Who's the ultimate Falcon? And who's the ultimate anti-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. The rule: minimum of three seasons with the Falcons for coaches, five seasons for players.
If there's one thing people love as much as Tight End Tuesday, it's Tight End Thursday.
Jim Mitchell, TE (1969 - 1979)
| Falconly |
Unfalconly |
- Fantastic blocker. Despite playing offense, Mitchell somehow led the team in weekly big hit awards according to Tommy Nobis.
-
Note the ranking by his name among all-time tight ends: #22. And that's not a Bleacher Report list, either; that book was named the best book of the 2000s by the Pro Football Research Association. How many other Falcons do you think should rank in the top 25 of an all-time positions list, based exclusively on their contributions made as a Falcon? Probably Nobis at mike, maybe Van Note at center, and that's it. Mitchell was hands-down the greatest tight end in team history besides Tony Gonzalez, case closed. Of course, the issue at hand is his Falconliness, not his greatness. (While you're noting, note he had the same nickname as our own Corey Peters.)
-
Eighth on all-time games-played-as-a-Falcon list (first among non-defenders and non-linemen).
-
Sixth on franchise's all-time receptions and receiving touchdowns list; fifth on receiving yards list. Most receiving yards of any tight end.
-
Two Pro Bowls, 1969 and 1972.
-
1970 team MVP and leading receiver.
- Missed only three games during his eleven seasons in Atlanta.
- After retiring, went on to coach at Atlanta's Morehouse College and Morris Brown College.
-
Born in Tennessee; buried in Atlanta.
|
- One of his three collegiate children graduated from Duke, which is impressive but most people don't like their basketball team.
- Looked nothing like Killer Mike.
|
Current standings after the jump:
The Falcoholic
an Atlanta Falcons community