So much for the beginning of the big quarterback competition at training camp for the Atlanta Falcons. The team opened camp this morning with exactly one healthy option at the game's most important position: undrafted rookie Jack Strand.
The biggest news is that Michael Penix has still not been cleared for 11-on-11 drills despite hoping to be cleared in time for camp. Tua Tagovailoa is out for now with a minor back injury. To make do, the Falcons have released their third-string quarterback Trevor Siemien and signed capable career backup Cooper Rush.
Given the way training camp has started, it's tough to argue that this team is poised for a big breakthrough this season from the NFC's longest-running playoff drought. According to Bleacher Report,
Atlanta is one of the NFL's 11 most-cursed franchises, coming in at No. 6 on their list.
"They suffered arguably the most extreme big-game choke in modern sports history in the 2016 Super Bowl, and they haven't won a division title since then. They've won just six playoff games this century... They're still stuck in a slump of eight consecutive losing seasons, and only a handful of teams have worse Super Bowl odds this summer."
You may not believe in curses, but try telling that to anyone who's been foolish enough to go swimming at Lake Lanier.
The good news is that there are five teams ranked ahead of the Falcons on this list, even though the Detroit Lions and the Buffalo Bills don't belong at all - being two of the best teams in the league right now makes up for having no luck in the Super Bowl as of yet.
If we take those two out, the Falcons are still luckier (or at least less-cursed) than the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets and the Minnesota Vikings.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons named one of NFL's most-cursed franchises
