Introducing The Scale Of Falconliness: How Falconly Is Warrick Dunn?
by Jason Kirk on Jun 7, 2010 8:00 AM EDT
in The Scale of Falconliness
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You've probably heard players, coaches, fans, writers, and announcers say things like these:
- "That guy's a true Celtic."
- "The ultimate Yankee."
- "The definitive Pittsburgh Steeler."
- "She perfectly represents UConn."
- "Not just a Miami Hurricane; he's the Miami Hurricane."
- "Sigh... typical Raider."
This crossed my mind -- what does it mean to embody the Atlanta Falcons? Who's the ultimate Falcon? Which players and coaches most evocatively represent this franchise and city -- not necessarily the best players, but the most quintessentially Falconic? (And who's the ultimate anti-Falcon? Who's least worthy of being called a Falcon?)
That's what we're going to find out with our summer project: the Scale of Falconliness. We'll rate former Falcons on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most Falconly. I'll keep a chart as we go, showings who's been ranked where.
Let's kick it off with a tough one:
Warrick Dunn
| Falconly | Unfalconly |
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Bottom line: Very good player -- and more importantly, great man -- but when you're reviewing the Hall of Falconliness, how willing are you to overlook the following image:
via a.espncdn.com
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With only one major flaw (being a Buc)
Warrick Dunn was the man on the field, and an even better one off of it. Solid 9 on the Falcon scale.
It's all in the beard
Question we need to ask is where is Warrick’s loyalty? Ask him one question—-what jersey would he wear if he went into the HOF? If Atlanta than give him an 9, if Bucs than give him a 5.
Fairly simple. Falcon fans will give him his due if his loyalty remains with Falcons. His investment in the Falcons to become part owner is a good start. So 8 or 9 from me.
Truly Falconly?
Hear me straight up. I love the Falcons. Never lived in Atlanta, but been a fan since at least 1992 and can distinctly remember Deion flashing the ‘2 Legit 2 Quit’ hand signal as he ran back a touchdown in the days of MC Hammer.
So, I don’t hate the Falcons, but if I’m being brutally honest, to be “quintessentially Falconic” more than likely means someone who is generally inconsistent and more-often-than-not mediocre. They might be flashy at times, hard-nosed at times, and hope inspiring at times, but to truly represent a franchise that took 40 years to have back-to-back winning seasons, the ultimate Falcon really can’t be some glorious player.
Now that I’m done being a Negative Nancy… I can’t wait to see the polls on:
1. Neon Deion
2. Andre Rison
3. Jerry Glanville – are coaches in consideration?
4. Bobby Hebert
5. Brett Favre
Brett Favre?
Did he ever play a down as a Falcon?
Bobby Hebert played his best when he was with our Arch-Nemisis Saints. So no.
How bout Tommy Nobis, Steve Bartkowski, Gerald Riggs, Jessie Tuggle?
I believe he threw an INT as his first pass.
Against all odds, against all circumstance were you don't have a shot, you succeed
-Michael Strahan
All you hear about is the past, the past... the past is the !@#$ing past, this is the present.
THIS IS TEMPORARY! A CHAMPIONSHIP IS PERMANENT
-Same as above
Tuggle
Thats the face of this franchise!
by JustJones on Jun 7, 2010 9:09 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
The Hammer
Tuggle, Bartkowski, Tommy Nobis, Jeff Van Note, William Andrews, Mike Kenn. These are the “10’s” of Falconly men. Leeman Bennett is the only Falconly Coach yet, although Mike Smith is well on his way.
9’s on this list would be headed by Gerald Riggs and Keith Brooking. Maybe Terrance Mathis, but only because the dude is into NASCAR… how much more Falconly can you get?
As Far As...
Warrick, I enjoyed him as a Falcon. I’m glad that he decided to become a minority owner of the team. Outside of football, I think he seems to be a marvelous man. However, I automatically see Warrick as Buc. I hate to say it, but that’s the team that comes to mind first for me.
As far as other Falcons, I have to say I agree with JustJones and say that Jesse Tuggle should most definitely rank pretty highly. However, knowing my history, I must say that Tommy Nobis was is still one of the major faces of the franchise. It may have been well before my time, but he was the man from what I’ve heard.
He’s a 10 for what we want our players to be… but I agree w/XBEARDX – I think of him as a Buc first… so I voted 5.
Also, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with complaining about wasting a first round pick on TJ friggin Duckett.
"Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital." - Aaron Levenstein
by orang3b on Jun 7, 2010 9:31 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
This
Seriously, I think we can move “complaining about the TJ Duckett pick” into the pro-Falcons category.
But I went with a 7 on Dunn because I believe had we not let him go he would have retired as a Falcon. When he was here, he was 100% a Falcon and gave everything to the community of Atlanta and 100% to the team. The Tampa issues warrant a couple of point drops, but I don’t think he’s as low as a 5. To me, 5 and under are for passer-by’s, those that maybe played a few seasons here and nothing more.
"You could spend the next fifteen seconds of your life watching a man and a tiger scream together, or you could be an idiot."
Fact.
I should've said "complained to the media"
He was right, Duckett was a terrible pick. But complaining to the Atlanta media before he’d ever carried the ball here may have been a little off-putting to some, no matter how immediately correct.
Longest Atlanta Falcons winning-seasons streak: 2008 - current
The Falcoholic · Blog · Twitter
No way
Tuggle, Nobis, Bartkowski, Van Note, or hell, even Matt Ryan is a better choice than Dunn. Dunn was a great player and a great guy, but he was only a Falcon for a few years.
Yup.
I don’t think of Dunn as a Falcon as much as a Buc although one of my best Falcons’ memories was him lighting up the Rams in the playoffs.
But him complaining about TJ Duckett as a 1st rounder should be in the “Falconly” column; You can find short yardage backs who have weight problems and trip over yard lines as undrafted or unwanted free agents. Ask LenWhale White.
I don't think Buc first with Dunn
He was a falcon and had his best seasons here so he is a true falcon. It was wierd seeing him as a Buc before he retired, so to me he wanted to win a championship here because he played so hard.
Atlanta will win a championship....someday
Dunn is a 10 as a Falconeer!
But to be a 10 as a Falcon…at the minimum…I say you have to (1) either start or finish your career w/ the Falcons (2) spend your best years with the Falcons (3) hold or have held some type of Falcon record and (4) have a better than average off-the-field record.
Dunn unfortunately doesnt qualify to be a 10 as a Falcon be I’d give him no less than a 7.
Our “perfect 10’s” would be guys like Bartkowski, Nobis, White Shoes, Tuggle, Mathis, Brooking & McClure.
Falcon Fans UNITE!
brooking???
Really explain that one, cause when I think of this guy I think of his antics after the trade. He may have been a class act when he was with us but after leaving he looks like a joke.
He did
the same things with us that we seen last year with the cowbells but the difference is we were blinded due to his being a huge part of the franchise. Kind of like when you first start to date a lady you dont see any flaws but as soon as the dating has ended than you see more and more of the flaws.
Brooking
Well, to be honest as flawed as Brooking was, on a Falconeer scale, he must be pretty high. They guy was knee deep in Atlanta having spent his entire life including College here, that is before the Cowdungs came calling. Sure he isn’t a Tommy Nobis or Jessie Tuggle but he is atleast an 8.
Give him a 10.
I grew up watching football with Warrick Dunn running for the Falcons. Him and Michael Vick were the staples of the team I kept track of. I didn’t know he ever played on the Buccaneers, and I don’t think it matters that much. What he had were 6 great seasons playing for Atlanta, including his best season and a Pro Bowl year, and that enough should make him extremely “Falconly”. Another great thing that he did was his charitable work giving homes to struggling single mothers, and literally became one of the most generally good-hearted people to ever put on a Falcon jersey. With the kind of money that players get, too often you see them wasting their money on items that they don’t need. There are countless examples of this, and Warrick Dunn was exact opposite of it. He played unbelievably football for Atlanta for over half a decade, and while running over defenders, became one of the greatest players on and off the field. I think that deserves a 10.
Besides, we all know if he could pick the team that drafted him, it would be ATL, right?
Vick who?
Has that name not been banned from this board yet?
Brooking is a 10.
Where’s why…
(1) He is a native who is isnt afraid to eat grits.
(2) He started with the Falcons and spent all but his twilight years here.
(3) He wasnt the most gifted player but he hustled 100% of the time…even if it occassionally was in the wrong direction.
(4) He was a pro bowler.
(5) He played in the Super Bowl as a Falcon.
(6) He was and is a respectable upstanding citizen off the field with only a couple of stupid…but not Tom Cruise couch-jumping stupid…moments to speak of.
(7) He is a dog lover, not a dog killer.
Falcon Fans UNITE!
Dunn isn't even on my top 10 list
Nobis, Humphrey, Zook, Mike Smith {coach}, Start out my list to date in no particular order.
Really?
He played for the Falcons for 6yrs, did great things for the Atlanta community and is now a part owner of the team.He put his own personal money in a franchise he loves and believes in. That alone deserves an 8.Best season of his career with the falcons and pro bowl. 9.. Class act and quality guy..10
Warrick Dunn is a true Falcon….
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