2007 was a disaster for the Atlanta Falcons. Their superstar quarterback, Michael Vick, had been sent to prison on charges related to dog fighting, and the team in general simply fell apart, finishing in last place in the NFC South with a 4-12 record.
But as quickly as things fell apart in Atlanta, they came back together in 2008 behind an unlikely cast. They brought in a new head coach in Mike Smith who had never been a head coach at any level. They also acquired running back Michael Turner to be their feature back even though he was a career backup in San Diego prior to coming to Atlanta. And to cap it off, they used their first-round draft pick on a quarterback to replace the incarcerated Vick.
Surprisingly, all the new pieces of the puzzle fit perfectly. Turner turned out to be as good as advertised, Ryan played far better than could have been expected for a rookie, and Smith pulled everyone together into cohesive squad. End result; an 11-5 record and an unexpected playoff berth.
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