2001 Atlanta Falcons season
The 2001 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 36th season in the National Football League (NFL). The Falcons obtained the first pick overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. With the pick, the Falcons drafted Michael Vick.[1]
This was Jamal Anderson's final season as he re-aggravated his surgically repaired knee in Week 3, and this time, it ended his career.
Offseason
Vick was selected in the 2001 NFL Draft as the first overall pick and first African American quarterback taken number 1 in the NFL Draft. The San Diego Chargers had the number one selection spot in the draft that year but traded the rights to the first overall choice to the Atlanta Falcons a day before the draft, for which they received the Falcons' first round pick (5th overall) and third round pick in 2001 (used to draft CB Tay Cody), a second round pick in 2002 (used to draft WR Reche Caldwell) and WR/KR Tim Dwight.[2] With the Chargers' downgraded spot (the 5th overall), they selected Texas Christian University running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who went on to become league MVP in 2006.[3] Although Vick has never become league MVP, he finished second in voting in 2004.[4] In this way, Tomlinson and Vick are linked as having been "traded" for each other, although the transaction was actually the result of traded draft picks and contract negotiations.
NFL Draft
Main article:
2001 NFL Draft[5]
Personnel
Staff
| 2001 Atlanta Falcons staff |
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Front office
- President – Taylor Smith
- General Manager – Harold Richardson
- Vice President of Football Operations – Ron Hill
- Director of Player Personnel/College – Reed Johnson
- Director of Player Personnel/Pro – Les Snead
- Assistant to Head Coach/Pro Personnel – Marvin Bass
Head coaches
- Executive Vice President of Football Operations/Head Coach – Dan Reeves
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
- Strength and Conditioning – Al Miller
- Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Rocky Colburn
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Regular season
This was the Falcons' 32nd and final season as a member of the NFC West Division (35, if you count its predecessor, the Coastal Division of the NFL's Western Conference prior to the 1970 merger) before moving to the new NFC South as part of the NFL's realignment plan for the following season.
Schedule
| Week |
Date |
Opponent |
Results |
Attendance |
| Final score |
Team record |
| 1 |
September 9 |
at San Francisco 49ers |
L 13–16 (OT) |
0–1 |
65,989 |
| 2 |
September 23 |
Carolina Panthers |
W 24–16 |
1–1 |
47,804 |
| 3 |
September 30 |
at Arizona Cardinals |
W 34–14 |
2–1 |
28,878 |
| 4 |
October 7 |
Chicago Bears |
L 3–31 |
2–2 |
46,483 |
| 5 |
October 14 |
San Francisco 49ers |
L 31–37 (OT) |
2–3 |
46,727 |
| 6 |
October 21 |
at New Orleans Saints |
W 20–13 |
3–3 |
70,020 |
| 7 |
Bye |
| 8 |
November 4 |
New England Patriots |
L 10–24 |
3–4 |
44,229 |
| 9 |
November 11 |
Dallas Cowboys |
W 20–13 |
4–4 |
69,010 |
| 10 |
November 18 |
at Green Bay Packers |
W 23–20 |
5–4 |
59,849 |
| 11 |
November 25 |
at Carolina Panthers |
W 10–7 |
6–4 |
72,234 |
| 12 |
December 2 |
St. Louis Rams |
L 6–35 |
6–5 |
59,318 |
| 13 |
December 9 |
New Orleans Saints |
L 10–28 |
6–6 |
68,826 |
| 14 |
December 16 |
at Indianapolis Colts |
L 27–41 |
6–7 |
55,603 |
| 15 |
December 23 |
Buffalo Bills |
W 33–30 |
7–7 |
43,320 |
| 16 |
December 30 |
at Miami Dolphins |
L 14–21 |
7–8 |
73,559 |
| 17 |
January 6 |
at St. Louis Rams |
L 13–31 |
7–9 |
66,033 |
Standings
References
External links
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| | Division championships (5) | |
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| | Super Bowl appearances (1) | |
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| | Ring of Honor | |
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| | Current league affiliations | |
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| | Seasons (50) | |
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