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
OwnerRankin M. Smith Sr.
Head coachNorm Van Brocklin (2–6)
Marion Campbell (1–5)
General managerNorm Van Brocklin
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. Three of his successors have suffered the same humiliation in the middle of a season: Marion Campbell (1989), Dan Reeves (2003) and Dan Quinn (2020), and Bobby Petrino quit with three games remaining in 2007.[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

Regular season

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

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

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

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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