Would the Falcons be getting nitpicked if they were 6-2?
Noah Coslov of CineSport posed an intriguing question today: Would the Falcons be better off — profile-wise if not record-wise — at 6-2 than 8-0? (I attempted to answer, and the semi-coherent result can be viewed above.)
At 6-2, the Falcons would be seen as one of the NFL’s half-dozen best teams and folks would be calling them one of a handful of Super Bowl contenders. At 8-0, the emphasis has fallen on their perceived weaknesses (as opposed to their considerable) strengths, and the national media has fallen all over itself to tell us that the NFL’s lone undefeated team isn’t a Super Bowl lock.
I’m not blameless. I critiqued the team after the narrow victory over Oakland andwasn’t effusive in my findings, and the next day I noted that the Falcons’ stats weren’t half as impressive as their record. But at some point — and I’d submit we’re getting pretty close to it — doesn’t the record become the only stat that matters?
This isn’t to suggest the Falcons are a Super Bowl lock. They aren’t. No team is. But they’re the only team that’s 8-0, and by sticking their head above the field they’ve become a target. Not sure that’s fair, but what ever is?
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
112 comments Add your comment
Jay
November 6th, 2012
11:04 pm
“You don’t get to be 9-0 because of luck and playing bad teams.”
Actually you do. The falcons have had some luck in wins against carolina and oak and after playing no, will have played just one team with a winning record(denver). 13 teams with winning records. That’s 12 potential opponents and they’ve played just one.
Concert
November 6th, 2012
11:56 pm
Who cares?? I don’t! I have watched this team through 20 years and will watch them despite the pundits. What does it even matter what they say. Every time the Falcons win when they say that they will loose, just makes them look ignorant! I can’t give enough credit to Coach Mike Smith, Thomas Dimitroff, and most especially to Arthur Blank who really cares about his people, the team, and the city. Thomas Dimitroff and Mike Smith also deserve quite a bit of credit for their hirings of Koeter and Nolan. I know I was not happy about the Koeter decision (given that Jacksonville was last in offense last year). But that has all prove me wrong. The front office deserves all the credit. Now, please, purchase the Braves and Hawks!!!
Jim
November 7th, 2012
12:17 am
Chuck @ 5:40, Also my favorite minute of the game, If you recall 3rd and long right before the half, Al Michaels, was predicting a Cowboys field goal before halftime, and WE had the ball, and WE kicked the field goal, those announcers should have been escorted out of the dome right there.
Dr. Warren
November 7th, 2012
12:41 am
It’s not just the Falcons who get shortchanged by the national media. The City of Atlanta itself has long been disregarded, diminished, or viewed with skepticism.
Stinger 2
November 7th, 2012
3:33 am
To those who comment on the Falcons not playing but one team with a winning record: My answer is they do not set the schedule. The NFL sets all schedules.
This the same type comment you hear from people who do not like UGA and nitpick about them not playing strong SEC West teams. Not very smart to say something when one could be viewed as smarter to say nothing.
birdofafeather
November 7th, 2012
3:44 am
Enter your comments here
birdofafeather
November 7th, 2012
3:45 am
Just win baby! And they will shut up! Now, on to breaking the Saints heart on their field.
drew
November 7th, 2012
6:07 am
If the Falcons won 100 regular season games in a row, the media would still be nitpicking. For some reason, they’re the only team in the NFL that HAS TO WIN a playoff game before they “deserve” any recognition.
LDawg
November 7th, 2012
6:26 am
Check your facts, Jay. There have only been 3 teams going into a game with us that had a losing record. The Broncos and Chargers had a winning record going into the game. KC, Washington and Philly had even records (not losing ones until after they played us.) Only Carolina, Oakland, and Dallas had losing records going into the game.
LDawg
November 7th, 2012
6:28 am
And I was at the Carolina game, Jay. That was stone cold ice in our QB’s veins as he led the final drive, not luck.
harleyman
November 7th, 2012
6:31 am
Bias against the South, simple as that.
FalconP
November 7th, 2012
6:38 am
The falcons are the real deal! Mark this down—ATL > SF in the NFC title game and ATL > patriots in the super bowl! Rise up!!
BubbaDaBaller
November 7th, 2012
6:55 am
Until you demonstrate a culture of winning in the Post Season….”Whatever & 0″ is going to be considered an anomaly up until you win the requisite number of games to satisfy the those on top of the NFL Mount. The teams that are already there ( GB, PIT, SF, DAL, NE, NYG) all have multiple titles. If you’ll notice the “Undefeated” MIA team isn’t on the list, they come up short in the title dept, although they get to drink champagne every year…let’s see if the Falcons can make them dry this year. BTW if everyone agreed that the Falcons were “all that” it would make for bad Sports Journalism…
KornDawg
November 7th, 2012
7:27 am
So with the perceived “weakness” of the Falcons schedule, would there be more nitpicking had they lost a game or two? They’ve played their schedule and won, that’s all they can do. Time will tell if they’re Super Bowl worthy, I personally think they have as good a chance as anyone. 8-0 doesn’t guarantee anything, but best record = home field advantage, so I say just keep winning, baby! They definitely have a few tests in their future (Saints are a thorn, Bucs are playing better, Giants are just good).
Doc Dawg
November 7th, 2012
7:53 am
One major reason for this years success is that the top round “busts” have played up to expectations this year. We were killing Sam Baker and the o-line last year, they are better than expected this year. Coaching? Injuries? Both? Guys like Peria Jerry and William Moore are on the field an making contributions. The lower round guys are starting to thrive. The coordinator changes have made a huge difference. This team still has holes, but they are not nearly as glaring as the three teams that got run out of the building in the playoffs.
Wutehvah
November 7th, 2012
7:55 am
The Falcons will earn respect if/when they win in the playoffs. Regular season titles don’t mean much.
Joey
November 7th, 2012
8:00 am
I don’t think the Falcons will win all their games – but just a 6-2 finish would result in 14-2. I’d be ecstatic with that.
inkspot
November 7th, 2012
8:06 am
This Falcons team is the best we’ve ever seen. The national sports media’s petulant attitude towards the Falcons is annoying but also kind of funny. They make it quite obvious that there is a pecking order, a sort of high school clique of “cool” teams. The Falcons are getting snubbed by the cool kids. Whatever!
The media snub is becoming a story unto itself, meanwhile the Falcons team just keeps on winning. We’ll take it.
Jay
November 7th, 2012
8:22 am
Ldawg
Really? You really are this dumb? To look at a teams record in say week 2 when you played them? I’m obviosuly talking about a record TODAY. Good grief, now I see why prezbo won again. This country is full of morons.
Jay
November 7th, 2012
8:28 am
A 50+ yard lob bomb with 2-3 defenders around the receiver requires a lot of luck fool. Once again you show how you don’t have a clue. Again, beat the Giants and then the respect comes.
Esquire
November 7th, 2012
8:38 am
Go to the Super Bowl with a 9-7 regular season record like the Giants last year. That will keep the naysayers at bay!!
Esquire
November 7th, 2012
8:45 am
Reprinted without permission:
The Atlanta Falcons keep winning because Mike Smith’s team just doesn’t suffer the mental breakdowns that afflict other clubs. The Dallas Cowboys gave the Falcons all they could handle Sunday night, but the key to the game was that Atlanta didn’t give Dallas any freebies. Roddy White is an absolute beast at home, too — darn near uncoverable. His biggest contribution, besides putting up another 100-yard game, was locking up Morris Claiborne to prohibit an interception late in the fourth. That single play might have saved the game. What a player.
steverino
November 7th, 2012
8:46 am
The goals for any team, in any sport, on any level, should be to win every game it plays. Notice that I didn’t say “go undefeated”. The Falcons have accomplished all 8 of their goals so far this season. Losing WILL NOT CHANGE this. The goal will STILL be to win every game you play.
Kennesaw David
November 7th, 2012
8:59 am
The Falcons are 8-0, and interestingly, all 8 teams they have beaten are NFL teams.
BabymanED
November 7th, 2012
9:08 am
I still don’t understand some of the logic here. How is it the Falcons fault that the teams they have been selected to play (14 of their 16 games(6 NFC South/4 NFC East/4 NFC West) were selected years ago) are not really that good? They are doing what they are supposed to do, WIN FOOTBALL GAMES!
Mask of False Bravado
November 7th, 2012
9:39 am
I live down in West Palm Beach and FOX is choosing to show the Giants-Bengals in the 1PM time slot. Reason #729 that I miss Ga.
Saints R.E.A.M.
November 7th, 2012
9:43 am
Falcons won’t get any respect until they hoist the Lombardi. When the Saints were rolling no one wanted to talk about them on SC and you could hardly find any articles outside of the local media. They rather talk about the Jets, Cowboys, Giants & Philly …. Just win the big one and they’ll have to write about you.
Most of you haters have always said Saints are NFL darlings..e.t.c…..well this bounty bs should be proof that is not the case. I’ve listened to Jets players and coach mouth off about knocking guys out of games and not a peep from the NFL.
Now let’s see if you can get the Saints monkey off of your back…..Cuz we OWN y’all in the Brees/Payton era….well no Payton so maybe you got a shot!!!
WHOOOOO DAAAAT!!!
warfalcon
November 7th, 2012
9:49 am
NEXT up the new orleans saints BKA the aints around here,ONE GAME AT A TIME,LETS GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Legion of Dome
November 7th, 2012
9:59 am
Atlanta Falcons: BCS busters of the NFL
markie mark
November 7th, 2012
10:04 am
The one thing Al Michaels mentioned Sunday night that I liked was that the new offensive co-ordinator has the Falcons throwing quick short passes….no kidding, genius…..now THAT might have something to do with our success…..
Legion of Dome
November 7th, 2012
10:08 am
Saints are a much better team than their 3-5 record and 4×10^16 ypg given up on defense indicates. They looked just as awesome as usual vs Philly on Monday. But of course when Atlanta beats them on Sunday, it will be because of their shoddy defense, missing Sean Peyton, Bountygate, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita, Hurricane Sandy, and Mitt Romney’s campaign manager. Any excuse to downplay ATL’s success
Jimmy Crack
November 7th, 2012
10:09 am
This is all just mental whackery by media folks who need to keep their weekday columns rolling throughout the long NFL season. Appearances are fluid in this league and always have been. Just a few weeks ago, the Cardinals were #5 and the Eagles were #7 in the power rankings. Who cares.
Like Matt Ryan said, they are going to put our heads down and plow forward, despite all the media clutter. The fans need to do this as well, or we’ll all go crazy. Don’t think for a second that the “no playoff wins” chant will go away, even if we finish 16-0. January 12th (or the 13th depending on the playoff schedule) is the day the haters will choke on their words.
markie mark
November 7th, 2012
10:11 am
Mask, I feel for ya. I lived 10 years in St Augustine, FL, and my local cable was Time Warner. I couldnt get the Braves on local TV, I got the Marlins. A Time Warner owned team, on a Time Warner cable package, couldn’t be shown 56 miles from the GA Border. I screamed at everybody I could about that stupidity….you know the only one who responded? John Schuerholz’ office sent me and my grandson Braves caps, and apologized. And he acknowledged that he may loose my Florida based grandson to the Marlins instead of the Braves as he grew older….
Rise Up # 9
November 7th, 2012
10:20 am
Falcons 62
“““““
Saints 7
““““
YOUNG44
November 7th, 2012
10:23 am
Go figure…if I am not mistaken…depending on how well you play one season, the tougher your schedule is the next season. When I saw the Faclons 2012- schedule, I thought Oh mY! Well, the Falcons are TOUGH this year, they have beaten Manning, Vick, Newton, RG3, Romo, SanDiego…out there..Come man! Falcons are TOO TOUGH THIS YEAR..AND ARE GOING TO STOMP THE AINTS.! GO FALCONS!!!!!
D man
November 7th, 2012
10:33 am
This will be the third “must win” team we will face in a row. Let’s put the Saints out of their misery just like we did for the Eagles and Cowboys…
St.PeteFalcon
November 7th, 2012
10:39 am
The media and NFL fans don’t like Atlanta because of pure jealousy. I live down here behind enemy lines (Tampa-St. Pete) and you should here the whining! From NY fans to Tampa fans it’s always the same, “the Falcons are just lucky”! The real reason is Atlanta is a great place to live, we have a better football team, and our owner is a lot cooler than everybody else’s! lol GO BIRDS!!!
Dodney Rangerfield
November 7th, 2012
10:43 am
I don’t get no respect!
beebee
November 7th, 2012
10:52 am
Keep cheering your team on Falcons fans. Keep celebrating (some) each victory.
When that first playoff game rolls around, make that GA Dome sound like an LSU night game against Bama!
And no matter what happens, STAY THE HAYELL THERE UNTIL THE END and keep cheering your team!
You start sucking all air out of everything at the first sign of adversity and everything they have worked for will, or could, vanish right away like with Green Aaron Bay.
Become that 12th man. Stay that 12th man!
Refuse to lose!
bee
Ryder
November 7th, 2012
11:11 am
First off, this talk about “they’ve played nobody” is weak. No one in the NFL plays the Steelers, Texans, Ravens, 49ers, and Giants in the regular season, you play the schedule you’re handed, so stop it. Secondly, who cares what the media thinks? It’s what you do in January that matters, and what I like about Atlanta is that they are breaking the mindset which plagued Georgia sports teams for ages, which is just be good enough to make the playoffs…
NO! They are now starting to think and play like a championship team. So what if they go 4-4 the rest of the way, that means nothing to a team with title aspirations and who actually believe it. No more of these Atlanta clubs just trying to get in (take notes Braves!) and finally knowing they can step it up with the big boys.
Nookah
November 7th, 2012
11:18 am
Greetings Falcons Fans!!!
It is what it is and it has always been that way. Only “fashionable” teams get the respect. They would all prefer to talk about Sanchez, Teebow and the Jets, or Vick and the “Iggles” than our 8-0 Falcons, but it’s all good.
There is also the one glaring fact that prevents us from getting national respect and that is we have not won a playoff game and that is a fact and the “excuse” that the talking heads will have not to respect us. However, that’s cool.
As a diehard Falcon fan I really don’t care who respects us or who doesn’t, I also don’t care who degrades our victories by saying we haven’t played a winning team etc. etc.. To me it’s their opinions which they are entitled to. As far as opinions go, we all have them and are entitled to them.
The cold hard fact…….we are 8-0 and keep marching on; and what’s better than 8-0? You guessed it 9-0.
Go Falcons!!!
Dan
November 7th, 2012
11:21 am
How many years did it take Peyton Manning to win a playoff game? I think it worked out ok for him… The Falcons will win in January this year and I really hope it’s the Giants, 49ers or Packers that get their backsides whipped. The 2 new coordnators will earn their money then. Any way Mularkey comes out throwing on tht last drive against Dallas? No way…would have run Turner 3 times and punted and proably lost. I trust our coaching staff these guys are professionals. I am glad we haven’t played our best yet…..just wait when January rolls around I will take our Falcons no matter who is on the other side
True Falcon Fan
November 7th, 2012
11:28 am
Mark Bradley excellent message! The message now is if your advisory thinks you are not “GOOD ENOUGH”, then letem’ keep thinking that way. Believe me and make no mistake, sooner than later they/opponents will wake-up and say why didn’t we prepare better, cause these guy’s are “THAT GOOD”!
Go Falcons —- Nawlins/Ain’ts next
NCDawg
November 7th, 2012
11:36 am
Telling point… the national sports media hate Atlanta. We are not perceived as a great sports twon and therefore boring. Case in point: last year when the Hawks were putting up a good fight in the playoffs a well known sports hack on ESPN radio said that no one wanted to see the Hawks win the series. Just because they aren’t from NY or LA or Miami or Dallas, nobody wanted to see them win. You tell me if that isn’t an anti-Atlanta sports bias.
Go Birds! Make them eat their snobby words!
DawgNole
November 7th, 2012
11:46 am
Dr. Warren
November 7th, 2012
12:41 am
It’s not just the Falcons who get shortchanged by the national media. The City of Atlanta itself has long been disregarded, diminished, or viewed with skepticism.
____________________
Certainly the City of Atlanta’s pro sports teams have been “disregarded, diminished, or viewed with skepticism”–and with good reason. ONE championship in 156 seasons of competition can hardly be expected to generate confidence in longterm success–especially when viewed on the basis of a half-season of excllence.
However, the bottom line remains that the Falcons are in uncharted territory at this point, and have even overcome their “big stage” nemesis a couple of times–including Sunday night’s defeat of Dallas. Hopefully, the team can continue this unprecedented run; if so, the respect we seek will come.
gbal
November 7th, 2012
11:52 am
You have to get to the playoffs to have the next chance to win a playoff game. This years Falcons are working towards that and in a convincing way. This makes for an exciting season that the Falcons fans can enjoy. I dotn really give a flip what other market medias think… this is for the Atlanta market to enjoy.
Atlanta fans are behind this team and what they are doing this year….. The Atlanta media should jump on board and support the team as well . Lets enjoy this regulary season and get to the second (playoff) season and hope we take the next step. To say we would be better off losing a couple of games in the process is rediculous.
GO FALCONS – Lets focus on 9-0 after this week!!!
DawgNole
November 7th, 2012
11:55 am
Mask of False Bravado
November 7th, 2012
9:39 am
I live down in West Palm Beach and FOX is choosing to show the Giants-Bengals in the 1PM time slot. Reason #729 that I miss Ga.
____________________
There’s a solution: DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket. Of course, it’ll cost you $$$, so it just depends on how badly you want to see your Falcons.
Boise Dawg
November 7th, 2012
12:05 pm
They wouldn’t be getting nitpicked at 6-2 because given their schedule to date they wouldn’t be in the conversation with the NFL elites with that kind of record. 8-0 in the NFL is impressive regardless of schedule strength, but I also think if they had at least one win against a team likely to make the playoffs they would be viewed differently.
It also doesn’t help that this team has been blown out in their opening playoff games the last two years. Even the most blinded Falcons fans will be feeling a little nervous if the Falcons open against a team like the Giants again.
The NFC is going to be brutal to make a Super Bowl run… I think the Falcons have a great team, but even if they make a playoff run, how confident are we all in an NFC Championship game against a team like Chicago, NY or SF.
Braves #17 Fan
November 7th, 2012
12:12 pm
I’ve learned to not let what the media says, or doesn’t say, about the Falcons, bother me. Last week, on ESPN, PTI had Falcons/Eagles listed as one of the upcoming stories in the sidebar. So, I waited to check it out. When they finally got to the topic, it was all about the problems with the Eagles, Reid, and Vick. There was no mention of the Falcons’ strengths, weaknesses, etc. The best thing we can do is keep supporting the Falcons and for the Falcons to keep winning.
Billy Bob
November 7th, 2012
12:24 pm
Here is a stat for all. Falcons are least penalized team in NFL, 2012. With all the parity in the NFL, not making mistakes gets you those close games. Dallas on the other hand is 30th. It ain’t sexy, they can’t be shown as “highlights” but they put wins in your column and that is all that matters. I love this team!