Falcons Uniform History: #82 pits Stacey against Ken

With Andre Rison and Terance Mathis representing #80 and #81, you may have figured we were in for a drop in name recognition at some point. That point is now.

Your competition features Ken Burrow versus Stacey Bailey. Burrow's entire five year NFL career began and ended in Atlanta, and he put up a perfectly okay total of 152 receptions, 2,668 yards, and 21 touchdowns over that span. His career high for receptions was 34, but his career average per reception stands at 17.6, so he was clearly a decent deep option. If anyone has fond memories of Burrow, please share them, because I'm guessing he's lost to time for most of us.

Bailey played a full nine years in Atlanta, so if longevity's your measuring stick, he's probably your guy. Over that span, though, he caught 206 passes for 3,422 yards and 18 touchdowns, so the length of time he played is really his only major advantage career-long advantage over Burrow. His two year peak at age 23 and 24 saw him put up a combined 122 receptions for 2,000 yards and 12 touchdowns, however, and if he had continued on that pace he would be the easy winner here. Unfortunately due to injury and decline, he did not.

It's a close call, in the end, and I wouldn't blame you for selecting Bailey over Burrow or vice versa. I'm going to go with Bailey, who had a pretty terrific two-year peak and a long run in Atlanta. Stay tuned for tomorrow, when we break our streak of wide receivers.