what do you put more stock in?

[TonyGraziani]

I think I finally figured out the core reason behind the difference in feeling coming into this game, and overall with this team. Its simple, do you care more about who a team beats or who they lose to? And why?

[Peyton]

That's a pretty interesting question. For me, I think it's more of just a matter of what I see.

I mean, I think the fact that the defensive line is struggling so mightily to put pressure on opposing QBs and that secondary has given up easy TDs on slant patterns in two consecutive games is more concerning to me than the actualy score or number of yards and points the defense is given up.

I mean, it's very possible that the Falcons could lose the game tomorrow and I still come out of it feeling better about the team than I do now. It's also possible that the Falcons could win and my opinion might not change much, but it's harder for me to see that scenario.

Because I can't see a way that the Falcons win tomorrow night without the defense playing a lot better than they have in the last two games.

[TonyGraziani]

(11-11-2010 12:02 AM)Peyton Wrote:  That's a pretty interesting question. For me, I think it's more of just a matter of what I see.

I mean, I think the fact that the defensive line is struggling so mightily to put pressure on opposing QBs and that secondary has given up easy TDs on slant patterns in two consecutive games is more concerning to me than the actualy score or number of yards and points the defense is given up.

I mean, it's very possible that the Falcons could lose the game tomorrow and I still come out of it feeling better about the team than I do now. It's also possible that the Falcons could win and my opinion might not change much, but it's harder for me to see that scenario.

Because I can't see a way that the Falcons win tomorrow night without the defense playing a lot better than they have in the last two games.

Thanx, it came from your comment about the Saints beating the Steelers. I, on the other hand, can't look past them losing to Cleveland and Arizona. I think 90% of people would be happier if we were 6-2 with wins against Pittsburgh and Philly and losses to Cincinnati and San Francisco. I wouldn't be because that means we lost to two sorry teams. Its all about perspective.

I can feel you on the "eye test" reasoning too though.

[I Am The Truth]

I agree with Peyton. To me, it's HOW they play [insert team here]. I don't care as much about who the opponent is, I care more about how WE played during that game and judging that against the QUALITY of the team we are playing.

If we came out flat against CAR and narrowly won, I'd be a little pissed. If we gave everything we had to the Ravens and lost, I wouldn't be as upset (unless there were specific breakdowns like Special Teams or INTs).

Bottom line is that no matter who we play, we need to get better on two of the three main phases of any football game: Defense and Special Teams.

[Peyton]

(11-11-2010 12:23 AM)TonyGraziani Wrote:  Thanx, it came from your comment about the Saints beating the Steelers. I, on the other hand, can't look past them losing to Cleveland and Arizona. I think 90% of people would be happier if we were 6-2 with wins against Pittsburgh and Philly and losses to Cincinnati and San Francisco. I wouldn't be because that means we lost to two sorry teams. Its all about perspective.

I can feel you on the "eye test" reasoning too though.

Well I also think that games played in the first quarter of the season aren't as important as games played later in the season.

I mean, I could give you a bunch of examples of teams winning the Super Bowl that suffered embarrassing defeats to bad teams early in the season.

I thnk the number of Super Bowl winning teams that have suffered embarrassing defeats to bad teams in the second half of the season would be much smaller, not counting games where the team had clinched and was resting starters.

I mean, those were bad losses by the Saints, but if they keep playing they have played the last 3 weeks, nobody is going to remember those games, except Cards fans and Browns fans.

[xstealth]

wins vs nfc south

[RnB]

I care about wins, period. I also think that a win is a win, and a loss is a loss. In other words, I dont care if we win/lose against the best team in football or the worst; they are the same to me. I firmly believe that any given Sunday any team can win or lose. I am also not the type of person who obsesses over the things we DONT do well or need to work on. I trust our Players, Coaches, and Front Office to address the issues and understand that my opinion doesnt matter in the slightest.

I appreciate what our team has accomplished, every game and every season, and simply can not relate to the mindset which only focuses on the negative. Devaluing what we HAVE done by only worrying about what we have NOT done make zero sense to me.