1979 Atlanta Falcons season
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NFL team season
| 1979 Atlanta Falcons season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Rankin M. Smith Sr. |
| General manager | Eddie LeBaron |
| Head coach | Leeman Bennett |
| Home field | Fulton County Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 6–10 |
| Division place | 3rd NFC West |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| |
The 1979 Atlanta Falcons season was the Falcons' 14th season. The Falcons were trying to improve upon their 9–7 record in 1978 and make it to the playoffs for the second time in team history, their first appearance being the year before. Rookie fullback William Andrews rushed for 167 yards in a 40–34 overtime win over the Saints in the season opener in New Orleans. Andrews set a team record with 1,023 yards, while quarterback Steve Bartkowski became the first Falcon to surpass the 2,000-yard mark with 2,505. However, the Falcons' defense allowed 388 points and the team finished 6–10.
Offseason
[edit ]NFL Draft
[edit ]Main article: 1979 NFL draft
| 1979 Atlanta Falcons draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | Don Smith | Defensive tackle | Miami (FL) | |
| 2 | 49 | Pat Howell | Guard | USC | |
| 3 | 75 | James Mayberry | Running back | Colorado | |
| 3 | 79 | William Andrews * | Running back | Auburn | |
| 4 | 100 | Lynn Cain | Running back | USC | |
| 4 | 101 | Charles Johnson | Defensive back | Grambling State | |
| 5 | 127 | Mike Zele | Nose tackle | Kent State | |
| 6 | 154 | Mike Moroski | Quarterback | UC Davis | |
| 7 | 186 | Roger Westlund | Offensive tackle | Washington | |
| 8 | 212 | Keith Miller | Linebacker | Northeastern State | |
| 9 | 239 | Dave Parkin | Defensive back | Utah State | |
| 10 | 266 | Bruce Beekley | Linebacker | Oregon | |
| 11 | 292 | Bill Leer | Center | Colorado State | |
| 12 | 323 | Stuart Walker | Linebacker | Colorado | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Undrafted free agents
[edit ]| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Putt Choate | Linebacker | SMU |
| Don Lukas | Wide receiver | Michigan Tech |
Personnel
[edit ]Staff
[edit ]Front office
- Chairman of the board – Rankin M. Smith Sr.
- President – Rankin M. Smith, Jr.
- General manager – Eddie LeBaron
- Director of player personnel – Tom Braatz
Head coaches
- Head coach – Leeman Bennett
Offensive coaches
- Quarterbacks – Dick Wood
- Offensive backs – John North
- Receivers – Ted Plumb
- Offensive line – Bill Walsh
- Defensive coordinator – Jerry Glanville
- Defensive line – Jim Champion
- Linebackers – Doug Shively
Roster
[edit ] Quarterbacks (QB)
- 10 Steve Bartkowski
- 9 Larry Fortner
- 15 Mike Moroski
- 14 June Jones
Running backs (RB)
- 31 William Andrews FB
- 44 Bubba Bean
- 39 James Mayberry
- 24 Haskel Stanback
Wide receivers (WR)
- 89 Wallace Francis
- 85 Alfred Jackson
- 84 Alfred Jenkins
- 81 Dennis Pearson
- 82 Billy Ryckman
Tight ends (TE)
- 87 Russ Mikeska
- 86 Jim Mitchell
- 66 Warren Bryant T
- -- Chuck Correal C
- 64 Pat Howell G
- 78 Mike Kenn T
- 73 Phil McKinnely T
- 53 Paul Ryczek C
- 70 Dave Scott G
- 68 R.C. Thielemann G
- 57 Jeff Van Note C
Defensive linemen (DL)
- 74 Wilson Faumuina DT
- 77 Edgar Fields DT
- 69 Mike Lewis DT
- 65 Don Smith DE
- 79 Jeff Yeates DE
- 63 Mike Zele DT
- 50 Greg Brezina
- 51 Brian Cabral
- 55 Tony Daykin
- 54 Fulton Kuykendall
- 56 Ron McCartney
- 52 Dewey McClain
- 59 Robert Pennywell
- 58 Joel Williams
Defensive backs (DB)
- 38 Rick Byas CB
- 32 Ray Easterling FS
- 36 Bob Glazebrook
- 33 Jerome King CB
- 22 Rolland Lawrence CB
- 45 Tom Moriarty S
- 27 Tom Pridemore FS
- 28 Frank Reed SS
- 6 John James P
- 4 Tim Mazzetti K
Reserve
- 21 Lynn Cain RB (IR)
- 48 Putt Choate LB (IR)
- 26 Mike Esposito RB (IR)
- 88 Lewis Gilbert TE (IR)
- -- Don Lukas WR (IR)
- 75 Jeff Merrow DE (IR)
- 25 Ray Strong RB (IR)
- 83 James Wright TE (IR)
Rookies in italics
Regular season
[edit ]Schedule
[edit ]| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 2 | at New Orleans Saints | W 40–34 | 1–0 | Louisiana Superdome | 70,940 | |
| 2 | September 10 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 14–10 | 2–0 | Veterans Stadium | 66,935 | |
| 3 | September 16 | Denver Broncos | L 17–20 | 2–1 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 57,677 | |
| 4 | September 23 | at Detroit Lions | L 23–24 | 2–2 | Pontiac Silverdome | 56,249 | |
| 5 | September 30 | Washington Redskins | L 7–16 | 2–3 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 56,819 | |
| 6 | October 7 | Green Bay Packers | W 25–7 | 3–3 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 56,184 | |
| 7 | October 14 | at Oakland Raiders | L 19–50 | 3–4 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 52,900 | |
| 8 | October 21 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 15–20 | 3–5 | Candlestick Park | 33,952 | |
| 9 | October 29 | Seattle Seahawks | L 28–31 | 3–6 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 52,566 | |
| 10 | November 4 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 17–14 | 4–6 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 55,150 | |
| 11 | November 11 | at New York Giants | L 3–24 | 4–7 | Giants Stadium | 60,860 | |
| 12 | November 19 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 14–20 | 4–8 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 54,097 | |
| 13 | November 25 | New Orleans Saints | L 6–37 | 4–9 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 42,815 | |
| 14 | December 2 | at San Diego Chargers | W 28–26 | 5–9 | San Diego Stadium | 50,198 | |
| 15 | December 9 | Los Angeles Rams | L 13–34 | 5–10 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 49,236 | |
| 16 | December 16 | San Francisco 49ers | W 31–21 | 6–10 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 37,211 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Standings
[edit ]| NFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Los Angeles Rams (3) | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–1 | 7–5 | 323 | 309 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 370 | 360 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–4 | 5–7 | 300 | 388 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 1–5 | 2–10 | 308 | 416 | L1 |
References
[edit ]- ^ "1979 Atlanta Falcons draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
External links
[edit ]
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