Recalling memories and predictions from the 2016 Falcons season

This has been a magical year for the Atlanta Falcons and their fans, and thankfully, it’s not going to end after tomorrow’s January 1st game against the Saints. The playoffs are coming.

With the New Year kicking off tomorrow, it’s worth taking a look back at all the stories from the last year, including the many PR missteps of the offseason, the productive but divisive draft, and ultimately, the season we’re still enjoying. I’ve put together a quick look at my favorite memory, best and worst predictions, and my pre-season prediction for the team’s record, and I invite you to do the same. Let’s take a little trip down memory lane.

Best memory

There are so many great choices this season, honestly, but I’d be hard-pressed to pick anything but Julio Jones’ 300 yard explosion against the Panthers. You rarely see a wide receiver demolish a team as thoroughly as Julio did in this one, and he demoralized an entire franchise and actually got the cornerback unlucky enough to draw him for the majority of the game cut the next week. Tough to top.

Best prediction

I wound up being off by a round in both cases, but I did predict the Falcons would draft both Keanu Neal and Deion Jones. I also said I thought Matt Ryan and Kyle Shanahan would deliver better results, but I wasn’t even close to alone there, so we’ll go with the draft take.

Worst prediction

I greeted the Raheem Morris news with a lot of skepticism, and essentially said the odds were that it wasn’t going to work out. Now I firmly believe he’ll be the team’s offensive coordinator if Kyle Shanahan leaves, soooo...

Pre-season record prediction

8-8! Ah, I remember when I was told that seemed optimistic.

Share your memories and predictions with us, if you would.