Former Falcons coach Jerry Glanville scoots up in his red couch chair. He is wearing $4,000 cowboy-style black and purple boots — one of the few things he remembers the cost of; he says he hasn't asked the price of anything since 1974 – with a black dress shirt, black shades, and black Levi's jeans held up by a belt with a large shiny gold buckle.
We're in the locker room at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which Glanville admits looks very different from the one he spent Sundays in at the Georgia Dome and Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, while coaching the Falcons from 1990-1993. He is surrounded by his former players: quarterback Chris Miller, linebackers Jessie Tuggle and Robert Lyles, and wide receiver Michael Haynes, who got together recently to discuss the 1991 Atlanta Falcons.
The 1991 Falcons were called a lot of things. Brash. Arrogant. Fun. And a number of versions of the word "swagger." But a recent 7-part YouTube series titled "The History of the Atlanta Falcons" may have coined the most apt nickname, calling the 1991 squad "the rudest team in NFL history."
The Falcons digital team took a deep dive in that season in the three-part series: 'The Rudest Team': The story of the 1991 Falcons will begin on YouTube with Part One: 'The Attitude' starting Tuesday at 7 p.m. You can watch using this link. The second and third installments will premiere on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, at 7 p.m.
Seeing these former Falcons interact after all this time brought out some great stories.
One such tale was Tuggle speaking about how the 1991 season was a breakout year for him and what Glanville meant for his career. Just before he wraps up, Glanville interrupts to tell the group what he remembers about when he first met Tuggle, an undrafted linebacker out of Division II Valdosta State.
"I knew you were gonna make it," Glanville, 80, says at the edge of the seat, "when you showed up for camp, and you had on big overalls and no shirt!"
The group bursts into high-pitched laughter. Now Glanville is standing up with a smirk on his face, waiting for the laughter to die down, to ensure that everyone can clearly see and hear what he is about to say.
"This is a 300-pound man on a 5-foot-10-inch frame," Glanville says, "Do you remember that? I says, 'Hell, I gotta push this guy to the front!'"
Everyone bursts into laughter.