Okay, let’s talk about the Atlanta Falcons and their running backs, a topic that gets me going down memory lane. I’ve been following the Falcons for years, and the running back position has always been a source of excitement, frustration, and everything in between.
I started to be a fan of the team from 2008. At that time, I searched on the internet who is the best running back for the Falcons. Some articles said that from 2015 to 2018, the Falcons were mostly about their young backs. But, I don’t know much about them, so I did some more digging.
Then I went back a bit further. I typed in “best Falcons running backs” and started scrolling through old articles and stats. One name kept popping up: Gerald Riggs. It seems like almost every Falcons fan loved this guy. Apparently, he was with the team from ’82 to ’88. Drafted by the Falcons, even. Some fans online were saying he’s their all-time favorite.
- Checked out some old game footage of Riggs. The guy was a beast! No wonder he’s so popular.
- Found out he racked up 6,631 rushing yards with the Falcons. That’s a lot of yards!
Next, I stumbled upon another name: William Andrews. Played from ’79 to ’86, they said. This guy apparently broke 19 team records. The numbers were impressive – 5,986 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns. He was also really good at catching the ball, with 2,647 receiving yards. I guess you could say he was a dual-threat kind of player. I read in an old forum that he was only the second running back in NFL history to achieve something special, but the details were fuzzy. Something about having two somethings… I’ll have to look that up later.
- Watched some highlights of Andrews. He was more agile than Riggs, it seemed. Different style, but just as effective.
- Made a note to research more about Andrews’ record-breaking feats.
After Andrews and Riggs, I started looking into more recent players. I saw a lot of people talking about Michael Turner. He joined the Falcons in 2008, after playing for another team. Apparently, fans called him “The Burner”. In his first season as the main running back, he rushed for 1,699 yards and scored 17 touchdowns. That’s a heck of a debut!
- Looked up Turner’s stats from other seasons. He was pretty consistent, which is what you want from a running back.
- Read some fan comments about Turner. People seemed to really like him, too.
Wrapping Up
After spending all this time reading and watching videos, I realized the Falcons have had some truly great running backs. The team might not be super successful overall, and haven’t won the Super Bowl, but they’ve definitely had some stars carrying the ball. I found out there are four running backs on their roster now, but I didn’t get much into their details. In one game, there was this one guy who only played special teams, and he was originally a cornerback. It was interesting, for sure. I guess each one brought something different to the team. It’s cool to see how the position has evolved over the years. I should check back on their games, they had three straight wins at the end of one season, which was their first time doing that. I watched their final game where they beat Tampa Bay, good game. This little project has definitely made me appreciate the history of the Falcons and their running backs even more.
