Atlanta Falcons ‘Ultimate Franchise Player’ Selection

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This is the second post in Kurt’s epic quest to identify the NFL’s Ultimate Franchise Player. For an explanation of his methodology for choosing each franchise’s ultimate franchise player, and then how you and he will choose the NFL’s Ultimate Franchise Player from that list, click here.

To see all the posts in this series, of which there will be one for every franchise, click here.

During the mid-1960s, the city of Atlanta had become fertile ground for professional sports franchises. A new multi-purpose stadium was going up, and the city had already become successful in getting a Major League Baseball team to move to the Deep South for the first time.

Football would be next.

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NFL Playoffs: Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants Wild Card Game Preview and Prediction

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The second set of games on Wild Card Weekend starts off with a great matchup, as the Atlanta Falcons are going on the road to face the New York Giants.

The Saints easily defeated the Lions yesterday, so the winner of this game is heading into Lambeau to take on the 15-1 Packers.

Well, at least the fun will last for a week.

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Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints: Monday Night Football Preview and Prediction

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Postpone taking down that Christmas tree and cleaning up the mess left behind by relatives and enjoy your weekly dose of Monday Night Football.

Watch the New Orleans Saints (11-3) host the Atlanta Falcons (9-5) to wrap up the last of the Christmas weekend games, and hopefully the holiday lights will not surge all the electrical power from the Superdome like last week at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

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NFL: NFC Playoff Scenarios and Predictions for Week 17

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After the Saints and Falcons play tonight, just one more week will remain in the NFL regular season. As usual, there are myriad iterations of playoff matchups that could become a reality based on what happens tonight and in Week 17.

Here is a rundown of the NFC playoff scenarios. (Click here to see the AFC playoff scenarios.)

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Fantasy Football Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups and Advice

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If you’re still playing in Week 17, I have a couple thoughts to share with you.

First off, congratulations!

Second, what the hell are you thinking?

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Fantasy Football Week 13 Start em, Sit em Lineup Advice, Projections, and Roster Q&A

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I know what you’re thinking…

“I love the NFL, and I need my start/sit advice for Week 13, but I’m just SO pumped for the Big Ten Championship game this weekend that I can’t even think about it!”

You’re in luck!

Click here (or here for a work-friendly page) and comment, “I want tickets!!!!” in order to win FOUR free tickets to the Big game this weekend between Michigan St. and Wisconsin, courtesy of our friends at Verizon.

Seriously…that’s all you have to do.  What have you got to lose? We’re even going to save you time by helping you out with your start em, sit em questions in this post and in the comment section!

Now on to week 13.

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Fantasy Football Week 10 Stock Report

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I absolutely love the fact that there are no byes this week even though it makes things harder on my own team. How’s that for a contradiction?

As I stop with the filibuster lines, let’s discuss the injuries that have begun to rear their many ugly heads.  And I’m not just talking about injuries to players on your roster. Something else to pay attention to is injuries to your players’ opponents. These can sometimes affect your guys greatly. For example, Johnathan Joseph will play this week against Tampa Bay, but his hamstring isn’t 100%.

As a matter of fact, in the NFL, after week 1 nobody is 100% anymore. This is a tough game we play we with tough decisions, and we highlight who is healthy enough and good enough to play in this week’s stock report.

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Fantasy Football Start em, Sit em Advice for Week 10

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There are many different factors that make fantasy football difficult: bye weeks; injuries; random lucky days for your opponent; and worst of all, Chris Johnson.

In my opinion though, the hardest thing is staying in the present.

What do I mean?

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NFL Power Rankings Week 9: The Midseason Motown Edition – One Classic “Hitsville, U.S.A.” Track For All 32 Teams

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Week 8 is now in the books after Philip Rivers fumbled away a road win in Kansas City, which means we are right around the midway point of the 2011 season. Most teams have played 8 games, a few have played 7, and we can finally start to state with some level of certainty who is good, who is not, and who is too enigmatic to declare.

Without question, the story of the first half of the season (other than this) has been the ascent of the Detroit Lions.

They went 0-16 three years ago, then 2-14 in Jim Schwartz’s first year, then 6-10 last year; and now halfway through their 2011 slate Detroit, sitting at 6-2, is a bona fide contender in the NFC. And the Lions aren’t just an empty record either. They have the skill, attitude, reputation, and right now the health (knock on wood) to suggest that they aren’t going away.

So in honor of the Motor City Mufasas, and their roaring wreakers of wreckage Ndamukong Suh and Calvin Johnson, I give to you my Midseason NFL Power Rankings, with each team presented alongside a Motown classic that sums up the first half of its season.
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How many NFL teams would trade their current QB for Cam Newton right now?

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How many teams would trade their current QB, right now, for Cam Newton?

This is a question I’ve been thinking about a lot over the past several weeks, as I continue to be more and more impressed (and surprised) by how well Cam Newton is transitioning to the NFL in his first season.

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Fantasy Football Week 9 Waiver Wire Advice and Pickups

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Week Eight featured fewer injuries and breakout performances than we’ve seen in recent weeks, but it did provide fantasy owners with a sobering reminder that we live in a world where Drew Brees, in a gift-wrapped matchup against a floundering defense, can be outscored by guys like Matt Moore and Matt Painter.

The good news is that we are through most of the bye weeks, and just four teams (Carolina, Detroit, Jacksonville, and Minnesota) are off in Week Nine.  While most of those teams haven’t racked up many wins, there are some big fantasy names on those rosters for which owners may need a replacement.

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The 2011 Falcons: Disappointing On The Field, In The Stands

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Matt Ryan is the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons. He entered the league a few years back with a reputation for being cash in the clutch, a reputation that led to his spectacularly annoying nickname ‘Matty Ice’. Now in his fourth season, Matty Ice is 0-2 in the playoffs and is playing some of the worst football he’s ever played to begin 2011 while leading what was supposed to be the best Atlanta team in many years.

Regardless, Falcons fans – at least four them anyway – have their struggling quarterback’s back, support that they manifest with quite possibly the lamest fan headgear in NFL history.

Here are…the Iceheads!

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Green Bay Packers v Atlanta Falcons Analysis and Prediction – Sunday Night Football Preview

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There are two undefeated teams left in the NFL heading into Week 5, and both are in the NFC North. The Packers and the Lions are those two teams, and Green Bay will attempt to keep their perfect record alive this Sunday night in Atlanta.

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Fantasy Football Week 5 Stock Report: Sanchez, Decker UP; Fitzpatrick, Colston DOWN

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Oh byes.

We don’t like them, but the players do need their rest.  With the rest periods starting now, there are some crucial decisions that need to be made regarding your roster.

Who is going to fill in for Ray Rice?  Issac Redman can’t carry the load for an injured Mendenhall…can he?  And so many more.

Now is the time that we want to highlight players who might be on your bench or floating around on waivers waiting to be picked up in hopes that he can provide that stopgap service.  Everyone knows that Jason Witten is good for your health but how about Brandon Pettigrew?

There are questions galore to be answered in the Week 5 stock report.

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NFL Power Rankings Week 5 – “Drunk Girls Alone At The Bar” Edition

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I don’t like that NFL teams wear pink during the month of October. I love the idea that they are celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Month and doing what they can to increase awareness and honor those who have fallen victim to the disease, but I don’t like that they add pink to the uniforms for the whole month.

30 years from now when the next generation of kids are watching highlights from the 2011 season, they will randomly see players wearing pink, and unless the NFL continues this practice forever, they won’t know why. The great thing about highlights from the 60s and 70s is that teams always looked the same. They were the definition of uniform.

Nowadays each team has at least one throwback or alternate uniform that they wear periodically throughout the season. And while they look great, it messes with continuity. I realize that the extra uniforms bring in racks on racks on racks of extra money each season, but they need to do away with it. Teams should be forced to pick one uniform design – one home, one away – and stick with it. If the throwback uniforms are such a hit and look better than the default uniforms, then switch back.

On to the Week 5 Power Rankings.

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