There are some feelings of doom & gloom out there among the Falcons faithful. You guys gotta shake this off! Heck, I gotta shake it off!! I have been doing some thinking, soul-searching and research. You guys, we are not the first team to have this happen!!
Ok, we lost to Carolina. Yup, it sucked!
Let us, for a moment, go back in time! (I wish I could insert a cool sound effect here! A whooshing sound or the "Back to the Future" sounds but... Just pretend!.) We are going WAY back to... 2009! Yes, the year the Saints went all the way. Don't curl your lip or stop reading, there is a reason for mentioning them!
On December 27, at their dome with Brees as their QB... The Saints lost to the Tampa Bay Bucs who (prior to that week) had only won 2 games all season.
On December 9, the Falcons lost to Carolina who had also only won 2 games! (not at our house, thank goodness!)
We all know what ended up happening in the 2009 season and that's kinda my point - the Saints stumbled and picked themselves back up. If they can do it, our Falcons are MORE than capable of doing it!!
For anyone who says, "yeah, but..." Let's look at 2010!
Our date is December 12, 2010 The Packers lost to Detroit - another 2-win team! (Yes, Rogers went out with a concussion in the first half of the game but the Packers didn't even manage a single touch-down in that game!) Yet the Packers went on to win the Super Bowl!
How about one more? 2011 New York Giants. Remember the November melt-down? If that wasn't ugly enough, they also lost on December 18 to the Redskins. Prior to this game, the Redskins had won 4 games (double our other examples but still...) and Eli Manning was QB for the Giants.
Guys, I can keep researching and see just how much of a pattern exists but... Once is a fluke, twice a coincidence but three times is a pattern! I could keep beating this horse but... This exact pattern repeats itself every year starting in 2006!! (that's as far as I tracked) Please don't give up on the Falcons. If history holds this year, we are simply following the pattern for success!!!
Now, at the time of these losses, each of these teams knew that they were playing in the post-season - just like the Falcons. Do you think that concerns over injury play a part in these late season games? And I'm talking a subconscious fear - not something that they may even be aware of! These guys work damn hard just to GET to the play-offs, they want (maybe need?) to be a part of the team on the field. I don't blame or judge them! Maybe it's that sense of relief? Phase 1 has been successfully completed (getting TO the playoffs) so they are collectively breathing a sigh of relief? I don't know why or how to explain it but... It has happened quite a few times!
This week we play the New York Giants. Believe it or not, they are a whole lot like us! When they have a bad game - they really have a bad game! Unfortunately, the same can be said of us. Usually, either the offense or defense can rescue the game but against Carolina... Both sides had problems. Honestly, we have yet to play a game where both offense and defense were playing hot! It's gotta happen! If it happens in the play-offs... Even better!!
The only thing that people will remember and talk about will be our success or (God forbid!) failure in the post-season! That is when it counts, when it matters, when it will be remembered!
So... Just some things to think about on a gloomy, cold, depressing afternoon. I'll check back with more thoughts, ok?
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