FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) - Last year's playoff disappointment hit so hard that Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith needed to change his staff from the top.
It seems Smith made the right decisions when he hired Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator and Dirk Koetter to run his offense.
Atlanta earned the NFC's No. 1 playoff seed for the second time in three years after Koetter helped quarterback Matt Ryan enjoy a career-best season and Nolan put his players in position to earn 31 takeaways.
Nolan and Koetter both caution that the Falcons (13-3) will face their toughest opponent this season when Seattle (12-5) visits the Georgia Dome for a divisional playoff game Sunday.
Atlanta had a bye last week, while the Seahawks beat the Redskins with a dominating second half in a wild-card game at Washington.
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Monday, June 17 2013 10:48 PM EDT2013-06-18 02:48:40 GMT
The committee overseeing the new Atlanta Falcons stadium plans chose a preliminary stadium design on Monday.Back in April, a tentative agreement for the Kansas City-based 360 Architecture was approved
The committee overseeing the new Atlanta Falcons stadium plans chose a preliminary stadium design on Monday.Back in April, a tentative agreement for the Kansas City-based 360 Architecture was approved
Tuesday, June 11 2013 6:07 PM EDT2013-06-11 22:07:21 GMT
Starting today, a government watchdog group will start collecting signatures to force a vote on using public funds to pay for the Falcons new football stadium onto the November ballot.
Starting today, a government watchdog group will start collecting signatures to force a vote on using public funds to pay for the Falcons new football stadium onto the November ballot.
The Atlanta Falcons, state and city officials have agreed on a deal to ensure that at least 31 percent of construction awards for the team's new stadium are awarded to minority or women-owned firms.
The Atlanta Falcons, state and city officials have agreed on a deal to ensure that at least 31 percent of construction awards for the team's new stadium are awarded to minority or women-owned firms.
