Falcons get VICKtimized by the Saints

OMG__________Tell me that The Atlanta Falcons didnt "TAKE ONE 4 THE TEAM" LOL

"You guyz know as well as I do that The New Orleans Saints cannot Fuck with Vick & Them Dirty Southern Birdz" We are gonna go ahead & let them bask in their glory on this Monday nite Fiasco, out of pure pity due 2 the Holocaust that the city and their fans went thru during The Hurricane Katrina disaster...



It didnt even look like the Falcons wanted 2 be on that field. I just aint buying into the hype that they were so fired up that they kicked major Ass that nite...Even with Hiesman Trophy winning running back Reggie Bush & X-Charger Qb Drew Bress at the helms. Ive been watching NFL FOOTBALL for about 28 yrs.....I know a flim-flam when I see one~~~ "Spike Lee" was even there in the broadcast booth with the MNF crew...ha ha ha ha ha...He wasd probably there filming his new movie about New Orleans & the tradgedy

OK WE BELIEVE IT







Saints' homecoming became their coming-out

NEW ORLEANS -- The Saints' first game back in the Louisiana Superdome in 13 months was seen primarily as an opportunity for this rebuilding city to showcase itself, to reintroduce itself to the world as more than just a community still crippled in many areas by Hurricane Katrina and the great flood but also as one attempting to get back up and running.
The 2-0 record the home team brought to its "Monday Night Football" matchup with division rival Atlanta was a short sidebar to the feel-good story of the Saints finally returning home. Not anymore. The Saints turned their homecoming celebration into a coming-out party and showed the nation that New Orleans doesn't just have its team back but has a pretty good team at that.
Consecutive road wins to start the season against teams that have combined to win one game didn't earn the Saints a lot of respect nationally, but a 23-3 plucking of a Falcons club that spent the first two games running its way into the record books and looked capable of making a Super Bowl run just might do the trick. Of course, it's too early for even die-hards to start talking Saints and Super Bowl XLI simply because they took care of business at home in Super Bowl XL½ (there was a championship game buzz around this one). But New Orleans already has matched its win total of last season and is just one of six clubs leaguewide that can boast a 3-0 record. That speaks for itself. That says rookie coach Sean Payton just might have something here.
And most important, this depressed region finally has something to talk about other than hurricane-related problems. Specifically, a team that looks legitimately capable of causing other contenders problems. The Saints didn't squeak by the Falcons or win on some fluke play or lucky bounce or blown call. They thoroughly outperformed Atlanta. Now they're in first place, already with a two-game lead over preseason favorite Carolina and a three-game lead over defending NFC South champ Tampa Bay. With games the next two weeks at the Panthers and back home for the Bucs, should the Saints somehow manage to win one or both of those ...
Put it this way: Acclaimed director Spike Lee watched the game from the Saints' sideline. Not even he could write a better script than this: New Orleans coming home and delivering, in resounding fashion no less, what many would consider, all things considered, the most significant victory in the team's 39-year history.
"We had to win that football game," Saints receiver Joe Horn said. "If we would have lost, I'm sure [the fans] would have still been proud of us, they would have still been happy because this organization is still in New Orleans. I'm sure in their minds, they would have thought, 'We could have lost the Saints and the Superdome.' With the Superdome being opened, 'Monday Night Football,' and their team coming back -- whether we would have won that game or not, I think the fans would have still been happy. But for us as players, we wanted to win to put that icing on the cake."
Appropriately, the Saints presented the game ball to the city. Dallas Mavericks head coach and native New Orleanian Avery Johnson, who spoke to the team during training camp and even had a locker set aside for him in the locker room, accepted on the city's behalf.
"This night belongs to the city, the state of Louisiana, and everyone in the Gulf South," Payton said.
The game, from start to finish, belonged to the Saints.
Atlanta coach Jim Mora, whose father stands as the most successful coach in Saints history and who coached here, feared before the game that his team might have trouble matching the Saints' intensity. He especially didn't want the Falcons committing a critical error early, giving up a big play, energizing the crowd even more. Sure enough, Steve Gleason broke through and blocked Michael Koenen's punt on the game's fifth play, and Curtis Deloatch recovered to give the Saints a quick lead.
Gleason said the Saints had seen on film that the Falcons experienced a lot of miscommunication on their punt team in their first two games, so the Saints thought they had a good shot at blocking one Monday night. They ran a stunt, Gleason came free and a minute-and-a-half in, the crowd was in a frenzy. The noise reached decibels not heard in this building since Az-Zahir Hakim's muffed punt sealed the franchise's only playoff win six seasons ago.
"I've been here for seven years; I've been through it with these people," said Gleason after his fourth career blocked punt. "For me to do something like that, for me to do that for them, it's unbelievable."
Saints special teams came up big in this special victory. Josh Bullocks blocked a 25-yard Morten Andersen (yeah, that Morten Andersen, the Saints' all-time leading scorer) attempt just inside of 2 minutes remaining in the first half, one of two times the Falcons penetrated the red zone in the first half and came away with zip. John Carney nailed a 51-yard field goal to end the half.
A 20-3 lead is one surefire way to defend the opponent's ground game. Atlanta, the best rushing team in football two years running, came into the game having gained the third-most yards in the first two games of a season in league history. The Saints' plan was simple: try to keep containment on Michael Vick even though sooner or later he'd get his, and be disciplined in their gap assignments. The guy they really wanted to take away was Warrick Dunn, and the cutback lanes just weren't there for the Falcons running back. Because the score forced Atlanta to abandon the run, Dunn was out of the game by the second half, when he logged three of his 13 carries for the night.
The Saints held the Falcons to 117 yards on 23 attempts, many of them Vick scrambles. New Orleans completely shut down Atlanta's version of the option. The Saints harassed Vick into 12-of-31 passing, sacked him five times and made him dance in the pocket a lot. Linebacker Scott Fujita (team-high eight tackles, sack, forced fumble) looked like Derrick Brooks out there.
"You could go the whole season and not see something like you saw tonight," said Payton of his defense's performance against Vick.
Finally, the Saints' offense again showed it has the potential to be dynamic to the point where Reggie Bush kidded Drew Brees after the game that he thought he was back at USC. New Orleans got 81 and 53 rushing yards from Deuce McAllister and Bush, respectively. Seventh-round pick and emerging star Michael Colston caught a game-high seven balls and is growing into a favorite target of Brees'. Horn had a couple of nice grabs. And after Devery Henderson scored the Saints' second touchdown on a reverse called "Superdome Special," where Brees play-fakes to McAllister, then Brees gives to Bush on the end around and finally Bush hands off to Henderson, the Falcons were forced to respect the reverse action with Bush the rest of the game. Bush said three defenders followed him on a fake reverse one play, creating room up the middle for McAllister, and on a pass to Horn, a simple hitch route drew two defensive backs. Bush is so special he affects the game even when he isn't touching the ball.
As for Brees (20-of-28), he just didn't make a mistake.
We shouldn't continue making the mistake of not respecting the Saints. The Superdome looks as though it's back to being a tough place to play, the Saints a tough out.
"By no means are we a finished product," Fujita cautioned.
"This team," McAllister said, "is obviously one that's coming together."

Raiders Fall to Ravens 28-6

Sunday, September 17, 2006
The Baltimore Ravens defeated The Oakland Raiders 28-6 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Andrew Walter took over QB duties for the Raiders during the game and completed 10 of 27 pass attempts for 162 yards and 3 INT.
Baltimore got on the board first after a B.J. Sams 72-yard kickoff return gave the Ravens excellent field position. K Matt Stover capped off the 8-play, 25-yard drive with a 25-yard field goal, which put Baltimore up 3-0 with 10:38 left in the 1st quarter.
After a Raiders' turnover, Stover's 33-yard field goal gave Baltimore a 6-0 with 6:41 left in the first quarter. Stover was true on his third field goal attempt of the first quarter when he hit from 37 yards out, to give the Ravens a 9-0 lead with 3:45 left in the quarter.
QB Andrew Walter relieved an injured Aaron Brooks at quarterback. The Raiders mounted a 13-play, 64-yard drive, which was highlighted by a specatular catch by WR Ronald Curry along the sideline, which kept the drive alive. K Sebastian Janikowski put the Raiders on the scoreboard and cut the Ravens lead to 9-3 with a 34-yard field goal with 2:59 left in the second quarter.
Ravens QB Steve McNair engineered a scoring drive which he capped off with a 1-yard TD pass to TE Todd Heap. The Ravens and Raiders went to the locker room at halftime with the Ravens leading 16-3.
With 8:43 left in the 3rd quarter, LB Adalius Thomas sacked Walter in the end zone, increasing Baltimore's lead to 18-3. Stover's fourth field goal of the game, this one from 23 yards out, put Baltimore up 21-3 with 13:21 left in game.
Janikowski then capped off an 8-play drive with a 51-yard field goal, which cut the Ravens lead to 21-6 with 9:55 left to play.
RB Mike Anderson ended any hopes of a Raiders comeback when he scampered in from 34 yards out to cap a 5-play, 81-yard drive. The TD run put Baltimore up 28-6 with 1:51 left to play.
The Silver Black will get back to Oakland for a bye week and take on the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, October 1.

First time in 15 years that NFL had 3 shutouts in 1 weekend

NEW YORK (AP) -- The three shutouts on the NFL's opening weekend marked the first time in 15 years that three teams went scoreless in a single weekend.

Baltimore beat Tampa Bay 27-0, Chicago beat Green Bay 26-0 and San Diego capped the opening weekend with a 27-0 blanking of Oakland on Monday night.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that marked the first time that had happened since Sept. 15, 1991, the third week of that season.

The Raiders beat the Colts 16-0; Philadelphia beat Dallas 24-0; and the Redskins beat the Cardinals 34-0 that year. The Raiders, then in Los Angeles, were coached by Art Shell, who returned this year to coach the team after being fired in 1994.

BATTLE OF THE MANNING BROTHERS

After beating little brother Eli, all Peyton Manning felt was relief and pride.
Relief that the much-hyped battle of the brothers was over, and pride in the way they handled it. No gloating, no giddy postgame interviews, no big scene as the two met when it was over.
"I told him I loved him," Peyton said after the Indianapolis Colts outlasted Eli and the New York Giants 26-21 on Sunday night.
"I enjoyed watching him play in person," the elder Manning added. "He's every bit as good as he looked on TV. He's going to be a great player in this league for a long time. I'm proud to be related to the guy. I'm proud to be his brother."
As for the game itself, the "Manning Bowl" actually lived up to the hype. The brothers played well and so did their teams, though the Giants made far too many mistakes to win the first NFL game to feature two brothers starting at quarterback.

Peyton finished 25-of-41 for 276 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The two-time MVP also led the Colts to scores on five of their first seven possessions.
Eli was 20-of-34 for 247 yards and touchdowns passes to Plaxico Burress and Jeremy Shockey. He also had two costly second-half mistakes -- a fumble and an interception, both of which came with New York down two points. Both led to Indianapolis scores.
After it was over, the siblings came to midfield, surrounded by photographers, big brother patting little brother on the back of his head.
"It kind of hit me in the pre-pregame when I was out there talking to someone and I see this guy walk by and it was my brother," Peyton said. "I found myself watching him during warmups. I was peeking at him during the national anthem. It was kind of neat to be on the same field as him, knowing that's my little brother out there."
Peyton threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Clark and Dominic Rhodes scored on a 1-yard run for the Colts' touchdowns.
Adam Vinatieri, the hero of two Super Bowl wins by the New England Patriots, kicked four field goals in his first game for the defending AFC South champions, including a 32-yarder with 1:12 to play to push the lead to five points.
Trailing 23-21, Eli Manning tried to drive the Giants for a late go-ahead score. A play after a questionable offensive pass interference call against Tim Carter denied New York a first down at its own 37, Manning was intercepted by Nick Harper and Peyton moved the Colts 19 yards for an insurance field goal.

"It was very difficult for me to think that play was a foul," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said, adding that his team also hurt itself with way too many mistakes.
While Eli had a big fumble and interception, he wasn't the only one to make errors.
Giants defenders dropped two potential first-half interceptions that could have stopped scoring drives. Jay Feely missed a 40-yard field goal and the Giants had a plethora of penalties that slowed or ended drives, including an illegal snap by center Shaun O'Hara with 17 seconds to play that forced officials to take 10 seconds off the clock.
That allowed Eli Manning to throw one more pass -- and it fell incomplete.
The Giants, who also got a 110-yard rushing effort from Tiki Barber, had closed to within 23-21 on a 1-yard touchdown run by Brandon Jacobs with 8:01 to play. It marked the second time that the Giants, who had trailed 13-0 late in the first half, had rallied to close the gap to two points.
The 15-yard touchdown pass to Shockey cut the lead to 16-14, but Manning fumbled a snap near midfield and Indianapolis recovered, setting up Rhodes' touchdown.
Peyton Manning was nearly unstoppable in the first half. The Colts had the ball four times, scoring on each possession. Big brother hit 17-of-27 passes for 196 yards, converted 9-of-11 third-down chances and helped Indianapolis control the ball for 17:37 in taking a 16-7 halftime edge.
Vinatieri capped the first two drives -- which included a 17-play, nearly nine minute march to open the game -- with field goals of 26 and 32 yards for a 6-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Seconds before the first field goal, Giants backup safety James Butler had a chance to end the first drive. But he dropped what should have been an interception of a Peyton Manning pass that was right in his hands.
Another mistake kept New York off the scoreboard following Vinatieri's second field goal.
Burress, who got called for two illegal blocks in the first half, made a one-handed catch for a 37-yard gain to the Colts 26. However, Feely missed a 40-yard field goal four plays later.
Peyton Manning made the Giants pay on the next possession, moving the Colts 70 yards in 10 plays and finishing it with a 2-yard strike to tight end Dallas Clark. Peyton outran blitzing safety Gibril Wilson on a rollout to the right and put a deft touch on a pass over the outstretched hands of Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Strahan, who was in zone coverage.
The touchdown gave Indianapolis a 13-0 lead, and for a moment the so-called Manning Bowl looked like it would be lopsided.
But Eli countered with a beautiful drive, moving the Giants 86-yards in eight plays. Barber got it going with 17 reception and two 11-yard runs, and Manning capped it with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Burress, who won a jump ball with Harper near the goal line.
The score got New York within 13-7 with 32 seconds left in the half, but that was enough time for Peyton to do some more damage.
Taking over at his own 38 with 25 seconds to go, Manning hit Marvin Harrison on three straight passes for 30 yards, setting up a 48-yard field goal by Vinatieri, who was signed in the offseason as a free agent to replace Mike Vanderjagt. ^Notes: WR Sinorice Moss, the Giants second-round draft pick, was inactive for the game. He missed most of training camp with a quadriceps injury. ...Giants G Chris Snee left the game late in the second with an ankle injury, the extent of which is not known. Giants Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora left in the second half with leg cramps. Harrison had nine catches for 113 yards. ...Rhodes and Joseph Addai combined for 23 rushes for 55 yards in taking over for Edgerrin James as the Colts running back.

G A M E D A Y_____Sun. Sept. 10th 2006

Falcons @ Panthers_______On paper, the Carolina Panthers look almost "Invincible". On the field against the Atlanta Falcons they looked "Average"...I know that the Cats were playing without their star wideout (Steve Smith) but KeShawn Johnson, DeShawn Foster & Drew Carter still should have been able to score at least One Touchdown~!!! The Falcons who look average on paper came to Charlotte lookin' KRUNK like a M/F. Mike Vick passed for two TD's & rushed for madd yards,Warrick Dunn rushed for over 130yrds & newly aquired rookie running back Jarious Norwood popped off 66.________I was like (WTF)~?!!

Last season the Panthers Defense was rated 4th in the leauge. With all of the Off season additions & improvements U would expect a much Improved squad...340lb. Defensive lineman Chris Jenkins is now 100% healthy & Julius Peppers (the Cats__SUPERMAN) is on point._________#55 John Abraham had a career day & showed why the trade frome the NY Jets & the money spent on him was well worth every penny~!!! He single handedly totally DESTROYED Carolinas O'Line. He Injured a starter & had 5 solo tackles...4 sacs & 2 forced fumbles~~~~~

Panthers Quarterback Jake DelHomme didnt even have time to breathe, as soon as the ball was snapped he was on his kiester. And I am so tired of seeing sorry Ass Dan Morgan leave the field after about 3 plays due to Injury...(even though he is a former Hurricane) LOL what a "CANDYASS" Time to get rid of him~!! All & all Carolinas secondary held Up ok. Shaun Williams, Mike Menter & the other Dbs did their jobs. John Kasay was his usual accurate self, he was the only Panther player to score a point in the contest......I think that John Fox is a superb NFL Football Coach, but he has got 2 come up with a much better gameplan if the Cats hope to take the NFC Championship this season______________* * *

NFLs 1 regular season game is more like a pre-season game.

Steelers excel in fourth, beat Fins 28-17
NFL.com wire reports
PITTSBURGH (Sept. 7, 2006) -- Miami coach Nick Saban had the red challenge flag in his hand, hitched it forward and back, and couldn't seem to let it go in time. Maybe the Dolphins should flag their own coach for a costly delay.
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller chugged his way down the sideline on an 87-yard touchdown pass play midway through the fourth quarter, fill-in QB Charlie Batch 's third scoring pass of the game, and the Super Bowl champions beat the Dolphins 28-17 in the NFL's first game of the season.
"It seemed like it took me forever to get there," Miller said.
For good reason.
Miller's score shouldn't have stood -- TV replays clearly showed his foot out of bounds between the 1 and 2-yard lines. However, Saban hesitated to throw his flag, which fell to the turf sight unseen as referee Walt Coleman watched the extra point kick. That meant the Steelers didn't have to try to get the ball into the end zone from short yardage.
Asked if he got in, Miller said, laughing, "Touchdown. Yeah."
Saban apparently thought he could throw the challenge flag at any time before Jeff Reed kicked the extra point, but no official saw him -- and thus, no replay. And no Dolphins upset, either, even though the Steelers didn't look particularly sharp in their first game that counted since the Super Bowl -- despite Willie Parker 's 115 yards rushing, Miller's 101 yards receiving and Batch's first three-TD game since Nov. 18, 2001, with Detroit.
"They said they didn't see it," Saban said. "Whose fault is that?"
Saban explained that assistant coaches in the press box first had to watch the replay before notifying him whether to challenge.
"We can't challenge something until we see it," he said. "When we saw it, I threw the flag. It was well before the kicker kicked it. The official said he didn't see it, and when he said he didn't see it, there was nothing he could do. That shouldn't happen."
Miami, down 21-17 at the time, had a chance to come back. But new quarterback Daunte Culpepper was intercepted on consecutive series, with linebacker Joey Porter scoring on a 42-yard return with about three minutes left.
"We knew we had put them in a situation where they had to pass the ball. I had my chance to make the play and I made it," Porter said.
Porter was so excited, he ran to the sideline and kissed coach Bill Cowher on the cheek -- the Steelers' first known sideline smooch since Cowher planted one on Kordell Stewart during a 1997 comeback victory in Baltimore.
The Dolphins, trying to build off the momentum of their six consecutive victories to end last season, never led until Ronnie Brown scored on a 5-yard run to make it 17-14 in the third quarter. Marty Booker, sidelined with what appeared to be a concussion in the first half, came back to make a 50-yard catch of Culpepper's pass, aided by safety Tyrone Carter's slip, to set up the score."We were definitely in the driver's seat. We needed to stay focused and finish the ballgame out," said safety Renaldo Hill.
Culpepper was mostly effective in his first start for the Dolphins, until his late-game mistakes. He also was intercepted by Troy Polamalu immediately after Miller's catch put the Steelers up. Culpepper finished 18 for 37 for 262 yards.
"In this league, you can't turn the ball over in the fourth quarter," Culpepper said. "I'm better than that. We're better than that."
The Steelers also overcame a costly mistake when Batch fumbled Jeff Hartings' snap at the Miami 1 and Will Allen recovered, keeping the Dolphins in the lead temporarily.
For the first 2 1/2 quarters, the Steelers looked much like they did in the Super Bowl seven months ago -- without Ben Roethlisberger, of course. The quarterback made an unexpectedly fast recovery from a June motorcycle crash, only to need an emergency appendectomy on Sept. 3 that kept him out of his fifth game in two seasons.
"I walked in here Sunday and had no idea I would be the starter," Batch said. "But I always tell myself, 'When you go in there, don't be the guy who takes a step back, keep things going offensively without changing the game plan.' And I think I was able to do that."
Just like in that 21-10 win over Seattle in the Super Bowl, there was a Hines Ward touchdown catch, a long Parker run and a favorable call from an official, helping the Steelers go up 14-7.
Ward, who sat out the preseason with a sore hamstring, caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Batch late in the first half. Parker used his speed to get loose on a 32-yard run to the Dolphins 35, and cornerback Andre Goodman drew a 23-yard pass interference call on Cedrick Wilson. Goodman started because of Travis Daniels' ankle injury.
Batch, making his first season-opening start since 2001 with Detroit, looked rusty for two drives, only to settle in and throw a 27-yard scoring pass to Nate Washington to finish off a 75-yard drive early in the second period. It was the first regular-season catch for Washington, a 2005 free agent from Tiffin University whose only other career reception came in the AFC title game.
Batch was 15 for 25 for 209 yards.
Miami couldn't get a running game going until the second half -- at one point, Brown had 11 yards on nine carries -- but tied it the game at 7 when Wes Welker's 47-yard punt return set up Brown's 2-yard run.
The Steelers unveiled their five Super Bowl championship banners during a pregame show highlighted by fireworks and an in-stadium concert, but the mood in Heinz Field wasn't entirely celebratory.
A moment of silence was held minutes before the opening kickoff for the late Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O'Connor, who was buried earlier in the day. O'Connor died in office last week of brain cancer. His son, Corey, was introduced to the crowd.
Notes: Porter's interception was the ninth of his career and first for a TD. ... The Steelers have won nine in a row, five in the regular season. ... Miami was denied its first seven-game winning streak since 1985. ... Ward has caught a pass in 120 consecutive games. ... The Steelers outrushed Miami 143-38. Pittsburgh has allowed only one 100-yard rusher since the 2004 season. ... Batch is 3-0 as a replacement starter the last two seasons.