1974 Atlanta Falcons season

The 1974 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's ninth year in the National Football League (NFL). After coming close to their maiden postseason appearance the previous season and finishing with a best-to-date 9–5 record despite an upset loss to the Cardinals, the Falcons traded star cornerback Ken Reaves to the archrival New Orleans Saints to obtain in-demand guard Royce Smith, a former Georgia Bulldogs All-American, [1] in a widely criticized move (Reaves played only five games for New Orleans before he was cut; he signed with St. Louis, where he remained through his retirement in 1978). During the strike-affected pre-season, they beat the Eagles 23 to 7 in a rain-soaked match,[2] before losing to the Raiders, 28-16.[3] Soon afterwards the Falcons lost key offensive tackle Bill Sandeman for the entire season with a slipped disc in his back.[4]

1974 Atlanta Falcons season
Head coachNorm Van Brocklin (2–6)
Marion Campbell (1–5)
General managerNorm Van Brocklin
OwnerRankin M. Smith Sr.
Home fieldAtlanta Stadium
Results
Record3–11
Division place4th NFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify

Along with a form lapse from quarterback Bob Lee and an injury to running back Dave Hampton,[5] this destroyed the Falcons’ offense. The 1974 Falcons scored 111 points with a mere twelve touchdowns, the lowest total in franchise history, and the second lowest by any team in a fourteen-game NFL season[6] after the infamous “Zero Gang” offense of the 1977 Buccaneers who were shut out six times in fourteen games. Their failure to score more than seventeen points in any game has been equalled since only by the infamous offense of the 1992 Seahawks.

The Falcons sacked long-serving head coach Norman van Brocklin after being thrashed by the Miami Dolphins and having heard demands from fans to make that move.[7][8]

The 1974 Falcons suffered through the humiliation of being the first Falcons team to be swept by the Saints since the teams became division rivals with the AFL-NFL merger. The Saints entered the season 1-9 all-time vs. the Falcons, with that win coming in the teams' first meeting in 1967. New Orleans did not sweep Atlanta again until 1983.

Offseason

NFL Draft
Main article: 1974 NFL Draft
1974 Atlanta Falcons draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
2 44 Gerald Tinker  Wide receiver Kent State
3 69 Kim McQuilken  Quarterback Lehigh
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[9]

Personnel

Staff
1974 Atlanta Falcons staff
Front office

Head coaches

  • Head Coach – Norm Van Brocklin

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches

Roster
1974 Atlanta Falcons final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists



Practice squad



Rookies in italics
 active, inactive, practice squad

Regular season

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Record Attendance Notable events
1 September 15, 1974 Dallas Cowboys L 0–24 0–1
52,322
2 September 22, 1974 San Francisco 49ers L 10–16 0–2
47,686
3 September 29, 1974 at New Orleans Saints L 13–14 0–3
62,273
4 October 6, 1974 at New York Giants W 14–7 1–3
42,379
5 October 13, 1974 Chicago Bears W 13–10 2–3
47,835
6 October 20, 1974 New Orleans Saints L 3–13 2–4
47,217
7 October 28, 1974 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 17–24 2–5
48,094
8 November 3, 1974 at Miami Dolphins L 7–42 2–6
64,399
9 November 10, 1974 at Los Angeles Rams L 0–21 2–7
70,056
10 November 17, 1974 Baltimore Colts L 7–17 2–8
41,278
11 November 24, 1974 at San Francisco 49ers L 0–27 2–9
45,435
12 December 1, 1974 Los Angeles Rams L 7–30 2–10
18,648
13 December 7, 1974 at Minnesota Vikings L 10–23 2–11
47,105
14 December 15, 1974 Green Bay Packers W 10–3 3–11
10,020

Season summary

Week 4
1 234Total
• Falcons 0 770 14
Giants 7 000 7


[10]

Standings
NFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Los Angeles Rams 10 4 0 .714 5–1 7–3 263 181 W1
San Francisco 49ers 6 8 0 .429 4–2 6–5 226 236 W2
New Orleans Saints 5 9 0 .357 3–3 5–6 166 263 L1
Atlanta Falcons 3 11 0 .214 0–6 3–8 111 271 W1
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References
  1. “Falcons deny trading Reaves Connected with Players’ Strike”; in Ellensburg Daily Record; July 20, 1974; p. 4
  2. “Falcons blast Eagles, 23–7”; in St. Petersburg Times; August 5, 1974; p. 9C
  3. “Harold Hart, Stabler Leader Raiders’ Win Over Falcons”; in The Tuscaloosa News; August 11, 1974; p. 2C
  4. “Falcon Tackle out for Season”; in Bangor Daily News; August 22, 1974; p. 18
  5. “Hampton out with Bum Knee”; in Rome News-Tribune; August 27, 1974; p. 6
  6. Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1961 to 1978, in the regular season, sorted by ascending Points For and Requiring Points For less than 200
  7. “Falcons Dump the Dutchman”; in The Pittsburgh Press, November 5, 1974; p. 69
  8. “Steelers Take on Falcons”; in St. Petersburg Times; October 28, 1974; p. 3C
  9. "1974 Atlanta Falcons draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  10. Pro-Football-Reference.com

Atlanta Falcons

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