Hardy says Panthers are better than the Falcons; want some revenge
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and tight end Tony Gonzalez celebrate a 30-28 victory over the Carolina Panthers to remain undefeated at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Sunday , Sept. 30, 2012. CURTIS COMPTON / CCOMPTON@AJC.COM
FLOWERY BRANCH – The Carolina Panthers are raving mad at the Falcons.
They didn’t like how they lost the 30-28 squeaker on Sept. 30, nor did they approve of Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan telling them to “Get the (expletive) off our field” while walking to the locker room after that thrilling game.
Maybe Carolina defensive end Greg Hardy is going to be a general manager someday. He believes the Panthers (3-9) have proven that they are better than the Falcons (11-1).
Atlanta Falcons kicker Matt Bryant makes a field goal in the final seconds of the game for a 30-28 victory over the Carolina Panthers at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Sunday , Sept. 30, 2012. CURTIS COMPTON / CCOMPTON@AJC.COM
Loading ...“I’m trying to mess up their whole playoff experience,” Hardy said. “I want them to go home sick in the stomach, mad about life, a couple depression issues, all types of things. It’s going to be a long day from my point of view. I’m coming.”
Hardy and mates sacked Ryan seven times in the previous meeting. But the Panthers, who pinned the Falcons back to their 1-yard line, couldn’t hold onto a 1-point lead with 59 seconds to play.
Ryan tossed a bomb that gained 59 yards to Roddy White.
After an incomplete pass, the Falcons picked up 5 yards on a defensive pass interference, then a 7-yard gain on a pass to Tony Gonzalez followed by a 6-yard gain on a pass to Harry Douglas.
After calling their last timeout, Matt Bryant came on to make the game-winning 40-yard field goal.
After the game, the Panthers heard about Ryan’s comments on their way to the airport.
“I think we marked this day down since (then),” defensive end Charles Johnson said. “He had all due respect to say that. Hey, you got to come in our house now.”
The Falcons face the Panthers at 1 p.m. Sunday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
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119 comments Add your comment
BT
December 5th, 2012
10:53 pm
“But the Panthers, who pinned the Falcons back to their 1-yard line, couldn’t hold onto a 1-point league with 59 seconds to play.”
*1-point lead
A Kick to the Groin
December 5th, 2012
11:11 pm
I lol’ed, This is from a team that just lost to KC. Props for attitude though bro.
Trey
December 5th, 2012
11:16 pm
Panthers better than the Falcons? Ha! That’s why the Falcons are in the playoffs this year, and the Panthers aren’t. Hell, we beat many of the same teams that crushed Carolina.
By the way, the uniforms on the cover are the ones that I love to see. Much better than the garbage that they usually wear, with the candy cane sleeves. The 90s uniforms with red helmet instead of black.
Disgusted
December 5th, 2012
11:21 pm
Greg Hardy is only making a fool of himself — Falcons do have to safgeguard vs a trip up game though.
Empty words from a guy on a 3-9 team.
Sargent Carter
December 5th, 2012
11:43 pm
On Any Given Sunday…that said…The Hardy boy may have dislexia…he is seeing 3 and 9 as 9 and 3…By the way, isn’t Charlotte a female name? Don’t call me Surely and don’t call me Charlotte. Surely, you know you are 3 and 9, Charlotte?
Reverie
December 5th, 2012
11:53 pm
I’m pretty sure the Falcons are going to “pull it out” this time as well. Just like the last time they are going to jamb it into an area just south of the Panther’s tail. Whatever THAT means…
Mikey
December 6th, 2012
12:03 am
I think I’ll wait until the game to see if they are better than the Falcons. I appreciate Hardy’s opinion but that has very little to do with the outcome. I am hoping to see the Falcons play flawlessly in all three phases of the game. The tackling has improved and one of the last things to conquer is O-Line blocking. They all have had great moments in the past couple of weeks and each individual has had some exceptional plays. However, each lineman is just missing on a couple plays per game. When you add them up, that is about 10 plays per game that are a bust. They are improving every week so I can’t wait to see what they have in store for the Panthers. GO FALCONS! YOU ARE RISING UP!
robdawg
December 6th, 2012
1:49 am
Hardy needs to stay off that crack in South Charlotte.
robdawg
December 6th, 2012
1:59 am
Maybe Hardy & Scam can go back to Auburn and help Gus win a few games before they fire him again.
Gus will make it 2 years and he will be looking for work again. QB’s under 240 lounds will not survive running his offense in the SEC. Only freaks of nature, Scam and Tebow, are built to handle running 30-40 times/game without getting hurt. They will not survive the SEC season with the likes of Thomas Davis at LB and Jason Elam at safety drilling them eevery other play.
Auburn was heading in the correct direction offensively with a pro style offense but the chuck and duck (Gus malzone special) will not cut it long term. You end up with a tebow and hope for the best.
Falcon James
December 6th, 2012
2:18 am
I am laughing my @$$ off right now? Hardy said what???? Carolina is better the Falcons…..Come on. No quit, stop, you are pulling my leg…..Did he really say that? LMAO!!
Falcon James
December 6th, 2012
2:36 am
I hope Ryan and the Falcon carve them up like a Christmas Ham!
jc_dawgs
December 6th, 2012
4:58 am
Hey Hardy….that glue you are using…is that elmer’s or some other brand?
Redcoat
December 6th, 2012
6:02 am
Ryan always seems cool headed and keeps emotions in check……must have been a few comments from Panther players before the end of that last game that set him off……..Panthers better hope Ryan has gotten over it, but maybe Ryan is not done yet…….:)
James
December 6th, 2012
6:49 am
Hardy doesn’t need to ruin the Falcons playoff chances. Matt Ryan and the Falcons do that themselves.
DHD
December 6th, 2012
6:52 am
James is so funny.
Choke On My Grits
December 6th, 2012
6:53 am
I hope Atlanta buries these clowns this time so they can shut their friggin’ mouths !
Choke On My Grits
December 6th, 2012
6:55 am
To say that your better than somebody 11-1 when your 3-9 Is just brain dead….go away clowns !
Samuel
December 6th, 2012
6:59 am
They are who we thought they were, not a very good team.This dude Hardy doesn’t realize this ass whipping Sunday will probably get their coach fired. Keep your bulletin board comments to yourself, ya big dummy…
Esquire
December 6th, 2012
7:11 am
WE ARE THE MIGHTY MIGHTY FALCONS!!!
okeetee
December 6th, 2012
7:14 am
Rumor has it the Panther coach will be playing alot of the second stringers…..to see if they can do better than the first stringers! That’s another reason why I can’t figure out why we are only 3 point favorites! Even our second stringers could beat their second stringers by 10 points!!!
Esquire
December 6th, 2012
7:14 am
BT
December 5th, 2012
10:53 pm
“But the Panthers, who pinned the Falcons back to their 1-yard line, couldn’t hold onto a 1-point league with 59 seconds to play.”
*1-point lead
******************************************
lead – league………….DLed was workin’ overtime.
Jimmy Crack
December 6th, 2012
7:21 am
This is all huff and puff. A nice, preppy northeastern guy like Matt yelling an F bomb, Charles Johnson acting shocked, like no one had EVER said anything like that before (happens about 16 times every Sunday during the NFL season), and of course this young muscle head Hardy has to put his two cents in because he can, for now.
All posturing and self motivation…all a big game of words.
It should be a good game. Here’s hoping our guys make Cam sulk on national TV. Again.
Getaway
December 6th, 2012
7:35 am
Apparently Hardy wasn’t paying attention to Cam taunting Ryan. I noticed a couple of times when Cam ran for a 1st down he would look over at Ryan and throw his arm up diving the 1st down signal. Between that and the Clark Kent pose…well if you’re going to dish it out, you better be able to take it.
Esquire
December 6th, 2012
7:43 am
Samuel
December 6th, 2012
6:59 am
They are who we thought they were, not a very good team.This dude Hardy doesn’t realize this ass whipping Sunday will probably get their coach fired. Keep your bulletin board comments to yourself, ya big dummy…
**********************************
This game isn’t in the bag by any stretch of the imagination. Nobody plays us tougher than our NFC South rivals and that includes the Panthers. With only a 3.5 point spread I am seeing a lot of the
odds makers strongly suggesting that Atlanta is a high risk upset in this game. I am appreciative of Hardy’s comments possibly drawing the Falcons attention to the game at hand vs the Giants coming in the following week. Only the Giants really blew the Panthers out of the game and most of their losses have been close. Hardy’s comments are awfully close to saying they intend to put Ryan out of the game, I say we focus on the task at hand and treat this game as a playoff contest.
(reprinted without permission)
In a story that seemingly should have a dateline of January 2012 rather than December, a report surfaced Wednesday regarding Cam Newton’s obnoxious behavior at last season’s Pro Bowl.
Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com reports that AFC Pro Bowl players went after Newton especially hard in last season’s game because of how the Carolina Panthers quarterback acted during the week.
“He was a total —hole,” one unnamed AFC player told Prisco. “Who did he think he was? He acted like the big s—. Here he was at his first game and he acted like he was the star. Guys didn’t like that.”
Among Newton’s reported offenses in Hawaii: He acted “standoffish” and like a “diva.” He big-timed an AFC player’s autograph request for a family member. He “dissed” Ray Lewis
“That’s the godfather there,” one player told Prisco. “Can you believe he did that?” The players apparently were upset Newton “acted better” than them. Fine. We just don’t understand why they couldn’t go on the record to say it.
Unnamed sources make all the sense in the world in some situations, but it’s odd that these players wouldn’t attach their names to such name-calling. Maybe they know it all sounds a little childish.
UPGRAYEDD
December 6th, 2012
7:51 am
Greg Hardy will be watching the Falcons on the TeeVee in January, regardless of the outcome Sunday.
‘Nuff said.
UPGRAYEDD
December 6th, 2012
7:54 am
“There’s a point where you know you’re better than someone.”
Hey, Hardy, if that ‘point’ isn’t at the 60 minute mark, it don’t mean s***.
Bobby Butler
December 6th, 2012
7:56 am
Hardy is obviously talking about playing dirty and trying to hurt Matt and others before the playoffs. Birds better come to play and put these yapping mutts down.
Paddy
December 6th, 2012
7:57 am
If that one bit of smack talk bothered Hardy, he is in for a long season. Oh wait, he is in the middle of long season!
SWAT Native
December 6th, 2012
8:04 am
Is that the same idiot that guaranteed they were going to the Superbowl?
Wutehvah
December 6th, 2012
8:05 am
Hardy is just trying to light a fire for his underachieving team. Falcons take care of business in this game, and then the road gets a bit tougher vs. NYG.
Paddy
December 6th, 2012
8:08 am
Later in the press conference, Hardy said; “We can still make the playoffs if everything falls right” but “First we must beat the Syracuse Nationals this weekend”.
Hook, line and sinker
December 6th, 2012
8:12 am
Yeah, I’m not falling for it. This is a non-story. Why did it take 10 weeks for this to surface? I saw the video and it does appear that he said those words. But if you are an NFL player and take that for more than close victory heat-of-the-moment bravado, you’ve got issues. Sounds like someone’s trying to pull out all stops to motivate their team. And I’m surprised the AJC and NFL.com fell for this story. I hope the Falcons are focused and don’t underestimate the Panthers. They are a divisional foe and know us well. Stay on track Falcons!
Nite Owl
December 6th, 2012
8:13 am
I don’t look at that picture of Matty and Tony and think, “depression issues.”
By the way, who is Greg Hardy?
Red-N-Black
December 6th, 2012
8:13 am
Ahem, to quote Matty ICE – GET THE F@#$% OFF OUR FIELD!!! Douchebags stomp on our logo and they have a beef with us – I can tell which team is taking the stupidist players avaialable – no brainer sort of like the whole panthers orginization!!!
Tommy
December 6th, 2012
8:15 am
So much for the Falcons overlooking this game now. . . . Hardy and his big mouth just put a big bullseye on the Kitties
Decatur Falcons
December 6th, 2012
8:36 am
The Carolina Panther know in there hearts that Atlanta Falcons first lost should have came to the hands of the Carolina Panthers. That is what Greg Hardy is saying which is a correct statement; however, Carolina has lost to teams Atlanta has beat. Atlanta has sweep the whole AFC West, Carolina hasn’t because their Coach can’t out coach no one. Carolina has a hard time stopping the pass, Carolina cannot close out games like Atlanta, New Orleans, and New England and may have issues stopping the run I am not sure. Greg Hardy needs to think on those terms before he opens his big mouth. Sad thing is when Cam Network turn the football over they lose the game that wasn’t the situation against the Kansas City Chiefs. GO FALCONS!!!!
yo there
December 6th, 2012
9:07 am
He’s entitled to his opinion and to speak out like everyone else. But the comments are very childish
go home with depression, really sounds like he speaks from experience
Gene
December 6th, 2012
9:11 am
The Panthers would be an appropriate team for Johnny Rambo. Trouble is, you finally have to play the game.
danjeschone
December 6th, 2012
9:12 am
Better at what?
my2cents
December 6th, 2012
9:16 am
not rare for playoff teams to lose the last regular season game, some sit out their top guns in preperation thus it doesnt mean squat either way hardy , (who?)
BrunoBars
December 6th, 2012
9:17 am
Tell him to come see us once they become Bowl Eligible. Sounds like he is trying to convince himself. #scoreboard #record
donner
December 6th, 2012
9:23 am
ok then, always one or two on everyteam… media eats it up, NFL is gone WWE talk smack , drama, then fight it out in the ring or in this case on the field
Pamela
December 6th, 2012
9:33 am
2 points playoff.
Rise Up # 12
December 6th, 2012
9:37 am
……………………… Falcons make it 12-1.
D man
December 6th, 2012
9:43 am
According to the networks, our Falcons aren’t fiery enough. Guess they are wrong again… Give em hell Ryan…
PR
December 6th, 2012
9:49 am
Who is Greg Hardy?
Mike "CHOKE" Dogs To Death
December 6th, 2012
9:54 am
Hardy Har Har is an anthropomorphic Hanna-Barbera cartoon character, a hyena in a porkpie hat and bow tie. His name is ironic, as it’s an onomatopoeia for laughter and Hardy is an eternal pessimist. Hardy is the stereotype of someone with a very deep Major depressive disorder; indeed, one short implies that expression of joy or happiness actually puts Hardy in pain.
MIKE QUINN
December 6th, 2012
10:01 am
THE BOY HAS JUST TAKEN TOO MANY HITS TO THE HEAD OR HE JUST A DUMBA__ __
Kelvin
December 6th, 2012
10:07 am
It’s like playing a football game and your team is down 40 – 3; and you say your team is better. Dude, look at the scoreboard!
Willie Coyote
December 6th, 2012
10:08 am
…and I’m sure that Ryan saying “get the (expletive) off our field” was the worst thing said in the whole game. I’m sure no one else said anything mean to each other the entire afternoon…right.