When the Falcons beat the Saints, an angel gets its wings - at least that's what I'm told. But when the Saints beat the Falcons, grown men cry like six-year-old girls, buildings collapse, et cetera.
We're not going to count last year, because to be fair to the Saints, Sean Payton does seem to make their club tick. You can argue even Payton's presence can't make their defense better, but they're undoubtedly a better squad with him on their sideline.
In the 8 games Mike Smith has faced off against Payton, his team has won just twice. It'd be awfully nice for Smith to turn a corner going forward. One could argue he was en route to doing just that, until the December 26, 2011 butt kicking Payton's Saints laid on Smith's Falcons.
In the 3 games before that game, the outcome was determined by 3 points each time. The Falcons won 1 of those games. But the Falcons battled. They hung in there. They grudge matched. That is all well and good, but Smith needs to return the favor.
What Smith really needs is a blowout. I'm talking about a serious, pedal-to-the-floor blowout. Herm Edwards swears you can't win a football game in the first quarter, and he always preaches that, but this week, that adage doesn't apply. I want Smith and company to send a message, to make them understand their place in the NFC pecking order. It's not that I don't respect the Saints, Drew Brees is only of the greatest ever, but it's important to send a message. Send a message, then carry that momentum forward.
Your thoughts?