How Week 17 Sent The Falcons To The Super Bowl
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
The 2016 season for the Atlanta Falcons has gone down as the most memorable season in franchise history. Yes, 11-5 doesn't eclipse previous records of 14-2 in 1998 and 13-3 in 2010 & 2012, but it is definitely the one that the fan base of the the Falcons fans have probably enjoyed the most. Has it been the BEST Falcons team in history? Perhaps. But it has been one that has pretty much gotten fans rallying behind this team.
I mentioned the fan base of the Falcons especially has been strong, contrary to the national belief that it isn't in a previous post. But with the Falcons fans especially, there has been a divide for a long time. In fact, a very long time. Ever since Matt Ryan got drafted.
When the whole bit with Michael Vick and the dog-fighting scandal broke out in 2006-07, many Falcons fans were furious with Vick. He had helped put the Falcons on the map in the NFL and you never really counted out Atlanta in any game from 2002-2006 with his play-making ability. But when he was sent to prison in 2007, the Falcons fell apart. Many were furious he would do something to endanger his football career. On the other side of that, many fans still loved and supported #7 in Atlanta and was waiting to have Vick back after he got out of prison.
And then the Falcons chose to move on.
Ryan's heroics in his 4th game against the Bears in his rookie year created the "Matty Ice" moniker.
In the 2008 draft, Atlanta drafted Matt Ryan. For a brief moment, most fans were upset at the pick as it never felt like Matt Ryan would amount to anything and he was definitely no Vick on the field. And then after a few weeks where Ryan had played fairly well, he had his "I'm here!" game in beating Chicago with little time left. The legend of Matty Ice was born. He had an amazing rookie season where he won the offensive rookie of the year and helped guide Atlanta to an 11-5 record (after going 4-12 in 2007), but lost in the Wild Card to Arizona. However, it didn't win EVERYBODY over.
Vick's return against Atlanta was a sign of divided fan base.
Michael Vick came out of prison, and since the Falcons didn't have his spot anymore, he signed with Philadelphia. In 2009, Vick returned to Atlanta as an Eagle. There were fans who cheered for Vick that wore Falcons #7 jerseys, while others had the #7 Eagles jerseys and when he came in after the Eagles blew out Atlanta (Ryan was injured in that game), a fan base was torn as fans were very tense towards one another for one side screaming "we want Vick!" and the other booing Vick relentlessly for his mess he created at the end of his tenure in Atlanta.
As Vick had a near-MVP year as did Ryan in 2010, the base was still divided on who should have been the guy. Ironically, Vick and Ryan both lost to Aaron Rodgers and eventual Super Bowl champion Packers at home in the playoffs. However, the pro-Vick fans had pointed out that Vick still has 2 playoff wins under his belt while Matty Ice hadn't yet gotten off the snide. But as Vick started to wane, Ryan remained, thus giving one side of the fan base going "told ya so on Vick!" And then when Ryan's playoff issues of winning continued, the other side went "told you so on Ryan!"
While I think Vick and Ryan both handled it well (well, more of Ryan given he was in Atlanta while Vick was trying to make an NFL roster), it probably did put wear Ryan down after another playoff failure in 2012. Many wondered if Matty Ice was really the guy as it seemed like he would not be the answer for Atlanta at quarterback. Of course 2016 happened and Ryan is likely going to end up the MVP with his play and it pretty much made Vick fans give credit where it was due.
Vick's return wearing the famed #7 Falcons jersey made most, if not all Falcons fans bury the hatchet with him.
Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
When week 17 arrived and the Falcons were giving their final nods to the Georgia Dome, they brought back some of the players who blessed us with their presence under the roof. And while some viewed it as somewhat controversial with Vick coming back, the place erupted into cheers. The pro-Vick fans and the pro-Ryan fans gave Vick a standing "O" for his efforts to help build the Falcons into a pro football town (WHICH IT IS!). And then as the game started, Ryan shredded the Saints defense to near perfection to which the same crowd who gave Vick a standing ovation was chanting "M-V-P! M-V-P! M-V-P!" for Ryan all throughout the game. It just seemed as the chants rang out, a huge weight was lifted off of Matty Ice. The Falcons won the game and got a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Ryan's play has been nothing short of spectacular in the playoffs.
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With the weight lifted off Ryan, two things happened: 1. The Falcons fan base finally came together after that Vick-Ryan divide. 2. With it, it seemed like Ryan believed the team and the town was his. What you got was two amazing, MVP performances against two NFC playoff powers in the Seahawks and the Packers. And in those games, he seemed to have more of an edge to him, moreso than even the games he played this season. He has seemed to be in a zone where he just is locked in and showing he is the man. Not just for Atlanta, but for the NFL.
And the players on the Falcons have sensed it. It has really picked up with the Falcons defense, where they have been strong down the stretch from their bye week to the end of the season and while they did give up 21 to Green Bay, the last one felt more like a junk TD than anything and the defense Aaron Rodgers no time to sit in the pocket and pick apart the defense. They also went after Russell Wilson as well the week before where he had difficulty doing what he wanted to do. The offense seemed more driven as the line has done everything in their will-power to make sure Ryan wasn't on his back. The likes of Julio Jones, Tyler Gabriel, Mohamed Sanu, and the Devonta Freeman/Tevin Coleman tandem always went for that extra yard, something that even when the season began you didn't feel was the case at times. Everybody, alongside Ryan was driven and had that strong edge.
Now the Falcons are in the Super Bowl for the second time in franchise history. The first time felt like a "well, everything fell our way" bit but this time it doesn't feel that way. It seems like the Falcons not only belong in the Super Bowl by making their own plays, but have a legit shot at hoisting the Lombardi Trophy Sunday night. All because of a town finally coming together in the last week of the season. Just my thought.
-Fan in the Obstructed Seat
