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1978 Atlanta Falcons
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Record: 9-7-0, Finished 2nd in NFC West Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 240 points (15.0/g), 26th of 28 in the NFL.
Allowed 290 points (18.1/g), 14th.
Differential of -50 points (-3.1/g), 24th.
Expected W-L: 6.2-9.8.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential -4 (-0.2/g), 19th.
Simple Rating System: Total -4.6, Offense: -3.7, Defense: -0.9, SoS: -1.5, versus averages of 0.0.
Coached by Leeman Bennett (9-7-0)
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1978 Statistics / Starters & Roster / Games & Schedule / Team Draftees
Starters
| Pos | Age | Yrs | GS | Summary of Player Stats | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Starters | Complete Team Stats | |||||
| QB | Steve Bartkowski | 26 | 3 | 13 | 187 for 369, 2,489 yards, 10 td, 18 int, & 33 rushes for 60 yards and 2 td | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 1st pick / 1975 |
| RB | Haskel Stanback | 26 | 4 | 0 | 188 rushes for 588 yards, 5 td, & 12 catches for 108 yards and 0 td | Cincinnati Bengals / 5th / 114th pick / 1974 |
| FB | Bubba Bean | 24 | 2 | 15 | 193 rushes for 707 yards, 3 td, & 31 catches for 209 yards and 1 td | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 9th pick / 1976 |
| WR | Wallace Francis | 27 | 5 | 16 | 45 catches for 695 yards, 3 td, & 2 rushes for -11 yards and 0 td | Buffalo Bills / 5th / 110th pick / 1973 |
| WR | Billy Ryckman | 23 | 1 | 15 | 45 catches for 679 yards, 2 td | Atlanta Falcons / 10th / 257th pick / 1977 |
| TE | Jim R. Mitchell | 31 | 9 | 0 | 32 catches for 366 yards, 2 td | Atlanta Falcons / 4th / 81st pick / 1969 |
| LT | Mike Kenn | 22 | Rook | 16 | 2 fumbles recovered | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 13th pick / 1978 |
| LG | Dave Scott | 25 | 2 | 16 | 2 fumbles recovered | Atlanta Falcons / 3rd / 71st pick / 1976 |
| C | Jeff Van Note | 32 | 9 | 16 | Atlanta Falcons / 11th / 262nd pick / 1969 |
|
| RG | R.C. Thielemann | 23 | 1 | 16 | 2 fumbles recovered | Atlanta Falcons / 2nd / 36th pick / 1977 |
| RT | Warren Bryant | 23 | 1 | 11 | 1 fumble recovered | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 6th pick / 1977 |
| Defensive Starters | ||||||
| LDE | Jeff Yeates | 27 | 4 | 12 | Buffalo Bills / 4th / 103rd pick / 1973 |
|
| LDT | Jim Bailey | 30 | 8 | 0 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Baltimore Colts / 2nd / 44th pick / 1970 |
| RDT | Mike Lewis | 29 | 7 | 0 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | |
| RDE | Jeff Merrow | 25 | 3 | 14 | Atlanta Falcons / 11th / 263rd pick / 1975 |
|
| LLB | Fulton Kuykendall | 25 | 3 | 16 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Atlanta Falcons / 6th / 132nd pick / 1975 |
| MLB | Robert Pennywell | 24 | 1 | 15 | 0 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | San Francisco 49ers / 6th / 168th pick / 1976 |
| RLB | Greg Brezina | 32 | 10 | 0 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Atlanta Falcons / 11th / 275th pick / 1968 |
| LCB | Rolland Lawrence | 27 | 5 | 16 | 6 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | |
| RCB | Rick Byas | 28 | 4 | 0 | 2 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | |
| SS | Frank Reed | 24 | 2 | 16 | 1 interception, 5 fumbles recovered | Atlanta Falcons / 8th / 219th pick / 1976 |
| FS | Tom Pridemore | 22 | Rook | 14 | 1 interception, 3 fumbles recovered | Atlanta Falcons / 9th / 236th pick / 1978 |
| Special Teams Starters | ||||||
| K | Tim Mazzetti | 22 | Rook | 0 | 13 of 16 field goals & 18 of 18 extra points | |
| P | John James | 29 | 6 | 0 | 109 punts for a 38.8 average, 1 blocked | |
| PR | Billy Ryckman | 23 | 1 | 15 | 28 punt returns for a 8.1 average and 0 td | Atlanta Falcons / 10th / 257th pick / 1977 |
| KR | Dennis Pearson | 23 | Rook | 0 | 25 kick returns for a 26.5 average and 1 td | Atlanta Falcons / 5th / 125th pick / 1978 |
| No. | Age | Pos | G | GS | Wt | Ht | College/Univ | BirthDate | Yrs | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72 | Jim Bailey | 30 | DT-DE | 16 | 0 | 253 | 6-4 | Kansas | 6/9/1948 | 8 | Baltimore Colts / 2nd / 44th pick / 1970 |
| 10 | Steve Bartkowski | 26 | QB | 14 | 13 | 216 | 6-4 | California | 11/12/1952 | 3 | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 1st pick / 1975 |
| 44 | Bubba Bean | 24 | RB | 15 | 15 | 195 | 5-11 | Texas A&M | 1/26/1954 | 2 | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 9th pick / 1976 |
| 50 | Greg Brezina | 32 | LB | 16 | 0 | 226 | 6-0 | Houston | 1/7/1946 | 10 | Atlanta Falcons / 11th / 275th pick / 1968 |
| 66 | Warren Bryant | 23 | T | 13 | 11 | 273 | 6-6 | Kentucky | 11/11/1955 | 1 | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 6th pick / 1977 |
| 38 | Rick Byas | 28 | DB | 16 | 0 | 180 | 5-9 | Eastern Michigan,Wayne State (MI) | 10/19/1950 | 4 | |
| 32 | Ray Easterling | 29 | DB | 2 | 0 | 195 | 6-0 | Richmond | 9/3/1949 | 6 | Atlanta Falcons / 9th / 223rd pick / 1972 |
| 26 | Mike Esposito | 25 | RB | 16 | 0 | 183 | 6-0 | Boston College | 4/24/1953 | 2 | Atlanta Falcons / 7th / 159th pick / 1975 |
| 74 | Wilson Faumuina | 24 | DT-DE-NT | 16 | 0 | 275 | 6-5 | San Jose State | 8/11/1954 | 1 | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 20th pick / 1977 |
| 77 | Edgar Fields | 24 | DT-DE | 16 | 2 | 255 | 6-2 | Texas A&M | 3/10/1954 | 1 | Atlanta Falcons / 3rd / 63rd pick / 1977 |
| 89 | Wallace Francis | 27 | WR | 16 | 16 | 190 | 5-11 | Ark-Pine Bluff | 11/7/1951 | 5 | Buffalo Bills / 5th / 110th pick / 1973 |
| 40 | George Franklin | 24 | RB | 15 | 0 | 225 | 6-3 | Texas A&M-Kingsville | 7/5/1954 | Rook | St. Louis Cardinals / 2nd / 47th pick / 1977 |
| 88 | Lewis Gilbert | 22 | TE | 4 | 0 | 225 | 6-4 | Florida | 5/24/1956 | Rook | |
| 36 | Bob Glazebrook | 22 | DB | 8 | 0 | 200 | 6-1 | Fresno State | 3/7/1956 | Rook | Oakland Raiders / 11th / 304th pick / 1978 |
| 87 | Claude Humphrey | 34 | DE | 4 | 0 | 252 | 6-4 | Tennessee State | 6/29/1944 | 10 | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 3rd pick / 1968 |
| 85 | Alfred Jackson | 23 | WR | 15 | 0 | 176 | 5-11 | Texas | 8/3/1955 | Rook | Atlanta Falcons / 7th / 167th pick / 1978 |
| 30 | Ernie Jackson | 28 | DB | 16 | 0 | 173 | 5-10 | Duke | 4/11/1950 | 6 | New Orleans Saints / 7th / 164th pick / 1972 |
| 6 | John James | 29 | P | 16 | 0 | 197 | 6-3 | Florida | 1/21/1949 | 6 | |
| 84 | Alfred Jenkins | 26 | WR | 1 | 1 | 170 | 5-10 | Morris Brown | 1/25/1952 | 3 | |
| 14 | June Jones | 25 | QB | 7 | 3 | 200 | 6-4 | Hawaii,Oregon,Portland State | 2/19/1953 | 1 | |
| 78 | Mike Kenn | 22 | T | 16 | 16 | 273 | 6-7 | Michigan | 2/9/1956 | Rook | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 13th pick / 1978 |
| 54 | Fulton Kuykendall | 25 | LB | 16 | 16 | 225 | 6-4 | UCLA | 6/10/1953 | 3 | Atlanta Falcons / 6th / 132nd pick / 1975 |
| 22 | Rolland Lawrence | 27 | DB | 16 | 16 | 179 | 5-10 | Tabor | 3/24/1951 | 5 | |
| 69 | Mike Lewis | 29 | DT-DE-NT | 16 | 0 | 261 | 6-4 | Ark-Pine Bluff,Wiley | 7/14/1949 | 7 | |
| 4 | Tim Mazzetti | 22 | K | 10 | 0 | 175 | 6-1 | Pennsylvania | 2/1/1956 | Rook | |
| 56 | Ron McCartney | 24 | LB | 15 | 0 | 220 | 6-1 | Tennessee | 7/20/1954 | 1 | Los Angeles Rams / 2nd / 53rd pick / 1976 |
| 52 | Dewey McClain | 24 | LB | 16 | 0 | 236 | 6-3 | East Central (OK) | 4/25/1954 | 2 | |
| 73 | Phil McKinnely | 24 | T-G-TE | 14 | 4 | 248 | 6-4 | UCLA | 7/8/1954 | 2 | Atlanta Falcons / 9th / 246th pick / 1976 |
| 75 | Jeff Merrow | 25 | DE-DT-LB | 14 | 14 | 236 | 6-4 | West Virginia | 7/12/1953 | 3 | Atlanta Falcons / 11th / 263rd pick / 1975 |
| 86 | Jim R. Mitchell | 31 | TE | 16 | 0 | 234 | 6-1 | Prairie View | 10/19/1947 | 9 | Atlanta Falcons / 4th / 81st pick / 1969 |
| 71 | Marv Montgomery | 30 | T | 1 | 0 | 255 | 6-6 | USC | 2/8/1948 | 7 | Denver Broncos / 1st / 12th pick / 1971 |
| 88 | Ken Moore | 24 | TE | 6 | 0 | 232 | 6-4 | Northern Illinois | 7/25/1954 | Rook | Minnesota Vikings / 5th / 138th pick / 1977 |
| 45 | Tom Moriarty | 25 | DB | 14 | 0 | 185 | 6-0 | Bowling Green | 4/7/1953 | 1 | |
| 55 | Ralph Ortega | 25 | LB | 15 | 0 | 220 | 6-2 | Florida | 7/6/1953 | 3 | Atlanta Falcons / 2nd / 29th pick / 1975 |
| 33 | Ricky Patton | 24 | RB | 16 | 1 | 190 | 5-11 | Ferris State,Jackson State,Michigan | 4/6/1954 | Rook | Atlanta Falcons / 10th / 257th pick / 1978 |
| 81 | Dennis Pearson | 23 | WR | 13 | 0 | 177 | 5-11 | San Diego State,Washington | 2/9/1955 | Rook | Atlanta Falcons / 5th / 125th pick / 1978 |
| 59 | Robert Pennywell | 24 | LB | 15 | 15 | 222 | 6-1 | Grambling State | 11/6/1954 | 1 | San Francisco 49ers / 6th / 168th pick / 1976 |
| 27 | Tom Pridemore | 22 | DB | 16 | 14 | 186 | 5-10 | West Virginia | 4/29/1956 | Rook | Atlanta Falcons / 9th / 236th pick / 1978 |
| 28 | Frank Reed | 24 | DB | 16 | 16 | 193 | 5-11 | Washington | 5/13/1954 | 2 | Atlanta Falcons / 8th / 219th pick / 1976 |
| 82 | Billy Ryckman | 23 | WR | 16 | 15 | 172 | 5-11 | Louisiana Tech | 2/28/1955 | 1 | Atlanta Falcons / 10th / 257th pick / 1977 |
| 53 | Paul Ryczek | 26 | C | 16 | 0 | 230 | 6-2 | Virginia | 6/25/1952 | 4 | Atlanta Falcons / 10th / 252nd pick / 1974 |
| 70 | Dave Scott | 25 | G-T | 16 | 16 | 276 | 6-4 | Kansas | 12/26/1953 | 2 | Atlanta Falcons / 3rd / 71st pick / 1976 |
| 24 | Haskel Stanback | 26 | RB | 15 | 0 | 210 | 6-0 | Tennessee | 3/19/1952 | 4 | Cincinnati Bengals / 5th / 114th pick / 1974 |
| 1 | Fred Steinfort | 26 | K | 6 | 0 | 180 | 5-11 | Boston College | 11/3/1952 | 2 | Oakland Raiders / 5th / 146th pick / 1976 |
| 58 | Steve Stewart | 22 | LB | 12 | 0 | 217 | 6-2 | Minnesota | 5/1/1956 | Rook | Atlanta Falcons / 2nd / 43rd pick / 1978 |
| 20 | Jim Stienke | 28 | DB | 5 | 0 | 182 | 5-11 | Texas State | 11/7/1950 | 5 | Cleveland Browns / 2nd / 47th pick / 1973 |
| 25 | Ray Strong | 22 | RB | 14 | 1 | 184 | 5-9 | UNLV | 5/7/1956 | Rook | Atlanta Falcons / 10th / 263rd pick / 1978 |
| 56 | Garth Ten Napel | 24 | LB | 1 | 0 | 213 | 6-1 | Texas A&M | 3/27/1954 | 2 | Detroit Lions / 7th / 198th pick / 1976 |
| 68 | R.C. Thielemann | 23 | G-C | 16 | 16 | 255 | 6-4 | Arkansas | 8/12/1955 | 1 | Atlanta Falcons / 2nd / 36th pick / 1977 |
| 57 | Jeff Van Note | 32 | C-G-LB | 16 | 16 | 247 | 6-2 | Kentucky | 2/7/1946 | 9 | Atlanta Falcons / 11th / 262nd pick / 1969 |
| 83 | James Wright | 22 | TE | 15 | 0 | 240 | 6-3 | TCU | 9/1/1956 | Rook | Atlanta Falcons / 7th / 179th pick / 1978 |
| 79 | Jeff Yeates | 27 | DE-DT-G | 16 | 12 | 248 | 6-3 | Boston College | 8/3/1951 | 4 | Buffalo Bills / 4th / 103rd pick / 1973 |
| Team Total | 25.5 | 16 | 216.5 | 6-1.5 | 2.9 |