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Are the Falcon's contenders for the Super Bowl title or is it to early to tell this year? Our opponents we have played (Carolina and Miami) are a combine 0-4 record. Both made the playoffs last year but don't appear as good as last year. Playing the Pats on the road where it is always tough to win will answer some questions.

Could the Falcon's beat teams like Baltimore,Pittsbugh,Giants,Dallas if those teams were healthy?

I think it's to early to tell if were Super Bowl contenders.We haven't even played a road game yet which will tell me alot how this team will do during the season. We have New Orleans in our division and if they get their defense to play well could be the favs in the division. Also to early to tell on records can be deceiving.Look at Denver 2-0 beating the mighty Browns and Bengals.

We should get a much better indicator at the half way point of the season.I just hope we can compete on the road instead of either blowouts or usual losses. Super Bowl contenders can win anywhere and will see that when the season plays out.

Last year we got lucky by staying healthy. This year we've lost Douglas, Jerry, and for all practical purposes Moore. Time to find out how much Mike Smith 'loves adversity.'

Dallas? Anyone can beat Dallas. Not sure the Falcons can beat those other 3 or not. But more to the point: can we beat New Orleans??

I agree we are better than Dallas right now for sure, as for the other teams, well its close, I think we have the best chance that we have had in.....ah ...... since 98 !

It's easy to analyze teams when their down or up but Dallas usually if you get them when their playing their best ball is a tough team. Romo still hasn't won a big game but that doesn't mean he can turn it on at anytime. When you get two teams playing their best ball provides for an interesting matchup.Do you think we could stop Dallas's running game if Romo starts to play well which means stopping both the pass and run? I don't and last game does worry me about our pass rush.

Can we win a game on the road consistently vs the better teams? We have a few good teams to prove it this season.It just seems so many teams the one area many are suspect in is defense. New Orleans, Dallas,Arizona then other teams like the Giants,Minnesota even Chicago their strong suit is defense.

What I like about the NFL is each week you get to prove yourself. Then again even if you do well in the reg season the playoffs are a different animal. Each fan at this point believes in their team either your off to a bad start are undefeated and are world beaters or 1-1 ready to make a statement with the next game.

Simple answer is I don't think so, and hope to be proven wrong. I think we're good, but a year's worth of experiece for most of our young D. I DO think we're a playoff-capable team.

We haven't left Flowery Branch in over a month. One game at a time. It is way too early to decide anyones fate....except maybe Detroits.

Of Course..... It seems one of the facts many of us forget if our team is good; its we are
the reason some teams are not good. We beat them. You can only pick yourself up so to many times
and keep hope alive.

I just don't get it!! Most here are great at spotting a lousy team...... Most here are good at spotting an
average team, yet when it comes to the Falcons we can't say we could be Super Bowl Contenders? (Why)

Coach Smith has also said win 80% at home and 50% away and you'll be in the second season about every time.

Since only one team from the NFC will go to the Super Bowl their are a lot of variables. Injuries of course are the biggest factor, continued improvement from rookies and second year players.

Lets remember last year some were so down on the Cardinals last 3 losses or however bad it was, they wanted to change the playoff format. The Cardinals were the disgrace of the league. Well the Cardinals probably should have won the Super bowl.

I mean what is it you guys are looking for? A Qb with poise and ability. A running back that can gain 1,000 yards every season. Receivers who can catch 100 passes a year and 1,000 receiving yards a year.

A defense that won't give up the big play? A defense that will usually stop the run? The only thing that worries me is our pass rush. Geez, the problem with some of the thinking here I'm afraid is you'll never enjoy
a contending season. Their never tied in a nice bow, all teams will have to work through issues, we just have the talent and the Coach and the Qb to be contenders. If we were 8-0 I think some would still be asking the same question (and that's why their are message boards with differing opinions) but come on, we are an improved team with Tony G. with Ryan not being a rookie and our defense is faster. The only way the answer is "maybe" is because so much can change with injuries even in week 13. So you can decide now or wait and still guess in week 13? You guys have watched enough football. We are Contenders!!

Poor Falcon fans , we are 2-0 against playoff teams from last year, we made the playoffs last year, we are the ranked 4th overall by espn power rankings ,,, and by reading these posts it seems as if people are just waiting for a let down or colapse Lets face it we have one of the top 2 offenses in the league and our defense is middle of the pack. Are we the favorites to win the superbowl no, but I think we are at least in the top 5-6 teams.... by the way I am so excited to finally have some new smiles as you may be have figured out

Cyril, I believe most of us think we are a playoff team however since the Falcon's have not gone very far in the past of course there will be doubters. Most teams take one step at a time instead of all of the sudden leaping to Super Bowl after Super Bowl.As Coach Smith says it's a process and while it would be great to make it deep into the playoffs based on past teams usually they have very good defenses to go far.

The Falcon's are 2-0 both home wins now lets see them do it on the road vs elite teams consistently winning those games. None of this moral victory stuff losing in close games. Can we do that yet? Will see starting Sunday New England. I don't know to many fans who just praise their teams and not see the problems to be fixed. It would be pretty boring telling the team you guys are great,no one is in our class,there is nothing to fix take the week off see you next Sunday. That's what it seems to be when some fans think the rest of us Falcon fans are not on board wanting the same thing. Every team can do something better even if you won the Super Bowl 5 years in a row. The day a team starts to believe their press clippings is the day the team will lose it's passion and expect everything given to them.

It's very early in the season and there is plenty to fix. The margin between winning and losing isn't that great.We haven't had alot of adversity yet so it will be interesting to see how the team handles it.Maybe the Falcon's surprise us all and beat everyone on the schedule. I think the best way to handle the season if your a fan is don't get to high or low so while many of us want this team to be a contender for a Super Bowl for me if the following is accomplished I'll be happy this year.

1.Winning season
2.make the playoffs
3.go deep in the playoffs
4.win the Super Bowl

It's a process and last year I think we were happy to be in the playoffs.Now comes the next step of accomplishing points 1,2,3 and if were lucky no4 this year. Realistically I think were one year away which is next year being the team that other elite teams have to worry about and not some team on a lucky streak.

No doubt we are contenders. At this moment I have no problem saying we are one of the top 10 teams in the league, despite a defense that relies on turnovers to stop people.

The reason I'm not getting too excited is that also at this moment I don't think we are the best team in our division. The Saints look like they have Super Bowl written all over them, with one of those all time great offenses like the 98 Vikings, the 99 Rams, the 07 Patriots etc. We have a good offense no doubt but not (yet) as polished and experienced as theirs.

Did you notice btw that we couldn't run out the clock in the 4th quarter, twice? That's not the only way you can win but it's the way many great teams win - taking over the game in the 4th quarter and dominating on the ground. It's the way the 98 Falcons won by the way. Will we make the leap from very good to great by the end of the season? Will we be the best team in our own division? Only time will tell.

I'm not saying we are great and we have nothing to fix. I've bashed this team for 25 years out of 35 and I don't
think I've come close to saying the Falcons are good because their my team? (You can answer that because you've seen my opinions for about 12 years.....)

No, I don't think its folkes afraid of let downs. The fact is with 32 teams, more can go wrong than go right, so if your out their alone calling for 9-10 wins last year, you don't get a gold star.... You get the prize for staying with the pack.

What do I get for saying we're contenders? Only crap if a couple get hurt and we get swept from the Saints
and beat by the Giants ect,ect.......I just don't need to wait till week 10-14 to say I don't think that's going to happen.

I don't even think away games hurt disciplined teams.... Playing good teams away is a little harder.

Scout, I just don't agree you can say next year is when we are going to be contending team? Dahl and Claybo COULD HAVE A PROSTITUTION RING,and it blow us away!! (there's always something)

My honest feeling is some are afraid to say we are Super Bowl Contenders. Why stick your neck out when so much can go wrong. I think that's worse than saying you teams good just because its your team. That's where
the crowd is "waiting". AND your asking us a question that very few will try to answer.

I see our flaws on defense, our lack of a pass rush, and cornerback questions? You think that keeps us from contending for the division. You win the division your either two or three games away and contenders.

I'll keep saying this till a few believe it.... The team that wins is the team that makes other teams lose. Its so simple its hard to grasp. Some teams just quit when beaten for the 4th or 5th time in a season. Coach Smith is a great coach because he coaches for the marathon and not the sprint!!

Ps. I love to read Dave's posts but I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE MY GLOCK and blow these silly smiley faces away.
There's no smiling in football (:

I think there are more balanced teams that bring both offense and defense. Can we really say that about the Falcon's at 2-0 and 14 games left. I think the Giants are the class of the NFC and until they stumble or we beat them everyone else is chasing them. I think the next class of teams are the Falcon's,Saints,Vikings,Eagles,Cowboys,Cardinals and the final class are the Bears because of the Ulracher injury. That's just in the NFC and there are plenty of teams in the AFC that we can say are contenders for the crown. Sure at any given point when a team gets hot they can overcome their weakness but usually will see teams with top defenses that can score on offense. You don't have to have the 98 Vikings offense to win in the playoffs.

Until the Falcon's answer the questions like can we generate a pass rush vs better off lines, can the corners cover elite receivers,can we contain an elite running back like AP if matched up in the playoffs and can we be realtively healthy. I think there are many contenders for the crown but how many have a good defense and can score? Not many teams and the ones that have good offenses have many questions on defense.

Scout, you can never know what will hit with injuries so maybe I should never get involved with this question again. You can have drug suspensions, gun suspensions, or anything and it will always be a hypothetical
Question.

You can't prove jack during the season (if your playing hardball), and you can't prove jack until you win the Super Bowl.

Hell what were the odds of winning 11 last year and now we only did that because our schedule was easy.

Now we have beat two playoff teams and now their not as good as last year.

Well winning or losing to The Patroits won't mean jack either because they are now suppose to be going downhill.

Yes, I don't like the way the goalposts keep moving back, its a miracle we are where we are now!! I don't want
to play this rigged game again. I'm just not afraid to say I know a talented team when I see one.

Our young guys will get better as the season goes on, but its the thread that pisses me off because its set up to make any believers look wrong, I'm sorry I took part in it. I'll just stick to answering questions about players and those are based on what they've done now. Hell, you made the thread with the answer already
in your back pocket,on a hypothetical question, you didn't want any discussion!!

I gotta say Cyril and others are right. We are contenders today. We have one of the best QBs in the conference, and that alone makes us a contender.

Can things change over the course of the season? Absolutely. So no one should be rushing out and making hotel reservations in Miami just yet. But at this point in the season we are one of the best teams in the conference, and until something happens, we shouldn't expect that to change.

We aren't alone in that boat, as the Saints, Giants, Eagles, Vikings can also consider themselves in that group. And the Packers, Cowboys, Cardinals, 49ers, and Bears certainly shouldn't start packing in their seasons just yet. And there's no doubt that the Redskins, Panthers, and Seahawks have the talent to at least make things interesting by the end of the year.

We will go to the Super Bowl this year? As of today, I don't expect that to happen. But I certainly think it's possible, and not one of those slim possibilities. I'd give it a 10% chance of happening, which is about the best odds I'd give anything at this point in the season, since that's roughly how much of the season has been played.

My personal expectations is that we still have a few more years of rebuilding the defense and Ryan developing before I can say we will become a team like the Giants, or Steelers who can go into a season expecting to be in the Super Bowl. But when have the Falcons ever adhered to my timeline?

Being labeled a "Contender" after the second game of the season is nice, and if it makes you feel all warm and cozy inside then so be it.

But it doesn't mean squat to the Atlanta Falcons. Fans just don't look through the same filters that the players/coaches do, especially after just two games. There is still major work to be done.

Being 2-0 is obviously better than being 0-2. There is a very good chance we will make the playoffs. We did that last year. We learned from that experience. We now have the best TE to ever play the game.

We have talent at many positions. But we also have a few potential issues....like stopping the run and we have yet to play a really explosive team.

But we're not playing last year's schedule or having last year's luck with injuries. And we're not the best team in our own division right now. Get swept by the Saints and making the playoffs won't be easy. And as we were reminded last year it's not easy to win playoff games on the road.

What we've seen so far has been encouraging. But I won't be thinking Super Bowl or even playoffs until we beat New Orleans.

Ehh, New Orleans doesn't scare me. Their offense is good, but that's not a surprise. As it was said in the off-season, if the Saints can find some balance with a decent running game, they should have no problems repeating as being the top offense in the league.

The Saints achilles heel will remain their defense. And when you have a bad defense, that usually gets exposed as the season progresses.

Look I'm not saying we will definitely beat the Saints. We'll have to see what the injury situation and what not is come Week 8. And regardless of how well the Falcons and Saints are playing now, the Falcons-Saints matchups are almost always tight, close, good football games. I don't expect that to change regardless of how the Saints decimate their opponents in the first two weeks of the season.

As I've said before, I don't get too up or down based off how teams play in the first few weeks of the season. In 1998, the Falcons first 2 or 3 games they weren't nearly as good a team as they were in the final 2 or 3 games.

As far as beating the Saints being a litmus test to whether or not we can win the Super Bowl, it's fine and dandy. But it's not unheard of for a wildcard team to go to the Super Bowl in today's NFL, so not beating the Saints probably only means we don't win the division.

So if the question is are the Falcons contenders? At this point, the answer is yes. Will that remain the case? I have no idea, and I think it would be silly at this point for anybody to try and predict with any seriousness what the league will look like come December or January.

Can the Falcons beat the best teams in the league? Yes, I believe they can. Should they be favored against them? Probably not.

But people shouldn't too tight about postseason ramifications this early in the season. Even coming from someone that couldn't simply sit back and enjoy the ride a season ago, my sphincter doesn't start to get tight in regards to the Falcons until November.

My suggestion to others is to just enjoy the show until then. If we win, then so be it. If we lose, then so be it.

Ahhhhh...the good ole days!!!!

So, one game against New Orleans in the books...
Who thinks we are title contenders?
Who thinks we will make the playoffs?

We have to win 6 of the remaining 9 games to make the playoffs IMHO. That means winning the games we should win, and one from the NYG,PHILLY or Saints.

We have to make the playoffs to be a contender. New Orleans is walking away with the division which leads us fighting for the wild card spots. Assumming it will come down to us, Dallas, Philly and the G-men. We already lost to Dallas, so they hold the tie breaker. If we lose to Philly and the Giants, both real possibilities, we will be on the outside looking in.

BB, in your opinion are the Saints not a 'really explosive team'? I guess after looking at the last 4 games maybe, but the way they came back from waaay behind to beat a subpar Miami team sure seemed explosive ...am I wrong?

I gotta say IMHO, were not a SB contender right now, but that can change..I predicted we would lose to the Saints ( and Turner would have 2 great games ), but it would be tight. I have bitched about BVG alot: but I have to give that man alot of credit. Talk about getting lemons and making lemonade! Props to BVG.

Elam is not going to get any better. We cannot leave those points off the board. The hammy is affecting our game planning, or will be shortly... If we cannot count on a chip shot FG in a dome, how can we be considered any type of a 'contender'? We need to get some FA's in right now and start thinking about a possible wild card berth~ we absolutely cannot leave the ST's alone any longer.

The encouraging thing for me is that everyone involved, from TD to the coaches to the players themselves have not thrown in the towel at anytime this season so far: and we have seen the Falcons teams of yore that would lay down. We are not that team , from top to bottom.

Gus when I wrote that about 6 weeks ago we had only played two teams, we hadn't played the Saints yet. You really are a piece of work Gus. You pretty much wanted to sell Turner to highest bidder, now you pat yourself on the back??