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1981 Atlanta Falcons
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Record: 7-9-0, Finished 2nd in NFC West Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 426 points (26.6/g), 2nd of 28 in the NFL.
Allowed 355 points (22.2/g), 18th.
Differential of 71 points (4.4/g), 7th.
Expected W-L: 9.7-6.3.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +5 (0.3/g), 9th.
Coached by Leeman Bennett (7-9-0)
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1981 Statistics / Starters & Roster / Games & Schedule / Team Draftees
Starters
Glossary · ProBowl(*), 1st-team All-Pro(+), · CSV · PRE · Hide Non-primary Starters| Pos | Age | Yrs | GS | Summary of Player Stats | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Starters | Complete Team Stats | |||||
| QB | Steve Bartkowski* | 29 | 6 | 16 | 297 for 533, 3,829 yards, 30 td, 23 int, & 11 rushes for 2 yards and 0 td | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 1st pick / 1975 |
| RB | Lynn Cain | 26 | 2 | 16 | 156 rushes for 542 yards, 4 td, & 55 catches for 421 yards and 2 td | Atlanta Falcons / 4th / 100th pick / 1979 |
| FB | William Andrews* | 26 | 2 | 16 | 289 rushes for 1,301 yards, 10 td, & 81 catches for 735 yards and 2 td | Atlanta Falcons / 3rd / 79th pick / 1979 |
| WR | Wallace Francis | 30 | 8 | 16 | 30 catches for 441 yards, 4 td, & 1 rush for 8 yards and 1 td | Buffalo Bills / 5th / 110th pick / 1973 |
| WR | Alfred Jenkins*+ | 29 | 6 | 16 | 70 catches for 1,358 yards, 13 td | |
| TE | Junior Miller* | 24 | 1 | 16 | 32 catches for 398 yards, 3 td | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 7th pick / 1980 |
| LT | Mike Kenn* | 25 | 3 | 16 | 1 fumble recovered | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 13th pick / 1978 |
| LG | Dave Scott | 28 | 5 | 14 | Atlanta Falcons / 3rd / 71st pick / 1976 |
|
| C | Jeff Van Note* | 35 | 12 | 16 | 1 fumble recovered | Atlanta Falcons / 11th / 262nd pick / 1969 |
| RG | R.C. Thielemann* | 26 | 4 | 16 | 2 fumbles recovered | Atlanta Falcons / 2nd / 36th pick / 1977 |
| RT | Warren Bryant | 26 | 4 | 10 | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 6th pick / 1977 |
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| RT | Eric Sanders | 23 | Rook | 6 | Atlanta Falcons / 5th / 136th pick / 1981 |
|
| Defensive Starters | ||||||
| LDE | Jeff Yeates | 30 | 7 | 16 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Buffalo Bills / 4th / 103rd pick / 1973 |
| NT | Don L. Smith | 24 | 2 | 16 | 0 interceptions, 3 fumbles recovered | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 17th pick / 1979 |
| RDE | Jeff Merrow | 28 | 6 | 10 | Atlanta Falcons / 11th / 263rd pick / 1975 |
|
| RDE | Wilson Faumuina | 27 | 4 | 6 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 20th pick / 1977 |
| LOLB | Al Richardson | 24 | 1 | 16 | 1 interception, 0 fumbles recovered | Atlanta Falcons / 8th / 201st pick / 1980 |
| LILB | Fulton Kuykendall | 28 | 6 | 16 | 1 interception, 1 fumble recovered | Atlanta Falcons / 6th / 132nd pick / 1975 |
| RILB | Buddy Curry | 23 | 1 | 16 | 1 interception, 0 fumbles recovered | Atlanta Falcons / 2nd / 36th pick / 1980 |
| ROLB | Joel Williams | 25 | 2 | 8 | 1 interception, 2 fumbles recovered | |
| ROLB | Jim Laughlin | 23 | 1 | 7 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Atlanta Falcons / 4th / 91st pick / 1980 |
| LCB | Bobby Butler | 22 | Rook | 16 | 5 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 25th pick / 1981 |
| RCB | Kenny Johnson | 23 | 1 | 16 | 3 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | Atlanta Falcons / 5th / 137th pick / 1980 |
| SS | Bob Glazebrook | 25 | 3 | 16 | 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Oakland Raiders / 11th / 304th pick / 1978 |
| FS | Tom Pridemore | 25 | 3 | 16 | 7 interceptions, 3 fumbles recovered | Atlanta Falcons / 9th / 236th pick / 1978 |
| Special Teams Starters | ||||||
| K | Mick Luckhurst | 23 | Rook | 0 | 21 of 33 field goals & 51 of 51 extra points | |
| P | John James | 32 | 9 | 0 | 87 punts for a 40.7 average, 1 blocked | |
| PR | Scott Woerner | 23 | Rook | 0 | 33 punt returns for a 8.4 average and 0 td | Atlanta Falcons / 3rd / 80th pick / 1981 |
| KR | Reggie Smith | 25 | 1 | 0 | 47 kick returns for a 24.3 average and 0 td |
| Age | Pos | G | GS | Wt | Ht | College/Univ | BirthDate | Yrs | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Andrews* | 26 | RB | 16 | 16 | 206 | 6-0 | Auburn | 12/25/1955 | 2 | Atlanta Falcons / 3rd / 79th pick / 1979 |
| Steve Bartkowski* | 29 | QB | 16 | 16 | 216 | 6-4 | California | 11/12/1952 | 6 | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 1st pick / 1975 |
| Warren Bryant | 26 | T | 11 | 10 | 273 | 6-6 | Kentucky | 11/11/1955 | 4 | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 6th pick / 1977 |
| Bobby Butler | 22 | DB | 16 | 16 | 174 | 5-11 | Florida State | 5/28/1959 | Rook | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 25th pick / 1981 |
| Lynn Cain | 26 | RB | 16 | 16 | 205 | 6-1 | USC | 10/16/1955 | 2 | Atlanta Falcons / 4th / 100th pick / 1979 |
| Buddy Curry | 23 | LB | 16 | 16 | 224 | 6-4 | North Carolina | 6/4/1958 | 1 | Atlanta Falcons / 2nd / 36th pick / 1980 |
| Paul Davis | 23 | LB | 13 | 0 | 221 | 6-2 | North Carolina | 7/10/1958 | Rook | |
| Tony Daykin | 26 | LB | 16 | 0 | 215 | 6-1 | Georgia Tech | 5/13/1955 | 4 | Detroit Lions / 11th / 293rd pick / 1977 |
| Wilson Faumuina | 27 | DT-DE-NT | 16 | 6 | 275 | 6-5 | San Jose State | 8/11/1954 | 4 | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 20th pick / 1977 |
| Mickey Fitzgerald | 23 | RB | 1 | 0 | 235 | 6-2 | Virginia Tech | 4/10/1958 | Rook | |
| Wallace Francis | 30 | WR | 16 | 16 | 190 | 5-11 | Ark-Pine Bluff | 11/7/1951 | 8 | Buffalo Bills / 5th / 110th pick / 1973 |
| Blane Gaison | 23 | DB | 14 | 0 | 185 | 6-0 | Hawaii | 5/13/1958 | Rook | |
| Bob Glazebrook | 25 | DB | 16 | 16 | 200 | 6-1 | Fresno State | 3/7/1956 | 3 | Oakland Raiders / 11th / 304th pick / 1978 |
| Pat Howell | 24 | G | 16 | 2 | 257 | 6-5 | USC | 3/12/1957 | 2 | Atlanta Falcons / 2nd / 49th pick / 1979 |
| Alfred Jackson | 26 | WR | 16 | 0 | 176 | 5-11 | Texas | 8/3/1955 | 3 | Atlanta Falcons / 7th / 167th pick / 1978 |
| John James | 32 | P | 16 | 0 | 197 | 6-3 | Florida | 1/21/1949 | 9 | |
| Alfred Jenkins*+ | 29 | WR | 16 | 16 | 170 | 5-10 | Morris Brown | 1/25/1952 | 6 | |
| Kenny Johnson | 23 | DB | 16 | 16 | 176 | 5-10 | Mississippi State | 1/7/1958 | 1 | Atlanta Falcons / 5th / 137th pick / 1980 |
| Earl Jones | 24 | DB | 16 | 0 | 178 | 6-0 | Norfolk State | 7/19/1957 | 1 | Atlanta Falcons / 3rd / 63rd pick / 1980 |
| June Jones | 28 | QB | 4 | 0 | 200 | 6-4 | Hawaii,Oregon,Portland State | 2/19/1953 | 4 | |
| Mike Kenn* | 25 | T | 16 | 16 | 273 | 6-7 | Michigan | 2/9/1956 | 3 | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 13th pick / 1978 |
| Fulton Kuykendall | 28 | LB | 16 | 16 | 225 | 6-4 | UCLA | 6/10/1953 | 6 | Atlanta Falcons / 6th / 132nd pick / 1975 |
| Jim Laughlin | 23 | LB | 14 | 7 | 222 | 6-0 | Ohio State | 7/5/1958 | 1 | Atlanta Falcons / 4th / 91st pick / 1980 |
| Mick Luckhurst | 23 | K | 16 | 0 | 180 | 6-1 | California,St. Cloud State | 3/31/1958 | Rook | |
| James Mayberry | 24 | RB | 16 | 0 | 210 | 5-11 | Colorado | 11/5/1957 | 2 | Atlanta Falcons / 3rd / 75th pick / 1979 |
| Jeff Merrow | 28 | DE-DT-LB | 11 | 10 | 236 | 6-4 | West Virginia | 7/12/1953 | 6 | Atlanta Falcons / 11th / 263rd pick / 1975 |
| Russ Mikeska | 26 | TE | 16 | 0 | 225 | 6-3 | Texas A&M | 9/10/1955 | 2 | |
| Junior Miller* | 24 | TE | 16 | 16 | 239 | 6-4 | Nebraska | 11/26/1957 | 1 | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 7th pick / 1980 |
| Tom Moriarty | 28 | DB | 9 | 0 | 185 | 6-0 | Bowling Green | 4/7/1953 | 4 | |
| Mike Moroski | 24 | QB | 3 | 0 | 200 | 6-4 | California-Davis | 9/4/1957 | 2 | Atlanta Falcons / 6th / 154th pick / 1979 |
| Neal Musser | 24 | LB | 7 | 0 | 220 | 6-2 | North Carolina State | 3/20/1957 | Rook | |
| Tom Pridemore | 25 | DB | 16 | 16 | 186 | 5-10 | West Virginia | 4/29/1956 | 3 | Atlanta Falcons / 9th / 236th pick / 1978 |
| Al Richardson | 24 | LB | 16 | 16 | 211 | 6-2 | Georgia Tech | 9/23/1957 | 1 | Atlanta Falcons / 8th / 201st pick / 1980 |
| Bo Robinson | 25 | RB-TE | 15 | 0 | 228 | 6-2 | West Texas A&M | 5/27/1956 | 2 | Detroit Lions / 3rd / 67th pick / 1979 |
| Eric Sanders | 23 | T-G-C | 16 | 6 | 277 | 6-6 | Nevada-Reno | 10/22/1958 | Rook | Atlanta Falcons / 5th / 136th pick / 1981 |
| Dave Scott | 28 | G-T | 14 | 14 | 276 | 6-4 | Kansas | 12/26/1953 | 5 | Atlanta Falcons / 3rd / 71st pick / 1976 |
| John Scully | 23 | G-C | 16 | 0 | 262 | 6-6 | Notre Dame | 8/2/1958 | Rook | Atlanta Falcons / 4th / 109th pick / 1981 |
| Don L. Smith | 24 | NT-DE-DT | 16 | 16 | 256 | 6-5 | Miami (FL) | 5/9/1957 | 2 | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 17th pick / 1979 |
| Reggie Smith | 25 | WR | 15 | 0 | 168 | 5-4 | North Carolina Central | 7/15/1956 | 1 | |
| Ray Strong | 25 | RB | 16 | 0 | 184 | 5-9 | UNLV | 5/7/1956 | 3 | Atlanta Falcons / 10th / 263rd pick / 1978 |
| Matthew Teague | 23 | LB | 11 | 0 | 240 | 6-5 | Prairie View | 10/22/1958 | Rook | Atlanta Falcons / 7th / 1st pick / 1980 Supp |
| R.C. Thielemann* | 26 | G-C | 16 | 16 | 255 | 6-4 | Arkansas | 8/12/1955 | 4 | Atlanta Falcons / 2nd / 36th pick / 1977 |
| Jeff Van Note* | 35 | C-G-LB | 16 | 16 | 247 | 6-2 | Kentucky | 2/7/1946 | 12 | Atlanta Falcons / 11th / 262nd pick / 1969 |
| Lyman White | 22 | LB | 16 | 1 | 217 | 6-0 | LSU | 1/3/1959 | Rook | Atlanta Falcons / 2nd / 54th pick / 1981 |
| Joel Williams | 25 | LB | 10 | 8 | 222 | 6-1 | Peru State,Wisconsin-LaCrosse | 12/13/1956 | 2 | |
| Scott Woerner | 23 | DB | 16 | 0 | 190 | 6-0 | Georgia | 12/18/1958 | Rook | Atlanta Falcons / 3rd / 80th pick / 1981 |
| Jeff Yeates | 30 | DE-DT-G | 16 | 16 | 248 | 6-3 | Boston College | 8/3/1951 | 7 | Buffalo Bills / 4th / 103rd pick / 1973 |
| Mike Zele | 25 | NT-DT | 14 | 0 | 239 | 6-3 | Kent State | 7/3/1956 | 2 | Atlanta Falcons / 5th / 127th pick / 1979 |
| Team Total | 25.5 | 16 | 218.6 | 6-1.9 | 2.7 |