Live from the Dome: A stress-free Falcons’ victory at last?
Matty Ice, shown in an un-holly-jolly mood. (AP photo)
The Falcons have played 13 games. Two have been blowouts: The opening loss at Chicago and the dismissal of winless Indianapolis. In the Falcons’ six home games, all have been in doubt in the fourth quarter, and one beyond that. (Fourth-and-1 at the 30 in overtime. I’m guessing you remember.)
I mention this because we might be about to see an actual Dome wipeout. The Jacksonville Jaguars arrive having already shed coach Jack Del Rio but still lugging the 32nd-best offense in a 32-team league. I also mention this because the Falcons’ head coach has been in the news for having chest pains. An actual runaway by the home side would be the nicest holiday gift Mike Smith could imagine.
I should also mention that the Falcons need only to beat two bad teams here — Jacksonville and then Tampa Bay on New Year’s Day — to reach 10 wins. Ten wins will almost surely book playoff passage and claim the NFC’s No. 5 seed in the process, and you’d rather be No. 5 and have to play the Giants or the Cowboys or the Eagles than be No. 6 and face a Round 1 game in the Superdome.
I could mention other things, but I really don’t feel a pressing need. This one shouldn’t be close, except that the Falcons are pretty good at making games close. Let’s see if they break character tonight.
And with that, the floor’s yours. I eagerly await your comments, questions and submissions for favorite seasonal song. And if anyone suggests Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” that person gets banned in perpetuity. So be warned.
By Mark Bradley
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845 comments Add your comment
bostonbcfan
December 15th, 2011
9:43 pm
great play be Abe
AtlNative
December 15th, 2011
9:44 pm
@Reggie,
I dont know Reggie, they are looking really really bad…
Maybe statistically they are top ten, but they look like a team that has given up to me.
Groundhogday
December 15th, 2011
9:44 pm
I remember Pridemore as a rookie being part of the old Grits Blitz from the late 70’s. Glanville should have stayed a DC.
Lintonia 83
December 15th, 2011
9:44 pm
put da foot thru the throat!
phil
December 15th, 2011
9:44 pm
Pridemore…..many yrs ago….pretty decent memories.
Mark Bradley
December 15th, 2011
9:44 pm
Not to sound negative, but … a run up the middle after the recovery?
katherine
December 15th, 2011
9:46 pm
get the 3 and go to halftime
Loserville USA
December 15th, 2011
9:46 pm
Ortega — Lawrence — Brown….. what a frickin d.
Mr Charlie
December 15th, 2011
9:46 pm
Little guy is tough.
Mark Bradley
December 15th, 2011
9:46 pm
Can’t really argue with 27-0 after 30 minutes. But 31-0 would have been … well, four points better.
Groundhogday
December 15th, 2011
9:47 pm
Did Nessler just say “watch out for the screen” when Quizz came in? Does he not know our OC has religious beliefs against the screen?
Lintonia 83
December 15th, 2011
9:47 pm
Good!
katherine
December 15th, 2011
9:47 pm
great first half
Reggie
December 15th, 2011
9:47 pm
If we play with this much energy, and this much passion when we face the Saints, we’ll beat them. Remember, we get Grimes and Hayden back on defense. The addition of Moore to our secondary has solidified it and the addition of Grimes and Hayden will make it even better. Just wait. We’re going to beat the Taints. The Falcons are a good football team, no matter what you say, and they are starting to click at the right time. Just like GB.
bostonbcfan
December 15th, 2011
9:47 pm
Great solid football for an entire half…..that is good to see!!!!! I hope this is an indication that they are beginning to peak at the right time!
mountain_jim
December 15th, 2011
9:48 pm
Glad Peters is ok, and no other injuries
Loserville USA
December 15th, 2011
9:48 pm
Yeah — all you 80s 90s people — check out the heartache of the 1970s….
1973: 9-3 with 2 games to go….lost to Buffalo and St. Louis — CHOKE. No playoffs.
1977: Defense gave up 129 points….7-7….
1978: Only highlight. Mitchell’s TD catch beats Philly 14-13 in 1st ever wild card game. Down 13-0 with 5 min to go.
Loserville USA
December 15th, 2011
9:49 pm
1980: Fantastic — until the ol’ choke.
dean
December 15th, 2011
9:49 pm
31-0 at the half? Hmmmm. Where did I see that before? Oh. I remember. I was there. I’m glad Julio’s on OUR side now!
Good night and Merry Christmas. Until the 26th….
vesaversas
December 15th, 2011
9:51 pm
Jacksonville have great young talaent but they are overly match against the Falcons on both side of the ball tonight .
Mr Charlie
December 15th, 2011
9:51 pm
Lets add Quizz to good TD draft choices.
Loserville USA
December 15th, 2011
9:52 pm
1976 team was horrid — lost 59-0 at LA — and Bennett/Glanville came in and revamp it in a hurry. But of course, ‘79 was a cluster.
This is why Smitty is BY FAR best coach in team history. No one close. A real man, a real leader.
Mr Charlie
December 15th, 2011
9:52 pm
When we play the Aints, it will come down to a play, like it always does. It is our turn for karma…OMG, I need my welding mask to look at M Irving suit.
Reggie
December 15th, 2011
9:52 pm
Maybe we should play more Thursday Night football games
.
Where the hell is “Choke” and “JSS” or “72 Million Dollar Bust”
bgdawg
December 15th, 2011
9:52 pm
What do we do with ray edwards?
mmgtfan
December 15th, 2011
9:53 pm
GOod God who is that screaming in the background? SOunds terrible! And theyre booing him!!!!
Mr Charlie
December 15th, 2011
9:53 pm
Loser, how about 72 ore 73 when we lost to a 2 win Saints game in week 16 to miss the playoffs.
katherine
December 15th, 2011
9:53 pm
m irving looks like he is wearing aluminum foil
JSS
December 15th, 2011
9:54 pm
Mr Charlie
December 15th, 2011
9:41 pm
“This is a little boring, 72, JSS, Choke all crawl back in the hole when we play like this”
Just like the fact you only crawl out when play the Carolina and JAXs of the world? It is why i call you a L-I-A-R all the time… You need to learn how to just leave well enough some time… But your in “Charlie’s World” put down the Tigers Blood…
Draggin Fly
December 15th, 2011
9:54 pm
I was actually at that 78 wild card game. So cold they had to sledgehammer the ice off the tarp before the game.
Mr Charlie
December 15th, 2011
9:54 pm
JSS, you are a liar.
kerryb
December 15th, 2011
9:55 pm
Groundhogday
December 15th, 2011
9:47 pm
Did Nessler just say “watch out for the screen” when Quizz came in? Does he not know our OC has religious beliefs against the screen?
________________________________________________________-
One of the best comments of the night.
ijonathan
December 15th, 2011
9:55 pm
bgdawg…c’mon man, Ray has been impactful in the sack department tonight! He was offside, which negated a sack for the Falcons.
MightyQuinn
December 15th, 2011
9:55 pm
Lost internet signal for awhile, maybe this important detail got addressed and I missed it: Mark, wassup with the hatin’ on Burl Ives????
katherine
December 15th, 2011
9:56 pm
how could irving look in the mirror and think that suit looks good..its awful lol
Mr Charlie
December 15th, 2011
9:56 pm
JSS I was not on the blog during the Caroline game. YOUR A LIAR LIAR LIAR LIAR LIAR…
JSS
December 15th, 2011
9:57 pm
And there was no Game 16 back in 72 or 73 idiot… They lost to Cowboys
kerryb
December 15th, 2011
9:57 pm
Groundhogday
December 15th, 2011
9:47 pm
Did Nessler just say “watch out for the screen” when Quizz came in? Does he not know our OC has religious beliefs against the screen?
_______________________________________________________________________
One of the best comments of the night.
1 4 GT
December 15th, 2011
9:57 pm
All ya’ll talk about long suffering. I was born and raised around Atlanta. I went to some of the Braves, Falcons and Hawks 1st games here. I was born a GT fan and their decline started in 1967. I ain’t had much to cheer for until fairly recently except for the Braves long run. Never lost faith in any of them though.
bostonbcfan
December 15th, 2011
9:57 pm
I don’t think michael irving owns a mirror…LOL
katherine
December 15th, 2011
9:58 pm
you are a true fan 1 4 gt
Joseph
December 15th, 2011
9:58 pm
A blow out is in order. Favorite Christmas song has to be the Christmas Song by Nat King Cole.
Mack
December 15th, 2011
9:58 pm
Michael Irving is definitely not microwave safe tonight.
phil
December 15th, 2011
9:58 pm
Irving is an idiot….
P B Orr
December 15th, 2011
9:58 pm
The 78 WC game was played on Dec 24 – it never got below 39 and the high was 46.
Also, the Falcons were not bad at all in the postseason that year – they led Dallas at halftime of the conference game, 20-13 – but lost 27-20. Dallas went on to win the SB.
katherine
December 15th, 2011
9:59 pm
my favorite christmas song is baby its cold outside
phil
December 15th, 2011
10:00 pm
Agree, Joseph….best xmas tune.
bostonbcfan
December 15th, 2011
10:00 pm
True faithful fans stick with their team no matter how bad it gets….yes, you can complain, that’s what we fans do, but don’t ever give up on them…..especially with what you all have in these Falcons….They will win a super bowl….and soon. IMHO
Burl
December 15th, 2011
10:00 pm
Feeling a little “jolly” tonight
WitStream
December 15th, 2011
10:01 pm
Funny what happens when the O-Line gives Ryan time and the receivers don’t have any drops.