Falcons vs. Giants: Justin Tuck Calls Dirty Birds a Bunch of Dirt Bags

New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck is not a fan of the way the Atlanta Falcons offensive line conducts its business.

If you ask him about it, he apparently won't mind telling you.

Per ESPNNewYork.com, here's what Tuck had to say about Atlanta's O-line on Monday:

"

We know they have that quote unquote reputation. But in a way it kind of is exciting. Most people, you would call them dirt bags. But it is what it is. We got to make sure we do our job and if we are doing our job well, then they will be upset and they will be trying to do things to get us off our game and we got to take that as a compliment. But in the same sense you got to protect yourself and hopefully the referees have 20-20 vision this week.

"

This is not the first time a defensive lineman has called out Atlanta's O-line. In October, Green Bay Packers nose tackle B.J. Raji accused Falcons linemen of being "cheap," and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh referred to an injury to Matt Ryan as "karma" for the play of his offensive line.

Comments like these are presumably how Tuck has gotten hold of the reputation of Atlanta's offensive line. The Giants did not have the pleasure of playing the Falcons this season. 

Exactly what Atlanta's O-line does to incur the wrath of its opponents is unclear, but there are all sorts of ways offensive linemen can be dirty. It's easy for players like Tuck to take exception to that reputation, as the last thing he wants is to get hurt on a dirty play while he's trying to help his team make it back to the Super Bowl.

Is Atlanta's O-line actually dirty? Because I've never lined up opposite the Falcons' offensive line, I can't say for sure.

What I will say is that this seems to be a "where there's smoke, there's fire" situation. If word has gotten around like it clearly has, it's apparent that Atlanta's offensive line doesn't mind pushing a few boundaries out on the field.

Tuck will find out for himself just how dirty (or not dirty) Atlanta's O-line is on Sunday. The Falcons are set to take on the Giants in the first round of the playoffs at MetLife Stadium.