NFL Honors, Falcons Style: Dan Quinn, Bryant Young, No. 1 Atlanta Fan
OK, so the NFL Honors show, combined with the Pro Football Hall of Fame announcements, we something short of Atlanta Falcons-centric.
But ...
A Falcons fan was recognized.
And so were two old friends. To wit ...
Bryant Young is heading to the Hall of Fame, based obviously on his playing career with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played on some great teams and played in 208 games, serving as a force against the run and the pass. But he has an Atlanta tie due to his two-year stint coaching the Falcons defensive line from 2017 to 2018, when he oversaw an especially productive group.
Also productive during his time in Atlanta, and in 2021 with the Dallas Cowboys, is ex-Falcons head Dan Quinn. He won the NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award - and won the heart of owner Jerry Jones, who according to the scoop at CowboysSI.com arranged for him a "futures deal'' that caused Quinn to exit this offseason's Coaching Carousel - with a complete turnaround of a Dallas defensive that in 2020 was a football disaster under the supervision of another ex-Falcons staffer, former Atlanta defensive coordinator Mike Nolan.
Falcons fans of course have a complicated relationship with Quinn because he took Atlanta to the Super Bowl and then ... you know.
And finally, for long-suffering Falcons fans there is an award that all in the community can share, in a sense, though it officially goes to a fellow named Henry Ison.
Mr. Ison won NFL Fan of the Year, and just when you think, "Hey, wait, what about me?'' you bow to the fact that Henry has not missed attending a Falcons home game in an amazing 51 years.
Young is going to Canton. Quinn is staying in Dallas. And Henry Ison is ... all of us.
