Atlanta Falcons

Andre Rison sure as hell wishes Terrell Owens hadn't blown off his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony ... 'cause he's telling TMZ Sports that REALLY HURT his chances at getting in!!

The legendary Falcon was one of the baddest receivers in the game ... and his career numbers stack up with just about every wideout in the Hall.

But ... he tells us his HOF candidacy -- which didn't have a whole lot of steam to begin with from NFL writers -- took a serious hit when T.O. pulled out of Canton earlier this month.

"When I hear T.O.'s argument, I know it's valid, I know it's good, but I really wish he would've went," Rison says.

"Because he does make it hard sometimes for guys like myself, who was a rough rider."

Rison says he's not going to complain about it ... he's just trying to let his numbers do the talking.

A.J. Green says he's not mad at Julio Jones for holding out in his contract dispute with the ATL Falcons -- telling TMZ Sports, "He gotta do what he gotta do, man."

The Bengals superstar WR was out shopping in Bev Hills -- and explained that when it comes to getting paid at the pro level, you gotta strike while ya can.

"The NFL stands for 'Not For Long,' so you gotta get it while it lasts."

Green knows what he's talking about -- he signed a 4-year $60 MILLION contract extension in 2015.

But, if things don't work out for Julio in ATL, Green says he's down to share some of the pass-catching workload in Cinci.

Willie McGinest has some advice for the Atlanta Falcons brass ... RELAX ... saying anyone in ATL's front office who's miffed Julio Jones is training with T.O. is wrong -- because it's actually a good idea.

Jones and Owens have been working out together this offseason, and there are reports that some of the higher-ups in Atlanta are concerned Terrell might rub off on Julio a little bit.

Willie says that would actually be a GOOD thing ... telling our guy at LAX, Owens has a lot of positive things to offer a stud receiver like Jones.

"Training with Terrell Owens I don't think is a bad thing. T.O. was one of the hardest working guys in the NFL and never had a problem with his work ethic or being in shape."

Julio Jones is gearing up for 2018 with a future Hall of Famer ... running wide receiver drills in Georgia with Terrell Owens.

The two hit up Johns Creek High School in the Atlanta area -- where they ran routes, worked on footspeed and of course, caught passes.

Jones looked great (of course) -- but 44-year-old Owens was pretty damn impressive, too!!!

Meanwhile, the newest ATL Falcons wide out -- Calvin Ridley -- was also putting in work during a military-style workout with his personal trainer in Alabama.

Ridely was the Falcons' first round draft pick -- 26th overall -- and people are expecting big things from him.

In fact, with rumblings of a rift between Jones and the Falcons ... Ridley could be the next #1 WR in the ATL.

NFL star Devonta Freeman says the New England Patriots would be the PERFECT place for Johnny Manziel to restart his pro career ... saying Bill Belichick and Co. can help him turn things around.

We spoke with the Pro Bowler about Johnny's Comeback SZN campaign ... and D.F. says "the sky's the limit" for the troubled QB ... and he thinks finding home in Foxborough would be a great football move.

Freeman says he's not surprised by the reported interest 'cause he knows how Belichick operates ... and he thinks that's the kinda atmosphere that should be surrounding Johnny.

It turns out the L.A. Rams aren't the first NFL team to have male cheerleaders ... 'cause the Atlanta Falcons had dancin' dudes on the squad 30 YEARS AGO.

ICYMI -- reports earlier this week claimed the Rams made history when they announced Quinton Peron and Napolean Jinnies would be joining the squad as the NFL's first male cheerleaders.

But back in 1987, the Falcons had a co-ed squad consisting of 12 women and 12 men ... and we're told they weren't alone. Billy Quercia -- a member of the '87 Falcons cheer team -- tells us the K.C. Chiefs also had a co-ed squad around that same time.

Quercia says they were real-deal cheerleaders -- not just stuntmen -- and were included in all the dance routines.

Quercia says he's not upset about being left out of the conversation. He says it's a "fabulous" move by the Rams to finally add men to the cheer team after all this time ... and hopes more teams follow their lead.

Can the Eagles survive without Carson Wentz??

Quavo doesn't think so -- 'cause when we asked him about their playoff matchup with the Falcons, he told us having Nick Foles sub in for the MVP candidate will crush their chances.

"They lost they main guy," Quavo told TMZ Sports. "Foles ... we ready to take him out."

For his own sake, we hope he's right. Quavo's a huge Georgia sports guy -- and we're not sure if he can handle 2 soul-crushing L's in 1 week.

No sulking for Todd Gurley -- because hours after his Rams were bounced from the NFL playoffs, the running back was bouncing to a Hollywood hot spot with some smokeshows in tow.

Gurley and some friends (including 2 hot ladies) rolled into Delilah in West Hollywood on Saturday evening ... following the 26-13 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

Look, it's clear from the video it wasn't a celebratory outing ... Todd doesn't look super happy ... but what else is he gonna do, sit at home and be mad?

Props on a solid season.

"Atlanta broke my heart" ... so says 6LACK, who tells TMZ Sports he's rooting for the Falcons in the NFL playoffs -- but he doesn't want his soul crushed again!

6LACK is from Atlanta and grew up a Falcons fan ... but says he's being guarded this time around because, "I think I've just been scarred."

It's not just the 28-3 situation from last year -- remember 1998? When the Falcons were on fire only to get crushed by the Broncos in Super Bowl 33?

Yeah, 6LACK still remembers, too.

Todd Gurley had a big Thursday night -- hitting up the Clippers game and then Delilah (popular L.A. hotspot) ... just 2 days before the Rams take the field against the Falcons in the NFL playoffs.

TMZ Sports was at Delilah (a swanky restaurant and lounge) when we saw Gurley cruising in around 11:30 PM. He's such a big star in L.A., all he had to do was nod at the bouncer to get inside.

No word on when he left or if he even had a sip of alcohol (guessing he didn't) ... he may have just been stopping by to say hi to a friend.

Of course, the Rams play ATL in the Wild Card Round on Saturday -- and if Gurley, who's on fire right now, runs over the Falcons, no one will care about his night habits.

If they lose, however ...

Tony Gonzalez is putting Hollywood's A-List directors on notice -- telling TMZ Sports that guys like Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese need to get him in the game!!

FYI, the NFL legend's been dabbling in acting for a few years -- scoring roles in an "xXx" sequel and "NCIS" -- but Tony says he's starting to hit his stride after being "terrified" of cameras from the jump.

Not sure what upcoming movie he'd be best in -- our guy flopped trying to think of one -- but the bottom line ... Tony's ready.

Julio Jones hit the club scene in Hollywood Wednesday night -- but he wasn't a sloppy Lindsay Lohan-style mess -- he was sober, sippin' water and tellin' us why he LOVES the guys his ATL Falcons took in the NFL Draft.

The WR was leaving Warwick (rockin' a man bag, we'll get to that later) when he told us why he thinks the Falcons had an "amazing" draft.

FYI, Atlanta went defense with their first 2 picks -- DE Takk McKinley in the 1st round and LB Duke Riley in the 3rd.

Julio also praises the Dallas Cowboys -- and told us why he thinks they'll easily rack up at least 10 wins again.

But back to the man bag ... (which Julio INSISTS is not a fanny pack). JJ says there's a real solid reason he wears it out and even told us what he keeps in it.

Don't worry, Julio, if it's good enough for The Rock, it's good enough for us ...

Brett Favre fired up his laser rocket arm for a training session with Atlanta Falcons cornerback Robert Alford Wednesday ... and the guy tells us Favre STILL has the tools to play in the NFL.

Alford -- who famously picked off Tom Brady for a TD in the Super Bowl -- tells TMZ Sports he was at the Traction Sports Performance center in Louisiana when Brett stopped by.

Alford says Favre didn't even warm up ... he just grabbed a ball and started rifling away -- "throwing lasers on the dot."

Alford says he's 100% convinced the 47-year-old could seriously compete in the NFL -- as long as he had an offensive line that could allow him to sit back and sling it.

He even has a message for all the teams still looking for a QB ... "GO GET [FAVRE]."

Why did the Falcons call PASSING PLAYS in the final minutes of the Super Bowl instead of running the ball and kicking a FG that would have put the game out of reach?!?!

That's exactly what we asked ATL head coach Dan Quinn.

Coach Quinn -- who couldn't have been nicer -- essentially says that drive is NOT why they lost the game. They blew other chances to ice the Patriots, too.

The good news ... he's staying positive and says, "Hopefully we get a chance to battle for one again. We'll be ready."

Atlanta Falcons legend Roddy White says he's spoken with players on the team who are still frustrated with the play calling at the end of the Super Bowl ... and says, "The City of Atlanta needed [that win]."

Roddy obviously loves the organization but says facts are facts ... several players were just as confused at the play calling in the 4th quarter as the fans at home.

White says "you don't have to be a football genius" to realize the team should've run the ball 3 times and kicked a field goal instead of trying to pass when they were up by 8. Dumb.

Steve Sarkisian's latest run as a college coach is over after just 1 game ... 'cause the now ex-Alabama offensive coordinator is bolting Tuscaloosa for the Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons just announced that Sarkisian -- who 'Bama hired to replace Lane Kiffin as coordinator back in December -- has accepted the team's vacant offensive coordinator position ... after Kyle Shanahan left to coach the 49ers.

Sark coached 'Bama in just 1 game ... the National Championship loss to Clemson.

BTW, just last week we saw Sark at LAX and asked him whether he'd ever be interested in the NFL.