ATL: Superbowl LI

[BUCKnation]

Running 3 times, even if they are bad at the 22 is different than running 3 (?) times at the 35 like the Packers did against Dallas. Two levels of conservatism, the former is a lot less riskier than the ladder, especially with Freeman in the backfield.

[BUCKnation]

Also the OT rules really need to get changed. It's like penalties if only one team took them b/c they won a coin toss. Just make it a full 15 minute period, I think its the most fair way.

[thomchatt3rton]

So is that the difference between the Patriots and the Packers?

Packers were down 24-0 vs ATL, Patriots were down 21-3. That's comparable. So why do the Patriots win their game, and the Packers get trounced?

Defense, defense, defense.

This, their defense stopped the bleeding, ours continued to get gashed.

It was the defense for sure. But it was also the injuries we had coming in, and the one's we suffered in-game. Those in-game injuries can be devastating, and we had a bunch of them when we were already at a point where we couldn't spare anyone.

It was weird watching the SB (or any game really) and NOT seeing a player go down with an injury at the rate of roughly 1 per quarter like you see in a Packers game.

[HKPackFan]

Terrell Davis won the Superbowl MVP with 157yards and 3 TDs.


James white had 7 first downs, 3tds (2 rushing 1 catching) 14 rec 139 total yards (110 rec, 29 rush), 20pts (includes the 2pt).

The 20pts is a record, the 14 rec is a record, the 3tds ties the most since Davis.

White is really the MVP. Brady had a mediocre 3 quarters, put them in the hole with his pick 6. Brady is the better story, but White is the real MVP. Brady is also a big brand, whereas white is just a role player. If White was a bigger name, he would have won it, like a Reggie Bush or AP, or some big name.

Kinda annoying. Not sure why it bothers me, but it does a little.

[HKPackFan]

Falcons will be a mess next year. That Falcons franchise literally died tonight. They will never recover from this.

I agree, this kind of loss is one that sets your franchise back. Happened to the Oilers after losing the Bills' comeback in the wild card game. The Jets after the Marino fake-spike. Happened to the Packers after 4th and 26. Arguably happened to the Packers after the Seattle championship game two years ago.

I know the Falcons are young and all that, but that's a terrible loss.

That is a good point. It does feel that way. They Falcons are young, so you think they will be back, better, but the Panthers flopped after their loss, did they also have a young roster? Not sure what happened to the panthers besides a superbowl loss Hang over.

This defeat though is not a hangover, this was horrific and brutal.

[DigitalFool]

Falcons will be a mess next year. That Falcons franchise literally died tonight. They will never recover from this.

I agree, this kind of loss is one that sets your franchise back. Happened to the Oilers after losing the Bills' comeback in the wild card game. The Jets after the Marino fake-spike. Happened to the Packers after 4th and 26. Arguably happened to the Packers after the Seattle championship game two years ago.

I know the Falcons are young and all that, but that's a terrible loss.

That is a good point. It does feel that way. They Falcons are young, so you think they will be back, better, but the Panthers flopped after their loss, did they also have a young roster? Not sure what happened to the panthers besides a superbowl loss Hang over.

This defeat though is not a hangover, this was horrific and brutal.

First thing that comes to mind is they lost a [hothead] lockdown corner in Norman. Not sure that was their demise but they clearly played poorly last year.

[Ron Swanson]

I'd be surprised if the Falcons ever got back to the Super Bowl. This was their year where everything just clicked at the right time. Ryan, their weapons on offense, and their pass rush all peaked simultaneously in the last 8 weeks. They played greater than the sum of their parts and with a ton of confidence.

That confidence disintegrated after Sunday. It's gone, and it's never coming back. I'm not usually a big believer in the psychological effects of losses carrying over from the offseason, but this is different. It's going to haunt Matt Ryan for the rest of this career.

[Buck Dweller]

let me get this straight, the falcons were just up 28-3 in a super bowl and have the best offense in the game with one of the best QB's and the best WR, and now supposedly they are just done and going 7-9 next season? where's that coming from? they are still one of the better teams in football guys

[Ron Swanson]

let me get this straight, the falcons were just up 28-3 in a super bowl and have the best offense in the game with one of the best QB's and the best WR, and now supposedly they are just done and going 7-9 next season? where's that coming from? they are still one of the better teams in football guys

Is anyone saying they're not even gonna make the playoffs? I just see them never getting back to the Super Bowl when pretty much everything went right for them on both sides of the ball during this run. They won the #2 seed with an 11-5 record, so it's not like they were some regular season juggernaut. Their previous 3 seasons they've gone 8-8. 6-10, and 4-12.

[Mags FTW]

let me get this straight, the falcons were just up 28-3 in a super bowl and have the best offense in the game with one of the best QB's and the best WR, and now supposedly they are just done and going 7-9 next season? where's that coming from? they are still one of the better teams in football guys

Is anyone saying they're not even gonna make the playoffs? I just see them never getting back to the Super Bowl when pretty much everything went right for them on both sides of the ball during this run. They won the #2 seed with an 11-5 record, so it's not like they were some regular season juggernaut

And they had an MVP performance from Ryan. He's certainly capable of a similar performance next year, but it's not something ATL should rely on. Add in the fact that Tampa is improving and Carolina will likely bounce back, I don't think you can just pencil in ATL for the playoffs next year.

Especially with a defense that despite everyone falling in love with their speed finished 25th in yards and 27th in points.

[Flames24Rulz]

Not to mention the Falcons were the healthiest team in the league this year. Granted Julio missed a couple of games with that toe injury, but they had just about their full cupboard of players for the majority of the season. If that happens again next year, we might as well just throw a blank check at their training staff and try to hire them away from Atlanta.

[Profound23]

Not to mention the Falcons were the healthiest team in the league this year. Granted Julio missed a couple of games with that toe injury, but they had just about their full cupboard of players for the majority of the season. If that happens again next year, we might as well just throw a blank check at their training staff and try to hire them away from Atlanta.

If you look at both teams outside of Gronk they were relatively injury free.

[HKPackFan]

Not to mention the Falcons were the healthiest team in the league this year. Granted Julio missed a couple of games with that toe injury, but they had just about their full cupboard of players for the majority of the season. If that happens again next year, we might as well just throw a blank check at their training staff and try to hire them away from Atlanta.

If you look at both teams outside of Gronk they were relatively injury free.

The NFL is partly a war of attrition.

Sometimes it's not the best 2 teams, but the healthiest 2 teams.

[rilamann]

let me get this straight, the falcons were just up 28-3 in a super bowl and have the best offense in the game with one of the best QB's and the best WR, and now supposedly they are just done and going 7-9 next season? where's that coming from? they are still one of the better teams in football guys

Is anyone saying they're not even gonna make the playoffs? I just see them never getting back to the Super Bowl when pretty much everything went right for them on both sides of the ball during this run. They won the #2 seed with an 11-5 record, so it's not like they were some regular season juggernaut. Their previous 3 seasons they've gone 8-8. 6-10, and 4-12.

Also,Atlanta got incredibly lucky this season.Atlanta took advantage of that luck or opportunity and rode it to the Super Bowl so I give them credit.

But they sat back with an 11-5 record and went from being the #3 seed to the #1 seed because Arizona beat Seattle in Seattle week 16 on a walk off FG and because the Packers beat the Cowboys in Dallas in the playoffs on walk off FG.I call it luck because Atlanta benefited big time from 2 scenarios in which they had no control over.

If Seattle beats Arizona at home and Dallas beats Green Bay at home,which you think would happen in both cases.The Falcons road to the Super Bowl would have been vs Detroit,then @ Seattle and @Dalllas.No way does Atlanta make it to the Super Bowl IMO if that had been their road.

I thought before the Super Bowl that Atlanta was good but not that good.They played good football at the right time and had one of those seasons where things kind of fell into place.I wouldn't be surprised in the least if they went 7-9 next season especially with how they lost the Super Bowl.I thought Atlanta was a talented team but one that had a lot of intangible things in their favor this season like confidence and chemistry.If that gets shaken they could go back to being 7-9 or 6-10 in a blink.

[chuckleslove]

let me get this straight, the falcons were just up 28-3 in a super bowl and have the best offense in the game with one of the best QB's and the best WR, and now supposedly they are just done and going 7-9 next season? where's that coming from? they are still one of the better teams in football guys

They may or may not. The Panthers lost the Super Bowl with an MVP QB, an elite defense and then looked awful to start the season and missed the playoffs.

The NFL is a strange beast and sustained success is VERY hard to do.

[KidA24]

let me get this straight, the falcons were just up 28-3 in a super bowl and have the best offense in the game with one of the best QB's and the best WR, and now supposedly they are just done and going 7-9 next season? where's that coming from? they are still one of the better teams in football guys

Do you think Matt Ryan at age 31 suddenly became a monstrously better QB? The best QB in the league? Or do you think, perhaps, this season was an outlier above his true-talent level?

I'll argue the latter, much like Carson Palmer having an outlier year at age 36.

[Profound23]

Pats offer 32nd pick for Brandin Cooks.

[Mags FTW]

Pats offer 32nd pick for Brandin Cooks.

And got turned down.

That's a pretty good sign of the Pats going for it while the window is still open, and a calculated risk that some people think TT should take.

[jimmybones]

Completely OT but thought it was cool and wanted to share. I do loan disclosures for a mortgage company and just did one for Keenan Allen. I'm in WI, won't even meet the guy, but still was cool to see the name..and other info.

[chuckleslove]

Completely OT but thought it was cool and wanted to share. I do loan disclosures for a mortgage company and just did one for Keenan Allen. I'm in WI, won't even meet the guy, but still was cool to see the name..and other info.

I close loans and I did the signing for Justin James Watt a few years ago. Didn't put two and two together when I was printing the paperwork and it wasn't until at the closing I realized who it was I also did the closing for Joel Pryzbilla selling his Portland house when he signed in Milwaukee. A few others over the years too including both Brian Anderson and Alfred Schroeder(another one I didn't put two and two together until he answered the door ).