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VIDEO: Falcons Get National Face Time, Starring In This Year's NFL Play 60 Commercial

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The Falcons dance for the health of children everywhere in "Get on the Bus."

falcons-nfl-play-60
falcons-nfl-play-60

After years of commercials involving slow-moving children being pursued through woodlands by hideously overgrown manbeasts, the NFL's Play 60 campaign has opted to go for fun this year. And if your idea of fun isn't Arthur Blank head-bobbing at double time (SOUL CLAP, YALL), I'm not sure what we're going to do with you.

How Atlanta is it? It doesn't give "Rosa Parks" a run for the title of Most Atlanta Song Featuring A Bus, but it does its city just fine.

Falcons coaches, staff, players, and cheerleaders, plus the mascot, star:

The tune: "The Power Is On" by the Go! Team.

Shot by shot:

  • Michael Jenkins has his headphones on, clearly not a fan of the Go! Team. Judging by his somber syncopation we can assume he's listening to an entirely different exclamatorily named band, Godspeed You Black Emperor! perhaps.
  • The first of several shots in which Matt Ryan works to find a rhythm without looking too jittery or hurried.
  • Roddy White is our first suitably soulful Falcon.
  • Coach Mike Smith bobs his head with such force you'd think he's either pretending to be (A) one of those little tipping birds that looks like its drinking water or (B) a hammer that is headbutting its way through DeAngelo Hall's facemask at this very moment.
  • A crowd shot reveals general manager Thomas Dimitroff, a noted Barry Manilow fan, not participating at all and instead daydreaming about drafting Big 12 players. Dimitroff and Thomas DeCoud cast eyes at each other, both fully aware the title of Most Rhythmic Thomas On This Bus is slipping away from Comrade's grasp. Lot of titles on the line today.
  • Some teamwork begins, and it's nice, but the real highlight of the entire piece is Arthur Blank apparently bobbing his head to either the Dead Kennedys or Twista. A man doesn't stack paper like Mr. Blank does unless he thinks one step ahead at all times, and that includes both dancing on a bus and founding Home Depot. Arthur Blank dances faster than you because GET MONEY.
  •  The kids make their appearance, along with the Falcons mascot. Then there's Arthur Blank's wife, who seems to think there's something funny about a man dancing at utmost do-it-yourself speed GET MONEY.
  • Have we entered Sam-Baker-fist-pump territory? Is the Go! Team capable of taking us to such a place?
  • Smiles all around as we've arrived at [location] to exercise.

Others involved, as listed by D. Led, include Erik Coleman, Chauncey Davis, Harry Douglas, Curtis Lofton, Ovie Mughelli, Stephen Nicholas, Dunta Robinson, and Michael Turner.

I like it. Roger Gooddell mentioned in last week's Sports Illustrated that each NFL team needs to develop its own identity, and until now the Falcons' brand has been:

  • One of our quarterbacks slaughtered pets.
  • We are the Saints' rival.

Anything that can be done to highlight this team's impressive charitability and community involvement is pure win. Our team's logo gets a little national shine with a positive spin, and we all get to dance. This is a fun team of hard-working guys, and I'm glad they were chosen for this year's campaign.

I'm just glad nobody decided to just have Harvey Dahl hunt children in slow motion. Also, we can consider this the next in a long line of especially Falconly songs.

Photographs by coka_koehler used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.