Why Justin Fargas Could Take Control Of Raiders-Chargers Game

Justin Fargas has been stirring the pot lately, making a case that he is the best running back in Oakland.

Despite Michael Bush’s fan favoritism, and the fact that Darren McFadden did enough in college to make himself a top five draft choice in 2008, Justin Fargas recently took the lead in rushing yards for Oakland despite missing the first four games of the year, matching Michael Bush’s 204 yards on the year.

Fargas has rushed for 204 yards on 54 carries, with his last 31 carries going for 154 of it. That is an average of 4.96 yards per carry in his last 31 with a long run of 35 yards, the Raiders long for the year.

Perhaps Oakland should run Fargas 31 times per game until he can’t take it anymore rather than letting that young passing game throw it an average of 28 times per game.

Not only would it keep the defense fresh, but it would allow the offensive line to work at what their strength has been for the last two years, when they ranked sixth and 10th in the league at the end of the year.

Lets just hope Fargas get an opportunity to make a good first impression in San Diego tomorrow. Maybe he could recreate his image towards the fan base.

Tom Cable said that he wanted the Raiders to develop Fargas into their closer. I’ve said before and firmly believe that Fargas is more of a tone setter then a first down getter, but the way he has been running the ball lately, he looks like an entire gamer than an opener or a closer.

Just give him the ball.

I would like to see three straight Fargas handoffs to open against the Chargers in part II. It will be interesting to see if the coaches pick up on, or take advantage of the success Fargas has had recently.

I like the O-line and have a feeling once Robert Gallery gets back, it could be a strong group for years to come, with Chris Morris moving back to center, and perhaps Satelle going to right guard once Cooper Carlisle can’t go anymore.

It is time for Cornell Green to take the bench, as Khalif Barnes develops into a solid right tackle for Oakland.

Go Raiders, Go Fargas! 

JaMarcus isn’t a bust yet: http://fanhuddle.com/oaklandraiders/2009/10/31/jamarcus-russell-not-a-bust-yet/

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Panthers-Cardinals: Making a Statement

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Jets Vs Dolphins: A Must Win For Both Teams?

Why does it seem to me that every game since the Jets started the season someone in the media or on the team says that the Jets next game is a must win?

I don’t get it. Unless the season has been extended without my knowledge, and I can’t imagine anyone doing that to me, there’s still no more than 16 games and with a record of 4-3 why is this game in particular a must win?

Sure I get it. The Jets will be vying more likely than not for a wild card berth as we get closer to the last 1/3rd of the season. The Miami Dolphins have already beaten them once in Miami on a national media circus known as Monday Night Football. They lost that game by allowing the Dolphins to score three touchdowns in the fourth quarter with the winning score coming with eight seconds left on the clock.

The Jets inability to deal with Miami’s “Wildcat” formations has been duly noted and mouths have not been able to shut off since then. I also don’t have to remind any Jets fans out there that it was these same Dolphins that put the nail in the Jets playoff coffin in the last game of last season at the Meadowlands.

That game not only gave the Dolphins the division, but also knocked the New England Patriots out of the playoffs.

Nothing is quite like revenge when it comes to motivating a team, and the Jets certainly have revenge on their minds. I expect them to come out of the gate like wild Indians on both sides of the ball during the first quarter. The question is can they maintain that type of intensity for an entire 60 minutes or come back from a deficit that may happen once again?

I really see this if anything as a must win for the Dolphins. They are 2-4 and another defeat would put them in a position where they would to have to win their remaining nine games to finish the season with the same record as they achieved last year.

The Dolphins, who rank No. 2 in rushing offense, believe Chad Henne doesn’t have to win games for them, he just can’t lose any. Last week’s come-from-behind win by the New Orleans Saints again in the fourth quarter gives the Dolphins some real concerns that must be answered this week.

Of course, Mark Sanchez is no Drew Brees, so this week will be interesting indeed.

For the Jets to win, they must at least slow down the Miami running game with Ricky Williams and Robbe Brown doing the damage. Although nursing an injury, Jets Linebacker and defensive leader Bart Scott is expected to play. The loss of Kris Jenkins looms large today, unlike last week against the Raiders.

The Jets front three will have to step up and have a big game. If the defense can keep the rushing yardage to 100 yards or less and cause a couple of take away turnovers that will lead the Jets to victory.

On the other hand if the Dolphins run wild again the Jets offense may have to play matching touchdowns to stay in the game. They fell short against this team in Miami three weeks ago, and that loss, more than any other, hurt the most.

Prediction: An old Klingon expression, “Revenge is a dish best served cold”.

I believe the Jets will control their emotions and put a serious hurting on the Dolphins. Another 250 yard rushing day, a couple of key turnovers by the enthusiastic Jets defense and Miami will fall too far behind early, and they won’t be able to go to the passing game to pull this one out.

Jets 31 Dolphins 17.

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Oakland Raiders: Object Lesson From Your First-Grade Teacher

Let’s make it plain and simple. This is your object lesson for today.

Look at the blackboard and take good notes:

Go Raiders! Get a touchdown, Oakland Raiders.

Grab the football and hold on to it. Look at the picture to get an idea of what we are teaching today. This is your object lesson for today.

Now go back deep into the recesses of your mind and remember the time you first knew that you were good enough to aspire to play professional football.

Think back, all the way back to elementary school when you played touch ball. I think you called it that.

You were good then, and you are even better now.

You may have wobbled a little when you were short and young, but now you walk with a swagger and have a new attitude.

Don’t disappoint those teachers from every level of schooling that you completed, Oakland Raiders. Give them something to get excited about. Get a touchdown!

Furthermore, keep the other guys from getting those touchdowns. Enough is enough.

I watch my students smirk at me on Mondays. I listen to my relatives telling me about what’s been happening for five or six years.

Let me tell you right now: I don’t want to hear it.

I want to see a touchdown.

Just imagine I am your tough, first grade teacher with the big paddle (before those laws on paddling were put in place).

She stood over you, tall and stern, like a giant in those days, telling you to get your homework done and to get to class on time, not sometimes, but everyday.

Well, here she is again. Come on, use your imagination! She’s standing over you, again, with a big paddle. Only now you are the giant, and she looks like a petite senior citizen.

Yeah, you are taller and bigger than she is now, but you have that kind of respect for her that you just can’t let her down.

She demands a touchdown. You muster up the strength, skills, and power to execute those plays and make one, if not two or maybe three.

That teacher that you are imagining has on the T-shirt that reminds you of military fatigues. She is looking at you eye-to-eye, telling you to go to war, football war, and aim for victory. Her message is loud and clear.

She’s ready to give you a grade on Sunday evening.

You get inspired.

You don’t want a C-, or D or F. You want an A.

In fact, you want more than an A for effort, you want an A for outstanding performance, for efficiency and effectiveness.

Class dismissed.  

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Will Pierre Garcon Be on the Inside Looking Out When “Gonzo” Returns?

Anthony Gonzalez should be ready to return to the Colts starting lineup in the next week or two. The problem for the Colts is what to do with him when he comes back.

Do they leave Garcon on the outside as the No. 2, and put Anthony in the slot, sharing time with Austin Collie, or should “Gonzo” get his old job back, and Garcon be his backup?

Garcon has done an admirable job replacing Anthony. He has scored two touchdowns so far, and put up 240 yards. If he were to remain the starter, then he is on pace to put up five touchdowns and 640 yards for the season.

In comparison, last year as a backup, “Gonzo” put up 664 yards and four touchdowns. Since we’re comparing apples to oranges here, let’s throw the stats out the window, and look at this a different way.

How has Garcon progressed as a receiver while replacing Gonzalez? To answer this question, I went back and watched some game film on him.

When evaluating a wide receiver there are four things that I look four: 1) Release 2) Glide 3) Sprint 4) Burst 5) Blocking ability

I used these five criteria to come up with the answer to the question of whether or not “Gonzo” should return as the No. 2 when he is healthy.

 

Release

Garcon needs work in this area. He is inconsistent in his release. He tends to stutter step too much with his back foot, or do odd things like hop of the line.

Now don’t misunderstand me, all receivers tend to stutter a little when they release; it’s the degree to which they do it that is important.

If you watch Reggie Wayne, he does a slight stutter step with his back leg, but it’s minor, and is used to put a slight fake on the defender. However, at no point does it slow down he’s release off the line.

On the other hand Garcon’s is noticeable and it slows him down a bit.

Other times Garcon will spend too much time trying to fake the player with a move, instead of just getting off the line, and into his pattern.

On the plus side, when Pierre does it right he looks like he has been playing the position for years.

His release is smooth, and if there is a defender in front of him he angles his back foot slightly away from the defender; he uses the arm closest to the defender to rip away, or in other words knock the defender’s arm away from him, and go right into his route without any loss of speed. It all looks very effortless and natural.

So yes, he does need work in this area, but that will come with time. In a sense he really is a rookie, and these are rookie mistakes he is making.

Advantage: Gonzo

 

Glide

There are two fundamental rules that a receiver needs to know about the glide portion of his route:

1)      If the defender is in front, or to the side opposite of where the receiver is going to make his cut, then the receiver should either run straight at the defender, or move slightly further to the inside, and then head straight up the field before making his break.

 

The reason the receiver does this is he wants the defender to believe that he is running straight up the field on a go route, and try to move the defensive back farther away from where he intends to make his cut.

 

2)      If the defender is to the inside of where the receiver wants to go, then again he is going to move his route ever so slightly to the outside, again trying to get the defensive back to move off his spot believing the receiver is running straight up the field.

The rules for the glide route are slightly different when the receiver is running a streak, or fade route, but not by much.

Garcon at times makes his glide move to soon. On one play, the defensive back was not fooled, stayed in position, and actually pushed Garcon off his route, and into the sideline.

At other times he ran the glide portion of his route perfectly, fooled the defenders, and made great receptions or at least got open.

Advantage: Gonzo

 

Sprint

From what I could see on tape, Garcon did not have any problems with the sprint portion of his route. He seemed to be able to get the defender to believe that he was running straight up the field…as much as possible nowadays, given how smart defenders have become.

 Now remember, I’m watching the game from the TV broadcast, not the game film that the coaches get, so there are portions of the routes that I don’t always get to see.

Still, from what I saw, this does not seem to be a big problem area for Garcon.

Advantage: Tie

 

Burst

Out of all the areas of Garcon’s play that were most impressive his burst, and his blocking abilities stood out.

Garcon, never slowed down when making his cuts, his foot work was correct, and he never tried to make his breaks at 90 degree angles (which do nothing but slow down the receiver). This is definitely one of his strong points.

Now don’t take the praise the wrong way. He still has a lot of practicing to do. Just compare Reggie Wayne’s blurts to Garcons, and you will see the difference is night and day.

When Reggie makes his cuts he just sort of glides into them as if he were a bird making a turn in mid-air.

However, it’s unfair to compare Garcon to Wayne, but this is one area, and a very important area, that Garcon seems to have a natural ability (or Manning yelled at him a lot.)

Advantage: Slight advantage to “Gonzo” due to experience, not ability

 

Blocking

Garcon is an excellent blocker on running plays. He wins this category hands down. He is bigger and stronger than Gonzalez, and is a great asset to the Colts on the strong side where they have difficulty running the ball.

Garcon is also a great blocker on pass plays when the reception is caught in his area of the field.

Advantage: Big Advantage to Garcon

 

Miscellaneous Observations

There is one thing that Garcon does that he needs to work on. He takes to many plays off when he knows the pass isn’t coming his way.

Before someone says, “All receivers do that!” I understand that. It’s too exhausting of a sport to run full throttle on every down; however, in Pierre’s case, it’s excessive.

The problem with running you’re route half speed on a pass play, or a running play, is that you’re signaling to the defense that either, “The ball isn’t coming my way so don’t waste your time over here,” or your signaling to them, “Hey, it’s a running play so don’t worry about the pass guys.”

This is either an attitude issue or a conditioning issue, regardless of which it needs to be corrected.

After hearing several positive interviews with Garcon, and knowing the Colts organization, there is no doubt in my mind that this will get straightened out.

Advantage: “Gonzo”

 

In Conclusion

When I first set out to write this piece I thought the direction it would take was that “Gonzo” was going to lose his job as the No. 2, and he would be used more as the starting slot receiver.

After watching film on Garcon, it is quite clear that Garcon is still a rookie, he is still making rookie mistakes, and once “Gonzo” is 100 percent healthy, Garcon will be the backup.

That’s for this year, though. I see a bright future for Garcon; all of the mistakes he is making right now are issues of lack of experience instead of lack of ability.

I can’t wait for training camp next year because I think there is going to be quite a battle for the outside receiver spot opposite of Wayne. Don’t be surprised if Garcon wins it!

 

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Bye Breakdown: The Good and Bad for the Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are resting, healing, and enjoying a well-deserved break after going 5-2 before the bye week.

The Steelers enter this respite with a four-game winning streak and a defense that’s beginning to play like the one we’ve come to know and love.

But not everything is picture-perfect. Like any team, even good ones, there are some weaknesses, chinks in the armor if you will, to go along with their strengths.

Here’s an analysis of the good and bad Pittsburgh has displayed so far in 2009.

 

The Good

1. The Defense

Even with all-everything Troy Polamalu missing four games and DE Aaron Smith out for the season, the Steelers defense is playing at a high level.

Pittsburgh is No. 8 in total defense giving up 291 yards per game, down from last season’s 237.2 yards and the No. 1 ranking.

The run defense has been excellent, allowing only 76.6 yards a game, second in the league. The passing defense is rated 15th in the NFL, which dropped the overall rating down, due in no small part to Polamalu’s absence.

Getting to the quarterback is still a specialty for this unit. The Steelers have 21 sacks, second in the league, with LB James Harrison collecting eight, putting him halfway to his franchise record of 16 sacks.

All in all, the defense is not as dominant as last year, but it’s still pretty damn good.

 

2. The Offensive Line

The line play was a major weakness in 2008, but in 2009, this unit has shown marked improvement.

QB Ben Roethlisberger has been sacked 20 times, but not all of that is the line’s fault. Big Ben loves to hold onto the football and sometimes he pays the price. Overall, the pass blocking has been much better than last season.

The Steelers running game is improving, moving at 119 yards a game with a 4.4 average over the last four to five weeks.

T Willie Colon and G Chris Kemoeatu are having career seasons. C Justin Hartwig has been a stabilizing force in the middle.

If the Steelers can continue to run the ball effectively, it will make the passing game that much harder to stop.

 

3. Hello, Rashard Mendenhall

After not playing against Cincinnati because of a lackadaisical attitude in practice, the light bulb finally seems to have gone off in Mendenhall’s head.

Mendenhall took advantage of Willie Parker’s toe injury to rush for 373 yards and four touchdowns the past four games—averaging 5.4 yards a carry—third best in the league. His 418 yards rushing is seventh in the AFC.

Mendenhall’s performance, despite some recent fumbling problems, has put Parker on the bench to stay. His emergence has allowed the Steelers to display more balance on offense than they did to start the season.

 

4. Big Ben on the Rise

Roethlisberger has risen to elite level status as a quarterback, moving up to the rarefied air occupied by the likes of Manning, Brady and Brees.

Big Ben is thriving with Bruce Arians as his offensive coordinator and Ken Anderson as the quarterback coach.

Want some proof?

Roethlisberger is first in passing yards (2,062), second in completion percentage (70.4), first in completions (164), and fifth in passer rating (102.6). He is seeing the field better than ever and has complete command of this offense.

 

The Bad

1. Special Teams

The Steelers kick return unit gave up two touchdowns the past two weeks and has played subpar most of the season.

Stefan Logan has done a decent job as a returner, but decent isn’t good enough. He needs to show the explosiveness and be the game changer they thought he was coming out of camp.

Many times the deciding factor in close games is special teams play. You can bet your bottom dollar; Mike Tomlin will be focusing on improving that area next week in practice.

 

2. Turnovers

Pittsburgh is a -3 in turnover differential, 24th in the NFL. Not good for a defending Super Bowl champion.

The defense needs to force more turnovers, and the offense has to avoid the late-game mistakes that have been killing them most of the season.

Easier said than done.

This defense is capable of causing turnovers in bunches, so it’s up to the offense to protect the ball better.

 

3. Fourth Quarter Funk

The Steelers have done much better the last two games in this area, but turnovers and mental errors continue to plague them in the final 15.

Pittsburgh has been out-scored 59-30 in the fourth quarter this year with most of that due to the aforementioned mental errors and dumb turnovers.

Two of those meltdowns, against the Bengals and the Bears, resulted in losses. The tide appears to be turning for the Steelers, who owned a 17-7 fourth quarter combined advantage over the Browns and Vikings the past two weeks.

Pittsburgh has a rough patch after the bye with games at Denver and home against Cincinnati the next two weeks. The Bengals are the only home game for the month of November.

It won’t be easy, but the bye will get the Steelers healed up and ready for the stretch run. All the ingredients are there to make a return trip to the Super Bowl. They just have to remain focused, execute, and get the job done.

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The Latest Word From Jones Town

What He Said

“Let’s just say this, the decision is made a lot of times … the agreements call for the GM ultimately to make decisions. If not, the only one that can overrule the GM is the owner. Period. And that’s always been the way it’s been for 20 years.” (Jerry’s answer  to Richie Whitt’s question of whether it was ultimately the head coach’s call to demote a player.)

What He Meant

“I am the chief cook and bottle washer around here. This is my team. I am the owner, the GM, and the de facto coach. Wade understands this. Why can’t you?”

What I Think About What He Said

Scary for all Cowboys’ fans.

What I Think About What He Meant

Makes me feel a bit…hopeless.

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Trick or Treat: Super Cardinals Downright Scary

For many years, the Arizona Cardinals were the pennies of Halloween. Or the apple. Or any other unwrapped or otherwise useless waste of time and energy item that made you wish you just skipped that house.

You walk up having no idea if what you get now will be better than what the last house had to offer, but you always have high expectations. Or at least, you hold out hope.  

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Roy Williams’ Time Will Come

Let’s get something straight; Roy Williams is a good receiver.

What Jerry Jones gave up in order acquire him and the amount of the extension he immediately paid him is inconsequential.

Roy Williams is a good receiver.

It’s seems that Cowboy Nation has found its latest gripe to unite around: Bench Roy Williams!

Since the trade mid-season last year, here are Williams’ sobering numbers with the Cowboys:

15 games
31 receptions
428 yards
2 TDs

By comparison, Miles Austin’s last two games have been more productive (16 rec., 421 yards, 4 TDs).

Cowboy fans should realize Williams isn’t Terrell Owens. 

He’s not a stretch-the-field, deep attack, down-the-field receiver.  In fact, he’s much more of a move-the-chains type of receiver who thrives in short to mid-range route running and is an asset to the run game with his blocking. 

If anything, Williams is a younger, faster, stronger version of Keyshawn Johnson circa 2004.

Let’s not get it twisted, though; Williams is a talented receiver. 

You don’t put up a 1,300+ season in the NFL by accident.

Williams’ role is still to be determined in Garrett’s offense.  Make no mistake though, he has a role.

Don’t hold your breath waiting for Williams to be benched either. 

Right, wrong or indifferent, there is no scenario in which Williams will find himself demoted and coming off the bench.  Jerry didn’t make Williams the second highest paid receiver in the game for that honor.

Ironically, Austin’s emergence stands to benefit not only Williams, but the rest of the receivers, including tight end Jason Witten.

Going into training camp, the Cowboys envisioned Austin playing across from Williams as the No. 2 receiver.  Austin would provide the team its first true deep threat since Terry Glenn.

Unfortunately, Austin had a lingering hamstring injury that carried on through camp.  Crayton, who was having a great camp, assumed the No. 2 role out of necessity.

Now it appears the receiving corps is set with Williams being the “chain moving” No. 1; Austin the “deep threat” at No. 2, and Crayton at No. 3, working the slot where he’s one of the league’s best.

Williams’ time will come.

Standing 6’3” and 215 pounds, Williams is a big target with good hands and surprising build-up speed. 

It’s apparent Garrett has realized making Williams a moving target is the best way to utilize his specific skill set. 

During the past few games we’ve seen at least attempts to get the ball to Williams on quick slants.  This will continue to be a work in progress as Romo has historically been inaccurate on these types of routes, often throwing behind or high to receivers.

It’s coming.

This offense precludes a dominant, game-in, game-out receiver.  As we’ve seen thus far, Witten, Crayton, Hurd and Austin have all at one time been the team’s leading receivers for the game this season.

Williams’ time will come.

Will he ever perform enough to earn that contract?  Probably not, but that should be taken up with the man who orchestrated the trade and created the contract.

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To Hate Like This Is To Be Happy Forever: Saints, Falcons Bitter Rivalry

Hatred strikes me as one of the few signs of life remaining in the world. This is another thing about the world which is upside-down: all the friendly and likable people seem dead to me; only the haters seem alive.
Walker Percy

Any Saints fan 40-plus remembers when they became a Falcon hater like it was yesterday.

It was Nov. 12, 1978, when New Orleans Saints fans discovered the kind of true happiness that only the hatred of a bitter rival can produce.

With the Saints still in playoff contention on that fall afternoon 31 years ago, Archie Manning and a stubborn defense held the Steve Bartkowski-led Atlanta Falcons at bay for 59 minutes.

The Falcons had closed the gap to 17-13 on a Hascal Stanback touchdown run with 57 seconds to go. Then, the Saints took over presumably to run out the clock.

Legendary Saints radio Voice Wayne Mack , a Chicago native, had the call:

“With this big win, the fans will be dancing on the tables at Pat O’Brien’s.”

A melancholy Mack would say later, “I should have learned from the Chicago Tribune headline that proclaimed, incorrectly, the victory of Tom Dewey over Harry Truman in the presidential election of 1948.”

On fourth and two, Saints coach Dick Nolan decided to run Chuck Muncie. The Falcons defense held. Then, Big Ben , and we’re not talking Roethlisberger here, reared his ugly head.

With 19 seconds remaining, Atlanta QB Steve Bartkowski lined up in what came to be known as the Big Ben formation: three wide receivers on his right. At the snap, the receivers starting flying toward the New Orleans end zone with seven defensive backs in hot pursuit.

Bartkowski lauched a missile to the goal line and then everything seemed to move in slooooowwwwww motion.

Ten bodies collided around the ten yard line, like tourists at Mardi Gras fighting for a pair of beads flung from a Bourbon Street balcony.The ball seem to hang in the air forever.

Then diminutive Falcons receiver Alfred Jenkins attained his moment of glory.

Jenkins caught his only pass of the afternoon and darted into the end zone.

An eerie silence followed in the jam-packed Superdome. Kind of like one of those spooky New Orleans Victorian mansions on Halloween night.

The crowd sat in stunned silence enduring sheer agony no sports fans should ever have to endure but ultimately does.

Atlanta had won 20-17, cruelly dashing the Saints playoff hopes.

A local radio talk show host printed up a batch of “I Hate the Falcons T-Shirts.” The batch sold out in three days. Three decades later, mine still hangs in my locker. I sneer every time I look at it.

Two weeks later, the Saints traveled to Atlanta for a rematch.

Different city. Same creepy results.

With 53 seconds left and the Saints leading again 17-13, New Orleans went into the infamous, dreaded prevent defense. Bartkowski marched the Falcons to the Saints 23 with 16 seconds remaining.

Deja vu all over again Rocky….ugggghhhhh…..Deja vu all over again….

Bartkowski fired to the end zone. Saints defensive back Ralph McGill intercepted.

Flag on the play!!! Oh My Sweet Jesus, you gotta be kidding me!!!!!

Referee Grover Klemmer called interference on New Orleans DB Maurice Spencer. Falcons receiver Dennis Pearson would admit later he didn’t feel a thing. Two weeks later the league office informed the Saints that Klemmer blew the call.

New Orleans States-Item sports editor began campaigning for instant replay, a revolutionary idea in those days.

The following year, the two teams would meet again in the season opener.

“I’m tellin ya’ Charlie….I’m a nervous wreck….this game is the greatest moment of our lives. There’s never been a game like this.”

Revenge was on everyone’s mind when the Falcons came to New Orleans in September 1979.

Do you remember the 21st night of September?

Our hearts were ringing
In the key that our souls were singing
As we danced in the night,
Remember how the stars stole the night away

Ba de ya – say that you remember
Ba de ya – dancing in September
Ba de ya – never was a cloudy day

Yeah, it was Earth, Wind and Fire for the Saints in the Superdome that day. Alas, mostly fire.

“We had the biggest meeting in the the history of the fan club Tuesday night, Joey!!!!! I haven’t been able to sleep: I hope our players aren’t as nervous as I am.”

Turns out one player was suffering from extreme anxiety that day- punter Russell Erxleben.

” He’s a punta, not a keecker……ha ha ha ha…..he will not kick in this league.”

Turns out he was neither a kicker nor a punter. More head case than anything else.

This time it took four quarters plus about 8 1/2 of overtime for the Dirty Birds to traumatize the City of New Orleans again. John Watson snapped the ball over punter Erxleben’s head.

Erxleben recovered it at the goal line and under heavy pressure threw it into the waiting arms of Atlanta’s James Mayberry who raced into the end zone for a 40-34 Falcons win.

Three fluky wins in a row by the hated Atlanta Falcons.

True happiness is hating this much!

So for all us Saints fans who remember the days before ESPN, the seeds of hatred for the Dirty Birds were sown over 30 years ago.

As one of those Greek philosophers said, I think it was Aeschylus, “Before the old wound is healed, there is fresh blood flowing.”

I’m sure the Falcons will receive a warm Southern welcome Monday night. The kind of  a Halloween weekend welcome you receive only in New Orleans.

Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand
Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize y’alls neighborhood

The foulest stench is in the air
The funk of forty thousand years
And grizzly ghouls from every tomb
Are closing in to seal your doom

A former Saints All-Pro told me Friday morning that Atlanta rockstar QB Mat Ryan has never seen anything like he’s gonna see from Gregg Williams’ defense Monday night in the Dome.

Surely, a much better defense than the one that suffered those Shakespearean losses back in the late 70’s.

Said New Orleans safety Ralph McGill all those years ago, “We got nothin’ but buzzard luck. They did to us what buzzards do to you when they die.”

Yeah, losing like that three times in a row….well, it was just a damned shame. A hell of a thing. A real damned f****** shame.

Those kind of memories, well, they cut deep ya know. Cut real deep.

They say the first cut is the deepest, but the second and third aren’t much fun either.

Put you in the mood for some more sweet revenge, Nawlins style.

Well, who the hell knows.

 

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