An appreciation of the greatness that is the Atlanta Hawks
You could read this post. Or you could just admire Curtis Compton's photo, which says it all.
Michael Gearon Jr., one of the Hawks’ many charming owners, believes that print media folks in this town have failed to appreciate the splendor that is his remarkable organization. And I must confess that the achievements of this special team sometimes have had a numbing effect on this jaded correspondent. So here’s where I pay homage and bestow overdue superlatives.
• The Hawks are the greatest team ever to have drafted so badly. In my glass-half-empty moments, I wonder, “Why aren’t the Hawks any better?” With age and perspective, however, I realize I should have seen said glass as more than half-full. Positively brimming, truth to tell.
From 2004 through 2007, the Hawks had five lottery picks. They whiffed on four. They took Josh Childress instead of Luol Deng/Andre Iguodala in 2004; Marvin Williams instead of Chris Paul/Deron Williams in 2005; Shelden Williams instead of Brandon Roy/Rudy Gay in 2006, and Acie Law IV instead of Thaddeus Young/Rodney Stuckey in 2007. The only one they got right was Al Horford, also in 2007.
They batted .200 on the picks that are supposed to make or break an organization — and they not only became a winning team but have remained one. Amazing!
• They’re also the greatest team ever to have negotiated so many onerous contracts. We’re not talking Jon Koncak ancient history. In the 21st Century, the Hawks bestowed $25 million over four years on Speedy Claxton, who worked 44 games, and re-upped Marvin Williams for $37 million over five seasons at a time when nobody else in the NBA seemed to think he was more than just another guy. (On cue, seize-the-day Marvin took the money and saw his stats descend to utter mediocrity.)
But the capper, as we know, was spending $120 million to keep Joe Johnson, which made some measure of sense in that he was their leading scorer. Being the Hawks, they managed to work this windfall contract at cross-purposes. They overspent to keep the guy whom new coach Larry Drew — who wasn’t really new, having been Mike Woodson’s assistant for six seasons — had declared he wanted to de-emphasize. Sure enough, Johnson saw his bank account swell at the same time his on-court numbers declined across the board.
The effect has left the Hawks with no wiggle room under the cap, which is just another example of their tough-love corporate strategy. Cap space is for wimps!
• They’re the greatest team ever to get blown out on such a consistent basis. Gearon Jr. makes the point that only three NBA clubs — the Lakers, the Celtics and guess who — have reached Round 2 of the NBA playoffs over the past three seasons. Obscured by the glare of this awesome achievement is this factoid: The Hawks’ record in Round 2 games those three seasons was 2-12, and not one of those 12 losses came by fewer than 10 points. (Isn’t the NBA supposed to come down to the last shot? Never mind.)
In those 14 Round 2 games, the Hawks’ average margin of defeat is 15.3 points. Kobe and K.G. can’t touch that!
Because they’re such good sports, the Hawks don’t save all their collapses until late spring. They offer them up during the winter, too! Last season they managed five home losses by at least 20 points. Over the 10-day span that ended with the 20-point flop against Miami on Sunday, they lost four home games and trailed by 20 in each (and by 30 in the first and last).
Drew expressed disappointment after the Miami game that his players grew so dispirited so early, but can you blame them? For the Hawks, this is standard operating procedure: Win a few games and get people interested, then face a test on national TV and spit the bit. Nobody in the crowd seemed one bit surprised. Nobody even bothered to boo.
But here’s the thing: By rights, these Hawks should never have been good enough to get anyone to care at all. They’ve been mismanaged almost every step of the way, and still they keep breaking .500 and showing up in Round 2. And that prompts this final superlative:
• The Hawks are the greatest team ever to have been subjected to such amateurish oversight.
The way I see it, anybody can draft good players and work the salary cap and win a slew of games. Only real men of genius could get it so wrong and still have it come out half-right. Full credit to this intrepid organization for showing us how it’s half-done.
By Mark Bradley
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273 comments Add your comment
anphill2
February 13th, 2012
5:26 pm
Very insightful article, Mark.
I have officially lost 3 minutes of my life.
I will tell you, what I tell my employeees; “Move with purpose, or simply go home.”.
mountain man
February 13th, 2012
5:26 pm
Ted please come back. PLEASE
Sautee
February 13th, 2012
5:28 pm
“atlanta teams never have transcendant talents. they have role players or awesome #2 players but nobody that is the best at their profession. #7 comes the closest and he of course blew his opportunity.”
abe, I’d argue that Prime was the best at his position, though he got even better after he left. Can’t think of anyone else, though.
"Chef" Tim Dix
February 13th, 2012
5:29 pm
“Ted M” I could not agree more.
It should be the LAW that this column be read out loud by anyone and everyone that is willing to form an audio opinion on the Hawks.
It is more than amazing that this team ever wins when they have to compete not only against the other teams in the league, but their intrepid management as well.
Tumbledown
February 13th, 2012
5:31 pm
All Atlanta teams are deserving of strong criticism. With the Hawks, that criticism should most be levied against the inept ownership. I think MB’s article targets that. The players themselves seem to be playing close to their abilities. This is not a championship team. Winning a playoff series or maybe one day two series is about all we can hope for from the Hawks.
I think the players of the Braves and Falcons deserve criticism at least as much or moreso than their coaches or owners. Whatever we think of Fredi G, Frank Wren, or Bobby Cox, the players throughout the years have had many opportunities to reach and then do well in the playoffs. You make the playoffss in the MLB, you should have a decent chance to go far as it is a crapshoot. The players, however, have underperformed and choked and that deserves attention from the press. The Hawks, on the other hand, have not necessarily underperformed as they have simply been outplayed and/or out-talented in the playoffs.
Walt Frazier
February 13th, 2012
5:35 pm
I loved former Hawk, Alan Henderson’s game. He was to me, a better all around player than Al Horford. Alan needs to use this time to beef up his body and put on 25 rock solid pounds of muscle.
Walt Frazier
February 13th, 2012
5:35 pm
I loved former Hawk, Alan Henderson’s game. He was to me, a better all around player than Al Horford. Alan needs to use this time to beef up his body and put on 25 rock solid pounds of muscle.
mrnatural
February 13th, 2012
5:49 pm
I nominate the Hawks as the NBA team most likely to lay an egg.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 13th, 2012
5:57 pm
” I’d argue that Prime was the best at his position, though he got even better after he left. Can’t think of anyone else, though.”
Greg Maddux and Chipper Jones were each the best at their position for several years, and Glavine and Smoltz are also Hall of Famers. Unfortunately the Braves never made any attempt to replace them with equally great players once they started declining, which is why they are where they are right now.
J
February 13th, 2012
6:26 pm
thank you!! finally somebody put it on paper what we all were thinking!! tired of getting bashed by major news and sports shows cus the people in front office keep getting it wrong. when they drafted marvin williams instead of chris paul I flipped the lid. and that just one of many. i remember when gave joe johnson all that money. i almost couldnt believe it. when need a new owner or gm or somebody as a consultant with some common sense or something. now we cant resign josh smith, who by the way is a hometown guy and wants to actually STAY in atl. gotta be kidding. i wish blank would buy the hawks too while he at it. maybe he can instill some hope in this joke.
Lil Fawkers
February 13th, 2012
6:36 pm
No one cares anymore about the Hawks. Look at how many responses this thread has gotten. Just proof that Atlanta fans are over this group of “players” that ownership has stuck with too long. Trade these idiots while they have any kind of value left.
Bye Bye Josh, Marvin, Zaza, and Joe (I wish). Thanks for wasting our time the past four years.
Bill Sherman
February 13th, 2012
6:40 pm
Mark Bradley Has Got It RIGHT! A Management Supported Coaching Staff Would Provide Gain, Where A Coach Supported Manaement Staff Has Not. Not Since Lennie Wilkins Has An Atlanta Hawk Coach Posessed The Authority To Coach His Players in terms Of Maximizing The Individuals Greatest Assetts;..as Opposed To Allowing Players to Showcase Individual Flare,..which Often Times Is not In Best Interest Of Team Success.
This ‘Atlanta Hawks Team’ MUST Improve Shot Selection,..And Be Drilled On Team Hustle! This May Neccesitate The Hiring of A High-Profile Demanding Coach,..who Coaches Only To Win,..while Remaining Unbridled From Management,..and Managerial On-Court Game Decision Making! Bill Sherman
Vol4ever
February 13th, 2012
7:01 pm
I have followed like others this team from the 70s. I will turn 52 tomorrow and I think I’ve had enough. This has to be the worst and most ignorant professional franchise in the last 20 years. I remember what a joke the Clipps were in the 90s and heck the 2000s. The Hawks have some fine pieces but the ownership just will not make the small moves to get into a championship level. The Hawks are cheap, yeah they may have a top ten salary but it is spent on guys who dont deserve it. JJ is paid up there with Lebron and Wade and is not a 10th the player they are. The Hawks sign guys on the bench that should not even be in the league. While Im on a rant, the NBA is only worried about the Lakers, Bulls, Celtics, Knicks, and the Heat. And lastly but not least, please fire the NBDL coach Larry Drew………what a freaking disgrace.
KevinM
February 13th, 2012
7:46 pm
While I want the Hawks to blow this thing up, I know they won’t do it. Our ownership group is far from forward thinking….wanna bet they start selling Lin jerseys as soon as they can get them?
They don’t care about this fan base and after watching the Thrasher’s fans get dumped on, I made it a point to never line their pockets with my money.
They don’t deserve a good following; they continue to make bad decisions.
Even if did blow it up, you can’t confident they would know who to draft. 2012 is supposed to be a deep draft and for the money we pay our top line guys, I would have no issue spreading them out around the league and going a new direction.
And it starts with management and Sund and LD. Woody was so well thought of, it took him what 2 years to get an assistant’s job. He isn’t going to get another shot as a HC, nor should LD.
But a few good wins justify bringing him back next year…..and I’m not looking forward to starting another season with Joe, Josh and Al as our captains. Keep Teague and dump the rest off at any of most recent road trips.
Wink
February 13th, 2012
8:15 pm
Let try some word association as it relates to positive vibe – negative vibe and which rings true with you:
Michael Gearon Jr…”greatness of Hawks”…Fantasy?
Mark Bradley…”bad drafts,bad contract, consisten blowouts & bad management”…Truth?
Hawks opponents are Knicks, Magic, Celtics, Bulls, Lakers…Truth?
Hawks opponents are Braves & Falcons…Fantasy ?
Any given time period one team may profrom better than the other…why compare…this is about the Hawks NOW!
In last 30 years only 9 teams have won NBA Championship…the great Hawks was one of them…Fantasy?
Would we like the Hawks to someday win an NBA Championship…Truth?
The LA Clipper, Washington Wizard, OKC Thunder, Sacramento King…CORE group has been together 7 years…Fantasy?
Hawks CORE group has been together a minimum of 7 years…Truth?
Will the Hawks win a championship before,Clippers, Wizards, Kings, Thunder…Fantasy?
The odds are greater these teams will win a NBA Championship before the Hawks…Truth?
Think about it: Kobe, Dwight, Wade, Dirk, Blake, CP3, Melo…can you hear what their voice sounds like…Truth?
Can you hear Joe Johnson’s voice…Fantasy?
When you think of a STAR player that make a difference…they usually have one name, like those mentioned above…Truth?
When you have to use both names, ie Joe Johnson, have you really made it yet…Fantasy?
The Atlanta Air Force, Nique, Doc, Willis, Cliff Livington, Antonie Carr, Spudd…Truth?
Highlight Factory…JSmooveeeeee, Horfordddd Marvinnnnnnn????…Fantasy?
Management…Steinbrenner, Al Davis, Red Auebach, Ainge, Cuban…Truth?
Hawks management….ASG….crickets, crickets…just makes you tingle…Fantasy?
Who can affect the product on the floor & influence dollars spent…Hawks Owners & Coaches…Truth?
Fan affect the product on the floor & influence dollars spents…Fantasy?
The Hawks don’t want to go into the Luxury Tax and spend unneccessarily and its okay…Truth?
Fans should spend by any means necessary to support the greatness that is the Atlanta Hawks…FANTASY?
Which offers more ENTERTAINMENT value, Deion’ Primetime Falcons, The Grits Blitz, The Atlanta Air Force, Smoltz,Glavine,Maddux,keep in mind only one championship (Braves) …Truth?
Hawks beating below 500 teams, getting blowed out by above 500 teams, falling behind by 20 to 30 point in last 4 home games…surly there is Greatness there somewhere right Mr Gearon Jr…FANTASY?
Why should we care, because we are fans of Atlanta Sports Teams, and we would like to have some PRIDE in our Home Teams, but you guys don’t make it easy…WE JUST WANT YOU TO COMPETE…WIN OR LOSE…JUST COMPETE.
A Real Hawks Fan
February 13th, 2012
8:22 pm
I hate this city I really hate the media and the so called fans I hate the fact that a new ownership came in a did what they could to make a team better that had not been in the playoffs in god know when I hate you fake fans fake reporters all you do is trash the Hawks. The hawks will be in the ECF and I hope you guys don’t watch it,
godsmack
February 13th, 2012
8:29 pm
@tcpsman, I am with you about the Thrashers. If this sorry ass ownership would have put at least half of the money that they did in iso Joe’s contract we would have been in the playoffs more than once.If you get a chance to see a game in Winnepeg on the NHL package you will see why they are gone.They are appreciated like they should have been. My guess is they will be in the Stanley Cup Championship before the damn Hawks make the NBA Finals.
threetrone
February 13th, 2012
8:31 pm
I believe Atlanta came up with a winner when they began wearing the ATL jerseys. They have always had luxurious arenas such as The Omni and then Phillips. I met Michael Gearon, Jr. in the late 80’s through my little brother when we were living in ATL. I see Michael is running the show now. Good for him…and ATL. He was a good guy. He might even have come up with the ATL logo which is very cool.
A Real Hawks Fan
February 13th, 2012
8:31 pm
Most of you guys are idiots and have no clue what it take to win a title. You think its all about win in the regular season. Hawks will beat the bulls and the heat we are deeper and that is what will win
casual fan
February 13th, 2012
8:33 pm
@godsmack, I would be willing to be my life that Winnepeg will be 3-peat Stanley Cup Champions before the Hawks make it past Round 2.
casual fan
February 13th, 2012
8:37 pm
@threetrone, Yes, you are correct: the ATL logo is so cool!!! And I’m sure Michael Gearon is a swell guy!!! Gee, I sure am proud of the Atlanta Spirit.
threetrone
February 13th, 2012
8:39 pm
we were livin’ there in the mid-eighties, not late eighties, sorry, and we met MGJr in Brookwood Hills off of Peachtree
threetrone
February 13th, 2012
8:43 pm
casual fan: that ATL logo is rather heavy on the cool side, isnt it? you and I dig it
michael
February 13th, 2012
8:49 pm
sir charles, the round mound of rebound, says no real player wants to play for atlanta. sounds true but they sure love partying all over it. just ask patrick ewing about ye ole gold club.
Time
February 13th, 2012
8:55 pm
Thank you RealHawksFan for showing me that I’m not the only true, real Atlanta fan left in this town of yankee carpetbaggers who love to talk about how great things were back home, yet never ever go back. Why is that?
The other idiot (Schultz) just last week wrote a column about how bad the Hawks were, and then they go on and win 3 straight. Now this idiot (Bradley) decides to chime in after a bad loss to a very good team on the road with the usual officiating associated.
Hawks will be fine, and I’m sure both these disgraces to Atlanta that this rag see’s fit to print will be silent when they play well (like always), and then write some hack job crap like the next time the team has a bad game. In the meantime, they’ll be praying for some on UGA’s football team to get arrested for shooting fireworks so they can stand on their pathetic soapboxes and talk the Fulmer cup.
justahawkfan
February 13th, 2012
9:10 pm
The usual cast of negative characters. Perhap you guys should google the word FAN and study it’s meaning.
Man oh man
February 13th, 2012
9:18 pm
Ive hung out with the Gearons and Rutherford S albeit briefly. The Gearons have basketball experience but have probably been in over their heads as owners. I am concerned about a comment Jr made a few years ago about “spending money” as if it were something to be proud of. I think they have good intentions but made some very poor decisions. Rutherford strikes me as a boy in a candy shop that thought it would be fun to be a bigshot owner , but only later realized what a financial disaster it could be. I’ll never forgive the ASG for driving out the Thrashers. Never.
justahawkfan
February 13th, 2012
9:23 pm
The best thing about blogs is everyone get to voice thier opinions no matter how unreal they are.
justahawkfan
February 13th, 2012
9:25 pm
The worst thing about blogs is everyone get to voice thier opinions no matter how unreal they are.
Spoil in Dallas
February 13th, 2012
9:54 pm
I watched some awful basketball until we got a special player. One you can put pieces around. The Hawks have good players but not that special player you can build around. Joe Johnson is not a player you can build around. He complements. Tear it down and start over. Find that one guy who makes everybody else on the team look good.
Tremaine
February 13th, 2012
10:01 pm
Great job Mark.
Man oh man
February 13th, 2012
10:11 pm
Top 3 factors in a successful sports franchise : 1) owner(s) who hire the right managers 2) managers who draft and scout well. 3) owners and general managers who do not overpay for the talent they are receiving.
I’d say Hawks are 0 for 3. Falcons have potentially 3 for 3, but Thomas D ‘ s value has been dropping IMO. Braves are 3 for 3 but are hamstrung by their ownership / payroll.
Really
February 13th, 2012
10:13 pm
Mark- Of the top 8 seeds in the NBA, the Hawks are one of only two teams that have drafted at least four out of five players in their regular starting lineup. Oklahoma City is the other. I guess facts are stubborn things.
kingdaddy
February 13th, 2012
10:29 pm
Really M.B.? I needed a good laugh after watching the Hawks getting plucked last night by Miami. I had to keep turning away from the game, it was so pathetic. Kept getting the Oreck Vacuum commercial almost everytime so I thought it was God telling me the Birds suck really good or bad, depending on how you look at it. How can Miami sign the Big3 plus our center, we couldn’t afford? ? Doesn’t pay to be a Hawk fan and be to serious. LMAO.
kingdaddy
February 13th, 2012
10:42 pm
Where is my post? It wasn’t that bad, except for the part about the Oreck Vacuum Cleaner.
George P
February 13th, 2012
10:54 pm
Its ownership. Arthur Blank will keep doing something until he gets a winner. He’s not going to stick with TD and Mike Smith much longer. The Braves stuck with Bobby indefinitely, wasting a once in a generation collection of future hall of famers. Now owned by a corporation that doesn’t care. Hawks are probably the most mismanaged of all. Current ownership absolutely doesn’t care. As Mark points out, they succeed (such as it is) in spite of ownership, not because of it.
Arnold Ziffel
February 13th, 2012
11:10 pm
Best article of the year. Those dolts calling themselves owners are not respected by the players, fans, or Atlanta business community. The continual self-pimping from Gearon just shows the level of desperation they’ve reached. The experiment is over and these idiots need to be run out of ATL with their hair set on fire.
ITS VERY SIMPLE
February 13th, 2012
11:14 pm
Mark good column.
The hawks have always failed with draft picks: only one drafted all star: al horford which has coincided with this run on making playoffs
Always messed up free agency and the cap
But the hawks with all the lottery picks, never won the lottery to have not had a chance to get #1 overall and land a superstar. Orlando has got #1 overall 3 times: shaq, penny, d12 and have 2 finals apps to show for it.
San antonio got #1 overall- duncan – 4 rings. Drafting tim duncan means you can retire players like bruce bowen (6pt career avg) number.
Bulls- derrick rose # 1 overalll will face Heat with lebron former #1 overall in east finals
Yeah you can build a winner with other than #1 overall picks (rondo celtics, dirk’s mavs) and #1 picks miss like kwame brown. But for all the losing and missed picks the hawks never got a chance at # 1 overall to get the kind of player that couldmget you to ecf and beyond a drose, a d12, a lebron. And we have never been to ecf.
The hawks never got to draft #1 overall when special players were arund.
superiorblogman
February 13th, 2012
11:16 pm
Damn, I must admit that MB is better than MC. MC is such a coward he would have never wrote a article this real. I appreciate this article MB.
Blow this mess up ASAP, really nothing to discuss.
tjhook
February 13th, 2012
11:24 pm
The team is close but they need a new on court leader. Smith and Johnson are not enough. We need someone for Joe to defer to and who will dictate to Josh. I recommend Stephen Jackson (in exchange for Marvin Williams). One player away . . .
superiorblogman
February 13th, 2012
11:44 pm
I also so a comment about Kirk complicating things and I have to agree. If you look up the Hawks record with Kirk Hinrich you would be surprised to see how bad we have been with Kirk in the lineup. We are 15-19 in regular season games that Kirk has played in over the last 2 seasons.
That is a .441 percent winning clip. LMAO, at giving up essentially 2 1st rd picks for this crap. Just another indication that the front office is both short-sighted and lost when it comes to evaluating talent. Sund, Drew, the ASG, Nique all of them need to move out the way.
ATL Sports Fan
February 13th, 2012
11:52 pm
Hey, “Worst sports city in america”-
Anyone, such as yourself, who tries to bag on Atlanta fans clearly knows nothing of the misery that Atlanta sports fans have bore since the beginning of Atlanta sports. It’s easy for people like you to say that fans are apathetic. Being apathetic is a defense mechanism against heartbreak. Year after year of collapses, letdowns and embarassing playoff blowouts is what you deal with as someone who cares, as an Atlanta sports fan. So, seing as how you don’t ride on this heartbreak bandwagon, you don’t have the right to talk about Atlanta sports or their fans. Don’t shoot your mouth off about things you don’t understand, son.
heartofdarkness
February 14th, 2012
12:37 am
Excellence, thy name is Highlight Factory. It only hurts when I laugh.
stizz
February 14th, 2012
3:01 am
It’s hilarious that some of you can come here and say these things. “Its embarassing to be a Hawks fan year after year.” Well how on Earth do you think it feels to support the Braves and Falcons? The Falcons haven’t made the 2nd round since a felon was under center and the Braves haven’t done it in a decade. Wrap your heads around that. Ten years.
Way, way, way too many good guys in this city. The Braves hire clowns who they have allegiance to. The Falcons have players who let opposing QBs set records on them and hold a mini on field ceremony DURING THE GAME without repercussion. The Hawks are the only team with guys that have flair/personality worth paying for.
Let’s not act like the Hawks are the skidmark of the city when they are the only team who can consistently advance in the postseason. Oh yeah, for all you stuck up Braves fans who don’t want to accept reality, here’s a little fact: No team has ever recovered immediately from an epic collapse, especially when the manager is retained. As big a Braves fan as I am, I’m expecting very little with Fredi the Idiot at the helm. I would definitely place them last behind the Hawks and Falcons.
noboby
February 14th, 2012
4:14 am
all of this without even one dawg to help explain it…
Edo River
February 14th, 2012
4:39 am
Gulp! and I was the one last time who said he supports Hawks management….You pounded away here on ownership, as though they are the ones calling the shoto. Mark, its just a business-game. rYour comments make it all the more interesting! The minute to minute performance on the court doesn’t matter as much as the bigger picture of which players are collected and their overall stats, and what the results are at the end of the season. Let’s just go to sleep until then
those were the day's...
February 14th, 2012
7:30 am
the hawks will soar in 74′
Trojan
February 14th, 2012
7:45 am
Good column Mark. How are the Hawks good at all? The problem with the Hawks is not the “city”, it is the horrible management in the past, present and future.
The scoreboards don’t even work properly. Think about that. Would the LA Lakers say, “we will fix the scoreboard after the season”?
Would Dallas, Boston or Chicago play with only 1 center and wait one month to only pick up Dampier?
Would any team bid $20 more than the next highest bidder for a 17 ppg SG?
Would any team build a team with lottery picks, selecting forwards and ignoring PGs and Centers?
How many “successful” teams are build on a swingman?
None.
Good Column.
newsman
February 14th, 2012
7:53 am
All I can say as an experienced journalist is that Bradley and Schultz are probably the worst combination of sportswriters in any top 30 market. Never any analysis, never anything thought-provoking. Just the same old tired sarcasm and backward looking sniping. All it shows is an unwillingness to actually do any work. It’s easier to just sit there on your ass and type insults than it is to go talk to players and others around the league and try to develop something with some authority behind it. The AJC continues to slip (actually tumble) in its ratings compared with other top markets, and the lack of quality sports writers is a large factor, since sports enthusiasts are good subscribers. The AJC sucks and is more of an embarrassment to our city than even our sports teams could ever be.
honest_abe
February 14th, 2012
8:05 am
“abe, I’d argue that Prime was the best at his position, though he got even better after he left. Can’t think of anyone else, though”
can’t argue with that except as you mentioned deion didn’t reach his full potential until he left.
maddux was unbelieveable but wasn’t an overpowering pitcher and he was average in the playoffs. chipper only had one mvp year while the rest of his career is a testament to consistency.
maybe i didn’t use the right word. dominant. atlanta never has “dominant” players. from matt ryan and roddy white to chris chandler and terrence mathis. very good players who can make some pro bowls and break a few records but not on that upper tier of players who the rest of the nation watches with abated breath. hawks are the same story. dominique was our best player ever but even he didn’t know how to play defense or pass. he wasn’t even able to get past the 2nd round.
atlanta was burned down before and has been cursed ever since.