The 2010 Falcons: They’ll win 12 and play for the NFC title

FIRST!!

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If the defense holds up… the dirty birds WILL be in the big game!!!

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I’m all in this year for the Braves and Falcons. I generally never let myself get hopes up too high. I think both of these teams can win championships. There are a lot of if’s and buts (pass rush, kicking etc) but they have enough good players now across the board where they can make stuff happen and survive some negatives.

They have not been better at this point in the year at any time in thier franchise to my knowledge anyway… maybe 1980 I guess but I doubt it.

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The biggest obstacle is obviously that Drew Brees is playing as well as any QB in the NFL…. even if the rest of the Saints are an absolute grease fire from the coaches drug use on down to Reggie Bush’s private life to the superbowl hangover…. that guy is capable of engineering wins for them.

Drew Brees is freaking awesome. In order to beat them the Falcons HAVE to get to the QB and they HAVE to cover the break off routes with thier linebackers. If Thomas Decoup is the only guy capable of getting to Brees… we will have problems again.

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I’m one of those that thought it was a big deal for the franchise not any one player. You covered a lot of what happened last year, with no running back, and their deep threat (Douglas) out for the season, and a second year QB trying to replace all of that. If the Falcons are healthy and everyone returns to form, and with the additions, they should win 12 games, but that has no bearing on who goes to the Championship. Look what happened to the Jets after the Falcons beat them, they almost went to the Superbowl. It’s all about the injuries and when the team gets on a roll.

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The real message of last year is not just that they got the monkey off the back with the concecutive winning seasons deal. The real victory was that the team with little to play for went up and beat the Jets and then closed the season out with wins. They struggled with setbacks all year and still posted a positive at the end of it. Every year is not going to be your year. These well paid professionals who could have just packed it in with nothing to play for went out and gave all they had the last month to post a winning record. That is something we’ve never had here and that is why this team is different.

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The Saints were only a little better than the Falcons last year? That’s revisionist history. Correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t the Saints 12-1 and the Falcons 6-7 after 13 games?

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The birds gave the Saints all they could handle in both games last year. If Atlanta had been 100% healthy,they probably would have won both and played the Saints a 3rd time in the playoffs.

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Fly’in High, so did Tampa Bay. it’s about what you do on other games. it’s easy to get up for a rival like the Saints. I think the schedule is manageable, but there are some potholes out there: Baltimore, Cincy, Green Bay. I think San Fran will be improved, Philly.

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I’m as bullish as anyone on these guys, but now we have the dreaded Bradley jinx to contend with. What a disaster.

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Prediction for 2010-2001: Braves go down swinging as surprise in NL Penant; Falcons ride the D and timely/explosive offense to surprise everyone being the NFC rep in Super Bowl XLV; Hawks under rookie coach Larry Drew scrap to get to the Eastern Conf. Finals vs. ORL …. and ESPN finally erects the ESPN- ATL sister website to ESPN Dallas, NYC, LA and BOS.

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Your poll has holes, sir! (What, they can’t be a wild card team? )

I think we’re probably going to be a 10-6 squad this year and get back into the playoffs. I don’t think we’re on par with the Saints as of yet; their offense is too explosive, in my opinion. But we’re a very good football team, and I’ll take that any day.

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Well, First, I love it when someone puts FIRST and doesn’t get it. I like that the first post was something other than First. Also, I do think the Falcons are between a 9-7 and 13-3 team. All depends on how everything works out and injuries. With 2 or 3 major injuries that could fall below 9-7. 13-3 will only happen if everyone is playing to the level they are supposed to, everyone stays healthy and we get a few breaks. So I think the prediction of 12 wins is very do-able!

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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mark Bradley and Dawson Devitt, 2011SuperBowl.com. 2011SuperBowl.com said: #SB45 > The 2010 Falcons: They’ll win 12 and play for the NFC … – Atlanta Journal Constitution … http://bit.ly/dxJbGT http://www.bit.ly/45thSB [...]

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To accomplish those lofty goals we must be more tenacious predators out on the road.

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Mark…………………….Stay away from predictions………….I never got over YOUR prediction of the BRAVES clinching the World Series over the YANKEES after we went up 2-0

Give up the predictions………………….leave it to the Las Vegas bookies! LOL

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i got the birds going 11-5 w/ losses to NO, CINN, BALT, GB, CAR.

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I can forsee the Falcons not winning their division, finishing like 11-5 behind the Saints, but playing well in the playoffs, winning the Wild Card and Divisional games before losing in the NFC Championship. I just think that our team isn’t quite where the Dallas Cowboys or Minnesota Vikings are in terms of depth, but we’re getting there. I can see the Saints winning the division then crapping out in their first playoff game.

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Flacons are staring at 0 – 16!!

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In spite of his numbers, everyone was slow to recognize how good Drew Brees was last year. This year, defenses will be gunning for him. Look for him to go down with an injury by game 6.

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Mark, your predictions are hilarious. You can’t compare the Saints to any other team in the NFC South’s past. One thing that many of those teams didn’t have, including Tampa Bay during their Super Bowl run, was an outstanding quarterback. Pay attention to NFL history. All the teams that went on runs had great quarterback play (Elway, Montana, Aikman, Brady, etc.). The other teams that won one and done had great defenses and average QB’s like Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Tampa Bay. Atlanta will lose both games to NO this year. Drew Brees is 5-1 vs. the Falcons. I have a stat that you probably aren’t aware of. The New Orleans Saints led the NFL in players ON INJURED RESERVE the past two years. That means they had more players hurt than any team in each of the past two years. Don’t talk about the Falcons not being 100%. The Saints were without their starting left tackle, starting nose tackle all season. Without their starting full back since game 5, not to mention all the other players, including their two fourth round draft picks. One thing the Saints have done in the off season is improve the lower half of their roster. As a result, the back-ups are just as good as the starters and they will improve special teams.

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S. Ga. Dawg……kind of prophetic for UGA don’t you think? Close but never first.

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“They’ll win 12 and play for the NFC title”

Smoke em if ya got em Mark! 7 wins tops!

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I would like someone to break down for me how being 13-0 to start the season, then go on to win the Superbowl while beating 3 hall of fame qb’s along the way in the post season is a “fluke”? Not to mention they won the Superbowl by 2 TD’s over the Colts who many picked to mop up the floor with the Saints by 3 or more td’s. With the parity in the league it is very difficult to win multiple championships. I don’t care if the Saints win 6 games in 2010. The 09 was special and nobody can take the championship away, it wasn’t a fluke!

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You Falcon fans have lost your D***M Minds!!!! this is the same team that got pushed around by Carolina and the Giants, and needed a last second pass to beat the lowly Bucs at home!!!!You have no pass rush, your QB led the league in 4th qtr INTs and your O-Line is suspect at best!!!! I know its friday, but please put down the weed and step away from the bong!!!!!!You have to be high to believe this kind os **ish!!!!!

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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by . said: [...]

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Mark’s watching the soccer game.

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Any word on the status (and health) of the receiving corps? Does Meier have a chance? Is Douglas solid, or will he shatter once he crosses the middle?

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Uh “Eyes Wide Open”, you spell the “D” word with an “N” on the end. So just who is smokin’ weed here??

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Everyone claims the Falcons will be better this year in large part because injuries undermined them last year. Well, unfortunately, there is no natural law that says injuries can’t happen this year, as well. I hope you’re right, though, MB. Hindsight, is, of course, 20/20, but I think this prediction is inherently more solid than your Hawks Conference Finals prediction last fall. We’d all take Smitty as a difference-maker over Woody, and the character of his team seems more solid and consistent, as they showed winning the final three last year.

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You are dreaming Bradley but you have to be a homer. Robinson is an avg CB and I think he will be no better than what we have now. For instance in 6 or so years he only has 6 ints. and dont tell he is so good nobody throws at him.
P Jerry has been a bust.
No idea if Weatherspoon can be a force
The Falcons are gonna give up alot of points at crutial times.

The OFF. is adequate providing White is healthy but if he gets hurt look out.

So there take that homer LOL

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13 ints

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I’ve looked at the Falcons’ schedule and can’t for the life of me figure who can possibly beat them. I assume they’ll have one bad game and lose and probably lose a throwaway game late in the year, so I’m guessing 14-2. I then have them winning the NFC championship game against the Redskins. They then lose the Super Bowl to the Steelers. (Partly because the Steelers have a quarterback who rests for a few games at the beginning of the season and thus more fresh and less beat up than the other team’s qb.)

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When it comes to divisional games, I see the Falcons and Saints being head and shoulders above Tampa Bay and Carolina. The Panthers are probably the least improved team in the division due to the losses of Julius Peppers and Jake Delhomme. Delhomme may not have been able to get it done on the field but they should have kept him around for his leadership abilities. Tampa Bay will benefit from having Josh Freeman out there for the entire season but I don’t think they’ve done enough to be competitive with the other teams in the division, plus I dislike their coach.
Now, for the heart of the matter, the Falcons are the most improved team within the division and one of the most improved in the NFL. By getting Jerry,Williams, Dahl, Moore, Bryant and Turner back from injury they got an immediate upgrade over the team that finished last season with three consecutive wins and giving up an average of 6.66 ppg during that stretch. When you factor in Sean Weatherspoon and Dunta Robinson you can see a real foundation for a strong defense, probably closer to top 14 then top 10.
When we look at the Saints, they have added Alex Brown and Patrick Robinson to their defense but those moves do very little against balanced offenses, such as what the Falcons have. Still, they have that incredible ofense and Drew Brees; so, they can never be counted out for the division title. I just happen to see them as being a clone of the 2009 Cardinals. If we remember correctly, the 2008 version of the Cards went all the way to the Super Bowl despite having no real defense. In 2009 they brought back nearly the exact same team and the defense was exposed all season long keeping their high powered ofense on the sidelines. I think the same thing will hold true for the 2010 version of the Saints. The Saints schedule is easy enough for them to go 11-5 or 10-6 and still make it into the playoffs as a Wild Card team. And, just like the Cards they will get bounced out in the first round. I’ll even go so far as to name the Dallas Cowboys or Green Bay Packers as the team that knocks them out!
The Falcons have a much easier schedule then last year, at least that is how it looks right now, and should benefit from that fact. I see the Dirty Birds losing to the Saints, Eagles, Packers and Ravens to finish at 12-4, with the division crown and a first round bye. In the playoffs, they will probably take on the Dallas Cowboys, as the East Division winner, but, since, we get them in the Dome I see the Falcons moving to the NFC Championship game. There they will meet and lost to Bret Favre’s Minnesota Vikings, in Bret’s final, magical season.

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How can any self respecting Falcon fan be a Cowboy fan???

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I can see 12-4. This team is capable. But as always It’ll come down to getting a couple of breaks and not having a lot of injuries. I’d love for this to be the season for Gonzo. Who knows how many seasons he has left?

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Mark

What was your prediction for the Falcons last season? Just curious. I think saying that they will move into the top 10 in defense in the league is a bit optimistic. I hope you are right.

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I think Mark predicted 10-6 last year.

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Dave In Tampa
June 18th, 2010
11:54 am

“They’ll win 12 and play for the NFC title”

Smoke em if ya got em Mark! 7 wins tops!
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Bill W.
June 18th, 2010
1:24 pm

Falcons win 12?, are you high?, they won’t win more than 7.
_____________________

Really? And would either of you geniuses like to clarify which 9 games you see the Falcons losing? We’re waiting…

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Oooohhhh Man. This is gonna be good !!!!!!!!!!!!

If there is no BIG12 Championship game, good ole Jerry Jones
is gonna lose TENS OF MILLIONS of revenue for “Jerry World.”

So, that means, we’re gonna have a “Clash of the Titans.”

Jerry Jones (Arkansas alum) vs. the BIG12 (aka Texas & OK).

Orangebloods.com wrote to day that Jones has already begun
a process to try to move Arkansas to the BIG12.

Jones N-E-E-D-S BIG12 Championship game at Jerry World and also wants Arkansas in te BIG12.

The BIG12 (aka Texas & OK) have said they dont want a BIG12 title game and arent sure they want to back to 12 teams.

Boy, this is gonna good theatre as this gets
played out over the next few weeks.

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Sorry for the above! I’ll have to say 12 wins is a bit on the optomistic side although it would be a welcome change. Playing for the nfc title game is a really far stretch. The teams that make it to the playoffs are the elite and it sounds like we are just giving to ourselves. Cautious optomism would be a better in this case as the Falcons season has not yet started. Injuries could plaque us again and although I’m glad Robinson is here, he is injury prone. Turner could blow it out this year or re-aggrivate an old injury before pre-season even starts. Lets not put ourselves in Dallas come Feb. when it’s only June now. One game at a time is much smarter than overlooking the season to pre- maturely put yourself in the nfc title game

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I too think that depth is the Falcons biggest problems. Peria is still effectively a rookie considering he got hurt early in the season and was injured a lot in college. Abraham is always a injury threat. Norwood seems injury prone, ect, ect.

Still, love the direction, Dimitroff and Smith are taking this team. They will win the NFC South this seaon but lose the NFC title game. 2011 will be the year somebody(ATL) will win the South 2 years in a row. And then Atlanta will win Superbowl 46.

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First!

And I’m predicting 11-5 this season.

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Who’s doing the Braves game tonight?

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Dave In Tampa
June 18th, 2010
2:00 pm

Trolling the Troll – They will lose all, but 7 games. How’s that for clarification.

Hey if they win 12, great! Based on their track record and that Mark Bradley said they would win 12, they simply will not do it. 7 TOPS!
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Aww, is it to hard for little davey down in tampa to actually make a prediction with any merit? It’s ok davey, we all know the Falcons are better than the Tampa Bay Sucs and this is your way of compensation. You know all about compensation, right? I’m sure this isn’t your fist use of it.

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I say 14-2 with one loss to New Orleans and one loss to Cincy. We rest up on the 1st round bye, celebrate to much, get soft and loose to New Orleans or Green Bay. At least we appear to be in the hunt!!!

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they need the wide reciever to compliment roddy white.it needs to be addressed before camp starts. also a consistent field goal kicker should be added.depth in the running back position should be addressed. overall, if they can remain healthy at qb and on defense, they have an excellent chance to go far into the playoffs.

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Dave In Tampa
June 18th, 2010
2:11 pm

Trolling the Troll – Sounds like I frustrated you a little bit there.

I hate the Bucs! I lived in Atlanta for over 25 years. I know their track record. You were still in diapers. Funny how one has to attack someones character if they don’t agree. Just can’t have a discussion can you? I never attacked your character and will not play that game. My opinion and it is my opinion, the Falcons will only win seven games. You don’t have to like it and I don’t care either way. GROW UP!
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Haha, davey, you really aren’t too sharp, are you. Please show where I attacked your character. Your intelligence, yes. And I can’t have a conversation? I tried to have one about who you thought the Falcons would lose to, but you couldn’t have a legit answer. You assume you know so much about me, claiming I was in diapers, but how do you know anything about me, davey. If anything, I think I’ve managed to get under your oh-so-sensitive skin.

You can’t answer my question about who the Falcons will lose to, yet accuse me of not being able to have a discussion. You tell me I need to grow up, yet you’re the one that stone walled when asked a legit football question. So, davey, which of us really needs to grow up?

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Your post speaks volumes there my friend. Falcons 7-9!

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Good call falcon4ever –
I don’t dislike the Falcons. I guess you can say that I have been dissapointed from many season in the past. They are going to have to prove it to me before winning me back! I hope they do win 12 games.

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Sorry..the Saints were MUCH better than the Falcon’s last year. No way in hell would the Falcon’s have beaten the Colts, or made it to the NFC Championship.

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Please Don’t Feed The Trolls.

Sorry for the delay on this one.

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We are gonna need those 2 against the Bucs-2 aginst the Panthers , but I don’t believe we’ll take 2 from the Saints. Almost their whole team is back thanks to the free agent thing. Usually Super Bowl winners get picked clean in the off-season. Your Bucs put it on the Saints at the end of the season although I think they could have cared less about it at that point. That game for them barely had any implications after Minn. lost and gave the Saints a first round bye

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@ Michael- That would be sweet but realistically the Saints will more than likely be hosting us. Homefield advantage ? I don’t think it’s all it’s cracked up to be. Any given Sunday or Saturday

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Sure hope you’re right Markie but I tend to think you’re likely having flashbacks after hanging out too much at 10th and 14th in 1969.

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@ truth- Really?- I never thought the Saints would have been Super Bowl champs yet they were. lvq

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Boy you are really a glutton for purnishment. You picked the Hawks to beat Orlando, you picked the Celtics to beat the Lakers and now you are at it again.

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Look I love the Falcons, but the Saints weren’t a fluke because they had at least the best QB in the NFC a fantastically good offense and a solid defense that grabbed lots of turnovers.

I have no idea why people would pick a team like Dallas who can’t get out of the way of thier ego’s or Minnesota who have loads of talent but make too many mistakes.

The Saints rode the at least 1A QB in football (if you want to say Peyton is better) and a driven quality safety in Sharper to a championship.

The Falcons can play by that same formula but they have to grab more turnovers this year on defense and they have to get much better play from Ryan who is getting there but isn’t quite there yet. They have to take better care of the football.

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Feather—There are six good teams on the schedule and I don’t believe that Falcons can will over half of those games.

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RE: DP
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t the Saints 12-1 and the Falcons 6-7 after 13 games?”

The Saints were actually 13-0 after the first 14 weeks last season before dropping the final 3 games of the regular season.

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Mark,

I always enjoy reading your comments, opinions, and predictions. But I do have a problem with this one: only one out of five points is related to football! Reasons 1, 2, 4, and 5 have nothing to do with what goes on inside the boundaries of the gridiron. The history of the division and its winners is certainly interesting and a curiosity but it has absolutely not impact on whether the Falcons will play well or not. Neither does a Twitter fight between Sharper and former teammates. If you make a prediction, back it up with FOOTBALL reasons.

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Newsflash: The Saints got better also!!

Obviously the division is between the Saints and Falcons but I see the Saints winning again because of Brees.

Falcons D should be decent this year but they wont have a pass rush—again… The secondary will be a little better with Daunte back there but the Safety play has been underwhelming. Brees will eat up that secondary.

Sure the Saints got lucky at times last year but that’s what every team needs to make it to the big game, a little luck.

I see the Saints and Falcons splitting this year with both winning at home. Overall, I think 10 wins for the Falcons will be a pretty good year. Saints will win 11 or 12.

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falcon4ever……..yes really. WHO DAT…..if Brees goes the team goes. Please go to your teams sight and watch some hi-lites….they won (at times) inspite of themselves. I think the Aints will be will be lucky to get 9 or 10 wins this year. The GM and coach fixed the Falcons problems on the D so please stay tuned on the “decent” defense you spoke of.

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Falcons and UGA Dawgs will be great this year… since we got the tragic oil spill here in the gulf.. with BP. our incapable President Obama & Coast Guard all ducking responsibility ??!!! this fisherman will be watching alot of TV this fall…..

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@ Truth- You cannot honestly say that you thought the Saints were going to win the Super Bowl. You must have me confused with another. What decent defense did I mention? Hi-lites? We didn’t have to many but which ones are you referring to ?

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Mike—-I agree with you about the President, etc. I hope they get it cleaned up soon and you can get back to work. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you, ie. take up a collection or offer food. I’m sure my fellow Falcons fans will chip in!

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Yeah, i don’t really understand why so many people are knocking the Falcons D. I think they have the potential to be fantastic this year.

Remember, despite the brutal schedule last year and getting hit hard by injuries on that side of the ball, they still improved in their overall defensive ranking in the league (24th to 21st). What that tells you is that the D is moving in the right direction, even when it had every reason to take a step back. Now you add Sean Weatherspoon, Peria Jerry, William Moore and Dunta Robinson into the mix… you have a healthy Brian Williams back, and you have a ton of promising young talent (Lofton/Biermann/Sidbury/Owens/Grimes) with another year of experience under their belt. This defense is going to continue getting better…. you know that anyway with a defensive guy like Mike Smith running things. So I love the way we are stocking and coaching our D. If they aren’t a top 10 squad this year, they will be soon thereafter.

My questions are more on offense – i think that’s where the fate of this team really lies. Does Matt Ryan fulfill all his potential? Do Turner and Norwood bounce back? How big an impact does having a slot receiver like Douglas back help, and will it add that key dimension to the offense that was lacking last year?

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falcon4ever……go back and re-read. I answered you then I answered WHO DAT. No I didnt think the aints were gonna win the superbowl til after the Vikes game when lady luck and fate were all over them.

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I won’t say how many wins they will have though Mark you may be close to right. I don’t get the people who posted on here 7-9. They went 9-7 last year with key injuries and Elam blowing a few games. How in the world would anyone see them losing two more than last year is beyond me. They still have some “if’s” – if Jenkins contributes more than he did, if the rush gets better, if the Dunta lives up to what we paid him and if they need a healthy year from Ryan, Turner and others.

No matter what the record ends up being or how far we go in the playoffs, its a good time to be a Falcons fan.

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Mark, on paper maybe, on the field, they’re still the Falcons until proven otherwise. They are due a sub 500 campaign. Meet the new Birds, same as the old Birds

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Green Bay has beefed up its O-Line, Stout Defense will be even better this year, and Great receiving corp. BEWARE!

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Quarterback is not bad either

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I don’t see 12-4 being a problem for this team. After all, last yr we were only a consistent FG kicker, a 3pt loss to the Saints and a 3pt over time loss to the Giants from going 11-5. With a much better team and a much easier schedule, we can do 12-4. No team had more luck last yr than the Saints.

Let’s face it, if the Colts had been able to play a healthy AGonzalez @ WR, a healthy Sanders @ SS and a healthy DFreeney @ DE, the results would likely have been different. A healthy DFreeney alone would have made things much different for QB DBrees, and the outcome would have been a lot different as well.

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Who dat? Who dat say thay gown beet ‘em ‘Lanna dirty birds? Who dat???

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Vastly underrating the Saints, who I despise, but they are a very good football team.

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Whopper, you got a crush on R. Bush? The Aint’s will get beat at least five (5) games this year – likely seven (7). Hide & watch.

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What have you been smoking Mark?

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It is a sad day when someone I once considered a journalist has been reduced to writing crap. Speculation and opinion is not reporting. Blog away Mr. Bradley has you delve further into the realm of who cares?

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OK, IC S.B. XLV, ATL DESTINY. RU WIT ME?

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aint no way teh Flacons win the supper bowl!!!111 Damn trayters!!

Plus I herd Matt Ryan has a small pecker. Good luck with that!

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WHOPPER DAWG-you’re right, the Saints are a very good team. There were a number of teams better than the Saints, just not as lucky, that didn’t make it to the Super Bowl. There was one team that was better that made it to the Super Bowl that didn’t win it. The Saints relied almost exclusively on their OFF, luck, and some DEF players having career, or near career performances last yr.

Even with that, their DEF ranked a pitiful 25th overall, and they haven’t done a single thing to upgrade it. That is unless you consider replacing one past his prime 9yr vet DE CGrant(44TT’s, 5.5sacks, 1PD) with another past his prime 9yr vet ABrown(48TT’s, 6sacks, 2PD), and OLB SJrjita with UFA backup OLB Jo-Lon Dunbar.

In the 1st gm againat them, which was an 8pt loss, JElam missed 2 easy FG’s, and MTurner burned their DEF for 151yds. In the 2nd gm, our OFF was missing the starting RB, QB, RG and LT, yet Redmon still torched their DEF for 303yds passing on 23/34. Their OFF can’t get any better than #1 this yr, and they certainly won’t catch anyone by surprise like last yr.

With the changes, improvements and added depth, our OFF and DEF, especially our DEF, will be a whole lot better this yr. The changes to their OFF and DEF won’t make them any better. They’ll be hard pressed to split with us this yr. Without the luck they experienced last yr, and with that weak DEF, they’ll revert back to the ‘AINTS of old.

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Ken—-I agree with you whole heartedly!

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Maybe I can put it better this way. The Bears,Giants,Steelers,BRONCOS,Dolphins and Cowboys can talk trash because they have earned it. In 40 + years we’ve lost a Super Bowl and had 2 winning seasons in a row. Thats our claim to fame so when I hear guys like y’all talking trash , thats all it is -TRASH !

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The saints have a really good QB and some good receivers that played way over their heads last.
Other than that, the saints aren’t really all that much.
The Falcons are a lot better team.

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[...] http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2010/06/18/the-2010-falcons-theyll-win-12-and-play-for-the-nf... [...]

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Oh, by the way, FalconsFan284 is a total moron…keep talking big. It hasn’t gotten you pathetic Falcon fans anything for 40+ years. I highly doubt this year will be any different. Face the sad truth. Yours will always be a lowly and under-performing franchise. Shut the f**k up till you actually win a SB, losers!!

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Thank goodness for the mighty colon used in your title!!

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[...] Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution thinks the Atlanta Falcons will play to represent the NFC in Super Bowl [...]

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Falcons Fan284- Who and What are you talking about ? Why are you addressing me? i’ve not mentioned your name untill now nor did I insult you. Please re-read and you’ll Plainly see that I called no-one out in particular . If ,though, I have offended you , you must be overly sensative for some reason and should ease up a bit.

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NO YOU HAVE ME WORRIED MARK…YOU ARE NEVER RIGHT!!! PLEASE PICK SOMEONE ELSE>>>PLEASE

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14-2 14-2 14-2 Flyin’ High Again— Yeah C’mon–Somebody but me has gotta BEEEEELEEEEEEVEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

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Oh, one more thing GABRONCOFAN, I’ll bet the Falcons have a better team, a better winning record, make the playoffs and go a whole lot farther than the lowly Broncos this yr. You’re hurting at QB and you’ve lost your best WR, SO GOOD LUCK SUCKA!

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4ever—–First off I was simply asking that you add to a football conversation. I’ve noticed, and I’m sure others have as well, that you have a proclivity for making insulting comments about people, either in general or directly, but not talk about football. This is a messaging board that is meant for football discussion.
Secondly, one of the few times you have given football related materials, I stated my opinion and backed it up with fact! See, that is called a discussion. Do you know what discussion means boys and girls? I don’t think you do! I even asked for you not to address me because I knew you would try to make it the same kind of personal “Whoa as me” BS that you repeatedly fall back upon. You’ve proven me to be 100% correct. You tried to insult me but, fortunately, I really don’t care what you think of me! Plus, you added nothing, zilch, nada, zero, a goose egg when it comes to the football discussion. If my writing down a list of teams, that you gave to us all, and giving my opinion as to why I don’t believe they have the right to talk trash, as you put it, has offended you and your simple nature then I’m sorry. Let me say that again and see if it sounds right the second time around. I’m sorry, 4ever, that I asked you to talk about football, give facts about your opinion and not insult people. Why don’t you look at what I had written, read it and try to comprehend it, find some area of fault and give an honest, uninsulting, informative and factual response? Also, if I have said something wrong about any of the teams mentioned above then please correct me.

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“The Saints weren’t that much better than the Falcons a year ago”

This is where you confirmed for us that you are a huge homer.

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None of you so called fanatics are on board with me ? Great, but we win it all I suspect the wagon will be overflowing with NEW Falcons fans claiming they knew it all along. 14-2—-14-2—-14-2 WOOOOO… Flyin’ High Again… Falconfan284 leave it alone-your making yor point and it ‘aint flattering to ya!

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Feathered—–It’s not that I don’t believe the Falcons can’t go 14-2 but as we discussed yesterday I think there are a few teams, on the schedule, that are just a little bit better.

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Feathered—-I like your enthusiasm!!!!

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Very funny Featheredfriend but we’ll see

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You’re a little bit of a homer if you think the Saints were only “slightly” better than the Falcons last year. Everyone knows division games are more intense, and for some reason are a lot closer than they should be. Despite the difference in their records to show how better the Saints were to the Falcons, there are a few facts that determine how much better they were: 1) the Saints dealt with injuries too and they still won. Injuries are pretty much a given, so don’t expect no one to get injured. That’s virtually impossible. 2) the Saints won the Super Bowl and defeated 5 SB MVP QBs, 3 of which were in the playoffs. That didn’t happen previously in the history of the NFL and I don’t think the Falcons could have done it.

So, before you guys go ordering your NFC South champ rings, you better hope your depth can handle the load it will certainly be asked to carry at some point in the season.

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It is true that the Saints will have a target on their backs going into 2010. Every Super Bowl Winner does. They will have to step up their game to defend the title. It isn’t easy repeating, or even getting back to the playoffs. After the Super Bowl, people said the Saints would lose many players in the offseason. They lost Fujita, Bell, and Grant. Grant wasn’t wanted back, Bell could be replaced, so basically they lost only one player in FA. But signed Alex Brown, the starting DE from the Bears. You can point out the off field distractions if you want, but I’d hardly put any relevance into a couple of tweets between two teammates and dehydration as key factors for failing to defend their division title. Even the vicodin thing won’t be a distraction because no one will ever find out the results after arbitration.

On the field where it counts, the Saints will get the opponents best each and every week. They have the talent and coaching to withstand it. The Falcons this offseason along with the 49ers and Ravens are the media darlings to make a splash. I look at the Falcons offense and see power, but I see a lot of people put a lot of confidence in Michael Turner. His first season with the Falcons was stellar, but last year tailed off dramatically. Which one do we see this year? Big if. Other big ifs for the Falcons is the defense. Really what has been done to improve it? You signed Robinson, but the jury is still out as to whether he is as good as hoped, and you have Jerri who is returning from a major injury. Combine that with the up and down play of Abraham (2008-great, 2009-soso), there’s more mystery. We’ll see. One thing for sure is that if the Falcons continue to read these press clippings and media predictions, it could be a long year in Atlanta, and an even longer offseason if they don’t live up to the hype.

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Bull Dorkey – Falocns are 8-8.

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The Falcon need to get cut RB Lynn D. White

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It’s seems to me Mark Bradley is trying to get those sorry falcants fans to buy newspapers. There’s no way the falcants are better then the saints this year. Isn’t he the same guy that predicted the saints would get scar dragged by the colts in the super bowl. You falcants fans keep eat tin that bs that you read. Remember the saints are the super bowl champions. The saints has a Vince Lombardi trophy not the falcants,. Remember Atlanta was voted the worst pro teams in the country. With all of your teams, you guy have one championship, (braves). Now on the other hand the saints/NFL has a championship, lsu has 3 national championships in football and lsu has 6 national championships in baseball. What does Georgia have, oh yes I remember the braves 1 championship.

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If it’s true that our species is alone in the universe, then I’d have to say the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little

Sent from my Android phone

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Puh-leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze! The Falcons have a good team, but Brees and the Saints will NOT have a Superbowl hangover. I see the Saints repeating as NFC South Champs–the first team to do so in 9 years!

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I would’t care if we went 2-14, as long as we kicked the Aints azz twice.

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I want to have sex with Viki Locke, again, and again.

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FOXSports.com has learned that the Saints and Redskins have agreed to a trade, with the Saints sending two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jammal Brown to Washington for a conditional draft pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

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On the football field, New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush has almost always found the right way. Guided by an uncanny inner gyro, he has dodged, ducked, juked or sprinted his way past defenders throughout his career.

111
0
20
Share Off the field, Bush clearly chose the wrong way during his tenure at the University of Southern California. He surrounded himself with bad people, knowingly broke the rules and then lied about it to anyone who asked.

He now must pay the price for his indiscretions.

The scathing 67-page report released by the NCAA on Friday was not kind to Bush or his family.

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saints were a media favorites last year and werent that good but america needed a feel good story..minNesota really beat them last year this year the SAINTS will win 3 games….I HATE NEW ORLEANS AND THE SAINTS..

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Can someone please tell me where the non-Twitter Braves coverage is hiding?

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LOL@ Mark Bradley and Falcon fans. The Saints are a better team than the Falcons PERIOD. The only important piece we lost was Fujita. Saints will win the division again and please don’t give Dallas that much credit. They will make the playoffs and fall flat on their face……..that’s what they do.

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If Matt Ryan hasn’t learned not to sail the ball then we’ll be lucky to win 9

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The Saints win the Super Bowl and suddenly their fans think their team has had some kind of winning tradition. Who do you think named your own team the ‘AINTS, and became the first NFL fans to wear bags over their heads to hide the shame and embarrassment of their teams annual performances?

Don’t you ‘AINTS fans ever let one Super Bowl win make you forget who you really are and what kind of losing legacy your team came from.

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As a partial Falcons fan myself, I’ll admit I am a bit of Falcon homer.

With this said, there is no denying that the Falcons disappointed a lot of people in 2009.

When Michael Turner went down with an ankle injury, it was clear that most Falcon fans felt the same way the Texas Longhorns did in the BCS Championship Game when Colt McCoy hit the turf hard.

Following this hard felt loss, the Falcons stumbled. They picked up the odd win here and there, and although they did finish with a 9-7 record, the entire NFL fan base sat back and questioned themselves for labelling Atlanta as a postseason contender prior to the season.

Still, there is an obvious case to be made for the Atlanta Falcons in 2010.

Michael Turner, at a 90 percent state, is impressing people in OTA’s, and young Matt Ryan hopes to add to his impressive repertoire and get back on track as the Falcons starting quarterback.

Let’s face it, this team is talented. They have a ton of star power in Michael Turner, Matt Ryan, and of course Roddy White, and the time has come for them to beat the teams that they shouldn’t struggle with.

I guess what I’m trying to say, is the Falcons must become a consistent team this season in order to take the top seed. No questionable losses, no injuries and above all else, a bit of confidence. If Atlanta can master this, they should go a long way.

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Here we go again with the local media talking about playing for championships and we haven’t even played an exhitibition game. I guess it makes good talk. Let’s let teams earn something before we start talking championship game.

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sounds to me like both sides of the house are a bit nervous …and they should be.talk all yuo want about who is better but we’ll truly know in jan. as for me and my house , we’ll cheer on the saints…TWODAT!!!!

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FalconsFan284….All that needs to be said is, SUPER BOWL CHAMPS! I’ve seen our Lombardi Trophy, where is Atlanta’s?
SaintsCan’tHandleSuccess….When you STEAL an article from the website (Jeff Duncan piece from Times Picayune), you should at least acknowledge it. Obviously, your not intelligent enough to put together your own sentences.

I don’t live in fantasy land…we had a lot of things break our way last year, but to say we weren’t better than Atlanta is just not true. People forget that for the better part of last season, neither of our starting cornerbacks were healthy, and when we did get both Porter and Greer back, we beat three future HOF QBs in our run to the SB title.

Repeating will be difficult and we may fall short, but for now, the SB score remains – Saints 1, Falcons 0. Those are the facts and they are indisputable.

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Oh and Ken Strickland..we were the Ain’ts but we ain’t no more. You need to know two things 1..At one time the Steelers were one of the worse teams in the league now they are one of the best. Same holds true for the Saints. 2..Something Clowns fans will never know is the feeling of their team winning a Super Bowl….trust me it’s sweet.

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awhile back when the saints were horrible we admitted it and made no excuses. now in atlanta it’s the samething but different. y’all won’t admit it and make excuses. funny how cultures vary from state to state. come on sept. so we can put this to rest for the 5th year in a row.

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kenny- go to the saints site to look at asuperbowl ring. according to most on-line odds makers y’all are at 30/1 to see one this year. just below the redskins i believe. man -thats gotta sting

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I think the saints are an inspiration to all the other NFL teams.

If the saints can win a SB, then the other teams have to believe that anybody can win a SuperBowl.

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I have never seen a Falcon’s team with so much promise. Nor have I anticipated a season so intensely.

Go Falcons!!!

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hiramsaint, get a life ..or a girl friend , and stop camping out on a blog you like to spill out hate loser…tool !!!!

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Give some more respect to the Saints….
Super Bowl Champs….
Drew Brees
Drew Brees
Drew Brees

Saints repeat….and extend their 3 game winning streak against the birds…..

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WHO DAT
Saints Dat
2 DAT

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DID I MENTION DREWS BREESSSSSSS

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Saints fans don’t forget your schedule will be more difficult this year and that is why you will not repeat. Any Saints fans in Atlanta from NOLA why don’t you move back to that lovely town?

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Bradley why dont you just stop with the predictions and write about the teams and, you know, sports stuff? You predicted the Braves would suck and they are rocking titties. No one cares what you think.

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@ Navigator

June 18th, 2010
10:21 am
By the way remember the most hated QB Matt Schaub………………….
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Nav, I don’t get the “most hated” tag you put on Schaub. Many of us knew he should be starting over Vick but there was too much Vick mania/hype and had Vick been sent to 2nd string the fan unrest would have been volatile. Schaub is doing in Houston what he could have been doing for the Falcons all along.

How stupid did the then Falcons brass feel after they traded him for essentially 2 second round draft picks? They would have ended up better had he not re-signed as a restricted free agent, getting a first and third round draft pick from any team that signed him. And, of course, the guffaw intensifies as Vick is arrested and the Falcons are left without anyone under center. Thank God Dimitroff and Smith have us talking NFC South title, NFC Championship, and the bold possibility that these Birds will dig there talons deep into a Super Bowl berth.

Schaub finished 09′ first in passing and Houston finished 4th in total offense and did that while finishing 30th in rushing. Sure, Vick had occasional flair and excitement but the fact remains he is not a field general and doesn’t have a touch pass period. Hopefully the Texans drafting of Ben Tate will give them a more balanced attack. I am not a Texans fan but I am a Schaub fan.

But “most hated” Matt Schaub? I don’t get the label.

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@ Gritz Blitz

June 18th, 2010
11:36 am
………………1981 when my heart was broken by the Dallas Cowboys. Nothing would be sweeter than to win the NFC Championship against the hated Cowboys and deny them an opportunity to play in the Super Bowl in their own back yard. Rubbing Keith Brooking’s nose in it would be the icing on the cake. Go Falcons!
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Oh and how bad it would hurt if we did not achieve the victory of vengeance………!! But I like your thinking………………

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[...] a prediction on the outcome of the 2011 NFC championship game until at least the Fourth of July. The 2010 Falcons: They'll win 12 and play for the NFC title | Mark Bradley All valid points and solid predictions except for the fact that I don't see Dallas having a chance [...]

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Is it just me or does it seem odd that the Saints got an easy schedule…………………..??

NFL Strength of Schedule 2010

1 Houston Texans 140-116-0 AFC South
2 Tennessee Titans 140-116-0 AFC South
3 Dallas Cowboys 139-117-0 NFC East
4 Cincinnati Bengals 138-118-0 AFC North
5 Jacksonville Jaguars 137-119-0 AFC South
6 New England Patriots 136-120-0 AFC East
7 New York Giants 135-121-0 NFC East
8 Washington Redskins 134-122-0 NFC East
9 Philadelphia Eagles 133-123-0 NFC East
10 Cleveland Browns 132-124-0 AFC North
11 Indianapolis Colts 132-124-0 AFC South
12 Baltimore Ravens 130-126-0 AFC North
13 Detroit Lions 130-126-0 NFC North
14 Chicago Bears 129-127-0 NFC North
15 Minnesota Vikings 129-127-0 NFC North
16 Buffalo Bills 128-128-0 AFC East
17 Miami Dolphins 128-128-0 AFC East
18 New York Jets 128-128-0 AFC East
19 Oakland Raiders 128-128-0 AFC West
20 Atlanta Falcons 127-129-0 NFC South
21 Pittsburgh Steelers 126-130-0 AFC North
22 Green Bay Packers 125-131-0 NFC North
23 Kansas City Chiefts 125-131-0 AFC West
24 Denver Broncos 124-132-0 AFC West
25 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 123-133-0 NFC North
26 Carolina Panthers 122-134-0 NFC South
27 New Orleans Saints 120-136-0 NFC South
28 San Francisco 49ers 117-139-0 NFC West
29 San Diego Chargers 116-140-0 AFC West
30 Seattle Seahawks 116-140-0 NFC West
31 St Louis Rams 115-141-0 NFC West
32 Arizona Cardinals 114-142-0 NFC West

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To all delusional New Orleans Saints fans, your team is the defending Super Bowl champions, and you have every reason to be proud. BUT PLEASE DON’T LET ONE YR OF PRIDE MAKE YOU FORGET YOUR AWFUL LEGACY OF LOSING. You didn’t rename yourselves the ‘AINTS and wear bags over your heads just because you were being honest about your team being losers. Many teams have had losing periods without resorting to such drastic measures to demonstrate their feelings about their team losing.

You wore bags over your heads to demonstrate the depth of embarrassment you felt about your team losing so badly, so often and for so long. The New Orleans Saints went their 1st 20 yrs(1967-87) without a single winning season, an NFL record for absolute futility. Then you followed that up with 7 consecutive none winning seasons(1993-1999). You’ve only had 9 total winning seasons in your 42yr history.

WINNING ONE(1)SUPER BOWL DOESN’T PUT A SINGLE SAINTS FAN, WITH AN ACTUAL IQ, IN A POSITION TO TALK ABOUT THE WINNING OR LOSING TRADITION OF ANY OTHER NFL TEAM, PERIOD.

Both Chocolate cities and it’s citizens have always embodied a certain spirit that has allowed them to endure and over come adversity. Let’s not lose sight of that fact, and let’s not lose respect for each other as both rival and sister cities that share a common bond.

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Yeah – perfect prediction – We will win the Division and Play for the NFC title – 12 games – we improved over the Saints – yes – I see it and I think you just dooomed our team for 2010 – we have not improved past the Saints and how about givning a division foe some credit. The Saints somehow won a Superbowl – what does that say about us?????????????

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Sid—-Yeah, I didn’t see it. My fault.

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Falcons finish under .500. Blame Mark. When was the last time he got a prediction correct?

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“The Saints weren’t that much better than the Falcons a year ago”

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahaahaha

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“Just because you had one winning season doesn’t mean the rest of your History falls away.”

We’ve had several of those but last year we won it all. That makes up for everything. So if you’re mystified as to how we can be so gleeful after so many lean years, just tell yourself “I’ve never been where they are so I don’t know.”

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12 wins are you for real ryan is overated , wr are not gd and the defense please 10 games maybe vikes , cowboys , and saints are just better no champships here in atl people Lol

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hiramsaint yes the 4th ward. It is part of the old French Quarter down to the river. There are businesses back in the area and many people living in the area too. Pretty good police presence also. It ain’t Atlanta but close to Hiram in class, housing, and opportunities. You would have to be in Clayton, Dekalb, or SW Atlanta to be in a place like the 9th ward in NOLA. Do you get it now? I wasn’t trying to call you or Hiram ghetto fab-u-lus.

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I got the Falcons going 11-5 and reaching the playoffs, too. I don’t have them winning the playoff game, but I have them going.

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The Falcons are going nowhere. Turner still has a ton of miles on those wheels, no matter how healthy he say he is. Matt Ryan has been figured out and from here on out will be a medicore QB, much like Chris Miller. This season they play the AFC Central as well as several other playoff type teams. The defense, even with the additions will still be suspect and vunerable. Last but not least, the AFC South will be ruled by the Saints and Carolina because they have better personnel and talent. Thus is a 9-7 team at best with NO playoff chances.

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@ Eyes wide open!!!

June 18th, 2010
12:02 pm
You Falcon fans have lost your D***M Minds!!!! this is the same team that got pushed around by Carolina and the Giants, and needed a last second pass to beat the lowly Bucs at home!!!!You have no pass rush, your QB led the league in 4th qtr INTs and your O-Line is suspect at best!!!! I know its friday, but please put down the weed and step away from the bong!!!!!!You have to be high to believe this kind os **ish!!!!!
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In the Giants game the Falcons scored 24 points in the 2nd half to go into overtime. They did not have Turner and averaged only 3 yards per rush. The Giants were 8th in total offense, 13th in total defense. Essentially they lost this game on the flip of a coin.

Let’s see, that’s the same Carolina team that beat New Orleans 23-10. The Falcons beat Carolina 28-20 the first time they met. (Note to Eyes Wide Open: that’s a W …….!!) In the second game Delhome was on, Muhammad was back from missing 6 games, and the Falcons squandered chances to win. That’s not exactly getting pushed around.

In the Tampa WIN Matt Ryan was knocked out of the game in the first quarter. Redman did a great job running the offense. So what, they scored with 26 seconds left and won the game. That is what good teams do.

And what about that Jets game………pretty good huh? Jets were 1st in Offense, 1st in Total Defense, and 1st in Pass Defense……….and they were at home. The Falcons played solid football in both games against New Orleans, nearly winning both. Not bad mi hijo…!!

And one last thing, the fact is Mark Sanchez led the league in 4th quarter interceptions not Matt Ryan. Your are an idiot.

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@ vuduchld

June 20th, 2010
3:31 pm
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Yeah, the Saints and Carolina have much better chances in the AFC South.

Do you have any more amazing prognostications oh gifted one…………….??

Listen to this……………………………….hear it……………..?? No……….? Listen harder, hear us laughing at you VOODOO………………….roflmao.

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Jason Elam’s foot is all that kept us from beating New Orelans at least once last season.

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Good article. Drew Brees shouldn’t go anywhere, but the Saints probably won’t be as good, and Matt Ryan and Michael Turner should play more like their 2008 selves than their 2009 selves. The same goes for Mike Smith’s coaching. I’d like to see Turner, Jason Snelling, and Jerious Norwood back, and I’d like for Norwood to be used outside the tackles and not in predictable situations, either. (Predictable playcalling has been a weakness.)

Atlanta has more depth than New Orleans, and the defense should be very strong. Dunta Robinson helps enormously. Our draft was very strong, and we’re getting Peria Jerry back. We can beat the Saints at the line of scrimmage. That’s where it matters most.

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we may not be that much but that much has been enuf to win 7 of 8 so wheres that put U?

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hiramsaint…….You might want to watch what you post, little buddy.
Someone might report you to the AJC Blog Police, and you may be banned from MB’s blog, just like you have already been banned from Shultz’s blog.

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Interesting article, MB. Regarding your poll, I will go at least so far as to surmise that the Falcons of 2010 could go as far as a NFC South title. It’s way too early to think beyond training camp at this point, or should we even dare to think that they could win the Super Bowl title. We’ve all been dreaming of this for what…44/45 years now, and are still waiting for that dream to come true. So, while we won’t get too greedy with our dreams, a good place to start will always be in winning that division title.

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sept-12th ATL FALCON’S VS STEELER’S “MATTY-ICE” 60MINS.of “STEELER FOOTBAL” I’VE SAID THIS SEASON WOULD BE YOUR SEASON OR Y’ALL SEASON,HARRY D,IS BACK THINGS HAPPEN FOR A REASON.I KNOW HARRY PERSONALLY HE COACHED MY SON’S BBALL TEAM AT THE ADIDAS BASKETBALL CAMP,BEFORE HELEFT FOR LOU’VILLE I GAVE HIM A VIDEO-TAPE OF HIM AND HIS TEAMMATES PLAYING AGAINST THE COACHES.BUT we will give you matt, 60mins.TONY-G,WILL NEED TO STAY IN AND BLOCK JAMES-LAMARR,will be comming for.i see your falcon’s in the NFC-CHAMPIONSHIP.FALCON’S-STEELER’S SOUPERBOWL.

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Think it would be poetic justice for Coach Smith and the Dirty Birds to clean the Cowkids’ clocks, and remind Jerry Jones that he was one of the architects of having the previous Falcon coaches slip out in the dead of night ………… and now Big Guy, you are dealing with a REAL MAN!!

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Saints Fans—–Did you all just willing ship some more depth to the Redskins?

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@ mikey –thats why you oughta leave that stuff alone!!

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I hear all the excuses of why the Falcon lost this game and that game, because this player and that player was injured. If the Saints didn’t lose Greer and Porter our two best pass defenders the Saints would have been undefeated using your logic,

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Geez, here we go again. It’s June and the AJC “sports writers” and the supposed “fans” have a bigger ego than Ocho Cinco. Why all this optimism? Do you have a track record of winning seasons? Hell, you imbeciles were going crazy at back-to-back winning seasons. Talk about an amazing feat(for you dolts anyways!). Just remember, these are the Falcons. They will FIND a way to disappoint. You guys are just like Cubby fans. Eternal optimists…doesn’t get you very far!!

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@Vick Supporter

June 20th, 2010
8:25 pm
NFC Title?!?!? LMAO! Not with a QB that can’t throw a deep out! LOL
_______________________________________________________________
Why would anyone think you know anything about quarterbacks? You’re not qualified to write about the position………………YOUR MAN IS ON THE BENCH

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hiram—I’m not saying he was going to be a starter but losing a two time pro bowler does hurt the teams depth. I’ve been saying for weeks that the Saints have lost depth and this just furthers my point.

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saints fans, stop whining about how MB and some writer in Dallas rank your team.

The only ranking that matters is the one with the Ws, at the end of the season.
I believe at that time, there will not be that many, if any, saints fans infesting the AJC blogs. Maybe one of two of the really ignorant ones might still be running out from under the woodwork.

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Hiram there are plenty of us that are realistic about the Falcons and Saints chances. We just don’t always get on these blogs and go toe to toe with you and others not be named. Brees and Payton have proven themselves. Ryan and Smith..well not yet. Still remains to be seen what they can do. I would prefer they build a tradition similar to NE or Pittsburgh and I’m sure you would like to see the same in NO. This season is pivotal for both of us.

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Can’t wait til Football starts and then the TRASH TALKING can be backed up!

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The true story of what is, and what is to be, will be told on the playing field.
So to the saints fan infestation, hold on to your panties, and don’t get them all waded up between your butt cheeks.
The players will have the say in who is best in 2010.

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You have to remember one thing about these Saint fans. After 20 consecutive yrs of establishing the bar for absolute futility, they know this team might very easily end up there again this yr. They’re a one trick pony that’s totally dependent on OFF and QB DBrees. Not too long ago they were a predominantly rushing OFF that featured RB DMcAlister. When he went down, they quickly became the ‘Aints once again.

Their team has been built primarily through trades and free agency, and their Super Bowl success was the result of these aging FA veterans having a one yr resurgence. The RETURN OF THE AINTS will quickly shut these clowns up. They haven’t made a single change, adjustment or addition that would remotely improve their team. Their OFF won’t be able to make for last yrs 25th ranked DEF again this yr.

The Falcons chose to purge their roster in 08 and completely rebuild, primarily through the draft. We’ll enter this season with one of the NFL’s quickest, fastest, youngest and most versatile and athletic teams overall. People that know football recognize the Falcons vast improvement in every area, compared to the lack of improvement for the Saints, and are starting to rate the Falcons ahead of the Saints for that reason.

So let these Saint loving clowns continue their performances, because their own team will shut them all up and force them to reach back into their closets for their paper bags once again.

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Ken Strickland. You’re serious? Are you truly serious ???
First of all, that “20 consecutive years of futiliy’ happened from 1967 to 1987 – 23 years ago.
Did you know that ’since’ 1987, the Saints overall record is ABOVE .500 ????? We have been to the playoffs 8 times since then, played in 12 playoff games, won 5 of them, and 4 in the last 4 years.

‘Aging FA’s who have made one-year resurgency? Darren Sharper is the only one that comes to mind that even comes close to matching that bizarre fantasy, and he is coming back in ‘10!
Where do you get that we ‘haven’t made a single adjustment or addition that would ‘remotely improve the team? Why do we have to be “remotely” improved anyway? WE WON THE SUPER BOWL, in case you missed it.

We lost 2 starters. TWO. Charles Grant and Scott Fujita. But we signed FA 3 Defensive linemen, including Bears starter Alex Brown, and 2 FA linebackers, plus we are welcoming 3 injured ‘09 draft choices back – WR A. Arrington and LB and Safety Arnoux from WF, plus 6 other part-time starters or contributors who were hurt most of last year and on IR.

The “25th ranked” defense hope you guys have always cracks me up. We had the 25th ranked defense in YARDS ALLOWED, but the FOURTEENTH ranked defense in POINTS ALLOWED. We also had the #1 Red Zone defense and #2 turnover ration defense in the entire NFL.
As far as I can tell, “Yards Allowed” does not go up on the scoreboard under “OPPONENTS POINTS”, points SCORED does.

I respect your opinions and your write to have them, but I must respectfull disagree.

One thing I DO agree with some Falcon fans on however, is that there is no reason the Falcons cannot have a great year in ‘10. I don’t know about the SB, but I do like Matt Ryan, he is a younger, taller Drew Brees. Of course, it all hinges on injuries.

Good luck this year, but not TOO much

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Oops i meant hawks mark not falcons.

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I hate to bring this up, but if we signed TO, that just might be the extra 2-3 wins we need to win the division.

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Hey Falcons – remember the NFL only has 2 types of teams in it – those who’ve won a Championship and those who haven’t. The audicity of Mark Bradley to slight the Saints – they are what the Falcons aspire to be – Champions! Talk is cheap – put a championship banner in the Georgia Dome then you can talk – until then – tread lightly and speak softly!!

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METRY TYGER-I’m glad you responded to my post. It’s nice to know there are intelligent Saint fans who are capable of getting a point across intelligently, and without a lot of derogatory and downright vulgar remarks. This is truly going to be an interesting and exciting season for both teams.

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@ ken- would you show me where the falcons ‘purged” and now have “ccompletely rebuilt”? i’m also confused on the quickest , fastest, youngest and most versatile part. i know of some players that may not fit that description but the falcons may have cut them and i don’t know about it yet. the odds makers on- line that i’ve checked have you all at 30 /1 to go to the superbowl- just below the 4-12 redskins of last year. as a last question , who are these people you know of that know football? mark , jeff , or d-led? i’d go with the odds makers because they have a reason to be right. the saints are 9/1 with them- #3 on the list i think

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Ken, no problem.
If the Falcons fulfill their projections and the Saints don’t succumb to the seemingly prevailing “post Super Bowl collapse,” we could be looking at 2 Lombardi trophy caliber teams in the NFC South, with Carolina (IMO) not far behind. I think though, that Green Bay and Dallas will be right up there as well, and possibly the Vicomplainers if the old man doesn’t retire again.

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Falcons Win Range for 2010:

11-5 at BEST

7-9 at WORST

Saints Win Range for 2010:

15-1 at BEST

11-5 at WORST

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of couse silly- what major metropolitan area doesn’t?

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@ken -sorry . it sounded like you meant all that happened over this offseason. it does sound like alot of changes and rightfully so. i remember posting last season that i thought in maybe 2-3 years y’all may have a contender and i still believe so. i think it takes that period of time for players and schemes to jell into a unit instead of a number of skilled individuals. that is not a put down as the saints went thru the same thing with the addition of payton / brees. 1st yr good 2nd &3rd- building, 4th unit coming together and 5th, building on that. i hear alot of talk about us losing depth and no-one there with any to replace it but i’ll give our coaches props because they seem to be getting right thus far. though i ‘m not wishing the falcons good luck i’m sure they are on the rise and will do well. i’ve talked crap on here but mostly it’s rivalry stuff that sometimes gets out of hand

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1st yr good, 2nd & 3rd rebuilding… don’t get your hopes up too high, Falcon fans, This statement is too vague and promises something that is just not fair to promise in the first place. The Saints did what they did with the BEST QB in the NFL, the Falcons have a 3rd year pro who got way too much cred early (he needs to thank Michael Turner for yr 1) and who still has not proven himself to be ANY better than Rex Grossman

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CRAZY-I agree that DBrees is the NFL’s top QB. But the Falcons proved last yr they can still be competitive and win with their #1 QB, #1 & 2RB’s, RG, LT, DT and both CB’s out with injuries. Just try and get your head around the idea of the Saints even being competitive without QB DBrees, alone. I remember how the Saints OFF collapsed when star RB Duece McAlister went down.

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The saints are a one-hit wonder. Drew Brees is in his 30’s he’ll only be effective for 4-5 more years, the falcons got a FUTURE! We got matty ice who can deliver for at least 10 more years, plus saints are only a good offensive team, defense sucks and will suck really bad next year. The saints could care less about next season to all yall saints fans. They won a ring, got endorsements they could care less about a repeat. Don’t expect much from em’ they’ll go 2nd in the NFC South 10-6 record, while these falcons will win the division and go deep in the playoffs! 12 win campaign next season for my falcons wish all yall saints good luck you ain’t going deep next season!

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SEENTHISB4-You are delusional. How can you possibly believe the AINTS have dramatically improved their DEF? In what universe can you actually believe that replacing 9yr veteran DE CGrant with 9yr veteran ABrown, and replacing OLB SFujita with unproven UFA OLB Jo-Lonn Dunbar, is some kind of dramatic improvement for the NFL’s 25th rated DEF? And the only OFF change has been the trading of starting LT JBrown. Come On, you have got to be kidding.

What is this impressive ammunition to their arsenal you speak of, and what are these drastic improvements on DEF you speak of?

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I tried 5 or 6 times to post a specific question and response to HIRAMSAINT and METRY TYGER, and each time my post has been eaten. It only seems to happen when I make a post to them. WHY?

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Ken: Sorry, I haven’t responded sooner, but I don’t read this rag everyday, not my site. You want Saints offensive improvements: We added Jimmy Graham, TE, he will eventually be Jeremy’s replacement, but will only see part time action this year, subbing for him, and that’s what will make him dangerous, your team will forget about him, and Brees will make you pay for that mistake, just watch. At running back we’re moving up Lynell Hamilton to replace Mike Bell, and we’re adding the Charlie Brown draft pick to back up Bushrod. We will probably add a veteran back up QB next month, probably Patrick Ramsey. We’ll get back Adrian Addington @ WR from IR, another tall, lanky, surehanded, superfast WR. Yeah, who you gonna cover with Colston, Henderson, Meachem, & Addington are in the four receiver set, Graham at TE? Yeah, good luck with that!!!

As far as Charles Grant is concern, I guess you forgot that the Saints made the entire playoff round without Charles Grant, he went on IR immediately after the last regular season game. The Saints cut him because the Saints felt he was out of gas, and to be clear, HE WAS OUT OF GAS. If you think so highly of him, sign him. Alex Brown is bettter. You don’t want to believe that, that’s fine, it makes no matter to me. We’ll also get back Stanley Arnoux, a rookie LB draftee we lost to IR early in preseason last year, Jo Lonn Dunbar will be trying to keep up with him, not the other way around. The Saints will be better on Defense, they’ll be faster, and younger. And they’ll have plenty of depth. But, you’ll get to see that for yourself.

You have said it twice I believe, the Saints had the 25th ranked defense last year, which means, it won’t take much to improve it, although we did have the number one ranked defense in defensive points scored. I don’t think the falcant defense was anywhere near that, perhaps the Saints know something, that the falcants don’t know, about defense, huh?

I think it was you who also said that the press has started to rank the falcants ahead of the Saints because of the improvements made by Atlanta vis-a-vis the Saints. But, do me a favor and go and look up the recent history, were not all the writers last year ranking the falcants ahead of the Saints? I believe they did, and how did that turn out? Reported rankings at this time of year are totally guesswork. And Bradley’s report that the “distractions” the Saints have faced this off-season is equally “guesswork”, especially, when the only additional distraction they have had this year was the Super Bowl party and ring ceremony, everything else they’ve looked at this year, is virtually identical to last year.

The Saints are going to sweep the falcants again this year, just like they did last year. It’s up to the falcants to prevent that, and from what I have seen, they haven’t done so this year. Though Bradley would like to believe it, and you, it’s just a pipe dream. The Saints will win the Division, it’s just a matter of “by how many games”.

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Gimme a break seen this b4 go to some lousiana newspaper and suck it up there with your fellow a’ints fans! Saints didn’t improve drastically to sweep the falcons the falcons look like they’re in better shape to sweep your saints and win this division! Aints fans are a joke you won’t come back to this blog once your aints lose to the falcons n go 2 an early offseason! Ya losers probably won’t get another championship all yall got is a low budget to sign only drew brees an trust me drew isn’t the saints 52 man roster. Falcons>Saints bye bye haters!

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my falcons signed dunta robinson he seems pretty legit to me!

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Saints don’t even look good enough to beat the cowboys’ (if they even make it to the playoffs)!

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WOW… Dunta Robinson MIGHT be the #3 CB in New Orleans this season…

The Falcons have not done ANYTHING to improve the defense compared to what the Saints did prior to last season… Same D-coordinator, YAY add a career underachiever at CB and hope a draft pick from last year magically becomes the next Darren Sharper at FS… LOL

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falconz:

Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha! Who are you trying to convince? Yourself? You posted 7 straight comments. I wonder why? Oh I know! Cause talk is cheap, especailly when you’re blogging on a free board and making baseless boasts about a team the Saints whipped up on twice last year. On the other hand, you could have just been anibrated.

The Saints are gonna win the NFC South again in 2010, and bag the dirty birds twice.

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Falconz: No apology necessary, post any which way you want. But, you are correct in one sense, I can’t stand when someone posts a rant that goes on and on without at least paragraph breaks. Very hard to read (tough on the eyes), and a complete turn off, I usually just skip those.

And don’t get me completely wrong, I don’t believe the falcants will be a pushover, but I don’t believe that they will be 12-4 like Mr. Bradley here predicts here. More like 9-7, maybe 10-6 if they can steal a game from the Saints, which they won’t. And neither do I believe his assertion that the Saints have had too much distraction to repeat, that’s just completely pulling something out of thin air, based solely on what other teams have done. Problem is, the Saints are NOT one of those other teams.

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Blank…Dimitroff and Smith are a winning combination. They simply demand that the team is a winner. As long as the injury bug does not punish us too badly….this team will win more than they lose….that I do believe.

12-4?…..no so sure but 10-6 or 11-5 is doable.

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SEENTHISB4-you seem obsessed with ignoring the fact that being ranked 25th makes your DEF one of the NFL’s worst, and you’ve lost your 2nd best overall LB. You certainly can’t say you’ve improved yourself at DE by replacing past his prime CGrant with past his prime ABrown.

You can use the old approach of attacking the messenger and ignoring the message all you want, but like I said, the Saints high powered OFF won’t be able to over come a sorry DEF that’s very long in the tooth again this yr. You can’t really think FS DSharper, who’ll be 35yrs old and entering his 15yr will repeat last yrs performance do you? Do you really expect DE ABrown, who’ll be 32yrs old and entering his 10th yr, will have a breakout season? Do you really have an OLB on your bench that can match the production of departed OLB SFujita, who was one of you key players? Your DEF had 35 total sacks, and 12 of those, over one third, came from DE WSmith.

Bottom line, the 2009 defending Super Bowl Saints are about to follow that great accomplishment up by becoming the AINTS again in 2010.

You can brag about defeating us twice last, but since you think the Saints are, and will be again this yr, so great, explain why a team as great as the Saints struggled twice last yr to defeat a wounded team that you think isn’t even in the AINTS league? There’s a reason more and more sports writers are picking the Falcons to finish ahead of the AINTS and win the NFC South.

Because of your sorry DEF, which is going to get worse, you are a one dimensional team, ALL OFF. If DEF’s get to DBrees, or he gets injured, your entire OFF and team will collapse, period. With

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oh ken- i believe he just ouched you. one more note- our sorry, 25th ranked D held the colts to 17 points and sealed the deal on the colts loss and our lombardi

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SEENTHISB4-you are obviously aware that what I’ve said about your DEF is true, otherwise why so many SO WHATS, OR WHO CARES. Well, you’d better care, because your weak DEF is going to cause the Saints to suffer the same fate as so many other defending Super Bowl champions, and cause them to completely collapse and become the AINTS of old.

HIRAMSAINT-yes, you’re DEF did do a good job against the Colts, but that was just one gm, albeit the ultimate gm. You just can’t keep overlooking the fact that the up coming season consists of 16 regular season gms, not one. And if your DEF doesn’t improve, and I don’t see how it can without upgrading the current roster, you will struggle just to make the playoffs.

All of you AINTS fans can continue ignoring the facts and embracing fantasy all you want, but the Falcons are now considered the better team by an increasing number of sports writers, and are predicting we’ll finish ahead of the AINTS.

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Big Dreams for little Mark! 12-4! I hope so, I been spending too much money on Direct TV out here in SAT every year to catch all the games. When Vick got jacked, I asked Blank for a little reimbursement. However, I have yet to see a check in the mail. Looking forward to rookies and sophmores this year. Football is always great…as a longtime Falcons fan, we all know how to handle disappointment if it happens.

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Well I guess there is nothing wrong with making preduncetions. So how about just saying the Falconettes are primed to win it all including the Superbowel. The only problem they may run into is the playing of other NFL teams on the way. Maybe if they were to play on Friday nights against some of the local high school teams, they may stand a chance. Lets just see how the season progresses first. What a joke for a professional team.

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Can anyone tell me why the Falcons are not taking a shot and signing TO ?
He makes his home in the ATL and I think he’s still got some gas left in the tank. Pay him 500-750k and if he turn into the crazy babbling TO just cut his ass. Pretty simple…

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Great artcile. NEXTUPSPORTS.COM is the perfect place to add this article to. and for all the falcons fans please get on and join for free

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12 wins I think is a bit lofty. The Falcons are not aggressive enough on defense especially on third and long(8 yards or more). I do believe that the Falcons could have beaten the Saints both times, but they made too many mistakes. The Vikings also outplayed the Saints, but it is hard to overcome 5 turnovers. If the Falcons stay healthy on offense and AGGRESSIVE and healthy on defense they can play with anyone in the NFL. We MUST get off the field on 3rd down especially 3rd and long. Sitting back in a zone on 3rd and long and letting a team pick up a first down is a recipe for disaster.

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[...] Browsing the magazine rack at Kroger yesterday, I noted that the Sporting News Pro Football yearbook picks the Falcons to win the NFC South, which is the home of the reigning Super Bowl titlist. And I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that these glowing forecasts mesh with my own. Last month I picked the Falcons to go 12-4, win their division and play Dallas for the NFC title. [...]

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