ratedr

I at least have some grudging respect for PIT. I have none for NE.

So...I find myself rooting for the Steelers. How did this happen?

Just now, 52520Andrew said:

Yeah that Packer defense would have been torched by Brady. They had gotten better towards the end of the year but they were a mess in the early part and it was hard to have any trust in them.

Falcons were clearly the most well-rounded team in the NFC. Greatest Show on Turf reborn with a physical, opportunistic defense. Never trusted Dallas.

Lol that was short. These refs are trash.

But hey at least the Steelers woke up, this game won't be total garbage.

2 minutes ago, redrum52 said:

I'm cheering for the Pats.  They will STRUGGLE with Julio.  And I'm with you.  I thought NFC was taking home the chip at the end of regular season.

I called the Falcons in the SB too, when folks were still saying Ryan would choke. Agreed that Julio will give the Pats issues. And even if you cover him, you still gotta worry about Sanu, Gabriel, Freeman...too many weapons.

The Steelers have never been able to compete with the Pats. Here, there, anywhere, doesn't matter.

17 minutes ago, LosT_in_TranSlatioN said:

Guys, the argument is honestly pointless. Ryan is going to a SB and had a dominant postseason. He's better. Get over it. Flacco is coming off of two poor seasons. While there still is time for him to turn it around, I doubt it. Ryan is better. 

Pretty much. And I firmly believe the Falcons will win it all. MVP and SB MVP in the same season. That's big.

2 minutes ago, JO_75 said:

Damn, NFL Shop already is selling Falcons jerseys with the Super Bowl patch on them. 

Don't they have those ready in advance for both teams?

Whatever about the AFC title game, I'm rooting for a meteor.

Just now, JO_75 said:

The Falcons are the 12th different NFC Champion in the last 16 seasons.... crazy how wide open the NFC is compared to the AFC.

But the AFC still has more Super Bowl wins over that time period. The AFC just has some dynastic/semi-dynastic teams, particularly the Pats.

2 minutes ago, Ravenseconbeast said:

But here is the thing.  Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Vic Beasley, and Kyle were all together year before together.  They went 8-8 finish.  This year complete turn around. And theThe biggest difference that clearly improved is Matt Ryan.  He made it his mission in offseason to really get better.  

I hope Flacco is really being honest when he said he'll be putting in an effort this offseason to improve.    

Exactly. We can talk about Ryan's weapons till the cows come home, but HE has clearly improved on his own.

3 minutes ago, BmoreBird22 said:

That statement makes no sense based off of what I said...

His best years came in Denver... no dome, very cold weather.

Strictly talking playoffs. The statement stands. And I realize they won it all in 2015, but he was basically a walking zombie at that point.

5 minutes ago, BmoreBird22 said:

There's generally a clear difference in home and away stats. 

Peyton had better stats outside of the dome.

Yeah, because he was another QB who struggled outdoors.

Just now, BmoreBird22 said:

The better offensive weapons with vastly worse offensive lines and running games.

Domes also don't make these absurd differences people make them out to. They help keep the elements out and in those games it provides a big advantage, but if it's clear, it doesn't help as much.

Eh. Disagree. Ryan is clearly ahead now, but let's not engage in revisionist history. The Falcons were dire outside of their dome. See the 2011 wild card round @NYG. Dan Quinn has instilled a toughness and confidence in this team that they simply did not have before.

1 minute ago, K-Dog said:

Right now? Yes. A few years ago? No.

I can agree with this. I was not impressed with Ryan before and thought he was an overrated media creation a la Stafford. But he has clearly upped his game.

Just now, Tank 92 said:

Ryan is playing great while Joe had an off year, no doubt. The question I have is what if their O line, running backs and receivers were switched. Would we still see Ryan "elevated" and Flacco "regressed"? Me thinks not. 

Ryan has a lot of pieces, but even without that, his deep ball is much better, his mechanics are smoother, and he's no longer the statue in the pocket he used to be. Combine that with the fact that he's always been a pretty accurate QB, and it's allowed him to take his game to the next level.

This is the work he put in during the offseason:

Quote

After eight NFL seasons, the 31-year-old Ryan decided to step out of his normal offseason routine, in part, to enhance his ability to throw deep.

Ryan visited Tom House and Adam Dedeaux of the acclaimed 3DQB training facility in Los Angeles after hearing recommendations. House, a former major league pitcher and pitching coach, and Dedeaux, a former pitcher at USC, developed a program aimed to improve the overall throwing performance of quarterbacks by focusing on four key areas: functional strength and conditioning, mechanics and motion analysis, mental and emotional management, and nutrition. They've worked with Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Carson Palmer, to name a few.

Ryan spent six weeks training with Dedeaux and House. The sessions, spread over a sixth-month period on the West Coast and in Atlanta, were four to five days a week for three to four hours a day.

"You're always trying to find ways to get better, and I feel like that was an avenue for me to get better," Ryan said. "It was different-style training -- some shoulder work, some core work. And I feel really good. The ball feels really good. It's coming off well."

http://www.espn.com/blog/atlanta-falcons/post/_/id/22186/falcons-matt-ryan-dug-deeper-to-prepare-for-2016-season

Maybe Flacco will be so inspired.

1 minute ago, redrum52 said:

Said this for years.

 

Question is, what do people start saying about Ryan vs Flacco WHEN he wins it all this year.

There's nothing to say. Ryan will have MVP and SB MVP in one year. That puts him in the running for sportsman of the year period. Ryan has elevated his game while Flacco has regressed.

Only person having a worse day than the Pack is @lindseyyok (if any of you are familiar with her).

1 minute ago, Cville-Raven said:

Except the Falcons kinda sucked for a few years. 

But it was still a slam dunk pick that filled a critical hole.

The alternative is to possibly still suck while still having a need at WR.

I hope the Ravens FO watches this and realizes that when talent is talent, just GO FOR IT. That's what the Falcons did with Julio. "Value" is overrated.

McCarthy has never been a good coach. Rodgers covers him up.

Haven't seen a whopping like this in a while. I'm out until the AFC game. Yikes.

31-0 is coming.

Rodgers has made the throws, but two drops.

3 minutes ago, LosT_in_TranSlatioN said:

I think Brady wins this SB and retires off into the sunset

Brady is 39 but he stays in fantastic shape. Unfortunately he could probably play another 5 years.