Atlanta Falcons: No Excuses!
The Time Has Come
Time to Get it Done!!!!! (AJC)
New thread up to talk Falcons vs. Seahawks in one of the biggest games in franchise history. The matchups have been analyzed to pieces and the storylines have been beaten to a pulp. It all comes down to who wants it more. The Falcons must win this game for so many reasons, the least of which is to move on in the playoffs. Will be back with more analysis and breakdown very soon, but this one has taken its toll on the Atlanta Falcon Faithful. NO MORE EXCUSES, IT’S TIME TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP!!!!!!…………
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890 comments Add your comment
Shaniqua
January 13th, 2013
4:42 pm
Long, long plane ride back to Seattle for whoever called that time out when Bryant kicked.
Sportaree
January 13th, 2013
4:43 pm
I don’t understand the Off. plays in the 3rd and 4th quarters.
Arno
January 13th, 2013
4:45 pm
The finish was worth it. Gonzalez with the catch that set up the winning points. Heartfelt interview on the sidelines afterward– saying he felt the disappointment, the unfairness of it all, his last game… and then his excitement– on to the NFC championship!
Finish worth it for Gonzo– about did me in.
Big Ray
January 13th, 2013
4:45 pm
I’m going to catch flak for defending Ryan and his INTs, but I’m gonna do it anway. For now, I’ll just say that his decisions weren’t nearly as bad as folks might think.
Gonzalez slowed up on one play, leaving the ball out there with nobody to catch it but a Seahawk. It’s called miscommunication. If you don’t think so, ask Peyton Manning how that works….he got picked off…Broncos lost.
The second pick was so blatantly obviously pass interference it makes me insane that it didn’t get called and a lot of folks didn’t see it. The CB slammed on the brakes and pushed backwards with his body to keep Roddy from even getting close enough to get a hand on the ball.
And lastly, if you don’t throw some up there and let your WRs make the plays, then you aren’t fully utilizing what you have.
Seattle has a VERY talented secondary, we took it to them anyway, Ryan threw 3 TDs.
And we just won. That’s all for now, and it’s just my opinion…but the monkey is gone.
More to come later after I get off my binge….Lord they made me drink today…
D3
January 13th, 2013
4:48 pm
DON’T CARE ABOUT THE WAY WE DID IT………………….
MONKEY IS OFF OUR BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Big Ray
January 13th, 2013
4:48 pm
Gotta hand it to our O-Line, though I still believe most firmly that we need upgrades via the draft this year.
Ryan not sacked even once.
Big Lou
January 13th, 2013
4:49 pm
JJ
Tell me where Turner was doing bad? We should have used him more, period. I can agree with ‘Smitty Ball’ on defense, but the offense lost momentum due to gimmicky plays/shots down the field. We should have played conservative. I hope we watched the same game. Turner up the middle is what set up ATL 27 points.
trademark
January 13th, 2013
4:51 pm
Want to get really spooked? Last year in Seattle, the score was like 30-28, Seattle came back from a HUGE deficit, and almost won it at the buzzer on a long field goal. They missed. WE won.
Just like today.
Wanna know what happened in the last two SF games?
JJ
January 13th, 2013
4:51 pm
BR, agree with the first2 but the last flappo impersonation in the 4th qt was inexusable. Still love MR2 but he made a mistake with that softball lob against double coverage…but we won, hoorah…going to go lie down, lol.
Big Lou
January 13th, 2013
4:52 pm
Big Ray
Don’t let Ryan not being sacked fool you….
Seattle is one of the worst defensive lines in the league in sacks… with Clemons. I don’t see the offensive line doing well at all against the 49ers.
It’s going to take a perfect game by the Falcons to win next week. If they play like they did today, they will get blown out worse than the Packers.
Big Lou
January 13th, 2013
4:57 pm
That monkey off the Falcon’s back will help greatly, though.
Slant Pattern
January 13th, 2013
4:57 pm
“I disagree.
Smittyball is running the ball when it DOESN’T work. ” – BR
I am still ultra pissed at Smitty and want to see him fired at the post game presser, whattever whnevr before he can frick up the next game. That being said I am slowly getting the warm fuzzies of the win so only will batttle with trolls for a bit. Smittyball is basically TOP grinding on both sides of the ball…we saw the BVG defense the entire last half and RRP mostly on offense. It has nothing to do with running Turner except as a way to kill clock instead of go for points. When Turner is working or at least being used to set up other stuff is fine. Mindlessly plowing him into the middle or just RRP-ing with no real point except to kill clock is the essence of Smittyball. This isn’t really for you, some just don’t seem to understand the concept. Passing in desperation to save a stalled drive on 3rd down from mindless previous playcallling is what confuses some I believe.
Fire Smitty now please!
trademark
January 13th, 2013
4:58 pm
I think maybe what happened was the THOUGHT of getting the win in the 4th quarter started to add pressure to Atlanta.
Don’t forget, the Birds had the most pressure on them today, and it was bound to show up at some point.
But what we did in the regular season is what happened today. WE KNOW we can win these games, because we just do it.
trademark
January 13th, 2013
5:01 pm
…add to that another comeback for Ryan, this time in the Playoffs. Elite yet?
The Time is NOW
January 13th, 2013
5:03 pm
Big time players make big time plays with very little time on the clock in postseason games. Thank you MR, TG and MB.
The monkey crawled up our back and grabbed us by the throat. I was hating it. But we shook that forsaken monkey off and WON the game.
Next week, we won’t have to worry about the monkey. The team won’t THINK they can win in the playoffs, they will KNOW that they can win in the playoffs. I like our chances against a good team next week.
Even if we hadn’t blown a big lead, we still wouldn’t have gotten any real media love this week. They were convinced that the winner of SF – GB was NFC champ. The only way to change that perception is to own the dome next weekend!
The Time is NOW
January 13th, 2013
5:07 pm
I hope Abe is back. We NEED him.
Wabe
January 13th, 2013
5:08 pm
I see there are some angry haters out there…
You maddddddddddddddddddd….
Big Lou, I agree with you on Turner. I thought we got too gimmicky and cute when we should’ve just pounded them in between the tackles. If you wanna run a toss sweep, fine, but do it from under center. All the shotgun sweeps and the reverse and the screens were not timely.
With that said, IDGAF. We won. This time of year, it’s all about winning. I could care less if we get 3 lucky W’s to get a Lombari, just bring home the f’n Lombardi.
Nolan will have to clean a lot up for next week though. I’m sure Harbaugh was watching that game and saw plenty of things he feels can be exposed. Abe’s status will be huge. Dude is basically a one-man line when we don’t send the blitz packages.
The matchup vs. their defense will be a lot different than this one was. The Seahawks aren’t even in the same ballpark when it comes to defensive fronts. They have a talented secondary [or so they say], but the Niners front 7 is hellacious.
We’ll break it down all week.
Ryan gets props for that last drive. Wanted to throw that in there after I called him out in the heat of the moment.
DHunt
January 13th, 2013
5:11 pm
The whole world of sports is bummed because the Seattle Cinderella story is over, yet oddly satisfied because they can still discount the Falcons as anything but a flawed, dysfunctional, lucky, fluky team. But Atlanta Falcons fans know that these Falcons NEVER GIVE UP. And if you give them 30 seconds to beat you, then that’s exactly what they will do.
For the fire Smitty crew, I guess I can see your point, if I put on my bifocals and squint real hard. But I don’t expect Smitty to make a single block or tackle. And the reason why Seattle got back in the game today was a lot of missed blocks and tackles. Smitty isn’t responsible for making in game defensive adjustments, that credit always goes to Mike Nolan. So how do you look right now, blaming Coach Smith for not getting the defense to play better than they did in the 4th quarter?
Any other team plays a game like this (case in point the Ravens/Broncos game just yesterday), and it’s considered one of the best games in the history of football. I actually heard that Ravens win described as such earlier today and that game is set for replay on NFL network all week. But when the Falcons do it, it’s somehow indicative of a bad team. That cognitive dissonance is why I have no problem disregarding all the obvious haterism that comes from all corners when the Falcons are concerned. If we don’t win by a blowout, it’s because we aren’t a good team. If we do win by a blowout, it’s because they other team didn’t play well. Screw that, and screw anyone who wants to put that in the atmosphere.
Did the Falcons make some mistakes today? Absolutely. And yet they won. Did they let a 20 point lead disappear in the 4th quarter? Yep. And yet they still won. Matt Ryan made a couple of bad throws and a couple of questionable decisions. And yet they still won. Did the Falcons play a complete game. HELL NO. They played a great half of football and had a great offensive series at the end of the game. And Yet They Still WON.
Hate all you want. Every jackleg prognosticator in the world is going to spend the next 7 days talking about how badly the Falcons are going to get beat by the 49er’s. But in the end, you have to put this in your pipe and smoke it. The Falcons won today. The Falcons will host the NFC championship game next week. Another team will have to fly across country and try to win in the GA Dome. they might not be scared, but they still have to come in here and do it.
The Time is NOW
January 13th, 2013
5:14 pm
Dec. 23, 2012
SEA 42 – SF 13
Ray
January 13th, 2013
5:18 pm
IDAGF if we won by 1,2, or 30 points we F***** won doggone it I hope my comment won’t be flagged, but man I want to cry right now. In all seriousness.
I watched in shock and awe as Georgia was 15 seconds from a win I honestly thought it would happen again, but Matt Bryant MANNNNNN!!!!
THANK YOU FALCONS THANK YOU FROM THIS FAN I BELIEVE IN ALL OF YOU.
The Time is NOW
January 13th, 2013
5:19 pm
We get respect when we win the Super Bowl. For now, we just have to work on a game plan to beat the 49ers.
DHunt – I always enjoy reading what you have to say.
Hamad Meander
January 13th, 2013
5:22 pm
I never thought that Mike Smith should be fired either way this game went, but dang, Mike Smith might need to be the first coach fired after his first playoff win. That was the most miserable win I’ve never watched. What happened in the second half? Why couldn’t they get Russell Wilson once in a critical time? WTF with the on-sides kick with 6 seconds left to go?
Didn’t the Falcons try to lose this game every way they could? I guess it shows how good they are that they overcame so many mistakes to win. Crazy thing is that the Falcons will probably win next week to go to the Superbowl.
Another question – who was wearing Michael Turner’s jersey today?
JJ
January 13th, 2013
5:26 pm
Wabe/DHunt,
Great thing about the cage is all opinions are welcomed as long as your a fan and not a troll. Some of us are not happy with Smith and it seams you guys are painting us with a broad brush as non-fans. Ive been on these blogs for over 10yrs (long before the birdbabe) and live n die with my falcons. Plz do not make the mistake of painting me as a hater. Ive got over 40yrs of falcons love and just because my opinion of the coach may differ, you guys are no bigger fanatical fan than I.
We have diff. opinions about smitty, the winningest coach in falcons history, yes. My opinion, is
weve gone as far as we can with smitty. Furthermore, we should have won 1 or 2 superbowls in the last 5 yrs with the talet this team has.
But its just my opinion, disagree all you want, thats whats great about D3’s blog.
Call me out as a hater after 40yrs of bleeding for this team, well, we will have a problem!
Go Falcons!
Slant Pattern
January 13th, 2013
5:27 pm
“Smitty isn’t responsible for making in game defensive adjustments, that credit always goes to Mike Nolan. So how do you look right now, blaming Coach Smith for not getting the defense to play better than they did in the 4th quarter? ” – DHunt
In fact, yes Smitty is. He has the power to overrule and give scheme/ playcalling ultimatums to either the OC or DC at ANYTIME he so desires. Nolan would never go prevent/soft zone at the start of the 3rd quarter. That and TOP grinding on the offensive side of the ball was the exact same way we have played with a lead the entire time Smitty has been here…it is him not one shred of doubt anymore. Not saying to hate him, but that Martyball mentality is not a winning philosphy in the playoffs. Smitty has shown his tendencies come what may, hell or high water. He put the noose around his own damn neck so time for him to swing. He got yet another shot to prove what he is and what he does and he is 0-4 in the playoffs to show for it. Let the loser go. we have winners on this team that would like to you know, actually play to win. Thank the other sides magic for sharing with the two Matts, they won their game not Smitty’s.
Slant Pattern
January 13th, 2013
5:28 pm
Blog monster again –
“Smitty isn’t responsible for making in game defensive adjustments, that credit always goes to Mike Nolan. So how do you look right now, blaming Coach Smith for not getting the defense to play better than they did in the 4th quarter? ” – DHunt
In fact, yes Smitty is. He has the power to overrule and give scheme/ playcalling ultimatums to either the OC or DC at ANYTIME he so desires. Nolan would never go prevent/soft zone at the start of the 3rd quarter. That and TOP grinding on the offensive side of the ball was the exact same way we have played with a lead the entire time Smitty has been here…it is him not one shred of doubt anymore. Not saying to hate him, but that Martyball mentality is not a winning philosphy in the playoffs. Smitty has shown his tendencies come what may, hell or high water. He put the noose around his own damn neck so time for him to swing. He got yet another shot to prove what he is and what he does and he is 0-4 in the playoffs to show for it. Let the loser go. we have winners on this team that would like to you know, actually play to win. Thank the other sides magic for sharing with the two Matts, they won their game not Smittys.
Slant Pattern
January 13th, 2013
5:29 pm
Is the board down?
Fire Smitty now please!
Slant Pattern
January 13th, 2013
5:31 pm
Blog monster again and again
Fire Smitty now please!
“Smitty isn’t responsible for making in game defensive adjustments, that credit always goes to Mike Nolan. So how do you look right now, blaming Coach Smith for not getting the defense to play better than they did in the 4th quarter? ” – DHunt
In fact, yes Smitty is. He has the power to overrule and give scheme/ playcalling ultimatums to either the OC or DC at ANYTIME he so desires. Nolan would never go prevent/soft zone at the start of the 3rd quarter. That and TOP grinding on the offensive side of the ball was the exact same way we have played with a lead the entire time Smitty has been here, it is him not one shred of doubt anymore. Not saying to hate him, but that Martyball mentality is not a winning philosphy in the playoffs. Smitty has shown his tendencies come what may, hell or high water. He put the noose around his own damn neck so time for him to swing.
He got yet another shot to prove what he is and what he does and he is 0 for 4 in the playoffs to show for it. Let the loser go. we have winners on this team that would like to you know, actually play to win.
Sportaree
January 13th, 2013
5:34 pm
Its great that a Falcons WR (JJ) made the last catch of the game. Its even better the pass was thrown by the Seahawks QB.
Gum Chomping Cheater....
January 13th, 2013
5:35 pm
Betcha Ol’ Cheater doesnt take the blame for not having enough faith in his team for not kicking the 2 FGs in the first half…and then he tried to act like he called time out before Bryant kicked…guess he didnt see the game last week on the time out.
He paid Reggie Bush and the rest, then hightailed it to the northwest like DB Cooper leaving USCum holding the bag.
ESPN and FOX can suck it….Hope Primetime wears them out on NFL Network.
Nookah
January 13th, 2013
5:36 pm
Greetings Cagers!!
Today is a good day. Yes we almost blew it but the moral of the story is this team does what it takes to win. It may not be pretty but we get the W.
I was also one who thought that if we lost the game Smitty should go. Even with this win I am not so sure we should not do the same. However, sometimes when you get over the hump, the flood gates open. I am hoping this win does just that for us.
I am waiting with bated breath to see the adjustments we make to deal with another mobile QB. We were burned by Cam, Russell and up next Kapernick! Who will step up? Tune in next week.
You know I gotta give y’all some Marley…..
Old pirates, yes, they rob I, Sold I to the merchant ships
Minutes after they took I, From the bottomless pit
But my hand was made strong, By the hand of the almighty
We forward in this generation, Triumphantly
Won’t you help to sing, These songs of freedom?
‘Cause all I ever have, Redemption songs, Redemption songs
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, None but ourselves can free our minds
Have no fear for atomic energy, ‘Cause none of them can stop the time
How long shall they kill our prophets, While we stand aside and look? Ooh
Some say it’s just a part of it, We’ve got to fullfil the book
REDEMPTION! Go Falcons!
Slant Pattern
January 13th, 2013
5:37 pm
“Call me out as a hater after 40yrs of bleeding for this team, well, we will have a problem!” – JJ
I won’t but people can feel free to call me a hater because I do hate Smitty’s failboat coaching style. Not a hint of doubt about it anymore. I wrote a long reply to DHunt but the blog monster is hungry it seems. If someone can’t see what the problem is then good on em, there is a cliche about bliss and I certainly believe it to be true. If some want to lose in the playoffs that badly then meh, I couldn’t really care less.
Fire Smitty now please!
JJ
January 13th, 2013
5:39 pm
Can we restrain cooter in a chair, tape his eye lids open, and show non-stop NE playcalling for ALL of next week?
Big Lou
January 13th, 2013
5:39 pm
Abe didn’t play almost the whole game, though. I hope he will be healthier for next week…
God knows we are gonna need him.
Wabe
January 13th, 2013
5:41 pm
JJ,
No intent from me bro…
Wasn’t really saying any of the Cage regulars were the ‘haters’…
Were referencing the trolls that are coming out of the woodworks.
As far as ‘analysis’ or anything relating to the game goes, we all hold our own opinions. Don’t think it makes anybody any less of a fan.
The Time is NOW
January 13th, 2013
5:41 pm
We all want the same thing. It has Lombardi’s name on it. I am content to wait and see how the rest of this season plays out. But I enjoy seeing what other fans are thinking.
JJ
January 13th, 2013
5:45 pm
Wabe, tks, just a little pumped up from 4th qt and livations/libations??? vodka!
Box
January 13th, 2013
5:53 pm
I hate broccoli.
JB Falcon
January 13th, 2013
6:00 pm
(long before the birdbabe) JJ
Did you mean bourbon?
Big Ray
January 13th, 2013
6:02 pm
Big Lou ,
My point was that our OL didn’t fail like they could have. They kept Ryan clean. I have repeatedly expressed my concerns about SF…we can beat them on the back end (secondary), but not at the line and not in the middle where Willis and Bowman are quite strong.
I don’t like the matchup, but it’s helluva lot better than going home today with another playoff loss.
DHunt
January 13th, 2013
6:09 pm
JJ, I would never call out a Cage regular as not being a fan. Like I said, I can, with some effort, see where the fire Smitty mantra is coming from, even if I don’t necessarily agree that all the blame is being put on the right shoulders. For example, I heard Smitty’s press conference, and he stated quite clearly that he had absolutely no intention of kicking the ball that short on that final kickoff. yet there are some who have and will continue to rail at him for call an onside kick. It just didn’t happen that way. That was a failure of execution, and there were a number of those in this game that I have a hard time putting on Smitty’s shoulders. It’s not like he went for it on 4th down twice in the redzone and came away with no points both times like Pete Carroll did. Ok one of those times the Seahawks ran out of time, but the better coaching move in that situation was to get the sure points instead of going for everything.
We’re all ecstatic about the win, and at the same time wanting even more. I consider that to be a sign of a true fan.
The Time is NOW
January 13th, 2013
6:10 pm
Personal side note. Got to watch the game with my 17 year old grandson. Our 1st Falcons playoff game together (he used to live out of state). We were both hollering like we were at the dome. My wife kept coming out of the bedroom to cheer with us. Great memories!
Big Ray
January 13th, 2013
6:11 pm
I’m about done with Abe. He’s been on a snap count all season, they’ve done what they could to have him fresh….that is until Smitty played him way too long in the last game of the regular season…
But dude just isn’t going to get better. He’s been pretty good, especially considering his age.
But the time has come –
1) Draft another guy
2) Put the guys you DO have into the rotation. That means Massaquoi and Matthews. Who knows if Sidbury is still alive or not…
The Time is NOW
January 13th, 2013
6:16 pm
Big time players make big time plays at critical moments. Abe is one of the Birds that has demonstrated an ability to do that. I hope that he can be available for more than a handful of snaps next week.
The Time is NOW
January 13th, 2013
6:17 pm
That said, if injuries happen – next man up. Then fix what you can in the offseason.
Big Lou
January 13th, 2013
6:21 pm
Big Ray
Good point. It seems the best way to handle the 49ers is the no huddle, since the hardly substitute. Running the ball would be a disaster through the power I formation. We will have to out score them, because I really dont think our defense has a chance.
They have have better receivers, tight end, and lesser RB than the Seahawks.
Like I said, it’s going to take a perfect game.
Mike
January 13th, 2013
6:22 pm
Finally home… What an emotional roller coaster. All the media out their who like to put this fan base down, well you should have been in the dome . Even when it looked bleak, and seemed like it had slipped away, the fans never quit. Lets enjoy this tonight. I am ready for next week.
Big Ray
January 13th, 2013
6:23 pm
Can’t put everything on Smitty, that’s true.
Execution was a problem on defense. I see where we need to improve via the draft and via what we have on the roster.
Playcalling was an issue in several situations.
We’d proven we could run on them…Turner was eating those guys alive. We got away from it and tried some gimmicky plays…cost us field positions, time of possession, etc.
We’ll leave it as is, I’m so happy for the win.
I do worry about SF. The playoff monkey is off our backs but we have a bigger challenge in SF.
Big Ray
January 13th, 2013
6:28 pm
Big Lou,
I’m inclined to agree. SF is powerful.
Vernon Davis is as fast as most WRs.
Big Ray
January 13th, 2013
6:34 pm
“I’ve never cried after a win,” said Gonzalez, who has stated repeatedly that he’s “95 percent” sure this is his final year. “I was thinking, `Here we go again. I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”
Tell you what….never blame a fan for feeling the way an actual player on this team has felt.
I can’t say ANYTHING to ANYBODY for having doubts when you have a HOF’er feeling the same way.
Sportaree
January 13th, 2013
6:34 pm
Anybody know where SW is?