Devastating: Falcons dismiss both Yates and Grossman
VIDEO: See the awesome Falcons as they battle it out against the Jets!
The NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle granted ownership of the team to Rankin Smith, Sr. They were awarded first pick in the NFL draft that year, and also final pick in each round. They ended up picking Tommy Nobis first, which made him the very first player in Atlanta Falcon history. They actually won their first away game versus the New York Giants in the 60s. By the end of the decade, the team had won 12 games total in their four years. Throughout this same time period, they also changed from the Eastern Conference to the Western Conference, and then became a part of the Coastal Division of the Western Conference.
In 1970, the Atlanta Falcons football team was moved and became a part of the NFC Western division. They remained there for about 31 years, becoming part of the NFC South in 2002. 1971 was the first winning season for the young Falcons. In 1978, the Falcons made the playoffs. They recorded a win in the Wild Card game against the Eagles, then played the division game against the Cowboys. They made the playoffs again in 1980 and 1982, and after the 1982 coach Leeman Bennett was fired. After this, it was almost 10 years before they saw another playoff game, when they played the in the Division game in 1991.
They returned to the playoffs in 2004 to play the Eagles again. 2005 kept the on-again, off-again championship visits going with an 8-8 season. The team had a shot in 2006 until the Giants beat the Redskins, knocking the Falcons out of the running for the playoffs. The Atlanta Falcons history in 2007 was controversial and news ridden. 2007 created a much more socially volatile time for the team, when Michael Vick was convicted of dog fighting. He then received a sentence of 23 months, forcing the Atlanta Falcons to replace him with Joey Harrington. That season, Bobby Petrino resigned as coach, leaving Emmitt Thomas, a secondary coach, in command for the last three games of that season.
Renfree can thank a strong preseason for gainful employment. He completed 26 of 36 passes for 237 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions in three games. Yates — who threw four passes last season — completed 35 of 58 passes for 370 yards and two interceptions.
Yates put himself on the football map in 2011, when a string of quarterback injures forced the Texans to turn to the former undrafted free agent late in the season. Yates performed at a competent level and even helped Houston to a playoff win. That seems like a long time ago right about now.
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