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
Yo Vince
January 8th, 2012
12:03 pm
Why can’t we build a defense like in Baltimore?
Smitty has had 4 seasons to do so and I’m tired of using that lame excuse about
Flacco winning playoff games.
I do realize however that the defense on this team didn’t throw that pick 6 vs Green Bay.
JSS
January 8th, 2012
12:04 pm
@ MCR…
Are you practicing North GA polygamy like the person who stole your user-name?
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”
3 years of praying and no amount of prayer has had that dream answered in the post-season… Good luck with that one… You need it!
todd grantham
January 8th, 2012
12:04 pm
Rob Parker says he’s been covering sports in ATL for 25 years. Guess he’s never heard of the team 66 miles east that routinely draws 90,000 plus fans for every game.
College football is king in Georgia. The Falcons are mostly an afterthought.
Mark Bradley
January 8th, 2012
12:05 pm
Are you asking which is the worst sports city, Steve, or the worst city?
phil
January 8th, 2012
12:06 pm
Our D is the same as a yr ago against GB, minus Grimes, plus the useless Edwards.
How does that equal a different result? It doesn’t.
todd grantham
January 8th, 2012
12:06 pm
Thank God though that Mike Adams doesn’t roam the sidelines like a madman ala A Blank.
ijonathan
January 8th, 2012
12:07 pm
c’mon Phil, Kroy Biermann is going to RISE UP! LOL
Steve
January 8th, 2012
12:07 pm
Just the worst sports city since apparently Atlanta is so bad.
ls1z28chris
January 8th, 2012
12:07 pm
It is funny to watch all of you children whine about the ESPN story on New York. You are a fanbase that screams “KATRINA” every time the Saints score a touchdown on your pathetic defense, yet when some guy says you are a poor sports city you write drivel like “This is personal. You attack my city, you attack ME.”
Typical childish behavior. You dish it out all the time, but some New Yorker tosses an insult your way and suddenly it is personal.
I can’t wait for all of you to start shouting “9/11!!!” as this game slips from the Falcons grasp. Classless losers.
Mark Bradley
January 8th, 2012
12:07 pm
For the record, I enjoy coming to New York. Though I didn’t enjoy paying $25 for a cab to take me 2 1/2 miles to Blessed Sacrament for the 8:30 mass.
JSS
January 8th, 2012
12:07 pm
@ IJonathan…
Mind your own posts and stay out of this one, it doesn’t concern you…. That’s on a serious note…
Yo Vince
January 8th, 2012
12:08 pm
Why does Flacco have bad games and win, yet Ryan has terrible games and still lose?
Don’t give me the defense excuse, because Ryan has 6 + turnovers in the playoffs.
Art Blank has made it clear about his expectations for quarterback post season success.
If Art is not happy, its really a moot point how we make excuses.
phil
January 8th, 2012
12:08 pm
Bierman.
We’ve got em right where we want em….sigh.
Mark Bradley
January 8th, 2012
12:09 pm
I like most cities, believe it or not. Cleveland would be an exception. And I’ve never been crazy about St. Louis, for some reason.
ls1z28chris
January 8th, 2012
12:09 pm
Atlanta is the worst sports city in this country. They shout about hurricanes and refugees whenever the Falcons lose to the Saints, but when a New Yorker brings up the pitiful attendance at games in your city suddenly everything is personal and you’re all offended.
Steve
January 8th, 2012
12:09 pm
Thank goodness for expense reports.
phil
January 8th, 2012
12:09 pm
Giants 45
Birds 27
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 8th, 2012
12:09 pm
Here I am. All ready to watch a real NFL QB, that has his team in the plafoffs the 2nd straight year. Matty Ice is sooo handsome and tall. I love his eyes and boyish grin. Ohhhh, giggle, he he he.
BCD
January 8th, 2012
12:09 pm
Please dolphins take mularkey. It’s funny how awful the dolphins are since parcells took over. sure glad we didn’t get that fatty.
Yo Vince
January 8th, 2012
12:10 pm
Yates doesn’t have the Ravens defense but still won his 1st playoff game as a rookie.
What is the excuse for that?
phil
January 8th, 2012
12:10 pm
ls1z28chris
January 8th, 2012
12:09 pm
Atlanta is the worst sports city in this country. They shout about hurricanes and refugees whenever the Falcons lose to the Saints, but when a New Yorker brings up the pitiful attendance at games in your city suddenly everything is personal and you’re all offended.
******
Give it a rest, bonehead.
ijonathan
January 8th, 2012
12:10 pm
JSS…LOL…this is a public forum. Give me a break. If it doesn’t concern anyone but you and the poster, take it offline. Do you need me to paste in some rules and regs about how these blog things work?
Steve
January 8th, 2012
12:11 pm
Is1z28chris Miami, Cleveland, Detroit, Nashville, Phoenix, and Houston are way worse. St. Louis is pathetic minus baseball.
ijonathan
January 8th, 2012
12:11 pm
Hey ls1z28chris, how’s your professional basketball team working out for you?
Yo Vince
January 8th, 2012
12:12 pm
We should be worried how many times Victor Cruz will be dancing in the enzone.
JSS
January 8th, 2012
12:13 pm
@ Mark Bradley…
Why didn’t just catch the Subway? The one off Columbus Ave?
phil
January 8th, 2012
12:13 pm
Yo Vince
January 8th, 2012
12:10 pm
Yates doesn’t have the Ravens defense but still won his 1st playoff game as a rookie.
What is the excuse for that?
*******
2 rookie QBs started?
Didn’t one of em have to win?
It was the Bungles anyway.
phil
January 8th, 2012
12:14 pm
Yo Vince
January 8th, 2012
12:12 pm
We should be worried how many times Victor Cruz will be dancing in the enzone.
Exactly…
Yo Vince
January 8th, 2012
12:14 pm
This blog sure is quiet for a playoff game.
What does that tell you about the realist fans?
I think reality has overcome hope and prayers.
phil
January 8th, 2012
12:15 pm
Can Josh Smith block?
JSS
January 8th, 2012
12:15 pm
And some cop say “self-restraint” is a problem that so-called trolls have? You need mind your own posts…
Mark Bradley
January 8th, 2012
12:15 pm
I don’t believe the subway runs to Elizabeth, N.J.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 8th, 2012
12:15 pm
When me and JSS have our 1st child together, we are gonna name him #2. We love that Matty Ice. He never Chokes like Vick does. That’s why Vick will be watching our hero, Matty Ice for home.
Steve
January 8th, 2012
12:15 pm
“Yo Vince,” good point! The entire 5.5 million in the Metro Atlanta area needs to be on here! What are they thinking? Such terrible fans!
phil
January 8th, 2012
12:16 pm
Reality for us is clear….
Based on facts and not emotion.
Sad but true.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 8th, 2012
12:17 pm
You are right Yo Vince, he had the #2 ranked defense in the NFL. The Texans
ijonathan
January 8th, 2012
12:18 pm
Bradley, JSS knows everything about everything. You must be mistaken. I’m sure the subway could have gotten you where you needed to go.
AIGHT MATTY ICE
January 8th, 2012
12:18 pm
WHERE IS CHOKE?
Steve
January 8th, 2012
12:18 pm
Over/Under is 48. Does it go over or under? I feel the over.
phil
January 8th, 2012
12:18 pm
We’ll crush GB next week in the cold.
Easy win for us and on to NO where we again win easily!
This playoff thing is simple.
Go team!
JSS
January 8th, 2012
12:18 pm
If it is Jersey, that is cheap!
phil
January 8th, 2012
12:19 pm
48 might be the giants score alone….
ijonathan
January 8th, 2012
12:19 pm
I’ve got my sniper rifle handy JSS…snipe, snipe, snipe. Why are you distracted by me? I think secretly you are worried about something. No? LOL
Mr. Mustard
January 8th, 2012
12:23 pm
Well guys, this is a game the Falcons should win. Ryan’s in his fourth year, the year of maturity. We have the field stretching threat with Jones, who has come on strong the second half of the season. We have playoff experience with this squad – Green Bay, and even Arizona.
I say it comes down to our defense, and can they hold on third downs, at least enough to give our run game time to establish itself, setting up the play action. If we start out having to throw all day, we often struggle.
Sure wish this was the day our offense steps up and clicks on all cylinders, throwing crossing patterns to Jones, out patterns to White allowing Turner to bust one for 40 yards once or twice.
Come on Falcons’ defense – when it is third down you may want to cover the receivers.
Good luck Falcons.
Mark Bradley
January 8th, 2012
12:23 pm
Forty-one minutes to kickoff. Not many in the stands. Many in the parking lot tailgating.
JSS
January 8th, 2012
12:24 pm
@ Phil…
Remember the greatness of the virtues extolled yesterday in the wee hours? I take it all back… If they get rolled, I won’t feel so sorry…
Madea gets reassignment surgery
January 8th, 2012
12:25 pm
WOO HO!
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 8th, 2012
12:25 pm
Mark, I love Matt Ryan
jakedsnake
January 8th, 2012
12:25 pm
I remember back in the late 90’s well when Woody Paige did an article on how terrible the Jacksonville Jaguars were and how the Broncos were going to clean the floor with them. He couldn’t stop there. He called them the “JagWads” and what a sorry town Jacksonville was and what a lousey team the Jags were. He ate those words and the Jags fans had a field day with him after the Jags went to Denver and beat the Broncos. Here’s hoping history repeats. Paige never had the guts to give the Jags their credit. I’m sure Parker is cut from the same cloth.
JSS
January 8th, 2012
12:26 pm
358 days later and just as mindless… SMDH!