Hey folks, sorry I did not post anything last week I was out of town. I wonder if anyone noticed?? HA. Last weeks win againt the Carolina Panthers was a much needed win after that performance againt the Packers. I really liked our overall gameplan against the Panthers. Sticking to the run game and what has been our key cog over the last couple of successful seasons. The Burner Turner turned in one of his best efforts of the season, but honestly he probably could have had numerous games like that had we not gotten down so early in games this year. Despite their poor record Carolina has a very talented team that is on the come up in terms of learning how to win in the NFL. That being said it was still another victory against a losing team which is becoming a trend for this seasons Falcons. NOT a good trend to have. This Sunday against the upstart Detroit Lions will be a whole different affair!!
Food:
This week I am going with a recipe that I think would be more popular with a warm weather game, but I was craving it! One of the things that made my man Forrest Gump oh so popular, SKRIMP. Beer boiled shrimp is something that is not hard to prepare at all and is good for a tailgate because it can feed a lot of people. Here is a quick list of the items that you would need to prepare the shrimp:
-6 pack of good beer (NOT busch light)
-2 lbs. of large shrimp (Don't shell them)
-2 to 3 bay leaves
-1 tbsp. of coriander seeds
-Salt & pepper
-You can either buy some cocktail sauce or make your own depending on how much horseradish you like
Start by washing the shrimp in cold water. This recipe can be done at home but also very easily at your tailgate spot. Over the grill you would just need to bring a pot big enough to fit on the grill. In the large pot you can go ahead and pour in your 6 pack of beer along with the coriander seeds, bay leaves, and salt/pepper. Once it is brought to a boil you can turn down the heat and let everything simmer for about 10 minutes or so. Dump those delicious jumbo shrimp in there and crank the heat back up to a boil. Shrimp do not take very long to cook, roughly 2 to 3 minutes, and you can tell that they are cooked by them turning pink. After they are done it is up to you if you want to serve them hot or cold. It does not really matter because they are good any way, but I prefer them cold. One display I liked was throwing over some ice for everyone to start picking at them with your cocktail sauce already set up. I hope this is an easy recipe for you and it should be a hit with all of your fellow tailgaters. Plus its SKRIMP, damn delicious!!
Falcons game:
Reviewing our schedule before the season and I saw the Detroit game, at Ford Field, befor the bye week and honestly did not really know what to make of it. I didn't know if I was scared of it or already marking it down as a loss given their recent terrible history. Detroit had its share of struggles last season but any football fan could see that they were definitely improving under the system that coach Schwartz had implemented. With the return of both a healthy Stafford and the mammoth beast they call Suh it is a scary team. Their torrid start has been all the talk this season. Consider their win list (Bucs, Chiefs, Vikings, Cowboys, & Bears) compared to the Falcons (Philadelphia, Seattle, Carolina). Not too shabby of a start for the Motor City. Of course I respect the Detroit Lions and I know the players take them seriously now, but does all this mean that I don't think the Falcons can come into their dome and beat the hell out of them. NO!!!! I expect the Falcons to do exactly that and I think the whole Atlanta Falcons organization would greatly prefer to be heading into this bye week with a victory that puts them over the .500 mark. Here are a couple of things I am looking forward to in the game:
- The Lions defense is an emerging one, but they still have some improvements. Their pass defense is a stunning 6th in the league, but their run defense is something like 26th in the league. I am looking for the Falcons to play a similar gameplan to the Panthers game. The Lions run a similar to the defense ran in Philly and I expect Turner to turn in another stellar performance. Once you get that human bowling ball on a full steam coming around the edges it is very hard for a player to WANT to tackle that beast. Hopefully we can dial up some nice passing plays as well, because we need our receivers and Tony G. to turn in huge games as well.
- Trying to slow down the Detroit offense seems like a scary task. I think our defense has the capability to do so however. I know all everyone is thinking about is Megatron going against Grimes and laughing at the sheer difference in their height. Don't forget the fact that Grimes could be Megatron jr. with that ridiculous vertical leap he has. The Lions run game is a huge concern for them because they are not only without Best, Lashore, but now Harrison is obviously out with a brain tumor. If we can stuff their run game early that puts a lot of pressure on Stafford and his receivers. Detroit is not a good 3rd down team, hopefully our defense can change their trend of allowing offenses to stay on the field on 3rd downs.
- The Falcons pressure on qb's has been improving every week so far. This will be a huge factor in todays game. We have to rattle Stafford and get him feeling uneasy. I think we will be able to do that with not only our front 4, but our back 7 has been turning in great games as far as pressure is concerned. My man Weatherspoon is literally turning the corning right in front of our eyes. I know VanGorder will be dialing up blitz packages and bringing heat with all different types of people. If you look at our defense we have the payers necessary to get that pressure. William Moore should be a feared blitzing safety in the league, Weatherspoon, and Dunta Robinson are both good blitzers as well. I think this might be the biggest factor in todays game. Sack dat pretty boy Stafford and break dem legs D!!!!
Not many people would have thought that this afternoons game against the Detroit Lions would be so critical to the Falcons season. We have come to a point the season where we have to beat a winning team and get that Falcons swag rolling for a win streak! I expect everyone to be hyped for this game and I am surely confident that we have it in ourselves to knock off these early season wonders. Heading into the Motor City its time to put our hard hats on and go to work. Lets come out early and show them we are ready to get our season started and their is only one DOME in the NFL, the GA DOME!!!!Dirty Bird Pride!!! Hope everyone enjoys the game, food, and the atmosphere!!!
-Bon Appetit, Long may you eat
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Falcons vs. Green Bay: One Word, Revenge.
Reapply your deodorant and wipe the sweat off your brow. We escaped the Seahawks and the Pacific Northwest with a much needed victory. In a game that looked as if the Atlanta Falcons that we are used to in the Mike Smith era had returned. They were running the ball with efficiency, eating up clock, and playing mistake free football. We were afforded that luxury for about the first half and then we seemed to go completely flat after halftime. Our pass defense once again made the opposing qb look like an All-Pro. Tavaris Jackson, really?? When is the last time you saw him throw for 300 plus yards and multiple TD's. In the words of Keyshawn Johnson, C'mon Man!!!! With that being said we did still win the game and it put us at 2-2 heading back home to Dome for a very anticipated rematch with the Green Bay Packers. Let's Go!!!!!!!
Food:
For this weeks meal I decided to go with an item that you may not think of as tailgate food, taco soup. As with all of the items I put up here it easy to make, relatively cheap, and can feed a pretty big group of fans watching their Dirty Birds. Here is a list of items you would need to buy:
-Yellow rice
-1 or 2 cans of black beans
-1 Rotisserie chicken
-Shredded cheese
-Chicken broth
-Diced tomatoes
The preparation is easy because it is all on the stove. Start by combining the chicken broth and diced tomatoes in a pot, you can add any other items you want to make it a little spicier. Tear apart the chicken and cut into decent sized pieces. After you have prepared the yellow rice, black beans, and the broth your ready to put together your meal. Scoop some rice into your bowl and secondly add on some black beans. Next comes the chicken and shredded cheese. Once that cheese gets on top of the hot chicken it will start to melt and ooooo weeee it looks good! Lastly, add some of your broth to turn it into a soup. If you are like me add some hot sauce or some salsa verde and you have got yourself a very tasty/spicy soup that will surely please everyone watching the game!
Falcons game:
Now lets get to the showdown of Sunday Night!!!! The Green Bay Packers return to the Georgia Dome where made such a statement last year to both the Atlanta Falcons and the rest of the NFL in the march to a Super Bowl victory. Last years game in the playoffs effected both franchises so much and is still having a lasting effect. For the Falcons it made a 13-3 season seem like a very flawed team. There was so much emphasis put on explosiveness during the off-season and as the media likes to remind us everyday, we traded a boat load of picks in order to grab Julio Jones. For the Packers it was one of many victories that they had in what turned out to be a remarkable journey to a championship. Fast forward to this year. The Packers are off to a hot start with Rodgers looking unstoppable and flashing the champioship belt celebration nearly every second. The Falcons have gotten off to a stumble of a start and are definitely looking to make a big statement in tonights nationally televised game. Everything about the Packers is respectable, but don't mistake that respect for fear. There is no way that every Falcons player hasn't been dreaming of a chance to get some revenge for the showing they had at home last year. If you need anything more to get you hyped about this game, something is terribly wrong with you!! Here are a couple of things I am looking forward to seeing tonight:
- Emotions are going to play a huge part in this game. There is a lot of built up anger towards these Packers and whether the Falcons players will let you know it, they definitely want to prove to the whole world that Falcons deserve to be in the small group of championship contenders. Look for veterans like Roddy White and Abraham to set the tone early for this game. We need big nights from everybody, but I am counting on these two to go HAM tonight at the Dome!!!
- The Packers defense is very good, but I still feel like Matt Ryan can impose his will on their secondary. Yes they have Charles Woodson and he is playing superb for his age, but with the amount of talent that we have in the receiving corps we have to capitalize. I am looking for this game to be the game that our offense fully comes together and starts firing on all cylinders. Gonzalez, White, Jones, Douglas, all have to win their matchups. Like all of our games the running game will be crucial, but in this game especially Mularkey has to have some plays dialed up to show off all the talent they accumulated over the years. Our potential is too good to not be able to come out tonight and shock the world with a very spirited display of the Atlanta Falcons talent.
- The pass rush has to be huge in this game. Giving Rodgers time to sit back in the pocket and dissect our defense just is not going to cut it tonight. The defensive line has to win their battles up front and create some opportunities for turnovers. It is not on just the defensive line though, our linebackers and secondary have to put some pressure on Rodgers as well. He is too talented!! This is a very good test for our defense as a whole and I am looking for our unit to come out and prove they aren't as inconsistent as the media makes them out to be. Let the Dirty Birds fly baby!!
This is our second prime time game and I hope it turns the outcome is the exact same, a victory. There couldn't be any more hype surrounding this game, I am getting excited just typing about it. Something that we have not done yet is bust out the throwbacks this year. If there is a game to do it, its tonight. Those beautiful throwbacks with those glorious red helmets. I would wear that uniform to work everyday if it was allowed!! Along with the Chargers powder blue uni's, they are the best throwbacks in the league. Tonight we have an opportunity to jump start our season and get some much needed revenge for last years disapointing home loss in the playoffs. Get crunk Birds, let's run chamionship belt boy outta Atlanta and prove to the world how much we love our Falcons down here in the A!!! Enjoy the food, game, and the atmosphere.
-Bon Appetit, Long may you eat
Food:
For this weeks meal I decided to go with an item that you may not think of as tailgate food, taco soup. As with all of the items I put up here it easy to make, relatively cheap, and can feed a pretty big group of fans watching their Dirty Birds. Here is a list of items you would need to buy:
-Yellow rice
-1 or 2 cans of black beans
-1 Rotisserie chicken
-Shredded cheese
-Chicken broth
-Diced tomatoes
The preparation is easy because it is all on the stove. Start by combining the chicken broth and diced tomatoes in a pot, you can add any other items you want to make it a little spicier. Tear apart the chicken and cut into decent sized pieces. After you have prepared the yellow rice, black beans, and the broth your ready to put together your meal. Scoop some rice into your bowl and secondly add on some black beans. Next comes the chicken and shredded cheese. Once that cheese gets on top of the hot chicken it will start to melt and ooooo weeee it looks good! Lastly, add some of your broth to turn it into a soup. If you are like me add some hot sauce or some salsa verde and you have got yourself a very tasty/spicy soup that will surely please everyone watching the game!
Falcons game:
Now lets get to the showdown of Sunday Night!!!! The Green Bay Packers return to the Georgia Dome where made such a statement last year to both the Atlanta Falcons and the rest of the NFL in the march to a Super Bowl victory. Last years game in the playoffs effected both franchises so much and is still having a lasting effect. For the Falcons it made a 13-3 season seem like a very flawed team. There was so much emphasis put on explosiveness during the off-season and as the media likes to remind us everyday, we traded a boat load of picks in order to grab Julio Jones. For the Packers it was one of many victories that they had in what turned out to be a remarkable journey to a championship. Fast forward to this year. The Packers are off to a hot start with Rodgers looking unstoppable and flashing the champioship belt celebration nearly every second. The Falcons have gotten off to a stumble of a start and are definitely looking to make a big statement in tonights nationally televised game. Everything about the Packers is respectable, but don't mistake that respect for fear. There is no way that every Falcons player hasn't been dreaming of a chance to get some revenge for the showing they had at home last year. If you need anything more to get you hyped about this game, something is terribly wrong with you!! Here are a couple of things I am looking forward to seeing tonight:
- Emotions are going to play a huge part in this game. There is a lot of built up anger towards these Packers and whether the Falcons players will let you know it, they definitely want to prove to the whole world that Falcons deserve to be in the small group of championship contenders. Look for veterans like Roddy White and Abraham to set the tone early for this game. We need big nights from everybody, but I am counting on these two to go HAM tonight at the Dome!!!
- The Packers defense is very good, but I still feel like Matt Ryan can impose his will on their secondary. Yes they have Charles Woodson and he is playing superb for his age, but with the amount of talent that we have in the receiving corps we have to capitalize. I am looking for this game to be the game that our offense fully comes together and starts firing on all cylinders. Gonzalez, White, Jones, Douglas, all have to win their matchups. Like all of our games the running game will be crucial, but in this game especially Mularkey has to have some plays dialed up to show off all the talent they accumulated over the years. Our potential is too good to not be able to come out tonight and shock the world with a very spirited display of the Atlanta Falcons talent.
- The pass rush has to be huge in this game. Giving Rodgers time to sit back in the pocket and dissect our defense just is not going to cut it tonight. The defensive line has to win their battles up front and create some opportunities for turnovers. It is not on just the defensive line though, our linebackers and secondary have to put some pressure on Rodgers as well. He is too talented!! This is a very good test for our defense as a whole and I am looking for our unit to come out and prove they aren't as inconsistent as the media makes them out to be. Let the Dirty Birds fly baby!!
This is our second prime time game and I hope it turns the outcome is the exact same, a victory. There couldn't be any more hype surrounding this game, I am getting excited just typing about it. Something that we have not done yet is bust out the throwbacks this year. If there is a game to do it, its tonight. Those beautiful throwbacks with those glorious red helmets. I would wear that uniform to work everyday if it was allowed!! Along with the Chargers powder blue uni's, they are the best throwbacks in the league. Tonight we have an opportunity to jump start our season and get some much needed revenge for last years disapointing home loss in the playoffs. Get crunk Birds, let's run chamionship belt boy outta Atlanta and prove to the world how much we love our Falcons down here in the A!!! Enjoy the food, game, and the atmosphere.
-Bon Appetit, Long may you eat
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Falcons @ Seattle: Battle of the Birds
To say last weeks loss was a disappointment is a huge understatement. A lot of people, including myself, were angered at the last play of scrimmage where Corey Peters jumped off-sides. Yes it was a huge penalty and even bigger mental lapse, but the game should not have even come down to that. The Falcons put themselves in that situation with the amount of stupid penalties, inability to even run, and our new found appreciation for getting Matt Ryan destroyed. With all that being said it was another early season loss to a formidable divisional opponent that may end up coming back to bite us at the end of the season. Let us look to this weeks optimism and our opponent, the Seattle Seahawks. Stay the course Falcons Faithful!
Food:
In the spirit of the weather changing to more of what I consider 'football weather' I figured I would get back outside to ole Bessy (the grill). There is no greater feeling than grilling outside when it is a little chilly and you know for a fact that the food you are preparing is going to warm ya up! For this weeks game I am preparing buffalo chicken sandwhiches and with the help of one of my good friends personal recipe, cream cheese stuffed jalapeno peppers wrapped in bacon. Let the drooling begin. Here is a list of items you would need for the meal:
-Package of chicken cutlets
-Hamburger buns
-Buffalo sauce (I am trying out Crystals' buffalo sauce this week, but would also recommend Budweiser buffalo sauce)
-Bleu cheese
-Lettuce & tomato
-Jalapeno peppers
-Cream cheese
-Bacon
Start with sprinkling your chicken cutlets with some light salt & pepper. Pour your buffalo sauce in a medium sized bowl and place each cutlet into the bowl. Make sure and cover the cutlets completely in buffalo sauce and let them marinate in the fridge for about a half hour. You can keep the extra buffalo sauce for basting during and after the grilling. It won't take long to cook these sandwiches and of course go ahead and toast them buns! The jalapeno peppers take a little more preparation than the sandwiches do. Slice the top of the pepper off and clean out the inside of the pepper. Stuff the cream cheese in the pepper and wrap it in bacon using a toothpick to secure the bacon. The grilling will not be the time consuming part. So once you are done pile on whatever toppings you choose for your sandwich(lettuce, tomato, bleu cheese). Enjoy the kick and spice that is added to your cold Sunday, hopefully it brings your team a W!
Falcons game:
We played Seattle last year in Seattle and came up with a victory. The score made it look like we handled them with ease but we weren't able to gain some real separation from them until the 4th quarter. They are a very young team that has a respectable defense, but this year they do not have the same consistent offense that they had for so many years under Matt Hasselback. Out with Hasselback and in with Tavaris Jackson. A little tid bit that I found interesting was Seattle had not possessed a lead until late in last weeks game against the Arizona Cardinals! Really?? Marshawn Lynch is highly inconsistent, but as all of us that watched their playoff debut against the Aints he certainly has the ability to break off a highlight run. Sidney Rice is back from an injury and Mike Williams is a beast of a man. The stats may not show it, but Seattle does have a potent offense. Here are a couple of things I am looking forward to seeing:
- The crowd is ALWAYS a factor when traveling to Seattle. Their stadium is probably the coolest in the league and I will give mad props to the Seahwaks fans. It is easily the loudest stadium in the league and the weather out in Seattle is not something to be desired, especially for players who just flew across the entire country. That being said the Falcons have been successful in situations like this. They are one of the best teams at communicating, as can be seen in the success we have with our no huddle offense.
- As is the case with every Falcons game plan I am looking for the running game to get things going. Last week we finally saw how effective Julio and Roddy can be, but it was too little too late. With the issues that have been plaguing our offensive line I am looking for the Falcons to be looking at quicker routes in order to give Ryan some breathing room. Maybe throw in a little screen action (hint, hint, nudge, nudge Mularkey!!) If our running game does have early success that leads to a more effective play action fake and deeper passes. Also, Snelling is likely out so Rodgers will have more of a role this week.
- Lastly, our defense has shown the ability to force turnovers each game. Dating back to last season we have forced a turnover in something like 22 straight games! With Jackson at quarterback and his inability to sometimes get the ball out of his hands quickly I am looking for both our D line to get some good pressure and our D backs to take advantage of a pressured Jackson. Points from our defense never hurts!!
This game is a chance for the Falcons to get back to an even record and return to the Dome with some confidence at the end of the first quarter of the season. Seattle is always a good opponent and it will give us a good chance to go into another hostile environment and prove that we can win in these types of situations. Let's hope the Dirty Birds are the only birds flying high today, Down with the Seahawks!!! Enjoy the food, the game, and the atmosphere!
-Bon appetit, Long may you eat!
Food:
In the spirit of the weather changing to more of what I consider 'football weather' I figured I would get back outside to ole Bessy (the grill). There is no greater feeling than grilling outside when it is a little chilly and you know for a fact that the food you are preparing is going to warm ya up! For this weeks game I am preparing buffalo chicken sandwhiches and with the help of one of my good friends personal recipe, cream cheese stuffed jalapeno peppers wrapped in bacon. Let the drooling begin. Here is a list of items you would need for the meal:
-Package of chicken cutlets
-Hamburger buns
-Buffalo sauce (I am trying out Crystals' buffalo sauce this week, but would also recommend Budweiser buffalo sauce)
-Bleu cheese
-Lettuce & tomato
-Jalapeno peppers
-Cream cheese
-Bacon
Start with sprinkling your chicken cutlets with some light salt & pepper. Pour your buffalo sauce in a medium sized bowl and place each cutlet into the bowl. Make sure and cover the cutlets completely in buffalo sauce and let them marinate in the fridge for about a half hour. You can keep the extra buffalo sauce for basting during and after the grilling. It won't take long to cook these sandwiches and of course go ahead and toast them buns! The jalapeno peppers take a little more preparation than the sandwiches do. Slice the top of the pepper off and clean out the inside of the pepper. Stuff the cream cheese in the pepper and wrap it in bacon using a toothpick to secure the bacon. The grilling will not be the time consuming part. So once you are done pile on whatever toppings you choose for your sandwich(lettuce, tomato, bleu cheese). Enjoy the kick and spice that is added to your cold Sunday, hopefully it brings your team a W!
Falcons game:
We played Seattle last year in Seattle and came up with a victory. The score made it look like we handled them with ease but we weren't able to gain some real separation from them until the 4th quarter. They are a very young team that has a respectable defense, but this year they do not have the same consistent offense that they had for so many years under Matt Hasselback. Out with Hasselback and in with Tavaris Jackson. A little tid bit that I found interesting was Seattle had not possessed a lead until late in last weeks game against the Arizona Cardinals! Really?? Marshawn Lynch is highly inconsistent, but as all of us that watched their playoff debut against the Aints he certainly has the ability to break off a highlight run. Sidney Rice is back from an injury and Mike Williams is a beast of a man. The stats may not show it, but Seattle does have a potent offense. Here are a couple of things I am looking forward to seeing:
- The crowd is ALWAYS a factor when traveling to Seattle. Their stadium is probably the coolest in the league and I will give mad props to the Seahwaks fans. It is easily the loudest stadium in the league and the weather out in Seattle is not something to be desired, especially for players who just flew across the entire country. That being said the Falcons have been successful in situations like this. They are one of the best teams at communicating, as can be seen in the success we have with our no huddle offense.
- As is the case with every Falcons game plan I am looking for the running game to get things going. Last week we finally saw how effective Julio and Roddy can be, but it was too little too late. With the issues that have been plaguing our offensive line I am looking for the Falcons to be looking at quicker routes in order to give Ryan some breathing room. Maybe throw in a little screen action (hint, hint, nudge, nudge Mularkey!!) If our running game does have early success that leads to a more effective play action fake and deeper passes. Also, Snelling is likely out so Rodgers will have more of a role this week.
- Lastly, our defense has shown the ability to force turnovers each game. Dating back to last season we have forced a turnover in something like 22 straight games! With Jackson at quarterback and his inability to sometimes get the ball out of his hands quickly I am looking for both our D line to get some good pressure and our D backs to take advantage of a pressured Jackson. Points from our defense never hurts!!
This game is a chance for the Falcons to get back to an even record and return to the Dome with some confidence at the end of the first quarter of the season. Seattle is always a good opponent and it will give us a good chance to go into another hostile environment and prove that we can win in these types of situations. Let's hope the Dirty Birds are the only birds flying high today, Down with the Seahawks!!! Enjoy the food, the game, and the atmosphere!
-Bon appetit, Long may you eat!
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