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Pastimes : Football Forum (NFL) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Thomas M. who wrote (1825)	1/8/1999 10:49:00 PM
From: MythMan	Respond to of 45644

Tom, Go with the Jets -g- MM

To: Thomas M. who wrote (1825)	1/9/1999 2:23:00 AM
From: blankmind	Respond to of 45644

i figure this was the atlanta brain trust coming up with this logic. one more reason sophistication will beat interlopers. Why the Niners can't beat the Dirty Birds Gary K - 03:00pm Jan 6, 1999 1. Jamal Anderson 2. Dome Sweet Dome 3. Dirty Bird Recievers much better than Greenbay recievers. 4. Because a dome team has never made it to the superbowl. 5. Rump Riders should have lost to Slacerds but had blown call by refs. 6. Steve Young spends too much time making commercials for Visa. 7. Already looking past the Dirty Birds for the battle at METRODOME. 8. Dirty Birds have a better coach. 9. Rump Riders spent their load in last game. 10. Atlanta folk don't like gay people. examiner.com@^7344@.ee6ba6e/3

To: Thomas M. who wrote (1825)	1/9/1999 2:25:00 AM
From: blankmind	Respond to of 45644

atl does not have the focus. Falcons laugh at butterflies Playoff neophytes keep their focus on fun, and 49ers By Jeffri Chadiha OF THE EXAMINER STAFF -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ATLANTA — Judging by the way the star quartet behaved with the cameras snapping, the Atlanta Falcons were awaiting something resembling a scrimmage instead of the organization's biggest playoff game in nearly 20 seasons. It was an ordinary photo shoot, starring Jamal Anderson, Chris Chandler, Ray Buchanan and Eugene Robinson. It quickly transformed into open mike night at Second City. Chandler stuck a football in front of Buchanan's face, saying the picture would improve with that adjustment. Robinson joked about Anderson's tiny head. Anderson cracked about Buchanan's foul breath. And Buchanan, holding his own, asked for a can of black spray paint to fill in Robinson's waning hairline. Everybody was chuckling, looking for the next zinger. They say that's standard operating procedure for this bunch, and there's no sense in stopping now just because the 49ers are in town and a trip to the NFC Championship Game is at stake. The Falcons have had too much fun to tighten up. "Nothing has changed around here," Chandler said Thursday. "It's been as much fun this week as it has been all year. I've found myself entertained by so much of this. The game is supposed to be fun. That's what it takes, people having fun and caring about each other. If you do that, you win games." Understanding how to win is a major lesson the Falcons learned early this season. It explains why they have so much confidence heading into Saturday's NFC divisional playoff game against the 49ers. In storming to a team-best 14-2 record and capturing the NFC West crown, the Falcons proved themselves each week. But their skeptics still exist, mostly because their upcoming opponent knows far more about this time of year than they do. The 49ers do own a decisive edge in playoff experience. They have made the playoffs 16 times in the last 17 years while the Falcons have appeared just twice in the same time, most recently in 1995. Still, as the Falcons will gladly tell you, this contest isn't about history. It's about attitude, hunger and execution. Whoever displays more of those things on Saturday is the one who will end up advancing. "They haven't been in a playoff game in the Georgia Dome so I guess we're equal," said Falcons offensive tackle Bob Whitfield. "It's a different time. They can't live off their former legends and we're not playing those guys. Joe Montana isn't the quarterback and Bill Walsh isn't the coach anymore. They're a great team so let's leave it at that." The Falcons are a proud group and they're a loose one as well. That is, until practice starts. Once that time began this week, their focus sharpened more than ever this year and the quips vanished. Also, because they lack postseason experience as a team, most of the veterans who have some have been quite vocal. That group includes cornerback Robinson, linebacker Cornelius Bennett and wide receiver Tony Martin. Combined, that trio has played in six of the last seven Super Bowls. "We have people who have been there before, even though a lot of us haven't," Anderson said. "And we're taking their lead. We also feel good that we're at home and facing a common opponent. It's not like we haven't seen these guys before." As for the game, the Falcons aren't planning any major changes in the formula that's taken them this far. Anderson will still be running the ball 25-30 times a game. The offense will still try to eat up the clock. The defense will still try to stifle any running lanes for Garrison Hearst while anticipating any chance at adding to their league-leading 44 turnovers. Their coach might even be there, too. Dan Reeves, who underwent quadruple heart-bypass surgery on Dec. 14, said he has been feeling good enough to return to the sidelines this week, though that decision probably won't be made until Saturday. Even without him, the Falcons have been undeterred. They clinched the division title in his absence and Reeves believes his team's 31-19 victory over the 49ers on Nov. 15 provided a critical mental boost as well. "I think the fact that we beat them before gives us confidence," Reeves said. "But we also have to remember that they've beaten us throughout the years. So we have to step up and prove we belong here." The belonging part shouldn't be much of an issue. If Thursday's verbal sparring session before the cameras was any indication, the Falcons at least know how to act like a confident playoff team. And that might be a good thing for them. After all, as many photographers will tell you, pictures don't lie.