Atlanta Falcons: Top 5 QBs of All Time

Nov 30, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; A general view of the stadium during the game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Arizona Cardinals during the first quarter at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

For an organization that has never won a Super Bowl in going on 50 seasons, only one quarterback got the Atlanta Falcons to play on Championship Sunday.  That man was Chris Chandler.

Chandler was in his early 30’s by the time the veteran NFL quarterback got to Atlanta.  After two decent seasons as the Houston Oilers starting QB in 1995-96, Chris came to Atlanta and his best seasons as a professional, going to two consecutive Pro Bowls and playing in Super Bowl XXXIII down in Miami.

In his five seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, Chandler finished 4th on the franchise all-time passing list in yards (13,268) and tied for third touchdown passes (87) with Chris Miller.  Of qualifying NFL caliber passers, Chris Chandler has the 2nd highest QB rating of any Falcons passer at an 87.4 mark.

What I loved the most about Chris Chandler during his time with the Atlanta Falcons was his poise to run a methodical, run-first offense.  When Chandler was at his best in Atlanta, he let the game come to him.  He rarely forced any poor throws and relied on the strong running game of Jamal Anderson to open up passing lanes that Chandler often took advantage of.

Not every team that Chandler quarterbacked was as talented as the 1998 NFC Championship team, but I felt like when Chris was under center the Dirty Birds could win the game.  Unfortunately, getting sacked relentlessly over a long NFL career lead to concussion problems for the former Pro Bowl passer.  To this day, I still haven’t seen a Falcons passer play with the type of poise Chris Chandler displayed during the magical 1998 Super Bowl Run season.

Next: Big Ben Right