ESPN commentator: Seahawks, Redskins better than Falcons
The Falcons had the best record in the NFC this season, but an ESPN commentator sees at least two other teams better than them in the conference playoffs.
Michael Wilbon discussed the Redskins-Seahawks game on ESPN 980 this week and said he felt both teams were better than the Falcons.
The Falcons routed the Giants a week after a national analyst said New York was a better team.
“I think the winner will beat Atlanta. I think the winner’s a better team than Atlanta. I would never use the word upset. I think the Redskins are better than Atlanta, and I think Seattle’s better than Atlanta.”
The Falcons beat the Redskins 24-17 on October 7. Atlanta is 13-3, Seattle is 11-5 and Washington is 10-6.
Wilbon’s comments continue a trend.
On Dec. 9, NBC analyst Rodney Harrison said, “Atlanta is the No. 1 seed, but no one is afraid to play Atlanta,” Harrison said. “To me, the team to beat in the NFC is the New York Giants.”
A week later, Atlanta routed the Giants 34-0.
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199 comments Add your comment
clay
January 4th, 2013
4:30 am
What I don’t understand is why do you have to blow out people before you are called legit. No one in the NFL really gets blown out with the exception of KC and JAX. Sooooooo why is it that the Falcons get no respect?
What me worry?
January 4th, 2013
4:48 am
That great espn pick redskins n seattle to beat us it would if both seattle n washington were playin us same time…But since not Happen seattle will win and lose here Jan 13 2013….and we have play SF 49ers at the Ga Dome….as for Ray Lewis now wonderfull is he goin bring a gun he used kill someone in atlanta when dallas vs buffalo were playin superbowl here… last time we held it…remember he got away with it too…hey next hire tiger woods as golf commenter and he explain how he cheated with other women under his wife nose and had wife chase him down…perfect for espn!
dave
January 4th, 2013
5:07 am
This is news? Stop the presses.
Mora less Petrino
January 4th, 2013
5:10 am
What a commentator or blogger says has no impact on the outcome of any game. The guy said the Giants are the best team in NFC just a few weeks ago. Now he says it’s two other teams! Hot air, who cares?
Twelve teams make the playoffs, and eleven end their season with a loss. The ESPN guys don’t know which team will be the last one standing, and neither do we!
dean
January 4th, 2013
5:21 am
Seattle. A nice place to visit but…you know the rest.
ATL’s #56 would contain III again.
marko
January 4th, 2013
5:34 am
Michael Welbon, and Charles Barkley are evidently close friends. I can only assume they share a common passion for saying outrageous things for effect. I’m almost as interested in what he has to say as I am in what Kim Kardashian’s babbling about today.
inkspot
January 4th, 2013
5:45 am
As William Moore said very early on in the season: “We won’t get any respect until we get a ring. We know that.”
Simple.
TV talking heads need a whipping boy to make them look like they have personality and strong opinions. They have to make bold declarions, it doesn’t matter if they are all just hot air. That’s their job.
falcon
January 4th, 2013
6:26 am
who is michael wilbon? if the falcons want to improve their image they need to win playoff games and stop losing to carolina and tampa bay. this is why it’s hard to be a falcon’s fan. they simply don’t take care of business.
Falcon 228
January 4th, 2013
6:27 am
A couple of months ago Deadspin called out Wilbon. He’s nothing anymore. His commentaries are nothing more than his own hate extented toward a team more successful team than his own Chicago Bears team that can’t even get into the playoffs. Let him shoot his mouth. He picked Denver, Dallas, New Orleans (the 2nd time we played them), the Giants and has rated Atlanta at less tha 75% of the rest of the division leaders throughout most of the year. (Earlier in the season it was 49%). ESPN is nothing more than a sports comedy and sports tabloid network these days and Michael Wilbon is nothing more than a cheap extension of their mindless babble. He won’t show his face in Atlanta. At least not in person. .
NoFairWeatherHere
January 4th, 2013
6:40 am
I relocated to Atlanta pre Georgia Dome and still have not been convinced to jump the dirty bird bandwagon. I know a solid team when I see one, and the 2012-13 falcons are not it. That point made, I’m much more concerned with potentially having to pay more tax money for a brand new stadium to house a team that has fewer winning seasons than they do starting linemen. Win a ring, and I may be more inclined to throw a few $$ your way towards a new stadium.
LET-THE-NERDS-H8
January 4th, 2013
6:41 am
I agree that thru the medias eye’s we havent proven nothing but at the same time they praise Teams like The Panthers, K.C. (a few years back), The Bears and a bunch of other teams that havent done anything either. Its just that we get more hate cause we have a pretty consistent team during the regular season and when it come to the playoffs we’ve came up short… Against the Cardinals i can call 2 plays that turned the game around and 1 of them was the refs fault (can we say the refs didnt want us to win?) because on the first play of the 3rd quarter it was clear that Antrel Role was offsides on the blitz when he caused the fumble n scored the td, the 2nd game giving away play was the soft ass Brookings coverage when it was 3rd and 16… that was just a stupid play by Brookings for worring about a rb on the flat on a 3rd n 16 play were you knoiw they looking for a long play but anyways… like my names says LET-THE-NERDS-H8
Clowney is King
January 4th, 2013
6:42 am
Seattle a better city? Seattle is full of Obama loving liberals, a total socialist utopia! Would not live anywhere on west coast! Tampon does hate Atlanta!
LET-THE-NERDS-H8
January 4th, 2013
6:44 am
And another thing:
If we win its going to be, “The “team” didnt come to play Atlanta caught them sleeping.. nah b!tch there is no team sleeping in the playoffs… The best team wins their games in the playoffs… but if we lose they say “we been saying this all year long Atlanta is a pretender” so we are going up against a force that will always try to be right… THE MEDIA!!!!
This is what it is and we cant do anythibg bout it but cheer our team to win the game
Michael Wilpon
January 4th, 2013
6:49 am
“Diss Falcons team won’t win no playoff games.
Disses the same Falcons team as last year.”
Macon Fan
January 4th, 2013
6:52 am
On the day after the Falcons beat the Broncos on Monday night in week 2, all the PTI guys, Wilbon and Kornheiser could talk about was Peyton Manning. In their segment on the game, they may have said Falcons once, and only mentioned Matt Ryan as “the other quarterback”.
24/36, 0 ints, and 2 touchdowns for “the other quarterback”.
David
January 4th, 2013
6:59 am
Wilbon is a douche!!! Our revenge will come when we win next weekend maybe then we will shut these jackass’s up.
General Lee
January 4th, 2013
7:00 am
These are the facts. People from other parts of the country have little regard and no respect for people from Georgia. It’s just a fact. To them, we don’t exist. I attended UCLA and when I told people in L.A. I was from Georgia, with my natural Southern drawl, they assumed I was from the Ukraine! Just yesterday, Don Imus had no idea where the Chick-Filet Bowl was held. “Was that in El Paso?” No, Imus, it was held in Atlanta, Georgia, and was one of the best bowl games I’ve seen in years. The list goes on and on. And to show just what kind of “hayseeds” we are, I quite frankly have followed football all my life, and have never heard of one Michael Wilbon. Let’s hope we never meet.
Exiled!
January 4th, 2013
7:01 am
Respect is earned,not just handed to a team.
What have the Fakecons done to earn respect other than pretend to dazzle but fade.
When they consistently Rise Up,not be a one hit playoff in 14 years or so,that’s when they get some measure of recognition.
All Atlanta sports teams thus far are just whack,PERIOD!
Jimmy Crack
January 4th, 2013
7:03 am
Michael Wilbone is a hoops girly man who knows nothing about football. He has kissed so much superstar butt his lips are permanently puckered. Disregard any comments made by this pudgy bear.
buzzsaw
January 4th, 2013
7:08 am
Who cares what this clown thinks? Falcons are gonna steamroll whoever comes down here. They’ll be walking into a buzzsaw. Just wait.
buzzsaw
January 4th, 2013
7:12 am
And Seattle is an absolutely miserable place to live from October through April. Cold, dark, overcast, and drizzly all the time. May through September isn’t bad but that’s not even half the year.
Joe
January 4th, 2013
7:21 am
Geez!!!!! Let the haters begin. Whether we win or lose the birds have showed great talent this season. Keep it up guys! Dirtybird all the way!!!!!!
Esquire
January 4th, 2013
7:41 am
I only have one thing to say:
5-6-7-8
Everywhere we goooO,
Everywhere we goooO,
People wanna knooOw,
People wanna knooOw,
Who we aaa are,
Who we aaa are,
So we tell theem, So we tell theem,
We are the FALCONS!! We are the FALCONS!!
MIGHTY MIGHTY FALCONS, MIGHTY MIGHTY FALCONS !!
OHH AHH OHH YEEAHH
Esquire
January 4th, 2013
7:41 am
WE ARE THE MIGHTY MIGHTY FALCONS!!
Bone
January 4th, 2013
7:45 am
ESPN, or the real name NESP (North East Sports Programming) saying that the Falcons are not good. Are you really that surprised? They do this every weekday! Someone has New England (of course) and Green Bay (really??) going to the Super Bowl. Of course they know all and we should believe the analysts. Just like they were going on and on about how well the NY Jets would be this year. Yeah….right.
Farcus
January 4th, 2013
7:47 am
It’s espn, who the hell cares what they say? If you do care then you must also be riveted by the commentary on msnbc.
AJC-TMZ
January 4th, 2013
7:48 am
People here are forgetting one thing – both Wilbon and Harrison are black.
Me Too
January 4th, 2013
7:52 am
Anonymous – “Maybe Coach Smith will pin this up in the locker room. A lack of respect is usually a great motivator. However, the Falcons shouldn’t need any additional motivation after the last three playoff exits.”
WRONG! Coach Smith should post it at his house, Falcons’ office, his car, etc. He alone is solely responsible for this problem. He is afraid to let his team play at the highest level possible. He is too conservative like an old mother hen.
a country boy can survive
January 4th, 2013
8:07 am
the truth stings doesn’t it…one and done for the Falcons
Rufus
January 4th, 2013
8:13 am
I agree with Wilbon. The Seahawks are better than the Falcons.
Johnny's Cash
January 4th, 2013
8:14 am
“A couple of months ago Deadspin called out Wilbon. He’s nothing anymore.”
————–
Rip on Wilbon all you want. He still makes over $3 million a year for all the different things he does, and getting people to argue about what he says is a big part of that. How much do YOU get paid for basically doing the same thing on these anonymous blogs?
Call It Like It Is
January 4th, 2013
8:17 am
Nothing new here. He is not saying anything that everybody else is not saying. The Falcons much like the Braves choke every single year. You have only one way to shut it down and that’s win a ring, its just that simple.
Dirty Boyd
January 4th, 2013
8:18 am
Wilbon – and I love PTI – is an Atlanta hater. In truth, he hates the old South. I have watched that show often enough to determine also that he is so predictabe; when forced to decide, he will pick the majoroty black team, the black coach, the black player. It’s not debateable. Pull the tapes. It’s okay, it’s his right. Just acknowledge it. That said, the winner of Skins/Hawks would likely be the favorite vs. the Falcons.
tim
January 4th, 2013
8:21 am
If the Viking beat the Packers……..the falcons won’t play either of those teams.
SlimJim
January 4th, 2013
8:23 am
I understand why so many people question the Falcons. They have lost to non-playoff teams that aren’t so good, and many of their wins have been very close. But at some point you have to realize that this team is strong mentally and believes it can win every game. You don’t win 13 games in the NFL w/o having talent, good coaching, and a strong mental approach. The Redskins are much improved, but they’re not better than the Falcons. The Seahawks scare a lot of people, but still like our chances with Smith and Matty Ice. Haters are fools!
Ackshun
January 4th, 2013
8:23 am
So riddle me this… If you think Seattle isn’t afraid to come to the dirty and play these Angry Birds, then why are they about to fork over millions to Ray Edwards just to get advice on the defensive strategy of Mike Nolan? And while you are at it, check and see if the mighty RGIII is still seeing tweety birds after getting blasted by ’spoon.
People who aren’t scared of the Falcons: Washed up Ex-Athletes, Has-been Sports commentators.
People who ARE scared of the Falcons: The Redskins, Seahawks, Vikings, 49ers and Packers, the Manning Family, and every AFC team in the league.
2 quick statistics:
1 The Falcons have never lost two games straight during the Mike Smith era.
2 13 other teams thought they had the Falcons number, and they beat all of them.
Now I’m not worried per se but I would rather see Seattle (I won’t they are going to lose) than Washington for one simple reason. The Falcons haven’t beaten any team twice this year, they lost the rematch with each divisional opponent.
Still give me the Skins by 7 this week and the Angry Birds by 17 next week. BANK ON IT!
Rezner74
January 4th, 2013
8:29 am
Call It like It Is..YOUR ARE 100% CORRECT!! Nobody is talking about the 8-0 start now HUH?? 5-3 the since then. 7 wins By less than 10 points= An AVERAGE TEAM..SHOW UP IN THE PLAYOFFS THATS ALL!!
GTAE70
January 4th, 2013
8:31 am
This is not limited to ESPN. I was wirh some friends the other night who are part of my fantasy football league. They were talking playoffs and superbow for over an hourl. Not one time did the Falcons, Matt Ryan, Julio Jones,etc ever get mentioned – not even once. No one has any respect for the Falcons here and I just hope like h**l that they prove everyone wrong this time..They have a good and well balanced team and when they come to play, they can do it against anyone. Come on Falcons – do it this year. I don’t want to see a repeat like the Dallas game years ago.
I have watched you since you came to Atlanta, past season ticket holder (long drive from Fla now so no longer). Please do it this year and prove all the naysayers wrong.
Rezner74
January 4th, 2013
8:34 am
Call It Like It is your are 100 percent CORRECT!!! Nobody is talking about the 8-0 start?? 5-3 since then with 7 wins by less than 10 points= AN AVERAGE TEAM!!! SHOW UP IN THE PLAYOFFS THIS YEAR THATS ALL.Until then they are called the FALCANTS on my book!! 2 years ago they were 13-3 with Dome Field advantage and what happened?? GOT EMBARRASSED!! RISE UP is an Understatement..
tom
January 4th, 2013
8:39 am
I do not agree with the ESPN guys comments. You have to expect these kind of remarks when you lose to Carolina and Tampa. Inconsistency this season regardless of the record is the bullseye that everyone keeps hitting.
Nagurski
January 4th, 2013
8:42 am
I have often wondered if some of the obsessive compulsive fascination with certain NFL teams is partially ratings driven, especially with Fox and ESPN. Eli and company has a viewing market that definitely trumps the amount of viewership around the Falcons market. I realize that those certain other teams have gotten results in past season’s, but when Dallas has been horrible in the past, Romo has been knighted as the second coming. Georgia sports fans are rabid SEC fans and not so much NFL fans. Texans are rabid about the Cowboys. Therefore, producer to FOX panel. Drive the discussion about Dallas, then drive the discussion about why Eli was off his game in the loss to the Falcons. Two larger viewing markets over one medium sized market. It’s also about the advertising revenue.
NES
January 4th, 2013
8:46 am
OK, here is the real deal! Coach Smith and his staff have two (2) weeks to get ready. They need to add a few new plays on offense to catch the team we play next. For three years now we come out and play the same defense and offense. This year have some new plays and different looks on Defense. Granted, we can’t stop the run and sometimes can’t stop the pass, so we need to use some new plays on offense and some different looks on defense. Also, we need some more of the quick snaps on running plays that we used against New Orleans, line up and snap it fast, our opponents are just waiting on Matty to change the play and then get set. last but not least, we need Matty to come out in the no huddle offense to set his tempo and get him starting fast, he usually does great when he starts a game fast and on target. yea, i think we all are tired of one and done in the playoffs, the key to me is Matty getting on track fast and accurate, no more under 200 yards throwing per game in the playoffs, if that happens we will lose again.
rick
January 4th, 2013
8:49 am
funny how everyone thinks it will be one of those two teams. minn just beat gb and if they do it again, we play them.
Mediocrity continues...
January 4th, 2013
8:49 am
Everyone has their opinion. Big deal, move on…
Statick
January 4th, 2013
8:58 am
This disrespect has been happening all year. Just because the un-athletic, fat-faced Wilbon gives his two cent opinion doesn’t up the ante.
Rezner74
January 4th, 2013
8:58 am
I have my Opinion which is actually facts.. They choke in the playoffs until they can “Rise Up” instead of EPIC FAIL then thats Cold Hard Facts!! Maybe since they extra time to prepare they can learn to tackle better!!
Atlantan
January 4th, 2013
9:01 am
No one on this site should have anything negative to say to people that diss the Falcons. It’s simply time to shut up all the critics. Some say that because the Falcons lost to CAR and BUCS they’re not a solid team. Well, if you look around the league this year the Falcons are not the only team to lose to teams they were thought to beat! All this hoopla is to get the fans outraged over nonsense. Everyone knows that the only way the Falcons are going to get any respect is to win! For all you haters out there, maybe you’re upset because your favorites are home watching!
Christian Conservative
January 4th, 2013
9:07 am
“I think the winner will beat Atlanta. I think the winner’s a better team than Atlanta. I would never use the word upset. I think the Redskins are better than Atlanta, and I think Seattle’s better than Atlanta.”
I think Wlbum is the worst commentator on ESPN. Korheiser is horrendous but he’s still better and much more knowledgable than Wilbum..
Rezner74
January 4th, 2013
9:10 am
Im actually a Falcons Fan but a blind man can see they are just an AVERAGE team NOT great yet. Its been such a disappointment in the playoffs with the falcons,They are alot like the Braves in the postseason.. They simply choke bottomline!! I want them to win but until then people are gonna bash them including me.. That doesnt make me a fairweathered fan! I keep it real and want them to succeed in the playoffs..This 13-3 record and having home field advantage means nothing when you get beat!!
Christian Conservative
January 4th, 2013
9:11 am
By the way does Wilbum realize the Falcons already beat the Skins once???