1979 Atlanta Falcons (NFL) |
| 3rd place • National Football Conference • Western Division • 6-10-0 .375 |
| Head Coach: Leeman Bennett |
| Jim Champion | Defensive Line |
| Jerry Glanville | Defensive Backs |
| John North | Offensive Backs |
| Ted Plumb | Quarterbacks/Receivers |
| Doug Shively | Linebackers |
| Bill Walsh | Offensive Line |
| Dick Wood | Quarterbacks |
| SCORES | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day | Date | Opponent | Score | Location | Venue | Attendance | |||
| Sat | 8/4/1979 | H | New England Patriots | 14-37 | L | Atlanta, GA | Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium | 53228 | |
| Thu | 8/9/1979 | A | St. Louis Cardinals | 17-42 | L | St. Louis, MO | Busch Memorial Stadium | 39705 | |
| Sat | 8/18/1979 | H | Washington Redskins | 6-16 | L | Atlanta, GA | Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium | 52478 | |
| Sat | 8/25/1979 | A | Green Bay Packers | 35-45 | L | Milwaukee, WI | County Stadium | 55416 | |
| Sun | 9/2/1979 | A | New Orleans Saints | 40-34 | W | OT | New Orleans, LA | Louisiana Superdome | 70940 |
| Mon | 9/10/1979 | A | Philadelphia Eagles | 14-10 | W | Philadelphia, PA | Veterans Stadium | 66935 | |
| Sun | 9/16/1979 | H | Denver Broncos | 17-20 | L | OT | Atlanta, GA | Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium | 57677 |
| Sun | 9/23/1979 | A | Detroit Lions | 23-24 | L | Pontiac, MI | Pontiac Silverdome | 56249 | |
| Sun | 9/30/1979 | H | Washington Redskins | 7-16 | L | Atlanta, GA | Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium | 56819 | |
| Sun | 10/7/1979 | H | Green Bay Packers | 25-7 | W | Atlanta, GA | Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium | 56184 | |
| Sun | 10/14/1979 | A | Oakland Raiders | 19-50 | L | Oakland, CA | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | 52900 | |
| Sun | 10/21/1979 | A | San Francisco 49ers | 15-20 | L | San Francisco, CA | Candlestick Park | 33952 | |
| Mon | 10/29/1979 | H | Seattle Seahawks | 28-31 | L | Atlanta, GA | Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium | 52566 | |
| Sun | 11/4/1979 | H | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 17-14 | W | Atlanta, GA | Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium | 55150 | |
| Sun | 11/11/1979 | A | New York Giants | 3-24 | L | East Rutherford, NJ | Giants Stadium | 60860 | |
| Mon | 11/19/1979 | A | Los Angeles Rams | 14-20 | L | Los Angeles, CA | Memorial Coliseum | 54097 | |
| Sun | 11/25/1979 | H | New Orleans Saints | 6-37 | L | Atlanta, GA | Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium | 42815 | |
| Sun | 12/2/1979 | A | San Diego Chargers | 28-26 | W | San Diego, CA | San Diego Stadium | 50198 | |
| Sun | 12/9/1979 | H | Los Angeles Rams | 13-34 | L | Atlanta, GA | Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium | 49236 | |
| Sun | 12/16/1979 | H | San Francisco 49ers | 31-21 | W | Atlanta, GA | Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium | 37211 | |
Exhibition game. Playoff game. A=Away game. H=Home game. N=Neutral site game. W=Win. L=Loss. T=Tie. OT=Overtime.
Click on Date to see boxscore.
| ROSTER | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | No | Pos | Ht | Wt | Age | College | GP | GS |
| William Andrews | 31 | FB | 6-0 | 210 | 24 | Auburn | 15 | 15 |
| Steve Bartkowski | 10 | QB | 6-4 | 215 | 27 | California | 14 | 14 |
| Bubba Bean | 44 | HB | 5-11 | 195 | 25 | Texas A&M | 11 | 11 |
| Greg Brezina | 50 | RLB | 6-1 | 221 | 33 | Houston | 16 | 16 |
| Warren Bryant | 66 | ROT | 6-6 | 270 | 24 | Kentucky | 16 | 16 |
| Rick Byas | 38 | RCB | 5-10 | 185 | 29 | Eastern Michigan; Wayne State (Michigan) | 16 | 16 |
| Brian Cabral | 51 | LB | 6-1 | 217 | 23 | Colorado | 3 | 0 |
| Lynn Cain | 21 | HB | 6-1 | 205 | 24 | East Los Angeles JC; Southern California | 10 | 2 |
| Tony Daykin | 55 | LB | 6-1 | 220 | 24 | Georgia Tech | 11 | 0 |
| Ray Easterling | 32 | FS-SS | 6-0 | 193 | 30 | Richmond | 16 | 16 |
| Wilson Faumuina | 74 | LDT | 6-5 | 275 | 25 | San Jose State | 14 | 14 |
| Edgar Fields | 77 | RDT-LDT | 6-2 | 255 | 25 | Navarro JC; Texas A&M | 16 | 15 |
| Wallace Francis | 89 | WR | 5-11 | 190 | 28 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 16 | 16 |
| Bob Glazebrook | 36 | S-CB | 6-1 | 200 | 23 | Fresno CC; Fresno State | 13 | 0 |
| Pat Howell | 64 | ROG | 6-5 | 253 | 22 | Southern California | 15 | 5 |
| Alfred Jackson | 85 | WR | 6-0 | 190 | 24 | Texas | 12 | 0 |
| John James | 6 | P | 6-3 | 199 | 30 | Florida | 16 | 0 |
| Alfred Jenkins | 84 | WR | 5-10 | 172 | 27 | Morris Brown | 16 | 16 |
| June Jones | 14 | QB | 6-4 | 200 | 26 | Oregon; Hawaii; Portland State | 5 | 2 |
| Mike Kenn | 78 | LOT | 6-7 | 278 | 23 | Michigan | 16 | 16 |
| Jerome King | 33 | CB | 5-10 | 175 | 24 | Purdue | 1 | 0 |
| Fulton Kuykendall | 54 | LLB | 6-4 | 226 | 26 | UCLA | 16 | 16 |
| Rolland Lawrence | 22 | LCB | 5-10 | 179 | 28 | Tabor | 16 | 16 |
| Mike Lewis | 69 | LDT-RDT | 6-4 | 260 | 30 | Wiley; Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 13 | 2 |
| James Mayberry | 39 | FB | 5-11 | 210 | 22 | Colorado | 16 | 1 |
| Tim Mazzetti | 4 | K | 6-1 | 175 | 23 | Pennsylvania | 16 | 0 |
| Ron McCartney | 56 | LB | 6-1 | 220 | 25 | Tennessee | 16 | 0 |
| Dewey McClain | 52 | LB | 6-3 | 236 | 25 | East Central | 15 | 0 |
| Phil McKinnely | 73 | OT | 6-4 | 248 | 25 | UCLA | 15 | 0 |
| Jeff Merrow | 75 | RDE | 6-4 | 250 | 26 | West Virginia | 3 | 2 |
| Russ Mikeska | 87 | TE | 6-3 | 225 | 24 | Texas A&M | 16 | 0 |
| Jim Mitchell | 86 | TE | 6-1 | 235 | 32 | Prairie View A&M | 16 | 16 |
| Tom Moriarty | 45 | S | 6-0 | 183 | 26 | Bowling Green State | 16 | 0 |
| Mike Moroski | 15 | QB | 6-4 | 201 | 22 | UC Davis | 2 | 0 |
| Ricky Patton | 33 | RB | 5-11 | 189 | 25 | Ferris State; Jackson State | 4 | 0 |
| Dennis Pearson | 81 | WR | 5-11 | 177 | 24 | Washington State; San Diego State | 16 | 0 |
| Robert Pennywell | 59 | MLB | 6-1 | 222 | 25 | Grambling State | 16 | 16 |
| Tom Pridemore | 27 | FS | 5-11 | 186 | 23 | West Virginia | 16 | 5 |
| Frank Reed | 28 | SS | 5-11 | 193 | 25 | Washington | 11 | 11 |
| Billy Ryckman | 82 | WR | 5-11 | 172 | 24 | Louisiana Tech | 14 | 0 |
| Paul Ryczek | 53 | C | 6-2 | 231 | 27 | Virginia | 16 | 0 |
| Dave Scott | 70 | LOG | 6-4 | 265 | 26 | Kansas | 16 | 16 |
| Don Smith | 65 | RDE-RDT | 6-5 | 262 | 22 | Miami (Florida) | 16 | 15 |
| Haskel Stanback | 24 | HB | 6-0 | 210 | 27 | Tennessee | 13 | 3 |
| Ray Strong | 25 | RB | 5-9 | 184 | 23 | Contra Costa JC; Nevada-Las Vegas | 6 | 0 |
| R.C. Thielemann | 68 | ROG | 6-4 | 257 | 24 | Arkansas | 11 | 11 |
| Jeff Van Note | 57 | C | 6-2 | 247 | 33 | Kentucky | 16 | 16 |
| Joel Williams | 58 | LB | 6-1 | 222 | 23 | Peru State; Wisconsin-La Crosse | 16 | 0 |
| Jeff Yeates | 79 | LDE | 6-3 | 252 | 28 | Boston College | 16 | 16 |
| Mike Zele | 63 | DT | 6-4 | 250 | 23 | Kent State | 13 | 0 |
| DRAFT LIST | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Overall | Player | Pos | College |
| 1 | 17 | Don Smith | DE | Miami (Florida) |
| 2 | 49 | Pat Howell | G | Southern California |
| 3 | 75 | James Mayberry | RB | Colorado |
| 3 | 79 | William Andrews | RB | Auburn |
| 4 | 100 | Lynn Cain | RB | Southern California |
| 4 | 101 | Charles Johnson | DB | Grambling State |
| 5 | 127 | Mike Zele | DT | Kent State |
| 6 | 154 | Mike Moroski | QB | California-Davis |
| 7 | 186 | Roger Westlund | T | Washington |
| 8 | 212 | Keith Miller | LB | Northeastern State |
| 9 | 239 | Dave Parkin | DB | Utah State |
| 10 | 266 | Bruce Beekley | LB | Oregon |
| 11 | 292 | Bill Leer | C | Colorado State |
| 12 | 323 | Stuart Walker | LB | Colorado |
| SCORING BY QUARTERS | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | OT | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Totals | 34 | 90 | 59 | 111 | 6 | 300 |
| Opponents Totals | 79 | 156 | 57 | 93 | 3 | 388 |
| TEAM STATS | TOP | 1st Downs | FDR | FDP | FDX | 3rd Down Efficiency | 4th Down Efficiency | PEN | PENY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Totals | 303 | 126 | 150 | 27 | 82/221 37.1% | / % | 107 | 1026 | |
| Opponents Totals | 30:09 | 311 | 109 | 177 | 25 | 110/253 43.5% | / % | 98 | 815 |
| SCORING | TD | X1 | X1A | PCT | FG | FGA | PCT | SAF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Mazzetti | 0 | 31 | 37 | 83.8 | 13 | 25 | 52.0 | 0 | 70 |
| Wallace Francis | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | ||
| William Andrews | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | ||
| Haskel Stanback | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | ||
| Lynn Cain | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | ||
| Alfred Jenkins | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| Steve Bartkowski | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | ||
| James Mayberry | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | ||
| Jim Mitchell | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | ||
| Billy Ryckman | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | ||
| Bubba Bean | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| Rick Byas | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| Rolland Lawrence | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| Mike Moroski | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| Robert Pennywell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| Mike Lewis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Team Totals | 38 | 31 | 37 | 83.8 | 13 | 25 | 52.0 | 1 | 300 |
| Opponents Totals | 47 | 44 | 47 | 93.6 | 20 | 29 | 69.0 | 1 | 388 |
| FIELD GOALS | MADE | ATT | PCT | BL | LG | 1-19 | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Mazzetti | 13 | 25 | 52.0 | 1 | 48 | 0/0 | 9/11 | 1/6 | 3/7 | 0/1 |
| Team Totals | 13 | 25 | 52.0 | 1 | 48 | 0/0 | 9/11 | 1/6 | 3/7 | 0/1 |
| Opponents Totals | 20 | 29 | 69.0 | 1/1 | 7/8 | 6/9 | 5/7 | 1/4 |
| RUSHING | ATT | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Andrews | 239 | 1023 | 4.3 | 23 | 3 |
| Bubba Bean | 88 | 393 | 4.5 | 60t | 1 |
| Lynn Cain | 63 | 295 | 4.7 | 35t | 2 |
| Haskel Stanback | 36 | 202 | 5.6 | 55t | 5 |
| James Mayberry | 45 | 193 | 4.3 | 21 | 1 |
| Steve Bartkowski | 14 | 36 | 2.6 | 18 | 2 |
| Mike Moroski | 3 | 31 | 10.3 | 19 | 1 |
| June Jones | 6 | 19 | 3.2 | 9 | 0 |
| Ray Strong | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | 4 | 0 |
| Ricky Patton | 3 | 1 | 0.3 | 4 | 0 |
| John James | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 500 | 2200 | 4.4 | 60t | 15 |
| Opponents Totals | 555 | 2163 | 3.9 | 69t | 27 |
| PASSING | ATT | COM | PCT | INC | YDS | Y/ATT | Y/COM | LG | TD | TD% | INT | INT% | TS | YL | NYP | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Bartkowski | 380 | 204 | 53.7 | 156 | 2505 | 6.6 | 12.3 | 57 | 17 | 4.5 | 20 | 5.3 | 39 | 286 | 2219 | 67.3 |
| Mike Moroski | 15 | 8 | 53.3 | 7 | 97 | 6.5 | 12.1 | 23 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 2 | 12 | 85 | 73.5 |
| June Jones | 83 | 38 | 45.8 | 42 | 505 | 6.1 | 13.3 | 49 | 2 | 2.4 | 3 | 3.6 | 13 | 100 | 405 | 58.6 |
| John James | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 0 | 20 | 20.0 | 20.0 | 20 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 118.8 |
| Team Totals | 479 | 251 | 52.4 | 205 | 3127 | 6.5 | 12.5 | 57 | 19 | 4.0 | 23 | 4.8 | 54 | 398 | 2729 | 66.2 |
| Opponents Totals | 487 | 268 | 55.0 | 204 | 3799 | 7.8 | 14.2 | 64 | 17 | 3.5 | 15 | 3.1 | 29 | 203 | 3596 | 79.2 |
| RECEIVING | REC | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wallace Francis | 74 | 1013 | 13.7 | 42 | 8 |
| Alfred Jenkins | 50 | 858 | 17.2 | 57 | 3 |
| William Andrews | 39 | 309 | 7.9 | 34 | 2 |
| Jim Mitchell | 16 | 118 | 7.4 | 14 | 2 |
| Lynn Cain | 15 | 181 | 12.1 | 28 | 2 |
| Haskel Stanback | 13 | 89 | 6.8 | 22 | 0 |
| Bubba Bean | 12 | 137 | 11.4 | 49 | 0 |
| Alfred Jackson | 11 | 156 | 14.2 | 23 | 0 |
| Dennis Pearson | 7 | 119 | 17.0 | 40 | 0 |
| James Mayberry | 7 | 48 | 6.9 | 19 | 0 |
| Billy Ryckman | 4 | 59 | 14.8 | 20t | 2 |
| Bob Glazebrook | 1 | 20 | 20.0 | 20 | 0 |
| Russ Mikeska | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 14 | 0 |
| Ray Strong | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 6 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 251 | 3127 | 12.5 | 57 | 19 |
| Opponents Totals | 268 | 3799 | 14.2 | 64 | 17 |
| INTERCEPTIONS | INT | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rolland Lawrence | 6 | 120 | 20.0 | 38 | 0 |
| Tom Pridemore | 2 | 20 | 10.0 | 20 | 0 |
| Ray Easterling | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 5 | 0 |
| Frank Reed | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robert Pennywell | 1 | 39 | 39.0 | 39t | 1 |
| Rick Byas | 1 | 34 | 34.0 | 34 | 0 |
| James Mayberry | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 6t | 1 |
| Team Totals | 15 | 224 | 14.9 | 39t | 2 |
| Opponents Totals | 23 | 362 | 15.7 | 54 | 2 |
| PUNTING | NO | YDS | AVG | LG | BL | TB | I20 | RYDS | NYDS | NET |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John James | 83 | 3296 | 39.7 | 62 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 259 | 2957 | 35.2 |
| Team Totals | 84 | 3296 | 39.2 | 62 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 259 | 2957 | 35.2 |
| Opponents Totals | 73 | 2721 | 37.3 | 52 | 1 | 13 | 14 | 188 | 2273 | 31.1 |
| PUNT RETURNS | NO | FC | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis Pearson | 12 | 10 | 115 | 9.6 | 60 | 0 |
| Billy Ryckman | 12 | 5 | 72 | 6.0 | 15 | 0 |
| Dewey McClain | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 |
| Bob Glazebrook | 1 | 0 | -1 | -1.0 | -1 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 26 | 15 | 188 | 7.2 | 60 | 0 |
| Opponents Totals | 41 | 26 | 259 | 6.3 | 31 | 0 |
| KICKOFF RETURNS | NO | FC | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis Pearson | 30 | 570 | 19.0 | 29 | 0 | |
| Ray Strong | 15 | 343 | 22.9 | 33 | 0 | |
| Tom Pridemore | 9 | 111 | 12.3 | 21 | 0 | |
| Lynn Cain | 7 | 149 | 21.3 | 32 | 0 | |
| Haskel Stanback | 6 | 109 | 18.2 | 24 | 0 | |
| James Mayberry | 4 | 49 | 12.3 | 16 | 0 | |
| Alfred Jackson | 1 | 20 | 20.0 | 20 | 0 | |
| Rick Byas | 1 | 19 | 19.0 | 19 | 0 | |
| Team Totals | 73 | 1370 | 18.8 | 33 | 0 | |
| Opponents Totals | 61 | 1312 | 21.5 | 89 | 0 |
| SACKS | NO | YDS |
|---|---|---|
| Don Smith | 9.0 | |
| Jeff Yeates | 4.0 | |
| Edgar Fields | 3.5 | |
| Greg Brezina | 3.0 | |
| Dewey McClain | 2.5 | |
| Frank Reed | 2.0 | |
| Wilson Faumuina | 2.0 | |
| Mike Lewis | 1.0 | |
| Joel Williams | 1.0 | |
| Ray Easterling | 0.5 | |
| Fulton Kuykendall | 0.5 | |
| Team Totals | 29.0 | 203.0 |
| Opponents Totals | 54.0 | 398.0 |
| FUMBLES | NO | LOST | OWN | OPP | REC | YDS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Andrews | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Steve Bartkowski | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | |
| Greg Brezina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Rick Byas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 30 | 1 |
| Lynn Cain | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Wilson Faumuina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Edgar Fields | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Wallace Francis | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| John James | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Alfred Jenkins | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| June Jones | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | |
| Mike Kenn | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fulton Kuykendall | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Lewis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| James Mayberry | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Dewey McClain | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Moroski | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Dennis Pearson | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Robert Pennywell | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Tom Pridemore | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 33 | 0 |
| Paul Ryczek | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -21 | 0 | |
| Don Smith | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Haskel Stanback | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ray Strong | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| R.C. Thielemann | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeff Van Note | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 0 |
| Jeff Yeates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Zele | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 31 | 21 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 65 | 1 |
| Opponents Totals | 35 | 21 | 12 | 20 | 32 | 0 |
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