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I’m sick of Seattle, the time is near. I can’t wait for this game.

This ought to be short.

I cannot fathom why you think that.

That said, it should be a good game unless the officials decide to go back to the 80s in the defensive backfields like they did in the Sea-Was game; Browned should have been hit with multiple PIs, especially on Thomas' pick, and both Hall and Sherman were screaming for USLC penalties with all of the after-play shoving and hitting. Sea gains a lot more than Atl does is the refs let them play grabby.

It looked like their DE Clemmons got hurt, if he can't go it's a huge plus for us. They are a good team, but we are better and should win. Atlanta 20 Seatle 16 in a game with lots of FG's.

No Clemons. No Abraham. Even?

What is worse? Smitty playing Abe last week or Shanny playing Griffin this week? If those reports about Dr. Andrews and Grif are true MS may be in some hot water. Isn't remarkable how he is a genius again now...like he was when he had Elway?

Griffin re tweeked the knee early and was completly limited, why he was still playing is beyond me. Shanahan's ego gets in the way of his common sense in big moments. No way Washington loses that game if they bring in Cousins in the second quarter.

In the triad of Shanahan, Elway and Reeves which would you be most comfortable buying a used car from?

Reeves, and it's not even close. He'll be honest about what needs to be fixed, but will be overly optimistic bout it's ability to be fixed.

I cannot stand John Elway. End of story. I'm not buying him no matter how well Peyton does.

Don't you play fantasy football? Never trust Shanahan.

Yep....and, uh, no to FF.

Had this same convo today with the football beer-klatch. You would think I would say Smitty, but honestly, Sha-Na-Na-Han should have put Cousins in midaway in the third. I think putting him in there so late, he didn't have time to establish any 'rythym'. He might have been better served either having Cousins start the 2nd half, but he should have gone in in the third. No rule says you cant trot out RG3 late in the fourth if it is a close game, right? It's not baseball. Tha smart thing would have been to put Cousins in there and give him a little time anb if he struggles and you get in a hole, then limp out RG3 if you absolutely HAVE to play a guy that inured.

So what Im saying in terms of 'risk/reward' ( progressing in the playoffs) vs a meaningless game, I would say Shanny was much worse.

I suppose there is something to be said that at least Skeedaddle has to cross country more then DC. BUt man, would I have loved seeing washington in here next week. Pencil it in: we would win that one easily....

BTW, what was that wierd little red shed RG3 kept going into? I've never seen anything like it. Some sort of triage, away from the prying eyes and cameras? Why not just limp into the tunnel?

See ya next weekend BnB!

Yeah, that was odd. It almost seemed like they turned Dr. Andrews away.

It was pretty obvious after Griffin got hit on the right sideline by the goal line that he was not going to be able to do much from then on. He was limping big time and it just got worse. Don't know that they win with Cousins but they surely were not going to come back and win with Griffin and once he lost the threat of the run they were through protecting the lead. His career will be short if they continue going Bill Withers on hm--use me until you use me up.

It’s not his fault, it’s the perception he gets from people that watch. People saying that he’s the next big thing makes me sick. More on that tomorrow, I need sleep.

They did not play well away from Qwest Field as expected, the ball bounced Seattle's way a lot tonight. That and the fact that since RG3 was useless after the 2nd quarter and as a result the Redskins offense couldn't even manage to pick up first downs with regularity. The Seahawks defense did not look as stout as I thought it was, I know that RG3 and the read option stresses defenses but I mean he was a shell of his former self. By the way I really dont like R.Sherman I mean first off he is a cheater and he tries to act like since he won his appeal he didnt take the substance. Secondly he seems to always be in someones face talking sh*t. I think Seattle is a good young team but the Falcons are better.

Falcons 27 Seahawks 16

funny you say that, with all the talk of rookies, it appears Wilson is superior to all the others....

Let's be honest gus, While Wilson has had a very nice year and has done very well for himself, he's had a much better defense to play on the other side than RG III, and especially Luck. Not saying Washington didn't do well, but Seattle's D is nothing to laugh at.

I think this will be a tough game, but I have faith that we can hold up their O just enough, and that Ryan and co will be on track and pull out the W. Not convincingly, cause we all want to hear how they are underdogs to Rogers or SF, but they'll still pull it out.

http://blogs.ajc.com/jeff-schultz-blog/ ... hultz_blog

Jeff Schultz
Seattle tough but Falcons have some advantages (updated)

8:34 pm January 6, 2013, by Jeff Schultz

(Updated: 8:50 p.m. with opening odds.)

The Falcons last won a playoff game eight years ago (47-17 over St. Louis, Jan. 15, 2005). The have lost four straight since.

For that trend to change, they are going to have to beat a Seattle team that possesses: 1) a mobile quarterback (Russell Wilson); 2) a physical defense that held Washington to only 203 yards in offense (69 after the first two possessions); and 3) a powerful running game.

So you expected easy?

But after three playoff losses in the last four years, there are several positives for the Falcons going into their match-up against Seattle, which advanced after beating the Redskins 24-14 Sunday.

UPDATE: The Falcons have opened as only a two-point favorite over the Seahawks at LVH Superbook. Since home teams generally get three points, the line effectively means Seattle is considered one point “better” than Atlanta.

• 1.) Beat-up factor: The Seahawks are a tough team, as evidenced by them going 7-1 in the second half of the season after being only 4-4 at the turn, and then winning a road playoff game. But the question is: What do they have left in the tank after winning an emotional and physical game over the Redskins? The win in Washington did not come easy.

• 2.) Home field factor: The Falcons will be at home, where they’ve generally dominated: 7-1 this season and 33-7 in five regular seasons. (Then again, there was that lopsided playoff loss to Green Bay in 2010.) Seattle will be making its second East Coast trip in as many weeks from the upper left corner of the U.S. There’s a potential fatigue factor there.

• 3.) Mobile quarterback factor: The Falcons didn’t face Wilson this season. But they have played and beaten three noted mobile quarterbacks this year: Robert Griffin III, Cam Newton and Michael Vick (as well as Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Tony Romo, Phillip Rivers, Eli Manning and Matthew Stafford). So as impressive a season as Wilson has had, he doesn’t present a challenge the Falcons haven’t seen.

• 4.) Julio and Roddy factor: As effective as Seattle’s defense was against the Redskins, it’s worth noting Washington moved the ball effectively early, before Griffin became too beat up to run and function in the pocket. The Falcons’ primary receiving trio of Roddy White, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez still gives them an advantage that any defense is going to have difficulty dealing with.

• 5) Running game factor: This is Falcons’ biggest concern. Seattle can pound it with Marshawn Lynch (who rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown Sunday). Wilson gives the running game another dimension.If the Seahawks can run, they can control the clock and keep Matt Ryan and the offense on the sideline. The Falcons’ defense struggled against the run much of this season. They improved down the stretch, but then allowed 142 yards to Tampa Bay’s Doug Martin in the season finale. (We can debate how pumped the Falcons were for that meaningless game.) The Falcons’ own running game, meanwhile, has been ineffective for most of the season. They’ll need to get something from Michael Turner and Jacquizz Rodgers on the ground.

The Seahawks are good. But they look less daunting than the New York Giants or Green Bay Packers did the last two years.

I found it interesting that people were saying last night that Shanahan should pull Griffin. Oh yes, the guy that practically single-handedly carried them into the playoffs on a 7-game winning streak. He's going to pull that guy. Ride or die with with your franchise QB, not some dude who had a couple of nice throws against the Browns. I understand why people say that, but if they had pulled RG3 in the 2nd quarter, people would've been talking about him like they did Jay Cutler a few years back in the NFC CHampionship game.

Secondly, I do think it's funny how Russell Wilson will be seen as the "best" of the rookies as well just because his team won this past weekend. When the answer is clearly Luck being the best of the group because he does way more with less than the other two. RG3 and Wilson thrive because of their team's running games, it predicates their entire offense. Luck is his team's offense, and they throw down the field more than any other team in the NFL. It's why he throws a lot of picks, and why the other guys don't because they are essentially game managers.

Thirdly, Go Falcons!

My anger towards the Russell Wilson bandwagon.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1473 ... overvalued

[quote="Pudge"] if they had pulled RG3 in the 2nd quarter, people would've been talking about him like they did Jay Cutler a few years back in the NFC CHampionship game.[quote]


No way. The reason they went after Cutler is because he had a 'pussified' reputation. Do you think ANYONE in the NFL would have the nerve to tweet 'RG Quittin' the Turd'? NO freekin way. Now, Jay 'Quit-Ler' had already earned his reputation as a diva. I dont think it's fair at all to compare those two. That not apples/oranges, it's apples/rotten banana's. RG3 left it all on the field. Cutler may have been unfairly targeted with being 'soft' but he and his coaches brought it on themselves. Alot of the reason this happened is after he left the game, he didn't sit down and people who watched said it looked like the trainer didn't look him over very long..They would show him walking around on the sidelines, and people would day 'if he can walk around like that, he can still play'. With RG3 his legs were an integral part of the package. When that was gone, so was the game..

And it's not like Cousins was Joe Webb.

All fair points.

But to me, i don't see why you pull RG3. They just needed 1 scoring drive, and they would have been OK. And who knows if not for the low snap, maybe the Redskins march down the field and score. I just find it odd, how people can draw such wild conclusions (i.e. RG3's presence was hurting the Redskins) based off like a dozen plays.

Griffin threw like 2 passes in the 2nd quarter, and I'm reading/hearing people say, "Oh, Shanahan should have pulled him then." And he throws basically 7 passes in the 3rd quarter, and people say, "Why is he in the game still?"

Do people think that if Cousins had gotten the opportunities on those 9 pass plays, they would have gone for 80 yards? To me, it's a big leap to go from "Griffin is struggling and Shanahan might have to think about pulling him," to "Shanahan is an idiot for not pulling RG3 and it cost them the game." Because the latter says, it was a no-brainer to pull RG3 and insert Cousins, and I don't see how anyone can come to that conclusion.

To me it's similar to Smitty playing the starters. You can say that he shouldn't have, and that's a valid opinion. But to say it's a no brainer and Smitty is dumb or stupid because of that decision is where I will draw the line. There isn't enough evidence to state that it's a no brainer either way. A no-brainer suggests it requires little to no cognitive function to figure it out. For every scrap of evidence that says, the risk of injury is too great, there is another piece of evidence that says the risk of rust is too great. So you can't say one decision is clearly right and the other is clearly wrong.

I get the questions but IMO it shouldn't go past "maybe he should have done it this way..." not the "he definitely should have done it this way..."

You are welcome to criticize Shanahan and/or disagree with his decision, but it's not one of these obvious calls, at least not to degree that posters here, and columnists across the US are making it out to be.

All I know is once again the Falcons have drawn the hot team heading into the Postseason.

The last couple trips we had against the hot team coming into the postseason where Arizona, Green Bay, and New York. All three went on to the Super Bowl and two went on to win the Super Bowl.

The Falcons cooled off significantly going into the final game and sat idle last week. This does not give me much confidence as we prepare to take on Seattle; a team that we have traditionally lost to away and home.

Hot or not the Birds have to get it done this weekend. Clemons shouldnt play so that will help us. This game comes down to stopping Marshawn Lynch, if we do we win if we dont and he runs wild then we will lose. The match up that will be crucial is whom ever Brandon Browner lines up against they have to win rather it be Julio, Roddy, or Harry. I believe that Mike Molan will have a gameplan to take Wilson out of the game (learned a lot from playing Vick, Cam, and a healthy RG3) and I really think that Koetter will have a good gameplan to deal with a physical aggresive defense (learned a lot from the game against Arizona).

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1473 ... -west-news

Despite registering 11 total quarterback pressures in yesterday's 24-14 win, the Seattle Seahawks may have lost their most feared pass-rusher for the remainder of the playoffs. Initial reports indicate defensive end Chris Clemons has indeed torn his ACL (via NFL.com).

Clemons' injury occurred with 9:02 left to play in the third quarter and it was believed that the poor field conditions at FedEx Field contributed heavily to the injury. Donal Henderson, Clemons' agent, said "Clemons' knee is not sore but feels 'loose.'"

Regardless of that feeling, the Seahawks defensive end will undergo an MRI on Monday to confirm the severity of the injury.

With Clemons out, rookie first-round pick Bruce Irvin will start in his place. However, overall, it leaves the defensive line very thin. It is believed, amidst wide speculation, that former Atlanta Falcon Ray Edwards would be the next logical choice to take Clemons' roster spot:

Edwards worked out for the Seahawks on Christmas Eve, but Seattle opted to pass on him and instead promoted linebacker Allen Bradford to the active roster from the practice squad.

Who knows, maybe their original intent was to work him out just in case a scenario like this came up.

It never hurts to do your due diligence on a player who could help your club down the stretch. No one really knows what Edwards has left in terms of production, but without a doubt he would be motivated to make an impact against his former team in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/07/john-abraham-ready-to-practice-wednesday/

Looks like we'll have Abe, although no idea how much of him we have.