Falcons wouldn't mind seeing Seattle upset the Saints

By D. Orlando Ledbetter

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

FLOWERY BRANCH -- Enjoying the fruits of earning the No. 1 seed, the Falcons had some rest this week before holding their first practice as NFC South champs Thursday.

By going 13-3 and winning the division title as they finished with the top seed, they have a bye this week. Most of the players said that they'll relax with family and watch the games from their couches Saturday and Sunday like regular fans.

In a scheduling rarity, the Falcons will face either No. 4 seed Seattle, No. 5 seed New Orleans or No. 6 seed Green Bay, all teams they faced during the regular season. The Falcons will play the lowest seed to advance to the divisional round, at 8 p.m. Jan. 15 at the Georgia Dome.

With the cameras rolling and digital recorders on, the Falcons were cordial about their potential opponent.

"No, we are really preparing for all three because they are all hypothetical situations," Falcons coach Mike Smith said Thursday.

When the cameras stop rolling, you could hear some players coughing and then barking out something that sounded like, "Cough, Cough, Seattle."

One said that they wanted to face the team that doesn't have "consistent quarterback play."

The Saints have Drew Brees, the reigning Super Bowl most valuable player, and the Packers have Aaron Rodgers, who became the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for more than 4,000 yards in each of his first two seasons as a starter.

Seattle has Matt Hasselbeck, who was pulled in favor of Charlie Whitehurst in the Falcons' 34-18 victory Dec. 19. Whitehurst, a Clemson and Chattahoochee High product, started as the Seahawks won their season finale against the St. Louis Rams to earn the NFC West title.

The Seahawks are the first sub-.500 division champ (7-9) to reach the playoffs.

The Falcons split their regular-season matchups with the Saints. The Falcons won in New Orleans 27-24 in overtime Sept. 26. New Orleans defeated the Falcons 17-14 at the Georgia Dome on Dec. 27, and some of their players took photos on the team logo at midfield after the game.

The Falcons defeated Green Bay 20-17 on a field goal with nine seconds to play. The Packers outgained the Falcons 418 to 294 yards and had a fumble on the Green Bay 1-yard line that cost them potential points.

"We'll review those notes and get ready to go," quarterback Matt Ryan said.

Just don't ask him about a preference.

"It really doesn't matter," Ryan said. "Not to say that disrespectfully to any of those teams, but when you get into the playoffs, it doesn't matter which team you are going against. It's about being in the playoffs."

The Falcons didn't prepare for any of the potential opponents in practice. They just went over their own plays and schemes, concentrating on blitz pickup, pursuit angles on defense and the return game.

"We just have to focus on us as a team," running back Michael Turner said. "What can we do to get better -- because no matter who we play, if we are not on top of our game, we'll probably lose."

Turner ran for 114 yards in the first game against the Saints and 48 in the second. He ran for 110 yards against Green Bay and 82 yards against Seattle.

"No preference," Turner said. "That's just a waste of energy thinking about that."

Wide receiver Roddy White had nothing on the upcoming opponent either, but he had an interesting theory on his motivation that helped him lead the NFL with 115 catches this season.

"Every time you catch the ball, I feel like it's money," White said. "They are just throwing me money. In big bundles, too. You have to just keep catching them. Everybody likes money, so you want to catch it."