With the percentage of return dwindling eventually down to just 3, there wasn’t a whole lot of hope that tight end Tony Gonzalez would return to the Falcons for one more ride after coming up just short of the Super Bowl in 2012.

Smith — a positive person by nature — wouldn’t allow the 97 percent that said Gonzalez was going to hang it up sway him from trying to convince the future Hall-of-Famer to return. On Tuesday morning, he received the phone call that proved his belief in that 3 percent chance of Gonzalez coming back was not in vain.

PHOTOS: Tony Gonzalez’s first four years in Atlanta

“I think, in Tony’s mind, from what I read from reports from him is that he felt like there was some unfinished business,” Smith said. “We all feel that way. In the offseason, you try to build your football team through a number of ways and, in my mind, we just signed one of the biggest free agents acquisitions in terms the guys that are available.”

Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff has said on several occasions that the Falcons are focused on retaining their own during the free agency period, and Gonzalez was a big, big piece of that strategy. Coming off one of his best seasons, with 93 receptions, 930 yards and eight touchdowns at the age of 36, Gonzalez — who just recently turned 37, seemed to wrestle with the decision to come back.

Smith said Tuesday that Gonzalez doesn’t want to miss training camp, but did say that he made promises to his family that the team will work around. With everything falling into place, Smith said the Falcons and Gonzalez have a deal in principle and that hammering out the contract should be short work.

VIDEO: The Great 88 Not Done Yet

“It is good to be back,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “After speaking with my family we decided to give it one more shot. Being part of such a great team and organization was too much to pass up. I would also like to say thank you to all of the fans for their support over the last several weeks.”

The team and Gonzalez were in constant contact since the end of the NFC Championship game. With free agency beginning today and the draft drawing close, the team had plans to move on with or without Gonzalez, but the decision by Gonzalez to return Tuesday came at a perfect time for the team to prepare for the two important growth periods during the league year.

“I’m a very positive thinking guy, so I don’t let negative thoughts come into my mind very often. But I’m a realist as well, knowing that it’s a decision that Tony would have to make,” Smith said. “But my thoughts were Tony’s coming back, and that’s really more of my makeup in terms of being positive about the situation.”

Head coach Mike Smith’s extremely successful career with the Falcons has been well documented. He’s already the winningest coach in franchise history. He’s led the team to five consecutive winning seasons for the first time in franchise history. He’s produced four playoff appearances in five years. The list goes on.

Turns out, the seeds of Smith’s football success were planted years ago, and he’s about to be honored for it. Smith will be inducted into the East Tennessee State University Athletics Hall of Fame this spring as a football student athlete.

Here’s the blurb written about Smith in the ETSU press release:

Played for the Buccaneers from 1978 to 1981, leading the team in tackles both in 1980 (120) and 1981 (186), and being named the team’s defensive MVP in both of those seasons. While he made a name for himself as a player at ETSU and played professionally in the Canadian Football League for a short time, it is Smith’s coaching career that has truly excelled. After spending time in the college ranks, Smith spent several seasons with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, serving as defensive coordinator there since 2003. He later accepted the head coaching position with the Atlanta Falcons in 2008, and was named NFL Coach of the Year after leading the Falcons into the playoffs with an 11-5 regular season record. He most recently guided the Falcons to the NFC Championship game during the 2012 season.

That’s quite a playing resume. It probably wouldn’t be surprising to see Smith honored in many more ways in future years. The induction ceremony will be held May 5.

Prior to this year’s NFC Championship game when the Falcons faced the 49ers, ETSUBucs.com spoke to some of Smith’s former teammates, who had glowing things to say about the Falcons head coach.

Mike Brown, Linebacker

“I played a few seasons with Mike. I considered Mike a man among boys and looked to him as being an extension of the coaching staff. Mike is a great guy and a class act.”

Steve Meyer, Center

“The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Mike Smith is his intensity. I was the starting center and he was the starting linebacker, so it suited me just fine that we didn’t have to face each other much since the first teamers didn’t go head-to-head very often in practice. Mike’s hitting ability was amazing and he was a very smart player. It should be no surprise regarding all the success Mike has brought to the Atlanta Falcons, because he has surrounded himself with great people and I’m a firm believer cream rises to the top. I’m very happy for Mike and he’s a great person.”

Barry Reed, Kicker

“I don’t know if Mike was too fond of me since collegiate and professional kickers don’t seem to be part of the team until it comes down to kicking a game winning field goal, but after last week’s win over Seattle I’m sure his feelings have changed. I’ve considered Mike one of the best linebackers to wear the Blue and Gold and the best in the Southern Conference. He was a 100-percent physical football player and almost impossible to get off the field. He was always one of the first players to arrive at practice and the last to leave. Mike was always around the defensive coaches trying to learn from them and would even give his input. He is the true definition of a football player and a coach’s dream.”

Jerry Robertson, Athletic Trainer

“Mike had the true characteristics of a student-athlete. When I say that, I mean he was a good student, well-liked on campus, and also worked hard on the field. Mike is not only a good football coach, but a better person. He’s very interested in helping others. It’s not just about winning football games for Mike, because he takes great pride in helping people. Mike knew what it meant to play with some discomfort and pain, and I don’t remember him missing a lot of practice or games. He was a physically and mentally tough linebacker. I know at times he played with discomfort and pain, but he wasn’t a training room toy. Mike wanted to play the game and play to the best of his ability. His success with the Falcons and throughout his coaching career is not a surprise. Mike always worked to be the best and gave everything he had.”

Lee Morrow, ETSU Strength & Conditioning Coach

“The first time I met Mike was when he was a captain of the 1981 football team. I was coaching at Milligan at the time, but I held a graduate assistantship here at ETSU. I was able to rub shoulders with the football coaches and they would always say Mike was a tough player and a strong leader. My first impression of him was a hardworking type of player. Mike was a regular-type person and the scenario he has achieved in his coaching career is exhilarating, because just to see a regular, hardworking individual reach the pinnacle of the NFL coaching profession is great.”

Falcons head coach Mike Smith spoke to the media assembled at the NFL Scouting Combine and fielded questions from free agency to April’s NFL Draft, but he was also asked to give an update on cornerback Brent Grimes, who spent much of 2012 on injured reserve.

The prognosis at this point, however, looks positive, according to Smith.

“Brent Grimes has been doing an outstanding job with our Athletic Performance department, working in the training room. He is progressing well,” Smith said Friday. “Again, that was a significant injury that took place in Kansas City on opening weekend, but he is progressing well.”

Grimes suffered an Achilles injury during the Falcons’ season-opener against the Chiefs and missed the rest of the season. Smith said the turnaround for that type of injury is around nine months.

“He has not been working outside,” Smith said. “He’s still in the training room, but he’s progressing very well.”

Watch full video of Mike Smith’s press conference here.

There are so many rules in the NFL rule book that it’s hard to pay attention to all of them all the time. And usually, the most obscure ones get a spotlight shined on them due to strange circumstances, and that’s exactly what happened with the red challenge flag rule in 2012.

Since all scoring plays and turnovers are automatically reviewed by the booth, when those situations occur, there’s no reason for head coaches to throw the red challenge flag. In fact, under current rules, if they do throw that flag under those circumstances, it’s considered a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that wipes out the chance to review the play.

Falcons head coach Mike Smith got caught by the rule against Arizona last season when Jason Snelling fumbled and the ball looked to go out of bounds but was saved by a Cardinals defender. The call on the field was that it was Arizona’s ball, meaning that the play would automatically be reviewed, but Smith threw the red flag and the rule went into effect.

The review was terminated and the Cardinals received 15 yards and the ball.

The NFL is looking to tweak that rule, recommending to the Competition Committee that it be fixed before the 2013 season. NFL executive vice president of football operations Ray Anderson proposes that the rule be changed to not wipe out the chance for review if a red flag is thrown on an automatically reviewed play. The Competition Committee may still opt to keep the situation as a 15-yard penalty, but at least the play would be still be reviewed.

A week after Smith’s infraction, the Lions fell victim to the same rule on Thanksgiving day when Houston’s Justin Forsett ran 81 yards for a touchdown that clearly included his knee hitting the ground during a tackle attempt. Detroit head coach Jim Schwartz was quick to throw the red challenge flag, not realizing at the time that it was a scoring play that would automatically be reviewed and the second look at the play was wiped out. The Texans were given the touchdown and eventually went on to earn the win.

Falcons cornerback Asante Samuel joined 790 The Zone’s Dave Archer and Mike Bell on Monday afternoon and discussed a wide array of topics in his few minutes on air, including his thoughts on what the Falcons need to do this offseason and how much his injured shoulder affected his 2012 season.

On offseason moves, Samuel was hesitant to put his general manager hat on, but did express a lot of faith in Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Mike Smith to make the changes necessary to get the Falcons over the top.

But added that the biggest thing that he thinks will help the Falcons in 2013 is simply the extra year everyone has been together.

“We definitely need to get better on offense, defense and special teams, but I think more than anything, the time that we’re gonna have together is going to be more essential than anything,” Samuel said Monday. “It was my first year here. We had a new defensive coordinator (Mike Nolan), it being his first year here. Just all of us being able to click together and have camaraderie is going to (make us) a lot better next year.”

Samuel was a crucial addition to the Falcons in the 2012 offseason, especially after losing cornerback Brent Grimes to a season-ending Achilles injury at the start of the year. From the left cornerback position, Samuel chipped in with five interceptions to help boost a secondary that, overall, saw a lot of success because of the attitude and swagger that Samuel brought to the group.

The veteran cornerback was slowed a bit in 2012 by a nagging shoulder injury that never quite could seem to get back to 100 percent. He told Archer and Bell that it’s currently “perfectly OK,” but said it was a tough injury to play through.

“It affected me… just with the shoulder being hurt, you can’t be as strong as you want and do some of the things you want to,” Samuel said. “You just have to compensate, but you’ve got to go out there and make sure you’re helping your team more than you’re hurting the team, so I went out there and did my thing.”

He certainly did that as he put together some gutsy performances down the stretch, perhaps the most notable at Tampa Bay, helping the Falcons secure a one-point win over the Bucs during a game where he looked to be in a lot of pain.

What’s your take on Samuel’s addition to the team?

We’ve followed the power rankings all year long, so with the final set out today, it’s only right that we highlight where the Falcons finished in the eyes of NFL.com.

Elliot Harrison puts the Falcons at No. 5, behind Baltimore, San Francisco, New England and Denver, for the 2012 season.

Writes Harrison:

This is a tough call. The Atlanta Falcons are capable of putting up 13 wins — they’ve managed that feat in two of the last three years. They also have no problem getting out in front of opponents with Dirk Koetter’s explosive offensive. The good news: Koetter signed a contract extension to remain in Atlanta. The not-so-good news: What can change to get this team over the hump? Mike Smith’s club is already the least penalized, most disciplined team in the league. Getting Brent Grimes back will help. Nonetheless, little will change until this team learns to close the deal in the postseason. Even in the divisional-round win over the Seahawks, many felt Seattle should’ve pulled it out. I’ll go with could’ve.

Where do you have the Falcons after the 2012 season?

Falcons owner & chairman Arthur Blank, general manager Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Mike Smith will be making appearances at Radio Row in New Orleans this week, stopping by plenty of radio stations to talk about the Falcons’ 2012 season and their plans for 2013.

Below is the schedule for each and links, where applicable, to listen online or get more information on how to listen in. All times Eastern.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 30
Head coach Mike Smith
3:45 p.m. – Sirius NFL Radio’s Movin’ the Chains with Tim Ryan and Pat Kirwan
4 p.m. – 790 the Zone with Dave Archer and Mike Bell
4:20 p.m. – 92.9 The Game with Carl Dukes, Kordell Stewart and Rachel Baribeau
4:45 p.m. – NBC Pro Football Talk Live with Peter King, Mike Florio and Erik Kuselias
6:30 p.m. – NFL Network Coaches Show with Brian Billick and Dennis Green. Check your local TV listings.
Thursday, 12:30 p.m. – A taped interview with Smith and hosts Buck & Kincade will air on 680 The Fan

THURSDAY, JAN. 31
General Manager Thomas Dimitroff
1:15 p.m. – Sirius NFL Radio with Adam Schein and Rich Gannon
1:30 p.m. - 92.9 The Game with Jerome Jurenovich and Jamie Dukes
1:40 p.m. – CBS Radio with Jim Rome
2 p.m. – 790 The Zone with Dave Archer and Mike Bell
5 p.m. – NBC Pro Football Talk Live with Peter King, Mike Florio and Erik Kuselias

FRIDAY, FEB. 1
Owner & Chairman Arthur Blank
2 p.m. – Sirius NFL Radio with Adam Schein and Rich Gannon
2:15 p.m. – 680 The Fan with Buck and Kincade
2:30 p.m. – 790 The Zone with Hans Heiserer and John Michaels
2:45 p.m. – 92.9 The Game with Carl Dukes, Kordell Stewart and Rach Baribeau

Head coach Mike Smith announced during his Monday news conference after Sunday’s 28-24 loss in the NFC Championship game that quarterback Matt Ryan was injured near the end of the game. Smith said the injury was a sprained left shoulder.

“If we had the outcome that we wanted last night, he would have participated in the game in New Orleans,” Smith said Monday.

Smith added that Ryan would not be playing in the Pro Bowl in Hawaii this weekend. Smith also said that Ryan would not require surgery.

“He will be rehabbing here over the next couple of weeks and then he’ll get on to his offseason,” Smith said, who added that the training staff feels it’s a three-to-four-week recovery period, meaning Ryan will be ready to go when the Falcons start offseason training April 24.

Ryan possibly becomes the second of three Falcons to say they’ll miss this weekend’s Pro Bowl. Tight end Tony Gonzalez said after Sunday’s game that he likely won’t play in the game, either. Gonzalez’s reasoning does not have to do with injury.

It’s hours before the Falcons’ NFC divisional round playoff game against Seattle and only a few people mill around the field. Media members and TV crews dot the sidelines while all is quiet inside the Georgia Dome.

Out of the tunnel comes kicker Matt Bryant, headphones on his head, football in his hand. It’s time for his weekly ritual — the very one that helped him nail the game-winning 49-yard field goal to lift the Falcons to their first playoff victory under head coach Mike Smith.

By the time he stepped up to the high-pressure kick, Bryant had made it hundreds of times in pregame, if only in his mind. It’s the hours before the game when Bryant gets the majority of his work in.

“When I get there in pregame, I go through each end of the field and I kick a series of kicks and I try to go through random kicks on the field so that whenever I get out there during the game, I can say, ‘You know what? I’ve already kicked this kick before,’ ” Bryant said Wednesday. “I just do what I did earlier.”

There’s nothing to the solitude of being out on the field nearly by himself hours before kickoff that gets Bryant into the zone, but it seems like a fitting contrast to the pressure, excitement and activity he experienced when he lined up with 13 seconds to go in a moment that would either extend or end the Falcons’ 2012 season.

With steely nerves and hardly a care in the world, Bryant knocked through the game-winner with a calm that we’ve seen before in those situations.

“Matt Bryant has got ice water running through his veins. He’s been a guy that’s won a lot of football games for us,” Smith said Monday. “You can’t ice him. Whether he kicks it good or kicks it bad, when it’s time to do it for real he puts it through the pipes. He’s been a big addition to our football team the last three years.”

Since coming on with the Falcons during the 2009 season, Bryant is 95-of-108, and among those is no shortage of high-pressure kicks. And when you’re in the second season and teams become so even, it’s sometimes the little differences that make the biggest impact — like having a reliable kicker.

The Falcons had one back in the 1998 NFC Championship game against Minnesota named Morten Andersen, whose 38-yard kick in overtime that year put the Falcons into the Super Bowl for the first time in team history. So, Bryant knows that his reliability and cool demeanor may be called upon again.

“You’ve just got to get ready to do the job next time,” he said, “and hope they still call you Matty Ice at the end of the day.”

A lot of fans have been asking about the captain’s “C” patch they saw on a couple of jerseys during Sunday’s divisional round win over Seattle, and the patches have been placed on select jerseys because the Falcons have voted for their 2012 captains.

The Falcons and Packers are the only teams in the NFL that do things a little backwards in that they vote for their captains of the year at the end of the season as opposed to the beginning of the season.

That’s why you never see the captain’s patch during the regular season.

After the season, the team voted on captains and head coach Mike Smith decided he wanted the patches on the jerseys of those who were voted to the honor: Matt Ryan and Todd McClure for offense, Sean Weatherspoon and Jonathan Babineaux for defense and Matt Bryant for special teams.

You may have also noticed the stars below the “C” on the patch. Each star represents the number of years that player has been a captain. For example, Ryan and McClure have four stars while Weatherspoon and Babineaux have one.

The five will be the standing captains for the rest of the postseason.

Defensive end John Abraham left Sunday’s divisional round game against Seattle in the second quarter with what head coach Mike Smith called a re-tweak of an ankle injury he suffered during the regular-season finale against Tampa Bay.

Abraham didn’t return to the game after injuring the ankle, but Smith expects Abraham to be fine and ready to practice at some point this week.

“We anticipate John will be back out practicing with us before the end of the week,” Smith said during his Monday news conference with the Atlanta media.

Abraham played just 15 snaps in Sunday’s win over Seattle.

One of the advantages, along with a chance to get players some rest, during the bye week is the extra opportunity to prepare for the next opponent. While the Falcons didn’t find out who they’d play until around 8 p.m. ET Sunday, the coaching staff was hard at work last week preparing for all three of the possible opponents.

Head coach Mike Smith held four practices for the team last week during which they focused on basics, techniques and Falcons-on-Falcons work. Inside the offices, however, the coaching staff was working on preparing for Minnesota, Washington and the Falcons’ opponent in the divisional round of the playoffs this week — Seattle.

During the bye week, Smith said the coaching staff worked on each opponent for one day each. Minnesota and Seattle received the most attention since there was already familiarity with Washington due to the Falcons’ matchup with the Redskins during the regular season. That attention to those teams during a week the Falcons didn’t have to play, Smith said, was what earning the bye week is all about.

“It definitely will benefit us,” Smith said during his Monday news conference. “As a coaching staff, we got to spend time that, if it was a normal sequencing of a week, we would not have had the opportunity to spend time. We got an opportunity (Sunday) night to jump on it again once the game ended last evening, and we’ve got all day today where we’re not concerning ourselves with putting a game to rest.”

So, not only did the Falcons get a day last week devoted just to Seattle, but the coaching staff worked into the night after the Seahawks were 24-14 winners over Washington to get even more work done on their next opponent.

The knowledge of Seattle was very apparent Monday afternoon as Smith rattled off a laundry list of information and names he’d learned about the Seahawks, before stopping in the middle of his assessment, saying, “Do I need to go on any more about the offense? I’ll get your work done for you,” before laughing. He then moved onto a similar extended explanation of the Seahawks’ defense.

Head coach Mike Smith updated the condition of several Falcons during his Monday news conference, most notably saying that he expects defensive end John Abraham — who suffered an ankle injury in the regular-season finale — to practice Wednesday.

“John will be participating in practice on Wednesday,” Smith said. “We will have almost a full boat. We won’t have everybody there.”

Smith also said that safety William Moore returned to practice last week, saying that he has progressed well enough for him to return to the practice field.

Cornerback Dunta Robinson, who was in the league’s concussion protocol after the regular-season finale against Tampa Bay, was cleared to participate in practice last week.

Smith said last week that cornerback Chris Owens, who was sidelined in the final game of the regular season, wasn’t far along in the healing process.

Tony Gonzalez stood in front of his locker last Thursday, smiling at the media as he prepared to speak for his regularly-scheduled interview session when he was asked a question about whether or not he’s hoping his teammates have adopted a win-one-for-Tony attitude.

“I hope they do,” he said with a laugh. “I hope they want to do it for me because I want to do it for them. I’ll tell you that right now.”

Just then, wide receiver Roddy White pushed his way through the crowd of media members surrounding Gonzalez’s locker and finished the question for him.

“Yeah, we wanna win one for Tony,” White said in his playful manner, garnering a laugh from the contingent. “That’s what y’all wanna know. We wanna win one for Tony.”

“… And that type of attitude is what I like right there,” Gonzalez said, as White faded into the background. “Honestly, that’s the attitude I have for them.”

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The Falcons, especially those who have been with the team since 2008 or even 2010, definitely have that attitude. They’ve all bled together, worked together and fell short together during those years, so with another chance at getting to where they want to go, they want to win it for each other.

But there are three people in particular who the Falcons draw inspiration from — the team’s natural leaders: Gonzalez, center Todd McClure and linebacker Mike Peterson.

All three near the end of their respective careers, they’re approaching these playoffs like it’s the final run — because it very well could be. Gonzalez has said repeatedly that he’s 95 percent sure he’ll retire at the end of this season. McClure was re-signed in the offseason but the longest-tenured Falcon is in his 14th season. Peterson, who was added after the Falcons released middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu before training camp, is also in his 14th year.

All three have their minds focused on going through the experience for what could be that one last time.

“I’ve gotta think about it. Me thinking about failure keeps me driving. If I didn’t think about not being successful, I’d be cutting myself short, not putting my all in,” Peterson said. “I think about, if I don’t make it, I don’t ever want to have that thought in the offseason: ‘I was so close.’ So I’m going to do everything I can now. Young guys, I’m going to tell them everything. This is it. This is my final swing, so to speak. I don’t want to say this is my last go-around, but that’s the way you’ve got to treat it when you’ve been in the league 14 years.”

The younger Falcons are taking note. They don’t even have to give it much thought. Win one for Tony, Mike and Todd is just a natural reaction to the importance those three have had on this team.

Of course, the players want to win it for themselves, too, but that extra motivation provided by those three has carried the Falcons through the calm-before-the-storm that is the bye week.

“(Peterson is) one of those guys that’s been around a long time and for me, it was real big, him coming back this season in terms of helping me out and getting to learn the middle linebacker position a whole lot more,” Akeem Dent said. “For me, I know Spoon, Nic, Rob James and the rest of the guys around here, if this happens to be his last year, we want to send him out the right way.”

As a whole, the three haven’t seen much playoff success in their 34 combined years in the NFL. Peterson and McClure have won playoff games during their career, but Gonzalez — who most assuredly is headed for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility — has never tasted playoff success.

Combined, Gonzalez, McClure and Peterson have a 3-17 record in the postseason.

“This is why you play the game and you always think about what you’ve gone through in the past and the tough, heart-breaking losses that I’ve had in the playoffs,” Gonzalez said. “You hope it is for a reason. I’ll tell you what, my rookie year we went 13-3 in Kansas City and guys like Marcus Allen and Derrick Thomas were saying we were going to win a Super Bowl. If I had won it back then, it wouldn’t have been as sweet as if I win it this year. I know what it takes and I know going through an entire career of 16 years and to not even have a playoff win, let alone a Super Bowl, that it’s tough.”

Tough as it may be, those 20 playoff appearances between the three elder statesmen create experience — something that can’t be taught or coached. As they head into this all-important week, that experience is something they’re going to continue to impart into a team that wants to win one for them so badly.

As Gonzalez, McClure and Peterson continue to hear it from the younger players that want to do it for them, the three will continue to make sure the magnitude and importance of the next six days is not lost on those whose NFL journeys are just getting started.

“I think they can draw on their experiences. Those guys are very experienced, not only in the regular season but the postseason,” head coach Mike Smith said. “As I’ve said many times, the older guys on our football team are mentors and they’re mentors to these young guys. I believe we will draw on their experiences because they are an important part of the makeup of our football team.”

Cornerback Dunta Robinson returned to practice Friday after sitting out the previous two practice sessions in the league’s concussion protocol. Robinson suffered the head injury during the first half of last Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay and was cleared to return to practice Friday.

“It was very good to get Dunta back,” head coach Mike Smith said after Friday’s practice. “Dunta’s been cleared to start practicing again. It was good to have him back. It was a great turnaround from Sunday to Friday.”

Smith didn’t provide an update on defensive end John Abraham (ankle) or safety William Moore (hamstring).

He said Chris Owens, who missed the final regular season game with a hamstring injury, has been working out on the side and that he’ll have to wait and see where Owens is next week. Of the injured players, Smith said, Owens is not as far along in the healing process.

Smith also updated cornerback Asante Samuel, who has missed this week of practice. Samuel’s mother passed away early this week and he’s been in Florida with his family.

When head coach Mike Smith stood in front of his team Thursday morning, he didn’t do much talking. Instead, he let former Super Bowl champions do it for him.

Inside the team meeting room, Smith pushed play on a video that was about six minutes long that featured former Super Bowl champions like Ronnie Lott, Jerome Bettis, Steve Mariucci and other Hall-of-Famers speaking about what it means to win a Super Bowl, the experience of it all and the focus that’s required once you get to this point in the football season.

“That’s the film that we all want. That’s what you play this game for. This is it. This is what you’ve been playing for since you were a little kid,” said tight end Tony Gonzalez, who was particularly affected by the video. “Everybody knows about the Super Bowl and we have a shot, just like the other teams in the playoffs this year, so it’s important that we start to focus. I think that’s why we’re here. We didn’t really take a bye week. We just came out and tried to stay sharp and stay focused and get ready for this run.”

And part of that equation is the motivation that the coaches try to instill in the meeting rooms, and Thursday’s video went a long way toward doing that.

Thursday morning’s practice was noticeably intense and focused.

“It hit home for a lot of guys,” Gonzalez said. “It just talks about the focus and the level of intensity that comes about when you get to the playoffs, and I’ve been there before. Everything that they say was right. We want to make sure that we’re on the winning side of that coin because, on the other side, we’ve all been there.”

What looked like it would surely be bad news Sunday turned to good news Monday afternoon as head coach Mike Smith announced during his weekly news conference that he expects defensive end John Abraham and cornerback Dunta Robinson — both hurt in Sunday’s 22-17 loss to Tampa Bay — back and ready to go in time for the Falcons’ divisional playoff game on Jan. 13.

“I can tell you this, on both of the players that left the game yesterday, I fully anticipate that they will be ready to go on Sunday, January 13th at 1 o’clock,” Smith said Monday.

Abraham was injured during the second half Sunday when his left ankle appeared to roll up underneath him as he was trying to tackle Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman. Abraham was on the turf for a few moments before walking off the field with the aid of the Falcons’ Athletic Performance staff. As soon as he got to the sideline, he was carted into the locker room and didn’t return to the sideline.

Robinson left the game in the first quarter after being shaken up on a tackle. Robinson fell to the ground after making the initial hit but walked off the field on his own. He, too, left for the locker room and did not return to the sideline.

Smith said Monday that Robinson is in the league’s concussion protocol but is moving through it very quickly.

Smith also addressed safety William Moore, who has missed the final four games of the season with a hamstring injury.

“We hope to get William on the field in terms of our preparation for the game. He’ll be on the field working with our Athletic Performance group the first day and we’ll see how he’s going,” Smith said. “He’s progressed quite a bit over the last two weeks and we anticipate seeing him out there with us.”

The last thing anyone — from fans to players to coaches — wanted to see in Sunday’s 22-17 loss to the Buccaneers was an injury, no matter how severe.

The nature of football, however, sometimes has other ideas, and the Falcons lost two starters for the game in the process.

Cornerback Dunta Robinson left the game in the first quarter with what was called a head injury. Robinson went into the locker room in the second quarter for further evaluation and was announced as out of the game shortly after.

“Dunta, I think, will be fine. We have two weeks,” head coach Mike Smith said after Sunday’s game. “I don’t know exactly if they’re calling it a concussion. He did not return to the game. I’ll have an update on that (Monday) at the press conference.”

The biggest scare came in the third quarter when defensive end John Abraham went to the turf clutching his left ankle. After sitting with the athletic performance staff on the field, Abraham needed to be helped to the sideline. Once there, he was carted to the locker room and did not return to the sideline.

Smith was cautiously optimistic after the game.

“The early reports are that it’s minor,” he said. “We’re not overly concerned. We’ll definitely have an evaluation (Monday). We don’t know a whole lot more. I did check with the trainer just prior to coming in here.”

Smith’s weekly day-after-game news conference will be held at 2:30 p.m. ET Monday. Follow the @Atlanta_Falcons or my account, @FalconsJAdams, on Twitter for live updates.

The Falcons have been in this situation before. They’ve been 13-3 heading into the postseason with the NFC’s No. 1 seed. We remember how that turned out.

Head coach Mike Smith has been intent on making the bye week before the divisional round playoff game different than it was in 2010. That year, Smith gave the team plenty of time off to rest and recuperate before what they thought would be a long playoff run.

Even before Sunday’s 22-17 loss to the Buccaneers, Smith has said that this coming week would be very different in that he plans to practice with the team quite a bit.

“We’re going to be in all week, it looks like,” tight end Tony Gonzalez said after Sunday’s game. “It’s not really a bye week; we just don’t play a game. That’s all it is. That’s what expected of us and he’s the bossman, and we’re going to come in and get after it because maybe it’s good to keep the wheels turning, keep the car running and make sure we come out and have a good showing in that first (divisional) round game.”

During this week’s practices, however, the Falcons will have one specific opponent they’ll be focusing on: themselves.

The coaching staff will be preparing for a multitude of potential divisional round opponents with the Falcons’ first postseason opponent of 2013 not determined until next weekend, but the players will be focused on improving their own play.

The Falcons are planning to go through a thorough self-scout this week and prepare to face each other for three or four days — something the players very much look forward to.

“The number one thing is the intensity from both sides,” wide receiver Harry Douglas said of the Falcons-on-Falcons practices. “Both sides want to do good, so it’s always great when you have a good defense and a good offense that can go against each other and compete, and it’s a friendly competition. It’s not, ‘We’re better on this side,’ ‘No, we’re better on this side;’ We help each other out and we get better that way.”

The Falcons are no strangers to Falcons-on-Falcons practices. They’ve had several this year and tend to come off of them well.

Those types of practices allow the Falcons to get back to basics and focus on things like their own techniques and fundamentals, instead of having to worry about game-planning for an opponent.

“You get back to things that have gotten you to the record you have,” Douglas said.

Falcons head coach Mike Smith said Wednesday after practice that safety William Moore — who has missed the past three games with a hamstring injury — would likely miss Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay at the Georgia Dome.

“I would like William to be ready to go, but the doctors, they’ve got to make that determination,” Smith said. “We’re to a point in the process where we can get him as healthy as he can be, so I would say that he’s not going to play in the game this week, obviously. That would be our take right now on it.”

The biggest question after the Falcons earned the NFC’s No. 1 seed and homefield advantage throughout the postseason with a 31-18 win over Detroit on Saturday didn’t have anything to do with how they would react in their third straight trip to the playoffs.

Instead, it revolved around what is now a largely meaningless game in the grand scheme of things against Tampa Bay: Will head coach Mike Smith play his starters against the Buccaneers?

Smith said during his press conference Sunday that the game is, in fact, important, as all division games are, and that the Falcons will prepare this week like they have for any other game.

“We’re going to play the game to win,” Smith said. “That’s how we’re going to approach it. It’s an important game because it’s a division game. All games, I think, are important. In terms of the importance of it, does it have no bearing? It really does, because we want to win every time we go out and play.”

Because of the No. 1 seed, the Falcons will have a first-round bye in the postseason, giving them an extra week to rest. Smith now has to tussle with whether two weeks off for his starters is more of a risk than playing them against Tampa Bay.

The Falcons are taking another brief rest this week as players have been given Sunday, Monday and Tuesday off. They’ll report back to Flowery Branch on Wednesday to begin preparations for Sunday’s 1 p.m. game against Tampa in the Georgia Dome.

Sean Weatherspoon’s eyes opened real wide as a surprised look came over his face. Asked what he thought about the Falcons defense being ranked No. 4 in the league in points allowed per game, Weatherspoon’s surprise quickly turned to pride as he realized just what that meant.

“Really? I think it’s cool. I think that’s the ultimate stat on defense,” Weatherspoon said Thursday. “You don’t want to give up a lot of points because you put that pressure on your offense. We do have a great offense, and sometimes they save us so we’re thankful for that but we definitely want to keep that stat down. We’re trying to get it to where we can move up a little more.”

For a defense that has been much maligned in the national media for apparently not being good enough, sitting in the top 5 in arguably the most important defensive stat ain’t too shabby.

Overlooked because total defense rank is measured by yards given up per game, the Falcons feel like they’ve been good enough all along — it’s just that no one really noticed what was really important in their equation.

Yes, the Falcons give up a lot of yards per game compared to the rest of the league — an average of 354.4 which puts them at 19th in the NFL — but the fact that the unit has allowed just 18.5 points per game is truly the key to the Falcons being 12-2.

“It’s the most important defensive stat,” head coach Mike Smith said of defensive points per game. “We talk about it all the time. Much like you can have empty calories eating, you can have empty yards in the game of football. You can give up a lot of yards and if you don’t give up points they don’t really amount to anything. So many times I think people want to talk about the best defenses are the ones that give up the fewest yards, it’s really all about points and our guys have done a very nice job this year. We’re starting to trend in the right direction at the right time.”

Shutting out the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants with an offense that contains stars like Eli Manning and Victor Cruz is a good start, but the Falcons have consistently been able to keep teams out of the end zone by either forcing punts, turnovers or field goals when it matters most.

But because of their middle-of-the-road placement in all other major defensive statistics, the Falcons defense has been overlooked in the conversation of best units in the league, or even the NFC for that matter.

Here’s a look at what the Falcons have done on defense this year:

To the Falcons, those categories that have the unit at the middle of the pack aren’t nearly as important as the one that directly influences wins and losses.

“Oh, definitely, because it means teams aren’t scoring a lot of points against you,” cornerback Dunta Robinson said. “I don’t care if we’re giving up 500 yards a game. If we can keep people out of the end zone, then we’ve done our job and we take pride in that.”

The Falcons couldn’t really put a consensus finger on what one thing has been the biggest key in scoring situations. Whether it’s disguising defenses (as pointed out by SI’s look at Mike Nolan’s scheme) or the swagger that the team has thanks to the offseason addition of Asante Samuel, the Falcons find that there are a lot of different things that have come together at the right time to build an attitude that the defense will not be scored against.

“We’ve all struggled together and put in the hard work,” defensive tackle Vance Walker said. “It’s just one of those things where we have to realize that we can let them get in. We’ve got to basically look each other in the eye and be like, ‘That’s it. They’re not going to get in. It’s over with.’ “

We’ve heard it over and over again from head coach Mike Smith, but it’s true: When one man goes down, it’s the next man up.

The Falcons have truly embraced that philosophy this season as the injury bug hasn’t exactly kept itself away from a team that has now moved to 12-2. But every time someone has gone down, it seems like we’re talking about that next man up.

This week, it was Dominique Franks, who came in during Sunday’s 34-0 win over the Giants when backup safety Chris Hope went out with a head injury.

Yes, you read correctly. Franks came in at safety — a position he’s been cross-training at since starter William Moore went down two weeks ago with a hamstring injury. When Hope came off the field Sunday, Franks quickly stepped in and provided security at a position he hadn’t played a game in for the Falcons.

“Dominique is like our utility infielder, to use a baseball term,” head coach Mike Smith said during his press conference Monday. “He’s a guy that can play corner, nickel and safety for us, and with William Moore down (Sunday) again, he was the guy that we had trained all through the week at that safety position in some of our substitution packages in the game (Sunday).”

Franks had three tackles and a pass defensed in the game Sunday. When Hope returned to the field, Franks found himself playing cornerback and nickel in different situations, further proving his versatility.

“I think he’s a guy that can play all of them fairly well and consistent,” Smith said. “He made some plays in the ballgame (Sunday) and that gives us an opportunity to see younger guys getting snaps and we still have two games in the regular season and we will have an opportunity to play in that second season so we need as many healthy bodies as we can and have guys cross-trained.”

Of course, on top of all that, Franks also serves as the team’s punt returner. No word yet on whether he can paint the field, coach or perform orthopedic surgery.

Safety William Moore missed his second straight game Sunday with a hamstring injury and head coach Mike Smith said Monday that he hoped to get Moore back on the field as soon as possible.

Smith said Moore is scheduled to run with the Falcons’ Athletic Performance team and much of how much he’ll be used this week — if at all — will be determined by how that goes Tuesday.

Moore injured his hamstring during the Nov. 29 win over the Saints.

We’ll keep you posted on Moore’s progress this week as he works to get back on the field.

Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon has taken major leaps forward in his three years since coming in as a highly-touted defensive player, and he has taken an even bigger step forward this year.

As D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote this week, Spoon received the honor of calling the defensive plays this season, and 13 games into the season, he has fully embraced the leadership role, he told Ledbetter:

“It’s cool. It takes a little bit out of you because you have to communicate so much. It’s something that I like doing. I love being able to hear coach in the huddle”

Head coach Mike Smith said that calling the defensive plays and hearing the coaches in his helmet is not something that’s given to just anyone. It’s a responsibility that has to be earned.

“Sean has definitely earned it,” Smith said. “He has definitely become the leader of our defense. By far, has the most responsibility because he’s got to get the signals in, and he’s got to get people lined up and I think he’s adjusted to it well. We missed him early in the season and I think he’s really starting to get back in stride.”

Roddy White missed his second practice in a row due to a knee injury suffered during the 30-20 loss to Carolina on Sunday, but head coach Mike Smith said after Thursday’s practice that White feels better today than he did on Wednesday.

Smith said he doesn’t expect White to do much work on the field during Friday or Saturday’s practice, but left his status for Sunday’s game against the Giants up in the air.

“We’re going to be very cautious with Roddy in terms of getting ready for the ball game,” Smith said. “He will not probably do a whole lot tomorrow or Saturday, and then we’ll get him out there on Sunday and see where he’s at.

“But it’s hard to keep Roddy White out of a football game.”

Asante Samuel spoke to the media Thursday for the first time since injuring his shoulder in a Week 11 win over Arizona and, after spending the past two games on the sideline more than on the field, Samuel said he’s feeling good.

Listed on the Piedmont Healthcare Injury Report as limited in practice Wednesday, Samuel doesn’t know if he’ll be available for this weekend’s game against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, but he’s trying as hard as the shoulder will allow him.

“We’ll see how it goes,” he said Thursday. “I’m working every day to get right.”

Samuel was active for Sunday’s 30-20 loss to Carolina, but head coach Mike Smith explained Monday that the intent was to only use Samuel in an emergency situation, such as another injury to a member of the secondary, in an effort to rest his shoulder as much as possible for the late season push.

For Samuel, who is the emotional leader of the secondary, being on the sidelines and not contributing in a physical way to the team effort was tough has been tough.

“First of all, you’ve got an injury and you can’t be out there to help your teammates and to help put forth the effort to win the game. Second of all, just being injured — hurting, not feeling yourself every day,” he said. “Like I said, I’m working hard to get back to as close to 100 percent as I can and be back to normal.”

With safety William Moore’s status for Sunday’s game also unclear, Samuel returning to anything that resembles full strength would be a big boost to the secondary. Younger cornerbacks Robert McClain and Chris Owens have played strong in relief as the secondary continues to shift and shake to make up for the loss of two star players.

But getting back to full strength individually means the Falcons defense can take another step closer to being back at full strength as a unit.

“We can be really good. We’ve got a lot of work to do, as you can see. In the last game, we kinda took a step back,” Samuel said. “We’re trying to get everything back together and playing hard and playing aggressive so we can have a little momentum leading into the next season.”

It’s easy to let things get a little cloudy after a loss like the one the Falcons suffered against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, but now that the fog has cleared a bit and the Falcons are fully focused on preparing for the defending Super Bowl champions, it’s important to remember just how successful the Falcons’ offense has been this season.

Against the New York Giants, the Falcons certainly need to remember, too.

Sunday’s sluggish and flat start against Carolina was uncharacteristic of the Falcons under Mike Smith, and the numbers bore out just how important it is for the Falcons — in every game — to start out strong, hot and in a scoring fashion.

Since 2008, the Falcons have posted a 40-10 record in games that see them make a mark on the scoreboard first. The Falcons also lead the league since 2008 in points scored on their first offensive possession with 217, ahead of New England (201) and New Orleans (182) — no slouches when it comes to offensive production.

This year, the Falcons are leading the league in points scored on opening possessions with 44.

The crucial down — third down — has given the Falcons some trouble in recent weeks. In fact, the Falcons have converted just five of their last 22 third-down opportunities, going back to the second half of the Nov. 25 win over Tampa Bay.

Even still, the Falcons are among the best teams on third-down conversions this year, making good on 44.6 percent, which is good enough for third in the NFL.

The Falcons are also in the top 10 in the league in first downs, earning 287 total — 58 running, 204 passing and 25 by penalty. Since 2008, the Falcons are 39-14 when recording 20-or-more first downs.

Head coach Mike Smith provided an update on cornerback Asante Samuel and safety William Moore during his Monday news conference with the Atlanta media.

Samuel, who has been bothered by a shoulder injury, was announced as active for Sunday’s game against Carolina, but didn’t end up playing in the game. Smith said the intention was to only use Samuel in an emergency situation — that is, only if an injury occurred in the secondary — so that the Falcons wouldn’t have to go into the game with only seven active defensive backs.

Moore, who didn’t practice last week due to a hamstring injury, wasn’t ready to play, Smith said, and a determination will be made on Moore on Wednesday to see if he’ll be available to practice next week.

Smith said he expects Samuel — who also did not practice last week — to practice Wednesday.

The Falcons had somewhat of a mini-bye week after playing Thursday night, meaning head coach Mike Smith had nine days until the Falcons’ next game to get his players healthy and ready for the final quarter of the season.

He started by giving them four days off before the team returned to practice Tuesday. The extra rest seemed to help at least one player as Smith expects DT Peria Jerry — who has been battling a thigh injury — back very soon.

“Peria worked out with our athletic performance group,” Smith said Tuesday. “We anticipate Peria Jerry will be practicing tomorrow.”

That’s big news for a defensive line that has been doing very well in recent weeks stopping the run.

Asante Samuel, who played three plays against the Saints before leaving the game with a shoulder injury that has been bothering him, spent Tuesday’s practice inside the training room.

Smith is more hopeful than anticipatory as far as Samuel’s status goes.

“Asante on a short week wasn’t able to finish the game,” Smith said. “We’ve got nine days in between games now, so hopefully, he’ll be feeling better as we get in our normal practice week on Wednesday.”