Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints: Chat with the Enemy Part Deux

by Dave Cariello on Oct 29, 2009 1:00 PM CDT

Below is part two of my conversation with SB Nation's Atlanta Falcons blogger and friend of CSC, Dave the Falconer. For any and all information relating to the Falcons, be sure to check him out at The Falcoholic.

Saintsational: Alright, back to football. What are the feelings of the average Falcon fan regarding Michael Vick now? Happy for him? Still wish he was in Atlanta?

Dave the Falconer: I think the average fan is slowly forgetting him. Which is as it should be. He's in Philadelphia now, doing what he do.

Saintsational: Blessing in disguise for the franchise?

Dave the Falconer: In many ways, yes. It changed the course of the franchise.

Dave the Falconer: It was like reaching for the last beef teriyaki. And finding a gold coin.

Saintsational: : Nice callback.

Dave the Falconer: Haha. Thanks. I think I just want chinese food.

Saintsational: Apparently.

Dave the Falconer: But yeah. I'm happy with the team as it is. Same for you and Aaron Brooks?

Saintsational: Ugh. I hated Aaron Brooks. Thankfully, he didn't need to commit a crime for the Saints to get rid of him. Drew Brees could probably be the single greatest thing to ever happen to the New Orleans Saints ever.

Dave the Falconer: Well, I disagree. He committed some interception-based crimes.

Saintsational: Ha, yeah. And fumble-based.

Dave the Falconer: There were those as well.

Dave the Falconer: But somehow, I liked the Saints better back then. Wonder why.

Saintsational: But what about now? Do the Falcons really have a chance to be the first to take down the Saints?

Dave the Falconer: Short answer?

Dave the Falconer: Yes.

Dave the Falconer: Long answer?

Dave the Falconer: They have a chance because they're about as familiar with the Saints as any team in the league, and because they're built offensively to hang with them. But it's going to be exceedingly tough.

Dave the Falconer: Are you at all afraid of the Falcons winning?

Saintsational: Yes. I'm slightly afraid.

Saintsational: Just because division games are always interesting.

Saintsational: Now wait a minute. Back to your statement. Are they built offensively to hang with this years defense? Or are you referring to last years defense? Cause this is a different ballgame now.

Dave the Falconer: Such hubris!

Dave the Falconer: Your defense looks markedly better, but we're not usually slouches offensively. I think we'll give you a good game.

Saintsational: 6-0 has made me a little cocky.

Dave the Falconer: Let me tell you a little story. Two years ago, my fantasy team went 6-0. I thought I was unstoppable. I ended the season 8-6.

Dave the Falconer: There's a lesson there.

Saintsational: The Saints have learned that same lesson in the past, believe me. But this year just feels different. They're beating teams with efficiency. They remind me a little of the '07 Patriots.

Dave the Falconer: Except without the teeth-grinding annoyance factor.

Saintsational: Thank you. I will say this though: They haven't played any division games yet. And those are the key. If they really are a good team, they will need to take care of business when it really counts. That's probably the only question remaining for the Saints and we're about to get our answer on Monday night.

Dave the Falconer: Number of times the announcers say "Drew Brees is like a big kid out there?"

Saintsational: If they're saying that then it means the Saints are probably winning.

Dave the Falconer: True.

Saintsational: Got a prediction?

Dave the Falconer: I'll go with the answer I gave earlier. 35-24 Saints.

Saintsational: Wow! Predicting your team to lose. Interesting.

Saintsational: Smart man.

Dave the Falconer: Haha. Reverse jinx.

Saintsational: I am obviously going to pick the Saints to win and I think the score will be 42-24.

Dave the Falconer: Oh ho ho!

Dave the Falconer: 18 points? Wow.

Saintsational: You're right. What was I thinking?

Saintsational: 45-24.

Dave the Falconer: Haha. You'll get what's coming to you, Captain of the Titanic.

Saintsational: Thanks for chatting with me, Dave.

Dave the Falconer: Always a pleasure.

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Comments

You two are like big kids out there.

by Just Some Guy on Oct 29, 2009 1:10 PM CDT reply actions

agreed

Superbowl bound!!!...I know! do you?! Go Saints!!

by skinnykinney on Oct 29, 2009 4:08 PM CDT up reply actions

nice

Definitely the best bloggers yet.

by AJG on Oct 29, 2009 1:14 PM CDT reply actions

Let's see...

mentioning of “teriyaki” (check)

expressing disdain for Michael Vick AND Aaron Brooks (check)

Dave the Falconer saying his team CAN win and then picking AGAINST them for the “reverse jinx” factor (check)

Dave keeping his “cautious optimism” in check…NOT! (check)

Yep, this here’s a +1. And a BOOM! Rec’d it!

"Gowin on fourth and 14 will punt it away. He hangs it very high, angling it for the near sideline...HAKIM DROPS THE BALL!!! HAKIM DROPS THE BALL!! Brian Milne might've fallen on it at the ten yard line! It's the New Orleans Saints' football! Brian Milne, the most unlikely hero of them all, falls on the fumble, the muff by Hakim! There is a God after all!" -- Jim Henderson

by hakimdropstheball on Oct 29, 2009 1:22 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs

I love your reasoning

by Dave Choate on Oct 29, 2009 1:41 PM CDT up reply actions

i hate aaron brooks

maybe tp will do a segment once a week called what aaron up to now. they can show him smiling as he picks up his dry cleaning, or cashes a check, or puts change in a parking meter in front of his bentley. , its sick how much money we paid that clown…

by DrewBreesManCrush on Oct 29, 2009 1:31 PM CDT reply actions

HAHA!!

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by Dave Cariello on Oct 29, 2009 1:37 PM CDT up reply actions

hey...

I bet the Raiders wish they still had him.

by jack_casse on Oct 29, 2009 1:53 PM CDT up reply actions

Double HAHA!!

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by Dave Cariello on Oct 29, 2009 1:57 PM CDT up reply actions

perhaps...

a backwards pass would work in their favor at this point.

by jack_casse on Oct 29, 2009 2:03 PM CDT up reply actions

Not as sick as how much money we payed Jonathon Sullivan, Public Enemy No. 1 in my book.

And if you know how I feel about Josh Bullocks, you know that is saying something…

by Hollywoo! on Oct 29, 2009 4:47 PM CDT up reply actions

I have nothing bad

to say about Aaron Brooks. The guy pulled us out of the fire in 2000 and kept us competitive throughout his career as a Saint. That’s more than I can say for any other Saints QB, with the exception of Hebert and Brees, neither of which can hold a candle to Brooks, in terms of athleticism. He’s arguably the best we’ve ever had. Definitely within top three. Not that that’s saying much, mind you. There are probably only eight or nine teams in the league with a worse track record at the position.

"Paralyze resistance with persistence" -Woody Hayes

by coldpizza on Oct 29, 2009 2:05 PM CDT reply actions

he just pisses me off

i think he took as job less seriously than i take my job right now (my job is pretty boring, but it pays well). kyle orton works harder than him (go google “kyle orton drunk” and click images to see my argument). of course he was an athlete, but he should have never been anything more than a backup, or starter while we were looking for a franchise qb. i just hope that after we win like 8 superbowls and brees retires that we dont return to our horrible qb funk and wait for the next chosen one to magically appear through free agency.

by DrewBreesManCrush on Oct 29, 2009 2:20 PM CDT up reply actions

We can always sign Brett Favre. He’ll only be in his early fifties.

Super Bowl 44: "If you play in this league and it's not your goal, there's something wrong with you." -- Marques Colston

by MtnExile on Oct 29, 2009 2:42 PM CDT up reply actions

And

Brees will be in his early 40s? Maybe he’d unretire for us?

Superbowl bound!!!...I know! do you?! Go Saints!!

by skinnykinney on Oct 29, 2009 4:12 PM CDT up reply actions

That kind of easy to say in hindsight. At the time, we were always right on the thick of the playoff hunt, so I can understand Haslett’s reluctance to pull the plug on him and start from scratch. Same goes for Hebert. It took a post-season meltdown against Philadelphia for Finks to finally decide that he had seen enough, and even then a lot of people questioned the decision, because we didn’t have a clear-cut replacement. And please, don’t anyone come back with Jake Delhomme. That guy rode the coattails of Carolina’s defense further than Hebert ever rode the Saints’. I agree with you on the future, though. I hope we have our Aaron Rodgers in place at least a year or two before the Brees era comes to a close, so the transition period can be as seamless as possible. Of course, our Aaron Rodgers could always turn out to be a Patrick Ramsey or J.P. Losman or Kyle Boller, or Brady Quinn after the fact. There aren’t any guarantees either way, I guess. Still, I feel more comfortable grooming our own than attempting to catch lightning in a bottle twice in one decade.

"Paralyze resistance with persistence" -Woody Hayes

by coldpizza on Oct 29, 2009 2:45 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

the team almost made the playoffs, not even close to sb

i never thought that we would ever make a superbowl with him at the helm though, same could be said of our hebert led teams. i agree jake wouldnt have worked out here, although he should have gone in when brooks was hurt and everybody was screaming for him in the dome. and i def think that we should have somebody in the wings, but i think that day is five or six years away.

by DrewBreesManCrush on Oct 29, 2009 2:56 PM CDT up reply actions

Chase Daniels

I liked Daniels in college and I really think he will be a good qb, hopefully the Saints don’t let him go.

by J Rock on Oct 29, 2009 10:25 PM CDT up reply actions

He’s humble. Humility can take you far provided you have some talent to work with.

The people who say, "Winning isn't everything," don't win very often.

If stupidity is a cancer, you're terminal.

When you die and go to hell, you come back as a Jets fan.

by Hooahsaint on Oct 29, 2009 11:38 PM CDT up reply actions

I knew you wouldn't let Aaron Brooks go undefended

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by Dave Cariello on Oct 29, 2009 3:40 PM CDT up reply actions

Brooks one of our greatest all time?

How about Billy Kilmer? And John Fourcade went undefeated as a starter! LOL

by WhoDat_OH on Oct 29, 2009 4:57 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions

“And John Fourcade went undefeated as a starter! LOL”

Fourcade was 7-4 as a starter.

"Paralyze resistance with persistence" -Woody Hayes

by coldpizza on Oct 30, 2009 2:42 AM CDT up reply actions

Jeff Blake

He had nothing but good stats and wins before he went down and Brooks took over. A much better manager of the game with less athleticism. When he was healthy, he took a back seat to Brooks. He may have been the QB that could’ve taken us there imo.

Billy Joe Hobert also had a good stretch of games before he got injured. He never was the same after that. And you can’t really leave Archie Manning off the list. The Saints wouldn’t have won any games back then without him.

The people who say, "Winning isn't everything," don't win very often.

If stupidity is a cancer, you're terminal.

When you die and go to hell, you come back as a Jets fan.

by Hooahsaint on Oct 29, 2009 11:36 PM CDT up reply actions

Jeff Blake was an excellent QB for us, but left under his own accord. I really wish he could have accepted his backup role. I think we would have been much better off with him to fall back on, just as we were with Brooks when he went down. To Brooks’s credit though, he played throughout (even with a tear in his rotator cuff) and put up exceptional numbers, by Saints QB standards.

I can’t say the same for Manning, who missed an entire season with tendinitis in his throwing shoulder.

“The Saints wouldn’t have won any games back then without him.” Really?

The Saints’ record WITH Archie Manning (1971-82): 35-91-3 (.283).
The Saints’ record WITHOUT Archie Manning (1971-82): 14-29 (.326).

Granted, the Saints had a better winning percentage under Blake (.636) than with Brooks(.476) during their two shared seasons. I’m not trying to make Brooks out to be anything he wasn’t. Clearly the best we had at the time … just not anything close to what I would consider a “franchise QB”. Same as everyone else we’ve ever had, prior to Drew Brees.

"Paralyze resistance with persistence" -Woody Hayes

by coldpizza on Oct 30, 2009 3:13 AM CDT up reply actions

anyone remember

It was the early or mid eighties, I was very very young, ant the Saints started the season 5-0 or something like that and then they lost the next 6 or 7 and if I remember correctly they finished 8-8. I just keep wondering when the drop off will happen if it happens.

by andyp111 on Oct 29, 2009 3:31 PM CDT reply actions

luckily (for us now)

that was back when qb headshots were encouraged

by DrewBreesManCrush on Oct 29, 2009 3:39 PM CDT up reply actions

1993, to be exact on that 5-0 start turning into 8-8

"In the end, the bread was in the pudding." -- Bobby McCray

by Hans Petersen on Oct 29, 2009 6:29 PM CDT up reply actions

Yep. The first game they lost that season (at Pittsburgh) is only Saints game I’ve missed seeing live (i.e., either in person or on TV) since 1974. We were on vacation that weekend and I couldn’t find a sports bar in Vancouver that was playing it LOL. Went through the entire phone book at the hotel … it was like friggin’ torture!! I wound up having to call my dad in New Orleans, have him tape the game for me, then avoided the news like the plague for the next few days, until I was able to make it back home and watch it. Needless to say, I was crushed that we had lost our first game. Though, I did feel a little better about not having had sat in some hole-in-the-wall for three hours, sharing a TV with a bunch of loudmouth Canucks fans (who went on to play in the Stanley Cup finals that very same season, incidentally).

"Paralyze resistance with persistence" -Woody Hayes

by coldpizza on Oct 30, 2009 3:28 AM CDT up reply actions