‘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
After further review
December 17th, 2012
11:58 am
A good win thant should help to put to rest some of the doubts. They played well on both sides of the ball yesterday, and should do well in the playoffs if they continue to play with that intensity.
tim tomashek
December 17th, 2012
12:06 pm
FIRST! hell yeah jeff!
GT Fan
December 17th, 2012
12:09 pm
BOOM!
LOL @ the Giants. I LOVE IT!!!!
I have been waiting for this game all year long like most of the national media referenced above.
I agreed with the “haters” for the greater part of the season. We hadn’t really earned that big signature win. Alas, my fears were extinguished.
Go birds!!!!!
shannyeight
December 17th, 2012
12:09 pm
i think the Falcons NEED to keep that wound of last season’s playoffs open…never hurts to have some motivation..!
headley lamar
December 17th, 2012
12:11 pm
Haters
Don’t hate us like we’re famous
We’re not the ones who fake it
Cause fakers never make it
Haters gonna hate
Haters gonna hate
Haters gonna hate
Italiain_29
December 17th, 2012
12:14 pm
They won’t change their viewpoint, but who cares, let the Falcons make them all eat their words. That is the best way to quiet the naysayers.
Kane337
December 17th, 2012
12:16 pm
There are still naysayers out there. Here is one of them….. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/17/nfl-morning-after-statement-sunday-or-was-it/
J
December 17th, 2012
12:18 pm
Rodney Harrison strangely mute on this as well.
Stepping up and admitting you’re wrong is a sign of maturity and speaks to the character of a man.
Guess we’ll be waiting a long time for Mr. Harrison’s comment….
Buckeye
December 17th, 2012
12:18 pm
Go Falcons!
Buckeye
December 17th, 2012
12:19 pm
Hi dogs,
Still cryin’?
Sonny Clusters
December 17th, 2012
12:30 pm
Sometimes when we express our opinion on here a little fella will post something right afterward and say we’re not a real true fan and we was wondering if that makes him a hater or is he just annoying? Ol’ Jeff is right about there being more than one way to see something because we are pretty sure we will always see things differently than some bloggers we read – but we still try to respect them and be nice to them unless they start calling people “pre-madonnas” and such as that. That’s when we question the value of public education unless it was obtained at Parkview and taught by Coach.
Ugh
December 17th, 2012
12:31 pm
It’s awful of Jason Cole to link the performance of the Giants with what happened at Newtown. There is sports and there is the real world and the two almost never intersect. As if a Giant’s win yesterday would have had some larger meaning. I really can’t imagine anyone thinking, “Well, twenty 1st graders are dead, but it inspired the Giants to play well. So at least some good came out of it!”
Sonny Clusters
December 17th, 2012
12:32 pm
Thinking like that is all for nawt.
TheBabe
December 17th, 2012
12:33 pm
A statement game, and the Falcons won it big. Just keep carrying that chip on your shoulder for a few more games and they’ll shed the poor playoff reputation. I’d say Falcons and 49ers are the class of the NFC, with Green Bay close behind.
Ted M
December 17th, 2012
12:36 pm
The Falcons likely knocked the Giants out of the playoffs.
Ted M
December 17th, 2012
12:38 pm
If the Falcons run the ball…they can win it all.
Mark Richt
December 17th, 2012
12:43 pm
January 2014
UGA 52
Ohio state 28
UGA BCS Champions
Urban Meyer quits(again) and this time blames his wife who dumps him for Tim Tebow who will finally lose his virginity.
Vain Jangling
December 17th, 2012
12:47 pm
What a difference a blow-out shut-out win over the Super Bowl champion makes.
Jason
December 17th, 2012
12:49 pm
Finally. But guess what? Like John Abraham said yesterday when asked is the bandwagon still open…”Hell no.”…and why would it be? All season we’ve heard the Falcons aren’t any good or aren’t as good as their record. 12-2 is not a mistake. You don’t just win 12 games and not be any good. Yeah we all know we have to win in the playoffs but it’s coming. The big time is coming. Falcons are going to win the big one.
Goldie
December 17th, 2012
12:50 pm
So hard to concentrate at work today — can’t stop talkin’ about how excellent Our Falcons were on Sunday! YESSSSS!
Vain Jangling
December 17th, 2012
12:50 pm
And thanks too for the Spiro Agnew reference. Dead convicted felon former vice presidents just don’t get quoted often enough to satisfy me.
GTT
December 17th, 2012
12:53 pm
Pete King also has then No. 5 in his “Fine Fifteen.”
Brown
December 17th, 2012
12:54 pm
Let’s call it what it really was: 41-0. As much as the Falcons deserved to run up the score a little more given all their doubters, they kneeled down and ran the clock out near the endzone, so kudos to Mike Smith for keeping it classy.
DenQ
December 17th, 2012
12:59 pm
Count Tom Jackson among the nay-sayers. Last night he kept harping on “soft schedule” and “three and five interception games”
Mike "CHOKE" Dogs To Death
December 17th, 2012
12:59 pm
Kane337
December 17th, 2012
12:16 pm
There are still naysayers out there. Here is one of them….. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/17/nfl-morning-after-statement-sunday-or-was-it/
________________________________________________________________________________
One blogger on that site said “Atlanta is the worst sports town ever, no doubt.”
Really? The worst?
- The Falcons rank #11 in attendance out of 32 teams.
- The Braves rank #15 in attendance out of 30 MLB teams.
- The Braves are the third most popular MLB team, per the Harris poll.
- The Georgia Bulldogs have an average of 99.86% capacity present at games.
- The SEC Championship game is staged in Atlanta, which is centered between UGA, Auburn, Alabama, Florida and Tennessee.
- Atlanta is also full of fans of Georgia Tech, Clemson and Florida State — not to mention the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Cowboys, Packers and Steelers.
It’s a common misperception that we’re the worst. I’m not sure where it comes from.
Dawglasville
December 17th, 2012
1:01 pm
As long as we still have so many Saints transplants and Vickofants in our town, we will always have haters. Two playoff wins will shut the Vickofants up and it will take a Super Bowl win to shut the Saints fans up.
JSS
December 17th, 2012
1:04 pm
Please… But Jeff Schultz, thanks for all of the internal references to the resident of section 2 of Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens…
He was as crooked as Bernie Madoff and his ex-boss… Must have been Dimitroff’s idol… I couldn’t resist being honest!
Oh, why did you skip over the opinion dropped in ESPN Insider FBO?
PR
December 17th, 2012
1:04 pm
Need to translate this success into playoff wins… NOTHING ELSE MATTERS
Flo-Ri-Duh
December 17th, 2012
1:04 pm
Show me in the playoffs that the Falcon’s OL is consistent enough to make that ONE yard when the game is on the line. Good game Falcons.Giants didn’t show up Sunday – even Eli looked like he was off on his passes.
wde
December 17th, 2012
1:04 pm
Buckeye no we aren’t crying we are making travel plans for our Bowl game how are your plans going? Oh that’s right your not going to a bowl are you there bunky?
Mark (another one)
December 17th, 2012
1:04 pm
It is still a regular season game. As much as I beleive in the Falcons of 2012, they will need to prove it in the playoffs. No one will be happy until that is achieved.
Ron S
December 17th, 2012
1:07 pm
Been suffering with the Falcons since the Bartkowski era. Had my heart broken before, and will believe when they all have Super Bowl rings. Can’t watch a game (afraid I will Jinx them). Donno. They have the coaching and the personnel (they still need a good half back. I’m so tired of the single running back set)
Sign me
VERY HOPEFUL
Snake Doc
December 17th, 2012
1:07 pm
I’m shocked I tell ya!
Shocked!
Congratulations to the Falcons for a most impressive win.
Now lets see if they can claim Home Field through out the playoffs and win a playoff a game.
some sense
December 17th, 2012
1:07 pm
A “hater” is simply someone who disagrees w/ an uneducated, unsophisticated person. They can’t come up w/ a intelligent retort, so you’re a “hater”. This term originated in politics. Anyone who disagrees w/ the president, for example, is a “hater”. Republicans to this crowd are “haters”. And so on.
wde
December 17th, 2012
1:08 pm
Great win for the Falcons we had to listen to how the Giants played “big boy” football…….to me it looks like all the big boy pants were found in the Falcons locker room yesterday.
GeoffDawg
December 17th, 2012
1:25 pm
At least Ditka owned up to it. Ditka vs. Ditka: who would win?
Matt
December 17th, 2012
1:27 pm
What anyone says about the Falcons is none of our business. The only thing that matters is victories. Right now, we have more than anyone else in the NFC. Keep doing that and good things will happen.
Mike "CHOKE" Dogs To Death
December 17th, 2012
1:27 pm
Atlanta is supposed to be such a bad sports town. Well, I was at the game yesterday. There must have been at least 20,000 blue-clad Giants fans there. It was a marvel to behold as they streamed out in a mass exodus in the third and fourth quarters. And these are supposed to be the great sports fans!
All I'm Saying Is....
December 17th, 2012
1:28 pm
Great win yesterday and now it is time to move on to the … Detroit Lions. Need to dominate them as well so we can lock up the #1 seed and prove we do not play to the level of the opposition.
And, by the way, until Dimitroff, Smitty, Ryan, etc. win in the playoffs, then this trio will not have proven themselves to Falcons fans as well as the rest of the nation. That’s just a fact, jack. The good news is that, as was evident Sunday, we still believe in the running attack and with it, we can go all the way!
LET’S GO FALCONS!
Joey
December 17th, 2012
1:37 pm
Buckeye, got somethin for ya – congrats:
http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/maurice_clarett_i_got_paid_more_in_college_than_i_do_now_in_the_ufl/12439528?linksrc=home_x_rg_head_12439528
Big Ray
December 17th, 2012
1:37 pm
Please… But Jeff Schultz, thanks for all of the internal references to the resident of section 2 of Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens…
He was as crooked as Bernie Madoff and his ex-boss… Must have been Dimitroff’s idol… I couldn’t resist being honest!
Oh, why did you skip over the opinion dropped in ESPN Insider FBO?
Schultz must have said “haters” too loud…dogs generally come when whistled for…
Joey
December 17th, 2012
1:47 pm
lol, Big Ray!
rOdnEy "FRAUD" Harrison
December 17th, 2012
1:48 pm
why do the falcons still have short yardage issues, and run awful plays when they need one yard? that douglas reverse sucked!!!!!!!!!!
damn, throw the ball, or fake the run and throw the ball. jeezus wy do coaches make something so easy seem so hard?
headley lamar
December 17th, 2012
1:48 pm
At least Ditka owned up to it. Ditka vs. Ditka: who would win?
Ditka
MWC
December 17th, 2012
1:49 pm
Good job Big Ray !
MWC
December 17th, 2012
1:49 pm
Good job Big Ray !
rOdnEy "FRAUD" Harrison
December 17th, 2012
1:50 pm
i will say that the falcons miss Ovie terribly. does anyone remember the falcons having these issues when ovie was here?
think back to his injury at detroit last year, and then the issue surfaced. i am an expert, and this is the
reason. our fullbacks suck at blocking.
Buckeye
December 17th, 2012
2:07 pm
AFTER THE NCAA STRIPS US OF OUR 2002 NATIONAL TITLE, WE WILL OFFICIALLY HAVE NOTHING, AND I WILL OFFICIALLY BE USELESS. PAY NO ATTENTION TO ME, I AM A CLOWN, A FOOL, AND A PIECE OF TRASH.
goFalcons
December 17th, 2012
2:15 pm
I hate it win all us fans are ready to watch the game and post and it starts going bad like the start of the Card. game or the Panther game and it seems like the only ones to post or the 3 stoogies and the other fans leave. I feel insulted when the media starts saying the Falcons are good….we knew this all along and this is the NFL, you don’t get to play a scedule where you get to play Parkview H.S. and have a breather. A win is a win in the NFL…1 pt are 36 pts…it is the same…a win. In NCAA the way you win is important, not in the NFL. The fact that the Falcons have become a staple in the playoffs, it should not be held against them. The critics say they do not win in the playoffs. All those other teams that did not make the playoffs did not win a playoff game either!!! Please experts keep saying bad things about the Falcons. Please let the 3 stoogies keep posting on here and let the Falcons keep making them look silly. Please Falcon fans if the 1st QTR goes bad do not give up on them and just believe that the Falcons will come back. When does a 9-3-1 team become better then a 12-2 team? GO FALCONS
Roll Dawg Roll!
December 17th, 2012
2:15 pm
Still tired of toss sweeps and screens going to Turner and not Quizz. Turner can only run with a FB. We have got to address the PR situation. We have not gotten ANY production out of special teams all year!
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?
DawgNole
December 17th, 2012
7:03 pm
SCHULTZ: “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.’”
_____________________
Glad you’ve led your column with this, Jeff. And you’re exactly right; those of us who dare question the team when it’s playing poorly are instantly branded “haters”–by guess who? That’s right, by the REAL haters, who can’t seem to get it though their heads that it’s OK to be critical of the team when it falters, as it did against Carolina a week ago. And it’ll be OK to express concern/disappointment about the team if it plays poorly Saturday against hapless Detroit, or the following week against fast-fading Tampa Bay, or in its first playoff game. Doesn’t mean at all that you don’t WANT them to win–just that you DO want them to play up to their capabilities and not make dumb, costly mistakes.
Some of us have followed the Falcons rabidly since their inception in 1966. It’s been a mostly painful, frustrating ride, and from my standpoint, I’m just hoping they manage to win it all once before I check out of the picture (please hurry, Falcons). Obviously, their history would seem to indicate that it’s not going to happen. But this season’s success–so far, at least–is unprecedented, so I’m NOT giving up. Never have; never will!
And to those who would label us long-suffering realists “haters,” I say this: Hell YEAH we want them to win! Just like you. And hell NO we’re not “jumping off the bandwagon” if they lose! Are you?
Mike S.
December 17th, 2012
7:10 pm
The media knocks the Falcons for not having won a playoff game, but fail to realize who they lost to:
2008 – Arizona who went on to beat Carolina and Philadelphia on the way to a close Super Bowl loss to Pittsburgh.
2010 – Green Bay who went on to beat Chicago and then Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.
2011 – Giant who went on to beat Green Bay, San Francisco, and then New England in the Super Bowl.
The point? The Falcons havent just lost any old playoff games. They have lost each year to the hottest team in the NFC playoffs. Only a last minute TD pass for Pittsburgh over Arizona keeps all three losses from being to the eventual Super Bowl champs. No one else beat these teams either.
DawgNole
December 17th, 2012
8:00 pm
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?
_____________________
Good post. Sure hope you’re right.
“The Atlanta Falcons, Super Bowl XVII Champions.” Does have kind of a nice ring to it, now that you mention it.
whiskey breath
December 17th, 2012
8:22 pm
I can understand Jeff why you wouldn’t like the word haters, you’re a homer.
Homers don’t like people bad mouthing their teams.
Roddy did have it right, the only thing that counts is the post season.
The rest are exhibition games.
ZinoDawg
December 17th, 2012
8:30 pm
@Whiskeybreath – really dude?
Jeff should be a homer, he writes for the Atlanta paper.
Michael M.
December 17th, 2012
8:35 pm
Screw all the media……………..where was they during the Season? Cutting the Falcons down of course or looking over them and now, after demolishing the former Super Bowl Champs, they want some kool-aid and a ride on the Bird Band Wagon. I say ” Get Lost and Good Riddens “, the Falcons don’t need ya and neither do the Home Fans for that matter.
I have to admit that the game yesterday was one of those old fashion butt whippings from yesteryear the way the defense and the offense put them away. You think the media knew ahead of time the Giants was going to get their keesters handed to them and that is why it wasn’t on television nationally? I had to listen by way of radio so I know I missed seeing a good one but oh well, the end result is gratifying itself.
I can just picture in my mind Eli on the sidelines pouting and Daddy Tom standing nearby looking on the football field as the Atlanta Falcons destroyed his club!
SCFalcon
December 17th, 2012
8:52 pm
Anybody seen Choke or the aint’s fans lately?
Michael M.
December 17th, 2012
9:07 pm
thats funny^^^^^^^^^ ………………………..probably all hiding under the same little rock they crawled out of before the season ever got underway. I would like to ask em one question, ” Can they hear the Falcons now? “
rhinoGT
December 17th, 2012
11:38 pm
i dont know what youre watching/reading jeff. just read an article on espn why the falcons still arent legit.
NO RESPECT
extremus
December 18th, 2012
12:12 am
Great win, but vindication in the NFL lasts only as long as the current win streak. The Falcons were fired up and still stinging from getting caught flat-footed in Carolina, so one could say that the end result (except the 34-0 final score) wasn’t that much of a surprise. But what I’m looking for right now is whether they can bring that same intensity and dominance into Ford Field against the Lions…and then in the season finale against the Buccaneers…and then throughout the playoffs. If they come out flat again and either lose or have to eke out a nail-biting win, it will call the result and ultimate meaning of the Giants game into serious question.
Consider that every unit, from Matt Ryan to the O-Line to the D-Line and Cornerbacks, played above the level we’ve seen from them thus far. Do you take that newfound level of performance as the new standard for this team (one that the Patriots, Packers, and other elite teams have had for some time), or will it prove to be an aberration that only lasted as long as these guys were “angry”? Put it this way; do you expect those kinds of numbers from Michael Turner every single game anymore? Now apply that same question everywhere on the team. We’ve seen these Falcons rise to the occasion against the “big teams” time and again and then struggle to put away doormat teams the following week. Show me more.
I am NOT hating here; I’ve been a fan of the Falcons since the early 1980s, so believe me, I’ve stuck it out through some lean times. And I’m hoping, like many Falcons fans, that this will be the year Atlanta brings home the Lombardi Trophy. Yesterday’s game was a statement, yes, but now it’s over. The closing weeks of the 2012 season and the playoffs will tell us whether this group has truly turned the corner and has “risen up” to be counted among the elite teams in the NFL.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 18th, 2012
12:57 am
I’m not convinced! So you beat a team that was affected by a major tragedy who really didn’t have football on their minds. It was a freakin meaningless regular season game. When is the parade?
This is the same mediocre team relying on the opposing qb to give them short fields due to turnovers.
You FOOLS get your hopes up for these regular season games, then when the playoffs start and the competition gets tougher, CHOKE gets headlight meets deer syndrone.
Look at what Seattle is doing, back to back 50 point blowouts
to go along with the number 1 defense. More than likely will face
the Falcants, uh oh 1 and done again.
Now you have Aaron Rodgers on a mission and their defense is now
getting players back healthy.
The 49ers are looking as potent as ever and to go along with the
number 2 defense.
So you LOSERS can praise a single playoff game vs a team suffering
from a tragedy, can just get you hopes up and get embarrassed again
in the 1st round.
So enjoy your loser, losers…ha ha
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 18th, 2012
1:01 am
So what was more impressive?
Beating a tragedy ridden team or losing to a 2-9 team?
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 18th, 2012
1:08 am
2 QUESTIONS:
Question 1: Why was it okay for Roddy to say that when they got whipped by the Saints that the Falcants beat themselves, but with the win Sunday versus the Giants, the Giants didn’t beat themselves?
Question 2: Which is the real Falcants? The one that got whipped by a 2-9 Carolina or the one that won yesterday?
You can’t have it both ways. So you claim the good but dismiss the bad. If you can get embarrassed by Carolina you bet you will get embarrassed comes the 1st round.
So enjoy your loser, losers
Not impressed!
Eastpoint
December 18th, 2012
1:22 am
Haters on the falcons..I wasn’t impressed with falcons victory over the Giants and I don’t like neither team, but I will say this…this game is nothing to get excited about and it isn’t a sign that the falcons will win in the playoffs..There’s no consistency with the falcons..this is a true jeckle and hyde football team, play great one week and then stink it up the next week..ok falcon fans, which falcon team will show up in the playoffs? Good win for falcons, but it’s still a regular season game…I will wait til playoffs to see if the falcons are for real..playoffs is win or go home and these playoffs teams play twice as hard then regular season..this is another level and we shall see if these birds have it in them.
Stinger2
December 18th, 2012
3:33 am
“Choke”: @12:57 You are the loser. The whole country, not just the NY Giants team was and still is affected by the tradgedy in CT. So your statement is very pitiful to say the least.
Also, it was far from a meaningless game for both teams. The Falcons were playing for a bye and home field advantage. The Giants were playing for a win to get to the playoffs.
Jack ®
December 18th, 2012
5:47 am
I don’t remember ever missing a Falcon’s game since they began. The defeat of the Giants on Sunday was the best I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Thomas Brown
December 18th, 2012
5:49 am
Falcons, like The Georgia Bulldogs, will’ve been OUT-RUSHED for this season. It cost UGA dearly in this our best chance 2012, and it will COST the Falcons – both with our PASS-HAPPY OFFENSES. It puts pressure on your defense when you make NO EFFORT to try to run the football. It puts the defense right back on the field, worn-out. It allows the opponent to key on the fact that you run a PASS-HAPPY OFFENSE. It allows for a key sack against you. You do not impose your will on other teams. The best football teams, in college, and in the NFL, do NOT get OUT-RUSHED for the season, as both the Falcons and The University of Ground Attack (UGA) will’ve done this entire season.
Anyone studying either the Falcons or The Georgia Bulldogs, would clearly know that BOTH will’ve been OUT-RUSHED for this entire season.
You know we have that problem. You can kid yourself it’s not important, or be lazy and not look it up as I’ve done; but even then, you know we’re in trouble being OUT-RUSHED for the entire season as both Georgia and Atlanta are doing.
That strategy is a failed strategy, as much as I love Mike Smith and Arthur Blank. They really must go get them a running back, and some beef on both lines.
Call-in shows yesterday had all the callers calling in saying that we will beat the top NFL football teams in back-to-back games coming up. None addressed what we only whisper quietly amongst ourselves, while opposing top teams look at us, and go – uh huh.
We can come in here and brag about the Falcons, and yesterday’s win was a great win – the 1st shut-out of the New York Giants since The New York Giants lost to the Carolina Panthers 23 to nothing in the Wild Card game at home January 8, 2006. The largest shut-out of a defending Super Bowl Champion in NFL history.
Isn’t it true however, that the New York Giants have sucked all season long, and that they never were going to be any good this season, other than playing in a sorry division where no one else is any better, really ?
You can count the number of football teams in the NFL or college who have tried to do what both the Falcons and The Georgia Bulldogs are doing this season, being OUT-RUSHED for the entire season as BOTH will’ve done this season, and not find the top teams in this situation.
You can look up the number of top teams in the NFL who are OUT-RUSHED for the season this entire season, or look up the number of teams who will’ve made the AP Poll Top 25 in college football, and you will NOT find the top teams are OUT-RUSHED for the entire season as both The Georgia Bulldogs have done and the Falcons.
Buddy Landel
December 18th, 2012
5:57 am
If that were the Saints up 34-0 on NYG, inside the 5 with :30 left, Drew Brees would be throwing to pad his stats.
blackandwhitestripes
December 18th, 2012
6:17 am
Think the term should be doubters instead of haters. They are already in the playoffs. Lets see if they can make it past the first round.
cloudodust
December 18th, 2012
6:53 am
Ditka said pregame, ‘If the Falcons were a girl, I wouldn’t take them to the prom.’ or something along that line. Doesn’t sound like he’s ready to buy in for the long haul but does seem to admit he was wrong at least for the Giants game. That’s pretty big for an ego like his.
Thomas Brown
December 18th, 2012
7:48 am
Yes, but Mike Ditka is insane, and always has been.
Bling's the Thing
December 18th, 2012
8:34 am
I’m a lifelong fan and went out of my way to criticize the lack of dimension the Falcons have following the loss at Carolina, namely the O & D lines. What these guys lacked in size or skill on Sunday they made up for with heart and dogged determination. That can carry you a long way and it is how TEAM is defined, when the weakest links hold up on the chain. Everything finally came together in one game and I think it just highlighted more than the record – the strength of the Domefield Advantage. Are they sure they want a new stadium, where it will not be as loud or intimidating? :-p!! They have to nail down homefield and if they can take care of biz this Sat at Ford Field, they can give Samuel, Roddy, Moore, Rodgers, and everyone else a 3 week healing period going into the playoffs. Go Falcons!!!
Mike "CHOKE" Dogs To Death
December 18th, 2012
8:38 am
Matt “CHOKE” Ryan
December 18th, 2012
12:57 am
I’m not convinced! So you beat a team that was affected by a major tragedy who really didn’t have football on their minds.
______________________________________________________________
You are such an idiot. You don’t remember when the Falcons had to play the Saints on a Monday night after Katrina?
Thomas Brown
December 18th, 2012
8:38 am
They still wouldn’t have a running game, nor be able to stop a running game.
Mike "CHOKE" Dogs To Death
December 18th, 2012
8:40 am
Matt “CHOKE” Ryan
December 18th, 2012
12:57 am
It was a freakin meaningless regular season game.
Matt “CHOKE” Ryan
December 18th, 2012
1:01 am
So what was more impressive?
Beating a tragedy ridden team or losing to a 2-9 team?
___________________________________________________________
So the Giants win was a “meaningless” regular season game, but the Panthers loss was meaningful? You are such an idiot.
BillA
December 18th, 2012
8:41 am
I’ve been a NY Giant fan for over 30 years and although I don’t like to admit it, the Falcons played a great game and did what they had to do to get a win. With that being said, I don’t put much emphasis on regular season wins but you do need them to get to the playoffs. The Falcons and their fans should not be happy with anything less than a SB victory…you have to set the expectation regardless and never lower it. I go into every year expecting my Giants to win the SB…nothing less and you will see us again!
Morris Devereaux
December 18th, 2012
8:43 am
I find it extremely curious that so many people feel that the game against the NY Giants was “making a statement”. If that’s the case, what was the statement the week earlier when they folded up against Carolina? Or the week before that when they barely squeaked by Tampa after some incredible good luck? What exactly were they saying then? Statements are great, but I’m still wondering what the Falcons are trying to say.
PreyDawg
December 18th, 2012
8:50 am
@Jeff A big issue with this Falcon’s fan is the ridiculously low amount of coverage in general of the Falcons. I heard Ditka say that on Mike and Mike yesterday (while I was taking my dog to the vet. He had to be put to sleep and I am far from over it). But in the hour or so that I listened, that was the ONLY mention of the Falcons and it was brief. Ditto Monday night Countdown last night. It is amazing how ESPN in particular can do entire episodes and not even utter the word “Falcons”.
BillA
December 18th, 2012
8:51 am
@ Thomas Brown…I disagree, the Giants have not sucked all year. They may not have the proper focus and hunger but then again that tends to happen when you have 2 SB victories over the last 5 yrs. Hopefully you will get to experience some of that in the coming months.
RunninWithTheDawgs
December 18th, 2012
8:54 am
Either of our last two games could tricky. We’ve got to stay focused until it’s over and we finally bring the Lombardi trophy home. After that they can all go on a long needed vacation to a place or places of their choice and lay back and enjoy their new Superbowl rings and make plans to win another one in 2014. GO FALCONS — GITTER DONE !
Esquire
December 18th, 2012
8:58 am
SCFalcon
December 17th, 2012
8:52 pm
Anybody seen Choke or the aint’s fans lately?
**********************************************
Well, one of them ain’t on here as SceneThisB4 anymore. Now he comes on as me because somebody hijacked his handle on the NOLA blogs and is spewing all kinds of nastiness in the Bayou. Paybacks’s a bitch ain’t it. I’m not sure where hiramsaint has run off to, maybe changed his handle enteriely but he is laying very very low.
WE ARE THE MIGHTY MIGHTY FALCONS!!!!
RunninWithTheDawgs
December 18th, 2012
8:59 am
The Falcons are not TRYING to say anything. By shutting out the Superbowl Champions 34 — 0 they SAID we can and will beat everybody that comes our way because WE ARE THE BEST and we will prove it this year.
Bling's the Thing
December 18th, 2012
9:03 am
My strong guess is that it will be the Seahawks coming into the dome for 1st playoff game. Tough matchup, but then they are all tough if you get a bye week. I think it finishes out:
1) Falcons
2) Pack
3) 49ers
4) Skins
5) ‘Hawks
6) Bears or G-Men (probably G-Men, as I think they have a good shot at rebounding after embarrassment and take down reeling Ravens team and go on to beat Eagles, No way does Dallas win out and Bears could easily drop 1 of 2 games they should win, Vikings=no way)
1st Round: Niners will destroy Bears or G-Men
‘Hawks @ Skins…tough call, but I go with ‘Skins
2nd round: Falcons deliver on their 1st playoff win vs. ‘Hawks, close game.
Niners take out Pack at Lambeau just like they did against Pats
3rd round: Niners unfortunately are too much for Falcons (hate to say this with SF winning World Series)
Superbowl: Niners beat Texans or Pats in Superdome.
Bling's the Thing
December 18th, 2012
9:06 am
Derrhhh ,, I meant to say that I go with ‘Hawks beating Skins.
Big Lou
December 18th, 2012
9:14 am
Hey Jeff… Espn disagrees:
Here you go:
After a season full of nail-biters, the Atlanta Falcons finally got a blowout win Sunday, stomping the New York Giants 34-0. They outgained the Giants in total offense (394 to 256), first downs (22 to 10) and also forced more turnovers (three to zero). It was the first time this year the Falcons have thoroughly outplayed a quality opponent. It was not, however, a “statement” win. It was just one game in a long season, and a clear outlier at that, not a new standard of excellence.
Atlanta was outside the top 10 last week in Football Outsiders’ rankings, and one game out of 14 won’t change that too much. Even if you’re not a believer in Football Outsiders’ methods, recent history is full of so-called “statement” games that didn’t say much about either team when all was said and done.
The Falcons stand at 12-2 after Sunday’s win, but Football Outsiders’ system estimates that they “should” have won only about eight of those games, with four extra victories coming through luck in the form of soft scheduling, random turnovers or other factors. That’s rarefied air when it comes to overachievement. Since 1991, 11 other teams have finished with winning records and at least three more actual wins than estimated wins. A quick look back at those overachievers paints an ominous picture for this year’s Falcons:
Overachieving teams, 1991-2011
Year Team Actual Wins Estimated Wins Difference Fate Playoff wins 1992 IND 9 5.5 3.5 Missed Playoffs 0 1993 DET 10 7.0 3.0 Lost wild-card game 0 1996 MIN 9 5.7 3.3 Lost wild-card game 0 1998 ARI 9 5.8 3.2 Lost divisional round 1 1999 IND 13 9.5 3.5 Lost divisional round 0 2001 CHI 13 9.6 3.4 Lost divisional round 0 2002 GB 12 9.0 3.0 Lost wild-card game 0 2003 CAR 11 7.7 3.3 Lost Super Bowl 3 2003 STL 12 8.2 3.8 Lost divisional round 0 2004 ATL 11 7.7 3.3 Lost conference championship 1 2006 SEA 9 5.4 3.6 Lost divisional round 1
As the table shows, only two of these 11 teams reached the conference title game and only two others won even one playoff game. The other seven either missed the playoffs outright or went one-and-done, including some teams whose first game came at home after a first-round bye. The most recent team to suffer that fate: the 2003 St. Louis Rams, who went 12-4 but lost their first playoff game at home to Carolina. That Carolina team, it’s worth noting, also overachieved, and was far and away the most successful of the bunch once the playoffs started.
Why are the Falcons so low in FO’s rankings? Though they’ve lost only two games, they’ve been in severe danger of losing many others. Seven of their wins have come by eight points or fewer, and many of those have come over bottom-dwellers such as Oakland, Philadelphia and Arizona. They should be scolded, not celebrated, for a three-point comeback win at home over the lowly Raiders, a team that has lost to the Dolphins, Broncos, Ravens, Saints and Bengals by at least 20 points apiece.
Atlanta has been particularly weak in the running game, on both sides of the ball. The Falcons have averaged only 3.7 yards per carry on their own rushes (29th in the league), but given up 4.9 yards per carry on opponents’ runs (30th).
Some people reading this (many of them, no doubt, residing in the 404 area code) will insist that the Falcons have the best record in the NFC, and that means they’re the best team in the NFC, fancy computer numbers be damned. Even those readers, though, should take caution and not get overly excited by one game. Recent history is littered with teams that made “statements” by beating playoff-bound teams in December, then fell flat on their face in the playoffs:
• In 2008, the Steelers were the victims of a “statement” win, losing 31-14 to Tennessee in Week 16. The Titans finished 13-3 but lost their first playoff game to Baltimore. The Steelers finished 12-4 and won the Super Bowl.
• The 2010 Patriots won 14 games, including victories over playoff-bound Jets and Bears teams in back-to-back weeks by a combined score of 81-10. They then lost their first playoff game, at home, to the Jets.
• Last year, a pair of NFC teams made “statement” December wins before going up in smoke. The Saints crushed Atlanta 45-16 on their way to a 13-3 mark, and the 49ers manhandled Pittsburgh and also went 13-3. The Saints beat the Lions in the postseason, but were promptly beaten by the 49ers, who in turn were beaten by the Giants.
Games like that make Atlanta’s win Sunday seem much less relevant. It was the best game the Falcons have played this year, but that, by definition, makes it the fluke, not the standard. It was an important win for the Falcons because it brought them one step closer to clinching home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. But it would be a mistake to think they’re significantly better now than they were one week ago.
RunninWithTheDawgs
December 18th, 2012
9:18 am
The Falcons would have a GREAT running game if they would learn how to use their running backs, Instead of starting Turner, they should start Snelling and Quizz and let them wear the defense down some, then bring Turner in fresh and turn him loose. Turner still has it. He is a downhill grinder that has a big role in our Offense, but with all the premium backs we’ve got there’s no need to over work him.
DawgFanStuckInAL
December 18th, 2012
9:19 am
Kudos to Terry Bradshaw! He was the only one on Fox’s NFL pre-game show that was brave eough to pick the Falcons.
Bling's the Thing
December 18th, 2012
9:19 am
I think if Dirk Koetter and Mike Smith have realized anything it is that you don’t take your foot off of the accelerator and that mixing in no-huddle would be smart come playoffs. This conservative 2nd and 3rd quarter nonsense has to stop. There were games this year where I swear Mularkey used a double for Jax (b/c who would notice right?) and had snuck into the booth and bonked Koetter over the head late in the 1st quarter. Mularkey leaves at end of 3rd quarter, catches a jet back to the Jax game and makes it in just enough time to greet the press.
Bling's the Thing
December 18th, 2012
9:24 am
Bradshaw only picked the Falcons b/c everyone else picked Giants. He changed his pick last second (which was the Giants). In other words they all picked the Giants to win, but one of them needed to go with Falcons to not look as biased when you are talking about an 11-2 team.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 18th, 2012
9:31 am
Carolina was a great statement game!
John
December 18th, 2012
9:37 am
Det got blown out by Az and the falcons are just a 4 point fav over det. You know if gb was playing them, the line would be pack by 8
Bling's the Thing
December 18th, 2012
9:37 am
@Big Lou, as much as I agree with not paying attention to the spikes versus the overall curve, the Falcons are a better team than those poor games they played. They were not a team that should have been in such coin-flip games where they luckily came out on the winning side. To me that says more about the conservative approach on offense that reared it’s head in all of those games, where they were playing to the level of their opponent and playing not to lose. In addition, I think it also comes down to Matt Ryan’s level of play,, where he has been inconsistent. So, if they go pedal to the metal on Offense,, I think Ryan thrives in that approach and they become a different team. Having said all of that, I don’t on a whole, disagree with what Football Outsiders has to say. It will all come down to the postseason to prove anything.
RunninWithTheDawgs
December 18th, 2012
9:41 am
Choke — I agree. I actually think Carolina is evolving into a great team and a force to be reconed with in the future. They’ve got a QB that can rush for 100 yds. on almost any team, and he’s getting better and better at tossing the ball. The Panthers are here to stay and we all might as well get used to it.
Terry Bradshaw
December 18th, 2012
9:41 am
Jeff, you’re my ‘ole buddy, but when you start quoting Spiro Agnew on this here blog, you are dating yourself. Dating — meaning how gold dang old you are — on this here blog. But, hey, I’m old too. I’m thinking I might have a few more hairs on the lower part of my head than you do on the top of yours and I can sing like a bird! Heard “Louisiana Nights”. Man, I nailed that one.
Bling's the Thing
December 18th, 2012
9:47 am
It scares me to think about Wilson and Kaepernick running all over the field vs. Falcons the way Rodgers did in the playoffs 2 years ago. QB’s run way more in playoffs on 3rd down and that could cause huge problems, but since the Seahawks don’t have a passing game, that is less of a threat. Kaepernick and Rodgers ,,whole different story.
PMC
December 18th, 2012
9:57 am
Having concerns doesn’t mean you don’t still believe they can win. My problem with the national media is the outright dismissal of a very good team. The ONLY, repeat ONLY column space they have been given is when they have lost the two games this season.
It’s bordering on disrespect from the most respected of national journalists. Again, I’m not asking anyone to throw bouquets, just comment on what you are seeing, not what you saw last year or 10 years ago. This is an extremely good football team all around that when it gets good line play is dominating and they are being totally and completely ignored.
PMC
December 18th, 2012
9:59 am
If you think this is the same team as last year, you are mistaken. This team can beat you in a lot of ways. It just hinges on what happens especially on the offensive line.
PMC
December 18th, 2012
10:07 am
It’s not the be all end all to beat the New York Giants, but the way the offensive and defensive lines played in that game… was the most impressive of all, when they play like that they can beat anybody.
Dimitroff has hit homeruns in the secondary. He’s found skill position talent all over, he crushed it with 56 (who won’t get the media credit he needs to get there but could be all pro this year) He resigned Biermann despite him coming off a lackluster year. He admitted mistakes early and cut that led anchor Edwards.
When this offensive line plays like that, they beat ANYONE in the league. Say that they wont. Say they can’t.
RunninWithTheDawgs
December 18th, 2012
10:07 am
Nolan is the difference as far as I’m concerned. He’s got the defense clicking right now. The Giants are capable of rolling up a BIG score and you see what they got. A big weakness that we have is a running QB. They sting us everytime.
Mike "CHOKE" Dogs To Death
December 18th, 2012
10:08 am
Hey CHOKE, your golden boy Vick and his sorry Eagles lost to Carolina, too! Does he get a free pass for that?
Oh, wait — he didn’t even play! I almost forgot — his career is DONE!
HA HA
Banned by Mark Bradley
December 18th, 2012
10:12 am
Come on! The Falcons squeaked by the Giants. If the Giants had another 15 possessions, they would have at least tied it…….Maybe,
Terry Bradshaw
December 18th, 2012
10:13 am
Dang it. Only three crawfish and two crabs this morning. Breakfast is served! Love them Falcons where my cousin Bobby Hebert spent some time…
Smooth Operator
December 18th, 2012
10:13 am
Flacco hit 50% of his passes in loss to Broncos.
“Down 10-0 late in the first half, the Ravens had a first-and-goal at the Denver 4 when Harris stepped in front of Anquan Boldin, picked off a pass by Joe Flacco and sprinted down the right sideline with Flacco in pursuit. The quarterback tripped up Harris, who tumbled into the end zone, leaving Flacco flat on his stomach and with a cut lip.”
Poor Joe……………………. not really very effective these days!! Passer rating in the 80’s…….sounds kinda like Mark Sanchez.
SawThat1nce
December 18th, 2012
10:31 am
I agree with PMC, if the OLine plays well, the Falcons are a major threat to ANY team in the league.
I sincerely hope that Dimitroff will make improvements to the OLine in the off-season.
Thomas Brown
December 18th, 2012
11:12 am
Giants have not sucked all year long, huh ?
Lost to a 6-Loss Dallas at home
Lost to a 6-Loss Cincinnati
Lost to a 6-Loss Washington
Lost to a 7-Loss Pittsburgh
Lost to a 10-Loss Philadelphia Eagles
Shut-Out by us 34 to nothing worst loss in a long time
Beat an 8-Loss Tampa by 1 score
Beat an 8-Loss New Orleans
Beat a 9-Loss Carolina
Beat a 9-Loss Cleveland
Beat a 6-Loss Washington
Beat a 6-Loss Dallas
Now, they play a 5-Loss Baltimore
What does that tell you ?
JSS
December 18th, 2012
11:12 am
Let’s clarify something for the people who don’t and never will understand immigration work permits on these AJC Blogs… Michael Vick has a felony record, he will never get a Canadian work visa!
And where exactly is there presently a “professional” American-style football league in Europe (using American talent)?
Thomas Brown
December 18th, 2012
11:21 am
You have to be able to play football to be on any team.
Mike "CHOKE" Dogs To Death
December 18th, 2012
11:27 am
phil
December 17th, 2012
2:54 pm
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.
______________________________________________________________________
Yep. The Declaration of Independence was signed 236 years ago, but no one ever quotes the founding fathers anymore.
And there was a certain guy named Jesus who was born over 2,000 years ago, but no one ever celebrates that.
I’ll await your automatic contradiction.
Thomas Brown
December 18th, 2012
11:28 am
3 erstwhile running backs of 9 years, 6 years and 2 years all averaging 3.9 yards a carry is not a running game.
Thomas Brown
December 18th, 2012
11:34 am
Anyone who thinks that The South is not looked down upon by the Yankees up North, is not very astute. You have to be more discerning, more clear-sighted and less worried about how long ago the War of Northern Aggression was ago, when today, we are considered poorly educated, slow, dawdling, and backwards. What’s the difference in that however long ago it was ?
DawgNole
December 18th, 2012
12:31 pm
Matt “CHOKE” Ryan
December 18th, 2012
12:57 am
I’m not convinced! So you beat a team that was affected by a major tragedy who really didn’t have football on their minds. It was a freakin meaningless regular season game.
_______________________
When it comes to demented, obsessive individuals like you, the question is NOT whether you are “convinced.” Rather, the question is “Would you EVER be convinced?” If the Falcons won out this season, for example, and claimed the SB Championship, would you then be “convinced”? Of course not; you’d simply throw up more excuses for their opponents. That shameful dishonesty and bias is why your opinions are worthless–and why you shouldn’t be given a forum to post them. You are fortunate that Schultz is liberal with his blog policies, or he’d ban you like the others have.
As Coughlin pointed out after the game, there was “no excuse” for the way his team played. He’s right. You’re wrong–AGAIN!
“Meaningless”? Hardly. No victory over the defending World Champion in a game that takes you a step closer to homefield advantage is “meaningless.” So AGAIN, you’re wrong. Proud of yourself though–aren’t you? Lying coward.
bill
December 18th, 2012
12:38 pm
the packers can win in the dome and 49ers.same players year in year out.falcons
DawgNole
December 18th, 2012
12:38 pm
Matt “CHOKE” Ryan
December 18th, 2012
1:08 am
Which is the real Falcants? The one that got whipped by a 2-9 Carolina or the one that won yesterday?
______________________
Here’s another reason you have no business on this or any other blog. You’re a liar. The Panthers were NOT 2-9 when they played the Falcons, and they are now 5-9.
So not only are you shamefully biased, but you have no problem posting lies to further your perverted agenda–like the time earlier this season when you posted that Vick had led the Eagles to victory over the Steelers. The Steelers, of course, won that game. LIAR!
DawgNole
December 18th, 2012
12:43 pm
JSS
December 18th, 2012
11:12 am
Let’s clarify something for the people who don’t and never will understand immigration work permits on these AJC Blogs… Michael Vick has a felony record, he will never get a Canadian work visa!
_______________________
Shame on you for exposing MCR’s hero with truths.
D-Day
December 18th, 2012
12:56 pm
Big Lou
December 18th, 2012
9:14 am
*Bunch of stats from ESPN on why the Falcons will lose*
____________________________________________________________________
There is saying that goes something like “There are 3 kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”
Only 4 of the 12 teams that make the playoffs can make it to the league championship game, so at least 4 of the 6 division champions won’t be there. You can make all kinds of assumptions about the 8 teams not in the conference championship game and then “prove it” with statistics. This kind of stuff is more closely related to what a psychic does than actually proving anything.
.
billsaints
December 18th, 2012
1:04 pm
nfc south champs super bowl pertenders.
Detroit lions – Daily Cut-Up: MegatronWatch – 182 yards to go
December 18th, 2012
1:04 pm
[...] ‘Haters’ roundup: National view on Falcons has changed Jeff Schultz – Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionDecember 17, 2012 [...]
JSS
December 18th, 2012
1:12 pm
What does the Vick not being able to play in Canada have to do with MCR?
Look, Brady Quinn, Mark Sanchez, Chad Henne, Rtan Fitzpatrick, John Skeleton, and Christian Ponder have been allowed to masquerade under center in the NFL this season… I’ll leave it at that if you are so obsessed to think they can’t be beat out for a job…
JSS
December 18th, 2012
1:15 pm
Since when has a 80 passer rating equaled a 32 passer rating?
DawgNole
December 18th, 2012
1:20 pm
D-Day
December 18th, 2012
12:56 pm
Only 4 of the 12 teams that make the playoffs can make it to the league championship game . . . .
___________________
The “league championship game” is the Super Bowl. Only 2 teams can make it to that one.
DawgNole
December 18th, 2012
1:23 pm
JSS
December 18th, 2012
1:12 pm
What does the Vick not being able to play in Canada have to do with MCR?
Look, Brady Quinn, Mark Sanchez, Chad Henne, Rtan Fitzpatrick, John Skeleton, and Christian Ponder have been allowed to masquerade under center in the NFL this season… I’ll leave it at that if you are so obsessed to think they can’t be beat out for a job…
______________________
MCR worships Vick–a convicted felon, as you pointed out in your previous post. That’s what.
What do Quinn, Sanchez, Henne, Fitzpatrick, Skeleton, and Ponder have to do with anything I’ve posted?
GoldenRichards
December 18th, 2012
1:23 pm
Many people have been EXTREMELY SLOW to get on the Falcons bandwagon. I predicted the Falcons would win their game against the Giants this past week, but I thought the Giants would score at least 7 points. I had predicted that the Falcons were going to shallack the Giants by 56 points, beating them 63-7. The margin of victory could have been more as matt ryan and company kneeled down in the closing seconds as they were near the goal line and could have ran up the score on the giants for sticking it to us last year 24-2 but ryan and the falcons were classy and just kneeled down and let the 34 point victory stand instead of scoring another touchdown and running up the score 41-0. Look whether the Falcons beat the Giants by 56, 41 or what they beat them by in 34 points, its still pure dominance of the defending champions because we gave them ABSOLUTELY NO POINTS and left them SCORELESS. Hopefully that beating should be sufficient revenge for last year and should make the Giants EMBARRASED by their loss. At least I hope they are stunned and shaken and I hope they miss the playoffs.
warfalcon
December 18th, 2012
1:30 pm
We do not have a bandwagon,we have a four passenger car and there is no more room for any more riders because I am the driver,FULL.ONE GAME AT A TIME,LETS GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 18th, 2012
1:56 pm
PMC
December 18th, 2012
9:59 am
If you think this is the same team as last year, you are mistaken. This team can beat you in a lot of ways. It just hinges on what happens especially on the offensive line.
______________________________________
So which team was it that got whipped by Carolina?
JSS
December 18th, 2012
1:59 pm
“What do Quinn, Sanchez, Henne, Fitzpatrick, Skeleton, and Ponder have to do with anything I’ve posted?”
About as much my post responding to inane silliness that whatever form of Esquire had when he brought Vick in Canada up (or Europe). That is what I addressed, still you attached an opinion to that comment…
Not to get into y’alls Vick pissing match, but Jimmy Clausen, Kevin Kolb, and Rex Grossman are STILL on NFL rosters. Like I said in 2008, until he turns 37, he’ll find a opportunity to make a roster. Like it or not, there are not enough QB named Quinn, Sanchez, Henne, Fitzpatrick, Skeleton, and Ponder for it not to happen… The only QBs you don’t have worry about (well unless Dan Reeves fools somebody again) getting another shot are named Maddox, Doug Johnson, JaMarcus Russell, McNabb, and maybe Skeleton… Matt Flynn and Michael Vick will be someone’s starter. That is not saying successful, but it what the market can bear…
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 18th, 2012
2:07 pm
Hey guys, just a quick stat for you…….
2008 made playoffs, 2 playoff wins & championship game rep
2009 made playoffs, 1 playoff win
2010 made playoffs, 1 playoff win
2011 made playoffs, 2 playoff wins, championship game rep
2012 made playoffs, ? playoff wins (to be determined)
Of course this is Joe Flacco and the Ravens who only had to use
30 million, not 72 million, straight draft picks, not giving
Cleveland their whole draft, and not giving KC a 2nd round
pick for a soon to be retired tight end.
72 million = ZERO playoff wins.
72 million = ZERO Championship Game Appearances.
30 million = 5 playoff wins.
30 million = 2 Championship Game Appearances.
Any economists in the house? …..ha ha
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 18th, 2012
2:11 pm
Hey guys, can you name the only starting qbs with 0-3 playoff record currently starting in the NFL?
Ray
December 18th, 2012
2:26 pm
Yet Joe Flacco whom I think is a good QB inherited a Defense Juggernaut in the Baltimore Ravens same thing for Mark Sanchez.
Also speaking on Flacco do you realize people are calling for his head as someone who can’t lead his team to said SB Championship.
I’ve heard names like Flucco and Failco so many times on ESPN boards it’s down right ridiculous I feel bad for the guy.
Honestly you can talk about Matt Ryan all day and night, but it takes more than a QB to have a 0-3 record.
Matt Ryan didn’t make Green Bay put up 48 points now did he?
GoldenRichards
December 18th, 2012
2:35 pm
Matt “CHOKE” Ryan said Hey guys, just a quick stat for you…….
2008 made playoffs, 2 playoff wins & championship game rep
2009 made playoffs, 1 playoff win
2010 made playoffs, 1 playoff win
2011 made playoffs, 2 playoff wins, championship game rep
2012 made playoffs, ? playoff wins (to be determined)
Of course this is Joe Flacco and the Ravens who only had to use
30 million, not 72 million, straight draft picks, not giving
Cleveland their whole draft, and not giving KC a 2nd round
pick for a soon to be retired tight end.
72 million = ZERO playoff wins.
72 million = ZERO Championship Game Appearances.
30 million = 5 playoff wins.
30 million = 2 Championship Game Appearances.
Any economists in the house? …..ha ha
FIRST OF ALL Mr. Matt “Choke” Ryan, your quarterback who you say is failing is in the MVP running this year for league MVP. Matty Ice may not get the award, because it can go to a number of guys, but I am convinced that a 34 point pasting of the DEFENDING WORLD CHAMPION GIANTS should count for something. Also when the Falcons win the superbowl in january I hope it is YOU that is the one that will CHOKE over your ridiculous comments which make absolutely no sense. It is obvious to everyone that the Falcons are clearly head and shoulders the BEST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE BY FAR and you and the entire media refuse to accept it. Next year, however, you will be careful how you address the Falcons because you and everyone else will respect them by calling them the World Champion Falcons and if you dont that it is YOU that will be disrespected by everyone else.
DawgNole
December 18th, 2012
2:42 pm
JSS
December 18th, 2012
1:59 pm
“What do Quinn, Sanchez, Henne, Fitzpatrick, Skeleton, and Ponder have to do with anything I’ve posted?”
About as much my post responding to inane silliness that whatever form of Esquire had when he brought Vick in Canada up (or Europe). That is what I addressed, still you attached an opinion to that comment…
____________________
I simply made a SARCASTIC (get it?) but true observation that you’d exposed “MCR’s hero” with truths. Don’t read more into it than was there.
Of course, you’ll notice that the liar MCR has switched allegiances for now–if only in his posts–from MV to Flacco now that MV has proven once again that he can’t take a team very far. And Flacco’s doing a whole lot better lately.
DawgNole
December 18th, 2012
2:44 pm
Make that “And Flacco’s NOT doing a whole lot better lately.”
JSS
December 18th, 2012
2:58 pm
He’s liked Flacco since the 2008 draft… I still like Flacco for the bargain that he was at $30 million dollars as well… Being honest, it has shown on the field as Baltimore has always been more flexible in cap room that the Falcons. That is not in dispute… Look, each side has hitched their attachments… Even with extensions, the Falcons cap situation is far worse than the Ravens… If the current market plays out, the Falcons are going to have load of dead money for the next 3 seasons… Where do you go in terms of an extension when $10. million was already your base? Does he get Brees or Rodgers money? It was bad fiscal policy, add that to Edwards and you get no real savings from Grimes (apparent) departure…
Bryan
December 18th, 2012
3:32 pm
As a Steeler fan, I read the two local papers there everyday, I NEVER
Bryan
December 18th, 2012
3:41 pm
Is this a serious article? As a Steeler fan, I read the two local papers there everyday. I can honestly say I have NEVER saw an article going around to other media outlets quoting them and their thoughts of their local team. A lot of locals may like it, but this is bad journalism Schultz, you’re better than that I hope. ATL… please grow up …this city and fan base have to get rid of the inferiority complex….Geesh, absorb the wins just like the losses, and stop w/the nonsense of watching to see what national guys say about you. You get your respect by winning in January. Stop w/this weekly cry for R-E-S-P-E-C-T. It’s tiresome, and makes people think you’re kinda small w/your goals lol. Worry about that when the season is over.
Hint: they never say super bowl champs are phony, fake, soft etc…they only call them champs. So can you please get over the December “i love it so much when so and so is wrong” and “everybody is on the bandwagon” calls and focus on winning a title.
JSS
December 18th, 2012
3:53 pm
Bryan, you still got a Primanti Brothers hookup?
slap on the back
December 18th, 2012
3:53 pm
The 49er’s lost to the Giants 26-3 at home
and gave up 34 points to the Patriots on Sunday,
yet they are still the darlings of the national media, what a joke.
Post-Gazette
December 18th, 2012
3:58 pm
The 7-7 Steelers are having offensive coordinator problems.
After further review
December 18th, 2012
4:03 pm
“The 49er’s lost to the Giants 26-3 at home
and gave up 34 points to the Patriots on Sunday,
yet they are still the darlings of the national media, what a joke”
Probably because the naitoinal media knows that the guy in the Bud Light commercial is back to watching games in his lucky spot, as he did during their Super Bowl season, so the Niners are a shoe-in.
DawgNole
December 18th, 2012
4:17 pm
JSS
December 18th, 2012
2:58 pm
He’s liked Flacco since the 2008 draft… I still like Flacco for the bargain that he was at $30 million dollars as well… Being honest, it has shown on the field as Baltimore has always been more flexible in cap room that the Falcons. That is not in dispute… Look, each side has hitched their attachments… Even with extensions, the Falcons cap situation is far worse than the Ravens… If the current market plays out, the Falcons are going to have load of dead money for the next 3 seasons… Where do you go in terms of an extension when $10. million was already your base? Does he get Brees or Rodgers money? It was bad fiscal policy, add that to Edwards and you get no real savings from Grimes (apparent) departure…
_____________________
The Falcon organization has never been known for its astute business sense–and obviously not for its on-field postseason performances over the years. Hopefully (for those of us who’ve followed the team for decades), the latter will be addressed this year.
As far as “his” adulation of MV and/or Flacco, he simply chooses the one who’s playing better compared with Ryan at the moment to push his distorted points of view. With MV not playing at all right now, he’s forced to fall back on Flacco as he continues to post lunacy. The main problems I have with him are that (1) he’s a damn liar–as he’s shown many times–and (2) he clearly would never acknowledge the Falcons’ progress even if they did win it all. There are valid reasons he’s been banned from other AJC blogs. As I noted earlier, he’s lucky this particular columnist is more tolerant than the others.
JSS
December 18th, 2012
4:41 pm
All of us are lucky… Look, Ledbetter is a beat, excluding the off-season he rarely moderates his blog… He and Bradley set their filter tight and just chime in when a major violation happens… Floating IPs get by that all the time… Look at the mess that Hawks Blog was… Even more look at the Atrocity show that that Hawks fan blog was before they shut it down… You folks like MCR and Schultz haven’t gone at it… As far “liars,” man please… That D3 blog is worse than a hens roost… It would be different if he climbed on Flacco in 2009, he didn’t… Disingenuous is a two way street… The majority of the gravy-train bloggers on the AJC skew facts on Flacco with ease… All you have to do is go back through the post of ijonathan and see such a trail… The reason people are banned is generally the pure fact that the system is filter based more than content… Ledbetter, bless his heart ran a “Snarky Central” for the greater part of three years. He protected a wide range of bloggers till they turned on him midway through the 2010 off-season… One blogger’s “lunacy” is another one’s truth…
I won’t go off on most of you unless you teal user-names or go after people who are not here to defend themselves… This is not a schoolyard… Now being just plain vulgar and asinine in behavior like Larry was back in October of 2011 or like telling mass-murder jokes, oh I will go napalm on those types…
That is entitled to his opinion, dude, there are great monsters on these blogs, go and email the AJC IT department if you think not…
JSS
December 18th, 2012
4:50 pm
“teal” is “steal”
Thomas Brown
December 18th, 2012
5:05 pm
I fail to see how that improves it.
JSS
December 18th, 2012
5:18 pm
Hold on, let me cut and paste 25 paragraphs of useless college football gibberish to the explanation so you can catch up…
Mike "CHOKE" Dogs To Death
December 18th, 2012
5:33 pm
Matt “CHOKE” Ryan
December 18th, 2012
2:11 pm
Hey guys, can you name the only starting qbs with 0-3 playoff record currently starting in the NFL?
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Well, Pamela, we know it can’t be your child’s baby daddy, Mike Vick, because he ain’t a starter no more!
HA HA
DawgNole
December 18th, 2012
7:37 pm
JSS
December 18th, 2012
4:41 pm
All of us are lucky…
_____________________
Yes we are.
I’ve only posted for a couple of years, so I’m not as familiar with the AJC blog history as you appear to be. But that two years has been more than long enough to see through MCR and his type. I have no use for liars, whether others do it or not. His are blatant–two of which I cited earlier today. Moreover, he pretends that it’s the absence of playoff victories under Ryan that is the source of his ridicule. But YOU know–just as I and the others on here unfortunate enough to be familiar with mindless drivel know–that a Ryan-led SB victory would make no difference. He’s a liar, a coward, an imbecile. PERIOD.
I agree with you on “tealing” handles. Never have understood what motivates that ilk–other than deceit and cowardice. I haven’t considered for even a moment posting under any handle other than mine. Not for one moment.
“One blogger’s `lunacy’ is another’s truth.” To some extent, yes–but NOT in the case of straight-up lies such as those I pointed out earlier.
I find the many of the filters–Schultz’s being the rare exception–a significant aggravation because they often snag material that’s inoccuous. Sunday night, one of Bradley’s posters asked what network the 49′ers-Pats game was on. I responded with that info (a combo of NBC, CNBC, and NBC Sports) and was told my comment was “awaiting moderation.” Happens all the time, and it’s inexcusable. A paper this size should have a better IT dept than that.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 18th, 2012
9:08 pm
DawgNole
You hurt my feelings
Name ONE lie that I have told. Facts are Facts….ha ha
Now relax before you have a seizure…ha ha
DawgNole
December 18th, 2012
9:21 pm
Matt “CHOKE” Ryan
December 18th, 2012
9:08 pm
DawgNole
You hurt my feelings
Name ONE lie that I have told. Facts are Facts….ha ha
Now relax before you have a seizure…ha ha
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I’ve already, in this blog, named TWO you told. Pay attention and quit your whining! Liar.
Getaway
December 19th, 2012
12:28 am
I have to admit that when the Falcons started out strong but wasn’t getting any coverage, I was dissapointed. I watched the “good” teams lose to bad teams without suffering significant damage to their reputations, but saw the Falcons getting slammed even though they were still winning those games.
Against the Giants, the Falcons did what they were supposed to and then some. I don’t care anymore where they are in Power Polls and what any of these experts say. Truly.
What I saw last Sunday said more about the Falcons then all the words that could be written, positive or negative. Everyone was saying it was a must win and the Falcons made that game more important than it was and played it like they were just there to have a good time. That’s a statement whether the Outsiders want to believe it or not.
It’s just one game, no more important than the loss the week before, and not nearly as important as the game this Sunday.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 19th, 2012
1:44 am
@DawgNole
Oh wow 3-9 vs 2-9 that’s a Republican major lie…ha ha.
You are a desperate little man…..ha ha
Now enjoy your 0-3 LOSER or is that a lie also? ha ha
Thomas Brown
December 19th, 2012
2:51 am
JSS,
I believe we’re all more than quite caught up with all your inane silliness while you rant about cutting and pasting what I come in here, research, and post myself of my own words.
Kibbles and Bits URL Links to advertisements in 1981, are your example on this very blog of what you deem to be relevant, important, pertinent, related, appropriate, suitable, right and correct ?
Mindless drivel, such as Kibbles and Bits URL Links ?
JSS
JSS
December 19th, 2012
11:47 am
Typical Thomas Brown, couldn’t leave on the original blog (here), you have to drag it across every blog… Sad and hilarious at the same time, how’s your boy Bill King treating you these days?
Ackshun
December 19th, 2012
12:42 pm
Not a playoff win???? I beg to differ. The birds kicked their butts and took them out of playoff contention. The giants are headed home for the holidays. Oh and Falcons by 21 Saturday over Detroit BANK ON IT.
Mike "CHOKE" Dogs To Death
December 19th, 2012
12:57 pm
Matt “CHOKE” Ryan
December 19th, 2012
1:44 am
@DawgNole
Oh wow 3-9 vs 2-9 that’s a Republican major lie…ha ha.
You are a desperate little man…..ha ha
Now enjoy your 0-3 LOSER or is that a lie also? ha ha
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Pamela, YOU are the desperate one on these blogs, desperately trying to put a damper on a GREAT Falcons season, because you are STILL mad because you blame Matt Ryan and the Falcons for what Mike did to HIMSELF!
SOOO pathetic! HA HA
bullrusher1
December 22nd, 2012
2:00 am
When addressing haters or “doubters”, I often block out their comments using a quote from “Remember the Titans”. At the championship, when Boone’s daughter is annoyed w/ Sheryl for going on about the players. Finally she just says three words… “I DON’T CARE”. That’s how I always counter hater arguments when the bring up past season statistics. And I found that it works.
Choke on my grits
December 23rd, 2012
2:30 pm
Where Is Matt “choke” Ryan now ? hummm