Falcon's Smith "Why not us?" they think they can win

[catz]

Good article on the falcoons and their push into the playoffs. It starts off with the hype that they too can win the SB. But . . . if you read the article, they were paying attention to our game and knew the scores all the way - and almost a direct quote - their locker room felt like a lose when they saw that the Panthers WON!! hahahaahahaha

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/falcons/stories/2008/12/28/falcons_beat_rams.html

The Falcons, in a surprising dogfight with the Rams, knew the result of the other game. They were elated when the Saints took a 31-30 lead late in the game.

“The information highway got it to us,” Smith said. “We were aware of it.”

With the No. 5 seed, the Falcons are not assured of having a home playoff game.

“It was a downer,” McClure said following the Panthers’ win. “We came in here and everybody knew what had happened on the other end. It was almost like we’d lost the game.

[PantherFan4Ever]

lol

The Falcons should be very proud of what they accomplished this season. The only people in the world who thought the Falcons would be competitive at the beginning of the season are the people within the Falcons organization.

Big props to Arthur Blank and his entire staff.

[Badbak]

I bet it did feel like a loss when the Panthers came back to win at the last second. Atlanta is tough, they can run the ball and throw it very well. Ryan has had a great rookie season. Their defense will get tested in Arizona. I hope they beat each other up real good because we might have to play one of them next.

[Jai.]

The Falcons deserve all the accolades they get, they exceeded everyone's expectations, but so did the Dolphins.

[Falcons1stPanthers2nd]

Well....Why not us? That's not saying we're going to dominate the playoffs or anything but why can't we win? We have as much chance as anyone else in the playoffs.

[Jangler]

I wonder if this will effect the psyche of the team?

[Woodie]

I don't understand why nobody thought the Falcon's would be at least decent this year. They already had some pieces in place, and if they drafted and worked free agency well (which they did), it should have been expected they wouldn't be a pushover. The biggest problem last year was coaching and the Vick fiasco, so when they fixed both, along with getting rid of some malcontents, it's not surprising they had a turnaround year.

Of course I don't think anybody could have expected the level of success they have had, but anyone who thought their cupboard was bare wasn't paying attention. However, I do think they have benefited from the low expectations. Since nobody expected them to be any good, they had very little pressure on them and could just go out and play fast and loose. Even this year in the playoffs nobody thinks they are a real threat for the NFC title, so they could surprise a bit. But, next year will be the real test for them. They are likely to be the darlings of the NFL heading into the season, and an immense pressure will be deposited squarely on their shoulders. So it will be interesting to see how they respond.

[monstercat]

Yeah, I was telling people not to overlook them back in August. They already had some talent on that team, and pretty much had the O and D-lines already in place except for the LT spot, which they drafted for.

Having said that, I am surprised that they turned out to be as good as they are, but I'm not shocked.

[dksmith17]

The thing I don't like about this is they are talking superbowl when they need to win a game. This sounds like Mike Smith looking ahead of people to me.

[panthersphan]

Falcons have just as good a chance as the Cardinals/Vikings if not better....

11-5 (our record in 03)