6 reasons you should watch the new Secret Base series ‘The History of the Atlanta Falcons’

You’ve got to check this out.

Secret Base will release the sequel to their first Dorktown series, ‘The History of the Seattle Mariners’, on Tuesday, Aug. 17. This series will focus on the team we all know, love, and often dread watching on Sundays: the Atlanta Falcons.

‘The History of the Atlanta Falcons’ is a seven-part series is a deep dive on the team’s entire history, from the team’s founding in 1966 through the 2020 NFL season. Written and hosted by Jon Bois and Alex Rubenstein, who are both absolutely brilliant, the series is a combination of exceptional storytelling, amazing graphics, and incredibly detailed research.

Episode 1 will be live on the Secret Base YouTube channel Tuesday afternoon, and before you watch, I do want to give you a heads up that it opens with Super Bowl LI. I know we’re all loathe to relive that, so let me give you some reasons that you really need to watch this series anyway.

You’ll learn interesting things you didn’t know about the Falcons

I’ve read books about the Falcons’ history. I’ve researched and written hundreds of articles about this team. And I still learned things I didn’t know about the team and about the history of football in Georgia just from the first episode. Secret Base expertly blends history with statistics and context that helps you understand the history of this team more completely, too.

Norm Brocklin was a character

They spend a decent amount of time talking about Brocklin, who was as ornery as sin. Brocklin famously threatened to fight the Atlanta media, and was referred to as “Hitler with a hangover” by the Atlanta Journal’s Furman Bisher. But Secret Base also digs into his team’s performances in those early years and illustrate how Brocklin took the Falcons from completely incompetent to a team that could actually win some games by the time he was finally fired — again, after he threatened to fight every member of the Atlanta media.

You’ll giggle when you see Dick Shiner’s name

I’m just being honest. Is it childish? Yes. Did I laugh anyway? Also yes.

You’ll get a look at the early days of the Falcons-Saints rivalry

It is objectively one of the best rivalries in the NFL, and Secret Base does a deep dive on the early years. The Falcons and Saints were both nascent teams; expansion efforts after the NFL had basically ignored the south for decades. The statistical perspective Bois and Rubenstein provide on the rivalry, backed up with graphs and data, is illuminating. Also, you’ll love the look back at the Falcons’ 62-7 victory over the Saints back in 1973.

You’ll get Falcons fans’ perspectives, too

Joe Ali, a producer and editor on the Secret Base team and an Atlanta native, is featured on Episode 1 sharing his perspective on the Falcons. Joe and Steven Godfrey, another of my colleagues at Secret Base and a Falcons fan, will both be featured in subsequent episodes. Even though there are plenty of miserable memories in the Falcons’ history, having Falcons fans add context on our shared heartbreaks adds a lot to the series.

Kim McQuilken will make you appreciate Matt Ryan more

Holy smokes, McQuilken was bad. Secret Base digs into his stats and all of the factors that contributed to his performance. But seriously, he was terrible. He’s an interesting person, though, and I learned a lot about him from this first episode. I feel awful for him after learning that his wife, also named Kim, is a Patriots fan, and they had a bet on Super Bowl LI. Watching his former team suffer the worst loss in Super Bowl history was bad enough, but this poor guy had to walk around in a Julian Edelman Patriots jersey for a week after the loss.

If you want moral support from your fellow Falcoholics while watching this series, plan to join DW, Adnan, and I on Falcoholic Live on Tuesday, Aug. 17 at 8 p.m. ET for our Episode 1 watch party.