‘Haters’ roundup: National view on Falcons has changed (video added)
Julio Jones (left), Roddy White and the rest of the Falcons have a lot of reasons to celebrate these days. (AP photo)
(Added CineSport video below on Falcons’ potential playoff match-ups.)
I hate the term “haters.” Fans tend to label somebody a hater any time somebody doesn’t agree with their own view of things, as if their own view of things is the absolute truth and the only opinion that matters. (Welcome to my world.)
But, yes: Many in the national media (and among the team’s own fan base) have had doubts about the Falcons, despite their record. And the doubters generally have been labeled “haters.”
So given Sunday’s resounding 34-0 victory over the New York Giants, it seemed like a good morning to take a spin around the Internet to see what all of those Nattering Nabobs of Negativism were saying and writing.
Guess what? Suddenly everybody loves the Falcons! (Shocking, I know.)
Highlights and linkage . . .
– From former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka, who appeared on ESPN’s “Mike and Mike” radio show (which I watched this morning while on the eliptical): “I have to be apologetic because I didn’t think the Falcons were very mentally tough and they proved to me they’re much mentally tougher than the New York Giants.”
– From Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com, who was among those in attendance Sunday: “Still think the Atlanta Falcons aren’t a good football team despite their lofty record and their closing in on the top seed in the NFC? If so, you are wrong. Here’s proof: Falcons 34, New York Giants 0. That’s the defending Super Bowl champion Giants, the team most experts have pegged to go on a late-season roll to again be a factor in the postseason, the same Giants who blew out the Falcons in the playoffs last January. Atlanta made them look like a league bottom-feeder Sunday at the Georgia Dome. The critics, and they are many, especially after Atlanta lost to the Carolina Panthers last week, kept saying how the Falcons don’t blow teams out. They said they were winning, but not impressively. On and on it went. All of last week, on all the networks, on all the websites, it was talk of how the Atlanta Falcons weren’t any good. Now what?”
– From Pat Yasinskas, ESPN’s NFC South Division blogger: “This is what a 12-2 team is supposed to look like. It goes out and dominates every facet of the game against the defending Super Bowl champions. It plays like a machine and erases the ghosts of last season’s playoffs and last week’s ugly loss to the Carolina Panthers. That’s precisely what the Atlanta Falcons did in Sunday’s 34-0 victory over the New York Giants at the Georgia Dome. … Even the critics, including media members and opposing players, who have been quick to point out the Falcons often have been just getting by against the league’s easiest schedule, have to be impressed by this one. At least for the moment, you can make a case the Falcons are as good as their record.”
– From FoxSports.com’s “Top 15 Takeaways” column: “Offensively, the Falcons showed something they hadn’t all season — a ground game. The Falcons ran the ball for 129 yards, with beleaguered back Michael Turner scoring the first touchdown of the game. Atlanta’s dominance on the ground was a big reason why the Falcons had the ball for 23:32 of the second half. Good defense, big passing attack, solid ground game, undefeated at home? Hey, maybe the Falcons could represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, after all.”
– From Yahoo Sports’ Mike Silver in his “Morning Rush” column: “Back in late October, Atlanta Falcons receiver Roddy White admitted that in light of their shoddy playoff record in recent years, “We’re just regular-season warriors” until proven otherwise. Don’t be so quick to dismiss Atlanta (12-2) as a Super Bowl contender, however. In response to last Sunday’s lackluster defeat to Carolina, the Falcons rolled to a 34-0 victory over the Giants, essentially reversing the outcome of the two teams’ playoff clash last January. In other words, the Regular Season Warriors took a major step. “Lol yea we did,” White said via text Sunday evening. “Confidence booster for the whole team.”
– Jason Cole, another Yahoo NFL writer, seemingly avoided jumping on the Falcons’ bandwagon. Cole strangely avoided referencing the Falcons in the “winners” section of his “Winners and Losers” from Week 15 column. Instead, he mentioned the Giants in the “losers” section, writing: “It’s unfortunate that the New York Giants couldn’t come up with a better effort in light of their hope to honor the victims of the Newtown tragedy. From a football perspective, the Giants’ playoffs hopes are in jeopardy with two games to go. The biggest issue with the Giants is they don’t consistently play with urgency and often need to have a fire lit under them.”
– From John Clayton of ESPN.com: “The Falcons needed a statement game. Despite having the best record in the NFC, the lack of respect for the Falcons carried to an extreme when they dropped to No. 5 in ESPN.com’s Power Rankings. For what it’s worth, I still voted them No. 1. Sunday’s 34-0 victory over the New York Giants was just what they needed. At 12-2 and close to locking up home-field advantage, maybe the Falcons will get some respect now. The Falcons looked like a No. 1 seed Sunday, dominating on offense, defense and special teams. Matt Ryan completed 23-of-28 for 270 yards and three touchdowns. The defense made three key stops on fourth downs.”
– From SI.com’s Don Banks: “Well it wasn’t a playoff win, but at least the Falcons got some revenge for their playoff loss from last season, overwhelming the Giants team that beat Atlanta 24-2 in 2011’s first round. That’s not enough, of course, for Falcons head coach Mike Smith and quarterback Matt Ryan. Nothing but postseason success will suffice for them. But after last week’s embarrassment at Carolina, Atlanta (12-2) needed to re-establish its credentials as the NFC’s likely No. 1 seed, and destroying the defending Super Bowl champs by nearly five touchdowns is a pretty good way to do it. Ryan especially needed a strong game, and his three-touchdown, 270-yard showing was much more reminiscent of his first-half MVP-level play this season, rather than the uneven showing of the past five or six games. If nothing else, if the Giants and Falcons should meet again in this year’s playoffs, Atlanta won’t enter that game carrying around the burden of last January’s postseason outcome.”
So it appears the viewpoints have changed.
By Jeff Schultz
And now, we have talking pictures, starring Noah Coslov (and I)
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205 comments Add your comment
LDawg
December 17th, 2012
2:30 pm
Cole sounds like a dweeb. He should man up like Howie, Strahan, and Jimmy Johnson did yesterday. They were actually impressed.
Mike "CHOKE" Dogs To Death
December 17th, 2012
2:31 pm
Atlanta has always been the city the rest of the nation loves to hate, ever since it became the symbol of opposition in the civil war. It’s not that the “haters” don’t think our teams are any good; it’s that they don’t like the city. And our sports teams don’t have the characters or moments that invoke nostalgia in outsiders. We lack the Knute Rocknes, the Gipper speeches, the Immaculate Receptions, and, above all, the dynasties enjoyed by the Cowboys, 49ers, Packers and Steelers. We don’t have Golden Gate Bridges or Empire State Buildings, just the Chattahoochee and the Fabulous Fox. We’re the city Rhett Butler mocked, and the home that Martin Luther King, Jr. was ashamed of. At the root, we’re the city that represented rebellion, and was defeated and burned by Sherman. It’s not that they don’t like the Falcons, or the Braves, for that matter. They don’t like the ATL, and by dismissing us as a contender, ironically, they are fanning the flames of motivation for the Falcons players.
ItsMe
December 17th, 2012
2:36 pm
GeoffDawg
December 17th, 2012
1:25 pm
At least Ditka owned up to it. Ditka vs. Ditka: who would win?
The Falcons…
dave
December 17th, 2012
2:42 pm
still waiting on jaws from espn to comit on yesterday’s game……
billyho55
December 17th, 2012
2:42 pm
Mike,
IT WAS THAT MORON ROB PARKER WHO WROTE WE WERE WORST SPORTS CITY! NOW LOOK WHERE HE IS, HAHAHAHA JOKES ON YOU ROB PARKER! I NEVER FORGOT ABOUT THAT ONE!
http://m.espn.go.com/wireless/story?storyId=7429623&city=newyork
goFalcons
December 17th, 2012
2:42 pm
yeah, and it probably did not help Atlanta’s image when Ted Turner “Mouth of the South” aka “Captain Outrageous” put Atlanta on the map as a media power house taking away the monoply the north had as the only real meadia source at that time. You are right Atlanta has aways been a thorn in the side of the media!!!!! Go Falcons
phil
December 17th, 2012
2:52 pm
Have we won in January yet?
what’s that? No?
didn’t think so.
Let’s hold the parade until we see if we can get past whatever crap team that gets on a roll late that comes to town in a month or so.
phil
December 17th, 2012
2:54 pm
Mike “CHOKE” Dogs To Death…
Great name but the civil war ended nearly 150 years ago….time to let go and to let go of the notion that anyone up north actually thinks that way, aside from the mentally deranged.
Dr. Warren
December 17th, 2012
2:55 pm
“Hater” sounds stupid and uneducated. That is what is really annoying about the word.
phil
December 17th, 2012
2:58 pm
Hater is indeed a word for the moron….
Hater.
billyho55
December 17th, 2012
3:01 pm
Thank you, Dr. Warren! FEEL THE SAME WAY ABOUT THE WORD “SWAG”
IT IS CALLED C.O.N.F.I.D.E.N.C.E. NOT SWAG! GIVE ME A FREAKIN BREAK! I CAN SEE KIDS USING THAT WORD, BUT WHEN A GROWN MAN USES IT THEY SOUND RIDICULOUS!
goFalcons
December 17th, 2012
3:04 pm
BLAME THE XFL. Sexy cheerleaders and a running back with the name on his jersey that said “he hate me” (Rod Smart) may the slang Hater live forever after the failed XFL taught us the art of slang.
billyho55
December 17th, 2012
3:05 pm
I’LL TRY TO POST THIS AGAIN:
THANK YOU DR. WARREN! I FEEL THE SAME WAY ABOUT THE WORD “SWAG”
IT’S CALLED C.O.N.F.I.D.E.N.C.E. NOT “SWAG!” IF A KID USES IT I JUST BRUSH IT OFF AS IT’S JUST A KID! WHEN A GROWN MAN USES THE WORD “SWAG” THEY SOUND LIKE A FOOL!
MWC
December 17th, 2012
3:07 pm
Can you say contradict ?
lefty fielder
December 17th, 2012
3:10 pm
Nattering Nabobs of Negativism … are you ghost-writing for the Grinch?
Joey
December 17th, 2012
3:13 pm
Hey phil (punxsutawney), hop back in your hole. We haven’t even played in January yet, THIS SEASON.
Come out of your hole in the spring and we’ll tell you how the playoffs went.
Early Cuyler
December 17th, 2012
3:22 pm
It’s not “HOW”!!!!! It’s “HOW MANY”. That’s a bunch a bull mess!
Morris Devereaux
December 17th, 2012
3:26 pm
One big win doesn’t do any more than one big loss. Which Falcon Team will show up to play San Francisco or Green Bay? The one that beat the Giants and the Cowboys or the one that lost to Carolina and the Saints? Sorry folks, I’ve been a fan of the Falcons since Tim Mazzetti and the 1978 Falcons. I’ve been held up in the air and dropped too many times. Even when the birds actually made it to the Super Bowl, they weren’t contenders, simply pretenders. Just once I want to see them play well enough to make me feel that they have an honest chance of beating a team like the Patriots or the Texans.
goFalcons
December 17th, 2012
3:33 pm
How could anybody call the 98 Falcons pertenders? They beat the greatest NFL team of all time (the 98 Vikings) IMO. They went on the road to play the Vikings who were said to be unbeatable at home and beat them.
Hillbilly D
December 17th, 2012
3:54 pm
This is nothing to get excited about. Sports is all about “what have you done for me lately”. Sports writers are notorious front runners. They’ll love ‘em as long as they keep winning and flip right back around at the first sign of adversity.
None of that matters one bit; it’s what happens on the field that matters. The rest is just hype and window dressing.
NFC South Champs
December 17th, 2012
3:58 pm
SUPER BOWL !
Hey Jeff Schultz
December 17th, 2012
4:04 pm
“The player’s suspensions have been vacated”
-Paul Tagliabu
How’s that crow taste d-bag?
Joey
December 17th, 2012
4:09 pm
Hey Hey,
Tagliabu also acknowledged that the the bounty system existed on the Saints ‘09-’11, and the coaches ran it.
So what’s YOUR point, d-bag?
BrookFan
December 17th, 2012
4:15 pm
I’ll say it again. Five years ago, before Mike Smith et al., came to town the Falcons couldn’t string TWO winning seasons together. NEVAH. The MSM reminded us of that fact routinely. ROUTINELY. Now, however, the MSM trumpets the Falcons inability (thus far) to win playoff games in the Mike Smith era
To wit, the Falcons may not win the Super Bowl this year. Then again, they might. Nevertheless, the Falcons put the royal beat down on the Manning boys; hung an ungawdly number of interceptions on ‘em; ditto with Brees; and before the season’s complete, I know and the Falcons must know they can and will beat Brady – or whoever beats him before we get to him in the SB.
PS …and Tony Gonzalez is the best TE in the game – no better, more sure-handed receiver in the clutch. I sure hope they offer him the keys to the City to get him back in uniform for another two/three years.
Hey Jeff Schultz
December 17th, 2012
4:24 pm
Joey,
There was never a pay to injure scheme. EVER. If concrete evidence truly existed i.e. 50,000 pages as the NFL claimed then the suspensions wouldn’t have been overturned. The NFL has changed their story 20 times since March. The Saints story has been the same. What the Saints did is the same thing college players get stickers on their helmets for.
So Tagliabu validates Goodell’s claim yet the suspensions are overturned? You obviously can’t read between the lines. The player suspensions were overturned for 2 reasons.
1) He knew that if the suspensions weren’t overturned and the cases went to court there was no hard evidence to prove the NFL’s case. Plus the fact that the NFL’s “key witness” Cuerullo was a wack job (if you haven’t read about him then I can’t help you)
2) Tagliabu also went to say there was no proof that the spoken words translated to anything deliberate or illegal on the field. Punishing the players would have left the NFL open to further litigation because other teams weren’t punished in the same manner.
If you can’t see this for what it is I have some ocean front property in Kansas to sell you too!
I am calling Schultz out because he was on the NFL’s ballzack when the story broke
Joey
December 17th, 2012
4:24 pm
BrookFan, Mike Smith is a situation a lot like Mark Richt has been in. He’s done such a great job of turning around a program, he is becoming a victim of his own success. The more he wins, the more expectations rise. Smith impressed me yesterday, keeping his foot on the gas offensively. He HAS to do that in the playoffs.
Gonzalez seems like he could play for another 10 years – agile, fast, and still blocks like a OT.
I don’t see how he can smell a T-bone cooking, and not want to devour it . . .
Joey
December 17th, 2012
4:30 pm
Hey Hey,
Wrong. Tagliabue placed the blame squarely on the Saints’ coaches and organization.
*******************************************************
From ESPN’s John Clayton: “In addition to his theories on the nature of discipline, Tagliabue placed the blame for the Saints bounty program on the coaching staff and suggested that the players “may not have had much choice but to ‘go along,’ [and] to comply with coaching demands or directions that they may question or resent.”
Tagliabue was unrelenting in his criticism of suspended head coach Sean Payton and indefinitely suspended former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, even though their suspensions were not part of the appeal that he was considering. He cited a coaches’ PowerPoint presentation after the Saints’ victory over the Cardinals in the 2009 playoffs. One slide showed Kurt Warner on the turf with the caption: “SO WE WILL JUST DESTROY EACH QUARTERBACK LEAVING EACH TEAM WITHOUT A FIELD GENERAL! ONE DOWN TWO QBs TO GO.”
Read the entire thing:
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8738374/paul-tagliabue-blames-new-orleans-saints-coaches-nfl-bounty-scandal-offers-unique-ideas-theory-practice-player-discipline
Jay
December 17th, 2012
4:43 pm
Lol @ Roll Dawg Roll! Yes, I am tired of the screens to Turner too. He can’t run to the outside. Well, physically he can but he gets chased down before he can take more than three steps.
No
December 17th, 2012
4:58 pm
About time a local team stood up to a big market one. Braves always rollover for the damn Yankees and Red Sox. Go home.
blazerdawg
December 17th, 2012
5:01 pm
Atlanta is a fine sports town and a great place to live, we just have a few ungracious guests among our populace.
Hey Jeff Schultz
December 17th, 2012
5:05 pm
Joey,
I have read it and the hit to Warner didn’t draw a flag and Warner has gone on record in several interviews that it was a clean, legal play. He said he had no problem with the way the Saints played in that game.
The league overturned the suspensions because they knew they didn’t have a leg to stand. The rest is just posturing trying to save face. The only reason the coaches haven’t lawyered up is because they are league employees. If they wanted to coach again they had no choice but to take what the NFL dished out and be quiet.
You could see that same type of slideshow in any team’s meetings. Like I said, had this been college football they would get a helmet sticker
Hey Jeff Schultz
December 17th, 2012
5:09 pm
Here ya go buddy
http://www.danpatrick.com/2012/05/03/kurt-warner-didnt-think-saints-were-trying-to-take-him-out/
JSS
December 17th, 2012
5:12 pm
Big Ray
December 17th, 2012
1:37 pm
“Schultz must have said “haters” too loud…dogs generally come when whistled for…”
Nah, you come for cheese and nibble treats…
SawThat1nce
December 17th, 2012
5:14 pm
1st……Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports, is a big fat wind bag, and a hack.
He could churn out 10 pages on the Pope pooting.
Ever read any of his crap on Yahoo? It’s bad and boring.
He is also very boring and pretty ignorant(sounding and looking) when they interview him for his opinions.
FalconsfaninAugusta
December 17th, 2012
5:15 pm
Drove up from Florida yesterday and was listening to the radio broadcast… wished I had watched it live or on TV since it was probably one of the most impressive victories by the Falcons. But, yea there always seems to be a “but” with our Falcs, it won’t mean a thing if they don’t get at least one playoff win this year… that’s all I want. Would be great to win it all, but I want to be realistic here. Give us one playoff victory this year and then next year win it all!!
Joey
December 17th, 2012
5:18 pm
Daddy always told me not to argue with idiots, so okay. But do you think QB testimony factored into this? When they have confessions, and video. And Greg Williams, who accepted a ban from the NFL, without a peep? And coaches are employees of the teams (franchisees), not the NFL.
Gotta hand it to you, you should go to work in DC, with all that “spinning” you do . . .
Hey Jeff Schultz
December 17th, 2012
5:27 pm
Who does the commissioner represent? That’s right numbnut/s the 32 franchises (which though private entities they are all bound by the same governing body – The NFL). As an employee of any of those teams, you are in turn an NFL employee
The coaches don’t have a union to represent them in unjust labor practices. It’s ok I don’t expect much coming from a Bird’s fan. The point was Schultz was WRONG.
Hey Jeff Schultz
December 17th, 2012
5:30 pm
Please tell me or post a link to what video evidence that shows proof of a “pay to injure” scheme. Because NFL Network and ESPN all run the same 60 second reel of hits that were LEGAL plays. None of the footage they show even drew a penalty.
SawThat1nce
December 17th, 2012
5:36 pm
dave @ 2:42 pm………………”still waiting to hear jaw on ESPN to comment of yesterdays game”……….
He did comment this morning on SportsCenter.
He said that he was surprised by the Falcons level of play, and that they looked good(or something to that effect).
Merril Hodge(the one with the little head and big collar) or whatever his name is…..then had them roll a clip from 12/10/12, in which Jaworski(aka Jaws) said that the Giants would come to Atlanta and flatten the Falcons.
Jaws did a good job of eating that crow.
goFalcons
December 17th, 2012
5:42 pm
Wow watching PTI and they said the real story is the Giants stunk it up. Ahhhh that is better. I was getting scared that the media was going to jump on the magic carpet ride.
SawThat1nce
December 17th, 2012
5:51 pm
phil, THE pill @2:52pm……………………….1st…….You are the supreme downer.
2nd……..”hold the parade……until we get past whatever crap team……that comes to town in a month or so.”
dear pill,
Those crap teams that beat the Falcons in the 1st round in 2008, 2010, and 2011 beat every team that they faced in the NFC playoffs those years, winning the NFC Championships.
Two of those crap teams won the SuperBowls in 2010 and 2011.
dan
December 17th, 2012
6:03 pm
Not all wins and losses are created equal.
Good teams win games. Even bad teams win games from time to time. But championship teams make statements. The Falcons made a statement vs. the defending Super Bowl Champions at a time of year when it is important to make one. This was a 1st round TKO over a team who almost a year earlier caved their face in. This was a Giants team who earlier in the season hammered the 49ers, Packers, and Saints. The same Giants team with multiple Pro Bowlers and a defensive front seven from Heaven. And the Falcons dominated them in every single aspect yesterday.
That noise you hear? That’s the glass ceiling cracking.That 12-2 record? It’s no fluke folks. This is an organization that from top to bottom is built to win; for the long haul. Try this one on for size and see if it fits: The Atlanta Falcons, Super Bowl XVII Champions. Hey, why the heck not?
JSS
December 17th, 2012
6:08 pm
You don’t have to call, he’ll a come a running!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2Fc9s9N6ak
You better stock D3, the lackey is hungry…
SawThat1nce
December 17th, 2012
6:12 pm
The Falcons OLine played a Great game yesterday, and the results are in, as to what this team can accomplish when the OLine is dominate.
I hope that somehow, they can play at or near the same level, that they played yesterday, the rest of this season, especially though the playoffs.
deltaman
December 17th, 2012
6:15 pm
The major media does not like the Falcons or the Dawgs. Just watch some of the main stream analysts. I don’t live in Georgia and I can see that. Hope the Falcons go all the way. Live in Saints territory abd hate them!!
Jason Cole is a low class moron
December 17th, 2012
6:22 pm
Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports trying to connect the Newtown victims
to a Giants victory is totally ignorant and disrespectful.
Raul
December 17th, 2012
6:37 pm
At least no one yet has blamed the loss on SAndy or President Bush like the Saints did,
Raul
December 17th, 2012
6:41 pm
How many games has Jason Cole played in? NONE . Boy his opinion really matters .
Edd
December 17th, 2012
6:44 pm
My friend WG Hudson said we would win and he was right, thanks WG.
davidinloganville
December 17th, 2012
6:56 pm
Hi Buckeye!
Still Cheating?