Atlanta-Philadelphia: Atlanta Fans Should Feel Shamed, Eagles Send in the Dogs

You know, I started writing this article many times and had to stop and change the venom in my words. To be honest, words can't describe how upsetting Sunday's game was for many reasons. For a team that started 4-1 and seemed to be positioned to make another playoff run, they were absolutely terrible Sunday afternoon.

"This was not a very good performance today," said Falcons coach Mike Smith. "Obviously we were beaten soundly in all phases of the football game. We have to put that behind us as quickly as possible as a team and that is what we intend on doing."

I'm aware the Falcons ended the game with four offensive starters in the lineup. I had a feeling with the Eagles' blitz schemes that it would rattle quarterback Chris Redman. I expected the running game to be slow to start with guard Harvey Dahl in street clothes.

What I didn't expect was the way the crowd applauded the collapse of the season.

"When you’re out there on the field, you’re not listening to the crowd noise," said coach Smith. "You’re focused on the task at hand and the task at hand for us was to try to score when we had the ball on offense and to stop our opponent when we were on defense.”

Why exactly is crowd noise a factor at home against the same team that twice in this decade put the Falcons out of the playoffs?

I realized there were still fans of Michael Vick in attendance. Hell, I'm one of them. After all the destruction that happened as a result of Michael Vick's off-field actions, I never forgot the joy he brought me on the field.

I have to be honest; it made me nervous seeing him on the Georgia Dome turf once again. I remember many games where he brought excitement to the field that few in history can boast.

But this past Sunday, he brought a dagger and shoved it into the Falcons' playoff dreams. And while he was executing the dreams of actual Atlanta Falcons fans, he was elating those Vick fans that once filled the dome.

I'm sure in next Sunday's game against the undefeated New Orleans Saints, there will be a few of those who cheered the fallen son of Arthur Blank remaining. Those that cling to their loyalty to an athletic felon and their desire to support a team that repeatedly fails to put together back-to-back winning seasons.

That said, I'm left with one lingering question. How can you call yourself a fan of the Atlanta Falcons when you cheer for their opponent?

When Michael Vick scored his first touchdown, the cheers that rose from that stadium were appalling. It reminded me of the days of the Roman Coliseum and the crowd's elation at the site of blood. As an Atlanta Falcons fan, it was embarrassing.

I'm embarrassed at the realization that those who stated Atlanta was too fickle to be a sports city were correct. Did Green Bay fans cheer when Favre walked out of Lambeau victorious? Did Raiders fans wear jerseys with the name "Gruden" on them while they watched him defeat them in the Super Bowl?

There is no question that Michael Vick put butts in the seats during his time in red and black. The dome stayed full capacity, but for the wrong reasons.

It will take many years of success and championships to earn the respect of the city. The new regime of Falcons with Thomas Dimitroff, Mike Smith, and Matt Ryan seem to be the right components to turn around this franchise. However, hearing the cheers for the one-time face of the Falcons had to be disheartening for the sidelined Matt Ryan. 

If I were Matt Ryan, I would take this as a challenge to cleanse the dome of those who refuse to let go of Vick and create my own legacy. A win against the Saints on Sunday would go a long way in establishing that belief.

Normally, this is the point where I name the studs and duds of the game. I'm finding it difficult to lay praise on any Falcons player. I realize both Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez had statistically great games, but it achieved nothing more than avoiding a shut out that the Falcons staff seemed to care little about.

This brings me to my second question. Why would you not want to score to avoid a shut out?

On the final drive of the game, the Atlanta Falcons allowed two minutes to tick off the clock without so much as a time out. Does being shut out at home mean nothing anymore? I, for one, will take any points I can get. Thanks to the heads-up catch on a deflected pass by Roddy White with time expiring, the Falcons avoided complete domination.

I have decided to toss this game aside, forget it happened, and focus on the Saints this Sunday. I hope for the return of Ryan, Turner, and Dahl because they will be needed to unseat the Cajun killing machine from New Orleans.