Falcons turn around fortunes with playoff run

Minneapolis — If you’ve listened to Falcons head coach Mike Smith all season long, you’d think this remarkable run at the playoffs was just part of the process.

But the dynamic first-year coach let his body betray his buttoned-down expectations when the Falcons clinched a playoff berth by beating the Minnesota Vikings 24-17 on Sunday.

A desperate fourth-and-16 heave by Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson wound up in Smith’s hands on the sideline. And the black-clad coach lost it. Smith jumped up and down, arms flailing, headset bobbing, smile spreading. Suddenly remembering his place, perhaps, he turned and handed the ball off to Chevis Jackson, one of the Falcons’ impact rookies who’d been defending on the play, and went to find an assistant coach to hug.

The process may not be complete, but the turnaround is. The Falcons have gone from 4-12 and league laughingstock last season after the Michael Vick dogfighting fiasco and head coach Bobby Petrino bolting with three games remaining to 10-5 and playoff bound, still with a game to go.

“Every man in here has bound together,” Smith could be heard telling the team inside the locker room. “It was a long journey.”

Yes it was, in a short amount of time.

Last January the Falcons were starting over from near scratch with the hiring of Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff. This January, they’ll be in the playoffs.

They clinched at least a wildcard spot after Dallas lost on Saturday night and Tampa Bay lost early in the day Sunday.

“The table is set,” veteran safety Lawyer Milloy yelled on the Falcons’ sideline prior to kickoff.

The Falcons drove the length of the field and scored on the opening possession, breaking out the no-huddle offense to quiet the Vikings crowd, before the 62,889 fans realized their noise could actually disrupt it. That drive was about the only thing that went exactly to plan.

The Falcons used four turnovers to hold the Vikings in check and scored the decisive touchdown on Justin Blalock’s fumble recovery in the end zone.

It was all the same in the post-game celebration, with Falcons yelling “playoffs” as they rushed into the tunnel, slowing down long enough to congratulate owner Arthur Blank, one after another.

“That’s big, big, big,” Matt Ryan, the rookie revelation at quarterback, told him.

“We’re going to the playoffs,” said Roddy White, the NFL’s second-leading receiver.

“How ‘bout it, buddy?” said center Todd McClure, the veteran cog of the offensive line.

Lost somewhere in the shuffle was Blank’s wife.

Stephanie Blank had taken off to walk the concourse as the Vikings mounted their last two-minute drive. She didn’t return until finding Blank under the tunnel, win safely secured, for a congratulatory kiss.

“Talk about a year’s difference,” Blank said. “I couldn’t be happier. … (And) I’m so happy for Atlanta, our fans and community. Couldn’t come at a better time for a greater city. The fans have been through so much. We have an opportunity now.”