1991 Atlanta Falcons
2nd Place in NFC Western Division
Too Legit To Quit
The 1991 edition of the Atlanta Falcons were not a conventional football team. Their head coach, Jerry Glanville, was a flamboiant and unique head coach who had a style all his own and his team was a reflection of that persona. If one play personified this team, that play came in the Wildcard playoff game in New Orleans. Star cornerback Deion Sanders had just picked off a pass with less than two minutes remaining in the game to seal the game. Conventional wisdom would be for Deion Sanders to just go down or run out of bounds as the game would have been essentially over as the Falcons led by 7 points. However, Deion decided to keep the play alive and risk turning the ball back over to New Orleans by lateralling the ball to his teammate, Tim McKyer. Like many risks the Falcons took in 1991, this risk was successful as McKyer caught the lateral and advanced the ball further up the field. The Falcons did win the game, 27-20 and advanced to the divisional playoffs where they would be eliminated by the eventual Super Bowl Champs: The Washington Redskins.
It was a wild ride for this team that constantly lived on the edge. Like most amusement park rides, the ride started slowly as the Falcons lost to Kaycee and Minnesota to start the season. The 0-2 Falcons started to spread their wings with interconference wins over the Chargers in San Diego and the Raiders to even their record at 2-2. Their first divisional contest came against the Saints and it was not a good day as they lost 27-6. Coming out of the bye week at 2-3, the Falcons took the NFL world by storm by upsetting the San Francisco 49ers 39-33. Former Niner Tim McKyer stole the show with 2 picks with the second one sealing the Niners fate. After suffering a letdown loss to Phoenix the following, the Falcons would knock off the Rams setting up a rematch with San Francisco. The previous year, the 49ers won in a laugher against the Falcons in Atlanta, but the Falcons atoned for that loss by knocking off the Niners for the second time in four weeks with a 17-14 win, which ended up being the difference between Atlanta joining the postseason party or being left out in the cold. After losing big in Washington the following week, the Red Gun Run & Shoot offensive attack caught fire with a win over eventual division champ New Orleans, followed by wins against Green Bay, the Rams, and Seattle to conclude the regular season to put the Falcons in the playoffs with a 10 and 6 mark.
The Falcons passing attack was instrumental in allowing these Falcons to make the playoffs. Andre Rison enjoyed his second consecutive Pro Bowl season as he caught 81 passes for 976 yards and 12 TD's. Michael Haynes, the team's number two wideout, led the Falcons with 1,122 receiving yards and a whopping 22.4 yards per catch. 11 of the 50 passes he caught went for scores. Rookie wide receiver Mike Pritchard tied with Haynes for second on the squad with 50 receptions and he amassed 624 yards receiving. Chris Miller quarterbacked the league's seventh best pass offense well enough to earn a Pro Bowl trip with 3,103 yards through the air, 26 passing TD's against 18 interceptions and a passer rating of 80.6. The Falcons three top rushers combined for 1,149 yards led by Steve Broussard's 449. The defense was inconsistent due the lack of a big time pass rusher, but the Falcons finished 9th in the NFL in interceptions. Deion Sanders and Tim McKyer led the Falcons with 6 interceptions. Sanders also returned punts and kickoffs as he had an 8.1 yard average returning punts and a 22.2 yard average returning kickoffs including a touchdown.
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"Primetime" Deion Sanders (below) provided a lot of electricity by his persona and his on-field performance. Here, he intercepts a pass in the playoff game against the Saints. He intercepted 6 passes in '91 and had 14 passes defensed.
Linebacker Tim Green takes out Dalton Hilliard of the Saints. He led the Falcons with 5 sacks in 1991.
1991 Record: 10-6 (Regular Season), 1-1 (Playoffs)
Head Coach: Jerry Glanville
Points Scored: 361 (5th out of 28 NFL teams)
Points Allowed: 338 (20th out of 28 NFL teams)
Home Stadium: Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, GA
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1991 Results
Regular Season
Date Opponent Result
9/ 1/91 at Kansas City L 6-13
9/ 8/91 Minnesota L 19-20
9/15/91 at San Diego W 13-10
9/22/91 L.A. Raiders W 21-17
9/29/91 New Orleans L 6-27
10/ 6/91 Bye Week
10/13/91 at San Francisco W 39-34
10/20/91 at Phoenix L 10-16
10/27/91 L.A. Rams W 31-14
11/ 3/91 San Francisco W 17-14
11/10/91 at Washington L 17-56
11/17/91 Tampa Bay W 43- 7
11/24/91 at New Orleans W 23-20 (OT)
12/ 1/91 Green Bay W 35-31
12/ 8/91 at L.A. Rams W 31-14
12/15/91 Seattle W 26-13
12/22/91 at Dallas L 27-31
Playoffs
Round Opponent Result
NFC Wildcard at New Orleans W 27-20
NFC Div. Playoff at Washington L 7-24
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1991 Atlanta Falcons Depth Chart / Roster:
# Player Ht Wt Age Exp College Face Shape Hair Equipment
Quarterbacks
1. 12 Chris Miller 6-2 205 26 4 Oregon 48 6 brn long style 3 helmet, 3 bar, bk wristbands, wt sleeves
2. 13 Billy Joe Tolliver 6-1 218 25 2 Texas Tech 44 10 red crop style 3 helmet, 2 bar, bk wristbands, wt sleeves
3. 4 Brett Favre 6-2 220 22 R Southern Miss 27 8 l. brn crop style 3 helmet, 2 bar rb, bk wristbands, wt sleeves, wt wristbands (turf)Halfbacks
1. 41 Erric Pegram 5-9 188 22 R North Texas 133 3 blk fade 2 bar rb, wt mouthpiece, rubber pads, bk wristbands, bk gloves, wt sleeves
2. 34 Steve Broussard 5-7 201 24 1 Wash. St. 4 11 blk buzz half cage, left bk elbowband, qb wristbands
3. 30 Mike Rozier 5-10 213 30 6 Nebraska 147 6 blk crop style 2 helmet, 3 bar rb, bk elbowpads, qb wristbands
# 38 Keith Jones 6-1 210 25 2 Illinois dk skin 62 2 blk fade 2 bar rb, wt mouthpiece, bk wristbands, wt elbowpads (turf)
Fullbacks
1. 43 Tracy Johnson 6-0 230 25 2 Clemson med skin 43 5 blk flat top style 3 helmet, half cage, rubber pads, wt wristbands, wt gloves
2. 28 Pat Chaffey 6-1 218 24 1 Oregon State 6 5 brn crop 2 bar rb, wt gloves, wt sleeves
Wide Receivers
1. 80 Andre Rison 6-0 188 24 2 Michigan St. 45 2 blk fade 2 bar, bk wrist double, bk gloves, wt sleeves
2. 81 Michael Haynes 6-0 180 25 3 N. Arzona 250 3 blk flat top 3 bar, bk wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves, rubber pads (turf), bk wrist double (turf)
3. 35 Mike Pritchard (lefty) 5-11 180 22 R Colorado 122 5 blk fade style 3 helmet, 3 bar, qb wristbands, wt sleeves, wt gloves (grass)
4. 89 George Thomas 5-9 169 27 3 UNLV 205 4 blk flat top 3 bar, bk wrist double, bk gloves, wt sleeves
5. 86 Floyd Dixon 5-9 170 27 5 S.F. Austin 183 4 blk fade 3 bar, bk wristbands, wt gloves
6. 82 Jason Phillips 5-7 170 25 2 Houston 75 2 blk fade 3 bar, rubber pads, wt wristbands, tc gloves
Tight Ends
1. 87 Gary Wilkins 6-1 250 28 6 Georgia Tech 69 9 blk fade half cage,
2. 88 Harper LeBel 6-4 251 29 2 Colorado St. 6 16 brn crop 3 bar qb, bk extended, wt wristbands
Left Tackles
1. 78 Mike Kenn 6-7 280 35 13 Michigan 28 3 grey crop half cage, bk extended, bk elbowpads, wt wristbands, wt gloves
2. 66 Joe Sims 6-3 294 22 R Nebraska 41 13 blk bald half cage, wt wristbands, bk rb gloves, wt sleeves
Left Guards
1. 69 Houston Hoover 6-2 295 26 3 Jackson St. 203 18 blk flat top half cage, bk extended, wt wristbands, wt gloves
2. 70 Reggie Redding 6-3 281 23 1 N/A half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves
Centers
1. 64 Jamie Dukes 6-1 285 28 5 Florida State 26 19 blk flat top style 3 helmet, half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves
2. 65 Guy Bingham 6-3 260 33 11 Montana 8 10 brn crop half cage, wt wristbands
Right Guards
1. 79 Bill Fralic 6-5 280 29 6 Pittsburgh 44 8 brn crop full cage, bk extended, rubber pads, wt wristbands, wt gloves
2. 83 Mike Ruether 6-4 286 30 5 Texas 45 16 brn crop style 3 helmet, half cage, bk extended, wt wristbands
Right Tackles
1. 75 Chris Hinton 6-4 300 30 8 Northwestern 215 14 blk bald style 3 helmet, half cage, bk extended, wt wristbands
2. n/a (switch position to DT)
Left Defensive Ends
1. 77 Rick Bryan 6-4 265 29 7 Oklahoma 41 13 brn crop style 3 helmet, half cage, bk extended, bk elbowpads, wt wristbands, wt gloves
2. 72 Oliver Barnett 6-3 285 25 1 Kentucky 173 11 blk buzz half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves
Right Defensive Ends
1. 99 Tim Green 6-2 245 28 5 Syracuse 35 10 brn crop style 3 helmet, half cage, neck roll, wt wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves, bk elbowpads (turf)
2. 93 Aundray Bruce 6-5 250 25 3 Auburn dk skin 34 11 blk flat top half cage, bk extended, wt wrist double, fingers taped
Defensive Tackles
1. 67 Moe Gardner 6-2 258 23 R Illinois 258 14 blk flat top half cage, right wt wrist double, left wt wristband, wt sleeves
2. 76 Mike Gann 6-5 270 28 6 Notre Dame lt skin 53 15 brn crop half cage, wt wristbands, fingers taped, bk elbowpads (turf)
# 74 Tory Epps 6-0 270 24 1 Memphis dk skin 203 19 blk fade left patch6 tattoo, style 3 helmet, half cage, neck roll, wt gloves, bk elbowpads (turf)
Left Outside Linebackers
1. 54 Robert Lyles 6-1 230 30 7 TCU 137 7 blk fade half cage, bk elbowpads, wt wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves (grass), wt half sleeves (turf)
2. 52 Ken Tippins 6-1 230 25 2 N/A half cage, bk elbowpads, wt wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves
Middle Linebackers
1. 58 Jessie Tuggle 5-11 230 26 4 N/A 158 11 blk fade style 3 helmet. half cage, neck roll, qb wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves
2. 59 John Rade 6-1 240 31 8 Texas A&M 77 10 l. brn crop half cage, bk elbowpads, wt wristbands, wt gloves, bk rb gloves (turf)
Right Outside Linebackers
1. 56 Darion Conner 6-2 250 24 1 Oklahoma 166 14 blk fade (2) half cage, clr visor, wt wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves
2. 95 Michael Reid 6-2 235 27 4 Wisconsin dk skin 164 12 blk bald half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves
Cornerbacks
1. 21 Deion Sanders (lefty) 6-0 185 24 2 Florida State 17 7 blk fade (2) style 3 helmet, 2 bar rb, bk elbowbands, qb wristbands, tc gloves, wt sleeves
2. 22 Tim McKyer 6-0 174 28 5 N/A 219 8 blk fade 3 bar, left bk elbowpad, wt wrist double, wt gloves, wt sleeves, rubber pads (turf)
3. 23 Bobby Butler 5-11 175 32 10 Florida State 106 3 blk buzz 3 bar, bk elbowpads, bk wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves
4. 37 Elbert Shelley 5-11 185 26 4 Arkansas St. 73 1 blk fade half cage, bk wristbands, wt gloves
5. 39 Bruce Pickens 5-11 190 23 R Nebraska 32 13 blk fade style 2 helmet, half cage, bk wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves, wt wristbands (turf)
6. 36 Brian Mitchell 5-9 170 23 R BYU 103 3 blk fade 3 bar, bk wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves
Free Safeties
1. 25 Scott Case 6-0 188 29 7 Oklahoma 55 2 brn crop style 3 helmet, 3 bar rb, eye paint, rubber pads, wt wristbands, wt gloves
2. 32 Tracey Eaton 6-1 195 26 3 Portrland St. 3 bar qb, wt wrist double, wt sleeves
Strong Safeties
1. 40 Brian Jordan 6-1 205 24 2 Richmond 160 3 blk fade half cage, rubber pads, bk wristbands, wt gloves
2. 42 Jeff Donaldson 6-0 190 29 7 Colorado 83 11 brn crop style 3 helmet, full cage, wt wrist double, wt gloves, wt sleeves, wt elbowpads (turf)
3. n/a (switch position to HB)
4. 29 Joe Fishback 5-11 198 24 R N/A 8 3 blk fade half cage, wt mouthpiece, bk elbowpads, wt wrist double, wt gloves, bk gloves (turf), wt half sleeves (turf)
Kicker
1. 9 Norm Johnson 6-2 203 31 9 Washington 19 2 brn crop 2 bar (thin), bk wristbands, wt sleeves
Punter
1. 17 Scott Fulhage 6-0 193 30 4 Kansas State 73 6 brn crop 2 bar (thin), wt sleeves
Players Not Included
# 46 Rich Bartlewski TE 6-5 250 24 1 Fresno State lt skin style 3 helmet, half cage, left wt elbowpad, wt wristbands
# 85 Shawn Collins WR 6-2 207 24 2 Arizona dk skin 3 bar, wt wrist double, wt gloves
# 27 William Evers CB 5-10 175 23 1 Florida A&M dk skin 2 bar rb, bk wrist double
# 68 John Hunter RT 6-8 300 26 2 BYU lt skin 55 14 brn crop style 3 helmet, half cage, neck roll, wt wristbands, wt gloves
Player Ratings spd-str-awr-agi-acl-cth-car-jmp-bkt-tak-thp-tha-pbk-rbk-kpr-kac-ret-stm-inj-tgh
C. Miller 60-56-78-68-67-34-47-56-50-23-90-84-25-28-31-28-0-83-70-73
B. Tolliver 52-58-65-58-59-23-49-44-39-26-92-77-27-30-44-24-0-78-84-76
Favre 57-62-55-60-55-25-49-49-48-17-94-73-31-27-22-34-0-90-99-95
E. Pegram 87-56-59-92-86-68-87-68-79-26-32-25-27-30-28-22-68-85-81-72
S. Broussard 93-59-64-91-93-82-76-56-65-23-47-29-34-36-29-24-79-79-72-65
M. Rozier 85-73-86-83-85-64-76-57-73-24-44-34-40-42-29-23-10-77-72-78
K. Jones 85-64-65-82-87-76-81-64-76-24-68-58-45-43-29-24-72-78-70-66
T. Johnson 77-72-64-76-86-64-69-44-55-23-27-21-62-60-31-21-62-83-86-74
Chaffey 64-72-56-69-71-74-72-60-55-33-35-26-63-59-26-23-10-78-87-84
Rison 93-60-84-95-92-92-77-86-78-25-39-25-27-32-31-23-55-85-87-64
M. Haynes 94-66-76-95-99-85-81-78-79-19-27-23-24-29-26-23-68-83-76-73
M. Pritchard 92-54-56-93-93-83-74-76-69-22-28-24-24-26-26-23-10-83-78-64
G. Thomas 93-44-63-93-92-79-73-82-61-17-22-27-22-24-22-21-68-77-77-65
F. Dixon 83-55-76-79-83-84-70-79-58-22-26-23-28-32-26-24-51-75-73-64
J. Phillips 87-55-62-85-88-76-69-80-58-24-28-25-24-26-26-22-56-81-69-64
G. Wilkins 62-82-70-60-71-58-62-47-68-26-31-26-69-69-27-23-8-76-75-67
LeBel 66-71-62-64-64-53-54-52-63-24-28-25-76-75-29-24-8-74-79-64
Kenn 59-95-93-62-75-22-20-44-28-27-29-21-96-94-24-22-0-68-86-77
J. Sims 56-91-52-54-74-18-20-38-30-24-36-18-78-86-27-25-0-67-79-78
H. Hoover 55-91-72-55-82-22-20-45-28-24-29-21-82-83-27-22-0-69-89-84
R. Redding 56-85-54-54-72-20-20-48-28-26-28-26-73-82-28-25-0-70-67-68
J. Dukes 55-90-76-52-84-22-24-43-28-23-29-23-83-83-30-22-0-68-78-73
G. Bingham 58-85-83-56-75-28-26-48-26-28-30-24-81-75-25-22-0-60-78-73
Fralic 1 57-93-87-59-68-33-28-44-28-23-28-23-90-84-27-23-0-67-77-86
Ruether 65-86-71-64-71-53-49-56-23-26-29-24-78-80-26-23-0-74-77-77
C. Hinton 56-96-92-62-81-47-53-47-28-27-32-21-96-93-26-22-0-68-81-84
J. Hunter 57-83-63-59-58-22-21-49-25-23-27-24-81-78-27-24-0-66-79-77
R. Bryan 71-83-85-73-68-22-23-50-28-81-26-23-24-29-28-25-0-78-72-74
O. Barnett 66-82-61-64-68-25-23-59-28-79-24-21-24-29-31-23-0-73-79-75
T. Green 70-89-86-73-70-36-40-60-28-87-26-24-25-49-26-24-0-83-77-82
A. Bruce 74-72-69-75-80-56-45-72-28-78-26-23-48-55-29-24-0-80-76-76
M. Gardner 68-87-56-65-72-23-23-44-28-87-27-23-28-34-29-23-0-82-83-85
Gann 66-86-84-68-66-28-29-60-28-84-28-23-22-28-26-21-0-77-72-77
T. Epps 62-88-65-60-72-22-21-52-28-77-29-25-23-22-27-22-0-78-86-83
R. Lyles 75-73-83-75-72-47-43-59-27-87-23-21-23-29-28-24-0-78-72-82
Tippins 77-74-66-76-83-43-38-50-28-89-29-24-27-49-27-22-0-79-80-72
Tuggle 79-79-83-80-75-46-36-58-28-97-28-25-32-52-33-21-0-91-84-79
Rade 75-78-87-75-69-44-42-56-28-87-24-22-27-46-30-26-0-80-73-75
D. Conner 79-81-65-79-75-41-42-58-28-94-27-23-28-49-32-26-0-80-83-76
M. Reid 73-70-72-75-71-42-39-57-28-86-25-25-23-44-25-23-0-77-65-74
D. Sanders 99-54-80-98-98-74-68-90-46-51-20-26-13-18-17-16-95-97-84-62
T. McKyer 92-53-84-93-90-70-56-71-21-65-22-21-17-25-26-21-10-85-81-66
B. Butler 85-48-87-86-84-59-44-63-28-66-24-23-16-20-26-23-10-75-88-76
Shelley 90-55-66-89-89-54-44-74-28-77-23-22-20-23-25-22-10-82-82-75
B. Pickens 90-54-55-90-86-58-43-79-28-75-24-22-18-22-25-23-10-78-68-72
B. Mitchell 92-49-55-93-86-57-45-86-28-59-23-21-17-23-23-21-10-76-80-67
Case 85-61-85-88-84-61-51-66-28-94-22-20-20-26-24-21-10-79-82-77
T. Eaton 83-54-62-83-84-60-43-68-28-86-23-21-18-20-27-24-10-78-71-72
B. Jordan 89-57-69-90-86-64-43-73-28-83-24-23-25-33-27-22-74-86-85-81
J. Donaldson 83-56-81-83-79-58-45-67-28-85-24-23-23-29-23-22-42-79-81-84
Fishback 78-69-55-78-81-54-37-77-28-77-25-21-22-29-25-22-10-80-72-76
N. Johnson 48-34-88-53-49-38-36-49-26-23-40-38-16-21-88-92-0-53-79-47
Fulhage 53-35-74-52-50-43-41-53-23-24-43-41-17-20-87-85-0-57-85-54
Quarterback Chris Miller threw for 3,103 yards and 26 touchdowns against 18 interceptions for an 80.6 QB rating a trip to the Pro Bowl in 1991.
Wide Receiver Michael Haynes led the Falcons with 22.4 yards per reception. He caught 50 passes for 1,122 yards and 11 TD's in 1991.
Wide Receiver Andre Rison made the Pro Bowl once again in 1991 after leading the Falcons in receptions with 80 and touchdowns with 12. His 976 receiving yards were 2nd on the squad.
Cornerback Tim McKyer arrived from the Miami Dolphins and he made an impact in his first campaign in Atlanta. Here, he prepares to deliver a blow to Dalton Hilliard of New Orleans.
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1991 Atlanta Falcons Individual Leaders
Passing: Chris Miller, 3103 yds., 53.3 comp. pct, 26 TDs, 80.6 rating
Rushing: Steve Broussard, 449 yds., 4 TDs, 4.5 yds./carry
Receiving: Andre Rison, 81 rec., 976 yds., 12 TDs
Touchdowns: Andre Rison, 12 (0 rush., 12 rec.)
QB Sacks: Tim Green, 5
Interceptions: Deion Sanders & Tim McKyer, 6
Scoring: Norm Johnson, 95 pts. (19 FG’s, 38 PAT’s)
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1991 NFC WEST STANDINGS
1st Place – New Orleans (11-5)
2nd Place – Atlanta (10-6)
3rd Place – San Francisco (10-6)
4th Place – L.A. Rams(3-13)