USA TODAY International Edition
‘ Boring’ Falcons OK with flying under radar
HOUSTON Skip Bayless said it, which doesn’t necessarily mean it is true. But a Boston sports columnist and neutral football fans across the country echoed the sentiment. Heck, even members of the Atlanta Falcons admit it — they are kind of boring.
“You know what, I agree,” defensive end Ra’Shede Hageman told USA TODAY Sports. “Maybe we are if you look at it one way. We just go about our business and we don’t care about much else. But look at where we are. We must be doing something right.”
The Falcons have never won a Super Bowl. And while they have a corps of prodigiously talented players, there is none of the Hollywood element that someone like, say, quarterback Tom Brady delivers for the New England Patriots.
“The truth is, the Atlanta Falcons are pretty boring as a football team,” controversial pundit Bayless said on Wednesday’s edition of Fox Sports 1’ s Undisputed. “All told, they’re boring.”
The Falcons might not have the historical cachet of the Dallas Cowboys ( a Bayless favorite) or the Green Bay Packers, but they’re hardly a snooze to watch, not with the league’s likely MVP Matt Ryan throwing lasers and perhaps the best receiver in football, Julio Jones, wreaking havoc down the sidelines.
Perhaps they have been too good. The Seattle Seahawks put up a bit of a fight in the divisional round, but the Packers were destroyed in the NFC Champion- ship Game at the Georgia Dome.
Even then, there was greater attention on the AFC Championship Game in Massachusetts because, well, it is the Patriots and everything from Brady’s headwear to head coach Bill Belichick’s hoodie is under a permanent microscope.
“I think it is a good thing to fly under the radar a bit,” defensive lineman Brooks Reed said. “I don’t think we are boring, though. Look at our offense. I don’t know where they got that. I don’t agree with it at all. Look at some of the plays we have made.”
It is likely the Falcons’ description as boring comes mainly from off- field factors. They are not flashy, there were no outrageous fashion choices the likes of the pants Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton wore a year ago, there have been no major controversies and nothing much to see here except the singular pursuit of victory.
Head coach Dan Quinn also took pre- emptive action to make sure his players avoided making grand proclamations at media night that could provide bulletinboard material for their Super Bowl LI rival.
“We were ready,” defensive star Tyson Jackson said. “You’ve got to be real articulate about the way you answer questions. You don’t want to take any chances.”
At least the Falcons hometown fans don’t think there is anything dull about them. On the contrary, the heroics of this season have electrified the city.
A collection of local celebrities has gotten behind the team, with actor Samuel L. Jackson, recording artist Usher and Ludacris, who does a bit of both, among the well- known names present at the NFC Championship Game. Past and present NBA stars Dikembe Mutombo and Dwight Howard also were spotted.
“It is insane,” Samuel L. Jackson said. “Greatest city, unbelievable team.”
James Lam, a popular Atlanta DJ who plays under the name DJ Jay Envy at events in the city and Falcons games, said the concept of Atlanta pride is vastly underrated.
“It is something that no one understands around the rest of the country, but it really exists,” Lam said. “People here feel that we and our sports teams have been looked down upon, and we’re not happy about it. We have a lot of pride in what we are about, and we’ve come through some tough times. The Falcons represent us and, you know what, that noise and that support does make a difference. It has lifted the whole city.”
If Atlanta is ready, so too are the Falcons. If a league- best average of 33.8 points per game hasn’t been enough to shed the “boring” tag, then maybe a Super Bowl title will.
“They can call us whatever they want,” safety Ricardo Allen said. “If you become the champion, they have to call you that.”