| 2001 Atlanta Falcons season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Dan Reeves |
| Home field | Georgia Dome |
| Results | |
| Record | 7-9 |
| Division place | 3rd NFC West |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | LB Keith Brooking |
The 2001 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 36th season in the National Football League (NFL). The Falcons obtained the first pick overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. With the pick, the Falcons drafted Michael Vick.[1]
This was Jamal Anderson's final season as he re-aggravated his surgically repaired knee in Week 3, and this time, it ended his career. The Falcons improved on their 9-23 record from the previous two seasons, but still failed to qualify for the postseason for the third consecutive campaign.
This was the final season under the Falcons' founding ownership, the Rankin M. Smith Sr. family, as the franchise was sold to The Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank in March 2002.
Offseason
Vick was selected in the 2001 NFL Draft as the first overall pick and first African American quarterback taken number 1 in the NFL Draft. The San Diego Chargers had the number one selection spot in the draft that year but traded the rights to the first overall choice to the Atlanta Falcons a day before the draft, for which they received the Falcons' first round pick (5th overall) and third round pick in 2001 (used to draft CB Tay Cody), a second round pick in 2002 (used to draft WR Reche Caldwell) and WR/KR Tim Dwight.[2] With the Chargers' downgraded spot (the 5th overall), they selected Texas Christian University running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who went on to become league MVP in 2006.[3] Although Vick has never become league MVP, he finished second in voting in 2004.[4] In this way, Tomlinson and Vick are linked as having been "traded" for each other, although the transaction was actually the result of traded draft picks and contract negotiations.
NFL Draft
| 2001 Atlanta Falcons draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Michael Vick * | Quarterback | Virginia Tech | |
| 2 | 35 | Alge Crumpler * | Tight end | North Carolina | |
| 4 | 99 | Roberto Garza | Guard | Texas A&M-Kingsville | |
| 4 | 102 | Matt Stewart | Linebacker | Vanderbilt | |
| 5 | 136 | Vinny Sutherland | Wide receiver | Purdue | |
| 6 | 167 | Randy Garner | Defensive end | Arkansas | |
| 7 | 215 | Corey Hall | Defensive back | Appalachian State | |
| 7 | 219 | Kynan Forney | Guard | Hawaii | |
| 7 | 226 | Ronald Flemons | Defensive end | Texas A&M | |
| 7 | 236 | Quentin McCord | Wide receiver | Kentucky | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Jay Feely | Placekicker | Michigan |
| Dave Kadela | Tackle | Virginia Tech |
Personnel
Staff
Roster
Regular season
This was the Falcons' 32nd and final season as a member of the NFC West Division. If you count its predecessor, the Coastal Division of the NFL's Western Conference prior to the 1970 merger, it was the franchise's 35th season in this division. The Falcons moved to the new NFC South as part of the NFL's realignment plan for the following season.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | TV | TV Time | Attendance | |||
| 1 | September 9 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 13-16 (OT) | 0-1 | FOX | 4:15pm | |
| 2 | September 23 | Carolina Panthers | W 24-16 | 1-1 | FOX | 1:00pm | |
| 3 | September 30 | at Arizona Cardinals | W 34-14 | 2-1 | FOX | 4:05pm | |
| 4 | October 7 | Chicago Bears | L 3-31 | 2-2 | FOX | 1:00pm | |
| 5 | October 14 | San Francisco 49ers | L 31-37 (OT) | 2-3 | FOX | 1:00pm | |
| 6 | October 21 | at New Orleans Saints | W 20-13 | 3-3 | FOX | 1:00pm | |
| 7 | Bye | ||||||
| 8 | November 4 | New England Patriots | L 10-24 | 3-4 | CBS | 1:00pm | |
| 9 | November 11 | Dallas Cowboys | W 20-13 | 4-4 | FOX | 1:00pm | |
| 10 | November 18 | at Green Bay Packers | W 23-20 | 5-4 | FOX | 1:00pm | |
| 11 | November 25 | at Carolina Panthers | W 10-7 | 6-4 | FOX | 1:00pm | |
| 12 | December 2 | St. Louis Rams | L 6-35 | 6-5 | FOX | 4:15pm | |
| 13 | December 9 | New Orleans Saints | L 10-28 | 6-6 | FOX | 1:00pm | |
| 14 | December 16 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 27-41 | 6-7 | FOX | 1:00pm | |
| 15 | December 23 | Buffalo Bills | W 33-30 | 7-7 | CBS | 1:00pm | |
| 16 | December 30 | at Miami Dolphins | L 14-21 | 7-8 | FOX | 1:00pm | |
| 17 | January 6 | at St. Louis Rams | L 13-31 | 7-9 | FOX | 4:05pm | |
Standings
| NFC West | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| (1)St. Louis Rams | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 503 | 273 | W6 |
| (5)San Francisco 49ers | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 409 | 282 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 333 | 409 | L4 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 291 | 377 | L2 |
| Carolina Panthers | 1 | 15 | 0 | .063 | 253 | 410 | L15 |
References
- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 392
- ^ ESPN - Chargers big winner in different draft-day deal - NFL
- ^ NFL Most Valuable Players - NFL MVP Player of the Year
- ^ Barry Wilner (2005-01-11). "Manning NFL MVP again: 49 TDs, passing rating of 121.1 make Colts QB near-unanimous pick". The Decatur Daily. Archived from the original on 2007-05-23. Retrieved .
- ^ "2001 Atlanta Falcons Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2013.
External links
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