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
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
4,613 comments Add your comment
JSS
January 8th, 2012
5:39 pm
@IJonathan…
Spend your own money and go in the archives and read all of the “Coach Killer” comments, all of the can’t read defenses, and in a offense where he was given no ability to change plays…. And all of MeAngelo comments can’t cover or tackle… And when Petrino blew up all of the negative comments about Crumpler… You are tired… We lived it, it happened, and now you have replaced that with something even more inept!
A thought
January 8th, 2012
5:39 pm
Trade for Peyton Manning. A quarterback with no neck is better than a QB with no heart.
Who Me?
January 8th, 2012
5:39 pm
How sad are the AJC sportswriters? The lead article the paper runs about the Falcons loss is written by an AP staff writer. This game of all games should have a lead sports page headline from our own – ahem – highly touted staff… Not our beat writer for the Falcons, nor one of their esteemed editors – a beat sportswriter from the AP garners the lead sports headline about the loss…..
Ricky Ricardo
January 8th, 2012
5:39 pm
I would take Vick right now,, or TJ Yates,,
slydog
January 8th, 2012
5:39 pm
The problem with Atlanta, and the state of Georgia, is not that they are bad sports towns/ states/ areas, or lack of talent (both pro and college), but a a lack of championship quality. This town is not a championship town, like New York, Boston, Chicago, Philly, or LA. Texas, Florida, and Ohio are championship states. That’s all they play for. The state of almost every sports franchise or team in this state is that of mediocre. Including the coaching staffs (Braves, Hawks, Jackets, Dawgs, Falcons). Not one asset on any of those teams represents aggression, passion, attention to detail, and an ability to get their players to execute and overachieve. Tell me if it isn’t the truth? If Arthur Blank REALLY wants to win it all NOW, he would fire Mike Smith and the entire coaching staff today!!! All I have to say is this: Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, and Michael Vick aren’t slowing down anytime soon. And Cam Newton has an infinite amount of potential over Matt Ryan, not the least which is talent!!!
phil
January 8th, 2012
5:39 pm
katherine
January 8th, 2012
3:59 pm
ok ill type my post again since they arent showing up:
you all seem to forget that the falcons never even won back to back seasons until a few years ago. While I agree they need a lot of work…you dont say “im burning my jersey”…seriously? If you want to do that, go ahead….let the real fans cheer for the team but dont come back later and contend that you are a real fan…you aren’t.
******
sadly, this one made the cut.
nemesis9
January 8th, 2012
5:39 pm
Yeah, you’re a lousy sports city, if you haven’t realized that yet, perhaps you should pursue another career.
Matty Cold as Ice
January 8th, 2012
5:40 pm
The regular season records mean NOTHING. You must perform in the playoffs. Period.
No gameplan, Matt Ryan living up (really down) to his nickname again in the playoffs. More dropped balls, broken coverage, poor tackling, poor execution and suspect play calling. 0-3 in the playoffs is pretty pathetic. White continues to drop balls, Jones wasn’t worth the draft picks (or money) and Turner looks done. Poor Tony Gonzales. I guess he picked the wrong team to end his career.
On a positive note, they didn’t get blown out at home again.
bvgneedsahaircut
January 8th, 2012
5:40 pm
Quite simply the Giants were a more physical and dominating team today…it was not even close
BoneKollector
January 8th, 2012
5:40 pm
Tebow>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Matt Ryan
katherine
January 8th, 2012
5:40 pm
Trade 4 Tim Teebow
January 8th, 2012
5:38 pm
Women need 2 be getting dinner ready not hear blogging
Oh i already made dinner…i can do more than one thing at a time lol Im sure your mom is making yours right now and will bring it down to the basement shortly
DawgDad
January 8th, 2012
5:40 pm
“the Giants defense was much better than I thought”
ANY defense looks good when the opposing offense scores ZERO points. It’s like saying how good the Falcons offense looked last week against Tampa Bay – Tampa Bay didn’t show up to play. This is 2012 – the rules are heavily slanted in favor of the offense. There is NO WAY a playoff team should ever fail to score offensively under the current rules.
By the way, Tebow is lighting up the STEELERS defense with deep passes.
Trade 4 Tim Teebow
January 8th, 2012
5:41 pm
Yet anoter Teebow throw that we did not have for the Flacons toady.
katherine
January 8th, 2012
5:41 pm
I am here to shine a light on you mundanes. All heed my words.
whodat70816
January 8th, 2012
5:41 pm
Tebow to Thomas for 57 yards…LMAO…that’s 2 Tebow passes for 50+ yards.
What was Matty Melt to Julia Jones’ longest completion today?
JSS
January 8th, 2012
5:41 pm
24-2!!! You got thumped and all of your big talk and declarations questioning all of us who seen this coming are just tired of it!
katherine
January 8th, 2012
5:42 pm
Oh and I chug C0CK with vigor
Trade 4 Tim Teebow
January 8th, 2012
5:42 pm
U made diner than U need 2 clean up after.
katherine
January 8th, 2012
5:42 pm
I sure hope tebow wins…..
Ricky Ricardo
January 8th, 2012
5:42 pm
Thats Coaching,, somebody has to go,, Mike Smith
mttrains
January 8th, 2012
5:42 pm
The curse of the Clampetts is still stuck with this team -it won’t be lifted until they change from the dreadful red and black color scheme -it’s the color combination of losers…
Jonesy
January 8th, 2012
5:42 pm
Tim Tebow outplayed Matt Ryan.
LMAO
ha ha ha
Please move him. Id rather live for a year under Redman than watch jellyfish Ryan. And i hate #2 jersey. yuck
Won’t call him a girl.
Cause most girls are tougher than ryan.
P.S.
Mr. BANK!! aint gonna eva wheel out no more to dog killa.
now shut ur nonsense and go light up.
Kelsey
January 8th, 2012
5:42 pm
Not a Tebow fan, but good God it seems he has more deep balls today than Matt has had all year….we need an upgrade in a lot of areas….no one should feel safe.
nemesis9
January 8th, 2012
5:42 pm
Tim Tebow is a better QB than Ryan. When are the Falcons going to learn which college QBs will make good Pro QBs. Anybody, I mean anybody, knows Matt Ryan is not a pro-level QB.
Pmc
January 8th, 2012
5:42 pm
For 70 million I expect points to be scored
katherine
January 8th, 2012
5:42 pm
ok having fun is one thing but cloning me and saying nasty things is another…serioiusly grow up
BoneKollector
January 8th, 2012
5:43 pm
like I said
Tebow>>>>Ryan
Trade 4 Tim Teebow
January 8th, 2012
5:43 pm
Teebow 2nd TD of the day
Michael
January 8th, 2012
5:43 pm
I love you Tebow, awesome man.
Jackson
January 8th, 2012
5:43 pm
I can only hope that part of the “process” includes Arthur Blank having the guts to fire the coaching staff NOW! This group has taken us as far as we’ll ever go.
Dennis Green
January 8th, 2012
5:43 pm
The “Burner” hasn’t been a burner since his days in San Diego, and the Falcons secondary hasn’t been the same since the days of Deion.
katherine
January 8th, 2012
5:43 pm
wow…nice touchdown run…i hope he tebows now lol
Ricky Ricardo
January 8th, 2012
5:43 pm
@JSS
Right on brother. From a mile away.
ijonathan
January 8th, 2012
5:43 pm
JSS…Vick was a coach killer. WAS. Not so any more. He didn’t put any effort in to learn, get better, etc. His off-field time was spent getting high and fighting dogs and trying to keep his posse from stealing people’s Rolex’s.
I remember Me-Angelo comments. Well deserved. I truly don’t remember all the hate you do for Crumpler. His skills had eroded from his heyday with Vick, and he had lost at least a couple of steps…as has Gonzalez. But he was not the whipping boy during the Petrino “era”…that was reserved for Vick and Petrino.
BUT, the fact that those thinks happened doesn’t mean that the fan base also didn’t heavily criticized the Mora regime. Mostly the coordinators at first, but near the end, Mora Jr. as well. Maybe your blinders only allowed you to notice criticism of the Falcons with darker pigment.
cedrick
January 8th, 2012
5:43 pm
OMG!!!!! TD Tebow them boys have shown up too Play!!!!!!
Average Ice
January 8th, 2012
5:43 pm
Ryan would never have a rushing TD
whodat70816
January 8th, 2012
5:44 pm
Tebow runs it in for a TD…
Matty Melt flopped to the ground with no one around for a gain of 2 yards today…
Tebow > Matty Melt!
Kelsey
January 8th, 2012
5:44 pm
Still not a Tebow fan, but he is showing some passion…AND he can find the end zone.
Ace Ventura
January 8th, 2012
5:44 pm
I’m watching Tim Tebow (the qb everybody says can’t throw) dissect the Steelers. Earlier, I watched Matt Ryan (the Matty Ice pocket passer) not even throw for one td. I’d rather have Tebow than Ryan.
katherine
January 8th, 2012
5:44 pm
ryan isnt a rushing qb…he never said he was
Trade 4 Tim Teebow
January 8th, 2012
5:44 pm
At Kathreine no need 2 be crude. I should repot U
bvgneedsahaircut
January 8th, 2012
5:44 pm
Timmy T has 2 touchdowns today vs 0 for Matty R……we need Timmy in Atlanta bad…..even if the UGa fans gag. D Thomas is a beast….another great GT receiver in the NFL in the mold of the great Jimmy Robinson and the late great Drew Hill
Roterhals
January 8th, 2012
5:44 pm
Say what you want about Ryan but Joe Montana couldn’t have done anything with that offensive scheme and soft O-line. The defense has spoon, lofton, grimes and Abraham and that’s about it….I’m surprised they held up as long as they did.
Jonesy
January 8th, 2012
5:44 pm
I like the look in Tebow’s face.
You ever seen Matty wet drip look like that?
Falcons need new OC and DC
January 8th, 2012
5:44 pm
I am glad we got our butts handed to us. It will make us take a serious look at things! This is not a bad team folks … but this one fell squarely on the coaches. On the road, maybe try a 4th and 1 once … and be creative … but if you get stuffed TAKE THE POINTS especially with one of the best kickers in the game! Wind or no wind, let him try a freaking FG. 17-5 or 17-8 sounds a little better doesn’t it?? Our defense was horrible … good pass rush but when the Giants adjusted we were whiffing on their receivers. Our playcalling was brutal. How many runs up the middle did we have. Ryan checked down for most of the game, no big plays on offense. Weems return game was horrible … when was the last time he did anything meaningful on a return besides watch the ball roll towards the end zone. New OC and DC, maybe a QB coach … take a long hard look at Smitty too. Is he the long term answer? This one hurts. Still love my Falcons but this one really, really hurts.
ijonathan
January 8th, 2012
5:45 pm
If you’re tired JSS, take a nap. A long one.
papa d
January 8th, 2012
5:45 pm
at least we are from where advertized ther”s no NY in the giants they are from jersey last i heard newyorkers hated jersey
Back 2 Reality
January 8th, 2012
5:45 pm
Well at least we wont hear no more of those lame falcons “Rise Up” commercials. THANK YOU NY GIANTS!!!!!!
katherine
January 8th, 2012
5:45 pm
Trade 4 Tim Teebow
January 8th, 2012
5:44 pm
At Kathreine no need 2 be crude. I should repot U
go ahead I didnt say that and mark will be able to see what email that came from….FAIL
Jackson
January 8th, 2012
5:45 pm
Come on Mr. Blank, RISE UP, don’t put up with this crap.