The Atlanta Falcons

Crappy Then...Still Crappy Now...


Being from lower Alabama, I grew up watching mainly college football and the local high school football team because the nearest NFL franchises were in New Orleans, Tampa Bay, and Atlanta.

Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, North & South Carolina, Kentucky, and most of the rest of the Midwest and the Mississippi River flood plain had to watch pro football on television if they actually wanted to SEE a pro football game, unlike people living in Pittsburgh, Green Bay, and NYC.

Even today my great birth state of Alabama still has but three football teams of note--THE University of Alabama "Crimson Tide", the Auburn "Tigers", and most recently the NCAA Division IA Troy State University "Trojans."

I think that you'd agree with me when I say that Alabamians love their college football, although things have never been quite the same since Bear Bryant died back in the 1980's.

Georgia, of course, still has their own mediocre Atlanta Falcons team.

When I moved to Atlanta in 1977 to attend Georgia Tech, the Falcons stadium was but a few miles south of my dorm room, but try as I might I just couldn't manage to become a serious Falcons fan.

You see, the Atlanta Falcons totally SUCKED because the Smith family heir, "baby bubba Smith," had owned the team since the franchise was first awarded and the City of Atlanta stole the money from the taxpayers to build a stadium, and all Mr. Smith cared about was chasing strange women and keeping the status "quo."

Quarterback Steve Bartkowski and running back/receivers William Andrews and Alfred Jenkins had their moments, but after sitting in the stadium in a 20 degree Arctic cold blast watching their 1980 NFC Division playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys in January 1981, I think that I've attended maybe three Falcons games and watched about the same number on television.

When "baby bubba Smith's" antics finally embarrassed his family name enough and Arthur Blank threw out enough money to cause him to sell the Falcon franchise in 2002, all of my delirious wild eyed friends lambasted me with commentary about how the Falcons were going to become a dynasty like the Atlanta Braves were in Baseball.

All I could do is yawn.

When Mr. Blank tossed Virginia Tech QB Michael Vick a ten year $130 million deal, the City of Atlanta and the Atlanta media started gassing up their cars and buying Super Bowl tickets.

All I could do was smirk.

Today, following Mr. Vick's indictment on Dog Fighting charges, I offer a hearty:

I TOLD YOU ALL SO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've said from the start that Michael Vick was nothing but a highly overpaid THUG--sort of a version of NBA Player lite. He had enough savvy to mostly keep his mouth shut, but when it came time to perform on the field he was all smoke and mirrors, and today's Atlanta Falcon's, like the Falcons of the 1970's, still can't put together a Super Bowl Team with just a pretty good quarterback surrounded by a bunch of "has beens" and "wanna be's."

I don't just question Vick's judgment here, I question the entire culture that permeates college and professional sports.

Thugs and Gangsters...

Gangsters and Gold chain adorned Thugs.

(And one huge dumbass that's made $13 million dollars a year for the past five years and spends his time betting on dogs killing each other.)