FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Falcons’ big week is at hand. When last they entered an NFL draft without an established quarterback, they drafted Matt Ryan. This is their first draft since 2008 without him. This is their second rebuild of this century.
They traded with the Chargers before the 2001 draft to take Michael Vick No. 1 overall. He led the Falcons to a playoff win at Lambeau Field and to the NFC Championship game. He was their quarterback until the summer of 2007. A new administration spent its first pick on Ryan, who led the Falcons to the playoffs in four of his first five seasons and later carried them within sight of the Lombardi Trophy.
For all their foibles, the Falcons have been rather deft with quarterbacks since landing Chris Chandler from the Oilers in 1997. (He also took the Falcons to a Super Bowl.) Only two of the past 25 seasons have seen them understaffed at the position that matters most – in 2003, when Vick missed 11 games with a broken ankle, and in 2007, when Vick was otherwise occupied in federal court.
