Live from the Dome: The risen Falcons eye their culmination
A proud patron on Dec. 10, 2007. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
It was a Monday night in December, and the Saints were in town. It was not a tough ticket. It was simply tough to watch.
It was Dec. 10, 2007. Earlier in the day Michael Vick had been sentenced to 23 months in jail by a judge in Richmond, Va. That night the team Vick used to lead lost to New Orleans 34-14 under the Georgia Dome to fall to 3-10. The next night would see Bobby Petrino, who had coached the Falcons those 13 games, being introduced as the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks.
For a franchise that had seen its share of valleys, that week — it closed with the Falcons losing 37-3 under interim coach Emmitt Thomas in Tampa — was the nadir. It was possible to view this city’s NFL entry as having nothing: No coach, no quarterback, no hope.
On a Monday night three years and 17 days later, the Falcons again played host to the Saints on a Monday night, and this time it wasn’t a occasion best avoided. It was, on the contrary, an event being billed as the biggest home regular-season in the Falcons’ 46 seasons of operation. Win and the Falcons would, in one fell swoop — and Falcons do swoop, last we checked — do all of the following:
• Beat their biggest rival, who happens to be the reigning Super Bowl titlist.
• Win their division for only the fourth time ever.
• Clinch the NFC’s No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
That the Falcons could actually lose to the Saints and still accomplish Nos. 2 and 3 on the above list by beating woeful Carolina here six days later meant nothing to the man who’d made all this happen. In January 2008 Falcons owner Arthur Blank had interviewed New England’s chief scout from Boulder, Col., via Webcam, and such was the impression Thomas Dimitroff made that he was named general manager.
Within 12 months, Dimitroff had hired a coach (Mike Smith) and signed a feature back (Michael Turner) and drafted a quarterback (Matt Ryan) and lifted this woebegone franchise, miracle of miracles, to the playoffs. From there the men of Dimitty and Smitty have moved from strength to strength: A second consecutive winning season under arduous circumstances last season, and now 12 victories over the first 14 games of 2010. Funny how much easier things work with folks of surpassing smarts in charge.
But back to Dimitroff on Monday afternoon: He lives in Buckhead, but he’d abandoned the family home. He called the director of team travel and asked for a room at the team hotel downtown, Dimitroff said, “so I can get some work done and return phone calls.” But he wasn’t too harried to read AJC.com — presumably the Falcons get complimentary wireless — and he felt compelled to ring one writer (i.e., me) and remind him of an unusually sunny forecast offered in preseason.
“You going to be there tonight?” Dimitroff said. Then: “It should be something.”
It was convenient in December 2007 to say that Vick’s indictment/incarceration had set the Falcons back three years. As it turned out, they made the playoffs in their first season under Dimitroff, and nearly every move since has sped the plow. The trade for Tony Gonzalez last year and the signing of Dunta Robinson this spring were moves that had to be made if the Falcons were to be taken seriously, and we saw in big-time tests against Baltimore and Green Bay how serious this team is.
And now it was a Monday night in December in the final week of calendar 2010, and a culmination was there to be grasped, a culmination nobody could have foreseen three years and 17 days ago. In December 2007 the operative emotion regarding the Falcons was pity. We feel sorry for them no more. We feel only admiration.
And with that, the floor is again open for questions, comments and Christmas caroling. I’ll be here all game, and I’d appreciate the company. It gets mighty lonesome with only 70,000 of my best pals around.
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1,621 comments Add your comment
cazz
December 27th, 2010
11:46 pm
good night
G
December 27th, 2010
11:46 pm
They need to review this upstairs… Why are they not reviewing this? Another stupid NFL rule in regards to replay…
Jimmy
December 27th, 2010
11:46 pm
Refs stole this one from us.
Vick Supporter
December 27th, 2010
11:46 pm
Fraud Falcons.
I Love it
Teabagger Johnson
December 27th, 2010
11:46 pm
Nice job giving away this game . . .
JB
December 27th, 2010
11:46 pm
Matty Ice = Matty Sucks!!
Come-on-man
December 27th, 2010
11:46 pm
I blame this loss on Mike Mularkey!!!
G
December 27th, 2010
11:46 pm
Offense was not good tonight
Najeh Davenpoop
December 27th, 2010
11:46 pm
“LOL…now you people call Mike Turner a fat ass,lol.
No loyalty from falcon fans. none”
Seriously. Turner is the MVP of this team. Give some credit to the Saints. They controlled the line of scrimmage against an offensive line that wins the line of scrimmage battle almost every week.
Sid
December 27th, 2010
11:46 pm
what a joke…..will lose in second round to whoever they play…..could choke against the Panthers……45 years of crap
Jimmy
December 27th, 2010
11:46 pm
Enter your comments here
SRF
December 27th, 2010
11:46 pm
the Falcons are cursed – that is just the way it is – just like the last time they tried to play in the playoffs
vpi83
December 27th, 2010
11:46 pm
Game Over . . . Falcons had so many chances . . . they choked this game away in a pressure matchup . . . still can’t take them serious yet as an NFC power.
david
December 27th, 2010
11:46 pm
Coach Smith is stupid, who doesn’t challenger that marking let alone not going for it at midfield on f 4th and 6.
The Falcons will not even win a game in the playoffs, they will probably lose next week agains’t the panthers.
O"Brien
December 27th, 2010
11:47 pm
I think Mike Smith should have gone for it on 4th down though.
Blame this loss on offense though. Our defense played great, but Matt Ryan and the offense did nothing this whole game.
Tough Nolla Guy
December 27th, 2010
11:47 pm
Falcons
December 27th, 2010
11:45 pm
What a stupid rule that it cant be challenged.
—-
stop crying. your team is a fraud. lost on mnf again. rise up and take your beating like a man.
just obvious
December 27th, 2010
11:47 pm
Vick Supporter
December 27th, 2010
11:46 pm
Fraud Falcons.
I Love it
Because you are a racist who supports Vick because he is black. You hate Ryan because he is White. Is that clear enough for you.
Angie O'Plasty
December 27th, 2010
11:47 pm
Great game in my book…see ya in the playoffs.
playmeortrademe
December 27th, 2010
11:47 pm
You never win a big game on national TV? This is madness!
No, THIS IS ATLANTA!!!
drmaryb (*_*)
December 27th, 2010
11:47 pm
Two turnovers costs us this GAME!
Just flat out got beat
December 27th, 2010
11:47 pm
Offense just plan sucked tonight,and Smith got outcoached. No way you punt the ball back with just over 2 minutes to play. The Falcochockers deserved to lose this one. Matty Ice was doo doo ice tonight.
olan Hill
December 27th, 2010
11:47 pm
Thanks for nothing Atlanta! You showed your true sorry colors tonight. Can you say OVERRATED!!!
Falcons Fan80
December 27th, 2010
11:47 pm
Chill guys. Guess who has the best record in the NFC.
Northern Songs LTD
December 27th, 2010
11:47 pm
not ryan’s fault brees has thrown for 300+ yards
J.J.M.
December 27th, 2010
11:48 pm
dont blame this on the ref…..blame it on the offense for sucking
Not Don Waddell
December 27th, 2010
11:48 pm
Falconz just got fugged in the azz….no less than 6 TERRIBLE calls by the obviously corrupt refs….Saints are a bunch of scrubs with a great QB…no shot at repeating unless Ed Hochuli is on the take again…
mark33
December 27th, 2010
11:48 pm
What BS!
You can challenge every freaking play known to man during the game…
even with no evidence of a bad call….
But, clear as day the RB knee was down 1 yd short of the 1st down marker… and the horrible officials can’t review upstairs?
It only seems fitting because this was an EXTREMELY poor officiated game!
Make no mistake though… the Falcons offense lost this game. NO DOUBT.
icedawg
December 27th, 2010
11:48 pm
Pitiful, pitiful, pitiful. Falcons offense a no show.
Jimmy
December 27th, 2010
11:48 pm
SRF
No, we bloggers are cursed.
You are here.
The Joker....
December 27th, 2010
11:48 pm
That Turner turnover hurt bad, the aint’s didn’t win, we gave them a late Christmas Gift!!!!
Hummon
December 27th, 2010
11:48 pm
Take care of business next week – like this never happened.
icedawg
December 27th, 2010
11:48 pm
Falcons don’t make it far in the playoffs.
SRF
December 27th, 2010
11:48 pm
Win a playoff game and then get back to me….
Vick Supporter
December 27th, 2010
11:49 pm
I TOLD YOU!! IF YOU PUT THE GAME ON RYAN”S SHOULDERS, HIS SHOULDERS BREAK. This team is a fraud. They better hope they can beat the Panthers…this is the NFL. Anyone can win. Saints SMASHED ya’ll
LMAO
Freddie G
December 27th, 2010
11:49 pm
Fatman Turner cost the Falcons, I hope we will draft a speed back to replace Norwood, it is time to stop that experiment and get someone who can stay on the field.
Kyle
December 27th, 2010
11:49 pm
Pathetic. I hope Carolina wins Sunday to really show the truth when it comes to this bunch.
shucks
December 27th, 2010
11:49 pm
Guys. The big surprise tonight was I think our D can keep us in any game. I thought our O was strong but D was too weak to win in playoffs, but tonight it looked like the opposite. If the O can right the ship we can beat anyone in the playoffs. Count on it.
Jimmy
December 27th, 2010
11:49 pm
At least we won’t have to keep hearing the man-love fest for Brees any more tonight.
Tough Nolla Guy
December 27th, 2010
11:49 pm
part on bourbon street. oh yeah. we own the ga dome. time to find your women.
Eric C.
December 27th, 2010
11:49 pm
I’m sorry, but that was a BS call punting the ball back to the Saints with under 3 minutes and only 2 TOs. The Falcons lost to the Saints in 2008 doing the same thing. The play-calling on offense was pathetic.
Chiefdawg
December 27th, 2010
11:49 pm
Same old Falcons. Get the spotlight and lose.
HELP
December 27th, 2010
11:49 pm
CAN WE GET MIKE VICK BACK PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JDO
December 27th, 2010
11:49 pm
FIRE MICHAEL TURNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not Don Waddell
December 27th, 2010
11:49 pm
And, FWIW, the Falcons have already clinched the NFC homefield, and the Saints will lose in the Wild Card, as they are a bunch of scrub players with a great QB…egregious, egregious display of ineptitude or corruption by the officials tonight, just pitiful that a competitive game can be marred by such a pathetic display by the refs…just pitiful…
Slippery when wet & 5150
December 27th, 2010
11:49 pm
I hate that I called it a few days back on Schultz’s blog, but I think WE saw the Falcons GROW-UP a lot tonight!
MikeyD
December 27th, 2010
11:50 pm
The game was won when the Saints drove a ridiculously easy 90 yards with the game on the line. This is what happens when you take an overrated college assistant and try to let him be an NFL coordinator. It’s time to fire vangorder. Coach Smith has been holding his hand too long, and he’s just not good enough to coordinate at the pro level.
Angie O'Plasty
December 27th, 2010
11:50 pm
A nice win by the Saints…oil well
stendek
December 27th, 2010
11:50 pm
I am so proud of the Falcon defense! Well done guys. You played your hearts out! Deserved to win. Matt Ryan and Michael Turner can go straight to Hell! Obviously paid off by New Orleans. Sorry pieces of shet. Damn choking bestards! Falcon defense turned in superior effort. Falcon offense failed in every facet of game. Especially Matt Ryan and Michael “Fumble” Turner. Unacceptable! STENDEK
Saint's Fan
December 27th, 2010
11:50 pm
Thanks Roddy for motivating us!
just obvious
December 27th, 2010
11:50 pm
Vick Supporter
December 27th, 2010
11:49 pm
I TOLD YOU!! IF YOU PUT THE GAME ON RYAN”S SHOULDERS, HIS SHOULDERS BREAK. This team is a fraud. They better hope they can beat the Panthers…this is the NFL. Anyone can win. Saints SMASHED ya’ll
LMAO
You support Vick because he is black. You hate Ryan because he is White. Nuff said.