ATLANTA FALCONS2012 SEASON REVIEW

13-3 NFC SOUTH CHAMPIONS

2012 ATLANTA FALCONSSEASON IN REVIEW

13-3 NFC SOUTH CHAMPIONS

REGGIE ROBERTS BRIAN CEARNSVice President of Football Communica ons Football Communica ons Coordinator

FRANK KLEHA MATT HALEYSenior Director of Media Rela ons Football Communica ons Coordinator

2012 SEASON REVIEW2012 SEASON REVIEW

The Atlanta Falcons fi nished the 2012 season with a 14-4 overall record and hosted the NFC Championship Game for the fi rst time in franchise history. In fi ve seasons under Head Coach Mike Smith, the Falcons have posted fi ve consecutive winning seasons and earned four trips to the playoffs. Under Smith, the Falcons have posted a 56-24 record and their 56 wins are the second most in the NFL during that time and Atlanta’s .700 winning percentage is the second-best mark in the NFL over the last fi ve seasons trailing only the New England Patriots (60-20, .750). Smith earned NFL Coach of the Year honors from the Sporting News for the third time in the last fi ve seasons af-ter guiding the Falcons to an NFC best 13-3 record in 2012. He also set a franchise record for most career coaching wins (56). QB Matt Ryan enjoyed his best season, setting single-season franchise records for passing yards (4,719), pass attempts (615), completions (422), touchdown passes (32) and 300-yard games (7) en route to his second career Pro Bowl selection. In 2012, additionally, Ryan’s 56 career wins are the most by any quarterback in his fi rst fi ve sea-sons in NFL history. TE Tony Gonzalez continued to show that he is one of the premier tight ends in the NFL, catching 93 passes for 930 yards with eight touchdowns in 2012. Gonzalez was selected to the Pro Bowl for the 13th time in his ca-reer last season. He currently ranks second in NFL history with 1,242 career receptions and his 103 career touchdown catches are the sixth most in League annals. WR Roddy White became just the fi fth player in NFL history to post three straight seasons with 90-or-more re-ceptions and 1,200-or-more yards with his 92 catch, 1,351 yard out put in 2012. WR Julio Jones joined White to create one of the NFL’s best receiving tandems as the duo became the fi rst set of Falcons teammate to post 1,000 receiving yards each since 1998. Jones fi nished 2012 with 79 catches for 1,198 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Falcons boasted fi ve Pro Bowlers in 2012, including Ryan, Gonzalez, Jones, S Thomas DeCoud and S William Moore. The duo of DeCoud and Moore combined for 11 takeaways, including 10 INTs & one fumble recovery, which resulted in 33 points during the 2012 season.

SEASON IN REVIEWSEASON IN REVIEW

Falcons 2012 Regular Season Schedule

Preseason (1-3)Date Opponent Time ResultAugust 9 BALTIMORE 7:30 p.m. L, 31-17August 16 CINCINNATI 8:00 p.m. L, 24-19August 24 at Miami 7:30 p.m. W, 23-6August 30 at Jacksonville 6:30 p.m. L, 24-14

Regular Season (13-3)Date Opponent Time ResultSeptember 9 at Kansas City 1:00 p.m. W, 40-24September 17 DENVER 8:30 p.m. W, 27-21September 23 at San Diego 4:05 p.m. W, 27-3September 30 CAROLINA 1:00 p.m. W, 30-28October 7 at Washington 1:00 p.m. W, 24-17October 14 OAKLAND 1:00 p.m. W, 23-20October 21 BYEOctober 28 at Philadelphia 1:00 p.m. W, 30-17November 4 DALLAS 8:20 p.m. W, 19-13November 11 at New Orleans 1:00 p.m. L, 31-27November 18 ARIZONA 1:00 p.m.* W, 23-19November 25 at Tampa Bay 1:00 p.m.* W, 24-23November 29 NEW ORLEANS 8:20 p.m.* W, 23-13December 9 at Carolina 1:00 p.m.* L, 30-20December 16 NY GIANTS 1:00 p.m.* W, 34-0December 22 at Detroit 8:30 p.m.* W, 31-18December 30 TAMPA BAY 1:00 p.m.* L, 22-17

Postseason (1-1)Date Opponent Time NetworkJanuary 13 SEATTLE 1:00 p.m. W, 30-28January 20 SAN FRANCISCO 3:00 p.m. L, 28-24

2012 SCHEDULE2012 SCHEDULE

When General Manager Thomas Dimitroff and Head Coach Mike Smith came to Atlanta, they set out to develop a consistent and sustain-able franchise. Since 2008, the Fal-cons are the only team in the NFC to post fi ve straight winning seasons.

WINNING WAYSWINNING WAYS

WINNING SEASONSSeason Record2012 13-32011 10-62010 13-32009 9-72008 11-5

GENERAL INFORMATIONGENERAL INFORMATION

Team LeadersPassing Cmp. Att. Yards TDs INTs RateMatt Ryan 422 615 4,719 32 14 99.1

Rushing Att. Yards Avg. Long TDsMichael Turner 222 800 3.6 43 10Jacquizz Rodgers 94 362 3.9 43 1

Receiving Rec. Yards Avg. Long TDsTony Gonzalez 93 930 10.0 25 8Roddy White 92 1,351 14.7 59 7Julio Jones 79 1,198 15.2 80t 10

2012 SEASON LEADERS2012 SEASON LEADERS

2012 Regular Season StatisticsStatistic Falcons (rank) Points/Game 26.2 (7) Total Offense 369.1 (8) Net Rushing Yards/Game 87.3 (29) Net Passing Yards/Game 281.8 (6) Possession Average 30:52 (9) Opponent Points/Game 18.7 (5) Opponent Total Offense 365.6 (24) Opp. Rushing Yards/Game 123.2 (21) Opp. Passing yards/Game 242.4 (23) Turnover Differential +13 (5t)

2012 RANKINGS2012 RANKINGS

March 12 Free Agency OpensApril 25-27 2012 NFL Draft (New York City)May OTAs/Rookie Mini CampJuly Training Camp Opens

OFFSEASON SCHEDULEOFFSEASON SCHEDULE

Team W L T Pct. Conf. Div.1 - Atlanta 13 3 0 .813 9-3 3-32 - San Francisco 11 4 1 .719 7-4-1 3-2-13 - Green Bay 11 5 0 .688 8-4 5-14 - Washington 10 6 0 .625 8-4 5-15 - Seattle 11 5 0 .688 8-4 3-36 - Minnesota 10 6 0 .625 7-5 4-2

2012 NFC STANDINGS2012 NFC STANDINGS

In 2013, the Falcons will face their customary NFC South rivals, Carolina, New Orleans and Tampa Bay both at home and on the road. Atlanta will also battle the NFC West in intra-conference play as well as the AFC East in inter-conference play. The Birds will also host the NFC East champion Washington Redskins and travel to Green Bay to play the NFC North champion Packers. Atlanta’s 2013 opponents posted a combined 107-99-2 (.519) record last season and since the NFL realigned its divisions in 2002, the Falcons are 33-33 against the NFC South. Under Head Coach Mike Smith, the Falcons have posted a 56-24 (.700) overall record, which is the second best record in the NFL over the last fi ve seasons. Since 2008, Atlanta owns a 32-15 record against its 2013 opponents.

Home 2012 Record Last Meeting ResultCarolina 7-9 9/30/12 W, 30-28New Orleans 7-9 11/29/12 W, 23-13Tampa Bay 7-9 12/30/12 L, 22-17New England* 12-4 9/27/09 L, 26-10NY Jets 6-10 12/20/09 W, 10-7St. Louis 7-8-1 11/21/10 W, 34-17Seattle* 11-5 1/13/13^ W, 30-28Washington* 10-6 10/7/12 W, 24-17

Road 2012 Record Last Meeting ResultCarolina 7-9 12/9/12 L, 30-20New Orleans 7-9 11/11/12 L, 31-27Tampa Bay 7-9 11/25/12 W, 24-23Arizona 5-11 11/18/12 W, 23-19Buffalo 6-10 12/27/09 W, 31-3Green Bay* 11-5 10/9/11 L, 25-14Miami 7-9 9/13/09 W, 19-7San Francisco* 11-4-1 1/20/13^ L, 28-24

^ - Denotes playoff game* - Denotes playoff team in 2012

2013 OPPONENTS2013 OPPONENTS

The 2013 NFL Draft will once again be held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The Draft will be broadcast in primetime in 2013, with the fi rst round taking place Thursday, April 25, followed by the second and third rounds on Friday, April 26. Rounds four through seven will be held Saturday, April 27. The Draft will be tele-vised by the NFL Network and ESPN.

The Falcons hold the 30th overall selection in the fi rst round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Additionally the Falcons hold their own selection in all seven rounds and are slated to pick 30th in each round. The NFL will also award compen-satory selections prior to the Draft.

2013 NFL DRAFT2013 NFL DRAFT

RISE UP

2012 ACCOMPLISHMENTS2012 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Falcons S William Moore was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after his two interception performance in Atlanta’s 23-13 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 13. Moore posted one of the best games of his career, notching a game-high 13 tackles (10 solo) with two interceptions, and two tackles for loss. The Falcons de-fense intercepted Saints’ QB Drew Brees fi ve times and held him without a touchdown pass for the fi rst time in 54 games to snap his NFL record streak.

This is the fi rst Player of the Week award of Moore’s career and he is the fi rst Falcon to win NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors since CB Brent Grimes in Week 15 of the 2010 season.

The win marked the the fi fth time this sea-son the Falcons have recorded multiple picks in a game and it was the fi rst time since 11/9/1980 that the Falcons intercept-

ed fi ve passes. Moore’s second interception of the game came on the Saints fi nal drive sealing the win for Atlanta and putting the Falcons in position to clinch their second NFC South title under Head Coach Mike Smith.

ALWAYS READYALWAYS READY

Falcons QB Matt Ryan was named NFC Of-fensive Player of the Month for the month of September. Ryan completed 102 of 147 pass attempts (69.4 percent) for 1,162 yards with 11 touchdowns and two inter-ceptions for an NFL-best 112.1 quarterback rating through the fi rst month of the sea-son.

Ryan led the Falcons to their fi rst 4-0 start since 2004 and just their third 4-0 start in franchise history (1986, 2004 & 2012).

This is the third time in his career that Ryan has earned player of the month honors. He won the award for the month of October during his rookie season in 2008 and again

in November of 2010 during his fi rst Pro Bowl campaign. Ryan is the only player in franchise history to earn player of the month honors three times.

NFC PLAYER OF THE MONTHNFC PLAYER OF THE MONTH

The Atlanta Falcons performance in 2012 saw a number of franchise records fall as the club enjoyed one of the best seasons in its 46-year history. Head Coach Mike Smith became the team’s all-time wins leader with 56 coaching victories in his fi ve seasons at the helm. Additionally, QB Matt Ryan, TE Tony Gonzalez, WR Roddy White, WR Julio Jones, RB Michael Turner, and K Matt Bryant each set indi-vidual franchise records.

In 2012, Smith became the fi rst coach in franchise history to reach 50 wins and the third fastest head coach since the AFL-NFL merger to reach 50 wins, accomplishing the feat in 71 games. His 56 career wins are the second most among all fi rst time head coaches in their fi rst fi ve seasons. Smith was named the 2012 Sporting News NFL Coach of the Year for his efforts.

QB Matt Ryan earned his second Pro Bowl selection af-ter setting franchise records for passing yards (4,719), attempts (615), completions (422), consecutive passes without an INT (272), completion percentage (68.6), touchdown passes (32), consecutive completions (22), and 300-yard passing games (7) in 2012.

TE Tony Gonzalez earned his 13th career Pro Bowl selec-tion after becoming the fi rst tight end and eighth player in NFL history to record 100 touchdown catches. Gonzalez also set club records for receptions by a tight end in fran-chise history (93) and receiving yards by a tight end (930).

WR Roddy White recorded his franchise record sixth straight 1,000 yard season in 2012. He is the franchise’s all-time leading receiver with 622 receptions and 8,725 yards over his eight year career.

WR Julio Jones earned his fi rst career Pro Bowl selection after combining with White for more receiving yards than any other receiving tandem in the NFL in 2012. Jones set a franchise record with 182 receiving yards in the NFC Championship game. He also tied White’s club postseason record with 11 catches in that game and became just the second receiver in team history to catch two touchdown passes in a playoff game.

K Matt Bryant set a franchise record for most points in a single season (138) while P Matt Bosher broke his own franchise record for net punting average (40.7) and set a franchise record for most touchbacks in a single season (45).

RECORD PERFORMANCESRECORD PERFORMANCES

2012 PRO BOWLERS2012 PRO BOWLERS

QB Matt Ryan put together an MVP caliber season under center in 2012. Ryan ranked among the League leaders in nearly every statistical category and led the Falcons to a 13-3 record and NFC South Champion-ship. The fi fth-year signal caller completed 422 of 615 pass attempts (68.6) for 4,719

yards with 32 touchdowns and a 99.1 passer rating. He set franchise records in yards, completions, completion percentage, attempts, and touchdowns in a single season.

QB MATT RYANQB MATT RYAN

Cmp. Att. Yds. TDs 422 615 4,719 32

RYAN IN 2012

TE Tony Gonzalez continued to show he is one of the best tight ends in the NFL, hauling in a team-high 93 passes for 930 yards and eight touchdowns in 2012. He became the fi rst tight end and eighth play-er in NFL history to record 100 touchdown receptions with his two touchdown per-

formance in Week 10. Gonzalez also became the second player in NFL history to record 1,200 receptions and ranks eighth all time in receiving yards.

TE TONY GONZALEZTE TONY GONZALEZ

Rec. Yards Avg. TDs 93 930 10.0 8

GONZALEZ IN 2012

WR Julio Jones built on his strong fi nish in 2011 to turn in a Pro Bowl campaign in 2012. Jones posted 79 catches for 1,198 yards with a team high 10 touchdowns. He surpassed the 100-yard mark fi ve times including playoffs. The explosive Jones averaged 15.2 yards per catch and the

young receiver surpassed his successful rookie campaign in receptions, yards and touchdowns in 2012. He and WR Roddy White combined for an NFL-best 2,549 yards.

WR JULIO JONESWR JULIO JONES

Rec. Yards Avg. TDs 79 1,198 15.2 10

JONES IN 2012

S Thomas DeCoud led one of the NFL’s top defensive units as the Falcons fi nished the season ranked tied for fi fth with 31 take-aways and fi fth in scoring defense. The fi fth-year safety from California posted a team-high six interceptions and he was one of just three players to post fi ve in-

terceptions and one sack this season. His six picks ranked tied for fi fth in the NFL and set a new career high. He also posted 89 tackles (69 solo) and nine passes defensed.

S THOMAS DECOUDS THOMAS DECOUD

Tkl. Ints. Sks. PD 89 6 1.0 9

DECOUD IN 2012

S William Moore’s play in the defensive backfi eld was key to Atlanta’s success in 2012. The former Missouri standout had one of his best games as a Falcon when he collared eight tackles (fi ve solo) with one interception and one sack in Atlanta’s Week 2 win over Denver. He also earned

NFC Player of the Week honors in Week 13. Moore posted 105 tackles (74 solo) and added eight passes defensed, four tackles for loss, four interceptions, and one sack.

S WILLIAM MOORES WILLIAM MOORE

Tkl. Ints. Sks. PD 105 4 1.0 8

MOORE IN 2012

OFFENSEWR Roddy White - Caught 92 passes for 1,351 yards and seven touchdowns in 2012. Became the the fi fth player in NFL history to post three straight seasons with 90-or-more recep-tions and 1,200-or-more yards.

LT Sam Baker - Protected QB Matt Ryan’s blindside and helped the quarterback set franchise records for attempts, completions, completion percentage, yards, and touchdowns during the 2012 season.

LG Justin Blalock - Started all 16 games at left guard and helped pave the way for RB Michael Turner to set a franchise record with 60 career total touchdowns.

C Todd McClure – Part of an offensive line that allowed QB Matt Ryan to set franchise records for attempts, completions, completion percentage, yards, and touchdowns during the 2012 season.

RG Peter Konz - Started nine games at right guard and paved the way for RB Michael Turner, who rushed for 10 touchdowns for the fi fth straight season.

RT Tyson Clabo - Paved the way for a Falcons offense that racked up 5,906 total net yards in 2012, the second most yards in a single season in franchise history.

TE Tony Gonzalez - Posted a team-high 93 receptions for 930 yards with eight touchdowns, tying WR Tim Brown’s NFL re-cord with 10 consecutive 70-catch seasons. Earned his 13th career Pro Bowl selection.

WR Harry Douglas - Caught 38 passes for 396 yards with one touchdown in 2012.

WR Julio Jones - Earned his fi rst career Pro Bowl selection after catching 79 passes for 1,198 (15.2 avg.) with 10 touch-downs.

QB Matt Ryan - Earned his second career Pro Bowl nod after completing 422 of 615 pass attempts (NFL-best 68.6 percent) for 4,719 yards with 32 touchdowns and a 99.1 passer rating. Set franchise records for attempts, completions, completion percentage, yards, and touchdowns.

RB Michael Turner - Ran 222 times for 800 yards with 10 touchdowns in 2012. Set a franchise record with 60 career total touchdowns.

FB Mike Cox - Saw action in eight games with seven starts and blocked for RB Michael Turner, who posted his fi fth straight season with 10-or-more touchowns.

DEFENSERE John Abraham - Led the team with 10 sacks. Added 31 tackles (27 solo) with 15 tackles for loss, and seven passes defensed. Abraham is the NFL’s active sack leader with 122 career QB drops and has recorded seven seasons with 10-or-more sacks.

DT Jonathan Babineaux - Posted 42 tackles (33 solo) with 3.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and fi ve passes defensed. Recovered a fumble and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown vs. Arizona (11/18).

DT Peria Jerry - Helped anchor a defense that produced 29 sacks and 31 turnovers in last season. Recovered a fumble that led to a Falcons touchdown at Detroit (12/22).

LE Kroy Biermann - Collarded 53 total tackles (45 solo) with 10 tackles for loss and four sacks in 2012. Saw action in all 16 games with three starts. Posted his fourth sack of the season vs. New York (12/16), dragging down QB Eli Manning on a third down play.

OLB Sean Weatherspoon - Notched 114 total tackles (84 solo) with three sacks, six tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one interception. Posted his fi rst career interception vs. New Orleans (11/29).

MLB Akeem Dent - Recorded 79 tackles (57 solo) in his fi rst season as a starter.

OLB Stephen Nicholas - Led the team with 116 total tackles (85 solo). Added two sacks, fi ve tackles for loss, one intercep-tion, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

CB Dunta Robinson - Enjoyed his best season as a Falcon. Col-lared 96 tackles (83 solo), eight passes defensed, fi ve tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and one interception.

CB Asante Samuel - Finished the season with interceptions in three straight games. Tallied 39 tackles (36 solo) with 19 passes defensed and fi ve interceptions. Recorded his fi rst in-terception as a Falcon against Oakland (10/14) and returned the pick 79 yards for a touchdown.

S William Moore - Earned NFC Player of the Week honors after recording his fi rst career multi-interception game vs. New Orleans (11/29). Posted 105 tackles (74 solo) with eight passes defensed, four interceptions, four tackles for loss, and one sack.

S Thomas DeCoud - Notched a team-leading six intercep-tions, which ranked second in the NFL among safeties last sea-son. Collared 89 tackles (69 solo) with nine passes defensed, three tackles for loss, one sack, and one fumble recovery.

PROBABLE STARTERSPROBABLE STARTERS

STARTING LINEUPSTARTING LINEUP

At the start of his tenure, Blank made a three-point com-mitment to Falcons fans which he maintains today as the leader of the franchise.

Put a perennially-winning product on the fi eld.Under Blank, the Falcons have earned six postseason berths, including a trip to the NFC Championship Game in 2004 & 2012 and two NFC South Division crowns over the last three seasons. In 2010 & 2012, the

Falcons posted an NFC-best 13-3 record.

Provide a great game day experience.The Falcons and the Georgia World Con-gress Center invested $53 million into enhancements inside and outside of the Georgia Dome, including new HD video boards, suite and club seat renovations,

and red and black paint to give the Dome the look and feel of the home of the Falcons.

Have a winning team off the fi eld and in the community.One of the hallmarks of Blank’s philosophy is giving back to the community. The Fal-cons’ community outreach efforts are led by the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation (AFYF), the largest team-funded founda-

tion in the NFL. Since 2002, the foundation has awarded more than $16 million in grants to more than 700 non-profi t organizations.

BLANK’S COMMITMENTBLANK’S COMMITMENT

Since acquiring the Falcons in 2002, Owner & Chairman Arthur M. Blank has raised the bar and level of expec-tations for the Falcons in construct-ing a talented and creative team to lead his club both on and off the fi eld. In 2008, Blank looked to a rookie trio to help rebuild his franchise hiring Patriots Director of College Scouting Thomas Dimitroff as his new General Manager, Jaguars’ Defensive Coordinator Mike Smith as his Head Coach and approving the selection of Boston College quarter-back Matt Ryan with the third overall pick in the draft.

In the nearly fi ve seasons since bringing in Dimitroff, Smith and Ryan, the Falcons have gone 56-24, which is the second-best record in the NFL. Atlanta has also posted fi ve consecutive winning seasons and earned three consecutive playoff berths for the fi rst time in franchise history.

Under Blank, the Falcons have posted a 100-75-1 record and a .571 winning percentage, better than the .394 winning percentage that the franchise posted in the 35 years prior to Blank’s purchase of the team.

MAN BEHIND THE CURTAINMAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN

Since Blank purchased the team in 2002, the Falcons have sold out 86 of their last 88 home games, including 40 in-a-row from 2008-2012, and from 2002 to 2007, the Falcons sold out 43 straight games. The incredible support that fans have shown the team during Blank’s tenure has helped the Falcons to a 57-31 record at the Georgia Dome and At-lanta’s .648 winning percentage at home ranks eighth in the NFL during that time.

SELLOUT CROWDSELLOUT CROWD

OUTSTANDING OWNERSHIPOUTSTANDING OWNERSHIP

RAVE REVIEWS“Arthur Blank clearly got it right when he hired Thomas Dimi-troff and Mike Smith in 2008. The tandem is bright, energetic and forward-thinking when it comes to physical and mental conditioning, and no other general manager/head coach combination has been more aggressive when applying to-day’s technology toward tomorrow’s success. With Dimitroff and Smith behind the wheel, the Falcons are well on their way to becoming one of the NFL’s model franchises.”

- Jim Trotter, Sports Illustrated National NFL writer

Earlier this year, the Falcons put a new link in the connect-ing chain with their fans by introducing Rise Up Atlanta, a partnership with Hands On Atlanta en-couraging volunteerism across the city.

“Rise Up Atlanta extends the Falcons’ mantra of the last two seasons to rising up in the community to make Atlanta a better place to live,” Blank noted. “One of our core values is giving back to the community and we wanted to provide our fans, as members of the Falcons family, with a conve-nient vehicle to join us in helping others.”

RISE UPRISE UP

WINNING PCT. SINCE ‘08Team W-L Pct.New England 60-20 .750Atlanta 56-24 .700Baltimore 54-26 .675Green Bay 53-27 .663Pittsburgh 53-27 .663

FALCONS UNDER BLANKYears W-L Pct.2002-12 100-75-1 .5711966-01 212-327-5 .394

Since 2008, the Falcons have posted a 33-7 record at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons 33-7 record at home is the best mark in the NFC during that span and tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the sec-ond best home record in the NFL over the last fi ve seasons.

NO PLACE LIKE DOMENO PLACE LIKE DOME

HOME RECORDSCoach W-L Pct.New England 34-6 .850Atlanta 33-7 .825Baltimore 33-7 .825Green Bay 32-8 .800

In fi ve seasons as the Falcons General Manager, Thomas Dimitroff re-worked the roster to feature 19 new start-ers from the 2007 campaign. With the Draft being a key to his philosophy, it comes as no surprise that 28 of the 37 players Dimitroff selected between 2008-12 have seen game action and 17 have started games. In all, 32 rookies have been active on game day since 2008.

BUILDING A WINNERBUILDING A WINNER

GM Thomas Dimitroff’s philosophy is centered on the be-lief that the NFL Draft is the major building block to es-tablish a team’s foundation for the future. This strategy, combined with his targeting of key veteran players to shore up various positions, has been the catalyst for the Falcons emergence since 2008.

TEAM CONCEPTTEAM CONCEPT

2012 PROJECTED STARTERS DRAFTED BY ATLANTAOFFENSE

Pos. Player How Acq.WR Roddy White ‘07 DraftLT Sam Baker ‘08 DraftLG Justin Blalock ‘07 DraftC Todd McClure ‘99 DraftRG Peter Konz ‘12DraftWR Julio Jones ‘11 DraftQB Matt Ryan ‘08 Draft

DEFENSEPos. Player How Acq.DE Kroy Biermann ‘08 DraftDT J. Babineaux ‘05 DraftDT Peria Jerry ‘09 DraftLB S. Weatherspoon ‘10 DraftLB Akeem Dent ‘11 DraftLB Stephen Nicholas ‘07 DraftS Thomas DeCoud ‘08 DraftS William Moore ‘09 DraftBold names drafted by Dimitroff

2012Players Round*Peter Konz 2ndLamar Holmes 3rdBradie Ewing 5thJonathan Massaquoi 5thCharles Mitchell 6thTravian Robertson 7th2011 Players Round*Julio Jones 1st*Akeem Dent 3rdJacquizz Rodgers 5thMatt Bosher 6thCliff Matthews 7th2010*Sean Weatherspoon 1st*Corey Peters 3rdMike Johnson 3rd*Joe Hawley 4thShann Schillinger 6th

2009Players Round*DT Peria Jerry 1st*S William Moore 2nd*CB Chris Owens 3rdDE Lawrence Sidbury 4th*T Garrett Reynolds 5th*DT Vance Walker 7th2008Players Round*QB Matt Ryan 1st*LT Sam Baker 1st*WR Harry Douglas 3rd*S Thomas DeCoud 3rd*DE Kroy Biermann 5th2007*G Justin Blalock 2nd*LB Stephen Nicholas 4th2005*WR Roddy White 1st*DT J. Babineaux 2nd1999*C Todd McClure 7th*Denotes player that has started at least one game.

FALCONS ROSTER BUILT THROUGH THE DRAFT

GM THOMAS DIMITROFFGM THOMAS DIMITROFF

Falcons general manager Thomas Dimi-troff was named the 2012 Jack Horrigan Award winner by the Professional Football Writers of America. The Horrigan Award is given annually to the League or club offi -cial for his or her qualities and professional style in helping the pro football writers do their job.

Dimitroff is the 39th winner of the Horrigan Award and is the fi rst NFL general manager to receive the honor since 2006. He is third member of the Falcons organization to earn the honor from PFWA.

The award is named for Horrigan, who was a sportswriter for UPI and the Buffalo Evening News, public relations direc-tor for the American Football League (1963-66) and vice president of public relations for the Buffalo Bills (1966-73).

HONOR ROLLHONOR ROLL

Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff has been named Executive of the Year by Sporting News two times during his fi ve seasons in Atlanta.

Since 2008, Dimitroff has selected fran-chise cornerstones like QB Matt Ryan, WR Julio Jones, LB Sean Weatherspoon, LT Sam Baker, S Thomas DeCoud and S William Moore through the draft, and added key veterans via free agency and trades like RB Michael Turner, TE Tony Gonzalez, CB Asante Samuel and CB Dunta Robinson to shore up various po-sitions.

The moves made by Dimitroff coupled with the on-fi eld coaching of Mike Smith have been the catalysts for the Falcons emergence and consistency over the past four seasons.

MAN WITH A PLANMAN WITH A PLAN

The Falcons have 12 players on their current roster that played in a collegiate national championship game, and eight of those 12 players won a national title while in col-lege. Atlanta’s commitment to building a team with players that have come from winning programs and proven to be leaders is shown in the fact that of the 12 Falcons that have played for a national title, 11 were drafted or signed as free agents under Dimitroff.

CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREECHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYERSFBS/D-1APlayer (year) School*Mike Peterson (96) Florida*Chris Hope (99) Florida St.*Sam Baker (04-05) USC*Justin Blalock (05) TexasDominique Franks (08) Okla.*Mike Johnson (09) Alabama*Julio Jones (09) Alabama*Josh Harris (10) AuburnDrew Davis (10) Oregon

FCS/D-1AAPlayer (year) SchoolKroy Biermann (04) Montana*L. Sidbury (08) RichmondS. Schillinger (08-09) Montana* - player won national titlebold names drafted or signed by Dimitroff

HEAD COACH MIKE SMITHHEAD COACH MIKE SMITH

Head Coach Mike Smith has compiled a 56-24 record in fi ve seasons as Falcons head coach. With Atlanta’s Week 8 win over the Philadelphia Ea-gles, Smith became the club’s all-time wins leader and the fi rst coach in team history to record 50 coaching wins. Smith topped Dan Reeves who went 49-59-1 from 1997-03.

Smith reached the 50-win milestone in 71 games. Ac-cording to the Elias Sports Bureau, he is the third fastest head coach to accomplish that feat since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Only George Seifert (62 games) and Chuck Knox (65 games) reached 50 wins faster than Smith during that time.

ONE OF THE BESTONE OF THE BEST

FALCONS COACHINGCoach W-L Pct.Mike Smith 56-24 .700Dan Reeves 49-59-1 .454Leeman Bennett 46-41 .516

Since 2008, Smith has racked up an impressive list of ac-complishments and accolades while leading the Falcons to fi ve consecutive winning seasons and four playoff berths.

Smith’s Accomplishments• Sporting News Coach of the Year in 2008, 2010 and 2012.• KC 101 Club NFC Coach of the Year in 2008 and 2010.• Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year in 2008.• .700 winning percentage - highest in club history through fi ve seasons.• 56 wins - Falcons all-time wins leader.• Second best home record in NFL history in his fi rst fi ve seasons as a head coach.• Second most wins in team history in a single season (13 - 2010 & 2012).• Under coach Smith, the Falcons are the only NFC team to post winning records in each of the last fi ve seasons (2008-12).

IMPRESSIVE RESUMEIMPRESSIVE RESUMESmith’s Record When...

(REGULAR SEASON ONLY)

Overall Record .................................................................56-24vs. the NFC ....................................................................... 39-20vs. the AFC ........................................................................... 17-4vs. the NFC South .............................................................. 17-13Home .....................................................................................33-7Away ....................................................................................23-17Day Games (1 p.m. ET) ...................................................38-17Afternoon Games (4 p.m. ET) ......................................... 11-3Night Games (8 p.m. ET) ...................................................8-4Indoors ................................................................................38-13Outdoors.............................................................................. 18-11Atlanta scores fi rst .......................................................... 42-10Atlanta leads at halftime .................................................44-2Atlanta leads going into the 4th Qtr. ............................ 42-1Atlanta leads in time of possession .............................. 38-8Gains 300+ yards ............................................................44-14Holds opponent under 300 yards .................................. 23-1Atlanta has a 300-yard passer .......................................10-8Atlanta has a 100-yard rusher ........................................ 16-3Atlanta has a 100-yard receiver ...................................26-12Atlanta wins the turnover battle ................................... 34-3Atlanta is penalized fi ve or fewer times .................... 40-15Atlanta records 20+ fi rst downs ................................40-14

FASTEST TO 50 WINSCoach Team GamesGeorge Seifert SF 62Chuck Knox LA Rams 65Mike Smith Atl 71Joe Gibbs Was 72Bill Cowher Pit 73Mike Ditka Chi 73

Since 2008, Head Coach Mike Smith has recorded a 56-24 record, with fi ve straight winning seasons, three straight playoff berths, and two division titles. Smith’s 56 wins in his fi rst fi ve seasons as a head coach are the second most among any fi rst-time head coach in NFL history.

Additionally, the Falcons became the fi rst NFC team to earn the conference’s top seed twice in three seasons since the Philadelphia Eagles posted the NFC’s best record in three straight seasons from 2002-04. With its 31-18 win over Detroit in Week 16, Atlanta clinched the NFC’s top seed, a fi rst-round bye, and home-fi eld advantage through-out the playoffs.

ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKSONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS

WINS IN FIRST FIVE SEASONSCoach Yrs W-LGeorge Seifert ‘89-93 62-18Mike Smith* ‘08-12 56-24Guy Chamberlin ‘29-32 55-8-4Mike Tomlin* ‘07-11 55-25Chuck Knox ‘73-77 55-15-1John Harbaugh* ‘08-12 54-26* - denotes active head coach

When General Manager Thomas Dimitroff and Head Coach Mike Smith came to Atlanta, they set out to develop a consistent and sus-tainable franchise. In the fi rst fi ve seasons under their leadership, the Falcons are the only team in the NFL to post fi ve straight seasons with winning records after posting a 13-3 record in 2012. The Falcons are the only NFC team to accomplish this feat. In the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots have also posted winning seasons in each of the last fi ve years.

WINNING CULTUREWINNING CULTURE

WINNING SEASONSSeason Record2012 13-32011 10-62010 13-32009 9-72008 11-5

COACHING CAPSULESCOACHING CAPSULESDIRK KOETTEROffensive Coordinator1st year in Atlanta

Known for his expertise in the passing game, Koetter has 30 years of coaching experience, including fi ve seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars (2007-11). He also brings with him 22 years of coaching expertise on the college level, including nine seasons as a college head coach (Arizona State, 2001-06 and Boise State, 1998-2000). • In fi ve seasons in Jacksonville, he coached four different

players to the six Pro Bowl selections.

MIKE NOLANDefensive Coordinator1st year in Atlanta

One of the most respected defensive minds in the NFL, Nolan brings 14 years of experience as a coordinator and has spent a total of 25 years in the NFL coaching ranks. Nolan joins Atlan-ta after spending the last two seasons as the Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator.• In 2011, the Dolphins boasted the third best run defense in

the NFL , allowing just 95.6 yards per game and 3.7 yards per carry.

KEITH ARMSTRONGSpecial Teams Coordinator5th year in Atlanta

Keith Armstrong’s special teams units have been a staple of the Falcons success over the last four seasons. His teams have fi nished in the top 10 each year and have limited opponents to the fewest punt return yards over the last four years (729 total punt return yards).• Armstrong earned his start in the NFL with Atlanta in 1994

as Safeties Coach. In 1996, he was promoted to run the entire secondary. Before his full-time positions in the NFL, he was part of the NFL’s Minority Coaching Fellowship Program during training camps with the New York Jets (1991), Dallas Cowboys (1992) and Chicago Bears (1993).

GERALD BROWNRunning Backs5th year in Atlanta

Under Brown’s guidance, the Falcons have had one of the top running games over the last four years and will look to con-tinue to improve in 2012. In Brown’s four seasons in Atlanta, he has helped RB Michael Turner earn Pro Bowl honors in 2008 and 2010.• In 2011, Brown guided Turner to his second consecutive

1,300-plus yard season as he led the NFC in rushing with 1,340 yards.

MARK COLLINSDefensive Assistant3rd year in Atlanta

Mark Collins returns for his third season with the Falcons af-ter a successful foray in the college ranks. In addition to his Defensive assistant duties, Collins will also help Ray Hamilton with the defensive line. Prior to his arrival in the NFL, Collins was an assistant coach, working with the safeties for the Uni-versity of Louisiana-Monroe in 2009.• Collins served as a graduate assistant at the University of

Georgia in 2007.

PAUL DUNNOffensive Line5th year in Atlanta

A 29-year coaching veteran, Paul Dunn will enter his fi fth season with the club, but his fi rst as offensive line coach. In 2011, Dunn’s offensive line paved the way for record break-ing performances by RB Michael Turner and QB Matt Ryan. Prior to joining the Falcons, Dunn served as the Offensive Line coach at Pittsburgh. • T Tyson Clabo was named to the Pro Bowl in 2010, he was

the fi rst offensive lineman to do so since 1998.

RAY HAMILTONDefensive Line5th year in Atlanta

A 26-year veteran of the NFL as both a player and coach, Ray Hamilton’s adept work with the defensive line helped the Falcons post the sixth-best rushing defense in the League in 2011, surrendering just an average of 97 yards per game. His hard-working linemen had a hand in holding eight of their op-ponents under 100-yards rushing, including four of the last eight games, to help clinch a playoff berth down the stretch.• A 14th-round draft choice by the Patriots, Hamilton was

a fi xture on the New England defensive line from 1973-81 while establishing a rookie record with seven sacks. He posted 54 sacks during his time in New England.

PAT HILLOffensive Line1st year in Atlanta

Pat Hill comes to the Falcons after spending 15 seasons (1997-2011) as the head coach at Fresno State University where he led the Bulldogs to a 112-80 overall record and went to 11 bowl games. Hill led Fresno State to 15 wins over BCS teams during the last decade, which is the highest win total of any non-BCS team in the nation.• Hill spent fi ve seasons as an offensive line/tight ends

coach in the NFL with the Browns and Ravens.

TIM LEWISSecondary3rd year in Atlanta

Atlanta’s young secondary has continued to develop under the guidance of Tim Lewis. Lewis’ coaching principles have been felt through out the secondary as CB Brent Grimes earned his fi rst Pro Bowl selection in 2010 and S Thomas DeCoud, and S William Moore continued to develop in 2011.• Lewis’ meticulous work with Grimes vaulted the former

small school product from Shippensburg from a potential starter in the preseason into Pro Bowler.

GLENN PIRESLinebackers5th year in Atlanta

In 2011, Pires’ crew of hard-working linebackers enabled the Falcons defense to fi nish sixth in the League in rush defense, allowing opponents to an average of just 97 yards per contest. Emerging star Sean Weatherspoon has grown tremendously in two-years with the help of Pires.• Weatherspoon racked up a career-high 127 tackles, with

86 solos, including double-digit stops in six games and added three sacks in 16 starts in 2011.

JOE DANNADefensive Backs1st year in Atlanta

Joe Danna joins the Falcons after serving two years as the Mi-ami Dolphins Assistant Defensive Backs coach. Danna brings 14 years of coaching experience with him, including four years of NFL experience. While with Miami, Danna assisted in pro-ducing one of the top secondary units in the NFL. Under his guidance, the Dolphins pass defense ranked eighthin the NFL in 2010.• Prior to joining the Dolphins, Danna spent two seasons

with the Atlanta Falcons as a defensive assistant (2008-09). He was a four-year letter winning wide receiver at Central Michigan University (1995-98).

TERRY ROBISKIEWide Receivers5th year in Atlanta

With experience that spans three decades of dedicated work in the NFL, Terry Robiskie has helped WR Roddy White emerge as one of the top wide receivers in the entire NFL. White has played in four straight Pro Bowls under Robiskie (2008-12).• In 2011, White passed WR Terence Mathis as the club’s

all-time leading receiver, while rookie WR Julio Jones en-joyed the best season by a Falcons rookie receiver.

CHRIS SCELFOTight Ends5th year in Atlanta

Chris Scelfo is a 26-year veteran of the coaching fraternity. His outstanding work with the team’s tight ends helped the Falcons offense continue to fl ourish during his tenure with the club. Under Scelfo’s direction, Tony Gonzalez was voted to the NFC Pro Bowl for the second straight season and 12th time overall in his brilliant career in 2011.• Gonzalez became the NFL’s second all-time leading re-

ceiver behind WR Jerry Rice last season.

ERIC SUTULOVICHSpecial Teams Assistant4th year in Atlanta

With Sutulovich’s help, the Falcons special teams have fi n-ished in the top 10 in NFL rankings in each of his three sea-sons. Sutulovich came to Atlanta after working for one season with the Detroit Lions as an Offensive Assistant in 2008.• His original foray into the NFL came with the Houston

Texans in its inaugural campaign in 2002. Sutulovich was the team’s Assistant Special Teams coach for four seasons (2002-05).

GLENN THOMASQuarterbacks5th year in Atlanta

Thomas enters his fi rst season as Quarterbacks coach and fi fth season with the Falcons. Over the last four seasons, Thomas has served as the team’s offensive assistant. During his tenure in Atlanta, the Falcons offense has seen its most production over a four-year span in franchise history. Thomas will work with Offensive Coordinator Dirk Koetter and Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Ryan to continue to build the Falcons offense.• Following his graduation from Texas Tech, Thomas began

his coaching career as a student assistant at his alma ma-ter from 1998-2001.

ANDREW WEIDINGEROffensive Assistant5th year in Atlanta

Andrew Weidinger enters his fi rst season as the team’s of-fensive assistant after serving four years as Assistant to the Head Coach/Offense. Weidinger assisted Head Coach Mike Smith as well as the offensive staff, while also lending support to Running Backs coach Gerald Brown.• Prior to joining the Falcons in 2007 as a Personnel Scout,

Weidinger spent seven seasons at the University of Ari-zona, where he served in a number of different roles.

COACHING CAPSULESCOACHING CAPSULES

Falcons Head Coach Mike Smith coaches his players to play right on the edge but to remain disciplined. That controlled approach has led Smith’s teams to rank in the top 10 in terms of fewest penalties in each of his fi ve seasons in Atlanta. In 2012, the Falcons set an NFL record for the fewest accepted penalties in a 16 game season. The Falcons own two of the top fi ve performances in NFL his-tory terms of penalties.

In 2012, Atlanta also posted an NFL record for the fewest penalty yards in a 16 game season. The Falcons 415 pen-alty yards topped Seattle’s League record of 428 yards set in 2007.

FLAG FREEFLAG FREE

In 2012, the Falcons were one of two teams in the NFL to rank in the top seven in both scoring offense and scor-ing defense. Atlanta averaged 26.2 points per game last season, which ranked seventh in the NFL. Defensively, the Birds allowed 18.7 points per game, which was the fi fth-best mark in League.

IT’S ALL ABOUT POINTSIT’S ALL ABOUT POINTS

FEWEST PENALTIESTeam Year Pen.Atlanta 2012 55New England 2008 57Atlanta 2010 58Seattle 2007 59New Orleans 1992 60

The Falcons were among the NFL’s best teams in terms of third-down conversions last season. Atlanta converted 45.1 percent of its third downs, which ranked second in the NFL in 2012.

The Falcons were successful in moving the chains, notching 343 fi rst downs, including 70 on the ground, 247 through the air and 26 by penalty this season. The Birds’ 21.4 fi rst downs per game ranked sixth in the NFL. This success in extending drives has led Atlanta to a 40-14 record when they record 20-or-more fi rst downs. The Falcons notched a season-high 28 fi rst downs in a Week 5 win at Washington.

MOVING THE CHAINSMOVING THE CHAINS

3RD DOWN CONVERSIONSTeam Att. Conv. Eff.New England 226 110 48.7Atlanta 204 92 45.1Denver 213 96 45.1New Orleans 207 91 44.0Dallas 212 93 43.9

WING TIPSWING TIPS2012 NFL RANKINGS

Offensive Rankings - 2012 week by week Total Rush Pass NFC NFLWeek 1 (after KC) 376.0 84.0 292.0 8-9-6 12-16-7Week 2 (after Den) 325.5 75.5 250.0 11-14t-8 21-26t-12Week 3 (after SD) 345.0 90.0 255.0 8-13-7 19-25-15Week 4 (after Car) 365.3 97.8 267.0 7-8-5 15-18-10Week 5 (after Was) 376.4 94.8 281.6 7-10-5 12-21-7Week 6 (after Oak) 361.3 86.5 274.8 8-15-5 15-25-10Week 7 (after BYE) 361.3 86.5 274.8 8-15-5 13-29-8Week 8 (after Phi) 365.7 95.0 270.7 7-12-5 13-24-8Week 9 (after Dal) 376.6 98.5 278.1 5-13-4 8-25-8Week 10 (after NO) 385.2 92.7 292.6 3-13-3 6-26-4Week 11 (after Ari) 382.1 89.2 292.9 3-14-3 7-28-3Week 12 (after TB) 385.9 88.3 297.6 2-14-2 6-28-2Week 13 (after NO) 377.3 91.3 286.1 5-14-4 9-28-4Week 14 (after Car) 376.2 86.9 289.2 4-14-4 8-28-4Week 15 (after NY) 377.4 89.9 287.5 4-14-4 7-28-5Week 16 (after Det) 375.2 88.8 286.4 5-14-4 7-28-5Week 17 (after TB) 369.1 87.3 281.8 5-14-4 8-29-6

Defensive Rankings - 2012 week by week Total Rush Pass NFC NFLWeek 1 (after KC) 393.0 152.0 241.0 13-14-8 23-24-13Week 2 (after Den) 364.5 135.0 229.5 10-13-9 17-25-15Week 3 (after SD) 336.3 128.7 207.7 9-13-6 13-24-8Week 4 (after Car) 353.3 146.3 207.0 10-15-6 15-29-9Week 5 (after Was) 345.8 142.8 203.0 11-15-4 17-27-7Week 6 (after Oak) 367.2 143.8 223.3 12-15-6 21-27-11Week 7 (after BYE) 367.2 143.8 223.3 12-15-7 22-28-12Week 8 (after Phi) 353.3 136.4 216.9 12-15-5 20-26-10Week 9 (after Dal) 356.3 127.5 228.8 12-15-8 19-24-14Week 10 (after NO) 365.6 129.8 235.8 12-15-11 20-25-19Week 11 (after Ari) 346.8 130.5 216.3 11-15-6 18-26-10Week 12 (after TB) 344.9 123.2 221.7 10-14-7 15-23-12Week 13 (after NO) 352.5 121.3 231.2 11-12-9 18-20-15Week 14 (after Car) 361.9 127.0 234.9 12-14-10 20-23t-16Week 15 (after NY) 354.4 124.9 229.5 11-14-11 19-24-17Week 16 (after Det) 365.5 121.8 243.7 12-12-11 23-20t-23Week 17 (after TB) 365.6 123.2 242.4 12-11-11 24-21-23

FIRST DOWNS Team 1st/GNew England 27.8Detroit 23.9Denver 23.8Indianapolis 22.5New Orleans 22.0Atlanta 21.4

2012 NFL SCORING BREAKDOWNScoring OffenseTeam Pts./GNew England 34.8Denver 30.1New Orleans 28.8Washington 27.3Green Bay 27.1NY Giants 26.8Atlanta 26.2

Scoring DefenseTeam Pts./GSeattle 15.3San Francisco 17.1Chicago 17.3Denver 18.1Atlanta 18.7Pittsburgh 19.6Miami 19.8

FEWEST PENALTIESTeam Year Pen.Atlanta 2012 415Seattle 2007 428New England 1993 468Denver 2006 478Arizona 1999 481

Since 2008, the Falcons have been one of the best teams in the NFL in close games, leading the League with a .707 winning percentage in games decided by eight points or less, includ-ing a 23-19 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 11. During that span, Atlanta has also posted a 12-5 record in games determined by a fi eld goal or less, including a 30-28 come-from-behind win over Carolina in Week 4, a 23-20 win over the Oakland Raiders in Week 6 and a 24-23 win at Tampa Bay in Week 12.

CLOSE SHAVECLOSE SHAVE

CLOSE GAMESTeam W-L Pct.Atlanta 29-12 .707Indianapolis 31-13 .705NY Giants 21-13 .618Pittsburgh 28-19 .596Denver 22-16 .579

The Falcons set a franchsie record for fewest accepted penalties in a season in 2012. Atlanta’s 55 accept-ed penalties this season were also an NFL record for a 16-game season.

GOOD BEHAVIORGOOD BEHAVIOR

The Falcons posted one of the best seasons in franchise history in terms of third-down conversions last sea-son. Atlanta converted 45.1 percent of its third downs, which was the second-best conversion rate in team his-tory.

Under Head Coach Mike Smith, Atlanta has posted a 40-14 record when they record 20-or-more fi rst downs over the last fi ve seasons. In 2012, the Falcons averaged 21.4 fi rst downs per game which was the third highest mark in team history. Each of the top three seasons have come under Smith.

CHEWING UP GROUNDCHEWING UP GROUND

3RD DOWN CONVERSIONSSeason Att. Conv. Eff.2010 112 240 46.72012 92 204 45.12011 99 224 44.22008 95 219 43.42005 94 219 42.9

FIRST DOWNS Season 1st/G2010 22.12011 21.82012 21.41982 21.11980 21.0

Last season, the Falcons scored 419 points. Atlanta ranked among the NFL lead-ers in terms of scoring of-fense, averaging 26.2 points per game in 2012 and the Falcons points per game av-erage was the third highest mark in franhcise history. Atlanta was one of nine teams to score 400+ points in 2012 joining New England (557), Denver (481), New Orleans (461), Washington (436), Green Bay (433), NY Giants (429), Houston (416) and Seattle (412).

POINT BREAKPOINT BREAK

POINTS PER GAMESeason TD FG P/G1998 53 23 27.61981 52 21 26.62012 46 33 26.22010 47 28 25.91980 50 19 25.3

WING TIPSWING TIPS

Starting fast and fi nishing strong has been a staple of Smith’s teams during his time in Atlanta. This zoom focus has seen the Falcons post a 42-10 record in games where they score fi rst. Since 2008, the Falcons lead the League in points scored on their fi rst offensive possession. In 2012, the Falcons scored 51 points on their opening possessions, which led the NFL.

While the Falcons have been one of the fastest starting teams in the NFL over the last fi ve seasons, they have also been among the League’s best in closing out the fi rst half and the game. Since 2008, the Fal-cons rank fi fth in the NFL with 99 points on 91 possessions in the fi nal two minutes of either half, including game-win-ning fi eld goals vs. Carolina in Week 4 and vs. Oakland in Week 6.

Despite struggling in two-minute situations in 2008, the Falcons defense has been im-pressive in closing out halves and games in the last four sea-sons. The Birds lead the League, allowing just 20 points in 69 possessions, beginning in the fi nal two minutes of either half during that time span. Atlanta allowed a fi eld goal at the end of the fi rst half vs. Arizona in Week 11, snapping a 15 game streak of holding opponents scoreless in two-minute situations. The Falcons also allowed just two scores in two-minute situations in 2012.

START FAST, FINSH STRONGSTART FAST, FINSH STRONG

Team Pos. Pts.Indianapolis 106 140NY Giants 114 140New Orleans 94 125Philadelphia 118 122Atlanta 91 99

TWO-MINUTE OFFENSESINCE 2008

POINTS ON 1ST OFFENSIVE POSSESSION, 2008-12

Team Pts Avg/GAtlanta 224 2.8New Orleans 206 2.6New England 201 2.5Houston 190 2.4Carolina 186 2.3

TWO-MINUTE DEFENSESINCE 2009

Team Pos. Pts.Atlanta 72 23NY Jets 88 41Arizona 83 45New England 80 45St. Louis 80 45

In 2012, the Falcons ranked sixth in the NFL averaging 281.8 passing yards per game. QB Matt Ryan averaged a franchise record 294.9 gross pass-ing yards per game and set a club record with sev-en 300-yard games in 2012. Ryan broke his own franchise record by an average of 33.8 yards per game.

CHUCK IT AROUNDCHUCK IT AROUND

FALCONS PENALTIES Season Pen.2012 552010 581969 631968 631973 66

GROSS PASSING YARDSPlayer Year YdsMatt Ryan 2012 294.9Matt Ryan 2011 261.1Jeff George 1995 258.9Steve Bartkowski 1981 239.3Jeff George 1994 233.4

Head Coach Mike Smith preaches the importance of ball security to his team. This focused approach has led the Falcons to a 34-3 re-cord when they win the turnover battle under Smith. One of the keys to the Falcons success in 2012 was their ability to limit turn-overs as the Birds surrendered just 18 giveaways, which was tied for the fi fth fewest in the NFL this season. The Falcons 18 turnovers in 2012 marked the second fewest committed in a single season in team history. In fact, four of the Falcons best seasons in terms of turnovers have come since 2008 and the Falcons have never turned the ball over more than 25 times in a single season under Smith.

KEEP AWAYKEEP AWAY

FALCONS TURNOVERSSeason Turnovers2010 172012 182006 201995 211982 212011 212008 21

WING TIPSWING TIPS

Quarterbacks are often judged by their play in tight games in the fourth quarter and their ability to put together game-winning drives late in games. QB Matt Ryan has shown an ability to rise to the challenge in pressure situations by leading the Falcons on 22 game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime (including postseason), which are the most in the NFL since 2008 and most by a quarter-back in his fi rst fi ve seasons since 1966.

The Pro Bowl signal caller led the Falcons on game-win-ning drives in the fourth quarter six timesin 2012, including back-to-back wins over Washington and Oakland, and Ari-zona and Tampa Bay. Ryan set up three game-winning fi eld goals by K Matt Bryant and three game winning touch-down runs by RB Michael Turner in 2012. His six game win-ning drives in 2012 are tied for the most in a single season in his career. He led six game winning drives in 2010.

Trailing 28-27 with 31 seconds remaining in the NFC Divisional playoff game vs. Seattle, Ryan drove the Falcons 41 yards in two plays to set up Bryant’s game-winning fi eld goal. The win sent the Falcons to the NFC Championship Game for the third time in franchise history.

MATTY ICEMATTY ICE

MATT RYAN’S GAME-WINNING DRIVESDate Opponent Score10/05/08 Green Bay 27-2410/12/08 Chicago 22-2012/14/08 Tampa Bay* 13-1012/28/08 St. Louis 31-2710/18/09 Chicago 21-1412/20/09 NY Jets 10-701/03/10 Tampa Bay 20-1009/26/10 New Orleans* 27-2410/03/10 San Francisco 16-1410/24/10 Cincinnati 39-3211/11/10 Baltimore 26-2111/28/10 Green Bay 20-17

Date Opponent Score12/05/10 Tampa Bay 28-2409/18/11 Philadelphia 35-3110/16/11 Carolina 31-1712/11/11 Carolina 31-239/30/12 Carolina 30-2810/7/12 Washington 24-1710/14/12 Oakland 23-2011/18/12 Arizona 23-1911/25/12 Tampa Bay 24-231/13/13 Seattle^ 30-28*denotes game winning drive in OT.^denotes game winning drive in playoffs.

Defensive tackles are tasked with holding the point of attack, penetrating the offen-sive line to break up plays in the backfi eld and pressuring the quarterback. Since being drafted by the Falcons in 2005, DT Jonathan Babineaux has excelled in each of those roles.

• Babineaux recorded his fi rst career interception in At-lanta’s Week 13 win over the New Orleans Saints, pick-ing off QB Drew Brees at the line of scrimmage.

In 2012, Babineaux recorded 42 tackles (33 solo) with 3.5 sacks. According to Stats Inc., he ranks second among defensive tack-les with 8.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Since he was drafted by the Falcons in 2005, Babineaux’s 49.5 stuffs are the most by any defensive tackle.

In Atlanta’s Divisional playoff win over Seattle, the Se-ahawks held the ball at the Atlanta six-yard line with 25 seconds on the clock in the fi rst half. After two incomplete passes and a penalty, Babineaux broke through the line and sacked QB Russell Wilson, which allowed the clock to run out and kept the Seahawks off the scoreboard. Babineaux fi nished the game with three tackles (one solo) with one sack, one tackle for loss, and one quarterback hit.

USS BABINEAUXUSS BABINEAUX

TACKLES FOR LOSSTeam StuffsKyle Williams 9Jonathan Babineaux 8.5Justin Smith 8Paul Soliai 8Ndamukong Suh 8

Last season, Atlanta held opponents to 20 points or less nine times. One of the keys to the Falcons ablity to limit opponents scoring was their success on teams’ fi rst offensive possessions. The Falcons surren-dered 299 total points (18.7 per game) which was the fi fth fewest points allowed in the NFL in 2012. Additionally, Atlanta’s average margin of victory was 10.7 points.

SCOREBOARD WATCHINGSCOREBOARD WATCHING

POINTS ALLOWEDTeam Pts. Seattle 245San Francisco 273Chicago 277Denver 289Atlanta 299

WR Roddy White continued to show he is one of the premier wide outs in the NFL in 2012. White posted 92 receptions for 1,351 yards with seven touchdowns. He is the only player in the NFL to record over 1,200 receiving yards in each of the last three seasons and one of just three receivers to post at least 1,000 receiving yards each year during that time.

In Atlanta’s Week 16 win at De-troit, White caught eight passes for 153 yards with two touch-downs. He posted his 35th ca-reer 100-yard game and tied his franchise record for 100-yard games in a season with his sev-enth. White has posted fi ve-or-more 100-yard games in each of the least four seasons.

WHITE OUTWHITE OUT

WHITE’S 100-YD GAMESSeason Games2012 72008 72011 52010 52009 4

Atlanta’s 31 total takeaways ranked tied for fi fth in the NFL in 2012. Of those 31 turnovers, 21 came on opponent drives lasting four or fewer plays, getting the defense off of the fi eld early and giving the offense opportunities to break games open or stage comebacks. Atlanta’s 21 quick turnover drives tied Chicago for the NFL lead in 2012.

QUICK TURNOVER DRIVESQUICK TURNOVER DRIVES

QUICK TURNOVERSTeam <4 Pl. TOsAtlanta 21Chicago 21Cincinnati 17Three teams 15

OFFENSIVE NEWS AND NOTESOFFENSIVE NEWS AND NOTES

In 2012, the Falcons unveiled a potent quick strike offense, posting 56 points on drives lasting four or fewer plays, including a one-play drive in Atlanta’s Week 12 win at Tampa Bay when QB Matt Ryan hit WR Julio Jones for an 80-yard touchdown. The Falcons ranked tied for sixth in the League with 49 points on seven quick-strike drives, six of the top seven teams in terms of quick-strike scoring made the playoffs in 2012.

QUICK STRIKEQUICK STRIKE

QUICK STRIKE DRIVESTeam Pos. <4 Pl Pts.San Francisco 178 11 77Washington 183 11 69Cincinnati 195 10 62Seattle 170 9 62Tampa Bay 193 9 59Atlanta 175 8 56New England 186 8 56

Capitalizing on oppo-nents mistakes is a hall-mark of successful teams in the National Football League. In 2012, the Falcons posted 77 scor-ing drives, including 19 scoring drives following opposing penalties that resulted in Falcons fi rst downs. The Birds made their opponents pay for mistakes, as their 19 scoring drives after penalty fi rst downs ranked tied for sixth in the NFL.

SECOND CHANCESSECOND CHANCES

SCORING AFTER PENALTIESTeam Scr. After Pen.Green Bay 70 24Baltimore 69 23Denver 75 22Minnesota 69 20New England 89 20Atlanta 77 19Indianapolis 60 19

Putting points on the board when in the red zone is vi-tal to a team’s success. In 2012, the Falcons scored 317 points in the red zone, including 37 touchdowns in 63 trips inside the 20 yard line. The Falcons scored an NFC-best 317 points in the red-area last season. Addition-ally, Atlanta’s 90.5 scoring effi cency in the red zone ranked tied for sixth in the NFL.

SEEING REDSEEING RED

RED ZONE SCORINGTeam Pos. Scr. Pts.New England 70 66 393Denver 66 58 331Atlanta 63 57 317New Orleans 57 52 312NY Giants 62 56 304

The Falcons racked up a season-high 454 yards of total offense in their Week 10 loss at New Or-leans. Atlanta eclipsed the 400-yard mark fi ve times in 2012 and 21 times under Head Coach Mike Smith. Since 2008, the Falcons own a 15-6 record when they total 400-or-more yards of total offense.

In their Week 9 win over Dallas, Atlanta fi elded a 300-yard passer (Ryan), a 100-yard rusher (Turner), and two 100-yard receivers (Jones & White). It was the third time the Falcons have accomplished that feat in franchise history.

RACKING UP THE YARDSRACKING UP THE YARDS

MOST YARDS SINCE ‘08Date Opp. Yds.11/13/11 NO 48110/11/09 @SF 4779/7/08 Det 474 12/26/11 @NO 46911/11/12 @NO 45411/04/12 Dal 45311/2/08 @Oak 453

The Falcons fi elded one of the NFL’s most potent of-fenses in 2012. Atlanta scored 419 points on offense, which ranked seventh in the League. Additionally, Atlanta’s 26.2 points per game also ranked seventh last year. The Birds 77 scoring drives in 2012 were tied with the New York Giants for second in the NFL.

• The Falcons averaged 7.8 plays, 56.9 yards and 3:36 per scoring drive this season.

SCORING BREAKDOWNSCORING BREAKDOWN

SCORING BREAKDOWNTeam Pts. Pts./GNew England 557 34.8Denver 481 30.1New Orleans 461 28.8Washington 436 27.3Green Bay 433 27.1NY Giants 429 26.8Atlanta 419 26.2

Games with a reception:195 - Tony Gonzalez^100 - Roddy White^Longest active streak in NFL

Games w/ an INT:3 - Asante Samuel

1,000-yard seasons:6 - Roddy White^

60+ catch seasons:14 - Tony Gonzalez*6 - Roddy White* - NFL record^ - Franchise record

ACTIVE STREAKS

RB Michael Turner and Jacquizz Rodgers made up a dy-namic backfi eld combo for the Atlanta Falcons in 2012. The duo combined for 1,162 rushing yards on 316 carries with 10 touchdowns on the ground, while adding 72 receptions for 530 yards and two touchdowns through the air. The Falcons were one of just four teams to boast two running backs with over 750 scrimmage yards.

• Rodgers fi nished the season fourth on the team with 53 receptions and 402 yards, giving him 762 scrimmage yards on 147 touches (5.2 yards per touch).

BACKFIELD IN MOTIONBACKFIELD IN MOTION

RBs WITH 750+ SCRIMMAGE YARDSPlayers TeamJ. Rodgers/M. Turner AtlantaM. Leshoure/J. Bell DetroitD. Sproles/P. Thomas New OrleansD. McFadden/M. Reece Oakland

The Falcons opened the sea-son by scoring on each of their fi rst eight possessions in a 40-24 win at Kansas City. Atlanta continued that trend throughout the season, fi elding one of the NFL’s most effi cient offenses in terms of scoring. The Birds scored on 77 of their 175 offensive pos-sessions, putting points on the board on 44.0 percent of their possessions. Atlanta’s 44.0 scoring effi ciency ranked second in the NFL behind New England (47.8) in 2012.

EFFICIENT OFFENSEEFFICIENT OFFENSE

SCORING EFFICIENCY Team Pos. Scr. Eff.New England 186 89 47.8Atlanta 175 77 44.0NY Giants 176 77 43.8Denver 188 75 39.9Seattle 170 67 39.4

Atlanta’s safety tandem of Thomas DeCoud and William Moore paced the Falcons ball-hawking defense in 2012 and enjoyed breakout seasons.

In Atlanta’s Week 3 win over San Diego, DeCoud picked off QB Philip Rivers and recovered a fumble, setting up 14 Falcon points. In 2012, the fi fth-year safety out of Califor-nia led one of the NFL’s top defensive units as the Falcons posted 31 takeaways and a +13 turnover differential.

• DeCoud also intercepted both of the Manning brothers last year, picking off Broncos QB Peyton Manning in Atlanta’s Monday Night win over the Denver in Week 2 and intercepting Giants QB Eli Manning in the Falcons Week 15 win over New York. Additionally, DeCoud sealed Atlanta’s Week 5 win at Washington when he picked off QB Kirk Cousins with 1:21 remaining in the game.

Moore’s play in the defensive back-fi eld was also key to Atlanta’s suc-cess. The former Missouri standout had one of his best games as a Falcon when he collared 13 tackles (nine solo) with two interceptions in Atlanta’s Week 13 win over New Orleans.

The duo of DeCoud and Moore combined for 11 takeaways, including 10 INTs & one fumble recovery, which resulted in 33 points.

SAFETY NETSAFETY NET

DEFENSIVE NEWS AND NOTESDEFENSIVE NEWS AND NOTES

Last season, the Falcons defense produced 31 takeaways, including 20 interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries. At-lanta’s 31 takeaways are tied for the most the club has pro-duced under Head Coach Mike Smith (31 in 2010).

The Falcons faced three Super Bowl winning quar-terbacks at the Georgia Dome in 2012, including Drew Brees, Eli Manning, and Peyton Manning. These three signal callers combined for 10 interceptions, one touchdown pass and a 58.0 completion percentage (65-of-112).

In its Week 15 win over New York, the Falcons held QB Eli Manning to a 52 percent completion percentage on 13 of 25 passing for 161 yards with no touchdowns, two inter-ceptions and a 38.9 passer rating. Atlanta held opponents without a passing touchdown in four of its last six games.

• CB Asante Samuel and S Thomas DeCoud each inter-cepted Manning in Week 15. The Falcons posted six multi-interception games last year. Atlanta posted a 6-0 record in those games and since 2008, the Falcons are 34-2 when they win the turnover battle.

PASSING GRADESPASSING GRADES

FALCONS VS. SB WINNERSPlayer Team TD INTDrew Brees NO 0 5Peyton Manning Den 1 3Eli Manning NYG 0 2

CB Asante Samuel posted interceptions in back-to-back -to-back games for the second time in his career when he intercepted QB Eli Manning in Week 15 QB Matthew Stafford in Week 16, and QB Josh Freeman in Week 17. In 2012, Samuel recorded fi ve interceptions and trailed only S Thomas DeCoud for the team lead.

Last season, the Falcons boasted three players with at least four interceptions for the fi rst time since 1989 and the fi fth time in team history.

TAKE IT AWAYTAKE IT AWAY

2012Players INTThomas DeCoud 6Asante Samuel 5William Moore 41989Players INTDeion Sanders 5Evan Cooper 4Tim Gordon 41988Players INTScott Case 10Robert Moore 5Bret Clark 4

1977Players INTRolland Lawrence 7Ray Brown 5Ray Easterling 4Ralph Ortega 41975Players INTGreg Brezina 4Ray Brown 4Tom Hayes 4

FALCONS WITH FOUR-PLUS INTERCEPTIONS

In 2012, the Falcons faced 11 quar-terbacks who have been named to at least one Pro Bowl during their career. The New Orleans Saints were the only other team in the NFL that faced as many Pro Bowl signal callers in 2012.

Including its two games against Pro Bowlers Drew Brees and Cam Newton, Atlanta posted a 11-2 record against Pro Bowl quarterbacks. Against this stiff competition, the Fal-cons defense allowed just 12 passing touchdowns while in-tercepting 17 passes and registered 25 sacks. Atlanta also held eight of these QBs to a passer rating below 85 and intercepted multiple passes against fi ve of them.

PRO BOWL STOPPERSPRO BOWL STOPPERS

PRO BOWL QBsTeam QBsAtlanta 11New Orleans 11Tampa Bay 10Five teams 9

PRO BOWL QBs vs. FALCONS DEFENSEPlayer Att. Cmp. Yds. TD INT RateDrew Brees 50 28 341 0 5 37.6Eli Manning 25 13 161 0 2 38.9Philip Rivers 38 21 173 0 2 45.2Peyton Manning 37 24 241 1 3 58.5Matt Cassell 33 21 258 1 2 72.5Matthew Stafford 56 37 443 0 1 82.7Robert Griffi n III 15 10 91 0 0 82.9Michael Vick 35 21 191 1 0 84.3Carson Palmer 33 23 353 1 1 102.2Tony Romo 35 25 321 1 0 109.3Cam Newton 35 23 287 2 0 110.1Drew Brees 32 21 298 3 1 113.8Cam Newton 24 15 215 2 0 119.3

Trailing Seattle, 28-27, with 31 seconds remaining in the NFC Divisional Playoffs, QB Matt Ryan drove the offense 41 yards in two plays to help set up a 49-yard game-winning fi eld goal by K Matt Bryant. Bryant played the hero three times in 2012, includ-ing his playoff game winner.

• Bryant’s 49-yard game winning fi eld goal was the 15th game winner of his NFL career and his sixth as a mem-ber of the Falcons.

Since joining the Falcons in 2009, Bryant has connected on 31 of 41 fi eld goal attempts from 40 yards or longer, including all fi ve of his game winners. Bry-ant’s 49 yarder in Atlanta’s play-off opening win marked his 10th straight made fi eld goal on a try of 49-plus yards.

FOR THE WINFOR THE WIN

SPECIAL TEAMS NEWS AND NOTESSPECIAL TEAMS NEWS AND NOTES

Since joining the Falcons in 2009, K Matt Bryant has connected on 95 of his 108 fi eld goal attempts. His 88.0 fi eld goal per-centage is third in the NFL during that span. Last season, Bryant hit 33 of 38 fi eld goal attempts, including all four of his kicks over 50 yards.

K Matt Bryant went 33 for 38 on fi eld goals in 2012, includ-ing a streak of 10 straight to start the season. He connect-ed on all 44 of his extra point attempts last year. He set a franchise with 143 points in 2012, breaking the previous mark of 138 set by Jay Feely in 2002.

In 2011, Bryant set a franchise record by connecting on 30 consecutive fi eld goals. He broke K Norm Johnson’s record of 26 in a row set between 1992 and 1993.

PINPOINT ACCURACYPINPOINT ACCURACY

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGETeam FGM FGA Pct.Dan Bailey 61 68 89.7Neil Rackers 75 85 88.2Matt Bryant 95 108 88.0Alex Henery 51 58 87.9Ryan Longwell 65 74 87.8

RB Jacquizz Rodgers has developed into a solid kick returner for the Falcons, av-eraging 25.7 yards per return in 2012, which is the seventh best single season average in team history.

POP QUIZZPOP QUIZZ

P Matt Bosher excelled in 2012, breaking his own fran-chise record for net punting average. Last year, Bosher punted 60 times for 2,827 yards, good for a 47.1 yard average and a 40.7 yard net average. Additionally, Bosher booted 22 kicks inside the 20-yard line with three touch-backs.

Atlanta’s punt coverage team has con-sistently been one of the top units in the NFL over the last fi ve seasons. In 2012, the Falcons held opponents to 9.3 yards per return.

Bosher posted six games last season with an average above 50 yards, including a season-high 53.2 yard aver-age in Atlanta’s Week 13 win over the New Orleans Saints. In those six games, Bosher dropped eight of his 22 punts inside the 20-yard line and allowed just one touchback. His three touchbacks in 2012 were the lowest total by a Falcons punter since Michael Koenen had three in 2009.

On kickoffs, Bosher booted 45 kicks that were downed for touchbacks topping Michael Koenen’s franchise record of 28 set in 2009.

PINNING THEM DEEPPINNING THEM DEEP

GAME WINNERSDate Opp. Dist.9/26/10 N.O. 46 yds.10/3/10 S.F. 43 yds.11/21/10 G.B. 47 yds.9/30/12 Car. 40 yds.10/14/12 Oak 55 yds.1/13/13 Sea* 49 yds.*Playoff game

Since 2009, Bryant has hit 88.9 percent of his fi eld goal attempts of 50-or-more yards. His fi eld goal percentage on 50+ yard kicks is second among all kickers over the last four seasons.

Trailing the Redskins 17-14 in Week 5, Bryant hit the third longest fi eld goal of his career, connecting on a 53-yarder to tie the game at 17-17. The boot was the longest road fi eld goal of his career, topping the 51 yarder he hit at New Orleans in 2011. He also booted a 55-yard game-winning fi eld goal in Atlanta’s Week 6 win over Oakland. Bry-ant has hit 10 fi eld goals of 50+ yards in his NFL career and his teams are 9-1 when he connects from the distance.

• Bryant’s career best came in 2006 as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he booted a 62-yard game-winning fi eld goal against the Philadelphia Eagles.

LONG BALLLONG BALL

BRYANT’S LONGEST FGsDate Opp. Long10/22/06 Phi 6210/14/12 Oak 5511/29/12 NO 5510/07/12 @Was 5311/18/12 Ari 5112/27/09 Buf 5111/11/10 Bal 5112/26/11 @NO 51

NET PUNTING AVERAGEPlayer Yr. Avg.Matt Bosher 2012 40.7Matt Bosher 2011 38.9Michael Koenen 2007 38.8Chris Mohr 2002 38.7Dan Stryzinski 2000 37.9

KICKOFF RETURN AVG.Player Year Avg.Darrick Vaughn 2000 27.7Sylvester Stamps 1987 27.5Eric Weems 2010 27.5Tim Dwight 1998 27.0Deion Sanders 1992 26.7Dennis Pearson 1978 26.5Jacquizz Rodgers 2012 25.7

TOUCHBACKSPlayer Yr. TBMatt Bosher 2012 45Michael Koenen 2009 28Morten Andersen 1995 27

QB MATT RYANQB MATT RYAN

2MATTRYANQUARTERBACK

PRO BOWL YEARS2012 & 2010

FRANCHISE RECORDS4,719 Most passing yards (season, ‘12)615 Most passes attempted (season, ‘12)422 Most passes completed (season, ‘12)272 Consecutive passes w/o an INT - ‘1290.9 Highest passer rating (career)68.6 Highest completion pct. (season, ‘12)62.7 Highest completion pct. (career)32 Most touchdown passes (season, ‘12)22 Most consecutive completions (‘12)17 Most career 300-yard games7 Most 300-yard games (season, ‘12)

QB Matt Ryan was one of the League’s best passers in 2012. The fi fth-year signal caller earned his second career Pro Bowl selection after completing 422 of 615 pass at-tempts (68.6 percent) for 4,719 yards with 32 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. His 99.1 passer rating and 32 TD passes both ranked fi fth in the League last year. Ryan has led the Falcons to a 32-1 record when he notches a quarter-back rating of 100 or better.

Ryan threw multiple touchdowns in 10 games in 2012, including a season-high four TDs in a Week 16 win at Detroit. He has thrown two-or-more touchdowns in 14 of his last 20 games and has record-ed 39 career multi-touchdown games.

Ryan’s 68.6 comple-tion percentage in 2012 (422 of 615) was the best in the League, and his 62.7 career comple-tion percentage is the best in club history.

Ryan set franchise records for completions, attempts and passing yards in 2012. He aver-aged 294.9 passing yards per game last season, which was the fi fth highest average in the NFL and the best mark in club history.

LEADING MANLEADING MAN

‘12 COMPLETION PERCENTAGEPlayer Att. Cmp. Pct.Matt Ryan 615 422 68.6Peyton Manning 583 400 68.6Aaron Rodgers 552 371 67.2Robert Griffi n III 393 258 65.6Tony Romo 648 425 65.6

RYAN’S RANKINGSStat Ryan RankComp. Pct. 68.6 1stCompletions 422 3-tTDs 32 5thQB Rating 99.1 5thYards 4,719 5th

PASS YARDS PER GAMEPlayer Yards/GDrew Brees 323.6Matthew Stafford 310.4Tony Romo 306.4Tom Brady 301.7Matt Ryan 294.9

QB Matt Ryan set franchise records for attempts, comple-tions and completion percentage in 2012. His 68.6 com-pletion percentage led the League last season and was the 13th best season by any NFL quarterback attempting at least 300 passes.

Of the 12 other quarterbacks who posted a completion percentage of 68.6-or-better, seven won conference championships, while four went on to win the Super Bowl. Additionally, QB Drew Brees is the only other QB to at-tempt 600+ passes and post a completion percentage above 68 percent.

THE MATTURALTHE MATTURAL

COMPLETION PERCENTAGEPlayer Year Att. Cmp. Pct.Drew Brees 2011 657 468 71.2Drew Brees* 2009 514 363 70.6Ken Anderson 1982 309 218 70.6Steve Young* 1994 461 324 70.3Joe Montana* 1989 386 271 70.2Brian Griese 2004 336 233 69.3D. Culpepper 2004 548 379 69.2Troy Aikman* 1993 392 271 69.1C. Pennington 2002 399 275 68.9Tom Brady^ 2007 578 398 68.9P. Manning^ 2009 571 393 68.8Kurt Warner^ 2001 546 375 68.7Matt Ryan 2012 615 422 68.6^ - made Super Bowl* - won Super Bowl

In his fi ve seasons under center, QB Matt Ryan has posted a 56-22 re-cord, which is the best mark by a quarterback in his fi rst fi ve seasons in NFL history.

Ryan’s 56 wins as a starting quarterback are the most in a player’s fi rst fi ve seasons in NFL history. Since 2008, Ry-an’s 56 wins lead the NFL and his .718 winning percentage is the third best in the League.

RARE AIRRARE AIR

NFL QB WINS 1st FIVE YEARSPlayer Years WinsMatt Ryan 2008-12 56Joe Flacco 2008-12 54Ben Roethlisberger 2004-07 51

WINNING PCT. 2008-12Player W-L Pct.Tom Brady 50-15 .769Peyton Manning 49-15 .766Matt Ryan 56-22 .718Ben Roethlisberger 48-23 .676Joe Flacco 54-26 .675

TE Tony Gonzalez caught his 70th pass of the season on the Falcons opening drive of their Week 13 win over the New Or-leans Saints. He has posted 70-or-more receptions in 10 consecutive seasons dating back to 2003. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Gon-zalez tied Tim Brown’s NFL record for consecutive seasons with 70-or-more catches. He has eclipsed 70 catches 13 times in his career and currently holds the longest active streak with a reception in 195 straight games.

GOING GONZOGOING GONZO

70-CATCH SEASONSPlayer YearsTony Gonzalez ‘03-12Tim Brown ‘93-02

TE TONY GONZALEZTE TONY GONZALEZ

Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez made history in 2011 moving into second place on the NFL’s all-time receptions list with a two-yard catch in the second quarter of At-lanta’s Week 7 win over the Detroit Lions. Gonzalez pushed his total to 1,242 career receptions in 2012. He is the fi rst tight end and second player in League history to record 1,200 career receptions.

Gonzalez holds a num-ber of NFL records at the tight end position, including most career receiving yards, most career receptions, most touchdown catches, most 100-yard receiv-ing games and most 1,000-yard seasons. He is the NFL’s second leading receiver overall and his 1,200 career catches are an NFL record for tight ends.

STACKING UPSTACKING UP

NFL ALL-TIME RECEIVERSPlayer Years Rec.Jerry Rice 1985-04 1,549Tony Gonzalez* 1997-12 1,242Marvin Harrison 1996-08 1,102Cris Carter 1987-02 1,101Tim Brown 1988-04 1,094Terrell Owens 1996-10 1,078Isaac Bruce 1994-09 1,024*Denotes active player

88TONYGONZALEZTIGHT END

PRO BOWL YEARS2012, 2011, 2010, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999

Gonzalez has more career receptions (1,242), receiving yards (14,268), touch-down catches (103), 100-yard games (30), Pro Bowl appearances (13) and 1,000-yard seasons (four) than any other tight end in NFL history.

Gonzalez caught two touchdowns at New Orleans in Week 10, becom-ing the fi rst tight end and eighth player in NFL history to catch 100 touchdown passes. He now ranks sixth on the NFL’s all-time touch-down receptions list with 103 ca-reer scores, passing WR Tim Brown and WR Steve Largent with his two touchdown performance at New Orleans.

• Since joining the Falcons in 2009, Gonzalez has record-ed 326 receptions for 3,328 yards with 27 touchdowns. He continues to be one of the NFL’s most productive tight ends.

RISING UPRISING UP

TOUCHDOWNSPlayer TDsJerry Rice 197Randy Moss* 156Terrell Owens 153Cris Carter 130Marvin Harrison 128Tony Gonzalez* 103Tim Brown 100Steve Largent 100*denotes active player

TE Tony Gonzalez continued to shine in his 16th season in the NFL. He caught 93 passes for 930 yards with eight touch-downs and was named to his 13th Pro Bowl squad.

Gonzalez became the fi rst tight end in NFL history to re-cord 90-or-more receptions in fi ve seasons. He joined Hall of Fame WR Jerry Rice as the only players in NFL history to record 15 seasons with 50-or-more receptions after catch-ing four passes in Atlanta’s Week 9 win over Dallas.

ONE OF A KINDONE OF A KIND

NFL HISTORYStat Tony RankReceptions 1,242 1stYards 14,268 1stTouchdowns 103 1st* - among TEs

TE Tony Gonzalez posted the most prolifi c season by a tight end in franchise history in 2012. Gonzalez set fran-chise records with 93 catches and 930 yards last season and his eight touchdowns tied TE Alge Crumpler for the second most in a single-season by a tight end.

Additionally, Gonzalez’s 93 receptions in 2012 were tied for the fi fth most in team history. He has eclipsed the 70-catch mark in each of his four seasons in Atlanta and his 326 receptions during that span are the most by a TE in team history.

BEST OF THE BIRDSBEST OF THE BIRDS

FALCONS RECEIVINGPlayer Yr. Rec.Roddy White 2010 115Terance Mathis 1994 111Eric Metcalf 1995 104Roddy White 2011 100Tony Gonzalez 2012 93Andre Rison 1992 93

Since arriving in Atlanta in 2008, Turner has rushed for 6,081 yards, 60 touchdowns and 81.1 yards per game. Turner is one of only two running backs in the NFL to amass 6,000 rushing yards and 50+ touchdowns since 2008. His yardage total ranks third while his yards per game average sits fi fth during that time span.

FACTOR BACKFACTOR BACK

RB Michael Turner has provided the Falcons with a reliable scor-ing option in his fi ve seasons with the team. In 75 career games in an Atlanta uniform, Turner has tallied 60 rushing touchdowns, which ranks sec-ond in the NFL over that time period. In 2008, he set a franchise record with 17 rushing TDs and in 2010, Turner found the endzone 12 times. Only Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson has scored more rushing touchdowns in the last fi ve seasons than Turner.

With two touchdowns in At-lanta’s Week 17 win vs. Tampa Bay in 2011, Turner broke RB Gerald Riggs’ franchise record for career rushing touchdowns. Riggs tallied 48 touchdowns be-tween 1982 and 1988. Turner’s 61 total touchdowns are the most overall touchdowns in team history. With 10 rushing touchdowns in 2012, Turner became the fi rst running back in team history to score 10-or-more touchdowns in fi ve straight seasons.

GROUND GAME GROUND GAME

CAREER RUSHING TDsPlayer TDsMichael Turner 60Gerald Riggs 48Jamal Anderson 34*Falcons History

RUNNING BACKS SINCE 2008Player YardsAdrian Peterson 7,508Chris Johnson 6,888Michael Turner 6,081Player Yards/GAdrian Peterson 100.1Arian Foster 88.6Chris Johnson 87.2Maurice Jones-Drew 81.8Michael Turner 81.1

RB MICHAEL TURNERRB MICHAEL TURNER

RUSHING TDs 2008-12Player TDsAdrian Peterson 64Michael Turner 60Arian Foster 44Chris Johnson 44Maurice Jones-Drew 41

Since 2008, RB Michael Turner has carried the ball 1,411 times for 6,081 yards. After fi ve sea-sons, Turner ranks second on the team’s all-time rushing list. He is the shortest tenured player in the teams top fi ve.

• Turner passed Warrick Dunn and William Andrews to become the teams’ second leading rusher in Atlanta’s Week 15 win over the New York Giants in 2012.

RUNNING FOR RECORDSRUNNING FOR RECORDS

RUSHING YARDSPlayer YardsGerald Riggs 6,631Michael Turner 6,081William Andrews 5,986Warrick Dunn 5,981Jamal Anderson 5,336

33MICHAELTURNERRUNNING BACK

PRO BOWL YEARS2010 & 2008

Since arriving in Atlanta in 2008, Turner has rushed for 6,081 yards, 60 touchdowns and 81.1 yards per game. Turner is one of only two running backs in the NFL to amass 6,000 rushing yards and 50+ touchdowns since 2008. He is the only running back to tally 10 rushing touchdowns in fi ve straight seasons.

PUNCH IT INPUNCH IT IN

10 TD SEASONSPlayer YearsMichael Turner 5Gerald Riggs 2

FRANCHISE RECORDS220 Most rushing yards in a game61 Most total touchdowns60 Most career rushing touchdowns27 Most career 100-yard games24 Most points scored in a game17 Most touchdowns in a season4 Most rushing touchdowns in a game

SCORING 2008-12Player PtsAdrian Peterson 404Michael Turner 366Calvin Johnson 304Arian Foster 300Maurice Jones-Drew 300

Turner continued his impressive scoring run in 2012 as his 11 total touchdowns led the team and ranked eighth in the NFL among running backs. His 10 rushing scores ranked eighth in the NFL and fi fth in the NFC.

He totaled 66 points, which was the eighth-highest point total among running backs and tied for the 11th best among non-kickers. Since 2008, Turner ranks second among non-kickers with 366 points. He is one of fi ve non-kickers to total 300-plus points during that time.

TAKE IT TO THE HOUSETAKE IT TO THE HOUSE

In 2012, WR Roddy White ran his career receiving yardage total to 8,725 yards, surpass-ing WR Terance Mathis for the franchise record. Mathis totaled 7,349 yards in eight seasons from 1994-01. In eight seasons with the Falcons, White has recorded 52 touchdowns, which is the third most in team history.

• White improved his franchise record for 100-yard re-ceiving games to 35 with his eight catch, 153-yard effort at Detroit in Week 16. He also tied his club record with his seventh 100-yard game of the season.

HOT RODHOT ROD

FALCONS ALL-TIME RECEIVINGYears Player Yards2005-12 Roddy White 8,7251994-01 Terance Mathis 7,3491975-83 Alfred Jenkins 6,2671990-94 Andre Rison 5,633

FRANCHISE RECORDS8,725 Most career receiving yards1,389 Most receiving yards in a season622 Most career receptions210 Most receiving yards in a game115 Most receptions in a single season35 Most 100-yard receiving games (career)7 Most 100-yard games (season)6 Most consecutive 1,000 yard seasons

FALCONS REC. TDsPlayer TDsTerance Mathis 57Andre Rison 56Roddy White 52

WR RODDY WHITEWR RODDY WHITE

84RODDYWHITEWIDE RECEIVER

PRO BOWL YEARS2011, 2010, 2009, 2008

WR Roddy White became the sixth receiver in NFL history to record sixth consecutive seasons with at least 80 catches and 1,000 receiv-ing yards in Atlanta’s Week 16 win at Detroit. He joined Tim Brown (1993-99), Marvin Harrison (1999-06), Torry Holt (2000-07), Jerry Rice (1989-96) and Reggie Wayne (2005-10) as the only players to accomplish this feat six times.

ELITE COMPANYELITE COMPANY

80+ CATCHES & 1,000+ YARDSPlayer Years Tot.Marvin Harrison 1999-06 8Torry Holt 2000-07 8Jerry Rice 1989-96 8Tim Brown 1993-99 7Reggie Wayne 2005-10 6Roddy White* 2007-12 6Cris Carter 1993-97 5Larry Fitzgerald* 2007-11 5Chad Johnson 2003-07 5* - active streak

WHITE 2007-12Year Rec. Yards2007 83 1,2022008 88 1,3822009 85 1,1532010 115 1,3892011 100 1,2962012 92 1,351

WR Roddy White is in the midst of one of the most impres-sive runs by any receiver in NFL history. He fi nished the regular season with 92 catches and 1,351 yards, becoming just the fi fth player in NFL history to record three consecu-tive seasons with 90+ receptions and 1,200+ yards. White joined WR Marvin Harrison (1999-02), WR Torry Holt (2002-05), WR Jerry Rice (1993-96), and Chad Johnson (2003-05) as the only players to accomplish that feat.

In 2010, White led the NFL with a career-high 115 recep-tions and ranked second with 1,389 yards. His 100 catches were the second most in the NFL and tops in the NFC in 2011, while his 1,296 yards ranked eighth. Last season, White’s 92 receptions ranked tied for 10th while his 1,351 yards ranked ninth in the League.

RARE AIRRARE AIR

90+ CATCHES & 1,200+ YARDSPlayer Years Tot.Marvin Harrison 1999-02 5Torry Holt 2002-05 4Jerry Rice 1993-96 4Roddy White* 2010-12 3Chad Johnson 2003-05 3* - active streak

After leading the League and setting a franchise record with 115 receptions in 2010, WR Rod-dy White continued to show he is QB Matt Ryan’s favorite target. White hauled in an NFC-high 100 passes and ranked second in the NFL behind New England’s Wes Welker in 2011 and posted 92 receptions in 2012. White was the only player to post 90-or-more catches in both each of the last three seasons and since 2010 his 307 receptions are the second most in the NFL.

Since 2008, White’s 480 receptions are the third most in the NFL. Additionally, his 43 touchdowns during that span are tied for the second-most in the League.

IN GOOD HANDSIN GOOD HANDS

RECEPTIONS SINCE 2010Player Rec.Wes Welker 326Roddy White 307Calvin Johnson 295Reggie Wayne 292Brandon Marshall 285

11JULIOJONESWIDE RECEIVER

PRO BOWL YEARS2012

WR JULIO JONESWR JULIO JONES

WR Julio Jones caught 79 passes for 1,198 yards and a team-high 10 touchdowns last season. He joined WR Roddy White to make the Fal-cons one of just four teams in the NFL with two 1,000-yard receivers in 2012.

Jones and White are the fi rst Falcons teammates to post 1,000 receiving yards in the same season since WR Tony Martin (1,181) and Terance Mathis (1,136) each ac-complished that feat in 1998 when the Falcons were NFC Champions and represented the conference in the Super Bowl. It also marks the fourth time in team history two players have eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in the same season.

DYNAMIC DUODYNAMIC DUO

FALCONS 1,000-YARD RECEIVERSPlayers YearJ. Jones/R. White 2012T. Mathis/T. Martin 1998B. Emmanuel/T. Mathis/E. Metcalf 1995T. Mathis/A. Rison 1994

WR Julio Jones and WR Roddy White each tal-lied over 100 receiving yards in Atlanta’s Week 9 win over the Dallas Cowboys, marking the third time that the duo has recorded 100 yards each in a single game. Jones and White accomplished the feat twice in 2011. Overall, the Falcons have had two receivers go over 100 yards in the same game 14 times in franchise history.

Last season, Jones and White combined for 2,549 yards on 171 re-ceptions with 17 touch-downs, making up one of the NFL’s best re-ceiving tandems.

GAME BREAKERSGAME BREAKERS

JONES & WHITEDate Opp. Jones White11/4/12 Dal 5/129 7/1189/25/11 TB 6/115 9/14012/26/11 NO 8/128 11/127

RECEIVING TANDEMSPlayers Team Yds.J. Jones/R. White Atl 2,549E. Decker/D. Thomas Den 2,498V. Jackson/M. Williams TB 2,380M. Austin/D. Bryant Dal 2,325B. Lloyd/W. Welker NE 2,265

WR Julio Jones earned his fi rst career Pro Bowl selec-tion in 2012, setting career highs with 79 receptions, 1,198 yards and a team-high 10 receiving touchdowns. Jones’ 1,198 receiving yards was the 11th highest total in the NFL last season and his 79 receptions ranked tied for 18th. Jones has caught 18 ca-reer touchdown passes, the most by any Falcons receiver in his fi rst two seasons.

Jones (1,198) and WR Roddy White (1,351) were the fi rst duo in the NFL to post 1,000 receiving yards each last year. The Falcons were one of just four teams that boasted a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in 2012.

WHOOOOWHOOOO

RECEPTIONS SINCE 2010Player YardsCalvin Johnson 1,964Andre Johnson 1,598Brandon Marshall 1,508Demaryius Thomas 1,434Vincent Jackson 1,384Dez Bryant 1,382Reggie Wayne 1,355Wes Welker 1,354Roddy White 1,351A.J. Green 1,350Julio Jones 1,198

2012 1,000-YARD TEAMMATESPlayers TeamJ. Jones/R. White AtlantaD. Bryant/J. Witten DallasE. Decker/D. Thomas DenverM. Colston/L. Moore New Orleans

WR Julio Jones posted 14 receptions of 25-or-more yards, including three touchdown passes over 40 yards in 2012. Jones’ 14 big play receptions were the second most in franchise history in a single-season behind WR Michael Haynes who hauled in 16 25+ yard receptions in 1991.

Jones has established himself as one of the most explosive receiv-ers in the NFL over the last two seasons as his 27 receptions over 25 yards rank tied for third and his 16.2 yard per reception average ranks 11th during that span.

Jones has also established himself as one of the elite scor-ing threats in the NFL. His 18 touchdown receptions since 2011 rank tied for ninth and are the most by any Falcon in his fi rst two seasons.

EXPLOSIVE MATERIALEXPLOSIVE MATERIAL

25+ YARD REC. 2011-12Player 25+Calvin Johnson 38Vincent Jackson 30Julio Jones 27Victor Cruz 27Brandon Marshall 27Steve Smith 27

Since sacks became an offi cial statistic in 1982, 29 play-ers have recorded 100-or-more career sacks. With a pair of sacks during Atlanta’s Week 14 win at Carolina in 2010, Abraham became the 25th player in NFL history to record 100-or-more sacks in a career and his 122.0 sacks rank 13th in League annals.

CENTURY CLUBCENTURY CLUB

ALL-TIME SACK LEADERSPlayer SacksBruce Smith 200.0Reggie White 198.0Kevin Greene 160.0Chris Doleman 150.5Michael Strahan 141.5Jason Taylor 139.5Richard Dent 137.5John Randle 137.5Leslie O’Neal 132.5Lawrence Taylor 132.5Rickey Jackson 128.0Derrick Thomas 126.5John Abraham* 122.0Simeon Rice 122.0Clyde Simmons 121.5

Player SacksJared Allen* 117.0Sean Jones 113.0Julius Peppers* 111.5DeMarcus Ware* 111.0Greg Townsend 109.5Pat Swilling 107.5Trace Armstrong 106.0Dwight Freeney* 107.5Kevin Carter 104.5Neil Smith 104.5Jim Jeffcoat 102.5William Fuller 100.5Charles Haley 100.5Andre Tippett 100.0*Active Players

Since joining the Falcons in 2006, DE John Abraham has totaled 68.5 sacks, which ranks fourth in the NFL during that time. In 2012, Abraham notched 10 sacks, in-cluding two in a Week 11 win over Arizona, which ranked tied for 19th in the NFL. Last season marked the seventh time in his career that Abraham has posted 10-or-more sacks. In 2011, he posted a team-leading 9.5 sacks. Since 2008, his 54.5 sacks are the fourth most in the NFL.

QUARTERBACK HUNTERQUARTERBACK HUNTER

ACTIVE SACK LEADERSPlayer SacksJohn Abraham 122.0Jared Allen 117.0Julius Peppers 111.5DeMarcus Ware 111.0Dwight Freeney 107.5

FRANCHISE RECORDSIn 2008, Abraham set a Falcons franchise record with 16.5 sacks topping Joel Williams previous record of 16, set in 1980.

DE JOHN ABRAHAMDE JOHN ABRAHAM

JOHNABRAHAMDEFENSIVE END

PRO BOWL YEARS2010, 2004, 2002, 2001

55DE John Abraham set a franchise re-cord in 2012 with six forced fumbles. Abraham has recorded four-or-more forced fumbles in fi ve seasons since joining the Falcons in 2006. His six forced fumble ranked tied for third in the NFL in 2012.

Abraham helped the Falcons defense post 31 takeaways, which ranked tied for fi fth in the NFL in 2012. Since 2008, Abraham has forced 17 fum-bles which is tied for the fi fth most in the NFL during that span. Abraham accounted for more than half of the Falcons takeaways coming off of fumbles in 2012 as the Birds recov-ered 11 opponent fumbles.

FORCING THE ISSUEFORCING THE ISSUE

FORCED FUMBLESPlayer FFCharles Tillman 10Charles Johnson 7John Abraham 6Elvis Dumervil 6Von Miller 6

FFs SINCE 2008Player FFCharles Tillman 27James Harrison 22DeMarcus Ware 20Osi Umenyiora 18John Abraham 17Julius Peppers 17

In 13 seasons in the NFL, it’s no surprise to opposing of-fenses that DE John Abraham makes a difference on every snap. His 122.0 career sacks currently lead all active play-ers and in 2008, he posted a career-best and franchise re-cord 16.5 quarterback takedowns. To take it a step further, Abraham’s 28 multiple-sack games over his career have made an even bigger difference as he has contributed to a 22-6 overall record and a 14-2 record for the Falcons.

• Abraham recorded his 28th career multi-sack game and his 16th multi-sack game as a Falcon in Week 11.

SACK ATTACKSACK ATTACK

ABRAHAM’S MULTI-SACK GAMESYear Multi-Sack Record2012 Two Falcons 2-02011 Two Falcons 1-12010 Four Falcons 4-02009 One Falcons 1-02008 Four Falcons 4-02007 Two Falcons 1-12006 One Falcons 1-02005 Two NY Jets 1-12004 Two NY Jets 2-02003 Two NY Jets 0-22002 Three NY Jets 2-12001 Two NY Jets 2-02000 One NY Jets 1-0Total 28 Games 22-6

WEATHERSPOON AT A GLANCE

NFL CAREERIn three seasons with the Falcons, has tallied 293 tackles (208 solo) with seven sacks, 13 passes defensed, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.

COLLEGERecorded 413 career tackles (240 solo), 12.5 sacks, 43.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions (two returned for touch-downs), fi ve forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and 17 passes defensed.

EXTRA POINTSHosted a youth football camp at Flowery Branch High School in 2012 for the local youth to participate. Weath-erspoon was joined by several NFL players, including teammates Shann Schillinger, William Moore and Thomas DeCoud.

LB Sean Weatherspoon had a breakout year in his second season with the Falcons. Weatherspoon racked up 127 tackles (86 solo) in 2011, including double-digit tack-les in six games. He recorded his fi fth career sack against the Panthers (12/11), dragging down QB Cam Newton for six-yard loss.

• The Falcons fi rst pick (19th overall) in the 2010 NFL Draft, Weatherspoon played in 11 games in his rookie season, missing fi ve games due to injury, and totaled 50 total tackles (38 solo) and one sack.

SPOONMANSPOONMAN

LB SEAN WEATHERSPOONLB SEAN WEATHERSPOON

LB Sean Weatherspoon has been one of the Falcons’ most active defenders during his fi rst three seasons in Atlanta. According to coaches’ breakdown, Weatherspoon led the Falcons with 14 tackles for loss in 2011. As a team, the Fal-cons totaled 75 stops in the backfi eld in 2011, which helped the Birds post the League’s sixth ranked rushing defense (97.0 yards per game).

• In a Week 10 game against New Orleans last season, Weatherspoon helped hold explosive RB Darren Sp-roles to just three yards on six touches, including one yard on two carries and two yards on four receptions.

• In a Week 12 matchup with Minnesota in 2011, Weath-erspoon stopped RB Toby Gerhart on fourth-and-goal from the two-yard line to seal a 24-14 victory for At-lanta.

With 144 total tackles last year, Weatherspoon ranked second behind Stephen Nicholas (116) despite missing three games. He also ranked tied for fourth on the team with three sacks.

DISRUPTORDISRUPTOR

SEANWEATHERSPOON

LINEBACKER 56LB Sean Weatherspoon opened the 2012 season with a strong performance at Kansas City. The third-year line-backer dropped QB Matt Cassel for an eight-yard loss, posted seven tackles, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, and one pass defensed against the Chiefs.

• Weatherspoon recorded sacks in back-to-back games, dropping Panthers QB Cam Newton in Atlanta’s Week 4 win and stopping Redskins QB Robert Griffi n III for a two-yard loss in a Week 5 win at Washington.

According to coaches’ breakdown, Weath-erspoon totaled 114 total tackles (84 solo) last season despite missing three games. He also added six tackles for loss, four passes defensed, three sacks, one inter-ception, one forced fumble, and one fum-ble recovery.

FAST STARTFAST START

LB Sean Weatherspoon intercepted his fi rst career pass in Atlanta’s Week 13 win over the New Orleans Saints. Weatherspoon picked off QB Drew Brees and setup a Fal-cons fi eld goal.

Atanta has recorded 20 interceptions last season, which ranked tied for fi fth in the NFL. Overall, the Falcons 31 take-aways are tied for the fi fth most in the League.

SPOONFULSPOONFUL

ASANTESAMUELCORNERBACK

PRO BOWL YEARS2010, 2009, 2008, 2007

22

CB ASANTE SAMUELCB ASANTE SAMUEL

Atlanta traded its 2012 seventh round draft selection (229th overall) to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for CB Asante Samuel. The four-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl Champion made an instant impact upon his arrival in Atlanta, posting fi ve interceptions and 19 passes defensed in his fi rst season with the Falcons. Samuel also added 39 tackles (36 solo).

According to Stats LLC., Samuel al-lowed just 39 completions on 74 defensive targets, with quartbacks completing only 52.7 percent of the passes they threw his way. Samuel’s 19 passes defensed in 2012 ranked fi fth in the NFL and were the third highest total in his career.

Samuel returned an interception 79 yards for a touchdown in Atlanta’s Week 6 win over Oakland marking his fi rst pick six as a Falcon. Samuel’s fi ve interceptions in 2012 ranked tied for seventh in the NFL and second on the team. Only the Falcons and Washington Redskins had three players with four-or-more interceptions last season.

DEUCE-DEUCEDEUCE-DEUCE

CB Asante Samuel notched his 50th career regular-season interception when he picked off QB Josh Free-man in the third quarter of Atlanta’s regular season fi nale against Tampa Bay. According to Stats LLC., Samuel is the second fastest cornerback in NFL history to reach 50 career regu-lar season interceptions, accomplishing the feat in just 146 games. Only Lem Bailey notched 50 interceptions in fewer games.

Samuel is one of 10 cornerbacks to intercept 50 passes in his career and just the 39th player in NFL his-tory to accomplish the feat. His 50 interceptions are the second most among active cornerbacks and fourth among all active players.

FEELING 22FEELING 22

CB Asante Samuel has played some of his best football in the playoffs. Sameul holds the NFL postseason record with four career interception returns for touchdowns.

His seven postseason interceptions are the second most among active players, tied for second among all cornerbacks, and tied for the sixth among all players NFL history. Ad-ditionally, his 27 passes defensed in the postseason are the most in NFL history. Since 2003, Samuel leads all NFL defensive backs with 20 postseason games played.

UNDER THE BRIGHT LIGHTSUNDER THE BRIGHT LIGHTS

PASSES DEFENSEDPlayer PDRichard Sherman 24Keenan Lewis 23Casey Hayward 21Tim Jennings 21Asante Samuel 19

FASTEST TO 50 INTsPlayer GamesLem Bailey 114Asante Samuel 146Everson Walls 149Deion Sanders 168Ty Law 169

INTs, ACTIVE PLAYERSPlayer INTEd Reed 61Charles Woodson 55Champ Bailey 52Asante Samuel 50Ronde Barber 47

POSTSEASON INT-TDPlayer TDsAsante Samuel 4Willie Brown 3Seven players with 2

POSTSEASON INTsPlayer INTEd Reed 8Asante Samuel 7Antoine Bethea 4

POSTSEASON PDsPlayer PDAsante Samuel 27Ed Reed 19Troy Vincent 19

SAMUEL’S CAREER TOUCHDOWNS (10)Description Opponent79-yd INT ret 10/14/12 vs. Oak (Palmer) (W) 20-yd INT ret 11/13/11 vs. Arz (Skelton) (L)44-yd INT ret* 1/4/09 at Min (Jackson) (W)50-yd INT ret 12/15/08 vs Cle (Dorsey) (W)39-yd INT ret* 1/21/07 at Ind (Manning) (L)36-yd INT ret* 1/7/07 vs NYJ (Pennington) (W)40-yd INT ret 11/25/07 vs Phi (Feeley) (W)73-yd INT ret* 1/7/06 vs Jax (Leftwich) (W)34-yd INT ret 12/12/04 vs Cin (Palmer) (W)55-yd INT ret 9/21/03 vs NYJ (Testaverde) (W)* - postseason game

POSTSEASON INT LEADERS

Charlie Waters, DAL 9Bill Simpson, LA Rams, BUF 9Ronnie Lott, SF, LA Raiders 9Lester Hayes, OAK 8Asante Samuel, NE, PHI, ATL 7Ed Reed, BAL 7Willie Brown, OAK 7Dennis Thurman, DAL 7Rodney Harrison, SD, NE 7

APPROACHING MILESTONESAPPROACHING MILESTONES

RB Michael Turner and WR Rod-dy White both rank in the top fi ve in franchise history in terms of touchdowns scored. Turner broke WR Terance Mathis’ fran-chise record with his 58th touch-down as a Falcon in Week 13.

K Matt Bryant has already be-gun to climb the ranks of the team’s all-time scorers. In 52 games, Bryant has cracked the top fi ve in terms of made fi eld goals. Additionally, Bryant’s 141 PATs are the fi fth most in club history.

The Falcons recent run of suc-cess has seen three players crack the clubs all-time scoring list. Bryant is the highest ranking ac-tive Falcon as his 428 points are the fourth most in team history. Turner (366) and WR Roddy White (316) rank sixth and ninth, respectively. White became the ninth Falcon to score 300 career points with his four yard touch-down at Carolina in Week 14.

ALL-TIME SCORING LEADERSALL-TIME SCORING LEADERS

CAREER TOUCHDOWNSPlayer TDsMichael Turner 61Terance Mathis 57Andre Rison 56Roddy White 52Gerald Riggs 48

MADE FIELD GOALSPlayer FGMMorten Andersen 184Mick Luckhurst 115Jay Feely 98Matt Bryant 94Norm Johnson 84

RB Michael Turner continued to climb the ranks of the Falcons all-time rushing records. Turner already owns franchise records for most rushing yards in a game (220), most career rushing touchdowns (60), most touchdowns in a season (17), and most rushing touchdowns in a game (four).

Over the last fi ve seasons, Turn-er has established himself as At-lanta’s second leading rusher. He passed RB Warrick Dunn and RB William Andrews in the Falcons Week 15 win over the New York Giants.

Turner has posted three 1,000-yard seasons since joining the Falcons in 2008. He accom-plished the feat in 2008, 2010 and 2011.

The Burner has averaged 81.1 yards per game during his fi ve seasons in Atlanta. He rushed for 100-or-more yards 27 times as a Falcon, breaking RB Gerald Riggs franchise record with his 103 yard performance in Week 4. Riggs record of 25 100-yard games was set over seven seasons between 1982 and 1988.

RUSHING RECORDSRUSHING RECORDS

RUSHING YARDSPlayer YardsGerald Riggs 6,631Michael Turner 6,081William Andrews 5,986Warrick Dunn 5,981Jamal Anderson 5,336

1,000-YD SEASONSPlayer YearsJamal Anderson 4William Andrews 4Michael Turner 3Warrick Dunn 3Gerald Riggs 3

100-YARD GAMESPlayer GamesMichael Turner 27Gerald Riggs 25William Andrews 22

ALL-TIME SCORINGPlayer PointsMorten Andersen 806Mick Luckhurst 558Jay Feely 436Matt Bryant 428Norm Johnson 395Michael Turner 366Terance Mathis 354Andre Rison 338Roddy White 316Gerald Riggs 288

In his fi fth season under center, QB Matt Ryan already owns a number of franchise records. In Week 15, he broke his own club marks for most passing yards in a single sea-son and most completions in a single season. In Week 13, he broke his single-season club record with his seventh 300-yard game. After throwing for 342 yards in Week 9, Ryan broke Steve Bartkowski’s record of 12 career 300-yard games, set between 1975 to 1985.

In 2012, Ryan broke his own sin-gle season record for attempts, completions and touchdown passes. Ryan surpassed QB Steve Bartkowski for the most passing touchdowns in a single season in team history with 32 TD passes. Ryan is the only quarterback in team history to pass for 25-plus touch-downs in three straight seasons.

AIR IT OUTAIR IT OUT

WR Roddy White has estab-lished himself as one of the best wide outs in Falcons history, set-ting a franchise record for career receiving yards with 8,725 yards. White broke Terance Mathis’ franchise record of 573 recep-tions in Atlanta’s Week 9 win over Dallas. He also ranks third in career receiving touchdowns with 52.

HAUL IT INHAUL IT IN

CAREER RECEPTIONSPlayer Rec.Roddy White 622Terance Mathis 573Andre Rison 423

CAREER TD CATCHESPlayer TDsTerance Mathis 57Andre Rison 56Roddy White 52

TE Tony Gonzalez joined WR Jerry Rice (17) as the only players in NFL history to record 15 50-reception seasons with four catches in Atanta’s Week 9 win over Dal-las. Gonzalez is the only player in League history to post 15 straight seasons with 50-or-more catches.

ALL-TIME GREATSALL-TIME GREATS

PASSING TOUCHDOWNSPlayer Year TDsMatt Ryan 2012 32S. Bartkowski 1980 31S. Bartkowski 1981 30Matt Ryan 2011 29Matt Ryan 2010 28

2012 Atlanta Falcons Alphabetical Roster

# PLAYER POS H W Birthdate EXP COLLEGE ACQUIRED HOMETOWN55 Abraham, John DE 6-4 263 5/6/78 13 South Carolina Tr '06 (NYJ) Timmonsville, SC95 Babineaux, Jonathan DT 6-2 300 10/12/81 8 Iowa D2 '05 Port Arthur, TX72 Baker, Sam OT 6-5 301 5/30/85 5 USC D1b '08 Tustin, CA71 Biermann, Kroy DE 6-3 255 9/12/85 5 Montana D5b '08 Hardin, MT63 Blalock, Justin OG 6-4 326 12/20/83 6 Texas D2a '07 Dallas, TX5 Bosher, Matt K/P 6-0 208 10/18/87 2 Miami (Fla.) D6 '10 Jupiter, FL3 Bryant, Matt K 5-9 203 5/29/75 11 Baylor FA '09 Orange, TX

77 Clabo, Tyson OT 6-6 329 10/17/81 8 Wake Forest FA '11 Knoxville, TN86 Coffman, Chase TE 6-6 250 11/10/86 3 Missouri FA '12 Peculiar, MO42 Cox, Mike FB 6-0 252 7/11/85 5 Georgia Tech FA '12 Lewisberry, PA4 Davis, Dominique QB 6-3 210 7/17/89 R East Carolina FA '12 Lakeland, FL

19 Davis, Drew WR 6-1 205 1/4/89 1 Oregon FA '12 Denver, CO28 DeCoud, Thomas S 6-2 192 3/19/85 5 California D3c '08 Vallejo, CA52 Dent, Akeem LB 6-1 239 9/27/87 2 Georgia D3 '11 Atlanta, GA83 Douglas, Harry WR 6-0 183 9/16/84 4 Louisville D3b '08 Jonesboro, GA29 Franks, Dominique CB 6-0 197 10/8/87 3 Oklahoma D5a '10 Tulsa, OK88 Gonzalez, Tony TE 6-5 247 2/27/76 16 California Tr '09 (KC) Torrance, CA69 Gunn, Harland G 6-2 310 8/30/89 R Miami (Fla.) FA '12 Omaha, NE47 Harris, Josh LS 6-1 224 4/27/89 R Auburn FA '12 Carrollton, GA61 Hawley, Joe C 6-3 302 10/22/88 3 UNLV D4 '10 Yorba Linda, CA76 Holmes, Lamar T 6-6 333 7/8/89 R Southern Mississippi D3 '12 Gastonia, NC24 Hope, Chris S 6-0 208 9/29/81 11 Florida State FA '12 Rock Hill, SC51 James, Robert LB 5-11 224 12/26/83 3 Arizona State FA '10 Glendale, AZ94 Jerry, Peria DT 6-2 295 8/23/84 3 Mississippi D1 '09 Batesville, MS79 Johnson, Mike OL 6-6 304 4/2/87 2 Alabama D3b '10 Pensacola, FL11 Jones, Julio WR 6-3 220 2/3/89 2 Alabama D1 '11 Foley, AL66 Konz, Peter G 6-5 317 12/20/89 R Wisconsin D2 '12 Neehan, WI68 Manley, Phillipkeith G 6-5 309 5/7/90 R Toledo FA '12 Hamilton, OH96 Massaquoi, Jonathan DE 6-2 264 5/18/88 R Troy D5b '12 Lawrenceville, GA98 Matthews, Cliff DE 6-4 268 8/5/89 2 South Carolina D7b '11 Cheraw, SC27 McClain, Robert CB 5-9 195 7/22/88 3 Connecticut FA '12 Philadelphia, PA62 McClure, Todd C 6-1 296 2/16/77 14 LSU D7a '99 Baton Rouge, LA12 McCown, Luke QB 6-3 212 7/12/81 9 Louisiana Tech FA '12 Jacksonville, TX26 Mitchell, Charles S 5-11 205 9/13/89 R Mississippi State D6 '12 Clarksdale, MS25 Moore, William S 6-0 221 5/18/85 3 Missouri D2 '09 Hayti, MO54 Nicholas, Stephen LB 6-3 236 5/1/83 6 South Florida D4a '07 Jacksonville, FL21 Owens, Christopher CB 5-9 180 12/1/86 4 San Jose State D3 '09 Los Angeles, CA81 Palmer, Michael TE 6-5 252 1/18/88 3 Clemson FA '10 Stone Mountain, GA91 Peters, Corey DT 6-3 305 6/8/88 3 Kentucky D3a '10 Louisville, KY53 Peterson, Mike LB 6-1 226 6/17/76 14 Florida FA '12 Gainesville, FL92 Robertson, Travian DT 6-4 304 12/9/88 R South Carolina D7 '12 Laurinburg, NC23 Robinson, Dunta CB 5-10 183 4/11/82 9 South Carolina FA '10 Athens, GA32 Rodgers, Jacquizz RB 5-6 196 2/6/90 2 Oregon State D5 '11 Richmond, TX2 Ryan, Matt QB 6-4 217 5/17/85 5 Boston College D1a '08 Exton, PA

22 Samuel, Asante CB 5-10 185 1/6/81 10 Central Florida TR '12 (PHI) Lauderdale Lakes, FL90 Sidbury, Lawrence DE 6-3 261 2/6/86 4 Richmond D4 '09 Cheltenham, MD35 Smith, Antone RB 5-9 192 9/17/85 3 Florida State FA '09 Pahokee, FL44 Snelling, Jason RB 5-11 234 12/29/83 6 Virginia D7 '07 Chester, VA17 Toone, Tim WR 5-10 175 2/14/85 1 Weber State FA '12 Peoria, AZ33 Turner, Michael RB 5-10 247 2/13/82 9 Northern Illinois FA '08 (SD) Waukegan, IL99 Walker, Vance DT 6-2 304 4/26/87 4 Georgia Tech D7 '09 Fort Mill, SC56 Weatherspoon, Sean LB 6-2 244 12/29/87 3 Missouri D1 '10 Jasper, TX84 White, Roddy WR 6-0 211 11/2/81 8 Alabama-Birmingham D1 '05 James Island, SC

16 Jackson, Marcus WR 6-1 195 5/20/89 R Lamar FA '12 Tyler, TX65 McClendon, Jacques G/C 6-3 324 12/10/87 2 Tennessee FA '12 Cleveland, TN67 Regis, Micanor DT 6-3 305 11/3/89 R Miami (FL) FA '12 Pahokee, FL18 Rodgers, James WR 5-7 188 12/20/88 R Oregon State FA '12 Richmond, TX50 Schiller, Pat LB 6-2 235 11/12/88 R Northern Illinois FA '12 Geneva, IL85 Szczerba, Andrew TE 6-6 256 7/16/88 R Penn State FA '12 Wilmington, DE37 Thompson, Peyton CB 5-11 180 9/26/90 R San Jose State FA '12 Granite Bay, CA40 Vaughan, Josh RB 6-0 225 12/3/86 2 Richmond FA '12 Richmond, VA

15 Cone, Kevin WR 6-2 216 3/20/88 2 Georgia Tech FA '11 Stone Mountain, GA34 Ewing, Bradie FB 5-11 243 12/26/89 R Wisconsin D5 '12 Richland Center, WI87 Gallarda, Tommy TE 6-5 262 5/8/88 1 Boise State FA '11 Brea, CA20 Grimes, Brent CB 5-10 183 7/19/83 5 Shippensburg FA '07 Philadelphia, PA80 Meier, Kerry WR 6-3 220 11/12/86 2 Kansas D5b '10 Pittsburg, KS

Nissley, Adam TE 6-6 267 5/6/88 R Central Flordia FA '12 Cumming, GA75 Reynolds, Garrett OG 6-7 310 7/1/87 4 North Carolina D5b '09 Knoxville, TN39 Schillinger, Shann S 6-0 200 5/22/86 3 Montana D6 '10 Baker, MT74 Svitek, Will OT 6-6 308 1/8/82 7 Stanford FA '09 Prague, Czech Republic

Paul Dunn (Offensive Line), Jeff Fish (Director of Athletic Performance), Ray Hamilton (Defensive Line), Pat Hill (Offensive Line),Tim Lewis (Secondary), AJ Neibel (Assistant Strength and Conditioning), Glenn Pires (Linebackers), Terry Robiskie (Wide Receivers),Chris Scelfo (Tight Ends), Eric Sutulovich (Assistant Special Teams), Glenn Thomas (Quarterbacks), Andrew Weidinger (Offensive Assistant),

PRACTICE SQUAD

COACHING STAFFMike Smith (Head Coach), Dirk Koetter (Offensive Coordinator), Mike Nolan (Defensive Coordinator), Keith Armstrong (Special Teams Coordinator),Jonas Beauchemin (Assistant Strength and Conditioning), Gerald Brown (Running Backs), Mark Collins (Defensive Assistant), Joe Danna (Defensive Backs),

Devin Bonik (Assistant to the Head Coach/Offense).

INJURED RESERVE

updated 1/8/2013

2012 Atlanta Falcons Numerical Roster

# PLAYER POS H W AGE EXP COLLEGE ACQUIRED HOMETOWN2 Matt Ryan QB 6-4 217 5/17/85 5 Boston College D1a '08 Exton, PA3 Matt Bryant K 5-9 203 5/29/75 11 Baylor FA '09 Orange, TX4 Dominique Davis QB 6-3 210 7/17/89 R East Carolina FA '12 Lakeland, FL5 Matt Bosher K/P 6-0 208 10/18/87 2 Miami (Fla.) D6 '10 Jupiter, FL

11 Julio Jones WR 6-3 220 2/3/89 2 Alabama D1 '11 Foley, AL12 Luke McCown QB 6-3 212 7/12/81 9 Louisiana Tech FA '12 Jacksonville, TX17 Tim Toone WR 5-10 175 2/14/85 1 Weber State FA '12 Peoria, AZ19 Drew Davis WR 6-1 205 1/4/89 1 Oregon FA '12 Denver, CO21 Christopher Owens CB 5-9 180 12/1/86 4 San Jose State D3 '09 Los Angeles, CA22 Asante Samuel CB 5-10 185 1/6/81 10 Central Florida TR '12 (PHI) Lauderdale Lakes, FL23 Dunta Robinson CB 5-10 183 4/11/82 9 South Carolina FA '10 Athens, GA24 Chris Hope S 6-0 208 9/29/81 11 Florida State FA '12 Rock Hill, SC25 William Moore S 6-0 221 5/18/85 3 Missouri D2 '09 Hayti, MO26 Charles Mitchell S 5-11 205 9/13/89 R Mississippi State D6 '12 Clarksdale, MS27 Robert McClain CB 5-9 195 7/22/88 3 Connecticut FA '12 Philadelphia, PA28 Thomas DeCoud S 6-2 192 3/19/85 5 California D3c '08 Vallejo, CA29 Dominique Franks CB 6-0 197 10/8/87 3 Oklahoma D5a '10 Tulsa, OK32 Jacquizz Rodgers RB 5-6 196 2/6/90 2 Oregon State D5 '11 Richmond, TX33 Michael Turner RB 5-10 247 2/13/82 9 Northern Illinois UFA '08 (SD) Waukegan, IL35 Antone Smith RB 5-9 192 9/17/85 3 Florida State FA '09 Pahokee, FL42 Mike Cox FB 6-0 252 7/11/85 5 Georgia Tech FA '12 Lewisberry, PA44 Jason Snelling RB 5-11 234 12/29/83 6 Virginia D7 '07 Chester, VA47 Josh Harris LS 6-1 224 4/27/89 R Auburn FA '12 Carrollton, GA51 Robert James LB 5-11 224 12/26/83 3 Arizona State FA '10 Glendale, AZ52 Akeem Dent LB 6-1 239 9/27/87 2 Georgia D3 '11 Atlanta, GA53 Mike Peterson LB 6-1 226 6/17/76 14 Florida FA '12 Gainesville, FL54 Stephen Nicholas LB 6-3 236 5/1/83 6 South Florida D4a '07 Jacksonville, FL55 John Abraham DE 6-4 263 5/6/78 13 South Carolina Tr '06 (NYJ) Timmonsville, SC56 Sean Weatherspoon LB 6-2 244 12/29/87 3 Missouri D1 '10 Jasper, TX61 Joe Hawley C 6-3 302 10/22/88 3 UNLV D4 '10 Yorba Linda, CA62 Todd McClure C 6-1 296 2/16/77 14 LSU D7a '99 Baton Rouge, LA63 Justin Blalock OG 6-4 326 12/20/83 6 Texas D2a '07 Dallas, TX66 Peter Konz G 6-5 317 12/20/89 R Wisconsin D2 '12 Neehan, WI68 Phillipkeith Manley G 6-5 309 5/7/90 R Toledo FA '12 Hamilton, OH69 Harland Gunn G 6-2 310 8/30/89 R Miami (Fla.) FA '12 Omaha, NE71 Kroy Biermann DE 6-3 255 9/12/85 5 Montana D5b '08 Hardin, MT72 Sam Baker OT 6-5 301 5/30/85 5 USC D1b '08 Tustin, CA76 Lamar Holmes T 6-6 333 7/8/89 R Southern Mississippi D3 '12 Gastonia, NC77 Tyson Clabo OT 6-6 329 10/17/81 8 Wake Forest FA '11 Knoxville, TN79 Mike Johnson OL 6-6 304 4/2/87 2 Alabama D3b '10 Pensacola, FL81 Michael Palmer TE 6-5 252 1/18/88 3 Clemson FA '10 Stone Mountain, GA83 Harry Douglas WR 6-0 183 9/16/84 4 Louisville D3b '08 Jonesboro, GA84 Roddy White WR 6-0 211 11/2/81 8 Alabama-Birmingham D1 '05 James Island, SC86 Chase Coffman TE 6-6 250 11/10/86 3 Missouri FA '12 Peculiar, MO88 Tony Gonzalez TE 6-5 247 2/27/76 16 California Tr '09 (KC) Torrance, CA90 Lawrence Sidbury DE 6-3 261 2/6/86 4 Richmond D4 '09 Cheltenham, MD91 Corey Peters DT 6-3 305 6/8/88 3 Kentucky D3a '10 Louisville, KY92 Travian Robertson DT 6-4 304 12/9/88 R South Carolina D7 '12 Laurinburg, NC94 Peria Jerry DT 6-2 295 8/23/84 3 Mississippi D1 '09 Batesville, MS95 Jonathan Babineaux DT 6-2 300 10/12/81 8 Iowa D2 '05 Port Arthur, TX96 Jonathan Massaquoi DE 6-2 264 5/18/88 R Troy D5b '12 Lawrenceville, GA98 Cliff Matthews DE 6-4 268 8/5/89 2 South Carolina D7b '11 Cheraw, SC99 Vance Walker DT 6-2 304 4/26/87 4 Georgia Tech D7 '09 Fort Mill, SC

16 Marcus Jackson WR 6-1 195 5/20/89 R Lamar FA '12 Tyler, TX18 James Rodgers WR 5-7 188 12/20/88 R Oregon State FA '12 Richmond, TX37 Peyton Thompson CB 5-11 180 9/26/90 R San Jose State FA '12 Granite Bay, CA40 Josh Vaughan RB 6-0 225 12/3/86 2 Richmond FA '12 Richmond, VA50 Pat Schiller LB 6-2 235 11/12/88 R Northern Illinois FA '12 Geneva, IL65 Jacques McClendon G/C 6-3 324 12/10/87 2 Tennessee FA '12 Cleveland, TN67 Micanor Regis DT 6-3 305 11/3/89 R Miami (FL) FA '12 Pahokee, FL85 Andrew Szczerba TE 6-6 256 7/16/88 R Penn State FA '12 Wilmington, DE

15 Kevin Cone WR 6-2 216 3/20/88 2 Georgia Tech FA '11 Stone Mountain, GA20 Brent Grimes CB 5-10 183 7/19/83 5 Shippensburg FA '07 Philadelphia, PA34 Bradie Ewing FB 5-11 243 12/26/89 R Wisconsin D5 '12 Richland Center, WI39 Shann Schillinger S 6-0 200 5/22/86 3 Montana D6 '10 Baker, MT74 Will Svitek OT 6-6 308 1/8/82 7 Stanford FA '09 Prague, Czech Republic75 Garrett Reynolds OG 6-7 310 7/1/87 4 North Carolina D5b '09 Knoxville, TN80 Kerry Meier WR 6-3 220 11/12/86 2 Kansas D5b '10 Pittsburg, KS87 Tommy Gallarda TE 6-5 262 5/8/88 1 Boise State FA '11 Brea, CA

Adam Nissley TE 6-6 267 5/6/88 R Central Flordia FA '12 Cumming, GA

Paul Dunn (Offensive Line), Jeff Fish (Director of Athletic Performance), Ray Hamilton (Defensive Line), Pat Hill (Offensive Line),Tim Lewis (Secondary), AJ Neibel (Assistant Strength and Conditioning), Glenn Pires (Linebackers), Terry Robiskie (Wide Receivers),Chris Scelfo (Tight Ends), Eric Sutulovich (Assistant Special Teams), Glenn Thomas (Quarterbacks), Andrew Weidinger (Offensive Assistant),

PRACTICE SQUAD

Mike Smith (Head Coach), Dirk Koetter (Offensive Coordinator), Mike Nolan (Defensive Coordinator), Keith Armstrong (Special Teams Coordinator),Jonas Beauchemin (Assistant Strength and Conditioning), Gerald Brown (Running Backs), Mark Collins (Defensive Assistant), Joe Danna (Defensive Backs),

COACHING STAFF

Devin Bonik (Assistant to the Head Coach/Offense).

INJURED RESERVE

updated 1/8/2013

2012 Atlanta Falcons Roster By Experience

# PLAYER POS H W Birthdate EXP COLLEGE ACQUIRED HOMETOWN88 Gonzalez, Tony TE 6-5 247 2/27/76 16 California Tr '09 (KC) Torrance, CA62 McClure, Todd C 6-1 296 2/16/77 14 LSU D7a '99 Baton Rouge, LA53 Peterson, Mike LB 6-1 226 6/17/76 14 Florida FA '12 Gainesville, FL55 Abraham, John DE 6-4 263 5/6/78 13 South Carolina Tr '06 (NYJ) Timmonsville, SC3 Bryant, Matt K 5-9 203 5/29/75 11 Baylor FA '09 Orange, TX

24 Hope, Chris S 6-0 208 9/29/81 11 Florida State FA '12 Rock Hill, SC22 Samuel, Asante CB 5-10 185 1/6/81 10 Central Florida TR '12 (PHI) Lauderdale Lakes, FL12 McCown, Luke QB 6-3 212 7/12/81 9 Louisiana Tech FA '12 Jacksonville, TX23 Robinson, Dunta CB 5-10 183 4/11/82 9 South Carolina FA '10 Athens, GA33 Turner, Michael RB 5-10 247 2/13/82 9 Northern Illinois UFA '08 (SD) Waukegan, IL95 Babineaux, Jonathan DT 6-2 300 10/12/81 8 Iowa D2 '05 Port Arthur, TX77 Clabo, Tyson OT 6-6 329 10/17/81 8 Wake Forest FA '11 Knoxville, TN84 White, Roddy WR 6-0 211 11/2/81 8 Alabama-Birmingham D1 '05 James Island, SC63 Blalock, Justin OG 6-4 326 12/20/83 6 Texas D2a '07 Dallas, TX54 Nicholas, Stephen LB 6-3 236 5/1/83 6 South Florida D4a '07 Jacksonville, FL44 Snelling, Jason RB 5-11 234 12/29/83 6 Virginia D7 '07 Chester, VA72 Baker, Sam OT 6-5 301 5/30/85 5 USC D1b '08 Tustin, CA71 Biermann, Kroy DE 6-3 255 9/12/85 5 Montana D5b '08 Hardin, MT42 Cox, Mike FB 6-0 252 7/11/85 5 Georgia Tech FA '12 Lewisberry, PA28 DeCoud, Thomas S 6-2 192 3/19/85 5 California D3c '08 Vallejo, CA2 Ryan, Matt QB 6-4 217 5/17/85 5 Boston College D1a '08 Exton, PA

83 Douglas, Harry WR 6-0 183 9/16/84 4 Louisville D3b '08 Jonesboro, GA21 Owens, Christopher CB 5-9 180 12/1/86 4 San Jose State D3 '09 Los Angeles, CA90 Sidbury, Lawrence DE 6-3 261 2/6/86 4 Richmond D4 '09 Cheltenham, MD99 Walker, Vance DT 6-2 304 4/26/87 4 Georgia Tech D7 '09 Fort Mill, SC29 Franks, Dominique CB 6-0 197 10/8/87 3 Oklahoma D5a '10 Tulsa, OK86 Coffman, Chase TE 6-6 250 11/10/86 3 Missouri FA '12 Peculiar, MO61 Hawley, Joe C 6-3 302 10/22/88 3 UNLV D4 '10 Yorba Linda, CA51 James, Robert LB 5-11 224 12/26/83 3 Arizona State FA '10 Glendale, AZ94 Jerry, Peria DT 6-2 295 8/23/84 3 Mississippi D1 '09 Batesville, MS27 McClain, Robert CB 5-9 195 7/22/88 3 Connecticut FA '12 Philadelphia, PA25 Moore, William S 6-0 221 5/18/85 3 Missouri D2 '09 Hayti, MO81 Palmer, Michael TE 6-5 252 1/18/88 3 Clemson FA '10 Stone Mountain, GA91 Peters, Corey DT 6-3 305 6/8/88 3 Kentucky D3a '10 Louisville, KY35 Smith, Antone RB 5-9 192 9/17/85 3 Florida State FA '09 Pahokee, FL56 Weatherspoon, Sean LB 6-2 244 12/29/87 3 Missouri D1 '10 Jasper, TX79 Johnson, Mike OL 6-6 304 4/2/87 2 Alabama D3b '10 Pensacola, FL5 Bosher, Matt K/P 6-0 208 10/18/87 2 Miami (Fla.) D6 '10 Jupiter, FL

52 Dent, Akeem LB 6-1 239 9/27/87 2 Georgia D3 '11 Atlanta, GA11 Jones, Julio WR 6-3 220 2/3/89 2 Alabama D1 '11 Foley, AL98 Matthews, Cliff DE 6-4 268 8/5/89 2 South Carolina D7b '11 Cheraw, SC32 Rodgers, Jacquizz RB 5-6 196 2/6/90 2 Oregon State D5 '11 Richmond, TX19 Davis, Drew WR 6-1 205 1/4/89 1 Oregon FA '12 Denver, CO17 Toone, Tim WR 5-10 175 2/14/85 1 Weber State FA '12 Peoria, AZ4 Davis, Dominique QB 6-3 210 7/17/89 R East Carolina FA '12 Lakeland, FL

47 Harris, Josh LS 6-1 224 4/27/89 R Auburn FA '12 Carrollton, GA76 Holmes, Lamar T 6-6 333 7/8/89 R Southern Mississippi D3 '12 Gastonia, NC69 Gunn, Harland G 6-2 310 8/30/89 R Miami (Fla.) FA '12 Omaha, NE66 Konz, Peter G 6-5 317 12/20/89 R Wisconsin D2 '12 Neehan, WI68 Manley, Phillipkeith G 6-5 309 5/7/90 R Toledo FA '12 Hamilton, OH96 Massaquoi, Jonathan DE 6-2 264 5/18/88 R Troy D5b '12 Lawrenceville, GA26 Mitchell, Charles S 5-11 205 9/13/89 R Mississippi State D6 '12 Clarksdale, MS92 Robertson, Travian DT 6-4 304 12/9/88 R South Carolina D7 '12 Laurinburg, NC

65 McClendon, Jacques G/C 6-3 324 12/10/87 2 Tennessee FA '12 Cleveland, TN40 Vaughan, Josh RB 6-0 225 12/3/86 2 Richmond FA '12 Richmond, VA16 Jackson, Marcus WR 6-1 195 5/20/89 R Lamar FA '12 Tyler, TX67 Regis, Micanor DT 6-3 305 11/3/89 R Miami (FL) FA '12 Pahokee, FL18 Rodgers, James WR 5-7 188 12/20/88 R Oregon State FA '12 Richmond, TX50 Schiller, Pat LB 6-2 235 11/12/88 R Northern Illinois FA '12 Geneva, IL85 Szczerba, Andrew TE 6-6 256 7/16/88 R Penn State FA '12 Wilmington, DE37 Thompson, Peyton CB 5-11 180 9/26/90 R San Jose State FA '12 Granite Bay, CA

74 Svitek, Will OT 6-6 308 1/8/82 7 Stanford FA '09 Prague, Czech Republic20 Grimes, Brent CB 5-10 183 7/19/83 5 Shippensburg FA '07 Philadelphia, PA75 Reynolds, Garrett OG 6-7 310 7/1/87 4 North Carolina D5b '09 Knoxville, TN39 Schillinger, Shann S 6-0 200 5/22/86 3 Montana D6 '10 Baker, MT15 Cone, Kevin WR 6-2 216 3/20/88 2 Georgia Tech FA '11 Stone Mountain, GA80 Meier, Kerry WR 6-3 220 11/12/86 2 Kansas D5b '10 Pittsburg, KS87 Gallarda, Tommy TE 6-5 262 5/8/88 1 Boise State FA '11 Brea, CA34 Ewing, Bradie FB 5-11 243 12/26/89 R Wisconsin D5 '12 Richland Center, WI

Nissley, Adam TE 6-6 267 5/6/88 R Central Flordia FA '12 Cumming, GA

Paul Dunn (Offensive Line), Jeff Fish (Director of Athletic Performance), Ray Hamilton (Defensive Line), Pat Hill (Offensive Line),Tim Lewis (Secondary), AJ Neibel (Assistant Strength and Conditioning), Glenn Pires (Linebackers), Terry Robiskie (Wide Receivers),Chris Scelfo (Tight Ends), Eric Sutulovich (Assistant Special Teams), Glenn Thomas (Quarterbacks), Andrew Weidinger (Offensive Assistant),

PRACTICE SQUAD

COACHING STAFFMike Smith (Head Coach), Dirk Koetter (Offensive Coordinator), Mike Nolan (Defensive Coordinator), Keith Armstrong (Special Teams Coordinator),Jonas Beauchemin (Assistant Strength and Conditioning), Gerald Brown (Running Backs), Mark Collins (Defensive Assistant), Joe Danna (Defensive Backs),

Devin Bonik (Assistant to the Head Coach/Offense).

INJURED RESERVE

updated 1/8/2013

2012 Atlanta Falcons Roster By Position

# PLAYER POS H W Birthdate EXP COLLEGE ACQUIRED HOMETOWNQUARTERBACKS (3)

4 Davis, Dominique QB 6-3 210 7/17/89 R East Carolina FA '12 Lakeland, FL# McCown, Luke QB 6-3 212 7/12/81 9 Louisiana Tech FA '12 Jacksonville, TX2 Ryan, Matt QB 6-4 217 5/17/85 5 Boston College D1a '08 Exton, PA

RUNNING BACKS (5)42 Cox, Mike FB 6-0 252 7/11/85 5 Georgia Tech FA '12 Lewisberry, PA32 Rodgers, Jacquizz RB 5-6 196 2/6/90 2 Oregon State D5 '11 Richmond, TX35 Smith, Antone RB 5-9 192 9/17/85 3 Florida State FA '09 Pahokee, FL44 Snelling, Jason RB 5-11 234 12/29/83 6 Virginia D7 '07 Chester, VA33 Turner, Michael RB 5-10 247 2/13/82 9 Northern Illinois UFA '08 (SD) Waukegan, IL

WIDE RECEIVERS (4)19 Davis, Drew WR 6-1 205 1/4/89 1 Oregon FA '12 Denver, CO83 Douglas, Harry WR 6-0 183 9/16/84 4 Louisville D3b '08 Jonesboro, GA11 Jones, Julio WR 6-3 220 2/3/89 2 Alabama D1 '11 Foley, AL17 Toone, Tim WR 5-10 175 2/14/85 1 Weber State FA '12 Peoria, AZ84 White, Roddy WR 6-0 211 11/2/81 8 Alabama-Birmingham D1 '05 James Island, SC

TIGHT ENDS (3)86 Coffman, Chase TE 6-6 250 11/10/86 3 Missouri FA '12 Peculiar, MO88 Gonzalez, Tony TE 6-5 247 2/27/76 16 California Tr '09 (KC) Torrance, CA81 Palmer, Michael TE 6-5 252 1/18/88 3 Clemson FA '10 Stone Mountain, GA

OFFENSIVE LINE (10)72 Baker, Sam OT 6-5 301 5/30/85 5 USC D1b '08 Tustin, CA63 Blalock, Justin OG 6-4 326 12/20/83 6 Texas D2a '07 Dallas, TX77 Clabo, Tyson OT 6-6 329 10/17/81 8 Wake Forest FA '11 Knoxville, TN61 Hawley, Joe C 6-3 302 10/22/88 3 UNLV D4 '10 Yorba Linda, CA76 Holmes, Lamar T 6-6 333 7/8/89 R Southern Mississippi D3 '12 Gastonia, NC69 Gunn, Harland G 6-2 310 8/30/89 R Miami (Fla.) FA '12 Omaha, NE79 Johnson, Mike OL 6-6 304 4/2/87 3 Alabama D3b '10 Pensacola, FL66 Konz, Peter G 6-5 317 12/20/89 R Wisconsin D2 '12 Neehan, WI68 Manley, Phillipkeith G 6-5 309 5/7/90 R Toledo FA '12 Hamilton, OH62 McClure, Todd C 6-1 296 2/16/77 14 LSU D7a '99 Baton Rouge, LA

DEFENSIVE LINE (10)55 Abraham, John DE 6-4 263 5/6/78 13 South Carolina Tr '06 (NYJ) Timmonsville, SC95 Babineaux, Jonathan DT 6-2 300 10/12/81 8 Iowa D2 '05 Port Arthur, TX71 Biermann, Kroy DE 6-3 255 9/12/85 5 Montana D5b '08 Hardin, MT94 Jerry, Peria DT 6-2 295 8/23/84 3 Mississippi D1 '09 Batesville, MS96 Massaquoi, Jonathan DE 6-2 264 5/18/88 R Troy D5b '12 Lawrenceville, GA98 Matthews, Cliff DE 6-4 268 8/5/89 2 South Carolina D7b '11 Cheraw, SC91 Peters, Corey DT 6-3 305 6/8/88 3 Kentucky D3a '10 Louisville, KY92 Robertson, Travian DT 6-4 304 12/9/88 R South Carolina D7 '12 Laurinburg, NC90 Sidbury, Lawrence DE 6-3 261 2/6/86 4 Richmond D4 '09 Cheltenham, MD99 Walker, Vance DT 6-2 304 4/26/87 4 Georgia Tech D7 '09 Fort Mill, SC

LINEBACKERS (5)52 Dent, Akeem LB 6-1 239 9/27/87 2 Georgia D3 '11 Atlanta, GA51 James, Robert LB 5-11 224 12/26/83 3 Arizona State FA '10 Glendale, AZ54 Nicholas, Stephen LB 6-3 236 5/1/83 6 South Florida D4a '07 Jacksonville, FL53 Peterson, Mike LB 6-1 226 6/17/76 14 Florida FA '12 Gainesville, FL56 Weatherspoon, Sean LB 6-2 244 12/29/87 3 Missouri D1 '10 Jasper, TX

DEFENSIVE BACKS (9)28 DeCoud, Thomas S 6-2 192 3/19/85 5 California D3c '08 Vallejo, CA29 Franks, Dominique CB 6-0 197 10/8/87 3 Oklahoma D5a '10 Tulsa, OK24 Hope, Chris S 6-0 208 9/29/81 11 Florida State FA '12 Rock Hill, SC27 McClain, Robert CB 5-9 195 7/22/88 3 Connecticut FA '12 Philadelphia, PA26 Mitchell, Charles S 5-11 205 9/13/89 R Mississippi State D6 '12 Clarksdale, MS25 Moore, William S 6-0 221 5/18/85 3 Missouri D2 '09 Hayti, MO21 Owens, Christopher CB 5-9 180 12/1/86 4 San Jose State D3 '09 Los Angeles, CA23 Robinson, Dunta CB 5-10 183 4/11/82 9 South Carolina FA '10 Athens, GA22 Samuel, Asante CB 5-10 185 1/6/81 10 Central Florida TR '12 (PHI) Lauderdale Lakes, FL

SPECIALISTS (3)5 Bosher, Matt P 6-0 208 10/18/87 2 Miami (Fla.) D6 '10 Jupiter, FL3 Bryant, Matt K 5-9 203 5/29/75 11 Baylor FA '09 Orange, TX

47 Harris, Josh LS 6-1 224 4/27/89 R Auburn FA '12 Carrollton, GA

16 Jackson, Marcus WR 6-1 195 5/20/89 R Lamar FA '12 Tyler, TX65 McClendon, Jacques G/C 6-3 324 12/10/87 2 Tennessee FA '12 Cleveland, TN67 Regis, Micanor DT 6-3 305 11/3/89 R Miami (FL) FA '12 Pahokee, FL18 Rodgers, James WR 5-7 188 12/20/88 R Oregon State FA '12 Richmond, TX50 Schiller, Pat LB 6-2 235 11/12/88 R Northern Illinois FA '12 Geneva, IL85 Szczerba, Andrew TE 6-6 256 7/16/88 R Penn State FA '12 Wilmington, DE37 Thompson, Peyton CB 5-11 180 9/26/90 R San Jose State FA '12 Granite Bay, CA40 Vaughan, Josh RB 6-0 225 12/3/86 2 Richmond FA '12 Richmond, VA

15 Cone, Kevin WR 6-2 216 3/20/88 2 Georgia Tech FA '11 Stone Mountain, GA34 Ewing, Bradie FB 5-11 243 12/26/89 R Wisconsin D5 '12 Richland Center, WI87 Gallarda, Tommy TE 6-5 262 5/8/88 1 Boise State FA '11 Brea, CA20 Grimes, Brent CB 5-10 183 7/19/83 5 Shippensburg FA '07 Philadelphia, PA80 Meier, Kerry WR 6-3 220 11/12/86 2 Kansas D5b '10 Pittsburg, KS

Nissley, Adam TE 6-6 267 5/6/88 R Central Flordia FA '12 Cumming, GA75 Reynolds, Garrett OG 6-7 310 7/1/87 4 North Carolina D5b '09 Knoxville, TN39 Schillinger, Shann S 6-0 200 5/22/86 3 Montana D6 '10 Baker, MT74 Svitek, Will OT 6-6 308 1/8/82 7 Stanford FA '09 Prague, Czech Republic

Paul Dunn (Offensive Line), Jeff Fish (Director of Athletic Performance), Ray Hamilton (Defensive Line), Pat Hill (Offensive Line),Tim Lewis (Secondary), AJ Neibel (Assistant Strength and Conditioning), Glenn Pires (Linebackers), Terry Robiskie (Wide Receivers),Chris Scelfo (Tight Ends), Eric Sutulovich (Assistant Special Teams), Glenn Thomas (Quarterbacks), Andrew Weidinger (Offensive Assistant),

PRACTICE SQUAD

COACHING STAFFMike Smith (Head Coach), Dirk Koetter (Offensive Coordinator), Mike Nolan (Defensive Coordinator), Keith Armstrong (Special Teams Coordinator),Jonas Beauchemin (Assistant Strength and Conditioning), Gerald Brown (Running Backs), Mark Collins (Defensive Assistant), Joe Danna (Defensive Backs),

Devin Bonik (Assistant to the Head Coach/Offense).

INJURED RESERVE

updated 1/8/2013

2012 Atlanta Falcons Transactions 

Date Position Player Transaction

January 1 TE GONZALEZ, Tony Signed to a one-year contract extension

January 3 LS ADAMS, Corey Signed as Reserve/Future Free Agent

LS ALBRITTON, Scott Signed as Reserve/Future Free Agent

January 9 WR DAVIS, Drew Signed as Reserve/Future Free Agent

TE GALLARDA, Tommy Signed as Reserve/Future Free Agent

S HANSEN, Matt Signed as Reserve/Future Free Agent

OL JOLLY, Kyle Signed as Reserve/Future Free Agent

S TUIMAUNEI, Suaesi Signed as Reserve/Future Free Agent

TE WINTERSWYK, Ryan Signed as Reserve/Future Free Agent

January 10 CB McCLAIN, Robert Signed as Reserve/Future Free Agent

January 20 RB NANCE, Dimitri Signed as Reserve/Future Free Agent

March 6 TE PALMER, Michael Signed as Exclusive Rights Free Agent

RB SMITH, ANTONE Signed as Exclusive Rights Free Agent

March 6 S DECOUD, Thomas Signed

March 7 DE BIERMANN, Kroy Signed

March 8 RB SNELLING, Jason Signed

March 9 G MANUWAI, Vince Signed

March 10 LB TATUPU, Lofa Signed

March 13 QB REDMAN, Chris Signed

WR DOUGLAS, Harry Signed

March 16 DE ABRAHAM, John Signed

April 25 CB SAMUEL, Asante Acquired in a trade with Philadelphia

April 27 G KONZ, Peter Drafted (55th overall)

T HOLMES, Lamar Drafted (91st overall)

April 28 FB EWING, Bradie Drafted (157th overall)

DE MASSAQUOI, Jonathan Drafted (164th overall)

CB MITCHELL, Charles Drafted (192nd overall)

DT ROBERTSON, Travian Drafted (249th overall)

April 30 TE BROWN, Lamark Signed as a College Free Agent

LB COUNCIL, Rico Signed as a College Free Agent

QB DAVIS, Dominique Signed as a College Free Agent

S FAULCON, Chad Signed as a College Free Agent

RB FREY, Robbie Signed as a College Free Agent

LB GRUDER, Max Signed as a College Free Agent

T HARRIS, Bryce Signed as a College Free Agent

LB HARRIS, Jerrell Signed as a College Free Agent

LS HARRIS, Josh Signed as a College Free Agent

C HORN, Tyler Signed as a College Free Agent

WR JACKSON, Marcus Signed as a College Free Agent

DT KIBBLE, Ray Signed as a College Free Agent

G MANLEY, Phillip Signed as a College Free Agent

CB MARKETT, Matty Signed as a College Free Agent

2012 Atlanta Falcons Transactions 

Date Position Player Transaction

TE NISSLEY, Adam Signed as a College Free Agent

DE NZEGWU, Louis Signed as a College Free Agent

WR PEARCY, Cody Signed as a College Free Agent

DT REGIS, Micanor Signed as a College Free Agent

WR RODGERS, James Signed as a College Free Agent

LB SCHILLER, Pat Signed as a College Free Agent

CB THOMPSON, Peyton Signed as a College Free Agent

P ZIMMERMAN, Dawson Signed as a College Free Agent

TE WINTERSWYK, Ryan Placed on Reserve/Retired list

May 1 WR CALVIN, Michael Signed as a College Free Agent

LS ALBRITTON, Scott Waived

OL JOLLY, Kyle Waived

May 8 FB MUGHELLI, Ovie Released

May 13 G/C KONZ, Peter Signed

FB EWING, Bradie Signed

S MITCHELL, Charles Signed

DT ROBERTSON, Travian Signed

FB MEISNER, Lee Signed

WR STAFFORD, Kenny Signed

TE WHITE, Aron Signed

DT KIBBLE, Ray Waived

May 15 T HOLMES, Lamar Signed

June 1 DE MASSAQUOI, Jonathan Signed

June 13 LS ADAMS, Corey Waived

June 18 K FOLK, Erik Signed

June 28 WR PEARCY, Cody Waived

June 29 S HOPE, Chris Signed

July 20 LB HANSEN, Matt Waived (non-football injury)

July 23 LB PETERSON, Mike Signed

July 25 LB TATUPU, Lofa Released (non-football injury)

S FAULCON, Chad Waived

DT JOSEPH, Elisha Signed

WR TOONE, Tim Signed

July 28 G MANUWAI, Vince Released

August 3 DL OBI, Conrad Signed

August 4 RB FREY, Robbie Waived (injury settlement)

August 5 RB MEDLIN, Richard Signed

August 11 FB EWING, Bradie Placed on Injured Reserve

TE NISSLEY, Adam Waived-Injured

P ZIMMERMAN, Dawson Waived

TE COFFMAN, Chase Signed

FB POLITE, Lousaka Signed

2012 Atlanta Falcons Transactions 

Date Position Player Transaction

August 18 WR CALVIN, Michael Waived (injury settlement)

August 25 TE COFFMAN, Chase Waived

LB GRUDER, Max Waived

K FOLK, Erik Waived

RB MEDLIN, Richard Waived

FB MEISNER, Lee Waived

DE NZEGWU, Louis Waived

WR STAFFORD, Kenny Waived

TE WHITE, Aron Waived

T SVITEK, Will Placed on Injured Reserve

DT JOSEPH, Elisha Waived (injury settlement)

CB WALLS, Darrin Waived (injury settlement)

August 26 QB WILSON, John Parker Waived

DT PETERS, Corey Placed on Reserve/non-football injury list

August 31 LB ADKINS, Spencer Waived

LB COUNCIL, Rico Waived

WR DAVIS, Drew Waived

CB FRANKS, Dominique Waived

T HARRIS, Bryce Waived

LB HARRIS, Jerrell Waived

C HORN, Tyler Waived

WR JACKSON, Marcus Waived

CB MARKETT, Marty Waived

RB NANCE, Dimitri Waived

DT OBI, Conrad Waived

DT REGIS, Micanor Waived

WR RODGERS, James Waived

LB SCHILLER, Pat Waived

CB THOMPSON, Peyton Waived

S TUIMAUNEI, Suaesi Waived

TE BROWN, Lamark Waived (injury settlement)

T JACKSON, Andrew Waived (injury settlement)

FB COX, Mike Released

LS ZELENKA, Joe Released

S SCHILLINGER, Shann Placed on Injured Reserve

WR MEIER, Kerry Waived-Injured

September 1 WR DAVIS, Drew Signed to Practice Squad

T HARRIS, Bryce Signed to Practice Squad

WR JACKSON, Marcus Signed to Practice Squad

CB THOMPSON, Peyton Signed to Practice Squad

DT REGIS, Micanor Signed to Practice Squad

2012 Atlanta Falcons Transactions 

Date Position Player Transaction

September 2 TE COFFMAN, Chase Signed to Practice Squad

S LEGREE, Mark Signed to Practice Squad

LB SCHILLER, Pat Signed to Practice Squad

September 6 WR TOONE, Tim Waived-Injured

CB FRANKS, Dominique Signed

September 6 OL MANLEY, Phillipkeith Waived

WR DAVIS, Drew Signed

September 11 CB GRIMES, Brent Placed on Injured Reserve

CB JOHNSON, Terrence Signed

OL MANLEY, Phillipkeith Signed to Practice Squad

September 12 WR RODGERS, James Signed to Practice Squad

September 26 S LEGREE, Mark Waived

RB VAUGHAN, Josh Signed to Practice Squad

October 26 CB JOHNSON, Terrence Waived

DT PETERS, Corey Activated from the Reserve/Non-football injury list

November 6 G REYNOLDS, Garrett Placed on Injured Reserve

G MANLEY, Phillipkeith Signed to the Active Roster

November 7 FB POLITE, Lousaka Released

FB COX, Mike Signed

G/C McCLENDON, Jacques Signed to the Practice Squad

November 12 DE EDWARDS, Ray Released

November 13 WR TOONE, Tim Signed

TE COFFMAN, Chase Signed

TE GALLARDA, Tommy Placed on Injured Reserve

TE SZCZERBA, Andrew Signed to the Practice Squad

November 20 G GUNN, Harland Signed

December 24 C HAWLEY, Joe Activated from the Reserve/Commissioner Exemption list

WR CONE, Kevin Placed on Injured Reserve

UNOFFICIAL DEPTH CHARTUNOFFICIAL DEPTH CHARTOFFENSEWR 11 Julio Jones 83 Harry Douglas LT 72 Sam Baker 76 Lamar Holmes

LG 63 Justin Blalock 66 Peter Konz

C 62 Todd McClure 66 Peter Konz 61 Joe Hawley

RG 66 Peter Konz 68 PhillipKeith Manley 69 Harland Gunn

RT 77 Tyson Clabo 79 Mike Johnson

TE 88 Tony Gonzalez 81 Michael Palmer 86 Chase Coffman WR 84 Roddy White 19 Drew Davis 17 Tim Toone QB 2 Matt Ryan 12 Luke McCown 4 Dominique Davis

RB 33 Michael Turner 44 Jason Snelling 32 Jacquizz Rodgers 35 Antone Smith

FB 42 Mike Cox

DEFENSERE 55 John Abraham 90 Lawrence Sidbury 98 Cliff Matthews

DT 94 Peria Jerry 91 Corey Peters

DT 95 Jonathan Babineaux 99 Vance Walker 92 Travian Robertson

LE 71 Kroy Biermann 96 Jonathan Massaquoi

OLB 56 Sean Weatherspoon 51 Robert James

MLB 52 Akeem Dent 53 Mike Peterson

OLB 54 Stephen Nicholas 53 Mike Peterson

CB 23 Dunta Robinson 21 Chris Owens

CB 22 Asante Samuel 27 Robert McClain 29 Dominique Franks

S 25 William Moore 24 Chris Hope

S 28 Thomas DeCoud 26 Charles Mitchell

SPECIALISTSK 3 Matt Bryant

KO 5 Matt Bosher

P 5 Matt Bosher

KR 32 Jacquizz Rodgers

PR 29 Dominique Franks 83 Harry Douglas

LS 47 Josh Harris

H 5 Matt Bosher

Kroy Biermann................................................................ BeermanThomas DeCoud........................................................... DAY-CooPeria Jerry........................................................................... Pur-rayPeter Konz..............................................................................kahnzJonathan Massaquoi..........................................MASS-a-qwahJacquizz Rodgers.............................................................. JA-quizDunta Robinson............................................................... Don-tay

PRONUNCIATION GUIDEPRONUNCIATION GUIDE

Atlanta Falcons / Week 17 / Through Sunday, December 30, 2012 / Regular Season

Won 13, Lost 3

9/9/2012 W 40- 24 at Kansas City Chiefs9/17/2012 W 27- 21 Denver Broncos9/23/2012 W 27- 3 at San Diego Chargers9/30/2012 W 30- 28 Carolina Panthers10/7/2012 W 24- 17 at Washington Redskins10/14/2012 W 23- 20 Oakland Raiders10/28/2012 W 30- 17 at Philadelphia Eagles11/4/2012 W 19- 13 Dallas Cowboys11/11/2012 L 27- 31 at New Orleans Saints11/18/2012 W 23- 19 Arizona Cardinals11/25/2012 W 24- 23 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers11/29/2012 W 23- 13 New Orleans Saints12/9/2012 L 20- 30 at Carolina Panthers12/16/2012 W 34- 0 New York Giants12/22/2012 W 31- 18 at Detroit Lions12/30/2012 L 17- 22 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Atlanta OpponentTotal First Downs 343 298Rushing 70 99Passing 247 189Penalty 26 103rd Down: Made/Att 92/204 81/2003rd Down Pct. 45.1% 40.5%4th Down: Made/Att 2/8 6/134th Down Pct. 25.0% 46.2%Possession Avg. 30:52 29:08Total Net Yards 5906 5849Avg. Per Game 369.1 365.6Total Plays 1021 991Avg. Per Play 5.8 5.9Net Yards Rushing 1397 1971Avg. Per Game 87.3 123.2Total Rushes 378 411Net Yards Passing 4509 3878Avg. Per Game 281.8 242.4Sacked/Yards Lost 28/210 29/182Gross Yards 4719 4060Attempts/Completions 615/422 551/337Completion Pct. 68.6% 61.2%Had Intercepted 14 20Punts/Average 62/45.9 64/47.9Net Punting Avg. 39.5 42.5Penalties/Yards 55/415 83/641Fumbles/Ball Lost 9/4 16/11Touchdowns 46 31Rushing 12 16Passing 32 14Returns 2 1

Score By Periods Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT PtsTeam 91 131 68 129 0 419Opponents 59 101 55 84 0 299

Scoring TD Ru Pa Rt PAT FG 2Pt PtsM.Bryant 0 0 0 0 44/44 33/38 0 143M.Turner 11 10 1 0 0/0 0/0 0 66J.Jones 10 0 10 0 0/0 0/0 0 60T.Gonzalez 8 0 8 0 0/0 0/0 0 48R.White 7 0 7 0 0/0 0/0 0 42J.Rodgers 2 1 1 0 0/0 0/0 0 12D.Davis 1 0 1 0 0/0 0/0 0 6A.Samuel 1 0 0 1 0/0 0/0 0 6J.Babineaux 1 0 0 1 0/0 0/0 0 6J.Snelling 1 0 1 0 0/0 0/0 0 6M.Ryan 1 1 0 0 0/0 0/0 0 6H.Douglas 1 0 1 0 0/0 0/0 0 6M.Palmer 1 0 1 0 0/0 0/0 0 6M.Johnson 1 0 1 0 0/0 0/0 0 6Team 46 12 32 2 44/44 33/38 0 419Opponents 31 16 14 1 30/30 27/32 0 2992-Pt. Conversions: Team 0/ 2, Opponents: 0/ 1 Sacks: J.Abraham 10.0, K.Biermann 4.0, J.Babineaux 3.5, V.Walker 3.0, S.Weatherspoon 3.0, S.Nicholas 2.0, D.Robinson 1.5, W.Moore 1.0, T.DeCoud 1.0 Team: 29.0, Opponents: 28.0

Rushing No. Yds Avg Long TDM.Turner 222 800 3.6 43 10J.Rodgers 94 362 3.9 43 1M.Ryan 34 141 4.1 16 1J.Snelling 18 63 3.5 11 0J.Jones 6 30 5.0 18 0H.Douglas 2 4 2.0 5 0M.Bosher 0 0 0 0 0L.McCown 2 -3 -1.5 -1 0Team 378 1397 3.7 43 12Opponents 411 1971 4.8 72t 16

Receiving No. Yds Avg Long TDT.Gonzalez 93 930 10.0 25 8R.White 92 1351 14.7 59 7J.Jones 79 1198 15.2 80t 10J.Rodgers 53 402 7.6 32 1H.Douglas 38 396 10.4 37 1J.Snelling 31 203 6.5 16 1M.Turner 19 128 6.7 60t 1M.Palmer 6 22 3.7 6 1D.Davis 4 40 10.0 15t 1M.Cox 3 22 7.3 11 0C.Coffman 1 11 11.0 11 0L.Polite 1 8 8.0 8 0T.Gallarda 1 7 7.0 7 0M.Johnson 1 1 1.0 1t 1J.Hawley 0 0 0 0 0K.Cone 0 0 0 0 0A.Smith 0 0 0 0 0Team 422 4719 11.2 80t 32Opponents 337 4060 12.0 77t 14

Interceptions No. Yds Avg Long TDT.DeCoud 6 42 7.0 24 0A.Samuel 5 110 22.0 79t 1W.Moore 4 51 12.8 33 0R.McClain 1 32 32.0 32 0S.Weatherspoon 1 6 6.0 6 0D.Robinson 1 4 4.0 4 0S.Nicholas 1 3 3.0 3 0J.Babineaux 1 -2 -2.0 -2 0Team 20 246 12.3 79t 1Opponents 14 158 11.3 34 1

Punting No Yds Avg Net TB In Lg BM.Bosher 60 2847 47.5 40.7 4 22 63 2Team 60 2847 45.9 40.7 4 22 63 2Opponents 64 3065 47.9 42.5 7 24 67 0

Punt Returns Ret FC Yds Avg Long TDD.Franks 21 18 163 7.8 28 0H.Douglas 5 1 42 8.4 11 0Team 26 19 205 7.9 28 0Opponents 26 23 241 9.3 37 0

Kickoff Returns No. Yds Avg Long TDJ.Rodgers 23 592 25.7 77 0J.Snelling 2 16 8.0 9 0L.Polite 1 24 24.0 24 0H.Douglas 1 8 8.0 8 0Team 27 640 23.7 77 0Opponents 48 1065 22.2 65 0

Field Goals 1-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50+M.Bryant 1/ 1 8/ 9 10/ 11 10/ 13 4/ 4Team 1/ 1 8/ 9 10/ 11 10/ 13 4/ 4Opponents 0/ 0 10/ 10 8/ 10 7/ 8 2/ 4

Fumbles Lost: M.Ryan 2, M.Turner 1, J.Snelling 1 Total: 4 Opponent Fumble Recoveries: R.Edwards 2, R.McClain 2, S.Weatherspoon 1, C.Hope 1, J.Babineaux 1, S.Nicholas 1, T.DeCoud 1, P.Jerry 1, W.Moore 1 Total: 11

Passing Att Cmp Yds Cmp% Yds/Att TD TD% Int Int% Long Sack Lost RatingM.Ryan 615 422 4719 68.6% 7.7 32 5.2% 14 2.3% 80t 28/ 210 99.1Team 615 422 4719 68.6% 7.7 32 5.2% 14 2.3% 80t 28/ 210 99.1Opponents 551 337 4060 61.2% 7.4 14 2.5% 20 3.6% 77t 29/ 182 77.1

 

Atlanta Falcons / Week 3 / Through Sunday, January 20, 2013 / Postseason

Won 1, Lost 1

1/13/2013 W 30- 28 Seattle Seahawks1/20/2013 L 24- 28 San Francisco 49ers

Atlanta OpponentTotal First Downs 51 49Rushing 11 17Passing 37 30Penalty 3 23rd Down: Made/Att 11/20 5/143rd Down Pct. 55.0% 35.7%4th Down: Made/Att 0/1 0/14th Down Pct. 0.0% 0.0%Possession Avg. 31:39 28:22Total Net Yards 894 864Avg. Per Game 447.0 432.0Total Plays 127 117Avg. Per Play 7.0 7.4Net Yards Rushing 248 272Avg. Per Game 124.0 136.0Total Rushes 49 57Net Yards Passing 646 592Avg. Per Game 323.0 296.0Sacked/Yards Lost 1/0 3/26Gross Yards 646 618Attempts/Completions 77/54 57/40Completion Pct. 70.1% 70.2%Had Intercepted 3 1Punts/Average 4/43.5 6/43.5Net Punting Avg. 32.5 39.2Penalties/Yards 5/41 10/59Fumbles/Ball Lost 1/1 2/2Touchdowns 6 8Rushing 0 5Passing 6 3Returns 0 0

Score By Periods Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT PtsTeam 20 24 7 3 0 54Opponents 0 14 14 28 0 56

Scoring TD Ru Pa Rt PAT FG 2Pt PtsM.Bryant 0 0 0 0 6/6 4/4 0 18T.Gonzalez 2 0 2 0 0/0 0/0 0 12J.Jones 2 0 2 0 0/0 0/0 0 12R.White 1 0 1 0 0/0 0/0 0 6J.Snelling 1 0 1 0 0/0 0/0 0 6Team 6 0 6 0 6/6 4/4 0 54Opponents 8 5 3 0 8/8 0/1 0 562-Pt. Conversions: Team 0/ 0, Opponents: 0/ 0 Sacks: J.Babineaux 1.0, C.Peters 1.0, V.Walker 1.0 Team: 3.0, Opponents: 1.0

Rushing No. Yds Avg Long TDM.Turner 22 128 5.8 33 0J.Rodgers 20 96 4.8 45 0J.Snelling 2 12 6.0 12 0M.Ryan 3 9 3.0 6 0M.Cox 1 4 4.0 4 0J.Jones 1 -1 -1.0 -1 0Team 49 248 5.1 45 0Opponents 57 272 4.8 23 5

Receiving No. Yds Avg Long TDJ.Jones 17 241 14.2 46t 2T.Gonzalez 14 129 9.2 19 2R.White 12 176 14.7 47t 1H.Douglas 5 60 12.0 22 0J.Snelling 2 10 5.0 5t 1J.Rodgers 2 8 4.0 6 0C.Coffman 1 16 16.0 16 0D.Davis 1 6 6.0 6 0Team 54 646 12.0 47t 6Opponents 40 618 15.5 34 3

Interceptions No. Yds Avg Long TDJ.Jones 1 0 0.0 0 0Team 1 0 0.0 0 0Opponents 3 9 3.0 6 0

Punting No Yds Avg Net TB In Lg BM.Bosher 4 174 43.5 32.5 0 1 48 0Team 4 174 43.5 32.5 0 1 48 0Opponents 6 261 43.5 39.2 1 2 62 0

Punt Returns Ret FC Yds Avg Long TDH.Douglas 3 0 6 2.0 6 0Team 3 0 6 2.0 6 0Opponents 3 1 44 14.7 20 0

Kickoff Returns No. Yds Avg Long TDJ.Rodgers 4 105 26.3 34 0Team 4 105 26.3 34 0Opponents 4 101 25.3 37 0

Field Goals 1-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50+M.Bryant 0/ 0 0/ 0 3/ 3 1/ 1 0/ 0Team 0/ 0 0/ 0 3/ 3 1/ 1 0/ 0Opponents 0/ 0 0/ 0 0/ 1 0/ 0 0/ 0

Fumbles Lost: M.Ryan 1 Total: 1 Opponent Fumble Recoveries: J.Babineaux 1, S.Nicholas 1 Total: 2

Passing Att Cmp Yds Cmp% Yds/Att TD TD% Int Int% Long Sack Lost RatingM.Ryan 77 54 646 70.1% 8.4 6 7.8% 3 3.9% 47t 1/ 0 105.2Team 77 54 646 70.1% 8.4 6 7.8% 3 3.9% 47t 1/ 0 105.2Opponents 57 40 618 70.2% 10.8 3 5.3% 1 1.8% 34 3/ 26 116.0

 

2012 STAT PACK

STAT PACK

2012 STAT PACKSTAT PACK

Sacks: J. Abraham 10.0, K. Biermann 4.0, J. Babineaux 3.5, S. Weatherspoon 3.0, V. Walker 3.0, S. Nicholas 2.0, D. Robinson 1.5, W. Moore 1.0, T. DeCoud 1.0 TEAM: 29.0Opponents: 28.0

2-Pt. Conversions: Team 0/2, Opponents: 0/0

Fumbles Lost: M. Ryan 2, J. Snelling 1, M. Turner 1Total: 4

Fumble Recoveries: R. McLain 2, R. Edwards 2, S. Weatherspoon 1, S. Nicholas 1, T. DeCoud 1, W. Moore 1, J. Babineaux 1, C. Hope 1, P. Jerry 1Total: 11

2012 ATL OPPTOTAL FIRST DOWNS 343 298Rushing 70 99

Passing 247 189

Penalty 26 10

3rd Down: Made/Att 92/204 81/200

3rd Down Pct. 45.1 40.5

4th Down: Made/Att 2/8 6/13

4th Down Pct. 25.0 46.2

POSSESSION AVG. 30:52 29:08 TOTAL NET YARDS 5,906 5.849Avg. Per Game 369.1 365.6

Total Plays 1,021 991

Avg. Per Play 5.8 5.9

NET YARDS RUSHING 1,397 1,971Avg. Per Game 87.3 123.2

Total Rushes 378 411

NET YARDS PASSING 4,509 3,878Avg. Per Game 281.8 242.4

Sacked/Yards Lost 28/210 29/182

Gross Yards 4,719 4,060

Att./Completions 615/422 551/337

SCORE/QTR Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT PTSTeam 91 131 68 129 0 419

Opponents 59 101 55 84 0 299

SCORING TD Ru Pa RT PAT FG 2 TPM.Bryant 0 0 0 0 44/44 33/38 0 143

M. Turner 11 10 1 0 0/0 0/0 0 66

J. Jones 10 0 10 0 0/0 0/0 0 60

T. Gonzalez 8 0 8 0 0/0 0/0 0 48

R. White 7 0 7 0 0/0 0/0 0 42

J. Rodgers 2 1 1 0 0/0 0/0 0 12

J. Snelling 1 0 1 0 0/0 0/0 0 6

D. Davis 1 0 1 0 0/0 0/0 0 6

M. Ryan 1 1 0 0 0/0 0/0 0 6

M. Palmer 1 0 1 0 0/0 0/0 0 6

M. Johnson 1 0 1 0 0/0 0/0 0 6

H. Douglas 1 0 1 0 0/0 0/0 0 6

A. Samuel 1 0 0 1 0/0 0/0 0 6

J. Babineaux 1 0 0 1 0/0 0/0 0 6

Team 46 12 32 2 44/44 33/38 0 419Opponents 31 16 14 1 30/30 27/32 0 299

PASSING ATT CMP YDS CP% YD/AT TD TD% INT INT% LG SK/YDS RTGRyan 615 422 4,719 68.6 7.7 32 5.2 14 2.3 80t 28/210 99.1

Team 615 422 4,719 68.6 7.7 32 5.2 14 2.3 80t 28/210 99.1Opponents 551 337 4,060 61.2 7.4 14 2.5 20 3.6 77t 29/182 77.1

PUNTING NO YDS AVG NET TB I20 LG BBosher 60 2,847 47.5 40.7 4 22 63 2

Team 60 2,847 47.5 40.7 4 22 63 2Opponents 64 3,065 47.9 42.5 7 24 67 0

RUSHING NO YDS AVG LG TDTurner 222 800 3.6 43 10

Rodgers 94 362 3.9 43 1

Ryan 34 141 4.1 16 1

Snelling 18 63 3.5 11 0

Jones 6 30 5.0 18 0

Douglas 2 4 2.0 5 0

McCown 2 -3 -1.5 -1 0

Team 378 1,397 3.7 43 12Opponents 411 1,971 4.8 72t 16

INTS NO YDS AVG LG TD

DeCoud 6 42 7.0 24 0

Samuel 5 110 22.0 79t 1

Moore 4 51 12.8 33 0

McClain 1 32 32.0 32 0

Weatherspoon 1 6 6.0 6 0

Robinson 1 4 4.0 4 0

Nicholas 1 3 3.0 3 0

Babineaux 1 -2 -2.0 -2 0

Team 20 246 12.3 79t 1Opponents 14 158 11.3 34 1

KICK RET NO YDS AVG LG TDRodgers 23 592 25.7 77 0

J. Snelling 2 16 8.0 9 0

Polite 1 24 24.0 24 0

Douglas 1 8 8.0 8 0

Team 27 640 23.7 77 0Opponents 48 1,065 22.2 65 0

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TDGonzalez 93 930 10.0 25 8

White 92 1,351 14.7 59 7

Jones 79 1,198 15.2 80t 10

Rodgers 53 402 7.6 32 1

Douglas 38 396 10.4 37 1

Snelling 31 203 6.5 16 1

Turner 19 128 6.7 60t 1

Palmer 6 22 3.7 6 1

Davis 4 40 10.0 15t 1

Cox 2 19 9.5 8 0

Coff man 1 11 11.0 11 0

Polite 1 8 8.0 8 0

Gallarda 1 7 7.0 7 0

Johnson 1 1 1.0 1 1

Team 422 4,719 11.2 80t 32Opponents 337 4,060 12.0 77t 14

FG’S 1–19 20–29 30–39 40–49 50+Bryant 1/1 8/9 10/11 10/13 4/4

Team 1/1 8/9 10/11 10/13 4/4Opponents 0/0 10/10 8/10 7/8 2/4

DATE ATL OPP

20129/9 @KC 40 24 W 71,1809/17 DEN 27 21 W 70,4279/23 @SD 27 3 W 61,2979/30 CAR 30 28 W 69,59410/7 @WSH 24 17 W 75,33710/14 OAK 23 20 W 69,38310/28 @PHI 30 17 W 69,14411/4 DAL 19 13 W 70,84011/11 @NO 27 31 L 73,12611/18 ARZ 23 19 W 69,63011/25 @TB 24 23 W 54,40011/29 NO 23 13 W 70,51412/9 @CAR 20 30 L 73,29212/16 NYG 34 0 W 70,74112/22 @DET 31 18 W 63,84912/30 TB 17 24 L 69,644

PLAYOFFS1/13 SEA 30 28 W 70,366

Coach: Mike Smith

(13-3) 1st NFC SOUTH

PUNT RET RET FC YDS AVG LG TDFranks 21 18 163 7.8 28 0

Douglas 5 1 42 8.4 11 0

Team 26 19 205 7.9 28 0Opponents 26 23 241 9.3 37 0

2012 STAT PACK

DEFENSIVE TACKLES T A TOTAL TACKLESStephen Nicholas 85 31 116

Sean Weatherspoon 84 30 114

William Moore 74 31 105

Dunta Robinson 83 13 96

Thomas DeCoud 69 20 89

Akeem Dent 57 22 79

Robert McClain 55 10 65

Kroy Biermann 45 8 53

Jonathan Babineaux 33 9 42

Asante Samuel 36 3 39

John Abraham 27 4 31

Vance Walker 31 0 31

Chris Hope 17 12 29

Mike Peterson 12 14 26

Peria Jerry 18 5 23

Corey Peters 14 6 20

Chris Owens 15 2 17

Dominique Franks 13 4 17

Ray Edwards 9 2 11

Cliff Matthews 4 0 4

Brent Grimes 3 0 3

Travian Robertson 2 0 2

Charles Mitchell 0 1 1

Robert James 0 1 1

Lawrence Sidbury 0 1 1

Total 732 235 967

QUARTERBACK SACKS SACKS

INTERCEPTIONS INTsThomas DeCoud 6

A. Samuel 5

William Moore 4

Dunta Robinson 1

Robert McClain 1

Stephen Nicholas 1

Jonathan Babineaux 1

Sean Weatherspoon 1

Total 20

DEFENSIVE FORCED FUMBLES FFJ. Abraham 6

W. Moore 2

J. Babineaux 1

S. Nicholas 1

S. Weatherspoon 1

D. Robinson 1

C. Owens 1

C. Peters 1

V. Walker 1

Total 15

John Abraham 10.0

Kroy Biermann 4.0

Jonathan Babineaux 3.5

Sean Weatherspoon 3.0

Vance Walker 3.0 Stephen Nicholas 2.0

Dunta Robinson 1.5

Thomas DeCoud 1.0

William Moore 1.0

Total 29.0

DEFENSIVE FUMBLE RECOVERIES FRR. Edwards 2

R. McClain 2

T. DeCoud 1

W. Moore 1

S. Weatherspoon 1

S. Nicholas 1

J. Babineaux 1

P. Jerry 1

C. Hope 1

Total 11

PASSESS DEFENSED PDAsante Samuel 19

Robert McClain 10

Thomas DeCoud 9

William Moore 8

Dunta Robinson 8

John Abraham 7

Jonathan Babineaux 5

Stephen Nicholas 4 Christopher Owens 4

Sean Weatherspoon 4

Akeem Dent 2

Dominique Franks 2

Corey Peters 1

Total 83

SPECIAL TEAMS TACKLES T A TOTAL TACKLESChris Hope 8 2 10 Robert James 9 1 10 Kroy Biermann 6 0 6 Chris Owens 5 0 5 Jason Snelling 5 0 5 Drew Davis 4 1 5 Matt Bosher 2 2 4 Robert McClain 4 0 4

Antone Smith 4 0 4

Josh Harris 3 0 3 Akeem Dent 2 1 3 Kevin Cone 3 0 3 Cliff Matthews 3 0 3

Stephen Nicholas 1 1 2 Tommy Gallarda 1 1 2Mike Peterson 2 0 2Jonathan Massaquoi 2 0 2 Mike Peterson 1 0 1Charles Mitchell 1 0 1Sean Weatherspoon 1 0 1 Total 62 9 71

TACKLES FOR LOSS TFLJ. Abraham 15

J. Babineaux 11

K. Biermann 10

S. Weatherspoon 6

S. Nicholas 5

A. Dent 5

D. Robinson 5

V. Walker 5

W. Moore 4

T. DeCoud 3

P. Jerry 2

M. Peterson 2

C. Owens 1

R. Edwards 1

R. McClain 1

Total 75

STAT PACK

2012 STAT PACK

GAME 1ARROWHEAD STADIUM - KANSAS CITY, MO

40-24

Falcons 1 8:51 J. Jones 8 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (12-80, 6:09) 7 0

Chiefs 1 4:02 R. Succop 39 yd. Field Goal (11-56, 4:49) 7 3

Falcons 1 1:57 M. Bryant 34 yd. Field Goal (4-8, 2:05) 10 3

Chiefs 2 11:39 K. Boss 22 yd. pass from M. Cassel (R.Succop kick) (9-76, 5:18) 10 10

Falcons 2 7:48 J. Jones 14 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (8-73, 3:51) 17 10

Chiefs 2 3:38 M. Cassel 5 yd. run (R.Succop kick) (8-80, 4:10) 17 17

Falcons 2 0:10 M. Bryant 21 yd. Field Goal (11-77, 3:28) 20 17

Falcons 3 4:54 M. Ryan 5 yd. run (M.Bryant kick) (9-70, 4:13) 27 17

Falcons 3 3:56 T. Gonzalez 7 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (1-7, 0:06) 34 17

Falcons 4 14:13 M. Bryant 30 yd. Field Goal (5-31, 2:07) 37 17

Falcons 4 10:40 M. Bryant 41 yd. Field Goal (4-8, 2:04) 40 17

Chiefs 4 0:05 S. Draughn 4 yd. run (R.Succop kick) (11-73, 2:56) 40 24

TEAM QTR TIME SCORING PLAY ATL KC

SCORING DRIVE

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

M. Cassel 33 21 258 3/17 1 24 2 72.5

TOTAL 33 21 258 3/17 1 24 2 72.5

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

D. McCluster 6 82 13.7 21 0

D. Bowe 3 53 17.7 23 0

T. Moeaki 3 37 12.3 18 0

P. Hillis 3 8 2.7 4 0

K. Boss 2 36 18.0 22T 1

S. Breaston 2 30 15.0 24 0

S. Draughn 2 12 6.0 9 0

TOTAL 21 258 12.3 24 1

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

J. Charles 16 87 5.4 46 0

S. Draughn 6 29 4.8 14 1

M. Cassel 4 20 5.0 13 1

P. Hillis 7 16 2.3 7 0TOTAL 33 152 4.6 46 2

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

ATLANTA FALCONS

M. Ryan 31 23 299 1/7 3 31 0 136.4TOTAL 31 23 299 1/7 3 31 0 136.4

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

J. Jones 6 108 18.0 31 2R. White 6 87 14.5 26 0

T. Gonzalez 5 53 10.6 25 1

H. Douglas 3 32 10.7 19 0

J. Rodgers 2 13 6.5 7 0

M. Palmer 1 6 6.0 6 0

TOTAL 23 299 13.0 31 3

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

M.Turner 11 32 2.9 11 0M. Ryan 3 25 8.3 11 1J. Rodgers 7 22 3.1 6 0

J. Snelling 2 5 2.5 3 0TOTAL 23 84 3.7 11 1

GAME REVIEWS

2012 STAT PACK

GAME 2GEORGIA DOME, ATLANTA, GA

Falcons 1 13:20 M. Turner 1 yd. run (M.Bryant kick) (3-1, 0:53) 0 7

Falcons 1 9:46 M. Bryant 37 yd. Field Goal (6-24, 2:04) 0 10

Falcons 2 10:05 M. Bryant 42 yd. Fiedl Goal (11-59, 4:57) 0 13

Falcons 2 4:39 T. Gonzalez 1 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (7-73, 4:04) 0 20

Broncos 2 0:06 D. Thomas 17 yd. pass from P. Manning (M.Prater kick) (13-80, 4:33) 7 20

Falcons 3 7:08 R. White 4 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (6-64, 3:17) 7 27

Broncos 4 11:48 W. McGahee 2 yd. run (M.Prater kick) (12-88, 5:02) 14 27

Broncos 4 3:25 W. McGahee 2 yd. run (M.Prater kick) (9-45, 2:48) 21 27

TEAM QTR TIME SCORING PLAY DEN ATL

SCORING DRIVE

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

W. McGahee 22 113 5.1 31 2

L. Ball 1 4 4.0 4 0

K. Moreno 3 2 0.7 4 0P. Manning 1 -1 -1.0 -1 0TOTAL 27 118 4.4 31 2

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

DENVER BRONCOS

P. Manning 37 24 241 3/23 1 18 3 58.5TOTAL 37 24 241 3/23 1 18 3 58.5

27-21

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TDD. Thomas 8 78 9.8 17T 1

E. Decker 4 53 13.3 18 0

B Stokley 3 27 9.0 16 0

J. Dreessen 2 16 8.0 9 0

J. Tamme 2 13 6.5 9 0

W. McGahee 2 11 5.5 10 0

L Ball 1 17 17.0 17 0

M. Willis 1 14 14.0 14 0

K. Moreno 1 12 12.0 12 0

TOTAL 24 241 10.0 18 1

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

ATLANTA FALCONS

M.Ryan 36 24 219 1/11 2 21 0 101.5TOTAL 36 24 219 1/11 2 21 0 101.5

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

R. White 8 102 12.8 21 1

T. Gonzalez 7 70 10.0 16 1

J. Jones 4 14 3.5 6 0

H. Douglas 3 27 9.0 10 0

J. Snelling 1 6 6.0 6 0

M. Turner 1 0 0.0 0 0

TOTAL 28 67 2.4 15 1

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

M. Turner 17 42 2.5 15 1

M. Ryan 6 19 3.2 7 0

J. Rodgers 3 3 1.0 2 0

J. Snelling 1 2 2.0 2 0

J. Jones 1 1 1.0 1 0TOTAL 28 67 2.4 15 1

GAME REVIEWS

2012 STAT PACK

GAME 3QUALCOMM STADIUM, SAN DIEGO, CA

Falcons 1 9:43 J. Rodgers 8 yd. pass from M. Ryan (run failed) (10-80, 5:17) 6 0

Falcons 2 2:32 T. Gonzalez 7 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (17-96, 7:59) 13 0

Falcons 2 0:54 J. Jones 9 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (4-29, 0:59) 20 0

Chargers 3 11:10 N. Kaeding 41 yd. Field Goal (13-41, 3:50) 20 3

Falcons 4 8:51 M. Turner 7 yd. run (M.Bryant kick) (3-32, 1:35) 27 3

TEAM QTR TIME SCORING PLAY ATL SD

SCORING DRIVE

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

M. Turner 14 80 25 5.7 1J. Rodgers 10 32 3.2 9 0M. Ryan 1 4 4.0 4 0J. Snelling 1 3 3.0 3 0TOTAL 26 119 4.6 25 1

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

ATLANTA FALCONS

M. Ryan 40 30 275 2/10 3 29 1 107.8TOTAL 40 30 275 2/10 3 29 1 107.8

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

J. Battle 3 55 18.3 52 0R. Mathews 10 44 4.4 7 0E. Royal 1 10 10.0 10 0C. Brinkley 1 5 5.0 5 0P. Rivers 2 2 1.0 3 0TOTAL 17 116 6.8 52 0

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

P. Rivers 38 21 173 1/9 0 28 2 45.2

TOTAL 38 21 173 1/9 0 28 2 45.2

27-3

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

T. Gonzalez 9 91 10.1 15 1

J. Jones 5 67 13.4 29 1

R. White 5 55 11.0 19 0

J. Rodgers 5 35 7.0 11 1

H. Douglas 2 13 6.5 10 0

M. Turner 2 1 0.5 1 0

J. Snelling 2 3 1.5 6 0

M. Palmer 1 1 1.0 1 0

TOTAL 30 275 9.2 29 3

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

R. Mathews 5 32 6.4 11 0

R. Meachem 4 43 10.8 19 0

M. Floyd 3 52 17.3 28 0

A. Gates 3 22 7.3 14 0

C. Brinkley 2 12 6.0 7 0

E. Royal 2 7 3.5 4 0

R. McMichael 1 5 5.0 5 0

D. Rosario 1 0 0.0 0 0

TOTAL 21 173 8.2 28 0

GAME REVIEWS

2012 STAT PACK

GAME 4GEORGIA DOME, ATLANTA, GA

Panthers 1 11:45 G. Olsen 17 yd. pass from C. Newton (J.Medlock kick) (5-53, 2:29) 0 7

Falcons 1 0:26 R. White 49 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (3-77, 1:30) 7 7

Falcons 2 13:11 M. Bryant 41 yd. Field Goal (6-7, 2:05) 10 7

Panthers 2 8:44 D. Williams 13 yd. run (J.Medlock kick) (7-79, 4:27) 10 14

Falcons 2 1:49 R. White 14 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (8-51, 3:40) 17 14

Falcons 3 10:17 M. Turner 60 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (3-72, 1:37) 24 14

Panthers 3 3:16 C. Newton 4 yd. run (J.Medlock kick) (12-77, 7:01) 24 21

Panthers 4 7:55 K. Pilares 36 yd. pass from C. Newton (J.Medlock kick) (6-88, 3:23) 24 28

Falcons 4 4:57 M. Bryant 36 yd. Field Goal (9-65, 2:58) 27 28

Falcons 4 0:05 M. Bryant 40 yd. Field Goal (5-77, 0:54) 30 28

TEAM QTR TIME SCORING PLAY ATL CAR

SCORING DRIVE

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

M. Turner 13 103 7.9 27 0J. Rodgers 6 18 3.0 5 0TOTAL 19 121 6.4 27 0

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

CAROLINA PANTHERS

C. Newton 24 15 215 3/10 2 36 0 119.3

A. Edwards 1 0 0 0/0 0 0 0 39.6

TOTAL 25 15 215 3/10 2 36 0 114.6

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

ATLANTA FALCONS

M. Ryan 40 25 369 7/64 3 60 1 107.2TOTAL 40 25 369 7/64 3 60 1 107.2

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

R. White 8 169 21.1 59 2

T. Gonzalez 5 51 10.2 14 0

J. Rodgers 4 40 10.0 15 0

M. Turner 3 68 22.7 60 1

J. Snelling 3 5 1.7 5 0

J. Jones 1 30 30.0 30 0H. Douglas 1 6 6.0 6 0TOTAL 25 369 14.8 60 3

30-28

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

G. Olsen 6 89 14.8 34 1

S. Smith 3 52 17.3 27 0

K Pilares 1 36 36.0 36T 1

A. Edwards 1 12 12.0 12 0

M. Tolbert 1 8 8.0 8 0

L. Murphy 1 8 8.0 8 0

J. Stewart 1 8 8.0 8 0

D. Williams 1 2 2.0 2 0

TOTAL 15 215 14.3 36 2

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

C. Newton 9 86 9.6 32 1D. Williams 11 49 4.5 13T 1J. Stewart 10 40 4.0 15 0M. Tolbert 4 14 3.5 6 0S. Smith 1 10 10.0 10 0TOTAL 35 199 5.7 32 2

GAME REVIEWS

2012 STAT PACK

GAME 5FEDEX FIELD, LANDOVER, MD

Redskins 2 10:11 R. Kerrigan 28 yd. interception return (B.Cundiff kick) 0 7

Falcons 2 0:30 T. Gonzalez 1 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (8-79, 1:46) 7 7

Redskins 3 5:56 B. Cundiff 23 yd. Field Goal (8-34, 3:29) 7 10

Falcons 4 13:23 J. Jones 18 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (6-47, 2:32) 14 10

Redskins 4 12:24 S. Moss 77 yd. pass from K. Cousins (B.Cundiff kick) (3-78, 0:59) 14 17

Falcons 4 7:42 M. Bryant 53 yd. Field Goal (9-45, 4:42) 17 17

Falcons 4 2:46 M. Turner 13 yd. run (M.Bryant kick) (6-69, 2:54) 24 17

TEAM QTR TIME SCORING PLAY ATL WSH

SCORING DRIVE

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

M. Turner 18 67 3.7 13 1

H. Douglas 1 5 5.0 5 0

M. Ryan 4 4 1.0 6 0J. Rodgers 3 4 1.3 2 0J. Snelling 1 2 2.0 2 0J. Jones 1 1 1.0 1 0TOTAL 28 83 3.0 13 1

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

ATLANTA FALCONS

M. Ryan 52 34 345 1/7 2 29 1 89.0

TOTAL 52 34 345 1/7 2 29 1 89.0

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

T. Gonzalez 13 123 9.5 21 1

J. Jones 10 94 9.4 29 1

R. White 4 68 17.0 20 0

H. Douglas 2 34 17.0 19 0

M. Turner 2 2 1.0 5 0

J. Snelling 1 9 9.0 9 0

J. Rodgers 1 8 8.0 8 0

T. Gallarda 1 7 7.0 7 0

TOTAL 34 345 10.1 29 2

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

WASHINGTON REDSKINS

R. Griffi n 15 10 91 2/9 0 20 0 82.9

K. Cousins 9 5 111 1/6 1 77 2 97.2

TOTAL 24 15 202 3/15 1 77 2 68.4

24-17

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

A. Morris 18 115 6.4 29 0R. Griffi n 1 7 7.0 7 0R. Grant 1 5 5.0 5 0L. Hankerson 1 2 2.0 2 0TOTAL 21 129 6.1 29 0

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

F. Davis 5 54 10.8 18 0

P. Garcon 3 24 8.0 20 0

S. Moss 2 80 40.0 77 1

A. Morris 1 20 20.0 20 0

A. Robinson 1 10 10.0 10 0

E. Royster 1 7 7.0 7 0

J. Morgan 1 4 4.0 4 0

L. Hankerson 1 3 3.0 3 0

TOTAL 15 202 13.5 77 1

GAME REVIEWS

2012 STAT PACK

GAME 6GEORGIA DOME, ATLANTA, GA

Raiders 1 0:24 S. Janikowski 52 yd. Field Goal (8-65, 4:24) 3 0

Falcons 2 9:51 R. White 4 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (10-80, 5:33) 3 7

Raiders 2 4:11 S. Janikowski 22 yd. Field Goal (10-76, 5:40) 6 7

Raiders 2 1:50 D. Moore 25 yd. pass from C. Palmer (S.Janikowski kick) (2-28, 0:54) 13 7

Falcons 3 5:06 M. Bryant 41 yd. Field Goal (9-47, 3:29) 13 10

Falcons 3 2:31 M. Bryant 20 yd. Field Goal (4-0, 1:53) 13 13

Falcons 4 2:40 A. Samuel 79 yd. interception return (M.Bryant kick) 13 20

Raiders 4 0:40 D. McFadden 2 yd. run (S.Janikowski kick) (8-80, 2:00) 20 20

Falcons 4 0:01 M. Bryant 55 yd. Field Goal (7-43, 0:39) 20 23

TEAM QTR TIME SCORING PLAY OAK ATL

SCORING DRIVE

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

OAKLAND RAIDERS

C. Palmer 33 23 353 3/28 1 49 1 102.2TOTAL 33 23 353 3/28 1 49 1 102.2

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

M. Turner 11 33 3.0 9 0

M. Ryan 1 15 15.0 15 0J. Snelling 1 -1 -1.0 -1 0

J. Rodgers 2 -2 -1.0 0 0TOTAL 15 45 3.0 15 0

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

ATLANTA FALCONS

M. Ryan 37 24 249 1/8 1 26 3 59.4

TOTAL 37 24 249 1/8 1 26 3 59.4

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

R. White 6 72 12.0 26 1

H. Douglas 5 37 7.4 20 0

J. Jones 4 63 15.8 25 0

T. Gonzalez 4 42 10.5 13 0

J. Rodgers 3 21 7.0 9 0

L. Polite 1 8 8.0 8 0

M. Turner 1 6 6.0 6 0

TOTAL 24 249 10.4 26 1

23-20

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

D. McFadden 27 70 2.6 14 1

M. Goodson 4 59 14.8 43 0

D. Heyward-Bey 1 20 20.0 20 0

TOTAL 32 149 4.7 43 1

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

D. Moore 5 104 20.8 49 1

B Myers 5 62 12.4 18 0

D. Hagan 4 85 21.3 38 0

D. McFadden 3 28 9.3 20 0

R. Streater 3 24 8.0 14 0

M. Goodson 1 37 37.0 37 0

D. Ausberry 1 12 12.0 12 0

M. Reece 1 1 1.0 1 0

TOTAL 23 353 15.3 49 1

GAME REVIEWS

2012 STAT PACK

GAME 7LINCOLN FINANCIAL FIELD, PHILADELPHIA, PA

Falcons 1 6:16 D. Davis 15 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (16-80, 8:44) 7 0

Falcons 1 0:32 J. Snelling 3 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (8-51, 4:18) 14 0

Eagles 2 8:18 L. McCoy 2 yd. run (A.Henery kick) (13-66, 7:14) 14 7

Falcons 2 6:33 J. Jones 63 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (3-73, 1:45) 21 7

Falcons 2 0:02 M. Bryant 43 yd. Field Goal (13-66, 2:46) 24 7

Eagles 3 11:20 A. Henery 33 yd. Field Goal (9-68, 3:40) 24 10

Falcons 3 6:10 M. Bryant 29 yd. Field Goal (12-69, 5:10) 27 10

Falcons 4 14:57 M. Bryant 30 yd. Field Goal (9-78, 5:05) 30 10

Eagles 4 7:18 L. McCoy 7 yd. pass from M. Vick (A.Henery kick) (16-80, 7:39) 30 17

TEAM QTR TIME SCORING PLAY ATL PHI

SCORING DRIVE

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

ATLANTA FALCONS

M. Ryan 29 22 262 2/16 3 63 0 137.4TOTAL 29 22 262 2/16 3 63 0 137.4

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

M. Vick 21 35 191 3/13 1 32 0 84.3

TOTAL 21 35 191 3/13 1 32 0 84.3

30-17

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TDJ. Rodgers 8 60 7.5 43 0

M. Turner 24 58 2.4 11 0

M. Ryan 3 18 6.0 10 0

J. Jones 1 9 9.0 9 0J. Snelling 1 1 1.0 1 0TOTAL 37 146 3.9 43 0

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TDJ. Jones 5 123 24.6 63 1

J. Rodgers 5 20 4.0 5 0

R. White 3 38 12.7 14 0

T. Gonzalez 3 29 9.7 11 0

J. Snelling 3 16 5.3 8 1

D. Davis 2 30 15.0 15 1

M. Turner 1 6 6.0 6 0

TOTAL 22 262 11.9 63 3

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

L. McCoy 16 45 2.8 10 1M. Vick 7 42 6.0 13 0B. Brown 1 5 5.0 5 0TOTAL 24 92 3.8 13 1

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

J. Maclin 6 33 5.5 12 0

D. Jackson 5 59 11.8 32 0

J. Avant 4 45 11.3 14 0

B. Celek 3 32 10.7 16 0

L. McCoy 3 22 7.3 11 1

TOTAL 21 191 9.1 32 1

GAME REVIEWS

2012 STAT PACK

GAME 8GEORGIA DOME, ATLANTA, GA

Cowboys 1 10:46 D. Bailey 23 yd. Field Goal (7-27, 3:07) 3 0

Cowboys 1 3:42 D. Bailey 32 yd. Field Goal (7-59, 2:33) 6 0

Falcons 2 14:15 M. Bryant 45 yd. Field Goal (8-46, 4:27) 6 3

Falcons 2 0:00 M. Bryant 46 yd. Field Goal (7-60, 1:03) 6 6

Falcons 4 14:16 M. Turner 3 yd. run (M.Bryant kick) (6-81, 3:23) 6 13

Falcons 4 7:49 M. Bryant 36 y.d Field Goal (9-62, 4:50) 6 16

Cowboys 4 5:21 K. Ogletree 21 yd. pass from T. Romo (D.Bailey kick) (6-78, 2:28) 13 16

Falcons 4 0:17 M. Bryant 32 yd. Field Goal (12-66, 5:04) 13 19

TEAM QTR TIME SCORING PLAY DAL ATL

SCORING DRIVE

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

M. Turner 20 102 5.1 43 1

M. Ryan 1 8 8.0 8 0

J. Jones 1 8 8.0 8 0

J. Snelling 1 5 5.0 5 0

J. Rodgers 3 0 0.0 3 0

TOTAL 26 123 4.7 43 1

19-13

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

DALLAS COWBOYS

T. Romo 35 25 321 1/9 1 65 0 109.3

TOTAL 35 25 321 1/9 1 65 0 109.3

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TDM. Austin 7 76 10.9 20 0

J. Witten 7 51 7.3 11 0

F. Jones 5 70 14.0 39 0

K. Ogletree 3 96 32.0 65 1

D. Bryant 1 15 15.0 15 0

C. Beasley 1 8 8.0 8 0

L. Vickers 1 5 5.0 5 0

TOTAL 25 321 12.8 65 1

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

F. Jones 9 39 4.3 15 0

L. Dunbar 8 26 3.3 18 0

P. Tanner 1 0 0.0 0 0

TOTAL 18 65 3.6 18 0

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

ATLANTA FALCONS

M. Ryan 34 24 342 3/12 0 48 0 102.8TOTAL 34 24 342 3/12 0 48 0 102.8

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TDR. White 7 118 16.9 26 0

J. Jones 5 129 25.8 48 0

J. Rodgers 4 53 13.3 31 0

T. Gonzalez 4 36 9.0 15 0

J. Snelling 3 1 0.3 2 0

M. Palmer 1 5 5.0 5 0

TOTAL 24 342 14.3 48 0

GAME REVIEWS

2012 STAT PACK

GAME 9MERCEDES-BENZ SUPERDOME, NEW ORLEANS, LA

Falcons 1 11:38 M. Johnson 1 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (7-80, 3:22) 7 0

Falcons 1 9:19 M. Bryant 37 yd. Field Goal (4-8, 2:07) 10 0

Saints 1 6:49 C. Ivory 56 yd. run (G.Hartley kick) (6-78, 2:30) 10 7

Saints 2 13:33 J. Graham 29 yd. pass from D. Brees (G.Hartley kick) (11-90, 5:23) 10 14

Falcons 2 6:27 T. Gonzalez 2 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (14-80, 7:06) 17 14

Saints 2 0:34 J. Graham 14 yd. pass from D. Brees (G.Hartley kick) (8-69, 1:43) 17 21

Saints 3 9:23 M. Colston 7 yd. pass from D. Brees (G.Hartley kick) (7-81, 3:31) 17 28

Falcons 4 13:27 T. Gonzalez 6 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (11-91, 5:46) 24 28

Falcons 4 9:08 M. Bryant 20 yd. Field Goal (6-67, 2:42) 27 28

Saints 4 5:54 G. Hartley 31 yd. Field Goal (9-67, 3:14) 27 31

TEAM QTR TIME SCORING PLAY ATL NO

SCORING DRIVE

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TDJ. Rodgers 3 29 9.7 18 0M. Turner 13 15 1.2 9 0M. Ryan 2 2 1.0 1 0TOTAL 18 46 2.6 18 0

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

ATLANTA FALCONS

M. Ryan 52 34 411 1/3 3 52 1 100.7TOTAL 52 34 411 1/3 3 52 1 100.7

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

C. Ivory 7 72 10.3 56 1M. Ingram 16 67 4.2 8 0P. Thomas 5 10 2.0 4 0 D. Brees 1 -1 -1.0 -1 0TOTAL 29 148 5.1 56 1

31-27

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

T. Gonzalez 11 122 11.1 19 2R. White 7 114 16.3 49 0J. Jones 4 75 18.8 52 0

H. Douglas 4 49 12.3 23 0

J. Rodgers 4 33 8.3 15 0

J. Snelling 2 12 6.0 6 0

M. Palmer 1 5 5.0 5 0

M. Johnson 1 1 1.0 1 1

TOTAL 34 411 12.1 52 3

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

J. Graham 7 146 20.9 46 2

L. Moore 7 91 13.0 29 0

M. Colston 3 26 8.7 12 1

T. Cadet 2 16 8.0 10 0

C. Ivory 1 13 13.0 13 0

P. Thomas 1 6 6.0 6 0

TOTAL 21 298 14.2 46 3

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

D. Brees 32 21 298 1/6 3 46 1 113.8TOTAL 32 21 298 1/6 3 46 1 113.8

GAME REVIEWS

2012 STAT PACK

GAME 10GEORGIA DOME, ATLANTA, GA

Cardinals 1 13:54 L. Stephens-Howling 3 yd. run (J.Feely kick) (2-9, 0:47) 7 0

Cardinals 1 10:59 J. Feely 48 yd. Field Goal (5-40, 2:00) 10 0

Cardinals 1 1:02 J. Feely 28 yd. Field Goal (4-9, 1:38) 13 0

Falcons 2 9:39 M. Bryant 51 yd. Field Goal (13-47, 6:23) 13 3

Falcons 2 8:37 J. Babineaux 15 yd. fumble return (M.Bryant kick) 13 10

Falcons 2 1:52 M. Bryant 28 yd. Field Goal (10-81, 4:56) 13 13

Cardinals 2 0:32 J. Feely 38 yd. Field Goal (6-74, 1:20) 16 13

Falcons 2 0:00 M. Bryant 48 yd. Field Goal (5-50, 0:32) 16 16

Cardinals 4 14:56 J. Feely 27 yd. Field Goal (4-7, 1:47) 19 16

Falcons 4 6:40 M. Turner 1 yd. run (M. Bryant kick) (7-70, 3:04) 19 23

TEAM QTR TIME SCORING PLAY ARZ ATL

SCORING DRIVE

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

Stephens-Howling 22 127 5.8 52 1

W. Powell 4 10 2.5 6 0

TOTAL 26 137 5.3 52 1

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

ARIZONA CARDINALS

R. Lindley 20 9 64 3/29 0 17 0 52.9

J. Skelton 7 2 6 0/0 0 5 0 39.6

TOTAL 27 11 70 3/29 0 17 0 48.5

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

M. Turner 15 46 3.1 10 1

J. Rodgers 5 16 3.2 6 0

J. Snelling 1 -1 -1.0 -1 0

M. Ryan 3 -3 -1.0 -1 0

TOTAL 24 58 2.4 10 1

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

ATLANTA FALCONS

M. Ryan 46 28 301 1/5 0 37 5 40.5

TOTAL 46 28 301 1/5 0 37 5 40.5

23-19

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

E. Doucet 5 28 5.6 8 0

M. Floyd 2 18 9.0 17 0

Stephens-Howling 2 6 3.0 5 0

L. Fitzgerald 1 11 11.0 11 0

A. Roberts 1 7 7.0 7 0

TOTAL 11 70 6.4 17 0

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

R. White 8 123 15.4 37 0

H. Douglas 5 48 9.6 26 0

J. Rodgers 5 35 7.0 17 0

T. Gonzalez 3 33 11.0 12 0

J. Jones 3 33 11.0 20 0

J. Snelling 3 25 8.3 13 0

D. Davis 1 4 4.0 4 0

TOTAL 28 301 10.8 37 0

GAME REVIEWS

2012 STAT PACK

GAME 11RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM, TAMPA BAY, FL

Falcons 1 7:38 M. Bryant 31 yd. Field Goal (12-67, 7:22) 3 0

Bucs 1 1:12 D. Martin 1 yd. run (C. Barth kick) (10-81, 6:26) 3 7

Falcons 2 10:25 J. Rodgers 5 yd. run (M. Bryant kick) (10-75, 5:47) 10 7

Bucs 2 3:37 C. Barth 22 yd. Field Goal (5-27, 2:10) 10 10

Bucs 3 8:37 C. Barth 42 yd. Field Goal (13-62, 6:23) 10 13

Falcons 3 8:26 J. Jones 80 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (1-80, 0:11) 17 13

Bucs 4 14:56 D. Martin 1 yd. run (C. Barth kick) (9-82, 5:16) 17 20

Bucs 4 10:28 C. Barth 48 yd. Field Goal (4-6, 0:55) 17 23

Falcons 4 7:55 M. Turner 3 yd. run (M.Bryant kick) (6-64, 2:33) 24 23

TEAM QTR TIME SCORING PLAY ATL TB

SCORING DRIVE

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

ATLANTA FALCONS

M. Ryan 32 26 353 1/8 1 80 1 110.0

TOTAL 32 26 353 1/8 1 80 1 110.0

24-23

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

D. Martin 21 50 2.4 10 2

TOTAL 21 50 2.4 10 2

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

V. Jackson 5 96 19.2 31 0

T. Underwood 5 77 15.4 39 0

D. Clark 4 65 16.3 22 0

M. Williams 3 28 9.3 14 0

D. Martin 2 13 6.5 8 0

L. Stocker 1 5 5.0 5 0

TOTAL 20 284 14.2 39 0

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

J. Rodgers 10 49 4.9 20 1

M. Turner 13 17 1.3 9 1

M. Ryan 1 13 13.0 13 0

TOTAL 24 79 3.3 20 2

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TDJ. Jones 6 147 24.5 80 1

T. Gonzalez 5 62 12.4 20 0

R. White 5 57 11.4 29 0

J. Snelling 3 33 11.0 14 0

M. Turner 3 13 4.3 8 0

J. Rodgers 2 30 15.0 32 0

H. Douglas 2 11 5.5 6 0

TOTAL 26 353 13.6 80 1

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

J. Freeman 30 19 256 2/8 0 39 0 90.4

M. Williams 1 1 28 0/0 0 28 0 118.8

TOTAL 31 20 284 2/8 0 39 0 94.0

GAME REVIEWS

2012 STAT PACK

GAME 12GEORGIA DOME, ATLANTA, GA

Falcons 1 11:09 M. Turner 3 yd. run (M.Bryant kick) (6-80, 3:51) 0 7

Falcons 2 14:08 T. Gonzalez 17 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (5-49, 2:28) 0 14

Falcons 2 8:53 M. Bryant 45 y.d Field Goal (4-2, 0:51) 0 17

Saints 2 3:17 M. Ingram 1 yd. run (G. Hartley kick) (11-80, 5:36) 7 17

Saints 3 8:24 G. Hartley 21 yd. Field Goal (15-83, 6:36) 10 17

Saints 3 3:53 G. Hartley 52 yd. Field Goal (8-36, 2:49) 13 17

Falcons 4 14:48 M. Bryant 29 yd. Field Goal (7-30, 2:50) 13 20

Falcons 4 4:25 M. Bryant 55 yd. Field Goal (11-43, 5:38) 13 23

TEAM QTR TIME SCORING PLAY NO ATL

SCORING DRIVE

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

P. Thomas 14 84 6.0 13 0M. Ingram 6 13 2.2 5 1C. Ivory 3 4 1.3 6 0TOTAL 18 70 3.9 16 0

23-13

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

L. Moore 7 123 17.6 32 0

M. Colston 6 71 11.8 21 0

D. Sproles 5 47 9.4 14 0

J. Graham 4 59 14.8 25 0

J. Collins 2 2 1.0 2 0

J. Morgan 1 38 38.0 38 0

P. Thomas 1 5 5.0 5 0

M. Ingram 1 -1 -1.0 -1 0

M. Higgins 1 -3 -3.0 -3 0

TOTAL 28 341 12.2 38 0

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

M. Turner 12 83 6.9 35 1J. Rodgers 8 43 5.4 14 0M. Ryan 3 -2 -0.7 0 0TOTAL 23 124 5.4 35 1

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

D. Brees 50 28 341 1/6 0 38 5 37.6TOTAL 50 28 341 1/6 0 38 5 37.6

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TDJ. Jones 5 48 9.6 18 0T. Gonzalez 4 58 14.5 18 1J. Snelling 4 28 7.0 15 0J. Rodgers 2 -4 -2.0 2 0R. White 1 20 20.0 20 0M. Cox 1 8 8.0 8 0M. Turner 1 7 7.0 7 0TOTAL 18 165 9.2 20 1

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

ATLANTA FALCONS

M. Ryan 33 18 165 1/6 1 20 0 78.5

TOTAL 33 18 165 1/6 1 20 0 78.5

GAME REVIEWS

2012 STAT PACK

GAME 13BANK OF AMERICA STADIUM, CHARLOTTE, NC

Panthers 1 7:49 G. Olsen 25 yd. pass from C. Newton (G.Gano kick) (11-77, 7:11) 0 7

Panthers 2 10:55 G. Gano 24 yd. Field Goal (17-72, 9:17) 0 10

Panthers 2 4:58 G. Gano 41 yd. Field Goal (7-52, 3:45) 0 13

Panthers 2 0:00 G. Gano 31 yd. Field Goal (13-59, 3:35) 0 16

Panthers 3 11:01 C. Newton 72 yd. run (G.Gano kick) (4-86, 2:08) 0 23

Falcons 3 4:48 R. White 4 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (13-84, 6:13) 7 23

Falcons 4 13:57 J. Jones 11 yd. pass from M. Ryan (pass failed) (11-80, 3:41) 13 23

Panthers 4 4:11 D. Williams 53 yd. pass from C. Newton (G.Gano kick) (4-60, 2:08) 13 30

Falcons 4 0:53 M. Turner 1 yd. run (M.Bryant kick) (13-80, 3:18) 20 30

TEAM QTR TIME SCORING PLAY ATL CAR

SCORING DRIVE

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

J. Rodgers 4 21 5.3 6 0M. Turner 7 14 2.0 5 1TOTAL 11 35 3.2 6 1

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

C. Newton 9 116 12.9 72 1

D. Williams 17 56 3.3 13 0

M. Tolbert 5 20 4.0 7 0

J. Adams 1 3 3.0 3 0

TOTAL 32 195 6.1 72 1

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

ATLANTA FALCONS

M. Ryan 49 34 342 2/15 2 21 1 94.1TOTAL 49 34 342 2/15 2 21 1 94.1

30-20

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

R.White 9 117 13.0 18 1T.Gonzalez 8 61 7.6 16 0J. Rodgers 6 43 7.2 9 0J. Jones 5 66 13.2 21 1H. Douglas 2 29 14.5 19 0C. Coff man 1 11 11.0 11 0D. Davis 1 6 6.0 6 0J. Snelling 1 5 5.0 5 0M. Palmer 1 4 4.0 4 0TOTAL 34 342 10.1 21 2

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

S. Smith 7 109 15.6 22 0L. Murphy 5 36 7.2 16 0

G. Olsen 4 55 13.8 25 1

M. Tolbert 3 18 6.0 8 0

D. Williams 2 56 28.0 53 1

A. Edwards 1 7 7.0 7 0

G. Barnidge 1 6 6.0 6 0

TOTAL 23 287 12.5 53 2

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

CAROLINA PANTHERS

C. Newton 35 23 287 1/7 2 53 0 110.1TOTAL 35 23 287 1/7 2 53 0 110.1

GAME REVIEWS

2012 STAT PACK

GAME 14GEORGIA DOME, ATLANTA, GA

Falcons 1 12:12 M. Turner 1 yd. run (M. Bryant kick) (4-16, 1:51) 0 7

Falcons 1 1:43 T. Gonzalez 12 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (10-80, 5:42) 0 14

Falcons 2 10:22 M. Bryant 38 yd. Field Goal 0 17

Falcons 3 11:31 J. Jones 40 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (8-80, 3:29) 0 24

Falcons 3 0:10 M. Bryant 19 yd. Field Goal (12-73, 6:43) 0 27

Falcons 4 4:57 J. Jones 3 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (13-69, 9:14) 0 34

TEAM QTR TIME SCORING PLAY NYG ATL

SCORING DRIVE

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

NEW YORK GIANTS

E. Manning 25 13 161 1/2 0 37 2 38.9TOTAL 25 13 161 1/2 0 37 2 38.9

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

ATLANTA FALCONS

M. Ryan 28 23 270 1/5 3 40 0 142.6

TOTAL 28 23 270 1/5 3 40 0 142.6

34-0

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

D. Hixon 5 80 16.0 37 0

H. Nicks 3 40 13.3 24 0

V. Cruz 3 15 5.0 7 0

M. Bennett 1 15 15.0 15 0

D. Wilson 1 11 11.0 11 0

TOTAL 13 161 12.4 37 0

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TDM. Turner 16 52 3.3 14 1

J. Snelling 6 39 6.5 11 0

J. Rodgers 11 25 2.3 6 0

J. Jones 1 18 18.0 18 0

H. Douglas 1 -1 -1.0 -1 0

M. Ryan 1 -1 -1.0 -1 0

L. McCown 2 -3 -3.0 -1 0

TOTAL 38 129 3.4 18 1

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

J. Jones 6 74 12.3 40 2T. Gonzalez 6 49 8.2 12 1H. Douglas 3 83 27.7 37 0J. Snelling 3 14 4.7 14 0R. White 2 16 8.0 11 0J. Rodgers 1 14 14.0 14 0M. Cox 1 11 11.0 11 0M. Turner 1 9 9.0 9 0TOTAL 23 270 11.7 40 3

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

D. Wilson 12 55 4.6 25 0K. Lumpkin 9 42 4.7 22 0TOTAL 21 97 4.6 25 0

GAME REVIEWS

2012 STAT PACK

GAME 15FORD FIELD, DETROIT, MI

Falcons 1 5:50 R. White 44 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (4-69, 2:22) 7 0

Lions 1 0:13 J. Hanson 34 yd. Field Goal (11-58, 5:37) 7 3

Falcons 2 9:54 R. White 39 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (9-80, 5:19) 14 3

Falcons 2 1:17 J. Jones 16 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (7-40, 2:47) 21 3

Lions 2 0:02 J. Hanson 38 yd. Field Goal (7-65, 1:15) 21 6

Lions 3 6:59 M. Leshoure 1 yd. run (J. Hanson kick) (10-60, 6:36) 21 13

Lions 4 13:26 J. Hanson 20 yd. Field Goal (12-83, 6:55) 21 16

Falcons 4 7:12 M. Palmer 1 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M.Bryant kick) (11-78, 6:14) 28 16

Falcons 4 3:05 M. Bryant 20 yd. Field Goal (8-40, 3:58) 31 16

Lions 4 1:21 M. Turner tackled in end zone by K. Vanden Bosch for a safety 31 18

TEAM QTR TIME SCORING PLAY ATL DET

SCORING DRIVE

31-18

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TDM. Turner 13 41 3.2 22 0

M. Ryan 2 25 12.5 16 0J. Rodgers 6 14 2.3 5 0J. Jones 1 -7 -7.0 -7 0TOTAL 22 73 3.3 22 0

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

ATLANTA FALCONS

M. Ryan 32 25 279 1/8 4 44 0 142.6TOTAL 32 25 279 1/8 4 44 0 142.6

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TDR. White 8 153 19.1 44 2

J. Jones 7 71 10.1 16 1

M. Turner 4 16 4.0 12 0

H. Douglas 2 6 3.0 5 0

J. Snelling 1 12 12.0 12 0

J. Rodgers 1 11 11.0 11 0

T. Gonzalez 1 9 9.0 9 0

M. Palmer 1 1 1.0 1 1

TOTAL 25 279 11.2 44 4

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

M. Leshoure 15 46 3.1 9 1

S. Logan 1 13 13.0 13 0J. Bell 4 10 2.5 7 0M. Thomas 1 8 8.0 8 0M. Staff ord 1 2 2.0 2 0TOTAL 22 79 3.6 13 1

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

DETROIT LIONS

M. Staff ord 56 37 443 0/0 0 49 1 82.7

TOTAL 56 37 443 0/0 0 49 1 82.7

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

C. Johnson 11 225 20.5 49 0

J. Bell 9 73 8.1 16 0

T. Scheffl er 4 41 10.3 18 0

W. Heller 4 34 8.5 16 0

M. Leshoure 3 20 6.7 11 0

K. Durham 2 32 16.0 18 0

B. Robiskie 1 5 5.0 5 0

M. Thomas 1 5 5.0 5 0

K. Smith 1 4 4.0 4 0

S. Logan 1 4 4.0 4 0

TOTAL 37 443 12.0 49 0

GAME REVIEWS

2012 STAT PACK

GAME 16GEORGIA DOME, ATLANTA, GA

Bucs 1 6:24 C. Barth 48 yd. Field Goal (9-60, 4:25) 3 0

Falcons 1 2:24 M. Bryant 28 yd. Field Goal (9-62, 4:00) 3 3

Bucs 2 8:43 M. Williams 8 yd. pass from J. Freeman (C.Barth kick) (7-64, 3:55) 10 3

Bucs 2 3:03 C. Barth 22 yd. Field Goal (7-22, 3:03) 13 3

Bucs 3 10:47 C. Barth 42 yd. Field Goal (11-56, 4:13) 16 3

Falcons 3 3:45 M. Turner 17 yd. run (M. Bryant kick) (2-21, 0:41) 16 10

Bucs 3 1:43 D. Martin 40 yd. run (pass failed) (4-80, 2:02) 22 10

Falcons 4 7:02 H. Douglas 7 yd. pass from M. Ryan (M. Bryant kick) (9-52, 4:21) 22 17

TEAM QTR TIME SCORING PLAY TB ATL

SCORING DRIVE

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

D. Martin 28 142 5.1 40 1

T. Underwood 1 1 1.0 1 0

J. Freeman 1 1 1.0 1 0

TOTAL 30 144 4.8 40 1

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

J. Freeman 35 19 222 0/0 1 27 1 71.4

TOTAL 35 19 222 0/0 1 27 1 71.4

PASSING ATT CP YD SK TD LG INT RT

ATLANTA FALCONS

M.Ryan 44 28 238 2/25 1 28 0 85.2TOTAL 44 28 238 2/25 1 28 0 85.2

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

J. Rodgers 8 50 6.3 13 0

R. White 5 42 8.4 14 0

T. Gonzalez 5 41 8.2 15 0

H. Douglas 4 21 5.3 10 1

J. Jones 3 56 18.7 28 0

J. Snelling 2 25 12.5 16 0

M. Cox 1 3 3.0 3 0

TOTAL 28 238 8.5 28 1

22-17

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD

M. Williams 6 65 10.8 23 1

D. Martin 4 18 4.5 12 0

V. Jackson 3 50 16.7 27 0

L. Stocker 3 50 16.7 26 0

T. Underwood 2 27 13.5 17 0

E. Lorig 1 12 12.0 12 0

TOTAL 19 222 11.7 27 1

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD

J. Rodgers 5 28 5.6 16 0

M. Turner 6 18 3.0 17 1

M. Ryan 2 11 5.5 6 0

J. Snelling 3 8 2.7 7 0

TOTAL 16 65 4.1 17 1

GAME REVIEWS

2012 STAT PACK

55 Abraham, J. RE RE RE RE RE RE P RE RE RE RE RE RE LE RE RE 16 15 0 0

95 Babineaux, J. DT DT DT DT DT DT DT DT LE DT DT LE DT RE LE LE 16 16 0 0

72 Baker, S. LT LT LT LT LT LT LT LT LT LT LT LT LT LT LT LT 16 16 0 0

71 Biermann, K. LE LE P P P P LE P P P P P P P P P 16 3 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

5 Bosher, M. P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P 16 0 0 0

3 Bryant, M. P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P 16 0 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

86 Coff man, C. P P P P IA IA P 5 0 0 2

15 Cone, K. P P P P P P P IA IA IA P P P P P IR 12 0 0 3

42 Cox, M. FB P FB FB FB FB FB FB 8 7 0 0

4 David, D. IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA 0 0 0 16

19 Davis, Drew P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P 16 0 0 0

28 DeCoud, T. S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S 16 16 0 0

52 Dent, A. P P MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB 16 14 0 0

83 Douglas, H. P P P P P P IA P P WR P P P P P P 15 1 0 1

93 Edwards, R. P P LE LE LE LE P P P 9 4 0 0

29 Franks, D. P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P 16 0 0 0

87 Gallarda, T. P P P P P P P P P IR IR IR IR IR IR IR 9 0 0 0

69 Gunn, H. IA IA IA IA IA IA 0 0 0 6

88 Gonzalez, T. TE TE TE TE TE TE TE TE TE TE TE TE TE TE TE TE 16 16 0 0

20 Grimes, B. CB IR IR IR IR IR IR IR IR IR IR IR IR IR IR IR 1 1 0 0

47 Harris, J. P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P 16 0 0 0

61 Hawley, J. IA IA IA P P P IA P P P SP SP SP SP SP IA 6 0 0 5

76 Holmes, L. IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA DNP DNP DNP P P DNP 2 0 4 10

24 Hope, C. P P P P P P P P P P P P S S S S 16 4 0 0

51 R. James P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P 16 0 0 0

94 Jerry, P. DT DT DT DT DT DT DT DT P LE IA IA P P P P 14 10 0 2

79 Johnson, M. P TE P P P P P P P P P P P P P P 16 1 0 0

30 Johnson, T. IA P P IA IA 2 0 0 3

11 Jones, J. WR P WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR 16 15 0 0

66 Konz, P. P P P P P P RG RG RG RG RG RG RG RG RG RG 16 10 0 0

96 Massaquoi, J. IA IA IA IA IA IA IA IA P P P P P P P P 8 0 0 8

98 Matthews, C. P IA IA P IA IA IA P P P P P P P IA P 10 0 0 6

27 McClain, R. IA P P P P P P P CB P P P CB P P P 15 2 0 1

62 McClure, T. C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C 16 16 0 0

12 McCown, L. DNP DNP P DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 1 0 15 0

26 Mitchell, C. IA IA P P P P P P IA IA IA IA P P P P 10 0 0 6

25 Moore, W. S S S S S S S S S S S S IA IA IA IA 12 12 0 4

54 Nicholas, S. OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB P OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB 16 16 0 0

21 Owens, C. P CB IA IA P P P P P P P P P P P IA 13 1 0 3

81 Palmer, M. TE TE P IA IA IA P P P P P P P P P P 13 2 0 3

91 Peters, C. P P DT DT DT DT LE DT DT DT 10 8 0 0

53 Peterson, M. P P P P P OLB P OLB P OLB P P P P P P 15 3 0 1

45 Polite, L. P FB FB IA IA FB FB FB 6 5 0 2

75 Reynolds, G. RG RG RG RG RG RG P IA IR IR IR IR IR IR IR IR 7 6 0 1

92 Robertson, T. DNP DNP P DNP DNP DNP IA IA IA IA P P IA DNP P IA 4 0 6 6

23 Robinson, D. CB CB CB CB CB CB CB CB CB CB CB CB CB CB CB CB 16 16 0 0

22 Rodgers, J. P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P 16 0 0 0

2 Ryan, M. QB QB QB QB QB QB QB QB QB QB QB QB QB QB QB QB 16 16 0 0

22 Samuel, A. CB CB CB CB CB CB CB CB CB CB CB CB DNP CB CB CB 15 15 1 0

90 Sidbury, L. IA P P P P P P P P DNP IA IA IA IA P P 10 0 1 5

35 Smith, A. P P IA IA P IA P P P P P P P P P P 13 0 0 3

44 Snelling, J. P P P FB FB P P P P P P P P P P P 16 2 0 0

17 Toone, T. DNP IA IA IA IA IA DNP 0 0 2 5

33 Turner, M. RB RB RB RB RB RB RB RB RB RB RB RB RB RB RB RB 16 16 0 0

99 Walker, V. P P P P P P DT LE DT P LE DT DT DT DT DT 16 9 0 0

56 Weatherspoon, S. OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB IA IA IA OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB OLB 13 13 0 3

84 White, R. WR P WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR WR 16 15 0 0

Pla

ye

r

@K

C

DE

N

@S

D

CA

R

@W

SH

OA

K

@P

HI

DA

L

@N

O

AR

Z

@T

B

NO

@C

AR

NY

G

@D

ET

TB

PL

S

DN

P

IA

KEY: Position - start, P - played, IA - inactive, DNP - did not play, IR - injured reserve, SP - suspended by NFL

PLAYER PARTICIPATION

2012 STAT PACK

OFFENSE

WR LT LG C RG RT TE WR QB RB FB

9/9 @KC R. White S. Baker J. Blalock T. McClure G. Reynolds T. Clabo T. Gonzalez J. Jones M. Ryan M. Turner M. Palmer (TE)

9/17 DEN M. Johnson S. Baker J. Blalock T. McClure G. Reynolds T. Clabo T. Gonzalez M. Palmer M. Ryan M. Turner M. Palmer (TE)

9/23 @SD R. White S. Baker J. Blalock T. McClure G. Reynolds T. Clabo T. Gonzalez J. Jones M. Ryan M. Turner L. Polite

9/30 CAR R. White S. Baker J. Blalock T. McClure G. Reynolds T. Clabo T. Gonzalez J. Jones M. Ryan M. Turner J. Snelling

10/7 @WSH R. White S. Baker J. Blalock T. McClure G. Reynolds T. Clabo T. Gonzalez J. Jones M. Ryan M. Turner J. Snelling

10/14 OAK R. White S. Baker J. Blalock T. McClure G. Reynolds T. Clabo T. Gonzalez J. Jones M. Ryan M. Turner L. Polite

10/28 @PHI R. White S. Baker J. Blalock T. McClure P. Konz T. Clabo T. Gonzalez J. Jones M. Ryan M. Turner L. Polite

11/4 DAL R. White S. Baker J. Blalock T. McClure P. Konz T. Clabo T. Gonzalez J. Jones M. Ryan M. Turner L. Polite

11/11 @NO R. White S. Baker J. Blalock T. McClure P. Konz T. Clabo T. Gonzalez J. Jones M. Ryan M. Turner M. Cox

11/18 ARZ R. White S. Baker J. Blalock T. McClure P. Konz T. Clabo T. Gonzalez J. Jones M. Ryan M. Turner H. Douglas (WR)

11/25 @TB R. White S. Baker J. Blalock T. McClure P. Konz T. Clabo T. Gonzalez J. Jones M. Ryan M. Turner M. Cox

11/29 NO R. White S. Baker J. Blalock T. McClure P. Konz T. Clabo T. Gonzalez J. Jones M. Ryan M. Turner M. Cox

12/9 @CAR R. White S. Baker J. Blalock T. McClure P. Konz T. Clabo T. Gonzalez J. Jones M. Ryan M. Turner M. Cox

12/16 NYG R. White S. Baker J. Blalock T. McClure P. Konz T. Clabo T. Gonzalez J. Jones M. Ryan M. Turner M. Cox

12/22 @DET R. White S. Baker J. Blalock T. McClure P. Konz T. Clabo T. Gonzalez J. Jones M. Ryan M. Turner M. Cox

12/28 TB R. White S. Baker J. Blalock T. McClure P. Konz T. Clabo T. Gonzalez J. Jones M. Ryan M. Turner M. Cox

DEFENSE LE DT DT RE OLB MLB OLB LCB RCB S S

9/9 @KC K. Biermann J. Babineaux P. Jerry J. Abraham S. Nicholas D. Robinson S. Weatherspoon A. Samuel B. Grimes W. Moore T. DeCoud

9/17 DEN K. Biermann J. Babineaux P. Jerry J. Abraham S. Nicholas C. Owens S. Weatherspoon A. Samuel D. Robinson W. Moore T. DeCoud

9/23 @SD R. Edwards J. Babineaux P. Jerry J. Abraham S. Nicholas A. Dent S. Weatherspoon A. Samuel D. Robinson W. Moore T. DeCoud

9/30 CAR R. Edwards J. Babineaux P. Jerry J. Abraham S. Nicholas A. Dent S. Weatherspoon A. Samuel D. Robinson W. Moore T. DeCoud

10/7 @WSH R. Edwards J. Babineaux P. Jerry J. Abraham S. Nicholas A. Dent S. Weatherspoon A. Samuel D. Robinson W. Moore T. DeCoud

10/14 OAK R. Edwards J. Babineaux P. Jerry J. Abraham M. Peterson A. Dent S. Weatherspoon A. Samuel D. Robinson W. Moore T. DeCoud

10/28 @PHI K. Biermann J. Babineaux P. Jerry V. Walker S. Nicholas A. Dent S. Weatherspoon A. Samuel D. Robinson W. Moore T. DeCoud

11/4 DAL V. Walker J. Babineaux P. Jerry J. Abraham S. Nicholas A. Dent M. Peterson A. Samuel D. Robinson W. Moore T. DeCoud

11/11 @NO J. Babineaux V. Walker C. Peters J. Abraham S. Nicholas A. Dent R.McClain (CB) A. Samuel D. Robinson W. Moore T. DeCoud

11/18 ARZ P. Jerry J. Babineaux C. Peters J. Abraham S. Nicholas A. Dent M. Peterson A. Samuel D. Robinson W. Moore T. DeCoud

11/25 @TB V. Walker J. Babineaux C. Peters J. Abraham S. Nicholas A. Dent S. Weatherspoon A. Samuel D. Robinson W. Moore T. DeCoud

11/29 NO J. Babineaux V. Walker C. Peters J. Abraham S. Nicholas A. Dent S. Weatherspoon A. Samuel D. Robinson W. Moore T. DeCoud

12/9 @CAR C. Peters J. Babineaux V. Walker J. Abraham S. Nicholas A. Dent S. Weatherspoon R. McClain D. Robinson C. Hope T. DeCoud

12/16 NYG C. Peters J. Babineaux V. Walker J. Abraham S. Nicholas A. Dent S. Weatherspoon A. Samuel D. Robinson C. Hope T. DeCoud

12/22 @ DET J. Babineaux C. Peters V. Walker J. Abraham S. Nicholas A. Dent S. Weatherspoon A. Samuel D. Robinson C. Hope T. DeCoud

12/28 TB J. Babineaux C. Peters V. Walker J. Abraham S. Nicholas A. Dent S. Weatherspoon A. Samuel D. Robinson C. Hope T. DeCoud

OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE STARTERS

2012 STAT PACK

1ST DOWNS 3RD D. TOT. OFF. RUSH. PASSING PENAL. FUM. PUNT.

T R P PN PCT. PLAYS YDS ATT YDS NET SCK GROSS ATT-CP-TD-INT NO-YDS NO-LST NO-AVG T.O.P

@KC 22 9 13 0 69.0 69 393 33 152 241 3/17 258 33 - 21 - 1 - 2 2-25 1-1 1-47.0 31:55

DEN 24 9 12 3 33.3 67 336 27 118 218 3/23 241 37 - 24 - 1 - 3 10-96 1-1 5-50.2 27:20

@SD 15 6 9 0 45.0 56 280 17 116 164 1/9 173 38 - 21 - 0 - 2 4-17 2-2 4-51.5 23:46

CAR 21 11 10 0 36.0 63 404 35 199 205 3/10 215 25 - 15 - 2 - 0 9-64 3-1 6-45.2 30:06

@WSH 12 6 6 0 11.0 48 316 21 129 187 3/15 202 24 - 15 - 1 - 2 4-20 0-0 6-42.3 22:59

OAK 22 6 15 1 38.0 68 474 32 149 325 3/28 353 33 - 23 - 1 - 1 12-110 2-2 5-48.2 36:26

@PHI 20 9 10 1 46.0 62 270 24 92 178 3/13 191 35 - 21 - 1 - 0 6-57 2-0 3-48.0 27:05

DAL 18 3 14 1 30.0 65 377 18 65 312 1/9 321 35 - 25 - 1 - 0 7-50 0-0 4-45.5 27:17

@NO 21 4 17 0 40.0 62 440 29 148 292 1/6 298 32 - 21 - 3 - 1 5-35 0-0 5-50.0 27:25

ARZ 7 4 3 0 13.0 56 178 26 137 41 3/29 70 27 - 11 - 0 - 0 5-43 1-1 8-50.9 27:19

@TB 16 4 12 0 40.0 54 326 21 50 276 2/8 284 31 - 20 - 0 - 0 5-24 0-0 2-50.0 30:38

NO 24 4 18 2 50.0 74 436 23 101 335 1/6 341 50 - 28 - 0 - 5 5-30 0-0 4-50.0 30:38

@CAR 23 10 12 1 60.0 68 475 32 195 280 1/7 287 35 - 23 - 2 - 0 3-10 1-0 2-44.0 35:47

NYG 10 4 5 1 40.0 47 256 21 97 159 1/2 161 25 - 13 - 0 - 2 2-25 1-1 2-55.0 21:03

@DET 25 4 21 0 36.0 78 522 22 79 443 0/0 443 56 - 37 - 0 - 1 2-20 2-2 2-41.0 31:08

TB 18 6 12 0 44.0 65 366 30 144 222 0/0 222 35 - 19 - 1 - 1 2-15 0-0 5-50.2 32:05

DEFENSE

1ST DOWNS 3RD D. TOT. OFF. RUSH. PASSING PENAL. FUM. PUNT.

T R P PN PCT. PLAYS YDS ATT YDS NET SCK GROSS ATT-CP-TD-INT NO-YDS NO-LST NO-AVG T.O.P

@KC 21 4 17 0 50.0 55 376 23 84 292 1/7 299 31 - 23 - 3 - 0 2-12 0-0 1-52.0 28:05

DEN 22 3 15 4 38.0 65 275 28 67 208 1/11 219 36 - 24 - 2 - 0 8-72 0-0 6-42.0 32:40

@SD 25 5 18 2 62.0 68 384 26 119 265 2/10 275 40 - 30 - 3 - 1 2-15 0-0 5-44.6 36:14

CAR 24 6 14 4 38.0 66 426 19 121 305 7/64 369 40 - 25 - 3 - 1 2-15 0-0 5-47.0 29:54

@WSH 28 5 21 2 53.0 81 421 28 83 338 1/7 345 52 - 34 - 2 - 1 2-13 1-1 6-48.8 37:01

OAK 16 3 11 2 22.0 53 286 15 45 241 1/8 249 37 - 24 - 1 - 3 2-25 0-0 4-52.8 23:34

@PHI 24 6 14 4 54.0 68 392 37 146 246 2/16 262 29 - 22 - 3 - 0 6-40 1-0 2-26.0 32:55

DAL 21 3 16 2 50.0 63 453 26 123 330 3/12 342 34 - 24 - 0 - 0 2-15 1-0 2-40.0 32:43

@NO 25 3 20 2 50.0 70 454 18 46 408 1/3 411 52 - 34 - 3 - 1 6-53 0-0 3-46.7 32:35

ARZ 20 4 15 1 44.0 71 354 24 58 296 1/5 301 46 - 28 - 0 - 5 5-35 2-1 4-51.3 32:41

@TB 20 6 13 1 62.0 57 424 24 79 345 1/8 353 32 - 26 - 1 - 1 2-15 1-1 1-45.0 29:22

NO 15 8 7 0 9.0 57 283 23 124 159 1/6 165 33 - 18 - 1 - 0 5-25 1-1 6-53.2 26:16

@CAR 26 2 23 1 25.0 62 362 11 35 327 2/15 342 49 - 34 - 2 - 1 3-15 0-0 4-42.0 24:13

NYG 22 6 16 0 69.0 67 394 38 129 265 1/5 270 28 - 23 - 3 - 0 3-30 0-0 2-50.0 38:57

@DET 19 4 15 0 55.0 55 344 22 73 271 1/8 279 32 - 25 - 4 - 0 3-20 0-0 4-41.8 28:52

TB 15 2 12 1 21.0 62 278 16 65 213 2/25 238 44 - 28 - 1 - 0 2-15 0-0 7-43.6 27:55

OFFENSE

GAME-BY-GAME STATS

2012 STAT PACK

MATT RYANATT CMP CMP% GROSS NET LG TD INT RATE

31 23 74.2 299 292 31 3 0 136.4

36 24 66.7 219 208 21 2 0 101.5

40 30 75.0 275 265 29 3 1 107.8

40 25 62.5 369 305 60t 3 1 107.2

52 34 65.4 345 338 29 2 1 89.0

37 24 64.9 249 241 26 1 3 59.4

29 22 75.9 262 246 63t 3 0 137.4

34 24 70.6 342 330 48 0 0 102.8

52 34 65.4 411 408 52 3 1 100.7

46 28 60.9 301 296 37 0 5 40.5

32 26 81.3 353 345 80t 1 1 110.0

33 18 54.5 165 159 20 1 0 78.5

49 34 69.4 342 327 21 2 1 94.1

28 23 82.1 270 265 40 3 0 142.6

32 25 78.1 279 271 44 4 0 142.6

44 28 63.6 238 213 28 1 0 85.2

615 422 68.6 4,719 4,509 80t 32 14 99.1

PASSINGGAME ATL OPP

@KC 40 24

DEN 27 21

@SD 27 3

CAR 30 28

@WSH 24 17

OAK 23 20

@PHI 30 17

DAL 19 13

@NO 27 31

ARZ 23 19

@TB 24 23

NO 23 13

@CAR 20 30

NYG 34 0

@DET 31 18

TB 17 22

Totals 419 299

LUKE MCCOWNATT CMP CMP% GROSS NET LG TD INT RATE

DID NOT PLAY

DID NOT PLAY

0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0

DID NOT PLAY

DID NOT PLAY

DID NOT PLAY

DID NOT PLAY

DID NOT PLAY

DID NOT PLAY

DID NOT PLAY

DID NOT PLAY

DID NOT PLAY

DID NOT PLAY

0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0

DID NOT PLAY

DID NOT PLAY

0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0

GAME-BY-GAME STATS, PASSING

2012 STAT PACK

RECEIVINGGAME ATL OPP

@KC 40 24

DEN 27 21

@SD 27 3

CAR 30 28

@WSH 24 17

OAK 23 20

@PHI 30 17

DAL 19 13

@NO 27 31

ARZ 23 19

@TB 24 23

NO 23 13

@CAR 20 30

NYG 34 0

@DET 31 18

TB 17 22

Totals 419 299

HARRY DOUGLASREC YDS AVG LG TD

3 32 10.7 19 0

3 27 9.0 10 0

2 13 6.5 10 0

1 6 6.0 6 0

2 34 17.0 19 0

5 37 7.4 20 0

INACTIVE

0 0 0.0 0 0

4 49 12.3 23 0

5 48 9.6 26 0

2 11 5.5 6 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

2 29 14.5 19 0

3 83 27.7 37 0

2 6 3.0 5 0

4 21 5.3 10 1

38 396 10.4 37 1

GAME-BY-GAME STATS, RECEIVING

RECEIVINGGAME ATL OPP

@KC 40 24

DEN 27 21

@SD 27 3

CAR 30 28

@WSH 24 17

OAK 23 20

@PHI 30 17

DAL 19 13

@NO 27 31

ARZ 23 19

@TB 24 23

NO 23 13

@CAR 20 30

NYG 34 0

@DET 31 18

TB 17 22

Totals 419 299

TOMMY GALLARDA

REC YDS AVG LG TD

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 7 7.0 7 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

INJURED RESERVE

INJURED RESERVE

INJURED RESERVE

INJURED RESERVE

INJURED RESERVE

INJURED RESERVE

INJURED RESERVE

1 7 7.0 7 0

JULIO JONESREC YDS AVG LG TD

6 108 18.0 31 2

4 14 6.5 6 0

5 67 13.4 29 1

1 30 30.0 30 0

10 94 9.4 29 1

4 63 15.8 25 0

5 123 24.6 63 1

5 129 25.8 48 0

4 75 18.8 52 0

3 33 11.0 20 0

6 147 24.5 80 1

5 48 9.6 18 0

5 66 13.2 21 1

6 74 12.3 40 2

7 71 10.1 16 1

3 56 18.7 28 0

79 1,198 15.2 80t 10

DREW DAVISREC YDS AVG LG TD

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

2 30 15.0 15 1

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 4 4.0 4 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 6 6.0 6 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

4 40 10.0 15 1

MIKE JOHNSONREC YDS AVG LG TD

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 1 1.0 1 1

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 1 1.0 1 1

TONY GONZALEZREC YDS AVG LG TD

5 53 10.6 25 1

7 70 10.0 16 1

9 91 10.1 15 1

5 51 10.2 14 0

13 123 9.5 21 1

4 42 10.5 13 0

3 29 9.7 11 0

4 36 9.0 15 0

11 122 11.1 19 2

3 33 11.0 12 0

5 62 12.4 20 0

4 58 14.5 18 1

8 61 7.6 16 0

6 49 8.2 12 1

1 9 9.0 9 0

5 41 8.2 15 0

93 930 10.0 25 8

CHASE COFFMANREC YDS AVG LG TD

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 11 11.0 11 0

INACTIVE

INACTIVE

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 11 11.0 11 0

MIKE COXREC YDS AVG LG TD

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 8 8.0 8 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 11 11.0 11 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 3 3.0 3 0

3 22 7.3 11 0

2012 STAT PACK

RECEIVINGGAME ATL OPP

@KC 40 24

DEN 27 21

@SD 27 3

CAR 30 28

@WSH 24 17

OAK 23 20

@PHI 30 17

DAL 19 13

@NO 27 31

ARZ 23 19

@TB 24 23

NO 23 13

@CAR 20 30

NYG 34 0

@DET 31 18

TB 17 22

Totals 419 299

JASON SNELLINGREC YDS AVG LG TD

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 6 6.0 6 0

1 12 12.0 12 0

3 5 1.7 5 0

1 9 9.0 9 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

3 16 5.3 8 1

3 1 0.3 2 0

2 12 6.0 6 0

3 25 8.3 13 0

3 33 11.0 14 0

4 28 7.0 15 0

1 5 5.0 5 0

3 14 4.7 14 0

1 12 12.0 12 0

2 25 12.5 16 0

31 203 6.5 16 1

JACQUIZZ RODGERS

REC YDS AVG LG TD

2 13 6.5 7 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

5 35 7.0 11 1

4 40 10.0 15 0

1 8 8.0 8 0

3 21 7.0 9 0

5 20 4.0 5 0

4 53 13.3 31 0

4 33 8.3 15 0

5 35 7.0 17 0

2 30 15.0 32 0

2 -4 -2.0 2 0

6 43 7.2 9 0

1 14 14.0 14 0

1 11 11.0 11 0

8 50 6.3 13 0

53 402 7.6 32 1

RECEIVINGGAME ATL OPP

@KC 40 24

DEN 27 21

@SD 27 3

CAR 30 28

@WSH 24 17

OAK 23 20

@PHI 30 17

DAL 19 13

@NO 27 31

ARZ 23 19

@TB 24 23

NO 23 13

@CAR 20 30

NYG 34 0

@DET 31 18

TB 17 22

Totals 419 299

RODDY WHITEREC YDS AVG LG TD

6 87 14.5 26 0

8 102 12.8 21 1

5 55 11.0 19 0

8 169 21.1 59 2

4 68 17.0 20 0

6 72 12.0 26 1

3 38 12.7 14 0

7 118 16.9 26 0

7 114 16.3 49 0

8 123 15.4 37 0

5 57 11.4 29 0

1 20 20.0 20 0

9 117 13.0 18 1

2 16 8.0 11 0

8 153 19.1 44 2

5 42 8.4 14 0

92 1,351 14.7 59 7

LOUSAKA POLITEREC YDS AVG LG TD

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

INACTIVE

INACTIVE

1 8 8.0 8 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 8 8.0 8 0

MICHAEL TURNERREC YDS AVG LG TD

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 0 0.0 0 0

2 1 0.5 1 0

3 68 22.7 60 1

2 2 1.0 5 0

1 6 6.0 6 0

1 6 6.0 6 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

3 13 4.3 8 0

1 7 7.0 7 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 9 9.0 9 0

4 16 4.0 12 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

19 128 6.7 60 1

MICHAEL PALMERREC YDS AVG LG TD

1 6 6.0 6 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 1 1.0 1 0

INACTIVE

INACTIVE

INACTIVE

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 5 5.0 5 0

1 5 5.0 5 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 4 4.0 4 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 1 1.0 1 1

0 0 0.0 0 0

6 22 3.7 6 1

2012 STAT PACKGAME-BY-GAME STATS, RECEIVING

JACQUIZZ RODGERS

ATT YDS AVG LG TD

7 22 3.1 6 0

3 3 1.0 2 0

10 32 3.2 9 0

6 18 3.0 5 0

3 4 1.3 2 0

2 -2 -1.0 0 0

8 60 7.5 43 0

3 0 0.0 3 0

3 29 9.7 18 0

5 16 3.2 6 0

10 49 4.9 20 1

8 43 5.4 14 0

4 21 5.3 6 0

11 25 2.3 6 0

6 14 2.3 5 0

5 28 5.6 16 0

94 362 3.9 43 1

RUSHINGGAME ATL OPP

@KC 40 24

DEN 27 21

@SD 27 3

CAR 30 28

@WSH 24 17

OAK 23 20

@PHI 30 17

DAL 19 13

@NO 27 31

ARZ 23 19

@TB 24 23

NO 23 13

@CAR 20 30

NYG 34 0

@DET 31 18

TB 17 22

Totals 419 299

JULIO JONESATT YDS AVG LG TD

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 1 1.0 1 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 1 1.0 1 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 9 9.0 9 0

1 8 8.0 8 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 18 18.0 18 0

1 -7 -7.0 -7 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

6 30 5.0 18 0

RUSHINGGAME ATL OPP

@KC 40 24

DEN 27 21

@SD 27 3

CAR 30 28

@WSH 24 17

OAK 23 20

@PHI 30 17

DAL 19 13

@NO 27 31

ARZ 23 19

@TB 24 23

NO 23 13

@CAR 20 30

NYG 34 0

@DET 31 18

TB 17 22

Totals 419 299

MICHAEL TURNERATT YDS AVG LG TD

11 32 2.9 11 0

17 42 2.5 15 1

14 80 5.7 25 1

13 103 7.9 27 0

18 67 3.7 13 1

11 33 3.0 9 0

24 58 2.4 11 0

20 102 5.1 43 1

13 15 1.2 9 0

15 46 3.1 10 1

13 17 1.3 9 1

12 83 6.9 35 1

7 14 2.0 5 1

16 52 3.3 14 1

13 41 3.2 22 0

6 18 3.0 17 1

222 800 3.6 43 10

JASON SNELLINGATT YDS AVG LG TD

2 5 2.5 3 0

1 2 2.0 2 0

1 3 3.0 3 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 2 2.0 2 0

1 -1 -1.0 -1 0

1 1 1.0 1 0

1 5 5.0 5 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 -1 -1.0 -1 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

6 39 6.5 11 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

3 8 2.7 7 0

18 63 3.5 11 0

HARRY DOUGLASATT YDS AVG LG TD

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 5 5.0 5 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

INACTIVE

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 -1 -1.0 -1 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

2 4 2.0 5 0

MATT RYANATT YDS AVG LG TD

3 25 8.3 11 1

6 19 3.2 7 0

1 4 4.0 4 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

4 4 1.0 6 0

1 15 15.0 15 0

3 18 6.0 10 0

1 8 8.0 8 0

2 2 1.0 1 0

3 -3 -1.0 -1 0

1 13 13.0 13 0

3 -2 -0.7 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

1 -1 -1.0 -1 0

2 25 12.5 16 0

2 11 5.5 6 0

34 141 4.1 16 1

LUKE MCCOWNATT YDS AVG LG TD

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

2 -3 -1.5 -1 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

0 0 0.0 0 0

2 -3 -1.5 -1 0

2012 STAT PACKSACKS & INTERCEPTIONS

Pla

ye

r

@K

C

DE

N

@S

D

CA

R

@W

SH

OA

K

@P

HI

DA

L

@N

O

AR

Z

@T

B

NO

@C

AR

NY

G

@D

ET

TB

SACKS 9/9 9/17 9/23 9/30 10/7 10/14 10/28 11/4 11/11 11/18 11/25 11/29 12/9 12/16 12/22 12/30 Total

J. Abraham 1/8 1/9 1/5 3/28 1/4 2/15 1/6 10/75

J. Babineaux 1/1 1/2 .5/3.5 1/9 3.5/15.5

K. Biermann 1/6 1/7 1/1 1/2 4/16

W. Moore 1/13 1/13

D. Robinson .5/3.5 1/7 1.5/10.5

V. Walker 1/8 1/5 1/7 3/20

S. Weatherspoon 1/8 1/0 1/2 3/10

T. DeCoud 1/2 1/2

S. Nicholas 1/6 1/14 2/20

Team Totals 3/17 3/23 1/9 3/10 3/15 3/28 3/13 1/9 1/6 3/29 2/8 1/6 1/7 1/2 0/0 0/0 29/182

Pla

ye

r

@K

C

DE

N

@S

D

CA

R

@W

SH

OA

K

@P

HI

DA

L

@N

O

AR

Z

@T

B

NO

@C

AR

NY

G

@D

ET

TB

INTS 9/9 9/17 9/23 9/30 10/7 10/14 10/28 11/4 11/11 11/18 11/25 11/29 12/9 12/16 12/22 12/30 Total

T. DeCoud 1/15 2/-2 1/24 1/0 1/5 6/42

R. McClain 1/32 1/32

W. Moore 1/2 1/33 2/16 4/51

S. Nicholas 1/3 1/3

D. Robinson 1/4 1/4

A. Samuel 1/79 1/13 1/6 1/1 1/11 5/110

S. Weatherspoon 1/6 1/6

J. Babineaux 1/-2 1/-2

Team Totals 2/5 3/80 2/-2 0/0 2/28 1/79 0/0 0/0 1/13 0/0 0/0 5/20 0/0 2/11 1/1 1/11 20/246

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Saw action on defense in the NFC Divisional round

against Seattle (1/13).

• Started at defensive end against San Francisco (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Recorded four solo tackles, a sack, and forced a fumble that led to a touchdown in the opening game at Kansas City (9/9).

• Started at defensive end and put continuous pressure

on QB Peyton Manning against the Broncos (9/17).

• Posted two tackles and a sack at San Diego (9/23).

• Sacked QB Cam Newton to end the game against

Carolina (9/30) and also collected fi ve tackles.

• Contributed on defense at Washington (10/7).

• Collected six solo tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble against Oakland (10/14). This was Abraham’s

eighth career three sack game.

• Recorded four tackles (three solo) and a sack at Phila-

delphia (10/28).

• Tallied three tackles (two solo) against Dallas (11/4).

• Posted one tackle at New Orleans (11/11).

• Recorded two sacks and one of them forced a fumble that was returned for a touchdown against Arizona

(11/18).

• Collected two solo tackles at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Picked up his 10th sack for the 7th time in his career

against New Orleans (11/29).

• Recorded two solo tackles against Carolina (12/9).

• Forced a fumble and collected one solo tackle against

the Giants (12/16).

• Stripped WR Calvin Johnson and collected one solo

tackle at Detroit (12/22).

In 2008, Abraham set a Falcons fran-chise record with 16.5 sacks topping Joel Williams previous record of 16, set in 1980.

HT: 6’ 4” WT: 263 NFL EXP: 13 ACQ: TR-‘06 (NYJ) 7TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 5/6/78 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA

55JOHNABRAHAMDEFENSIVE END

PRO BOWL YEARS2010, 2004, 2002, 2001

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 4 4 1.0 8.0 0 0 1 0 19/17 DEN 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 09/23 @ SD 2 2 1.0 9.0 0 0 0 0 0

9/30 CAR 5 5 1.0 5.0 0 0 1 0 010/7 WAS 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1

10/14 OAK 6 6 3.0 28.0 0 0 1 0 010/28 @ PHI 4 3 1.0 4.0 0 0 0 0 111/4 DAL 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/11 @ NO 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/18 ARZ 6 6 2.0 15.0 0 0 1 0 011/25 @ TB 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/29 NO 2 2 1.0 6.0 0 0 0 0 212/9 @ CAR 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/16 NYG 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 012/22 @ DET 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 012/30 TB 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2

TOTALS 41 37 10.0 75.0 0 0 6 0 7

CAREER 590 438 122.0 782.5 1 0 44 6 26

2012 POSTSEASONDATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

1/13 SEA 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

1/20 SF 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Collected four tackles (two solo) along with a sack

and a fumble recovery in Atlanta’s Divisional playoff win over Seattle (1/13).

• Tallied four tackles (three solo) against San Fran-

cisco (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Tallied two tackles and a sack at Kansas City (9/9).

• Recorded one sack against the Broncos (9/17).

• Collared one tackle at San Diego (9/23).

• Collected four tackles against Carolina (9/30).

• Collected four solo tackles and half a sack at Wash-

ington (10/7).

• Tallied six tackles (four solo) and had a forced fum-ble against Oakland (10/14).

• Collected one solo tackle at Philadelphia (10/28).

• Recorded seven tackles (fi ve solo) and a sack against

Dallas (11/4).

• Collected two tackles (one solo) at New Orleans

(11/11).

• Tallied two solo tackles and picked up a fumble and ran it 15 yards for a touchdown against Arizona

(11/18).

• Recorded three tackles (two solo) including another

tackle for a loss at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Tallied two tackles and had an interception against New Orleans (11/29).

• Started at defensive tackle at Carolina (12/9).

• Batted down a pass on a third down against the Gi-

ants (12/16).

• Recorded four tackles (three solo) at Detroit

(12/22).

HT: 6’ 2” WT: 300 NFL EXP: 8 ACQ: D2-’05 8TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 10/12/81 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF IOWA

95JONATHANBABINEAUXDEFENSIVE TACKLE

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 2 1 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 19/17 DEN 2 1 1.0 2.0 0 0 0 0 09/23 @ SD 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

9/30 CAR 4 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/7 @ WAS 4 4 0.5 3.5 0 0 0 0 010/14 OAK 6 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 010/28 @ PHI 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/4 DAL 7 5 1.0 9.0 0 0 0 0 111/11 @ NO 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/18 ARZ 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1 011/25 @ TB 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/29 NO 2 2 0.0 0.0 1 -2 0 0 112/9 @ CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/16 NYG 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 112/22 @ DET 4 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 112/30 TB 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 42 33 3.5 15.5 1 -2 1 1 5

CAREER 321 226 22.5 183.5 3 4 8 8 20

2012 POSTSEASONDATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

1/13 SEA 4 2 1.0 9.0 0 0 0 1 0

1/20 SF 4 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 8 5 1.0 9.0 0 0 0 1 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Started at left tackle and was part of an off ensive

line that did not allow a sack against Seattle (1/13) in the NFC Divisional round.

• Started at left tackle against San Francisco (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Started at left tackle and helped protect QB Matt Ryan at Kansas City (9/9).

• Protected QB Matt Ryan, helping him get a quar-terback rating of 101.5 against the Broncos (9/17).

• Saw action at left tackle at San Diego (9/23).

• Started at left tackle against Carolina (9/30).

• Helped protect QB Matt Ryan allowing him to throw for 345 yards with two touchdowns at Washington

(10/7).

• Started at left tackle against Oakland (10/14).

• Started at left tackle and protected QB Matt Ryan who threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns at

Philadelphia (10/28).

• Started at left tackle against the Cowboys (11/4).

• Blocked for QB Matt Ryan who threw for a career

high 411 yards at New Orleans (11/11).

• Started at left tackle against Arizona (11/18).

HT: 6’ 5” WT: 301 NFL EXP: 5 ACQ: D1B-‘08 5TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 5/30/85 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

72SAMBAKEROFFENSIVE TACKLE

2012 2011 2010 2009 2008

ATL ATL ATL ATL ATL

BAKER’S CAREER GAMES PLAYED/STARTED

16/16 13/7 16/16 14/14 8/5TOTAL 67/58

• Blocked for QB Matt Ryan who threw for 353 yards

and a touchdown at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Started at left tackle against New Orleans (11/29).

• Started at left tackle at Carolina (12/9).

• Protected QB Matt Ryan who threw for 270 yards

and three touchdowns against the Giants (12/16).

• Protected QB Matt Ryan’s who tied a career high with four touchdowns at Detroit (12/22).

2012 2011 2010 2008

ATL ATL ATL ATL

BAKER’S CAREER POSTSEASON GAMES PLAYED/STARTED

2/2 1/1 1/0 1/0TOTAL 5/3

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Collected one solo tackle against Seattle (1/13) in

the NFC Divisional round.

• Tallied two solo tackles against the 49ers (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Collared three tackles while playing on defense and assisting on special teams at Kansas City (9/9).

• Recorded fi ve tackles against the Broncos (9/17).

• Tallied one tackle at San Diego (9/23).

• Collected three tackles against Carolina (9/30).

• Notched six tackles and a sack at Washington (10/7).

• Recorded four tackles (three solo) against the Raid-

ers (10/14).

• Collected seven solo tackles and had a sack at Phila-

delphia (10/28).

• Notched three tackles (two solo) against the Cow-

boys (11/4).

• Tallied two solo tackles at New Orleans (11/11).

• Collected three tackles (two solo) against Arizona

(11/18).

• Recorded three solo tackles and a sack at Tampa Bay

(11/25).

• Notched two solo tackles against the Saints (11/29).

• Collected six tackles (fi ve solo) at Carolina (12/9).

• Recorded three tackles (two solo) and a sack against the Giants (12/16).

• Contributed on defense at Detroit (12/22).

• Tallied two solo tackles against Tampa Bay (12/30).

HT: 6’ 3” WT: 255 NFL EXP: 5 ACQ: D5B - ’08 5TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 9/12/85 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA

71KROYBIERMANNDEFENSIVE END

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 09/17 DEN 5 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 09/23 @ SD 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

9/30 CAR 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/7 @ WSH 6 6 1.0 6.0 0 0 0 0 010/14 OAK 4 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/28 @ PHI 7 7 1.0 7.0 0 0 0 0 011/4 DAL 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/11 @ NO 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/18 ARZ 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/25 @ TB 3 3 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 011/29 NO 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/9 @ CAR 6 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/16 NYG 3 2 1.0 2.0 0 0 0 0 012/22 @ DET 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/30 TB 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 53 45 4.0 16.0 0 0 0 0 0

CAREER 186 140 16.5 100.5 2 81 1 1 3

2012 POSTSEASONDATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

1/13 SEA 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

1/20 SF 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Paved the way for the rushing attack to gain 167

yards against Seattle (1/13) in the NFC Divisional round.

• Started at left guard against the 49ers (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Protected for QB Matt Ryan, who threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns at Kansas City (9/9).

• Started at left guard against the Broncos (9/17).

• Paved the way for RB Michael Turner to average 5.7

yards per carry at the Chargers (9/23).

• Helped block for RB Michael Turner who had 13

rushes for 103 yards against the Panthers (9/30).

• Started at left guard at the Redskins (10/7).

• Part of an off ensive line that only allowed one sack

against Oakland (10/14).

• Helped RB Jacquizz Rodgers average 7.5 yards per

carry at Philadelphia (10/28).

• Blocked for RB Michael Turner, who ran for 102

yards and had a touchdown against Dallas (11/4).

• Started at left guard at New Orleans (11/11).

HT: 6’ 4” WT: 326 NFL EXP: 6 ACQ: D2A - ’07 6TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 12/20/83 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

63JUSTINBLALOCKOFFENSIVE GUARD

2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007

ATL ATL ATL ATL ATL ATL

BLALOCK’S CAREER GAMES PLAYED/STARTED

16/16 16/16 16/16 16/16 16/16 14/14TOTAL 94/94

• Paved the way for RB Michael Turner to score his 55th rushing touchdown with Atlanta against Ari-

zona (11/18).

• Blocked for RB’s Michael Turner and Jacquizz Rodg-

ers at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Blocked for RB Michael Turner who gained 83 yards and a touchdown against New Orleans (11/29).

• Started at left guard at Carolina (12/9).

• Blocked for QB Matt Ryan who had season-high QB

Rating at 142.6 against the Giants (12/16).

2012 2011 2010 2008

ATL ATL ATL ATL

BLALOCK’S CAREER POSTSEASON GAMES PLAYED/STARTED

2/2 1/1 1/1 1/1TOTAL 5/5

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Punted twice for an average of 42 yards against Se-

attle (1/13) in the NFC Divisional round.

• Had two punts for an average of 45.0 yards against

the 49ers (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Punted the ball 52 yards on his only punt of the day at Kansas City (9/9). Also, was the holder for K

Matt Bryant’s four fi eld goals and extra points.

• Averaged 42.0 yards on six punts, including a long

of 49 against Denver (9/17).

• Punted the ball fi ve times and averaged 44.6 yards

per punt at San Diego (9/23).

• Averaged 47.0 yards on fi ve punts against the Pan-

thers (9/30).

• Punted six times and averaged 48.8 yards per punt

at Washington (10/7).

• Averaged 52.8 yards on four punts and pinned the

Raiders (10/14) inside the 20 twice.

• Punted once for 52 yards at Philadelphia

(10/28).

HT: 6-0 WT: 208 NFL EXP: 1 AQU: D6-’11 2ND YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDAY: 10/18/1987 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

5MATTBOSHERKICKER

YEAR GP/GS NO YDS AVG NET TB 20 LG BK FG ATT % LG PAT ATT PTS KO TB

PUNTING FIELD GOALS KICKOFFS

BOSHER’S CAREER KICKING STATISTICS

2011 ATL 16/0 70 2,990 42.7 38.9 4 27 59 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 87 252012 ATL 16/0 61 2,847 46.7 40.7 4 22 63 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 93 45TOTALS 32/0 131 5,837 44.6 39.7 8 49 63 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 180 70

• Punted two times with an average of 40 yards per kick and downed one at the three yard line against

Dallas (11/4).

• Averaged 46.7 yards on three punts at New Orleans

(11/11).

• Averaged 51.3 yards on four punts against Arizona

(11/18).

YEAR GP/GS NO YDS AVG NET TB 20 LG BK FG ATT % LG PAT ATT PTS KO TB

PUNTING FIELD GOALS KICKOFFS

BOSHER’S POSTSEASON KICKING STATISTICS

2011 ATL 1/0 7 322 46.0 42.0 0 1 59 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1 02012 ATL 2/0 4 174 43.5 32.5 0 1 48 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 11 7TOTALS 3/0 11 496 45.1 38.5 0 2 59 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 12 7

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Kicked a game winning 49-yard fi eld goal to lift the

Falcons to a 30-28 win over Seattle (1/13) in the

NFC Divisional Playoff game.

• Converted his one fi eld goal against the 49ers

(1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Recorded 16 points including fi eld goals from 34, 21, 30, and 41 yards at Kansas City (9/9). He also con-verted all four of his extra points.

• Connected on two fi eld goals and three extra points against the Broncos (9/17).

• Made three extra points at San Diego (9/23).

• Hit a 40-yard game winning fi eld goal that was the 13th game winner of his career against Carolina (9/30). He also connected on his other two fi eld

goal attempts earlier in the game.

• Made his only fi eld goal attempt from 53 yards at the Redskins (10/7) and has now made 23 straight

fi eld goals.

• Hit his second game winning fi eld goal of the year on a 55-yarder against the Raiders (10/14). The kick

was his longest as a Falcon.

• Went three for three on fi eld goals in blustery con-

ditions at Philadelphia (10/28).

• Made four fi eld goals against Dallas (11/4).

• Went two for two on fi eld goals at New Orleans (11/11).

Went three for three on fi eld goals against Arizona

(11/18).

• Made a 31 yard fi eld goal at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Went two for two on fi eld goals against New Or-

leans )11/29).

• Made both fi eld goals at Carolina (12/9).

• Went two for two against the Giants (12/16).

• Made a 20-yard fi eld goal at Detroit (12/22).

• Made his only fi eld goal attempt against Tampa Bay

(12/30).

HT: 5’ 9” WT: 203 NFL EXP: 11 ACQ: FA–‘09 4TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 5/29/75 COLLEGE: BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

3MATT BRYANTKICKER

YEAR GP/GS FG ATT % LG PAT ATT PTS KO TB NO YD AVG NET TB 20 LG BK

FIELD GOALS KICKOFFS PUNTING

BRYANT’S CAREER KICKING STATISTICS

2002 NYG 16/0 26 32 81.3 47 30 32 108 70 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 02003 NYG 11/0 11 14 78.6 47 17 17 50 38 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 02004 IND/MIA 4/0 3 4 75.0 47 12 12 21 18 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 02005 TB 15/0 21 25 84.0 50 31 31 94 66 5 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 02006 TB 16/0 17 22 77.3 62 23 23 73 53 4 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 02007 TB 16/0 28 33 84.8 49 34 34 118 74 6 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 02008 TB 16/0 32 38 84.2 49 35 36 131 81 6 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 02009 ATL 5/0 7 10 70.0 51 10 10 31 0 0 1 36 36.0 36 0 1 36 02010 ATL 16/0 28 31 90.3 51 44 44 128 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 02011 ATL 16/0 27 29 93.1 51 45 45 126 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 02012 ATL 16/0 33 38 86.8 55 44 44 143 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0TOTALS 147/0 233 276 84.4 62 324 328 1,023 406 25 1 36 36.0 36 0 1 36 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS) • Protected QB Matt Ryan who threw for 250 yards

and three touchdowns against Seattle (1/13) in the

NFC Divisional Playoff round.

• Started at right tackle against San Francisco (1/20)

in the NFC Championship.

• Protected for QB Matt Ryan, who recorded a 136.4 passer rating at Kansas City(9/9).

• Started at right tackle against the Broncos (9/17).

• Started at right tackle and was part of an off ensive line that protected QB Matt Ryan, who posted a 107.8 passer rating at San Diego (9/23).

• Started at right tackle against Carolina (9/30).

• Member of an off ensive unit that produced 421 yards of off ense at Washington (10/7).

• Started at right tackle against Oakland (10/14).

• Member of an off ensive line that blocked for QB Matt Ryan who had a 137.4 rating at Philadelphia

(10/28).

• Blocked for RB Michael Turner, who rushed for 102

yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys (11/4).

• Protected QB Matt Ryan who threw for 411 yards and had three touchdowns at New Orleans (11/11).

HT: 6’ 6” WT: 329 NFL EXP: 8 ACQ: FA–‘06 7TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 10/17/81 COLLEGE: WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY

77TYSONCLABOOFFENSIVE TACKLE

PRO BOWL YEARS2010

2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004

ATL ATL ATL ATL ATL ATL ATL ATL DEN

CLABO’S CAREER GAMES PLAYED/STARTED

16/16 16/16 16/16 16/16 16/16 11/11 10/10 0/0 0/0TOTAL 101/101

• Started at right tackle against Arizona (11/18).

• Blocked for QB Matt Ryan who had a 110.0 rating at

Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Blocked for a ground game that totaled 124 yards

against New Orleans (11/29).

• Started at right tackle at Carolina (12/9).

• Paved the way for the ground game to gain 129

yards on 38 carries against the Giants (12/16)

2012 2011 2010 2008

ATL ATL ATL ATL

CLABO’S CAREER POSTSEASON GAMES PLAYED/STARTED

2/2 1/1 1/1 1/1TOTAL 5/5

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS• Caught a 16-yard pass that set up Atlanta’s fi rst

touchdown of the game against Seattle (1/13) in the

NFC Divisional Round.

• Saw action on special teams against the 49ers

(1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Contributed on special teams against Arizona

(11/18).

• Played on special teams at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Contributed on special teams against New Orleans

(11/29).

• Caught one pass for 11 yards at Carolina (12/9).

• Inactive against the Giants (12/16).

• Inactive at Detroit (12/22).

• Saw action on off ense against Tampa Bay (12/30).

TRANSACTIONS• Originally selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the

third round (98th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft.

• Signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent on February 21, 2012.

• Waived by the Buccaneers on August 6, 2012.

• Signed by the Falcons as a free agent on August 11, 2012.

• Signed to the Falcons active roster on November

13, 2012

2012 (FALCONS)• Served as a member of the Falcons practice squad

from Week 1 to Week 10.

CAREER• In 2010, served as a member of the Bengals practice

squad for games 1-8 before being signed to the ac-tive roster in Week 9. Saw action in six games, post-ing three receptions for 30 yards.

HT: 6-6 WT: 250 NFL EXP: 3 AQU: FA-’12 1ST YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDAY: 11/10/1986 COLLEGE: MISSOURI

86CHASECOFFMANTIGHT END

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD

RECEIVING RUSHING2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 9/17 DEN 9/23 @ SD 9/30 CAR 10/7 @ WSH 10/14 OAK 10/28 @ PHI 11/4 DAL 11/11 @ NO SIGNED TO THE ACTIVE ROSTER ON 11/13/1211/18 ARZ 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/25 @ TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/29 NO 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 012/9 @ CAR 1 11 11.0 11 0 0 0 0.0 0 012/16 NYG INACTIVE12/22 @ DET INACTIVE12/30 TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

TOTALS 1 11 11.0 11 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

CAREER 4 41 10.3 14 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

2012 POSTSEASON

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RSH YDS AVG LG TD

RECEIVING RUSHING

1/13 SEA 1 16 16.0 16 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

TOTALS 1 16 16.0 16 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Saw action on special teams at Kansas City (9/9).

• Played on special teams against the Broncos (9/17).

• Played on special teams at San Diego (9/23).

• Contributed on special teams against Carolina

(9/30).

• Saw action on special teams at Washington (10/7).

• Contributed on special teams against Oakland

(10/14).

• Played on special teams at Philadelphia (10/28).

• Inactive against Dallas (11/4).

• Inactive at New Orleans (11/11) and against Arizona

(11/18).

• Played on special teams at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Saw action on special teams againts New Orleans

(11/29).

• Played on off ense and special teams at Carolina

(12/9).

• Saw action on special teams against the Giants

(12/16).

• Contributed on special teams at Detroit (12/22).

TRANSACTIONS• Signed by the Falcons as a College Free Agent on

August 2, 2011.

• Waived by the Falcons on September 3, 2011.

• Signed to the Falcons practice squad on September 4, 2011.

2011 (FALCONS)• Served as a member of the Falcons practice squad

from weeks 1-15 before being signed to the active roster for the season fi nale against Tampa Bay (1/1/12).

HT: 6-2 WT: 216 NFL EXP: 1 AQU: FA-’11 2ND YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDAY: 3/20/1988 COLLEGE: GEORGIA TECH

15KEVINCONEWIDE RECEIVER

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD

RECEIVING RUSHING2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 09/17 DEN 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 09/23 @ SD 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

9/30 CAR 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

10/7 @ WSH 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

10/14 OAK 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 010/28 @ PHI 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/4 DAL INACTIVE11/11 @ NO INACTIVE11/18 ARZ INACTIVE11/25 @ TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/29 NO 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 012/9 @ CAR 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 012/16 NYG 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 012/22 @ DET 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

12/30 TB PLACED ON INJURED RESERVE

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

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Paved the way for RB Michael Turner to rush for 98

yards on 14 carries against Seattle (1/13) in the NFC

Divisional round.

• Rushed once for four yards against the 49ers (1/20)

in the NFC Championship.

• Started at fullback at New Orleans (11/11).

• Blocked for RB’s Michael Turner and Jacquizz Rodg-

ers against Arizona (11/18).

• Led the way for the rushing attack that had two

touchdowns at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Caught a pass for eight yards against New Orleans

(11/29).

• Started at fullback at Carolina (12/9).

• Caught one pass for 11 yards and paved the way for the running backs to gain 129 yards against the Gi-

ants (12/16).

• Saw action on off ense at Detroit (12/22).

• Caught a pass for three yards against Tampa Bay

(12/30).

TRANSACTIONS• Originally signed as a college free agent by Kansas

City on May 2, 2008.

• Signed by Kansas City on March 25, 2010 before being released on Sept. 3, 2011.

• Signed by the Falcons as a free agent on October

25, 2011.

• Released by the Falcons on August 31, 2012.

• Signed by the Falcons as a free agent on November 7, 2012.

HT: 6’ 0” WT: 252 NFL EXP: 5 ACQ: FA–‘12 2ND YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 7/11/85 COLLEGE: GEORGIA TECH

42MIKECOXFULLBACK

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD

RECEIVING RUSHING2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 9/17 DEN 9/23 @ SD 9/30 CAR 10/7 @ WSH 10/14 OAK 10/28 @ PHI 11/4 DAL SIGNED AS A FREE AGENT ON 11/7/1211/11 @ NO 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/18 ARZ 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/25 @ TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/29 NO 1 8 8.0 8 0 0 0 0.0 0 012/9 @ CAR 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 012/16 NYG 1 11 11.0 11 0 0 0 0.0 0 012/22 @ DET 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

12/30 TB 1 3 3.0 3 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

TOTALS 3 22 7.3 11 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

CAREER 7 25 3.6 11 1 24 133 5.5 19 0

2012 POSTSEASON

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RSH YDS AVG LG TD

RECEIVING RUSHING

1/13 SEA 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

1/20 SF 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 4 4.0 4 0

TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 4 4.0 4 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Caught one pass for six yards against Seattle (1/13)

in the NFC Divisional round.

• Saw action on special teams and off ense against the

49ers (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Saw action on special teams at Kansas City (9/9).

• Recorded two tackles on special teams against the

Broncos (9/17).

• Played on off ense and special teams at San Diego

(9/23).

• Saw action on special teams against the Panthers (9/30).

• Played on special teams at Washington (10/7).

• Tallied a tackle on special teams against Oakland

(10/14).

• Caught two passes for 30 yards and his fi rst career touchdown at Philadelphia (10/28).

• Saw action on special teams against Dallas (11/4).

• Played on off ense and special teams at New Or-

leans (11/11).

• Caught one pass for four yards against Arizona

(11/18).

• Saw action on special teams at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Played on special teams against New Orleans

(11/29).

• Caught one pass for six yards at Carolina (12/9).

• Saw action on off ense and special teams against the

Giants (12/16).

• Saw action on off ense and special teams at Detroit

(12/22).

HT: 6-1 WT: 204 NFL EXP: 1 AQU: FA-’12 2ND YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDAY: 1/4/1989 COLLEGE: OREGON

19DREWDAVISWIDE RECEIVER

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD

RECEIVING RUSHING2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 09/17 DEN 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

9/23 @ SD 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

9/30 CAR 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

10/7 @ WSH 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

10/14 OAK 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 010/28 @ PHI 2 30 15.0 15 1 0 0 0.0 0 011/4 DAL 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/11 @ NO 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/18 ARZ 1 4 4.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/25 @ TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/29 NO 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 012/9 @ CAR 1 6 6.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 012/16 NYG 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 012/22 @ DET 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

12/30 TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

TOTALS 4 40 10.0 15 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

CAREER 4 40 10.0 15 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

• Saw action on off ense and special teams against Tampa Bay (12/30).

TRANSACTIONS• Signed by the Falcons as a College Free Agent on

July 26, 2011.

• Signed to the Falcons active roster on September 8, 2012.

2011 (FALCONS)• Served as a member of the Falcons practice squad.

COLLEGE• Earned honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors and

was a co-recipient of the Todd Doxey Award, given to the Oregon player who exemplifi es the traits of dedication associated with being an outstanding teammate as a senior. The Denver, CO native caught 42 passes for 470 yards and three touchdowns in 2010 and helped lead the Ducks to the BCS Nation-al Championship Game. In four seasons in with the Ducks, Davis appeared in 46 games and caught 73 passes for 823 yards with six touchdowns.

2012 POSTSEASON

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RSH YDS AVG LG TD

RECEIVING RUSHING

1/13 SEA 1 6 6.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

TOTALS 1 6 6.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Tallied three tackles (two solo) and broke up a pass

against Seattle (1/13) in the NFC Divisional round.

• Collected 8 tackles (fi ve solo) against the 49ers (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Recorded nine tackles at Kansas City (9/9).

• Intercepted QB Peyton Manning’s second pass and returned it 15 yards to set up a fi eld goal against

Denver (9/17). Also, added fi ve solo tackles.

• DeCoud notched two interceptions and one fumble recovery while recording four tackles at San Diego

(9/23).

• Collected fi ve tackles against the Panthers (9/30).

• Tallied three tackles (two solo) and an interception at

Washington (10/7).

• Recorded seven tackles (fi ve solo) against Oakland

(10/14).

• Collected seven tackles (fi ve solo) and had a sack at

the Eagles (10/28).

• Collared four tackles (three solo) against Dallas (11/4).

• Recorded six tackles (fi ve solo) at New Orleans

(11/11).

• Collected four tackles (two solo) against Arizona

(11/18).

• Recorded two solo tackles at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Tallied eight tackles (six solo) and an interception

against New Orleans (11/29).

• Collared four tackles (three solo) at Carolina (12/9).

• Collected fi ve tackles (four solo) and had his sixth

interception of the year against the Giants (12/16).

• Tallied eight tackles (six solo) at Detroit (12/22).

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 9 8 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 09/17 DEN 5 5 0.0 0.0 1 15 0 0 19/23 @ SD 4 3 0.0 0.0 2 -2 0 1 3

9/30 CAR 5 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/7 @ WSH 3 2 0.0 0.0 1 24 0 0 110/14 OAK 7 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 110/28 @ PHI 7 5 1.0 2.0 0 0 0 0 011/4 DAL 4 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/11 @ NO 6 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/18 ARZ 4 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/25 @ TB 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/29 NO 8 6 0.0 0.0 1 0 0 0 112/9 @ CAR 4 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/16 NYG 5 4 0.0 0.0 1 5 0 0 112/22 @ DET 8 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/30 TB 8 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1

TOTALS 89 69 1.0 2.0 6 42 0 1 9

CAREER 424 287 3.0 20.0 14 144 4 2 24

2012 POSTSEASONDATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

1/13 SEA 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1

1/20 SF 8 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1

TOTALS 11 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2

HT: 6’ 2” WT: 192 NFL EXP: 5 ACQ: D3C-’08 5TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 3/19/85 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

28THOMASDECOUDSAFETY

PRO BOWL YEARS2012

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Recorded eight tackles (four solo) against the Se-

ahawks (1/13) in the NFC Divisional round.

• Tallied nine tackles (six solo) against the 49ers

(1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Played on defense and special teams and recorded

one tackle at Kansas City (9/9).

• Posted one special teams tackle against Denver

(9/17).

• Recorded three tackles at San Diego (9/23).

• Had a career high seven tackles against the Pan-

thers (9/30).

• Recorded two tackles (one solo) at Washington

(10/7).

• Tallied nine tackles (seven solo) against Oakland

(10/14).

• Collected two solo tackles at Philadelphia (10/28).

• Led the team with 10 tackles (seven solo) against the

Cowboys (11/4).

• Led the team with nine tackles (seven solo) at New

Orleans (11/11).

• Collected seven tackles (fi ve solo) against Arizona

(11/18).

• Recorded fi ve solo tackles at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Tallied three tackles (one solo) against New Orleans

(11/29).

• Collared eight tackles (six solo) at Carolina (12/9).

• Collected four tackles (two solo) against the Giants

(12/16).

• Recorded six tackles (three solo) at Detroit (12/22).

• Tallied three solo tackles against Tampa Bay (12/30).

EXTRA POINTS• Participanted in the Atlanta Falcons Rookie Club

sponsored by UnitedHealthcare of Georgia, this program gives the players the opportunity to take part in several charitable events.

TRANSACTIONS• Selected as a third round (91st pick overall) draft choice by Atlanta in 2011.

2011 (FALCONS)• Played in all 16 games, primarily on special teams.

Led the team with 19 special teams tackles, which was tied for the second-highest total in team his-tory.

• Saw action on special teams in his professional de-but at Chicago (9/11).

• Saw action on special teams against Philadelphia (9/18).

HT: 6-1 WT: 239 NFL EXP: 1 AQU: D3-’11 2ND YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDAY: 9/27/1987 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

52AKEEMDENTLINEBACKER

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 09/17 DEN 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 09/23 @ SD 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

9/30 CAR 7 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/7 WAS 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/14 OAK 9 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/28 @ PHI 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/4 DAL 10 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 111/11 @ NO 9 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/18 ARZ 7 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/25 @ TB 5 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/29 NO 3 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/9 @ CAR 8 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/16 NYG 4 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/22 @ DET 6 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/30 TB 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1

TOTALS 76 53 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2

CAREER 77 54 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 2

2012 POSTSEASONDATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

1/13 SEA 8 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

1/20 SF 9 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 17 10 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Caught two catches for 29 yards against Seattle

(1/13) in the NFC Divisional round.

• Hauled in three catches for 31 yards against San

Francisco (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Recorded three catches for 32 yards in the opening game at Kansas City (9/9).

• Caught three passes for 27 yards against the Bron-

cos (9/17).

• Had two catches for 13 yards at the Chargers (9/23).

• Caught his pass in the game winning drive for six

yards against Carolina (9/30).

• Hauled in two catches for 34 yards at Washington

(10/7).

• Recorded fi ve catches for 37 yards against Oakland (10/14). Douglas also caught his 100th career pass.

• Inactive at Philadelphia (10/28).

• Saw action on off ense against Dallas (11/4).

• Caught four passes for 49 yards at New Orleans

(11/11).

• Hauled in fi ve catches for 48 yards against Arizona

(11/18).

• Reeled in two catches for 11 yards at Tampa Bay

(11/25).

• Saw action on off ense against New Orleans (11/29).

• Caught two passes for 29 yards at Carolina (12/9).

• Reeled in three passes for 83 yards against the Gi-ants (12/16).

• Caught two passes for six yards at Detroit (12/22).

• Caught four passes for 21 yards along with a touch-downs and averaged 10.5 yards on four punt returns against Tampa Bay (12/30).

HT: 6’ 0” WT: 183 NFL EXP: 3 ACQ: D3B - ’08 4TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 9/16/84 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE

83HARRYDOUGLASWIDE RECEIVER

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD

RECEIVING RUSHING2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 3 32 10.7 19 0 0 0 0.0 0 09/17 DEN 3 27 9.0 10 0 0 0 0.0 0 09/23 @ SD 2 13 6.5 10 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

9/30 CAR 1 6 6.0 6 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

10/7 @ WSH 2 34 17.0 19 0 1 5 5.0 5 0

10/14 OAK 5 37 7.4 20 0 0 0 0.0 0 010/28 @ PHI INACTIVE11/4 DAL 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/11 @ NO 4 49 12.3 23 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/18 ARZ 5 48 9.6 26 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/25 @ TB 2 11 5.5 6 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/29 NO 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 012/9 @ CAR 2 29 14.5 19 0 0 0 0.0 0 012/16 NYG 3 83 27.7 37 0 1 -1 -1.0 -1 012/22 @ DET 2 6 3.0 5 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

12/30 TB 4 21 5.3 10 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

TOTALS 38 396 10.4 37 1 2 4 2.0 5 0

CAREER 122 1,508 12.4 69 4 17 71 4.2 33 1

2012 POSTSEASON

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RSH YDS AVG LG TD

RECEIVING RUSHING

1/13 SEA 2 29 14.5 22 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

1/20 SF 3 31 10.3 22 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

TOTALS 5 60 12.0 22 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Contributed on special teams against Seattle (1/13)

in the NFC Divisonal round.

• Did not play against the 49ers (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Played on special teams at Kansas City (9/9).

• Recorded six tackles and returned punts against the Broncos (9/17).

• Collared four tackles at San Diego (9/23).

• Returned two punts for 17 yards against Carolina

(9/30).

• Saw action on defense and special teams at Wash-

ington (10/7).

• Returned punts against Oakland (10/14).

• Returned one punt for 11 yards at Philadelphia

(10/28).

• Returned punts against Dallas (11/4).

• Contributed on special teams at New Orleans

(11/11).

• Averaged 11.0 yards per punt return against Arizona

(11/18).

• Returned one punt for ten yards at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Returned one punt for 13 yards against New Orleans (11/29).

• Saw action on special teams at Carolina (12/9).

• Broke up a pass and recorded three solo tackles

against the Giants (12/16).

• Recorded two tackles at Detroit (12/22).

• Tallied two tackles (one solo) against Tampa Bay (12/30).

HT: 6’ 0” WT: 197 NFL EXP: 3 ACQ: D5A-’10 3RD YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 10/8/87 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA

29DOMINIQUE FRANKSCORNERBACK

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 09/17 DEN 6 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 09/23 @ SD 4 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

9/30 CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/7 @ WSH 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/14 OAK 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/28 @ PHI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/4 DAL 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/11 @ NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/18 ARZ O O O.O O.O O O O O O11/25 @ TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/29 NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/9 @ CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/16 NYG 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 112/22 @ DET 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/30 TB 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1

TOTALS 14 10 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1

CAREER 35 23 0.0 0.0 3 40 0 0 7

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

HT: 6’ 5” WT: 259 NFL EXP: 1 ACQ: FA-’12 2ND YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 5/8/88 COLLEGE: BOISE STATE

87TOMMYGALLARDATIGHT END

2012 (FALCONS)• Saw action at tight end and on special teams in At-

lanta’s fi rst four games.

• Caught his fi rst career catch for seven yards at

Washington (10/7).

• Contributed on off ense and special teams against

Oakland (10/14).

• Played on off ense and special teams at Philadelphia

(10/28).

• Contributed on off ense and special teams against Dallas (11/4).

• Saw action on special teams at New Orleans (11/11).

• Placed on injured reserve on November 13, 2012.

TRANSACTIONS• Signed by the Falcons on September 12, 2011.

• Waived by the Falcons on November 29, 2011.

• Signed to the Falcons practice squad on December 30, 2011.

• Signed by the Falcons as a reserve/future free agent on January 9, 2012.

EXTRA POINTS• In 2011, participanted in the Atlanta Falcons Rookie

Club sponsored by UnitedHealthcare of Georgia, this program gives the players the opportunity to take part in several charitable events.

2011 (FALCONS)• Served as a member of the Falcons practice squad

in 2011.

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD

RECEIVING RUSHING2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 09/17 DEN 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 09/23 @ SD 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

9/30 CAR 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

10/7 @ WSH 1 7 7.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

10/14 OAK 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 010/28 @ PHI 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/4 DAL 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/11 @ NO 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/18 ARZ PLACED ON INJURED RESERVE 11/13/1211/25 @ TB 11/29 NO 12/9 @ CAR 12/16 NYG 12/22 @ DET 12/30 TB

TOTALS 1 7 7.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

CAREER 1 7 7.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Caught six passes for 51 yards and a touchdown in

the NFC Divisional round against Seattle (1/13).

• Reeled in eight passes for 78 yards and a touch-down against the 49ers (1/20) in the NFC Cham-

pionship.

• Hauled in fi ve catches for 53 yards and a touchdown

in his return to Kansas City (9/9).

• Caught a touchdown along with seven more catch-es for 70 yards against the Broncos (9/17) on Mon-

day Night Football.

• Led the team with nine catches for 91 yards and had

a touchdown at San Diego (9/23).

• Caught fi ve passes for 51 yards against Carolina

(9/30).

• Had his best game as a Falcon, hauling in 13 recep-tions for 123 yards and one touchdown at Washing-

ton (10/7).

• Hauled in four catches for 42 yards against Oakland

(10/14).

• Had three catches for 29 yards at Philadelphia

(10/28).

• Reeled in four catches for 36 yards against the Cow-

boys (11/4).

• Caught 11 passes for 122 yards and two touch-downs, and became the second player in NFL his-tory with 1,200 receptions and the fi rst tight end in NFL history with 100 touchdowns at New Orleans

(11/11).

• Hauled in three catches for 33 yards against the

Cardinals (11/18).

• Recorded 5 catches for 62 yards and became the fi rst tight end ever to have over 14,000 yards re-

ceiving in a career against Tampa Bay (11/25).

Gonzalez has more career receptions

(1,242), receiving yards (14,268),

touchdown catches (103), 100-yard

games (30), Pro Bowl appearances

(12) and 1,000-yard seasons (four)

than any other tight end in NFL history.

HT: 6’ 5” WT: 247 NFL EXP: 16 ACQ: TR–‘09 (KC) 4TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 2/27/76 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

88TONYGONZALEZTIGHT END

PRO BOWL YEARS2012, 2011, 2010, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD

RECEIVING RUSHING2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 5 53 10.6 25 1 0 0 0.0 0 09/17 DEN 7 70 10.0 16 1 0 0 0.0 0 09/23 @ SD 9 91 10.1 15 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

9/30 CAR 5 51 10.2 14 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

10/7 @ WSH 13 123 9.5 21 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

10/14 OAK 4 42 10.5 13 0 0 0 0.0 0 010/28 @ PHI 3 29 9.7 11 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/4 DAL 4 36 9.0 15 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/11 @ NO 11 122 11.1 19 2 0 0 0.0 0 011/18 ARZ 3 33 11.0 12 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/25 @ TB 5 62 12.4 20 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/29 NO 4 58 14.5 18 1 0 0 0.0 0 012/9 @ CAR 8 61 7.6 16 0 0 0 0.0 0 012/16 NYG 6 49 8.2 12 1 0 0 0.0 0 012/22 @ DET 1 9 9.0 9 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

12/30 TB 5 41 8.2 15 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

TOTALS 93 930 10.0 25 8 0 0 0.0 0 0

CAREER 1,242 14,268 11.5 73t 103 2 14 7.0 9 0

• Caught four passes for 58 yards and a touchdown

against New Orleans (11/29).

• Hauled in eight catches for 61 yards at Carolina

(12/9).

• Recorded six catches for 49 yards and a touchdown

against the Giants (12/16).

• Caught one pass for nine yards at Detroit (12/22).

• Recorded fi ve catches for 41 yards against Tampa Bay (12/30).

2012 POSTSEASON

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RSH YDS AVG LG TD

RECEIVING RUSHING

1/13 SEA 6 51 8.5 19 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

1/20 SF 8 78 9.8 16 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

TOTALS 14 129 9.2 19 2 0 0 0.0 0 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Tallied six solo tackles at Kansas City (9/9).

• Placed on injured reserve on September 11, 2012.

TRANSACTIONS• Originally signed as a rookie free agent by the At-

lanta Falcons on May 16, 2006.

• Re-signed by the Falcons on January 10, 2007 and was allocated to the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europa.

• Signed to the Falcons practice squad following training camp. Was activated to the 53-man roster on October 29, but was waived and signed back to the practice squad on November 6.

• Elevated to Atlanta’s 53-man roster on December 17, 2007.

• Signed his Franchise tender on April 24, 2012.

• Placed on injured reserve on September 11, 2012.

2011 (FALCONS)• Recorded 44 tackles (36 solo) with one intercep-

tion, one forced fumble and 14 passes defensed in 2011.

• Was designated as the Falcons franchise player fol-lowing the 2011 season.

• Notched a team-high three passes defensed against Chicago (9/11).

• Collared fi ve tackles (four solo) against Philadel-phia (9/18).

• Tallied four tackles, all solo, at Tampa Bay (9/25).

• Recorded four tackles and one pass defensed at Se-attle (10/2).

• Posted seven tackles (six solo), two passes de-fensed and recorded his fi rst-career forced fumble vs. Green Bay (10/9).

• Registered four tackles, one pass defensed and an interception vs. Carolina (10/16).

• Recorded fi ve tackles (three solo) and two passes defensed at Detroit (10/23).

• Notched three tackles (two solo) at Indianapolis (11/6).

• Collared four tackles (three solo) and one pass de-fensed vs. New Orleans (11/13).

• Posted one tackle and two passes defensed vs. Ten-nessee (11/20).

• Started at cornerback vs. Minnesota (11/27) but did not record any statistics before leaving the game with an injury (knee).

• Was inactive due to injury (knee) at Houston (12/4), at Carolina (12/11) and vs. Jacksonville (12/15).

• Returned from injury (knee) and recorded sev-en tackles (fi ve solo) and two passed defensed (12/26).

• Was inactive vs. Tampa Bay (1/1).

• Collared Was inactive at New York (1/8) in Wild Card playoff .

CAREER• In fi ve seasons with the Falcons, has totaled 242

tackles (207 solo), 13 interceptions, one fumble re-covery, one forced fumble and 56 passes defensed.

• Led the Falcons in interceptions with six in 2009.

• Named to the NFC Pro Bowl squad for the fi rst time in his career in 2010.

• Recorded a career-best 82 tackles (72 solo), an NFL-best and franchise record 23 passes defensed, and a team-leading fi ve interceptions in 2010.

• Named to the NFC Pro Bowl squad for the fi rst time in his career in 2010.

• Registered six tackles, one interception and one pass defensed at New Orleans (9/26/10). Inter-cepted Saints QB Drew Brees for the second time in as many games.

HT: 5’ 10” WT: 183 NFL EXP: 5 ACQ: FA – ‘07 5TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 7/19/83 COLLEGE: SHIPPENSBURG UNIVERSITY

20BRENTGRIMESCORNERBACK

PRO BOWL YEARS2010

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Did not play against Seattle (1/13).

• Did not play against the 49ers (1/20).

• Inactive weeks one through three.

• Helped block for RB Michael Turner against Carolina

(9/30).

• Played fullback at Washington (10/7).

• Saw action on off ense against Oakland (10/14).

• Inactive at Philadelphia (10/28).

• Contributed on special teams against Dallas (11/4).

• Saw action on special teams at New Orleans (11/11).

• Played on special teams against Arizona (11/18).

• Inactive against Tampa Bay (12/30).

EXTRA POINTS• In 2010, a participant in the Atlanta Falcons Rookie

Club sponsored by UnitedHealthcare of Georgia, this program gives the players the opportunity to take part in several charitable events.

TRANSACTIONS• Selected as a fourth round (117th pick overall) draft

choice by Atlanta in 2010.

2011 (FALCONS)• Played in all 16 games with 12 starts in 2011. Helped

pave the way for RB Michael Turner who led the NFC with 1,340 rushing yards and QB Matt Ryan who threw for a franchise record 4,177 passing yards.

• Made three starts at center before taking over as the start-er at right guard for the fi nal nine games of the season.

• Started his fi rst career game at center in place of in-jured-veteran Todd McClure against Chicago (9/11).

• Member of an off ensive line that assisted in produc-ing 138 rushing yards vs. Philadelphia (9/18).

• Saw action on special teams at Tampa Bay (9/25).

• Saw action at center and on special teams at Seattle (10/2).

• Started at center vs. Green Bay (10/9).

• Saw action on special teams vs. Carolina (10/16).

HT: 6’3” WT: 302 NFL EXP: 3 ACQ: D4-’08 3RD YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 10/22/1988 COLLEGE: UNLV

61JOEHAWLEYCENTER

2012 2011 2010

ATL ATL ATL

HAWLEY’S CAREER GAMES PLAYED/STARTED

6/0 16/12 15/0TOTAL 37/12

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Recorded two solo tackles against Seattle (1/13).

• Recorded one tackle against the 49ers (1/20).

• Played on special teams at Kansas City (9/9).

• Had a tackle on special teams against Denver (9/17).

• Recorded two tackles on special teams at San Di-

ego (9/23).

• Contributed on special teams against Carolina

(9/30).

• Played special teams at Washington (10/7).

• Recorded a tackle on special teams (10/14).

• Saw action on special teams at Philadelphia (10/28).

• Played on special teams against Dallas (11/4).

• Contributed on special teams at New Orleans

(11/11).

• Saw action on special teams against Arizona (11/18).

• Contributed on special teams at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Saw action on special teams against New Orleans (11/29).

• Recorded four tackles (one solo) at Carolina (12/9).

• Recovered a fumble and collected six solo tackles

against the Giants (12/16).

• Collected eight tackles (four solo) at Detroit (12/22).

• Recorded 11 tackles (six solo) against Tampa Bay (12/30).

EXTRA POINTS• Participated in Titans charitable events and was ac-

tively involved in school and hospital visits in Nash-ville. Also visits schools in his hometown of Rock Hill, S.C. during off -season.

HT: 6’ 0” WT: 208 NFL EXP: 11 ACQ: FA-’12 1ST YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 10/22/88 COLLEGE: FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

24CHRIS HOPESAFETY

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 09/17 DEN 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 09/23 @ SD 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

9/30 CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/7 @ WSH 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/14 OAK 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/28 @ PHI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/4 DAL 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/11 @ NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/18 ARZ 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/25 @ TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/29 NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/9 @ CAR 4 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/16 NYG 6 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1 012/22 @ DET 8 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/30 TB 11 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 29 17 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0

CAREER 271 224 0.0 0.0 13 155 1 2 56

2012 POSTSEASONDATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

1/13 SEA 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

1/20 SF 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Saw action on special teams against Seattle (1/13).

• Played on special teams against the 49ers (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Recorded a solo tackle on special teams at Kansas City (9/9).

• Played on special teams against Denver (9/17).

• Contributed on special teams at San Diego (9/23).

• Played on special teams against the Panthers (9/30).

• Assisted on a tackle at Washington (10/7).

• Saw action on special teams against Oakland

(10/14).

• Saw action on special teams at Philadelphia

(10/28).

• Collected a tackle on special teams against Dallas

(11/4).

• Contributed on special teams at New Orleans

(11/11).

• Collected three special teams tackles against Ari-

zona (11/18).

• Saw action on special teams at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Collected a special teams tackles against New Orleans

(11/29).

• Saw action on special teams at Carolina (12/9).

• Played on special teams against the Giants (12/16).

• Saw action on defense and special teams at Detroit

(12/22).

• Contributed on special teams against Tampa Bay (12/30).

HT: 5’ 11” WT: 224 NFL EXP: 4 ACQ: D5A–‘08 4TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 12/26/83 COLLEGE: ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

51ROBERTJAMESLINEBACKER

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 09/17 DEN 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 09/23 @ SD 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

9/30 CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/7 @ WSH 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/14 OAK 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/28 @ PHI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/4 DAL 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/11 @ NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/18 ARZ 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/25 @ TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/29 NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/9 @ CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/16 NYG 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/22 @ DET 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/30 TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

CAREER 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

2012 POSTSEASONDATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

1/13 SEA 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

1/20 SF 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Collected four tackles against Seattle (1/13) in the

NFC Divisional round.

• Tallied one solo tackled against the 49ers (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Recorded one tackle at Kansas City (9/9).

• Tallied a tackle against the Broncos (9/17).

• Collared two tackles at the Chargers (9/23).

• Collected two tackles against Carolina (9/30).

• Logged two solo tackles at Washington (10/7).

• Recorded two tackles (one solo) against Oakland

(10/14).

• Saw action on defense at the Eagles (10/28).

• Saw action on defense against Dallas (11/4).

• Collected three tackles (two solo) at New Orleans

(11/11).

• Had one tackle against Arizona (11/18).

• Inactive at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Inactive against New Orleans (11/29).

• Recorded one solo tackle at Carolina (12/9).

• Collected one solo tackle against the Giants

(12/16).

• Recovered a fumble and collected three tackles (two

solo) at Detroit (12/22).

• Tallied two solo tackles against Tampa Bay (12/30).

TRANSACTIONS• Selected as a fi rst round (24th pick overall) draft

choice by Atlanta in 2009.

2011 (FALCONS)• Played in all 16 games with four starts. Logged 11

tackles (three solo) with one forced fumble and one pass defense.

HT: 6’ 2” WT: 295 NFL EXP: 4 ACQ: D1–‘09 4TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 8/23/84 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI

94PERIAJERRYDEFENSIVE TACKLE

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 09/17 DEN 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 09/23 @ SD 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

9/30 CAR 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/7 @ WSH 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/14 OAK 2 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/28 @ PHI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/4 DAL 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/11 @ NO 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/18 ARZ 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/25 @ TB INACTIVE11/29 NO INACTIVE12/9 @ CAR 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/16 NYG 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/22 @ DET 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1 012/30 TB 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 22 16 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0

CAREER 42 25 2.0 15.0 0 0 1 1 2

2012 POSTSEASON

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD1/13 SEA 4 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

1/20 SF 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 5 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Played on off ense and special teams against Seattle

(1/13) in the NFC Divisional round.

• Saw action on off ense against the 49ers (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Saw action on special teams at Kansas City (9/9).

• Got his fi rst start on a short yardage play on the one

yard line against the Broncos (9/17).

• Played on off ense and special teams at San Diego

(9/23).

• Saw action on off ense and special teams against the

Panthers (9/30).

• Played on the off ensive line and special teams at the

Redskins (10/7).

• Blocked on short yardage plays against Oakland

(10/14).

• Contributed on off ense and special teams at Phila-

delphia (10/28).

• Played on off ense and special teams against Dal-

las (11/4).

• Caught his fi rst career touchdown on the opening

drive at New Orleans (11/11).

• Played on off ense and special teams against Ari-

zona (11/18).

• Blocked for RB’s Michael Turner and Jacquizz Rod-gers who both had a touchdown at Tampa Bay

(11/25).

• Played on off ense and special teams against New

Orleans (11/29).

• Saw action on off ense and special teams at Caro-

lina (12/9).

• Saw action on off ense and special teams against the

Giants (12/16).

• Contributed on off ense and special teams at Detroit

(12/22).

• Saw action on off ense and special teams against Tampa Bay (12/30).

EXTRA POINTS• In 2010, a participant in the Atlanta Falcons Rookie

Club sponsored by UnitedHealthcare of Georgia, this program gives the players the opportunity to take part in several charitable events.

2012 2011 2010

ATL ATL ATL

JOHNSON’S CAREER GAMES PLAYED/STARTED

16/1 2/0 0/0TOTAL 18/1

HT: 6’ 6” WT: 304 NFL EXP: 3 ACQ: D3B-’10 3RD YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 4/2/87 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA

79MIKEJOHNSONOFFENSIVE GUARD

2012

ATL

JOHNSON’S CAREER POSTSEASON GAMES PLAYED/STARTED

2/0TOTAL 2/0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Caught six passes for 59 yards in the NFC Divisional

round against Seattle (1/13).

• Reeled in 11 catches for 182 yards and two touch-downs against the 49ers (1/20) in the NFC Cham-pionship game.

• Jones fi nished the game with six receptions for 108

yards with two touchdowns at Kansas City (9/9).

• Caught four passes for 14 yards against the Bron-

cos (9/17).

• Hauled in fi ve catches for 67 yards and a touchdown

at San Diego (9/23).

• Reeled in one pass for 30 yards against the Pan-

thers (9/30).

• Caught 10 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown at

Washington (10/7).

• Caught four passes for 63 yards against Oakland

(10/14).

• Reeled in fi ve passes for 123 yards and a touchdown

at Philadelphia (10/28).

• Posted a season-high 129 yards on fi ve catches against Dallas (11/4) in his fi rst 100-yard game at the Georgia Dome and the second time he’s had

back-to-back 100-yard games.

• Caught four passes for 75 yards at New Orleans

(11/11).

• Hauled in three catches for 33 yards against Ari-

zona (11/18).

• Caught six passes for a career-high 147 yards and

an 80-yard touchdown at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Reeled in fi ve catches for 48 yards against New Or-

leans (11/29).

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD

RECEIVING RUSHING2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 6 108 18.0 31 2 0 0 0.0 0 09/17 DEN 4 14 3.5 6 0 1 1 1.0 1 09/23 @ SD 5 67 13.4 15 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

9/30 CAR 1 30 30.0 30 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

10/7 @ WSH 10 94 9.4 29 1 1 1 1.0 1 0

10/14 OAK 4 63 15.8 25 0 0 0 0.0 0 010/28 @ PHI 5 123 24.6 63 1 1 9 9.0 9 011/4 DAL 5 129 25.8 48 0 1 8 8.0 8 011/11 @ NO 4 75 18.8 52 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/18 ARZ 3 33 11.0 20 0 0 0 0.0 0 011/25 @ TB 6 147 24.5 80 1 0 0 0.0 0 011/29 NO 5 48 9.6 18 0 0 0 0.0 0 012/9 @ CAR 5 66 13.2 21 1 0 0 0.0 0 012/16 NYG 6 74 12.3 40 2 1 18 18.0 18 012/22 @ DET 7 71 10.1 16 1 1 -7 -7.0 -7 0

12/30 TB 3 56 18.7 28 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

TOTALS 79 1,198 15.2 80t 10 6 30 5.0 27 0

CAREER 133 2,101 15.8 80t 18 12 86 7.2 19 0

• Hauled in fi ve passes for 66 yards and a touchdown

at Carolina (12/9).

• Recorded six catches for 74 yards and two touch-

downs against the Giants (12/16).

• Caught seven passes for 71 yards and a touchdown

at Detroit (12/22).

• Hauled in three passes for 56 yards against Tampa Bay (12/30).

TRANSACTIONS• Selected as a fi rst round (6th pick overall) draft

choice by Atlanta in 2011.

2011 (FALCONS)• Posted the best season by a Falcons rookie receiv-

er after notching 54 receptions for 959 yards and eight touchdowns. recorded more yards and touch-downs than any Falcons rookie before him and only Shawn Collins caught more passes in his fi rst sea-son when he pulled down 58 balls in 1989.

HT: 6’ 3” WT: 220 NFL EXP: 1 ACQ: D1-’11 2ND YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 2/3/1989 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA

11JULIOJONESWIDE RECEIVER

PRO BOWL YEARS2012

2012 POSTSEASON

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RSH YDS AVG LG TD

RECEIVING RUSHING

1/13 SEA 6 59 9.8 21 0 1 -1 -1.0 -1 0

1/20 SF 11 182 16.5 46 2 0 0 0.0 0 0

TOTALS 17 241 14.2 46t 2 1 -1 -1.0 -1 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Collected two tackles against Seattle (1/13) in the

NFC Divisional round.

• Saw action on defense and special teams against the 49ers (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Contributed on defense at Kansas City (9/9).

• Inactive against the Broncos (9/17) and Chargers (9/23).

• Played special teams against Carolina (9/30).

• Inactive at Washington (10/7), against Oakland (10/14), and at Philadelphia (10/28).

• Contributed on special teams against Dallas (11/4).

• Saw action on special teams at New Orleans (11/11).

• Contributed on defense and special teams against

Arizona (11/18).

• Saw action on defense and special teams at Tampa

Bay (11/25).

• Recorded three solo tackles against New Orleans

(11/29).

• Played on defense and special teams at Carolina

(12/9).

• Saw action on off ense and special teams against the Giants (12/16).

• Inactive at Detroit (12/22).

• Played on defense and special teams against Tampa Bay (12/30).

HT: 6-4 WT: 268 NFL EXP: 1 AQU: D7B-’11 1ST YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDAY: 8/5/1989 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA

98CLIFFMATTHEWSDEFENSIVE LINEMEN

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 09/17 DEN INACTIVE9/23 @ SD INACTIVE9/30 CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/7 @ WSH INACTIVE10/14 OAK INACTIVE10/28 @ PHI INACTIVE11/4 DAL 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/11 @ NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/18 ARZ 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/25 @ TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/29 NO 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/9 @ CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/16 NYG 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/22 @ DET INACTIVE12/30 TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

CAREER 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

YEAR GP/GS TK SO AST SK YDS INT YDS LG TD PD FF FR YDS TD

MATTHEWS’ CAREER DEFENSIVE STATISTICS

2011 ATL 0/0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 02012 ATL 10/0 3 3 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0TOTAL 10/0 3 3 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

2012 POSTSEASONDATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD1/13 SEA 2 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

1/20 SF 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 2 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Recorded one tackle against Seattle (1/13) in the

NFC Divsional round.

• Saw action on defense and special teams against the 49ers (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Inactive for Week 1 at the Chiefs (9/9).

• Recorded his fi rst career interception and the team’s third of the fi rst quarter against the Broncos (9/17).

• Contributed on special teams at San Diego (9/23).

• Tallied four tackles against Carolina (9/30).

• Collected three tackles (two solo) at Washington

(10/7).

• Recorded one solo tackle and recovered a fumble and

returned it 13 yards against the Raiders (10/14).

• Collected six solo tackles at Philadelphia (10/28).

• Tallied seven tackles (four solo) against Dallas (11/4).

• Recorded four solo tackles against New Orleans

(11/11).

• Led the team with 10 tackles (eight solo) against Ari-

zona (11/18).

• Collected two solo tackles at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Recorded six solo tackles with two pass breakups

against New Orleans (11/29).

• Recorded nine tackles (eight solo) at Carolina (12/9).

• Collared four tackles (three solo) against the Giants

(12/16).

• Collected fi ve tackles (four solo) and recovered a fum-

ble at Detroit (12/22).

• Recorded four tackles (three solo) against Tampa Bay (12/30).

HT: 5’ 9” WT: 195 NFL EXP: 2 ACQ: FA–‘12 1ST YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 7/22/88 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT

27ROBERTMCCLAINCORNERBACK

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC INACTIVE9/17 DEN 0 0 0.0 0.0 1 32 0 0 1

9/23 @ SD 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

9/30 CAR 4 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/7 @ WSH 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/14 OAK 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1 110/28 @ PHI 6 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 111/4 DAL 7 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/11 @ NO 4 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 111/18 ARZ 10 8 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 111/25 @ TB 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 111/29 NO 6 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 212/9 @ CAR 9 8 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/16 NYG 4 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/22 @ DET 5 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1 112/30 TB 4 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1

TOTALS 65 55 0.0 0.0 1 32 0 2 10

CAREER 81 69 0.0 0.0 1 32 0 2 11

2012 POSTSEASONDATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

1/13 SEA 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

1/20 SF 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Paved the way for RB Michael Turner to run for 98

yards on 14 carries against Seattle (1/13) in the NFC

Divisional round.

• Started at center against the 49ers (1/20) in the

NFC Championship.

• Protected for QB Matt Ryan as he completed 23 of 31 attempts for 299 yards and had four touchdowns

at Kansas City (9/9).

• Started at center and helped protect QB Matt Ryan while he threw for 219 yards and two touchdowns

against the Broncos (9/17).

• Helped block for RB Michael Turner who averaged 5.7 yards per carry at San Diego (9/23).

• Started at center against Carolina (9/30).

• Protected QB Matt Ryan as he threw for 345 yards and two touchdowns at Washington (10/7).

• Started at center against Oakland (10/14).

• Protected QB Matt Ryan who had a 137.4 QB rating

at Philadelphia (10/28).

• Blocked for QB Matt Ryan who threw for 342 yards and had a 102.8 QB rating against Dallas (11/4).

• Started at center at New Orleans (11/11).

• Paved the way for RB Michael Turner to score the go

ahead touchdown against Arizona (11/18).

• Blocked for QB Matt Ryan who went 26 for 32 with

353 yards and a touchdown at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Helped the run game rack up 124 yards and a touch-

down against New Orleans (11/29).

• Started at center at Carolina (12/9).

• Part of an off ensive line that only allowed one sack

against the Giants (12/16).

• Blocked for QB Matt Ryan who threw for 279 yards and four touchdowns at Detroit (12/22).

• Started at center against Tampa Bay (12/30).

EXTRA POINTS• In 2010, partnered with Rooms to Go to provide

underprivileged families room makeovers for their homes. Also participated in a home makeover for a local military family.

HT: 6’ 1” WT: 296 NFL EXP: 13 ACQ: D7A–‘99 13TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 2/16/77 COLLEGE: LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY

62TODDMCCLURECENTER

2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999

ATL ATL ATL ATL ATL ATL ATL ATL ATL ATL ATL ATL ATL ATL

MCCLURE’S CAREER GAMES PLAYED/STARTED

16/16 13/13 16/16 16/16 16/16 16/16 16/16 16/16 16/16 16/16 16/16 15/15 10/7 IRTOTAL 198/195

2012 2011 2010 2008 2004 2002

ATL ATL ATL ATL ATL ATL

MCCLURE’S CAREER POSTSEASON GAMES PLAYED/STARTED

2/2 1/1 1/1 1/1 2/2 2/2TOTAL 9/9

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Did not play against Seattle (1/13).

• Did not play against the 49ers (1/20).

• Served as QB Matt Ryan’s backup at Kansas City (9/9).

• Did not play against Denver (9/17).

• Saw his fi rst action of the year at the end of the game at San Diego (9/23).

• Did not play against the Panthers (9/30).

• Served as QB Matt Ryan’s backup at Washing-ton(10/7).

• Did not play against Oakland (10/14).

• Served as QB Matt Ryan’s backup at Philadelphia

(10/28).

• Did not play against Dallas (11/4) or at New Orleans (11/11).

• Backed up QB Matt Ryan against Arizona (11/18).

• Did not play at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Did not play against New Orleans (11/29).

• Backed up QB Matt Ryan at Carolina (12/9).

• Saw action on off ense against the Giants (12/16).

• Did not play at Detroit (12/22).

TRANSACTIONS• Selected as a fourth round (106th overall) draft

choice by the Cleveland Browns in 2004.

• Traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on April 24, 2005.

• Traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 6, 2009.

• Signed by the Saints as free agent on June 7, 2012.

HT: 6’ 4” WT: 217 NFL EXP: 9 ACQ: FA–‘12 1ST YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 7/12/81 COLLEGE: LOUISIANA TECH

12LUKEMCCOWNQUARTERBACK

DATE OPP ATT COM YDS PCT TD INT LG SK RTG ATT YDS TD

PASSING RUSHING2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC DID NOT PLAY9/17 DEN DID NOT PLAY9/23 @ SD 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 09/30 CAR DID NOT PLAY10/7 @ WAS DID NOT PLAY10/14 OAK DID NOT PLAY10/28 @ PHI DID NOT PLAY11/4 DAL DID NOT PLAY11/11 @ NO DID NOT PLAY11/18 ARI DID NOT PLAY11/25 @ TB DID NOT PLAY11/29 NO DID NOT PLAY12/9 @ CAR DID NOT PLAY12/16 NYG 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 2 -3 012/22 @ DET DID NOT PLAY12/30 TB DID NOT PLAY

TOTALS 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 2 -3 0

CAREER 316 184 2,035 6.4 9 14 31 33 68.5 31 181 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Recorded six tackles (four solo) in the NFC Divi-

sional round against Seattle (1/13).

• Tallied fi ve tackles against the 49ers (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Recorded 12 tackles (nine solo) and had an inter-

ception at Kansas City (9/9).

• Intercepted his second pass of the year on the Bron-cos fi rst possession and returned it to the one yard line setting up the fi rst touchdown. Also, recorded eight tackles (fi ve solo) and sacked Broncos QB Peyton Manning in the fourth quarter against Den-

ver (9/17).

• Tallied six tackles and forced a fumble at San Diego (9/23).

• Collared eight tackles against Carolina (9/30).

• Collected 10 tackles (eight solo) at Washington

(10/7).

• Recorded ten tackles (eight solo) against Oakland

(10/14).

• Led the team with eight tackles and forced a fumble

at Philadelphia (10/28).

• Collected seven tackles (four solo) against the Cow-

boys (11/4).

• Tallied eight tackles (six solo) at New Orleans

(11/11).

• Recorded eight tackles (fi ve solo) against Arizona

(11/18).

• Collected six tackles (fi ve solo) at Tampa Bay

(11/25).

• Led the team with 13 tackles (ten solo) and had two in-terceptions against New Orleans (11/29).

• Inactive weeks 14-17.

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 12 9 0.0 0.0 1 2 0 0 19/17 DEN 9 6 1.0 13.0 1 33 0 0 29/23 @ SD 6 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 1 1

9/30 CAR 8 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/7 @ WSH 10 8 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/14 OAK 10 8 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 110/28 @ PHI 8 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 111/4 DAL 7 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/11 @ NO 8 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/18 ARZ 8 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/25 @ TB 6 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 011/29 NO 13 10 0.0 0.0 2 16 0 0 212/9 @ CAR INACTIVE12/16 NYG INACTIVE12/22 @ DET INACTIVE12/30 TB INACTIVE

TOTALS 105 74 1.0 13.0 4 51 2 1 8

CAREER 276 185 1.5 17.5 11 226 5 2 24

2012 POSTSEASONDATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

1/13 SEA 6 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

1/20 SF 5 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1

TOTALS 11 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1

HT: 6’ 0” WT: 221 NFL EXP: 4 ACQ: D2-’09 4TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 5/18/85 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI

25WILLIAMMOORESAFETY

PRO BOWL YEARS2012

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Collected fi ve tackles (three solo) against Seattle

(1/13) in the NFC Divisional round.

• Tallied three tackles (two solo) and recovered a fumble against the 49ers (1/20) in the NFC Cham-

pionship.

• Recorded a career high in tackles with 13 and had an

interception at Kansas City (9/9).

• Tallied eight tackles and forced a fumble against the Broncos (9/17).

• Collared seven tackles at San Diego (9/23).

• Led the team with 10 tackles against Carolina

(9/30).

• Collected fi ve tackles (three solo) at Washington

(10/7).

• Saw action on special teams against Oakland

(10/14).

• Collected seven tackles (fi ve solo) at Philadelphia

(10/28).

• Recorded six tackles (four solo) against Dallas

(11/4).

• Tallied eight tackles (six solo) and a sack at New

Orleans (11/11).

• Collected a sack and had seven tackles (fi ve solo)

against Arizona (11/18).

• Recorded seven tackles (six solo) at Tampa Bay

(11/25).

• Tallied six tackles (four solo) against New Orleans

(11/29).

• Led the team with ten tackles (seven solo) at Carolina

(12/9).

HT: 6’ 3” WT: 236 NFL EXP: 6 ACQ: D4A–‘07 6TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 5/1/83 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

54STEPHEN NICHOLASLINEBACKER

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 13 11 0.0 0.0 1 3 0 0 29/17 DEN 9 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0

9/23 @ SD 7 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

9/30 CAR 10 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

10/7 WAS 5 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

10/14 OAK 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

10/28 @ PHI 7 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1

11/4 DAL 6 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/11 @ NO 8 6 1.0 6.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/18 ARZ 7 5 1.0 14.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/25 @ TB 7 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/29 NO 6 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 112/9 @ CAR 10 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

12/16 NYG 6 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/22 @ DET 8 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

12/30 TB 7 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 116 84 2.0 14.0 1 3 1 0 4

CAREER 363 262 7.0 58.0 1 3 4 3 11

2012 POSTSEASONDATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

1/13 SEA 5 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 01/20 SF 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0

TOTALS 8 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0

• Collared six tackles (four solo) against the Giants

(12/16).

• Collected eight tackles (fi ve solo) at Detroit (12/22).

• Tallied seven tackles (six solo) against Tampa Bay (12/30).

EXTRA POINTS• During the 2010 holiday season, treated several un-

derprivileged families from the Hall County Boys & Girls Club to a special holiday treat.

• Participated in the Extra Yard partnership program and purchased 40 season tickets and t-shirts for various charities in metro Atlanta.

TRANSACTIONS• Selected as a fourth round (109th pick overall) draft

choice by Atlanta in 2007.

• Signed by the Falcons as a free agent on July 29, 2011.

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Inactive against Seattle (1/13).

• Saw action on special teams against the 49ers

(1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Played on special teams and recorded one tackle at Kansas City (9/9).

• Recorded two tackles against the Broncos (9/17).

• Inactive at San Diego (9/23) and against Carolina

(9/30).

• Collected three solo tackles on special teams at

Washington (10/7).

• Played on defense and special teams against Oak-

land (10/14).

• Tallied three solo tackles at Philadelphia (10/28).

• Saw action on special teams against Dallas (11/4).

• Contributed on special teams at New Orleans

(11/11).

• Collected four tackles (three solo) against Arizona

(11/18).

• Saw action on defense and special teams at Tampa

Bay(11/25).

• Collected three solo tackles and had two pass

breakups against New Orleans (11/29).

• Recorded four tackles (three solo) along with a pass

break up and a forced fumble at Carolina (12/9).

• Saw action on special teams against the Giants (12/16).

• Saw action on special teams at Detroit (12/22).

• Inactive against Tampa Bay (12/30).

HT: 5’ 9” WT: 180 NFL EXP: 4 ACQ: D3-’09 4TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 12/1/86 COLLEGE: SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY

21CHRISTOPHEROWENSCORNERBACK

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 09/17 DEN 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

9/23 @ SD INACTIVE9/30 CAR INACTIVE10/7 WAS 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

10/14 OAK 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

10/28 @ PHI 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1

11/4 DAL 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/11 @ NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/18 ARZ 4 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/25 @ TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/29 NO 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 212/9 @ CAR 4 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 1

12/16 NYG 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/22 @ DET 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

12/30 TB INACTIVE

TOTALS 17 15 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 4

CAREER 105 70 1.0 2.0 3 26 1 0 11

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Saw action on the off ense in the NFC Divisional

round against Seattle (1/13).

• Played on off ense and special teams against San Francisco (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Caught one pass for six yards at Kansas City (9/9).

• Started at tight end against Denver (9/17).

• Reeled in one pass for one yard at San Diego (9/23).

• Inactive weeks four through six.

• Played on off ense and special teams at Philadelphia

(10/28).

• Caught one pass for fi ve yards against Dallas (11/4).

• Reeled in one pass for fi ve yards at New Orleans

(11/11).

• Contributed on off ense and special teams against

Arizona (11/18).

• Saw action on off ense and special teams at Tampa

Bay (11/25).

• Played on off ense and special teams against New

Orleans (11/29).

• Caught one pass for four yards at Carolina (12/9).

• Saw action on off ense against the Giants (12/16).

• Caught a touchdown at Detroit (12/22).

• Saw action on off ense against Tampa Bay (12/30).

EXTRA POINTS• In 2010, a participant in the Atlanta Falcons Rookie

Club sponsored by UnitedHealthcare of Georgia, this program gives the players the opportunity to take part in several charitable events.

TRANSACTIONS• Signed by the Falcons as a Rookie Free Agent on

April 26, 2010.

HT: 6’ 5” WT: 252 NFL EXP: 3 ACQ: FA-’10 3RD YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 1/18/88 COLLEGE: CLEMSON UNIVERSITY

81MICHAELPALMERTIGHT END

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD

RECEIVING RUSHING2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 1 6 6.0 6 0 0 0 0.0 0 09/17 DEN 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

9/23 @ SD 1 1 1.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

9/30 CAR INACTIVE10/7 @ WSH INACTIVE10/14 OAK INACTIVE10/28 @ PHI 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

11/4 DAL 1 5 5.0 5 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

11/11 @ NO 1 5 5.0 5 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

11/18 ARZ 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

11/25 @ TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

11/29 NO 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 012/9 @ CAR 1 4 4.0 4 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

12/16 NYG 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 012/22 @ DET 1 1 1.0 1 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

12/30 TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

TOTALS 6 23 3.8 6 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

CAREER 23 122 5.3 11 3 0 0 0.0 0 0

2012 POSTSEASON

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RSH YDS AVG LG TD

RECEIVING RUSHING

1/13 SEA 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

1/20 SF 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Recorded two solo tackles against Seattle (1/13) in

the NFC Divisional round.

• Collared four tackles (three solo) and a sack against

the 49ers (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Placed on Reserve/non-football injury list on Au-

gust 26, 2012.

• Saw his fi rst action of the year at Philadelphia

(10/28).

• Recorded one solo tackle against Dallas (11/4).

• Collected two solo tackles at New Orleans (11/11).

• Saw action on defense against the Cardinals (11/18).

• Tallied three tackles (one solo) at Tampa Bay

(11/25).

• Recorded four tackles (two solo) against the Saints

(11/29).

• Collared three tackles (two solo) at Carolina (12/9).

• Saw action on defense against the Giants (12/16).

• Collected six tackles (fi ve solo) and forced a fumble at Detroit (12/22).

• Tallied two solo tackles against Tampa Bay (12/30).

EXTRA POINTS• Named the Atlanta Falcons 2011 Walter Payton Man

of the Year for his off -the-fi eld community service as well as his playing excellence.

• Kicked off 2011 by attending the Falcons’ September 11 commemoration event, where he by participated in surprise visits to Atlanta Fire Departments. Also attended the 3rd annual Atlanta Falcons Dazzle & Dine event for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

• In 2010, a participant in the Atlanta Falcons Rookie Club sponsored by UnitedHealthcare of Georgia, this program gives the players the opportunity to take part in several charitable events.

HT: 6’ 3” WT: 305 NFL EXP: 2 ACQ: D3A-’10 2ND YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 6/8/88 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

91COREYPETERSDEFENSIVE TACKLE

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC RESERVE/NON-FOOTBALL INJURY LIST9/17 DEN RESERVE/NON-FOOTBALL INJURY LIST9/23 @ SD RESERVE/NON-FOOTBALL INJURY LIST9/30 CAR RESERVE/NON-FOOTBALL INJURY LIST10/7 @ WSH RESERVE/NON-FOOTBALL INJURY LIST10/14 OAK RESERVE/NON-FOOTBALL INJURY LIST10/28 @ PHI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/4 DAL 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/11 @ NO 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1

11/18 ARZ 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/25 @ TB 3 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/29 NO 4 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/9 @ CAR 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

12/16 NYG 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/22 @ DET 6 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0

12/30 TB 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 21 15 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 1

CAREER 94 70 4.0 33.0 1 0 1 1 4

2012 POSTSEASONDATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD1/13 SEA 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 01/20 SF 4 3 1.0 9.0 0 0 0 0 1TOTALS 6 5 1.0 9.0 0 0 0 0 1

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

HT: 6’ 1” WT: 226 NFL EXP: 14 ACQ: FA-’12 4TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 6/17/76 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

53MIKEPETERSONLINEBACKER

2012 (FALCONS)• Saw action on special teams against Seattle (1/13) in

the NFC Divisional round.

• Saw action on special teams against the 49ers (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Played on special teams at Kansas City (9/9).

• Contributed on special teams against Denver (9/17).

• Played on special teams at San Diego (9/23).

• Collected one tackle on special teams against Carolina (9/30).

• Saw action on defense and special teams at Wash-ington (10/7).

• Collected four tackles (one solo) against Oakland (10/14).

• Saw action on special teams at Philadelphia (10/28).

• Recorded fi ve tackles (one solo) against the Cow-

boys (11/4).

• Tallied nine tackles (four solo) at New Orleans

(11/11).

• Collected six tackles (four solo) against Arizona

(11/18).

• Recorded two solo tackles at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Contributed on special teams against New Orleans

(11/29).

• Saw action on special teams at Carolina (12/9).

• Played on special teams against the Giants (12/16).

• Saw action on special teams at Detroit (12/22).

• Played on special teams against Tampa Bay (12/30).

EXTRA POINTS• Has own charitable foundation, the Mike Peterson

Foundation.

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 09/17 DEN 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

9/23 @ SD 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

9/30 CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

10/7 WAS 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

10/14 OAK 4 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

10/28 @ PHI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/4 DAL 5 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/11 @ NO 9 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/18 ARZ 6 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/25 @ TB 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/29 NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/9 @ CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

12/16 NYG O O O.O O.O O O O O O12/22 @ DET 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

12/30 TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 26 12 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

CAREER 1,637 965 21.5 139.5 19 272 9 9 52

2012 POSTSEASONDATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

1/13 SEA 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Started at right guard at Kansas City (9/9).

• Helped protect QB Matt Ryan against the Broncos

(9/17).

• Blocked for QB Matt Ryan as he threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns at San Diego (9/23).

• Started at right guard against Carolina (9/30).

• Part of an off ensive unit that got 28 fi rst downs at Washington (10/7).

• Started at right guard against Oakland (10/14).

• Saw action on off ense and special teams at Phila-

delphia (10/28).

• Inactive against Dallas (11/4).

• Placed on Injured Reserve on November 6, 2012.

EXTRA POINTS• Awarded the Atlanta Falcons Community All-Star

sponsored by AllState for the month of Decem-ber 2010. Recognized at the inaugural Community Honors dinner presented by AllState at the 191 club in downtown Atlanta.

• Spoke to the incoming 2010 rookies at the 2nd an-nual Atlanta Falcons Rookie Club Kickoff Dinner Presented by UnitedHealthcare of Georgia about the importance of giving back to the community and participating in all of the Rookie Club commu-nity initiatives.

• Frequently visits local schools, participating in Play 60 activities as well as speaking about the impor-tance of education and goal-setting.

TRANSACTIONS• Selected as a fi fth round (156th overall) draft choice

by Atlanta in 2009.

2011 (FALCONS)• Played in all 16 games, including seven starts at

right guard.

• Started his fi rst career game @ Chicago (9/11) and assisted the off ense produce 114 total rushing yards.

• Started at right guard vs. Philadelphia (9/18) for an off ensive line that helped clear rushing lanes for a ground attack that produced 138 total yards.

• Member of an off ensive line that did not allow a sack @ Seattle (10/2) on 42 pass attempts.

• Part of an off ensive line that opened running lanes for a ground attack that produced 166 total yards and three touchdowns vs. Carolina (10/16).

• Started on an off ensive line that produced 129 total rushing yards @ Detroit (10/23).

• Saw action as a reserve off ensive lineman in the fi -nal nine games of the season.

COLLEGE• A second-team All-ACC selection by the Associ-

ated Press and fi rst-team All-ACC pick by The ACC Sports Journal following his senior season. Was named to the ‘08 Lombardi Award Watch List.

2012 2011 2010 2009

ATL ATL ATL ATL

REYNOLDS’ CAREER GAMES PLAYED/STARTED

7/6 16/7 0/0 5/0TOTAL 28/14

HT: 6’ 7” WT: 310 NFL EXP: 4 ACQ: D5B-’09 4TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 7/1/87 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA

75GARRETTREYNOLDSOFFENSIVE GUARD

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Collected four tackles (three solo) against Seattle

(1/13) in the NFC Divisional round.

• Forced a fumble and collected fi ve solo tackles against San Franscisco (1/20) in the NFC Champi-

onship.

• Recorded fi ve tackles at Kansas City (9/9).

• Tallied three tackles against the Broncos (9/17).

• Led the team with nine tackles (8 solo) at San Di-ego (9/23).

• Collared four tackles and forced a fumble against the Panthers (9/30).

• Recorded six tackles (three solo) with an intercep-tion and a half of a sack at Washington (10/7).

• Collected ten solo tackles against the Raiders (10/14).

• Tallied three solo tackles at Philadelphia (10/28).

• Collared six tackles (fi ve solo) against Dallas (11/4).

• Collected eight tackles (seven solo) at New Orleans

(11/11).

• Recorded four tackles (three solo) and broke up a

pass against Arizona (11/18).

• Led the team with eight tackles and had a sack at

Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Collected eight tackles (seven solo) against New

Orleans (11/29).

• Recorded eight tackles (seven solo) and a pass break

up at Carolina (12/9).

• Collared two solo tackles against the Giants

(12/16).

HT: 5’ 10” WT: 183 NFL EXP: 8 ACQ: FA-’10 2ND YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 4/11/82 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA

23DUNTAROBINSONCORNERBACK

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 5 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 09/17 DEN 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2

9/23 @ SD 9 8 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

9/30 CAR 4 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0

10/7 WAS 6 3 0.5 3.5 1 4 0 0 2

10/14 OAK 10 10 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

10/28 @ PHI 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/4 DAL 6 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/11 @ NO 8 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1

11/18 ARZ 4 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1

11/25 @ TB 8 8 1.0 7.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/29 NO 8 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/9 @ CAR 8 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1

12/16 NYG 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/22 @ DET 10 9 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1

12/30 TB 2 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 96 83 1.5 10.5 1 4 1 0 8

CAREER 578 475 5.5 36.5 17 194 7 2 86

2012 POSTSEASONDATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD1/13 SEA 4 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 01/20 SF 5 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0TOTALS 9 8 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0

• Led the team with 10 tackles (nine solo) at Detroit (12/22).

• Recorded two tackles against Tampa Bay (12/30).

EXTRA POINTS• Has own charitable foundation, the Dunta Robinson

Foundation and runs his own youth football asso-ciation, the Northeast Georgia Oilers in his home-town of Athens, GA.

• In June 2010, hosted the 2nd Annual Home Sweet Home Community Day Event at Clarke Central High School, which benefi ted local families in Athens. At this event, the community was invited to partici-pate in free face painting, three-on-three basketball tournaments, as well as several other activities.

• In June 2010 hosted the inaugural Dunta Robinson Celebrity Bowling Pin Down to benefi t the Dunta Robinson Foundation.

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Rushed for 64 yards on ten carries and had two

catches for 29 yards against Seattle (1/13) in the

NFC Divisional round.

• Rushed ten times for 32 yards against the 49ers

(1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Rushed seven times for 22 yards and caught two passes for 13 yards at Kansas City (9/9).

• Had three rushes for three yards against the Bron-cos (9/17).

• Carried the ball 10 times for 32 yards and had fi ve catches for 35 yards and a touchdown at San Diego

(9/23).

• Rushed six times for 18 yards and had four catches for 40 yards against Carolina (9/30).

• Had three carries for four yards and one catch for eight yards at the Redskins (10/7).

• Caught three passes for 21 yards against Oakland (10/14).

• Rushed eight times for 60 yards and caught fi ve passes for 20 yards at Philadelphia (10/28).

• Caught four passes for 53 yards against Dallas (11/4).

• Rushed three times for 29 yards and caught four

passes for 33 yards at New Orleans (11/11).

• Rushed fi ve times for 16 yards and caught fi ve pass-es for 35 yards against Arizona (11/18).

• Rushed ten times for 49 yards and a touchdown and also caught two passes for 30 yards at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Rushed eight times for 43 yards against New Or-

leans (11/29).

• Recorded 21 yards on four carries and 43 yards on

six catches at Carolina (12/9).

HT: 5’ 6” WT: 188 NFL EXP: 1 ACQ: D5-’11 2ND YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 2/9/90 COLLEGE: OREGON STATE

32JACQUIZZRODGERSRUNNING BACK

DATE OPP RUSH YDS AVG LG TD REC YDS AVG LG TD

RUSHING RECEIVING2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 7 22 3.1 6 0 2 13 6.5 7 09/17 DEN 3 3 1.0 2 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

9/23 @ SD 10 32 3.2 9 0 5 35 7.0 11 1

9/30 CAR 6 18 3.0 5 0 4 40 10.0 15 0

10/7 @ WAS 3 4 1.3 2 0 1 8 8.0 8 0

10/14 OAK 2 -2 -1.0 0 0 3 21 7.0 9 0

10/28 @ PHI 8 60 7.5 43 0 5 20 4.0 5 0

11/4 DAL 3 0 0.0 3 0 4 53 13.3 31 0

11/11 @ NO 3 29 9.7 18 0 4 33 8.3 15 0

11/18 ARI 5 16 3.2 6 0 5 35 7.0 17 0

11/25 @ TB 10 49 4.9 20 1 2 30 15.0 32 0

11/29 NO 8 43 5.4 14 0 2 -4 -2.0 2 012/9 @ CAR 4 21 5.3 6 0 6 43 7.2 9 0

12/16 NYG 11 25 2.3 6 0 1 14 14.0 14 012/22 @ DET 6 14 2.3 5 0 1 11 11.0 11 0

12/30 TB 5 28 5.6 16 0 8 50 6.3 13 0

TOTALS 94 362 3.9 43 1 53 402 7.6 32 1

CAREER 140 542 3.9 43 2 74 590 8.0 32 2

• Rushed 11 times for 25 yards and caught one pass

for 14 yards against the Giants (12/16).

• Recorded 14 yards on six carries along with one

catch for 11 yards at Detroit (12/22).

• Caught eight passes for 50 yards and rushed fi ve times for 28 yards against Tampa Bay (12/30).

TRANSACTIONS• Selected as a fi fth round (145th pick overall) draft

choice by Atlanta in 2011.

2011 (FALCONS)• Carried the ball 57 times for 205 yards with one

touchdown as a rookie in 2011. Showed his dual-threat ability by adding 21 receptions for 188 yards and one touchdown in the passing game.

• Rushed six times for 25 yards, including a career-long 11 yard gain, and added one reception for 10 yards at Seattle (10/2).

2012 POSTSEASON

DATE OPP RUSH YDS AVG LG TD REC YDS AVG LG TD

RUSHING RECEIVING

1/13 SEA 10 64 6.4 45 0 2 29 14.5 6 0

1/20 SF 10 32 3.2 9 0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 20 96 4.8 45 0 2 29 14.5 6 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Passed for 250 yards and three touchdowns against

Seattle (1/13) in the NFC Divisional round.

• Connected on 30 of 42 passes for 396 yards and three touchdowns against the 49ers (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Completed 23 of 31 passes for 299 yards and three passing touchdowns while also rushing for a touch-down against Kansas City (9/9).

• With two touchdown passes against the Broncos (9/17), Ryan ran his career touchdown total to 100. He also broke a franchise record with consecutive pass attempts without an interception at 198. He

extended that record to 233 by the end of the game.

• Connected on 30 of 40 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns at San Diego (9/23).

• Ryan fi nished the game with 369 passing yards and three touchdowns with a passer rating of 107.2 against Carolina (9/30).

• Finished the game completing 34 of 52 completions for 345 yards with two touchdowns at Washington (10/7). This was Ryan’s 12th career 300-yard game

tying Steve Bartkowski for the franchise record.

• Completed 24 of 37 passes for 249 yards and a

touchdown at Oakland (10/14).

• Connected on 22 of 29 passes for 262 yards and

three touchdowns at Philadelphia (10/28).

• Completed 24 of 34 passes for 342 yards against

Dallas (11/4).

• Recorded a career high with 411 passing yards and

three touchdowns at New Orleans (11/11).

• Completed 28 of 46 passes for 301 yards against the Cardinals (11/18).

• Finished the game completing 81.3 percent of his passes and 353 yards with a touchdown at Tampa Bay (11/25).

In 2012, Ryan broke his own franchise re-cords for most passing yards in a season (4,481), most 300-yard games in a season (seven), highest career passer rating (99.1) and highest career completion percentage (68.6) from 2011. Ryan also holds the fran-chise record with the most 300 yard games (17).

HT: 6’ 4” WT: 217 NFL EXP: 5 ACQ: D1A-’08 5TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 5/17/85 COLLEGE: BOSTON COLLEGE

2MATTRYANQUARTERBACK

PRO BOWL YEARS2012, 2010

DATE OPP ATT COM YDS PCT TD INT LG SK RTG ATT YDS TD

PASSING RUSHING2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 31 23 299 74.1 3 0 31 1 136.4 3 25 19/17 DEN 36 24 219 66.6 2 0 21 1 101.5 6 19 0

9/23 @ SD 40 30 275 75.0 3 1 29 2 107.5 1 4 0

9/30 CAR 40 25 369 62.5 3 1 60 7 107.2 0 0 0

10/7 @ WAS 52 34 345 65.4 2 1 29 1 89.0 5 7 0

10/14 OAK 37 24 249 64.9 1 3 26 1 59.4 1 15 0

10/28 @ PHI 29 22 262 76.9 3 0 63 2 137.4 3 18 0

11/4 DAL 34 24 342 70.6 0 0 48 3 102.8 1 8 0

11/11 @ NO 52 34 411 65.4 3 1 52 1 100.7 2 2 0

11/18 ARI 46 28 301 60.9 0 5 37 1 40.5 3 -3 0

11/25 @ TB 32 26 353 81.3 1 1 80 1 110.0 1 13 0

11/29 NO 33 18 165 54.5 1 0 20 1 78.5 3 -2 012/9 @ CAR 49 34 342 69.4 2 1 21 2 94.1 0 0 012/16 NYG 28 23 270 82.1 3 0 40 1 142.6 1 -1 012/22 @ DET 32 25 279 78.1 4 0 44 1 142.6 2 25 012/30 TB 44 28 238 63.6 1 0 28 2 85.2 2 11 0

TOTALS 615 422 4,719 68.6 32 14 80t 28 99.1 34 141 1

CAREER 2,637 1,654 18,957 62.7 127 60 90t 113 90.9 202 500 5

• Completed 18 for 33 passes for 165 yards and a

touchdown against New Orleans (11/29).

• Threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns at Caro-

lina (12/9).

• Connected on 23 of 28 passes for 270 yards and

three touchdowns against the Giants (12/16).

• Completed 25 of 32 passes for 279 yards and four touchdowns with a 142.6 QB rating at Detroit

(12/22).

• Connected on 28 of 44 passes for 238 yards against

Tampa Bay (12/30).

DATE OPP ATT COM YDS PCT TD INT LG SK RTG ATT YDS TD

PASSING RUSHING2012 POSTSEASON

1/13 SEA 35 24 250 68.6 3 2 47 0 93.8 1 6 0

1/20 SF 42 30 396 71.4 3 1 46 1 114.8 2 3 0

TOTALS 77 54 646 70.1 6 3 47 1 105.2 3 9 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Recorded fi ve solo tackles and two pass break-ups

in the NFC Divisional round against Seattle (1/13).

• Tallied four solo tackles against the 49ers (1/20) in

the NFC Championship.

• Collared one tackle in his Falcons debut at Kansas

City (9/9).

• Recorded seven tackles against the Broncos (9/17).

• Tallied seven tackles at San Diego (9/23).

• Recorded two tackles against Carolina (9/30).

• Tallied one solo tackle at Washington (10/7).

• Intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter and re-turned it 79 yards for a touchdown. Also, had four

solo tackles against the Raiders (10/14).

• Recorded three tackles (two solo) and broke up two

passes in his return to Philadelphia (10/28).

• Collected four solo tackles against Dallas (11/4).

• Intercepeted QB Drew Brees in the fi rst quarter and

collected two tackles at New Orleans (11/11).

• Broke up three passes against Arizona (11/18).

• Broke up two passes at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Saw action on defense against the Saints (11/29).

• Did not play at Carolina (12/9).

• Intercepted a pass from QB Eli Manning and broke

up two more passes against the Giants (12/16).

• Picked off QB Matthew Staff ord in the fourth quarter and collected fi ve solo tackles at Detroit (12/22).

• Intercepted QB Josh Freeman and collected two solo tackles against Tampa Bay (12/30).

Samuel is the only player in NFL history to register at least one INT return for a TD in each of his fi rst six NFL seasons (including postseason).

HT: 5-10 WT: 185 NFL EXP: 10 AQU: TR -’12 (PHI) 1ST YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDAY: 1/6/1981 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA

22ASANTESAMUELCORNERBACK

PRO BOWL YEARS2010, 2009, 2008, 2007

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 19/17 DEN 7 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

9/23 @ SD 7 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

9/30 CAR 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

10/7 WAS 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

10/14 OAK 4 4 0.0 0.0 1 79 0 0 1

10/28 @ PHI 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2

11/4 DAL 4 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1

11/11 @ NO 2 2 0.0 0.0 1 13 0 0 3

11/18 ARZ 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 3

11/25 @ TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2

11/29 NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/9 @ CAR DID NOT PLAY12/16 NYG 1 0 0.0 0.0 1 6 0 0 212/22 @ DET 5 5 0.0 0.0 1 1 0 0 1

12/30 TB 2 2 0.0 0.0 1 11 0 0 2

TOTALS 39 35 0.0 0.0 5 110 0 0 18

CAREER 416 362 0.0 0.0 50 727 5 3 152

2012 POSTSEASONDATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD1/13 SEA 5 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 21/20 SF 4 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0TOTALS 9 9 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

TRANSACTIONS• Selected as a sixth round (171st pick overall) draft

choice by Atlanta in 2010.

• Placed on Injured Reserve on August 31, 2012.

2011 (FALCONS)• Played in all 16 games as a core member of the Fal-

cons special teams units. Ranked third on the team with 11 special teams tackles behind LB Akeem Dent (19) and WR Eric Weems (12).

• Helped Atlanta fi eld on of the League’s best cover-age units. The Falcons held opponents to a League-best 4.8 yards per punt return and limited opponents to an average drive start of the 22.5-yard line after kickoff s.

• Logged one tackle on special teams @ Chicago (9.11).

• Tallied one tackle on special teams vs. Philadelphia (9.18).

• Recorded one tackle on special teams @ Tampa Bay (9.25).

• Posted one tackle on special teams @ Seattle (10.2).

• Assisted on two special teams tackles vs. Carolina (10.16).

• Tallied one tackle on special teams @ Detroit (10.23).

• Recorded one tackle on special teams @ Indianapo-lis (11.6).

• Saw action on special teams vs. New Orleans (11.13).

• Saw action on special teams vs. Tennessee (11.20).

• Saw action on special teams vs. Minnesota (11.27).

• Assisted on one special teams tackle @ Carolina (12.11).

• Recorded two special teams tackles (one solo) vs. Jacksonville (12.15).

• Recorded two tackles (one solo) on special teams @ New York (1.8).

COLLEGE• Competed in 57 career games and totaled 255 tack-

les, 19 passes defensed and 10 interceptions at Mon-tana.

• Helped Montana in reach the NCAA Division I Na-tional Championship game (lost to Villanova) in 2009.

• Was a second-team All-Big Sky selection and the re-cipient of the Tony Barbour Award for the player who best exemplifi es Grizzly football in 2008.

PERSONAL• Attended Baker High School in Montana and was a

two-time all-state selection. His teams combined for a 49-1 overall record.

• As a senior, passed for 1,059 yards with 15 touch-downs and rushed for 650 yards with 14 TDs.

• Was a team captain for the East squad in Montana’s annual East-West Shrine Game.

EXTRA POINTS• In 2010, a participant in the Atlanta Falcons Rookie

Club sponsored by UnitedHealthcare of Georgia, this program gives the players the opportunity to take part in several charitable events.

HT: 6’ 0” WT: 200 NFL EXP: 3 ACQ: D6-’10 3RD YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 5/22/86 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA

39SHANNSCHILLINGERSAFETY

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Inactive against Seattle (1/13).

• Inactive against the 49ers (1/20).

• Inactive for week 1 at Kansas City (9/9).

• Played on special teams against Denver (9/17).

• Recorded one tackle at San Diego (9/23).

• Contributed on special teams against Carolina (9/30).

• Saw action on special teams at Washington (10/7).

• Played on special teams against the Raiders

(10/14).

• Saw action on special teams at Philadelphia

(10/28).

• Saw action on special teams against Dallas (11/4).

• Contributed on special teams at New Orleans (11/11).

• Did not play against Arizona (11/18).

• Inactive weeks 12-15.

• Saw action on special teams at Detroit (12/22).

• Played on special teams against Tampa Bay (12/30).

EXTRA POINTS• Spoke to the incoming 2010 rookies at the 2nd an-

nual Atlanta Falcons Rookie Club Kickoff Dinner Presented by UnitedHealthcare of Georgia about the importance of giving back to the community and participating in all of the Rookie Club commu-nity initiatives.

• Participated in NFL Network’s Keep Gym in School event at Camp Creek Middle School in Atlanta in September 2010.

HT: 6’ 2” WT: 300 NFL EXP: 8 ACQ: D2-’05 8TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 10/12/81 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF IOWA

95JONATHANBABINEAUXDEFENSIVE TACKLE

HT: 6’ 3” WT: 261 NFL EXP: 4 ACQ: D4-’09 4TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 2/6/86 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND

90LAWRENCESIDBURYDEFENSIVE END

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC INACTIVE9/17 DEN 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

9/23 @ SD 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

9/30 CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

10/7 WAS 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

10/14 OAK 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

10/28 @ PHI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/4 DAL 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/11 @ NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/18 ARZ DID NOT PLAY11/25 @ TB INACTIVE11/29 NO INACTIVE12/9 @ CAR INACTIVE12/16 NYG INACTIVE12/22 @ DET 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

12/30 TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

CAREER 12 8 5.0 20.0 0 0 0 0 1

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Played on special teams against Seattle (1/13).

• Saw action on special teams against the 49ers (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Saw action on special teams at Kansas City (9/9).

• Assisted on special teams against Denver (9/17).

• Inactive at the Chargers (9/23) and Carolina (9/30).

• Saw action on special teams at Washington (10/7).

• Inactive against Oakland (10/14).

• Contributed on special teams at Philadelphia

(10/28).

• Played on special teams and had a solo tackle

against Dallas (11/4).

• Contributed on special teams at New Orleans

(11/11).

• Saw action on special teams against Arizona (11/18).

• Contributed on special teams at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Saw action on special teams against New Orleans

(11/29).

• Saw action on off ense and special teams at Caro-

lina (12/9).

• Saw action on special teams against the Giants

(12/16).

• Played on special teams at Detroit (12/22).

• Saw action on special teams against Tampa Bay (12/30).

TRANSACTIONS• Originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent

by the Detroit Lions on May 8, 2009.

HT: 5’ 9” WT: 192 NFL EXP: 3 ACQ: FA-’09 3RD YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 9/17/85 COLLEGE: FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

35ANTONE SMITHRUNNING BACK

DATE OPP RUSH YDS AVG LG TD REC YDS AVG LG TD

RUSHING RECEIVING2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 09/17 DEN 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

9/23 @ SD INACTIVE9/30 CAR INACTIVE10/7 @ WAS 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

10/14 OAK INACTIVE10/28 @ PHI 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

11/4 DAL 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

11/11 @ NO 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

11/18 ARI 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

11/25 @ TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

11/29 NO 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 012/9 @ CAR 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

12/16 NYG 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 012/22 @ DET 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

12/30 TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

TOTALS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

CAREER 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Caught one pass for fi ve yards and a touchdown

against Seattle (1/13) in the NFC Divisional round.

• Rushed two times for 12 yards and caught one pass for fi ve yards against the 49ers (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Rushed two times for 5 yards at Kansas City (9/9).

• Caught one pass for a yard and had one rush for two

yards against the Broncos (9/17).

• Rushed once for three yards and caught a pass for

12 yards at San Diego (9/23).

• Caught three passes for fi ve yards against Carolina

(9/30).

• Rushed once for two yards and caught one pass for nine yards at the Redskins (10/7).

• Saw action on off ense against Oakland (10/14).

• Rushed once for one yard and caught three pass-es for 16 yards and a touchdown at Philadelphia

(10/28).

• Contributed on off ense and special teams against

the Cowboys (11/4).

• Caught two passes for 12 yards at New Orleans

(11/11).

• Reeled in three passes for 25 yards against Arizona (11/18).

• Caught three passes for 33 yards at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Hauled in four passes for 28 yards against New Or-

leans (11/29).

• Caught one pass for fi ve yards at Carolina (12/9).

• Rushed the ball six times for 39 yards and had three catches for 14 yards against the Giants (12/16).

HT: 5’ 11” WT: 234 NFL EXP: 6 ACQ: D7–‘07 6TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 12/29/83 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

44JASONSNELLINGRUNNING BACK

DATE OPP RUSH YDS AVG LG TD REC YDS AVG LG TD

RUSHING RECEIVING2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 2 5 2.5 3 0 0 0 0.0 0 09/17 DEN 1 2 2.0 2 0 1 1 1.0 1 0

9/23 @ SD 1 3 3.0 3 0 1 12 12.0 12 0

9/30 CAR 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 5 1.7 5 0

10/7 @ WAS 1 2 0.0 2 0 1 9 9.0 9 0

10/14 OAK 1 -1 -1.0 -1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

10/28 @ PHI 1 1 1.0 1 0 3 16 5.3 8 1

11/4 DAL 3 0 0.0 3 0 3 1 0.3 2 0

11/11 @ NO 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 12 6.0 6 0

11/18 ARI 1 -1 -1.0 -1 0 3 25 8.3 13 0

11/25 @ TB 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 33 11.0 14 0

11/29 NO 0 0 0.0 0 0 4 28 7.0 15 012/9 @ CAR 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 5 5.0 5 0

12/16 NYG 6 39 6.5 11 0 3 14 4.7 14 012/22 @ DET 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 12 12.0 12 0

12/30 TB 3 8 2.7 7 0 2 25 12.5 16 0

TOTALS 19 58 3.1 11 0 31 170 5.5 16 1

CAREER 322 1,267 3.9 31 7 138 1,016 7.4 38 6

2012 POSTSEASON

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RSH YDS AVG LG TD

RECEIVING RUSHING

1/13 SEA 1 5 5.0 5 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

1/20 SF 1 5 5.0 5 0 2 12 6.0 12 0

TOTALS 2 10 5.0 5t 1 2 12 6.0 12 0

• Caught one pass for 12 yards at Detroit (12/22).

• Rushed for eight yards on three carries and caught two passes for 25 yards against Tampa Bay (12/30).

EXTRA POINTS• Served as the keynote speaker for the Epilepsy

Foundation’s Taste of Love gala at the Ritz Carlton in Buckhead in February 2010 and attended to show his support in February 2011.

• During the 2010 holiday season, treated four un-derprivileged families from the Hall County Boys & Girls Club to a special night at Dave & Buster’s at Discover Mills Mall in Lawrenceville.

TRANSACTIONS• Originally selected as a seventh round (244th pick

overall) draft choice by Atlanta in 2007.

• Signed by Atlanta as a free agent on August7, 2011.

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

TRANSACTIONS• Originally selected as a sixth-round (187th overall)

draft choice by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2005.

• Released by the Chiefs on August 30, 2008.

• Signed by Atlanta as a free agent on February 12, 2009.

• Placed on injured reserve on August 25, 2012.

2011 (FALCONS)• Played in all 16, including 10 starts at left tackle.

Took over the starting role at left tackle for an in-jured T Sam Baker @ Detriot (10/23).

• Protected QB Matt Ryan’s blindside as the signal caller threw for a franchise record 4,177 yards while adding 29 touchdown passes.

• According to Stats Inc., allowed 1.5 sacks in 376 pass attempts as a starter.

• Saw action on off ense and special teams @ Chicago (9.11).

• Saw action vs. Philadelphia (9.18).

• Saw action @ Tampa Bay (9.25).

• Saw action @ Seattle (10.2).

• Saw action vs. Green Bay (10.9).

• Saw action vs. Carolina (10.16).

• Started at left tackle @ Detroit (10.23).

• Started at left tacke @ Indianapolis (11.6) for an of-fense that produced 432 total yards and allowed just one sack.

• Started at left tackle for an off ense that amassed 481 total off ensive yards vs. New Orleans (11.13).

• Started at left tackle for an off ense that did not allow a sack vs. Tennessee (11.20) on 32 pass at-tempts.

• Started at left tackle and did not allow a sack on 34 pass attempts vs. Minnesota (11.27).

• Started at left tackle on an off ensive line that did not allow a sack @ Houston (12.4).

• Protected for QB Matt Ryan, who threw for 320 yards and four touchdowns @ Carolina (12.11).

• Part of an off ensive line that protected for QB Matt Ryan, who recorded a season-high passer rating of 137.3 vs. Jacksonville (12.15).

• Member of an off ensive line that did not allow a sack @ New Orleans (12.26).

• Helped pave the way for RB Michael Turner, who ran for 172 yards and two touchdowns vs. Tampa Bay (1.1).

• Notched his fi rst career playoff start @ New York (1.8).

COLLEGE• Played in 38 games at defensive end (18 starts) for

Stanford and recorded 60 tackles (35 solo), 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, one forced fumble and one interception.

• Competed at tight end as a sophomore, including time at defensive end. Competed in nine games as a senior and recorded a career-high 30 tackles.

PERSONAL• Attended Newbury Park High School in Newbury

Park, California and was a three-sport athlete.

• Registered 87 tackles, 9.0 sacks and fi ve forced fumbles as a defensive end and caught 48 passes for 624 yards and four touchdowns as a senior tight end.

• Earned honorable mention All-America honors from USA Today as a senior

• Named all-county and All-CIF as a defensive end and second-team all-state honors at tight end.

• Was a two-time National Decathlon Champion.

• Traveled to the Middle East for the 2009 Super Bowl with the NFL in an eff ort to boost morale with the troops.

HT: 6’ 6” WT: 308 NFL EXP: 6 ACQ: FA-’09 3RD YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 1/8/82 COLLEGE: STANFORD UNIVERSITY

74WILL SVITEKOFFENSIVE TACKLE

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Inactive against Seattle (1/13).

• Inactive against the 49ers (1/20).

• Signed to the active roster on November 13, 2012.

• Did not play against Arizona (11/18).

• Inactive weeks 12-16.

• Did not play against Tampa Bay (12/30).

TRANSACTIONS• Originally selected as a seventh-round pick (255) of

the 2010 draft.

• Signed by the Falcons as an unrestricted free agent on July 25, 2012.

• Waived/Injured by the Falcons on September 6, 2012.

• Signed by the Falcons on November 13, 2012.

COLLEGE• Averaged 24.9 yards per reception with 39 catches

for 973 yards and 12 touchdowns during his two

year collegiate career at Weber State.

• Named as an Honorable Mention All-Big Sky Con-ference in 2007 after posting 32 catches for 698 yards with a team-high 10 touchdowns.

PERSONAL• First team All-State under Coach Doug Clapp at

Peoria High School.

• In 2002, reeled in 37 catches for 1,125 yards while setting a state record for averaging 30.4 yards per catch.

• Was a standout in baseball and soccer player as well.

HT: 5’ 10” WT: 175 NFL EXP: 1 ACQ: FA-’12 1ST YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 2/14/85 COLLEGE: WEBER STATE

17TIM TOONEWIDE RECEIVER

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD

RECEIVING RUSHING2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 9/17 DEN 9/23 @ SD 9/30 CAR 10/7 @ WSH 10/14 OAK 10/28 @ PHI 11/4 DAL 11/11 @ NO SIGNED AS A FREE AGENT ON 11/13/1211/18 ARZ DID NOT PLAY11/25 @ TB INACTIVE11/29 NO INACTIVE12/9 @ CAR INACTIVE12/16 NYG INACTIVE12/22 @ DET INACTIVE12/30 TB DID NOT PLAY

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 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Rushed for 98 yards on 14 carries against Seattle

(1/13) in the NFC Divisional round.

• Carried the ball eight times for 30 yards against the

49ers (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Rushed for 32 yards on 11 carries at Kansas City

(9/9).

• Had 42 yards on 17 rushes including a 15 yarder in the fourth quarter to run the clock out against Den-

ver (9/17).

• Posted 14 carries for 80 yards and a touchdown at San

Diego (9/23).

• Finished the game with 13 rushes for 103 yards and caught three passes for 68 yards and a touchdown against Carolina (9/30). The receiving touchdown was the fi rst of his career. He also set the franchise re-

cord with his 26th 100-yard game.

• Rushed the ball 18 times for 67 yards and the game

winning touchdown at Washington (10/7).

• Had 11 rushes for 33 yards against Oakland (10/14).

• Rushed 24 times for 58 yards at Philadelphia

(10/28).

• Finished the game with 102 yards on 20 carries with

the go ahead touchdown against Dallas (11/4).

• Rushed 13 times for 15 yards at New Orleans (11/11).

• Gained 46 yards on 15 carries and scored the go ahead touchdown against Arizona (11/18).

• Rushed 13 times for 17 yards and had the game win-ning touchdown at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Gained 83 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries

against New Orleans (11/29).

HT: 5’ 10” WT: 247 NFL EXP: 9 ACQ: UFA–‘08 (SD) 5TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 2/13/82 COLLEGE: NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY

33MICHAEL TURNERRUNNING BACK

PRO BOWL YEARS2010, 2008

DATE OPP RUSH YDS AVG LG TD REC YDS AVG LG TD

RUSHING RECEIVING2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 11 32 2.9 11 0 0 0 0 0 09/17 DEN 17 42 2.5 15 1 1 0 0.0 0 0

9/23 @ SD 14 80 5.7 25 1 2 1 0.5 1 0

9/30 CAR 13 103 7.9 27 0 3 68 22.7 60 1

10/7 @ WAS 17 64 3.7 13 1 2 2 1.0 2 0

10/14 OAK 11 33 3.3 9 0 1 6 6.0 6 0

10/28 @ PHI 24 58 2.4 11 0 1 6 6.0 6 0

11/4 DAL 20 102 5.1 43 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

11/11 @ NO 13 15 1.2 9 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

11/18 ARI 15 46 3.1 10 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

11/25 @ TB 13 17 1.3 9 1 3 13 4.3 8 0

11/29 NO 12 83 6.9 35 1 1 7 7.0 7 012/9 @ CAR 7 14 2.0 5 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

12/16 NYG 16 52 3.3 14 1 1 9 9.0 9 012/22 @ DET 13 41 3.2 22 0 4 16 4.0 12 0

12/30 TB 6 18 3.0 17 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

TOTALS 222 800 3.6 43 10 19 128 6.7 60t 1

CAREER 1,639 7,338 4.5 83t 66 70 528 7.5 60t 1

Since 2008, Turner has rushed for 60 touchdowns and has 27 100-yard games, setting franchise records in both catego-ries . In 2011, he broke the franchise record with his 50th touchdown and tied Gerald Riggs with his 25th 100-yard game.

• Rushed the ball seven times for 14 yards and a

touchdown at Carolina (12/9).

• Carried the ball 16 times for 52 yards with a touch-

downs against the Giants (12/16).

• Rushed 13 times for 41 yards and snagged four

passes for 16 yards at Detroit (12/22).

• Had his 10th rushing touchdown of the season

against Tampa bay (12/30).

2012 POSTSEASON

DATE OPP RUSH YDS AVG LG TD REC YDS AVG LG TD

RUSHING RECEIVING

1/13 SEA 14 98 7.0 33 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

1/20 SF 8 30 3.8 10 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

TOTALS 22 128 5.8 33 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Collected fi ve tackles (four solo) and a sack against

Seattle (1/13) in the NFC Divisional round.

• Recorded three tackles (two solo) against the 49ers (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Contributed on defense at Kansas City (9/9).

• Tallied two tackles and a sack against the Broncos (9/17).

• Collared three tackles at San Diego (9/23).

• Had three solo tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble against Carolina (9/30).

• Recorded one solo tackle at Washington (10/7).

• Contributed on defense against Oakland (10/14).

• Collected one solo tackle at Philadelphia (10/28).

• Recorded two solo tackles against Dallas (11/4).

• Collared four solo tackles at New Orleans (11/11).

• Recorded one tackle against Arizona (11/18).

• Saw action on defense at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Collected two tackles against New Orleans (11/29).

• Collared three solo tackles and a sack at Carolina

(12/9).

• Recorded one tackle against the Giants (12/16).

• Collected two solo tackles at Detroit (12/22).

• Tallied six solo tackles against Tampa Bay (12/30).

EXTRA POINTS• During Thanksgiving 2010, served a traditional

Thanksgiving lunch to the city’s less fortunate at Crossroads Community Ministries.

• In December 2010, the Falcons defensive line treat-ed children from the Atlanta Urban Ministries to a holiday shopping spree at a WalMart in the city.

HT: 6’ 2” WT: 304 NFL EXP: 4 ACQ: D7-’09 4TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 4/26/87 COLLEGE: GEORGIA TECH

99VANCEWALKERDEFENSIVE TACKLE

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 09/17 DEN 2 2 1.0 8.0 0 0 0 0 0

9/23 @ SD 3 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

9/30 CAR 3 3 1.0 5.0 0 0 1 0 0

10/7 WAS 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

10/14 OAK 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

10/28 @ PHI 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/4 DAL 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/11 @ NO 4 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/18 ARZ 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/25 @ TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/29 NO 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/9 @ CAR 3 3 1.0 7.0 0 0 0 0 0

12/16 NYG 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/22 @ DET 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

12/30 TB 6 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 31 30 3.0 20.0 0 0 1 0 0

CAREER 84 67 5.0 28.0 0 0 1 1 1

2012 POSTSEASONDATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

1/13 SEA 5 4 1.0 8.0 0 0 0 0 01/20 SF 3 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0TOTALS 8 6 1.0 8.0 0 0 0 0 0

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Led the team with eight tackles (fi ve solo) and forced

a fumble in the NFC Divisional round against Seattle

(1/13).

• Recorded fi ve tackles (three solo) against the 49ers

(1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Tallied ten tackles and had a sack at Kansas City

(9/9).

• Led the team with 10 tackles and recoverd a fum-ble in the Monday Night game against the Broncos

(9/17).

• Collected six tackles and forced a fumble at San Di-

ego (9/23).

• Recorded four tackles and got a sack against the

Panthers (9/30).

• Led the team with 11 tackles (eight solo) and a sack at

Washington (10/7).

• Collared ten tackles (eight solo) against Oakland

(10/14).

• Collected seven tackles (six solo) at Philadelphia

(10/28).

• Inactive against Dallas (11/4) and at New Orleans (11/11).

• Inactive against Arizona (11/18).

• Recorded seven solo tackles at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Recorded his fi rst career interception and six tackles

(two solo) against New Orleans (11/29).

• Tallied eight tackles (four solo) at Carolina (12/9).

• Collared 11 tackles (seven solo) against the Giants

(12/16).

HT: 6’ 2” WT: 244 NFL EXP: 3 ACQ: D1-’10 3RD YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 12/29/87 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI

56SEANWEATHERSPOON

LINEBACKER

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 10 9 1.0 8.0 0 0 0 0 19/17 DEN 11 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 1 1

9/23 @ SD 6 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0

9/30 CAR 4 3 1.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

10/7 WAS 12 9 1.0 2.0 0 0 0 0 0

10/14 OAK 10 8 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

10/28 @ PHI 7 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/4 DAL INACTIVE11/11 @ NO INACTIVE11/18 ARZ INACTIVE11/25 @ TB 7 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/29 NO 6 2 0.0 0.0 1 6 0 0 112/9 @ CAR 8 4 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

12/16 NYG 11 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 012/22 @ DET 11 9 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

12/30 TB 11 9 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1

TOTALS 114 84 3.0 10.0 1 6 1 1 4

CAREER 293 208 7.0 54.0 1 6 1 2 13

2012 POSTSEASONDATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

1/13 SEA 8 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 11/20 SF 5 3 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0TOTALS 13 8 0.0 0.0 0 0 1 0 1

• Recorded 11 tackles (nine solo) at Detroit (12/22).

• Tallied 11 tackles (nine solo) against Tampa Bay (12/30).

EXTRA POINTS• In 2010, a participant in the Atlanta Falcons Rookie

Club sponsored by UnitedHealthcare of Georgia, this program gives the players the opportunity to take part in several charitable events.

TRANSACTIONS• Selected as a fi rst round (19th pick overall) draft

choice by Atlanta in 2010.

2011 (FALCONS)• Had a breakout sophomore season, starting all 16

games at linebacker and posting career-highs with 127 tackles (86 solo) and 4.0 sacks. Also added one fumble recovery and eight passes defensed.

• Notched a team-high 14 tackles for loss and fi nsihed second on the team in tackles (127). Is Atlanta’s top returning tackler entering the 2012 season.

VETERAN PLAYERS

A TLANTAFALCONS.COM

2012 (FALCONS)• Reeled in fi ve passes for 76 yards and a touchdown

against Seattle (1/13) in the NFC Divisional round.

• Recorded seven catches for 100 yards against the

49ers (1/20) in the NFC Championship.

• Caught six passes for 87 yards in opener at Kansas

City (9/9).

• Caught a team high eight passes for 102 yards with one touchdown against the Broncos (9/17). White now has recorded 29 100-yard games in his career,

which is a franchise record.

• Tallied fi ve receptions for 55 yards at San Diego (9/23).

• White caught eight catches for 169 yards and had two touchdowns against Carolina (9/30). He im-proved his franchise record with his 30th 100-yard

game.

• Reeled in four receptions for 68 yards at Washing-

ton (10/7).

• Caught six passes for 72 yards and a touchdown

against Oakland (10/14).

• Tallied three receptions for 38 yards at Philadelphia

(10/28).

• Caught seven passes for 118 yards and became the the franchise leader in receptions against Dallas

(11/4).

• Reeled in seven passes for 114 yards at New Orleans

(11/11).

• Caught a team high eight passes for 123 yards against Arizona (11/18).

• Caught fi ve catches for 57 yards and passed the 1,000-yard mark for the sixth consecutive season at Tampa Bay (11/25).

PRO BOWL YEARS2011, 2010, 2009, 2008

HT: 6’ 0” WT: 211 NFL EXP: 8 ACQ: D1–’05 8TH YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDATE: 11/2/81 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM

84RODDYWHITEWIDE RECEIVER

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RUSH YDS AVG LG TD

RECEIVING RUSHING2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC 6 87 14.5 26 0 0 0 0.0 0 09/17 DEN 8 102 12.8 21 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

9/23 @ SD 5 55 11.0 19 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

9/30 CAR 8 169 21.1 59 2 0 0 0.0 0 0

10/7 @ WSH 4 68 17.0 20 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

10/14 OAK 6 72 12.0 26 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

10/28 @ PHI 3 38 12.7 14 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

11/4 DAL 7 118 16.9 26 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

11/11 @ NO 7 114 16.3 49 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

11/18 ARZ 8 123 15.4 37 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

11/25 @ TB 5 57 11.4 29 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

11/29 NO 1 20 20.0 20 0 0 0 0.0 0 012/9 @ CAR 9 117 13.0 18 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

12/16 NYG 2 16 8.0 11 0 0 0 0.0 0 012/22 @ DET 8 153 19.1 44 2 0 0 0.0 0 0

12/30 TB 5 42 8.4 14 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

TOTALS 92 1,351 14.7 59 7 0 0 0.0 0 0

CAREER 622 8,725 14.0 90t 52 9 19 2.1 16 0

In 2012, White passed Terrance Mathis with the most receptions in franchise his-tory (622). Also, White became the fi fth receiver in NFL history to record three consecutive seasons with at least 90 catches and 1,200 receiving yards.

• Reeled in one catch for 20 yards against New Or-

leans (11/29).

• Caught nine passes for 117 yards and a touchdown for his 34th career 100-yard game at Carolina

(12/9).

• Hauled in two catches for 16 yards against the Gi-

ants (12/16).

• Caught eight passes for 153 yards and two touch-

downs at Detroit (12/22).

• Reeled in fi ve catches for 42 yards against Tampa Bay (12/30).

2012 POSTSEASON

DATE OPP REC YDS AVG LG TD RSH YDS AVG LG TD

RECEIVING RUSHING

1/13 SEA 5 76 15.2 47 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

1/20 SF 7 100 14.3 23 0 0 0 0.0 0 0

TOTALS 12 176 14.7 47 1 0 0 0.0 0 0

2012 ROOKIES

2012 ROOKIES

2012 (FALCONS)• Part of an off ensive line that did not allow a sack

against Seattle (1/13).

• Played on special teams at Kansas City (9/9).

• Assisted on special teams agasint Denver (9/17).

• Contributed on special teams at San Diego (9/23).

• Played on special teams against Carolina (9/30).

• Saw action on special teams at Washington (10/7).

• Played on special teams against Oakland (10/14).

• Got his fi rst career start at guard at Philadelphia (10/28). Blocked for a Falcons rushing attack that totaled a season-high 146 yards on the ground.

• Paved the way for RB Michael Turner to run for 102 yards and a touchdown against Dallas (11/4).

• Started at right guard at New Orleans (11/11).

• Started at right guard against Arizona (11/18).

• Blocked for RB’s Michael Turner and Jacquizz Rodgers each to have a touchdown at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Helped the running game pick up 124 yards and a touchdown against New Orleans (11/29).

• Started at right off ensive guard at Carolina (12/9).

• Protected QB Matt Ryan who threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns against the Giants (12/16).

• Blocked for QB Matt Ryan who had a 142.6 QB rating at Detroit (12/22).

• Started at right guard against Tampa Bay (12/30).

EXTRA POINTS• Participates as a member of the Atlanta Falcons

Rookie Club sponsored by UnitedHealthcare of Georgia, this program gives the players the opportunity to take part in several charitable events.

TRANSACTIONS• Selected as a second round (55th overall) draft choice

by Atlanta in 2012.

HT: 6-5 WT: 317 NFL EXP: R AQU: D2-’12 1ST YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDAY: 6/9/1989 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN

66PETERKONZGUARD

2012

ATL

KONZ’S CAREER GAMES PLAYED/STARTED

16/10TOTALS 16/10

2012

ATL

KONZ’S PLAYOFF GAMES PLAYED/STARTED

1/1TOTALS 1/1

2012 ROOKIES

2012 (FALCONS)• Saw action on off ense against Seattle (1/13).

• Inactive for weeks one through eleven.

• Active but did not play at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Did not play against New Orleans (11/29).

• Did not play at Carolina (12/9).

• Saw action on off ense against the Giants (12/16).

• Contributed on off ense at Detroit (12/22).

• Did not play against Tampa Bay (12/30).

EXTRA POINTS• Participates as a member of the Atlanta Falcons

Rookie Club sponsored by UnitedHealthcare of Georgia, this program gives the players the opportunity to take part in several charitable events.

TRANSACTIONS• Selected as a third round (91st pick overall) draft

choice by Atlanta in 2012.

COLLEGE• Played two seasons at Southern Miss after trans-

ferring from Itawamba Community College follow-ing the 2009 campaign.

• Was named a team captain by his teammates after transferring from junior college because of his work ethic.

• Earned fi rst team All-Conference USA honors after paving the way for the Golden Eagles to post more than 6,000 yards of total off ense for the fi rst time in school history.

• Protected QB Austin Davis’ blind side, helping the quarterback throw for 3,496 yards with 30 touch-downs, and blocked for a rushing attack that aver-aged 205.1 yards per game.

• In his fi rst season at Southern Miss, played in 12 games with fi ve starts and helped Davis earn second team All-Conference USA honors after throwing for 3,103 yards.

• Played two seasons at Itawamba Community College, where he earned NJCAA Preseason All-America honors prior to the 2009 season and was a fi rst-team MACJC North pick during his fresh-man campaign.

• Rivals.com ranked Holmes as a four-star performer and the number 18 junior college player in the na-tion.

HT: 6-6 WT: 333 NFL EXP: R AQU: D3-’12 1ST YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDAY: 7/8/1989 COLLEGE: SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI

76LAMARHOLMESTACKLE

2012

ATL

HOLMES’ CAREER GAMES PLAYED/STARTED

2/0TOTALS 2/0

2012 ROOKIES

TRANSACTIONS• Selected as a fi fth round (157th overall) draft choice

by Atlanta in 2012.

• Placed on Injured Reserve on August 11, 2012.

COLLEGE• Began his career at Wisconsin as a walk-on running

back and ended it as a team captain and fi rst team All-American.

• Started 10 of 52 games at Wisconsin, rushing for two touchdowns and adding two more receiving scores.

• According to NFL Draft Report, his 30 touchdown-resulting blocks in 2011 are the most ever by a blocker in a season and were more than 99 teams at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level.

• In 2011, he was named a fi rst team All-American and chosen to the Super Sleeper Team by The NFL Draft Report at fullback.

• Cleared running lanes for All-American RB Montee Ball, who rushed for an NCAA-best 1,923 yards and tied RB Barry Sanders collegiate record with 39 rushing touchdowns.

• Also delivered a team-best 100 knockdowns/key blocks, including a Badgers-best 21 down-fi eld blocks.

• As a junior in 2010, he won the Tom Wiesner Award, given to the team’s best Wisconsin-born player, while adding Academic All-Big Ten Conference and ESPN Academic All-District honors.

• Produced 18 touchdown-resulting blocks and helped the Badgers rank 21st in the nation in total off ense (445.2 yards per game), paving the way for Wisconsin’s trio of 1,000-yard rushers, RB James White (1,086), RB John Clay (1,028) and Ball (1,019) in 2010.

• Spent his fi rst two seasons in Madison as a walk-on. During his freshman campaign, he saw action on the kickoff coverage and kick return units before shifting to fullback as a sophomore.

• Earned his fi rst Academic All-Big Ten Conference selection after helping the Badgers fi nish 15th in the nation and fi rst in the Big 10 in rushing with 203.9 yards per game in 2010.

PERSONAL• Attended Richland Center (Wisc.) High School,

where he was a three-sport standout in football, basketball and track-&-fi eld

• Played football for head coach Ed Levy, was tabbed a two-star prospect by Rivals.com as a tailback and strong safety for the Hornets.

• Served as team captain in each of his last three years.

• Earned All-Southwest Wisconsin Football Con-ference honors, as he scored four times on the ground, gaining 627 yards at tailback.

• Was class president and National Honors Society member who graduated with a 3.67 GPA.

• Majored in Sociology at Wisconsin.

• Son of Andrea and David Ewing

HT: 5-11 WT: 243 NFL EXP: R AQU: D5A-’12 1ST YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDAY: 12/26/1989 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN

36BRADIEEWINGFULLBACK

2012 ROOKIES

2012 (FALCONS)• Collected one tackle against Seattle (1/13).

• Inactive weeks one through nine.

• Contributed on special teams at New Orleans (11/11).

• Saw action on defense and special teams against Arizona (11/18).

• Played on special teams at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Saw action on special teams against New Orleans (11/29).

• Played on special teams at Carolina (12/9).

• Saw action on special teams against the Giants (12/16).

• Played on special teams and defense at Detroit (12/22).

• Saw action on defense against Tampa Bay (12/30).

EXTRA POINTS• Participates as a member of the Atlanta Falcons

Rookie Club sponsored by UnitedHealthcare of Georgia, this program gives the players the opportunity to take part in several charitable events.

TRANSACTIONS• Selected as the second of two fi fth round (164th

overall) draft choices by Atlanta in 2012.

COLLEGE• Started all 25 games he played in at Troy, recording

128 tackles (78 solo) with 19.5 sacks for minus 138 yards, 31.0 stops for loss, 12 quarterback pressures, two forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, three passes defensed and one blocked kick.

• His 19.5 sacks rank 12th in school history and his 31 tackles for loss rank third in team annals.

HT: 6-2 WT: 264 NFL EXP: R AQU: D5B-’12 1ST YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDAY: 5/18/1988 COLLEGE: TROY

96JONATHANMASSAQUOIDEFENSIVE END

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC INACTIVE9/17 DEN INACTIVE9/23 @ SD INACTIVE9/30 CAR INACTIVE10/7 WAS INACTIVE10/14 OAK INACTIVE10/28 @ PHI INACTIVE11/4 DAL INACTIVE11/11 @ NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/18 ARZ 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/25 @ TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/29 NO 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

12/9 @ CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

12/16 NYG 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

12/22 @ DET 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

12/30 TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

CAREER 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

2012 ROOKIES

2012 (FALCONS)• Saw action on special teams against Seattle (1/13).

• Inactive weeks one through three.

• Conrtributed on special teams against Carolina (9/30).

• Saw action on special teams at Washington (10/7).

• Contributed on special teams against Oakland (10/14).

• Saw action on special teams at Philadelphia (10/28).

• Played on special teams against Dallas (11/4).

• Inactive weeks 10-13.

• Played on special teams at Carolina (12/9).

• Collected a tackle against the Giants (12/16).

• Played on special teams at Detroit (12/22).

• Saw action on special teams against Tampa Bay (12/30).

EXTRA POINTS• Participates as a member of the Atlanta Falcons

Rookie Club sponsored by UnitedHealthcare of Georgia, this program gives the players the opportunity to take part in several charitable events.

TRANSACTIONS• Selected as a sixth round (192nd overall) draft

choice by Atlanta in 2012.

COLLEGE• One of the Bulldogs most consistent defenders,

played in 50 games and recorded 283 total tackles with four interceptions during his career.

• Ranked second on the team with 95 tackles (50 solo) while notching three tackles for loss, one sack, six passes defensed and one forced fumble as a senior in 2011.

HT: 5-11 WT: 205 NFL EXP: R AQU: D6-’12 1ST YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDAY: 9/13/1989 COLLEGE: MISSISSIPPI STATE

26CHARLES MITCHELLSAFETY

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC INACTIVE9/17 DEN INACTIVE9/23 @ SD INACTIVE9/30 CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

10/7 WAS 0 0 0.0 0,0 0 0 0 0 0

10/14 OAK 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

10/28 @ PHI 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/4 DAL 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/11 @ NO INACTIVE11/18 ARZ INACTIVE11/25 @ TB INACTIVE11/29 NO INACTIVE12/9 @ CAR 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

12/16 NYG 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

12/22 @ DET 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

12/30 TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTALS 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

CAREER 1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

2012 ROOKIES

2012 (FALCONS)• Did not play against Seattle (1/13).

• Did not play in week 1 at Kansas City (9/9).

• Did not play against the Broncos (9/17).

• Saw his fi rst action on defense at San Diego (9/23).

• Did not play against Carolina (9/30) and at Wash-ington (10/7).

• Did not play against Oakland (10/14).

• Inactive weeks eight through eleven.

• Saw action on special teams at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Collected one solo tackle against New Orleans (11/29).

• Inactive at Carolina (12/9).

• Did not play against the Giants (12/16).

• Recorded one solo tackle at Detroit (12/22).

• Inactive against Tampa Bay (12/30).

EXTRA POINTS• Participates as a member of the Atlanta Falcons

Rookie Club sponsored by UnitedHealthcare of Georgia, this program gives the players the opportunity to take part in several charitable events.

TRANSACTIONS• Selected as a seventh round (249th overall) draft

choice by Atlanta in 2012.

COLLEGE• Named a preseason second-team All-SEC selection

by Phil Steele as a key interior cog in South Carolina’s defense.

• Three-year letter winner played in 12 games as a senior in 2011, recording 45 tackles (22 solo), two sacks and eight tackles for loss.

HT: 6-4 WT: 304 NFL EXP: R AQU: D7-’12 1ST YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDAY: 12/9/1988 COLLEGE: SOUTH CAROLINA

92TRAVIANROBERTSONDEFENSIVE TACKLE

DATE OPP TK SO SK YDS INT YDS FF FR PD

2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC DID NOT PLAY9/17 DEN DID NOT PLAY9/23 @ SD 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 09/30 CAR DID NOT PLAY10/7 WAS DID NOT PLAY10/14 OAK DID NOT PLAY10/28 @ PHI INACTIVE11/4 DAL INACTIVE11/11 @ NO INACTIVE11/18 ARZ INACTIVE11/25 @ TB 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

11/29 NO 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

12/9 @ CAR INACTIVE12/16 NYG DID NOT PLAY12/22 @ DET 1 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

12/30 TB INACTIVE

TOTALS 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

CAREER 2 2 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

2012 ROOKIES

2012 (FALCONS)• Inactive weeks one through 17.

EXTRA POINTS• Participates as a member of the Atlanta Falcons

Rookie Club sponsored by UnitedHealthcare of Georgia, this program gives the players the opportunity to take part in several charitable events.

TRANSACTIONS• Signed by the Falcons as a College Free Agent on

April 30, 2012.

COLLEGE• Completed 67.6 percent of his passes (334-of-494)

for 3,225 yards with 25 touchdowns as a senior at East Carolina. In 2011, he was a fourth team preseason all-conference selection by Phil Steele and named to the watch lists for the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien awards.

• Turned in a record-breaking campaign during fi rst season with the Pirates, completing 393 of 609 pass attempts for 3,967 yards with 37 touchdowns in 2010.

• Began his college career at Boston College where he redshirted during Falcons QB Matt Ryan’s senior season with the Eagles.

PERSONAL• Full name is Dominique Dion Davis. A Lakeland, FL

native his brother Desmond Clark played for tight end for the Broncos, Dolphins and Bears. Played for a Junior College National Championship while at Fort Scott Community College. earned FSWA All-State Class 3A fi rst-team honors as a senior quarterback and was an honorable mention as a junior at Kathleen High School in Lakeland, FL.

HT: 6-3 WT: 210 NFL EXP: R AQU: FA-’12 1ST YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDAY: 7/17/1989 COLLEGE: EAST CAROLINA

4DOMINIQUEDAVISQUARTERBACK

DATE OPP ATT COM YDS PCT TD INT LG SK RTG ATT YDS TD

PASSING RUSHING2012 GAME-BY-GAME

9/9 @ KC INACTIVE9/17 DEN INACTIVE9/23 @ SD INACTIVE9/30 CAR INACTIVE10/7 @ WAS INACTIVE10/14 OAK INACTIVE10/28 @ PHI INACTIVE11/4 DAL INACTIVE11/11 @ NO INACTIVE11/18 ARI INACTIVE11/25 @ TB INACTIVE11/29 NO INACTIVE12/9 @ CAR INACTIVE12/16 NYG INACTIVE12/22 @ DET INACTIVE12/30 TB INACTIVE

TOTALS 0 0 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

2012 ROOKIES

2012 (FALCONS)• Long snapped for K Matt Bryant’s game winning

fi eld goal against Seattle (1/13).

• Was the long snapper for P Matt Bosher and K Matt Bryant at Kansas City (9/9).

• Long snapped for K Matt Bryant when he made two fi eld goals from 37 and 42 yards against Denver (9/17).

• Long snapped for K Matt Bryant and P Matt Bosher at San Diego

• Long snapped for K Matt Bryant and P Matt Bosher at San Diego (9/23).

• Was the long snapper for K Matt Bryant’s game winning fi eld goal, along with his other two fi eld goals against Carolina (9/30).

• Long snapped for P Matt Bosher and K Matt Bryant at Washington (10/7).

• Long snapped for K Matt Bryant on his game win-ning 55-yard fi eld goal against Oakland (10/14).

• Long snapped for P Matt Bosher and K Matt Bryant at Philadelphia (10/28).

• Snapped for P Matt Bosher and K Matt Bryant against Dallas (11/4).

• Snapped for P Matt Bosher’s three punts and K Matt Bryant’s two fi eld goals at New Orleans (11/11).

• Long snapped for P Matt Bosher and K Matt Bryant against Arizona (11/18).

• Long snapper at Tampa Bay (11/25).

• Snapped for K Matt Bryant’s two fi eld goals against New Orleans (11/29).

• Long snapped for K Matt Bryant and P Matt Bosher at Carolina (12/9).

• Snapped for K Matt Bryant and P Matt Bosher against the Giants (12/16).

• Long snapped for P Matt Bosher’s four punts and K Matt Bryant’s fi eld goal at Detroit (12/22).

• Was the long snapper against Tampa Bay (12/30).

TRANSACTIONS• Signed by the Falcons as a College Free Agent on

April 30, 2012.

COLLEGE• Served as Auburn’s long snapper on fi eld goals,

punts and PATs for the last three seasons, including 2010 when the Tigers won the BCS National Cham-pionship. The Carrollton, GA native was a SEC Aca-demic Honor Roll selection in 2008 and 2009.

PERSONAL• Native of Carrollton, GA. Began his career at

Auburn as a walk on before earning a scholarship. Named the National Sigma Nu Athlete of the Year in 2011. Majored in Political Science

47JOSHHARRISLONG SNAPPER

HT: 6-1 WT: 224 NFL EXP: R AQU: FA-’12 1ST YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDAY: 4/27/1989 COLLEGE: AUBURN UNIVERSITY

2012 ROOKIES

2012 (FALCONS)• Inactive weeks 10 through 17.

TRANSACTIONS• Signed by the Falcons as a College Free Agent on

April 30, 2012

COLLEGE• A two-year starter at guard for Toledo. In 2011, he

helped pave the way for the Rockets off ense to rush for 2,777 yards, including RB Adonis Thomas, who logged a team-high 1,071 yards.

PERSONAL• Rated as the No. 63 player in the state of Ohio by

Ohio High Magazine and No. 56 guard in the na-tion by ESPN.com while playing at Hamilton High School in Hamilton, OH. Earned fi rst-team all-league, fi rst-team All-Butler County and honor-able mention All-Southwest Ohio honors.

HT: 6-5 WT: 309 NFL EXP: R AQU: FA-’12 1ST YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDAY: 5/7/1990 COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO

68PHILLIPKEITHMANLEYGUARD

2012 ROOKIES

2012 (FALCONS)• Signed by the Falcons on November 20, 2012.

• Inactive weeks 12 through 17.

TRANSACTIONS• Signed by the Cowboys as a college free agent after

the 2012 draft.

• Signed to the New Orleans Saints practice squad on September 2, 2012.

• Signed by the Atlanta Falcons off of the Saints practice squad on November 20, 2012.

COLLEGE• Started 30-of-38 games played, including every

game during his last two seasons at Miami.

• Played and started all 12 games for the Hurricanes at left guard as a senior while not allowing a sack and was not called for a penalty for the season.

• As a junior, started all 13 games on the off ensive line and amassed 13 pancakes.

• Started fi ve-of-13 games at right guard as a sophomore.

PERSONAL• Played tackle at Central Omaha, Nebraska, High

School, the same high school as Gale Sayers, Ahman Green, Calvin Jones, and Keith Jones.

• Earned his degree in criminology from Miami.

HT: 6-2 WT: 310 NFL EXP: R AQU: FA-’12 1ST YEAR WITH FALCONSBIRTHDAY: 8/30/1989 COLLEGE: MIAMI (FLA)

69HARLANDGUNNGUARD

FEATURE CLIPS

ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS

Atlanta Falcons take a huge stride ATLANTA -- Not even the New Orleans Saints, whose recent history shows a fondness for challenging everything, can appeal this one. The Atlanta Falcons really are a good football team. The signature win that every skeptic seemed to be waiting for came Thursday night in the Georgia Dome. The Falcons defeated the Saints 23-13 in a game that was about much more than positioning themselves for the playoffs. The Falcons (11-1) ended Drew Brees' streak of consecutive games with a touchdown pass at 54 games and also forced the New Orleans quarterback into a career-high five interceptions. The Falcons also probably ended the Saints’ playoff hopes as New Orleans tumbled to 5-7. More important, the Falcons showed they can win a big game. "We didn’t come out to break any streak," said Atlanta cornerback Dunta Robinson, who said he wasn’t aware Brees’ streak had ended until the media informed him. "We came out here to dominate and we did." There’s truth and irony in the second part of Robinson’s statement. For one of the few times this season, the Falcons, who often seemed to be playing just well enough to win, did dominate -- at least on the defensive side. "We never felt like we were going to lose this game," said veteran defensive end John Abraham. That’s the irony of it all. Throughout most of the five seasons Mike Smith has been Atlanta’s coach and Matt Ryan has been the quarterback, the Saints had dominated the series. Entering Thursday night, the Falcons had won only twice against New Orleans in the Smith/Ryan era. It got so bad after the Saints ended Atlanta’s unbeaten streak in New Orleans earlier this month, it seemed like the Falcons had some sort of inferiority complex about their division rivals. After that game, New Orleans linebacker Scott Shanle referred to the Falcons as the Saints’ "little brother." It got even worse that same day, and again on a Tuesday conference call, when New Orleans linebacker Curtis Lofton, who spent the first four seasons of his career with Atlanta, repeatedly questioned if the Saints and Falcons really had a rivalry. His logic was simple -- it’s not a rivalry when one team dominates. But there is no doubt the Saints and Falcons are bitter rivals. They’ve had some games where emotions spilled out on the field in recent years. And those emotions frequently have seeped off the field. The latest example came Wednesday evening when the Saints said their charter bus was egged by what appeared to be airport workers on the tarmac of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. But it was the Falcons who were serving Eggs Benedict (Arnold?) to Lofton, who was beaten in coverage by tight end Tony Gonzalez on a 17-yard touchdown pass that gave the Falcons a 14-0 lead with 14:08 left in the second quarter. A little more than five minutes later, the Falcons had a 17-0 lead and appeared to be on the verge of blowing the Saints out of the building.

ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS

But Brees, who finished the game with 341 passing yards, rallied his team and cut the lead to as little as 17-13 in the third quarter. That’s when the Falcons of past years -- even earlier this season -- might have panicked. That didn’t happen. "That’s a very good quarterback that’s normally very efficient," Smith said. "We did a nice job of taking the ball away." The Falcons intercepted Brees, who completed 28 of 50 passes, three times in the second half, including third- and fourth-quarter interceptions by strong safety William Moore. With cornerback Asante Samuel aggravating a shoulder injury early in the game, the Falcons were forced to play backups Robert McClain and Christopher Owens extensively. "We’re a big family and we feel like we have a lot of guys back there that can play," Robinson said. "We feel like we are one of the best secondaries in the league and I think this showed something." Abraham, who put steady pressure on Brees most of the night, also ended a New Orleans drive with Atlanta’s only sack of the game. With a third-and-5 at the Atlanta 36 and the Falcons holding a 20-13 lead with 10:40 left in the game, the Saints had the momentum. They seemed poised to tie the game or at least kick a field goal. But Abraham sacked Brees to take the Saints out of field-goal range and force a punt. But Abraham said this wasn’t about revenge. He wouldn’t reflect on the past and wouldn’t talk about an embarrassing loss in New Orleans last season, a game in which Brees broke the NFL record for passing yards in a season and some of the Falcons implied the Saints were running up the score. "No question we’ve got the upper-hand right now," Abraham said when asked about the rivalry. "But I came here strictly to win this game. We’ve got a long year left and we still have a lot to do." The Falcons, who have yet to win a playoff game in the Smith/Ryan era, have made it clear all season that simply getting to the playoffs is no longer good enough. They want to win in the postseason and they want to win the Super Bowl (which, by the way, will be played in New Orleans). "Hopefully, as we move forward, we can start to play our best football collectively and I think we can," said Ryan, who completed 18 of 33 passes for 165 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. The performance wasn’t perfect. The passing offense was unspectacular and the running game went quiet after a fast start. The Falcons' defense won this game. But this still was a huge win for the Falcons -- their most complete and satisfying so far this season. They got a rare victory against the Saints and also pretty much made sure their rivals won’t be joining them in the playoffs. Now, it’s time for the Falcons to move onto bigger and better things.

THOMAS DIMITROFF

ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS

Cancer took Dimitroff's father, but not life lessons Cancer robbed Thomas Dimitroff. The Falcons’ general manager lost the chance for his father and namesake to see all that he has achieved. He lost the counsel of the man who shared his passion for and likewise dedicated his life to the sport of football. Yet he knows that had renal-cell carcinoma not won the war with Tom Dimitroff 16 years ago, there would have been visits to the son’s spacious office in Flowery Branch. No doubt the conversations would turn to talent evaluation, defensive schemes and building a team-first concept. Dimitroff had poignant talks before his father’s passing — something not all children are fortunate enough to experience. At the time Dimitroff was an area scout for the Lions. He had come a long way from the young man who started by doing odds jobs, like lining practice fields, just to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a coach. As father sat, wrapped in a blanket, he shared some final thoughts. “I think one of the moments that really sticks out was when my dad was basically on his deathbed,” Dimitroff said. “He was in his final month with his battle with cancer. I remember sitting down and having a very pointed conversation with him about where I was in my career. I remember him saying, ‘Listen, you keep doing what you are doing. Keep your passion. Keep your drive. Continue to stand for what you believe in as far as your approach to life on and off the field.’” Those conversations did more than validate. They paved the way for Dimitroff to move into a position much further along than his dream to be “the best secondary coach in the National Football League.” He would become the director of college scouting for the Patriots before named Falcons GM in 2008. There were valuable lessons to be learned by fatherly experience. “I’ve talked to my mom a lot about this and even my father before he passed away,” Dimitroff said. “My father, by his own admission, wanted to go by way of a heart attack because he wanted it to be quick. He realized through all of the nine months of pain and suffering that we were able to share on so many levels that we would have never been able to. Talk about career paths. Talk about approach. “I remember my dad saying maybe he could have been a little more politically correct and maybe he could have gotten further in this career. But he grew up in a generation that was much more rough and tumble, wear it on your sleeve. “He was able to share in those ideas about where he came up short and where he would advise me to do things differently. There is no question that I was blessed to have the opportunity to do that — and be in a career that he was so incredibly passionate about that he spent 40 years in his own career.” Tom Dimitroff was of the no-nonsense Vince Lombardi era. He worked his way up the football ranks with stops that included being a coach in the Canadian Football League, as head coach at the University of Guelph in Ontario — where Thomas played and graduated — and eventually returned near his hometown in Ohio to be a scout for the Browns. As Dimitroff says, he was “born into football from the day I came into this world.” It was the norm as a young boy to ride his bicycle for miles after school to be at his father’s facility and watch practices — math problems be darned.

ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS

“He would look to the other side [of the field] of his night practices, and I would be over there playing catch or running up and down the sidelines,” Dimitroff said. “I had such a passion for the game and being around it. Those are some fond memories. “I would see him storming across the field, dropping his whistle, and I knew he was headed right for me to say ‘Why in the hell are you not at home working on your homework?’ Yet he would kind of smile because he knew how passionate I was about this game.” He knows it’s a cliché, but the team concept his father, and others, drove into him while he was growing into his current position is a lesson he turns to time and again. “I remember my dad making sure he was very, very clear about not being a young, know-it-all, me-guy on a football team because there was no place for that in this sport,” Dimitroff said. “You can understand where that is coming from. It’s coming from that old-school generation, that Lombardi-era guys. They were vehemently opposed to the “Sports Center” generation that is out there today with some of the thumping of the chest. That was something that was always driven into my head, my being and my understanding of this game.” On a day to celebrate fatherhood, Dimitroff can reflect on his memories and lessons learned from his upbringing. They are not just about football, but life. Thanks, Dad.

ATLANTA FALCONS NEWS CLIPS

Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff’s Moment was seeing his mom and dad together one last time Thomas Dimitroff likes to live life in the fast lane. In his free time, you will find the highly successful general manager of the Atlanta Falcons pushing the limits in extreme sports, such as snowboarding, mountain biking, rock climbing or riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Under his management, the Falcons have had four consecutive winning seasons, made three playoff appearances and have reset expectations to be considered as one of the elite teams in the National Football League. As he prepares to open his fifth training camp this week with the team he personally rebuilt following one of the lowest points in the often dismal 46-year-history of Atlanta’s franchise, Thomas looked back on the Moment that helped to clarify his vision and his unconventional path. “I’ve had a number of Moments, but the one defining Moment happened on January 19, 1996, when I was down at the Senior Bowl in Alabama, and I got a call from my Mom and she urged me to go back up to Cleveland as soon as I could because my dad was getting close to the end of his life,” he told us in our accompanying Moments video. A month earlier, Thomas had spent a few hours talking privately at home in Ohio with his father, Tom, a two-time all-conference quarterback who played under legendary Coach Ara Parseghian and had spent a lifetime in college and pro football as a player and coach. “He was of the Lombardi era. Not soft shoeing. Not being politically correct. Wearing it on your sleeve.” his son recalled – invoking the name of Vince Lombardi, the tough, authoritarian NFL coach who never presided over a losing season and won its first two Super Bowls. And yet, as Tom lay in bed – a sheet pulled all the way up to his neck, hiding the battle with cancer raging in his body below – he wanted to look back on his own career and to encourage his son not to compromise in his. He told Thomas that even though his own career might have been more successful had he been “more politically correct,” he urged his son to be true to himself. “He was sharing with me how important it was for me to truly live my life the way that I wanted to live my life.” Thomas told us in his office at the Falcons complex in Flowery Branch. “Live it the way I live and not to care what anyone else thought and that I was to approach it with my positivity and passionate and persevering approach to life. And to live with my passion – shoot for the stars. Don’t look back and don’t look for the judgment from other people and make sure this is how I wanted to do it.” At the time, Thomas was living in Atlanta’s Virginia-Highland neighborhood, employed as the Southeastern scout for the Detroit Lions, playing hacky-sack in Piedmont Park on his afternoons off. A month after his visit with his dad, he was attending the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, evaluating the skills of all-star college players when his mother called him back home. “I remember very, very vividly coming into the hospital and walking into the room where my father was on his hospital bed with my mother beside him at his bedside and seeing my father for the first time having lost all his weight in a state that I had never seen my father before,” Thomas said. “And I remember walking out of the room with my mother to visit with the doctor and get an update where my father was with his illness. And I remember how vivid the description was and looking at my mother and seeing the pain in her eyes and walking out of that room together with the amount of emotion that we had and going into my dad’s bedside and seeing my mom deliver the message to my father that it wasn’t going to be long. “And I remember seeing my father after my mom delivered the message that it will be soon and my father saying very, very calmly with an incredible amount of confidence and peace, saying to my mom, ‘Helen, this is what we’ve been praying for. I’m finally going home.’

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“To see the emotion, to see the love between two individuals and the amount of caring and trust and to see how fleeting life was – incredibly wonderful at so many levels, but again fleeting – and that my father was able to accept that at death’s door, with the person he loved for the longest time. They were best friends. “Understanding at that point … what hit me was embracing life and moving forward and completely understanding that you have to embrace the Moment whether it was at that Moment or the next day when my father did in fact pass away – or in the years to come in my career how I grasped as much as I could in the late ‘90s and into the 2000s, into my career to where I am today as general manager. “I remember at that point I started to sort of cultivate this idea of what really was important and I came up with some ideas that really set in and basically had to do with Soaring, Savoring and Sharing life and our Moments. And I thought at that Moment everything that I learned from my father was about shooting for the stars and going big. It was about savoring those Moments and making sure we were really appreciating where we were and understanding legacy and being able to share everything I owe him in the long run. “The Moment with my mother and father – that was the closest I had ever been to death and again stepping back and realizing the fragility of life and how like that we can move on to whatever we believe is the next life. And that made me believe how important it is climb more mountains, ride more merry-go-rounds and dance more dances and truly embrace life.” Today, Thomas and his wife, Angeline, and their son, Mason, live in the Garden Hills neighborhood of Atlanta. When they visit Piedmont Park these days, it is to follow Mason on his bike around the new Legacy Park addition. Thomas has been honored twice with the Sporting News NFL Executive of the Year. The day after we visited with him this summer, he was awarded the Horrigan Award by the pro football writers for his accessibility to the media. His kind and courteous demeanor belies the steely competitive drive inside. Appropriate to the modern technological age we live in, Thomas was the first GM in NFL history to be hired on the basis of a video conference call in 2008. The conversation took place as Thomas was in Boston preparing for the post-season with the New England Patriots. Falcons owner Arthur Blank was searching for a franchise savior following an embarrassing season with the sudden departures of quarterback Michael Vick and coach Bobby Petrino. “The NFL is very conservative in many many ways,” Thomas told us. “I’m ostensibly anomalous in certain ways … humbly anomalous. As I was walking into the video interview with Arthur, I decided I was going to do what I can and get my point across and swing for the fence. I realized 10 minutes into the call, we were Incredibly congruent with our leadership style. We were just hitting on all cylinders.” Four days after the four-hour video interview, the Falcons hired Thomas as GM. In his first few moves, Thomas hired coach Mike Smith from Jacksonville, traded for running back Michael Turner and selected quarterback Matt Ryan in the first round of the draft. The Falcons, which previously had never delivered two winning seasons in a row, have never looked back. Marriage, fatherhood and success haven’t slowed Thomas down. “That is how my life is, that’s how I approach life,” he said. “I make sure that I think and don’t just flippantly jump off of mountains or hang off the edge of cliffs, but I truly do embrace the opportunity to live those euphoric Moments and a lot of that has to do with my experiences through my father’s battle with cancer. So that’s been the most important Moment for me.”

MIKE SMITH

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Leader of Atlanta Turnaround Is Above All a Teacher FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Mike Smith had just finished his second season coaching in the N.F.L., but he was already preparing for his retirement. It was late February 2001, and Smith was on his knees at a dusty playground in a village outside Cancún, Mexico, teaching a boy about 9 years old the technique of tackling. Smith, then the defensive line coach for the Ravens, had joined other members of the organization on a trip to Mexico three weeks after Baltimore had won the Super Bowl. He spent three days there as an instructor at football clinics, including several hours on his hands and knees teaching the game to children who would probably never get close to the Super Bowl. “When I’m done coaching, I want to be a middle school coach,” said Smith, 53, now the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. “I don’t want to call plays; I just want to coach kids. That’s all.” That is the essence of Smith. Although the Falcons have experienced sustained success during his tenure after four decades of perennial disappointment, Smith still views himself as a coach at the grass-roots level. He spent 12 years as an assistant at Tennessee Tech and would have been happy to stay there if his brother-in-law, the former Ravens coach Brian Billick, had not lured him to the N.F.L. Smith’s straightforward manner and stern demeanor bring to mind Tom Coughlin, whose Giants (8-5) will play at Atlanta (11-2) on Sunday. While Coughlin has proved himself in the postseason with two Super Bowl victories, Smith is the master of the regular-season grind. The Falcons, who had not had consecutive winning seasons before Smith arrived in 2008, have now had five straight. Smith’s 54 victories are the most in team history. Smith’s fellow coaches with the Ravens included Rex Ryan and Marvin Lewis, from whom he learned the value of listening to his staff when formulating a game plan. Jack Del Rio, under whom Smith served as defensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003 to 2007, gave Smith insight into how to deal with players, and Billick taught him how much work to give them each week. Smith’s contribution to this coaching stew? How to win the close game. Since 2008, the Falcons’ winning percentage in games decided by 8 points or fewer is .725 (29-11), the best in the N.F.L. Smith’s players say he is a stabilizing influence, although when he gets angry, they know it. His cheeks immediately become flushed, prompting the veteran center Todd McClure to say the “red face” was something to stay away from. “It’s not pleasant to have that coming at you,” McClure said. Safety William Moore came up against the red face in his rookie season. Moore missed an assignment in practice, and Smith raced down the field to confront him, not because of the blown assignment, but for being late to a meeting, which most likely led to the blown assignment. “I can assure you I remember that day,” Moore said. “I had very obviously messed up, and Coach Smith put me in my place quickly. I have tried hard not to have a repeat of that. Coach Smith is no joke.” Smith played linebacker at East Tennessee State and had a preference for the lower level of Division I football. He painted locker rooms and helped maintain the field at Tennessee Tech. His night life consisted of shooting pool at an off-campus establishment named John’s Place, which was housed in a cinder-block building and which served up cold beer and hot dogs.

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Smith became friends with the owner, a local celebrity named Shakey. That, combined with Shakey’s pickled eggs and fishing in Center Hill Lake, was all Smith needed. “You’re coaching football, and coaching at that level, you’re probably doing more coaching than you do anywhere else,” Smith said. “It was a great place to live. We could have stayed. I always thought as a coach you could get caught up in the cycle of moving every year, and that is not something that was attractive to me.” Then Billick, who met Smith when they were coaches at San Diego State in 1982, offered Smith a job with the Ravens in 1999. Smith climbed the ladder but did not anchor himself with a particular system, which is why the Falcons have easily transitioned this season from a run-first offense with Michael Turner to an offense led by quarterback Matt Ryan. “I don’t want to say, This is my system; this is what I know; this is what I do,” Smith said. “What coaching is all about is identifying your strengths and weaknesses and putting a coaching staff around you to help in those areas of weakness and then identifying what your players are capable of doing. It is putting together a plan that allows them to play at their highest level.” Coaching in the N.F.L. is also about the rigmarole — the news media, the public appearances, the spotlight — which does not seem to appeal to Smith. That is not why Smith does what he does. “If I’m the defensive line coach,” he said, “I just want to teach guys to play defensive line.”

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Falcons' Smith's road from obscurity to top of his craft FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – For 12 years Mike Smith toiled in a place that would seem to embody the NFL coaching wilderness: Cookeville, Tenn., and Tennessee Tech, first as an assistant and, eventually, defensive coordinator. But, in a way, that period ended up underscoring the saying by Seneca, the ancient Roman philosopher and politician (a saying that Smith, whose parents were teachers, might appreciate): Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. As he plied his trade, a relationship that began almost two decades earlier took time to bear fruit. In 1999, Brian Billick was named head coach of the Baltimore Ravens and Billick, who first became friends (and later brothers-in-law) with Smith when they served on the same staff at San Diego State starting in 1982, tapped Smith as a defensive assistant on the Ravens' staff. The move kick-started Smith's NFL coaching career and would ultimately prove beneficial for the Falcons, a franchise that had never posted back-to-back winning seasons until Smith's arrival. With a win at Philadelphia next week, Smith, 53, would become the first coach in franchise history to win 50 games and take over sole possession of the Falcons' all-time record from Dan Reeves. "I always tell people he was a good coach before he was my brother-in-law," Billick said. "Mike and I, naturally because of our relationship, even when we weren't together, you get together at family reunions or you talk on the phone, it doesn't take long to talking football and comparing notes and the things you do when you're in the coaching fraternity. "There was no question when I got the Baltimore job, I knew I'd bring Mike in." One of Smith's favorite sayings is "you get what you earn in this league" and so while Billick might have given Smith his start, Smith has made the most of it. Entering the season, his 43 wins ranked fourth in NFL history among coaches in their first four seasons and at the bye the Falcons are an NFL-best 6-0. The only blemish on Smith's record is that gnawing 0-3 mark in the postseason, one that only time can alter. When it comes to talking about his own success, Smith prefers to deflect attention, answering a question about the looming franchise record recently by redirecting it to the task at hand. "It doesn't mean anything in terms of what we're trying to get done," he said. Back in '99, long before he would get his first head job at any level in Atlanta, he was just getting his feet wet in Baltimore and was cast in a somewhat awkward role. In Billick's words, Smith's job was to help then-Ravens defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis, now in his 10th season as Cincinnati's head coach, use the "teaching mechanism" -- techniques that Billick had developed over the years and with which Smith was fluent – that the new head coach wanted implemented. Billick implicitly understood the threat posed by a low-level assistant who had a close personal relationship with the head coach. "So I knew (Smith) really was going to be a great resource for the defensive coordinator, Marvin Lewis, but you had to know that Marvin's thinking, ‘Wait a minute, this is the guy's brother-in-law? Is he going to spy on me or what?'" Billick said. Let the record show that years later Lewis remains something of a confidante of Smith's. Billick said that Lewis "recognized immediately the attention to detail, the work ethic -- everything about Mike Smith that anyone who has spent any time with him sees -- and he saw that he would be a real asset."

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Smith proved his worth on a defensive staff that ended up producing four head coaches (the others being Rex Ryan and Jack Del Rio) and he left Baltimore for Jacksonville in 2003 with Del Rio to become defensive coordinator. Five years later, amid the ashes of Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino, the relatively unknown self-described mid-level executive Thomas Dimitroff was named as Falcons' general manager. When the list of candidates for the coaching job leaked out, another relatively unknown in Smith emerged among the finalists. Dimitroff knew he'd have a sales job to do to the larger public. With Smith as defensive coordinator, Jacksonville had not so much as played in an AFC Championship Game, although Smith's units had placed top-10 in the league in a number of categories during his tenure. In 2006, his group finished second in the league in total defense. A number things about Smith had caught Dimitroff's eye from afar. During his time as a scout with New England, Dimitroff had attended private workouts for college players that Smith had run and Dimitroff noticed both Smith's communication skills and that attention to detail of which Billick spoke. Dimitroff also knew close friends who had worked with Smith and they spoke of how he treated those around him respectfully. This was not a small matter to Dimitroff who had been around football his entire life and said he witnessed first-hand "really bad effects of massive egos." Dimitroff wanted a collaborative relationship with his head coach and knew he'd have to speak with the man five to 10 times a day. He didn't want those conversations to feel like nails on a chalkboard. He also appreciated that Smith could have a lighter side. When Smith came in for his interview, Dimitroff said the two immediately hit it off. "Yeah, it was one of those interviews that went on for hours and hours and (team owner Arthur Blank) kept coming in a number of times and suggesting to us, ‘Are you ever going to finish?'" Dimitroff said. "We basically said, ‘No, we need some time, Mr. Blank, with all due respect,' and he kind of laughed and excused himself from the room. "At that point… I was thinking how congruent we were with our thought process and I felt that very quickly with Mike Smith that he and I saw team-building through similar lenses." The man with the plan Assuming the job as a head coach differs immensely from that of a coordinator or a positional coach. The job is much more CEO than seeing out orders: It's hiring, firing, making sure game plans are well conceived, preparing players and prepping for critical game situations. Billick, the former Super Bowl winner, put it this way: "Schemes are schemes. Embarrassingly, everyone's doing the same thing. There's no magical schemes out there. It's how you obviously integrate the players you have into the teaching sequence and prepare them for the key situations that come up in the game." Smith said he tries to concentrate on five areas. The first is being the least-penalized team in the league. Second is winning time of possession. Third and fourth are the starting field positions for his team and for the opponent. Last is the turnover ratio. Smith, who is highly analytical in his use of statistics, notes that almost all of these involve all three phases of the game. "If you're usually at the top of the league in those things, you're usually going to like where you're at, believe it or not," he said, while many prefer to look at rankings for offensive yardage gained and defensive yardage allowed. The Falcons are the least-penalized team in the NFL (152 yards), rank 13th in time of possession (which represents something of a change this season from previous ones, as they have veered from a ball-control offense to a more pass-oriented one) and they are tied for first in the league in turnover margin at plus-10.

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And while football coaches can rightly earn the reputation as control freaks, Smith said he has tried to resist the urge to micromanage. He has benefitted from having made smart decisions on his staff. Mike Mularkey, who moved to become Jacksonville's head coach, and Bill Musgrave, formerly the Falcons' quarterbacks coach who is now the offensive coordinator of 4-2 Minnesota, helped to develop Matt Ryan and a successful running game. New offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter is widely credited with creating an explosive unit (Ryan ranks fifth in quarterback rating) and new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, the former San Francisco head coach, leads a unit whose 17 takeaways are tied for first in the league. "Well, I think in terms of a head coach, there's different philosophies, but I believe you hire an offensive coordinator, you hire a defensive coordinator, you hire a special teams coordinator, they can devote so much more time than you can to looking at the offense, defense and special teams, you allow those guys with the staff to work with the (players)," he said. "I don't believe in micromanaging. I believe that you've got to have a macro view and when you are a position coach or a coordinator, you've got to have a micro view and concern yourself with only one thing and not really worry about anything else and I've been very fortunate to have a great staff, guys around me that do a great job preparing their groups. "When I started, I said my goal was I never wanted to call a play on offense or defense or special teams on game day. You ask for input on Monday through Saturday and let those guys do their job because you've got to focus on how to manage the entire game: decision-making in regards to whether you're going to go for it (on fourth down), whether you're going to run a fake play, whether you're going to have an opportunity to run a special play. Those are the things you look at." Smith chuckled when asked if he had stuck to his pledge of not calling a play. "I've done pretty good at it," he said. "I can't say that I've not done it but it's usually not very often. My input in terms of the game plan is during the week and you let those guys, they've got more time to do it. (If) you micromanage -- I'm not smart enough to call the defensive game and also be the head coach." Players say that what makes Smith successful is that attention to detail along with his ability to communicate, which also includes holding his players accountable. Right tackle Tyson Clabo said Smith is intense – the cameras have caught him more than once on the sidelines with an outburst, whether it was in an altercation for which he was fined $15,000 in 2009 with Washington players or this season with defensive line coach Ray Hamilton when the Falcons only had 10 players on the field, lacking a defensive lineman on the last play of the game. Clabo said Smith is earning a trademark like Bill Cowher's scowl: the red face. "Just go the other way when you see that face," Clabo said. "I do…. When we're on the football field, the man is the same all the time, practice or games. You need to do your job and you need to do it well or the red face is going to come out." Thirteen-year veteran center Todd McClure, the team's longest-tenured player, compared Smith to Reeves, under whom he also played, in that both are even-keeled. "I think the biggest thing is Smitty's just an honest guy," McClure said. "He's going to tell you how it is. If you're doing good he's going to tell you you're doing good. If you're not doing good, he's going to call you out. But he's always approachable. "You can go and talk to him in his office. He'll consider anything you have to say. He might not do it or he might not like it, but he'll consider it. Guys just love playing for a guy that you can relate to that you can talk to and you can trust." Aside from culture, McClure said that Smith and his staff constantly preach details, sometimes to the chagrin of the players.

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"I think the biggest thing is when we go in our meetings, the little details are constantly pointed out," McClure said. "I know we get tired of hearing it sometimes as player. It gets a little frustrating. ‘We already talked about that, talked about that for a month.' They stay on it. They stay on the little details and when you stay on the little things, the big things become important and they'll be good for the team." Sticking to the details and being prepared for situations is part of what has made the Falcons turn difficult late-game situations into victories. Quarterback Matt Ryan owns 19 fourth-quarter or overtime victories, the most of any quarterback since Ryan entered the league in '08, the same year as Smith. Billick said in making his media rounds this week, he was constantly asked about the Dallas-Baltimore game, in which the Cowboys' poor clock management proved costly. The Falcons may have won by the skin on their teeth in their last three games, but Smith has negotiated his way through ruinous management issues. Last season, he did lose a couple of games, including in the playoffs in part, because of fourth-down decisions, but those were not issues of preparation. They were researched and discussed beforehand. "Mike is so detailed," Billick said. "There's no stone unturned. I think the players would tell you they feel very prepared going into a game because of the way they practice…. and it's that weekly preparation. I think the players who play for Mike, they have a great deal of confidence that they've had every possible detail covered about ‘Here's what we're going to do in these situations.' "It may be right, it may be wrong but at least they know what the plan is."

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Atlanta Falcons: Smith could join Reeves with a victory FLOWERY BRANCH — If the Falcons defeat the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, they’ll probably have to beg coach Mike Smith to take the game ball. “He deserves something,” safety William Moore said. “I’m sure we’ll come up with something.” The Falcons’ humble leader likes to deflect any attention away from the head coaching office. But with another win, he’ll tie Dan Reeves for the most victories in franchise history, with 49. The 5-0 Falcons are prohibitive favorites to defeat the Oakland Raiders (1-3) at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Georgia Dome. If they win, awarding Smith a game ball, in a traditional postgame ceremony, might not go over too well. Smith probably would try to give it back to the players, his assistant coaches, general manager Thomas Dimitroff or owner Arthur Blank. “Knowing Smitty, he probably wouldn’t be too happy if we did that,” center Todd McClure said. “He’s going to try to downplay it as much as possible. But I think it shows what this organization has done over the last four or five years. From all the way at the top, they are trying to get a winning culture around here. They brought in the right guy for that.” McClure is the only player on the roster who’s played for Reeves, who posted a 49-59-1 record and took the franchise to its only Super Bowl appearance, and Smith. “Those two guys, to me, are really similar,” McClure said. “Coach Reeves was even-keeled. You got the same guy every week. You knew what you were going to get. It’s ironic that both of those guys have had the most success in this franchise with that approach.” Since being named the Falcons’ head coach in 2008, Smith has climbed the franchise’s coaching chart quickly. He opened with an 11-5 record in 2008 and followed that with 9-7, 13-3 and 10-6 records before this season. The Falcons won the NFC South title after the 2010 season and have been to the playoffs in three of the past four seasons. Last season marked the Falcons’ first consecutive playoff appearances since they started playing in the NFL in 1966. If Smith ties the victory mark, don’t expect a wild party. Maybe a few fireworks from the event-day staff and a note on the scoreboard. “I’m concerned about Oakland this week,” Smith said when asked about any celebration plans. “Then, we’ll move on to the bye week and do our preparation for self-scouting and find out where we are at. We are going to have big challenge this week.” It’s that doggedly methodical approach to football that has allowed Smith to turn the Falcons into winners. “He stays grounded, and he has to keep us grounded,” Moore said. “We need to stay focused and worry about the next week.” For Smith, football is simple. He has the team rally around a few basic concepts that embody a team approach to winning.

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Smith has helped change the fortunes of the Falcons by getting the players, some who are still with the team and others who have moved on, to buy into his five pillars of success. In every team meeting after a game, on either Monday or Wednesday, he let’s them know how they did with penalties, turnover ratio, time of possession, opponents’ field-position start and the Falcons’ field-position start. “You want to be the least-penalized team in the league or close to the top,” Smith said. All of those stats involve the offense, defense and special-teams units performing at a high level. “If you’re at the top of the league in those five things, you’re usually going to like where you’re at, believe it or not,” Smith said. “The offensive guys look at yards. The defensive guys look at yards given up. But if you look at those five things, it’s really important in terms of the success of a team.” The Falcons currently lead the NFL in fewest penalties (16 for 127 yards) and are tied for first in turnover differential (plus 10). They are fourth in time-of-possession average (32:47). Smith had never been a head coach at any level before being selected to lead the Falcons. After 16 years coaching in the college ranks, he cut his teeth in the NFL working with the Baltimore Ravens and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Smith, who switched offensive and defensive coordinators this offseason, believes in delegating and holding everyone accountable. “I don’t believe in micromanaging,” Smith said. “I believe you’ve got to have a macro view. When you are a position coach or a coordinator you’ve got to have a micro view. You’ve got to concern yourself with only one thing and not really worry about anything else. I’ve been very fortunate to have a great staff, guys around me that have been doing a great job of preparing their groups.” After being hired as the head coach, Smith vowed that he never call a play on offense, defense or special teams on game day. He prefers to put his hands on things during meetings and practices during the week. “I’ve been pretty good at it,” Smith said. “I can’t say that I’ve not done it, but not very often. I’m not smart enough to call a defensive game and be the head coach.”

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Once-downtrodden Falcons now among NFL's best ATLANTA (AP) -- During their dismal first season, the Atlanta Falcons' mascot - a real bird - apparently decided he had seen enough bad football. So, he picked up and left. Just flew away. For the better part of the next four decades, plenty of Atlantans probably wished they could've followed the lead of that prescient falcon in 1966. This was the home of a team that always found a way to quickly snuff out whatever hope it had. The franchise's only trip to the Super Bowl? That was ruined by the arrest of perhaps its most respected player the night before the big game. The Michael Vick era? That crashed and burned when it was discovered the one-of-a-kind quarterback had another passion - dogfighting. Well, look at the Falcons now. They have put together four straight winning seasons and are well on their way to a fifth, joining Houston as the only teams that are still unbeaten five weeks into the season. Since the beginning of 2008, the Falcons have won 48 out of 69 games. Only the New England Patriots have won more during that span. No one could have imagined the Falcons ever becoming a model franchise. Not even the player who's been with the team longer than anyone. ''If you had asked me five years ago, it would have been hard for me to say yes,'' said center Todd McClure, now in his 14th season with the Falcons. ''It had been such an up-and-down roller coaster for us.'' Atlanta, which is 5-0 for the first time in the franchise's 46-year history heading into Sunday's home game against Oakland, has assembled one of the league's most dynamic offenses, led by quarterback Matt Ryan and featuring all sorts of weapons - Hall of Famer-to-be tight end Tony Gonzalez, stretch-the-field receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones, bruising runner Michael Turner. The defense isn't too shabby, either. Under first-year coordinator Mike Nolan, the Falcons have taken on an aggressive, gambling personality, snatching away 14 turnovers and knocking Redskins rookie sensation Robert Griffin III out of the game last week with a concussion. Through it all, the tone is set by white-haired coach Mike Smith, who demands even-keeled dedication during the week, a fiery passion on Sundays. ''It's all trickle-down economics,'' said safety Thomas DeCoud, who is tied for the NFL lead with four interceptions. ''Whatever the big guy says, we buy into it wholeheartedly. He's always preaching consistency. He always says consistency makes greatness. There's a sense of pride on this team. We want to be great. I think we've really bought into it this season.'' Before 2008, consistency would've been the last word anyone attached to the Falcons. The team sported one of the most garish streaks in all of sports: never, not even once, had it put together back-to-back winning seasons. In fact, going into the '08 season, the Falcons might have been at their lowest point ever. Vick, the face of the franchise, was in prison after admitting to his brutal hobby. The team he left behind was coming off a 4-12 debacle. When the Falcons

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reported for training camp, someone hired a plane to fly over the practice field dragging a sign that read: ''New team name: Dog Killers?'' Little did anyone know, but things were about to change. Big time. Thomas Dimitroff, a bike-riding, new-age disciple of New England's Bill Belichick, was hired as general manager. Smith, a little-known defensive coordinator in Jacksonville, took over as the head coach. Ryan was drafted with the third overall pick and immediately handed the keys to the franchise. Just like that, the Falcons were transformed. Instead of needing several years to recover from the Vick debacle, as most people expected, they went 11-5 and made the playoffs as a wild card. In 2009, Atlanta missed the playoffs during an injury plagued season, but signaled it was truly a new era by winning the final three games to pull out a 9-7 record. For the first time, they had two winning years in a row. The success continued in 2010 - 13-3 and an NFC South title. Last year, in a sign of how far the Falcons have come, a 10-6 record and wild-card berth was actually considered a major disappointment. In fact, the only thing the new-look Falcons are missing is a signature playoff win. Heck, a playoff win of any kind. All three postseason appearances under the current regime were one and done: a mistake-filled loss to Arizona in the desert; a 48-21 blowout at home by the Green Bay Packers when Atlanta was the NFC's top seed; a putrid 24-2 defeat at the hands of the New York Giants last season. Those failures have helped keep this team focused, mindful that the week-to-week grind of the regular season is a necessary step toward the ultimate goal - Atlanta's first Super Bowl title. ''It gives us an edge as far as not getting ahead of ourselves,'' Gonzalez said. ''It doesn't matter what your regular season record is. You can't look ahead. You can't start saying Super Bowl or any of that talk. That's nonsense, as far as I'm concerned.'' Playoff flops aside, a franchise that once charted a new course every year or two has made stability its guiding principle. Dimitroff has been adept at making moves both subtle (18 players on the current 53-man roster were drafted in the third round or lower) and dramatic (Jones, Gonzalez and cornerback Asante Samuel were acquired through trades), but the GM strives mainly to keep the core of the team together each season. He stuck with that philosophy even after owner Arthur Blank made it clear last January he wasn't happy about another playoff loss. The biggest changes, it turned out, were on the coaching staff. Nolan, a former NFL head coach, stepped in to run the defense after Brian VanGorder left. Dirk Koetter took over as offensive coordinator for Mike Mularkey, who became the head coach at Jacksonville. Koetter's hiring was a bit of a puzzler. He came from the Jaguars, who had the NFL's lowest-ranked offense in 2011. But the new coordinator has clicked with Ryan, opening up the offense to take advantage of all the options in the passing game. The run-oriented offense that Smith prefers has given way to a wide-open passing attack. Ryan is averaging nearly 40 passes a game, easily a career-high pace, and getting an early push for the MVP award.

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''This is the most we've thrown the ball since I've been here, but we've got the guys to do it,'' McClure said. ''We're using our playmakers. As long as we continue to do that and we keep Matt upright, the sky's the limit.'' That sort of talk used to be an anomaly in Atlanta. Now, it's the norm.

DIRK KOETTER

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Dirk Koetter a big reason for Falcons’ early success Some parents keep finger paintings from when their children were young. Some keep report cards or little league trophies. The Koetters of Pocatello, Idaho, kept a scrap of paper with an offensive formation that little Dirk scribbled when he was 8 years old. “He has all the players lined up right and everything,” Jim Koetter said by phone. “They’re all going in the right direction. It’s hanging on the wall in the basement.” The Falcons are 7-0 in this season. Dirk Koetter is one reason why. The team’s new offensive coordinator is doing imaginative things with the same players that Mike Mularkey too often hit a wall with. As it turns out, it pays not to be predictable. Go figure. In last week’s win at Philadelphia, a fake screen to Julio Jones suckered in the defense and left Drew Davis wide open for a touchdown pass (leaving only one unanswered question: Who’s Drew Davis?). On the next possession, also a touchdown, Koetter called a little slip screen over the middle to Jason Snelling, the only receiver the Eagles had not accounted for near the goal line. The first six Falcons’ drives resulted in scores. These aren’t new plays. “They’ve been in our playbook for five years,” offensive tackle Tyson Clabo said. But the plays either never left the binder or they were used once, failed and forever buried. Koetter’s unpredictability is one reason why Mike Smith thought he could help Matt Ryan and the offense. He sat next to him in press boxes when both were assistants in Jacksonville. He saw how he related to players. He was confident the struggles the Jaguars had last season — they ranked 32nd in offense – had little to do with the play-caller. “I knew when we first got him everybody was looking at his numbers wondering, ‘What the hell is this guy doing?’” Smith said. Jacksonville was a mess. Koetter spent five seasons there as offensive coordinator. But personnel eroded, head coach Jack Del Rio was fired with five games left in the season and the team was sold. “That’s as tough as it gets, to have your coach fired with five weeks left and knowing that you’re out of a job at the end of the year,” Koetter said. “That’s when you have to call on every ounce of professionalism you have to come in and do your best every day. I never even met [new owner] Mr. [Shahid] Khan. Didn’t shake his hand one time. The guy who hired me sold the team. The head coach that hired me was fired. The general manager wasn’t there. It was a difficult time.” Part of him wondered how much a bad season would hurt his job prospects. “The NFL is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league,” he said. But he knew he had a solid resume. He coached offenses at UTEP, Missouri, Boston College and Oregon, becoming known as solid tutor of the vertical passing game. He had head coaching jobs at Boise State and Arizona State, before Del Rio brought him to Jacksonville in 2007. In his first season, the Jaguars’ offense ranked seventh in the league. If X’s and O’s seem to come easy for Koetter, it’s because he has been at this for a while. He was a high school coach in Pocatello at the age of 23. He is the son of a football coach. Jim Koetter coached for 25 years in high school, eight at Idaho State.

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Dirk knew he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps since he was 6. Or, “Whenever it is that you get over that, ‘I want to be a fireman’ stage,” he said. He would go to his father’s practices, shag balls and carry cups of Gatorade. “I got run over a few times on the sideline,” he said. “But I loved it. I knew that’s what I wanted to do.” He remembers his father lugging home the 16 mm projector to watch game film. All of the coaches would come over. “I’d fall asleep on the floor listening to them talk about the game,” Koetter said. He laughed when asked about those first “plays” he drew up: “They probably didn’t make any sense.” After playing at Idaho State, his first coaching job came at Highland High School, his alma mater. The running back was Merrill Hoge (later of the Pittsburgh Steelers). The quarterback was Steve Kragthorpe (now an LSU assistant). Not bad. Koetter has excelled with the Falcons at moving players around, putting them in positions to succeed. He has helped Ryan on where the ball needs to go against certain coverages. Probably no coincidence: Ryan has the highest completion percentage (68.7) and quarterback rating (103.0) of his career through seven games. “The NFL is a copycat league — every play out there has been used somewhere by somebody before,” Koetter said. “So when you run a play and it works — yeah, you feel great. But it still all comes down to, did you win the game or not?” The Falcons are doing the latter in part because Koetter is accomplishing the former. Just guessing: That play hanging on the wall in Pocatello probably would’ve worked.

JOHN ABRAHAM

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Falcons' Abraham has sights set on Super Bowl, Hall of Fame FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – John Abraham never thought about, tracked or played for stats early in his career. Not until he was informed he was nearing 100 career sacks, a figure that surprised him. Ever since then, the Atlanta Falcons' defensive end has been watching the numbers and trying to figure out what it will take to make the Hall of Fame. Abraham knows the stats now. And believes he's making a strong case for Canton. "I'm not saying I'm solidified as one, but I definitely have a chance to be if I continue to play the way I'm playing and get a couple of more years out of this raggedy body of mine and put some more numbers up," the four-time Pro Bowl selection told USA TODAY Sports Friday. "I'm 13th overall right now (in career sacks) and, if I can play well enough, I can get in the top 10 or top five. That would be nice." From his days as a first-round pick of the Jets until now, in his 13th NFL season — tied with Simeon Rice with 122 career sacks, 4½ away from Derrick Thomas and another 15 from catching Michael Strahan at No. 5 overall — Abraham has accomplished plenty. Except for playing in a Super Bowl. "My big thing is trying to get a championship," he said. "But if you can do it while helping yourself get further in your own career, why not?" Abraham discusses personal accomplishments, the team goals for the current No. 1 seed in the NFC, Sunday's rematch with the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, what he sees in current pass rushers, his adoption of his previously-troubled nephew Tyquan and more in this week's USA TODAY Sports NFL Q&A: How's Tyquan doing these days? He's doing good man, still in school, trying to get back into his right grade. He's in 10th grade now. Still trying to grow up a little bit, but he's all right. Is he allowed to play football yet? Not yet. He was going to, but his summer school class didn't go the way we wanted it to, so we had to fall back on him. He's making a lot of progress, period, just with how he acts now. He's grown up a lot from before. He's grown now. He's not a child. Even though he's still living under my house, he'll be 18 next year, so it's time for him to look for things in life, think about college and getting his license. Things like that. I remember watching the NFL.com SoundFX thing of the playoff game last year and they had a mic on you. You were incredibly frustrated coming off the field. We'd been in the situation before and we had the game to have a chance to get to another level in our program and our season. It was frustrating we couldn't get to where we wanted to do. We couldn't really stop them and we couldn't score. It was frustrating because I wanted everybody to feel like I felt at the time and I couldn't feel that at the moment. I'm sure it wasn't as bad as I thought, but when you're into a game like that and want to win, you feel it.

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Did you tell the guys what you felt? You try. But we just couldn't get in the game and I couldn't understand why. Because the game was so important. So for me it was kind of frustrating. Knowing how important that game was, and we ended up losing, it hurt. But we're trying to do something different this year. We started off well, 11-2, so we're having a pretty good season, but we still have that main goal. You've started off well before, you've had the No. 1 seed before. Do you think any lessons were learned from that and will be carried this year? It's a whole different year. The numbers don't matter once you get into the playoffs. We're already in, but we have to move on, get past that first game. Everybody knows that's our only thing we're kind of missing. We had a good year, missed the NFC Championship before. It's time for us to move on to bigger things. You had a chance to move on yourself this past offseason. I know a lot of family stuff played into it, but I'm sure it was also because you saw what this team could do. Already feel vindicated in that regard? I just had a feeling. You have a vibe where you feel like some good things are going to happen in the program around you, you don't really want to leave and then stuff happens you kind of miss. You want to be a part of that. That was one of my big decisions and also the family. And being around the coaches and players I like really helped. So how big is Sunday's game? I mean, I know you guys haven't wanted to put anything on a bulletin board, but how big is this one? Honestly, we play every game as a big game. So I'm not saying it's not a big game. Every game is. But it's definitely going to be one of those emotional games because we played them last year and had to lose to them. Simply the fact there are ramifications on both sides of the ball that will help and hinder some teams, it'll definitely help. And we know them because it seems we play them every year. You get used to seeing them, you know their main defense and offense. It's all about having control of the game. What do you think when you look at their stable of pass rushers? They definitely have a good level of pass rushers, but we have a good line, too. The numbers might not show it as much, but we do a good job disrupting the quarterback. This week, we definitely have to do that because Eli (Manning) is an incredible quarterback. We definitely have to play well. You did that early in the playoff game against him. Yeah, we got after him. But the whole game, we have to do it. We can't give him an opportunity to get back in the game. We have to get him down. Back to the pass rushers across the league. Do you see anybody and say, 'That looks like a young John Abraham?' Not really. I think a lot of guys have their own little things. I really can't see any same thing in a guy because so many guys are built differently and they play differently now. I play end; I'd probably play linebacker if I came into the league now. In my earliest days of my career, I was a linebacker, I actually got drafted as a linebacker. Right now, I'd probably stay there. If you watch the top sackers now, a lot of them are outside linebackers.

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You look at the top pass rushers now, some guys are tiny, Jason Pierre-Paul has long arms, Clay Matthews is just a non-stop beast. There seems to be no formula. And all of them have their different game. There isn't anybody who you can portray and say, 'He does this or that.' Right now, people learn how they play the game instead of trying to be somebody else. If you try to be like somebody else, that's not your game. You take yourself out. I can't do what a lot of other guys do. Like what? Like you said, JPP has long arms. A lot of guys are like that. My arms are not that long. I see a lot of guys with grab moves and things like that I can't do. I'm not good at that. I'm more of a chop guy, a speed rush guy, so watching cats do stuff like they do is impressive. Could you imagine having arms like JPP? I really couldn't. (Laughs) He's a physical specimen. I have to admit I was stunned to see you had double-digit sacks. I knew you were having a solid year, but when I looked up the number and saw 10, that surprised me. There hasn't been a lot of hoopla nationally. Yeah, man, well not for me it hasn't been quiet. But I'm used to that. I've never been a real big media guy. These days, the more your name is out there, that has a lot to do with things. When I was younger, it was about how you played, the numbers and how you're doing. Now, it's so much media stuff. You'd think a player is doing a lot better than another player just because his name is in the media now. It's about self-promotion. Like Twitter. I'm on Twitter, but I don't tweet a lot. My main thing is, when I came in the league, I wanted to be the kind of player you recognized by what you did on the field, not what you did off of it. How many years left in that 'raggedy' body? I don't know. I'm taking it year by year. Right now, I feel good. After the season, I'll see how I feel, see if I still have something. But that will be after the season. I know the length of a contract doesn't mean a whole lot in this league, but when you signed for three years, did you think, 'Yeah, I'll play all three?' It was just, 'We'll see.' I wanted to solidify my career as being a Falcon. I didn't want to, after this year, have to say, 'Let's see if I'm going someplace else.' I wanted to be a Falcon for the rest of my career. How does 34 feel? It feels good. It feels as good as 30 did, 31, 32 and 33. I still feel like I'm playing at a high enough level to be in the NFL and still be a factor. And your excitement level about what this team can accomplish over the next few months?

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It's exciting, but we've been let down before. That's why I try to take one game at a time. Definitely, I think we have a chance. But I'm trying not to get too high or too low. Just try to finish every game and then we'll talk about it after the game. Have you thought about what a Super Bowl would feel like? I haven't because I've never had that feeling. But it's definitely something I want to do and that was one of the main reasons to stay here. The team we had and bringing in (defensive coordinator) Mike Nolan definitely made me feel more comfortable coming back. We have a team that possibly can be a Super Bowl team. I've been here for the whole duration. I've been here for the good times and bad times. I want to finish this thing.

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OK, critics: Find something wrong with John Abraham At the age of 34, in his 13th NFL season, in the 171st game of his career, after the generally mandated assortment of groin, ankle, back, shoulder, head and who-knew-I-even-had-a-body-part-there ailments, John Abraham made a play. Actually, he made the play. Again. The Falcons were leading New Orleans 20-13 in the fourth quarter last Thursday on national television. The Saints had the ball, driving toward a possible tying score. But on third down from the Atlanta 36, Abraham — looking as if he had just been drinking from the Fountain of Red Bull — flew around the left corner, leaving Saints tackle Zach Strief spinning like a weather vane, and buried quarterback Drew Brees for a sack. End of touchdown threat. End of field-goal threat. Soon, end of Saints. “He’s no different for us than Ray Lewis (is for Baltimore),” teammate Jonathan Babineaux said Wednesday. “Ray Lewis is dominant. He does everything for his defense. Abe comes through in the clutch when we need him to. He gets the quarterback. It’s what he’s been doing his entire professional life.” If we can put aside for a moment all of the flaws that people seem to find in this 11-1 football team – and let that digest for a minute – consider the accomplishments of one player that everybody seems to agree on. Abraham’s sack of Brees was the 122nd of his career and his 10th in 12 games this season (the seventh time in his career he has mugged in double digits). He remains one of the NFL’s more productive pass rushers and one of the few defensive players that opponents actually have to scheme against, this because the Falcons have failed to find a reasonable threat to book end the other side of the defensive line. They tried Ray Edwards. They would’ve been better off with a hologram. “It’s not a big deal,” Abraham said when asked about carrying the bulk of pass-rush responsibilities. “Since I’ve been in the league, I’ve been the main pass rusher on the team, so I’m used to it. It’s like Michael Jordan had Scottie Pippen. I’m just used to being the person who’s going to take the last shot.” Linebacker Mike Peterson suspects Abraham actually prefers it this way: “You can look at it one of two ways. Are they bringing in a guy to help you on the other side, or are they bringing in a guy to replace you? I think he appreciates being that guy.” It’s a fair point. If Edwards hadn’t flat-lined from the moment he was signed, the Falcons might not have felt as desperate to re-sign Abraham before this season. As it is, they got a bargain. Abraham certainly could’ve signed for more than what the Falcons gave him: three years, $16.72 million, only $2.25 million guaranteed. Tennessee was among the pursuers. But Abraham chose to stay for a couple of reasons. He didn’t want to start over with another team. He also wanted to play for new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, who was the New York Jets’ coordinator during Abraham’s rookie season. “I didn’t want to go some place and end up not liking where I was playing,” he said. “At the end of your career, you want to feel comfortable. I talked to a couple of teams, but my main thing was to get back here and not go some place else just for the money. It makes a lot of sense now, with the way the season is going.”

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Abraham struggled with a groin strain for much of last season. He still had 9½ sacks. Nolan has moved him around. He told Abraham he didn’t care if the player stood up or put his hand in the dirt. “As long as I get the job done,” Abraham said. Falcons offensive tackle Tyson Clabo has a special appreciation for what Abraham is doing at his age. He makes his living trying to block guys. “He has the ability to deal with the noise and get off on the snap count,” Clabo said. “As the game goes along, he gets into a rhythm, and he understands the other team’s cadence. And he still has the speed to turn the corner.” This week, the Falcons play Carolina. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has been sacked 30 times, among the most-abused passers in the league. Somebody just rang the lunch bell.

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Falcons' Abraham showing no signs of slowing down FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — What were the chances that defensive end John Abraham was going to return as a member of the Atlanta Falcons last season? Abraham, who hit unrestricted free agency before the Falcons re-signed him on March 16, said he thought he was gone. "I'm about to go somewhere else and about to take the flight to Tennessee," Abraham said, then picked up his cell phone and offered a reenactment of how the conversation went. "'Look, y'all, I ain't going. No, I'm going to stay in Atlanta.' "'Are you sure, John?'" "‘No, I ain't going.'" It ought to be a major relief to the Falcons that the 34-year-old elected to remain in Atlanta, where he is now in the seventh season of his 13-year career and still one of the league's top pass-rushers. He has remained as one of the Falcons' most integral defensive players on a unit that relies on the big play – sacks and turnovers – to win; the Falcons rank 20th in total defense but are 7-0 nonetheless. Abraham's seven sacks tie him for seventh in the NFL and, perhaps more importantly, he is tied for third in the league with three forced fumbles. On Sunday, the Falcons host Dallas (3-4). The teams last played in 2009 but Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo said he doesn't see anything different except for maybe how the Falcons use him. "It's amazing how it seems like the guy never ages a year every time I look at him on tape," Romo said of Abraham. This season, Abraham has only gone two games without a sack. Last year, Abraham was dogged by a groin injury, which he said he played through. Even though he finished with 9.5 sacks, he failed to register a sack in nine of the 15 games for which he was active. "I think John is on a mission to be a very effective pass-rusher," Falcons head coach Mike Smith said. "I think he's doing that." Among the reasons why Abraham said he changed his thinking and decided to stay in Atlanta was the hiring of defensive coordinator Mike Nolan – the same defensive coordinator that Abraham had as a rookie with the New York Jets in 2000. Nolan has coached both 4-3 and 3-4 defenses and inherited a 4-3. He has made the Falcons' defense much more multiple and Abraham has benefited from that. Nolan's defenses are so varied that an opposing offensive line might not know what Abraham is doing from play to play. "Yeah, I don't like being in one place," Abraham said. "I like going left and right, dropping here, rushing sometimes. It's more fun than if I play (only) right end. They know where I'm going to be at. Now it's ‘John might be here, John might be here.'" Nolan, with those 3-4 tendencies, has used Abraham much more often in a two-point stance than the Falcons did in Smith's first four seasons, when Brian VanGorder served as the defensive coordinator. Abraham noted that he entered the NFL as a linebacker and, at 6-foot-4, 263 pounds, he still carries the build of one. He said he prefers the two-point stance, citing the example of how it helped him to sniff out a screen designed for Philadelphia's DeSean Jackson last Sunday in a 30-17 win over the Eagles.

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"You can see the whole field better," he said. "You kind of look at people. You see what's going on, see the formation better. A lot of times if you're in a three-point stance, you can't see a lot motion as an end." Falcons defensive line coach Ray Hamilton likened Abraham's taking to the two-point stance to a golfer's having more confidence in a certain type of club. "When you look on that club, whatever you think that club looks like is really what's going to happen," Hamilton said. "So if he thinks that helps him, then that works for him." But Hamilton said Abraham's biggest attribute remains his speed – even at an age when he should be slowing down. "He can still get off the ball with the young guys," he said. "… Anything over 30, you start to slow down, but he's not slowing down and he looks very good out there doing it." Falcons center Todd McClure is a year Abraham's elder and at a time when many would expect players their age to slow down, both are excelling. "He's a guy when you practice against him all the time, you hear our tackles say, ‘I'm glad I don't have to play against him in a game,'" McClure said. "He's a guy that can run by you and make you miss and make you look silly out there." Abraham did that earlier this season against Oakland second-year tackle Willie Smith, who entered 2012 with only three starts under his belt. Abraham had three sacks in that game and drew a couple of holding and false start penalties against Smith. "He's been in enough plays to where he can tell a tackle, if he's sitting in his stance, how he's going to set against him and that's always an advantage," McClure said of Abraham. While success has come on the field for Abraham this season, he ran into some trouble off it. He was arrested in September on a misdemeanor when Atlanta police and firefighters asked him numerous times not to enter a taped off area at the city's Atlantic Station commercial and residential development, where Abraham has a condo. The authorities were in the process of handling a situation with a woman who was threatening to jump off a building. Abraham said he it was a misunderstanding and on Wednesday he reiterated that, along with the fact that it has not distracted him from his play. "It's cool," he said. While the Falcons remain the NFL's only unbeaten team, few observers are ready to crown them as Super Bowl champions. That's OK with Abraham. "We ain't getting any respect," he said, "until we get the ring, man."

JONATHAN BABINEAUX

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Babineaux makes a difference at Driving Magic Jonathan Babineaux makes a living chasing quarterbacks and knocking down running backs for the Falcons. Babineaux spent a recent day off from his job at Steadfast Farms in Hoschton, helping autistic and disabled high school students work with horses and knock over bowling pins. Babineaux volunteered as a teacher’s assistant at Driving Magic, a nonprofit organization that provides therapeutic carriage driving and horsemanship programs for children and adults with developmental and/or physical disabilities. It was quite the change for Babineaux, a defensive tackle whose 6-foot-2, 300-pound frame towered over the children. “You don’t get this every day,” he said. “Taking time out of a busy schedule to interact with the kids, to make a difference in their lives, it’s special to me.” The students seem to like it, too. DaVon, who was at Driving Magic with a moderate autistic class from Duluth High School, responded positively when asked if he was a fan of the Falcons. He smiled when told that Babineaux plays for the team. It doesn’t take a visit from a pro football player to witness that kind of joy at Driving Magic. The organization’s executive director, Jennifer Lindskoog, said she sees it all the time when students leave their classrooms for a day at the farm. “The thing we see happen with the kids who come out there, I call them ‘magic moments’ because sometimes, if you are not looking for it, you might miss it,” she said. She cited two students during Babineaux’s visit as examples. Duluth High student Nicholas was enjoying throwing a ball to knock over some bowling pins on a special alley standing alongside a carriage path. (Babineaux helped him pick up a spare.) Lindskoog said back when Nicholas started with Driving Magic, he would sit slumped in his wheelchair and would not speak. She said Nicholas found motivation from one of the carriage horses, “Heidi,” after volunteers told him the horse would go if he lifted his head. “After a time, his teacher said the moment that they would be getting on the bus and she would tell him, ‘We are going to see Ms. Jennifer at Driving Magic,’ he would have his head up in the bus,” Lindskoog said. “These are people that normally some people would just pass by and say, ‘They are so disabled, what could we ever do for them?’ For Nicholas, he had his head up that day. That was a magic moment that he accomplished in his life.” MinYong was at the farm with a severe/profound disability class from Peachtree Ridge. Lindskoog said he’s typically nonverbal but on this day, MinYong looked at a horse’s pricked ears and said, “Up.” “That’s a huge accomplishment for him,” Lindskoog said. In addition to programs for school groups, Driving Magic has work skills days for adults with disabilities and individual carriage driving lessons. The volunteers develop customized lesson plans for the school groups, using, for example, a bowling game or a grocery shopping exercise to teach counting.

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Lynda Gattis, who was working as a volunteer on the day of Babineaux’s visit, has a son enrolled in one of the programs. “I love it,” she said. “It gives them something that is their own.” Babineaux is involved with several charitable organizations in the area. He learned of Driving Magic and offered to help in part because of his love of horses, which he developed while growing up in Port Arthur, Texas. “I know what it’s like to be a kid and how awesome that is,” Babineaux said. During Babineaux’s visit, there were four horses working with the kids. They ranged in size from the tiny “Dusty” to the massive “Heidi.” Lindskoog said it’s important that the Driving Magic horses have an even temperament because they must remain calm when the students get excited. When not working, the horses are free to roam a large portion of the 100 acres of Steadfast Farm set aside for Driving Magic. “They have a life of freedom,” she said. “I think that’s what makes them more calm.” Driving Magic is always in need of volunteers because it takes several to operate the classes. People with horse experience are helpful but volunteers also can work as student assistants or help groom the horses. “We are glad to have one-time volunteers, once a week, once a month,” said Jennifer Lee, the organization’s volunteer coordinator. It’s a chance to witness a magic moment. “I encourage more people to help with things like this,” Babineaux said. “I think society today, we all kind of miss out on things like this.”

SAM BAKER

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Atlanta Falcons: Sam Baker bounces back FLOWERY BRANCH–Playing left tackle in the NFL is one of the toughest jobs in sports. Trying to do it with a balky back — and who knows what else — like Falcons tackle Sam Baker did for who knows how long, makes it nearly impossible. As Baker struggled last season and eventually lost his job, his linemates kept saying his health was the issue. But in the cold, bottom-line business of professional football, the reasons for Baker’s struggle hardly mattered. He had to play better. He’s doing so now, in no small part because he’s also healthier now. So it’s satisfying for Baker to have the kind of season that he and his teammates always knew he could. “For all these guys that have always had my back and stood by me, to be back playing well feels real good right now,” Baker said. When the Falcons selected Baker with the No. 21 overall pick in the 2008 draft, it was with the idea that he would be a building block along with quarterback Matt Ryan. They had selected Ryan 13 spots earlier and now had the tackle they expected to protect his back side from pass rushers for years. But after Baker lost his job to Will Svitek during the 2011 season, it wasn’t clear if he would return to make his $2.6 million salary this season. Along the way, Baker has undergone three back surgeries but he is still here and the Falcons are better off for it. “He’s battled through some injuries in the past few years, some things that not everybody knew about,” Falcons center Todd McClure said. “He’s having some success and he’s a different guy mentally. I’m really happy for him.” Falcons offensive line coach Pat Hill was hired after last season and so all he’s known is a healthy, productive Baker. He said Baker is diligent, intelligent and watches plenty of film in preparation for his opponents, who typically are the opposition’s best pass-rushers along the defensive line. Hill likens playing left tackle to golf, in that the player’s pass protection set-up must be consistent, and basketball, because linemen must protect the quarterback like he’s the basket and the opponents are trying to score. Hill said Baker is in a consistent groove like a golfer and also isn’t biting on the assorted fakes ends use to try to get to Ryan. “Every week he is playing against a premiere pass-rusher,” Hill said. “I think Sam has done a very good job this year. He’s worked on his fundamentals. I think he’s held up really well out there.” Hill said his group takes the job of keeping Ryan upright very seriously and the line, with Baker as the anchor in pass protection, has been efficient this season. The Falcons have allowed 25 sacks on 539 pass attempts. The 4.6 sack percentage ranks second to the Giants (3.3) among NFC playoff qualifiers and contenders. According NFL statistics, Atlanta’s opponents have recorded 69 total hits against the quarterback, a 12.8 percentage of all drop-backs. That percentage ranks third behind the Giants (8.6) and Cowboys (11.8) among the NFC’s top teams.

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Falcons coach Mike Smith said cohesiveness has helped the offensive linemen, most of whom have been together for several seasons. Baker has started 55 games since 2008. Center Todd McClure started seven games in 2000 and has been the full-time starter in every season since. Left guard Justin Blalock has been a starter since 2007 and right tackle Tyson Clabo since 2006. Even with rookie guard Peter Konz joining the lineup this season, the Falcons still have one of the most experienced groups. According to the NFL, the 447 combined career starts by Atlanta’s linemen are third-most in the league behind Detroit (592) and Tennessee (457) “The offensive line, probably of any position group, is a group that you have to try to keep together if you can,” Smith said. The Falcons will have to make some decisions about that soon. Clabo and Blalock each signed long-term deals in July 2011 and Konz’s rookie deal is for four years. But McClure is on a one-year contract and Baker is in the final year of the contract he signed as a rookie. Baker can become an unrestricted free agent after the season. He said he’d like to re-sign with the Falcons. “Definitely,” he said. “I don’t know how everything shakes out. But I love living here. My home is here. We will see how everything plays out.”

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Falcons' faith in Sam Baker paying off You need to go back to what seemed like the winter of Sam Baker's NFL career to fully understand why everything is in full bloom these days. The left tackle is playing his best football ever, and it’s no coincidence the Atlanta Falcons are off to a 3-0 start. It wasn’t always like this. In fact, it has never even been close to this for Baker, whose first four seasons were filled with injuries and criticism. It got so bad during a 2011 season in which Baker lost his starting job that he was pretty sure his days in Atlanta were over. But two intertwined events happened last winter that changed Baker’s perspective on life and maybe -- just maybe -- will go a long way toward changing the fortunes of a franchise. The first came on Christmas. That’s the day Baker and his wife, Antoinette, had their first child. That’s the day Gunnar Harvey Baker was born. "All of the sudden, you realize it’s not all about you," Baker said. "All of the sudden, I realized it doesn’t matter if everybody in the world hates me and says I can’t play, because he was there to love me, and he didn’t care one bit about football. He needed me and was going to love me no matter what." Within the next couple of weeks, Baker would get a similar message from someone else. Even with Gunnar around, nothing else was guaranteed for Baker. Atlanta’s season, one in which the Falcons seemingly had gone all-in for the Super Bowl after the draft-day trade to get Julio Jones, ended long before anyone expected with an ugly 24-2 road loss to the New York Giants in the first round of the playoffs. "I had struggled and hadn’t played well at all," Baker said. "I really wasn’t sure what was going to happen. I thought I might be gone." A lot of people assumed Baker would be gone. Before the team buses even departed the Meadowlands that day, fans already were talking about how the Falcons needed to find a new left tackle to protect quarterback Matt Ryan's blind side. The Falcons didn’t have a first-round draft pick, but maybe they could trade for one. Or maybe they could go out and find a tackle in free agency. As the brain trust got settled back into the team’s Flowery Branch, Ga., facility and brought in new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter and offensive line coach Pat Hill, there were some high-level meetings about Baker’s future. That’s when public opinion and reality went in different directions. That’s when head coach Mike Smith, who often comes across as a father figure to his players, called in Baker and talked to him like a son. "I told Sam we were sticking with him, but that he needed to get away from football for a bit," Smith said. "I told him to go get his body rested up and healthy. The guy has always been tough and resilient, but the fact of the matter is Sam rarely was truly healthy from the day he first got here." Baker walked out of the meeting as surprised as fans would be when they eventually realized they weren’t getting a new left tackle.

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"To be totally honest, I went in there with a ton of uncertainty on my part," Baker said. "I felt honored that they still had faith in me. You don’t get a lot of loyalty in the NFL. I decided right then that I needed to listen to him, put my head down and go all out." Baker went to his offseason home in California. He spent time with Gunnar and the rest of his family. "I unplugged mentally," Baker said. "My wife had been telling me for years that I needed to unplug once in a while; that I wore it all on my sleeve and took it too hard when things weren’t going well." There was time for Baker’s soul to heal. Same for his body, especially the back and elbow problems that bothered him so much last season. Within a few weeks, Baker began working with personal trainers. It wasn’t the heavy weightlifting he usually did in the offseason, and there wasn’t anything focused specifically on football. "The emphasis was on movement and just getting my body loose," Baker said. The funny thing here is that even though he’s 6-foot-5 and 301 pounds, the ability to move fairly well was the one bright spot early in Baker’s career. Scouts and coaches said he had remarkably quick feet for a guy his size. But, as injuries piled up, Baker couldn’t move well anymore. That’s why the Falcons gave his starting job to journeyman Will Svitek and briefly -- and unsuccessfully -- tried Baker at guard. When the Falcons started their offseason program in the spring and Baker returned to Atlanta, he continued working with the team's director of athletic performance, Jeff Fish, on his movement. When training camp rolled around, Smith noticed a huge difference in Baker. It has carried over into the regular season, and Smith said Baker is playing better than ever. "Absolutely," Smith said. "Sam’s healthy and that makes a big difference. You can see that he’s moving much more fluidly. He’s playing very well, and so is our entire offensive line. They’re doing a great job protecting Matt, and when Matt is able to stay on his feet, he’s able to distribute the ball and make a lot of good things happen." The way Atlanta's offensive line is playing brings us back to another story about Gunnar. The Bakers chose his middle name as a way to honor Harvey Dahl. He was a guard for the Falcons when Baker first came into the league, and the two built a strong friendship. Dahl left Atlanta as a free agent prior to last season, and those who weren’t blaming Baker for all the offensive line’s problems last season were seemingly pointing to Dahl’s departure as the reason for the downfall. Dahl, Baker, center Todd McClure, guard Justin Blalock and tackle Tyson Clabo had been together since 2008. Garrett Reynolds, who ended up in Dahl’s spot last year and remains there, joined the Falcons in 2009. "When Harvey left and we had some injuries early last year, I think there were some issues with continuity on the line," Baker said. "But this is a great group, and most of us have been together for five years. We all love each other, and you can really see the continuity coming through now." Maybe that continuity is shining because the Falcons gave Baker some emotional nurturing and allowed him to grow as a person. And, perhaps most of all, they gave him time to heal and become the player they always thought he could be.

MATT BRYANT

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Matt Bryant: The Alligator Whisperer Here is a story that will appear in the Sunday paper on Falcons place-kicker Matt Bryant. It may not come to a cable network any time soon, but with the prevalence of reality television these days, how about this offering? “Matt Bryant: The Alligator Whisperer.” You really can’t make this stuff up. Bryant, entering his fourth season as the Falcons’ place-kicker, has learned to mimic the distress call of an alligator. It works to draw the reptiles out from bodies of water, and he’s gone as far as to lead them around golf courses as they investigate the sound. He’ll stop near the green to allow a group to putt out, of course. He’s used the ability to amaze family, coaches, players and strangers. So, if Bryant ever asks: ‘Want to see a trick?’ one best beware. “I’ve had fun with it,” said Bryant, who gets a lot of practice at his home in Florida, where he says you can find a reptile in any standing water. Place-kickers are known to be an eccentric lot. When he was with the Falcons, Morten Andersen kept a written record of every kick he has made, in games and practice, dating to 1990. The Giants’ Lawrence Tynes hand washes his car before big games. Bill Gramatica once tore his ACL celebrating a first-half field goal for the Cardinals. Look what happens when Bryant spends time watching the Discovery Channel. The retention pond behind his house in Tampa was the testing ground. Bryant’s wife noticed a small alligator, so he made the noise. The creature started to follow Bryant’s wife. When Bryant had her stop, the alligator continued toward the noise. “That’s when I figured out he was coming to the sound,” Bryant said. There have been scary moments. While golfing in Cancun, Bryant asked members of his group if they wanted to see a trick after hearing something splash in the nearby mangroves. He made the call, and all surrounding noise immediately ceased. The very large head of a saltwater crocodile emerged from the water. He stopped, and they quickly moved on. “I knew I could do it here in America, but I didn’t realize I could do a Spanish version as well,” Bryant said. Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter can relate a firsthand account. Earlier this year, several players and coaches were playing golf in Myrtle Beach, S.C, and staying at the home of owner Arthur Blank. After talk of Bryant’s ability, someone noticed an alligator in a pond behind the home. Bryant did his call, and the animal immediately came “flying” out of the water and toward the group. “I’ve never seen anything like that,” Koetter said. “… I didn’t wait to see how close it was going to get. There were some bushes there about 25 yards away, and I didn’t wait for it to get any closer. I got behind someone else so it would eat them before me.” One place you won’t find Bryant performing the unique talent is in his saltwater aquarium. Keeping a 265-gallon tank has become his latest passion — and expense. Bryant figures he has spent 20 times the initial investment he made in the tank purchased from a friend who was getting rid of the equipment.

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With the help of a friend, Byrant encased the seven-foot long tank in a basement wall of his home. He has stocked it with tangs, variums and coral. From the animated movie “Finding Nemo,” Dory (a blue tang) and, of course, Nemo (a clown fish) are included. There is much more involved in stocking an aquarium full of clown fish. There are many varieties of the species, including the Black Ice Clown fish that Bryant can readily show in the many photos stored on his iPhone. “I’ve always wanted [a saltwater tank],” Bryant said. “My favorite place to go is the Georgia Aquarium. I just go there and sit all day. To me, it’s very therapeutic. “I always wanted one, and a guy down the road, he was going to sell his really cheap. You know what, for that price it’s worth a try and see what happens. Since buying the thing, I’ve probably spent times 10 or 20 times that on all the different things.” Fun until you spend $400 on a fish and it dies four days later. That’s part of the perils of keeping a perfect environment for so many species. Fear not, the fish was replaced. Bryant plans to purchase a 1,000-gallon tank, as the hobby has a full grasp on him, and his young children are fascinated by the aquatics. “It’s amazing how this thing has entrenched me,” Bryant said.

THOMAS DECOUD

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DeCoud sets pace for Falcons with 6 interceptions FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) -- After Asante Samuel intercepted Eli Manning's first pass on Sunday, the cornerback approached Falcons teammate Thomas DeCoud, who leads the team in interceptions. DeCoud says Samuel joked '''I'm about to catch you.''' Not so fast. ''I said 'OK, but just wait,''' DeCoud said. ''I ended up getting mine. We can joke about it like that.'' DeCoud, a safety, added to his team lead with his sixth interception later in the Falcons' 34-0 win over the Giants. Samuel has three interceptions but is trailing both Atlanta safeties. William Moore has picked off four passes, giving the Falcons the NFL's only tandem at the safety positions to each have four or more interceptions. Falcons coach Mike Smith said DeCoud and Moore should be considered one of the league's top pair of safeties. ''I think our two safeties have played as well as any tandem in the league,'' Smith said after Tuesday's practice for Saturday night's game at Detroit. ''They're making a lot of plays on the ball. ... They've been very productive and when their opportunities have come, they have not missed.'' DeCoud was a third-round pick in 2008. Moore was a second-round pick in 2009. Smith said the two safeties ''are really coming into their own in terms of their maturation processes, Thomas in his fifth year and William in his fourth.'' Another key has been first-year defensive coordinator Mike Nolan's scheme, which gives the defensive backs more freedom to create big plays. ''It's kind of a combination of the new scheme and the reins being loosened a little bit, and also the kind of work we did in the offseason,'' DeCoud said. ''Both William and I paid a lot of time, a lot of attention, to our ball skills and our ability to get the ball when it's in the air and make plays on it.'' Moore's four interceptions, one shy of his career high set in 2010, have come in only 12 games. He has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury and his status is uncertain for the game at Detroit. Moore ran on the side but did not practice on Tuesday. Veteran Chris Hope started the last two games as Moore's replacement. Hope, in his 11th season, is an authority on top safety tandems. He began his career with four seasons in Pittsburgh, including two seasons starting alongside Troy Polamalu. Hope then played six seasons with Tennessee, where he was paired with Michael Griffin at safety. Hope, 32, said DeCoud and Moore deserve to be mentioned with the elite players at the position.

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''It's been a blessing to sit back and watch those young guys mature into what I think are two of the best safeties in the league,'' Hope said. ''I've had the opportunity to form two of the best safety tandems in the league myself. To see those two guys come in and play at the level they've played all season has been good.'' Moore is third on the team with 75 tackles and has two forced fumbles. DeCoud has 64 tackles. ''Those guys are flying around back there,'' said linebacker Sean Weatherspoon. ''They're making plays. They're covering guys. A lot of safeties sit back in the middle of the field and make the plays. Those guys do a lot. Mike Nolan has a great plan for them to get down in the box and they do a good job with their disguises. That's one of the biggest things a lot of people don't see.'' DeCoud said the safeties would receive more recognition if the Falcons (12-2) can win in the playoffs. Atlanta can clinch home-field advantage through the NFC playoffs if they beat Detroit. ''I think we're right up there at the top, but until we can get a little hardware on our hands, that has yet to be proven,'' DeCoud said. NOTES: Backup OL Joe Hawley returned Tuesday from a four-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. Smith said the Falcons have a one-week roster exemption before they must make a move to clear a spot for Hawley, who was center Todd McClure's top backup before the suspension.

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Falcons' DeCoud closing the gap to greatness FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Tony Gonzalez knew immediately that he’d have something in common with Thomas DeCoud when he joined the Atlanta Falcons in 2009. The future hall-of-fame tight end and the young safety might be almost 10 years apart in age, but both are California natives and both attended the University of California-Berkeley. Gonzalez knows Jeff Tedford, the coach for whom DeCoud played, and he soon learned that they shared an appreciation of local hangouts and Bay Area music. “He’s Berkeley through and through,” Gonzalez said. On the field, Gonzalez saw this “fast, big, strong smart guy” and wondered to himself why DeCoud – good as he was – wasn’t even better. Three games into this season, Gonzalez is seeing it all click for his fellow Cal alum. “He’s always been this far away — two or three inches from making the big play,” Gonzalez said, holding his fingers apart to illustrate, “or the ball’s in his hands and he didn’t catch it. This year, he’s closed that gap, and now he’s making those plays and he’s doing what he’s always been capable of doing and it does that — that’s player evolution.” Gonzalez said DeCoud is now “owning” his position and has realized he can be one of the best players in the league. “I think Thomas has always had that ability,” Gonzalez said, “but he’s closed that gap this year.” Through three games, one of the biggest surprises on the 3-0 Falcons is the team’s NFL-best plus-10 turnover margin, and DeCoud, 27 and in his fifth year, is a major reason why. In his past two games, he has three interceptions, second best in the league, and a fumble recovery. He also had three passes defended in last week’s 27-3 win over San Diego. DeCoud began to show inklings that he would take to new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan’s system in the preseason when he had an interception and a forced fumble. While it’s early, if he continues this play, he’s a likely contender for his first Pro-Bowl appearance. Falcons secondary coach Tim Lewis said DeCoud is undergoing a natural maturation process, which Nolan’s scheme has helped along. “His strength, his endurance, his change of direction abilities that have been enhanced by our strength and conditioning program have allowed him to do some things,” Lewis said. “His ball skills have improved. Over the course of time the angles he takes to make those plays, his awareness and understanding of the NFL game is growing and allowing him to do some things, and the plays are just starting to come to him.” While the Falcons’ offense is scoring in a big way so far this season, the team’s most acute shortcoming in the past has proved its pass defense — which has never finished above 20th in the league during head coach Mike Smith’s tenure. If DeCoud and company continue on their path, the Falcons could go a long way towards fixing that area, which, in some ways, has contributed to the team’s inability to win a playoff game in three tries over the past four seasons. FOX broadcaster John Lynch, a nine-time Pro-Bowl safety during his 16-season NFL career, said DeCoud has “taken the next step,” something that Lynch said he himself did around his fourth season. Because the position of safety is complex and loaded with responsibility in terms of making calls, teams rarely play safeties as rookies, often slowly working them in to educate them.

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“He just seems incredibly comfortable in this system that Mike Nolan’s teaching,” Lynch said. “I think Mike’s giving these guys more latitude in terms of their ability to disguise things and muddy things for opposing quarterbacks, and I think it’s a great testament to those safeties” — including William Moore who has two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery — “because safeties are always at the heart of a disguise. Quarterbacks are looking at them to tell them to tell the picture." “I just got done watching them play Denver and San Diego and you’re talking Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers, guys who don’t confuse easily, and I think I saw confusion with both of them, and on top of confusion, one thing this league’s about is making plays, and both William Moore and Thomas have been making a ton of plays and have been instrumental in the way this defense’s playing.” DeCoud agreed that things are coming together for him. He said as a young player — he was a third-round pick in 2008 and started full-time the following season — offenses often try to trick safeties. Now, the shoe — or Air Jordan, in DeCoud’s case — is on the other foot. “They expect you not to have seen a lot of stuff,” said DeCoud, a noted Nike aficionado who often tweets photos of his latest kicks and recounted this week how at his wedding this summer he and his groomsmen wore Air Jordans, each of which signified a special meaning to DeCoud. “I think that’s paid dividends for both William and I, being his fourth year, my fifth year. We’ve seen a lot of stuff and we’re both — I don’t want to toot our own horn — but we’re two good, athletic safeties that can hit and go get the ball, so once we’ve seen a lot of stuff we’re less susceptible to be tricked, and now we can make a lot more plays.” DeCoud said that with Nolan’s disguises, he and Moore have seen opposing quarterbacks get “rattled.” “I think we’ve got something good going,” he said. “We’ve just got to be able to stay consistent with it.” The change to Nolan from Brian VanGorder, the defensive coordinator in DeCoud’s first four seasons who left after last season to assume the same position at Auburn University, is a big one for the players both in scheme and in tone. Lynch and others have taken to calling what Nolan is doing an “amoeba” defense. In obvious passing situations, six defenders or more might be grouped together standing up so the offense has no idea what they will do. DeCoud said in the past, the safeties were “a lot more stagnant in our pass scheme.” “There wasn’t too much movement around or disguising of any sort, really,” he said. In terms of communication styles, DeCoud also has appeared to benefit from the change. VanGorder, who has spent much of his career in college, is something of a yeller. DeCoud has said he was taken aback in his first practice with Nolan when he didn’t hear any yelling. “I played for Jon Gruden, I played for Tony Dungy — they were both very different in how they reached players, but ultimately there’s got to be a respect factor that ‘this guy can help me get better, get where I want to get,’” Lynch said, “and, ultimately, he better have some depth behind what he’s teaching. It can’t just be the way he communicates. ‘This will help you make plays, if you do this.’ They earn the respect of players that way, and it’s pretty clear that’s going on in Atlanta right now.” It’s also possible that, at least last season, DeCoud was not so sure of his standing on the team. After the final preseason game, the Falcons signed veteran James Sanders, who was cut by New England. Smith said that resulted in fewer practice

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snaps for DeCoud and Moore. Smith said that that could have affected DeCoud’s grasp on the game plan in a given week, but neither he nor Lewis said they think it affected DeCoud’s confidence. DeCoud started all 16 games in ’08 and ’09, but 15 last season. After losing 30-12 in the opener, he did not start in Week 2. “He does (seem more comfortable), him, William, our secondary guys,” linebacker Sean Weatherspoon said. “They’re not walking on eggshells. They’re back there comfortable, playing their game. . . . “It was a little different around here (last season). I think they like the way things are going now. They’re comfortable in Mike’s system, and they just want to keep getting better. I’m pretty sure those guys will both be in Hawaii at the end of the year.” Hawaii — or Berkeley — those would seem like welcoming surroundings for DeCoud, a relaxed sort who marches to the beat of his own drummer with elaborate tattoos and, at times, odd hairdos. He does a spot-on impersonation of VanGorder and can liven up the practice sideline with off-beat conversation. Whereas in the past, he might have been guilty of mental mistakes on the field, now he seems locked in. The Falcons’ coaching staff will need to keep DeCoud and the rest with that mindset so that they don’t begin to buy into their own hype. “That’s all hopeful and wishful thinking,” DeCoud said of Pro Bowl talk. “We have 13 more weeks to play for. Like I said, you can get humbled real fast.” Nonetheless, DeCoud looks like he has arrived.

TONY GONZALEZ

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With Elusive Victory in Sight, Retirement Talk Must Wait FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — For Michael Palmer, breakfast consists of oatmeal with blueberries and cinnamon. Why not a higher-calorie meal for a strapping, energy-burning N.F.L. tight end? Because Tony does it. Off to the side at each Atlanta Falcons practice, Palmer, an understudy whose chief duty is blocking, catches about a hundred passes. Why? Because Tony does it. In the team’s fitness area, Palmer devotes increased time to stretching because ... Tony does it. For 16 seasons, Tony Gonzalez, 36, has done it better than most tight ends. But amid the glittering career numbers that would make a statistician swoon — 1,242 receptions for 14,268 yards and 103 touchdowns — one protrudes like a rotten apple in a bushel full of Red Delicious: zero. Gonzalez spent 12 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and went 0-3 in playoff games, their extended postseason doldrums portending a limited future. So he negotiated a trade to the Falcons — the franchise with the worst N.F.L. postseason history (six victories since its inception in 1966). Yet with Atlanta, Gonzalez saw promise at the administrative and coaching levels and in quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Roddy White, players he speaks so highly of he could preside over their fan clubs. With the Falcons for four years, Gonzalez has celebrated 45 regular-season victories, more than any other team during that time except for Green Bay and New England. Yet in the playoffs, he is 0-2 with them. With retirement looming — Gonzalez lists the odds of his playing next year at 19 to 1 — his desire for his first playoff victory falls well short of obsession. But, asked if a loss Sunday to the Seattle Seahawks would leave a hole in his résumé, he responded tersely. “That’s a tough question,” he said. “Ask me after the game.” Gonzalez has been around long enough to recognize that players are judged significantly on their postseason fortunes. “Obviously, in the playoffs, it steps up more because that is really kind of where your legacy comes in,” he said. “What you do in the playoffs is what a majority of people remember.” To Falcons Coach Mike Smith, one of Gonzalez’s many fans, there should be no win-for-Gonzalez sentiment in the locker room. Team-driven motivation should suffice. “Everybody needs to put individual thoughts behind them,” Smith said. That might be more challenging for the Falcons than containing Russell Wilson in the pocket. Palmer is among Gonzalez’s teammates who have told him how much they want to win for him. “It’s no secret,” Palmer said of the sentiment.

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The figure most associated with Gonzalez lately is 95, as in the percentage that he invokes on the likelihood of his retirement. The number appears to reflect reality. Gonzalez says his longtime companion and three children have similar leanings. Yet he intends to mull it over deep into the off-season, which partly explains why he has no intention of mimicking linebacker Ray Lewis’s moves in Baltimore last weekend during his final home game. “You don’t want to see me dance,” he said. “That’s not a pretty thing.” Gonzalez evidently has not disclosed his intentions to his coaches or teammates. He and the tight ends coach Chris Scelfo, in fact, agreed in training camp that the topic would stay off-limits. If he does retire, Gonzalez will become part of a select group of players who quit before their production began tailing off. His reception and touchdown totals this season surpassed those of his previous seasons in Atlanta, even after, by Scelfo’s estimate, Gonzalez confronted bracket coverage in six or seven games. “Frankly, I think he’s gotten better,” said Scelfo, who has been Gonzalez’s position coach from the outset in Atlanta. Gonzalez has offset any physical regression with a strict diet and a tweaked training regimen that features workouts with a kettlebell. Scelfo has reduced Gonzalez’s load at practice, telling him: “We don’t need you on Wednesday or Thursday. We need you Sunday.” Broad shouldered, Gonzalez is a master at applying to football the craft of blocking out a defender that he honed as a ferocious rebounder for the University of California basketball team. An innate sense of impending contact enables Gonzalez to protect himself, minimizing injuries. “I feel fine,” he said. “Honestly, probably a little bit healthier than I did the last few years.” Still, the probability of retirement sounded closer to certain with this comment: “There is no tomorrow. There is no saying, ‘We’ll get them next year.’ It’s about going out there and trying to finish on the right note.” If Gonzalez heads into retirement, Palmer’s playing time figures to grow next season should the Falcons bring him back. Nonetheless, the increased workload would be bittersweet. “As long as he wants to play,” Palmer said, “I’m all for it.”

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Atlanta Falcons: Tony Gonzalez hungry to break playoff losing streak FLOWERY BRANCH — A little Greek mythology is not lost on Tony Gonzalez, future Hall of Fame tight end for the Falcons and philosopher of sorts. His story has played out like a modern-day Tantalus, the son of both Greek god and mortal, who faces the eternal punishment of never being able to reach either the fruit in the low-hanging tree above him or the water that keeps receding below him. Gonzalez, who leads all NFL tight ends in history in every major offensive category (yards, receptions, touchdowns), has never tasted victory in five trips to the playoffs, including twice with the Falcons. He came back this season for one more try at it. He and the Falcons will face Minnesota, Seattle or Washington on Jan. 13 at the Georgia Dome. Waiting out the bye week was no great mental hurdle for the 36-year-old who put off retirement for this chance. The organic foodie, author, fitness guru and thinker is used to trying to make sense of his path, rolling it all over in his head again and again. “I think about it all the time,” Gonzalez said. “You always think about what you’ve gone through in the past and the tough heart-breaking losses that I’ve had in the playoffs. And hopefully it is for a reason because it makes (this year) so much sweeter.” In the 1997 season, Gonzalez was a rookie for the Kansas City Chiefs, who like these Falcons were 13-3, drew a first-round bye and were dubbed a Super Bowl favorite. The Chiefs lost to John Elway and the Broncos 14-10 in the divisional playoffs that season, and Elway went on to snap his streak of three Super Bowl losses by defeating the Packers at age 37. Now Gonzalez, who turns 37 in February, is down to what he has said he’s 95 percent sure is his last chance. Four other first-round losses followed that first loss in 1997 — with the Chiefs in 2003 and 2006 and the Falcons in 2010 and 2011. “If I had won it back then, it wouldn’t have been as sweet as if I won it this year, just because I know what it takes,” he said. “And I know going through a whole career, 16 years and not even having a playoff win, or let alone a Super Bowl, it’s tough.” Gonzalez has become a poster child for a Falcons team trying to get out of a rut. They’ve lost three playoff games without a victory in the past five years, including the past two to the Packers and Giants. “Yeah, we want to win one for Tony,” Falcons receiver Roddy White said Thursday, smiling as he leaned into the scrum of reporters in front of Gonzalez’s locker, donning a black stocking cap and gray hoodie under his practice jersey. “You heard it right here,” Gonzalez responded. “And that type of attitude is what I like right there because honestly that’s the attitude I have for them.” Gonzalez’s approach to his checkered playoff history is about as subtle as his yards after the catch. Turn, face, plow. And that might be just what the Falcons need. At a time when they could be feeling the pressure of the moment, they seem to be embracing it. “I think you use anything you can take at this point,” quarterback Matt Ryan said. “If that’s what gets guys going, by all means, let’s take advantage of that.”

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Falcons coach Mike Smith showed the team a six-minute NFL Films video before practice Thursday with highlights of Super Bowl champions such as Ronnie Lott, Shannon Sharpe and Ray Lewis talking about their playoff experiences. It hit home with Gonzalez. “They talked about if you’re on that losing side and you look across that field and you see the smiles and the jubilation on the other team’s faces, you know they get to keep playing football and keep the dream alive to go get a Super Bowl, and you’re going home,” Gonzalez said. “I don’t want that feeling anymore. We’re too good, and we’ve worked too hard. “And I’m sure a lot of NFL teams can say the same thing, but hopefully this will be our time to go out there and shine and make it all the way through.” Gonzalez makes his home in Southern California. Playing another season has meant time away from his mother, his grandmother, his brothers and his oldest son. “It can all be worth it,” Gonzalez said. “And we put ourselves in a position where hopefully it’s setting up to be well worth it.” White was long gone by the time he said that, and so was the scrum. Five playoff games, albeit losses, have taught Gonzalez a few things, which is probably why he went on to say: “It’s already been worth it, actually. We’ve had a great season.” As badly as Gonzalez wants three more wins, there’s still something to be said for the chance. ALL FOR NAUGHT Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez is 0-5 in his career in the playoffs. Here’s a breakdown of those five losses: •Season+Team+Result+Gonzalez stats •1997+Chiefs+L, 14-10 to Broncos+3 catches, 26 yards, 1 TD •2003+Chiefs+L, 38-31 to Colts+4 catches, 55 yards •2006+Chiefs+ L, 23-8 to Colts+4 catches, 25 yards, 1 TD •2010 Falcons+L, 48-21 to Packers+1 catch, 7 yards •2011+Falcons+L, 24-2 to Giants+4 catches, 44 yards

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Gonzo Keeps Going AT AN AGE WHEN MOST PLAYERS ARE BEING PUT OUT TO PASTURE, TONY GONZALEZ IS A FORCE ON THE UNBEATEN FALCONS AND THE FACE OF THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH GENERATION Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta's 36-year-old tight end, woke up sore, just after dawn, on Oct. 8. The previous afternoon had been a rousing success for both the Falcons and Gonzalez. Seventeen fourth-quarter points capped a 24--17 comeback win over the Redskins, and the 12-time Pro Bowler had the second-best receiving day of his 245-game NFL career: 13 catches—out of 14 targets by Matt Ryan—for 123 yards and a touchdown. Now, as Gonzalez shook out the cobwebs in his leased suburban home, he took stock of his body, the way he had the morning after every other game. His left arm was swollen from a collision. And his right thumb throbbed, though he wasn't sure why. He just knew that when he tried to tie his daughter Malia's shoe, the thumb wouldn't function. The physical stuff he could take. But something nagged at him: that lone missed connection. The ball that got away. It happened in the first quarter. As he battled to get open, 13 yards past the line of scrimmage, up the seam, Gonzalez jousted with another NFL senior citizen, 37-year-old linebacker London Fletcher. With Fletcher in tight coverage Ryan threw a high ball, and Gonzalez got his right hand up, his left arm still engaged by the defender. The pass caromed off Gonzalez's fingers. Had he made the grab, it would have been the catch of the day; the ball wasn't even in the palm of his hand. But that wasn't good enough for Gonzalez. He felt he should have corralled it. "That's the way it goes with me," he says, sitting in the same kitchen where the play had tormented him two weeks earlier. "I beat myself up because I've made that catch before, and the way I'm wired, that's a ball I catch." It's a reflection of his reputation that Atlanta tight ends coach Chris Scelfo dropped Gonzalez's postgame grade because of the miss. "I hold him to that high a standard," says Scelfo, "because I've seen him make that catch." He has let it go now, but he hasn't forgotten it. "My big fear," he says, "is someone telling me, 'You ain't got it anymore.' I will never get called into a coach's office and hear that. If something like what happened to Alex Rodriguez"—being benched by the Yankees for not hitting in the playoffs—"ever happened to me, I'd quit. I'd have to. It'd be too embarrassing." The game used to kick 36-year-old tight ends like Gonzalez to the curb. There was no place for 37-year-old linebackers like Fletcher, or 37-year-old defensive backs like Ronde Barber, or 37-year-old centers like Jeff Saturday. Time to do your life's work now. And yet this off-season the Skins went hard after Fletcher, their own free agent; new Bucs coach Greg Schiano recruited Barber to stay as the keystone of his secondary; and the Packers zeroed in on Saturday, a longtime Colt, to anchor their O-line. Come March it will be the Falcons begging Gonzalez to return in 2013. This is a new era in the NFL, with maniacally prepared players thriving in what used to be their NFL dotage. To suggest that there's any one reason that Gonzalez is better in his 30s than in his 20s would be a disservice to all the other reasons. He's a nut about what he puts into his body, so much so that the junk-food eaters in Atlanta's locker room call him the Food Police. At practice every day he gets a p.r. aide to throw him 40 extra balls before drills commence, plus another 40 during mid-practice lulls and 20 after practice. He loathes the JUGS machine because of its predictability and tells his real-life passer, "Don't throw it at me. Give me some tough ones." He and Ryan hold chemistry sessions, where the QB learns exactly what mid-route adjustments Gonzalez is going to make. And because Gonzalez noticed last year that he

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was getting a few balls knocked out of his grasp by whacks on the arms, he started to work with 50-pound kettle bells, straight-jerking with both arms to strengthen the muscles that once allowed a ball to be chopped loose. Gonzalez is getting better with age. In his 6½ seasons since turning 30, he's caught 547 passes for the Falcons and the Chiefs. In the 6½ seasons before, playing in Kansas City, he caught 533. His 46 catches through Sunday were second among NFL tight ends (trailing only Jason Witten's 51), and he had helped Atlanta remain the NFL's only unbeaten team, at 7--0. His 1,195 career receptions are second only to Jerry Rice's 1,549, and he has 380 more than the next tight end on the list, Shannon Sharpe. "Someday, maybe I'll have a moment of clarity and think about how amazing this all is," Gonzalez says in a rare quiet interlude at home. His two bundle-of-energy children, Malia, 4, and son River, 2, are at school, and his wife, October, is out. "It was all worth it. I never imagined being great." Gonzalez draws a line in his career at the 10-year mark. That's when he began feeling logy, as if he might fall asleep in meetings. He had a bout of Bell's palsy, partial facial paralysis, in the summer of 2007. (The symptoms lasted three weeks.) And later that summer he had a scary experience when his blood-test results were mixed up with those of a man who had leukemia. Then, during a cross-country flight, after gorging on two dinners and two desserts, he began talking to an adjacent passenger, who explained that he was a vegan. Gonzalez's first reaction: That's stupid. His second: Maybe I'll read about it. The fellow recommended The China Study, a 2004 tome that details the relationship between the consumption of animal products and chronic diseases such as cancer. And just like that, Gonzalez was sold. He switched to a mostly plant-based diet, starting every day with a smoothie of kale, spinach, bananas, blueberries, carrots, apple juice and water. "I'm dumbfounded when I see guys before a game eating fried chicken," Gonzalez says. "How do you expect to be alive in the fourth quarter?" Combine that with good genes ("My mom's 64, and she looks like a young Tina Turner," he says), and suddenly the view from the high side of 30 is more promising. "I feel the difference," says Gonzalez. "I feel a lot better than I did earlier in my career." He also says what men of a certain age in the NFL say: He's better now because nothing in this game surprises him. "I read about great people," he says. "What makes Warren Buffett great? He's prepared for everything. I read about Tiger, Michael Jordan.... Why were they great? They prepared meticulously. The amount of preparation I do is exhausting. I can't turn it off. I'm driving to work in the morning, and I'm playing the game in my head, right down to the color jerseys we're wearing, what the opponent's wearing. I think of everything." Such preparation came in handy in the Washington game. Gonzalez and Ryan, during one of their skull sessions, had decided that on routes when the tight end is supposed to run up the seam and look for the ball after 13 to 15 yards, he'd cut it short if the defender played him differently. If the defender was fronting him, at whatever point in the route that was, Gonzalez would immediately cut inside. Back on the field, with the Falcons trailing 17--14 in the fourth quarter and driving, Gonzalez ran 10 yards up the seam, and there was Fletcher, right in the way, backpedaling. If Ryan waited until Gonzalez cut and flashed open, it would be too late; Fletcher could recover and knock it away. So he released just as Gonzalez got to Fletcher on the hashmark, anticipating Gonzalez's improvised cut. The resulting 13-yard gain moved the ball to Washington's 31-yard line, setting up the tying field goal. "We see things through the same lens," says Ryan. "He saw what I saw, and I trusted him."

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"It's the beauty of knowing your quarterback, and him knowing you," adds Gonzalez. With more catches than any of his much younger peers, it's working. But for how long? For all his preparation, Gonzalez has never been on a team that's won a postseason game. It doesn't define him, but he's angry some pundits would belittle him for the gap in his résumé. "This isn't tennis or golf—or even basketball, where three great players together can win a championship," he says. "This is the ultimate team sport, with 22 guys on the field at once, where you need all three phases of the game working to win big. To say my career has been diminished because I haven't won a playoff game, I say bulls---! I'm a frickin' tight end, not the quarterback. My career will mean nothing less if I'm never on a team that wins a playoff game." Tell us how you really feel. As for the future, there's a wild card at play. The NFL has new rules, agreed upon in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, that shorten the formal off-season training program by a month, eliminate two-a-day training-camp practices and limiting to 14 the number of padded practices that teams can hold in-season. That will certainly lengthen careers. Defensive end John Abraham—one of Gonzalez's teammates on the Falcons and, at 34, in old age—imagines playing two or three years longer than he might have because every day but Sunday will be less physically taxing. All Gonzalez knows is that, sore thumb aside, he feels great now. He acknowledges that there's no good reason he couldn't play beyond 2012. But he's said already that there's a 95% chance this is his last season. I asked him about it twice in October, and nothing has changed. It's still 95%, the 5% because he wants the right to change his mind in the winter. "You play four more years," I tell him, "and you can probably break Jerry Rice's record." "Maybe," he says. "But...." His voice fades away. Gonzalez is 354 catches behind Rice. Let's say he ends this season within 310. He'd need to average 78 grabs for four years to pass Rice. In four of the last five years he's caught 80 or more. It's dubious that his health will hold up—he's closer to 37 than 36—but he's missed only two games in his career. You never know. But Gonzalez knows. "I never want to be looked at as average," he says. And there are other things he'd like to do. During the Falcons' bye week he guested on Fox's pregame studio show. The camera loves him, and he loves it back. He knows he's smart enough to do television. And he thinks he owes it to his family to be there more for them. It'll be his decision, though. Men of a certain age calling their own shots—it's a new day in the NFL.

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Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez is mad at the media FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Tony Gonzalez is one shy of his 100th career touchdown reception. But he is driven by something far more vital: a missing Super Bowl ring that would more than compensate for the disrespect shown to Gonzalez and the Atlanta Falcons, who are 7-0 and the NFL's lone unbeaten team. "Is the national media making a big deal about us like they would if it was Philly, Green Bay or New England? No, they're not," Gonzalez told USA TODAY Sports Thursday. "We played Philly and beat them. And Philly was on TV all week. "We don't care. Our goals are bigger than just getting national media attention. They'll recognize us if we go where we want to go. I've day-dreamed about raising that Lombardi Trophy. I can see it in my mind." Still outleaping defenders 16 years younger, the 12-time Pro Bowl tight end enters Sunday night's matchup with the Dallas Cowboys (3-4) with staggering numbers for the all-time tight-end leader in receptions (1,195), receiving yards (13,797) and touchdowns (99). He ranks second this season among tight ends with 46 receptions. But there's another staggering number on his resume: Zero — as in no playoff wins. "We have a complete team," Gonzalez said. "I like our chances. But at the same time, we're very, very far away, and we have to keep getting better." Gonzalez knows. He was 9-0 with the 2003 Kansas City Chiefs, who finished 13-3 and lost to the Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, 38-31, in the AFC divisional round. So Gonzalez does everything possible to convince teammates it's about the finish. There are two gravitational centers inside Atlanta's locker room — Gonzalez and quarterback Matt Ryan. Gonzalez, 36, pulls receivers Roddy White, Julio Jones and Harry Douglas along when he catches a total of 100 passes daily before, during breaks and after practice. "He's cheating Father Time," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "He's playing as well as any tight end. He's a guy everybody looks to what he's doing and they go do it." General manager Thomas Dimitroff needles Gonzalez: "You keep having double-digit games, you better bury that 95% done quote," Dimitroff tells him. He adds: "His passion, willingness to work on his craft knowing this could be his final season, he's been very, very focused." Did the most prolific pass catcher not named Jerry Rice ever imagine playing this long? "Never. And I've got a pretty good imagination," Gonzalez said with a laugh. "You think about going to Pro Bowls, having a great career. I don't know of anybody in their right mind who would want to play football that long. If I had a Super Bowl ring, I probably would have retired a couple of years ago." Gonzalez benefits from the development of second-year speed receiver Jones, eighth-year veteran White and the arrival of offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, who implemented a screen game. "We have that PYP offense — pick-your-poison," Gonzalez said.

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"Football Night in America" NBC analyst Tony Dungy said Ryan with his 68.7% completion percentage, 17 touchdowns and six interceptions is the midpoint MVP. "People ask me what's the biggest difference this year?"' Gonzalez said. "Matt's always been pretty accurate. The ball is coming out way quicker." But Gonzalez knows: Time isn't his friend. He has nine regular-season games left, then what? "It's about getting hot, playing good football come playoff time," Gonzalez said. "Our goal isn't to go undefeated. Like, 'Hey, we're going to have an undefeated season.' "Our goal is to win every game we're playing. And there's a difference. You take it one game at a time because it's the most important game of the season. If we keep that attitude, carry it into the playoffs, hopefully, it takes care of itself. The time is now. It better be now. "Because," he added, "after this year, I'm not playing anymore."

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Atlanta's Gonzalez thriving in his 16th NFL season FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) -- Five games into his 16th NFL season, Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez feels reborn on the football field. It's not so much that Gonzalez leads the league with 39 catches. When the year began, Gonzalez was already the NFL's No. 2-career leading receiver. What's making this season special for Gonzalez is the versatility of Atlanta's offense. With quarterback Matt Ryan thriving in his fifth year, Gonzalez said he can't imagine how tough it is for opponents to contain the unbeaten Falcons. ''When you play against us, what are you going to do?'' he said. ''It just adds to the choose-your-poison offense that we want to be, that we strive to be.'' Last week at Washington, Gonzalez caught 13 passes - the second-best game of his career - for 123 yards and one touchdown while the Redskins struggled to cover him while also accounting for Roddy White, Julio Jones and Michael Turner. That's not to say the Falcons (5-0) don't have some issues to work out offensively when Oakland (1-3) visits the Georgia Dome on Sunday. Atlanta started sluggishly against Carolina and couldn't solve protection problems that led to seven sacks of Ryan. Against the Redskins, Ryan underthrew several short routes in the first half. But after Washington took a touchdown lead on Ryan Kerrigan's interception return early in the second quarter, the Falcons settled down as their quarterback and tight end began to work in concert. Ryan targeted Gonzalez 14 times. Only one pass fell incomplete. ''It does teach us some resiliency,'' Gonzalez said. ''It also teaches us that, as we go on - and if we get to where we want to go, especially playoff time - you're going up against some real good teams. It's not always going to go the way that you want. It shows good character from our team up to this point, and we've got to build off of it.'' Oakland brings a struggling defense to Atlanta. The Raiders rank 25th in total yards, last in third-down efficiency, third worst in scoring and second worst in sacks per pass play, but Gonzalez believes that Oakland will come ready to hand the Falcons their first loss. ''Any team that we play from here on out, as long as we keep doing what we're doing, they're going to be gunning for us,'' Gonzalez said. ''They are going to bring their best, and I expect nothing less from the Raiders. They're going to be primed to get an upset.'' Though he's 36, Gonzalez looks to be in excellent health. The 6-foot-5, 243-pound former standout at California has missed just two games since Kansas City drafted him in the first round of 1997, and his production has continued at an unprecedented rate. He credits a new stretching regimen with making him quicker, and he also added basketball to his offseason activities for the first time in three years. Gonzalez, who played in 82 games with 16 starts at Cal, has enjoyed taking the block move he uses when playing the post in basketball to beating man-to-man coverage on the football field.

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''It's the same move, but maybe now I'm just exploding out there a little bit quicker whereas before it was a little bit slower,'' Gonzalez said. ''That's the difference. I was just talking to our strength coach that to be successful in the NFL, for most players, it's not about how fast I can get from this point to the end of the locker room. It's about how fast I can get from this point to that point, right there (2 feet apart). It's that quick.'' It also seems that Gonzalez has learned to compensate and keep his statistics soaring. He last year moved past Marvin Harrison and Cris Carter to become the league's second-leading career receiver behind Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice. Gonzalez needs one touchdown catch to reach 100 and claim the eighth-best number in NFL history. ''If I had any other goal coming into this year besides getting to the Super Bowl, that was it,'' Gonzalez said. ''I'm glad I'm coming up to it. Hopefully I get it this week, but if not, I'm sure it will happen sooner or later.''

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Gonzalez ready for his emotional return to Kansas City FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez knows that his return to Kansas City, the place where he started his illustrious career, will be emotional. He plans to leave for Arrowhead Stadium on the early bus Sunday, one that’s usually reserved for rookies, younger players and staffers. Gonzalez wants to make sure that he has enough time to say hello to everyone and still have enough time to go through his pregame rituals before facing the Chiefs at 1 p.m. in the season opener. Gonzalez, 36, spent the first 12 seasons of his NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs. “It’s going to be special,” Gonzalez said. “It’s going to be kind of weird going in there. It’s going to be like going back to the house that you grew up in.” Gonzalez doesn’t know what it will be like walking on the field from the visitor’s tunnel. “There’s a lot of heartbreak on that field,” said Gonzalez, referring to a some first-round playoff exits with the Chiefs. “A lot of triumphs, too. It’s something that I’m looking forward to.” Kansas City fans are on par with Green Bay and Pittsburgh fans. Gonzalez has warned the Falcons about how rabid and loud the fans can get at the end of the national anthem and when the Chiefs get a first down. “It’s unlike anything you’ve heard,” Gonzalez said. “I told them every time they get a first down, the whole crowd is going to yell ‘first down.’ It’s a great environment as far as tailgating. … I expect with it being opening day that it’s going to be a rowdy crowd.” Gonzalez requested a trade in 2008 because he didn’t believe he could endure another rebuilding program. He was traded to the Falcons for a second-round pick that was used to select cornerback Javier Arenas. In his three seasons with the Falcons, Gonzalez has continued to climb the receiving charts. He’s become the second-leading receiver in NFL history with 1,149 catches. He trails only Jerry Rice, and ranks ninth all-time with 95 touchdowns. He caught 80 passes last season and has not shown any signs of dropping off. He feels like he can play another two or three years, physically. But because he’s not sure if he can continue to mentally grind his way through two or three more seasons he said he’s 99.9 percent sure this will be his last season. So this could be his last trip to Arrowhead, where he made it his trademark to dunk the football after scoring a touchdown. “I don’t want to see any dunks,” Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel said. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has a different opinion. “I do,” said Ryan when asked if he wanted to see Gonzalez dunk over his old goalposts. The Chiefs went 13-3 in Gonzalez’ rookie season. In his second season, he dropped 17 passes and rededicated himself to the game.

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“To tell you the truth, I don’t think I’d be the player that I am today if I didn’t have a season like that,” Gonzalez said. “It was embarrassing.” Gonzalez started reading inspirational books. He received a book of Vince Lombardi quotes from his brother. “Then from there, I read his biography, and that’s kind of the book that really started it off for me, learning from a great coach like that,” Gonzalez said. He has several fond memories from his days with the Chiefs. “You really think about the relationships,” Gonzalez said. “A lot of the guys that I used to play with will be there. Jason Dunn, Kevin Lockett, Shawn Barber and Billy Baber, guys that I have relationships with still until this day. That’s really what I remember most about it.” On the field, Gonzalez’ rookie season was special. “I was playing with guys like Marcus Allen and Derrick Thomas,” Gonzalez said. “It was just the great coaches as well. Coaches like Dick Vermeil and Marty Schottenheimer, Hall of Fame-type coaches. That was a good experience for me.” After all the hand shaking and hugging is over, Gonzalez will be ready to play. “This is my 16th year, and it’s football when it comes down it,” Gonzalez said. “I’m going to fall back on my instincts, go out there and do my job.”

JULIO JONES

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Falcons' Julio Jones looking to shine in Year 2 FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) -- Julio Jones is still drawing double-takes over his new hairstyle. His position coach is more taken with what he hears. ''You can listen to him run,'' said Terry Robiskie, who work with the Atlanta Falcons receivers. ''I can hear him galloping. I can actually hear the sound. It's like a horse that's trotting out on the track. Whatever that sound is, it's music to your ears if you're a coach.'' This is why the Falcons paid such a heavy price to land Jones in the first round of the 2011 draft. This is why the team is convinced that he's poised to become one of the NFL's top receivers, even after a rookie season that had some downs along with the ups. ''Just look at the physicality of the guy,'' Robiskie said Sunday, shortly after the Falcons finished a morning practice that officially wrapped up the training camp portion of the preseason. ''When you look at how strong he is, how big a guy he is, how powerful he is ... he's got all the powerful stuff that's just beautiful to watch.'' To those on the outside, Jones' most visible move of the offseason was cutting off his dreadlocks, which he had throughout his college career at Alabama and his rookie season with the Falcons. He donated the hair to a charity that helps children with cancer and has no plans to grow it back, enjoying his sleeker look (especially in the heat of a Georgia summer). For the coaching staff, the most noticeable difference is on the field. Jones is much more comfortable in the Falcons' offense, having spent much of 2011 learning on the fly. Because of the lockout, rookies didn't get a chance to work with their teams until training camp opened, eliminating all those valuable months spent learning the playbook, meshing with new teammates and getting acclimated to the NFL way of life. ''Confidence'' is how Robiskie describes it. ''You can just see it in everything we're doing. If we call a play and he walks out of the huddle, he knows what that play is. His wheels are turning, but they're not turning quite like they were. Last year, he came in and was just thrown into the mix. He was trying to figure it all out.'' There's no question about Jones' physical skills. If you drew up a receiver in the laboratory, chances are he would look a lot like this: 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, a dazzling combination of size, strength and 4.39-second speed in the 40-yard dash. While there have been some questions about Jones' hands, that is more nitpicking than a major complaint. As a rookie, Jones had 54 receptions for 959 yards, including eight touchdowns. He had five 100-yard receiving games, helping the Falcons claim a wild-card playoff berth. Still, there was a perception that Jones didn't quite measure up to the lofty expectations. The Falcons gave up a lot to get him, believing he was the player who could push them over the top for a Super Bowl title. Instead, the team never seemed to gel offensively, and the playoff showing was brief and abysmal: a 24-2 loss to the eventual champion New York Giants, the only Atlanta points put up by the defense. ''I don't let that get to me,'' Jones insisted. ''People want me to catch a thousand balls, but if we win the game and I catch one ball, I'm happy with that.''

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He wasn't satisfied with his conditioning, feeling that contributed to hamstring problems which kept him out of three games. Jones underwent foot surgery before he even reported to the Falcons, and he wasn't quite ready for the grind of 16 regular-season games, not to mention four preseason games and the playoffs. ''He didn't have the summer training,'' Robiskie said. ''He wasn't in the building for us to help him get his stamina going. He had been used to a 12-game schedule in college. All of a sudden, it's a 20-game schedule. He wasn't familiar with it. He had never dealt with it before. I don't think he knew about the seven-day grind we have in the NFL.'' That's not all. While Jones played for one of the nation's elite college programs, it was still a big jump to the NFL. ''Every Sunday in the NFL is like Alabama-Florida or Alabama-LSU,'' Robiskie said. ''We don't have Louisiana-Monroe on the schedule, we don't have Troy on the schedule in between the big games to slow the tempo down. Every week you've go to go play LSU, you've got to go play Florida. That's a grind.'' Jones acknowledges it was a difficult adjustment. He was used to dominating. Suddenly, he was just trying to keep up. ''In college, you can take certain plays off because you're a better athlete than the other guys,'' Jones said. ''But in the NFL, everybody is a great player. You've got to go out there with your 'A' game on every play.'' The first two preseason games have provided a tantalizing glimpse of what this season might hold. Playing what amounts to just over a half, Jones already has nine receptions for 150 yards. ''I'm not sure about people's expectations,'' head coach Mike Smith said. ''I do know this: Julio is a better player today than last year when we were breaking camp. There's no double about that, just from the maturation process of understanding what it means and what it takes to be an NFL player.'' With a new offensive coordinator, Dirk Koetter, the Falcons are hoping to produce the sort of explosive numbers that everyone kept waiting for - and waiting for - last season. They still have weapons all over the place: quarterback Matt Ryan, receiver Roddy White, running back Michael Turner, tight end Tony Gonzalez. And Jones. ''I don't have to be that No. 1 guy all the time,'' he said. ''We've got No. 1 guys all over the team.'' Maybe the new hairstyle will help. ''It's like those Olympic swimmers who shave their heads because they don't want any resistance,'' Robiskie said. ''Now, he's got nothing to hold him back. He's got no resistance up there. We think he was going fast before. I think he can actually fly now.''

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Expect Julio Jones (only a ‘5 or 6 last year?) to take over FLOWERY BRANCH – Julio Jones is different. He is not different just because of his rare combination of size, strength and speed for a wide receiver, or because he possesses the ability to be one of the premier players in the NFL. We’ve seen guys with talent. Jones is quiet. He is humble. He doesn’t spend every waking minute tripping over his ego, his tongue or his Tweets. Do you know how rare that is for an NFL wide receiver? The position breeds divas. Keyshawn Johnson spent a career screaming, “Throw me the damn ball!” but he might as well have been a spokesman for the position. Jones doesn’t set goals. He doesn’t write numbers down on a piece of paper and put them in the top desk drawer to check after the season. He doesn’t even think, “I want to be the greatest wide receiver in NFL history.” His career objectives are simpler. More common-man-like. “When it’s over,” he said, “I just want to look back and think, ‘I left everything on the field.’” He was sitting in a quiet office following Falcons’ practice Tuesday. The subject was one he would prefer to avoid: himself. Unfortunately, he is too good and too important to this team to avoid. NFL teams don’t trade a blur of draft picks, potentially mortgaging the franchise’s future, for just a pretty good player. They take that leap for difference-makers. They take that leap for guys who can change a game, alter the direction of a season and maybe help redefine a team. We’re probably going to find out this season just how great Julio Jones is. He had a tremendous rookie season: 54 catches, 959 yards, 8 touchdowns. Those are impressive numbers, even before considering this backdrop: 1) He was coming off pre-draft foot surgery that affected his offseason conditioning; 2) He was limited in work with the playbook and quarterback Matt Ryan because of the lockout; 3) He played much of the season with a hamstring injury that forced him to miss three full games and parts of others; 4) He was subjected to the play-calling of Mike Mularkey, who never utilized him in screens or designed nearly enough plays to get Jones the ball in open spaces. Jones hates being in the spotlight, but he will be central to team's offense this season. (Curtis Compton/AJC) When asked about his rookie season, Jones said only, “I was alright.” On a scale of 1 to 10? “Maybe 5 or 6.” And how do you feel now? “I’m a 10. I feel 100 percent. I know the playbook. Matt and I are on the same page. I have high expectations, not only for myself but for the organization.”

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If the Falcons finally take that next step this season, it will be because of Jones. If he doesn’t finish with more receptions than Roddy White, there’s an excellent chance he’ll at least make more impact plays, steal more moments, win more games. No defender can stay with him in practice. When one is close, Jones goes up to make the catch anyway. He burned Asante Samuel on the second play of an 11-on-11 drill on Tuesday. He torched poor 5-foot-9 Robert McClain on another play in the end zone, prompting one fan to yell, “You need somebody taller!” But you won’t hear bragging from Jones. “I’m not a selfish person,” he said. “Growing up, that’s just how my mom raised me. I don’t take anything for granted. You don’t know the people around you, so you can’t disrespect them or mistreat them. They might be the same people you meet later in life.” When asked about potentially having a starring role in the offense, Jones talks about his chemistry with Ryan and gaining the confidence of coaches. It’s always about the bigger picture. “I really don’t care about the spotlight,” he said. “That’s why going to a place like Alabama was good for me. When you put your pads on, you wouldn’t know who’s a walk-on and who’s a scholarship player.” A recruiting story: Jones was one of the nation’s most sought-after players in 2008. Logic suggested the kid from Foley, Alabama, was going to pick the school in Tuscaloosa. But it wasn’t until he met coach Nick Saban that he was sure. “Growing up, I really didn’t watch a lot of college football,” Jones said. “But one of the reasons I liked Alabama was when I went to visit coach Saban, he said, ‘Well you know, we want you here. But we’re going to win with you or without you.’ I was like, that’s me. I just want to win. I don’t like stuff just given to me.” If only he was the prototype.

PETER KONZ

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Atlanta Falcons: Konz survived 80-round bout FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons offensive line coach Pat Hill told his charges that Sunday’s game against the Eagles would be like an 80-round boxing bout. He didn’t mean it literally, but it felt all too real to rookie guard Peter Konz. “I came out of the game looking like Rocky Balboa against Apollo Creed,” Konz said, referring to the fictional fights in the first two “Rocky” films. “I was just bleeding from everywhere a couple of times.” The Eagles might have bloodied Konz’s lip, but he was still standing. There was the potential for a lopsided decision in favor of Philadelphia’s experienced defensive line, but Konz held his own in his first start. With Garrett Reynolds slowed by a back injury, Konz, the Falcons’ top draft pick in April, played all 75 offensive snaps at right guard. “It’s your first game starting in the NFL, playing on the road, playing in bad weather and oh, by the way, [Eagles tackle] Cullen Jenkins is a pretty good player,” Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said. “You factor in all that stuff, I thought he did fine. He will do nothing but improve. Hopefully we get Garrett back soon because that just increases our depth.” Falcons coach Mike Smith said Reynolds was still dealing with the back issue last week. Konz took most of the practice repetitions with the first team. “We felt like it was time to give [Konz] the opportunity to go in there and play,” Smith said. “After viewing the film, I thought he had a very solid game.” Reynolds played solely on special teams against the Eagles. He appeared on the injury report before the game against the Raiders before the bye week, but ended up starting. Smith said Reynolds’ status for Sunday night’s game against the Cowboys “will be determined as we go through the week.” Konz, the No. 55 overall draft pick out of Wisconsin, had played only 16 snaps on offense in the previous six games. He’s not sure if he’s a temporary fill-in as the starter, but said it has been his intention all along to get on the field. “As far as the competition, I think it’s been a competition all season,” Konz said. “I don’t think there was a moment where I felt like there was a reason to [relax] or anything. Every week I’ve approached it like, if anyone goes down, I’m in. If coach wants me to put in, I’m in.” The Falcons under Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff usually have put their top draft picks on the field right away. Quarterback Matt Ryan (2008), defensive tackle Peria Jerry (2009), linebacker Sean Weatherspoon (2010) and wide receiver Julio Jones (2011) started in their debut games. Konz wasn’t a first-round pick like those players, and the Falcons have experienced veterans along the offensive line. “They brought Peter in here to be a long-term player, and he got off to a good start,” Koetter said. Konz said he was a bit winded after the Falcons’ opening drive, which lasted 16 plays and nearly nine minutes, but eventually settled down. Konz said center Todd McClure and left tackle Tyson Clabo, veterans with 22 years of experience between them, helped him by calling out the different stunts Philadelphia’s linemen were trying to run.

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Before the draft, Konz was knocked for his relative lack of strength. He said there isn’t a lot of time to work on his strength during the season, but he plans to bulk up during the offseason. Konz passed a big test when he was able to hold off the Eagles in a game that he likened to a brawl. “I was watching film, and I saw a lot of good physical play out of myself and the whole line,” he said. “That was an important thing going on. I know I’ve got a couple things that have got to be corrected, a couple [quarterback] pressures [allowed] and a couple blocks I’d like to sustain longer, but for the most part I thought it was a good day.”

TODD MCCLURE

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McClure sets 'best example' for Falcons' O-line FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) -- The water break was over, and 35-year-old Todd McClure had his No. 62 jersey at the front of the pack of the Atlanta Falcons' offensive players returning to the field in Tuesday's practice. For a rookie like Peter Konz, it's an important lesson. Even with a heavy brace on his right knee, McClure finds a way to run instead of walk because leading is his natural role. "The best example," Konz said of McClure. McClure, Atlanta's starting center since 2000, is beginning his 13th season with the team. He said Tuesday he hasn't decided if this will be his final season. Just in case, he says he is savoring every moment -- even training camp in the Georgia heat and humidity. "I've always kind of approached it like that in my mindset," McClure said. "In this league, you never know when it's going to be your last day, so it's nothing new. But in the same breath, I'm cherishing every moment and every opportunity. I've been blessed to play as long as I have. "I'm still taking it day by day. I haven't made up my mind if this is it or not." McClure, from LSU, was only a seventh-round pick by Atlanta in 1999. His rookie season ended when he tore the ACL in his right knee early in his first training camp. "If you'd said then I'd be standing here 13 years later, I'd have said you were a liar probably," McClure said. "But I'm still having fun playing this game, having fun doing it with a great group of guys." McClure won the starting job midway through the 2000 season and has snapped the ball to a series of quarterbacks including Chris Chandler, Michael Vick, Doug Johnson, Joey Harrington and, for the last four years, Matt Ryan. The center has started 166 of his 168 games with the Falcons. He set a franchise endurance record with his streak of 144 consecutive starts. The streak ended when he missed the first two games last season with a knee injury. "To me it's just something that's amazing," Konz said of McClure's endurance. "You know how your body feels after a game and to go through (12) years of that in the NFL, and you add on the four years in college and four years in high school, and you're looking at a guy who has seen everything. There's not a single thing in football he hasn't seen. So you can really take what he does on film and watch it." McClure's importance to the line was highlighted when Ryan was sacked nine times in the first two games last season with Joe Hawley filling in at center. Konz, a second-round pick from Wisconsin, may eventually take over for McClure at center. Konz could play at right guard and center this season. The rookie will have at least one season to take notes from McClure. "You've got to have guys like that," said coach Mike Smith. "You've got to have guys like Todd McClure, Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White, Mike Peterson. You've got to have those mentors in every room and that's something we look at when we're putting our roster together. We stick to it and try to make sure we have a leader in each room."

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Smith challenged the offensive line by opening up competition at every position. McClure appears to be set as a starter. "Todd has done a great job for us since we've been here and anticipate that he will continue to do what he's done in the past," Smith said. Konz is competing with Garrett Reynolds at right guard and with Hawley behind McClure. Another position to watch in training camp is left tackle, where Sam Baker is working ahead of Will Svitek. Rookie third-round pick Lamar Holmes is another contender at left tackle. Holmes was behind at the start of training camp after missing the offseason workouts while recovering from a foot injury. Tuesday's first-string offensive line included right tackle Tyson Clabo, Reynolds at right guard, McClure, left guard Justin Blalock and Baker. The Falcons (No. 13 in the AP Pro32) are preparing for Thursday night's preseason opener against Baltimore. McClure said he's looking forward to "just showcasing what we're doing" with new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter. "I know the whole playbook won't be opened up," he said. "It's the first preseason game. But to go out there and see the work we've been putting in on the practice field in a game is going to be fun to watch." NOTES: Smith said health issues could affect how long some starters play against the Ravens. He said he hopes most starters can play the first quarter and possibly into the second. He said some starters may not play that long. ... Backup CB Christopher Owens was out Tuesday with a hamstring injury and won't be rushed back, according to Smith. ... CB Asante Samuel continues to entertain with his loud talk and big plays during practice. He called out for WR Julio Jones to "stop running so fast." Then, on the next play, Samuel baited Ryan by playing back before rushing up to cut in front of Jones for an interception. Samuel then sprinted to the side to celebrate with fans.

CHRIS OWENS

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Falcons' Owens makes most of his chance FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — To look at the arc of the career of Atlanta Falcons cornerback Christopher Owens from a certain direction, one can see a downward trend. As a rookie in 2009, Owens started six games. Then it was three the next season, two last and only one this year in 12 games. Yet on Thursday, when Falcons starting left cornerback Asante Samuel went out of the game on the third play from scrimmage, Owens had to step in against a New Orleans offense that had bedeviled the Falcons. In the teams’ previous seven meetings, the Saints averaged nearly 29 points against Atlanta. However, as much as Owens’ young career has been marked by struggles — notably against Green Bay in the playoffs in January 2011, as the Packers whipped the Falcons 48-21 — he has made slow, steady strides that suddenly became noticeable against New Orleans last week. Owens illustrated why the front office and coaching staff have had so much faith in him when others have questioned why the Falcons kept him on the roster. He posted, arguably, the best game of his career. He equaled a career high with two passes defended and also made three solo tackles. A third-round draft pick in 2009, Owens was humble in reflecting on the game. “I think it’s a start, that’s all,” he said. “I’m not too high on myself. I’m not too down. There’s some stuff I could’ve done better, looking at the film. It’s just a start, really.” A few locker stalls down from Owens sits fellow cornerback Dunta Robinson, who is in his ninth season. Robinson provided the perspective that Owens, out of modesty or shyness, didn’t. Robinson said that when Samuel left the game, he took Owens aside and said, “‘you got to step in and play big.’” “And he looked at me with a lot of confidence and he was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I got you,’” Robinson said. “He went out there and played amazing, man. We didn’t miss a beat.” Then Robinson, who has suffered through a concussion during his career, referenced the fact that Owens missed two games earlier this season with the same issue. “For Chris, with all he’s been through with the injuries — similar to mine — to see him overcome those things, it’s big for him,” Robinson said. “I’m very proud and happy for him.” One factor that might have benefited Owens was the coaching staff’s decision to play him on the outside. Previously, they would play him at the inside corner in the nickel package and move the regular nickel back to the outside. However, with first-year Falcon Robert McClain playing so well at the inside corner, where he is the starter, the coaches elected to keep McClain there. Coaches say it’s easier to play the outside corner because a defender can use the boundary to his benefit, whereas on the inside, receivers have more freedom to run their routes. Falcons head coach Mike Smith said part of the decision also was determined by the fact Owens had taken more snaps in practice on the outside. Owens said he has no preference between the outside and inside corner. “I’m not foreign to the position, so I feel all right,” he said. “ . . . As long as I’m out there.”

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With performances like that, Owens might earn himself more playing time. “I thought he did a nice job,” Smith said. “He had a pass breakup on a deep ball there in the second quarter and did some good things.” The defining factor will be the health status of others. The Falcons are already down one corner with 2010 Pro Bowl selection Brent Grimes going down for the season in Week 1 then Samuel missed almost all of last week’s game and has been limited in his last three because of a right shoulder injury. “The competition in our room was just so high,” Robinson said. “We’re you an 11-1 football team, competition is going to be a big part of that. You’ve got to have guys who can play when guys go down. So he just waited for his number to be called. He didn’t get uptight about it; he didn’t get upset about it. His number was called Thursday, and he delivered. And ultimately, I think, that will work out in his favor.” Samuel did not practice Wednesday. Smith has been circumspect on whether the Falcons would rest players like him, who might be injured but could still play, now that they have already clinched the NFC South title. If Samuel cannot play — or cannot play much again — it will be another opportunity for Owens. “He shows some good drive on the ball,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. “They are deep. That’s one thing you have to give them credit for.” For now, Owens’ confidence appears to be riding high and his teammates have noticed. “And that comes with experience,” Robinson said. “That comes with years. The more you play in this game, the more confidence you develop. And if you don’t develop that confidence, then you’ll be out of this league. Chris is one of those guys who I think can play for in this league for a long time, and I think he will. “Every year, he’s coming out, he’s playing with a lot of confidence. He took a lot of slack in his early years for not playing particularly well, but to put that behind him and have the kind of game he had on national TV — I was very proud of him.”

DUNTA ROBINSON

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Falcons' Robinson plays on the edge FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Falcons head coach Mike Smith presented right cornerback Dunta Robinson with the team's defensive game ball for his performance in Sunday's 24-23 win over Tampa Bay. Robinson ranked second on the team in tackles with six, had one of the unit's two sacks, registered two tackles-for-loss and added a quarterback hurry. Earlier this season Robinson had said that he was a "football player" and that he liked new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan's scheme because it made him feel more like one, as it gave him opportunities to do more than just defend the pass. In light of that, he said the recognition from his coach for his pass-rushing and run defense on Sunday felt "great." "I knew coming in I was going to get chances to make plays and I knew I had to take advantage of it," Robinson said during the team's open locker room session with the media before practice. He did not practice on Tuesday because of what Smith said was an illness. "So when they called my number, I just tried to go out and make a play. That's what happens. That's the beauty of this defense. Different weeks, different guys' numbers are called, they're stepping up to the plate on this defense. We have to have the same result Thursday night." In addition to the game ball, Robinson also received a bit of a scare on Sunday. A player who normally plays every snap on defense, he missed 13 of his unit's 57 snaps on Sunday for what was announced during the game as a head injury. A head injury often means a concussion and concussions in regards to NFL players are serious business, especially in light of recent studies that have linked repeated concussions to CTE, a "progressive degenerative disease of the brain," according to Boston University's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy. Robinson is a hard hitter who has been fined twice by the league since joining the Falcons in 2010 for hits to the head. In 2010, he concussed himself with one of those hits, a violent collision he delivered against Philadelphia's DeSean Jackson. Robinson missed the next game as a result of that and could have missed a second week as well but the Falcons had a bye. On Sunday, with 3:08 left in the third quarter Robinson put a fierce hit on Bucs' running back Doug Martin for a one-yard loss then left the game to be examined. Robinson appeared to make helmet-to-helmet contact with his helmet but since it was a running play the NFL's "defenseless player" rule was not in effect. Smith said he does not think that Robinson should try to alter how he tackles. "No, we're always preaching to our guys the proper tackling techniques and Dunta's a very physical, physical player," Smith said. "We do stress that we want to make sure that the target is lowered. We're always trying to be somewhere in what we call the strike zone, that we talk about in baseball, basically from the shoulders down to the knees." Robinson said his injury was a stinger, more of a neck and nerve-related injury that can be very painful in the short term but one that can disappear quickly. "It was a little stinger from my neck through my shoulder," he said. "I knew I wasn't all there, so I didn't want to stay in. Didn't want to cost the team a play because I'm not feeling well. I just came out. The doctors wanted to go in and check in me. I did a few tests, came back out, I was ready to go. It was nothing that was serious at the time, but everything we're doing was for precautionary reasons."

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Like many NFL players, whose jobs are always on the line, Robinson said he would not change how he plays. It's the same style that earned him a six-year contract from the Falcons originally worth $57 million with $22.5 million guaranteed. Those are powerful incentives for a player not to mess with what has made him successful and rich. "Hell, no," he said. "You just can't play thinking about ‘what-ifs.' You just go out and play your style of football and that's what I try to do." With the Saints visiting the Falcons on Thursday, Atlanta will need Robinson to be healthy and to be at his best. In New Orleans' 31-27 victory over the Falcons on Nov. 11, Saints quarterback Drew Brees completed 21-of-32 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns with one interception for a 113.8 rating. Robinson said the Falcons need to tackle better and to just play better overall. Atlanta held the Saints to 10 points in the second half, but allowed 21 in the first half. He said they need to play the way they did in the second half for the entire game on Thursday. Complicating the situation is the status of the team's other starting cornerback, Asante Samuel, who has an injured shoulder. Samuel was listed as not participating in the team's walkthrough on Monday and also did not practice on Tuesday. If Samuel cannot play, Robinson said back-ups Robert McClain and Christopher Owens need to perform. "We need guys to step in and make plays," he said. "We trust them to do that. We know they'll be ready. But Asante will be ready to go. But if not, we have had situations where both of us have been on the sideline and guys came in and held up pretty well so that's what we expect."

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Falcons' Robinson finally fulfilling expectations FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – After taking a look at Dunta Robinson's first two seasons following the Atlanta Falcons' decision to award the cornerback a six-year contract with $25.5 million guaranteed, some Falcons fans might have been left to scratch their heads. Among the most headline-grabbing things that Robinson did in his first two seasons were hits for which he was fined by the NFL on plays against Philadelphia receivers, one in '10 and one in '11. In 2010, Brent Grimes, not Robinson, was the cornerback who earned a berth to the Pro Bowl and after last season the Falcons tagged Grimes as their franchise player and then went out and acquired Asante Samuel. In the season opener, it was revealed that Samuel and Grimes would start in the base defense with Robinson bumped to role as the nickel back. However, a number of factors have come together since then that has Robinson playing at the expectation level that his contract set. For one, Robinson remained healthy for the entire offseason for the first time since joining the Falcons. Another factor was Mike Nolan's replacing Brian VanGorder as the team's defensive coordinator, implementing a scheme that has an allowed an aggressive player like Robinson to play more aggressively. Finally, the Falcons lost Grimes for the season in Week 1 against Kansas City with an ACL tear, necessitating Robinson's insertion back into the base defense as a starter. Last week in the Falcons' 24-17 win over Washington, the Athens, Ga., native had half a sack and a late-game interception that helped to seal the victory. The week before, he forced his first fumble as a Falcon; previously, he had six in six seasons with Houston. "The first two years he did not participate in our offseason," Falcons head coach Mike Smith, "Yeah, and the scheme is different. We're playing some things that probably are better suited for him. I think the most important thing is he's stayed healthy in the offseason. He hasn't missed a snap in (offseason team activities) or training camp, but he's off to a great start. He's playing with a lot of confidence and really playing physical. You need that physical presence. It kind of sets the tone for the receivers when they know they're going to be playing against a physical secondary." For his part, Robinson, 30, gives much of the credit to Nolan. "I would just say he's letting me be the player that I am," Robinson said. "I think that's the kind of bottom line. He's letting me go out and play my comfortable style of football, not changing the things I do. He's just saying, ‘Dunta, I trust you to go out and make plays.' It's a lot easier for me. It's a lot more fun. It's paying off, man, and I'm feeling good." He's become part of a defense that is tied for the league lead with a plus-10 turnover differential, collecting nine interceptions and five fumble recoveries – a pace for 29 interceptions and 16 fumble recoveries over 16 games entering Sunday's game with Oakland at the Georgia Dome. In comparison, last season the Falcons finished plus-8 (tied for eighth in the NFL) with 19 interceptions and 10 fumbles. "I think they do an outstanding job of keying the quarterback and seeing the quarterback's eyes and they play extremely fast," Oakland head coach Dennis Allen said of the Falcons' secondary. "They play full speed on every play and they understand where the ball's going and do a good job of understanding route recognition. You know, they get a little bit of pressure on the quarterback, speed up the process. They've done an outstanding job on defense of taking the ball away. We've got to be aware of that."

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Robinson's half-sack of elusive Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin IIII – defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux received credit for the other half but Robinson made the play coming off the edge – was the kind of play that could have resulted in a turnover. He went unblocked and delivered a trademark hard hit. Robinson cited the play as an example of Nolan's allowing the defensive players to do what they do best. "I can't remember the last time I was called to blitz," he said. "…I'm a football player first – he's allowing me to play football. He's allowing me to be a part of the run game (defense). He's allowing me to blitz at times. These are things I do. I'm not just a cover-corner. I'm just a guy who wants to sit outside and not have any action all day." Robinson said he never had a meeting with Nolan to ask for a different role nor to have the coach tell him he would be used differently. He thinks Nolan, a long-time defensive coordinator in the league who also served as San Francisco's head coach, knew what he could do from his days with the Texans. As a rookie in 2004, Robinson had three sacks and another in '05, but none again until Sunday. "I like to get involved in the game and he's doing a great job of getting me involved early," Robinson said of Nolan, "and once that happens, you feel like you can make any play and then things start to go your way. That's the player I am." That, apparently, is the player he is.

JACQUIZZ RODGERS

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Jacquizz & James Rodgers have thick football bond

FLOWERY BRANCH—When Jacquizz Rodgers started playing football, he struck fear in the hearts of quarterbacks.

“I was a defensive end in Pop Warner,” Rodgers said. “In Pop Warner, it was 10 man rush.”

But did he get after the quarterback?

“Always, always,” Rodgers said. “But later, I was mainly a running back.”

Playing with the Lamar Hornets, he was on the same team with his older brother James, the team’s tight end.

“He was actually playing defensive end and that was kind of weird,” James said. “I guess the positions that we were in atthat time was something that is pretty memorable. Quizz is definitely not a defensive end.”

The two brothers, born just under 14 months apart and now stand 5 foot 6 (Jacquizz) and 5 7 (James), would go on to playtogether for the Lamar Consolidated High School Mustangs in Richmond, Texas, and then at Oregon State. Now, they areboth in training camp and trying to make it with the Falcons.

Jacquizz, a running back, was drafted last season and James, a wide receiver, was signed as a free agent.

They hope to join such other brother duos like Boss and Champ Bailey, the former University of Georgia standouts whoplayed together with the Denver Broncos in 2008.

They were raised by the mother, Tasha Williams, and their uncle Rodney Williams played a pivotal role in their upbringing.Their father, James Rodgers, went to jail when they were in the seventh and eighth grade. He was released in June.

“He helped us out a lot, leading us down the right path,” James said of his uncle. “He had us doing a lot of things to stayfocused on sports and not getting into anything outside of that.”

Without their father around, the bond between the brothers grew stronger.

“That’s a part of us growing up a little faster and looking out for each other,” James said. “He was released last month, orlittle over a month ago. Some time in June.”

They are in contact with their father, who lives in the Houston area.

With the Falcons, the roles for the Rodgers brothers have been reversed. Normally, as the older sibling, James would showJacquizz the ropes. But, with a NFL year under his belt, Jacquizz is playing the adviser role for James.

“I can give him a little advice about how things work around here,” Jacquizz said. “We talk mainly, about being aprofessional and how things work. I have to let him know what the coaches expect from you on this level and things likethat. It’s different than college.”

In college, James arrived at Oregon State first in 2007. He would go on to set several career receiving and total yardagerecords. Jacquizz followed him the next season and went on to set several marks of his own.

Jacquizz elected to forgo his final season of eligibility and enter the draft after the 2011 season.

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Last season, Jacquizz didn’t receive his playbook until the lockout was over and he could report to camp. He went on tohave a solid rookie season.

He rushed 57 times for 205 yards and a touchdown and caught 21 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown.

With a full offseason of organized team activities and a minicamp, Rodgers said this training camp has a different feel to it.

“I can anticipate everything,” he said. “Last year was just a blur. You never knew when you were going to be back infootball. I always stayed ready. I just had to stay in shape and be prepared for the season.”

The Falcons’ coaching staff hopes that with a year under his belt, Rodgers — with running back Jason Snelling — can helplift some of the rushing load off Michael Turner’s broad shoulders.

“Everybody has to find their identity on the team and their role,” Rodgers said. “That’s what I’m aiming to do, is find a roleon the team and just go with that role; if it’s getting two carries or if it’s getting 10. I want to take advantage of it.”

James, who set a school record with 222 career receptions, including 91 in 2009, has been a quick learner.

“He was just telling me how fast paced everything was and how you got to get up to speed and go out there and competewith everyone,” James said.

At Oregon State, James set the school mark with 6,377 all purpose yards and was the first player in OSU history with 1,000yards rushing and 2,000 yards receiving. He was one of the nation’s top return men, averaging 24.7 yards per kickoff returnand 13.7 on punt returns over his career.

With Eric Weems now playing for the Chicago Bears, the Falcons have an opening at kickoff and punt returner.

“I think the main thing, especially for a guy my size, is being able to play on special teams,” James said. “I just want to makethe best of any opportunity that I get on special teams and show everyone what I have.”

Instead of playing defensive end and tight end, maybe the Rodgers brothers can help the Falcons at running back and widereceiver.

MATT RYAN

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The Incomplete Tale of Matt Ryan History has told us time and time again that judging someone by his early playoff record is a mistake Because the Falcons are the 11-1 team that nobody seems to believe in, it feels like we're all laying out a road map of the things they have to do before they deserve to be taken seriously. Never mind that the Falcons were 43-21 during Matt Ryan's professional career before this season began, which is the fifth-best record for any team over that four-year stretch. The Falcons need to beat a great team, even though they comfortably handled a Broncos team in Week 2 that we all didn't realize was quite that good. They need to win on the road, even though they blew out the Chargers by 24 in San Diego when the Ravens needed a miracle and overtime to win there by three. They needed to beat these Saints last night, in what was probably the only time an announcer declared a home game versus a 5-6 team to be a "must-win" for a 10-1 squad.1 And now, of course, the next step in our road map for the Falcons is to win a playoff game with Ryan at the helm. Since Atlanta already has a playoff spot virtually sealed up, Ryan and the Falcons are going to spend the next four weeks deflecting that same question about their legitimacy in interview after interview, something Ryan already had to do during the postgame show last night. That criticism conflates the words "haven't" and "can't." It suggests that there's something lacking about Ryan's abilities or even Atlanta's character. That both Ryan and his team truly can't be taken seriously — that they don't deserve to be taken seriously — until they beat somebody in January. I don't know that the Falcons will win the Super Bowl or even that lone playoff game this year, but impugning Ryan and his team on some sort of illegitimate-until-they-win argument is lazy. There is no next hurdle for the Falcons to cross because that's a narrative trick, not a genuine way that people win or lose football games. All it takes to realize that is a little bit of historical perspective. Let's look a little closer at the Falcons' 0-3 postseason record with Ryan. The three losses were all in games where the Falcons were competitive through the first half, even if the game did eventually get away from them in the second. In the 2008 playoffs, they led Arizona 17-14 on the road at halftime before losing the lead on an Antrel Rolle fumble return for a touchdown, eventually losing 30-24. Two years later, they were down 21-14 to the Packers with 14 seconds left in the first half and the ball on the Green Bay 26-yard line, but Ryan took a sack and threw a pick-six to Tramon Williams that marked the final play of the half; Green Bay promptly scored on the opening drive of the second half, turning what could have been a 21-21 game into a 35-14 blowout that eventually finished 48-21. And last year, Atlanta was down 7-2 at halftime and then 10-2 in the third quarter before Ryan was stuffed on a fourth-and-1 sneak and Hakeem Nicks caught a 72-yard touchdown pass. That one finished 24-2 and is often portrayed not a year later as some sort of start-to-finish blowout that the Falcons were never in. You'll note something about those three teams that beat the Falcons: They all did pretty well in the playoffs. The Packers and Giants won the Super Bowl those years, and the Cardinals made it to the big game before suffering a narrow defeat at the hands of the Steelers. When you hear talk about those teams, both now and at the time of their respective runs, it's always how they were teams of destiny who got really hot when they needed to. When we look at it from the Falcons' perspective it's never that they were beaten by three teams who were really hot; it's that the Falcons are an inferior team who can't handle playoff pressure. It seems contradictory to have it both ways. There was a young quarterback of whom the same pithy things were said not all that long ago. Like Ryan, he had a reputation going back through college as a highly regarded leader, even if his team didn't win the national championship. Like Ryan, he started his playoff career with three consecutive losses. Like Ryan, the third in that string of losses was an embarrassing defeat at the hands of a team from New York in a game where his offense failed to put up any points. Peyton Manning's Colts lost 41-0 to the Jets that day, with Manning going 14-of-31 for 137 yards with two picks in a game where his team was "befuddled" and Manning himself was "fed his own audibles for dinner."

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From that point forward, while there was no discernible difference in Manning's level of play during the regular season (short a drop in his interception rate), Manning started winning in the playoffs. The following year, Manning won two playoff games, dropping 79 points across victories over the Broncos (at home) and the Chiefs (in Arrowhead) before losing to the Patriots in his famously bad four-interception game. Of course, then the bar for Manning changed from "win a playoff game" to "beat the Patriots," without any acknowledgment that he'd conquered that previous arbitrary definition of what he needed to do to prove himself as a legitimate star. Since that 0-3 start, Manning's gone 9-7 in the playoffs, including two trips to the Super Bowl and one victory there. And if Manning's postseason record isn't enough for you, consider that Michael Jordan started his professional career by losing each of his first three playoff series with the Bulls. A lot of why these definitions crop up has to do with the meaning we place in first impressions and the level of difficulty there is in overcoming those notions. In May, I wrote about LeBron James after Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals and how his incredible performance in that game was only going to be remembered if the Heat won the championship, which ended up happening. By that point, we had already decided as a sports culture that LeBron couldn't win the big one, and until he did, the deck was rigged against him. It wasn't that James merely had to pull off one impressive postseason performance; he had to pull off an entire postseason and win in the process to get that scarlet letter off his back. If LeBron had been awful in Game 6 and the Heat had lost, he would have been derided for playing so poorly in an elimination game when his team needed him the most. By playing well, all he did was push the question of his clutchness off further to Game 7, and then, to the Finals matchup against the Thunder. Despite the fact that any player of any caliber in the playoffs is far more likely to come up short of a title than to win it in a given year, guys who we already regarded as unclutch like James and Manning would need to prove themselves over and over again without slipping up even once in a playoff run. Once the tide is turned against you, it's almost impossible to overcome. The opposite of that is true, too; once we've defined a player to possess something special in terms of his ability to win in the playoffs, he can do virtually nothing to erase those claims. The thought experiment I always pose in arguing that one is simple: Take Tom Brady's playoff career and flip it, so that he begins his career with the 2011 season and ends it with the 2001 campaign. Brady's a totally different player with a totally different career story line. He's the guy who can't win the big game, the quarterback who has the Giants stuck in his head from the start. He loses to them in the 2011 regular season and then in the Super Bowl when Manning finds Manningham. Given a second crack a few years later, he finally beats them in Week 17 to extend New England's perfect season, but the Giants come up in the clutch in the Super Bowl in a way that Brady just can't match, as the "greatest offense in league history" implodes and scores just 14 points in an embarrassing loss. You can feel the invective spewing through the Boston papers as Brady gets blown out by the Ravens in 2009 and is trampled by the Broncos in Denver in 2005. Finally, he gets his ring after seven disappointing playoff runs at the helm, but only by blowing a playoff lead to Jake Delhomme before getting bailed out when the opposing kicker boots the final kickoff of the game out of bounds. Brady goes on a nine-game playoff winning streak and shakes his playoff blues. In the real world, Brady's playoff career is pretty similar to Derek Jeter's, a guy who repeatedly won at the beginning of his career before a long stretch of mostly coming up just short. Flip it, and he's more like Jordan, a guy who had the playoff choker label slapped on him before making the whole thing look silly. Winning in the playoffs matters, but a win in the 10th year of a guy's career means just as much as one in his second year. Once you get past the idea that there's something specifically troublesome about Ryan losing his first three playoff games as opposed to three randomly consecutive playoff games, it looks a lot less meaningful in terms of defining his skills. In addition to Peyton Manning,2 plenty of legendary NFL quarterbacks have lost three consecutive playoff games during their careers. Marino. Elway. Brady. Aikman. Even Joe Montana did it: After he won the Super Bowl in 1984, Montana lost each opening playoff game in 1985, 1986, and 1987, only to promptly go 6-0 and win consecutive Super Bowls immediately thereafter. Did Montana forget how to win in the playoffs and suddenly remember? Of course not. There's no guarantees that Ryan will experience a turnaround in his playoff performance similar to that of Montana or Michael Jordan, of course, but there's also no evidence that his three playoff losses say very much about his likelihood of

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winning playoff games in the future. If your argument against Atlanta's playoff chances revolves around the idea that the Falcons are limited without a healthy Julio Jones and haven't delivered many big wins during the regular season this year, you have a fair point. If you truly believe that the Falcons aren't a legitimate contender because they haven't won a playoff game with their current core, though, you're convincing yourself that three losses against very good teams means more than Ryan's excellent body of work over 74 regular-season games. History tells us that's foolish. There's no reason to wait until an Atlanta playoff win to believe that they can compete in this year's playoffs. It has long been time to take Matt Ryan and the Falcons seriously.

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Atlanta's Ryan not interested in MVP discussions FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) -- Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan doesn't like to discuss his accomplishments and never says much when asked to consider his chances of becoming the NFL's MVP. The same goes when Ryan is asked about whether the Falcons can go undefeated in the regular season or if he's concerned about his winless record in three playoff games. It's difficult to get much emotion from Ryan other than the vibe he puts off that's intelligent, cool and polite. Ryan ranks third in NFL passer rating and completion percentage and in touchdowns, but said there are just two statistical categories that have real meaning. ''From a quarterback standpoint, it's all about touchdowns and turnovers,'' he said on Wednesday. ''Those kinds of things are ultimately the most important. So far, we've done a pretty good job of that this year.'' Ryan has been called Matty Ice since he was teenager, earning the nickname by performing well under pressure at William Penn Charter School in the Philadelphia suburbs. But the moniker likewise applies to his interviews with reporters. Nobody's going to crack Matty Ice. Teammates say that he can be a wise guy when the public isn't watching, but that it's all business when he gets on the field. Todd McClure, the Falcons' 14th-year center, said Ryan rarely berates a teammate for a missed assignment and never shows much emotion in the huddle. ''You never see him get rattled,'' McClure said. ''He never changes.'' There's been a few times where he's gotten on some guys in some situations where we maybe got a penalty here and there, but for the most part he never changes. He's the same guy all of the time.'' When Atlanta (7-0) hosts the Dallas Cowboys (3-4) on Sunday night, Ryan insists he won't worry about the expectations of a capacity crowd at the Georgia Dome or a national television audience. ''Not really,'' he said. ''We've got guys in this locker room that have played for a long time, and we've played Sunday night games, we've played Monday night games, we've played Thursday night games. We've done about everything you can do, so the biggest thing is to get in your routine.'' Ryan's leadership is a primary reason Atlanta's diverse offense is playing at a high level. With Julio Jones, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez so tough to defend in man-to-man coverage, they give Ryan plenty of ways to move the ball down the field. The Falcons can strike quickly or move the ball methodically. Ryan has helped Atlanta take first-quarter leads at Kansas City and Philadelphia and mount last-minute comebacks against Carolina and Oakland. In last week's 13-point win over the Eagles, Ryan oversaw an offense that scored on its first six drives. His career record improved to 28-0 when his passer rating is 100 or higher and 29-5 when he throws at least two touchdown passes.

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''He ran the offense about as well as it could be run,'' Atlanta coach Mike Smith said. ''I thought there was probably one throw early in the game that he would've liked to have back. It was the first throw of the game.'' Ryan hardly gave himself an outstanding evaluation. ''Far from perfect,'' he said with a laugh. ''There is no doubt. Smitty was being kind. There was probably more than one that I wanted back. The first play of the game is a good example of that. I probably should've just put it in the dirt.'' Ryan cited poor footwork on some inaccurate throws. He wasn't pleased on decisions he made on checkdowns and pre-snap protection calls he could've made. ''You're never going to be completely perfect,'' he said. ''But you're always trying to work towards that and I'll continue trying to do that this week.''

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Even Falcons QB Matt Ryan downplays dominating road victory, team's 7-0 start The Atlanta Falcons are way beyond convincing doubters of their greatness with one regular-season win, no matter how impressive. Likewise, quarterback Matt Ryan can't seem to get much love in the hearts of many Falcons fans, even when he badly outplays the guy he replaced. That may be why what the Falcons did Sunday in dismantling the Philadelphia Eagles has been lost in a shuffle of stories about the losing team. Is Michael Vick going to be benched? Has the defense quit? Will Andy Reid finally get kicked to the curb after 14 years on the job? Those questions have taken center stage over the fact that the Falcons not only improved to 7-0, but dominated a team that had given them fits the previous four years. If there was possibly a game in the regular season that could have signaled the Falcons have turned a corner, it was Sunday's win in Philadelphia. Sorry, but nobody is ready to buy it. You can hear it in the tone of various analysts who find numerous ways to ask the doubt-bloated, rhetorical question, "Can Atlanta really be this good?" "It was a good road win, that's the only way I'm looking at it," Ryan said Sunday after his latest performance from what's looking more and more like an MVP season for the fifth-year starter. Ryan was quietly insistent about this week-to-week thing. He has learned the classic coaching mantra of "one game at a time" the hard way. In his first two or three years, Ryan found himself looking ahead. "You get caught up in all the 'what ifs' about what could happen and where you'll end up at the end of the season and it's all a distraction," Ryan acknowledged. "It doesn't actually help you get there and it takes away from your concentration. It's a cliché, but you find out that it's really true. If you just keep your focus, you're going to be fine." To an extent, that remains to be seen, but there are real signs this year is a breakthrough for the Falcons. In three of Ryan's four full seasons, the Falcons were good enough to get to the playoffs. That included the 13-3 record in 2010. However, in each of those three playoff appearances, the Falcons were dismissed and made to look like an also-ran. Never mind the fact that Atlanta has been eliminated by the past two Super Bowl champs (New York Giants last season and Green Bay Packers in 2010) and was beaten by the eventual NFC rep in 2008 (Arizona Cardinals). Those facts are just trivia, particularly to the many fans of Vick still in Atlanta who remember the hope and excitement he created. In many critics' eyes: It's not that the NFC road to the Super Bowl goes through Atlanta; it's more like the Falcons have been road kill on the way to the title. So starting with two new coordinators (Dirk Koetter on offense and Mike Nolan on defense), the Falcons tried to change their approach. "When [former offensive coordinator] Mike [Mularkey] left to go to Jacksonville and I brought in Dirk and [Nolan], the first thing we talked about was creating the 2012 Falcons," Atlanta coach Mike Smith said. "We weren't stuck on what we had done before or how we had played in these situations, we were creating a new identity for how we were going to play this season."

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While Smith doesn't want to define his team as pass-based or run-based, the stats make it obvious. Ryan is on pace to throw more than 600 times this season for the first time in his career. He is also on pace for career highs in yards, touchdowns, completion percentage and quarterback rating (103.0 so far). For the first time in Ryan's career, the Falcons are throwing the ball more than 60 percent of the time. In short, Atlanta now completely trusts Ryan to accomplish the main goal. That's why the Philadelphia game is so emblematic of the progress the Falcons have made. Going into that game, Smith stressed that the offense had to score early and set the tempo. "We don't care if we're a passing team or a running team. We want to be a scoring team," Smith said. "In this league, you have to be multiple and be capable of adjusting to the situation." As Smith pointed out again and again, Philadelphia was 23-5 since 2008 when leading after the first quarter. Moreover, the Falcons hadn't held the Eagles to less than 27 points in any of the previous four meetings dating to Ryan's rookie season. The Eagles had won three of those contests. Atlanta struggled to a 35-31 victory over Philadelphia last year, a game in which Vick was knocked out in the second half. If not for the injury, the Eagles might easily have won. On Sunday, the game was essentially over by the end of the first quarter, but that's because the Falcons took control behind Ryan. They opened with a 16-play drive for a touchdown and followed that with two more TD drives. The next three drives ended in field goals and Atlanta won 30-17 without ever being seriously challenged. Ryan, a Philly native who had roughly 80 relatives and friends in attendance Sunday, easily could have crowed, even if just a little. Instead, he was subdued, enjoying the victory for what it was and then discarding it as a nominal achievement. "Like I said," Ryan said, lightly. "It was a nice road win. That's all."

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Atlanta Falcons: Matt Ryan, Dirk Koetter form fast bond FLOWERY BRANCH – Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan couldn’t figure out why offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter repeatedly turned down his invitations for a round of golf. The two needed to bond professionally and personally, and a golf course seemed to be the perfect place to lay the foundation for a mutually beneficial partnership. But Koetter, hired by the Falcons in January, knew the young quarterback had a motive. “He kept asking me to go golfing with him because he wanted to take my money,” Koetter said. “I was a little smarter than that. I just kept making excuses for why I couldn’t go.” When told of Koetter’s dodging, Ryan put it together. “No wonder he didn’t play with me,” Ryan said. “He must have been scared or something.” While Koetter was careful not to play Ryan, who has a strong golf game, the two made it a point to extend their professional relationship into their respective personal lives. After several team events and fundraisers, they fostered their relationship. “I think that it was extremely important,” Ryan said. “You’ve got to know each other when you’re going into a game, you really do because Sundays kind of brings out everybody’s alter ego. “You want to have that rapport to the point where you both know each other pretty well. I think we’ve done a great job of that. I feel very comfortable with Dirk, professionally and personally. I think both of those things help.” Koetter wanted to make sure the relationship was sound. “I think that it is real important that the quarterback and the play-caller are on the same page and can communicate,” Koetter said. “I think that’s one of Matt’s best traits. He’s a great communicator, and he can tell me what he likes and doesn’t like and why. Yet he’s still open to coaching.” As a rookie in 2008, Ryan played immediately under former offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey and quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave. When Musgrave left to become Minnesota’s offensive coordinator after the 2010 season, Bob Bratkowski became the quarterbacks coach. Last season, under Mularkey and Bratkowski, Ryan passed for a franchise-record 4,177 yards and tossed a career-high 29 touchdown passes. He also had the most attempts (571) and completions (357) in team history. So finding the proper coaches when Murlarkey and Bratkowski left for Jacksonville, was very important for Ryan’s continued development. Falcons coach Mike Smith felt that Koetter, whom he worked with for one season (2007) in Jacksonville, was a perfect fit for the job.

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If the exhibition season is any indication, Koetter and Ryan appear set to re-write more franchise records. Ryan was third in the NFL in passing yards, playing in only three of four games. “I’m very impressed with how quickly they’ve gotten on the same page,” Smith said. “The one thing I think about both Matt and Dirk is they’re very collaborative.” Koetter has been rather flexible with Ryan. “Even though he’s a proven player, he’s open to the way I see it and my experiences,” Koetter said. “It’s been a give-and-take relationship. We’ll see how it plays out, but I’m happy with where it’s at.” Ryan believes that the time spent away from the team was very important. “We had a number of different events that we went to with and for the Falcons where we got to spend some time away from football and got to know each other,” Ryan said. “I’ve met his family. They all seem very, very nice. He’s a family guy, which is one of his best attributes. “Just a number of different things, seeing him outside of the facility, outside of the football arena, both of us got a good feel for each other. I think those kinds of personal relationships help. Having good personal relationships, a good locker room and a good mix among the coaching staff and players is important.” Ryan needed some new friends, too. The personnel in the quarterback meeting room has been overhauled since his rookie season. “I’m thankful for all of the people that I’ve worked with before because they’ve certainly helped me get to the point where I’m at,” Ryan said. “But I like the new guys that we have around, too.”

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Ryan stirring MVP talk with best start of career FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) -- Standing in front of his locker, wearing an Atlanta Braves cap, Matt Ryan was back in full ice mode. Any suggestions about being the early favorite in the MVP race were quickly brushed aside by the Falcons quarterback. Any kudos for his performance over the first quarter of the NFL season brought an immediate reminder about all the games still to play. ''After four games, you can't really worry about those things,'' Ryan said Wednesday. But there's no denying he's off to the best start of his five-year career, inching that much closer to being regarded as one of the league's truly elite signal-callers. He's a major reason the Falcons (4-0) have matched the best start in franchise history and already built a commanding lead in the NFL South heading into Sunday's game against the latest quarterback sensation, Washington's Robert Griffin III. Ryan even broke character after last weekend's stirring comeback victory over the Carolina Panthers, hardly looking like ''Matty Ice'' as he stood screaming on the sideline, his arms thrust toward the Georgia Dome roof. Mad Matty? ''The team has to have passion and emotion,'' coach Mike Smith said. ''The leader on our football team is Matt Ryan, and he was very emotional because that was quite a finish.'' The Falcons never trailed once in the first three weeks of the season. Against Carolina, however, Ryan trotted on the field with about a minute remaining, his team down 28-27, the ball on the 1-yard line and no timeouts to make the job a bit easier. No worries. Even though Ryan had already been battered by a career-high seven sacks, he calmly dropped to the back of the end zone and launched a throw so high, it might have scraped one of the rafters. The ball came down right where Roddy White was sandwiched between two defenders, giving him a chance to leap up and snatch it away for a 59-yard gain. Just like that, the Falcons were positioned for another victory. Two more completions - of the much shorter variety - set up Matt Bryant's winning field goal with 5 seconds remaining. It was the kind of comeback that cements a quarterback's reputation. It was the kind of comeback that persuades a team to jump on the back of the guy taking the snaps and see how far he can take them. ''Matt knows he's the key for the success of this football team,'' running back Michael Turner said. ''We've all got his back. We're all going to support him. We're all going to make plays when our number is called.'' If Ryan seems a bit reticent to soak in all the praise, it's worth remembering that he's never done the one thing that truly cements a lofty ranking in the quarterback hierarchy. Three times, he's taken the Falcons to the playoffs. All three times, they were on the wrong end of one-and-done routs. During the offseason, 0-3 was definitely was on Ryan's mind as he hit the weight room harder than ever before. He wanted to be stronger at the end of the season. He wanted to be in a better spot to lead this franchise to its first championship.

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Now, in the day-to-day grind of the season, Ryan is reticent to talk about his playoff failures. He prefers to stay in the moment - looking forward, not backward. But it's clear he's got a bit of a chip on his shoulder. ''He's the real deal,'' said Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall. ''Matt is coming into his own. He looks like the guy (everyone) thought he would be all along. He's playing at an MVP caliber right now.'' Ryan is the NFL's top-rated passer, completing more than 69 percent of his throws, with 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions. If there was any doubt about his toughness, that was cast aside with the beating he took in Week 4, which not only include all those sacks, but another dozen hits - several of the brutal variety - after he got rid of the ball. While eyebrows were raised when the Falcons hired Dirk Koetter as their new offensive coordinator, it's clear that Ryan has developed a quick bond with the guy calling the plays. An offense that was based around Turner and a power running game has become more a quick-passing, no-huddle scheme. The Falcons have hit only 11 passing plays longer than 20 yards, tied for 20th in the league rankings. But, actually, they appear to be a more wide-open team, letting Ryan take advantage of his myriad weapons: White, Julio Jones, tight end Tony Gonzalez. ''They're just letting Matt do things he's comfortable with,'' Turner said. ''As long as we keep doing that, we'll be fine.'' Just don't bring up those letters. MVP. ''The biggest thing for me is to try to play well every week and do whatever we need to do to get a win,'' Ryan said. ''Other than that, I try not to pay attention to it.''

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Ryan driven to improve in 5th year with Falcons FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) -- Matt Ryan wasn't satisfied to set a Falcons record for yards passing in a season in 2011. He wasn't content to join Dan Marino and Joe Flacco as the only quarterbacks since 1950 to win at least 40 games in their first four seasons. So about three weeks after the Falcons' wild-card playoff loss to the Giants, Ryan was ready to start working for a better postseason finish. "Matt was the first guy in the weight room this offseason," coach Mike Smith said after Thursday's opening to training camp. "I believe he took somewhere between two and three weeks off before he popped back into the building. When you have your quarterback in as the first guy in, I think that's a positive thing. When he came in, it's funny how other guys started to trickle in." Ryan said he's determined to improve. He wants to bring the Falcons the postseason success the team has missed in his four seasons as the starting quarterback. His franchise-record 4,177 yards passing last season meant little when he and Smith fell to 0-3 in the playoffs. The offense fell flat in the 24-2 loss to the Giants. The Falcons have put together four straight winning seasons, but now Ryan is driven to deliver more than regular-season success. Ryan said the only way he knows to be better is to work harder, and that has driven him as he prepared for training camp. "I think the biggest thing is when you look at the past season and leading up to this point in your career, I certainly haven't been where I need to be," Ryan said. "I haven't been as good as I think I can be. I don't know any other way to improve but to work harder and to try and find ways to get better. That's something I think all of us have done. I think everybody has taken a good, hard look at themselves and tried to find ways to improve. That's my sole intention for it." Smith said he sees the result of Ryan's offseason. "I see it in Matt's strength," Smith said. "I know some of you are saying well he doesn't look like he's that much bigger, but when you're slight like Matt is and you have the body type he is, you're working with percentages and Matt has done a good job with his body. "He looked good throwing the football and if you start the season stronger you're obviously going to finish the season stronger and that's something we have talked to our entire football team about, being a team that finishes everything that we do." Starting every game for the third time in his four seasons, Ryan set career highs with his 29 touchdown passes, 92.2 passer rating and six 300-yard games. The Falcons finished 10-6.

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Ryan has a new offensive coordinator, Dirk Koetter. There could be more screen passes, and possibly a bigger commitment to the passing game overall, as Koetter and Ryan find ways to get the ball to receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones, tight end Tony Gonzalez and running back Michael Turner. "Matt and I spent a lot of time watching tape together," said Koetter, the former Jacksonville offensive coordinator. "That's one of the things I like the most about Matt. Matt will look you in the eye and tell you how he sees it and what he thinks. At the same token, I can tell him what I think and what I see and what the coaching staff thinks. "He takes coaching well but yet he also gives good feedback. You can't ask for better than that. I feel like Matt and I are going to be on the same page and are on the same page." Ryan said Koetter is "really fun, really upbeat, really positive." "I think everybody is impressed with how smart he is and also how receptive he is to our input, too," Ryan said. "I think he understands we've done some things pretty well around here and wants to take that into account but also find areas where we can improve."

ASANTE SAMUEL

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Falcons' Asante Samuel gives himself a strange nickname FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Atlanta Falcons cornerback Asante Samuel brings something to Sunday's divisional playoff game with the Seattle Seahawks that the Falcons have lacked during their 0-3 playoff drought since 2008. Samuel calls his proven postseason play-making dynamic "Swag 100.'' Or at least that's what he has dubbed himself, because "I'm swag 100% of the time,'' Samuel told USA TODAY Sports. "In order to have swag, you have to be balling -- doing your thing and making game-changing plays, like I've been doing." In other words, you must have swagger. "It's all about being a leader, making everybody around you better," Samuel said. "That's what I want to do, make everybody around me better and have everybody go out for one common goal: to win a championship.'' The 11th-year cornerback, with 48 career interceptions, has instilled a loose but fiery edge to practices and games, and he expects to be in the middle of big moments Sunday. Samuel's seven postseason interceptions are second among active players, and he owns a league postseason record: four career interception returns for touchdowns. So while lippy Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman gets the spotlight for his eight interceptions during the regular season (and taunting opposing coaches and confronting opponents after the game), Samuel has helped the Falcons improve by challenging quarterback Matt Ryan and his receivers every day on the practice field. While Samuel has nicknamed himself, his teammates have a label for him, too: "Human Crowd Noise," receiver Roddy White said laughing. Added coach Mike Smith: "Asante talks a lot. And he makes practice fun. Nobody is exempt, including me and Matt. Asante's been a great addition to our team. He exudes confidence in his game and it rubs off on other guys in the locker room.'' Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff acquired Samuel, a former Philadelphia Eagles defensive back, in an April 2012 trade. Dimitroff knew Samuel's game from their time together in 2003 to 2007, when the New England Patriots won two Super Bowls. The Falcons wanted Samuel to inject the secondary with fearless aggressiveness, and with Samuel, the unit's play-making production has jumped dramatically. Safety Thomas DeCoud led the Falcons with a career-best six interceptions, Samuel added five and safety William Moore picked off four passes. Samuel isn't all edgy cockiness as his Twitter account might suggest, where his biography announces him as a "future Hall of Famer'' and the "CEO of many things.'' During the Falcons' bye week, Samuel lost his mother, Christine, after a long battle with ALS. He was extremely close to the woman who inspired him by the way she scrapped to raise a family as a single parent, he said. Samuel dedicates this latest postseason chance to the mother who led him to create "Bring It Home Moms," a foundation to assist struggling single mothers.

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"She was my everything, my inspiration,'' Samuel said. "She taught me everything I know about life -- how to not take 'No' for an answer, how to work hard, how to communicate. She meant the world to me and my kids. 'She had been through a lot. It was time for her to go home to God.'' But his mother isn't Samuel's only source of motivation. He remembers how he was dumped by the Eagles for a seventh-round pick. "It's always time for me to step up, because I'm here," Samuel said. "It's show time. Everybody has to take their game to the next level."

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Samuel finds perfect fit in Atlanta He mocked Tom Brady after beating New England, famously sending a Twitter message featuring a photo of their confrontation along with the caption, “U Mad Bro?” He got so deep under Trent Williams’ skin that the Washington Redskins left tackle punched him in the face last Sunday following Seattle’s playoff win. Spewing such smack this season has helped establish Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman among the NFL’s most notorious trash-talkers entering Sunday’s second-round game at Atlanta (1 p.m. ET on FOX). Yet no matter what Sherman says inside the Georgia Dome, it will likely fall upon deaf ears. That’s because Atlanta’s offense already hears during every practice from a motor-mouthed cornerback who possesses just as much “swag” and an even more impressive NFL resume. Asante Samuel isn’t shy bragging about it, either, when asked to compare Sherman’s style to his. “He’s pretty darn confident,” Samuel told FOXSports.com on Thursday at Falcons headquarters. “He plays pretty good ball. “But there’s only one (No.) 22, man.” Samuel then punctuated the point by proudly using of one of his favorite self-identifying catchphrases: “Deuce here, Deuce here.” The Falcons wouldn’t want him anyplace else. It isn’t lip service when his teammates talk about Samuel’s impact since he arrived here last April in the league’s biggest offseason steal. Samuel, 32, continued to play at a high level in his 10th NFL season. He had five interceptions and 19 passes defensed — Samuel’s highest total since playing with Philadelphia in 2008 — on a unit that ranked fourth in fewest points allowed (18.7 a game) during the regular season. According to STATS LLC, quarterbacks completed only 52.7 percent of the 74 passes thrown Samuel’s way. Numbers, though, only tell part of what he has meant. When he arrived in a trade with Philadelphia for a mere seventh-round draft choice, the Falcons had a solid secondary but a mild-mannered one. There was little of the verbal bluster that can become infectious and spur inspired performances. Samuel immediately began providing that during offseason practices. When he hadn’t had a pass thrown in his direction during the team’s initial OTA sessions, Samuel began challenging Matt Ryan to come his way — loudly. Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff, who orchestrated the deal with Philadelphia and knew Samuel from when both were with the New England Patriots from 2003 to 2007, even got called out on the sideline. “I’m like, ‘Matt! You’ve got to throw the ball over here! I’ve got to show these people what I can do! Thomas — tell Matt to throw the ball over here!’” Samuel said with a smile.

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When the Falcons quarterback finally acquiesced, Samuel intercepted Ryan the same way he had in three of four previous career meetings. Samuel celebrated by wildly running around the practice fields hollering and giving Dimitroff some good-natured grief. Those antics admittedly stunned Atlanta’s other defensive backs and laid the groundwork for them to come out of their shells. “We saw, ‘We … can … actually … get … away … with … (saying) that?’” said Falcons free safety Thomas DeCoud, pausing between words to emphasize how startled he and his teammates were by how Samuel carries himself. “It’s definitely helped us a lot this season. We’ve turned it up. That swagger has turned into turnovers, pass breakups and confidence that he has amplified for us to become better players.” DeCoud and strong safety William Moore both enjoyed their best NFL seasons. Fellow starting cornerback Dunta Robinson began justifying the six-year, $57 million free-agent contract he signed to leave Houston during the 2011 offseason. And the Falcons were able to weather the loss of nickel cornerback Brent Grimes, the team’s 2012 franchise player who suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the season-opener. “We feed into it,” Moore said of Samuel’s personality. “When you see guys doing stuff like that, one thing you learn is to be confident in yourself and what you can do. We just follow him.” That’s a form of leadership often lost amid Samuel’s bravado. “I’m a talk s*** guy,” Samuel said. “I talk s*** to everybody — the offense, the quarterback, the offensive coordinator. They had my back and came along with me. They started chirping. “It just raises the energy in practice. Everybody is competing and getting better. That’s what the coaches and players love.” The NFL franchise from the City of Brotherly Love could have used Samuel in 2012. However, Philadelphia began setting the stage for Samuel’s departure in the 2011 offseason by signing prized cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha in free agency and acquiring Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie as part of a trade with Arizona involving quarterback Kevin Kolb. The Eagles tried trading Samuel during the 2011 season but his $5.9 million base salary scared potential suitors away. With his 2012 base salary slated at $9.5 million, the deal with Atlanta was completed before the NFL draft only because Samuel agreed to a restructured three-year, $14.5 million contract. Samuel’s presence was sorely missed in Philadelphia with Asomugha and Rodgers-Cromartie both tanking en route to a 4-12 season that got head coach Andy Reid fired. As the Falcons put the finishing touches on a lopsided 30-17 road win over the Eagles in late October, Samuel and his fellow defensive backs celebrated by dancing on the sideline. Reid was angry enough that he snubbed Samuel after the game. Samuel told FOXSports.com that he still has “love for Philly” and “it kind of hurt a little bit” to see how badly the defense played in 2012. Samuel, though, has no sympathy for those in Eagles management who did “bad business” by getting rid of him. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported last July that Reid believed Samuel’s skills were in “deep decline.” Reid emphatically denied saying such, but the words stuck with Samuel. When news broke in October that Reid had fired defensive

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coordinator Juan Castillo, Samuel posted on Twitter that “sometimes you have to blame yourself. You can't try and always point the figure at someone else. I'm just saying ... Ain’t no decline over here.” Asked whether he played as well last season in Philadelphia as in 2012 with the Falcons, the 32-year-old Samuel said, “I think there wasn’t too much of a difference. I had three interceptions instead of five. I had less passes defensedm but I got much less action. They were throwing the ball to the other side to other people. “The whole team was kind of in shambles. I’m trying to hold everybody together, still trying to be the leader and get the secondary right. As you can see, the leadership left from the secondary when I was gone.” Samuel’s next goal is to bring his own penchant for playoff success to a Falcons team that lost its opening game in three of the past four seasons. Stemming largely from his time in New England, Samuel is the NFL’s all-time postseason leader in interceptions returned for touchdowns (four) and passes defensed (25). With one more interception, Samuel will tie Baltimore safety Ed Reed’s postseason interception record of eight. Just like with Sherman, the only way Atlanta will silence its critics is by ending its playoff drought. Moore said Samuel already is getting the team mentally prepared to roar. “He carried us all through the season with some of his positive energy,” Moore said. “In practice, he’s still doing it now. He’s saying, ‘We ain’t going home early! We’re going to roll!’ “We need that.”

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Samuel, Eagles going in opposite directions When the Philadelphia Eagles traded Donovan McNabb within their division, they got it right. When the same organization traded cornerback Asante Samuel within the NFC to a team with which they compete for a playoff spot, one can’t help but think they got it wrong. Especially considering the meager compensation the Eagles received – reported as a seventh-round draft pick – and looking at the direction in which both teams have gone since then, it’s hard not to wonder how both teams might have been different. The Falcons are 12-2 and sit atop the conference. The Eagles are 4-10 and, by virtue of their 2-8 mark in the NFC, officially and improbably have sunk to its bottom. The Eagles have many problems – injuries to the offensive line and quarterback Michael Vick – that don’t involve Samuel, a four-time Pro-Bowler, just as the Falcons have many virtues in addition to him. Nonetheless, it’s unavoidable that the Falcons’ most glaring weakness during Mike Smith’s tenure has been their pass defense. In Smith’s previous four seasons, Atlanta never finished better than 20th in the NFL. While this season that ranking has improved only moderately to 17th, the big change has come in the team’s turnover margin, most of which is the result of interceptions by the defensive backs. The Falcons have 18 interceptions, ranking fourth in the NFL, and their turnover ratio is plus-9, good for eighth in the NFL. New defensive coordinator Mike Nolan deserves plenty of credit for those turnovers, as the Falcons’ ability to disguise coverages has confused some of the best quarterbacks in the league — the Falcons intercepted brothers Peyton and Eli Manning, with three Super Bowl victories between them, a total of five times in two victories. But Samuel deserves credit not only for his three interceptions — a relatively small total, but not bad considering how rarely opposing quarterbacks throw in his direction — but for a multitude of other reasons. First, judge how the Falcons fared in the only game in which he did not play any snaps: They turned in their worst performance of the season in a 30-20 loss to Carolina, and Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith totaled 109 yards. In addition, Samuel has proven himself an invaluable insurance policy. In Week 1, the Falcons lost cornerback Brent Grimes — a Pro-Bowler in 2010 — for the season to injury. If the Falcons had to go the entire season with Robert McClain, Christopher Owens or Dominique Franks playing one of the starting corner spots and one of the others at the nickel corner, there’s a good chance the Falcons would not be 12-2 and, possibly, would not be in position for a first-round bye. “It was a move that we felt like was going to help us,” Smith said. “Obviously, we felt having three corners that were capable of being No. 1 was kind of our thought process with all of the (three-wide-receiver formations) we see, but it was a very good move in terms of the way the season has played out. Asante has been a great addition to our defense — not only our defense but to our team.” As Smith hinted, Samuel has brought something of a cultural change with his brashness and confidence, particularly on defense, that previously lacked in that department.

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To be fair, his antics during practice — his sharp tongue does not spare his teammates, offensive coaches or general manager — and after games are not something every coach or organization can stomach. But the Falcons, feeling the need for a playmaker on defense and with enough of an accommodating culture, were willing to go along. Put simply: the Falcons are willing to take the good with the bad and have reaped the rewards. Samuel’s interception on the second play from scrimmage in Sunday’s 34-0 win over the Giants was typical of his big-play ability and set the tone to help the Falcons steamroll the defending Super Bowl champions. What’s the bad? From the Eagles’ point of view, it was possible that Samuel, at 30, was slowing down, which seems laughable now. He also has a tendency to freelance, an aspect Eli Manning noted last week in a conference call with Atlanta players, saying Samuel “kind of has his own style a little bit, his own technique.” But that freelancing also has saved the Falcons. In a 23-20 win over Oakland, safety William Moore called the wrong defense on one play, but the savvy Samuel recognized the mistake and intercepted a pass that he returned 79 yards for a touchdown. Eagles coach Andy Reid denied all of this when he spoke with the Atlanta media preceding the Falcons’ 30-17 win over the Eagles on Oct. 28, saying the trade was made in Samuel’s interests to be closer to his ailing mother in Florida. Samuel later said this was only a factor in selecting a destination once the Eagles told him they wanted to move him. More than anything, Reid, and his straight-laced personality, might have had his fill with Samuel’s antics and decided to rid himself of a personality who can be abrasive. Not that it’s a direct correlation, but the Eagles’ defense ranks 26th in scoring at 26.8 per game. The team fired its defensive coordinator midway through the season and generally has been in a state of disarray. For his part, Samuel seems to have taken the Eagles’ decision personally. When the team fired defensive coordinator Juan Castillo in the middle of the season, Samuel taunted Reid via Twitter. Then after defeating the Eagles, he poured salt in the wound, saying — among other things — that the difference between the Eagles and Falcons was “the coaching.” “We got really good coaching, we run the ball,” he said. “Time of possession is real good.” Even after defeating the Giants, Samuel was not asked about the Eagles, but he referenced them anyway. “I was shipped from Philadelphia to make plays for this team,” he said. “I’m accustomed to playing the Giants two times a year and that experience helped me make plays today.” Every player needs to find ways to motivate himself. Clearly, Samuel has found his — to the Falcons’ benefit and, it seems, the Eagles’ detriment.

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Motherly Love led Samuel to accept deal with the Falcons FLOWERY BRANCH — For a couple of days during training camp, there was a rare silence that rolled over the practice fields at the Falcons’ facilities. Asante Samuel, the new “Mouth of the South,” was given time off to travel to Florida to comfort his ailing mother, Christine. “She’s just sick and going through a tough time,” Samuel said. “She’s doing well now. She’s fighting hard every day. Her spirit is up.” Samuel, who’s set to play against his former team the Philadelphia Eagles at 1 p.m. Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, was not comfortable revealing her illness. But growing up in a single-parent home with two siblings, the Samuels often moved around the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., area and sometimes resorted to living in hotels. During his rookie season with New England in 2003, his mother was living in a hotel until he purchased a condo. So, when the Eagles, his second team, decided to part ways with Samuel last spring, he fought to get traded to a good team close to his mother. “That was very, very important,” Samuel said. “We are going through a situation in the family. The family is No. 1 to me. I’ve got to do what I have to do to help out the best way I can.” Inspired by how his mother scrambled to raise the kids and keep the family together, Samuel started a foundation, Bring It Home Moms (bhsinglemoms.org), to help other single parents. “Growing up in a single-family home, that’s one thing that I realize and one thing that I support a lot, is single parents,” Samuel said. “They have the kids of the future. I just want to help out the best way that I can after going through the situation that I went through.” Also, he’s been in touch with Falcons part-owner and former running back Warrick Dunn, who runs a similar foundation that gives away homes to single parents. “I definitely will take his advice moving forward,” Samuel said. It’s been an emotional week for Samuel as the undefeated Falcons (6-0) are set to face a hungry Eagles (3-3) team. In addition to being concerned for his mother, he’s set to face the team that traded him for a lowly seventh-round draft pick after he garnered 23 interceptions for them from 2008-11. “I know he’s emotional,” said tight end Tony Gonzalez, who returned to play his former team, the Kansas City Chiefs this season. “He’s been letting us have it all week. This is the most excited that I’ve ever seen him.” While Samuel may have worn out his welcome in Philadelphia, the Falcons have embraced him and his chatter. Coach Mike Smith has repeatedly said Samuel’s chatter is always positive, and he tends to liven practices with his boisterous quips.

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“Players that have that kind of swag are going to let you know what’s on their mind,” Gonzalez said. “As long as you go out there and back it up, and he backs it up, then I have no problem.” As the games get closer, Samuel calms himself down and gets seriously focused, Smith said. Behind all of that talk is a serious competitor, and he helped to bail out the Falcons with an interception, his first with the team, that he returned 79 yards for a touchdown in the 23-20 win over Oakland on Oct. 14. After the trade, there was a blog report in The Philadelphia Inquirer that stated the Eagles felt Samuel was in “steep decline.” “I didn’t feel that way and it’s obvious, if you saw the interception that he had,” Eagles coach Andy Reid said. “He had to run more than 10 yards to run that touchdown and he looked pretty fast doing it. That’s not how I felt. No.” Samuel was steaming mad about the comment. But, he seems to have cooled down a bit with kickoff approaching. “No decline in 22, right?” said Samuel, when told of Reid’s comments. “He just wanted to clear that up?” Samuel is looking forward to playing against Eagles quarterback Michael Vick. “He’s a great talent,” Vick said. “Seeing him on the other side of the ball is going to be different.” In a little tweetfest, Samuel claimed that he didn’t take any shots at Reid, who fired defensive coordinator Juan Castillo on Oct. 16. “Juan is my guy,” Samuel said. “He had the 12th (ranked) defense in the league. He was doing a good job as (best) I could see. It’s just unfortunate that he had to resign from his job or whatever.” When the Eagles and Falcons were working out the deal — it was complicated because Samuel had to agree to a renegotiated contract — Reid stayed in touch with Samuel during the process. “It was a joint thing,” Samuel said. “Atlanta was the place where I wanted to come. They tried to not let me come to Atlanta of course, but we got it done.” Now, he has a new home and checks on his mother in a timely manner.

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Asante Samuel aiming for big day in Philadelphia FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) -- Asante Samuel can't wait to return to Philadelphia with his unbeaten Atlanta Falcons. The brash cornerback says he still has ''nothing but love'' for Eagles fans despite getting traded to Atlanta six months ago. ''All y'all fans, all I did for y'all, y'all better cheer for me,'' Samuel said. ''You know what I mean? Deuce here got nothing but love for you.'' Samuel indicated that the unceremonious departure still hurts his ego. After all, he intercepted 23 passes in 56 games for the Eagles, but still was dealt to the Falcons for a seventh-round draft pick. ''Lot of turnovers over there, helped them win a lot of games,'' he said. ''We're undefeated over here, so I'm helping this team win a lot of games, and I'm happy to be here. I'm happy we helped build this team up with the Falcons, you know?'' The four-time Pro Bowl cornerback lost his starting job after the 2011 NFL lockout ended as Eagles coach Andy Reid signed Nnamdi Asomugha as a free agent and traded for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Though he openly criticized team management after being forced into a backup role, Samuel said this week that his focus now is entirely on helping the Falcons (6-0) win at Philadelphia (3-3) on Sunday. Even so, Samuel stirred things up during Atlanta's bye week with tweets that criticized Reid's recent firing of defensive coordinator Juan Castillo. Samuel, 31, sought to clarify his thoughts with Atlanta reporters this week during a chirpy interview. The session did not begin until he put on his helmet for the television cameras, copying the diva move that former NFL running back Ricky Williams used with New Orleans in the late '90s. Samuel clearly enjoyed the exchange, upping the antics by speaking through his chinstrap. ''I've got a little personality issue, so it's how I have to do my interviews,'' Samuel said with a smile through his facemask. ''I've just trying to humble myself down. Make sure I don't expand, you know, too much, so my personality issue is kicking in. Talk to me. What's up?'' - Asked about last week's tweets, Samuel said, ''Y'all assume that was about Andy. I didn't say this is for Andy. I just made a quote and then another quote. Y'all did that, so talk to me.'' - Asked if he appreciates Reid trading him to Atlanta instead of another team, Samuel said that ''they tried to not let me come to Atlanta, of course, but you know we got it done. We got it done.'' - Asked about Philadelphia's fourth-quarter meltdowns on defense and the turnover problems of quarterback Michael Vick this year, Samuel was blunt. ''It's kind of hard when 22's not there,'' Samuel said, referring to his own jersey number. ''Twenty-two will keep things going for you, you know what I mean? That's what you got to do. You make your bed, and you've got to lay in it.''

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After the crowd of reporters moved away, Samuel gave a glimpse of his softer side when asked about the condition of his sick mother, whose name he declined to give and whose illness he would not reveal. But her condition was serious enough during training camp that Samuel had to take two personal days to visit her in Florida. ''I've got to do what I can do to help out the best way I can,'' he said. ''She's doing good, fighting hard every day, spirits up.'' Samuel has run a Florida-based charity - the Bring it Home Single Moms Foundation - for several years to honor his mother's work in raising him as a single parent. The foundation seeks to identify low-income single mothers who need help in becoming first-time homeowners. ''One thing I support a lot is single parents,'' Samuel said. ''They've got the kids of the future, and I want to help out the best I can, (after) going through the situation I went through.'' Samuel's charitable spirit might seem counterintuitive to the personality he shows as a player, but not to Falcons coach Mike Smith. Smith long ago adjusted to Samuel's constant yelling in practice, a habit the former Central Florida standout brought to the New England Patriots as a rookie in 2003 and continued in Philadelphia and Atlanta. Samuel constantly challenges teammates and rarely hesitates to point out his own skills, but Smith said it's all in good fun. ''Believe it or not, Asante on game day is a different guy than he is during the week,'' Smith said. ''I've learned that real quick in the six games we've played. Asante is all business on game day.'' Samuel did his part two weeks ago against Oakland, returning an interception for a 79-yard touchdown in the closing minutes. This week, he was still bragging about the big play. ''Yeah, I changed my name to Pick Six in the offseason, and I got me a pick six,'' Samuel said with a grin. ''Is that what you're referring to? It made me feel good in the Georgia Dome, baby. I've got another chance this week to set it off. Hopefully I'll set it up.''

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CB Asante Samuel brings whole new swagger to unbeaten Falcons, who are off to best start ever ATLANTA – Asante Samuel never stops yapping. It doesn't matter whether he's on the practice field or in a game. There's no mute in his playbook. Last week, when the Atlanta Falcons' cornerback picked off a pass and returned it 79 yards for a crucial touchdown with less than 3 minutes remaining against the Oakland Raiders, his mouth was running as fast as his legs. "All I heard was 'Hello!' Hello!'" said safety Thomas DeCoud, who was about 40 yards away in deep coverage. "I still heard him. Loud and clear." Samuel has brought plenty of swagger and bravado to the Atlanta defense, helping the Falcons (6-0) get off to the best start in franchise history. He kept on jabbering right through the bye week, going on Twitter to take a few pokes at his former team, the Philadelphia Eagles. Or, more specifically, his former coach, Andy Reid. Guess who the Falcons play next? Yep, the Eagles. The 31-year-old Samuel has been to the Pro Bowl four times, but Reid reportedly expressed concerns about his high-priced cornerback being on the down side of his career. That's apparently why the Eagles all but gave him away, trading Samuel to the Falcons during the offseason for a measly seventh-round draft pick. Not long after his first pick in an Atlanta uniform helped pull out a 23-20 win over the Raiders, Samuel was already looking forward to returning to the City of Brotherly Love. "They love me," he said. "They're going to scream when I come out (of) that tunnel. Philly, y'all better scream when I come out (of) that tunnel!" As if trying to stir things up even more, Samuel doled out some not-so-subtle tweets for Reid after the coach fired his defensive coordinator, Juan Castillo, with the Eagles also heading into a bye week. The move came after Philadelphia (3-3) squandered a 10-point lead on Detroit in the closing minutes, then lost in overtime. "Sometimes you have to blame yourself. You can't try and always point the (finger) at someone else," Samuel wrote. He followed up with this, "I'm just saying ... Ain't no decline over here." Zing! When the Falcons acquired Samuel, they envisioned him playing a lot of nickel and dime sets with holdover corners Brent Grimes and Dunta Robinson. Some fans and media wondered if there might be some grumbling over playing time, considering the accomplishments of all three players. Turns out, it wasn't a problem.

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Grimes went down with a season-ending injury in the very first game. The Falcons are sure glad they traded for Samuel. "He's a ball hawk," coach Mike Smith said. "He's got great skills once the ball is in his hands. Not only does he know how to jump routes and play the coverages, but when he gets it in his hands, he can do a lot of things." Through the first five games, Samuel didn't have any picks. That wasn't entirely his fault; opposing teams shied away from throwing to his side. Plus, the safeties are allowed to do more freelancing under new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, which resulted in DeCoud already having four interceptions, while William Moore has two. Going into Week 6, Samuel's teammates were razzing him about when he was going to get his first pick with the Falcons. "That's what we expect him to do every game," defensive end John Abraham said. "I told him before the game, 'It's about time for you to get a pick, right?'" Right on cue, Samuel came through. With the game tied at 13 and the Raiders poised to at least set up for a go-ahead field goal, Carson Palmer threw a little out pattern for Denarius Moore. Samuel read it all the way, stepping in front of the intended receiver at the Atlanta 21. He was gone the other way, barking out his signature phrase — "Hello! Hello!" — even while sidestepping a weak attempt at a tackle by quarterback Carson Palmer. Samuel didn't go down until he got to the end zone, where he was pummeled by Robinson and several other teammates. "He got a great jump on the ball," Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said. "His timing on breaking on routes is as good as anybody I've ever seen." The game wasn't over. The Raiders, to their credit, rallied for the tying touchdown, taking advantage of Samuel for the biggest play. Apparently still winded from his long return and the celebration, he was beaten on a 38-yard pass that moved the ball to the Atlanta 5. Two plays later, Oakland tied it up. All was forgiven when the Falcons rattled off a lightning-quick drive, setting up Matt Bryant's 55-yard field goal with 1 second left. "We have to work on our celebration there and realize that we'll have to go back on the field and try not to expend any energy after the touchdown," Smith said. "I know that's very difficult to do." Besides, the last thing the Falcons want to do is rein in Samuel. The best cornerbacks have two things in common — complete, unwavering confidence and the shortest memory on the field. Samuel is doing just fine in both areas. On his Twitter page, he uses his biography to declare himself a "future Hall of Famer" and the "CEO of many things." "Greatness," he writes. "Hate it or luv it." After the pick-six against the Raiders, the cornerback who wears No. 22 delivered what might go down as the quote of the year.

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"You might go for your breakfast. You might go for your lunch," Samuel said. "But when you go for that dinner, you know deuce-deuce (has) got to step up." Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez, who most certainly is a future Hall of Famer, has never been one to dole out that sort of trash talk. But he likes what he's hearing from Samuel. "Isn't he great?" Gonzalez said. "He's a fireplug. He's given that defense a whole new attitude, just changed the whole atmosphere." It's definitely a lot noisier.

VANCE WALKER

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Atlanta Falcons: Vance Walker is unsung hero of the defensive line FLOWERY BRANCH – Defensive tackle Vance Walker is one of the unsung heroes of the Falcons defensive line. The former Georgia Tech standout, who made the team after being drafted in the seventh round of the 2009 draft, was a major contributor while playing 51.9 percent of the defensive snaps during the regular season. Walker has been ready whenever the Falcons have called. He played 84 percent ( 48 of 57) of the snaps against Tampa Bay on Nov. 25 and 80 percent (39 of 49) against Washington on Oct. 7. He had a low of 26 percent (15 of 58) of the snaps against Arizona on Nov. 18. “He’s done a very nice job for us in the rotation,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said on Friday. “I think he’s probably been our most productive defensive tackle in terms of pass rush this year statistically. He’s a very good anchor point. He has a very good understanding of what we are trying to do and he understands his role in the rotation.” Walker has three sacks, 32 tackles and a forced fumble. He splits time with Corey Peters, Peria Jerry and Jonathan Babineaux. “(In evaluating) a defensive tackle, you have to really watch the film,” Smith said. “You don’t necessarily look at the stat sheet. They do a lot of dirty work in terms of taking on multiple blockers on most plays.” Walker is ready to contribute in the playoffs. “It’s very exciting,” Walker said. “For the most part, we’ve got to have a lot of focus. Being here for the last three years and playing in the past two playoffs games, unfortunately, we didn’t make it to where we wanted to be. We’ve learned a lot from that and it’s going to take great focus. It’s definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity.” While Walker has had a strong campaign, he believes he can contribute more. “I’m not content with anything,” said Walker, who started eight games this season. “But at the same time I want to be better than what I was last year and at the end of the day, I want to help the team win a championship and win that ring.” He was used much more sparingly under former defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder. He had just two starts before this season and his previous high for tackles was 18 in 2011. “Now, is not really the time to look back on my accomplishments,” Walker said. “We are still playing. As long as I can keep playing and helping out my team, that’s the best thing that I can do.” He doesn’t mind doing the interior dirty work. “There are a lot of plays like that, whether if it’s myself, Corey, Babs or Peria; where we get in the face of the quarterback or we hit him right before he throws,” Walker said. “Sometimes it leads to an interception or a bad pass. A lot of those things are effective.” Babineaux, who has 3.5 sacks, credits Walker for being a disruptive force inside.

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“Vance has been doing pretty good,” Babineaux said. “He’s coming along from last year to this year. That’s what we needed. We needed a lot more from him. . . he has grown a lot since last year.” It’s usually hard to get sacks from the defensive tackle position, but Walker would like to have more. “We like to have much better sack numbers, but all we can do is keep working hard and just strive for excellence,” Walker said. “It’s something that we’ve got to keep working on. For the most part, we are affecting the quarterback, but we just have to get him down.” Walker’s strategy in the trenches is simple. “As far as defensive linemen, it’s all about being physical,” Walker said. “We have to play stronger than the other guy. That’s pretty much the bare bones of it since Pee Wee (football). We just got to line up and beat the other guy.” Walker is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season and would like to return to the Falcons. “I’ve definitely played the hand that I was dealt,” Walker said. “I’ve done the best that I could have with what I was given. I have no regrets about it. I’m happy to be here in Atlanta. Everything that God has put forth for me has worked out. I’m not taking anything for granted, first and foremost is the Super Bowl ring.”

RODDY WHITE

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Roddy White, Julio Jones all the difference for Falcons FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- So what about your 7-0 Atlanta Falcons and their chance to go 19-0, joining the 1972 Miami Dolphins in perfect perpetuity, Roddy White? It would be nice if we could do that,'' the Falcons receiver told USA TODAY Sports on Friday. "But I just want to win a playoff game first. No matter if we go 16-0 during the regular season, we'll always be doubted until we get our first playoff win. "Every time I listen to analysts on TV talk about us, they say, 'Yeah, the Falcons have won a lot of games during the regular season. Tell me when they've won a playoff game.''' White insists one of the biggest reasons the Falcons have suffered three one-and-done playoff flameouts since 2008 was a too-predictable offense. Not now. Not with the league's lone unbeaten fueled by their symbiotic receiving duo of White and Julio Jones -- two No. 1's who have forged a jealousy-free, tight-as-receiver gloves bond at the so-called "diva'' position. New offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has energized quarterback Matt Ryan's dynamic duo knowing Ryan can target either one depending on coverage. Koetter infused added unpredictability of quick-hitting Ryan screen passes, a pass-rush countering dimension missing the last few years under offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, now Jacksonville Jaguars coach. "Last year, I felt a lot of times teams would do some good things against us on defense, and we were just stuck," White said. "We would just stall out because we wouldn't change things up. "It isn't like that with Dirk. It's hard for defenses to prepare for us now. When we traded up to draft Julio last year, I was like 'Okay, we can be more of an explosive team, get in the playoffs and win more football games. Julio's only helping me.''' They're helping each other on what White called "our mission to win the Super Bowl.'' White turned 31 Friday with a birthday cake sitting in his locker across from Jones, his best friend and bookend deep threat who draws defenders away. And vice versa. The pair take vacations together, are passionate car buffs and push each other at every turn. "He's like a brother to me,'' Jones said of White. "Early on when I got here, Roddy took me under his wing, taught me the game as far as how NFL defenders try to get their hands on bigger receivers like us. "He's also trying to help me before every game, making sure I continue to have fun.'' Having fun was never difficult for the ebullient White, who has matured from young partier to hard-working leader coming off his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season.

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In White, Jones, tight end Tony Gonzalez, slot receiver Harry Douglas, and tailback Michael Turner, Ryan has answers for every defensive look. In a passing league, coach Mike Smith knows the Falcons go as far as Ryan, Gonzalez and his explosive wideouts take them. "I call them, '1 and 1A,''' Smith said, referencing White and Jones. "One week, the ball is going in this direction, the next week, it's going to go in another direction. So they go hard every play. "Roddy has become the mentor in that receiver room.'' And he's helped the soft-spoken, small-town Alabama kid come out of his shell. General manager Thomas Dimitroff took heat when he traded up 21 spots to sixth overall to draft Jones. Jones has given Ryan the Reggie Wayne to White's Marvin Harrison the Indianapolis Colts provided for Peyton Manning when the Colts enjoyed their 2006 Super Bowl-winning breakthrough. "We traded for Tony Gonzalez in 2009, and we made a very bold move to go up and get Julio last year,'' Dimitroff says. "Organizationally we understood what we needed to do to continue to provide Matt the tools as he evolves. "We are very cognizant of the fact we have to provide for our quarterback to go tit for tat with the talented offenses in this league.'' Jones was laughing it up alongside White after Friday practice as they appeared as guests on the team's "D-Block'' weekly video segment hosted by the linebackers. Asked if he's been invited to appear, Smith laughed and said, "No, I'm the warden. The warden doesn't go on D-Block. But that show has a cult following on our website.'' Practice-squad rookie Pat Schiller sits mute in the background, wearing a ski hat and neon-yellow sunglasses without saying a word as his rookie lot dictates. The linebackers and Jones sing "Happy Birthday'' to White, then buzz about whatever, engaging fans with their personalities. Dimitroff is proud of the White-Jones dynamic. "There's no angst between two very, very competitive and talented receivers,'' Dimitroff says. "Roddy continues to provide the leadership for Julio. And they both are each other's biggest fans. "It doesn't happen that often in this league. And it's been very impressive to see how Roddy's concentration has been taken to another level.'' Last season, White led the league with 15 drops. "I absolutely wanted to fix the drop problem because that's not me,'' said White. Now his 40 receptions rank second to Gonzalez's 46. White's 591 receiving yards lead the Falcons, while Jones has five touchdowns compared to four each by White and Gonzalez.

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"We talked in training camp about finishing everything we do -- plays, drives, games, finishing seasons,'' Smith said. "On the flip side, if starting games fast and if we finish, then, you enhance your chances.'' White and Jones have clearly enhanced Atlanta's Super Bowl-mission chances.

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White embraces Jones, still Atlanta's top gun ATLANTA (AP) -- Roddy White could've pouted, could've complained, could've stirred things up in the locker room. He did none of that. White knew he was still the go-to receiver for the Atlanta Falcons, no matter who lined up on the other side. ''Roddy knows he's a very good player,'' said Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. ''He's got a lot of confidence in himself. But he's also one of the most unselfish guys on our team. It's rare for one of your superstars to be like that in this day and age.'' Even though the Falcons (4-0) made a blockbuster deal during the 2011 draft to land Julio Jones - and there's every indication that now, in his second season, he's on his way to becoming one of the NFL's top receivers - White continues to shine brighter than any of Ryan's targets. Since the start of the 2007 season, when White - at his mother's urging - quit partying so much and dedicated himself to fulfilling his enormous potential, he's had more catches (498) than anyone in the league other than New England's Wes Welker (579). No one has more yards receiving during that span than White (6,835), according to STATS LLC. At age 30, after five straight 1,000-yard seasons and well on his way to another, White still feels like there's room to improve. More important, he's willing to share the ball with Jones, Hall of Famer-to-be tight end Tony Gonzalez and whoever else the Falcons want to get involved in the passing game. ''I expected a little bit of a change because we've got so many big players on our team,'' White said. ''But I'm excited just to go out there and be consistent. I pride myself on going out there and being consistent week in and week out. That's what I want to do. No matter what it takes to help this team to win, I want to continue to win.'' Going into Sunday's game at Washington, the Falcons (4-0) have matched the best start in franchise history and built a commanding lead in the NFC South. They and the Houston Texans are the only unbeaten teams left in the league, and looking very much like a squad that can challenge for a Super Bowl championship. White is sure doing his part. Again. He ranks fourth in the league in yards receiving (413) and is tied for fifth in catches (27). But, according to Ryan, White's value goes beyond the numbers. ''Physically, he's got everything you want,'' the quarterback said. ''He's strong, he's physical, he's got great top end speed, he's quick out of his cuts, he's got very good hands. But I think his best attribute is he's an incredible competitor. He wants nothing else but to play well and to win. You'd love to have tons of guys like that.'' In last week's thrilling victory over Carolina, Ryan was especially impressed by White's unselfishness on a screen pass to Michael Turner. The running back caught the ball about the line of scrimmage and zigzagged down the field on a 60-yard touchdown, getting a key block from White. ''Roddy is on the end of the run, diving out there, full extension, to try to hold up (Panthers cornerback) Captain Munnerlyn for an extra second,'' Ryan said. ''And he did that.''

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But White saved his biggest play for the end. With the Falcons trailing 28-27 and backed up on their own 1-yard line with just over a minute remaining - and no timeouts - Ryan dropped into the back of the end zone and launched it about as far as he could, a towering throw that might've scraped the rafters of the Georgia Dome. White knew it was coming his way, having worked on just such a play with Ryan during the offseason, but it took him a few seconds to pick up just where the ball was, plummeting out of the maze of lights that ring the roof of the stadium. ''Actually, I kind of looked at the defender and tried to find him, then I looked up and looked for the ball,'' White explained. ''He was kind of backing up into it, so I wanted to get over him and have an opportunity to catch the ball. I kind of saw it through the lights.'' The key, he said, is locating the point of the football as it's spiraling toward him. He leaped up to make a 59-yard catch, setting up the Falcons for a winning field goal with 5 seconds remaining. ''That's what you aim to catch, especially on deep balls and stuff like that,'' White said. ''That's kind of where I take my eyes to - the point of the ball - and try to locate it and figure out where it's going to drop. I've been doing it for a long time now. It's been working.'' White insists he was never worried about his place in the offense, even after the Falcons gave up a good chunk of their future for the chance to draft Jones with the sixth overall pick last year. General manager Thomas Dimitroff talked of wanting to be more explosive, of wanting to break more long plays, which could have been taken the wrong way by White, who was coming off a career-best 115 catches for 1,389 yards. He didn't see it that way. He embraced Jones, made him feel like part of the team right away. ''He does nothing but benefit and help us on offense,'' White said. ''He's an explosive player. He's going to be a great player in this league. When you add additional parts like that, you can't feel bad about it. You're only going to get better, too. As long as you get better and everything's rolling like you want it to go, everything's all good. ''You can't be a selfish player in this league,'' he added. The benefit of having two game-breaking receivers isn't lost on Jones, either. He also went deep when Ryan threw that long pass to White, making things extremely tough on the Carolina secondary, even when everyone in the building knew the Falcons had to go long. ''We're trying to put a lot of stress on that safety, you know? Make him make a decision,'' Jones said. ''And he was going to be wrong regardless, because we feel like we're better athletes and we've got better ball skills against safeties when the ball is in the air. Roddy went up and made a big play.'' Nothing new there.

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Atlanta Falcons: Roddy White visits Mays High School Roddy White said he never got to meet a professional athlete during his high school days in South Carolina. The Falcons wide receiver made that happen for the students at Mays High School on Tuesday, and as a bonus, White got to to fulfill another of his childhood wishes. For one day at the southwest Atlanta school White took on the roles of teacher, cheerleader, band member and football coach. In what should produce little surprise considering White’s loquaciousness, the highlight for him may have been making an announcement over the school’s public-address system. “I always wanted to do that since I was a little kid,” White said. White, 30, told the school’s students he was excited to be there and that he’d walk around the building to talk with them. “I didn’t even tell them my name, but they figured it out,” White said. “So I know they are football fans. That was a great thing.” White was at Mays as part of Duracell’s “Trust Your Power” program. The company donated football gear, a defibrillator and other items to the school, including calculators that White handed out in a classroom. White is a multimillionaire and an NFL star, but said he still can relate to kids. “It’s always good, especially when you are doing things like this,” he said. “I remember being in the same shoes and looking up and just wishing someone [famous] would come through those doors. It never happened for me. “When they can actually see you, touch you and feel you it’s totally different than me coming through a TV screen. Once they see you in the physical, they believe and they go a little harder.” A visit from White probably would generate excitement any time, but it likely didn’t hurt that the Falcons are riding high. The Falcons (3-0) are one of three undefeated teams remaining in the NFL. White has 19 catches for 244 yards and a touchdown this season. “We are playing well right now,” White said. “We are locked in and ready to roll. We are just going to continue to do what we do. It’s football season. When we have some downtime, we stay in the community. You always want to give back.” After school let out for the day, White took to the Mays football field. Before the team arrived for practice, White marched with the band’s drum line. White said it was more difficult than he expected. “He was good,” junior band member Amanda Watts said. “He was all right,” senior Jordan Carter said, laughing. White left the field as members of the football team began to arrive for practice. He reappeared later, put on a Mays football jersey and worked with the team’s wide receivers during practice.

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White later huddled the team for a pep talk. “Trust your power and believe in what you do, whether that’s in the classroom, football or whatever,” White said. White told the players that individual accolades are nice but winning is what’s most important, and that takes a team effort. He noted that he’s been named to four Pro Bowl rosters but lacks an NFL championship. White’s appearance at Mays was supposed to be a surprise, but word got out beforehand to at least some students. “We found out yesterday,” Carter said. “We were ecstatic.”