The AJC spoke to fans from Dunwoody to just outside Gate D of the Georgia Dome. Hear from tired, exasperated, nervous Falcons fans who ended the day one step closer to Atlanta history.
Madison Shannon Harris was all smiles walking out of the Georgia Dome on Saturday night.
Born at DeKalb Medical 42 years ago, her family has had season tickets for 28 years. And you’d better believe they renewed for the new stadium, which she’s thrilled about.
“I’m excited to have something comparable to Dallas,” she said.
Harris is the chef at the Lemon Drop in Decatur, but lives in Covington.
She brought her 13-year-old son Shuane Kelly with her to the game. He said it was his favorite he's ever seen.
But Harris has seen plenty. Including the team’s only Super Bowl appearance in 1999, which happened to be a tragic one.
She plans on avenging that.
Harris and five of her girlfriends are booked and ready to go to Houston for this Super Bowl, and she expects her Falcons to be there with her.
“If I come back on the 6th (of February) sad, I’m not speaking to anybody,” she said.
Credit: Henry P. Taylor
Credit: Henry P. Taylor
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Ian Clarke was feeling good wearing red and black heading out of the game after a big defensive stop with the score 29 to 13..
The 24-year-old was there with his grandmother, who took him to some of his first Falcons games. He remembers watching Chris Chandler, Keith Brooking and Jamal Anderson.
He was beaming about his football team.
“It means a lot to the city,” he said. “We’ve never won a championship.”
But he recognizes what still needs to be done.
“We still got two games left,” he said.
Clarke wanted the Green Bay Packers.
“I think we’re going to roll over them,” he said.
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Super Bowl! Super Bowl!
That was the cheer inside Taco Mac in Dunwoody when the clock struck zero and Falcons secured a spot in the N.F.C. Championship Game.
"Why not us?," Keri Williams, 32, of Sandy Springs said after the game.
“If the (Cleveland Cavaliers), the (Chicago) Cubs and Clemson can win (championships), why not us?,” she added.
Douglasville resident Henry Carter was planning a Super Bowl party at his home. His wife, Tammie, who was rooting for Seattle was gracious in her team's defeat.
“Good game,” she said, applauding.
“The house is no longer divided,” Henry said.
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A double-digit lead for the Falcons late in the fourth quarter. Keri Williams wasn’t expecting this.
The Sandy Springs resident and lifelong Falcons fans was anticipating a nail-biter.
“I didn’t expect this,” Williams, 34, yelled to her friend after the Falcons opened up a 36-13 advantage at Taco Mac in Dunwoody.
“I’m a lifelong Falcons fan,” she said. “Disappointment is our DNA.”
The defense played better than she thought. She plans to return to the restaurant next Sunday for the NFC Championship Game.
“I’m superstitious,” she explained.
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Chest bumps, groans and loud roars.
Those were the sounds inside Taco Mac in Dunwoody and at the Gulch as Atlantans watched the second half of Falcons playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks.
“That’s a catch,” a Falcons fan shouted inside Taco Mac early in the fourth quarter of an apparent catch by a Falcons receiver was initially called incomplete.
“Yeah!,” fans shouted after the call was reversed.
Other fans had their eyes glued to their smartphones. A growing sense of confidence that the Falcons will win could be felt inside Taco Mac, but fans were not being overconfident.
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The only consistent sound in the Gulch were cheers of fans whenever their beloved football team did anything positive. The rest was the sound of a well-rehearsed party comprised of an endless amount of bass, beers opening and meat sizzling.
It’s the playoffs, and the mood at the start of the half was positive.
Shannon Price, 42-year-old College Park native, had been in the Gulch an hour with his family, including "six or seven" children.
Credit: Henry P. Taylor
Credit: Henry P. Taylor
He’s a lifelong Falcons fan, and he thought they were going to win.
“We just got to play hard,” he said before tending to one of his already-tired boys.
Tommy Foster was at the Gulch with beer and cigarette in hand rooting on his team.
The 53-year-old Woodstock man had been there a couple hours already at the half.
As a Falcons fan of a decade, he thought they were going to win.
“We can’t afford to lose,” he said with a smile.
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Back and forth they went. So did the fans emotions.
At the Taco Mac in Dunwoody, there was a huge roar when the Falcons scored their first touchdown to even the game. Minutes later, the mood changed when Seattle connected on a big pass play.
Meanwhile, the Carters continued their smack talk.
“They can’t stop our offense,” said Henry of the Falcons.
His wife, Tammie, was sticking by her Seahawks.
“When everything is said and done, I’ll be walking out of here a winner,” she said.
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There was some despair at the bar when Seattle struck first.
"There was no defense on the left side," said DeKalb County resident Shawn Keith, 34. "You could see (Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson) was going to a quick post."
Keith, a transplant from Hempstead, New York, said he hopes the Falcons win, but he’s worried the game, and their season, may oncec again in disappointment.
“They also disappoint,” he said. “They get so close. I hope they get to the Super Bowl. It’d be great for Atlanta.”
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It’s kick off time and a round of applause filled Taco Mac after the saxophonist performed the National Anthem.
Dunwoody resident Tim Graves offered some sage advice as Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones appeared on the screen.
“He’s the guy you’ll have to watch,” Graves, an Alabama football fan said Jones, who played his college ball at Alabama.
Fans lined up behind the bar. There was a 40 minute wait to get inside. Patrons watched the game and looking at their smartphones.
The lights dimmed inside the restaurant and the crowd roared at kickoff.
“Get him,” Graves yelled as Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson rushed for a first down.
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Douglasville residents Henry and Tammie Carter are prime examples of the house divided Saturday.
He’s a Falcons fan. She’s rooting for the Seattle Seahawks.
Tammie was a Falcons fan until she went on a road trip in 2013 to New Orleans to watch them play the Saints.
“They gave the game away, so I jumped ship,” she said, wearing a Seattle Seahawks Russell Wilson t-shirt.
“She got kicked off the ship,” replied Henry, decked out in a Falcons baseball cap, Falcons beads and a Falcons Vic Beasley Jr. jersey.
The couple grabbed a table at Taco Mac in Dunwoody where many patrons were decked out in Falcons red. There were a couple of other folks wearing Seahawks gear.
Tammie was not intimidated although she is outnumbered.
“(The Falcons) have been so close so often and gave it away,” she said. “That’s what’s about to happen today.”
“It’s a different team,” her husband quickly said.
