With the NFL conference realignment for the 2002 season, the
Atlanta Falcons moved from the
NFL West to the
NFL South.
In the
2001 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons traded for the first pick and picked future superstar
Michael Vick at
Quarterback. In the 2001 season he mainly played as the backup to longtime QB
Chris Chandler but did get some playtime which included 300 rushes in 29 attempts and 1 rushing
touchdown, his obvious forte being his feet.
In 2002 Michael Vick led the Falcons to a rocky start with 3 losses in 4 games, the first 2 of which had a point differential of 4, versus the
Green Bay Packers (34-37 OT) and the
Chicago Bears (13-14). Since then the Falcons have wracked up 6 straight wins (interspersed by 1 tie with the
Pittsburgh Steelers).