1977 Atlanta Falcons season

1977 Atlanta Falcons season
Owner	Rankin M. Smith, Sr.
General manager	Eddie LeBaron
Head coach	Leeman Bennett
Home field	Fulton County Stadium
Results
Record	7–7
Division place	2nd NFC West
Playoff finish	did not qualify

The 1977 Atlanta Falcons season was the team's 12th year in the National Football League. The team finished the season 7–7, and did not make the NFL's postseason.

Although the Falcons' offense struggled, the defense was dominant. The Falcons' 129 points allowed not only led the league, but established an all-time NFL record for fewest points allowed in a 14-game NFL season. Atlanta's 3,242 total yards allowed were second-fewest in the league, and the Falcons' 1,384 passing yards allowed was by far the best in the NFL in 1977.

Football analytics site Cold Hard Football Facts call the 1977 Falcons "the stingiest defense of the Super Bowl Era. In fact, it was the stingiest defense since World War II. Atlanta surrendered just 9.2 PPG, or a total of 129 points in the 14-game season. For a little perspective: the 2012 Bills gave up 131 points in their first four games. That unit was truly a no-name defense at its finest: despite its status as the stingiest defense since World War II, the 1977 Falcons sent only two defenders to the Pro Bowl: cornerback Rolland Lawrence and defensive end Claude Humphrey. [...] It was truly a one-hit wonder of a unit: the 1976 Falcons possessed one of the worst defenses in the league (22.3 PPG); and it largely fell apart in 1978 (18.1 PPG). The most famous personality on the 1977 Falcons was not a player but defensive assistant Jerry Glanville, who installed in a swarming style of play in Atlanta remembered as the "Grits Blitz" defense."

Offseason

NFL Draft

Main article: 1977 NFL Draft

1977 Atlanta Falcons draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	6	Warren Bryant	Offensive tackle	Kentucky
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff

1977 Atlanta Falcons staff

Front office Chairman of the Board – Rankin M. Smith, Sr. President – Rankin M. Smith, Jr. General Manager – Eddie LeBaron Director of Player Personnel – Tom Braatz Head coaches Head Coach – Leeman Bennett Offensive coaches Quarterbacks/Receivers – Ted Plumb Offensive Backs – John North Offensive Line – Bill Walsh

Defensive coaches Defensive Line – Jim Champion Linebackers – Doug Shively Defensive Backs – Jerry Glanville

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 18, 1977	Los Angeles Rams	W 17–6	55,956
2	September 25, 1977	at Washington Redskins	L 10–6	55,031
3	October 2, 1977	New York Giants	W 17–3	46,374
4	October 9, 1977	at San Francisco 49ers	W 7–0	38,009
5	October 16, 1977	at Buffalo Bills	L 3–0	27,348
6	October 23, 1977	at Chicago Bears	W 16–10	49,407
7	October 30, 1977	Minnesota Vikings	L 14–7	59,257
8	November 6, 1977	San Francisco 49ers	L 10–3	46,577
9	November 13, 1977	Detroit Lions	W 17–6	47,461
10	November 20, 1977	at New Orleans Saints	L 21–20	43,135
11	November 27, 1977	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 17–0	43,592
12	December 4, 1977	New England Patriots	L 16–10	57,911
13	December 11, 1977	at Los Angeles Rams	L 23–7	52,574
14	December 18, 1977	New Orleans Saints	W 35–7	36,895

Standings

NFC West
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Los Angeles Rams(2)	10	4	0	.714	4–2	8–4	302	146	L1
Atlanta Falcons	7	7	0	.500	3–3	7–5	179	129	W1
San Francisco 49ers	5	9	0	.357	3–3	5–7	220	260	L3
New Orleans Saints	3	11	0	.214	2–4	3–9	232	336	L4

Awards and records

Milestones

• Jerry Glanville's "Grits Blitz" defense set the NFL record for fewest points allowed per game since the AFL-NFL Merger (129 points on a 14-game schedule, an average of 9 points per game).

External links

• 1977 Atlanta Falcons at Pro-Football-Reference.com