The Appropriate Way To Handle The Calssless Move... Don't Start A Fight, Just Finish It.

[maxatlanta]

No need to keep arguing about a move so classless that Sean Payton and Drew Brees came out with nonsense excuses before even being asked- "I wasn't trying to run up the score, just trying to get another touchdown." (What?)

Payton and company decided that getting the passing yards record was more important than sportsmanship. So be it, that's who they are.

The real question is what should we have done about it? The answer is that we should have blitzed the house and hit Brees hard- even if it drew a flag. The game has already been decided. They have a right to run any play they want and so do we. It is perfectly reasonable to send the message that if you are going to pass the football then we are going to all out rush and hit your quarterback. After the first pass this should have been our response.

Payton made a decision to sacrafice honor and respect. If we head hunted Brees he would have had to make a tougher decision, whether it is worth potentially losing your QB two weeks before the playoffs.

My hope is that our coaches will see the next game we have against NO, whether its in the playoffs or next year, as an opportunity for payback. We should treat Brees the way the Saints treated Favre a couple years ago- Blatantly attack him with the intent to hurt him and gain an advantage. They had at least 3 blatant malicous late hits on Favre's ankle in that playoff game.

Afterwards, Coach Smith should come out and start his press conference with: "We weren't trying to hurt Brees, we just decided it would be good for our fans if we knocked him out of the game."

[Mid-Nite-Toker]

Nothing classless about it. They are our bitter rivals and want to kick our teeth in like we should theirs.

I sure would want ATL to set a record on our Div rivals. That 09 victory against TB that gave us bk2bk winning seasons the 1st time sure felt

good.

[just dave]

The score was just a side effect of going for the record. If the Falcons had punted ( which they really couldn't do) instead of turning it over on downs so close to the goal line I'm sure once the Saints had achieved the record they would have run it out.

[maxatlanta]

Running up the score after the game has been decided is classless. Throwing the football in that situation was classless. But like I said, that is who they are. I am more disappointed in our response. We could have stood up for ourselves and sent them a message. Had Brees gotten hurt they would have no one to blame but themselves.

[dilkin]

Running up the score after the game has been decided is classless. Throwing the football in that situation was classless. But like I said, that is who they are. I am more disappointed in our response. We could have stood up for ourselves and sent them a message. Had Brees gotten hurt they would have no one to blame but themselves.

dunno...

Edited December 27, 2011 by dilkin

[FRALIC]

No need to keep arguing about a move so classless that Sean Payton and Drew Brees came out with nonsense excuses before even being asked- "I wasn't trying to run up the score, just trying to get another touchdown." (What?)

Payton and company decided that getting the passing yards record was more important than sportsmanship. So be it, that's who they are.

The real question is what should we have done about it? The answer is that we should have blitzed the house and hit Brees hard- even if it drew a flag. The game has already been decided. They have a right to run any play they want and so do we. It is perfectly reasonable to send the message that if you are going to pass the football then we are going to all out rush and hit your quarterback. After the first pass this should have been our response.

Payton made a decision to sacrafice honor and respect. If we head hunted Brees he would have had to make a tougher decision, whether it is worth potentially losing your QB two weeks before the playoffs.

My hope is that our coaches will see the next game we have against NO, whether its in the playoffs or next year, as an opportunity for payback. We should treat Brees the way the Saints treated Favre a couple years ago- Blatantly attack him with the intent to hurt him and gain an advantage. They had at least 3 blatant malicous late hits on Favre's ankle in that playoff game.

Afterwards, Coach Smith should come out and start his press conference with: "We weren't trying to hurt Brees, we just decided it would be good for our fans if we knocked him out of the game."

Agreed, the defence was pushed around all night and at the end the aints were trying to pad the stats there should have been a price to pay. Would it have been classless taking out Brees with a cheap shot sure but it would have been the pot calling the kettle black.

[PokerSteve]

By the time this all went down the game was not only over, the Falcons had been relegated to mere by-standers in the Super Dome, just playing practice squad roles to Drew Brees and the All Stars. I never got mad when the Harlem Globe Trotters would start to make fools of the Washington Generals because the Generals were just being the comical patsies for the real show, which was the Globe Trotters. That's how I see the Falcons now in big games; just a ClownShoe bunch of scrubs who are out there to give the good team and their fans something to laugh at and pound on.

[nodimwithere]

I thought the "classless" thing was, from the Falcons' perspective, putting Redman in the game with about 2 mibnutes left, and the Falcons behind by 4 TDs; then having him pass the football, instead of just handing off.

Why? You are not going to make up a 4 TD deficit in two minutes. The game was over. Just hand the ball off, and get the heck out of there. Why risk getting someone hurt on a pass pattern down the field? I thought that was pretty non-sensical.

[Tribal Chief]

There was nothing classless about last night. Fans and players that think it was should grow up and stop crying

[tikibar]

No way will these Falcons punch them back-they'd rather sulk and cry than play w/ big boy teams like the Pack and Saints. These lightweights will be gone in the first round, and they have EVERY reason to be begging to play the Saints again...but the outcome will be the same.

We are an average team that has no desire to move to the next level. Just ask the Saints and see the 4th quarter sideline sulking: it's sad.

[The Monarch]

It was classless, and the OP is dead on about how the team should have handled it.

[falken]

I'm not defending anyone.

I would have wanted our QB to break the record in front of the home crowd.

That being said...I hope the Panthers sack him for a loss and break his collarbone on the first play from scrimmage leaving him a yard short of the record.

[maxatlanta]

I'm not defending anyone.

I would have wanted our QB to break the record in front of the home crowd.

That being said...I hope the Panthers sack him for a loss and break his collarbone on the first play from scrimmage leaving him a yard short of the record.

Yes, and Brady would then break it in the Pats game on Sunday!

What does it say about the record when 3 people are threatening to break it in the same season? Reminds me of McGuire, Bonds, and Sosa. They were all great players, but seeing as they had steroids I can't view their numbers as comparable to players without a huge competitive advantage. Same goes for Brady, Brees, & Rodgers. All great QBs, but none were gonna break the record until the league made tight coverage and big hits illiegal.

[nolafan33]

How about your defense actually stop someone instead of whining about it?

It's the NFL, not elementary football.

[SoLuvinMyFalcons]

Nothing classless about it. They are our bitter rivals and want to kick our teeth in like we should theirs.

I sure would want ATL to set a record on our Div rivals. That 09 victory against TB that gave us bk2bk winning seasons the 1st time sure felt

good.

Then why apologize for it? Go ahead kick our teeth in or whatever, but don't apologize for it. He knew what he was doing. He knew he going for record and it was the right thing to do. The stage was set. It's MNF in New Orleans against the rivial Falcons. The defense layed down and the offense couldn't score. That was the perfect time to get the record and then he apologize for it. HAHAHAHA..... give me a break!!!

He want Mike Smith to know that he didn't mean anything by it. It just that it was the right thing to do. He talked to Matt Ryan to explain why he did it. If any article should have been written, it should be talking about how Sean Payton apologized like a beyotch for the decision he made.

Edited December 27, 2011 by SoLuvinMyFalcons

[blahblahblah24]

doesnt matter if its classless, this team has no heart. they dont care at all

[shc]

to me, the classless move was by the refs wanting to be part of the record and calling the game accordingly.

[maxatlanta]

How about your defense actually stop someone instead of whining about it?

It's the NFL, not elementary football.

You're totally right. In elementary football the coaches don't run up the score after securing a win. Only place that can be justified is in the BCS.

Clearly you take after your head coach. Winning isn't the bottom line, not when there is a chance to be a punk as well.

[FalconinPA]

How about your defense actually stop someone instead of whining about it?

It's the NFL, not elementary football.

Yep, sorry but I gotta agree with nolafan33. If the shoes were reversed, we would have loved to beat the Saints the way they pounded us. We were all excited when we wacked the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars last time out. He*ll people were pissed that we took our starters out. The Saints didn't nothing wrong, just gave us an old fashioned azz whooping on national tv.

[dmo_dlo]

The score was just a side effect of going for the record. If the Falcons had punted ( which they really couldn't do) instead of turning it over on downs so close to the goal line I'm sure once the Saints had achieved the record they would have run it out.

What does running the clock or going for the record have to do with field position? Saints could have run the ball at their own or Falcons' 20. They could have (and by all indications would have) still gone for the record had the falcons punted. The only difference would probably be that it wouldn't be on a TD pass. The questionable move is to go for the record by throwing once the game is decided.

[Thelonious Mingus]

Who cares? Just show up against them in the playoffs.

[Champagne]

First, you have to break a record of that magnitude when you have the chance to do so. This has nothing to do with the Falcons, or the Saints. The truth about this would remain so even if the roles of the two teams were reveresed. If there were no HUGE record to be broken, the Saints would have run the clock instead of trying to score.

Second, if the Falcons wanted to reduce the Saints chances of scoring on that last drive, they should have punted the football, instead of taking a desperate fourth down attempt to get a First Down. When you chose to run a play rather than punt, you forfeit the right to expect the Saints to stop competing. When YOU stop competing and give up by punting, you can expect the Saints to do likewise. The only exception is when my first point arises: you've got to break that record when you have a chance to do so.

Third, the Saints have never tried to hurt Matt Ryan, nor should they. The Saints and the Falcons are bitter rivals, that's true, but, when we start TRYING to hurt each other's players intentionally, we are going to reap what we sow. If we hurt each other's players intentionally, we will be easy meat for all of the other 30 NFL teams. So, it's self destructive to start that kind of ugliness.

Final point in summary: Marino's record was a HUGE record to break, and nobody should pass up any opportunity to break it. The Saints were not running up any score, but, were trying to break that record. The Falcons can't consider themselves as being dissed by the Saints for that record-breaking attempt. To do so would be overly emotional.

[SoLuvinMyFalcons]

So Coach is seething right. So will coach be the one who steps and say, "we will not lose to them again?" That is what I am looking to happen. I want somebody to say, "no more or this is the last time."

I remember when my mom whooped the snot out of me one day. I can only remember saying to myself that she would never hit me again. All I am saying, Are they tired yet?

[nolafan33]

You're totally right. In elementary football the coaches don't run up the score after securing a win. Only place that can be justified is in the BCS.

Clearly you take after your head coach. Winning isn't the bottom line, not when there is a chance to be a punk as well.

Sean Witherspoon: No man, it’s our job to stop them,” said linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, who missed New Orleans running back Darren Sproles on the record-setting play. “I can’t say I’m upset by them running up the score or anything like that when I had a chance to make a play.”

[FRALIC]

First, you have to break a record of that magnitude when you have the chance to do so. This has nothing to do with the Falcons, or the Saints. The truth about this would remain so even if the roles of the two teams were reveresed. If there were no HUGE record to be broken, the Saints would have run the clock instead of trying to score.

Second, if the Falcons wanted to reduce the Saints chances of scoring on that last drive, they should have punted the football, instead of taking a desperate fourth down attempt to get a First Down. When you chose to run a play rather than punt, you forfeit the right to expect the Saints to stop competing. When YOU stop competing and give up by punting, you can expect the Saints to do likewise. The only exception is when my first point arises: you've got to break that record when you have a chance to do so.

Third, the Saints have never tried to hurt Matt Ryan, nor should they. The Saints and the Falcons are bitter rivals, that's true, but, when we start TRYING to hurt each other's players intentionally, we are going to reap what we sow. If we hurt each other's players intentionally, we will be easy meat for all of the other 30 NFL teams. So, it's self destructive to start that kind of ugliness.

The Falcons can't consider themselves as being dissed by the Saints for that record-breaking attempt.

Falcons were a beaten team with 5;08 left in the game who got further humiliated by a pass happy Brees trying for the endzone. Yep he got his record at the expense of further humiliating a clearly beaten team who had no response having their manhood handed to them thats whats annoying. Reminiscent of the defences they fielded in the mid 80's pathetic.