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Two Falcons legends named to Atlanta's sports Mount Rushmore
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- Two Falcons legends named to Atlanta's sports Mount Rushmore
Atlanta is pretty underrated as a sports city, and it certainly doesn't get the same type of attention that bigger markets with more teams do. There's a lot to celebrate, though, even if the Falcons haven't managed to win a Super Bowl as of yet.
Bleacher Report has a new list out that names four legends from each major sporting city around the country, making up a Mount Rushmore squad for each city. The catch is that it's only from 2000-current, which is why the Braves' goated pitching rotation from the 90s didn't take up every spot.
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The Braves did get a spot for former first baseman Freddie Freeman and third baseman Chipper Jones, along with Falcons legends Matt Ryan and Julio Jones . Here's their blurb for Ryan.
"The Falcons found a franchise quarterback when they selected Ryan with the No. 3 overall pick in 2008, as he threw for 59,735 yards and 367 touchdowns in 14 seasons. He won MVP in 2016 while leading Atlanta to its second-ever Super Bowl appearance, and had 10 seasons with at least 4,000 passing yards for the Falcons."
And here's what they had to say about Jones.
"At his peak, Jones was the best wide receiver in football. He led the NFL in receiving yards in 2015 (1,871) and 2018 (1,677), and he had 848 receptions for 12,896 yards and 60 touchdowns as Matt Ryan's primary target over 10 seasons."
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These days Jones is still indulging his competitive spirit. In addition to owning part of a wiffle ball franchise , Jones is reportedly training to become a professional bowler.
As for Ryan, he was hired by the Falcons in January as their new "President of Football." While it wasn't immediately clear exactly what that means, we have since learned that Ryan has the final say for on-field matters.
Together, this was one of the NFL's best quarterback-receiver combos of the last 20 years - and they don't get nearly the amount of respect that they deserve. If Atlanta had finished off the Patriots in Super Bowl LI that might be different, but they still should be more than just local legends.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Two Falcons legends named to Atlanta's sports Mount Rushmore
