The Atlanta Falcons are a crappy football team, which their 5-7 record indicates.
However, the division they play in is even crappier. With the New Orleans Saints getting blown out by the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, no team in the NFC South has more than five wins. So right now, the Falcons have the best record in the NFC South.
At least until they play the Green Bay Packers this evening.
Even if they lose, the Falcons will still be in first place in the NFC South. They’re essentially in the playoff picture because some shitty team has to win that shitty division. A lot of people think that’s a joke.
The Atlanta Falcons — specifically, receiver Roddy White — wants you to feel sorry for them. Not because they suck at football, but because people think they’re a joke.
“I’m upset because I just hear all the comments about us and our position and our division,” White told ESPN.com. “Like no one has won a division going 8-8 or 7-9. When the Giants won the Super Bowl [in 2011], they were 9-7 going in and they barely got into the playoffs.
“It’s like everybody wants to be mad at us because we’re in the position that we’re in and other guys are winning games and they have better records than us. Don’t nobody complain when other teams do it, so why such a big deal now? It pisses me off because it’s not fair.”
Mrah! Woe is you!
I think I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again right here. Fuck these clowns.
First of all, a TON of people complained when other teams with losing records made the playoffs. This is no different. This same dialogue is repeated every time a team with a losing record gets in. The chief commentary is that the seeding structure needs to change.
And nothing ever changes.
The NFL does nothing, once in a while a shitty team makes it in and a lot of people complain.
Oh, but I forgot. You’re the Atlanta Falcons. You’re media darlings. No one should have a negative thing to say about the Atlanta Falcons.
We just feel so terrible about the plight of this awesome team and wonderful organization. Please treat them accordingly this evening, Green Bay.
EN 
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I totally disagree about anything changing. It is a rare anomaly and nothing more.
Seattle beating the defending champion New Orleans Saints the last time this happened was one of the most memorable games in playoff history. Oh yeah and by the way… the better team won the game.
It is a rarity and it won’t last. New Orleans was a lot of people’s preseason Super Bowl pick so because they’ve suddenly had an off year everyone wants to change the rules? No way.
Winning the Super Bowl is not about having the best regular season record, and if recent history has taught us anything, it’s that it’s meaningless. If you win your division you earn that right to participate in the tournament and I don’t think I’ll ever have an issue with that.
You could take away the home playoff game, but then everything becomes convoluted moving forward and all the games and seedings would be nothing but a series of tiebreakers when teams have identical records.
Having the divisions is the straw that stirs the drink and keeps everything in synch. Maybe some day a team with a losing record will win the Super Bowl. And if they do they’ll have earned it.
I completely agree.
You secure your post-season birth by winning your division, regardless of record. That’s you’re regular season goal. If you don’t, then you live with the the consequences of seeding.
Three thoughts:
1. Agree 100% with Andrew and Adam
2. Atlanta is not anyone’s media darling
3. Just saw a TV shot of Favre getting off his jet in GB. With any luck at all Wolfie will bust a blood vessel and his worries will be over.
He’s in town for an event at his steakhouse honoring Bart Starr’s charity work. I wonder if he makes a surprise appearance at the game tonight, causing Wolf’s head to explode..
He probably carved an Oval G into his forehead the moment he bore witness to this latest odious act of said unrepentant egocentric apostate.
Oh! the unmitigated temerity of this pretentious Prodigal Son! This pompous, pontificating Pontius Pilot! This disgustingly deceitful Delilah! This jealous, jejune Jezebel! This abominably apathetic Abel! This basely barbaric BERTY JUDAS!!!!! This blah blah blah (insert sundry Biblical bad boys [and girls] here). How dare this malevolent, maleficent Moses return to the Hallowed Ground from whence he was forbidden after his desolation of the Chosen People he once saved!!! UNFORGIVEABLE!!!!!! It hall not be allowed! NEIN! NEIN! NEIN! NEIN!! There will be remuneration! There will be vengeance! there will be BLOOD!!! ETC.! ETC.! ETC.!
Hey Phat: you made my morning with this one
ok. let’s get rid of the wild card round. we got 4 division winners, that’s good for two playoff rounds to pick the nfc SB entry. this would give us two more games in the regular season if they would get rid of the useless bye weeks. i never understood why we needed bye weeks in the first place, isn’t football only played once a week anyway? like, it’s not BB where you play every other week day? actually i would prefer reducing the preseason schedule from four games to two. they really play four full games with the starters anyway, right now?
Favres steakhouse is ridiculously good. One of the best I’ve ever had. Can someone tape his head exploding- this site would go viral!
Are you even a writer/journalist? Terrible “article”, if that is what you call it.
The author of this is an idiot. I feel like the whole “Mrah” and stuff like that was childish (granted I called him an idiot). I just say don’t complain just because a team is leading their division. As long as the divisions are in place, it only makes sense to give the best team in each division a playoff birth. Otherwise there would be no point in having divisions. This author needs to grow up.
By the way, Roddy White never once said that people should feel sorry for him. He said to not complain just because they are leading. (To the author) You even quoted him yourself. Look at your quotes before making inaccurate comments.
Favre’s steakhouse in Milw, wasn’t any good, service was good, steak wasn’t.
I used to love Favre’s Steakhouse. Great ambiance. Decent wine and good steak. I haven’t been there in years, and I’ve heard its gone downhill.
Not that the NFL will EVER change it, but I have said before that having divisions of just 4 teams is one of the biggest jokes in the NFL. You get a playoff birth for what? Being better than 3 other teams? What if those teams all suck? Which invariably happens in some division every season.
The answer is to go with two 8 team divisions in each conference. The division winners get the byes, and the next 4 teams in the playoffs are wildcards.
You can actually keep the divisions you have now as sub-divisions. Combine the East with the South, considering that Tampa Bay, Carolina, and Atlanta are all in East coast states anyway, and combine the West with the North. If that were the case, then the six teams that would currently qualify for the playoffs would be the Eagles, Cowboys, Cardinals, Packers, Seahawks and Lions. Gee, that would be about right.
For scheduling, you would still play your sub-division twice, just like you do now (6 games). You would play the other four teams in your division (4 games). You would play one sub-division from the other conference (4 games), and then two games against the teams from the other sub-divisions in your conference that finished in the same spot that you did the season before. Simple.
Just like the Patriots making the playoffs every year because their division always sucks balls.
the reason they have four divisions is that the popularity of nfl pro football is still expanding worldwide. there may soon be expansions into US cities as well as canadian or even international cities. that is why they are playing two games per season overseas.
one word for the author of this article – you are a complete idiot and should grow up. Its just a game, every team has its up and down and its normal.
Atlanta the media darlings? Are you kidding me!!! Who wrote this garbage article? Nothing could be further from the truth. Get a clue and stop writing dumb senseless drivel! My Goodness they will let anyone with the ability to type words write this silliness..SMH
There is a big difference between the Giants qualifying as the last wild card at 9-7 and anyone winning a division at 6-10 and hosting a playoff game.
Love Shawn’s idea on scheduling and playoff seeding.