The Falcons are the class of the NFC, but a familiar face looms
Feeling fearless in Seattle: Another three-touchdown game for Matt Ryan. (AP photo)
They’re in the playoffs, and they’re as close to having the No. 1 seed throughout the NFC bracket as you can get without clinching. They’ve got two games to go, both of them here. Win once more — here we note that the Falcons meet the NFL’s worst team, Carolina, in the regular-season finale Jan. 2 — and they won’t play anywhere but here until February.
And that’s the way it ought to be. If you’re looking for the NFL’s best overall team, it’s Atlanta. (And if you’re wondering when last we could say that about the Falcons with any conviction, the answer would be, “Um … never.”)
The Patriots have a fabulous offense, but their defense entered the weekend as the league’s fifth-worst. Maybe Tom Brady is good enough to override that failing, but at some point a championship team has to stop somebody. (Doesn’t it?) The Ravens are stout, but the Falcons have beaten them. The Falcons lost to the Steelers, but that was before the local team figured out how good it could be.The Jets are more a TV show than a Super Bowl winner. Those are the only AFC teams worth mentioning.
As for the NFC: The Giants just blew a 21-point lead in a prove-it game, meaning they proved they don’t belong among the elite. The Saints lost in Baltimore on Sunday, solidifying the season-long belief that the reigning champs are indeed last year’s team. The Bears lead the NFC North but don’t seem a threat. But there’s one team that does.
Given the Falcons’ run of last-gasp victories and their absence of serious injuries, this has been a charmed season for the franchise that, 45 years on, hasn’t known many. These Falcons don’t dazzle you with footwork; they just hammer you with basics. They’re not rattled by an opponent’s quick start. They’re not rattled by anything. That said …
The Philadelphia Eagles are coming fast. (Emphasis on “fast.” Those guys can really run.) They weren’t supposed to lead the NFC East with two games to go — back in September, Dallas and the Giants were the touted teams — and however the Eagles fared was supposed to hinge on new quarterback Kevin Kolb.
Two weeks into the season, the Eagles had a new new quarterback. Andy Reid, the low-key coach, chose to elevate Michael Vick to No. 1 after saying repeatedly he would not. (Kolb had gotten hurt in the opener.) The Eagles made the announcement via a mass text message at 6 p.m. on a Tuesday night. At a Wednesday briefing Reid faced an enraged Philly media, which demanded to know why it should ever trust him again.
Today the Eagles are at worst the NFC’s second-best team, and they’ve already beaten the Falcons on a day when Vick didn’t play. (Question for a rainy afternoon: Are the Eagles deeper at quarterback than the Phillies are in starting pitching?) The Eagles are having a season kissed by the angels, same as the Falcons. You know something strange is happening when, as happened Sunday, a Vick-fueled Philly rally enables his former team to clinch a playoff berth.
Loading ...So now we ask: Is it possible to have two teams of destiny? If so, which one wins?
Speaking last week, the former Falcon great Jessie Tuggle said: “I’m a little biased, but I think [the Falcons are] the best team in the NFC.”
Then, after a pause: “But Philadelphia could push them.”
Think about it. Jan. 23, 2011: The Georgia Dome stages its first conference championship game, and who should be the opposing quarterback? Only the guy who used to pack the place.
Me, I’m thinking that would be the toughest ticket in the history of Atlanta sports, above even Muhammad Ali’s comeback fight against Jerry Quarry in October 1970. And I’m also hoping it doesn’t happen for a selfish reason: The profession I’ve chosen would be rendered null and void, at least for that week.
If ever a story could write itself, it’d be this: Michael Vick returns to Atlanta, a Super Bowl on the line. Nuff said.
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837 comments Add your comment
Big Rick from East Point
December 19th, 2010
10:31 pm
Vick and the Eagles vs. the Falcons with the SB at stake….it’s bound to happen. Karma. There’s no lead safe against these Eagles. The Giants Def. Coordinator should have made adjustments when his scheme ceased to work.
Mack1124
December 19th, 2010
10:37 pm
I certainly hope FALCONS win SUPERBOWL this season, if so vick will become a non-story on this site (I can only hope). Ryan can have his doubters, naysayers and regardless of his WINS will never give him credit for helping his franchise. Let’s not forget where this franchise was before the 2008 season. For the franchise to have 3 consecutive winning season (something vick never done) and for our starting QB to be 19-1 at home, the young talent on both sides of the ball, the FALCONS should be contenders for a long time and its is simply amazing.
KG from Macon
December 19th, 2010
10:42 pm
Other than having the media display its collective obsession with Vick, and having putting up with all his fans in Atlanta, I would like nothing better than for the Falcons to face the Eagles in the NFC Championship game. This game, along with playing and beating the Patriots in the Super Bowl, would give the Falcons what they don’t have now: national media respect.
It’s like the Braves used to be before they won all those division titles.
dg4one
December 19th, 2010
10:43 pm
I like “Working 9 to 5″ as the theme for this Falcons team! All work no play! No flair but just getting the job done!
Looks like the merry go round of life is about to bring Vick back to face the team he almost destroyed. Go Falcons
Will S
December 19th, 2010
10:43 pm
I don’t quite understand why Atlanta has not clinched the NFC South with today’s win and the Saints loss against the Ravens. Even if the Falcons lose the next two and NO wins out, they would both have 12-4 records with Atlanta owning the tie breaker due to common opponents W-L. Can someone explain why they are not already the NFC south champs?
Falconfanatic
December 19th, 2010
10:44 pm
Since the Falcons have clinched a spot in the playoffs maybe ESPN will mention them but I won`t count on it . Will somebody tell me why they ignore the Falcons ?
tell it like it is
December 19th, 2010
10:46 pm
Dec 27 game of the year! one game at a time.
5150 P.O.A.D
December 19th, 2010
10:46 pm
I can’t believe Green Bat with a back-up QB is beating the Patriots. WOW. New England is beatable.
Joseph Allen McWhorter
December 19th, 2010
10:49 pm
Mark, I will have to admit it. Philly is a team which scares the hell out of me! However, if the Falcons host them in the NFC title game in the Georgia Dome, I truly think that the tremendous amount of enthusiasm and electricity by the highly vocal Atlanta fans would be just enough to give the Falcons a plane ticket to the Super Bowl in Dallas. I am really hoping it doesn’t come down to those two teams. Philly is the last team to beat Atlanta and they really scare me.
BobbyGodd
December 19th, 2010
10:49 pm
Mark the Falcons were considered the best NFL team once before and allowed two Dallas touchdowns in the final two minutes to lose in the playoffs. That Falcons team finished 12-4 and was the most balanced team in NFL. Just shows that you never really know until the day is done. This team is still very questionable on defense but have played terrific the last two weeks. They are finally finishing teams off.
Mike "CON" Vick
December 19th, 2010
10:52 pm
Will S. No, in that case NO would be NFC South champs. The 2nd tie breaker would be division record and falcons would have 2 losses(vs NO and vs carolina) but NO would have just 1 loss(vs ATL).
So, we have to win one of the remaining two, or one NO loss would do.
Gary
December 19th, 2010
10:54 pm
5 teams since 2000 win 3 in a row on the road. The 2010 Falcons are one of them. At home, Matty Ice is 20-1. We get home field advantage, I will take our chances against anyone. Vick is a dog torturer and killer. Do you fans remember why he went to prison. Falcons are 12-2. Winning all different ways. We will go to the Super Bowl. New England is a different story. GO FALCONS. STAY AT HOME. Mike Smith should be Coach of the Year.
Will S
December 19th, 2010
10:58 pm
Thanks Mike “CON” Vick. You’re right. I was thinking that NO had lost to Tampa earlier. Not the case. At any rate……….The Falcons will handle their business come Monday night. If that happens, hopefully they can rest some of the starters against Carolina the following week.
Pl
December 19th, 2010
11:01 pm
gary most teams don’t play 3 in a row on the road so it’s misleading. not taking anything away from the 3 wins but it rarely happens in a season and i think we are the only team this year to play 3 in a row on the road
ET
December 19th, 2010
11:03 pm
If Vick knocks the Falcons out of the playoffs then I’m going to commit Harry Carey…God rest his soul.
extremus
December 19th, 2010
11:06 pm
I’d have to agree from their performance against the Giants today that the Eagles are at least on par with the Saints as the greatest threats to the Falcons’ Superbowl hopes come the playoffs. Vick and Jackson are indeed an electrifying and very dangerous combination and would be hard to stop.
But the single biggest reason I hope the Falcons don’t have to face Philadelphia in the Georgia Dome for the NFC championship is the idea of how heartbreaking it would be to have a large segment of those in attendance cheering for Vick (specifically for Vick, not necessarily for the Eagles); it would be a disgrace to the city and I’m sure disheartening for the Falcons and former teammates of Vick listening down on the field. This Falcons franchise has undergone a transformation over the past three years that none of us could have seen coming, and have been emulating a 2000s Patriots model for long-term success under the guidance of Thomas Dimitroff and Mike Smith. They’ve worked so hard, become such a great team, and yet when that one name Michael Vick comes up, you see such evidence that (mostly along racial lines) a good part of this fanbase hasn’t fully embraced them because an individual (albeit an immensely gifted athlete) became bigger than the team he played for to them.
Michael Vick did his time for some stupid, inhumane things and appears to have gotten his life together; he could very well still put together a Hall of Fame career. I hope so for his sake, I really do (and once again, if that’s the case then THAT is what his fans, especially the younger ones, should learn from as an example). But he’s not the Falcons’ quarterback anymore; Matt Ryan is. They’re both proving themselves to be outstanding QBs in the NFL, but sometimes I wonder if Ryan is ever going to be able to accomplish enough to step out of the shadow of What Might Have Been with some fans in Atlanta. Either Ryan or Vick can (and perhaps both will eventually will) win a Superbowl, perhaps more than one. It’s a shame that some folks not only won’t let go of the past, they’re so passionate in their hatred and bitterness toward the Falcons and Arthur Blank for what they perceive as a “betrayal” of Vick by white people (I believe in calling things exactly as they are) that they still troll the boards here three years removed, making life as miserable as they can for the true fans and regular posters. They’re missing out on the best, most stable team the Falcons franchise has ever had by any measure; they’ll be a force to be reckoned with for a long time to come if they can stay healthy.
If the Falcons and Eagles meet and the Falcons lose in that late January showdown, what agony would it be, what injustice to the city, the franchise and the fans who’ve waited so long for a championship, to hear the sounds of exuberant celebration from the stands chanting the name of the man whose cruel, irresponsible actions derailed all of our hopes a few years ago? I hope and believe that chapter of Michael Vick’s life is behind him; I just wish all of the fans in Atlanta could turn the page and move on as well. I hope that the NFC Championship game is, like the ones before it, a true Dome-field advantage and that everyone comes out to cheer for our Atlanta Falcons! True fans cheer for the name on the front of the jersey, not the one on the back. Folks, this 2010 Falcons team has worked hard, maybe even beaten a few teams slightly above their own current talent level, because of a single, team-minded focus to bring Atlanta a Lombardi Trophy. I hope our fans and their loyalty will in turn prove worthy of their efforts whomever they should face; they deserve that much, win or lose.
GO FALCONS!!!!
JJ
December 19th, 2010
11:09 pm
5 teams this year had 3 straight road games.
atl den pitt cincy and st louis
Atlanta Peach
December 19th, 2010
11:13 pm
@extremus, Boy, Well said !!! Here ! Here !
Kevin
December 19th, 2010
11:13 pm
I am a very pessimistic fan when it comes to my teams in Atlanta, but this Falcons team just feels different to me…Is it just me or does anyone else feel the same? I really believe this falcons team will make it to dallas…But even if they did not make it this season to Dallas, Barring a lock out next season, I believe the falcons will have more opporunities to win it all the next few seasons.
Hayden
December 19th, 2010
11:14 pm
Good game between Gb and Ne. Hope gb wins to add another potential tie breaker against phil
Hayden
December 19th, 2010
11:26 pm
Wow that ending for matt flynn looked just like a les miles coached qb ending
MV7 for MVP
December 19th, 2010
11:27 pm
Vick would kill atlanta in the playoffs
Billyboy
December 19th, 2010
11:30 pm
Vick will be kicked like a bad dog.
85' Bears
December 19th, 2010
11:31 pm
If the Falcons lose out and the Saints win out, the Saints win the division based on the the division record (4-2 for the Falcons, 5-1 for the Saints). That is why the Falcons did not win the division yet. I also have to disagree with Mark’s assessment. Being a Bears fan, I think the Bears are more of a threat than people give them credit for. I think that the lost last week woke them up. If the Bears luck up and get home field advantage the Falcons don’t want to play in Soldier Field in late January.
Fromunda Cheese Head - Go Packers!
December 19th, 2010
11:32 pm
If we had Erin Rodders at qb we’d uve one. We awl no that New Ingland coat is a cheedar. GB will steal get to SupperBowl.
MV7 for MVP
December 19th, 2010
11:32 pm
Noodle Arm would choke like a little boy
Sameul L. Jackson
December 19th, 2010
11:37 pm
Rise up Falcon’s Nation !, Rise up !!! God’s on your side !!!
Mike "CON" Vick
December 19th, 2010
11:37 pm
MV7 for MVP
December 19th, 2010
11:27 pm
Vick would kill atlanta in the playoffs
============================
I thought Dogs are the only thing DK7 could kill.
kral
December 19th, 2010
11:40 pm
Great road win Falcons
Mike "CON" Vick
December 19th, 2010
11:43 pm
Fromunda Cheese Head – Go Packers!
December 19th, 2010
11:32 pm
If we had Erin Rodders at qb we’d uve one. We awl no that New Ingland coat is a cheedar. GB will steal get to SupperBowl.
=====================
That’s funny, man! I like their chance at the BreakfastBowl better though.
ctriv
December 19th, 2010
11:48 pm
When Michael Vick hit his wall that ended in Leavenworth, Bradley ended up with a brown nose ’cause HE couldn’t stop fast enough (the only bright spot in the Internet-driven death of newspapers will be Bradley’s early retirement), That said, Philly isn’t who I want to see the Falcons play- but at home I’ll take anybody at this point.
I believe in redemption, so I won’t characterize Michael Vick now, but true justice would be him getting beat in front of the fans he betrayed. Although half of them would be wearing those ridiculous Falcons/Eagles #7 jerseys. The man was scum in Atlanta, folks. Don’t celebrate a felon who destroyed your team.
MV7 for MVP
December 19th, 2010
11:49 pm
I thought Dogs are the only thing DK7 could kill.
When noodle arm stops throwing quick slants then maybe he could be a MVP, but Mike Vick will showhim up again in Atlanta the city that loves Vick
Shannon
December 19th, 2010
11:50 pm
I’m going with the Falcons, because barring any unforeseen circumstances or disasters they will playing at home throughout the playoffs and since Matt Ryan started they have only lost one game at home in 3 years and have lost none at home this season.
And what could be more satisfying than beating a team led by Michael Vick? I am so glad Atlanta got rid of him. That and choosing Matt Ryan in the draft were the two best decisions the Falcons have EVER made (the third is choosing Mike Smith as the Head Coach). Thank you Arthur Blank!
Mike "CON" Vick
December 19th, 2010
11:51 pm
extremus, that was great. It sure was fun cheering for Vick while he was here. Hoped that he would be one to bring all people of ATL together but he ruined it with his ignorant, idiotic, and cruel behavior. Cruel to the poor animals, cruel to the true falcons fans, and to this city as well. It seems like he is the one widened the gap btwn the races. Pity.
MV7 for MVP
December 19th, 2010
11:53 pm
Hoped that he would be one to bring all people of ATL together but he ruined it with his ignorant, idiotic, and cruel behavior.
And almost all of Atlanta still loves him, why don’t they like Ryan
Fin
December 19th, 2010
11:53 pm
Mr. Bradley –
Good article, but with that being said, I wish you hadn’t have written it. By bringing up a potential match up against the Eagles in 5 weeks, you are overlooking a lot of important games before that. Before we worry about the seedings in the playoffs, we need to take care of the immediate business before us. The Saints still know they have an outside chance of winning the division, so they will come here next Monday ready to play their hearts out. If the Falcons were to lose that game, you have a Panthers team coming in with nothing to lose and wanting to beat a division rival and we all know how dangerous teams with nothing to play for can be.
Falcons’ fans, let’s not look ahead of what could possibly be. Let’s look at what is right in front of us…what could be our most important game in the Dimitroff/Smith/Ryan/Turner era.
Just my two cents..
Mike "CON" Vick
December 19th, 2010
11:58 pm
MV7 for MVP
December 19th, 2010
11:53 pm
Hoped that he would be one to bring all people of ATL together but he ruined it with his ignorant, idiotic, and cruel behavior.
And almost all of Atlanta still loves him, why don’t they like Ryan
==============================
Only the racists don’t like Ryan.
Shannon
December 19th, 2010
11:59 pm
I don’t know anyone in Atlanta that likes Michael Vick. Like me everyone I know is glad that Atlanta is rid of him. What Vick did was inexcusable and anyone that tries to excuse it is just as much of a inhumane person as he is.
D Man
December 20th, 2010
12:03 am
Say it loud and proud, the Falcons are the best team in the NFL.
MV7 for MVP
December 20th, 2010
12:08 am
Only the racists don’t like Ryan
Only the racists don’t like Vick
MV7 for MVP
December 20th, 2010
12:09 am
I don’t know anyone in Atlanta that likes Michael Vick.
Lol thats funny when espn did a special showing almost half of atlanta still supports vick
Chillin on Paradise Island
December 20th, 2010
12:11 am
The Falcons are 12-2 and they are the first NFC team to clinch the playoffs, Yet ESPN doesnt even mention them in the NFL page. But you bet they mention how Tebow lost today.
D Man
December 20th, 2010
12:11 am
mv7, I can’t think of a better senerio than to have the Eagles come here to play the Falcons in the NFC Championship game. After the Falcons beat them I wonder if Mike will run off the field shooting birds at us like he has done in the past. What a shameful waste of talent he is.
Mike "CON" Vick
December 20th, 2010
12:16 am
MV7 for MVP
December 20th, 2010
12:08 am
Only the racists don’t like Ryan
Only the racists don’t like Vick
=======================================
I don’t like Vick for his character and his cruel behavior. You don’t like Ryan because of the color of his skin. That makes you a racist.
MV7 for MVP
December 20th, 2010
12:16 am
D Man
December 20th, 2010
12:11 am
mv7, I can’t think of a better senerio than to have the Eagles come here to play the Falcons in the NFC Championship game. After the Falcons beat them I wonder if Mike will run off the field shooting birds at us like he has done in the past. What a shameful waste of talent he is.
LOL, Didn’t the Eagles already blowout the falcons this year without Vick????? Kevin Kolb ate up that defense and what do you think will happen when vick apart the falcons 16th ranked defense??? The Giants defense is ranked 2nd also
MV7 for MVP
December 20th, 2010
12:18 am
I don’t like Vick for his character and his cruel behavior. You don’t like Ryan because of the color of his skin. That makes you a racist.
I only talk about Ryan’s play on the field, I like Ryan as a person, but you however talk about Vick from every angle?? Didn’t Ray Lewis kill a guy, but I bet you love him, right??
Mike "CON" Vick
December 20th, 2010
12:24 am
MV7 for MVP :
Haha you are now a racist and a liar. Why the heck would I love Ray Lewis? If Ryan does what Vick did, I would not like him either. What would make you not like Vick other than pulling Michael Jackson?
3GAMOM
December 20th, 2010
12:24 am
Great job Mike Smith, Matt Ryan and the entire Falcons team. It was just 3 years ago when the Falcons hit rock bottom when Vick was sentenced to prison… But good prevailed and we are now 12-2. It is good to see that Vick is continuing to rehabilitate himself…………………yet, I hope that the Eagles & Vick do not play in the GA Dome! There are too many memories of how Vick’s poor choices harmed the City of Atlanta and the Atlanta Falcons footall team.
With that said….look at the Falcons now, they have entered the arena of an ELITE football team and have done so with much class….every player on the team!! PLAYOFFS HERE WE COME!!!
MV7 for MVP
December 20th, 2010
12:27 am
Mike “CON” Vick
Dude everyone deserves second chances, no matter what the situation is. I love Big Ben and all of the other athletes that comes back from redemption
Michael Vick
December 20th, 2010
12:28 am
I miss yall negros!