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
Michael
January 8th, 2012
5:46 pm
The God factor Tebow Tebow Tebow
JSS
January 8th, 2012
5:46 pm
I say this for Katherine… Unlike that coward “Atlanta Peach” and her sorry “sunshine show” from last year, you’ve stuck it out (no matter how off-base you are)!
koo koo for cocoa puffs
January 8th, 2012
5:46 pm
Tim Tebow 14 Matt Ryan 2. Or Matt Ryan 0 because the defense scored the 2 points. What a high powered offense. The Atlanta Falcons. I want everybody to rise up.
Jmh
January 8th, 2012
5:46 pm
Falcons Suck!
Ricky Ricardo
January 8th, 2012
5:47 pm
Matt Ryan is not gonna cut it… I watched rookies yesterday with better instincts,,
ship jumper
January 8th, 2012
5:47 pm
R you kidding me??? Tebow doing this againts the Steelers. Mattt Ryan are you watching this. Will you step up in at least one big game. I am just sick of this krapp.
wow
January 8th, 2012
5:47 pm
I think Mularkey just showed us he doenst want to be here any more
Matty Cold as Ice
January 8th, 2012
5:47 pm
slydog
Why would you lump Vick in with Aaron Rogers and Drew Brees? The latter are 2 Superbowl MVPs. I understand the self loathing of most Falcons fans, but really? Vick?
If you’re saying Matt Ryan just simply does not have the talent. I’d agree. Falling over your own feet, makes you look like a damn fool.
Wendell Thomas
January 8th, 2012
5:47 pm
Wow.. A 3rd string QB wins a game before Matty Ice. Now Tim Tebow is about to do the same thing. It’s amazing what can happen when you play with some frigging balls and a winning attitude. Atlanta expect to lose and they usually do!!
ijonathan
January 8th, 2012
5:47 pm
Ryan has no killer instinct and no pocket presence. He is very un-athletic.
Here’s what he can do. He can stand roughly 6′5″. He can survey the field and wave his arms and point. If given a clean pocket and an open receiver within 2-3 seconds of the snap and within 25 yards of the line, he can usually find him.
Beyond that, you are taking your chances.
I really don’t care to ever again hear about Ryan’s regular season record, or even his stats. If he starts to beat quality teams on a regular basis, especially on the road, I may start to pay attention a little bit. If he wins 1 or 2 playoff games, I’ll pay attention a bit more. Until then…nada.
bvgneedsahaircut
January 8th, 2012
5:47 pm
We need Tebow in Atlanta real bad. At least he has some passion. D Thomas is a beast…the latest in a great line of Georgia Tech receivers in the NFL….Megatron, the late great Drew Hill and Jimmy Robinson
BoneKollector
January 8th, 2012
5:48 pm
Vick,Cam Newton & Tebow>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Matt Ryan
wow
January 8th, 2012
5:48 pm
So Tebow starts throwing the ball and we get embarassed
fla dawg
January 8th, 2012
5:48 pm
don’t you just love it when the falcons call a qb sneak and Ryan turns his back and tries to back into the line!
couple of things y’all folks might as well accept. blank has given the keys to Dimitroff and TD ain’t gonna fire Smith and unless Mularkey gets a head coaching job then he will be back as O coordinator next year.
we are also stuck with a middle of the pack QB. whether it is right or wrong, Blank made the long term decision to make Ryan the face of the franchise and Ryan ain’t going anywhere.
Blank showed that he was clueless when rather than run McKay off, he made another job for him and I don’t think Blank has the fortitude to fire Dimitroff.
all I heard for years was how great Dimitroff was because he had been around and learned from Belichek. that is about as stupid as me telling you that I am a great mechanic JUST because I used to hang out at a garage repair shop.
katherine
January 8th, 2012
5:48 pm
why thank you jss…you’ll see me on the braves blog all year as well
Fire Tom Dimitroff!!!
January 8th, 2012
5:49 pm
Tim Tebow has helped his team to 14 points, thrown a td and almost as many yards on the day as Matt Ryan on 6 passes. smh. This is against the vaunted steelers defense….
JSS
January 8th, 2012
5:49 pm
@IJonathan…
Nah, I’m going to get a doggy bag instead of enjoying my wings so I can watch your non-sense get slammed some more!!!
katherine
January 8th, 2012
5:49 pm
omg wow……so who does the winner of this game play?
bvgneedsahaircut
January 8th, 2012
5:49 pm
Go Broncos!!!!!!!!!!! Tim Tebow baby…..you are the man
ijonathan
January 8th, 2012
5:49 pm
Wow…looks like all four wildcard teams could go down this weekend.
intravenus de milo
January 8th, 2012
5:49 pm
hahaha looks like the “STOOLERS” are headed to the lake of fire
Jonesy
January 8th, 2012
5:50 pm
Aw poor Ben hes huuurtt.
STRETCH
January 8th, 2012
5:50 pm
GLAD ITS OVER. EVEN IF THEY WOULD HAVE WON, THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN DESTROYED NEXT WEEK ANYWAY.
ATLANTA SPORTS SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bellefay1
January 8th, 2012
5:50 pm
So, after reading this blog for a few minutes…the answer is to fire every coach, trade for Vick or Tebow and then we’ll start having playoff success?
The internet is a dark and scary place.
katherine
January 8th, 2012
5:50 pm
now who is the dirty team hmmmm
Ricky Ricardo
January 8th, 2012
5:51 pm
Dont think JSS is a big Braves Fan either.,,,,LOL
Jonesy
January 8th, 2012
5:51 pm
Anybody noticed the fogg has rolled in. Goodbye football.
STRETCH
January 8th, 2012
5:51 pm
His name is Matty Melt!
Ive said it once before and i will say it again, ATL does not have the right coaches in either sport!
katherine
January 8th, 2012
5:51 pm
oh well, im a huge braves fan….even before I moved here I used to watch them on tbs when I was little
Depressed - but why
January 8th, 2012
5:52 pm
I think there IS a problem with fans in Atl/GA. We seem to hype ourselves into full belief that we are contenders when we are in fact irrelevant – pro and college. Not just the Falcons but UGA fans also have this derangement syndrome. What should we have expected? The Falcons were a borderline team all year, just making the playoffs via the participation certificate. UGA fans take pride in being in the most powerful SEC conference, but unfortunately on the weak sister side of the SEC – continuing our history of getting drubbed by the big brothers in the SEC-West.. This doesn’t seem to happen at GT only because the Techies care some – but not too much. They win some, lose some learn and move on to real life. We Falcons/UGA fans just won’t face reality. We remember the big Falcon win on frozen tundra in GB a few years ago, watch the black and white film of Hershel in the national championship 32 years ago and ignore the fact that many teams have evolved and we have not.
We are killing ourselves by overenthusiastic reaction to continuing mediocre performance!
Yes by all means renew those coaches contracts – Hope springs eternal.
WHODAT
January 8th, 2012
5:53 pm
I WOULD BE MAD TOO IF I WAS KATHERINE…..ALL THAT PREDICTING SHE WAS DOING ABOUT HOW MATTY ICE WAS GONNA DO THIS AND THAT!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA,,HE DID WHAT HE ALWAYS DO ON THE BIG STAGE.
Jonesy
January 8th, 2012
5:53 pm
damn denver needed a td there.
JSS
January 8th, 2012
5:54 pm
Favorite Ryan moments of the day… When he started to scramble, and literally pulled a Marvin Williams and fell down!!! 2nd favorite, in the pocket in his back peddle, and does another Marvin and falls down! You just can’t comedy better than that!
bvgneedsahaircut
January 8th, 2012
5:54 pm
I love blue and orange and Timmy….such a pleasant change from the loser red and black of the Falcoons and Leg Humpers
Ricky Ricardo
January 8th, 2012
5:54 pm
Whats sad is JoeTessFishHouse is starting to look like a genious. GO FLACONS! SUPERBOWEL BABY! NEVER GET THERE WITH ALL THESE FIST ROUND BUSTS
billya
January 8th, 2012
5:54 pm
..slide Matty..slide… Watch’n this game now and never see Tebow slid’in.. You’re pathetic. This team is pathetic.
ijonathan
January 8th, 2012
5:55 pm
Truce JSS. I’ve calmed down a bit. We obviously have different recollections of fan attitudes under previous regimes. I hope you are not saying that the Mora regime didn’t face some serious heat, that is demonstrably false. And I would say that given the relative success of the franchises from 2008-2011 vs. 2005-2006, the fact that Smith et al are now getting some heat is quite remarkable. The 2005-2006 Mora teams had already started the downward spiral.
As you may see from my other posts, I’m done with this bunch until things change. Last January 14th pulled the wool from my eyes regarding Ryan. I though he might have started to turn a corner late in this year, but not so.
Have a good one.
Ricky Ricardo
January 8th, 2012
5:55 pm
@JSS
Is that what you call a flop?
bvgneedsahaircut
January 8th, 2012
5:55 pm
Katherine….will you marry me?
katherine
January 8th, 2012
5:55 pm
WHODAT
January 8th, 2012
5:53 pm
I WOULD BE MAD TOO IF I WAS KATHERINE…..ALL THAT PREDICTING SHE WAS DOING ABOUT HOW MATTY ICE WAS GONNA DO THIS AND THAT!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA,,HE DID WHAT HE ALWAYS DO ON THE BIG STAGE
Im not mad, just disappointed, just like every teams fans but one will be
phil
January 8th, 2012
5:56 pm
Lol at how even Tebow is now humiliating Matt Ryan….
Then again, i feel like crying at our fate.
Always doomed to choke.
Geno
January 8th, 2012
5:56 pm
Maybe we can get a new qb in the draft….oh wait…..I forgot about Julio…..
slydog
January 8th, 2012
5:56 pm
@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.
How dare you even mention Montana in the same universe and dimension as Matt Ryan? Joe Montana also didn’t play with these sissy “don’t hit the quarterback too hard” penalties. Or holding or touching a receiver 5 yards past the line of scrimmage. 0-3 in the playoffs verse Montana? Bill Walsh vs Mike Smith? Please such a pathetic comparison!!!
WHODAT
January 8th, 2012
5:57 pm
SAINTS ARE ON THEIR WAY TO ANOTHER SUPERBOWL IN TWO YEARS!!! MEANWHILE FALCON FANS ARE
ALWAYS
LEFT
COUNTING
ON
NEXT
SEASON!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Roterhals
January 8th, 2012
5:57 pm
He’ll even that high school triple option is a better scheme than what the falcons run
ColinBra11
January 8th, 2012
5:57 pm
How many times can Roddy drop an easy catch? Also, the inability to get a foot killed us this year. I am not a football expert but something has to change.
omar
January 8th, 2012
5:57 pm
JSS that was funny
JSS
January 8th, 2012
5:57 pm
Ricky Ricardo
January 8th, 2012
5:51 pm
“Dont think JSS is a big Braves Fan either.,,,,LOL”
They are OK, I can’t stand that money thief Chipper Jones. I knew they wouldn’t be in the playoffs… They fooled me most of the year… I wish that they’d make the gutsy choice that is all…
katherine
January 8th, 2012
5:57 pm
and it starts..the refs will pull hard for the steelers
ijonathan
January 8th, 2012
5:58 pm
What gutsy choice do the Braves need to make…cut Chipper??