Atlanta @ New Orleans

[johngateswhiteley]

...can't wait for this one. i'm hoping the Saints can pull it off and go 3-0.

Saints 27
Falcons 24

[Horry For 3!]

For the sake of my Atlanta DEF, I hope they shut out the Saints.

[johngateswhiteley]

For the sake of my Atlanta DEF, I hope they shut out the Saints.

you shouldn't start the ATL defense against Brees and Company. laugh if you must...but wait and see.

[Zunni]

NO's carriage turns back into a pumpkin Monday night. They don't even come close to having the defensive edge speed to slow down ATL's lightning duo of Vick and Dunn. The Falcons are averaging 279 yards rushing per game!!!

ATL 31
NO 17

[Amarelooms]

Pulling for the Saints but the Falcons probably the better team. Maybe Bush will take one to the house...

[PAWW]

Pulling for the Saints but the Falcons probably the better team. Maybe Bush will take one to the house...Agreed. It would be nice for the Saints to win back home after all that happened. I'm sure it will be emotional for them.

[THE SIXTH MAN]

Damn I just saw some clips on ESPN of the team walking through the stadium. It looks pretty good considering what kind of state it was in after Katrina.

[Horry For 3!]

you shouldn't start the ATL defense against Brees and Company. laugh if you must...but wait and see.
It won't matter how they do, I already won my match-up easily.

[johngateswhiteley]

It won't matter how they do, I already won my match-up easily.

my team is not going anywhere from the top...when the season is over i think you'll see me atop the standings. but congrats on the win....you needed it.

[tlongII]

I would like to see the Saints win this. Atlanta has more talent, but emotion might carry NO to the win.

[ducks]

brees is why they will win

[johngateswhiteley]

brees is why they will win


...this is correct.

[johngateswhiteley]

BREES with the block for the TD!!!

[Horry For 3!]

my team is not going anywhere from the top...when the season is over i think you'll see me atop the standings. but congrats on the win....you needed it.
I'm not even talkin about the league I am in that is free. I could care less what I do in there because it is just for fun. I am talkin about the money league that I am in.

[johngateswhiteley]

I'm not even talkin about the league I am in that is free. I could care less what I do in there because it is just for fun. I am talkin about the money league that I am in.

touche. i am in two money leagues and then that free one with you; though i still care about the free one. why play otherwise?

[johngateswhiteley]

Saints looking good so far...getting some breaks and also playing well. naysayers can bite me...and the saints.

...lets get a good second half!

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Man, I just wish they'd knock off the political bullshit. Pimping Spike Lee, who blamed it all on Bush, etc., saying more should be done down there, etc.

ESPN is starting to get as bad as MTV. Fucking broadcast the damn game and keep your political beliefs to yourselves.

[johngateswhiteley]

ESPN is starting to get as bad as MTV. Fucking broadcast the damn game and keep your political beliefs to yourselves.

i'll agree with that.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Man, I just wish they'd knock off the political bullshit. Pimping Spike Lee, who blamed it all on Bush, etc., saying more should be done down there, etc.

ESPN is starting to get as bad as MTV. Fucking broadcast the damn game and keep your political beliefs to yourselves.

He didn't even go as far as he wanted to, man. Give him a break.

He could have come out and used it as his soapbox, but he didn't. He did it in his documentary and left most of what he thought away from this game.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Don't get me wrong, I agree with removing politics from the sports network, but President Bush did the same thing when he was with Bob Ley during the pre-game.

[ducks]

PRESIDENT BUSH did what he did for no

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

PRESIDENT BUSH did what he did for no

And Spike Lee didn't?

Whether or not you agree with his thoughts or the thoughts of President Bush (and I mean the one that was actually on the pre-game show, Ducks, not the one in the Oval Office currently), both men did what they thought would benefit the city of New Orleans in their own ways.

[ducks]

I Was At Work During Pregame Excuse Me For Asking What Bush It Was

NO TV THERE

[johngateswhiteley]

Don't get me wrong, I agree with removing politics from the sports network, but President Bush did the same thing when he was with Bob Ley during the pre-game.

um, he is the PRESIDENT. i care about what Bush thinks and says...i could give a damn about Spike Lee.

now, do i want to hear Bush during a football game...not necessarily, but it is much more relevant than Spike.

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

Spike is full of great wisdom, just ask Reggie Miller :smokin

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

um, he is the PRESIDENT. i care about what Bush thinks and says...i could give a damn about Spike Lee.

now, do i want to hear Bush during a football game...not necessarily, but it is much more relevant than Spike.

Was, but I still afford Bush 41 the same respect.

You're right, though, this wasn't a politics night, but you can't tell me that Spike Lee can't speak about his thoughts on the pulse of the community in the first game in NO in more than a year-and-a-half.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

He didn't even go as far as he wanted to, man. Give him a break.

He could have come out and used it as his soapbox, but he didn't. He did it in his documentary and left most of what he thought away from this game.

Everyone knows the content and 'message' of Spike's film about New Orleans. Plugging his film as a great work (as Mike Tirico said) is implicitly agreeing with Spike's film which...

he said it himself, he wasn't going to pull a Kanye. So you're giving him a pass because he didn't come right out and say "George Bush hates black people"?

That's pretty weak. They could have said that NO needs more support, and done it in a tasteful way without any "I don't want to pull a Kanye" bullshit.

What's funny is Kornheiser is sitting there in the first half, I don't know probably 5-6 times, saying "you know, it's like the people here don't want to talk about the sad things, the depressing things, they just want to enjoy the game, but we HAVE to talk about it."

He should have listened to his own observations, as should have ESPN. But you could tell they had the Spike Lee bit teed up and ready to go, and of course you knew it was going to be political too.

They had Archie Manning, Avery, and others on the broadcast and you didn't hear a single "well I don't want to pull a Kanye, but this city hasn't gotten enough help since last year" shit.

Weak call by ESPN letting Captain Conspiracy pimp his film and engage in some social commentary.

[MannyIsGod]

To not talk aobut it would be to ignore the white elephant in the room.

[MosesGuthrie]

Great game.

Atlanta had no chance at all tonight. Not because they were less talented but the emotion of this game was too much. Usually emotion is not enough to tip a game at this level. Tonight was an exception. I don't think it is too much to call this the biggest sports event in New Orleans and maybe, Louisiana, history. I think this ranks up there as a historical event period.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Again Manny, I wasn't expecting them to ignore it, just not to get into a political commentary like they did with Spike Lee.

Archie Manning, Avery Johnson, and the one singer dude (drawing a blank) all said NO needs more help without making any innuendos about feeling the same as Kanye West, etc.

[MannyIsGod]

No, you're just finding a way to turn a non issue into an issue. No in this country is going to rant and rave at what Spike said because he's Spike Lee and he held back. I never thought badly of anything that was said tonight, and that includes Spike Lee. He just said he wasn't going to rant and rave and I see nothing wrong with that.

Not everyone is going to agree with you, but that doesn't mean there was anything there to get upset about.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

The game ranked second only to CNN's airing of the 1993 NAFTA debate between Ross Perot and Al Gore in terms of ratings.

More than 10M households watched the game. Very cool.