Falcon Freddie

Time to bump this post. From what I've seen so far, I'm not making advance reservations to Miami and Super Bowl LIV quite yet. Yeah, yeah, yeah … "Preseason is meaningless" is the mantra of so many. And yes, preseason games are mostly glorified scrimmages. (Games who's main purpose, I suspect, is to soak a few more bucks out of the season ticket holders.) But still … I doubt there's any Falcons fans who are happy with what they've seen on the field so far. Preseason games do count for something. A barometer, if you will, to the upcoming season.

Answer: Thursday, September 1, 2016 is the date of the last time the Atlanta Falcons won a preseason game, beating Washington 17-15 and going 3-1 in preseason. Yes, in 2017 and 2018 the Falcons went winless in each preseason. Looks like the Falcons are on track to do it again in 2019. Doing well in preseason may not indicate much concerning the upcoming season, they being essentially glorified scrimmages. However, losing all the preseason games is hardly a good omen. Game 3 of the preseason is generally the crucial test, since it usually comes the closest to being played like a regular season game, with starters playing the longest. If a team doesn't look sharp in Game 3 - whether they win or lose - don't expect much from the regular season.

The SuperDome was built in the early 1970s at a time when Louisiana was flush with oil money and New Orleans still had aspirations of being something other than a sump hole. The city had the Saints (then playing in Tulane Stadium) and hopes of someday obtaining a major league baseball team. Therefore, the SuperDome was designed as that blight of the 1960s and '70s - a multi-purpose stadium. New Orleans made some stabs at luring a MLB team, notably the Oakland A's and the Pittsburgh Pirates, but nothing ever came of them. New Orleans had a minor league baseball team which played one season (1977) in the SuperDome; the only other baseball played in the SuperDome have been a few MLB spring training exhibitions and some college tournament games. Most other cities (the ones with some money) would have long ago built a new stadium and torn down the SuperDump. I believe the only other multi-purpose stadium of the SuperDome's era still being utilized is in Oakland, California; the Raiders are leaving after this season and the A's probably won't be far behind. All a $450 million renovation of the SuperDome will do is put makeup on a pig.

I wonder how much Pepsi Cola paid to sponsor the Super Bowl LIII halftime show? Seeing how it was in a stadium that is almost exactly one mile distance from the Coca Cola world headquarters, do you think that may have motivated them?

That will forever be the unanswered question: Did Brady make Belichick or did Belichick make Brady? Personally, I think it's Belichick making Brady. Belichick's greatest talent was consistently providing the "supporting cast" that allowed Brady to thrive. The real question is, would any competent quarterback have become a "Tom Brady" under Belichick? I think so.

I hold this as self-evident: A bad day for the New Orleans Saints is a good day for the Universe. A Patriots-Saints matchup - hosted in the Falcons home stadium, no less - would have nauseated every Atlanta Falcons fan existing. Personally, I think the Saints were robbed in the NFC Championship game. However, call me petty if you will (I am,) but I'm good with that.

Dee Ford is the Chiefs' linebacker who participated on the play near the end of regulation in the AFC Championship game when the Chiefs intercepted a Patriots deflected pass. That event cinched victory for the Chiefs … or it would have if Mr. Ford had not lined up offsides - and not just by a little bit - drawing a flag which negated the interception. This kept the Patriots alive to tie and go into overtime, which they won. The Devil may take care of his own, but he often doesn't make it too obvious. The Chiefs themselves won't publicly single out Ford, but you know there were undoubtedly a lot of sideway glances in his direction in the Chiefs' locker room after the game.

Eh … New Orleans should have been leveled after Hurricane Katrina. Heck, if you believe the tour guides, every structure in the city was a brothel at one time or another. Mike Ditka was a terrible coach for the Saints, but he got the city right.

Now, if the Chiefs can come through. Then I can watch the Super Bowl in some semblance of peace.

F' you, you F'in F'!

"Blew Dat" - I love it.

Now, if only the Chiefs can come through. I could then watch the Super Bowl in some semblance of peace.

There is a distressingly good possibility we'll have a Patriots-Saints Super Bowl in Mercedes. Is this not a Falcons fan's worst nightmare?

OF COURSE the Falcons can still make the 2018 playoffs. All it would take is for about 4 or 5 team plane crashes for a few other teams in the remainder of the season.

The Falcons preseason record for 2018 ended on August 30 at 0-4. Preseason games are usually dismissed as "meaningless," but I thought at the time this record was an evil omen. The Falcons lost these four preseason games by an average spread of 17.5 points; the worst being a 34-7 trouncing by Miami (currently 5-5,) which was hardly seen as a powerhouse at the beginning of the season. It may have happened, but I strongly doubt there are many teams who went winless in the preseason that went on to do well in the regular season. Well, the Falcons are now 4-7 in the season. I see them finishing 2018 no better than 6-10 and that's probably wildly optimistic. We have receivers who don't, rushers who don't, blockers who don't, and a quarterback who has a good day if he's sacked less than six times. And the worst specter is the real possibility of seeing in February the New Orleans Saints winning for a second time a Super Bowl, this time in the Falcons own stadium.