SI's Peter King looks at the Falcons and sees mediocrity

JTK

May 17th, 2010
11:15 am

Peter King is a moron. I stopped reading his articles a while back because they were so ridiculous. I really don’t know why he is so revered as a writer.

mike

May 17th, 2010
11:17 am

peter king is never right.. we have nothing to worry about

Lancer

May 17th, 2010
11:20 am

Screw king. Falcons got what it takes.

Dwayne

May 17th, 2010
11:22 am

3rd

IceFan

May 17th, 2010
11:22 am

He is incorrect! Simple as that

Dwayne

May 17th, 2010
11:22 am

5th and 6th

Dwayne

May 17th, 2010
11:23 am

ok Peters picks are moronic. But he is an OK kinda guy.

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May 17th, 2010
11:24 am

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Dwayne

May 17th, 2010
11:25 am

Wasn’t Peter King the fat guy on Cheers that drank beer all the time with Cliff Claven?

Bubba

May 17th, 2010
11:26 am

Mark, what is the status of Harry Douglas? If he’s healthy, I think he could be a big asset to this offense.

Montclair Mike

May 17th, 2010
11:28 am

Robinson was a nice pickup, ‘Spoon was an athletic playmaker in the Big XII, but the Falcons still need to generate more pressure on the QB – especially against the Saints!!!
If Abraham/Biermann/Chauncey Davis/Jamaal Anderson can’t get to the QB consistently, Robinson will be alone in coverage against Larry Fitzgerald, Marques Colson, Ochocino, A. Boldin, Steve Smith, etc. this season. That’s a scary thought.

Fatty McBuffett

May 17th, 2010
11:28 am

There’s a guy here named Peter King that eats out of the dumpsters behind Kroger. Same Guy?

jimmy

May 17th, 2010
11:29 am

pete need’s retraining

Harry

May 17th, 2010
11:30 am

I don’t agree with Peter King either. I really don’t care how many years of experience he has….but he makes lot of blunders during Pre-Draft & during the season.
His articles is one of the reason I have switched my Subcriptions from SI to ESPN. You are part of journalism and have to be diplomatic but not us as readers.

Gray Mule

May 17th, 2010
11:30 am

I seem to recall that this is not the first time that he has
low rated our Falcons.
He was wrong then and he’s done it again, in my opinion. Atlanta
has improved. Pass defense, which has been almost non existant,
should be improved.
If our defense improves enough, that gives our offense more chances
with the ball. That should lead to more wins. A good formula.

Gray Mule

CAROLINAMAN

May 17th, 2010
11:31 am

I agree with Peter the Falcons haven’t done enough on defense and truly don’t have any game changers on that side of the ball. Abraham’s is declining and Weatherspoon was a reach in the first round.

Sonny Clusters

May 17th, 2010
11:32 am

Being underrated is better than being overrated. When we was playing ball we was most always underrated and that way we could slip up on some people. When we was defending state championship we was never able to slip up on anybody. We was waiting once for a new parfait to be introduced at the Dairy Queen and we was told it was the best parfait yet. When it finally arrived we was so disappointed in it because it had no nuts. That’s right a parfait with no nuts. Overrated.

StayThirstyMyFriends

May 17th, 2010
11:33 am

That white streak in Peter King’s hair is really unattractive…

Brownie

May 17th, 2010
11:34 am

It’s May, and nobody knows who will be better and who will be worse this fall. I can’t recall if I’ve ever agreed with anything Bradley has written ( and I don’t know that the Falcons are “division winning good” considering the Saints don’t appear to have regressed much) but Peter King has no foundation for his opinion.

Consider: The Falcons were better than the Panthers last year with the Falcons 4th ranked toughest schedule and numerous injuries to key personnel. They have drafted well (albeit unspiringly) to fill key holes on both sides of the ball; Ryan has another year of learning this offense; Turner is back healthy and in better shape; Harry Douglas, William Moore and Peria Jerry are all back (like getting “free” free agents); we have a better defensive backs coach; Jason Snelling has finally been given field time to show that he can seriously contribute; Tony G is about to play his final highly-motivated season; and we mercifully don’t have Jason Elam anymore (he literally did cost the Falcons 1-2 games last year).

At this time of the year, every team’s improved, expecting to remain healthy, and looks good in shorts.

I’m guessing that Peter King will not look back on his prediction as being one to boast about.

Birdman

May 17th, 2010
11:35 am

Good point on the fact that even with critical injuries to Ryan and Turner we won more games than them. Throw in the most ridiculous schedule in years (4 teams off bye weeks) and that achievement warrants merit.

Assuming we can avoid criitcal injuries and a softer schedule, this team will improve. An improvement means no less than 10 wins. Is Carolina a 10 win team with Matt Moore at QB? Maybe, but in any case they aren’t the 8th strongest team in the league. And we are much more than the 16th strongest team. His reasoning is not backed up by anything of substance other than a gut feeling, which we all have.

Joey

May 17th, 2010
11:35 am

That Peter King ……. he’s no Mark Bradley!

Matt

May 17th, 2010
11:35 am

It is important to note that King admits that these rankings mean nothing. He picked the Saints to place 24th at the start of last season and the Bears to win it all.

King is a smart reporter and has always given Ryan some good press. I, for one, think the Falcons are going to bust out this year.

Kushion

May 17th, 2010
11:39 am

Peter King can rank the Falcons last if he wants too, we still have to play the games. Guys like this (writers and reporters) get paid to evaluate teams and give their opinions. I don’t care how long he’s been a writer at the end of the day it’s just a writers opinion about football. Take it with a grain of salt and move on. If Peter King was ever consistently correct in his evaluations he would have a different occupation. I for one hope we are able to fly underneath the radar and surprise some people this season on our way to the playoffs.

F-105 Thunderchief

May 17th, 2010
11:40 am

I read that earlier. Carolina? Really, Pete?

SeenThisB4

May 17th, 2010
11:42 am

King is an idiot. How could he be picking the Super Bowl champs at # 5? I can see the #16 pick for Atlanta, but # 5 for Super Bowl Champions? What an idiot. His credibility is completely destroyed with that ranking.

SeenThisB4

May 17th, 2010
11:44 am

Mark: Every time you post one.

Yurtle_the_turtle

May 17th, 2010
11:46 am

This is the same Peter King (SI) who loves Obama and his crappy healthcare garbage. I dismiss King right then and there.

Lethal Weapon 3

May 17th, 2010
11:46 am

The Falcons just need to prove it ont he field. Until then, I think the ranking is spot on. Speculation is one thing, but until they do it on the field, I can honestly say that the Falcons are not an elite team. By suggesting that they are is a joke. The Saints are just flat out better. Coaching, RB’s, WR’s, QB, Defense, (FANS), everything! The Panthers… Well they got rid of their problem…. The absence of the ultimate complainer will mean everything for this team…. The Falcons…Well, let’s see them do it on the field.

NavySealDawg

May 17th, 2010
11:47 am

I heard that Peter King was the President of The Villiage People fan club,

Mike Vick

May 17th, 2010
11:48 am

Peter is right on!…..just que up my oppenturnity to come back to the ATL.

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Birdman

May 17th, 2010
11:50 am

If he admits they mean nothing then why is he paid to write them and why are they reprinted here? Of course they mean nothing as they all do , but his expert opinion is supposed to be worthy of quotation by our always prepared and globally esteemed Mark Bradley, then he better have a more reasonable position of defense on his picks than just gut feeling. Mark I would prefer your complete rankings as a response rather than just pointing out issues with his Falcons ranking. We all know he mailed this one in and did less than half the due diligence we all know you have done. Let’s see the results!

NavySealDawg

May 17th, 2010
11:50 am

He works for sport Illistrated, who didn’t put Georgia in the Top 25 or included them in teams to be mention.

RomeDawg

May 17th, 2010
11:51 am

Where do you think the Falcons should be ranked right now, Mr. Bradley? Or should I say thee “esteemed” Mark Bradley? I sure hope the “esteemed” Peter King is wrong!

SOUTH GA DAWG FAN

May 17th, 2010
11:54 am

But when you think about it , it’s kinda nice to be flying under the radar , I know the players are grown men and pros but a little extra motivation never hurts a little locker room bullentin board material.

F-105 Thunderchief

May 17th, 2010
11:54 am

I don’t speak Latin, is an ad hominem attack a personal attack? That’s what context suggests.

ITP Brave

May 17th, 2010
11:55 am

I’m more surprised by him having Carolina at 8 than Atlanta at 16. (I would probably have Atlanta between 10-12.)

Does King really think that Jimmy Claussen or some guy not named Delhome can be a decent QB in this league? I know that they have two tremendous RBs and an all-world WR, but you can’t do much in the NFL if no one respects your QB.

Unless you have a Baltimore Ravens-esque defense, you’re not winning in this league without at least an average QB. And, last time I checked, the Panthers don’t have that kind of defense.

Proffessor

May 17th, 2010
11:57 am

Yes – It certainly is a personal attack. Jolly good show Thundercheif!

SOUTH GA DAWG FAN

May 17th, 2010
12:00 pm

i agree not many teams have had a defense like Baltimore that can win a super bowl without a real QB , and with the loss of peppers you would think carolina is going to have quite a few games where the offense is going to have to carry the load. And all the pounding is going to catch up with steve smith also he will slow down it happens to all the greats .

Michael in Dunwoody

May 17th, 2010
12:02 pm

Mark,

Read the Peter King article this morning, and almost felt compelled to write an email. Glad you wrote a blog post so I can respond here instead.

I’m always sure to read Peter’s MMQB articles during the season, and in them it seems he both praises the Falcons in general and Matt Ryan in particular while underrating them (due to injuries, schedule, etc.), and at the same time overrates the Panthers. Over the last five or so weeks of the season Peter had the Panthers in his “Fine Fifteen” consistently while the Falcons barely made the list or missed the cut completely. Both teams experienced resurgences during those last few weeks and the Falcons ended up with a better record.

Now, by the same token, he has the Panthers as a TOP TEN team with the Falcons as 16th! I see faulty logic! If we’re going by the “it’s only May” argument, then the Falcons HAVE to be the better team, don’t they? Injuries obviously don’t apply, so one is forced to look at talent and post-draft analysis alone to make these rankings. On talent alone, the Falcons clearly are the better team; the Panthers LOST their best player in the off-season, while the Falcons upgraded their weak secondary and retained a Pro Bowl RB, a Pro Bowl-caliber QB, and a Hall of Fame TE. Am I missing something?

As far as the draft is concerned, both teams were graded in the B/B+ region by most “experts.” Peter praises Matt Moore as the Panthers’ QB in his article, but excludes the fact that they drafted two QBs last month. Perhaps the Panthers’ front office would disagree with Peter’s confidence? Meanwhile, the Falcons drafted for defense, and drafted well.

I should take these rankings with a grain of salt, but it bothers me that they seem to be more of a continuation of Peter’s rankings of last year without taking into consideration the aforementioned aspects that SHOULD constitute these rankings instead with regard to both the Falcons and Panthers.

For the record, I think Peter King is on of the best writers SI has and is one of the reasons I’m a subscriber. He is one of the best, but I think he’s off the mark (no pun intended) here.

Birdman

May 17th, 2010
12:03 pm

No one faults him for giving his opinion. I like Peter King, he is one who seems to think through his postings. We are giving our opinions (unpaid albeit). But posting them in this format is inviting a response, and it seems the overwhelming response from this forum is that the rankings are not backed by information usually employed in evaluating a team. Most conventional wisdom is that a team with a new and unproven qb takes a step back. So we are not off the reservation in questioning his rankings. Personal attacks are not warranted however.

Dawgs97

May 17th, 2010
12:03 pm

Peter King is definitely a moron. This is why I miss Steve Czaban on Satellite radio Czabe would have been all over a fat dolt like King for another stupid analysis.

There’s no way any sane individual can pre season rank the panthers ahead of the Falcons. Look, Matt Ryan could get hurt and the Falcons could win just 5 games and then fine, Carolina does better. But heading into the season, any logical, competent sports writer should have the Falcons #2 in the division and a legit WC contender.

terry

May 17th, 2010
12:04 pm

outta curiosity I checked what king’s picks was last yr, he had atlanta winning the south at 10-6, new orleans at 7-9, new england winning the superbowl over the bears. he’s so wrong he’s just gonna flip flop everything, next yr he’ll have tampa bay on top.

PMC

May 17th, 2010
12:05 pm

That’s fine, they had a rough year last year. PK generally does his ratings based on the known. I can’t explain why he would like a team with Matt Moore at QB and losing the talent of JP (and still no replacement for Steve Smith or Moose better) but that’s his perogative. I guess he thinks a lot of Jimmy Clausen.

It’s a good reminder that the Falcons have a ton of work to do. Remember the national perception was that… they just can’t get the QB..and they didn’t get an end. We have all known since last august in preseason that this team flat out couldn’t cover teams with taller physical receivers and a good QB and that’s why they got Brian Williams to help…and when he and Jerry went down… the defense didn’t have the depth to really do much but slow people down. They couldn’t keep any really effective offensive team from scoring.

If Spoon, Moore, Peters and Jerry can contribute this year I think it will pay big dividends all around.

If HD can make it back to what he was at WR that will help.

There are a lot of ifs with this team but the building blocks are solid. The NFL essentially plays out so that most teams will be around 8-8. How much above or below that depends on injuries, coaching and having the right players for your scheme.

He had the Falcons in there fairly high for a long time last season and they finished just out of his fine 15. I’m not sure 16th is such an off the wall spot for this team to be starting. I’m not with him on Carolina though yet. I like Matt Moore and I like the backs… but I think the Falcons defense will be much improved next year and I think they will get much more out of Ryan.

Dawgs97

May 17th, 2010
12:05 pm

I don’t take you seriously, anyway, Bradley. Remind us again your prediction for Magic-Hawks?

PMC

May 17th, 2010
12:11 pm

The Panthers do have for the most part a very good and tough team and they finished much stronger than they started. At the end of the year they were one of the teams playing the best football. That’s probably why he went the way he did. I just disagree with him slightly with the rating.

teamguy

May 17th, 2010
12:13 pm

That is the second reference to “ad hominem” I have seen today. .word of the day, maybe? Personally, I like your ranking of the Falcons better than King’s, Mr Bradley. Predicting the future is tough. .just ask Ken Cook.

FalconsFan

May 17th, 2010
12:15 pm

Mark,
You pick on Peter King but in his article he wrote this:

“So before I go out this morning, let me embarrass myself by ranking the NFL one through 32. That’s not being overly modest — just realistic. I stink at this. In fact, my recommendation if you really want to find out what’s going to happen in the NFL this year is to take a bye on this column.”

So, if he admits at being horrible at his picks, why criticize him?

Carl

May 17th, 2010
12:16 pm

PK, put down the crack pipe.

PMC

May 17th, 2010
12:20 pm

The other thing with his view of the Panthers…. I don’t get where he’s seeing this desperation and or failing to pay a coach to go away as this desperation to win now. If anything the ownership is saying that they expect a work stoppage and they aren’t paying anyone to not work so soon after they ridiculously paid Jake Delhomme and for a couple of years paid a ton of money to Peppers for him to sulk. They finished REALLY strong but they did so after being frustrated by losing for the bulk of the year.

This entire division is fairly close and very good outside of Tampa who are getting better quickly as thier coach learns on the job. The NFC South is again going to be a war of attrition. Anyone can beat anyone at any time.

Greg

May 17th, 2010
12:27 pm

At the beginning of last season King picked the Falcons to go 10-6 (and win their division). He thought Carolina would be 9-7, N.O would be 7-9, and Tampa would be 4-12. So he was very close on three out of four teams, missing by only one game apiece on those three. He knows his stuff. I happen to think he’s closer to the truth about the Falcons in 2010 than other people here think (but I hope I’m wrong of course). We did not do enough to improve our personnel. We don’t at all look like we will challenge N.O. King’s evaluation of Carolina is eccentric; it’s hard to know how to evaluate a team in the midst of such upheaval. But I wouldn’t write him off.

David

May 17th, 2010
12:29 pm

Pete is an idiot and a jerk. When the Jets punter was out of the playoff game last year (the game Fealy kicked and punter), Pete twitted that the punter had no guts. Turns out, the punter had an irregular heart beat. Pete apologized, the next week in his MMQB. This show he is uninformed and just writes stuff of the cuff.

The Cashew

May 17th, 2010
12:30 pm

That’s what I’m talking about Mark!!!

You give ‘em hell!

Ginger

May 17th, 2010
12:31 pm

I do think that Mr. King is offbase with this analysis. The Falcons D looks to be significantly better with D. Robinson, S. Weatherspoon additions….Also see having P. Jerry and William M. the safety– (rookie safety from Mizzou last yr that was injured) back will also help defense—so four new players or 30% of defense–should provide some pop. Now if Sidbury and Biermann continue to improve as DE and C. Davis continues to get better…then the Pass rush will be better and don’t forget Jerry. Also think that Abraham will get more than 5.5 sacks this yr…big help in getting Dunta. The secondary has just got to play better this yr than last yr—so looking for new secondary coach and new players and more young experienced players to pull that off.

Lets go to offense side of ball…Matt Ryan weathered the dreaded soph. slump yr…so looking for a pretty good yr from him. He has some weapons in Roddy, Tony, Michael…Need Harry to come back with a good yr and the receiver Kerry from Kansas State is going to be a good hands receiver that will help. Mike Jenkins must step up his game–period…I would hate to look up his stats….and I still remember some key dropped passes for 1st downs (Saints game and others)…Jenkins has to become more of a threat at receiver…..One thing about the offense that I don’t see is a RB consistently catching passes out of the backfield…that is a weapon that a lot of NFL teams use..maybe Jearious can get this going or sign a FA running back that can.

See Falcons having a with wins anywhere from 10 to 12…….One last thought—to do this must have very reliable field goad kicker

Dr. Warren

May 17th, 2010
12:33 pm

The reality is no one can predict sports outcomes. Haven’t we learned that enough by now? Who picked the Birds to go 11-5 in ‘08? Who picked the Celtics to be in the conference finals, much less up 1-0. It’s all just for fun anyway, folks. As I wrote after Mark’s blog about Ryan’s prediction of 12 wins, the only thing that matters is the play on the field during the games. The NFL by design is a wildcard.

Ticket holder

May 17th, 2010
12:34 pm

What does King know? nothing!

cheshire

May 17th, 2010
12:34 pm

Yeah, King seems to have lost his mind here. I’ve always liked reading his stuff, but I have no idea what he’s talking about or how he can back that up. When you look at where these teams were last year and what they did in the offseason, it’s kind of absurd to suggest Carolina has somehow leapfrogged Atlanta. In order for that to happen, Moore would have to have a Drew Brees type year as well, which King said himself doesn’t happen often. Strange logic.

I will say about King that he’s never seemed to be that crazy about the Falcons… not sure why. He always seems to either just ignore them or be unreasonably negative about them.

IceFan

May 17th, 2010
12:35 pm

11-5.

MDub

May 17th, 2010
12:36 pm

I don’t think the Falcons will be better than New Orleans, but they’ll be better than the Panthers. I’d put them in the top 10, if they stay healthy. I don’t know why the Falcons would be predicted to be #16 by any analyst. Their defense will be better and their offense should be solid.

hawesg

May 17th, 2010
12:36 pm

ESPN has the Falcons ranked 10th. That seems closer to the mark given Jeria’s status and the lack of a real DE.

IceFan

May 17th, 2010
12:40 pm

Sonny Clusters,

I had a Banana Cream Pie Blizzard last night…………..Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My wife got the Reese’s Blizzard. 25 flavors to choose from was like sensory overload.

Dawgs97

May 17th, 2010
12:40 pm

10th is probably fair. The defense is still somewhat of an unknown (though it has to be better) and how will Michael Turner hold up? But unless the Falcons get pillaged with major injuries to key starters, they absolutely will finish ahead of Carolina.

I will say this – Matt Moore standing there just picking his nose will be better than Jake Delhomme. I was DUMBFOUNDED when Carolina gave him that huge contract last offseason after his abysmal performance in their last playoff game from Jan 2009.

TROTTINGHOME

May 17th, 2010
12:43 pm

Bradley has known Peter King for 30 years…humm humm…that explains the comparative examples of incompetence.

Eiusdem generis.

As for the Falcon’s…11 wins and…then we’ll see.

Dr. Warren

May 17th, 2010
12:44 pm

Let’s put it as tactfully as possible (although we’re all Atlantans here anyway, right?): predictions are nearly impossible, but if you’re a national journalist, with a reputation on the line, you can’t really go wrong picking Atlanta teams to be disappointing, mediocre, or just plain bad.

cheshire

May 17th, 2010
12:48 pm

yeah, the more i look at that article the more insane it gets. some of the teams he has ahead of us just don’t make any sense at all (Miami at #6??? Seattle at #11???? huh?).

but worse than that, his own logic doesn’t hold up. why does Matt Ryan have to have a Drew Brees type season for us to be better than 16th? and he even says we are going to be better… if we’re going to be better than 9-7 in a season that was filled with adversity, that makes us at worst 10-6 or 11-5. that doesn’t get us above 16th?

this is just odd. King is a smart guy, but it’s like he just turned his brain off when he wrote this. i think more realistically he just doesn’t know much about the Falcons. i remember either last year or the year before, it was through the first 8 weeks of the season and he wrote in one of his articles that he hadn’t even watched them play a game yet. i just don’t think they interest him, hence his obvious cluelessness about the state of the team.

geno

May 17th, 2010
12:50 pm

12 & 4 at least. The “FALCONS” are poised to win it all!!! GO FALCONS”.

FalconTransplant

May 17th, 2010
12:50 pm

Peter King on SI
May 11, 2009
Power Rankings

1 *Patties
2 Pittsburgh
3 Giants
4 Bears
5 *Colts
6 *Eagles
7 *Chargers
8 *Ravens
9 *Cowboys
10 Titans
11. ATLANTA
12, *Cards
13 Texans
14 *Green Bay
15. *Vikes
16. *Jets
17. Miami
18 Caralina
19 Seahawks
20 Broncos
21 Jags
22 Buffalo
23 Skins
24 *Saints
25 49ers
26 Buccs
27 Raiders
28 *Bengals
29 Chiefs
30 Rams
31 Lions
32 Browns

* = playoff teams

So my guess is he simply guesses.
But if so at 16 we look to be in good shape.
Look at the other teams on the list he missed

Rajin Mojo

May 17th, 2010
12:50 pm

King needs to drink the juice and get on the bandwagon!!! The Falcons will be great, super, they are feared!!!!!!

Gwinnett Fred

May 17th, 2010
12:50 pm

I’d rather look at his rankings and glass half full say “pretty good, he has the Falcons just 2 spots behind the Patriots” – I’ll take that any day of the week!

Supes

May 17th, 2010
12:52 pm

If they avoid any significant injuries in 2010…Falcons will be a playoff team. That makes them one of the 12 best teams in the NFL…BOOK IT!

I disagree with mr. King…he should stick to making “phone calls to players” and leading in with that on the NBC Sunday night game of the week…

StingerSplash

May 17th, 2010
12:52 pm

What? You mean Peter King dislodged his dome from Brett Favre’s exit ramp long enough to see something else?
Does this mean we have six more weeks of winter?

GetwhatUpayfor

May 17th, 2010
12:53 pm

Time will tell but I’ll bet on the Falcons.

waynester

May 17th, 2010
12:54 pm

From the comments, it sounds like FalconsFan is one of the few who actually read the article over at SI.com. King (whom I rarely read, preferring Ross Tucker) admits right up front that he hasn’t a clue–so take him at his word and ignore whatever he writes! If he lacks confidence in his prediction, I don’t see any reason to discuss it further. Might as well lay out a grid with all the teams and make your prediction based on where the rooster poops–the results would be just as reliable….

Shady

May 17th, 2010
12:56 pm

Peter King also blamed the cold winter and record snow on global warming. Nuff Said.

DawgDad

May 17th, 2010
12:58 pm

They just finished with a winning record given an absolute killer schedule and while enduring numerous key injuries (Jerry, Moore, Williams, Turner, Norwood, Ryan, etc.), and this guy thinks they are middle of the pack this year? They beat the Jets late in the season last year, when the game meant EVERYTHING to the Jets. What is the

Sorry, Mark. Moronic is right on target for Mr. King. It’s not personal, but how else would you describe his analysis, if not moronic?

Rufino Linares

May 17th, 2010
12:58 pm

Just the way I likes it — Falcons under the radar, hiding in the weeds, sneaking up on other teams not expecting us to be any good.

ryan

May 17th, 2010
1:00 pm

Well you do have to admit that Falcons did not do enough in free agency i am not agreeing with Peter King but the Falcons still have a lot of holes on offence and defence . The Falcons still need a deep threat WR and they still need DE. The Saints loaded up so did the Panthers and so did Tampa. The Falcons have a steep hill to climb.

DK

May 17th, 2010
1:00 pm

I can’t wait for September. Then all of the BS talking will be replaced by reality. The funny thing is that I see Carolina being #4 in the NFC South. The Bucs are going to be an improved team this year, the Saints and the Falcons will be fighting for the division and Carolina will be lucky to win 5 games. The Falcons pass rush will be better because of the return and improvement of young talent up front and better DBs. Turner looks better than we’ve ever seen him and Snelling is ready to bust out. All reports are that third year QB Ryan has the system down and looks sharp and in control.

I like the fact that the Falcons are not receiving a lot of love and attention. It means less distraction and pressure and more motivation to prove everybody wrong.

2010 is going to be a great year for Falcons fans. Carolina fans better enjoy the love before the season and the excuses start.

ChippersLoveChild

May 17th, 2010
1:02 pm

Pretty sure he said the Bears were going to win the Super Bowl last year….

DK

May 17th, 2010
1:04 pm

Ryan,

“The Saints loaded up so did the Panthers”

What offseason activities were you watching? The Saints and the Panthers clearly LOST talent through FA and most of their draft pickups will not be very helpful out of the gate. I didn’t see anything these two teams did that can be considered as “loaded up”.

Bigstack O' Pancakes. It's an Irish name!

May 17th, 2010
1:07 pm

Peter King is a goober. I wonder what he thought of the Saints last May. The Panthers are hurdling towards the 1st pick in next years draft not 2nd in the NFC South. No way the Saints are as good as last year. They can’t possibly go injury free a 2nd year in a row or have all the lucky bounces they had last year. Same thing goes for Atlanta. They can’t possibly be as snake bitten as they were last year when the Saints could just barely get by the injury riddled Falcons. Falcons finish 12-4 and win the NFC South.

Delbert D.

May 17th, 2010
1:09 pm

Well, Carolina always has that wide receiver that gives the Falcons trouble because they can’t find him. Now Matt Moore has to figure out who he is and try to find him.

PMC

May 17th, 2010
1:10 pm

Basically though everything that reasonably could go wrong last year DID go wrong and they won 9 games. This team should win 11 above that is gravy if they can at least split with the Saints.

Manny

May 17th, 2010
1:13 pm

I don’t see the Panthers being better than the Falcons, but Peter King has very little confidence in Matt Ryan. There’s too much tape and he was pretty one-dimensional last year. I agree with Peter King on that point, but I think that the Falcons are more talented this year than last year.

The winning formula here is to control the ball with the run game. Let Matt Ryan do what he does best… smart, easy passes. The O-line has to play big for Turner and the running game. And avoid a lot of big plays by getting a rush on the QB, get linebackers that can cover and upgrade your D-line. That’s Falcon football.

But if you rely on Matt Ryan be the football hero and win the game ala Drew Brees or (giggle) Peyton Manning, you’re doomed for failure. Run the SYSTEM.

Whopper Dawg

May 17th, 2010
1:14 pm

He may not be wrong on the Falcons, to be negative, there are a lot of question marks on the team – can Ryan rebound, will the running game rebound, did Turner get worn out in 08 with the high number of carries, will a second receiver step up, will Abraham rebound, can anybody else rush the passer, can any corner cover anybody?

That is a lot of questions. I hope we will get better in 2010 and think the offense will be, with the amount of draft choices dedicated to the D side of the ball, they also should be much improved, but I haven’t seen it yet.

When you think about it, TD hit two home runs in his drafts, Ryan and Lofton. DeCoud has a chance to be a player. All the rest are so so.

Jackson

May 17th, 2010
1:14 pm

I don’t think Peter King is that far off in his assessment. There are a few things to remember when looking at teams and what they are going to be able to do. For instance, if you look at the Colts, you look at offensive passing ability and whether or not Manning has the weapons to distribute the ball to. If you look at the Ravens or Steelers, the power rankings are centered on the defense. If you look at the Falcons, you have to look at the run game which powers everything else. Last year Turner and Norwood were injured and that was the fear for the team coming off Turners heavy workload in 2008. Norwood (and I have loved Norwood since watching him play HS ball in and around Jackson MS) is not durable. Remeber, Snelling was our starter for several games and got a lot of work. Snelling is not your #1 back and when you are a establish the run team like the Falcons, you have to put a question mark on how effective the team will be. Yes Mark, I agree the D has been upgraded. Yes we have added some pieces through the draft. Having said that, until the Falcons can demonstrate a healthy stable of running backs to make the offense work, the team will struggle because we are not built like the Saints, Steelers, or the Chargers.

extremus

May 17th, 2010
1:16 pm

Pre-season rankings by journalists don’t mean that much; just consider where the Falcons were rated this time two years ago before the season began. It’s interesting that King said he felt Matt Ryan didn’t have a “Drew Brees”-type season in him; the likelihood is that neither will Drew Brees himself; everything that could pretty much went right for the Saints last year, and the NFL is a fickle ground for last year’s heroes (as well as anybody who graces the cover of a current Madden game…look into those who have over the past several years and you’ll see why there’s a so-called “curse” associated with doing so). Brees is a great QB with a great bunch of receivers around him, and I think the Saints will be very tough for a good while if they stay healthy, but there are simply too many intangibles to assume one great season translates into more success the next. Just ask Matt Ryan and the Falcons, who were dogged by injuries and a brutal schedule last season. Ryan didn’t have the pass protection Brees did; if I had seven or eight seconds to throw the ball like Brees did against our D-line, heck, I might be able to do fairly decent. And the Falcons did their best to address those issues.

It doesn’t surprise me that the Falcons haven’t gotten much love from the media so far; their top draft pick Weatherspoon was hardly mentioned before the commentators were already talking about the next pick, and by and large the Birds flew well under the radar the entire Draft. No big names, no hoopla that surrounded some of the moves by Carolina and others. But sometimes that’s a good thing; at the time I don’t think there was a circus over Pick #199 in the 1999 Draft. I think the guy’s still playing somewhere up north; his name’s Tom Brady.

So I wouldn’t get too discouraged by even a seasoned journalist’s predictions or pre-season rankings of a league that can change as quickly as the NFL. As a Falcons fan, even as objectively as I can look at it, I think this year’s team can and hopefully will indeed be very special.

Mr. Turnip-Green Jeans

May 17th, 2010
1:16 pm

King slotted the Saints at 24 last year. What more do we need to know about his prognosticating prowess?

SeenThisB4

May 17th, 2010
1:18 pm

The Saints are going to rip the Falcants again this year. Blaming it on injuries, LOL!, as if only the falcants had injuries last year. Uh-huh. Keep thinking that way, especially when you’re eating Saints dust again next year. The Saints will have a better team this year than they had last year, banking on anything else is a discredit to your team. “Oh, we’ll beat the Saints cause they can’t be better than they were last year!” Wow, what a perspective on being competitive. It’s not just the injury list that comes into play. It’s execution. And it’s coaching. Saints have a better coaching staff, up and down the roster. And they have a head coach that isn’t afraid to rip a win out of the jaws of defeat. Can Atlanta say that?

Delbert D.

May 17th, 2010
1:19 pm

“Peter King also blamed the cold winter and record snow on global warming. Nuff Said.”

Mark – See, Shady just took a sarcastic whack at Mr. King without using said sarcasm to refute Mr. King’s statements. That’s not ad hominen.

Well, maybe…we also have to consider the meaning of ‘also.’

Mr. Turnip-Green Jeans

May 17th, 2010
1:20 pm

At least our coaching staff doesn’t catch a buzz (on stolen narcotics) before games…

Bigstack O' Pancakes. It's an Irish name!

May 17th, 2010
1:21 pm

For the record this clown has Green Bay 1st, Miami 6th, and Seattle 11th.

JMar

May 17th, 2010
1:22 pm

This team has a schedule reminiscent of Georgia Tech 2009 – all the best teams are home games, and three of the top teams from last year (Philly, Arizona, and Pittsburgh) are coming in with backup QBs. This sets them up for 13 win potential, even though they’re closer to 10-win good.

SeenThisB4

May 17th, 2010
1:23 pm

No, they catch their buzz during the games.

extremus

May 17th, 2010
1:23 pm

@ JMar,

Almost reminds you of the Saint’s schedule last season, doesn’t it? Hmmm…

JSS

May 17th, 2010
1:23 pm

Are the Falcons still trying to sell season tickets? You people keep jumping on pundits for saying what most of you are saying with your spending dollars… Until that Dome is sold out each week by non corporate dollars, the Falcons and their fans are mediocre… The Falcons have more “if” than anyone in this division except Carolina. Remember, Carolina will still be running the ball down peoples throats, just like the Falcons did in ‘08. They’ll protect Moore or Clausen like Atlanta did for Ryan. On the other hand, the Falcons are a known quantity in terms of this one thing: Matt Ryan. Stop the Atlanta running game and take your chances with him beating you. The league seems to like that bet. They’ll hover where they have been except for one bizarre season in 07 between 7 to 11 wins, certainly not 13 wins…

MightyQuinn

May 17th, 2010
1:24 pm

All preseason predictions are based on the SWAG method, a time honored tradition that most physicians, physicists and sports writers depend mightily upon. Thats: Scientific Wild-Ass Guessing.

Keary

May 17th, 2010
1:25 pm

Anyone ripping King is a moron. If you actually read his MMQB articles you would know the guy understands subtleties of football and especially the NFL that most of you will never grasp. He is entitled to his opinion. The reality is that his opinion is based on years of knowledge and access to pretty much anyone in the league, while most of the people on here have opinions based on homerism.

Sid

May 17th, 2010
1:26 pm

Peter who?

Mr. Turnip-Green Jeans

May 17th, 2010
1:27 pm

“And they have a head coach that isn’t afraid to rip a win out of the jaws of defeat.”

Narcotics are known to increase bravado in some people…

SeenThisB4

May 17th, 2010
1:29 pm

Atlanta is better than Carolina, no argument. This is a two horse race for the division. Saints and Atlanta. But the Saints have the competitive edge right now on offense. Atlanta has an advantage on defense. Saints get the special teams edge. And Coaching edge.

MississippiDawg

May 17th, 2010
1:30 pm

They won’t fly under the radar nor be under-rated as some have suggested. The schedule is much easier and the roster improved. While this is one writers opinion, I heard an ESPN radio analyst pick the Falcons to go to the Super Bowl. Safe bet they win 10-12.

SeenThisB4

May 17th, 2010
1:31 pm

“Narcotics are known to increase bravado in some people…”

Then Mike Smith needs a truck load of them fast.

mudcat

May 17th, 2010
1:32 pm

I hope Mr. King enjoys eating crow come January.

extremus

May 17th, 2010
1:34 pm

@JSS,

I haven’t yet been able to attend a Falcons game as I live in Tennessee, but I read an article (I forget, it was either SI or ESPN.com) the other day that said the problem of declining attendance at NFL games is by no means limited to Atlanta. I don’t know what the Falcons charge for seats, but if it’s close to the Jets’ new stadium, where the average upper-level seat at the endzone goes for upwards of $90 (not including concessions), one can see, especially in this economy, why more and more non-corporate, everyday folks are staying home and watching the games on their television. The article did in fact mention the advent of HDTVs and the ability to follow every game now as major reasons some people are more willing to take the plunge in a $2,000 set for the long-term as opposed to the $500 or so it might take for a family of four to go TO A SINGLE NFL GAME. You know what? I can’t honestly blame them. Sadly, it looks like pro sports stadiums are getting to the point where they are becoming more and more the venue of the rich and well-off. Shouldn’t be that way in America.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

May 17th, 2010
1:34 pm

these rankings are bogus- seeing how camps have not really started yet. I’m sure by June/July- he’ll have the Falcons a lot higher.

Andy

May 17th, 2010
1:35 pm

This whole idea of ranking NFL teams is silly and meaningless. I think the Falcons will be better than Carolina, not so sure about the Saints unless they take a big step backwards. Atlanta should be in the playoffs next season and we’ll just have to see how far they make it. It always comes down to the matchups.

How2fish

May 17th, 2010
1:36 pm

Joey

May 17th, 2010
11:35 am

That Peter King ……. he’s no Mark Bradley! And I knew Mark Bradley !

Joey funny there but you could have even gone farther with it..

That Peter King ……. he’s no Mark Bradley! And I knew Mark Bradley !

Mr. Turnip-Green Jeans

May 17th, 2010
1:36 pm

If this drug thing leads, in any way, to Payton, he’ll no longer be coaching the Saints. Period.

SeenThisB4

May 17th, 2010
1:40 pm

“If this drug thing leads, in any way, to Payton, he’ll no longer be coaching the Saints. Period.”

Uh-huh, don’t bank on it.

mr

May 17th, 2010
1:43 pm

I really dont understand all the hype around Matt Ryan .The first year was a fluke I watched this guy make horrible passes over and over again and get rescued by great catches by Roddy White .He forces the ball stares down receivers and thows way to many picks.He has been the beneficiary of great recieving from White and Gonzalez.His picks have gone up and the longer hes in the league they will get worse.The defenses he will face this year will eat him alive 8-8 wait and see!!!

Tea Party Protest Sign Spell Chequer

May 17th, 2010
1:48 pm

He is a MORAN.

Falcon Devil

May 17th, 2010
1:55 pm

Peter King has the Seahawks as the 10th best team in the NFL. He also had the Falcons selecting Taylor Mays as first draft pick even though it’s one of the least positions of need on the team. He also had the Chicago Bears winning the superbowl last year. He also had the Saints ranked 24th last year. Dude isn’t even worth reading, I stopped halfway through the article because it’s complete crap. Honestly I think my sister could rank the teams more accurately based on the current available information.

David Smith

May 17th, 2010
1:56 pm

Peter King’s comments are typical of any sportswriter who comments on a team they don’t really know about. His views are biased (Although he did give us props for drafting Matt Ryan) and the best are usually reserved for a hand full of teams (Indy, New England, Saints, and Dallas). That is why Brian Baldinger is one of my favorite broadcasters because he knows our team (He has covered us extensively for the past three years on 11 alive) and his opinions are honest (The same can’t be said of Mr. King and other homer reporters).

JSS

May 17th, 2010
2:06 pm

@Extremus…
Most expensive single seat for a full season is $1500, the least is $290… By the way, Atlanta has more single men between the ages of 21 to 55 than city besides Chicago with a income over $30,000. It says a lot when sports franchises have trouble drawing in that type of environment…

CURLY

May 17th, 2010
2:07 pm

Peter King picked the Jets #16 last year,
and they ended up in the AFC Championship game.
What does he know ?

Peter

May 17th, 2010
2:11 pm

Hey Mark……..Didn’t Peter King have the Falcon’s winning 2-3 games two years ago ?

SHO-NUFF

May 17th, 2010
2:20 pm

Has Peter King ever been wrong before?

T.Hill

May 17th, 2010
2:21 pm

MB, I see you’re trying to stop this train of insults you started by printing this article. If you say someone says something bad about my family, i’m going to say something bad about that person. PK is probably a good guy, but as you pointed out he is dead wrong on this pick and it has upset the falcon fans on the page. Please let us VENT in peace!!!!!! lol

Sid

May 17th, 2010
2:24 pm

@mr
What was a fluke about Ryan’s first year? Of course, it is difficult to discern what you are saying what with the absence of punctuation. The longer he is in the league? Lol, my god man, he has only been in the NFL 2 years. You say Roddy White made great catches and he did. But he also dropped a few (as did others) that my grandmother could have caught (God rest her soul). Anyway, QB ratings are a wonderful thing, all the greats have had years in the 80’s. But the intangible is the ability to lead a team, something Vick, Delhomme, Quinn will never have. I would have added Jamarcus Russell and Byron Leftwich but heck, it’s not that they can’t lead a team, it’s just they can’t play football period.

SHO-NUFF

May 17th, 2010
2:24 pm

mr @1:43pm……Was Drew Brees a beneficary of great receiving last year?
Does that mean he is over hyped?

Tea Party Protest Sign Spell Chequer

May 17th, 2010
2:24 pm

Peter King doesnt no nothing bout Flacons football.

SHO-NUFF

May 17th, 2010
2:27 pm

I have the Falcons winning the Superbowl in my rankings.

SHO-NUFF

May 17th, 2010
2:28 pm

The Saints aren’t going to be getting all the generous calls, from the Refs this year.

jayjay

May 17th, 2010
2:30 pm

if you look at the charlotteobserver.com you see even the panther fans see PK ranking too high. no one in carolina is expecting wildcard going into the season. improved, yes.

Vick=Dog killing thug

May 17th, 2010
2:31 pm

I’m also worried about Matt Ryan. Let’s hope Matty Ice returns to his rookie form and shows us that he’s a big time player and able to lead the birds for the next 8-10 years?

SHO-NUFF

May 17th, 2010
2:35 pm

When you get paid to write about something, you write. If you write for SI it really doesn’t matter what you put down, as long as you have the required number of words.

e

SHO-NUFF

May 17th, 2010
2:39 pm

I’m not worried about Ryan. If I was going to worry about something, I’d worry about the OF line.
If they can give him a couple of more seconds to let the plays develope, Matt can deliver the ball.

Tea Party Protest Sign Spell Chequer

May 17th, 2010
2:42 pm

Bouycott SI now!

J-Three

May 17th, 2010
2:57 pm

I’ll believe the Falcons will do something meaningful if they can beat the Philadelphia Eagles. Big game or not, home or away, our birds can’t ever seem to top theirs. And what scheduling quirk seemingly always has Atlanta playing Philly, anyway?

SHO-NUFF

May 17th, 2010
3:01 pm

By the way Mark B. @ 11:50am….I don’t think calling a dummy, a dummy, is an ad hominen attack.

Reid Adair

May 17th, 2010
3:01 pm

I find the “explanation” for Peter King’s ranking to be insufficient. I also see no plausible explanation for having the Falcons ranked behind th Carolina Panthers.

Peter King is MORON

May 17th, 2010
3:02 pm

He is hack that writes about Brent Favre every week. What does that tell ya…

SHO-NUFF

May 17th, 2010
3:02 pm

The Eagles and the Falcons both finished 2nd in their divisions last year is the reason that they are playing this year.

SHO-NUFF

May 17th, 2010
3:06 pm

The South played the East in the NFC, last year.

SHO-NUFF

May 17th, 2010
3:07 pm

2008 season?

Yurtle_the_turtle

May 17th, 2010
3:10 pm

I have the Falcons going to the NFC Championship game in my rankings and the city of New Orleans will whine they deserve another SuperBowl because they had a hurricane come through their city 5 years ago.

PKs coffeenerdness

May 17th, 2010
3:10 pm

Im picking on PK, bc I have read his column and the multiple inconsistencies in it. Its unreal that he has a job.

PDK852

May 17th, 2010
3:11 pm

Just read King’s entire rankings. Just as he qualified in the intro, I found them silly at best. I won’t belabor the point on Carolina at #8, and Falcons at #16. However, he also had Seattle ranked at #11, which may be an even more egregious example of flawed — if not total absence of — logic. I like the Seahawks nearly as much as the Falcons (lived in Seattle for many years) but even I think that’s an outlandish prediction.

SirReal

May 17th, 2010
3:20 pm

Mark, I wont rip Mr. King. He has a right to his own opinion. I will disagree as well though. I just get tried of people defaulting CAR over us. They’ve done nothing significant since getting defeated by NE YEARS ago. (ok, they’ve made the playoffs a few times but thats it.) They’ve lost good players and some are still hurt.I think this prediction of his will be wrong. I see a 10-6 team here at the very least. EVERY game against the AFC North will be a battle, CLE included. People forgot what happened last time the Birds overlooked CLE. The NFC West wont be as brutal but they are still good teams. I dont see CAR fairing as well against the likes of ARZ, SF, CIN, PIT, and most importantly ATL!

houstondawg

May 17th, 2010
3:22 pm

This team is scarily looking like how the Patriots were building up in the late 90’s. I am pretty sure we get a shot a the big game within the next years. I really dont see the Saints doing anywhere close to what they were doing last year. Now all of their hard games are on the road in hostile environments, Get a taste of that Saints fans and don;t forget I told you so at the end of the season.

Marcos

May 17th, 2010
3:27 pm

Why is this prick writing for si anyway carolina ahead of atlanta he must been stoned to say that i hope he ate all his words right up his ass go falcon lets fly and fly high 12-4

Peter King is MORON

May 17th, 2010
3:35 pm

He always picks the Panthers to do well. regardless how bad they suck. Where did he have them in his last pre-season power rankings? Not the “power rankings” mean anything…

Peter King

May 17th, 2010
3:45 pm

I steal cars and ride bicycles!!!!! Bweigh! I don’t like Matt Ryan! Meow! I fart in my mouth!

Captain Dood

May 17th, 2010
3:47 pm

Man Peter King is freaking crazy

SeenThisB4

May 17th, 2010
3:48 pm

Houstondawg: Don’t get too overconfident on that kool-aid you’re drinking too. Matt Ryan is not a top tier QB. And Mike Smith, LOL!, …. (excuse me)…Mike Smith is no where near being a quality head coach. And don’t forget, Atlanta, well Atlanta was the only team in the NFC South that the Saints beat twice last year. Atlanta has a lot of ground to make up, and I don’t see where they have made enough improvements so far, to get the Division Title.

Mr. Dood

May 17th, 2010
3:50 pm

Seriously Peter King is freaking crazy

ATL Observer

May 17th, 2010
4:35 pm

I think P. King himself said these ratings don’t mean much…and really, he’s probably just a couple of bad preseason Carolina starts away from jumping Atlanta to 12th.

The Saints depend a lot on Darren Sharper and if he and the defense will be in the same ball-hawking form they were in 2009. If not, then they’ll go back to what they were in 2008: a .500 team that scores a lot.

Trying to predict how Carolina will do is like trying to catch a greased pig: damn near impossible.

True Fan

May 17th, 2010
4:45 pm

So the mighty king had the ain’ts 24 and they won the Superbowl. Enough said……..

scottbravesfan

May 17th, 2010
4:50 pm

Peter King is never right about any sports not just football. The guy last year ripped the Tampa Bay Rays for trading Scott Kazmir, who’s a nutcase, and now they are the best team in baseball. His football picks are about as terrible as well.

The Falcons all the way in 2010!!! FTW!!!

Barticus Maximus

May 17th, 2010
4:51 pm

The King of Peter has an opinion. Now look down, he also has an a-hole. Everybody has an opinion and an a-hole. In this case, the opinion might of been better coming out of his a-hole.

Eddie

May 17th, 2010
5:17 pm

The games are not played in Peter King’s rankings, they are played on the field. Many things can happen over the course of a season to make the favorite the underdog, and vise versa.

Jermy

May 17th, 2010
5:19 pm

@ Mark Bradley.

SO! He wrote something becuase that’s his job. So what if it doesn’t happen like he said, he’ll just write a new story.

Kinda like you Mark!

Joseph

May 17th, 2010
5:26 pm

The Falcons will be a better team in 2010 with a more favorable schedule. We are due to avoid injuries given how the team was beset with them last season. Defense is much improved over playoff team’s defense. Looks very promising. Matt will prove the naysayers wrong in year 3.

Patrick

May 17th, 2010
5:37 pm

He’s not a moron, but his ability to predict teams is, as he mentioned himself in the article, notoriously awful.

Patrick

May 17th, 2010
5:37 pm

Well, he was for a obamacare, so politically and socially, he’s a moron, but he’s does know football.

jc_dawgs

May 17th, 2010
5:54 pm

rediculous! PK is an idiot for thinking this and here is why.

Simply put…The Falcons are every bit as good as last years team and I really dont see how one can argue that they are not better.

Last year they finished 9-7 despite some key injuries and a brutal schedule.

No way the Falcons are a plain Jane average team. This is an above average team across the board with the only weakness being pass rush on defense.

hangman

May 17th, 2010
6:06 pm

who the heck is King Peter?

Dirty Byrd

May 17th, 2010
6:09 pm

Peter King is a HaCk!

nativefalcon

May 17th, 2010
6:26 pm

I like Peter King articles a good bit, but his picks suck, hes always been a 50/50 picker and if you professionaly bet on his picks you would go broke quick. He said the Falcons would go 7-9 in 98 and we went to 14-2 and the Super Bowl, and hes a closet panther homer, if he can’t see they suck, Just comment and don’t give picks you look stupid when you do, hes no Dr. Z.

jerry

May 17th, 2010
6:26 pm

The man is paid to predict something. Maybe he was going on a track record regardless of other factors.

DW

May 17th, 2010
7:02 pm

Peter King is verbose, has never written a SI article under four pages long. He’s a good writer, just not very bright in a ’sports’ kind of way, or at least ignorant as to the power shift in the NFC South.
The Falcons have improved where the Panthers have taken a step or two backwards. The Falcons have another year of continuity with the same system and coaching staff, have added Robinson and Spoon to the Defense. Ryan should bloom in his third year and there is a lot of talent for support at WR for a change. In fact there is more depth everywhere. Turner is mean and lean again so this should be a very balanced and high powered Offense. And our schedule is easier than last years with our Bye placement at week eight and only one term coming off their Bye week. Unless Moore, Jerry, and Douglas are not rehabbed enough to provide some impact or the injury bug hits us again, we should be at least an 11-5.

The playoffs and three winning seasons in a row. Things are looking up. GO FALCONS!

mr

May 17th, 2010
7:49 pm

@sid
sorry it took me so long to get back at you,first of all Mike Vick 2 playoff wins and one championship game Matty ice none and i’m not a Vick apologist.Stop thinking that everyone who is critical of Matt is a Vick fan,if you wnat to see an example of progress see Joe Flacco who also has more playoff wins than your boy .Secondly did you make a point,watch the games,he constantly throws in double and sometimes triple coverage not to mention staring down recievers.Look at the numbers please his ints have gone up in just one year and with the defenses he will se this year they will only get worse.Check back with me in December and we’ll see!! Is that enough punctuation for you!

@sho-nuff
Are you really comparing Matt Ryan to Drew Brees!! Conversation over!At this point shouldn’t he be compared to someone like Alex Smith!Or maybe you would rather compare him to say Peyton Manning or Tom Brady!All i’m saying is this guy is getting alot of praise and hasn’t really done much.

ctfalconsfan

May 17th, 2010
8:27 pm

To the Saints Fans or as most of them are called, Band wagoner’s, go back and put paper bags on your heads.

It is great news when ATL is not picked to do well. Here are season’s that we weren’t suppose to do anything but we made the play-offs:
1998, 2002, 2004 and 2008 (remember SI had us winning 1 or 2 games in 08′), IDIOTS!!!!!!!!

The years we were picked to do well and we stunk:
1999, 2003, 2005

So, I’ve noticed most writers just pick the same play-off teams from the year before, they might change 1 team.

ATL will hopefully be healther this year and we play an easier schedule than last year so we should be able to win 10-12 games.

falconcrest

May 17th, 2010
8:55 pm

I like and respect PK….but agree with MB on this one. If healthy, the Falcons should win at least 10 gms and I’d bet it’s 11 or more. The Falcons for the first time I can remember (been a Falcon fan since ‘75) finally have depth at all positions. Think about it…the OL with Johnson, Reynolds and Hawley, WR Douglas back and the guy from KSU, RB Snelling, Norwood, TE Peelle, QB Redman is the best back up in the league, DB’s last yr was the biggest weakness, is now one of strength’s of the team with Grimes, Chris Owens, DF, BW, De-Coud, Moore, Coleman, LB Spoon, Adkins, Wire DL yet unproven Sidbury, Beirman, Johnson, Peters, Walker, Jerry. On top of all that depth, the defense was playing really well at the end of the season. The run defense was outstanding and the CB’s Grimes and Owens were light yrs ahead of how they played in Sept. The unproven DE’s must perform and HD need to come back strong and the Falcons could win the division.

hiramsaint

May 17th, 2010
9:09 pm

pete sure got those feathers ruffled didn’t he!

hiramsaint

May 17th, 2010
9:15 pm

falconcrest- you forgot 1 main part, you have arthurs footstool instead of a coach

Barton

May 17th, 2010
9:17 pm

I’m just going to say it, Mike Smith scares me a little bit… and I think he’s the reason the Falcons should never be underrated

hiramsaint

May 17th, 2010
9:21 pm

why does he scare you ? did you get to close to him on the sidelines?

poppa falcon

May 17th, 2010
9:27 pm

Peter King picked the Bears to win the Superbowl last yr………..
I think I’ve said enough.

Realism Sucks

May 17th, 2010
9:42 pm

*snicker*

UP NORTH

May 17th, 2010
9:44 pm

I’ve been a Falcon fan since the year they started, King has never been a Falcon fan. I can go back years, even decades, and he has never been supportive as he has a few others–he does it every year. And every year he picks off base. Yes, he just guesses, but SI pays him big to take a stupid pill everyday.

hiramsaint

May 17th, 2010
9:49 pm

up north- do you get paid to take yours or just because you like it

falconcrest

May 17th, 2010
10:07 pm

hiramsaint—–Mike Smith is one of the best and so is Blank……we the Falcons finally got it right with TD and coach Smith. Just watch…you don’t have to like it…but you can’t stop it!!!! The Falcons will be a force to be reckon with for yrs to come

Chop Buster

May 17th, 2010
10:18 pm

Little Peter is entitled to his opinion. I don’t know what he’s basing this on but it seems to be a little far fetched. We’ll show them…our team will show all doubters what we can do this year. Let’s bust ‘em in the mouth Falcons!!!

UP NORTH

May 17th, 2010
10:19 pm

hiramsaint-we all take that pill sometimes, but most fans aren’t addicted unless they wear bags on their head when their team sucks.

falconcrest

May 17th, 2010
10:30 pm

up north—-LOL!!!!

Matty

May 17th, 2010
10:34 pm

Alot of people are talking about the Falcons injuries and strength of schedule and the fact that they still won one more game than the Panthers.

Here’s the flipside of that. Panthers lost Maake Kemoeatu, their only big DT, before the start of the season. For the first few games teams exploited the hell out of that fact and ran all over us until we finally found someone to stopgap the position. Lost LB Thomas Davis, who was having a Pro-bowl year, 7 games into the season. Lost Pro-bowl tackle Jordan Gross halfway into the season.

Falcons had the 4th hardest SOS? Panthers had the 2nd. Perhaps it’s actually telling that the Panthers only lost one more game than the Falcons with a QB starting most of the year throwing 8 TDs against 18 interceptions.

hiramsaint

May 17th, 2010
10:34 pm

falconcrest-jibberish because you can’t validate anything you just said- oh , i’m sorry- back to back WINNING seasons–WOW! up north– speak for yourself. this ain’t the 1990’s anymore and we have the lombardi. where’s yours? thats right, in denver

falconcrest

May 17th, 2010
10:51 pm

saint– congrats on your trophy last yr and you guys will be hard to unseat…..but we gunna b purdy darn good. SO GET USE TO IT!!!!!!!

falconcrest

May 17th, 2010
10:53 pm

Matty—good point on the panties…but we will own yall next yr

hiramsaint

May 17th, 2010
11:04 pm

falconcrest– i agree with you on both points. looking forward to next season and i think y’all should be better than the kitty cats. don’t take any thing i say personally , i just like to stir it up a little once a day

Big Ray

May 18th, 2010
12:43 am

The King is wrong. Down with the King.

Big Ray

May 18th, 2010
12:45 am

hiramsaint

Damn straight we’ll be better than them kitty cats.

Peter King ranked your team as 5th. How does that work? I thought the champion was the champion until somebody else took the trophy. Yeesh…

Bill King

May 18th, 2010
4:21 am

Who gives a damn what Peter King thinks says or projects about and Atlanta team !!!

Carolina Panthers Ranked Eighth, Out of 32 NFL Teams | Cat Crave | A Carolina Panthers blog

May 18th, 2010
4:30 am

[...] a differing perspective, I’ll also submit the point of view provided by Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. That’s correct. He (Peter King) has [...]

Eugene"HighMorals"Robinson

May 18th, 2010
4:39 am

Peter King’s probably right. You moronic Falcon fans are too delusional to see that. He is ranking them squarely where they belong…in the realm of mediocrity where they have resided for +40 years. And I highly doubt anything will change this year. This is the sad truth, the way the world is. It’s nice to know there are a few constants in an ever-changing world. Like, say, the Falcons NOT winning a title, again!

THE ASSASSIN

May 18th, 2010
5:41 am

THE one thing nobody mentioned is TONY gonzales his second year with matt ryan and maybe his last im not saying the falcons go to the super bowl but they will make the playoffs.DON”T you think that will make a big difference MARK?

jeff

May 18th, 2010
6:47 am

Mark- I am a long time Falcons Fan and it pains me to have to say this. But- with our current roster; I am being a little conservative I guess. I tend to agree to some degree. I don’t think we can be serious
pre-season contenders unless we get some FA help in these two areas. 1. WR and 2. RB. White, TG, and Douglas coming off of injury we aren’t very good there (I don’t think Jenkins is a dependable receiver) my opinion . RB- We have Turner and Snelling, Norwood can’t stay on the field so I don’t mention him either. We are not looking good here either and injuries do happen often at both positions. I hope we aren’t looking for Depth at these positions with the Rooks we brought in.

Have you heard any secrets of TD and Company looking at some FA to come in and bolster these two areas? Are we taking the wait and see approach?There is a short to medium list of FA out there that could possibly come in and be a big impact at the positions. Training camp is usually when TD has made his moves in the past. Do you see that happening?

Singletary

May 18th, 2010
6:50 am

Dwayne, you are so totally “da man.” Classic, or as the Aussies say, “useful.”

Wasn’t Peter King the fat guy on Cheers that drank beer all the time with Cliff Claven?

fatboy

May 18th, 2010
7:05 am

middle of the pack is a good starting place. make the coaches and players work hard to prove some folks wrong. sometime players on teams picked high early in the year may get a little big headed and start to think they are going to have easy sledding. i look back at both New Orleans games last year, the falcons were in both, and it could be argued they should have won one or both, and a few more field goals and the falcons and the saints fortunes would have been reversed. i think with Daunta and Spoon, and the return of Douglas, falcons easily distance themselves from carolina, and close the gap on New Orleans.

Shizzle Knizzle

May 18th, 2010
8:01 am

Peter King is a dufus and so is anyone who ever came in contact with him.

Sorry MB but dufiosity is communicable, ESPECIALLY in college, so get yourself checked.

heartofdarkness

May 18th, 2010
8:08 am

The latin speaking peoples of America thank you, Mark, for keeping the language alive. The full phrase “argumentum ad hominem” refers to a rhetorical strategy or logical fallacy whereby one proponent avoids the issues contained in the proposition under discussion by reference to the qualities and characteristics of his opponent in the argument. In public policy discourse, ad hominem raises the emotional level of the contest without advancing the audience’s knowledge about the subject. Seems to me, that’s what these blogs are for.

Please distinguish: Gratuitous verbal abuse or “name-calling” itself is not an argumentum ad hominem or a logical fallacy. The fallacy only occurs if personal attacks are employed instead of an argument to devalue an argument by attacking the speaker, not personal insults in the middle of an otherwise sound argument or insults that stand alone.

coo coo bird fan

May 18th, 2010
8:45 am

Another reason I don’t read SI anymore, Peter King must smoke his breakfast! Cummon! Injuries aside we will be three games better than Carolina next year. I do however see the Saints being ahead of us. If Sidbury shows up along w/ Bierman and Abraham can stay on the field the defense will hold its own. Ryan just needs to lead the team w/out turnovers, I’ll take 200 yds and 0 ints over 400 yds w/ 2 or more ints. We dont need Brees like year, we need Dilfer type year, remember the Ravens.

jborodawg

May 18th, 2010
8:50 am

Heck, he’s got Green Bay, San Diego, Baltimore, and Indy ranked 1, 2, 3, and 4. He’s got Pittsburgh and New England down low…with the Falcons.

The Falcons do have a lot of “ifs”. IF P.Jerry comes thru; IF J.Anderson shows marked improvement (to allow J.Abraham to do his thang; IF Burner has a great season; IF H.Douglas breaks out; IF M.Ryan shows marked improvement over last year…etc etc etc.

MJ

May 18th, 2010
9:20 am

Peter King always has bad picks because he gets to emotionally involved in teams. He always picks teams based on qualities other than talent. Carolina is “tough” etc…Carolina will have a worse defense that the Falcons, they have no pass rush.

Ken Strickland

May 18th, 2010
11:03 am

MARK BRADLEY-While I agree with your assessment of Peter King not being a moron, I have to take issue with your assessment of him KNOWING HIS STUFF. He apparently doesn’t know DE JPeppers, and his 10.5 sacks(which is 5.5 more than the next highest total), 5 passes defended, 5 forced fumbles and 2 blocks, is no longer with the team. Does he think 2yr veteran DE Everett Brown(2.5 sacks) or 8yr veteran DE Tyler Brayton(5 sacks) will be able to come close to replacing Peppers’ production, while commanding the same double and triple teams?

Does he know how Peppers’ replacement is going to improve their awful run DEF, which ranked 22nd last yr with him. Does he know how their solid pass DEF, which ranked 4th last yr, will remain that way without the versatility, athleticism and production he provided?

Their OFF has always been rather one dimensional and geared heavily toward the run, which accounted for them finishing 3rd in rushing last yr. However, their passing OFF is one dimensional and basically limited to WR SSmith, which explains why their passing OFF finished 27th last yr.

Does he know how MMoore, an inexperienced QB that had only 85 pass attempts last yr, and who couldn’t even beat out JDelhomme, is going to elevate their extremely weak one dimensional passing OFF? If MMoore goes down due to injury, does he know which one of the outstanding backup QB’s, HCantwell, JClausan or JMcCown, will take over and lead them to his projected prosperity?

Does he know our OFF features a Pro Bowl RB, QB, TE and WR, or that in 08, when we were healthy, we finished 2nd overall in rushing? Does he know that last yr our DEF was one of the NFL’s most dominant down the stretch? Does he know he made the same stupid prediction for the Falcons in 08 that he’s making now?

He may not be a moron, but if his football knowledge was a building, HE’D BE CONDEMNED.

ATL Observer

May 18th, 2010
11:22 am

mr wrote:
>Are you really comparing Matt Ryan to Drew Brees!!
>Conversation over!At this point shouldn’t he be
>compared to someone like Alex Smith!Or maybe you
>would rather compare him to say Peyton Manning or
>Tom Brady!All i’m saying is this guy is getting alot of
>praise and hasn’t really done much.

You’re right, mr, it’s insane to compare Matt Ryan to Drew Brees.

After all, whereas Matt Ryan has won almost two-thirds of his games in his first two years, Brees was only 10-17 in his first two years as a starter and hadn’t found a playoff game to lose yet.

And whereas Matt Ryan threw 25 INTs in his first two years as a starter, Brees threw 31 (in less games).

So yeah: totally insane comparison.

Dave Arillio

May 18th, 2010
7:30 pm

I have to say, King is right on the money. The Falcons were just a marginal team last year…This offseason there was no big push to am up the wr’s or no real attempt to address an unhealthy and overweight Mike Turner.

This is too bad because the tools were out there for the birds to succeed and they did not grab them.

Now, I do, believe Carolina got much better overall and if injuries stay away form their defense they may be unstoppable. You have to respect what Matt Moore did when the team was finally handed to him and the cuffs were removed (post New England game). Moore was one of the league’s best qb’s. With the post season dismantling in New Orleans Atlanta may still be in line for a wildcard but they are still a mid-tier team who will play a tougher schedule.

Come on Arthur Blank! Spend some money on this thing! The Atl is tired of not having a champ!

MAXX

May 18th, 2010
9:55 pm

Wow, Peter King is suddenly Skip Bayless. He might not be a moron, but it seems moronic to think that the Panthers are going to be better than the Falcons this year

houstondawg

May 18th, 2010
11:36 pm

“And whereas Matt Ryan threw 25 INTs in his first two years as a starter, Brees threw 31 (in less games).

So yeah: totally insane comparison.”

Awesome point!!1

These dumb saints fans are going to get a good hard taste of difficult road games. finally last year it was a little weird how all of this was last to have big nat tv games in the superdome from a 7-9 a year before. then out of the outhouse to the penthouse, just doesn’t happen that way. Who knows but I think the NFL had something to do with the Saints title, but absolutely not are they dynasty team, not with dummy payton at the helm(big risk taker).
I like the way the Falcons are building their team for long term.

Ken Strickland

May 19th, 2010
12:51 am

DAVE ARILLIO-you seem to suffer the same lack of insight as Peter King when it comes to the Falcons. You’re able to recognize the potential impact injuries could have on the Panthers this season, but you totally ignore the impact it had on us last yr. RB MTurner suffers an ankle injury, comes back too soon, suffers a reinjury, which puts him out for the season, and you blame it on him being over weight? He weighed the same in 08 when was healthy and ran for 1699yds on 376 carries and 17TD’s.

MMoore threw a grand total of 85 passes last yr, and you’re ready to make him an Allpro. Exactly what did the Panthers do, other than let JPeppers go, to make their DEF so dominant all of a sudden? And why would injuries derail their dominance, but have no impact on the Falcons, who’s DEF managed to dominate down the stretch last yr despite multiple injuries.

What makes you think their 22nd ranked run DEF is going to be lights out all of a sudden? And how is their pass DEF going to fair without their top pass rusher, and only double digit sack master, who managed to more than double the teams next highest total? Even with Peppers 10.5 sacks, they managed only 3 more sacks than the Falcons.

You made an issue of the Falcons not arming up the WR’s. Well, what did the Panthers do to arm up their WR’s, as well as their paltry 27th ranked passing OFF, especially their 37-38yr old #2 WR Mohammad? When healthy, we can run with the Panthers, as evidenced by our #2 ranking in 08, but they can’t pass with us, as evidenced by their 27th ranking.

We proved we can stop the run, with our dominant performance down the stretch and #10 ranking, while they proved unable to stop the run, as evidenced by the #22 ranking. Our QB is a Pro bowler, their QB couldn’t beat out JDelhomme, and was handed the job only after Delhomme self destructed.

At first, I wondered why Peter King, then you, made all these grand predictions and statements about the Panthers, yet didn’t provide a single explanation or example to support your delusional assumptions. Then, after giving my reasons and documentation in support of my claims, it came to me. You don’t have any logical explanations or documentation to support your claims.

shannyeight

May 19th, 2010
8:18 am

not to mention that Carolina may have williams and stewart, but they dont have mohammed anymore, steve smith’s ability is on the downside…do they have any other WR’s? nope. and no peppers…what was PK thinking?

ELVISINTHEHOUSE.

May 19th, 2010
1:03 pm

Peter king is a smart man and understands the falcons and there fans famous saying,WAIT TIL NEXT YEAR.You bird fans need to get that printed on the back of your shirts.Matt ryan got a lot of yall siked out thinking he is gonna come into this league(NFL)and just have his way.they(sorry birds)better look into getting a good backup QB because rednman will not work.It took p.manning 10yrs to get to a superbowl and he’s only the best QB in football and yall think sorry ryan can be better than that? I DON’T THINK SO.The falcons will be chasing N.O for the next 5+ years and will be in stiff battle with the cats.And IF(NOTICE IF IS BIG)this team make the playoffs there will be a host of teams in the nfc they will not beat.Philly,vikes,n.o,nyg,skins,gb,just to name a few.People who know the game and can look at other teams and compare talent don’t say there team is gonna win with a weak roster just because its there team.Thats what bird fans do.

Carolina Panthers Ranked Eighth, Out of 32 NFL Teams | panthers.football-news-update.com

May 19th, 2010
3:13 pm

[...] a differing perspective, I’ll also submit the point of view provided by Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal [...]

dilla

May 19th, 2010
5:38 pm

What happen to the MattChokeRyan hater guy, he was entertainting? Maybe he’s Peter King in disguise.

Ken Strickland

May 19th, 2010
7:29 pm

SHANNYEIGHT-You’re operating on the assumption he was actually thinking.

ELVISINTHEHOUSE-Your name says all that needs to be said about you and anything you have to say. You’re obviously too stupid to know ELVIS IS DEAD. The Saints will suffer the same fate as most other teams following a SB win. They had a whole lot of luck in winning a lot of close gms. They were lucky with injuries and most of their key players had a career yr. They’ve lost 2 of those key play makers, and don’t expect a lot of luck and career yrs like last yr.

Teams will be gunning for them this yr, and they don’t have the DEF or the element of surprise in their favor this yr as well. As disemated as we were by injuries to our key players, the Saints struggled to win both gms against us. We have more depth, experience, athleticism, and overall talent this yr, while the Saints will find it almost impossible to even come close to last yrs success.

Please don’t allow last yrs success fool you into thinking the Saints have anything but a sorry history of losing. REMEMBER THE AINTS, and the bags over the heads of AINTS fans? HOW QUICKLY FOOLS FORGET.

UP NORTH

May 19th, 2010
10:06 pm

hiramsaint–gotta hand to ya, at least your honest. You’re right, it’s not the 90’s anymore, but you’re wrong about having ‘the Lombardi’. You guys have a better coach than he was. Stirring it up once in awhile is good. Hope you don’t mind the fun in return. Am looking forward to Falcons vs Saints this year. That too, should be fun.

martin

May 19th, 2010
10:46 pm

I can’t believe you SORRY FALCANTS FANS are still talking smack about the saints won the super bowl because of this and that. Get a grip, the saints won the super bowl because they were the better team last year. Nobody gave them a chance to beat the mighty colts, and what happened. The saints will have something hanging from the rafters in the super dome that the falcants will never have, A SUPER BOWL BANNER, so eat your heart out. The saints have BEATEN the falcons the last 7 of 8 times, so PLEASE stop talking that bs about how you almost beat the saints both times last year. Trust me, the saints are more improved on defense this year, and with the NUMBER ONE RANKED OFFENSE, the last 3 out of 4 years, the falcants and the other teams are in trouble. REMEMBER we got to PARTY with the LOMBARDI. REMEMBER, the FALCANTS AND the PANTHERS ARE THE ONLY TWO TEAMS IN THE NFC SOUTH without a LOMBARDI TROPHY TO DISPLAY. So STOP HATING, the saints will continue to beat up on your no defense, no offense of a team. EXTRA EXTRA read all about it, the ATLANTA PRO TEAMS are rated number two in country for not winning CHAMPIONSHIPS of any sort. At least you guys are number two in something, something that no city wants to be a part of LOSERS.

hiramsaint

May 19th, 2010
11:03 pm

up north- i believe we could watch those games together and have much fun cuttin’ back and forth not to mention i always cook up some good food from back down in the homeland. whats up north? is that where your from but down here now?

hiramsaint

May 19th, 2010
11:22 pm

ken strickland-fugita was a key playmaker?????????? did you watch any games? and bell???????? dude didn’t even know what shoes to be wearin’. bell was a bigger loss but by no means a key player . lucky with injuries???? we were without 3/4 of our secondary for half the season. we may have a history of losing but we didn’t have to wait 40 something years to have two WINNING seasons in a row. WOW. next time spout off about what you know so you don’t look like such a dumda$$

Ken Strickland

May 20th, 2010
12:15 am

HIRAMSAINT-you might want to get your AINTS BAG out of your closet and put it on. You said, “WE WERE WITHOUT 3/4 OF OUR SECONDARY FOR HALF THE SEASON”. CB’s JGreer missed 7gms and TPorter missed only 4. FS DSharper missed 2gms and SS RHarper played in all 16gms. HOW IN THE HELL DO YOU GET 3/4 OF OUR SECONDARY MISSED HALF THE SEASON OUT OF THAT?

Allow me to identify a real dumba$$ for you. First, I want you to stand in front of a mirror, then ask yourself, or someone with an actual IQ, what is half of a 16gm NFL season, and then see if you come up with 9, 12, 14 or 16.

Bill King

May 20th, 2010
3:52 am

Who Cares !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This just in: ESPN's Mel Kiper likes the Falcons after all! | Mark Bradley

May 20th, 2010
12:14 pm

[...] an awful lot go right this fall. That belief is why Peter King’s assessment of the Falcons as the NFL’s 16th-best team in his SI.com power rankings seemed a case of gross [...]

Frankly

May 20th, 2010
1:25 pm

That’s funny that you have such lack of faith in an ‘unproven quarterback’… Even though your own Matt Ryan made the playoffs his rookie year. That’s double standard if there ever was one. Especially considering Moore played much better than Ryan in the games he started last year.

hiramsaint

May 20th, 2010
3:26 pm

kenny got mad and doesn’t like to play nicely. anyway, we beat your sorry a$$es twice much like we’ll do again this year. hell kenny boy, the ga. dome looked like a saints homegame last year. added it comes to 13 games missed by 3 of 4 d.b’s. you really ought to get a clue. if you do get one give it to your sorry a$$ team ’cause they’re lacking more than you

UP NORTH

May 20th, 2010
10:03 pm

hiramsaint—you’re cracking me up the way you’re raising some blood pressure w/Falcon fans. I was 16 when Tommy Nobis got me hooked on Atlanta, and I never gave up. Growing up in North Dakota around Packer and Vikes fans wasn’t easy. Loved it when I went over to Denver and got to see Vick kick the Broncos a$$. Yeah, I’d watch the games and eat your food, but am still stuck in Colo.. Good luck, man.

SI’s Peter King looks at the Falcons and sees mediocrity

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SI’s Peter King looks at the Falcons and sees mediocrity

226 comments Add your comment

About Mark Bradley

We’ve Moved!

One Subscription. Total Access.

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More from the AJC

Categories

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