Have you been on the Falcons boards?

[ThisIsNewOrleans!]

My favorite..

http://life.atlantafalcons.com/topic...48-the-saints/

Whatever. I'm beginning to hate our own coaching staff more. Maybe I should become a Saints fan, at least they win.

Hope off, join the Saints bandwagon fans... when they have a losing season next season and we have a winning season, you'll be back.

[Galbreath34]

I don't know about race issues, but I mostly avoid the Falcon forums to keep away from the man-on-man porn popups and discussion.

[Big_L]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

I will be the first to say i am totally impressed with the Saints fans this year. Showing up at airports after away games with 5,000 people there is exactly what fans should be, but i also believe if the Saints were 6-6 that there would be similar reactions as ATL fans.

I have to disagree with you there buddy. Sure as Saint's fans we fly off gettin ****** at the coaches and players, but that's because we love our team, it's passion. We'd still meet our players at the airport if we were 6-6. This is nothing new.

I know that's why you spend alot of time on our board, for the intelligent discussion and passion, but I won't tell , cue Fat Joe and J.Holiday, your secret is safe with me;-)

[SaintsIn2009]

Saints fans would never chant something like that, ever. That is just classless after what Ryan did for that team last year and now they want Vick back? Please!! If I was Ryan I would want out of there ASAP and I would just sit down after calling hike until it happened. Screw those sorry excuse for fans.

[SuePrudhomme]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

I have to disagree here. There is also no comparison to Aaron Brooks and MV because MV led us to the NFC championship and won many games in an exciting way. His jersey was the highest selling for 3 straight years. Aaron Brooks was not half as popular. He was not a franchise QB.

You have a point there. AB was not as central a figure to his team as MV was to his in Atlanta. I remember all the talk about MV being the "human highlight reel" (and yes, as a Saints fan I used to kinda gag a little whenever I heard it) and he was undoubtedly an exciting player to watch.

However, I'm not sure you understand the psyches of Saints fans. Five thousand people out there to greet them after their win over the 'Skins was impressive--but what's more impressive is that I don't think that number would've been significantly smaller had they lost that game and become NFC South champions by default. The only thing that would've changed are the numbers on the signs people made.

I've said before that it's hard to draw parallels between the Atlanta Falcons--one pro sports team among many in a large city composed of transplants--and the New Orleans Saints, which were for many years our only team in a city that has one of the highest populations of native-born citizens of any in the country. Just about everyone in the city has taken in Saints football with their mothers' milk; if you're a New Orleanian, you don't "decide" to be a Saints fan any more than you "decide" you breathe air.

[meily]

Originally Posted by TulsaSaint

I have a serious question, and I hope no one takes it differently from how I intend it. But I read an article somewhere a while back, or maybe I heard it on sports talk radio, that the fan rift in Atlanta was largely along racial lines. That is, the white fans tended to be glad he was gone, while the black fans were usually the ones who wanted him back. Anyone know if there's any substance to that?

VERY VERY TRUE...I live in ATL and my co-worker does not like Matt Ryan because she liked having a black QB, she actually wants DJ Shockley to play. (we are both black by the way) and Vick is like anybody black dude you meet on the streets, he came from the bottom like alot of us and its like seeing someone you can relate to out there on the big stage and people loved him. the "other side" probably hated his cornrolls, tattoes and pocket awareness (or lack there of) thought he was to much flash and not enough "effiecency" at the QB Position. and I'm sure some on the other side (like some on the black side) simply wanted to see one of there own at the QB position. I mean QB for the longest time was a position we were supposedly to dumb to play, we could be anything else BUT the QB, and some still believe that and no matter what we do, it aint done like a white QB does it and lets face it, thats what we are all used to. I'm sure there some black folk out there who are glad to have Matt Ryan because now the passing game is working and if you know footbal, you can see it, thats why I agree wit them. the Falcons actually are more effecient with a prototypical passing QB.


Point is, you know some decisions are based on race and some on football. but you really cant say because if a white guy likes the team with out vick because of the improved passing game, some might call him racist, when in fact he has a point...but on the same hand a white guy can say the falcons are better with without vick because of the improved passing game he could really mean a "white QB", and same with blacks who rather have Vick because he is black in a black city they want a black QB....opinions not nessasarily based on football on both sides.

[vanman]

Real fans need to give AB some credit, He spoked out about the Saints plans to stay in Texas when we were getting alot of bull from the people in the front office. Don't believe me go back and find the clipping.

[SuePrudhomme]

Wish we could all just base football decisions on football rather than on a guy's genetic background and melanin content. My heroes wear black and gold, but some of them are tall and some short, some big and some small, some black and some white. The common thread is their Saints-ness, not their phenotype. To me that's like saying I would prefer a QB with brown eyes instead of Drew Brees and his blue eyes because I want a QB who is "more like me."

Well, actually it'd be impossible for me to find a QB who looks "more like me" because I'm 5'2" and female. I am closer to the size of the football than I am to the size of the average football player and no one would ever want me to take the field.

But I do see what you're saying and there've been players I gravitated to for whatever reason (there's a QB out there right now who has my real last name, for instance, and I love that guy!), players I really wanted to succeed because I felt an affinity for them. I can't understand wanting that player in at the cost of the team, though, much less cheering for that player if he faces off against MY team.

That QB who shares my name? He played against the Saints and I didn't dream of rooting for him to have a good day; I wanted him dazed and confused as my Saints turned him upside down and shook him until all the loose change fell out of his pockets. NOW I like him...but not that day. Not when he's in our house.

[FLASH]

First the real housewives of Atlanta gives all other Atlanta housewives a bad name and now these "we want Vick" fans just gave all Falcon fans an even worse name than they had before.

[Blk&Gold4Life]

Originally Posted by gw504saints

That was the same rift when the Saints had Brooks at QB. If anybody post after me and say that it wasn't is lying. No matter if I was at work or listening to a radio talk show overwhelming whites did not like Brooks.

:Cliff:

[St. Pike]

Originally Posted by SaintAtPitt

Are you saying Bobby Hebert is black?

Well, wouldn't his mother be surprise to learn this revelation


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[St. Pike]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

As far as the fans to me i dont think showing up to games in paper bags is any worse than coming to games and cheering for an opposing player who was once the leader of the franchise and who was a very very charismatic and popular player.

Perhaps I may have it wrong, but,....

Other fan bases totally missed the point of the paper bags. people who wore the paper bags wore them because they were too embarrassed to be seen at the game, but they could not bare the thought of supporting their beloved Saints. They were faced with two choices; 1. Not show up at all or 2. show up with paperbag to do what fans supposed to do; support their team through thick and thin!

Personally, I would never wear a bag on my head, but i can certainly understand the frustration of the fans that did.


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[rechargeable]

Originally Posted by jdl1201

My opinion is that blacks looked at it as more of a race issue than whites, bottom line is AB sucked and I don't think anyone in Oakland wants him to return. We all love Bobby Herbert, the Dome Patrol, Deuce, Joe Horn and a host of black players but did anyone think it was racial when we wanted to run Jason David out of town? I don't hear anyone call for him to replace Drew Brees, well maybe the rest of the NFC South. If anyone can explain to me why AB was a racial issue I would love to hear it.

The bolded answers your last query, and I'd say the truth tilts more towards the opposite. I know plenty blacks who critisized Brooks' play. Why would you generalize in such a way?

Furthermore, Brooks himself spoke of the racist hate mail he often received while here. Should I take that and say ALL whites hated Brooks?

[St.Fury]

I have a moral obligation against visiting any website Filclown related.

[atl_falcon_89]

GAH.... I've been working overtime trying to get those fools off our board but unless they violate the MB rules we've just got to put up with them. You guys have no idea what chaos Vick left us in 06' and for some reason its feels like a microcosim of all thats been brought back to us for a week. Hopefully it'll calm down by Wednesday.