LIVE from New Orleans, as Falcons go for the upset
If John Abraham is doing this to Drew Brees, the Falcons have a chance against New Orleans. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
NEW ORLEANS –Good morning. I’m looking forward to actually watching some football today since I really didn’t see any last night in Starkville.
The good news for the Falcons is that no matter what happens in today’s game against the New Orleans Saints — and I do believe they have a legitimate chance to win — they will be fine this season. That’s not the case at Georgia, which not only lost last night at Mississippi State but had yet another player — freshman linebacker Demetre Baker — arrested this morning for underage possession of alcohol and DUI. That makes 10 arrests for the Bulldogs since the spring to pair with a 0-3 record in the SEC.
By comparison, the Falcons are Camelot.
There obviously were some good signs in last week’s 41-7 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. The Falcons ran the ball effectively, with Jason Snelling having a breakout game (three touchdowns) after Michael Turner left with a groin strain. Quarterback Matt Ryan also was sharp.
But the Saints are at another level. Ryan will face a stronger pass rush and play in a tougher environment in the Superdome than last week.
The biggest step up today must come from the defense. In the first two games, the Falcons faced a third-string quarterback in Pittsburgh (Dennis Dixon) and a last-resort starter against Arizona (Derek Anderson). Today, the opposing quarterback is the MVP of the Super Bowl, Drew Brees.
The New Orleans offense has not been as explosive as a year ago. The Saints have won their first two games by scores of 14-9 and 25-22. But Brees has completed 74.3 percent of his passes (55 of 74) for 491 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. It’s imperative the Falcons get pressure on him, and that starts with John Abraham.
The lone starters out for the Falcons are wide receiver Michael Jenkins and safety Erik Coleman.
That’s it for now. I’ll check back shortly. How do you feel about the Falcons’ chances today?
♦
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2,596 comments Add your comment
truth
September 26th, 2010
5:18 pm
BWAA HA HA!!!!!!!
ryan
September 26th, 2010
5:18 pm
Hey Mullen a win is a win it was a grudge match in a tough environment if you beat Super Bowl champs that an a good start who cares what you think jerk off .
ReddJonn68
September 26th, 2010
5:19 pm
@truth is we have a lot of problems too work on, like not letting a team throw back to back screens on us in O.T. !!!! To set a potential game-ender !!!!
scott
September 26th, 2010
5:20 pm
WE DAT!!!D@$M IT!! WE DAT!!!
Knute Rockney
September 26th, 2010
5:20 pm
Great game by both teams! I think that DMullen, MVick, and BELong are on the DLow together
Falcon Jim
September 26th, 2010
5:20 pm
Cajun Crap Talker,………if you see this with all the late-comers……………….THANKS.
hiram, if you see this…………………what a game ! ! ! I bet it comes down to the end of the season.
(Don’t take it hard…………just Bartowski to Jenkins, sorta.)
Big Ray
September 26th, 2010
5:21 pm
Mullen…give it up dude
FrontRow
September 26th, 2010
5:21 pm
@ryan please be accurate when you describe the outcome
We beat the champs IN THEIR HOUSE!
truth
September 26th, 2010
5:21 pm
Let’s see Vick play a good team then we will see the true Vick.
O'Brien
September 26th, 2010
5:22 pm
Dan Mullen,
Why are you on here?
Big Ray
September 26th, 2010
5:22 pm
Yeah, the scoreboard does say it all: Falcons 27, Last year’s SB Champs 24.
Philly is up 7 to 3 over Jacksonville. Yeah, tell me which one is more impressive….
hollywould
September 26th, 2010
5:22 pm
Dan let it go. It wasn’t luck, we out played them.
Big Ray
September 26th, 2010
5:23 pm
What an a$$ clown….
TrishaDishaWarEagle
September 26th, 2010
5:23 pm
lets picture vick electrocuting a defenseless dog, torturing, drowning, killing the dogs. then picture a ghetto Bday party where people get shot…then you will see the true vick.
ReddJonn68
September 26th, 2010
5:23 pm
Eat a D*ck when talking bout V*ck !!!
Historian
September 26th, 2010
5:23 pm
Have the Falcons ever won a game against a defending Super Bowl championship team before? is this a first?
falconfan 2986
September 26th, 2010
5:24 pm
The Saints are still the Super Bowl Champs and a damn good team.The only problem is that their fans and players are just to cocky. Most champs play with class and do not taunt their opponents. Number 41 was celebrating with the fans before the game was over. Celebrating to early is a cardinal sin in the NFL. The Saints assistant coach was celebrating on the sideline when their kicker missed. He thought the kick was good. He must be blind. Coach Payton looked at him as if to say you azzhole.Classless.
O'Brien
September 26th, 2010
5:24 pm
And this is not about Vick. I was a fan of Mike Vick when he played for the Falcons. But he does not play for the Falcons anymore.
He was in jail, so the Falcons had to turn the page, and they did, by drafting Ryan.
if you are a Falcons fan, then root for Matt Ryan and the Falcons, and its ok to root for Vick and the Eagles.
But can we stop with the comparisons please?
Ryan
September 26th, 2010
5:24 pm
Saints fans calling the Falcons lucky is so freaking laughable. Then again, I guess they would know luck when they see it.
Real American
September 26th, 2010
5:24 pm
Ahhhh….poor fans…can’t help bringing up Vick’s name even now. LMAO.
TrishaDishaWarEagle
September 26th, 2010
5:25 pm
Smith and Chizik are two GREAT coaches, also…Very classy Individuals, but you can tell they kick A** during the week.
Jimmy
September 26th, 2010
5:25 pm
We have already seen the true Vick.
He is not a passer.
He may have improved…but without his legs he’d be out of the NFL.
Dan Mullen
September 26th, 2010
5:26 pm
TrishaDishaWarEagle GO TALK ABOUT KILLING DOGS TO PETA THIS IS A FOOTBALL ONLY BLOG
falcon fan
September 26th, 2010
5:26 pm
It`s okay to talk smack, but if hiram and the boys don`t show up to take their medicine after all the crap they talked, I got no respect for any of them.
RA
September 26th, 2010
5:26 pm
This is one of the biggest wins for the Falcons since since they beat the Packers in the playoffs, going on ten years ago. Why is ANYONE still talking about Mike Vick?
Doctor Beat
September 26th, 2010
5:27 pm
News about Spoon’s injury?
TrishaDishaWarEagle
September 26th, 2010
5:27 pm
I am useless.
Jimmy
September 26th, 2010
5:27 pm
O’Brien,
We will never hear the end of the Vick talk.
People know it divides us so they will throw it up forever.
TrishaDishaWarEagle
September 26th, 2010
5:27 pm
@o’brien, doing a little jail time doesn’t make vick OK..dog torturing dog killers , like pedophiles, never change their stripes.. they are the same scum they always were and will be..their PR just improves
I never compare vick to Ryan except in terms of Class, IQ, and Composure..and felony records…
TrishaDishaWarEagle
September 26th, 2010
5:28 pm
I wish somebody would comb my hair.
Go Falcons! Go Eagles! Go Skins!
Jimmy
September 26th, 2010
5:28 pm
Doctor Beat:
I was hoping someone watching a post game show could tell us about Spoon.
TrishaDishaWarEagle
September 26th, 2010
5:28 pm
Dan Mullen, I am no uga fan, but you STILL have to live in mississippi..nuff said!
TrishaDishaWarEagle
September 26th, 2010
5:29 pm
My breath stinks, They won’t let me have a toothbrush.
I am an inbred.
Go Falcons! Go Matt!
falcon fan
September 26th, 2010
5:29 pm
Probably won`t hear about spoon til monday. It`s killing me too.
Steve "The King" Spurrier
September 26th, 2010
5:29 pm
Wow… that makes you Super Bowl champions right???
Saints rule!!
TrishaDishaWarEagle
September 26th, 2010
5:30 pm
Where are my baby dolls! The doctor said I could have my baby dolls!
Go Eagles! Go Cowboys!
suwaneefalcon
September 26th, 2010
5:30 pm
I know it has already been said over and over but, WHO DAT? WE DAT!!
That felt good, I can go eat dinner now.
Falcon Jim
September 26th, 2010
5:30 pm
….a Duck about Vuck……………?
Toby
September 26th, 2010
5:30 pm
Man, I haven’t seen a team POUND another team into the ground the way the Falcons running game did to the Aints in a long time. Wow…just blew them off the ball there at the end. I think I saw a couple of Aints crying. Those guys just wanted the game over so the pounding would stop.
TrishaDishaWarEagle
September 26th, 2010
5:31 pm
My head hurts!! My pills! my pills!
Go Colts!!
TrishaDishaWarEagle
September 26th, 2010
5:31 pm
to the cloner above..cute..shine up your GED and I’ll give ya a job mucking stables
Saints Rule!!!!!
September 26th, 2010
5:31 pm
You Falcon fans got lucky but you guys won’t win anything, still will lose in the first round in the playoffs
suwaneefalcon
September 26th, 2010
5:32 pm
HOLY CRAP, why is someone on here talking college football?? Trisha, go find a college blog and be gone woman!
Ramguy
September 26th, 2010
5:32 pm
I saw someone here called a jerkoff…truer words were never spoken! heh
TrishaDishaWarEagle
September 26th, 2010
5:32 pm
We cant help bringing up Mike Vick. We are obsessed with him.
falcon fan
September 26th, 2010
5:32 pm
How pathetic.
Saints Rule!!!!!
September 26th, 2010
5:33 pm
Win One Game And You Guys Talk Smack, Yall Still Suck. GO SAINTS
RA
September 26th, 2010
5:33 pm
@Steve “The King” Spurrier. No, it doesn’t make the Falcons world champs, but I’m pretty sure that it makes the Saints a little more worried than they were before.
Once "Recent" Reader
September 26th, 2010
5:33 pm
“Still I have too admit, I am worried when my starting QB misses a wide open guy coming off knee surgery in OT **** The ones who have rings don’t miss that one ~~”
“This is a ridiculous statement. It was one play.”
PlusSizeModel . … I agree, that is ridiculous! I still painfully recall (long time Pats fan / second team Falcs) Brady just barely overthrowing Randy Moss in the SB loss to Giants in the waning seconds . . . .it would either have been a TD or right in easy range for Vinitairi FG . . that I think would have won the game. So I guess Brady is not one of the great ones.
suwaneefalcon
September 26th, 2010
5:33 pm
Saints rule, you got who dat today. Now go away and cry by yourself creme puff.