... watch football today ??? ... GIANTS/ Aint's was interesting to say the least ... some good football, some bad football, some GREAT football ... Eli was ELIte when he had to be, Drew wasn't ...

I'm very disappointed in the Saints. I think losing their coach for the year created real problems.
Dallas looked pretty good though. I'm much closer to Dallas than NO. I follow both teams so have a better chance of winning something!
DonM

Sigh ... I got nothin' to watch.

I'm "green" with envy.

Brees holding out for a bazillion dollars killed them along with all the other things going on.

I'll be surprised if they ever find the closeness and timing they had before. It a long shot.

Being a good nine ball player has lots of concentration and so does golf. In football everyone has to be on the same page in concentrating too. The Saints have too many distractions.

It's a shame because when you have more teams playing like the Saint's have been playing for the last few years, it make the whole league more competitive and it's good for the game.

A lot has been lost. How many QB's are going to go over 5000 yards.

Congrats Tony. Looks like it's Eli's time of the year. Hope RG3 isn't seriously hurt. It'll make our Division a little more exciting if the 'skins are in it and healthy.

chas

I've been saying from the start of the season that RG scares me for years to come ... but he obviously can't keep taking the hits he's been taking ...
GIANTS have a big one against your Falcons next week ... hmmm Eagles, Falcons ... you got a thing about birds???

GO EAGLES!!

Yeah, but the Giants scare the heck out of their division rivals year after year, no matter how slow they come out of the gate. BTW, my wife 'hates' the Giants. I don't think she even knows why, just that if you've got Philly roots, you're supposed to . I'm not nearly so hard-core (except about the Cowgirls). It's just hard to 'hate' a dopey looking country boy like Eli. Every time they win a game (even when they dominate, like yesterday), he makes you feel like the underdog won.

Sadly, I don't think the Falcons are the team their record makes them out to be. A great receiving corp but otherwise very average. Although I like 'Matty Ice', in a dogfight to the death, I'd probably take Eli.

chas

chas ... I hear ya about the 'underdog' thing ... they just don't have the obnoxious cockiness of the 'Putz' here in New England ... looking at Peyton and Eli is like looking at Andy and Opie ... but Opie has TWO SB championships and MVP awards to Andy's one ...
And if that's LUCK ( as Larry says), than it's better to be lucky than good, and it's BEST to be GOOD and LUCKY !!!
And there aren't too many QBs I would want when the game is on the line other than Eli ...
I also understand your wife's feelings, being that I am a NY Yankees fan living in primarily Red Sux NOtion ...

My saints will be back next year... LOL

It was defense that killed them mostly this year, and after the bounty-gate scandal, losing the defensive coordinator AND head coach, some key players etc., that's hardly surprising.

TBH, Saint's offense was scoring well enough to beat just about ANY team if the defense wasn't so porous.

But if there's anything you can say about Saints fans it is, a) they are used to disappointment until fairly recently (!) and that b) they love Dem Saints no matter what!

Matty Ice & 'Hot'lanta Falcons ...

Hey Chas..how 'bout our Falcons...14-2 and looking tough!!!!





34-0 beat down on that team from Jersey... Our Birds from Georgia are the new kings of football!!!!!!!!!!!

What's even better, the Gi aints may not even make the playoffs, unless they continue to be the luckiest team in Sports....as they have been for the last 5 years.

Go Atlanta and (Philly's) Matt Ryan!!!!

Larry
____________________________________________________

Falcons Fan

... it is nice to see that Larry has 'flown the coop' and found another 'bird' team to root for since his 'e-girls' had their wings clipped ... ...

Five years of "luck" - twice playing through the playoffs, beating the best teams in the league including the 'sainted' Tom Brady and his 'genius' coach Belichick and the 'unbeatable' NE Pats in the Super Bowl - five years of "luck" having one of the ELIte QBs in the league - I will take that kind of "luck" anytime ... ...
and once again I will quote Branch Rickey " 'Luck' is the residue of design" ...


Even the 'greatest' have had their bad days ...

Nice to see the first shut out by our slowly improving defense. But I find it utterly baffling how we could so solidly shut down the Buc's, who beat the Falcons the week before.

What a topsy turvey season. 3rd in offense, last in defense! Until now... LOL

I have never seen the NFL so unpredictable. Just about anybody can beat anybody.
Saints looked like Super Bowl Champs again Sunday, and probably won't make the playoffs!
DonM

Brees is a lot at fault. When the money starts flying and one guy makes as much a 10 other guys on the same team it's hard to keep the brotherly love. Don't give me that "oh they are professionals" crap. They are also human, OK?

It's all about the team playing together. Although I think Brees is one of the top two quarterbacks of all time, him and Favre in my opinion, the Saints may never get the "CHEESE" again for many years to come because of all of the crap this year surrounding the "TEAM."

I've only been a pro fan since Bart Starr and I have made a few mistakes so, I hope that I'm wrong about this. Right now the Saints can play even ball with anybody.

I haven't heard the slightest bit of gossip about resentment about Brees's paycheck in the locker room or on the field. And let's face it... Saint's offense ranked 3rd in the NFL. Hard to imagine it would be so good with resentment running rampant.

GO EAGLES!!!

I agree Diki. They seem to love him. He spreads the ball around and gives them a chance to catch it!
DonM

But Bree's is certainly NOT one of the top two QB's of 'all time'. Did we already forget about Montana, Elway, Marino, and co. ?

In fact, IMO, he's not even in the top two playing TODAY...I'll take Brady, Rodgers, or any of the two Manning's before Brees

San Diego let go of the wrong QB, and N.O. got lucky (yes Tony LUCK is a sports factor) when Brees became available.
That said..He's a gutsy QB that I'd take on my team anytime.

Go Falcons

"I'll take Brady, Rodgers, or any of the two Manning's before Brees"

... now you're talkin', Larry ... very "MANningLY" of you ... ...
... and, yes, luck IS a factor ... but I'm sure you will agree, it takes more than LUCK to get to be a Super Bowl winner ... no matter what team it is ...

... and as for top QBs of ALL TIME? ...I'm old enough to go back to Johnny Unitas and even Otto Graham ... # 1 and 2 in my book ...
As Bubba Smith once told ESPN Classic, "A guy broke through the line, hit Unitas, pushed his head in the ground. He called the same play, let the guy come through and broke his nose with the football."

You can't do that any more. In another year or so, it will be flag football, or two hands below the waist touch!
For all the money they make, we should get to see more BLOOD!!

DonM

First, he wouldn't be able to get the nose of the ball through the masks they wear now ...
And I'm with you Don ... I'm all for player safety - as are the owners with the salaries they're paying - but some of the calls are ridiculous ... one thing about the replacement refs - there was a lot more contact down field than there has been in a loooong time ... just like 'old fashioned football ...

Yeah, I agree it ain't the football of yesteryear, but when you see some of the results of the brain damage inflicted on some of the players of even the recent past, you have to say that no amount of compensation is worth it. Jim McMahon can't even go to the corner store 'cause he can't remember how to get back home. Post=career suicides, many attributable to brain injuries (concussions) incurred during their playing years, are numerous. Sure, it 'waters down' the game a bit, but considering the potential consequences, I'd rather err on the side of safety. Of course, for fan pleasure, we could go back to Roman gladiator times, and when Ndamukong Suh knocks a quaterback out, the fans could give a 'thumbs up' or a 'thumbs down' for Suh to stomp his head into the turf. JMO, though.

chas

Diki, it's not all about offense. The best offense is a good defense. It's all about the whole team playing, team work togetherness etc.

Iahawk all of the guys you mention, Brees has probably already passed every record any of those guys ever set, and if not, he will next year even if they have a bad season.

The guy is a genius at quarterbacking and works harder than the rest. He literally eats, sleeps and dreams quarterbacking. He has more dedication. At 5'4" tall he has to. Ha ha!

Do some research. I like all of the guys you mentioned in the day too. But the best today just play and think faster. What amazes me is that Brees isn't even 6' tall. Can you imagine him at 6'7" like Peyton or even Eli?

Why didn't you mention Terry Bradshaw? He is never mentioned with the Montana's, Elway's and Marino's. However, he's won more Superbowls than all of those guys put together. Ha ha! Just an exaggeration. But he has won 3 right? Or, is it 4?

He does not have the stats those guys have, but his teams are probably rated with the top teams of all time.

You guy's ever hear of the "Steel Curtain?" Defense, defense, defense. The Falcons seem to hang in a play-off spot for years now. How great has their offense ever been.

If you think the crap this year has not upset the team's togetherness, think again! It could be a long dry spell just like Dallas is having, Green Bay had, and Denver has had.

I hope I'm wrong, but the "Saints" may have had their day and now it's gone.

chas ... fully agree with you on the injuries ... and today's players are bigger, stronger, faster which makes some 'hits' even worse ... and players who demonstrate a propensity for bad hits should be dealt with harshly - even banned - ...
I also wonder what the affect of artificial surface has when a players head hits the ground ... I know a frozen field is also bad, but I would think the number of games played on 'frozen' fields is relatively small ...
BUT, I still think that some calls are made too hastily ...

Bounty-gate gutted the Saint's defense. No need to invent a non-existent 'resentment' to explain why they delivered so poorly this year. Personally, you want to look around for any resentment, it would be against the coaches and players that encouraged and funded the 'bounty'...

And, just how many NFL records do you have to hold before you are mentioned with Johnny U? Maybe BEATING his record would be a good place to start?! Brees is one of the top ten quarterbacks that have ever played the game. Maybe top 5. Superbowl's are TEAM achievements. Look at any quarterback stats and records, you'll see Brees up there. And, injury aside, he's got a good 5 more years at least...

You are watching one of the greats.

Personally, I do not think one can compare yesterday's athletes and their accomplishments with today's athletes and their accomplishments in any sport ... the rules, tools, and player's sizes and shapes are ALL different ... that is why I do not like lists that propose to name the "BEST EVER" ...
If someone wants to compare accomplishments in a certain 10 maybe even 15 year span that might be OK, but to go beyond that ? ... I think there are too many variables ...

And even individual records are subject to deep scrutiny... Eli Manning through a 2 yard pass that Victor Cruz ran 98 yards with and Eli gets credit for a 98 yard completion ... Tom Brady has LIVED with the 5 - 8 yard pass that his receivers run another 10 yards with ... for every pass completion a QB gets credit for there has to be a receiver on the other end - often making near impossible catches - ... a running back has a hole opened for him and runs for 20 yards or more ... if he didn't have an offensive line open that hole to get him at least those those first couple of yards, where would he be ? ... so even INDIVIDUAL stats aren't "INDIVIDUAL" ...

To paraphrase: "Be happy with who you have playing for your team" ... unless of course, your team stinks ...