The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Falcons play their home games at the Georgia Dome in downtown Atlanta and their state of the art headquarters and practice facilities or located at a 50-acre site in Flowery Branch, Ga. The Falcons joined the NFL in 1965 as an expansion team, after the NFL offered then-owner Rankin Smith a franchise to keep him from joining the rival American Football League . The AFL instead granted a... franchise to Miami, Florida . In their 45 years of existence, the Falcons have compiled a record of 298–402–6 with division championships in 1980, 1998, 2004, and 2010. Their only Super Bowl appearance was Super Bowl XXXIII. Over the last four years the Falcons, under General Manager Thomas Dimitroff, Head Coach Mike Smith, and Quarterback Matt Ryan, have been one of the hottest franchises in the NFC. Since the start of the 2008 season, the Falcons have recorded four consecutive winning seasons for the first time in franchise history.
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