just gets up and goes to the dry-erase board and starts drawing what Bill was asking about. It reminded me of the character in
A Beautiful Mind. It was almost as if he finished drawing all these things, plopped the marker back down and basically said, 'You
got anything else for me?' "

So far, the general manager's instinct about the man who would become his first draft pick have been dead-on. Through the first 10
weeks of the season, Ryan has become one of the few quarterbacks in history to find success in his rookie season and has helped
lead the Falcons to an unlikely 6-3 record and a tie for second in the NFC South.

Among those who have been impressed is Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard, whose team beat the Falcons on Oct. 26.

"I mean, he throws the ball up there to a lot of places where only his receivers can make plays," Sheppard says. "As long as he
keeps doing that and they keep making plays, he can be something special."

Ryan's nickname, going back to high school, is "Matty Ice." Those who know him say that when the politely humble player steps
onto the field, he becomes a different person.

Steely. Focused. Demanding. Times 10.

"When he walks into the huddle," says his college coach, Jeff Jagodzinski, "everybody knows it's going to be OK, no matter how
dire the situation. Some guys have it and some guys don't. He has it. It's hard to put your finger on it, but he just has that 'it' factor."

Ryan has a strong sense of the responsibility the Falcons have placed upon him. He views it as a simple but all-important job
requirement.

"That's what a quarterback has to do," he says. "You've got to get in there and get everybody on the same page. But that's kind of
the way I've always been in terms of playing. Whatever my personality is in the locker room or whatever, when it's time to go to
work, it's time to go to work."

Similarities to Brady

Safety Lawyer Milloy, a 13-year veteran and four-time Pro Bowler, was with the New England Patriots in 2001 when Drew
Bledsoe was injured and replaced by second-year man Tom Brady. All Brady did that season was lead the Patriots to the first of
three Super Bowl wins.
"The similarities are scary," Milloy says about the immediate impact of Brady and now Ryan. "They both have all the intangibles,
the pocket presence, the leadership qualities.

"With Matt, you get a feeling that every time you go out there and he has the ball in his hands, we have a chance to win, and you
can't say that about too many quarterbacks in this league.

"He doesn't play like a rookie," Milloy says.

Ryan already has thrown for 1,909 yards and 11 touchdowns, has the fifth-highest single-game quarterback rating (138.4) of the
season, and perhaps most importantly, has grabbed — and earned — the leadership mantle on a team that desperately needed a
rudder.

"No doubt about it," says wide receiver Roddy White, who already has tied a career high with six touchdowns and has 801
receiving yards. "He commands everybody's attention. At first, you were kind of surprised about that because ... he's a rookie, but
he doesn't act like one in the huddle."

Other acquisitions pay off, too

Ryan and the Falcons' surprising success this season has been aided by another of Dimitroff's acquisitions in his first few months
on the job. After spending his entire five-year NFL career backing up LaDainian Tomlinson in San Diego, running back Michael
Turner ended up becoming the steal of the free agent market. Turner has punished defenses for 890 yards and seven touchdowns
and given Atlanta the NFL's second-ranked rushing offense, all while taking the pressure off of his rookie quarterback.

End John Abraham, ranked first in the NFC with 11 sacks, leads an improving defense that has helped the Falcons post a plus-4
turnover differential.

Still, Ryan appears to be the player who brings it all together.

"He is very polished (and) he has great mechanics," says Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, whose team visits the Falcons on
Sunday. "He's ahead of the curve as a rookie because he has such great fundamentals and he reads coverages extremely well."

Asked whether he hit a home run in his first career at-bat, the energetic but suddenly cautious Dimitroff pauses and sighs.

"Geez, that's tough," he says. "I'd say we're very encouraged by his development and his wise-beyond-his-years maturity. ...
Obviously, his natural leadership skills are rising to the top."

Despite the accolades, Musgrave says Ryan's early success hasn't gone to his head.

"There are some guys in this league, rookies included, who kind of change when success comes their way," he says. "But with
Matt, he's the same guy as he was when I got here for the post-draft meetings."

Ryan is quick to deflect praise.

"I think I've been getting better week in and week out in terms of recognizing defenses and trying to make better decisions, but I've
still got a long, long way to go," he says. "That's evident when you get in there on Mondays and you look at the tape.

"But I'm also excited about that, because I think I can get a whole lot better."
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 11/13/08

Harmony brings success for Falcons

By Terence Moore

Flowery Branch — John Abraham has played a while. Nine NFL seasons, to be exact. So it is rather significant that the brilliant
defensive end for the Falcons sat at his locker on Wednesday, thought about the last time he experienced this much togetherness
among teammates and thought some more.

He kept thinking.

So when was it?

Abraham kept thinking, before glancing up to say, “It’s been a while,” he said, reflecting on a career that included six years with
the New York Jets. Then he added, “Actually, probably never. I’ve been on some hard teams, and to have this kind of chemistry,
as far as in the locker room and on the field, along with everybody communicating with each other — this probably is the best
team when it comes to that situation.”

Sounds like Thomas Dimitroff knows what he’s doing. He’s in his first season as an NFL general manager. Even so, he envisioned
building a team without knuckleheads long before he spent six years in the scouting department of the New England Patriots,
supposedly the league’s team of teams.

“What we did [after taking over the Falcons] is evaluate the players, and then we discussed the other stuff, whether there were
character issues and what not, whether there were personality traits on and off the field that we felt wouldn’t fit into our system,”
said Dimitroff, 42, involved with pro scouting since 1990. “We spent a lot of time talking about that as a group. There are a lot of
good football players that we didn’t feel, kicking this off, would necessarily fit into a rebuilding program.”

The results? The NFL rookies at general manager, head coach and quarterback for the Falcons are helping them shock reality in
the rugged NFC South. They’ve won four of their past five games for a 6-3 record, and they’ve done so with harmony.

Since the Falcons’ 2007 season of disharmony (4-12 finish, No. 7 and his dogs, Bobby Petrino), the Falcons’ roster has changed 60
percent. The purging involved some familiar names. Alge Crumpler. DeAngelo Hall. Warrick Dunn. Kynan Forney. Joey
Harrington.

Said offensive tackle Todd Weiner, in his sixth season with the Falcons: “It’s clear that the administration and the front office
purposely went after guys that were going to jell together. Some players may not have gotten some name recognition in the past
that they acquired in the offseason, but they looked for a certain attitude in a guy. The idea was that when good things happened,
they were going to stick together, and when bad things happened, they still were going to stick together.”

Consider: After the Falcons dismantled a bad Detroit team in their season opener, they were clobbered at Tampa Bay. Unlike the
past, when Abraham hinted that such a drastic turnaround would have produced “whining and bickering” across the Falcons’
locker room, they recovered to flatten a bad Kansas City team.

Then the Falcons were clobbered again at Carolina the next week, but that’s when they responded with a victory at Green Bay the
next week to start their current surge to sit a game behind first-place Carolina.

You have rookies Matt Ryan at quarterback and Curtis Lofton at middle linebacker among those leading the way for the Falcons.
You also have mighty contributions from free agents such as running back Michael Turner, safety Erik Coleman, kicker Jason
Elam and tight end Ben Hartsock, all signed by Dimitroff since the end of last season.

As a result, you have the Falcons trying to become another team of teams.
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: CBSSports.com Date: 11/12/08

Power Rankings: For the record, Falcons are for real

By Pete Prisco

For weeks we've been waiting for the right time to say it, hesitant because it just didn't seem right to say the Atlanta Falcons were a
real playoff threat. Is it because we expected them to take the young-team fall we anticipated from a group that came into the
season in rebuilding mode?

That hasn't happened, so it's time to let it rip:

The Falcons are a real playoff threat.

There's no denying it any more. The way they handled the New Orleans Saints on Sunday is the all the proof we need.

The Atlanta defense was the last remaining question for this team, but shutting down Drew Brees the way it did says that unit has
improved enough to call it a playoff defense.

The story of the Falcons is the best of this season in a league full of great ones. It's so shocking that many inside the building are
even surprised, even if they won't admit it.

This was to be a rebuilding season with an eye on 2010 as the playoff year. It was a three-year plan to turn the Falcons around.
First-year coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff won't admit it now, but they had to be realistic and a three-
year plan to turn the Falcons around made sense.

Now that timetable is off. This team is good.

They can run it. They can throw it with Matt Ryan and the defense is growing up under a rising coaching star, defensive
coordinator Brian VanGorder.

If the Falcons make the playoffs and Smith isn't the coach of the year, then the award should be eliminated.

The Falcons started out in the CBSSports.com Power Rankings at No. 31, which means one away from last. Now they're in the top
10. That's hard to believe.

After the Michael Vick fiasco, the Bobby Petrino mess and the feeling of disconnect from Atlanta fans, the Falcons are a great
story. The best thing for their chances to win the division is that Tampa Bay and Carolina -- the two teams ahead of them in the
NFC South -- both have to come to Atlanta.

The amazing thing about the Atlanta start is that most thought the two lines would be problem areas. The coaching staff said they
were the worry spots before the season. They've been the opposite of that.

The offensive line plays with a nasty streak, making up for some athletic limitations, and the defensive line has overachieved,
especially inside. Defensive end John Abraham is having a huge season rushing the passer, but the rest of the defense isn't exactly
star-studded.

Atlanta also starts four rookies if you count the nickel back (Chevis Jackson), the third receiver (Henry Douglas) and injured left
tackle Sam Baker, who is expected back in a few weeks. The best of the first-year players is Ryan. Without him, this wouldn't be
happening. He's the best rookie quarterback since Peyton Manning.

He sees the field. He plays with a swagger. He works his butt off doing the little things. He's cut from the Manning-Tom Brady
cloth.

The Falcons did the right thing starting him on opening day, thinking that this would be a building year for the future. But Ryan's
play has accelerated the timetable.

So go ahead and say it: The Falcons are for real.

 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 11/10/08

Falcons stun Saints to remain undefeated at home

By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

John Abraham did not stutter.

He didn’t dodge the question or give that “one game at a time” response.

For anybody who wanted to take note, the Falcons defensive end said it’s OK to go ahead and pencil the Falcons in the playoffs.

“Definitely, I felt that from the first game and I’m going to keep saying it until we make it,” Abraham said. “We play good as a
team. That’s the best thing that you could say right now.”

Such playoff talk was unheard at the beginning of the season, with so much change coming off a 4-12 record last season.

But after the Falcons received a stellar performance from the secondary and beat New Orleans 34-20 on Sunday at the Georgia
Dome to climb to 6-3, maybe the playoffs are not such a pipe dream.

“At this point we are 6-3, and have seven more to go,” quarterback Matt Ryan said. “A lot will be determined through those seven
weeks. Right now we’re just focused on trying to beat the Broncos.”

The victory was the Falcons first win against a NFC South foe to move to 1-2 in the division, with road losses to Tampa Bay and
Carolina.

Falcons head coach Mike Smith will not hear of any playoff talk in Week 10 of the season.

“We look at our next game, Denver,” Smith said. “We’ll focus on them.”

As expectations have been exceeded and goals have to be reset, the playoffs are something that’s realistically with the Falcons’
grasp.

The Falcons are undefeated at home and have four more home games. If they simply keep defending the Dome, they’ll reach the
10-win mark. They also have road games at San Diego, New Orleans and Minnesota.

“As we continue to work the process, and work it well, we will have opportunities to have the outcomes that we desire,” Smith
said, coming about as close as he wants to in addressing the team’s playoff chances.

The Saints, with the top-rated passing attack in the NFL, let it been known on the first play of the game what they thought of the
Falcons secondary.

Brees stood tall in the pocket and launched a deep pass into double coverage to speedster Devery Henderson. Falcons cornerback
Chris Houston dropped back into his zone and had Henderson covered underneath and safety Erik Coleman came over the top to
intercept the pass.

“We were able to steal a possession there,” Smith said. “I think that was big. That’s a team that I don’t think you want to give them
a whole lot of offensive opportunities because they are very, very potent.”

From that point, the secondary, which focused on re-routing the Saints’ receivers, stayed in coverage.

“I thought most all passes were contested,” Smith said. “There were very few open receivers. I thought they had a good
understanding going into the game of how they were going to attack us.”

Led by cornerback Domonique Foxworth, the Falcons knocked down 15 passes and had three interceptions, including Chevis
Jackson’s fourth-quarter pick that he returned 95 yards for a touchdown to make it 34-13.

The Saints scored meaningless touchdown as time expired.

“It was a great challenge for our [secondary] today with Drew Brees and their passing game,” linebacker Keith Brooking said.
“The key thing was disrupting the receivers at the line of scrimmage. That threw off the timing of their passing game.”
The Saints did pass for 422 yards, but a lot of that came in the fourth quarter while trying to scramble back after Jerious Norwood
shot up the right sideline for a 67-yard touchdown to make it 27-6 with 9:54 left.

Falcons rookie quarterback Matt Ryan was hot early and helped the Falcons build a 17-6 halftime lead.

“I just try to pull my weight out there,” Ryan said.

Ryan tossed two touchdown passes and spread the ball around to six different receivers.

“Our quarterback is maturing each week,” Smith said. “As long as he can continue to develop we can continue to add to what we
can do offensive.”

But in the end, it was the defense that controlled the Saints passing attack and got in Brees’ face. Abraham had one sack, which
gives him 11.

“We just wanted to come and play together,” Abraham said. “Sure, he’s a good quarterback, but we wanted to get him out of his
rhythm. We put a lot of pressure in his face and kept him moving around.”
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 11/10/08

Falcons have the make of a good team

By Mark Bradley

This is no longer just a good story. What we’re watching is a good team. The Falcons need only to win the rest of their home
games to finish 10-6, and 10-6 puts you in any playoff discussion any year. And how stout have they been at home?

They’ve played 240 minutes in the Georgia Dome this season. They’ve trailed for a total of 11 seconds, and those 11 — the time it
took the Falcons to lose the Chicago game and then win it — are part of NFL history. This is a team that keeps tending to business
with such dogged resolve that we are, believe it or not, coming to regard winning as business as usual.

“You keep hearing that Atlanta is going to fail at some point,” said Lawyer Milloy, the free safety, “but this is happening the right
way.”

Here he smiled, and you should know that Milloy is stingy with his smiles. “Every year there’s a team that has you scratching your
head, that you never saw coming. Why not us?”

It sounds silly until you watch this team play, but when you do you see no silliness about it. You see a team that comes to work,
that hits really hard and plays really smart. On Sunday the Falcons took the ball from New Orleans on the first snap and saw the
frazzled Saints use the last snap to cut their deficit to 14 points. In between the Falcons were dominant.

Forget total yardage, for it meant nothing. All that mattered was that the Falcons needed barely five minutes to score their first
touchdown and Drew Brees, hailed as the NFL’s best player, required 50 minutes to get one for his team. All that mattered was
that Brees threw 58 passes and accomplished less than the rookie Matt Ryan, who didn’t throw half so many.

“I liked the way we played,” said Mike Smith, the Falcons’ coach, and how could you not? There are no Glanvillian gimmicks in
these Falcons, no Mora-like false chatter. This a simply a collection of proud pros — hey, even rookies can have pride — that has
developed a sense of itself and has cottoned to its coaches.

Said Todd McClure, the center: “It’s about time everybody else started thinking we’re a good team.”

It is. It’s November, and by now any football flukes have begun to wilt. The Falcons are gathering strength. Maybe they surprised
themselves back in September, but no more. They’ve played nine times and haven’t been routed yet. Why shouldn’t they expect to
win?

“We’ve been very fortunate with our acquisitions,” said Thomas Dimitroff, the general manager, and never had those acquisitions
stood out more than Sunday. Ryan worked another lovely game. Erik Coleman, a free agent, stole Brees’ first pass. Domonique
Foxworth, acquired by trade, broke up three passes. And the third-rounder Chevis Jackson capped it all by scoring on a 95-yard
interception return.

“I can’t stress this enough,” Dimitroff said, “but all our new guys are about the team. It’s not just about them.”

And we saw — or at least we thought we saw — a moment Sunday when Smith appeared to make the same point. Jerious
Norwood had scored on a 67-yard yard catch-and-run. But, by breaking into high-step at the 27, he was nearly caught by Usama
Young. Thus did it come as no shock that Smith waved the back over.

But not for a dressing-down. “I was just congratulating him,” Smith said. “I said, ‘Nice run, Jerious.’ “

Really? “Sometimes you’ve got to let them go,” said Smith, shrugging.

Then, reconsidering: “But we may talk about it Monday or Tuesday.”

 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 11/3/08

Falcons shut out the Raiders

By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Oakland — The Falcons were happy to see their old pal, Oakland cornerback DeAngelo Hall.

So happy they went right after him.

Throwing Hall’s way, the Falcons got a quick touchdown and some early momentum to carry them to a 24-0 rout over the Raiders
at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Sunday.

The Falcons defense dominated Oakland’s pitiful offense and posted the franchise’s first shutout since beating Carolina 30-0 on
Oct. 20, 2002.

“Defensively, I thought it was our best performance,” said Falcons coach Mike Smith, who awarded game balls to the defense for
keeping the league’s lowest scoring offense (just nine touchdowns on the season) out of the end zone.

The Falcons dealt with the Raiders quickly and decisively.

On the game’s 10th play, rookie quarterback Matt Ryan, who hasn’t been shy about throwing at top cornerbacks, unleashed a
strike to Michael Jenkins, who had gotten behind Hall, for a 37-yard touchdown.

“It was just kind of a press and fade up the sideline,” Jenkins said. “Matt threw a great ball and I was able to get by DeAngelo.”

Hall, who played his first four seasons with the Falcons and made two Pro Bowls, was traded to the Raiders last March. He went
by the Falcons’ team hotel to visit with Jenkins and linebacker Michael Boley on Friday.

Ryan wasn’t shy about throwing to Philadelphia’s Asante Samuel’s side of the field last week, so Hall had to figure he was going
to see action.

Hall was dressed and gone when the Raiders locker room was open to the media.

The Falcons built on Jenkins’ play.

During their surprising start, the 5-3 Falcons have been the masters of the quick start, throwing early-knock down punches in all of
their victories.

The Falcons established early leads in all of their previous victories — Detroit (21-0), Kansas City (24-0), Green Bay (17-7) and
Chicago (9-0) — and did the same to the Raiders.

Scoring on their first four possessions, the Falcons jumped out to a 24-0 by halftime.

The Falcons scored on their opening drive, which was a good omen. They are now 4-0 when they score on the opening drive this
season.

The Falcons came out determined to get their struggling running game on track. They ran the ball with Michael Turner or Jerious
Norwood on six of the first eight plays. With the Raiders starting to creep up in run support, Jenkins ran past Hall to make it 7-0.

The Raiders, who were held to just three first downs the entire game, were forced to punt after their first possession. Wide receiver
Harry Douglas replaced Adam Jennings as the Falcons return man. Jennings, who played at Fresno State and is from Granite Bay,
Calif., was inactive for the game.

Jennings lost his job after he botched a return in the final three minutes against Philadelphia that cost the Falcons a chance at a
final drive.

After Douglas had a 6-yard return, the Falcons started their second drive at their 30-yard line.

The tried to mix things up and started passing from their no-huddle attack.
Ryan drove the Falcons to midfield before hitting tight end Justin Peelle for a 16-yard gain. A roughing the passer penalty on
Oakland’s Jay Richardson, moved the ball down to Oakland’s 19. Three plays later, Norwood took a toss and got escorted into the
end zone by lineman Tyson Clabo from 12 yards to make it 14-0.

“Clabo got out in front, he was pulling from the right side,” Norwood said. “I had to set my blocks up and wait for him to get
there. Once he dove at the cornerback he ended up on the ground. I had to jump over him to get in the end zone.”

The Raiders could only manage four yards on their second series and were forced to punt. Quarterback JaMarcus Russell missed a
shot on third down when Oakland wide receiver Ashley Lelie ran past cornerback Chris Houston, but the pass was overthrown.

The Falcons third drive started at their 12-yard line.

Ryan mixed in some passes with the run to drive down to Oakland’s 19 before right guard Harvey Dahl was called for holding,
moving the ball back to the 27 after the spot foul.

Ryan threw an incompletion before finding Jenkins again for a 27-yard touchdown to make it 21-0.

“It was just kind of a corner route from inside,” said Jenkins, who beat safety Stanford Routt on the play. “Kind of like a tight end
route.”

The Falcons had their fourth drive stall on Oakland’s 24, when Ryan was sacked for a third-and-3. Jason Elam came on and kicked
a 48-yard field goal to make it 24-0.

That’s all the scoring that was needed.

The Raiders did not pick up their first down until 9:19 was left in the third quarter as Russell struggled mightily

The Raiders most promising drive ended when safety Erik Coleman intercepted Russell in the end zone with 7:27 to play.
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 10/26/08

Late call hurts as Falcons fall to Eagles

By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Philadelphia — The stage was set for another thrilling fourth-quarter ending for the Falcons.

In their last game, the Falcons showed that 11 seconds was enough time to snatch back a victory and that rookie quarterback Matt
Ryan has a flare for the dramatic.

On Sunday, trailing Philadelphia by six points, the Falcons defense had did their job and forced a punt.

Ryan was on the sideline with quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave getting the calls from offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, who
was up in the booth.

However, a controversial call on the punt return left the Falcons without the ball and sent them spiraling to a 27-14 defeat at
Lincoln Financial Field.

The Falcons were trailing 20-14 in a hard-hitting contest and figured to get the ball back with just over two minutes remaining.

The Falcons had a punt return set up, but the ball was short. Punt returner Adam Jennings tried to field the punt and then backed
off.

The officials ruled that the ball touched him and that the Eagles’ Akeem Jordan recovered it.

“I felt like it didn’t touch me, but I can’t control what people see,” Jennings said.

Falcons coach Mike Smith didn’t want to place the defeat on Jennings’ decision to back off with a punt return called.

“I don’t think you can ever say that there is one play in the football game that makes the difference,” Smith said. “There are a
number of plays that we’d like to have had back in that ball game.”

The defeat dropped the Falcons to 4-3, while the Eagles improved to 4-3.

When the Falcons got word that the replay indicated that Jennings did not touch the ball, they were in bad spot because Smith had
already used the last timeout.

Without a timeout, the Falcons had to live with the call on the field. Smith, clutching the red challenge flag, vehemently protested
to referee Jerome Boger, of Atlanta.

“He said that since we do not have a timeout that we could not challenge it,” said Smith, who considered throwing the challenge
flag anyway. “It would be a 15-yard penalty if we threw the flag. His explanation was what he thought he saw. He thought he saw
the ball touch the return man’s hands. That’s the call that was made.”

After stopping the Eagles, the Falcons used their timeout with 2:28 remaining. Smith explained the decision to burn the last
timeout.

“At that point in time when there was two minutes and 30 seconds [actually 2:28] to go, we used the timeout to have more time,”
Smith said. “By using the time out there we would save 31 seconds (actually 28). We still had a timeout technically with the two-
minute warning. If we let that roll to the two minute warning we basically run 28, 29 seconds off. That was a decision that we
made.”

Two plays after the muffed punt, Philadelphia running back Brian Westbrook broke free for a 39-yard touchdown run for the
game’s final touchdown.

“I think we had our chances and opportunities to win the football game at the end and that’s all that you can ask for,” Smith said.

The Falcons defense had trouble with Westbrook all day. He ran for 167 yards and two touchdowns.
“Anytime he gets the ball in his hands he can make plays,” defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux said. “He did a good job against
us making plays. He got the edge a few times on us and was able to make some plays.”

The Falcons rushing attack, which entered the game ranked second in the league, was stymied. Running back Michael Turner was
held to 58 yards on 17 carries.

The Falcons scored first when Ryan hooked up with Roddy White for a 55-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

Philadelphia answered with a 3-yard touchdown run from quarterback Donovan McNabb.

The Eagles got a 36-yard field goal with four seconds left in the second quarter after driving down from Atlanta’s 12 in 41 seconds
to take 10-7 halftime lead.

On the Eagles opening drive of the second half, Westbrook scored on a 16-yard run to make it 17-7.

After an exchange of punts, the Falcons drove down to Philadelphia’s 1-yard line. On second-and-1, Ryan’s pass for White on a
fade route was intercepted by Lito Sheppard.

“That’s obviously frustrating, especially as a quarterback when you throw an interception on the 1-yard line,” Ryan said. “That
was just a poor throw by myself. The ball needs to get outside.”

After another exchange of punts, the Eagles added a 18-yard field goal by David Akers to make it 20-7.

The Falcons answered with a 14-play drive. Ryan tossed an 8-yard touchdown pass to White with 4:01 left.

The defense got the necessary stop, to set the stage for the punt return that never happened.
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 10/13/08

Elam makes up for miss to give Falcons win

48-yard field goal caps dramatic finish as Atlanta improves to 4-2
By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

While the game-winning kick was still sailing through the air, Falcons long snapper Michael Schneck and lineman Jonathan
Babineaux were sprinting downfield.

They were in a foot race for the souvenir. After Jason Elam’s 48-yard field goal went through the uprights, Babineaux picked it up
and raced back up field with the ball in hand.

Elam was being mobbed by holder Michael Koenen and several other teammates, as the Falcons had pulled off a heart-stopping
22-20 victory over Chicago Bears Sunday.

“I’ve been in some wild games, but this one trumps them all,” said rookie quarterback Matt Ryan, who had his first career 300-
yard passing game.

The Falcons improved to 4-2 and continued their march through the NFC North as they also have victories over Green Bay and
Detroit. They play Minnesota later this season. The Bears dropped to 3-3.

“This is one of the most exciting games I have ever seen,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “I haven’t been in a game that finished
quite like this. There were a lot of ebbs and flows in terms of emotions for everybody out there.”

The Falcons had dominated the Bears the entire day, but their inability to score touchdowns, instead settling for field goals, nearly
came back to haunt them.

Leading 19-13, Elam missed a 33-yard field goal with 2:46 left to play. Despite being outplayed, the Bears had life.

They had the ball on their 28-yard line and marched right down the field to take a 20-19 lead after wide receiver Rashied Davis
caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Orton with 11 seconds to play. It was their first lead of the day and it looked like a
deal sealer.

“It looked bleak there for a minute,” Smith said. “It really did.”

After giving up an 85-yard kickoff return to Jerious Norwood on the previous kickoff, the Bears decided to kick it low and short.

Wide receiver Harry Douglas scooped up the kick and returned it 10 yards to the Falcons 44-yard line before sliding down in order
to save some precious seconds on the clock.

The Bears loaded up all day to stop running back Michael Turner, daring Ryan to beat them. Well, Ryan did and his last dagger
was his best.

With six seconds remaining, wide receiver Michael Jenkins ran a deep corner route. He started it inside and then broke back out to
the sideline.

The ball was there waiting for Jenkins, who tapped down his two feet and got out of bounds with one second to burn.

“[Ryan] pretty much put it where I couldn’t miss it,” Jenkins said.

The 26-yard gain, set the stage for Elam’s redemption kick, that had room to spare.

“I’m really happy that one went through,” Elam said.

Ryan didn’t want to look at the kick as players were congratulating him about the pass to Jenkins.

“I was crossing my fingers, doing everything superstitious that you can do,” Ryan said.

Before Jenkins’ catch, Elam was dejected on the sidelines. He thought his missed 33-yarder may have cost the Falcons the game.
He quickly forgot about that blunder when Jenkins came down with the ball.
“Michael actually made the catch and I saw two seconds on the clock,” said Elam, who has made 16th game-winning kick in the
last two minutes or in overtime of a game. “You just go on the field and try to make it just like any other kick. It’s like a golf
swing.”

Elam didn’t dwell on the previous miss.

“Things don’t always go the way that you want them too,” said Elam, who had made 30 consecutive field goals before that miss.
“You just don’t want to have the previous play affect you in any way. So you just try to concentrate on your swing and trust it.”

He trusted his swing and a big party broke out on the field.

Turner, who entered the game as the league’s leading rusher, was held to 54 yards rushing on 25 carries. The Falcons top weapon
was taken away.

“That’s going to happen sometimes when you play against a very good defense like the Chicago Bears,” Ryan said. “I think their
front seven is as good as anybody in the league.”

With Bears concentrating on Turner, Roddy White, Harry Douglas and Brian Finneran worked their way open for Ryan’s passes.

Ryan completed 22-of-30 passes for 301 yards and one touchdown. He had a quarterback rating of 116.1.

“Matt has got ‘it’ ” Smith said. “We say that he’s got ‘it.’ We don’t know what ‘it’ is, but he’s got ‘it.’ “

This type of clutch come-from-behind victory is going to give Ryan more cache in the locker room.

“The team has really taken to Matt,” Smith said. “He knows how to be a leader. He was an outstanding leader in college.

“To go out and operate the way he did against a very fine Chicago defense was a part of his maturation process. I think it’s been
accelerated through these first six weeks more than we anticipated.”
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: FOXSports.com Date: 10/13/08

Falcons' Ryan is not your typical rookie QB

by Alex Marvez

Check his ID. Take his fingerprints. Look under the Atlanta Falcons helmet just to make sure.

Matt Ryan isn't really a rookie quarterback, is he?

Ryan blushed when I asked that very question shortly after he guided the Falcons to Sunday's improbable 22-20 home victory over
Chicago. As those inside the Falcons' interview room laughed, Ryan smiled and said, "Yeah, I'm sure."

I'm not.

Rookie quarterbacks usually play — if they're even playing at all — like Baltimore's Joe Flacco did when throwing three
interceptions in Sunday's 31-3 loss at Indianapolis. They don't complete 22 of 30 passes for 301 yards and one touchdown against
one of the NFL's fiercest defenses. They don't lead a team that won just four games all of last season to a 4-2 record and a share of
first place in the NFC South. And they don't handle pressure the way Ryan did in the waning moments of what seemed a certain
Falcons loss after the Bears took a 20-19 lead with 11 seconds remaining.

Chicago's decision to squib the ensuing kickoff backfired when Harry Douglas' 10-yard return gave the Falcons possession at their
44-yard line with six seconds left. The field position prompted offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey to change a desperation play
call that wide receiver Michael Jenkins said involved "pitching the ball around and trying to get downfield."

Mularkey instead called double corner routes designed to put the Falcons in position for a long field goal. Before relaying
Mularkey's orders, Ryan did something else you wouldn't expect from a 23-year-old.

"He comes in the huddle and says, 'We're going to win this game,' " Falcons wide receiver Roddy White said.

Ryan then backed up his words. Just before being hit by Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris, Ryan connected with Jenkins
along the Falcons' sideline for a 26-yard gain with one second left. Jason Elam did the rest, kicking a 48-yard field goal while
Ryan watched from a distance with his fingers crossed.

Told he looked like a "little kid" while awaiting Elam's attempt, Ryan said, "I am just still a kid, really."

That's what makes Ryan's performance even more amazing. He started eight-for-eight passing and made just about every type of
throw imaginable — deep patterns, sideline routes, quick slants and one completion to White that saw a hurried Ryan throw across
almost the entire width of the Georgia Dome field. Ryan picked apart a Bears defense that lost so many members of its secondary
to injury that effective nickel and dime packages couldn't be fielded.

"Unreal," Falcons owner Arthur Blank said shortly after giving Ryan a post-game hug.

"Unreal" was being used in another context by Blank last year during the Michael Vick/Bobby Petrino debacles that devastated the
franchise. The selection of Ryan with the No. 3 overall pick in April's draft was supposed to provide hope for the future.

Nobody, though, thought the future would be now.

"I was talking to some guys not that long ago about how the rookies were performing," said Falcons wide receiver Brian Finneran,
a nine-year NFL veteran who caught three passes Sunday. "I went through Sam Baker, Harry Douglas, Curtis Lofton and Chevis
Jackson and just stopped there.

"Matt is so composed and shows such confidence in the huddle that you don't think of him as a rookie any more. You can see it.
Today was just a telltale sign that the kid is growing up really fast."

Falcons running back Michael Turner also offered praise when asked to compare Ryan to one of the NFL's top young
quarterbacks. While playing for San Diego, Turner saw Philip Rivers have the luxury of two years of tutelage sitting behind Drew
Brees before becoming a starter in 2006.

"They remind me of each other a lot as far as taking the game seriously, studying, knowing what everybody is supposed to do and
what plays would be good against a certain defense," said Turner, who signed with Atlanta during the offseason. "The thing is
Philip had to wait, but Matt is going in there right away. I don't know if we'd be (4-2) if Philip had started as a rookie."
Like with Rivers, Ryan has benefitted from having a solid supporting cast. Turner entered the game leading the NFL in rushing;
White was second in receiving yards. The offensive line also has played much better than expected, not allowing a sack against a
Bears defense known for its strong pass rush.

Ryan had yet to win a game in which Turner rushed for less than 60 yards. The Bears, now 3-3 on the year, limited Turner to 54
yards on 25 carries, forcing Ryan to carry the offensive load.

"He took exactly what we were giving him," Bears linebacker Lance Briggs said. "He knew exactly where to go. He threw the ball
with authority. He didn't look like a rookie."

But he is. I guess.

 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: FOXSports.com Date: 10/12/08

New coach, new attitude has Falcons flying

By Alex Marvez

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - The quarterbacks carpool to work.

The offensive line is known as the "Breakfast Club" for gathering collectively each morning to watch game film.

What we've learned

The defensive line is planning a birthday dinner for one of its own (Jonathan Babineaux).

And the new head coach holds "Over 30" meetings to solicit feedback from his veteran players.

These are the Atlanta Falcons?

It's not just a 3-2 record entering Sunday's home game against Chicago that distinguishes this group from the horrific Falcons
squad of 2007. This is an actual team, one quickly distancing itself from the Michael Vick/Bobby Petrino era that gave a whole
new meaning to the term "Dirty Bird."

"I thought it was going to take considerably longer for this team to gel because they were getting to know each other," Falcons
first-year general manager Thomas Dimitroff said Friday. "I feel like that's really been expedited. In my mind, it has a lot to do
with the group bonding."

Reestablishing trust was needed after Vick and Petrino left Atlanta burned in General Sherman-like fashion. A ship that was too
loose under 2006 coach Jim Mora had become rudderless last season with Petrino, who retreated to the college ranks after just 13
games.

But even that embarrassment paled in comparison to the damage caused by Vick, who was arrested and sentenced to prison for dog
fighting after initially lying about his involvement. Atlanta's descent to a 4-12 record was so depressing that defensive end John
Abraham said friends and family stopped calling to ask for game tickets.

Not that he was complaining.

"I really didn't want anyone to come anyway, to be honest," Abraham said. "When you don't feel your team is playing up to par,
you really don't want to be seen."

Abraham's telephone is ringing once again — and there are plenty of reasons why.

Let's start with the healing process. Shortly after being hired in January for his first head coaching job, Mike Smith began
arranging face-to-face meetings with Falcons players who lived in the Atlanta area. Smith's honesty and straight-forward approach
struck a chord with Falcons who felt betrayed by Petrino and a coaching staff that Abraham said left players "scared to voice their
opinion." Smith also hired assistants who have a combined 188 years of NFL coaching experience.

"From the very beginning, we've talked about being communicative with one another," said the 49-year-old Smith, who had spent
the past five seasons as Jacksonville's defensive coordinator. "When you have open lines, it fosters that (positive) atmosphere."

A roster overhaul soon followed that reflected the knowledge Dimitroff gained while working in New England's front office the
previous six seasons. Falcons mainstays like running back Warrick Dunn, cornerback DeAngelo Hall and tight end Alge Crumpler
were released or traded. Dimitroff used that salary cap space to add the best running back (Michael Turner) and most reliable
kicker (Jason Elam) available in free agency.

The draft was even more fruitful. Quarterback Matt Ryan was the bell-cow selection, but Atlanta's next four picks — left tackle
Sam Baker, middle linebacker Curtis Lofton, cornerback Chevis Jackson and wide receiver Harry Douglas — are either starting or
heavily contributing as backups.

The next step was getting the pieces to mesh together. Ryan started coming out of his shell after being named one of 10 new
starters during the preseason.
"When he first got here, he was a little timid in the huddle," Turner said. "He wasn't calling plays. He was whispering. Now, he's
taken command of the offense. He's telling guys where they need to be and giving little reminders like, 'You've got to get a little
closer on your split.'

"He's not a rookie to me."

Turner has helped accelerate Ryan's development, carrying the rushing load with an NFL-high 543 yards. LaDainian Tomlinson's
former understudy made an immediate impact in his Falcons debut, pounding the Detroit Lions for 220 yards and two touchdowns.

That 34-21 victory in the season-opener went a long ways toward exorcising the Vick/Petrino ghosts.

"We wanted to change the look of this team right away," Turner said. "You only get one chance to make a first impression. We left
a pretty good one."

The Falcons are a modest 2-2 since that win, but these birds of a feather continue to flock together. When players have Tuesdays
off during the regular season, only the starting quarterback is expected at team headquarters to get a head start studying the game
plan and upcoming opponent. In Atlanta, Ryan and backups Chris Redman and D.J. Shockley drive in together for an extra day of
work.

"Everybody is pulling for one another," said Ryan, who already has as many victories as Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning
posted during his 1998 rookie season. "We've got a bunch of unselfish people in that locker room as well, guys who are willing to
do whatever it takes to win and get better. It's fun to be part of those types of teams."

Smith tries to keep his finger on the locker room's pulse by meeting semi-regularly with the 11 Falcons players who are age 30 and
older. When the veterans asked for a slight change in the way practices were being run, Smith acquiesced.

"It lets them know how important they are in disseminating information to the whole team," Smith said. "You've got to have your
lieutenants out there. That's what veteran players are."

Smith has set modest goals for a roster where 25 of the 53 players have three years or less of NFL experience. One objective was
accomplished last Sunday when Atlanta won its first road game at Green Bay. The next can be reached Sunday if the Falcons
string together consecutive victories for the first time by defeating Chicago (3-2).

These are reasonable expectations for a team that may fade from playoff contention as the season unfolds. Although wide receiver
Roddy White is playing at a Pro Bowl level, Ryan is probably too inexperienced to carry the offense if Turner can't get on track.
Turner failed to reach 60 rushing yards in both of Atlanta's losses.
Besides Abraham — who has an NFL-high seven sacks — the defensive line needs off-season upgrading. The same goes for a
secondary that is surrendering too many big pass plays.

"In my mind, we're still at a different place than most teams simply because of the process of re-tooling the roster and going
through this," Smith said. "But I think we're laying a foundation that is very solid."

Just like the bonds that are being built between the Falcons themselves.
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: CBSSportsline.com Date: 10/11/08

Smith's demeanor, relationship with players equals wins on field

By Pete Prisco

The words were a bit salty. But they needed to be to make Mike Smith's point.

Smith, the Atlanta Falcons' first-year coach, gathered his team last week and gave the young squad a lesson on the history of
Lambeau Field.

Mike's Smith's players call him Smitty -- he prefers it that way. (Getty Images)

"That ----- field is 100 yards long and 53½ yards wide just like all the other --- fields," Smith told them.

Message: Don't get awed by your surroundings

They didn't. The Falcons went to Green Bay and upset the Packers to go to a shocking 3-2 for the season, one game out of first
place in the NFC South.

"Some of the young guys came up to me during warm-ups and said it was cool being there," Smith said. "But they weren't awed by
it. It was just cool. Not intimidating."

Said veteran linebacker Keith Brooking: "I've been on teams that had success there, but that doesn't matter to these guys. Hearing
that from Smitty, it had a big impact."

Smitty. That's right. The Falcons call their coach Smitty. And he likes it, prefers it in fact.

That easy-going demeanor and open relationship with his players is a far cry from the iron-fisted regime that was in place last
season. "Stalog Petrino" is what it was under coach Bob Petrino.

Players and staff alike loathed the Petrino way, which was such a dictatorship it made Fidel Castro's look democratic. There was
no middle ground. It was Petrino's way -- or else. Just ask DeAngelo Hall -- the coach wanted his picture taken down from outside
his office because he didn't like the way the ex-Falcons corner was working.

Coming on the heels of the Mike Vick dog nightmare, which ended with the team's marquee player in jail, the last thing players
wanted or needed was a coach who was standoffish.

"I remember talking to my wife about how miserable I was then," center Todd McClure said. "I hated the drive into work
everyday."

Brooking agreed.

"For the first time in my career, I wanted to be going somewhere else every day and I love football,"
Brooking said. "It was misery."

Thankfully for almost all in the Falcons' building, including a staff that was subjected to Petrino's daily verbal bombs, he left for
Arkansas before the season ended.

There were no tears shed in the locker room.

"We didn't talk to Petrino much," Brooking said.

So here was a team without its marquee player, without a coach, without direction and with a fan base
deteriorating in front of owner Arthur Blank's eyes. What to do to fix it?

The Falcons thought about Bill Parcells, but he used them to get a better deal from the Dolphins. They then hired crack scout
Thomas Dimitroff to run the football side of things. He, in turn, helped hire Smith, who was the defensive coordinator of the
Jacksonville Jaguars the four years before that.

When Smith got the job, it sent out a cry around the league. Mike who?
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 10/6/08

White stole the show early

By ROB REISCHEL

Green Bay, Wis. — Roddy White had seen enough of the turtle-like road starts. So the Falcons’ blossoming wide receiver decided
to take matters into his own hands Sunday in Green Bay.

White and his teammates had been outscored, 31-12, in the first half of their first two road games this season. Not surprisingly, the
Falcons had been blistered in those away contests.

White stole the show early against the Packers, catching eight first-half passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. White’s
performance helped the Falcons build a 10-point halftime lead and they held on for a 27-24 win.

“It was a real big lift, going out there and making plays early in the game,” White said. “In our other two road games, we didn’t get
off to good starts and that was our thing all week: ‘Get off to a good start. Get off to a good start.’

“We did that today and got off to the kind of start we wanted. And the game just kind of came a little bit slower from there. The
last couple of games on the road have been confusion and everybody not doing what they’re supposed to do. Today, I felt
everybody did their job.”

No one did it better than White early on. And even though White didn’t have a second-half catch, his dominating first half set the
tone and gave the Falcons confidence they could win away from the Georgia Dome.

“Yeah, he hurt us,” Packers cornerback Tramon Williams said of White. “We knew about him coming in, but he just kind of got
loose, I guess.”

He sure did. On the Falcons’ opening score, White had three catches and accounted for 64 of the Falcons’ 81 total yards.

On the game’s opening play, White beat Charles Woodson off the line of scrimmage and hauled in a 37-yard pass from
quarterback Matt Ryan. Three plays later, with the Falcons operating out of the shotgun and employing four receivers, White
schooled rookie cornerback Pat Lee and made a 19-yard reception.

White later made an 8-yard catch against Williams on a drive that ended with Ryan hitting tight end Justin Peelle for a 1-yard
touchdown.

“First drive, for him to get three catches and help us get seven [points] right away on the road, that was huge for us,” wideout
Michael Jenkins said of White. “It just really got us going in the right direction.”

Atlanta led, 10-7, midway through the second quarter when it embarked on a 90-yard scoring drive. White again was at the
forefront, accounting for 68 of those yards, including a 22-yard touchdown.

White drew a 20-yard pass interference penalty against Lee on a third-and-9 to keep the drive going. “I thought it was going to be
Charles [Woodson] covering me, but when [Blackmon] came out there, I was like, ‘Oh, boy!’ ” White said on the touchdown.
“Matt [Ryan] looked over and I knew he was going to throw the ball deep.”

Green Bay shadowed White with Woodson, its top corner, much of the second half. And while that took White out of the spotlight,
it opened up plenty for his teammates.

“I just wanted to compete and show my stuff,” said White, who now has 26 catches for 454 yards. “I feel like I can be an elite
receiver in this league and that’s something I want to show every week.”

It’s something he certainly accomplished Sunday.

 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 9/28/08

Falcons learn where they stand in Carolina loss

Running game stalls and mistakes mount against Panthers
By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER

Charlotte – The Falcons wanted to come to Carolina and make a statement about their worthiness.

They’d taken care of weaker teams — Detroit and Kansas City — on the schedule and needed a victory over a team with a
winning record to show how far they’ve progressed.

But the inability to score touchdowns, convert on third downs and a porous pass defense contributed mightily to a 24-9 loss to the
Panthers on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.

“We wanted to come out and show ourselves and everybody out there that we’re a good football team,” wide receiver Brian
Finneran said. “With the penalties, the third downs, not scoring touchdowns in the red zone, we weren’t able to do that today.”

Carolina improved to 3-1, while the Falcons dropped to 2-2.

The Falcons problems were numerous.

The running attack that powered them in their victories was shut down. The Falcons entered the game leading the league in rushing
with 203 yards per game.

The Panthers stuffed running back Michael Turner, holding him to 56 yards on 18 carries. They held the Falcons to 118 yards
total.

“That’s football,” Turner said. “There are going to be grind it out games. There’s not going to be big long runs every week.”

When rookie quarterback Matt Ryan had to pass, his receivers didn’t always help out. Unofficially, there were at least seven
dropped passes.

Ryan threw the ball 41 times, completing 21 passes for 158 yards and finished with a 60.8 quarterback rating.

He would not place the blame for the offense’s woes on the receivers.

“Physical mistakes are going to happen in games,” Ryan said. “There is nothing that you can do.”

Wide receivers Roddy White and Harry Douglas had two drops each. Finneran had a drop and running backs Turner and Jerious
Norwood also dropped passes.

“Those were balls that we should catch,” White said. “That’s on us. We’ve got to get better. We’ve got to get out there and help
the young fellow (Ryan) out.”

In both of the Falcons’ losses, the offense has failed to score a touchdown. Against the Panthers they settled for three field goals.

“It’s a learning process for Matt right now and where we are at right now,” Falcons head coach Mike Smith said. “We’ve got to
take a positive out of every game and every thing that we do. I think it’s very important to be positive because it’s very big
learning curve in this league.”

With the dropped passes being a contributing factor, the Falcons converted just 2-of-13 third downs.

“Third down kind of killed us,” left tackle Todd Weiner said. “We were in a bunch of makeable third downs and we just didn’t get
that done.”

Despite all of the Falcons woes, Mike Smith felt they were not major issues.

“The things that went on out there as far as the Falcons are concerned, they are all things that we can fix,” Smith said. “They are
fixable.”

Carolina held a 14-9 lead at halftime.

The Panthers’ undisciplined play helped the Falcons keep it close in the first half.

Ryan’s first pass of the game was intercepted and returned for an apparent touchdown by Richard Marshall. The play was nullified
by a roughing the passer penalty on Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers.

The Falcons added their third field after Jason Elam had missed a 49-yard attempt. The Panthers were called for having 12 men on
the field and from five yards closer, Elam made the field goal.

The Panthers entered the game having committed 13 false start penalties and added two more in the first half.

The Falcons were hanging around in the third quarter, needing to come up with a big play. On third-and-10 from Carolina’s 43
yard line, Douglas was open in the middle of the Panthers zone and appeared to have room to run, but he dropped the pass.

On the next possession, the Panthers added a field goal to make it 17-9. After stopping the Falcons, Muhsin Muhammad got open
for a 56-yard touchdown.

Muhammad caught the ball between safety Erik Coleman and cornerback Brent Grimes, who had a rough day. Muhammad had
eight catches for 147 yards and a touchdown, mostly all over Grimes.

“They did a good job of finding a hole in the zone,” Coleman said.
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 9/21/08

Turner’s 3 TDs lead Falcons past Chiefs

By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER

Falcons running back Michael Turner could not put a number on how many Kansas City defenders that he ran over, through or
around Sunday.

Early in the new regime, his bruising running style has been the team’s trademark. It’s the physical brand of power football that the
re-made Falcons want to establish under general manager Thomas Dimintroff and head coach Mike Smith.

Turner had several key runs and three rushing touchdowns to help the Falcons defeat Kansas City 38-14 at the Georgia Dome.

The Falcons improved to 2-1, while the Chiefs dropped to 0-3.

Turner, who rushed for 220 yards in the season opener, finished with 104 yards on 23 carries. He was bottled up last week against
Tampa Bay, rushing for only 42 yards on 14 carries.

“We committed ourselves to running the football,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “We talked all week about how that’s what we
were going to do and our guys went out and executed it. It’s really enjoyable as a coach to see a game plan executed like they
executed it today.”

The Chiefs, after giving up 300 yards rushing last week to Oakland, were determined to crowd the line of scrimmage on Turner.

“We just had a better plan for it,” Turner said. “Last week kind of took us off guard. We really weren’t sure how teams were going
to try to defend against the run.”

The Falcons were not able to run the ball against the Chiefs early. They were stopped on their opening three possessions and
forced to punt.

“We weren’t panicking when they came out playing great defense,” Turner said “We had to be patient with the run and big things
were going to happen.”

After the offense misfired early, the Falcons went to Turner, who became the fifth Falcon to rush for at least three touchdowns in a
game, to get things going.

Backed up to their 7-yard line after a special teams penalty, Turner slipped off the left side of the line and through five tackles on a
38-yard gain. It appeared that he carried Kansas City linebacker Pat Thomas for about five of those yards.

When asked how many people he ran over during the brutish run, Turner said, “I have no idea. I have to see it on film” and started
smiling.

“It’s a great thing to see when your running backs are bouncing off three, four or five guys,” quarterback Matt Ryan said. “That
wears on a defense. When they are running through the first and second tackle and getting to the secondary play-in and play-out.
That’s takes a toil on the defense.”

The Falcons used Turner’s 38-yard run to score 24 unanswered points, that included touchdown runs of four and one yards by
Turner.

On the possession following the key run, Ryan tossed a 70-yard touchdown pass to Roddy White. With the safeties creeping up to
the line of scrimmage looking for Turner, White just took off up the right side and ran past Kansas City cornerback Dimitri
Patterson and safety Jarrad Page. He caught Ryan’s strike in the middle of the field at the 20-yard and ran in for the score.

“We are not one dimensional,” Turner said. “When we can get that big start, it shows that we can run and pass and keep the
defense on its heels.”

Ryan tossed a 62-yard touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins against Detroit. For a team that wants to establish the run, it must show
that it can effectively connect on deep passes.

“It’s part of football, if they are going to protect against the run,” Turner said. “They have to worry about the deep ball. We can hit
those plays. If we can show teams that we can hit the deep ball, there’s no telling what we can do this year.”
A week after Ryan was hit 18 times — four sacks and 14 quarterback hits — the offensive keep his uniform clean against the
Chiefs.

“They played phenomenal up front,” Ryan said. “I don’t think I got hit all day and that’s credit to those guys up front.”
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 9/14/08

Bucs capitalize on Ryan’s early miscues

Falcons rookie misfired on his first nine passes, threw two interceptions
By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER

Tampa — Somewhere between the first two performances of the season, likely lie the real Atlanta Falcons.

There was no white-hot start to open the game, no punishing ground attack and no rookie quarterback playing like a savvy and
seasoned signal-caller.

In their road opener, the Falcons fell behind early, running back Michael Turner was made to look mortal and rookie Matt Ryan
nearly threw away more passes than he completed.

Tampa Bay built an early lead and got a long touchdown run late to defeat the Falcons 24-9 at Raymond James Stadium on
Sunday.

The Bucs improved to 1-1 and Falcons dropped to 1-1.

“I thought we started out entirely too slow both on offense and defense,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “Our third down
efficiency wasn’t what we needed to have, both on offense on defense.”

In the season opener, the Falcons jumped all over Detroit, building a 21-0 lead before winning 34-21.

Against Tampa Bay then got behind 17-0 and could never string together enough plays to mount a legitimate comeback.

Ryan, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, got off to a horrid start before bouncing back with a respectable second half.

Ryan was befuddled by Tampa Bay’s coverage schemes. He misfired on his first nine passes, which also included two
interceptions.

“Matt saw a whole bunch of things today,” Smith said.

Ryan didn’t complete a pass until the 6:22 mark of the second quarter. After completing just 3 of 15 passes in the first half, Ryan
came back to comlete 10 of 18 in the second half.

The Falcons had some scoring opportunities, but Ryan couldn’t pull the trigger.

“A couple of times there were throws that were there that I’ve got to be on time a little bit better with,” Ryan said. “But at the end
of the day, they did a really good job.”

After throwing the two interceptions, Ryan threw away several passes.

“They had some good coverage today,” Ryan said. “That’s a credit to those guys. They’ve got some talented players in the
secondary.”

Ryan completed 9 of 13 passes in the opener against Detroit. The Buccaneers were determined to stop the Falcons run game and
make the rookie beat them passing the ball.

Right now, in just his second game in the NFL, Ryan wasn’t ready to take that challenge. “As a rookie, it’s never going to be
easy,” Ryan said.

Turner, who ran for 220 yards in the season-opener, was held to 42 yards rushing and suffered an ankle injury.

“They loaded the box,” Smith said. “We had to make checks to get out of the run game when they loaded the box.”

The Falcons came out passing. After two incompletions, Ryan’s pass intended for Harry Douglas was intercepted by fellow rookie
Aqib Talib at Atlanta’s 19 yard line. Five plays later, Brian Griese tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass to John Gilmore to make it 7-0.

“That one was on me,” Ryan said. “I just threw it a little high. Trying to get the ball out of my hand quickly. The most important
thing is being accurate and I wasn’t accurate on that pass.”
Former Falcon Warrick Dunn came back to haunt them on Tampa Bay’s second scoring drive.

Dunn helped the Bucs put together a brutish 15-play touchdown drive. They converted on four consecutive third downs with Dunn
scoring on 17-yard draw play on third down-and goal from the 17.

Dunn also broke free for a 12-yard gain on third down-and-10 to keep the drive moving.

“When you don’t get off the field on third down, you’re usually going to pay for that,” Smith said.

On the Falcons ensuing possession, Ryan was intercepted by safety Sabby Piscitelli on a pass that was intended for Michael
Jenkins. Tackle Sam Baker, who would later leave the game with a blow to head, made a touchdown saving tackle. The pass
appeared to be thrown behind Jenkins.

Tampa Bay had a first down at Atlanta’s 17. The defense held and forced the Bucs to settled for a field goal. Matt Bryant made a
33-yarder to make it 17-0.

The Falcons got field goals of 32-, 27- and 24-yards from Jason Elam to make it 17-9.

But Tampa Bay’s Earnest Graham broke loose for a 64-yard touchdown run with 3:08 to play to end all of the drama.

“I didn’t have a good enough grab on him,” Falcons defensive end Jamaal Anderson said. “I was expecting some help from the
outside, but it wasn’t there.”

Next week, against lowly Kansas City it will be interesting to see which Falcons teams shows up. The one that mauled Detroit or
the one that faced the Buccaneers.
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 9/8/08

Ryan, Turner lead Falcons to win in opener

By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER

After throwing his first NFL pass, Matt Ryan was gliding around the Georgia Dome like he’d just won the lottery.

First stop, the end zone to congratulate Michael Jenkins and celebrate with his teammates.

Then Ryan, the new face of the franchise and quarterback of the future, ran up the sidelines back to the bench, raising his arms to
excite the crowd while taking a few leaps in the air.

It was a spectacular way to start his career and help send his team to a 34-21 victory over Detroit Sunday at the Georgia Dome.

“I think anybody would get excited in that situation,” Ryan said. “I was fired up. Jenks was fired up. That was a good start for us.”

On the 62-yard touchdown, Jenkins got behind Detroit’s cornerback and Ryan threw a masterful strike before the safety could
come over to help.

It’s not a touchdown if Ryan’s pass doesn’t hit Jenkins in stride.

“I had a skinny post and Matt put it right on the money,” Jenkins said. “I couldn’t believe I was kind of by myself. All I had to do
was take it in.”

Ryan was so happy after the play, he forgot to get the ball for a keepsake.

“I kind of lost track of the ball,” Ryan said.

Ryan’s touchdown pass got things started, but it was the running of Michael “The Burner” Turner and Jerious Norwood that was
the bulk of the offense. Turner rushed for a team record 220 yards as the offense set a team-record with 318 yards.

Turner, who backed up LaDainian Tomlinson in San Diego for the last four season, was also making his first NFL start.

On the Falcons second possession, Turner broke loose for a 66-yard touchdown run.

That clearly was the Falcons offensive plan for success. Run Turner and open things up for Ryan to throw the ball.

“I was just impressed,” Ryan said. “Sometimes you find yourself sitting back there watching these runs, then you snap to it
because you realize that you’ve got to run down there and help out because he might break through some more of those tackles.”

Turner and Norwood took a great deal of pressure off of Ryan.

“To have that one-two punch is nice,” Ryan said.

The rookie from Boston College, who was the No. 3 overall pick in the draft and signed a $72 million contract, completed 9-of-13
passes for 161 yards and a touchdown. He had a quarterback rating of 137.

“He was very composed,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “Way, way back when we were doing our due diligence with [GM]
Thomas [Dimitroff] and his staff, when we met with Matt, you knew this guy had something about him. He was very calm, cool
and collected.”

The Falcons may not have asked Ryan to do too much, but the offensive players knew who was in control in the huddle.

“He didn’t seem like a rookie out there today,” Turner said. “He took control of the huddle. … He was being a real drill sergeant
out there, letting everybody know that he was in control.”

The Falcons didn’t ask Ryan to throw 30 times or try to get 300 yards. He stayed within the framework of the offensive
coordinator Mike Mularkey’s system.

“Matt did some good things at the line of scrimmage, getting us out of bad plays and into good plays,” Turner said.
On the Falcons third drive, Turner scored against on a 5-yard run to make it 21-0.

The Lions battled back with two touchdowns and were driving for a tying score to open the third quarter, but safety Lawyer Milloy
intercepted a Jon Kitna pass intended for an open Roy Williams.

Milloy returned the ball 38 yards to set up the Falcons offense is good field position.

The Falcons added Jason Elam’s 50-yard field goal off Milloy’s turnover. After holding the Lions, Norwood scored on a 10-yard
run to make 31-14.

“That’s probably the turning point in the game,” Smith said. “They were moving the football.”

To close out the victory, the Falcons ran the final 5:53 off the clock by pounding Turner and Norwood into the heart of the Lions
defense.

In his first NFL game, Ryan got to take the victory stance — kneeling down — three times after the Lions used their final timeout
with 1:41 left.

When asked if Ryan got an A or an F in his debut, Jenkins said, “Obviously an A, that was something he’ll never forget.”
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 7/29/08

Players know Falcons head coach means business

By Terence Moore The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Flowery Branch — Nobody knew the outwardly compassionate Bill Walsh would evolve into a secretly ruthless NFL head coach.
Chuck Noll was more about actions than words from the start. Then you had the sideline calisthenics of John Madden, Jerry
Glanville and the rest.

Anyway, who is Mike Smith, and what will he become?

You just can’t tell, especially since this particular “Mike Smith” is entering his seventh month with the Falcons as a first-year NFL
head coach.

What we do know is that Smith has coached for 26 years overall, including nine in the NFL. He also has the facial profile of a
kinder, gentler Vince Lombardi, and he smiles like Steve “wild and crazy guy” Martin. Plus, despite having a team that began
training camp this week dominated by question marks instead of exclamation points, he gives you the impression that he is
eternally joyful.

So why did Falcons defensive end John Abraham raise his eyebrows after easing into a smile between two-a-days on Tuesday after
our last comment?

“I’ve seen him angry,” said Abraham, before adding in a hurry, “It wasn’t fiery angry, but I’ve seen him get an attitude a couple of
times. He puts his foot down when he needs to, and a lot of times, you can have a tendency to overlook that, because if you look at
his exterior, he’s such a nice guy. But when you have somebody who is always happy, you don’t want to see him when he gets
mad.”

That’s true, which means the Falcons may have what they need — a head coach who makes players comfortable, but only to a
point. In other words, Smith isn’t wearing the blinders of Jim Mora, who was so chummy with his players that he once climbed
into the Lamborghini of DeAngelo Hall to follow the bus containing the rest of the Falcons to a team event.

Then again, Smith is sort of like Mora, suggested Abraham, who has seen more than a few coaching styles during his nine seasons
in the league that began with the New York Jets. “To me, [Smith] is a mix of a several people, including Jim Mora, and he’s a little
bit of Herm Edwards,” Abraham said. “Both of those coaches know how to treat guys on and off the field. That’s the biggest thing
to me. You can always go to Mike’s office and talk to him.”

Bobby Petrino, not so much. He was Smith’s predecessor, and he also was a rookie NFL head coach. His style was to treat
professional athletes as if they were the same as the college players he was used to coaching. The word “dictatorship” comes to
mind. Not surprisingly, with much of the Falcons locker room threatening to shove a goalpost down his mouth, he bolted in the
middle of the night to call Hogs in Arkansas near the end of last season.

You had Mora before Petrino, and you had Dan Reeves and his traditional ways as a veteran NFL head coach before that. As for
other Falcons skippers, their styles aren’t worth mentioning, except for moments of goodness by a Leeman Bennett here and a
Glanville there.

Now you have Smith and his occasionally deceptive calmness. “I’m not a hothead by any stretch, but the guys know when it’s time
to get on point,” Smith said, straight-faced, forgetting to add … or else.
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 5/13/08

Nice pick to rescue franchise

QB Ryan's wholesome image a boon to Falcons
By STEVE HUMMER The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Place all you think you know about Mike Vick in a strongbox and bury it somewhere deep. Absolutely nothing in there is relevant
to the story that follows.

The Falcons' fallen star is at one pole of the quarterback planet. At the exact opposite is the third of Mike and Bernie Ryan's four
kids from the not-so-mean cul-de-sacs of Exton, Pa. He's a striking piece of statuary in the pocket, who agrees that his upbringing
was '50s-sitcom idyllic and who comes off about as hip as a pair of Birkenstocks.

"I think I'm just pretty normal, like everybody else," said Matt Ryan after his second Falcons minicamp practice Saturday.

"I enjoy going out getting some good food. I love the beach — my family has a house on the Jersey Shore, I love spending the
summers there just kind of hanging out. Beach-goer, golfer, TV watcher, just like everybody else. Normal — kind of boring,
really."

The Falcons could use a touch of boring after a wild ride through the animal cruelty statutes this past year and change.

When the Falcons took Ryan with their No. 3 pick in the NFL draft, it represented a turning of the page. Actually, they ripped out
the page, burned it and scattered the ashes to the wind.

If there are no other promises in selecting Ryan to lead the Falcons back to self-respect — and former Baltimore Ravens coach
turned NFL Network analyst Brian Billick has put his chances at long-term success at no better than 50-50 — there is this:

"He'll do everything he possibly can to turn Atlanta into a winning franchise," assured his high school coach, Brian McCloskey.

"He'll always say the right things and do the right things."

Here is a player reeking of stability, one very ordered guy.

A little guarded on the details, Ryan already has his house in the Atlanta area secured. He and his father knocked out that detail
during a visit shortly after the draft. He has been seeing the same young woman for a while now. Per his request, we'll leave it at
the fact she is a former basketball player at his alma mater, Boston College.

Dad has a business wiring new offices. Mom is in the field of raising Ryans, all of them tilting toward the athletic, even though
their parents weren't exactly built that way.

Matt's uncle, John Loughery, was a good man to have on board. A quarterback, too, at Boston College, he laughingly pegs himself
as "the guy Doug Flutie replaced." He also was the guy who could begin to fill in his nephew on the wonderful methods of turning
a safety to pudding.

Matt's oldest brother, Mike, his father's namesake, began the tradition of game-playing in the Ryan household. He was the light in
the distance to which Matt was always drawn. He was the big brother who inspired a powerful competitive instinct.

A Division III quarterback at Widener University, Mike Ryan was home in the spring of 2001, out with his little brother to do what
else — compete. With 16-year-old Matt at the wheel of the car, they were waiting to turn left into a local golf course when they
were rear-ended. The collision pushed them into the path of an oncoming fuel truck. Matt suffered a broken ankle. Mike had a
shattered throwing elbow that a series of surgeries couldn't make completely right. Football career over.

"Looking back, he and Michael were very fortunate to walk away from that," said their father. "Obviously, they were very close
before [the accident]. I think they were even closer after that."

It was difficult for Matt to take anything for granted after the accident. Seemed that everything he was and did could be traced
back to the bedrock of family. That has been his biggest asset through the first 22 years (he'll turn 23 Saturday).

Even the man's high school is a monument to a well-grounded life. There aren't many Matt Ryan mementos in the halls of the
William Penn Charter School, said his former football coach, McCloskey. As the nation's oldest Quaker school, founded by Mr.
Penn himself in 1689, it's not that kind of place. They tend to take pride in not being prideful. You don't have to be a Quaker —
and the Ryans are not — to absorb a little of the ethos of the place.

What they do have are the memories of a three-sport athlete who always seemed to hit the big 3-point shot, drive in the key run or
convert on third down on demand. The player who wowed the Falcons with his ability to riff on offense as they tested him before
the draft — the master of the dry-erase board — was showing his stuff early. Big game against Malvern Prep his senior year; third-
and-long, and the big-play quarterback checks off to a fullback dive. Someone wrap the coaches in blankets, they're in shock. But
the play goes for 15.

" 'You know what? That's why we're on the sidelines and he's out there,' " McCloskey remembers telling his coaches at the time.

"Matty Ice" was the nickname he picked up in high school for his coolness under duress, and it followed him to Boston College.
His father can't remember the last time he saw his boy rattled — that is, if you don't count when the Ryan men are on the golf
course.

Wait until he gets his hands on these Falcons; the nickname will undergo a real crash test.

Need more evidence that there's a different sheriff in town? Others come by their YouTube stardom by juggling beer kegs or
setting their hair on fire or even, say, flipping off the fans in the stands. Ryan's arrived when, out of a sense of release, he threw up
on the sideline after leading B.C. to two touchdowns in 131 seconds to beat Virginia Tech on the road last year.

His was a college career that peaked with 11 wins in 2007, Boston College's highest total since 1940. He threw for 4,507 yards, 31
touchdowns and those troublesome 19 interceptions. Along the way, heroic odes were written to his ability to tough it out, whether
it was popping up after his head went one way and his helmet went the other against Clemson or playing the bulk of his junior
season with a broken foot.

Ryan calls a timeout.

"The things I've gone through are similar to what everybody on this team has gone through at some point," he said, once more
securing his own anchor.

Ryan's first impressions of Atlanta were all lollipops and rainbows. He came into town last September, spent a night at a nice
Buckhead hotel and threw for 435 yards against Georgia Tech with the lights of the city as a shimmering backdrop. Then he sent a
foreshadowing text message to his mother about what a great place this Atlanta seemed to be. Why, he wouldn't mind playing
there one day.

On his return for Falcons minicamp, he was talking to old Boston College teammate Tony Gonzalez, a Falcons free-agent tryout
receiver. The setting has changed. He has a dome full of disaffected fans to win over.

But the tone of his message hasn't changed all that much.

"The thing he was real adamant about," said Gonzalez, recalling their conversation, "was getting down here and working, proving
to everyone that he's not just a first-round draft pick, the wonder boy. He's coming in here to show — not only the Atlanta Falcons,
but every team in the NFL — that's he's here for real."
 ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS
Publication: AJC.com Date: 1/26/08

Shade of gray suits new Falcons coach Smith

Grounded coach lands on club badly in need of stability
By STEVE HUMMER The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

In breaking down the anatomy of the new guy, let's do it very systematically. Mike Smith would want it that way.

So, start at the top.

The head of the new Falcons head coach is as snow-capped as Kilimanjaro. Smith is 48, admits he looks 58, and hardly gets upset
at all when a stranger comments on what a cute little granddaughter he has. Seven-year-old Logan is his one and only daughter.

Turns out it was a very short trip from long-haired Daytona Beach surfer boy to hoary-headed tendency wonk. The first flecks of
white began appearing in Smith's thatch at 23. By 28 he was all gray and unwilling to buy Grecian Formula by the barrel.

"It wasn't worry, it wasn't stress, he got it honestly," said his mother, Carol, whose eight children all have inherited their mother's
and father's premature gray gene. Thanks, folks.

The eyes, it is said, are particularly adept at spotting talent. When the Falcons' new general manager first met Smith, Thomas
Dimitroff was struck by just how much they had in common on that score. They could have talked hip turn and shuttle run times
all night.

Smith's scouting acumen was evident early, in 1982, when he was just starting his entry-level gig as a "quality control" coach at
San Diego State. Just-fired Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick was on that staff, too. One night, when Billick and his wife had
other plans, he asked the kid if he would take out his wife's sister, who was visiting from out of town.

"Does she look anything like your wife?" Smith asked.

"Well, yeah, they're sisters," came Billick's answer.

"I'm in."

His instincts were accurate, the movie and dinner went well, and Mike and Julie Smith have been married for nearly the entire
length of his coaching journey. For those keeping score, that would be: San Diego State (1982-85), Morehead State (1986, D-line
coach), Tennessee Tech (1988-1998, eventual D-coordinator), Baltimore Ravens (1999-2002, D-line and linebackers coach),
Jacksonville Jaguars (2003-07, D-coordinator).

As well as squaring away Smith's personal life, Billick was his great professional bridge, bringing him to the NFL when he took
over the Ravens and installing him behind a defense that was the reason Baltimore won the Super Bowl in the 2000 season.

'This guy is a worker'

Being related by marriage to the head coach has it perks, but there also are drawbacks. In the never-ending battle for locker room
respect — something Smith is bound to face with the Falcons

— whispers of nepotism are pure poison.

"I think what happens when you come in that situation, you're going to present who you are in the first three or four months that
you're there," Smith said. "That's what happened in Baltimore. People knew after 60 or 90 days, hey, this guy is a ball coach. This
guy is a worker. This guy has an eye for personnel.

"In every situation there is going to be somebody who is skeptical about your situation. Over the long haul, your true colors will
always come out."

Shoulders: Broad enough.

As the oldest of eight children — Sam and Carol determined early that there was a critical shortage of Smiths in the world — Mike
found himself in a coaching position from a young age.

"You're the mentor to a number of siblings," he said, speaking as the eldest. "There is eight of us [four sisters, three brothers,
himself] within 13 years. We're a very tight-knit group."

Both parents are educators — his father currently heads an alternative high school in Daytona, and his mother, semi-retired, still
substitute teaches special education classes.

(A local aside: His father actually lived in the Druid Hills area until moving to Florida when he was 14. His mother, Mike's 94-
year-old grandmother Frances Smith, still lives in Atlanta. She's not much of a football fan, though, Sam Smith says. But has
always been a big Braves backer.)

As the eldest, Mike was there for the full, brief tenure of Sam Smith's run as a middle school football coach, and is thus the only
child who veered into serious sports. It was dad's habit to involve his son in the process. At the end of practice, he'd send his 8-
year-old boy on a deep pass pattern. If he caught the ball, no more wind sprints for the team. If the coach wanted his team to run
more, he'd throw the ball higher, harder, more beyond his son's reach.

The notions of work and responsibility are a given when you're one of eight children. The beach child would cut his long hair to fit
the code at Father Lopez High School in Daytona and fit right into the stricter culture. But there was one catch. If he wanted to
stay in private school, his father insisted, Mike would have to work and pony up half the tuition. "And he always came up with the
money," Sam Smith said.

Heart: In the right place.

Smith's senior season at Father Lopez was cut short by a broken arm in the second game. Shattered, he nonetheless couldn't get
away from the game. "He loved football," said his high school coach, Phil Richart. "He came to me and said, 'Coach, I've got to do
something to be a part of the team.' So I let him coach the other linebackers."

Passion for game is total

Football had become a part of his soul. "He used to tell me he could go to sleep and play the game in his head," his mother said.

OK, one of Smith's former players in Jacksonville, Marcellus Wiley, questioned the Falcons hire, suggesting that Smith was but a
functionary while head coach Jack Del Rio did all the heavy lifting on defense. There's the dissenting view.

Others put out the image of a tireless worker who can relate to players as well as dancing X's and O's. "We had a pretty motley
crew in Baltimore, and he kept it together really well," former Ravens defensive lineman Rob Burnett said.

Then there's the terrible slander — the same one that Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy spent years trying to overcome —
that the coach is at heart a nice guy. He can get emotional, he can let fly an excited barrage on the practice field, but he tends to
quickly return to center.

"When people use the term 'he's a nice guy,' I hope that means you're a quality person," Smith said. "That's what I feel being a nice
guy means. There are times when you are going to have to not be nice. There'll be times when you have to talk to a player or a
subordinate and they're not going to like what you say. But that's just a part of interacting with one another."

Stomach: Cast iron. He has a reputed taste for pickled eggs. 'Nuff said.

Legs: Better than you might suspect for an undersized high school Class AA linebacker whose wrecked senior season left only
East Tennessee State and Army at his door.

"He could go sideline-to-sideline quicker than anyone I ever saw at that position," remembered one of his East Tennessee
teammates, defensive back Donnie Cook.

"I was a very active player," Smith said. "I was a very passionate player."

Smith still holds the single-season tackle record, an almost preposterous 186. And he may very well keep it forever — East
Tennessee has since dropped football.

Feet: Set firmly on the ground.

Even his mother says, "He is one of the less glitzy coaches."

Just what the Falcons ordered. It remains to be seen what impact Smith will have on this damaged franchise. By appearances at
least, he should do nothing to add to the drama. The perfect Bud Abbott for this Lou Costello of a team.
The man hasn't surfed in close to 15 years, he figures. His hobbies now — fly fishing and kayaking — speak to a contemplative
approach.

His candidacy came out of nowhere, because he is not one of those coaches who shoot off flares in the media.

"He's always been: 'I work hard, and someone will be out, is watching, and they'll notice.' He's not one to flash his name around.
He just believes in hard work," said Julie, his wife.

There is a pattern emerging here in this version of Mr. Smith Goes to Flowery Branch. If you hang in there long enough, sooner or
later the gray hair will fit your place in life. If you are patient, even after nearly 20 years of marriage, your prayers will be
answered with the arrival of a beautiful child. And if you put your head down and go to work like you always have, maybe it is
possible to pay down all the nonsense the Falcons have accrued.
 records / team records
ATLANTA FALCONS ALL-TIME RECORDS LARGEST MARGIN OF LOSSES
Total Regular Season Games Played: 656 59 at LA Ram., 0–59 (12–4–76)
Regular Season Record: 267–383–6 (44 seasons) 46 at K.C., 10–56 (10–24–04)
Home: (160–167–2) 44 at Balt., 0–44 (12–1–68)
Away: (107–216–4) 43 at StL., 16–59 (11–10–96)
Playoff Gms. Played: 14 (4 home, 9 away, 1 neutral)
Playoff Rec.: 6–8 (3–1 home, 3–6 away, 0–1 neutral) BIGGEST COMEBACKS
21 vs. G. B. (11–27–83) Down 21–0, Won 47–41–OT
MOST GAMES WON, SEASON 21 at N.Y.J. (10–23–83) Down 21–0, Won 27–21
16 (14 regular — 2 playoff) (1998) 18 at StL. (11–9–80) Down 24–6, Won 33–27 OT
12 (all regular season) (1980) 17 at Pitt. (11–10–02) Down 34–17, Tied 34–34 OT
12 (11 regular — 1 playoff) (2004) 17 vs. S. F. (12–11–93) Down 24–7, Won 27–24
11 (10 regular season — 1 playoff) (1991) 17 vs. LA Ram (10–18–87) Down 17–0, Won 24–20
17 at G. B. (9–13–81) Down 17–0, Won 31–17
BEST WINNING PERCENTAGE, OVERALL SEASON
.842 (16–3) 1998 LONGEST GAME PLAYED
.706 (12–5) 1980 4:23 S. F. (10–6–85)
Best Win. Per., Reg. Season: .875 (14–2) (1998)
Fewest Gms. Won, Season: 1 (.077, 1–12–1) (1967) SHORTEST GAME PLAYED
Playoff Berths: 9 (1978, ‘80, ‘82, ‘91, ‘95, ‘98, ‘02, ‘04, ‘08) 2:16 at N. E. (9–24–72)
Division Titles: 3 (1980, ‘98, ‘04)
Conference Championships: 1 (1998) SCORING
Most Points, Season
CONSECUTIVES 442 (1998)
Most Consecutive Wins 426 (1981)
9 (1998) 405 (1980)
9 (1980) 402 (2002)
7 (1973) 394 (2008)
6 (Last 2, 1985 — 1st 4, 1986) Most Points, Game
Most Consecutive Home Wins 62 at N. O. (7) (9–16–73)
11 (3 in 1997, 8 in 1998) 51 vs. Car. (23) (10–4–98)
7 (5 in 1980, 2 in ‘81) 48 vs. Chi. (31) (11–16–69)
7 (1978) 47 vs. Hou. (27) (9–9–90)
Most Consecutive Road Wins 47 vs. G. B. (41), OT (11–27–83)
6 (1980) Most Points, First Half
4 (1973) 34 vs. Det. (10–5–80)
4 (1998) 33 vs. T. B. (11–17–91)
4 (2005) Most Points, Second Half
Most Consecutive Losses 38 at N. O. (9–16–73)
11 (Last 7, 1967 — 1st 4, 1968 Most Points, One Quarter
9 (1st 9 played, 1984) 33 vs. T.B., (2nd Qtr) (11–17–91)
8 (1st 8 played, 1996) 31 at G.B., (4th Qtr) (9–13–81)
Most Points, Each Quarter
ATTENDANCE 1st: 21 vs. DET (9-7-08)
Home Season, (10 games) 21 vs. Ten (11–23–03)
703,423 (1992) 21 vs. Mia (12–27–98)
703,361 (2006) 21 vs. Hou (9–9–90)
701,556 (2005) 21 vs. Hou (9–23–84)
700,731 (2003) 2nd: 33 vs. T. B. (11–17–91)
694,793 (2004) 24 vs. Wash. (12–17–89)
Largest Attendance, Home Game 24 at N. O. (9–16–73)
71,151 (10–22–06 vs. Pitt.) 3rd: 24 at N. O. (10–19–80)
71,102 (12–16–06 vs. Dal.) 4th: 31 at G. B. (9–13–81)
71,079 (10–9–05 vs. N. E.) Most Points, Both Teams, Game
71,001 (11–13–05 vs. G. B.) 90 Atlanta (33) vs. Pitt. (57) (12–18–66)
70,995 (10–24–05 vs. N.Y.J.) 88 Atlanta (47) at G.B. (41) (11–27–83)
Largest Attendance, Away Game 85 Atlanta (44) vs. Sea. (41) (12–30–07)
83,437 (11–26–67 at NO, Tulane Stadium) 80 Atlanta (35) vs. S.F. (45) (10–14–90)
79 Atlanta (38) at Det.(41) (10–3–71)
Consecutive Sellouts, Home (Regular Season) 79 Atlanta (48) vs. Chi. (31) (11–16–69)
38 (2002–07) Most Points, Both Teams, By Quarter
28 (1971–74) 1st: 34 Atlanta (13) at LA Rai. (21) (11–30–75)
2nd: 41 Atlanta (20) at N.O.(21) (9–2–79)
LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY 3rd: 35 Atlanta (14) vs. Pitt. (21) (12–18–66)
55 at N.O.,62–7 (9–16–73) 4th: 43 Atlanta (28) vs. CAR (15) (11–23–08)
41 at Car., 41–0 (11–24–02) Most Touchdowns, Season
41 at S.D., 41–0 (10–21–73) 53 (1998)
40 vs. Chi., 46–6 (10–14–73) 52 (1981)
36 vs. T.B., 43–7 (11–17–91) 50 (1980)
46 (1983)
 records / team records
Most Touchdowns, Game 145 (1980)
8 at N. O. (9–16–73) Most First Downs, Rushing, Game
6 vs. CAR (11-23-08) 19 vs. N. O. (10–24–71)
6 at Car. (11–24–02) Most First Downs, Passing, Season
6 vs. Car. (10–4–98) 218 (1994)
6 vs. Hou. (9–23–84) 216 (1995)
6 vs. N. O. (12–7–69) 202 (1996)
6 vs. Chi. (11–16–69) 194 (1992)
Most Touchdowns, Both Teams, Game 190 (1983)
12 Atlanta (5) vs. Pitt. (7) (12–18–66) Most First Downs, Passing, Game
Most PATs, Season 22 vs. Det. (11–5–95)
51 (1998) 21 at StL. Cardinals (11–9–80)
51 (1981) 20 vs. LA Ram (9–11–94)
46 (1980) Most First Downs, Penalty, Season
43 (1983) 35 (2000)
Most PATs, Game 33 (1998)
8 at N. O. (9–16–73) 31 (2004)
6 Four times 31 (1978)
Most PATs, Both Teams 30 (2002)
11 Atlanta (5) vs. San Fran. (6) (10–14–90) 30 (2001)
10 Atlanta (5) vs. Sea. (5) (12–30–07) Most First Downs, Penalty, Game
10 Atlanta (5) at G. B. (5) (11–27–83) 7 at Clev. (9–27–81)
10 Atlanta (5) at Det. (5) (10–3–71)
10 Atlanta (6) vs. Chi. (4) (11–16–69) TOTAL YARDS
Most Two–Point Conversions, Season Most Net Yards Gained, Season
4 (4–for–4) (2005) 5,779 (2008)
3 (3–for–8) (1995) 5,661 (1981)
3 (3–for–4) (1994) 5,650 (1980)
Most FG’s, Season 5,628 (1983)
33 (40 att.) (1995) Most Yards Gained, Game
32 (40 att.) (2002) 587 vs. Cards, (209–R, 378–P) (11–9–80)
29 (31 att.) (2008) 569 vs. N. O., (257–R, 312–P) (9–2–79)
29 (37 att.) (2001) Most Yards Gained, Game, Both Teams
26 (27 att.) (1993) 1,092 Atlanta (447) at Pitt. (645) (11–10–02)
26 (34 att.) (2007) 1,061 Atlanta (552) at N.O.(509) (9–2–79)
26 (38 att.) (1973) Most Total Plays, Season
Most FG’s Made, Game 1,144 (1981)
6 at N. O. (11–13–94) 1,090 (1985)
5 seven times, Last time vs. Det. (12–22–02) 1,086 (1986)
Most FG’s Made, Both Teams
8 Atlanta (6) at N.O.(2) (11–13–94) RUSHING
7 Atlanta (1) at S.F. (6) (9–29–96) Most Yards Gained, Season
7 Atlanta (2) at Car. (5) (9–1–96) *2,939 (2006)
7 Atlanta (1) vs. StL. (6) (12–9–73) *2,672 (2004)
7 Atlanta (5) vs. LA Ram. (2) (11–4–73) *2,546 (2005)
Most FG’s Attempted, Game 2,524 (1986)
6 at N.O.,(6 made) (11–13–94) 2,466 (1985)
6 vs. S.F., (3 made) (10–7–73) * NFL leader
Most FG’s Attempted, Both Teams Most Yards Gained, Game
10 Atlanta (3) vs. StL. (7) (12–11–66) 318 vs. DET (9-7-08)
Most Consecutive Games Scored In 306 vs. T. B. (9–17–06)
160 (1993–2003) 297 vs. L. A. Ram (10–1–72)
114 (1978–86) Most Yards Gained, Both Teams, Game
77 (1988–93) 476 Atlanta (169) vs. Wash. (307) (11–3–85)
Most Rushing Attempts, Season
FIRST DOWNS 582 (1977)
Most First Downs, Season 578 (1986)
336 (1980) 560 (2008)
325 (1983) 559 (1985)
319 (1998) 559 (1980)
318 (1981) Most Rushing Attempts, Game
Most First Downs, Game 58 at T. B. (11–27–77)
35 vs. N. O. (1979) Most Rushing Att. Both Teams, Game
34 vs. StL. (Cardinals) (1980) 105 Atlanta (43) at Oak. (62) (11–30–75)
32 vs. N. O. (1973) Best Rushing Average, Season
Most First Downs, Both Teams 5.5 (2006)
59 Atlanta (35) at N. Orleans (24) (9–2–79) 5.099 (2004)
Most First Downs, Rushing, Season 4.79 (2005)
149 (1986) 4.528 (2002)
149 (1985) 4.523 (1969)
 records / team records
Most TD’s Rushing, Season Most TD Passes, Both Teams, Game
23 (2008) 10 Atlanta (4) vs. S.F. (6) (10–14–90)
23 (2002) 8 Atlanta (2) at Wash. (6) (11–10–91)
20 (2004 Most Passes Had Intercepted, Season
18 (1998) 32 (501 att.) (1987)
18 (1973) 31 (355 att.) (1974)
17 (2005) 30 (600 att.) (1996)
17 (2003) 29 (388 att.) (1975)
17 (1983) 26 (297 att.) (1977)
Most TD’s Rushing, Game Most Passes Had Intercepted, Game
5 vs. CAR (11-23-08) 6 vs. StL. Ram (12–15–96)
5 at S. D. (10–21–73) 6 at Hou. (12–5–93)
6 vs. L. A. Ram (10–1–72)
PASSING Most Passes Had Int, Both Teams, Game
Most Net Yards Passing, Season 8 Atlanta (3) vs. Den. (5) (11–23–75)
4,186 (1995) 7 Atlanta (6) vs. StL. (1) (12–15–96)
4,112 (1994) Fewest Passes, Intercepted, Season
3,700 (1981) 10 (507 att.) (1983)
3,695 (2001) 11(434 att.) (2008)
3,655 (1996) 11 (484 att.) (1997)
Most Net Yards Passing, Game 11 (275 att.) (1982)
422 vs. Buf. (12–23–01) 12 (479 att.) (2002)
416 vs. Pitt. (11–15–81) 12 (603 att.) (1995)
Most Net Yds Passing, Both Teams, Game 12 (578 att.) (1989)
807 Atlanta (365) vs. S.F. (442) (10–14–90) 12 (320 att.) (1973)
771 Atlanta (272) at Den. (499) (10–31–04) 12 (282 att.) (1969)
742 Atlanta (279) a Pitt. (463) (11–10–02) Most Times Sacked, Season
722 Atlanta (346) vs. Wash. (376) (12–17–89) 70 (527 yds.) (1968)
722 Atlanta (378) at Cards (344) (11–9–80) 69 (531 yds.) (1985)
Most Passing Attempts, Season 67 (496 yds.) (1984)
629 (1994) Most Times Sacked, Game
603 (1995) 11 at Clev. (11–18–84)
600 (1996) 11 at StL. (11–23–68)
578 (1989) Most Times Sacked, Game, Both Teams
573 (1993) 17 Atlanta (8) vs. Phil. (9) (12–14–84)
Most Passing Attempts, Game 15 Atlanta (10) at N. Orleans (5) (10–12–97)
66 vs. Det. (37 comp) (12–24–89) Fewest Times Sacked, Season
58 at Stl. (33 comp) (12–2–07) 17 (434 att.) (2008)
56 at Car. (31 comp) (12–17–95) 25 (219 att.) (1982)
56 vs. LA Raid. (34 comp.) (9–19–82) 31 (500 att.) (1991)
Most Passing Att. Both Teams, Game 31 (239 att.) (1971)
102 Atlanta (45) vs. S.F. (57) (10–6–85) 32 (294 att.) (1975)
Most Passes Completed, Season Fewest Sacks Per Play, Season
374 (629 att) (1994) 1 per 25.5 plays (2008)
366 (548 att.) (1992) 1 per 17.1 plays (1997, 1994)
364 (603 att) (1995) 1 per 16.1 plays (1991)
356 (600 att.) (1996) 1 per 15.2 plays (1981)
336 (555 att.) (2007)
Most Passes Completed, Game PUNTING
37 vs. Det. (66 att) (12–24–89) Highest Punting Average, Season
34 vs. Dal. (46 att) (12–21–92) 44.32 (1968)
34 vs. LA Raid. (56 att) (9–19–82) 43.69 (1967)
33 at StL. (58 att) (12–2–07) 43.45 (2007)
33 vs. Phi. (49 att) (9–22–96) 43.30 (1966)
Most Passes Comp. Both Teams, Game 43.25 (1993)
68 Atlanta (31) vs. S.F. (37) (10–6–85) Most Punts, Season
Best Completion Percentage, Season 110 (1978)
64.0 (1982) 106 (1977)
63.3 (1983) 101 (1976)
61.5 (1984) Most Punts, Game
61.3 (1992) 12 vs. Wash. (12–10–78)
61.1 (2008)
Most TD Passes, Season PUNT RETURNS
33 (1992) Highest Punt Return Average, Season
31 (1980) 14.3 (2003)
30 (1991, ‘81) 13.6 (2001)
28 (1998, ‘93) 12.5 (1974)
26 (1997, ‘96, ‘95) 12.4 (2004)
Most TD Passes, Game 11.6 (1999)
5 at T. B. (12–13–92) Most Punt Returns, Season
60 (1976)
 records / team records
59 (1977) Most Fumbles Lost, Game
53 (1980) 5 vs. N. O. (11–25–79)
52 (1997) 5 at N. O. (10–10–76)
51 (1974) 5 at N. O. (10–15–72)
Most Punt Returns, Game Most Turnovers, Season
8 at Det. (11–12–00) 55 (24 Fum., 31 int.) (1974)
8 at S. F. (10–23–76) 49 (17 Fum., 32 int.) (1987)
8 vs. Chi. (10–13–74) 48 (19 Fum., 29 int.) (1975)
Most Yards Gained, Season 45 (21 Fum., 24 int.) (1976)
635 (1974) Most Takeaways, Season
613 (2003) 48 (1977)
536 (1980) 47 (1969)
489 (1983) 46 (1981)
483 (1997) Most Interceptions, Season
Most Yards Gained, Game 26 (1980)
139 vs. Dal. (11–11–01) 26 (1977)
137 vs. N. O. (10–25–70) 25 (1975, ‘81, ‘94)
Most TD Returns, Season 24 (1988, ‘02)
2 (1970, 1999) Biggest Turnover Differential, Season
Most TD Returns, Game +23 (48 Takeaways, 25 Turnovers) (1977)
1 13 Times , Last time vs. CAR (11–23–08) +20 (44 Takeaways, 24 Turnovers) (1998)
+16 (42 Takeaways, 26 Turnovers) (1980)
KICKOFF RETURNS +16 (47 Takeaways, 31 Turnovers) (1969)
Highest Kickoff Return Average, Season +12 (39 Takeaways, 27 Turnovers) (2002)
25.15 (1998) + 9 (30 Takeaways, 21 Turnovers) (1995)
25.03 (1971) Biggest Turnover Deficit, Season
24.39 (2007) –26 (29 Takeaways, 55 Turnovers) (1974)
23.94 (1992) –22 (27 Takeaways, 49 Turnovers) (1987)
23.86 (2008) –18 (23 Takeaways, 41 Turnovers) (1996)
23.64 (1993) –18 (24 Takeaways, 42 Turnovers) (1993)
Most Kickoff Returns, Season
87 (1996) QUARTERBACK SACKS MADE
83 (2000) Most Sacks, Season
82 (1966) 55 (1997)
79 (2003) 48 (2004)
76 (1999) 47 (2002)
Most Kickoff Returns, Game 47 (1978)
10 vs. Pitt. (12–18–66) 46 (1980)
10 vs. S. F. (9–29–76) Most Sack Yardage, Season
9 at StL. . (11–10–96) 425 (1978)
9 at S. F. (12–4–94) 396 (1980)
9 at Wash. (11–10–91) 391 (1977)
Most Yards Gained, Season 389 (1989)
1,890 (2000) 344 (1997)
1,825 (1996) Most Sacks, Game
1,737 (1966) 10 at N.O. (10–12–97)
1,781 (2007) 9 vs. Min. (10–2–05)
1,700 (1987) 9 vs. Car. (9–3–95)
Most Yards Gained, Game 9 vs. N.Y.G. (10–2–77)
257 at Den. (9–10–00)
249 vs. Pitt. (9–27–93) OPPONENT FUMBLES/RECOVERIES
237 vs. Sea. (12–30–07) Most Fumbles, Season
214 at Hou. (10–25–87) 45 (1978)
Most TD Returns, Season 43 (1981)
3 (2000) 37 (1998)
2 (1997, ‘92) 37 (1969)
1 (1967, 69, 78, 85, 87, 90, 91, 93, 98, 01, 02) Most Recoveries, Season
28 (1969)
TURNOVERS/TAKEAWAYS 25 (1998)
Most Fumbles Had, Season 25 (1978)
42 (1972) 22 (1977)
41 (1978) 22 (1976)
40 (1973, ‘90) Most Fumbles, Game
Most Fumbles Lost, Season 7 at Min. (12-21-08)
24 (1974) 7 vs. Phi. (10–5–76)
22 (1969) 6 vs. Car. (12–18–04)
21 (1973, ‘76, ‘84) 6 at Det. (8–31–97)
Most Fumbles Had, Game 6 vs. S. F. (12–11–93)
7 at L. A. Rams (9–28–69) 6 vs. Hou. (9–23–84)
Most Fumbles Had, Game, Both Teams
11 at Det. (Lions 6, Falcons 5) (8–31–97 )
 records / team records & DEFENSIVE BEST
PENALTIES Fewest Net Yards Allowed, Game
Most Penalties, Season 9 vs. StL. (12–9–73)
130 (1,083 yds.) (1978) 10 at OAK (11-2-08)
126 (1,149 yds.) (1985) 15 vs. N. E. (11–29–92)
125 (1,004 yds.) (1990) Fewest Passing Attempts, Game
124 (1,011 yds.) (1984) 8 vs. G. B. (3 Comp.) (11–22–71)
Most Penalties, Game Fewest Passes Completed, Game
17 at S. F. (11–5–78) 2 vs. StL. (10 Att.) (12–9–73)
16 vs. Hou. (9–9–90) Fewest TDs Allowed, Passing, Season
16 at Clev. (11–8–87) 9 (1977)
16 vs. G. B. (12–26–82) 9 (1971)
Fewest Penalties, Season
63 (601 yds.) (1969) YARDS
63 (659 yds.) (1968) Fewest Net Yards Allowed, Season
65 (593 yds ) (1973 2,848 (1982)
Fewest Penalties, Game 3,242 (1977)
1 14 Times Last vs. Car. (9–23–01) Fewest Net Yards Allowed, Game
Most Yards, Penalties, Game 77 at OAK (11-2-08)
153 vs. G.B., (16 penalties) (12–26–72) 78 vs. T. B. (62–R, 16–P) (11–27–77)
Fewest Yds Rushing Per Attempt, Season
TIME OF POSSESSION 3.2 (1998)
Largest Advantage, Game (Atlanta in regulation) Fewest Yards Allowed, Rushing, Season
(45:15) Atl. at OAK (14:45) (11-2-08) 1,044 (1982)
(43:21) Atl. vs. LA (16:39) (11–17–85) 1,203 (1998)
(42:39) Atl. vs. San Fran. (17:21) (12–19–82) 1,357 (1990)
(41:22) Atl. at Dal. (18:38) (10–20–96) 1,547 (1995)
(41:18) Atl. vs. K.C. (18:42) (12–24–00) 1,666 (1981)
Fewest Yards Allowed, Rushing, Game
INTERCEPTIONS 18 at N. E. (14 att.) (11–8–98)
Most Interceptions, Season 22 vs. Det. (26 att.) (10–15–78)
26 (1980) 29 vs. Hou. (12 att.) (9–9–90)
26 (1977) 30 vs. StL. (15 att.) (9–19–04)
25 (1981) 30 vs. Car. (20 att.) (10–29–00)
25 (1975) Fewest Rushing Attempts, Game
24 (2002) 11 at T.B., (40 yards) (12–2–90)
24 (1988) 11 at Det., (34 yards) (9–18–83)
Most Interceptions, Game Fewest TD’s Allowed, Rushing, Season
6 at N. O. (9–16–73) 5 (1977)
6 vs. LA Rams (10–1–72) 7 (1998)

DEFENSIVE BEST

POINTS
Fewest Points Allowed, Season
129 (1977)
Fewest Points Allowed, Game
0-13 Times Last at OAK. (11–2–08)
Fewest TD’s Allowed, Season
15 (1977)

FIRST DOWNS
Fewest First Downs, Season
170 (1982)
192 (1977)
Fewest First Downs, Game
3 at OAK (11–2–08)
Fewest First Downs, Rushing, Season
66 (1982)
Fewest First Downs, Rushing, Game
1 Six Times Last at Ari. (12–23–07)
Fewest First Downs, Passing, Season
76 (1977)
Fewest First Downs, Passing, Game
0 at OAK (11-2-08)
0 at L. A. Rams (9–23–73)

PASSING
Fewest Net Yards Allowed, Season
1,384 (1977)
 records / club records - fewest
POINTS 330 (1994)
Fewest Points Scored, Season Fewest Rushing Attempts, Game
111 (1974) 8 at Det. (9–5–93)
170 (1968) 9 vs. Wash. (12–17–89)
172 (1976) 10 at Chi. (9–27–92)
Fewest Points Scored, Game Fewest Rushing Attempts, Both Teams, Game
0-21 Times , Last time at StL. (10–13–03) 34 Atlanta (15) vs. S.F. (19) (12–24–95)
Fewest Points Scored, Game, Both Teams 35 Atlanta (12) at Hou. (23) (12–5–93)
3 Atlanta (0) at Buf. (3) (10–16–77)
6 Atlanta (0) at Chi. (6) (10–3–93) PASSING
7 Atlanta (7) vs. San Fran. (0) (10–9–77) Fewest Net Yards, Season
Fewest Touchdowns, Season 1,307 (1974)
12 (1974) 1,356 (1977)
20 (1977) 1,414 (1976)
20 (1976) Fewest Net Yards, Game
20 (1968) (-39) at S. F. (10–23–76)
Fewest PAT’s, Season Fewest Net Yards Both Teams, Game
12 (1974) 37 Atlanta (-39) at S.F. (76) (10–23–76)
17 (1968) Fewest Passes Attempted, Season
19 (1976) 275 (176 Comp.) (1982)
Fewest FG’s, Season 282 (149 Comp.) (1969)
4 (1974) Fewest Passes Attempted, Game
7 (1967) 9 at L. A. Rams (9–23–73)
9 (1966, ‘70, ‘74) 9 at Chi. (9–17–72)
Fewest First Downs, Season 9 vs. L. A. Rams (10–1–72)
178 (1968, ‘74) Fewest Passes Att. Both Teams, Game
Fewest First Downs, Game 21 Atlanta (9) at Chi. (12) (9–17–83)
2 at L. A. Rams (9–23–73) Fewest Passes Intercepted, Season
Fewest First Downs, Game, Both Teams 10 (507 att.) (1983)
14 Atlanta (5) vs. Min. (9) (12–21–69) Fewest Passes Completed, Season
Fewest First Downs, Rushing, Season 140 (297 att.) (1977)
63 (1994) Fewest Passes Completed, Game
65 (2000) 2 vs. L. A. Rams (10–1–72)
67 (1992, ‘96) 2 at L. A. Rams (9–23–73)
Fewest First Downs, Rushing, Game Fewest Passes Comp., Both Teams, Game
0 Six Times, Last time vs. N.Y.G. (10–8–00) 10 Atlanta (8) vs. StL. (2) (12–9–73)
Fewest First Downs, Passing, Season 10 Atlanta (6) vs. Chi. (4) (9–17–72)
80 (1977) 10 Atlanta (6) vs. Min. (4) (12–21–69)
Fewest First Downs, Passing, Game Fewest Touchdown Passes, Season
0 at Chi. (11–24–85) 4 (1974)
Fewest First Downs, Penalty, Season Fewest Sacks Allowed, Season
9 (1968) 17 (2008)
25 (1982)
TOTAL YARDS 31 (1971, ‘91)
Fewest Net Yards Gained, Season
2,800 (1974) INTERCEPTIONS
Fewest Net Yards Gained, Game Fewest INT’s, Season
44 at San Fran., (83 run, -39 pass) (10–23–76) *6 (1996)
Fewest Net Yards Gained, Both Teams * NFL Record
253 Atlanta (156) at S.F. (97) (11–6–77) *10 (1982)
* Strike season
RUSHING 11 (2008)
Fewest Yards Gained, Season 11 (1992)
1,155 (1989) 12 (1999, ‘84, ‘78)
1,181 (1982) 13 (1993)
1,196 (1999)
1,214 (2000) PUNTING
1,249 (1994) Fewest Punts, Season
Fewest Yards Gained, Game 43 (1982)
13 vs. N.Y.G. (10–8–00) 60 (1971)
21 at Det. (9–5–93) 65 (2008)
24 vs. L. A. Rams (12–1–74) Fewest Punts, Game
24 at Chi. (9–27–92) 1 Six times, Last time vs. S. F. (10–16–94)
Fewest Yds Gained, Both Teams, Game
79 Atlanta (29) vs. S.F. (50) (10–14–90) PENALTIES
Fewest Rushing Attempts, Season Fewest Penalties, Season
310 (1982) 63 (601 yards) (1969)
318 (1989) 63 (659 yards) (1968)
322 (1992) Fewest Penalties, Game
329 (1986) 1 14 Times, Last time vs. Car. (9–23–01)
 records / club records - fewest & OPPONENT RECORDS

Fewest Yards Penalties, Season Most Punt Returns, Game

542 (1988) 9 49ers (10–29–72)
Most Fair Catches, Game
FUMBLES 6 Giants (10–15–07)
Fewest Fumbles, Season 6 Vikings (11–28–71)
14 (1982) Most Yards, Punt Ret, Game
18 (2008) 219 Rams (10–11–81)
18 (2007) Most TD’s Punt Ret, Game
19 (1991) 2 Rams (12–27–92)
20 (1967) 2 Rams (10–11–81)
21 (1995) Most KO Returns, Game
Fewest Fumbles Lost, Season 9 Panthers (10–4–98)
9 (2007, 98, ‘95, ‘80, ‘77) 9 Lions (10–5–80)
Most KO Return Yds, Game
OPPONENT TEAM RECORDS 242 Chargers (10–21–73)
Most Points Scored, Game Most Fumbles, Game
59 Rams (at StL.), (11–10–96) 7 2 times, Last at Vikings (12-21-08)
59 Rams (at LA),(12–4–76) Most Fumbles Lost, Game
Points By Quarters, Game 4 11 times, Last at Vikings (12-21-08)
1st: 28, Bills (11–22–92) Most Penalties, Game
2nd: 28, Redskins (11–3–85) 16 49ers (1–3–00)
28, Cardinals (12–17–78) 16 Saints (11–17–02)
28, Vikings (9–14–68) 15 Bills (12–18–83)
3rd: 21, Raiders (9–14–97) 15 Rams (9–19–82)
21, Redskins (12–17–89) 14 Titans (12–19–99)
21, Vikings (9–16–84) 14 Chiefs (9–18–94)
21, Dolphins (11–3–74) Most Penalty Yards, Game
21, Packers (10–6–68) 137 Cardinals (9 penalties) (11–28–82)
21, Steelers (12–18–66) 135 Raid., (11 penalties) (11–19–70)
4th: 24, Rams (11–19–67) 135 Ram., (12 penalties) (11–19–67)
Most Yards Gained, Game 133 Saints, (16 penalties) (11–17–02)
*645 Steelers (463 pass), (182 rush) (11–10–02) 133 Browns, (13 penalties) (9–17–78)
595 Colts (426 Pass), (169 Rush) (11–12–67) Most Combined Penalty Yds, Game
590 49ers (399 Pass), (191 Rush) (10–18–92) 253 Atl, (9–125) . at Raid., (10–128) (10–14–79)
569 Ram. (359 Pass), (210 Rush) (12–4–76)
*overtime
Most Yards Rushing, Game
321 Browns (57 Att.) (10–17–76)
315 Bills(44 Att.) (11–22–92)
307 Redskins (37 Att.) (11–3–85)
*286 Rams (62 Att.) (11–30–75)
*overtime
Most Rushing Att, Game
64 Vikings (211 yds.), (11–9–75)
Most TDs Rushing, Game
8 Chiefs (10–24–04)
7 Rams (12–4–76)
5 49ers (11–9–92)
Most Net Yds Passing, Game
499 Broncos (10–31–04)
463 Steelers (11–10–02)
451 Redskins (11–10–91)
442 49ers (10–14–90)
Most Pass Attempts, Game
58 Saints (11-9-08)
57 49ers (10–6–85)
Most Pass Comp, Game
37 49ers (10–6–85)
36 Cardinals (12–23–07)
35 Dolphins (12–3–95)
Most TD Passes, Game
6 Redskins (11–10–91)
6 49ers (10–14–90)
6 Browns (10–30–66)
Most Had Intercepted, Game
6 Rams (11–10–96)
6 Saints (9–16–73)
Most Punts, Game
11 Giants (10–25–81)
10 13 times
 records / individual records
SCORING Most Points, Game
Most Points Career 24 Michael Turner vs. CAR (11-23-08)
806 Morten Andersen (1995–00, 2006-07) 24 T.J. Duckett vs. Oak. (12–12–04)
558 Mick Luckhurst (1981–87) 20 Norm Johnson at N. O. (11–13–94)
436 Jay Feely (2001–04) 18 Jay Feely vs. Det. (12–22–02)
395 Norm Johnson (1991–94) 18 Morten Andersen vs. S.F. (9–3–00)
354 Terance Mathis (1994–01) 18 Tim Dwight vs. S. F. (1–3–00)
338 Andre Rison (1990–94) 18 Jamal Anderson vs. StL. (11–1–98)
288 Gerald Riggs (1982–88) 18 Jamal Anderson at Det. (10–6–96)
271 Nick Mike–Mayer (1973–77) 18 Terance Mathis vs. StL. Rams (11–19–95)
250 Jamal Anderson (1994–01) 18 Andre Rison at S. F. (9–19–93)
246 William Andrews (1979–86) 18 Andre Rison at Chi. (9–27–92)
240 Alfred Jenkins (1975–83) 18 Andre Rison vs. T. B. (11–17–91)
236 Greg Davis (1987–90) 18 Gerald Riggs vs. LA Rams (11–17–85)
230 Tim Mazzetti (1978–80) 18 Lynn Cain at LA Rams (10–7–84)
216 Warrick Dunn (2002–07) 18 William Andrews at Buf. (12–18–83)
212 Alge Crumpler (2001–07) 18 William Andrews at G. B. (11–27–83)
204 Michael Haynes (1988–93, ‘97) 18 William Andrews at Den. (12–5–82)
186 T.J. Duckett (2002–05) 18 Alfred Jenkins at N. O. (11–1–81)
186 Jim Mitchell (1969–79) 18 Lynn Cain at Oak. (10–14–79)
168 Wallace Francis (1975–81) 17 Morten Andersen vs. K.C. (12–24–00)
156 Haskel Stanback (1974–79) 17 Greg Davis vs. Hou. (9–9–90)
150 Lynn Cain (1979–84) 16 Jason Elam vs. CHI (10-12-08)
147 Bill Bell (1971–72) 16 Morten Andersen at Dal (5 FGs) (10–20–96)
144 Bert Emanuel (1994–97) 16 Morten Andersen vs. N.E. (5 FGs) (10–1–95)
144 Art Malone (1970–74) 15 Jay Feely vs. Buf. (12–23–01)
132 Alfred Jackson (1978–84) 15 Morten Andersen vs. Car. (10–4–98)
Most Points, Season 15 Terance Mathis vs. Phi. (11–27–94)
138 Jay Feely (2002) 15 Norm Johnson at S. F. (10–13–91)
129 Jason Elam (2008) 15 Tim Mazzetti vs. LA Ram. (10–30–78)
122 Morten Andersen (1995) 15 Nick Mike–Mayer vs. LA Ram. (11–4–73)
120 Morten Andersen (1998) Most Consecutive Games Scoring*
115 Jay Feely (2001) 124 Morten Andersen (1995–WK 1, 2000,
114 Mick Luckhurst (1981) 2006 W2–W17, 2007 W 2–W 17)
112 Norm Johnson (1993) 68 Mick Luckhurst (1981–WK 12, 1985)
112 Nick Mike–Mayer (1973) Most Touchdowns, Career
106 Greg Davis (1990) 57 Terance Mathis (1994–01)
104 Todd Peterson (2005) 56 Andre Rison (1990–94)
104 Morten Andersen (1997) 48 Gerald Riggs (1982–88)
103 Tim Mazzetti (1980) 41 Jamal Anderson (1994–01)
102 Michael Turner (2008) 41 William Andrews (1979–86)
101 Mick Luckhurst (1985) 40 Alfred Jenkins (1975–83)
99 Morten Andersen (2007) 36 Warrick Dunn (2002–07)
98 Morten Andersen (2000) 34 Michael Haynes (1988–93, ‘97)
98 Jamal Anderson (1998) 31 T.J. Duckett (2002–2005)
97 Morten Andersen (1996) 31 Jim Mitchell (1969–79)
95 Norm Johnson (1991) 28 Wallace Francis (1975–81)
95 Norm Johnson (1994) 26 Lynn Cain (1979–84)
94 Jay Feely (2004) 24 Bert Emanuel (1994–97)
94 Mick Luckhurst (1983) 24 Art Malone (1970–74)
93 Norm Johnson (1992) Most Touchdowns, Season
91 Mick Luckhurst (1984) 17 Michael Turner (2008)
90 Andre Rison (1993) 16 Jamal Anderson (1998)
89 Jay Feely (2003) 15 Andre Rison (1993)
82 Greg Davis (1988) 13 Gerald Riggs (1984)
79 Morten Andersen (1999) 13 Alfred Jenkins (1981)
79 Bill Bell (1972) 12 Andre Rison (1991)
12 William Andrews (1981)
11 T.J. Duckett (2003)
11 Terance Mathis (1998)
11 Terance Mathis (1994)
11 Andre Rison (1992)
11 Michael Haynes (1991)
11 William Andrews (1983)
11 Eddie Ray (1973)
10 Jamal Anderson (1997)
10 Eric Metcalf (1995)
10 Michael Haynes (1992)
10 Andre Rison (1990)
10 Gerald Riggs (1985)
10 Art Malone (1972)
 records / individual records
Most Touchdowns, Game Most FG’s Made, Season
4 Michael Turner vs. CAR (11-23-08) 32 Jay Feely (2002)
4 T.J. Duckett vs. Oak. (12–12–04) 31 Morten Andersen (1995)
3-15 times, Last time by Michael Turner vs. KC (9-21-08) 29 Jason Elam (2008)
Most Consecutive Games, TD Scored 29 Jay Feely (2001)
7 T.J. Duckett (2003) 26 Norm Johnson (1993)
6 Terance Mathis (1998) 26 Nick Mike–Mayer (1973)
5 Eric Metcalf (1995) Most FG’s Made, Game
4 T.J. Duckett (2005) 6 Norm Johnson at N. O. (11–13–94)
4 Bert Emanuel (1997) 5 Jason Elam vs. CHI (10-12-08)
4 Andre Rison (1993) 5 Jay Feely vs. Det. (12–22–02)
4 Andre Rison (1991) 5 Morten Andersen vs. K.C. (12–24–00)
4 Gerald Riggs (1986) 5 Morten Andersen vs. S.F. (9–3–00)
4 Jim Mitchell (1975) 5 Morten Andersen at Dal. (10–20–96)
4 Dave Hampton (1975) 5 Morten Andersen vs. N.E. (10–1–95)
Most Two–Point Conversions, Career 5 Nick Mike–Mayer vs. LA Ram. (11–4–73)
6 Terance Mathis (1994–01) 5 Tim Mazzetti at LA Rams (10–30–78)
3 Brian Finneran (2000–08) Most FGs Attempted, Career
Most Two–Point Conversions, Season 224 Morten Andersen (1995–00, 2006–07)
3 Terance Mathis (1995) 164 Mick Luckhurst (1981–87)
3 Brian Finneran (2005) 127 Jay Feely (2001–04)
2 Terance Mathis (1994) 104 Nick Mike–Mayer (1973–77)
1 Alge Crumpler (2005) 97 Norm Johnson (1991–94)
1 Jamal Anderson (2000) Most FGs Attempted, Season
1 Shawn Jefferson (2001) 40 Jay Feely (2002)
1 Jamal Anderson (1998) 38 Nick Mike–Mayer (1973)
1 Terance Mathis (1996) 37 Jay Feely (2001)
1 Andre Rison (1994) 37 Morten Andersen (1995)
1 Michael Jenkins (2008) 33 Mick Luckhurst (1981)
33 Greg Davis (1990)
KICKING Most FGs Attempted, Game
Most PAT’s Made, Career 6 Jason Elam vs. CHI (10-12-08)
254 Morten Andersen (1995–00, 2006–07) 6 Norm Johnson at N. O. (11–13–94)
216 Mick Luckhurst (1981–87) 5 Morten Andersen vs. Hou. (9–30–07)
144 Norm Johnson (1991–94) 5 Morten Andersen vs. Ari. (10–1–06)
144 Jay Feely (2001–04) 5 Jay Feely vs. Det. (12–22–02)
106 Nick Mike–Mayer (1973–77) 5 Morten Andersen vs. K.C., (12–24–00)
Most PAT’s Attempted, Career 5 Morten Andersen vs. S.F., (9–3–00)
256 Morten Andersen (1995–00, 2006–07) 5 Morten Andersen at Dal., (10–20–96)
216 Mick Luckhurst (1981–87) 5 Morten Andersen vs. N.E., (10–1–95)
148 Norm Johnson (1991–94) 5 Mick Luckhurst at N.O., (12–22–85)
144 Jay Feely (2001–04) 5 Mick Luckhurst vs. Phi., (12–16–84)
108 Nick Mike–Mayer (1973–77) 5 Nick Mike–Mayer vs. LA Ram., (11–4–73)
104 Tim Mazzetti (1978–80) 5 Nick Mike–Mayer at Chi., (9–26–76)
Most PAT’s Made, Season 5 Nick Mike–Mayer at Chi., (10–23–77)
51 Morten Andersen (1998) 5 Tim Mazzetti at LA Ram., (10–30–78)
51 Mick Luckhurst (1981) 5 Tim Mazzetti at StL. Cardinals, (11–9–80)
46 Tim Mazzetti (1980) 5 Greg Davis at Pitt., (11–4–90)
43 Mick Luckhurst (1983) Most Consecutive FGs Made
Most PAT’s Attempted, Season 26 Norm Johnson (1992) (5), (1993) (1st 21)
52 Morten Andersen (1998) 18 Todd Peterson (2005)
51 Mick Luckhurst (1981) 18 Morten Andersen (1995) (Wks. 1–9)
49 Tim Mazzetti (1980) 17 Mick Luckhurst (1984) (3), (1985) (1st 14)
45 Mick Luckhurst (1983) 16 Morten Andersen (2007) (Wks. 7–17)
Most PAT’s Made, Game Best FG Percentage, Career (Min. 35)
8 Nick Mike–Mayer at N. Orleans (9–16–73) .866 Norm Johnson (84 of 97) (1991–94)
Most PAT’s Attempted, Game .821 Morten Andersen (184 of 224) (95–00,2006–07)
8 Nick Mike–Mayer at N. Orleans (9–16–73) .772 Jay Feely (98 of 127) (2001–04)
Most Consecutive PAT’s Made .701 Mick Luckhurst (115 of 164) (1981–87)
153 Morten Anderson (1998 W4–2000,2006–07) .662 Tim Mazzetti (45 of 68) (1978–80)
139 Norm Johnson (1991–94) Best FG Percentage, Season
134 Mick Luckhurst (1983–87) .963 Norm Johnson (26 of 27) (1993)
Most FG’s Made, Career .935 Jason Elam (29 of 31) (2008)
184 Morten Andersen (1995–00, 2006–07) .920 Todd Peterson (25 of 27) (2005)
115 Mick Luckhurst (1981–87) .892 Morten Andersen (25 of 28) (2007)
98 Jay Feely (2001–04) .870 Morten Andersen (20 of 23) (2006)
84 Norm Johnson (1991–94) .851 Morten Andersen (23 of 27) (1997)
56 Nick Mike–Mayer (1973–77) Most 50–yard FGs, Career
51 Greg Davis (1987–90) 15 Morten Andersen (1995–00)
8 Norm Johnson (1991–94)
 records / individual records
8 Mick Luckhurst (1981–87) Most Yards Gained, Game
Most 50–yard FGs, Season 220 Michael Turner vs. Det. (22 att), (9-7-08)
8 Morten Andersen (1995) 208 Michael Turner vs. StL. (25 att), (12-28-08)
4 Norm Johnson (1992) 202 Gerald Riggs at N.O.(35 att), (9–2–84)
3 Mick Luckhurst (1984) 197 Gerald Riggs at K.C. (26 att), (12–8–85)
Most 50–yard FGs, Game 192 Erric Pegram at S.F. (27 att), (9–19–93)
3 Morten Andersen* vs. N.O.(12–10–95) 188 Jamal Anderson at StL (31 att), (11–29–98)
*( tied for NFL Record, Neil Rackers in ‘04) 180 Erric Pegram at Cin. (37 att), (12–16–93)
Longest Field Goal, Career 178 Warrick Dunn at N.Y. Gia. (25 att), (11–9–03)
59 yds Morten Andersen vs. S.F., (12–24–95) *173 Michael Vick at Min. (10 att), (12–1–02)
58 yds Michael Koenen vs. N.E., (10–9–05) 172 Jamal Anderson vs. StL (22 att), (11–1–98)
55 yds Jay Feely at Ari., (9–30–01) 172 Gerald Riggs at Mia. (33 att), (11–30–86)
55 yds Morten Andersen at N.O., (10–12–97) 167 William Andrews at N.O.(30 att), (9–2–79)
55 yds Morten Andersen vs. N.O., (12–10–95) 166 Michael Vick vs. N.O.(12 att), (11–26–06)
(Andersen hit two 55–yarders in that game) 162 Warrick Dunn at N.O.(23 att), (11–16–03)
162 Jamal Anderson vs. StL (20 att), (11–2–97)
RUSHING 162 Steve Broussard at Was. (26 att), (12–19–93)
Most Yards Gained, Career * NFL record for most rushing yards by a QB
6,631 Gerald Riggs (1982–88) Most Rushing Attempts, Career
5,986 William Andrews (1979–86) 1,587 Gerald Riggs (1982–88)
5,981 Warrick Dunn (2002–07) 1,413 Warrick Dunn (2002–07)
5,336 Jamal Anderson (1994–01) 1,329 Jamal Anderson (1994–01)
3,859 Michael Vick (2001–06) 1,315 William Andrews (1979–86)
3,482 Dave Hampton (1972–76) 882 Dave Hampton (1972–76)
2,662 Haskel Stanback (1974–79) Most Rushing Attempts, Season
2,263 Lynn Cain (1979–84) 410 Jamal Anderson (1998)
2,250 Jim Butler (1968–71) 397 Gerald Riggs (1985)
2,183 Craig Heyward (1994–95) 376 Michael Turner (2008)
2,175 T.J. Duckett (2002–05) 353 Gerald Riggs (1984)
2,118 Art Malone (1970–74) 343 Gerald Riggs (1986)
1,981 Erric Pegram (1991–94) 331 William Andrews (1983)
1,801 John Settle (1987–90) 292 Erric Pegram (1993)
1,735 Jerious Norwood (2006–08) 290 Jamal Anderson (1997)
1,699 Michael Turner (2008) 289 William Andrews (1981)
1,612 Junior Coffey (1966–67, 1969) 286 Warrick Dunn (2006)
1,528 Bubba Bean (1976–80) 282 Jamal Anderson (2000)
1,472 Steve Broussard (1990–93) 280 Warrick Dunn (2005)
1,321 Harmon Wages (1968–73) 265 Warrick Dunn (2004)
1,036 Mike Rozier (1990–91) 265 William Andrews (1980)
Most Yards Gained, Season 263 Dave Hampton (1973)
1,846 Jamal Anderson (1998) 250 Dave Hampton (1975)
1,719 Gerald Riggs (1985) 247 Haskel Stanback (1977)
1,699 Michael Turner (2008) 239 William Andrews (1979)
1,567 William Andrews (1983) 237 Maurice Smith (2001)
1,486 Gerald Riggs (1984) 236 Craig Heyward (1995)
1,416 Warrick Dunn (2005) 232 Jamal Anderson (1996)
1,327 Gerald Riggs (1986) Most Rushing Attempts, Game
1,308 William Andrews (1980) 41 Gerald Riggs vs. LA Rams (123 yds), (11–17–85)
1,301 William Andrews (1981) 39 Gerald Riggs at N.O.(158 yds), (12–22–85)
1,185 Erric Pegram (1993) 37 Erric Pegram at Cin. (180 yds), (12–26–93)
1,140 Warrick Dunn (2006) 35 Gerald Riggs vs. LA Rams (141 yds), (10–12–86)
1,106 Warrick Dunn (2004) 35 Lynn Cain at LA Rams (145 yds), (10–7–84)
1,083 Craig Heyward (1995) 35 Gerald Riggs at N.O.(202 yds), (9–2–84)
1,055 Jamal Anderson (1996) Most 100–Yard Games, Career
1,039 Michael Vick (2006) 25 Gerald Riggs (1982–88)
1,024 Jamal Anderson (2000) 22 William Andrews (1979–86)
1,024 John Settle (1988) 19 Warrick Dunn (2002–07)
1,023 William Andrews (1979) 19 Jamal Anderson (1996–2000)
1,002 Jamal Anderson (1997) Most 100–Yard Games, Season
1,002 Dave Hampton (1975) 12 Jamal Anderson (1998)
Most 1,000–yard Seasons 9 Gerald Riggs (1985)
4 Jamal Anderson (1996–98, 2000) 8 Michael Turner (2008)
4 William Andrews (1979–81, 1983) 7 William Andrews (1983)
3 Warrick Dunn (2004–06) 7 William Andrews (1980)
3 Gerald Riggs (1984–86) 6 Gerald Riggs (1986)
Most Consecutive 1,000–yard Seasons Most TD’s Rushing, Career
3 Warrick Dunn (2004–06) 48 Gerald Riggs (1982–88)
3 Jamal Anderson (1996–98) 34 Jamal Anderson (1994–01)
3 Gerald Riggs (1984–86) 31 T.J. Duckett (2002–05)
3 William Andrews (1979–81) 30 Warrick Dunn (2002–07)
 records / individual records
30 William Andrews (1979–86) Most Passes Attempted, Career
Most TDs Rushing, Season 3,330 Steve Bartkowski (1975–85)
17 Michael Turner (2008) 2,089 Chris Miller (1987–93)
14 Jamal Anderson (1998) 1,730 Michael Vick (2001–06)
13 Gerald Riggs (1984) 1,672 Chris Chandler (1997–01)
11 T.J. Duckett (2003) 1,180 Jeff George (1994–96)
10 Gerald Riggs (1985) Most Passes Attempted, Season
10 William Andrews (1981) 557 Jeff George (1995)
Most TD’s Rushing, Game 533 Steve Bartkowski (1981)
4 Michael Turner vs. CAR, (11-23-08) 526 Chris Miller (1989)
4 T.J. Duckett vs. Oak., (12–12–04) 524 Jeff George (1994)
3 Michael Turner vs. KC, (9-21-08) 488 Bobby Hebert (1996)
3 Jamal Anderson at Det., (10–6–96) Most Passes Attempted, Game
3 Gerald Riggs vs. LA Ram., (11–17–85) 66 Chris Miller vs. Det. (37 comp), (12–24–89)
3 Lynn Cain at LA Ram., (10–7–84) 56 Steve Bartkowski vs. Oak. (34 comp), (9–19–82)
Most Consecutive Games, Rushing TD 53 Jeff George at Car. (29 comp), (12–17–95)
7 T.J. Duckett (2003) 52 Bobby Hebert at Hou. (30 comp), (12–5–93)
4 Gerald Riggs (1986) 50 Steve Bartkowski vs. Pitt. (33 comp), (11–15–81)
4 Dave Hampton (1975) 50 Chris Chandler at GB (29 comp), (11–18–01)
Highest Average Gain, Career (300 carries) 50 Chris Miller at Det. (26 comp), (9–5–93)
7.29 Michael Vick (2001–06) Most Passes Completed, Career
4.55 William Andrews (1979–86) 1,871 Steve Bartkowski (1975–85)
4.45 Craig Heyward (1994–96) 1,129 Chris Miller (1987–93)
4.23 Warrick Dunn (2002–07) 981 Chris Chandler (1997–01)
4.23 Steve Broussard (1990–93) 930 Michael Vick (2001–06)
Highest Average Gain, Season (Minimum 150 Carries) 714 Jeff George (1994–96)
4.94 William Andrews (1980) Most Passes Completed, Season
4.73 William Andrews (1983) 336 Jeff George (1995)
4.59 Craig Heyward (1995) 322 Jeff George (1994)
4.55 Jamal Anderson (1996) 297 Steve Bartkowski (1981)
4.50 Jamal Anderson (1998) 294 Bobby Hebert (1996)
4.50 William Andrews (1981) 280 Chris Miller (1989)
Highest Average Gain, Game (Minimum 10 Carries) Most Passes Completed, Game
*17.30 Michael Vick at Min. (10–173), (12–1–02) 37 Chris Miller vs. Det., (12–24–89)
13.83 Michael Vick vs. N.O.(12–166), (11–26–06) 34 Steve Bartkowski vs. Raid (56 att), (9–19–82)
10.42 Warrick Dunn vs. NYG (14–146), (10–15–06) 33 Steve Bartkowski vs. Pitt (50 att), (11–15–81)
10.40 Steve Broussard at S.F. (10–104), (10–13–91) 31 Joey Harrington vs. Car. (44 att), (9–23–07)
10.20 John Settle vs. N.O.(10–102), (9–11–88) 31 Bobby Hebert vs. Hou (46 att), (10–13–96)
* NFL record 31 Jeff George vs. Det. (40 att), (10–29–95)
31 Wade Wilson at Ram. (47 att), (12–29–92 )
PASSING 31 Steve Bartkowski at Cards (47 att), (11–9–80)
Most Yards Gained Passing, Career Most Consecutive Passes, Completed
23,470 Steve Bartkowski (1975–85) 13 Jeff George vs. Det., (11–5–95)
14,066 Chris Miller (1987–93) 13 Jeff George vs. N.O., (12–11–94)
13,268 Chris Chandler (1997–01) 12 Jeff George at Det., (9–4–94)
11,505 Michael Vick (2001–06) 11 Jeff George vs. Phi., (9–22–96)
8,575 Jeff George (1994–96) 11 Jeff George vs. Det., (11–5–95)
Most Gross Yards Passing, Season Highest Completion Percentage, Career
4,143 Jeff George (1995) 61.1 Matt Ryan (2008)
3,829 Steve Bartkowski (1981) 60.5 Jeff George (1994–96)
3,734 Jeff George (1994) 59.8 Bobby Hebert (1993–96)
3,544 Steve Bartkowski (1980) 58.7 Chris Chandler (1997–01)
3,459 Chris Miller (1989) 57.0 Doug Johnson (2000–03)
Most 300–Yard Games, Career 57.0 Bob Berry (1968–72)
12 Steve Bartkowski (1975–85) Highest Completion Percentage, Season
8 Chris Miller (1987–93) .681 Wade Wilson (1992)
6 Jeff George (1994–96) .673 Steve Bartkowski (1984)
5 Chris Chandler (1997–01) .634 Steve Bartkowski (1983)
4 Bobby Hebert (1993–96) .633 Steve Bartkowski (1982)
Most 300–Yard Games, Season .618 Joey Harrington (2007)
4 Jeff George (1995) Highest Completion Percentage, Game
3 Wade Wilson (1992) ( Minimum 20 Att.)
3 Chris Miller (1989) .857 Steve Bartkowski vs. Det. (24–28), (9–9–84)
3 Steve Bartkowski (1981 and 1983) .826 Steve Bartkowski at Pitt (19–23), (10–28–84)
Most Gross Yards Passing, Game .826 Steve Bartkowsk at S.F. (19–23), (9–25–83)
431 Chris Chandler vs. Buf. (28–40), (12–23–01) .800 Joey Harrington vs. T.B. (16–20), (11–18–07)
416 Steve Bartkowski vs. Pitt. (33–50), (11–15–81) .793 Joey Harrington vs. Hou. (23–29), (9–30–07)
386 Jeff George at N.O. (27–39), (9–17–95) .792 Michael Vick at Car (19–24), (11–24–02)
378 Steve Bartkowski at StL (31–47), (11–9–80) .792 Steve Bartkowski vs. Raid (19–24), (9–19–82)
375 Steve Bartkowsk vs. Raid. (36–54), (9–19–82) .784 Jeff George at Det. (29–37), (9–4–94)
 records / individual records
.778 Chris Chandler at Car (21–27), (9–17–00) Most Consecutive Games, TD Pass
.775 Jeff George vs. Det. (31–40), (11–5–95) 27 Chris Chandler (1997–99)
.773 Matt Ryan at OAK (24-0), (11-2-08) 14 Chris Miller (1991–92)
.763 Jeff George vs. Rams (29–38), (9–11–94) 14 Steve Bartkowski (1980–81)
.762 Bob Berry vs. GB (16–21), (11–27–71) 13 Chris Miller (1989–90)
.762 Bob Berry vs. S.F. (16–21), (9–19–71) 9 Bobby Hebert (1993)
.760 Doug Johnson at NYG (19–25), (10–13–02) 9 Steve Bartkowski (1983)
Best QB Rating, Career Most Consecutive Passes Without Int.
87.7 Matt Ryan (2008) 197 Steve Bartkowski (1982–83)
87.4 Chris Chandler (1997–01) 185 Chris Miller (1989)
85.6 Jeff George (1994–96) 171 Michael Vick (2002)
78.8 Bob Berry (1968–72) Most Consecutive Games Without Int.
76.4 Bobby Hebert (1993–96) 6 Michael Vick (2002)
76.0 Steve Bartkowski (1975–85) 5 Steve Bartkowski (1983)
Best QB Rating, Season (Minimum 100 Att.) Lowest Interception Pct., Career
110.2 Wade Wilson (1992) 2.18 Matt Ryan (2008)
106.7 Bob Berry (1969) 2.71 Jeff George (1994–96)
100.9 Chris Chandler (1998) 3.32 Michael Vick (2001–06)
97.6 Steve Bartkowski (1983) 3.35 Chris Chandler (1997–01)
95.1 Chris Chandler (1997) 3.45 Chris Miller (1987–93)
92.8 Steve Bartkowski (1985) 4.23 Steve Bartkowski (1975–85)
90.7 Chris Miller (1992) Lowest Interception Pct., Season ( Minimum 150 Att.)
90.4 Chris Redman (2007) 1.16 Steve Bartkowski (5–432) (1983)
89.7 Steve Bartkowski (1984) 1.90 Michael Vick (8–421) (2002)
89.5 Jeff George (1995) 1.90 Chris Miller (10–526) (1989)
88.2 Steve Bartkowski (1980) 1.97 Jeff George (11–557) (1995)
87.7 Matt Ryan (2008) 1.98 Scott Hunter (3–151) (1977)
84.1 Chris Chandler (2001) 2.05 Chris Chandler (7–342) (1997)
84.0 Bobby Hebert (1993) 2.18 Matt Ryan (9-413) (2008)
83.5 Chris Chandler (1999) 2.30 Joey Harrington (8–348) (2007)
83.3 Jeff George (1994) 2.37 Chris Milller (6–253) (1992)
Most TD Passes, Career 2.45 Wade Wilson (4–163) (1992)
154 Steve Bartkowski (1975–85) 3.06 David Archer (9–294) (1986)
87 Chris Chandler (1997–01) Most Interceptions, Career
87 Chris Miller (1987–93) 141 Steve Bartkowski (1975–85)
71 Michael Vick (2001–06) 72 Chris Miller (1987–93)
57 Bob Berry (1968–72) 65 Randy Johnson (1966–70)
Most TD Passes, Season 56 Chris Chandler (1997–01)
31 Steve Bartkowski (1980) 56 Bob Berry (1968–72)
30 Steve Bartkowski (1981) Most Interceptions, Season
26 Chris Miller (1991) 25 Bobby Hebert (1996)
25 Chris Chandler (1998) 23 Steve Bartkowski (1981)
24 Jeff George (1995) 21 Randy Johnson (1967)
24 Bobby Hebert (1993) 21 Randy Johnson (1966)
23 Jeff George (1994) 20 Steve Bartkowski (1979)
22 Bobby Hebert (1996) Most Interceptions, Game
22 Steve Bartkowski (1983) 6 Bobby Hebert vs. StL., (12–15–96)
20 Michael Vick (2006) 6 Bobby Hebert vs. Hou., (12–5–93)
20 Chris Chandler (1997) 5 Scott Campbell vs. N.O., (11–1–87)
17 Chris Miller (1990) 5 Kim McQuilken vs. Min., (11–9–75)
17 Steve Bartkowski (1979)
16 Michael Vick (2002) RECEIVING
16 Chris Chandler (2001) Most Passes Caught, Career
16 Chris Chandler (1999) 573 Terance Mathis (1994–01)
16 Chris Miller (1989) 423 Andre Rison (1990–94)
16 Bob Berry (1970) 360 Alfred Jenkins (1975–83)
15 Michael Vick (2005) 316 Alge Crumpler (2001–07)
15 Chris Miller (1992) 305 Jim Mitchell (1969–79)
Most TD Passes, Game 277 William Andrews (1979–83, 86)
5 Wade Wilson vs. T. B. (12–13–92) 266 Michael Haynes (1988–93, 97)
4 Chris Redman vs. Sea. (12–30–07) 260 Bert Emanuel (1994–97)
4 Michael Vick vs. Dal. (12–16–06) 244 Wallace Francis (1975–81)
4 Michael Vick vs. Pitt. (10–22–06) 230 Roddy White (2005-08)
4 Chris Chandler at Car. (11–28–99) Most Passes Caught, Season
4 Jeff George vs. StL. Ram. (11–19–95) 111 Terance Mathis (1994)
4 Jeff George at Den. (11–20–94) 104 Eric Metcalf (1995)
4 Chris Miller vs. Chi. (9–27–92) 93 Andre Rison (1992)
4 Steve Bartkowski vs. Cardinals (10–18–81) 89 Roddy White (2008)
4 Steve Bartkowski vs. N.O.(10–19–80) 86 Andre Rison (1993)
4 Randy Johnson vs. Chi. (11–16–69) 83 Roddy White (2007)
 records / individual records
82 Andre Rison (1990) 6 Tony Martin (1998)
81 Terance Mathis (1999) 5 Roddy White (2007)
81 Andre Rison (1994) 5 Terance Mathis (1994)
81 Andre Rison (1991) 5 Michael Haynes (1991)
81 William Andrews (1981) 5 Andre Rison (1990)
Most 50+ Catch Seasons Most TD Receptions, Career
8 Terance Mathis (1994–01) 57 Terance Mathis (1994–01)
5 Andre Rison (1990–94) 56 Andre Rison (1990–94)
3 Bert Emanuel (1994–97) 40 Alfred Jenkins (1975–83)
3 William Andrews (1979–86) 34 Michael Haynes (1988–93, ‘97)
3 Alfred Jenkins (1975–83) 30 Alge Crumpler (2001–06)
Most Passes Caught (Three Week Period) 28 Jim Mitchell (1969–79)
30 Eric Metcalf 9–3 to (9–17–95) 27 Wallace Francis (1975–81)
30 Andre Rison 9–23 to (10–14–90) 24 Bert Emanuel (1994–97)
29 Andre Rison 9–4 to (9–18–94) 22 Alfred Jackson (1978–84)
28 Terance Mathis 11–13 to (11–27–94) Most TD Receptions, Season
28 Terance Mathis 9–11 to (9–25–94) 15 Andre Rison (1993)
Most Passes Caught, Game 13 Alfred Jenkins (1981)
15 William Andrews vs. Pit. (124 yds), (11–15–81) 12 Andre Rison (1991)
14 Andre Rison at Det. (193 yds), (9–4–94) 11 Terance Mathis (1998)
13 Terance Mathis vs. K.C. (123 yds), (9–18–94) 11 Terance Mathis (1994)
13 William Andrews at T.B. (98 yds), (12–6–81) 11 Andre Rison (1992)
12 Roddy White at Ari. (141 yds), (12–23–07) 11 Michael Haynes (1991)
12 Peerless Price vs. Min. (168 yds) (10–5–03) 10 Michael Haynes (1992)
12 Terance Mathis at Pit. (166 yds), (10–25–99) 10 Andre Rison (1990)
12 Andre Rison vs. LA Ram (123 yds), (9–11–94) 9 Bert Emanuel (1997)
Most Yards Gained Receiving, Career 9 Terance Mathis (1995)
7,349 Terance Mathis (1994–01) 9 Junior Miller (1980)
6,267 Alfred Jenkins (1975–83) Most TD Receptions, Game
5,633 Andre Rison (1990–94) 3 Terance Mathis vs. StL., (11–19–95)
4,358 Jim Mitchell (1969–79) 3 Andre Rison at S.F., (9–19–93)
4,220 Michael Haynes (1988–93, 97) 3 Andre Rison at Chi., (9–27–92)
4,212 Alge Crumpler (2001–07) 3 Andre Rison vs. T.B., (11–17–91)
3,695 Wallace Francis (1975–81) 3 Alfred Jenkins vs. N.O., (11–1–81)
3,600 Bert Emanuel (1994–97) Highest Per Catch Average, Season (minimum 20 catches)
3,488 Roddy White (2005-08) 22.5 Ken Burrow(33) (1971)
3,422 Stacey Bailey (1982–89) 22.4 Michael Haynes (50) (1991)
Most Yards Gained Receiving, Season 21.3 Brian Finneran (23) (2001)
1,382Roddy White (2008) 20.9 Tim Dwight (32) (1999)
1,358 Alfred Jenkins (1981) 20.2 Alfred Jenkins (38) (1975)
1,342 Terance Mathis (1994) 19.4 Alfred Jenkins (70) (1981)
1,242 Andre Rison (1993) 18.5 Paul Flatley (45) (1969)
1,208 Andre Rison (1990) 18.3 Ken Burrow (31) (1973)
1,202 Roddy White (2007) 18.0 Jim Mitchell (33) (1971)
1,189 Eric Metcalf (1995) 17.9 Tony Martin (66) (1998)
1,181 Tony Martin (1998)
1,138 Stacey Bailey (1984) KICKOFF RETURNS
1,136 Terance Mathis (1998) Most Return Yards, Career
Most Yards Gained Receiving, Game 5,489 Allen Rossum (2002–06)
198 Terance Mathis at N.O.(6 rec), (12–13–98) 3,388 Deion Sanders (1989–93)
193 Andre Rison at Det. (14 rec), (9–4–94) 2,948 Jerious Norwood (2006-08)
193 Alfred Jackson vs. S.F. (11 rec), (12–2–84) 2,597 Tim Dwight (1998–00)
190 Michael Haynes vs. Wash. (6 rec), (12–17–89) 2,573 Darrick Vaughn (2000–01)
190 Ken Burrow at Det. (6 rec), (10–3–71) 1,989 Ron Smith (1966–67)
190 Ken Burrow at N.O.(8 rec), (12–19–71) 1,934 Sylvester Stamps (1983–88)
187 Michael Haynes at N.O.(6 rec), (11–24–91) 1,860 Jim Butler (1968–71)
184 Terance Mathis vs. StL Rm (10 rec), (11–19–95) 1,655 Reggie Smith (1980–81)
182 Quentin McCord vs. Det. (7 rec), (12–22–02) 1,453 Tony Smith (1992–94)
182 Michael Haynes vs. N.O.(7 rec), (9–12–93) Most Return Yards, Season
Most 100–Yard Games, Career 1,491 Darrick Vaughn (2001)
16 Alfred Jenkins (1975–83) 1,317 Jerious Norwood (2007)
15 Andre Rison (1990–94) 1,311 Jerious Norwood (2008)
14 Roddy White (2005–08) 1,291 Allen Rossum (2003)
14 Terance Mathis (1994–01) 1,250 Allen Rossum (2004)
9 Michael Haynes (1988–93, ‘97) 1,164 Allen Rossum (2002)
9 Bert Emanuel (1994–97) 1,143 Reggie Smith (1981)
8 Stacey Bailey (1982–1989) 1,082 Allen Rossum (2006)
6 Ken Burrow (1971–1975) 1,082 Darrick Vaughn (2000)
Most 100 Yard Receiving Games, Season 1,067 Deion Sanders (1992)
7 Roddy White (2008)
 records / individual records
Most Return Yards, Game PUNT RETURNS
249 Tony Smith vs. Pitt., (9–27–93) Most Return Yards, Career
198 Darrick Vaughn at StL., (1–6–02) 1,723 Allen Rossum (2002–06)
198 Clarence Verdin vs. N.O., (12–11–94) 1,251 Billy Johnson (1982–87)
195 Darrick Vaughn at Ind., (12–16–01) 792 Tim Dwight (1998–00)
193 Sylvester Stamps at Hou., (10–25–87) 789 Deion Sanders (1989–93)
190 Deion Sanders at N.O., (12–3–92) 734 Rolland Lawrence (1973–80)
181 DeAndra Cobb vs. Car., (1–1–06) 679 Eric Metcalf (1995–96)
180 Jamal Anderson at Ari., (11–26–95) 539 Ray Brown (1971–77)
178 Jerious Norwood vs. CHI, (10-12-08) 485 Tony Smith (1992–94)
177 Sylvester Stamps at S.F., (12–20–87) 484 Todd Kinchen (1997–98)
Highest Average Return, Career (Min. 25) 437 Darrien Gordon (2001)
25.70 Darrick Vaughn (2000–01) Most Return Yards, Season
25.41 Jerious Norwood (2006-08) 545 Allen Rossum (2003)
24.89 Tony Smith (1992–94) 489 Billy Johnson (1983)
24.68 Byron Hanspard (1997) 457 Allen Rossum (2004)
24.26 Ron Smith (1966–67) 446 Todd Kinchen (1997)
24.16 Jim Butler (1968–71) 437 Darrien Gordon (2001)
24.07 Gerald Tinker (1974–75) 383 Eric Metcalf (1995)
23.20 Tim Dwight (1998–00) 372 Rolland Lawrence (1976)
23.62 Rolland Lawrence (1973–80) 360 Ray Brown (1973)
23.41 Willie Belton (1971–73) 352 Rolland Lawrence (1976)
Highest Average Return, Season (Min. 25) 344 Al Dodd (1974)
27.70 Darrick Vaughn (2000) Most Return Yards, Game
27.50 Sylvester Stamps (1987) 139 Darrien Gordon vs. Dal. (11–11–01)
27.02 Tim Dwight (1998) 116 Billy Johnson at N.Y Jets (10–23–83)
26.68 Deion Sanders (1992) 108 Al Dodd vs. Chi. (10–13–74)
26.48 Dennis Pearson (1978) 102 Gerald Tinker at Chi., (9–29–74)
25.32 Jerious Norwood (2007) Highest Return Average, Career (Min. 30)
25.21 Willie Belton (1971) 14.10 Darrien Gordon (2001)
25.03 Ron Smith (1967) 11.80 Al Dodd (1973–74)
24.95 Tony Smith (1993) 11.19 Allen Rossum (2002–05)
Most Returns, Career 10.29 Eric Metcalf (1995–96)
250 Allen Rossum (2002–06) 10.09 Billy Johnson (1982–87)
147 Deion Sanders (1989–93) 9.89 Kenny Johnson (1980–86)
116 Jerious Norwood (2006-08) 9.43 Tim Dwight (1998–00)
112 Tim Dwight (1998–2000) 9.03 Reggie Smith (1980–81)
100 Darrick Vaughn (2000–01) 8.85 Ray Brown (1971–77)
83 Sylvester Stamps (1984–88) 8.66 Tony Smith (1992–94)
82 Ron Smith (1966–67) Highest Return Average, Season (Min. 20)
77 Jim Butler (1968–71) 14.10 Darrien Gordon (2001)
72 Reggie Smith (1980–81) 14.00 Allen Rossum (2003)
62 Roell Preston (1995–96) 12.74 Al Dodd (1974)
Most Returns, Season 12.35 Allen Rossum (2004)
62 Allen Rossum (2003) 12.22 Kenny Johnson (1980)
61 Darrick Vaughn (2001) Highest Return Average, Game (Min. 3)
58 Allen Rossum (2004) 46.3 Darrien Gordon vs. Dal., (11–11–01)
53 Allen Rossum (2002) 31.0 Harry Douglas vs. CAR, (11-23-08)
52 Jerious Norwood (2007) 31.0 Billy Johnson vs. LA Raid., (11–21–82)
51 Jerious Norwood (2008) 29.0 Billy Johnson vs. N.Y.J., (10–23–83)
49 Eric Metcalf (1996) 28.3 Tim Dwight at Phi., (10–1–00)
47 Reggie Smith (1981) Most Returns, Career
46 Allen Rossum (2006) 154 Allen Rossum (2002–06)
44 Tim Dwight (1999) 124 Billy Johnson (1982–87)
Longest Kickoff Returns 109 Rolland Lawrence (1973–80)
100t Darrick Vaughn at Den., (9–10–00) 93 Deion Sanders (1989–93)
100t Deion Sanders at S.F., (10–13–91) 84 Tim Dwight (1998–00)
100t Dennis Pearson at StL., (12–17–78) 66 Eric Metcalf (1995–96)
99t Byron Hanspard at S.D., (12–7–97) 60 Ray Brown (1971–77)
99t Deion Sanders at Wash., (9–13–92) 58 Todd Kinchen (1997–98)
99t Ron Smith at Balt., (9–17–67) 56 Tony Smith (1992–94)
97t Tony Smith vs. Pitt., (9–27–93) 53 Adam Jennings (2006-08)
97t Sylvester Stamps at S.F., (12–20–87) 47 Billy Ryckman (1977–80)
96t Darrick Vaughn at StL., (1–6–02) 47 Willie Belton (1971–73)
96t Darrick Vaughn at StL., (10–15–00)
Most Touchdowns, Kickoff Returns, Career
4 Darrick Vaughn (2000–01)
3 Deion Sanders (1989–93)
2 Byron Hanspard (1997–99)
 records / individual records
Most Returns, Season 116 Jerious Norwood (2006-08)
54 Rolland Lawrence (1976) 113 Ron Smith (1966–67)
52 Todd Kinchen (1997) 111 Reggie Smith (1980–81)
51 Rolland Lawrence (1977) Most Combined Returns, Season
46 Billy Johnson (1983) 101 Allen Rossum (2003)
40 Ray Brown (1973) 95 Allen Rosum (2004)
39 Allen Rossum (2003) 77 Allen Rossum (2002)
39 Eric Metcalf (1995) 76 Eric Metcalf (1996)
37 Allen Rossum (2004) 75 Rolland Lawrence (1976)
37 Allen Rossum (2006) 70 Tony Smith (1993)
34 Lew Barnes (1988) 68 Deion Sanders (1990)
Most Returns, Game 67 Tim Dwight (1998)
8 Tim Dwight at Det. (11–12–00) 67 Clarence Verdin (1994)
8 Rolland Lawrence at San Fran., (10–9–77) 65 Tim Dwight (2000)
Most Touchdowns, Punt Returns, Career
2 Allen Rossum (2002–06) COMBINED NET YARDS
2 Tim Dwight (1998–2000) (Rushing, Receiving, KO & Punt Returns)
2 Deion Sanders (1989–93) Most Combined Yards, Career
1 Harry Douglas (2008) 8,704 William Andrews (1979–86)
1 Winslow Oliver (1999–00) 8,345 Gerald Riggs (1982–88)
1 Eric Metcalf (1995–96) 7,616 Warrick Dunn (2002–07)
1 Billy Johnson (1982–87) 7,613 Jamal Anderson (1994–2000)
1 Gerald Tinker (1974–75) 7,392 Terance Mathis (1994–2000)
1 Tom McCauley (1969–71) 7,208 Bert Emanuel (1994–97)
1 John Mallory (1967) 6,718 Allen Rossum (2002–06)
Longest Punt Returns 6,336 Alfred Jenkins (1975–83)
79t Deion Sanders vs. Cin., (10–28–90) 5,634 Andre Rison (1990–94)
77t Tom McCauley vs. N.O., (10–25–70) 5,400 Jerious Norwood (2006-08)
75t Allen Rossum at K.C., (10–24–04) Most Combined Yards, Season
75t John Mallory vs. Min., (12–20–70) 2,207 Jerious Norwood (2007)
74 Darrien Gordon vs. Dal., (11–11–01) 2,176 William Andrews (1983)
72 Allen Rossum vs. Phi., (11–2–03) 2,165 Jamal Anderson (1998)
72t Gerald Tinker at N.O., (9–29–74) 2,138 Jerious Norwood (2008)
71t Billy Johnson at N.Y.J., (10–23–83) 2,036 William Andrews (1981)
70t Tim Dwight at Phi, (10–1–00) 1,986 Gerald Riggs (1985)
70t Tim Dwight vs. S.F., (1–3–00) 1,983 Eric Metcalf (1995)
1,937 Eric Metcalf (1996)
COMBINED RETURNS 1,861 Tim Dwight (1999)
Combined Return Yards, Career 1,836 Allen Rossum (2003)
7,212 Allen Rossum (2002–06) Most Combined Yards, Game
4,177 Deion Sanders (1989–93) 296 Eric Metcalf (0/97/176/23) vs. Phi., (9–22–96)
3,389 Tim Dwight (1998–00) 264 Tim Dwight (5/60/149/50) at Den., (9–10–00)
2,948 Jerious Norwood (2006-08) 261 Tony Smith (0/0/249/12) vs. Pit., (9–27–93)
2,573 Darrick Vaughn (2000–01) 242 Tim Dwight (0/55/102/85), at Phi., (10–1–00)
2,161 Ron Smith (1966–67) 241 Tim Dwight (0/162/0/79) vs. S.F., (1–3–00)
2,016 Reggie Smith (1980–81) 235 Tim Dwight (3/102/115/15) at Car., (11–28–99)
1,991 Eric Metcalf (1995–96) 235 Eric Metcalf (16/155/0/64) at N.O., (9–17–95)
1,942 Sylvester Stamps (1983–88) 226 B. Johnson (53/57/0/116) at NYJ, (10–23–83)
1,938 Tony Smith (1992–94) 225 J. Norwood (87/51/87/0) vs NYG (10–15–07)
1,860 Jim Butler (1968–71) 224 Eric Metcalf (4/44/176/0) at S.F., (9–29–96)
Most Combined Return Yards, Season
1,836 Allen Rossum (2003) PUNTING
1,707 Allen Rossum (2004) Highest Punting Average, Career
1,491 Darrick Vaughn (2001) 43.0 Michael Koenen (2005-08)
1,452 Allen Rossum (2002) 42.6 Rick Donnelly (1985–88)
1,370 Allen Rossum (2006) 41.8 Scott Fulhage (1989–92)
1,330 Eric Metcalf (1996) 41.6 Harold Alexander (1993–94)
1,317 Jerious Norwood (2007) 41.3 Billy Lothridge (1966–71)
1,311Jerious Norwood (2008) 40.9 Ralph Giacomarro (1983–84)
1,242 Reggie Smith (1981) 40.8 John James (1972–81)
1,236 Tim Dwight (1998) 40.5 Dan Stryzinski (1995–2000)
1,203 Tony Smith (1993) Highest Punting Average, Season (Min. 35)
Most Combined Returns, Career 44.32 Billy Lothridge (1968)
404 Allen Rossum (2002–06) 44.03 Rick Donnelly (1987)
240 Deion Sanders (1989–93) 43.86 Rick Donnelly (1986)
196 Tim Dwight (1998–2000) 43.69 Billy Lothridge (1967)
138 Rolland Lawrence (1973–80) 43.63 Rick Donnelly (1985)
129 Billy Johnson (1982–87) 43.50 Michael Koenen (2007)
127 Eric Metcalf (1995–96) 43.25 Harold Alexander (1993)
117 Tony Smith (1992–94) 42.80 Scott Fulhage (1991)
 records / individual records
Highest Punting Average, Game (Min. 4) Most Passes Intercepted, Season
66.6 Scott Fulhage vs. S.F., (10–14–90) 10 Scott Case (1988)
52.1 Rick Donnelly at Phi., (11–10–85) 9 Rolland Lawrence (1975)
Highest Net Punting Average, Season 8 Ray Brown (1974)
38.8 Michael Koenen (2007) 7 Ray Buchanan (1998)
38.7 Chris Mohr (2002) 7 Deion Sanders (1993)
38.1 Billy Lothridge (1968) 7 Tom Pridemore (1981)
37.9 Dan Stryzinski (2000) 7 Al Richardson (1980)
37.6 Harold Alexander (1993) 7 Rolland Lawrence (1977)
37.5 Rick Donnelly (1985) 7 Ken Reaves (1967)
37.1 Dan Stryzinski (1999) Most Passes Intercepted, Game
36.9 Michael Koenen (2005) 2-28 times, Last time by, Ashley Ambrose at G.B., (11–18–01)
36.9 Chris Mohr (2004) Most Consecutive Games Pass Int.
Most Punts, Career 4 D.J. Johnson (Weeks 2–5, 1994 Season)
873 John James (1972–81) 4 Ken Reaves (3 games–1970, 1–1971)
469 Dan Stryzinski (1995–00) Most Interception Return Yards, Career
424 Billy Lothridge (1966–71) 658 Rolland Lawrence (1973–80)
303 Scott Fulhage (1989–92) 574 Ray Brown (1971–77)
300 Michael Koenen (2005–08) 520 Deion Sanders (1989–93)
299 Chris Mohr (2001–04) 442 Ray Buchanan (1997–03)
296 Rick Donnelly (1985–88) 439 Ken Reaves (1966–73)
167 Ralph Giacomarro (1983–84) Most Interception Return Yards, Season
Most Punts, Season 221 Tom Pridemore (1981)
109 John James (1978) 177 DeAngelo Hall (2005)
105 John James (1977) 164 Ray Brown (1974)
101 John James (1976) 163 Rolland Lawrence (1975)
98 Rick Donnelly (1988) 153 Deion Sanders (1990)
96 John James (1974) 153 Ken Reaves (1967)
Most Punts, Game 142 Tom Hayes (1973)
12 John James vs. Wash., (12–10–78) 139 Ashley Ambrose (2000)
11 Rick Donnelly at Phi., (10–30–88) 139 Al Richardson (1980)
Most Punts Inside 20, Season 138 Rolland Lawrence (1977)
30 Michael Koenen (2007) Most Interception Return Yards, Game
28 John James (1976) 101 Tom Pridemore vs. S.F. (1 INT), (9–20–81)
27 Dan Stryzinski (2000) Most Interceptions For TD’s, Career
27 Dan Stryzinski (1999) 3 Kevin Mathis (2002–04)
27 Rick Donnelly (1988) 3 Deion Sanders (1989–93)
Longest Punt 2 Kenny Johnson (1980–86)
75 Harold Alexander at Chi., (10–3–93) 2 Robert Pennywell (1977–80)
75 John James vs. Oak., (11–30–75) 2 Ray Brown (1971–77)
72 John James vs. NO, (9–16–73) 2 Tom Hayes (1971–75)
71 Rick Donnelly vs. N.Y.J., (11–9–86) 2 Tommy Nobis (1966–76)
Most Fair Catches Forced, Season Most Interceptions For TD’s, Season
45 Dan Stryzinski (1997) 2 Kevin Mathis (2004)
34 Dan Stryzinski (1999) 2 Deion Sanders (1990)
33 Chris Mohr (2003) 2 Kenny Johnson (1983)
31 Michael Koenen (2007) 2 Tom Hayes (1973)
31 Dan Stryzinski (2000) Most Interceptions For TD’s, Game
29 Dan Stryzinski (1998) 2 Kenny Johnson vs. G.B. (26 and 31), (11–27–83)
26 Chris Mohr (2001)
25 Dan Stryzinski (1996) FUMBLE RECOVERIES
24 Chris Mohr (2002) Most Recoveries, Career
21 Chris Mohr (2004) 14 Greg Brezina (12) (1968–79)
21 Dan Stryzinski (1995) 13 Tom Pridemore (50) (1978–85)
13 Rolland Lawrence (20) (1973–80)
INTERCEPTIONS 13 Tommy Nobis (6) (1966–76)
Most Passes Intercepted, Career 12 Chuck Smith (89) (1992–99)
39 Rolland Lawrence (1973–81) 11 Mike Gann (90 (1985–93)
31 Ray Brown (1971–77) 11 Claude Humphrey (49) (1968–78)
30 Ray Buchanan (1997–03) 11 Don Hansen (14) (1969–75)
30 Scott Case (1984–94) 10 Keith Brooking (0) (1998–08)
29 Ken Reaves (1966–74) 10 Patrick Kerney (6) (1999–06)
27 Bobby Butler (1981–92) 10 Travis Hall (0) (1995–04)
24 Deion Sanders (1989–93) 10 Jessie Tuggle (155) (1987–00)
21 Tom Pridemore (1978–85) 10 Rick Byas (68) (1974–80)
17 DeAngelo Hall (2004–07)
17 Tom Hayes (1971–75)
 records / individual records
Most Recoveries, Season
5 Jeff Yeates (0) (1979) Most Sacks, Game
5 Frank Reed (13) (1978) 5.0 Chuck Smith at N.O., (10–12–97)
5 Ralph Ortega (14 yards) (1977) 5.0 Claude Humphrey (Twice)
5 Greg Brezina (0) (1969) 4.0 Claude Humphrey at N.O.,( 12–19–71)
Most Recoveries, Game 3.5 Travis Hall vs. N.O., (11–23–97)
2 Four Times, Last time by Travis Hall vs. Mia., (12–27–98) 3.5 Chris Doleman vs. Car., (9–3–95)
Most Yards, Fumble Recoveries, Career 3.0 John Abraham vs. TB, (12-14-08)
155 Jessie Tuggle (10 recoveries) (1987–97) 3.0 John Abraham at OAK, (11-2-08)
113 Bob Glazebrook (4) (1978–83) 3.0 John Abraham vs. DET, (9-7-08)
111 Joel Williams (8) (1979–89) 3.0 Michael Boley vs. Ind., (11–22–07)
107 Bobby Butler (9) (1981–92) 3.0 Patrick Kerney vs. Ari., (3–26–04)
90 Mike Gann (11) (1985–93) 3.0 Brady Smith at Car., (11–24–02)
90 John Mallory (6) (1967–71) 3.0 Lester Archambeau at Car., (11–28–00)
Most Yards, Fumble Recoveries, Season 3.0 Chuck Smith vs. Car., (10–31–99)
91 Bob Glazebrook (2) (1982) 3.0 Travis Hall at N.O., (10–12–97)
86 DeAngelo Hall (2) (2005) 3.0 Clay Matthews vs. Car., (11–3–96)
75 Oliver Barnett (1) (1991) 3.0 Chuck Smith vs. Phi., (11–27–94)
74 Jim Weatherford (3) (1969) 3.0 Jumpy Geathers at Den., (11–20–94)
73 James Britt (2) (1986) Most Sack Yards, Career
Most TD’s, Fumble Recoveries, Career 757.0 Claude Humphrey (1968–78)
*5 Jessie Tuggle (10 recoveries) (1987–98) 395.0 John Zook (1969–75)
* NFL record 359.5 Chuck Smith (1992–99)
2 DeAngelo Hall (4) (2004–07) 340.5 Patrick Kerney (1999–2006)
2 Mike Gann (10) (1985–93) 314.0 Jeff Merrow (1975–83)
2 Bobby Butler (8) (1981–92) 311.0 Don Smith (1979–84)
2 Joel Williams (8) (1979–89) 238.5 Travis Hall (1995–2004)
2 Kenny Johnson (7) (1980–86) 232.0 Rick Bryan (1984–91)
2 John Mallory (6) (1967–71) 219.0 Greg Brezina (1968–69, 1971–79)
Most TD’s, Fumble Recoveries, Season 211.5 Lester Archambeau (1993–99)
2 Kenny Johnson (1981) Most Sack Yards, Season
1-44 Times, Last time by DeAngelo Hall at Ten., 56 yds, (10–7–07) 137.5 Joel Williams (1980)
Most TD’s Fumble Recoveries, Game 127.5 Claude Humphrey (1976)
1-44 Times Last time by DeAngelo Hall at Ten., 56 yds, (10–7–07) 109.5 John Abraham (2008)
Safeties, Career 103.5 Claude Humphrey (1971)
2 Brian Jordan (1989–91) 94.5 Patrick Kerney (2004)
2 Mike Lewis (1971–79) 91.0 Jeff Merrow (1977)
2 Claude Humphrey (1968–78) 91.0 Al Richardson (1981)
1-14 Players, last safety by Antwan Lake vs. N.O., (12–12–05) 88.0 Claude Humphrey (1977)
82.0 Chuck Smith (1994)
SACKS 81.5 Rod Coleman (2004)
Most Sacks, Career 75.0 Chuck Smith (1997)
94.5 (757 yds) Claude Humphrey (1968–78)
58.5 (321.5 yds) Chuck Smith (1992–99)
58.0 (318.5 yds) Patrick Kerney (1999–06)
47.0 (395 yds) John Zook (1969–75)
41.5 (205.5 yds) Travis Hall (1995–04)
38.5 (311 yds) Don Smith (1979–84)
36.5 (211.5) Lester Archambeau (1993–99)
36.0 (314 yds) Jeff Merrow (1975–83)
32.0 (180 yds) Brady Smith (2000–05)
30.5 (214.5 yds) John Abraham (2006-08)
30.5 (232 yds) Rick Bryan (1984–91)
Most Sacks, Season
16.5 John Abraham (2008)
16.0 Joel Williams (1980)
15.0 Claude Humphrey (1976)
13.0 Patrick Kerney (2004)
12.5 Claude Humphrey (1974)
12.0 Patrick Kerney (2001)
12.0 Chuck Smith (1997)
12.0 Claude Humphrey (1971)
11.5 Rod Coleman (2004)
11.5 Claude Humphrey (1968)
11.0 Chuck Smith (1994)
 records / opponent individual records
Most Points Scored Most TD Passes
30 (5 TDs), Jerry Rice, S.F. (10–14–90) 6 Mark Rypien, Wash. (11–10–91)
24 (4 TDs), Priest Holmes, K.C. (10–24–04) 6 Joe Montana, S.F. (10–14–90)
24 (4 TDs), Derrick Blaylock, K.C. (10–24–04) Most Passes Had Intercepted
24 (4 TDs), Roy Jefferson, Pitt. (11–3–68) 5 by Jim Hart, Ari. (11–9–80)
24 (4 TDs), Dan Reeves, Dal. (11–5–67) 5 by Archie Manning, N.O. (9–16–73)
Most TDs Scored Most Yds. Receiving
5 Jerry Rice, S.F. (10–14–90) 253 by Plaxico Burress, Pitt. (11–10–02)
4 Priest Holmes, K.C. (10–24–04) 233 by Isaac Bruce, StL . (11–2–97)
4 Derrick Blaylock, K.C. (10–24–04) 226 by Eddie Kennison, StL . (12–15–96)
4 Dan Reeves, Dal. (11–5–67) Most Receptions
4 Roy Jefferson, Pitt. (11–3–68) 13 by Anquan Boldin, Ari. (12–23–07)
Most PAT Attempts 13 by Jerry Rice, S.F. (10–14–90)
8 Chip Lohmiller, StL . (11–10–96) 12 by Jerry Rice, S.F. (12–24–95)
8 Don Chandler, G.B. (10–23–66) 12 by Roger Craig, S.F. (10–6–85)
Most PATs Made Most TD Receptions
8 Lawrence Tynes, K.C. (10–24–04) 5 Jerry Rice, S.F. (10–14–90)
8 Chip Lohmiller, StL . (11–10–96) 4 Roy Jefferson, Pitt. (11–3–68)
8 Mike Cofer, S.F. (10–18–92) Longest Reception
8 Chip Lohmiller, Wash. (11–10–91) 99t Mike Quick, Phi. (11–10–85)
8 Don Chandler, G.B. (10–23–66) 97t John Taylor, S.F. (11–3–91)
Most FG Attempts 93t Freddie Solomon, S.F. (9–27–80)
7 Jim Bakken, Ari. (12–9–73) Most Interceptions
6 Jeff Wilkins, S.F. (9–29–96) 3 Keith Lyle, StL . (12–15–96)
Most FGs Made 3 Albert Lewis, K.C. (9–1–91)
6 Jeff Wilkins, S.F. (9–29–96) 3 Albert Lewis, K.C. (12–8–85)
6 Jim Bakken, Ari. (12–9–73) 3 Paul Martha, Den. (10–18–70)
Longest FG Longest INT Return
56 Yds Mike Cofer, S.F. (10–14–90) 93t by Deion Sanders, S.F. (10–16–94)
54 Yds Josh Brown, Sea. (12–30–07) Longest KOR
54 Yds Michael Husted, T.B. (11–9–97) 103t Tony Horne, StL . (10–15–00)
54 Yds Jan Stenerud, Min. (9–16–84) 102t Tony Horne, StL . (11–29–98)
54 Yds John Hall, Wash. (9–14–03) 102t Alexander Wright, Dal. (12–22–91)
Most Yds Rushing Most KOR’s
208 Marshall Faulk, StL (25 Att.) (10–15–00) 9 Michael Bates, Car. (10–4–98)
191 Greg Pruitt, Browns, (26 Att.) (10–17–76) Most KOR Yards
Most Carries 207 Kevin Williams, Ari. (12–21–97)
37 Amos Zereoue, Pitt. (123 yds) (11–10–02) 206 Tony Horne, StL . (11–1–98)
33 Lydell Mitchell, Bal .Colts, (151 yds) (11–17–74) 201 Michael Lewis, N.O. (10–27–02)
Highest Average Most KOR TD’s
10.4 Delvin Williams, S.F., (10–104) (12–14–75) 1 15 times, Last time by
10.3 Keith Griffin, Wash., (16–164) (11–3–85) Michael Spurlock, T.B. 90 yards (12–16–07)
Most TD’s Rushing Most Punt Returns
4 Priest Holmes, K.C. (10–24–04) 9 Ralph McGill, S.F. (10–29–72)
4 Derrick Blaylock, K.C. (10–24–04) Most Punt Return Yards
Longest Run 204 LeRoy Irvin, LA Ram. (10–11–81)
91t Herschel Walker, Phi. (11–27–94) Most TDs by Punt Return
85t Brian Mitchell, Phi. (10–1–00) 2 Todd Kinchen, LA Rams (12–27–92)
Most Yds Passing 2 LeRoy Irvin, LA Rams (10–11–81)
499 Jake Plummer, Den. (10–31–04) Most Punts
476 Joe Montana, S.F. (10–14–90) 11 Dave Jennings, N.Y.G. (10–25–81)
473 Tommy Maddox, Pitt. (11–10–02) Highest Punting Avg.
442 Mark Rypien, Wash. (11–10–91) 54.7 Todd Sauerbrun, Car. (11–25–01)
429 Joe Montana, S.F. (10–6–85) Highest Return Avg.(3 return min.)
Most Passing Attempts 34.7 (3 ret), Henry Ellard, LA Rams (10–22–84)
58 Drew Brees, N.O. (11-9-08) Longest Fumble Return
57 Joe Montana, S.F. (10–6–85) 97t Chuck Howley, Dal. (9–18–66)
Most Completions 94t Keith Lyle, StL . (9–24–00)
37 Joe Montana, S.F. (10–6–85)
35 Kurt Warner, Ari. (12–23–07)
35 Dan Marino, Mia. (12–3–95)
Most Consecutive Completions
17 Ken O’Brien, Jets (11–9–86)
Best Completion Pct.
93.8 (15–of–16), Steve Young, S.F. (10–16–94)
85.7 (18–of–21), Troy Aikman Dal. (12–21–92)
85.0 (17–of–20), Johnny Unitas, Bal Col. (11–12–67)
Longest TD Pass
99 yds Ron Jaworski, Phi. (11–10–85)
97 yds Steve Young, S.F. (11–3–91)
 records / top performances
RUSHING YARDAGE 122 Jamal Anderson vs. Ind, (30 att) (12–6–98)
220 Michael Turner vs. DET, (22 att) (9-7-08) 121 Michael Turner at GB, (26 att) (10-5-08)
208 Michael Turner vs. StL, (25 att) (12-28-08) 121 William Andrews vs. Phil, (24 att) (9–10–79)
202 Gerald Riggs vs. N. O, (35 att) (9–2–84) 120 Michael Turner at SD, (31 att) (11-30-08)
197 Gerald Riggs vs. K. C., (26 att) (12–8–85) 120 Craig Heyward vs. N.Y.J., (19 att) (9–24–95)
192 Erric Pegram vs. S.F., (27 att) (9–19–93) 120 Gerald Riggs vs. Wash., (23 att) (9–20–87)
188 Jamal Anderson at StL., (31 att) (11–29–98) 120 Gerald Riggs vs. Hou., (25 att) (9–23–84)
180 Erric Pegram at Cin., (37 att) (12–26–93) 119 Jamal Anderson at Det., (25 att) (11–12–00)
178 Warrick Dunn at N.Y.G., (25 att) (11–9–03) 119 William Andrews vs. Ram., (21 att) (11–21–82)
173 Michael Vick at Min., (10 att) (12–1–02) 119 William Andrews vs. Ram., (21 att) (10–11–81)
172 Jamal Anderson vs. StL., (22 att) (11–1–98) 119 Gerald Riggs vs. Dal., (30 att) (12–6–87)
172 Gerald Riggs vs. Mia., (33 att) (11–30–88) 117 Michael Turner vs. CAR, (24 att) (11-23-08)
167 William Andrews vs. N.O.,(30 att) (9–2–79) 117 Warrick Dunn vs. Ari., (20 att) (9–26–04)
166 Michael Vick vs. N. O, (12 att) (11–26–06) 117 Jamal Anderson vs. Car., (31 att) (10–4–98)
162 Warrick Dunn at N. O, (23 att) (11–16–03) 117 Craig Heyward vs. StL., (20 att) (11–19–95)
162 Jamal Anderson vs. StL., (20 att) (11–2–97) 117 Junior Coffey vs. Clev., (17 att) (10–30–66)
162 Steve Broussard vs. Was, (26 att) (12–19–93) 115 Michael Vick at Den., (12 att) (10–31–04)
161 William Andrews vs. Mia, (21 att) (12–10–83) 115 William Andrews vs. StL., (20 att) (11–9–80)
161 Dave Hampton vs. L. A., (29 att) (10–1–72) 115 William Andrews vs. Ram., (23 att) (12–14–81)
158 Gerald Riggs vs. N. O, (39 att) (12–22–85) 115 Gerald Riggs vs. S.F., (19 att) (9–18–88)
158 William Andrews vs. Buf, (28 att) (12–17–83) 115 John Settle vs. Sea., (21 att) (10–2–88)
155 Warrick Dunn vs. NYJ, (24 att) (10–24–05) 115 Mike Rozier vs. T.B., (23 att) (12–2–90)
155 Mike Rozier vs. Dal., (21 att) (12–30–90) 114 Jim Butler vs. N.O.,(20 att) (10–24–71)
152 Michael Turner vs. TB, (32 att) (12-14-08) 113 Gerald Riggs vs. Hou., (21 att) (10–25–87)
152 Jamal Anderson at Ari., (33 att) (12–21–97) 112 Gerald Riggs vs. Cin., (23 att) (11–15–87)
150 William Andrews vs. Phi., (25 att) (10–2–83) 112 Haskel Stanback vs. T.B., (23 att) (9–24–78)
150 William Andrews vs. Det., (32 att) (9–18–83) 111 William Andrews vs. Ram., (20 att) (10–26–80)
148 Maurice Smith vs. Dal., (27 att) (11–11–01) 111 William Andrews vs. Wash., (24 att) (11–30–80)
148 Jamal Anderson at N. O, (27 att) (12–13–98) 111 Gerald Riggs vs. StL., (29 att) (9–14–86)
147 Jamal Anderson at Det., (30 att) (12–20–98) 110 Jamal Anderson vs. N.Y.G., (29 att) (10–11–98)
146 Warrick Dunn vs. N.Y.G., (14 att) (10–15–06) 110 Gerald Riggs vs. Chi., (30 att) (11–24–85)
145 Lynn Cain vs. LA Ram. (35 att) (10–7–84) 109 Michael Vick vs. StL., (12 att) (9–19–04)
142 Warrick Dunn at N. O, (23 att) (10–27–02) 109 Jamal Anderson vs. Car., (22 att) (11–3–96)
141 Michael Vick vs. Car., (14 att) (12–7–03) 109 Gerald Riggs vs. Dal., (25 att) (9–21–86)
141 Gerald Riggs vs. LA Ram., (35 att) (10–12–86) 108 Jamal Anderson at Car., (14 att) (9–1–96)
139 Michael Turner at OAK, (30 att) (11-2-08) 108 William Andrews vs. S.F., (24 att) (12–19–82)
139 Gerald Riggs vs. Sea., (23 att) (10–13–85) 108 Gerald Riggs vs. StL., (29 att) (9–14–86)
136 Gerald Riggs vs. S.F., (28 att) (9–30–84) 107 Jerious Norwood at Wash, (9 att) (12–3–06)
136 Gerald Riggs vs. Indian., (30 att) (12–7–86) 107 Jamal Anderson vs. K.C., (28 att) (12–24–00)
135 Dave Hampton vs. StL., (23 att) (9–21–75) 107 Sonny Collins vs. S.F., (31 att) (11–14–76)
134 Warrick Dunn vs. T.B., (21 att) (9–17–06) 106 Jerious Norwood vs. Ari.,(6 att) (10–1–06)
134 Warrick Dunn vs. Car., (28 att) (12–18–04) 106 Dave Hampton vs. Den., (26 att) (11–23–75)
134 Gerald Riggs vs. Wash., (27 att) (11–5–84) 105 William Andrews vs. S.F., (18 att) (12–4–80)
133 Gerald Riggs vs. S.F., (30 att) (12–2–84) 104 Michael Turner vs. KC, (23 att) (9-21-08)
132 Warrick Dunn at Car., (29 att) (9–10–06) 104 Jamal Anderson at N.E., (32 att) (11–8–98)
132 Warrick Dunn at Sea., (25 att) (1–2–04) 104 Michael Vick at N.Y.G., (15 att) (11–21–04)
132 Warrick Dunn vs. Det., (30 att) (12–22–02) 104 Bubba Bean vs. Ram., (17 att) (11–19–79)
132 Jamal Anderson vs. N.O., (25 att) (10–18–98) 104 Cliff Austin vs. N.O.,(27 att) (9–7–86)
131 Gerald Riggs vs. Det., (31 att) ( 9–8–85) 104 Steve Broussard vs. S.F., (10 att) (10–13–91)
131 William Andrews vs. S.D., (21 att) (12–2–79) 104 Dave Hampton vs. N.O.,(19 att) (9–16–73)
129 Warrick Dunn at Pitt., (20 att) (11–10–02) 103 Warrick Dunn vs. Oak., (25 att) (12–12–04)
129 Gerald Riggs vs. Phi., (27 att) (11–10–85) 103 Jamal Anderson vs. Mia., (18 att) (12–27–98)
129 William Andrews vs. G. B., (20 att) (11–27–83) 103 Jamal Anderson at Det., (16 att) (10–6–96)
129 Haskel Stanback vs. N.O.,(22 att) (12–18–77) 103 Art Malone vs. Ram., (18 att) (10–1–72)
129 Gerald Riggs vs. T.B., (27 att) (9–28–86) 102 Byron Hanspard vs Ari., (26 att) (12–26–99)
128 Erric Pegram at LA Ram., (27 att) (11–14–93) 102 Craig Heyward at N.O.,(25 att) (9–17–95)
127 Michael Vick vs. T.B., (14 att) (9–17–06) 102 Lynn Cain vs. Det., (21 att) (10–5–80)
127 Gerald Riggs vs. Wash., (22 att) (11–3–85) 102 John Settle vs. N.O., (10 att) (9–11–88)
127 Gerald Riggs vs. Dal., (24 att) (10–27–85) 102 Mike Rozier vs. Ram., (21 att) (12–23–90)
127 Jim Butler vs. S.F., (17 att) (10–4–70) 101 Michael Vick vs. Ari., (11 att) (10–1–06)
126 Warrick Dunn vs. Min., (18 att) (10–02–05) 101 Warrick Dunn vs. Sea., (20 att) (12–15–02)
126 William Andrews vs. S. F.,(28 att) (9–25–83) 101 William Andrews vs. Phi., (18 att) (12–7–80)
125 William Andrews vs. N.E., (25 att) (10–30–83) 101 William Andrews vs. Hou., (25 att) (11–19–81)
125 John Settle vs. Den., (25 att) (10–16–88) 101 Dave Hampton vs. N.O., (25 att) (10–5–75)
124 William Andrews vs. N. E., (19 att) (9–14–80) 101 Steve Broussard vs. S.D., (20 att) (9–15–91)
123 Jamal Anderson at S.F., (13 att) (9–27–98) 100 Warrick Dunn at N.O., (22 att) (10–16–05)
123 Erric Pegram at N.O.,(34 att) (10–24–93) 100 T. J. Duckett at Car., (14 att) (9–28–030
123 Gerald Riggs vs. LA Ram., (41 att) (11–17–85) 100 Jamal Anderson vs. S.F., (31 att) (11–15–98)
123 Lynn Cain vs. Min., (24 att) (9–7–80) 100 Sonny Collins vs. Sea., (17 att) (11–7–76)
123 Woody Thompson vs. N.O., (24 att) (11–20–77) 100 William Andrews vs. S.F., (21 att) (9–28–80)
 records / top performances
100 Warrick Dunn vs. S.F. (27 att) (11–4–07) 121 Bert Emanuel at T.B., (9 rec) (10–22–95)
RECEIVING YARDAGE 120 Andre Rison vs. Ram., (5 rec) (11–14–93)
198 Terance Mathis at N.O., (6 rec) (12–13–80) 120 Wes Chesson vs. Ram., (7 rec) (11–5–72)
193 Andre Rison at Det., (14 rec) (9–4–94) 120 Paul Flatley vs. Phi., (4 rec) (12–14–69)
193 Alfred Jackson vs. S.F., (11 rec) (12–2–84) 119 Roddy White vs. KC, (5 rec) (9-21-08)
190 Michael Haynes vs. Wash., (6 rec) (12–17–89) 119 Charlie Brown vs. N.O., (7 rec) (9–7–86)
190 Ken Burrow vs. Det., (6 rec) (10–3–71) 118 Alge Crumpler vs. T.B., (4 rec) (11–14–04)
190 Ken Burrow vs. N.O., (8 rec) (12–19–71) 118 Andre Rison at N.O., (8 rec) (11–13–94)
187 Michael Haynes vs. N.O., (6 rec) (11–24–91) 117 Alge Crumpler vs. Pitt., (4 rec) (10–22–06)
184 Terance Mathis vs. Ram., (10 rec) (11–19–95) 117 Terance Mathis at N.E., (8 rec) (11–8–98)
182 Quentin McCord vs. Det., (7 rec) (12–22–02) 117 Junior Miller vs. N.E., (8 rec) (9–14–80)
182 Michael Haynes vs. N.O., (7 rec) (9–12–93) 116 Tony Martin vs. N.O., (7 rec) (10–18–98)
179 Alfred Jenkins vs. N.O., (5 rec) (11–1–81) 116 Bert Emanuel vs. Min., (9 rec) (9–8–96)
177 Andre Rison vs. Chi., (10 rec) (9–27–92) 116 Billy Johnson vs. Det., (8 rec) (9–9–84)
173 Bert Emanuel vs. Ram., (9 rec) (12–15–96) 115 Aubrey Matthews vs. StL., (7 rec) (11–29–87)
172 Andre Rison vs. S.F., (9 rec) (10–14–90) 114 Brian Finneran at Min., (5 rec) (12–1–02)
169 Stacey Bailey vs. Dal., (4 rec) (9–25–88) 113 Roddy White at PHI, (8 rec) (10-21-08)
168 Peerless Price vs. Minn, (12 rec) (10–5–03) 113 Alfred Jackson vs. S.F., (4 rec) (11–22–78)
166 Terance Mathis at Pitt., (12 rec) (10–25–99) 113 Michael Haynes vs. T.B., (5 rec) (12–13–92)
164 Roddy White at NO, (10 rec) (12-7-08) 113 Paul Flatley vs. Ram., (6 rec) (9–28–69)
164 Ken Burrow vs. S.F., (5 rec) (10–28–73) 112 Roddy White at SD, (6 rec) (11-30-08)
163 Terance Mathis at Den., (8 rec) (11–20–94) 112 Roddy White vs. CHI, (9 rec) (10-12-08)
162 Tim Dwight vs. S.F., (7 rec) (1–3–00) 112 Charlie Brown vs. N.Y.J., (6 rec) (11–9–86)
161 Andre Rison vs. Ram., (5 rec) (10–21–90) 112 Michael Haynes vs. Ram., (6 rec) (12–8–91)
159 Stacey Bailey vs. Wash., (9 rec) (12–4–83) 111 Jim Mitchell vs. N.O., (7 rec) (9–16–73)
158 Stacey Bailey vs. Ram., (7 rec) (10–7–84) 110 Roddy White at N.O., (8 rec) (10–21–07)
155 Eric Metcalf at N.O., (11 rec) (9–17–95) 110 Billy Johnson vs. Den., (7 rec) (9–22–85)
154 Andre Rison vs. N.O., (10 rec) (10–7–90) 110 Paul Gibson vs. Ram., (5 rec) (11–22–70)
153 Billy Johnson vs. N.O., (11 rec) (10–20–85) 110 Lynn Cain vs. Oak., (6 rec) (10–24–79)
153 Wallace Francis vs. N.Y.G., (7 rec) (10–1–78) 110 Charlie Brown vs. T.B., (7 rec) (9–28–86)
152 Alfred Jenkins vs. Wash., (7 rec) (9–25–77) 110 Michael Haynes vs. Ram., (4 rec) (10–27–91)
148 Shawn Jefferson vs. S.F., (7 rec) (9–3–00) 109 Shawn Jefferson at Oak., (7 rec) (11–26–00)
148 Wallace Francis vs. S.F., (4 rec) (12–14–80) 109 Tony Martin at N.O., (8 rec) (12–13–98)
148 Michael Haynes vs. Dal., ( 5 rec) (12–22–91) 109 Bert Emanuel at Ram., (4 rec) (11–10–96)
147 Andre Rison vs. T.B., (11 rec) (12–31–93) 109 Stacey Bailey vs. N.O., (7 rec) (10–9–83)
147 Alfred Jenkins vs. S.F., (7 rec) (12–14–75) 109 Milton Barney vs. Ram., (6 rec) (10–18–87)
146 Roddy White at StL., (10 rec) (12–2–07) 109 Alfred Jackson vs. Pitt., (5 rec) (11–15–81)
146 Floyd Dixon vs. Phi., (8 rec) (10–5–86) 109 Jim Mitchell vs. Ram., (7 rec) (12–1–74)
144 Alex Hawkins vs. Phi., (9 rec) (9–18–66) 108 Roddy White vs. T.B., (4 rec) (11–20–05)
143 Jim Mitchell vs. LA Ram., (4 rec) (9–26–71) 108 Maurice Smith at Ari., (2 rec) (9–30–01)
141 Roddy White at Ari., (12 rec) (12–23–07) 108 Bert Emanuel vs. StL., (6 rec) (11–2–97)
140 Tony Martin vs. Ind., (7 rec) (12–6–98) 108 Wallace Francis vs. Ram., (10 rec) (12–9–79)
140 Stacey Bailey vs. Phi., (8 rec) (12–16–84) 108 Arthur Cox vs. N.Y.J., (4 rec) (11–9–86)
138 Wallace Francis vs. Den., (8 rec) (9–16–79) 107 Terance Mathis at Car., (8 rec) (10–26–97)
136 Bert Emanuel vs. Ari., (4 rec) (12–24–94) 107 Andre Rison vs. S.F., (6 rec) (12–11–93)
136 Billy Johnson vs. Raid., (6 rec) (12–1–85) 107 Drew Hill vs. Ram., (8 rec) (12–27–92)
136 Alfred Jenkins vs. Clev., (6 rec) (9–27–81) 107 Billy Ryckman vs. Chi., (8 rec) (11–19–78)
136 Alfred Jenkins vs. Mia., (4 rec) (9–21–80) 106 Andre Rison vs. Det., (6 rec) (9–5–93)
134 Alfred Jenkins vs. S.F., (7 rec) (11–8–81) 106 Stacey Bailey vs. Phi., (7 rec) (10–2–83)
132 Roddy White at G.B., (8 rec) (10-5-08) 106 Stacey Bailey vs. Ram., (6 rec) (10–16–83)
132 William Andrews vs. StL., (8 rec) (10–18–81) 106 William Andrews vs. Den., (3 rec) (12–5–82)
131 Shawn Jefferson at Pitt., (9 rec) (11–10–02) 106 Alfred Jenkins vs. Oak., (4 rec) (11–30–75)
131 Alfred Jenkins vs. N.O., (7 rec) (9–2–79) 106 Alfred Jenkins vs. Den., (6 rec) (11–23–75)
130 Terance Mathis at S.F., (7 rec) (9–27–98) 106 John Settle vs. S.D., (10 rec) (11–13–88)
129 Warrick Dunn vs. Ten., (9 rec) (11–23–03) 106 Eric Metcalf at T.B., (4 rec) (10–22–95)
129 Alfred Jenkins vs. Den., (5 rec) (9–16–79) 105 Tony Martin vs. Mia., (3 rec) (12–27–98)
128 Terance Mathis at S.F., (7 rec) (12–4–94) 105 Floyd Dixon vs. Wash., (5 rec) (9–20–87)
128 George Thomas vs. Min., (7 rec) (9–8–91) 105 Alfred Jenkins vs. N.Y.G., (6 rec) (11–11–79)
128 Andre Rison vs. S.F., (11 rec) (9–23–90) 105 Harmon Wages vs. N.O., (3 rec) (12–7–69)
127 Roddy White vs. Car., (7 rec) (9–23–07) 105 Michael Haynes vs. Wash., (2 rec) (11–10–91)
126 Shawn Collins vs. G.B., (5 rec) (10–1–89) 105 Mike Pritchard vs. Dal., (9 rec) (12–21–92)
125 Terance Mathis at N.O., (10 rec) (9–13–94) 104 Roddy White vs. Ind., (6 rec) (11–22–07)
124 Terance Mathis vs. Phi., (10 rec) (11–27–94) 104 Roddy White vs. Dal., (3 rec) (12–16–06)
124 Andre Rison vs. G.B., (8 rec) (12–1–91) 104 Alge Crumpler vs. Det., (4 rec) (11–24–05)
123 Terance Mathis at Car., (4 rec) (9–1–96) 104 Brian Finneran at Car., (5 rec) (11–24–02)
123 Terance Mathis vs. K.C., (13 rec) (9–18–94) 104 Bert Emanuel at N.O., (6 rec) (9–17–95)
123 Andre Rison vs. Ram., (12 rec) (9–11–94) 104 Bert Emanuel vs. Det., (7 rec) (11–5–95)
123 Alfred Jackson vs. Det., (5 rec) (9–18–83) 104 Billy Johnson vs. S.F., (6 rec) (11–20–83)
122 Eric Metcalf at Cin., (9 rec) (11–24–96) 103 Brian Finneran vs. N.E., (5 rec) (10–9–05)
122 Alfred Jenkins vs. Ram., (7 rec) (11–5–72) 103 Alge Crumpler vs. N.O., (4 rec) (11–28–04)
 records / individual performances
102 Roddy White vs. DEN, (5 rec) (11-16-08) LONGEST PUNTS (65+ YARDS)
102 Tim Dwight at Car., (5 rec) (11–28–99) 75 Harold Alexander vs. Chi. (10–3–93)
102 Terance Mathis at Car., (8 rec) (12–17–95) 75 John James vs. Oak. (11–30–75)
102 Stacey Bailey vs. Min., (4 rec) (9–16–84) 72 John James vs. N. O. (9–16–73)
102 Alfred Jenkins vs. N.O., (4 rec) (11–2–75) 71 Rick Donnelly vs. N.Y.J. (11–9–86)
102 Alfred Jenkins vs. Hou., (5 rec) (11–28–76) 70 Billy Lothridge vs. Clev. (10–27–68)
102 Alfred Jenkins vs. StL., (5 rec) (12–17–78) 68 Rick Donnelly vs. Wash. (11–3–85)
101 Terance Mathis at Dal., (5 rec) (10–20–96) 68 Rick Donnelly vs. Phi. (10–5–86)
101 Paul Flatley vs. Balt., (3 rec) (10–5–69) 67 Michael Koenen at Sea. (9–18–05)
101 Alfred Jenkins vs. G.B., (6 rec) (12–12–76) 67 John James vs. N. O. (10–31–76)
101 Alfred Jenkins vs. StL., (4 rec) (10–18–81) 65 Michael Koenen at Cin. (10–29–06)
101 Michael Haynes vs. Dal., (5 rec) (12–21–92) 65 Rick Donnelly vs. Chi. (11–16–86)
100 Trevor Gaylor vs. N.O., (3 rec) (11–17–02) 65 Scott Fulhage vs. N. E. (10–15–89)
100 Tony Martin vs. Chi., (6 rec) (11–22–98)
100 Bert Emanuel at Buf., (6 rec) (11–12–95) LONGEST RUNS FROM SCRIMMAGE (50+ YARDS)
100 Andre Rison vs. Clev., (6 rec) (12–16–90) 90t Warrick Dunn vs. N.Y.G. (10–15–06)
100 Andre Rison vs. Mia., (7 rec) (10–11–92) 78t Jerious Norwood vs. Ari. (10–1–06)
77 Byron Hanspard vs. Oak. (9–14–97)
PASSING YARDAGE 70 Michael Turner vs. StL. (12-28-08)
431 Chris Chandler vs. Buf., (28–of–40) (12–23–01) 69t Jerious Norwood at Wash. (12–3–06)
416 Steve Bartkowski vs. Pitt., (33–of–50) (11–15–81) 69t Warrick Dunn vs. N. O. (10–19–03)
386 Jeff George at N.O., (27–of–39) (9–17–95) 67t Jerious Norwood vs. NYG . (10–15–07)
378 Steve Bartkowski vs. StL., (31–of–47) (11–9–80) 67 Mike Rozier vs. Dal. (12–30–90)
375 Steve Bartkowski vs. Raid., (36–of–54) (9–19–82) 66t Michael Turner vs. Det. (9-7-08)
374 Wade Wilson vs. Ram., (31–of–47) (12–27–92) 66t Harmon Wages vs. N. O. (12–7–69)
371 Steve Bartkowski vs. Hou., (18–of–25) (11–29–81) 65 Warrick Dunn vs. N.Y.J. (10–24–05)
366 Steve Bartkowski vs. Det. (24–of–34) (9–18–83) 65 Ernie Wheelwright vs. L. A. (9–11–66)
366 Chris Miller vs. N.O.,(23–of–44) (10–7–90) 62 John Settle vs. N. O. (9–11–88)
364 Jeff George vs. Phi., (26–of–46) (11–27–94) 60t Jim Butler vs. Det. (12–8–68)
363 Bobby Hebert vs. Ram., (28–of–49) (12–15–96) 60t Bubba Bean vs. T. B. (11–4–79)
362 Jeff George vs. Det., (31–of–40) (11–5–95) 60 Warrick Dunn vs. Ari. (9–26–04)
361 J. Harrington vs. Car., (31-of-44) (9–23–07) 59 Warrick Dunn at Buf. (9–25–05)
352 Doug Johnson vs. Min., (28–of–40) (10–5–03) 59t Warrick Dunn at Pitt. (11–10–02)
352 Chris Chandler at G.B., (29–of–50) (11–18–01) 58 Michael Vick vs. Ari. (9–26–04)
352 Jeff George vs. Ram., (20–of–34) (11–19–95) 58 Maurice Smith vs. N. E. (11–4–01)
351 Chris Miller vs. Chi., (30–of–48) (9–27–92) 57 Byron Hanspard vs. Den. (9–28–97)
350 Dave Archer vs. N.Y.J., (21–of–36) (11–9–86) 57 Gerald Riggs vs. N. O. (9–2–84)
345 Chris Chandler at N.O., (19–of–28) (12–13–98) 56 Warrick Dunn at N. O. (10–27–02)
340 Wade Wilson vs. Dal., (30–of–41) (12–21–92) 56 Dave Hampton vs. Ram. (10–1–72)
340 Chris Miller vs. Ram., (28–of–39) (10–8–89) 55 T.J. Duckett vs. Min. (10–5–03)
337 Michael Vick vs. Det., (20–of–38) (12–22–02) 55t Haskel Stanback vs. Det. (9–23–79)
337 Chris Miller vs. S.F., (25–of–41) (9–23–90) 54 Warrick Dunn at N. O. (11–16–03)
335 Erik Kramer vs. Ram., (27–of–46) (10–18–87) 53 Bob Christian at Car. (11–25–01)
334 Chris Miller vs. Det., (37–of–66) (12–24–89) 53 Byron Hanspard vs. Phi. (12–14–97)
332 Steve Bartkowski vs. Mia., (18–of–36) (9–21–80) 51 Michael Vick vs. N. O. (11–26–06)
328 Jeff George at N.O., (29–of–49) (11–13–94) 50 Gerald Riggs vs. K. C. (12–8–85)
326 Steve Bartkowski vs. Den., (20–of–29) (9–16–79) 50t Steve Broussard vs. Cin. (10–28–90)
325 Chris Miller vs. Dal., (19–of–39) (12–22–91)
324 Wade Wilson vs. T.B., (19–of–26) (12–13–92) LONGEST PASS COMPLETIONS (75+ YARDS)
317 Bobby Hebert vs. Hou., (30–of–52) (12–5–93) 98t Bobby Hebert to Michael Haynes vs. NO (10–12–93)
315 Matt Ryan at NO, (24 of 33) (12-7-08) 94t Chris Chandler to Jamal Anderson vs. CAR (9–23–01)
315 Chris Chandler at Car., (24–of–42) (11–28–99) 89t Chris Miller to Michael Haynes vs. WASH (9–13–92)
315 Chris Redman at Ari., (28-of-42) (12–23–07) 88t Bob Berry to Harmon Wages vs NO (12–7–69)
315 Bobby Hebert vs. Dal., (24–of–32) (11–21–93) 86t Doug Johnson to Warrick Dunn vs. TEN (11–23–03)
313 Steve Bartkowski vs. N.Y.J., (25–of–36) (10–23–83) 86t Steve Bartkowski to William Andrews vs. DEN (12–5–82)
312 Steve Bartkowski vs. N.O., (22–of–38) (9–2–79) 85t Jeff George to Bert Emanuel vs. AZ (12–24–94)
311 Steve Bartkowski vs. N.Y.G., (24–of–28) (10–25–81) 84 Bob Berry to Ken Burrow vs. NO (12–19–71)
310 Jeff George at Car., (29–of–53) (12–17–95) 82t Randy Johnson to Ray Ogden vs. SF (12–10–67)
310 Chris Miller vs. Wash., (17–of–35) (12–17–89) 81 Jeff George to Terance Mathis at SF (12–4–94)
309 Bob Berry vs. Det., (13–of–23) (10–3–71) 81t Steve Bartkowski to Wallace Francis vs. SF (12–14–80)
306 Michael Vick vs. T.B., (21–of–38) (11–20–05) 80t Chris Miller to Michael Haynes vs. NO (11–24–91)
306 Chris Chandler vs. S.F., (19–of–37) (1–3–00) 79t Chris Chandler to Maurice Smith at AZ (9–30–01)
305 Steve Bartkowski vs. S.F., (19–of–37) (12–14–75) 78t Chris Chandler to Terance Mathis vs. SF (11–15–98)
304 Bobby Hebert at Cin., (23–of–40) (11–24–96) 76t Steve Bartkowski to Floyd Hodge vs. SF (9–25–83)
303 Mike Moroski vs. G.B., (22–of–35) (11–27–83) 75t Tom Moore to Tommy McDonald vs. BAL (11–12–67)
302 Bob Berry vs. G.B., (28–of–44) (9–27–70) 75t Chris Miller to Andre Rison vs. SF (10–14–90)
301 Matt Ryan vs. Chi., (22 of 30) (10-12-08) 75t Billy Joe Tolliver to Michael Haynes vs. WASH (11–10–91)
301 Bob Berry vs. Ram., (15–of–22) (9–26–71)
301 Steve Bartkowski vs. S.F., (28–of–39) (11–20–83)
300 Chris Miller vs. Min., (27–of–41) (9–8–91)
 records / individual performances
LONGEST FIELD GOALS (50+ YARDS) 72t Gerald Tinker vs. N. O. (9–29–74)
59 Morten Andersen vs. S. F. (12–24–95) 71t Billy Johnson vs. N.Y.J. (10–23–83)
58 Michael Koenen vs. N.E. (10–9–05) 71 Billy Johnson vs. L. A. Ram. (11–21–82)
55 Jay Feely, at Ari. (9–30–01) 70t Tim Dwight at Phi. (10–1–00)
55 Morten Andersen at N. O. (10–12–97) 70t Tim Dwight vs. S. F. (1–3–00)
55 Morten Andersen vs. N. O. (12–10–95) 68t Deion Sanders vs. L. A. Ram (9–10–89)
54 Morten Andersen at Dal. (10–20–96) 67 Darrien Gordon at Ind. (12–16–01)
54 Morten Andersen vs. N. E. (10–1–95) 66t Eric Metcalf at StL. Ram. (10–12–95)
54 Norm Johnson vs. Det. (9–5–93) 61t Harry Douglas vs. Car. (11-23-08)
54 Norm Johnson vs. N.Y.J. (9–6–92) 60 Dennis Pearson vs. Det. (9–23–79)
54 Norm Johnson vs. N. E. (11–29–92) 60 Lew Barnes vs. Phi. (10–30–88)
54 Paul McFadden vs. Buf. (11–5–89) 59t Allen Rossum vs. Ten. (11–23–03)
53 Morten Andersen at N.Y.J. (10–25–98) 58t Winslow Oliver vs. S. F. (12–12–99)
53 Greg Davis vs. Phi. (11–18–90) 57 Ray Brown vs. Phi. (11–11–73)
52 Jay Feely, at G. B. (9–8–02) 57 Al Dodd vs. Chi. (10–13–74)
52 Jay Feely, vs. Buf. (12–23–01) 56 Kenny Johnson vs. Chi. (9–23–80)
52 Morten Andersen vs. S. F. (12–24–95) 51 Tony Smith vs. T. B. (10–31–93)
52 Norm Johnson vs. Mia. (10–11–92)
52 Greg Davis vs. G. B. (11–6–88) LONGEST FUMBLE RETURNS (50+ YARDS)
52 Mick Luckhurst vs. Sea. (10–13–85) 91t Bob Glazebrook vs. N.Y.G. (9–12–82)
52 Mick Luckhurst vs. L. A. Ram (10–7–84) 75t Oliver Barnett vs. T. B. (11–17–91)
52 Nick Mike–Mayer vs. S. F. (10–28–73) 74t Jim Weatherford vs. S. F. (10–19–69)
51 Michael Koenen vs. Ari. (10–1–06) 71t Chuck Smith at N. E. (11–8–98)
51 Morten Andersen at S. F. (11–19–00) 69t Jessie Tuggle vs. N. O. (12–3–92)
51 Morten Andersen vs. Oak. (9–14–97) 66t DeAngelo Hall at N.O. (10–16–05)
51 Morten Andersen vs. N. O. (12–10–95) 65t James Britt vs. L. A. Ram (10–26–86)
51 Morten Andersen vs. Car. (9–3–95) 65t Jessie Tuggle vs. Hou. (9–9–90)
51 Norm Johnson vs. Clev. (11–28–93) 64t Blane Gaison vs. S. F. (11–20–83)
51 Norm Johnson vs. S. F. (10–18–92) 60t Tom Hayes vs. Oak. (12–5–71)
51 Mick Luckhurst vs. Det. (9–9–84) 57t Joel Williams vs. G. B. (9–13–81)
51 Mick Luckhurst vs. Den. (12–5–82) 56t DeAngello Hall at Ten. (10–7–07)
51 Mick Luckhurst vs. Den. (12–5–82) *55t Jim Mitchell at Min. (11–28–71)
50 Morten Andersen vs. N. O. (10–22–00) 54t John Mallory vs. L. A. Ram. (10–17–71)
50 Morten Andersen vs. Chi. (11–22–98) 50t Jim Mitchell vs. N. O. (10–5–75)
50 Morten Andersen at Buf. (11–12–95) * Ball was fumbled by teammate and run in for a TD.
50 Norm Johnson vs. Phi. (11–27–94)
50 Paul McFadden vs. Buf. (11–5–89) LONGEST KICKOFF RETURNS (60+ YARDS)
50 Mick Luckhurst vs. T. B. (9–13–87) 100t Darrick Vaughn at Den. (9–10–00)
50 Mick Luckhurst vs. Det. (12–27–87) 100t Deion Sanders vs. S. F. (10–13–91)
50 Mick Luckhurst vs. Ram. (10–7–84) 100t Dennis Pearson vs. StL. Cards (12–17–78)
50 Tim Mazzetti vs. Buf. (11–2–80) 99t Byron Hanspard at S. D. (12–7–97)
50 Norm Johnson vs. N. O. (11–24–91) 99t Deion Sanders vs. Wash. (9–13–92)
99t Ron Smith vs. Balt. (9–17–67)
LONGEST INTERCEPTION RETURNS (60+ YARDS) 97t Tony Smith vs. Pitt. (9–27–93)
101t Tom Pridemore vs. S. F. (9–20–81) 97t Sylvester Stamps vs. S. F. (12–20–87)
95t Chevis Jackson vs. N.O. (11-9-08) 96t Darrick Vaughn at StL. (1–6–02)
90t Ken Reaves vs. L. A. Ram (10–20–68) 96t Darrick Vaughn at StL. (10–15–00)
87t Rolland Lawrence vs. Oak. (11–30–75) 94t Cliff Austin vs. N. O. (10–20–85)
85 Aaron Beasley at S. F. (9–12–04) 93t Tim Dwight vs. Car. (10–4–98)
82t Deion Sanders vs. Hou. (9–9–90) 93t Byron Hanspard at Sea. (11–30–97)
81t Rolland Lawrence vs. S. D. (10–21–73) 92 Jerious Norwood vs. StL. (12-28-08)
77t Lee Calland vs. Balt. (9–17–67) 91t Allen Rossum vs. Sea . (12–15–02)
74 Vinnie Clark vs. T. B. (10–9–94) 88t Darrick Vaughn at N. O. (12–17–00)
73t Jimmy Burson vs. S. F. (12–15–68) 85 Jerious Norwood vs. Chi. (10-12-08)
72t Rick Byas vs. N. O. (11–20–77) 82 Jim Butler vs. G. B. (11–22–71)
71t Alton Montgomery vs. Car. (9–3–95) 80 Ron Smith vs. Chi. (11–27–66)
66t Kevin Mathis at Den. (10–31–04) 76t Keith Jones vs. Dal. (12–30–90)
65 DeAngelo Hall at T. B. (12–24–05) 76 Jerious Norwood at Ten. (10–7–07)
65t Tom Hayes vs. N. O. (9–16–73) 74 Sylvester Stamps vs. Hou. (10–25–87)
62t Bob Riggle vs. Min. (12–4–66) 73t Deion Sanders vs. Buf. (11–22–92)
61t Deion Sanders vs. Dal. (12–30–90) 72 Deion Sanders vs. N. O. (10–29–89)
60 Ray Buchanan vs. T. B. (11–5–00) 61 Adam Jennings vs. Sea. (12–30–07)

LONGEST PUNT RETURNS (50+ YARDS)

79t Deion Sanders vs. Cin. (10–28–90)
77t Tom McCauley vs. N. O. (10–25–70)
75t Allen Rossum at K. C. (10–24–04)
75t John Mallory vs. Min. (12–20–70)
74 Darrien Gordon vs. Dal. (11–11–01)
72 Allen Rossum vs. Phi. (11–2–03)