Live from Falcons-Giants: We’re a lousy sports city, are we?
"If I give you two dimes and a nickel, will you give me a quarter back?" (AP photo)
East Rutherford, N.J. – Here’s a fun little nugget that was posted on the New York Post’s web site yesterday: As of Friday night, the Giants-Falcons playoff game was not sold out.
If said game were being staged at the Georgia Dome, we Atlantans would be hearing yet again how lousy a sports town we are. But this is New York, where millions live and where sports are, we’re constantly reminded, a point of strutting metropolitan pride.
Let the record reflect that an attempt to find available tickets this morning via Ticketmaster was unavailing, so we can assume that the game finally has sold out. Still, the thought of a Giants’ home postseason game with available seats not 30 hours before kickoff would surely come as a revelation to those New Yorkers who love to poke fun at us dumb ol’ Southerners for our indifference/inattention.
But I digress. The Falcons arrive with a point to prove, and the belief here is that they’ll prove it. The belief here is that they’ll win because they are, top to bottom, the better team. The tabloids have been full of Matt Ryan stuff this week, the thrust being that he still hasn’t proven anything in the postseason. (He hasn’t, but I’d suggest two games in his first three NFL seasons isn’t quite a true sample.)
I remember another day in Ryan’s pro career, a Sunday here in November 2009 when he overrode a second-half deficit to force overtime. The Giants won the toss and scored in the bonus canto, but that remains, at least to this dumb Southern observer, one of the shining performances of a very good career.
If you can do it here once, you should be able to do it again. And if you can make it here, the song has it, you can make it anywhere. I think Matty Ice will author his playoff breakthrough today, but maybe you disagree.
Which is why we have these little live chats — for you to interact with a dumb Southern writer like yours truly. I invite your comments. And I thank you, as ever, in advance.
By Mark Bradley
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4,613 comments Add your comment
Paul in NH
January 8th, 2012
11:41 am
Steve
You are close – the reason is that CFB can’t compete with the NFL. Thanks for playing.
ijonathan
January 8th, 2012
11:43 am
Andy – NY has about 19 million residents, and 3+ papers…or about 6 million per paper. Atlanta has what, 5 million residents and one paper. The ratios are pretty equal. The coverage is not. Any one NY paper has magnitudes more coverage on the game than the AJC.
NOODLE ARM = ZERO PLAYOFF WINS
January 8th, 2012
11:43 am
TODAY NOODLE ARM CONTINUES HIS LEGACY AS A NOODLE ARM LOSER WHO WILL NEVER WIN A PLAYOFF GAME
YES, THEY GOT HERE. YES, TURNER IS A MAN AND THEY CAN CONTROL THE TEMPO OF THE GAME BY POUNDING THE RUNNING GAME
BUT EVENTUALLY RYAN WILL HAVE TO STEP UP, AND HE WONT. THIS IS WHERE HE PROVES HIS MEDIOCRITY.
MANNING IS A PROVEN, BATTLE TESTED QB WHO DOESNT HAVE AMAZING ATHLETICISM BUT STILL MANAGES TO MAKE BIG PLAYS UNDER PRESSURE IN HUGE GAMES.
RYAN NEVER HAS AND NEVER WILL. AS LONG AS WE CONTINUE TO DEPEND ON HIM, WE WILL CONTINUE TO BE WRITTEN OFF AND WILL BE PERENNIAL UNDERACHIEVERS. HE WILL GET SCARED AND CHOKE. CHECKDOWNS TO HANDOFFS AND SHORT PASSES DONT WIN PLAYOFF GAMES, AND HE WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT TODAY AS HE RUNS THIS TEAM INTO THE GROUND YET AGAIN.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 8th, 2012
11:43 am
O K bloggers, I have changed my tune. I can no longer dog out Matty Ice, when he is a QB that helped take his team to the playoffs again, and my hero, Vick lost again and got hurt again. So, Me and my wife JSS will be pulling for the Falcons today, and I am wearing a #2 red G-string for the game and my wife JSS is wearing nothing. Go Falcons….Ha HA HA smiley face.
falconfansince03
January 8th, 2012
11:44 am
Go Falcons! Rise Up! True Falcon fans KNOW you’ve got the skill and talent for this game! Go get it!
Regarding the poorly conceived and written “article” from Mr. Parker at ESPN, here’s a great response: http://atlsports.tv/general/rob-parker-doesnt-deserve-his-job/#comment-365
Steve
January 8th, 2012
11:44 am
Really Paul? The NFL is a business, college football is not. College Football ratings in the south and midwest blow away NFL ratings. In the Northeast, they don’t care about College Football.
ijonathan
January 8th, 2012
11:44 am
Let the games begin, blog style.
phil
January 8th, 2012
11:44 am
ijonathan
January 8th, 2012
11:29 am
Phil, when Ryan throws passes today, before you really know the outcome of the pass…are you cringing thinking it will be picked, overthrown/out of bounds, or dropped…or are you eagerly anticipating our #11 beast snatching it out of the air and turning track star into the endzone?
*******
The latter. Roddy White having a big day would be nice as well.
My concern is Ryan being flattened by the pass rush, dropped passes and JJ running the wrong route at a crucial point. And of course Turner and the obligatory 2 yard loss runs which will likely be in abundance today.
A tony gonzalez TD catch would be nice! How about 2? And no dang FGs!!
Trade 4 Tim Teebow
January 8th, 2012
11:45 am
Name sez it all. Mr Blanks pleeze trade for Tim Teebow.
phil
January 8th, 2012
11:46 am
Noodle arm makes ME look confident today! Thanks!
College football is not a business?
January 8th, 2012
11:46 am
Really? You said that?
Wow…..Just wow.
phil
January 8th, 2012
11:47 am
Grimes is inactive.
We knew it coming in. How exactly does that help us with the non-existent pass rush against good teams?
South Carolina DAWGS
January 8th, 2012
11:47 am
Thanks Steve for EXPLAINING it to the “dumb yankeee” from NH. Wow what a question??? Even Spurriers assistant to the assistant of assistants could have answered that one. Come early Sept!!!!
phil
January 8th, 2012
11:47 am
Fire FG!
Brad
January 8th, 2012
11:47 am
Most cities are poor when their teams stink. And if they stink for a long time, they all are bad. Just a fact many ignore. NY should sell out every game. They have 4 x the fan base. Simple math just like uga outsells tech.
College football is not a business?
January 8th, 2012
11:48 am
You may be right. Actually, college football is a monopoly. Consider there is no unions or collective bargaining agreements. It’s essentially slave labor.
Badgerina
January 8th, 2012
11:48 am
how’s the weather?
Stevetard
January 8th, 2012
11:50 am
My lemonade stand is more of a business than college football…..Because I said so.
5 Time National Champs Nebraska
January 8th, 2012
11:50 am
Bo must go!
todd grantham
January 8th, 2012
11:51 am
and are they serving turkey buzzard for lunch in the pressbox?
72 Million Dollar Bust
January 8th, 2012
11:52 am
ROOKIE SUCCESS IN THE PLAYOFFS:
Joe Flacco……………………CHECK
Mark Sanchez………………………….CHECK
Yates………………………………..CHECK
The BUST……………………………….FAILURE……………………..
“Quarterbacks are measured by 4th quarter and post season success”
- Art Blank
Message:
The excuses end today or the BUST will not be returning in 2012.
ijonathan
January 8th, 2012
11:52 am
Carl is gone, Bo too? I was there at the Capital One bowl. 2nd half was disgraceful.
1eyedJack
January 8th, 2012
11:52 am
“Actually, college football is a monopoly. Consider there is no unions or collective bargaining agreements.”
Thank God for that. The tickets are already too expensive.
Yo Vince
January 8th, 2012
11:53 am
Hey CHOKE, great news! Bout time ol buddy. Give JSS a big wet kiss for all of us bloggers. Go Falcons
ijonathan
January 8th, 2012
11:53 am
Yeah, give me Mark Sanchez. That guy is such a talent. Loser.
Trade 4 Tim Teebow
January 8th, 2012
11:54 am
4 get that looser Ryan. We need Tim Teebow now
birdman
January 8th, 2012
11:55 am
the highlight of my day will be watching choke, CGD, JSS, eventually give up when ryan has a great game and start talking about how we’ll get crushed by green bay
birdman
January 8th, 2012
11:56 am
choke, my brother is a die hard ravens fan, lives in baltimore. they would swap flacco for ryan in a heart beat. in a heart beat.
todd grantham
January 8th, 2012
11:56 am
I’ll bet Arthur Blank is wearing his finest duds in anticipation of looking good even when the Falcons lose.
ijonathan
January 8th, 2012
11:56 am
So, D-Led says Grimes is inactive, and according to some, John Clayton on ESPN says he is playing.
WHICH IS IT??
Ray
January 8th, 2012
11:56 am
If we (ATL fans) need more motivation, check out this article
http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/7429623/the-city-atlanta-worst-sports-town-america
Trade 4 Tim Teebow
January 8th, 2012
11:56 am
We need 2 sigh a petion 2 trade 4 Tim Teebow and send it 2 Mr Balnks.
phil
January 8th, 2012
11:57 am
How can Ryan have a great day being chased all over and getting crushed by a relentless rush we can’t block?
JSS
January 8th, 2012
11:58 am
P B Orr
January 8th, 2012
11:28 am
“There is nothing anywhere like the AJC blogs – as much as I can’t stomach Choke, JSS, and other mom’s basement dwellers who frequent it, what other city generates 70 pages of (frustrated, whiny, UGA style) blog posts for one college game?”
SO you’re 0-2 in your playoff picks so far… I’ll send you my property tax next October and blow your Lil’ mind! I never feel sorry when your team gets lit up because of your nasty ways…
ijonathan
January 8th, 2012
11:58 am
Sounds like Grimes is indeed out. Dang.
Madea gets reassignment surgery
January 8th, 2012
11:58 am
Uh Ray……That article is a couple of days old and was already broached in a blog.
Try to keep up.
chc4
January 8th, 2012
11:59 am
Grimes is inactive. Eli will destroy us. Unless Ryan has the game of his life we can’t outscore NYG.
Yo Vince
January 8th, 2012
11:59 am
This worthless weak armed qb is a Big Joke!
He was worthless at Boston College and I’m tired of making excuses for him.
NO MORE!
Flacco is way better and enough with the excuses.
Andy
January 8th, 2012
11:59 am
Did Arthur Blank sell to the team to some guy named Mr Balnks?!?!? When did this happen? Why hasn’t this been reported?
ijonathan
January 8th, 2012
11:59 am
JSS, what the heck does your response even mean? Property taxes?
todd grantham
January 8th, 2012
12:00 pm
I’m sure Rob Parker of ESPN has some interesting things to say; I just can’t understand what he’s saying.
ijonathan
January 8th, 2012
12:00 pm
Eli + Nicks + Cruz + Owens + Adkins + Falcons D Line = Epic Fail
todd grantham
January 8th, 2012
12:01 pm
have you EVER known Ray Goff to keep up?
Mark Bradley
January 8th, 2012
12:01 pm
Hello. Back from eating a light breakfast and hobnobbing. Brent Grimes is inactive, as you’ve doubtless been informed by intrepid colleague Mr. Ledbetter.
Steve
January 8th, 2012
12:01 pm
Ray you are about a day late. That’s old news.
Ray
January 8th, 2012
12:02 pm
Two days old or not, still relevant to the blog. Maybe not everyone has seen it. Have an open mind Madea.
ijonathan
January 8th, 2012
12:02 pm
Yo Vince, aside from W-L record in the playoffs (which the QB shares with 50 other guys) show me the evidence that Flacco is better than Ryan.
Mark Bradley
January 8th, 2012
12:02 pm
Also inactive: Stephen Nicholas.
Active: Everybody else worth mentioning.
Gman
January 8th, 2012
12:02 pm
Since today ’s game isn’t prime time the Falcons don’t wet themselves. If they slip by NY, next week’s game will be another epic embarrassment. Not excited at all about the Falcons-win or lose today. These Falcons have a hard ceiling. Great against bad teams at home, not remotely competitive against the elite.
Steve
January 8th, 2012
12:03 pm
Mark, in your opinion, what is the worst sports city in the country? Cleveland? Detroit? Miami?