1974 Atlanta Falcons season

1974 Atlanta Falcons season
1974 Atlanta Falcons season
Owner	Rankin M. Smith Sr.
General manager	Norm Van Brocklin (fired Nov. 6)
Head coach	Norm Van Brocklin (fired Nov. 6; 2–6 record); Marion Campbell (interim; 1–5 record)
Home stadium	Atlanta Stadium
Results
Record	3–11
Division place	4th NFC West
Playoffs	Did not qualify
All-Pros	1 DE Claude Humphrey (2nd team) ;
Pro Bowlers	3 C Jeff Van Note ; T George Kunz ; DE Claude Humphrey ;
	← 1973; Falcons seasons; 1975 →;

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 23–7 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]

OwnerRankin M. Smith Sr.

General managerNorm Van Brocklin (fired Nov. 6)

Head coachNorm Van Brocklin (fired Nov. 6; 2–6 record)
Marion Campbell (interim; 1–5 record)

Home stadiumAtlanta Stadium

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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. Overall, Bob Lee, statistically, had one of the poorest seasons by a quarterback in Atlanta Falcons history, throwing for 852 yards, just 3 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and completed just 45.3% of his passes (going 78 for 172) to go with his 32.4 passer rating. He also got sacked 31 times for 269 yards.

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 (1976 and 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.

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Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1974 Atlanta Falcons draft
2	44	Gerald Tinker	Wide receiver	Kent State	Selected two spots ahead of Kent State teammate Jack Lambert.
3	69	Kim McQuilken	Quarterback	Lehigh
4	96	Vince Kendrick	Running back	Florida
5	128	Monroe Eley	Running back	Arizona State	Would join the Falcons in 1975 after having played in the CFL for the British Columbia Lions between 1972 and 1974.
6	147	Doyle Orange	Running back	Southern Mississippi
7	173	Jim Coode	Offensive tackle	Michigan	Played in the CFL for the Ottawa Rough Riders up to 1980.
9	225	Larry Bailey	Defensive tackle	Pacific
10	252	Paul Ryczek	Center	Virginia
11	277	Eddie Wilson	Wide receiver	Albany State
12	304	Vic Kögel	Linebacker	Ohio State
13	329	Ralph Powell	Running back	Nebraska
14	356	John Givens	Guard	Villanova
15	381	Willie Jones	Wide receiver	Iowa State
16	408	Sylvester McGee	Running back	Rhode Island
17	433	Al Davis	Guard	Boise State
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

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.

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	7	10	0	7	24
Falcons	0	0	0	0	0

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	13	0	0	3	16
Falcons	7	0	0	3	10

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	7	3	3	13
Saints	0	7	0	7	14

1974 Atlanta Falcons season

Offseason

NFL draft

Personnel

Staff

Roster

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week 2: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week 3: at New Orleans Saints

Week 4: at New York Giants

Week 5: vs. Chicago Bears

Week 6: vs. New Orleans Saints

Week 7: at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 8: at Miami Dolphins

Week 9: at Los Angeles Rams

Week 10: vs. Baltimore Colts

Week 11: at San Francisco 49ers

Week 12: vs. Los Angeles Rams

Week 13: at Minnesota Vikings

Week 14: vs. Green Bay Packers

Standings

References

External links

Related Articles

NFC West
view talk edit	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