ATLANTA FALCON

The Atlanta Falcons were born in 1965 when the city of Atlanta elected to build the team a new stadium (Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium). The name “Falcons” was chosen as a result of a fan contest. Local businessmen made the deal but it was the NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle who named Rankin Smith Sr. the owner in an attempt to persuade him to join the NFL rather than the rival AFL (American Football League). Smith paid $8.5 million dollars for the team, which the highest amount ever paid for an NFL franchise at the time. In 1966, Atlanta chose linebacker Tommy Nobis in the NFL Draft, making him the first Atlanta Falcon.
The Atlanta Falcons played their very first game on August 1, 1966 and lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in a pre-season matchup. The 1960s were not kind to the fledgling franchise; the Falcons would win just 12 games during the remainder of the decade. It wasn’t until 1971 that the Atlanta Falcons enjoyed their first winning season. In 1978, the Falcons made the playoffs for the first time. They would also make the playoffs in 1980 and 1982, before enduring a nine-year playoff drought that ended in 1991.
In 1998, the Atlanta Falcons upset the heavily favoured Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game 30-27, earning them their first (and only) Super Bowl birth. In Super Bowl XXXIII, however, the Falcons were defeated by the Denver Broncos 34-19.
In 2001, former Home Depot co-chairman Arthur Blank purchased the Atlanta Falcons. Blank purchased the Falcons in the midst of the Michael Vick era, a lightning-fast quarterback from Virginia Tech whom they drafted with the first pick overall in 2001 NFL draft. Vick quickly became a sensation and electrified crowds in Atlanta and in other NFL cities, but never led the Falcons back to the Super Bowl. In 2007, he pled guilty to felony dogfighting charges and was sentenced to 23 months in prison. The Falcons would eventually release him.
Today, the future looks bright for the Atlanta Falcons. With quarterback Matt Ryan, running back Michael Turner and star wide receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White, the Falcons are one of the NFL favourites to make it to the Super Bowl in 2012. In 2010, they won 13 games before losing to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Playoff. In 2011, they lost to the New York Giants (eventual Super Bowl Champions) in the NFC Wild Card Game.
Answer the following questions
1 Which of the following could be a headline in an Atlanta newspaper describing the 1960s?
a The Falcons Can’t Get on a Winning Track!
b Falcons Make it to the Playoffs for the First Time!
c Super Bowl Bound!
d Magnificent Falcons Keep on Winning!
2 What word could accurately replace “drought” in the following sentence?
They would also make the playoffs in 1980 and 1982, before enduring a nine-year playoff drought that ended in 1991.
a return
b absence
c deal
d adventure
3 Which of the following is true about the Atlanta Falcons?
a The Falcons joined the AFL.
b They were purchased by Pete Rozelle.
c The Falcons cost more than any other NFL franchise at the time
d They were named by Rankin Smith.
4 What happened in 1978?
a The Falcons chose Tommy Nobis.
b The Falcons had their first winning season.
c The Falcons made their first Super Bowl appearance.
d The Falcons made the playoffs for the first time.
5 In 2010 and 2011…
a The Falcons made the playoffs and won the Super Bowl
b The Falcons lost in the playoffs
c The Falcons defeated the New York Giants in the playoffs
d The Falcons failed to make the playoffs