Yeah 2010 or 2011 Packers are both not great comparisons. 2010 they were a hot wildcard team, 2011 was the Aaron Rodgers god-mode year and that awful loss to the Giants.

dirty birds ftw

Oh man I am so looking forward to the actual football part of this game.

Sorry, yeah. I meant the 2010/11 season when they won the Super Bowl.

I just remember watching them in the pre-season that year and Rodgers was lighting fools up. It was week 3, I think? I texted my friend and said right then and there that they were going to win the SB.

i'm probably wrong but i got the pats in a game thats not close

I hope you're wrong. But I expect you won't be.

Did you think Denver was going to beat Seattle? Because there's a significant chance it's the other way around. People think they know, but they don't know.

Some random thoughts....

It would be the appropriate way to end a brutal regular season and lackluster playoffs with a blowout in the Super Bowl.

One thing I read recently, so I'll just paraphrase and interested in people's thoughts...."the Pats have trouble with Seattle, especially its defense in the '14 Super Bowl. Can Quinn replicate that with Atlanta v. NE? Possibly, but Seattle '14 arguably had better talent on D vs. ATL's current D, which ranked 25th this season."

Electro, the print and TV media up here in Boston are giving ATL mad respect. Lots of nice features on Ryan and his days at BC, ATL's rookies on Defense, etc. The only negative stuff I've read is really just citing stats about how Dome teams don't traditionally do well in the SB.

One thing that I traditionally do during the two weeks between the game is read the opponent city's media coverage vs. paying attention to the nat'l coverage. It's interesting to see that POV and I find the coverage to dig in a bit deeper. I also once landed a freelance sports piece in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution so that paper is special to me...at the time, it was the largest media outlet to publish something I wrote.

of course i did, thats why i said i'm probably wrong

That's interesting coach, if it's in the stacks, maybe I can find your article.

No one is going to be surprised if New England wins obviously, but Atlanta has a poor defensive stat line this year mainly due to starting so many rookies early on. They are in the top 15 since the KC game and they play fast. The offense can beat you much like New England in a variety of dynamic ways and they don't play at all like they did under Smith.

I'm not ready to concede, in other words.

One difference maker outside of the obvious for the Pats I think is red zone defense. The Pats are great at it, the Falcons are poor by the numbers anyway.

There are quite a few unknown national players on both sides that could turn the game.

I like our side though. They make lots of mistakes but they have the speed to make up for positional errors and they are well coached.

Well, I hope there's whiskey or beer in it for you either way.

I do expect the pats to try and pressure Ryan as much as possible, it's the only real way to stop the offense other than turnovers.

I have a copy of the article, it's brutal. Women's soccer.

If I were you, I wouldn't concede at all. Plenty of weapons for both teams, hence the close point spread. It's still at 3 points. I did not know that about the Falcons defense improving to Top 15, that changes things.

Speaking of unknown players, Nate Ebner, a key special teamer who played on the U.S. Rugby team, has a concussion. He's a difference maker. He was trending on Boston Twitter earlier.

I'm one of the few Americans that actually likes women's soccer I guess.

But yeah, Keanu Neal is kind of known now, but Deion Jones the MLB is playing at an absurd level for a rookie.
Either edge corner is beatable with Trufant out but they are physical. Bryan Poole the rookie FA is also playing Really well. The pass rush is setting them apart lately, but ultimate success still hinges on generating turnovers.

If they can get David Andrews turned a little I think they could have success, conversely, Alex Mack is the lynchpin for the Atlanta offense up front.

everyone thought denver was going to win that game.

Las Vegas sportsbook CG Technology took a "mid-six-figure" bet on the Atlanta Falcons +3 on Thursday. The Super Bowl line remains New England-3, but the vig to bet on the Patriots has been cut from -115 to -105. CG Technology vice president Jason Simbal says there is currently about 1.6 times as much money on the Falcons as there is on New England.

Line has got to move, right, based on this action? Maybe to -2.5? Even odds?

this is so tough ... I want to believe the Falcons can make this a game ... but they have just always been so inconsistent ... they are 'hot' right now, and that is important ... but the experience of the Pats this deep in the playoffs is just so hard to overlook ... if the Pats win this, it's going to be by more than 3 points

Pretty solid night all in all last night. I'm sure no one outside of two fanbases care. Fine with me. This is shaping up like a good game whether or not people care. Little hiccup with Shannahan's backpack last night supposedly with some play sheets and tickets inside, it was returned.

my wife wants to bet getting a second dog on this game

I wonder what the bet would have been had the Broncos made it back to the Super Bowl this year.