In my humble opinion, the 1980 Falcons were the franchise's best team ever. People forget how viscous the Falcons were on defense for years. They just couldn't score. When it all started coming together in 1978, I remember people couldn't decide who had the best young talent, the Jets, Patriots, or Falcons. All 3 would have similar runs and similar disappointments in the playoffs.I often ask what were they missing? They all had good coaches, great gameplans, high powered offenses, difficult to score on defense, decent special teams, consistent running attacks. What was it, that they lacked? True Championship QBs. Bartkowski, Todd and Grogan. Out of the 3, Grogan was overalk the best, but he and the others had trouble leading their teams in crunch time. Plus the defense would always cave in when the pressure was at its peak.
The 1980 season was for me the best ever in the NFL. So many teams were legitimate candidates to the SB. In some point I dreamed about a Super Bowl between Buffalo Bills vs Atlanta Falcons in that year. By the way, I like more the original uniforms of the Falcons, red with grey than the actual ones.
I agree. He was the Herschel Walker of the Falcons and nobody ran through people like him except maybe Earl Campbell. I was 11 when he hit his knee and wanted to cry. He and Bartkowsi both had to be in the game to have a chance, and they sucked so bad once he was injured.
Bartkowski has to be one of the most underrated QB’s in NFL history. I started pulling for Atlanta in 1979 my first year of following the NFL from Western Canada. The success they enjoyed in 1980 was the fruition of current and previous seasons draft picks. Combined with a group of hard nosed veterans they came together as one in 1980. I just love watching these classic John Facenda narrated documentaries!
Mike Kenn #78 of the Atlanta Falcons in 1980 was voted consensus All-Pro. He was not flagged for a penalty all season and allowed just 3 1/2 sacks. "I've never seen any offensive tackle with his agility and quickness," said Bill Walsh.
I was living in Atlanta in 1980 though from Detroit and a big Lions fan. Lions came into Atlanta 4-0 with rookie Billy Sims and the Falcons crushed them. They were pumped up and the crowd was rabid. Not a fun day for this Lions fan. There haven't been many since 1957. The Falcons were great that year. As heartbreaking as the Falcons can be the Lions pretty much own the heartbreak title in the NFL.
Thanks so much for posting this. My favorite team. I remember reading about Bartkowski’s becoming a Christian in the “Athletes in Action” magazine in 1980. He was a pivotal figure in my accepting Jesus Christ in the Spring of 1981. Football is not the same. Today it’s 2 hand Touch/Protest/Goodell ball.
When the Falcons settled for a field goal to go up by 10 with five minutes left, I knew they were going to lose. They should have gone for the first down. If you watched the Cowboys through the 70's, you'd seen this game a million times.
This 1980 season was an absolute heartbreaker. If they beat Dallas, they probably beat Philly at home then the Raiders in the SB. As brutal as the 1980 aftermath was for Atlanta, SB 51 was worse and it seems like the Falcons have suffered a 3 year long hangover from it. It’s like Matt Ryan turned into a pumpkin after being a Cinderella..... And yes... The voice of John Fascenda and the music of NFL films captures the story in an incredibly captivating way
Too Tall was offsides and every damn body knows it. You call the penalty that late in the game, Cowboys are dead. Our defense was a collection of rabble rousers. I'll always cherish this team and it was a great time to be living in Atlanta.
@@spencerpearson3986 + I didn't care who won the game, but I found myself pulling for Danny White. From that game on I was a fan of Danny White. Especially vs the 49ers a year later.
Because of the NFL strike, it was only a 9-game regular season so they did away with divisions that year and had seedings by conference. Falcons were the #5 seed in the NFC. Yes, they had a better record than the other NFC West teams that year, but there was no NFC West title to win in '82.
@@LordApathy1 An occasional person loves to use this strike excuse for why the Redskins don't deserve the glory in the 1980s too. Suck it up and give credit where it's due
@20:42 that was a bummer , second loss too Dallas in the playoffs in two years. I was the only Falcon fancon my block and neighborhood ,I got much respect from then on. Fulton Kuykendall, Wilson Faumwama, Ortega, Lawrence, jackson, jenkins and Frances and Bartkowski
I agree with you Tommy thomson, falcons win this game if that offside penalty is called! I still can't decide which loss was worse for falcons, the heart breaker to Dallas in '80 or the super bowl loss to naw england
The 2016 Atlanta Falcons were worse; that Falcons team had a 28-3 lead in the third quarter of the Super Bowl--the SUPER BOWL!--and they still blew it...
1980 was an interesting year in the NFL, because you had a lot of new blood in the playoffs. The Bills, Browns, Falcons, and Eagles either won their division for the first time or the first time in a long time. Honestly, Atlanta probably goes to the Super Bowl if they beat Dallas. I don't see Philly coming down to Atlanta in the NFC Championship Game and winning. I also feel Buffalo goes to the Super Bowl if they beat San Diego, because Oakland would have had to come to Buffalo for the AFC championship and no way would they have beaten the Bills there. Oh well. Woulda, coulda, shoulda.
I was an 18 year old Cowboys' fan watching the game at my apartment in Stone Mountain. The phone started ringing off the hook near the end of the game with Falcon fans calling to bust my balls. I was cool and said the Cowboys would win the game. The Cowboys won the game and I went batshit crazy calling everyone back to bust balls and raising hell on my apartment balcony. Better than any of my 5 Superbowl ring games. The start of the Falcons curse.
Atlanta was a #1 seed. Had they held on to beat Dallas, they would have hosted the Eagles. They were a lot closer to the Super Bowl than most people realize. But the Raiders weren't going to let anyone deny them of winning SB XV. With Plunkett, the Raiders got on a hot roll all the way to New Orleans.
This team should have been facing off against the Eagles. They had finally put it together on offense and the defense didn't have to do everything to win the game.
@13:15 Bartkowski was throwing rainbows sometimes I thought the Falcons were playing conservative but they did have william Andrews and Lynn Cain in the backfield and both of themcwere good pass catchers as well as runners. They reeled off nine wins rather eady snd convincingly, that Grits Blktz had Walter"Sweetness"Payton so mad after one play that Sweetness got ejected, do anybody remember that? Falcons should've won it all that year, they hadcthe best recordvincthe NFL at 12-4
I cannot believe that the Falcons have not gone back to these uniforms 😮In my opinion the current Falcons uniforms are the absolute, ugliest,no imagination,no color scheme uniforms in the league 😢🏈👎
Danny White would never win anything either. God! I hate Dallas. 49ers would win more than their division in the 80,s 4 times. Something the Rams failed to do in all the 70,s.
THAT DEFEAT TO DALLAS DESTROYED BARTKOWSKI's CHANCE FOR A SB WIN!! WE WERE GOING!!! LEEMAN BENNETT'S CONSERVATIVE PLAYCALLING PLAYE A HUGE PART IN THAT 2ND HALF!!! BART WAS KILLING THEM!!! IT HURT 40YRS LATER!!! DR. FALCON!
Though things failed against the Cowboys, this may well have been the best Falcon team ever. Certainly the most balanced.
In my humble opinion, the 1980 Falcons were the franchise's best team ever. People forget how viscous the Falcons were on defense for years. They just couldn't score. When it all started coming together in 1978, I remember people couldn't decide who had the best young talent, the Jets, Patriots, or Falcons. All 3 would have similar runs and similar disappointments in the playoffs.I often ask what were they missing? They all had good coaches, great gameplans, high powered offenses, difficult to score on defense, decent special teams, consistent running attacks. What was it, that they lacked? True Championship QBs. Bartkowski, Todd and Grogan. Out of the 3, Grogan was overalk the best, but he and the others had trouble leading their teams in crunch time. Plus the defense would always cave in when the pressure was at its peak.
The 1980 season was for me the best ever in the NFL.
So many teams were legitimate candidates to the SB.
In some point I dreamed about a Super Bowl between Buffalo Bills vs Atlanta Falcons in that year.
By the way, I like more the original uniforms of the Falcons, red with grey than the actual ones.
I REMEMBER THAT YR LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY! ARGUABLY, THE BEST FALCON TEAM EVER, INCLUDING THE 2 SUPERBOWL TEAMS!!! HEARTBRAEAK!!!!
awesome! john facenda's voice symbolized a great time in nfl history
Prince Edward ABSOLUTELY spot~onnn!! Facenda was “immortal”~ beyond legendary
William Andrews was such a bad ass runner. The best pure all around back the Falcons ever had. Ask Ronnie Lott how fun it was to try to tackle him
I agree. He was the Herschel Walker of the Falcons and nobody ran through people like him except maybe Earl Campbell. I was 11 when he hit his knee and wanted to cry. He and Bartkowsi both had to be in the game to have a chance, and they sucked so bad once he was injured.
Bartkowski has to be one of the most underrated QB’s in NFL history. I started pulling for Atlanta in 1979 my first year of following the NFL from Western Canada. The success they enjoyed in 1980 was the fruition of current and previous seasons draft picks. Combined with a group of hard nosed veterans they came together as one in 1980. I just love watching these classic John Facenda narrated documentaries!
William Andrews I was Just a kid watching Him..& Alfred Jenkins
Took my Falcons 15 years to win that division. I watched every Falcon game back in the day to see them won nine in a row. Best record in NFL at 12-4
ATLANTA FALCONS WAS THE BEST TEAMS AND THE NFC 1980
Mike Kenn #78 of the Atlanta Falcons in 1980 was voted consensus All-Pro. He was not flagged for a penalty all season and allowed just 3 1/2 sacks.
"I've never seen any offensive tackle with his agility and quickness," said Bill Walsh.
Barkowski threw the prettiest ball in the NFL.
He did. Warren Moon threw a nice one too!
Bart's game reminds me of Moon's. Both tall pocket passers with big arms and pretty spirals.
He got damn sure did. Accurately. Strong Arm.
The Falcons fired Leeman Bennett way to soon.
IMMORTAL John Facenda🌟🙏☝️☝️~ what a treasure to know the NFL through him, for some glorious years & games!
I was living in Atlanta in 1980 though from Detroit and a big Lions fan. Lions came into Atlanta 4-0 with rookie Billy Sims and the Falcons crushed them. They were pumped up and the crowd was rabid.
Not a fun day for this Lions fan. There haven't been many since 1957. The Falcons were great that year. As heartbreaking as the Falcons can be the Lions pretty much own the heartbreak title in the NFL.
My first NFL season of watching started in 1980 when I was eight years old.
A special team that year that ended so heartbreakingly at home to the Dallas Cowboys.
One of their Greatest team's ever
I was nine years old, and these guys were my heroes and the reason I played football. My first year was 1980. ❤ 🤍 🖤
Thanks so much for posting this. My favorite team. I remember reading about Bartkowski’s becoming a Christian in the “Athletes in Action” magazine in 1980. He was a pivotal figure in my accepting Jesus Christ in the Spring of 1981. Football is not the same. Today it’s 2 hand Touch/Protest/Goodell ball.
Still hurts!!!!!! Poor BART!
Such a shame😭😭~ Falcons had ‘em “right there” & it was all right there for the taking… Didn’t stay aggressive enough vs. Cowboys, at the end
When the Falcons settled for a field goal to go up by 10 with five minutes left, I knew they were going to lose. They should have gone for the first down. If you watched the Cowboys through the 70's, you'd seen this game a million times.
This was the year I became a Falcons fan.
BEFORE "ARM TALENT" BECAME VOGUE, BARTKOWSKI WAS IN A CLASS BY HIMSELF! DR. FALCON!
If they had beaten the Dallas Cowboys in the playoff game I think they could’ve been in the Super Bowl and would’ve won it all
And they have blown 4th quarter leads ever since.
The GRITS BLITZ at their Best. 42 Years Ago.
You had to play all 60 minutes to beat Dallas in those days.
NT DON SMITH WAS THE MOST "UNDERRATED" DEFENDER IN THE NFL FOR 3YRS!!!! DR. FALCON!
OH HELL YES! How many remember that?
Helluva team.
This 1980 season was an absolute heartbreaker. If they beat Dallas, they probably beat Philly at home then the Raiders in the SB. As brutal as the 1980 aftermath was for Atlanta, SB 51 was worse and it seems like the Falcons have suffered a 3 year long hangover from it. It’s like Matt Ryan turned into a pumpkin after being a Cinderella..... And yes... The voice of John Fascenda and the music of NFL films captures the story in an incredibly captivating way
I talked to some Giants coaches in New Jersey that year and all of them felt the Falcons would’ve beat the Raiders in the Super Bowl.
The '98 Dirty Birds were all the rage,can't believe they melted down against Denver and old a## Elway, the 1980 Falcons had the NFLs best record.
@4:25 the Falcons had decent backs Dave Hampton and Art Malone missed the playoffs by one game in "73
Too Tall was offsides and every damn body knows it. You call the penalty that late in the game, Cowboys are dead. Our defense was a collection of rabble rousers. I'll always cherish this team and it was a great time to be living in Atlanta.
They didn't call it, and he definitely didn't touch anyone. Sour grapes maybe...
Tommy Thomason go cowboys
@@spencerpearson3986 + I didn't care who won the game, but I found myself pulling for Danny White. From that game on I was a fan of Danny White. Especially vs the 49ers a year later.
I got back to his side before the ball was snapped he was not offsides.
he ran down the scrimmage line for gods sake!
Atlanta Falcons won 2 NFC West Division title 1980 and 1982
Because of the NFL strike, it was only a 9-game regular season so they did away with divisions that year and had seedings by conference. Falcons were the #5 seed in the NFC. Yes, they had a better record than the other NFC West teams that year, but there was no NFC West title to win in '82.
@@LordApathy1 An occasional person loves to use this strike excuse for why the Redskins don't deserve the glory in the 1980s too. Suck it up and give credit where it's due
@20:42 that was a bummer , second loss too Dallas in the playoffs in two years. I was the only Falcon fancon my block and neighborhood ,I got much respect from then on. Fulton Kuykendall, Wilson Faumwama, Ortega, Lawrence, jackson, jenkins and Frances and Bartkowski
The Gritz Blitz
January 4th 1981.... I don't think this team ever rebounded from this game.
No they didn't, every time I see a replay of it, it still sickens me
I’ve never recovered either!!
Nope. We haven’t.
The smiths biggest mistake by firing leeman Bennett!!!
They also fired Norm Van Brocklin who gave Atlanta their first winning season, and they also fired Dan Henning in 1986, after the team started 4-0.
Season ended by Mr. Clutch. The original 88!
The Falcons never recovered after they fired Leeman Bennett.
They really shoulda went to the SB that year if the gritz blitz didnt choke away that dallas game at home in the playoffs
I agree with you Tommy thomson, falcons win this game if that offside penalty is called! I still can't decide which loss was worse for falcons, the heart breaker to Dallas in '80 or the super bowl loss to naw england
Gotta be the Super Bowl loss. Up 28-3 and they lose? Brutal.
The 2016 Atlanta Falcons were worse; that Falcons team had a 28-3 lead in the third quarter of the Super Bowl--the SUPER BOWL!--and they still blew it...
Very good teams in ‘78 and ‘80
But couldn’t overcome mighty Dallas in the playoffs
I absolutely loved this team ! I absolutely loved the cowboys also ! So dammit all to hell and a dilemma !!!!!
Super Bowl 15 should have been the Falcons vs the Browns
1980 was an interesting year in the NFL, because you had a lot of new blood in the playoffs. The Bills, Browns, Falcons, and Eagles either won their division for the first time or the first time in a long time.
Honestly, Atlanta probably goes to the Super Bowl if they beat Dallas. I don't see Philly coming down to Atlanta in the NFC Championship Game and winning.
I also feel Buffalo goes to the Super Bowl if they beat San Diego, because Oakland would have had to come to Buffalo for the AFC championship and no way would they have beaten the Bills there.
Oh well. Woulda, coulda, shoulda.
The Atlana Falcons had the best defense in NFL history 1 year. Least points per game allowed and fewest points allowed.
1980 was the only season in 20 years in which the Los Angeles Rams and 49ers didn't win the NFC West....
1991, 1996, 1998, 2000
Falcons☝️#1✨👌🏈🌹👏👏👏👏🌹👏👏👏❤️👍
God dang legends ! William Andrews ! Fulton kukendal I probably spelled that way off !
Outdoor Football, weather elements, grass stains, bigger shoulder pads etc....so much better than this crap indoors, fake turf...
Loved Fulton County Stadium
After that season was over, I forever hated, and continue to hate the Dallas Cowboys.
Still like the Red Helmets better....the Gritz Blitz
I was an 18 year old Cowboys' fan watching the game at my apartment in Stone Mountain. The phone started ringing off the hook near the end of the game with Falcon fans calling to bust my balls. I was cool and said the Cowboys would win the game. The Cowboys won the game and I went batshit crazy calling everyone back to bust balls and raising hell on my apartment balcony. Better than any of my 5 Superbowl ring games. The start of the Falcons curse.
Atlanta was a #1 seed. Had they held on to beat Dallas, they would have hosted the Eagles. They were a lot closer to the Super Bowl than most people realize. But the Raiders weren't going to let anyone deny them of winning SB XV. With Plunkett, the Raiders got on a hot roll all the way to New Orleans.
FOR ONE YEAR OLB JOEL WILLIAMS WAS LAWRENCE TAYLORESQUE!!!!
This team should have been facing off against the Eagles. They had finally put it together on offense and the defense didn't have to do everything to win the game.
@13:15 Bartkowski was throwing rainbows sometimes I thought the Falcons were playing conservative but they did have william Andrews and Lynn Cain in the backfield and both of themcwere good pass catchers as well as runners. They reeled off nine wins rather eady snd convincingly, that Grits Blktz had Walter"Sweetness"Payton so mad after one play that Sweetness got ejected, do anybody remember that? Falcons should've won it all that year, they hadcthe best recordvincthe NFL at 12-4
If too tall jones was penalized for offside Atlanta would have ran out the clock and would have hosted Philadelphia for NFC Championship Game
John Facenda.
The beginning of curse!
The niners won it all that year and we whipped them good.
Oakland one that year. Beating philly. U a year off
Steve "Bart" Bartkowski
What happened to them since then ????? I don't understand have a lead and let a team come back
Can anyone tell me what happened to the Falcons in '81.
'81 TEAM BLEW A LOT OF LEADS BECAUSE OF A LACK OF DISCIPLINE ON D.!! "BART" LED THE NFL WITH 31TD PASSES!!! IT WASN'T THE OFFENSE!
@@kevinfreeman2706 Fulton Kuykendall was hurt and he and the linebackers weren’t the same afterwards.
Their kicking costs them games as well.
Retirement of Rolland Lawrence
Atlanta.........how in the hell you gonna blow a 27-3 lead in the SB?
Well if anybody can do it, the falcons can
28-3
I cannot believe that the Falcons have not gone back to these uniforms 😮In my opinion the current Falcons uniforms are the absolute, ugliest,no imagination,no color scheme uniforms in the league 😢🏈👎
OUR SUPERBOWL YEAR WAS ROBBED BY LEEMAN BENNETT'S CONSERVATIVE PLAYCALLING!
Yep - and the opposite of that is Shanahan being to aggressive in SB51 instead of just kicking the damn field goal after Julio’s helluva catch!
…too aggressive
BUDDY CURRY, AL RICHARDSON, JOEL WILLIAMS, & FULTON KUYKENDALL, WERE THE BEST LB CORPS IN THE LEAGUE!!! WHAT A WASTE! DR. FALCON!
Danny White would never win anything either. God! I hate Dallas. 49ers would win more than their division in the 80,s 4 times. Something the Rams failed to do in all the 70,s.
Snake Oiler 12 I love Dallas
@@spencerpearson3986 I always loved to watch the oldschool Dallas Cowboys. I really liked Danny White, unlike most people.
@Randall Denison He was married 3 times?
THAT DEFEAT TO DALLAS DESTROYED BARTKOWSKI's CHANCE FOR A SB WIN!! WE WERE GOING!!! LEEMAN BENNETT'S CONSERVATIVE PLAYCALLING PLAYE A HUGE PART IN THAT 2ND HALF!!! BART WAS KILLING THEM!!! IT HURT 40YRS LATER!!! DR. FALCON!
@@kevinfreeman2706 Stop with the CAPS