Live from New Orleans: The Falcons will lose – but not today
Just another example of how the Saints afford us Atlantans no respect. (Photo by M. Bradley)
New Orleans – Father Peter P. Finney delivered the homily at the 8 a.m. Mass at St. Clement of Rome in Metairie, La., this morning, and here we note: Father Finney is the grandson of Peter Finney, the gentlemanly sports columnist of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, and Father Finney actually gave no homily at all. It’s a St. Clement tradition to do without one during its annual Oyster Festival, which is ongoing this weekend. (There was carnival paraphernalia all over the parking lot.)
Father Finney noted that today’s Oyster Festival session is set to commence at noon – “when the Saints kick off,” he said. Then he noted: “The Saints’ game will be shown on television.”
Our rather roundabout point being: Even when the Saints stink, they’re still the talk of the town. (Metairie is a suburb off Lake Pontchartrain, of which my hotel affords me a half-scenic view.)
I’m on record — if you have three minutes and 32 seconds, you can hear me say it to Bill Littlefield of NPR’s Only A Game — that the Falcons won’t go undefeated. (My quote: “I don’t think anybody really seriously believes the Falcons are going to go 16-0.”) But there’s CineSport proof of me picking the Falcons to reach the Super Bowl and, via the Internet and the print AJC, I’m also on record as predicting that they’ll sweep the Saints.
That belief probably won’t win me many friends among the Oyster Fest folks, but it is, for better or worse, how I feel. I don’t think a lousy defensive team can beat the Falcons, and the Saints are on course to be the lousiest defensive team ever. I believe the Falcons’ first loss will come two weeks hence, at Tampa three days after Thanksgiving. I do not believe it will happen today.
But I have, as we know, been wrong a time or two. Whatever occurs, I’ll be here to watch and comment, and I implore you to join me. And I thank you, as ever, in advance. (Oh, and if you missed it: Read the fine print on the seat card depicted above.)
By Mark Bradley
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1,785 comments Add your comment
Big Dos
November 11th, 2012
2:51 pm
Falcons can’t tackle
CGD..
November 11th, 2012
2:51 pm
Drew owns the Birds?
Where’s the pass rush today???????????????????????????????????????
PLAYOFFS????????????????????
Buckeye
November 11th, 2012
2:51 pm
Brees is humming Lionel Ritchie’s “All night long”.
ijonathan
November 11th, 2012
2:51 pm
Face it, our D is getting owned.
phil
November 11th, 2012
2:51 pm
Sad, pathetic, typical……
We’re done.
CGD..
November 11th, 2012
2:51 pm
Game over!
Jimmy Crack
November 11th, 2012
2:51 pm
Well I guess I’ll go back to my original plan and wait until Brees either retires or breaks his arm. I can’t believe if the Sain’ts has 3 years of bounties on Matt Ryan that we never even had a side bet on knocking Brees out and taking the penalty. The Sain’ts would be nothing without the specter and the production of Brees.
Jimmy
November 11th, 2012
2:51 pm
We are going down by two scores.
Pigskin
November 11th, 2012
2:51 pm
Season.
J.J.M.
November 11th, 2012
2:51 pm
Sorry but this game is over. Saints own the falcons
dirty rivalry
November 11th, 2012
2:51 pm
we gettin’ beat up by them saints. can’t stop it. uggly.
Nick Micamayer
November 11th, 2012
2:51 pm
azz kickin
Mark Bradley
November 11th, 2012
2:51 pm
Touchdown.
OK. Now it is really 28-17.
But not over. 24 minutes remaining.
ramblinwreck80
November 11th, 2012
2:51 pm
Saints playing like they want it more right now…Falcons need to RISE UP!!!
DawgNole
November 11th, 2012
2:52 pm
atlfalconsfan0125
November 11th, 2012
2:32 pm
People need to relax. This is a stress free game for me. Win or lose, we are still making the playoffs.
______________________
People who relax while getting their butts kicked are losers, loser. “Still making the playoffs” obviously means little to this team. It’s way past time to take the next step.
Kissinger
November 11th, 2012
2:52 pm
Easy TD.
The Real Falcon
November 11th, 2012
2:52 pm
Dent is the new Brooking on this team. Yards after the line of scimage.
Oh and no defense
ijonathan
November 11th, 2012
2:52 pm
Wonder if the Falcons will cry again about Brees and the Saints running up the score.
Ivan
November 11th, 2012
2:52 pm
BVG ran a better defense
Ed Pilcher
November 11th, 2012
2:52 pm
And there it is……About to be 28-17. We officially suck. They can’t cover a dead body with a morgue blanket. Shades of Charles Dimry.
CGD..
November 11th, 2012
2:52 pm
Gaints 45
Falcons 24
The Real Falcon
November 11th, 2012
2:53 pm
Now let’s show America what we are made of! It ain’t over!
phil
November 11th, 2012
2:53 pm
Who cares about playoffs when you have no hope of advancing….
Sick of this!!!
Fire Smith and get a coach with some toughness!
Buckeye
November 11th, 2012
2:53 pm
Brees is humming Lionel Ritchie’s “All night long” #passprotection
Mark Bradley
November 11th, 2012
2:53 pm
Let me see if I have this right: The game is over, the season is over, and the world ends … when? At midnight?
Jay Dubu
November 11th, 2012
2:53 pm
Mark’s worst case just became real. It just took an extra posession.
Bird
November 11th, 2012
2:53 pm
Face it…This team is going nowhere! Can’t run the football. Can’t stop the run on defense. That’s a receipe for losing in the playoffs!
oldbird
November 11th, 2012
2:53 pm
28 -7 since we jumped out 10-0. I think the rout is on.
KenDawg
November 11th, 2012
2:53 pm
Julio’s hurt and the defense is imploding – ouch!!
MTSeats
November 11th, 2012
2:53 pm
gotta love the ajc, all unicorns and rainbows
Root4au
November 11th, 2012
2:54 pm
Falcons defense stinks. They will lose early in playoffs again.
Jimmy Crack
November 11th, 2012
2:54 pm
ZERO ZERO ZERO ZERO ZERO ZERO ZERO
PASS RUSH.
Butch Bowling
November 11th, 2012
2:54 pm
What is Julio’s problem?
CGD..
November 11th, 2012
2:54 pm
Run it up. This is a mans game. Put 50 on the bd. if you can..
Jimmy
November 11th, 2012
2:54 pm
This is hard to listen to on radio.
Guess it’s worse to watch on TV.
take it from me.
November 11th, 2012
2:54 pm
And this why they get no national respect!
Someone else
November 11th, 2012
2:54 pm
Where is our Chris Ivory?
playmeortrademe
November 11th, 2012
2:54 pm
So the Falcons may win the division and get a bye, but this s—ks. Saints have exposed this team and if this is what we get in the playoffs, well, just more of the same for Atlanta pro sports.
Ed Pilcher
November 11th, 2012
2:54 pm
Fire everybody, right down to the %$#@!! water boys.
ATLLETDOWN
November 11th, 2012
2:54 pm
Our defense looks powderpuff -11 point Saint lead – back to obscurity we go, typical ATL sports. Falcons better try not to have a Braves like meltdown after this game.
dirty rivalry
November 11th, 2012
2:54 pm
falcons can’t step up in the big match up, like ever. never ever.
phil
November 11th, 2012
2:54 pm
Boooooooooooooooooooooo!
CGD..
November 11th, 2012
2:54 pm
0-4
0-4
0-4
J.J.M.
November 11th, 2012
2:55 pm
Yes its over mark if julio can’t play that mean you can’t score quick enough
spy
November 11th, 2012
2:55 pm
bring in the fat lady…. it is time to sing.
dean
November 11th, 2012
2:55 pm
Shall I break out the Van Brocklin quote now or wait?
Buckeye
November 11th, 2012
2:55 pm
Why doesn’t anyone tackle low anymore? Works every time.
Falcons: Play 60!
November 11th, 2012
2:55 pm
the undefeated team’s D is getting a serious beat down (at home: Wash held the Saints to 32, KC 32, Chargers 31, Philly 28) …. Falcons are at 28 and N.O is probably nowhere near done scoring
Andrew
November 11th, 2012
2:55 pm
Once again the Falcons show why they don’t deserve any respect from anyone in the NFL. 8-0 record but the same ole Falcons that Atlanta has gotten use too. #Choke #Joke
Answer This
November 11th, 2012
2:55 pm
Wow what a bunch of band wagon punks on this blog! Game not over band wagon fans! Check the 8-0 and notice the 3-5 on the other side! These chumps we playing still wint be @ 500! Gosh! Be a frigging fan!