It was, as we said in our headline two weeks ago, a sad end to a super season.
Today, when the Baltimore Ravens face the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl, it’s easy to imagine what could have been.
If only the Falcons were able to hold on – somehow – to that 24-14 lead at the end of the first half of the NFC Championship game.
It was a not-so-super finish, for sure. But it provides an opportunity to take a behind-the-scenes tour of how our coverage all came together – from a keepsake section that was printed days earlier and later destroyed; to Super Bowl credentials that won’t be used; to a book deal that now sits in a file cabinet in my office.
Our story begins a few weeks ago, just after the Falcons knock off the Seattle Seahawks in yet another thrilling finish.
In a conference room on the third floor, a group of folks from across the newspaper puts the finishing touches on our plans. There’s Drue from Marketing. She’s finalizing a contract with a T-shirt vendor. There’s Annemarie from Advertising. There’s Brent from the pressroom. He’s trying to find some time on our presses to print what we’ll call the “Dome Edition” – a keepsake section that will be distributed to fans around the Dome if the Falcons win.
The Dome Edition is first up on our to-do list. It’s four pages, printed on a whiter, heavier paper and full of photos. The headline is giant – think World War III – and simple.
NFC CHAMPS!
Because it will be printed days earlier, the main photo is a challenge. We’ve been through this once before during UGA’s title run. Rather than select a single photo that might be mistaken for one taken during Sunday’s game, we decide to go with three smaller photos highlighting some big wins throughout the season.
I get a bundle of Dome Editions on a Friday afternoon – some 48 hours before kickoff – and lock them in a cabinet in my office. Surely, I think, we’ll be handing these out on Sunday.
If only Matt Ryan hadn’t bobbled that snap in the second half.
Next up is the front page. Our page designer mocks up two different versions: One if the Falcons win; another if they lose.
We spend most of our time, it seems, on the “win” design. We’ll go with a big photo, fewer stories and a headline that’s written days in advance and seems to capture it all: SUPER BOWL BOUND!
With an NFL deadline looming, we submit requests for Super Bowl credentials for seven reporters and five photographers.
If only the defense hadn’t given up three long touchdown drives of 80 yards or more.
Inside our Sports section, we devote nine pages to our coverage. One of them is set aside for a keepsake poster – it’s built around a giant photo (we’ll select that after the Falcons win) and a huge headline that reads, CHAMPS!
This will be the signature of our souvenir T-shirts, which would have gone on sale Monday.
If only that pass to Roddy White hadn’t been batted away.
All the while, we’re wrapping up negotiations with a book publisher: If the Falcons make it to the Super Bowl, we’ll be working on a book that recaps this amazing season.
We’ll begin gathering stories and photos for the book first thing Monday morning – right after the Falcons eliminate the 49ers. Ninety-five percent of the book would be finished long before Super Bowl Sunday. The remainder would be done on deadline – right after the Falcons win the Super Bowl – so that it could be on shelves in 48 hours.
We realize, of course, that all of this hard work might never see the light of day. As the book publisher puts it, no Super Bowl victory, no book.
Back to Sunday’s game.
It’s been a roller-coaster ride, and I’ve been swapping texts with my dad, who’s rooting for the Falcons.
And then, just like that, it’s over.
If only it hadn’t ended in such a heartbreaking way.
No book. No T-shirts. No Dome Edition. No headline that shouts, SUPER BOWL BOUND!
In a day or two, my small bundle of Dome Editions will be destroyed. The book publisher sends me an email right after the game. It begins with two words:
Tough loss.
