Falcons want to know how fans feel about bringing back the Dirty Bird

What’s the most pressing issue facing the Falcons this offseason? Is it the limited amount of available cap the team has left to make moves? Is it the looming contract issues for Julio Jones, Grady Jarrett, and others? Or maybe ... just maybe ... could it be the return of the Dirty Bird?

My esteemed colleague, pal, and fellow Falcons fan Steven Godfrey shared excerpts from a survey the team sent out over the weekend. An emphasis on the Dirty Bird stood out.

The Falcons have been rolling with this Rise Up slogan for years now. Fans got tired of it early on, probably in part because those were still the Mike Smith days, and the team’s tendency to blow leads and play abysmally poor third quarters seemed antithetical to the stated goal of “rising up.”

Former Falcons running back Jamal Anderson popularized the dance during the team’s 1998 Super Bowl run. Tight end O.J. Santiago gave the dance its iconic name.

“It’s ‘The Dirty Bird,’” Santiago told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after a win against the New England Patriots in 1998. “I got to give credit to Jamal for creating the dance, but I came up with the name. You raise the roof first [with palms facing the sky], cock your wings [with thumbs in armpits], and then start flapping ‘em.”

It’s a memorable part of Falcons history, and it’s something that I, for one, would welcome back to the 2019 Falcons.

The Falcons had other questions for fans, including one about how fans came to love the Falcons.

Wait, what?

If you became a fan of this football team because you watched that abomination of a game, my hat is off to you, my friend. You have an emotional fortitude possessed by few.

Anyway, we want to hear from you. What are your thoughts on bringing back the Dirty Bird? Let’s talk it out in the comments.