At their best, Jessie Tuggle and John Abraham terrorized opposing offenses. Tuggle was one of the most physical linebackers of his era, a tackling machine who was a key cog in the team’s 1998 Super Bowl squad. Abraham was the last great pass rusher Atlanta has managed to muster up, and one of the only reasons the defense was remotely solid from the time he arrived until the team abruptly dumped him post-2012.
Deservingly, both those players are up for the Hall of Fame for the Class of 2020. They’ll join former (if less legendary) Falcons Jason Elam, Cornelius Bennett, and Eric Metcalf in a list of well over 100 nominees, meaning we shouldn’t get too pumped about their chances just yet.