AJC > Blog > Archives > 2006 > September > 15 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USFalcons-Bucs: No spin required
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Nice spin on the Tampa Bay Bucs’ official website previewing Sunday’s clash at the Dome:
“… neither team puts too much stock in past results.”
Ahem.
This is the same official Bucs site that last season featured a sassy little animated slide show of Ronde Barber knocking on Vick’s door — “Can Michael come out to play?” — only to find No. 7 shrieking in horror, given his misery in previous games against Tampa Bay.
As the King of Cable Blowhards likes to bellow: “I’m not buying it!”
I’m not buying this downplaying of history now. It’s a convenient ruse to sidestep the present: The Bucs’ lousy start to the season and the Falcons’ most impressive one.
T.B. has won the last three encounters between the two, and six of the eight games since both teams were put in the NFC South in 2002. The Bucs have won nine of the last 11 meetings since 1997, predating the Blank Era.
The above story even goes so far as to quote Vick and Mora saying the past is behind them.
AHEM.
Those are talking points, of course; you hear them every week. If last Sunday’s win over Carolina was satisfying to the Falcons — and it was — imagine what topping Tampa would be in the home season opener this Sunday.
It’s been a while since the Bucs were sputtering like this and the Birds were flying rather high, no matter Abraham’s status.
Taking most of the heat in Tampa this week has been Bucs QB Chris Simms, who has been making Jon Gruden a most unhappy coach.
Simms offers his own thoughts after that 27-0 spanking by the Ravens, and takes a lot of the blame.
He is the second lowest-rated passer in NFL, and this account points the finger at him for the fact that wide receiver Joey Galloway did not touch the ball Sunday and running back Carnell Williams only touched the ball 13 times (eight rushes, five receptions).
Some teammates naturally stood up for the guy, as good teammates should.
Bucs fans yak about which Falcon has hurt them the most in recent years, and they cite a variety of names.
As usual, the out-of-town press flew in this week to do another take on Michael Vick. This time, the headline reads: ‘Same flash, new glow.’
Great Mora quote from the same story:
“He’s like the Lindsay Lohan of the NFL,” Mora said of No. 7. “He’s always in the news.”
This story is about the Falcons’ prowess running the ball, with a clever header tied to the state of our lives stuck in gruesome traffic: “It’s always rush hour in Atlanta.”
The NFL’s formidable site leads its Week 2 preview analysis with the Falcons vs. Bucs.
That site’s leading numbers-cruncher has the Falcons at the top of his power poll after the first week of the season.
Another pundit places the Birds at No. 7, and the Bucs at No. 28.
Given the rivalry and the very important early-season stakes, this one’s is going to be a brawl. What great games to start the season! There’s no other way to spin that.
Permalink | Comments (13) | Post your comment | Categories: Falcons
Comments
By Falcon74
September 15, 2006 04:02 PM | Link to this
These articles in the Tampa and St Pete papers are excellent and insightful. It is sad when opponent’s local papers give better Falcons coverage then the AJC.
By Dawgs2006
September 15, 2006 04:07 PM | Link to this
Mora should put in a “Ringer” to take out Brooks at the knees. Why not? Tampa will be trying to do the same thing to Vick.
By Dawgs2006
September 15, 2006 04:09 PM | Link to this
Mora should put in a “Ringer” to take Brooks out at the knees. Why not? Tampa will be trying to do the same thing to Vick.
By Dawgs2006
September 15, 2006 04:10 PM | Link to this
Mora should put in a “Ringer” to take Brooks out at the knees.
By BirdDawg
September 15, 2006 04:32 PM | Link to this
Not only all of that, Steve, but the Sports Guy over on ESPN (Bill Simmons), basically a sports fan made good, a guy who really is like the rest of us and really understands what sports means (meaning I respect his opinion), says that the Falcons were the best team he watched last weekend, he watched ‘em all, or just about.
High praise indeed.
By Danny
September 15, 2006 06:55 PM | Link to this
The past is in every athlete’s mind, especially when you lose. Anyone that has played organized sports will tell you that. The Falcons should take Tampa Bay to the wood shed if Abraham is playing. If not, they will still beat them, but it will be a fight. P.S. I hate people that come on to these blogs, provided by the ajc for our enjoyment, and slam the paper and the columnist. If you do not like it, go away! Thanks AJC for giving us this format.
By John Holmes
September 15, 2006 07:12 PM | Link to this
The Bucs smell like bad cheese. They got lucky against the Falcons last year and escaped with wins in both games. The Falcons will destroy them Sunday 27-7. Also, I hope John Gruden reads this…Hey Gruden! Why don’t you keep giving out your played out stupid sneer! I mean, come on with that stupid sneer Chuckie. I can smell your bad team all the way from L.A. (Lower Acworth)
By Darrin
September 15, 2006 07:24 PM | Link to this
I hear ya there F74, maybe they ought to send Terence Moore there so he can learn the art of objective sports writing, he obviously has no clue. Anyway, all this “playing it down” is just the usual rhetoric, cause I KNOW Vick has not forgot that last Tampa game. Now that I look at it, it might have been, contrary to what I thought in the off-season, a good thing that we faced the Panties and Yuks in the 1st two games this season. A chance to exorcisize TWO demons early on so, we can move on. If I got this right, the Tampa game last year at home where was Vick had the fumble which in turn caused his semi-depression, which in turn caused him to “not give him 100%” against Carolina. I’m not judging either, because I couldn’t watch anything sports related FOR DAYS after that Yucs game I was so-ooo sick. “IT” happens, what can you do? One of those demons now has been taken care of (sing with me- “ain’t nuttin’ fine-eerr, them stomping Caroli-nnn-na!”), so that just leaves who? Yeah, “neither team puts stock in past results” my butt. GO FALCONS!
By keep it REAL
September 15, 2006 07:44 PM | Link to this
Falcons Beat that Buc @ss for old and new. Take the rims off that Cadillac and send chucky to bank head and and boil that rice and may him look like uncle Ben!!!!
By Malted Falcon
September 15, 2006 07:52 PM | Link to this
Who is the “King of Cable Blowhards?” Anyone? Falcons by 9.
By nativefalcon
September 16, 2006 08:59 AM | Link to this
I hope the Falcons Steamroll the Bucs for last seasons near miss’s, but we can’t get cocky? We beat the Eagles last year then lost in Seattle, in the old any given sunday law. When you back a dog in a corner they are going to bite aka the bucs. If we slam the bucs, which I pray we do, cockiness can be abound. I just pray we don’t wake up with a Bucs hangover.
By ROCKBUSTER
September 16, 2006 10:08 AM | Link to this
I SAID BEFORE THE SEASON I BELIEVE WE WAS GOING TO HAVE A GREAT SEASON.I STILL BELIEVE .GO FALCONS.
By shadtiqua leroy muhammed washington
September 16, 2006 04:10 PM | Link to this
We should let my bro Chadtiqua play MLB sunday.