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
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
1,785 comments Add your comment
Mark Bradley
November 11th, 2012
4:04 pm
Tony Gonzalez can’t hold it. The game is over. The Falcons are 8-1.
Too much time?
November 11th, 2012
4:04 pm
Anyone worried?
G
November 11th, 2012
4:04 pm
Keep running!!
Section 212
November 11th, 2012
4:04 pm
Over
Falcons65
November 11th, 2012
4:04 pm
Over. Knew it would end, but still hurts.
Pigskin
November 11th, 2012
4:04 pm
BALLFREAKIN”GAME!
MenVsBoys
November 11th, 2012
4:04 pm
Drop by Gonzalez? wow.
kerryb
November 11th, 2012
4:04 pm
Catches them all day and drops the one he has to catch.
DawgNole
November 11th, 2012
4:04 pm
Mark Bradley
November 11th, 2012
3:42 pm
Down four points, 5:54 to go.
Yep, this one’s over.
_____________________
How’d you know?
dean
November 11th, 2012
4:04 pm
We knew this had to happen.
Bradley Curse
November 11th, 2012
4:04 pm
hey look Bradley was wrong again
“I’m also on record as predicting that they’ll sweep the Saints.”
Sid
November 11th, 2012
4:04 pm
done
nodefense
November 11th, 2012
4:04 pm
Turner needs to go. NOW!
KenDawg
November 11th, 2012
4:04 pm
Just hate losing to the ‘Aints
Ole man turner
November 11th, 2012
4:05 pm
Pathetic loss on a very winnable game. Inside 10 on last two drives and can’t get td
ramblinwreck80
November 11th, 2012
4:05 pm
Roddy keeps running…Falcons win…SHEESH!!!
falconsrus
November 11th, 2012
4:05 pm
close but no cigar 8-1 we gonna move forward and be great
Michael M.
November 11th, 2012
4:05 pm
its okay…………….we loss our first game but those Caints were sweating bullets out there ! and we Still own the Division !
TG
November 11th, 2012
4:05 pm
Roddy….. should have kept running instead of back tracking. Also, thanks for that jynx, pedigree.
Mora less Petrino
November 11th, 2012
4:05 pm
Massive under performance today! NO is terrible. Birds gave this away. 18 days to payback time.
Sav FAN
November 11th, 2012
4:05 pm
Perfect no more-and another one against this team
Hurst
November 11th, 2012
4:05 pm
And the Fowl-Clowns lose today. Bradley does it again.
80sFalcon
November 11th, 2012
4:05 pm
Bummer! But I’ve been on the 1-8 side too. I’ll take 8-1 any day. No pressure now
G
November 11th, 2012
4:05 pm
Defense did not have a good day and the two possessions inside the 10 were big, only coming away with 3 points.
MTSeats
November 11th, 2012
4:05 pm
the AJC suckfest begins
Old Man Peabody
November 11th, 2012
4:05 pm
Pop the champagne 72 Dolphins, the wait is over 40 yrs and counting.
Pigskin
November 11th, 2012
4:05 pm
This team won’t make the playoffs.
N.O. will do this again in Atl.
trademark
November 11th, 2012
4:05 pm
Deserved to lose that one. Gutless play calling with our teeth around their throat. No execution by the players. D let NO march all over the field.
The Real Falcon
November 11th, 2012
4:05 pm
Payback on the 29th
I’m gone
phil
November 11th, 2012
4:05 pm
Back to our losing ways….
Told ya, blind homers!
kerryb
November 11th, 2012
4:05 pm
This game would have been different if we had Spoon playing instead of over the hill Chris Peterson.
Sav FAN
November 11th, 2012
4:06 pm
payback time -douthful
Section 212
November 11th, 2012
4:06 pm
Glad we got that behind us. Unfortunately the Saints look like they are rolling towards playoff birth
Someone else
November 11th, 2012
4:06 pm
Didn’t look like Lofton give Smith any love…
Frank
November 11th, 2012
4:06 pm
you know, I love the Falcons and all that, but to let the Saints have this game was a slap in the face. at the one yard line for the win. something’s wrong there.
Mr C
November 11th, 2012
4:06 pm
The Falcons lost cos they couldn’t make short yd plays. it will be there achilles heel in the playoffs !!!
lees
November 11th, 2012
4:06 pm
What could have been without the celebration penalty?
15-1
November 11th, 2012
4:06 pm
Enter your comments here
Michael M.
November 11th, 2012
4:06 pm
Phil you need to get you a life !
Nola
November 11th, 2012
4:06 pm
Enter your comments here
MTSeats
November 11th, 2012
4:07 pm
Mike Smith will never take this team to a SB. Contribute now, Blank wants a new stadium.
phil
November 11th, 2012
4:07 pm
Bradley has got to find a job in another town….
The man is simply the kiss of death. Lol
Ole man turner
November 11th, 2012
4:07 pm
Enter your comments here
Bulldawg
November 11th, 2012
4:07 pm
The key to this game was no defensive front pressure on Brees. He picked the Falcons apart.
15-1
November 11th, 2012
4:07 pm
No big deal—the falcons were flat—they’ll win out and win the NFC—book it!
JoeSchmo
November 11th, 2012
4:07 pm
The Falcons Just Lost Today.
Someone else
November 11th, 2012
4:07 pm
Falcons and Dawgs…both guaranteed to disappoint…
falconsrus
November 11th, 2012
4:07 pm
And we will sweep the saints off the carpet at the dome in 11 days we needed to lose one now lets win next week and move on
kerryb
November 11th, 2012
4:07 pm
O line is going to have to play better than this down the stretch. It was them that let us down in the end last year and today. You can’t get pushed back 2 yards on run plays.
Michael M.
November 11th, 2012
4:08 pm
One thing for sure the Caints aint winning the division this year ….hehehehehe