A Touch of Class in Atlanta

Warrick Dunn, the 10th year pro out of Florida State, now playing for the Atlanta Falcons, made an appearance on the ESPN sports morning show ‘Cold Pizza’ today. Now I’m paraphrasing since I failed to tivo the spot, but at one point during the interview, show host Jay Crawford asked Warrick “who is to blame for the Falcons offensive struggles in 2005?” [Note: Atlanta finished the 2005 season ranked 14th in Scoring Offense at 21.9 points/game; 27th in Passing Offense at 167.4 yards/game; and 1st in Rushing Offense at 159.1 yards/game]. Warrick did not rise to the bait, saying simply that the team as a whole failed to achieve their objectives in 2005. Additionally, Warrick even suggested that the running game (which lead the entire NFL), failed to perform in key situations for the team. Now, many teams would consider an 8-8 season a success, but for a team recently removed from the NFC title game they have higher standards for themselves.

Personally, I have no doubt that the Falcons will quickly turn their fortunes around and once again challenge for a title in 2006. This isn’t because they have stars such as Vick, Crumpler, Dunn returning on offense, or because they have added Abraham to an already formidable defense. Rather, it is because they have players who believe in a team first mentality, and team leaders who have a lot of class. Kind of makes you wonder how things might be different in Detroit if their leaders showed the same class as Dunn.

As a side note, for those of you who don’t know Warrick Dunn organizes a great foundation the provides a lot of help and support for the community, check it out here.