2016 NFL Playoffs

[HedleyLamarr]

4 hours ago, DG_Now said:

$10,000? Congratulations, but I could never. I spent a quarter of that for four Copa America series tickets last year, but that was at least three matches and for four people. And I felt sick doing it.

 

But better to spend your money on experiences than possessions. I hope ATL at least wins!

Well we didn't really care for the ticket packages, so we went straight for the tickets-only option.  And if we're going to go, may as well treat ourselves to down-low seats.

 

Huge amount of coin, but when something doesn't happen very often and your current circumstances are pretty allowable, may as well do it!  I didn't have much say in going when the Falcons were last in the Super Bowl (such is the luck for 14 year olds), and we don't have kids to worry about, so it makes sense.  But yes, experiences beat the hell out of material items!  Only get one chance at life.

2 hours ago, Pharos04 said:

So yeah, Patriots fan here as well (I know, we're all coming out of the woodwork now lol).  Gotta say that it's very understandable the distaste for the Patriots over the past 15 years.  Boomer Esiason talks weekly to the morning show i listen to, and he mentioned on a few times "It must be boring up there in New England what with winning all the time." It's strange being on this end of the winning. I now understand how Yankee fans of the 2000s, Cowboy fans of the 90s, etc etc feel.  Winning brings contempt and consistent winning gets boring if you're not a fan.

 

I can say that before 2001, seeing any sort of championship in any sport felt like a foregone conclusion.  I was too young to enjoy the Celtics of the '80s, the Bruins were a blip on the radar, the Sox were cursed, and the Patsies were the laughing stock of the NFL.  When they made it to Super Bowl XXXI against the Packers it was a surreal feeling.  I was so excited to see the local team contend for a championship.  2001 changed EVERYTHING in the sporting world for Boston.  The fact that all 4 sports teams have won at least one championship during this run is nothing short of miraculous and something that will likely never happen again.  But i continue to remember when this corner of the country was a joke to everyone else.  And because of that, I still treat every championship appearance that has happened since as if it's the first time, and quite possibly the last.  You can never know when it will all be over, and be relegated to the annals of history.  I even did so in my earlier paragraph, where teams are confined to a certain timeframe.  The Pats have superseded that notion at this point.  The fact that this is a record breaking Super Bowl appearance for a franchise is still something hard to comprehend.  And as a fan who still remembers, I relish every one of these.

 

I hope for a great game between the Falcons.  Looks like it'll be a great matchup.  But I said it 15 years ago and I'll continue saying it: Let's Go Pats!!!

No offense, but when your local teams have won nine championships and played in 14-15 championship games/series since 2001, you no longer have the right to complain about the losing days of the 80's and 90's.  No one can sympathize with a sports fan that's hit the jackpot the last 20 years.

[FiddySicks]

5 hours ago, HedleyLamarr said:

When something has happened twice in 51 years and only once before in your 32 years of existence, you plop down $10,000 for tickets.

 

Houston-bound!  Rise up, biz-nitches!

 

That's the spirit. I picked up World Series tickets for four of us in 2010 when I had absolutely ZERO business doing so financially (It was a LOT less than what you dropped, but still more than I had spent on anything at the time). Spent more than two years paying it off, and didn't regret a second of it. I hope you enjoy the hell outta that. 

[Crabcake]

11 hours ago, SabresRule7361 said:

 

Are the Pats Barcelona or Real Madrid?

They are Barca, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, PSG, Juventus, Chelsea, and the Manchester clubs all wrapped up into one. 

 

ugh

[Pharos04]

10 hours ago, HedleyLamarr said:

Well we didn't really care for the ticket packages, so we went straight for the tickets-only option.  And if we're going to go, may as well treat ourselves to down-low seats.

 

Huge amount of coin, but when something doesn't happen very often and your current circumstances are pretty allowable, may as well do it!  I didn't have much say in going when the Falcons were last in the Super Bowl (such is the luck for 14 year olds), and we don't have kids to worry about, so it makes sense.  But yes, experiences beat the hell out of material items!  Only get one chance at life.

No offense, but when your local teams have won nine championships and played in 14-15 championship games/series since 2001, you no longer have the right to complain about the losing days of the 80's and 90's.  No one can sympathize with a sports fan that's hit the jackpot the last 20 years.

You kinda missed my point. In no way was I complaining about the losing days. What I was pointing out was a lot of the louder, more obnoxious fans who feel they represent everyone also forget where the franchise was for a good chunk of its existence. 

 

in either case, I hope you have fun at the game! Definitely a notch on the bucket list. Enjoy the hell out of it!

[DnBronc]

19 hours ago, DG_Now said:

If Lynch had run the ball instead of the stupid pass, the Pats would still be chasing their first Super Bowl since 2004 and the league would feel a lot different.

 

Also, if ifs and buts were candy and nuts we'd have a different president.

 

Or, if the Ravens were able to pull out the 2011 AFC Title Game and 2014 AFC Divisional Game (they lost in 11 due to the Lee Evans play, and in 14 due to bad playcalling. They had all the time in the world. They were down only four, and they were on NE's 40, and they threw the ball to the end zone and it was picked), they wouldn't have been in the SB since 2007.

[Unocal]

The more I think about the NFC-CG, I feel like Green Bay basically robbed us of a better game.

 

Atlanta-Dallas would have been a million times more entertaining then what we got.

 

Instead, we basically got a one-man band. It was basically a crap defense and Aaron Rodgers playingh catchup.

 

Green Bay wasted 3 hours of our time on Sunday.

 

But at least Rodgers made us all believe for 8 weeks they could run the table!

[BlueSky]

Been away a long time but am back to say congratulations to @infrared41 and any other true Falcon fans here. (The bandwagoners? Whatever. And there are plenty of those in Atlanta.) @HedleyLamarr, IIRC we went back and forth on the Falcons sometimes but I don't think you're a fan of theirs, right? Well, in any case...congrats to all who have earned it through years of suffering. That's what we Saints fans will always have in common with you!

 

This is what I posted on FB (and probably here too somewhere) the night before the 2009 NFC Championship, and I'm sure you Falconeers feel the same way about the bolded lines:

==

My first Saints game: age 8, in 1969. I was 26 when they had their first winning season and turned 40 a few days after their first playoff victory. I'm 49 now and still waiting for them to make the Super Bowl. But if they win tomorrow, they're in. If there's one common theme that sustains Saints fans, it's that if you hold on long enough, every dog has its day. I hope that after tomorrow, ours will finally have his.

==

 

And they did. :-)  In the kinda crazy file, the 2016 Falcons are almost creepily similar to that Super Bowl Champion Saints team. How so? Read this from nola.com. 

 

I'll be for New England of course, but that's good for Atlanta; I shouldn't admit this publicly, but I rooted for Atlanta in '98. You know how that went.  :-O

[HedleyLamarr]

40 minutes ago, BlueSky said:

Been away a long time but am back to say congratulations to @infrared41 and any other true Falcon fans here. (The bandwagoners? Whatever. And there are plenty of those in Atlanta.) @HedleyLamarr, IIRC we went back and forth on the Falcons sometimes but I don't think you're a fan of theirs, right? Well, in any case...congrats to all who have earned it through years of suffering. That's what we Saints fans will always have in common with you!

 

This is what I posted on FB (and probably here too somewhere) the night before the 2009 NFC Championship, and I'm sure you Falconeers feel the same way about the bolded lines:

==

My first Saints game: age 8, in 1969. I was 26 when they had their first winning season and turned 40 a few days after their first playoff victory. I'm 49 now and still waiting for them to make the Super Bowl. But if they win tomorrow, they're in. If there's one common theme that sustains Saints fans, it's that if you hold on long enough, every dog has its day. I hope that after tomorrow, ours will finally have his.

==

 

And they did. :-)  In the kinda crazy file, the 2016 Falcons are almost creepily similar to that Super Bowl Champion Saints team. How so? Read this from nola.com. 

 

I'll be for New England of course, but that's good for Atlanta; I shouldn't admit this publicly, but I rooted for Atlanta in '98. You know how that went.  :-O

Myself (and Flame) are probably the biggest Falcons fans on here.  I've been waiting 18 years for the Falcons to return to the Super Bowl just so I could make my first ever trip to the game be one where I'll get to be in attendance for. 

 

And we'll be wearing Falcon red as we pass through Louisiana later next week.

[BlueSky]

4 hours ago, HedleyLamarr said:

Myself (and Flame) are probably the biggest Falcons fans on here.  I've been waiting 18 years for the Falcons to return to the Super Bowl just so I could make my first ever trip to the game be one where I'll get to be in attendance for. 

 

And we'll be wearing Falcon red as we pass through Louisiana later next week.

 

Well, that's only fair considering how many times I and thousands of other Saints fans have done victory dances in the Georgia Dome.  

 

But seriously, if the Falcons win this, they will have earned it. They've had a phenomenal year, Quinn's an outstanding coach, Matt Ryan has justified his draft position, and they have the talent to win. The intangible X-factor is SB experience and how they, especially their rookies, will do on the biggest stage of all. I also think NE has a coaching advantage that will allow them to slow the Falcons' offense and take advantage of their defense. 

 

Happy for you that you're going. That's pretty awesome. You know I love the Saints but there's no way I'm ever shelling out that kind of cash to go to a football game.

 

P.S. The Falcons could make one of the coolest "end of a long journey" statements ever by wearing their amazing '66 throwbacks. Well, at least if they win. 

 

Yeah, I know, they can't wear different helmets blah blah, but two weeks is more than enough time to paint them. 

 

[infrared41]

On 1/28/2017 at 10:29 AM, BlueSky said:

Been away a long time but am back to say congratulations to @infrared41 and any other true Falcon fans here.

 

BlueSky! It's great to see you're back. On topic, I'm not a Falcons fan, I'm just on the ATL bandwagon for the Super Bowl. The Falcons throwbacks are one of my favorite uniforms, but that's about as far as it goes with me and the Falcons. Anyway, welcome back. Don't be a stranger. 

 

 

[2001mark]

As a Patriots fan, the only absolute devastation would be a Falcons come from behind, down 2-3 scores in the 4th, to win.  I still think Patriots 31 - Falcons 24, with the Patriots going up 25-3 or something & barely holding on because after all their visits, they've yet to put away a SB with authority.

[BlueSky]

15 hours ago, infrared41 said:

 

BlueSky! It's great to see you're back. On topic, I'm not a Falcons fan, I'm just on the ATL bandwagon for the Super Bowl. The Falcons throwbacks are one of my favorite uniforms, but that's about as far as it goes with me and the Falcons. Anyway, welcome back. Don't be a stranger. 

 

 

 

Thanks for the warm welcome - much appreciated. I knew someone here had discussed the Falcons but wasn't a die-hard fan, and I transposed you and Hedley. My bad.

 

I was in PetSmart the other day and couldn't resist a "helpful" remark to a woman who was pawing through (ha!) a brand new rack of overpriced Falcons' pet gear. I told here, "That's the stuff you have to buy when they're 6 and 10." She laughed.

 

They've come a long way from my first Georgia Dome experience from when I moved to metro Atlanta in 2001. At that game, the Saints fans so outnumbered the homers that the Falcons were booed during introductions and came to the line on offensive third downs to crowd chants of "De-FENSE!"

 

And before anyone accuses me of making this stuff up, former Falcon TE Alge Crumpler once commented on the Steeler fans in the Georgia Dome by calling that Atlanta home victory "the best road win we've had in a while."  

 

All that's why I said I'm truly happy for the Hedleys of the world, the ones who have kept the faith. Got a chuckle out of your comment and appreciated your candor about being on the bandwagon. The annoying ones are those who couldn't name 5 players on the team during losing seasons but are suddenly geared up from head to toe in red and black, pretending they've been on board all along. Riiiiight.

[tBBP]

On 1/28/2017 at 9:29 AM, BlueSky said:

Been away a long time but am back to say congratulations to @infrared41, @HedleyLamarr, @TFoA, @jayjackson3 and the other true Falcon fans out there. (The bandwagoners? Whatever. And there are plenty of those in Atlanta.)

 

I'll add in my congrats and regards to all y'all true Falcon folk out there, as well. If not for that '98 postseason, I'd say y'all finally know how I felt back in '02 when Tampa Bay finally went all the way--the same as I'm sure my comrade @BlueSky felt when his Saints won it all, too). And for the record, I'm also pulling hard for Atlanta to win this thing, as I have all postseason. From my viewpoint, that's a well-run class organization there; they and the real Falcon fans deserve this.

 

(Besides...three of my sisters live down in Atlanta, so it'll be worth it to see them & their husbands light up should the Falcons emerge victorious. Plus, Julio Jones' hometown of Foley AL is roughly 20 minutes west of my own, so there's a semi-local connection there, and of course Devonta Freeman is a Florida State product, so yeah--go Falcons.)

[HedleyLamarr]

Why is the NFL far from any sort of trouble?

 

You have plenty of fans that are willing to pay money to sit in the stands to see people interview these players and coaches.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

22 minutes ago, HedleyLamarr said:

Why is the NFL far from any sort of trouble?

 

You have plenty of fans that are willing to pay money to sit in the stands to see people interview these players and coaches.

 

I've been dancing on the NFL's grave too, but then I read on the Ringer that the Pro Bowl gets more ratings than any MLB playoff game except the World Series and any NBA playoff game except the Finals. And that's for a game that's universally loathed!

[OnWis97]

12 hours ago, HedleyLamarr said:

Why is the NFL far from any sort of trouble?

 

You have plenty of fans that are willing to pay money to sit in the stands to see people interview these players and coaches.

I believe ESPN referred to last night's first day of this stuff in Houston as "Opening Night."    It's silly but kinda shows the excitement for anything NFL.

 

12 hours ago, DG_Now said:

 

I've been dancing on the NFL's grave too, but then I read on the Ringer that the Pro Bowl gets more ratings than any MLB playoff game except the World Series and any NBA playoff game except the Finals. And that's for a game that's universally loathed!

Yikes.

 

As down as some of us are on the NFL, we still watch.  And it's still got a long, long way to go before we should even be talking about it not being the clear-cut #1, much less talking about its demise.

[Dalcowboyfan92]

14 hours ago, DG_Now said:

 

I've been dancing on the NFL's grave too, but then I read on the Ringer that the Pro Bowl gets more ratings than any MLB playoff game except the World Series and any NBA playoff game except the Finals. And that's for a game that's universally loathed!

 

That's rather surprising. For all the flak fans give the Pro Bowl; but if it continues to get respectable ratings (when you take out those games stated), it'll keep going.

[PrimalCookie]

22 hours ago, DG_Now said:

 

I've been dancing on the NFL's grave too, but then I read on the Ringer that the Pro Bowl gets more ratings than any MLB playoff game except the World Series and any NBA playoff game except the Finals. And that's for a game that's universally loathed!

Yikes.

 

I went to the game, and eventually at halftime I was (albeit unfairly) like, "This is having a football team? Eh, I'll pass"

[HedleyLamarr]

9 hours ago, Dalcowboyfan92 said:

 

That's rather surprising. For all the flak fans give the Pro Bowl; but if it continues to get respectable ratings (when you take out those games stated), it'll keep going.

It's an outlet for some degree of football on a weekend when there's no other football to watch.  And it takes place before the Super Bowl, when folks haven't yet resorted to the fact that all football seasons have ended until August.

[pnickle15]

Falcons win 35-31. Matt Ryan wins MVP (again). Patriots dynasty is over.