Tuesdays with Romo: Saints are 7-0

New Orleans Saints 35 - Atlanta Falcons 27- This was an interesting game for most of the night. The Saints looked like they were in control when they led at halftime 28-14.

The Falcons scored in the third quarter when Matt Ryan connected with Roddy White on a 68-yard touchdown pass. Jason Elam kicked a field goal in the fourth to get the Falcons within four points of the Saints. Elam missed two field goal kicks prior.

A New Orleans fumble gave the Falcons the ball in Saints territory. However, Ryan was picked off in the end zone. Pierre Thomas cushioned the Saints lead with a one-yard run for a touchdown.

The Falcons nailed a field goal late and recovered the onside kick. However, Ryan was picked off by Darren Sharper with eight seconds left in the game.

Drew Brees completed 25-of-33 for 308 yards and two touchdowns. Brees has now crossed the 2,000 yard plateau for the season. Ryan completed 19-of-41 for 289 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Michael Turner rushed for 151 yards and one touchdown in the Falcons loss.

The Saints could easily go 10-0 at this rate. They get Carolina this week, St. Louis and Tampa after that. Right now, the Saints just look great.

As for the Falcons, they're 4-3. They get Washington at home this week. If something were to happen and the Falcons lost, there would be a lot of issues. We'll see what happens though. That's why they play the games.

NFL Preview Show Extravaganza: Atlanta Falcons

It's hard to believe that the Falcons have gotten so far from where they were at the end of the 2007 season. The team had to go through the Michael Vick case, which can be tough on anybody. The Falcons also lost Bobby Petrino, when he bolted for Arkansas before the end of the season. It seemed like the team was in disarray going into the next season.

However, things got better for the Falcons. Led by rookie quarterback Matt Ryan and rookie head coach Mike Smith, the Falcons clinched a wild card spot in the playoffs. It was the Falcons first trip to the playoffs since the 2004 season.

Ryan passed for more than 3,000 yards and 16 touchdowns, as he won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Of course, give some credit to the success of Michael Turner. After playing under the shadow of LaDainian Tomlinson in San Diego, Turner went out and had a breakout year in 2008. The Northern Illinois product rushed for almost 1,700 yards (1,699 to be exact) and ran the ball in to the endzone 17 times. If it wasn't for Turner, maybe the Falcons are 7-9 or even 6-10.

But don't give all of the credit to Turner. This team looks a lot better than ever before and are among the favorites in an always crazy-competitive NFC South (yes I made that word up off the top of my head).

With the addition of tight end Tony Gonzalez to the mix, Ryan has another weapon to throw to. It helps he has Roddy White back too. Could the man many call "Matty Ice" go out and have another terrific season? It is most certainly possible. I am eager to see what the Falcons do in 2009.

Most Offensive Player: Michael Turner
Most Defensive Player: Mike Peterson
Best New Guy: Peria Jerry
Coolest Twitter Page: Chandler Williams
Team Song: "Hard to Handle"- The Black Crowes
Coolest Names (Top 3): Ovie Mughelli, Brent Grimes, Kroy Biermann
Most Likely to Succeed: Michael Turner
In 2009, the Falcons will go: 11-5

We'll continue to profile the NFC South and should have it wrapped up by early next week.

The Mondays: Jason Elam likes to win

Atlanta Falcons 22 - Chicago Bears 20- This was a great game from start to finish. In the end, the Falcons came out on top. Falcons kicker Jason Elam kicked a 48-yard field goal, as time expired, to win the game. Elam missed a 33-yarder two minutes earlier, which gave the ball back to the Bears. After the Kyle Orton touchdown pass to Rashied Davis with 11 seconds left in the game, it looked to be all but over for the Falcons. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw a 26-yard pass to Michael Jenkins with one second left on the clock. Jenkins landed out of bounds with possession. The play led to the Elam field goal. Elam made 5-of-6 field goals on Sunday. Ryan threw for 300 yards for the first time in his NFL career. No doubt this is a huge win for the Falcons. The NFC South is turning into a very tough division. Things are looking up for the NFC South.

Houston Texans 29 - Miami Dolphins 28- A three yard draw by Texans quarterback Matt Schaub made the ultimate difference in the game. Schaub went for it on fourth down and got in for the score. Meanwhile, Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter isn't happy about a blown call by referee Ed Hochuli. The popular ref seems to be having some bad string of luck this season. It's hard to say what's wrong with him. Hopefully he can get back on track, because right now, no team wants to play while Hochuli is reffing.

St. Louis Rams 19 - Washington Redskins 17- A Josh Brown 49-yard field goal gave the Rams their first win of the season. Brown made four field goals on the day. In a way, Sunday was a day for field goal kickers.

Romo Alert: Arizona Cardinals defeat Dallas Cowboys in overtime- The man formerly known as Antonio threw for three touchdowns today, but it wasn't enough to stop the Cardinals.

Sunday Night Recap: San Diego Chargers 30 - New England Patriots 10- Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers had a huge night, last night. Rivers threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns. He had a quarterback rating of 141.9. The big question is, how far will the Patriots fall?

Monday Night Prediction: New York Giants over Cleveland Browns

Enjoy your Monday

Oh No Romo

Photo Credit: Atlanta Journal Constitution

NFL Preview Show Extravaganza: Atlanta Falcons

Because of the Brett Favre situation and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers being a potential candidate in the Favre sweepstakes, I'm holding off on their preview for now. Today though, we will focus on, the ATLANTA FALCONS. This will be the last one before the weekend.

Could there have been any other team that has suffered more in 2007 than the Falcons? This team fell apart in 2007. Nobody could wish that amount of bad luck on a franchise like the Falcons. First was the Mike Vick dogfighting situation. I won't go further.

Then there was the issue of who would play quarterback. It came down to Byron Leftwich and Joey Harrington. I'm sure you know how that turned out, so I won't bother you with that.

The worst thing and I mean THE worst thing that could have ever happened to the Falcons happened when head coach Bobby Petrino left town with THREE GAMES LEFT in the season to go and coach the University of Arkansas Razorbacks. I'm sorry, but that is about as low as low can possibly get. It was a shameful move by Petrino to begin with. He basically ditched the team and it's terrible that it had to happen to the Falcons. Okay now, time to get off the soap box.

The Falcons open up the regular season at home when they face the Detroit Lions. They have some notable home games against Chicago, Denver and St. Louis. On the road, the Falcons will face Philly, Oakland and Green Bay.

Now it is time for the always popular, always crazy, burnin' questions (Yearbook style):

• Matt Ryan will: Get potato'd! (Sacked a bunch of times)
  
  
• QB who starts the most games: Ummmmm, Matt Ryan?
  
  
• Michael Turner will: Be the best producing back for the Falcons (1421 yards for scrimmage)
  
  
• Coach Mike Smith will: Last a lot longer than Petrino, but sadly only two seasons
  
  
• Leading receiver for Falcons: Umm, I don't know
  
  
• TV Movie to describe team: Falling Without Style
  
  
• Coolest names (Top 3): Todd Weiner, Ovie Mughelli, Todd "Son of Troy?" McClure (Von Hutchins, Jerious Norwood and Montavious Stanley all get honorable mention)
  
  
• 80s song to best describe team: I Ran (So Far Away)- Flock of Seagulls
  
  
• In 2008, the Falcons will go: 5-11

Enjoy the weekend--and the vid

Oh No Romo



Photo from Razorback Legacy

Hump Day: Random Thoughts- July 2, 2008

Hey what do you know, we're only a couple of weeks away from the starting of NFL training camps. As you all know, this is the most boring part of the NFL season, where media outlets try to report any pertinent information.

Hell, I'm so desperate, I devoted a whole post to NCAA 09. Come on, you can't tell me you're not excited about it one bit! (FYI: The Zeppelin World Tour petition has 16,000 signatures. So keep signing up.)

This is boring! At this point, I'm willing to take any good piece of news. Maybe a Shockey trade rumor. Maybe a Terrell Owens incident. Hell, I'd settle for some Tony Romo rumors from US Weekly or People Magazine.

Do we really want to know who coaches think is the smartest non-QB player in the NFL, or the Dirtiest player? Why don't we go ahead and ask the question, Who has the best hair? Who is the biggest headache to deal with? And my personal favorite, who is their least favorite sports writer?

So how about this NFL rookie cap? Sounds like some crazy stuff, eh? I've developed a three step plan to make as much as much money as Matt Ryan.

1. Get in shape
   
   
2. Learn an NFL playbook
   
   
3. Profit (You figure out how to get from step two to step three.)
   

Just follow those three steps and Gene Upshaw will fight to make sure you get the most out of your guaranteed money.

Speaking of guaranteed money, it's good to see Matt Ryan pick up what Commissioner Goodell is laying down. Thank goodness Ryan understands! I was worried sick that the money would turn him into the illegitimate child of the Monopoly Guy. Damn it Ryan, you can take Park Place and Marvin Gardens, but you'll never take the Pennsylvania Railroad from me!

So the Kansas City Chiefs have a rule in place that bars standing at games in Arrowhead Stadium. That's all fine and everything, but what happens to people who get stuck behind Yao Ming at the game? This rule is dumb. There is also a text message system in place to rat out any person that decides to be a hooligan and actually have the nerve to stand. ZOMG!

Our long National Nightmare is over, the 2008 NFL Record & Fact Book was recently released. The book contains statistics, histories of teams and even some rules for you to chew on. There are some things you'll never see in the book. Like:

• How many commercial deals Peyton Manning gets in a year...
  
  
• How many horrible outfits Clinton Portis keeps in his closet...
  
  
• The number of suits Mike Nolan wears to bed...
  
  
• The number of Vizios that are in LaDainian Tomlinson's home...

Thanks for playing along guys.

The Mondays: Some Movie Posters to Describe The NFL Draft

I decided to get a little creative with the NFL Draft, which took place over the weekend. I made three movie posters for the moment. Take the time to look at them and enjoy...