THAT'S MY TAKE

Thursday Edition

September 27th, 2012

That’s My Take

No Harm, No Foul

With the return of the regular referees back to the gridiron everything in the football world appears to be back to normal, but before we get too comfortable we should all get ready for a few bumps and bruises this weekend. After three weeks of the replacement debacle, NFL players have become accustomed to a few things; no calls, late calls, bad calls, and the wrong calls.

With the regular refs back in place, it may take players a little bit of time to get used to what should be called and what will be called. For the fans, it may all seem business as usual from our seats in the bleachers or our sofas at home, but for the league and its players it could be a rough ride in week 4.

The past three weeks of games played and officiated by the replacement refs were anything but consistent when it came to the calls made. You can bet there will be plenty of growing pains this weekend as things try to settle back to the norm.

As evident in tonight’s Thursday night game, the management of the game by the refs was seamless as they kept things moving right along (although there were still a lot of calls; not refs fault). As for us fans that watch the games, I doubt we will ever be satisfied with the calls that are made or not, but at least we’ll feel better about disliking the guy in stripes that made the call.

That’s my Take.

By David Ortega

TALKIN FOOTBALL

Tuesday Edition

September 25th, 2012 

Talkin Football

Falcons Coming of Age

Matty Ice and the boys sent a message last Monday night against Denver and delivered a second on Sunday with their dismantling of the 2-0 Chargers. They are the real deal and some could argue the best team in the league at the moment.

It is clear the Falcons are on a mission this season and with all the pieces (Julio Jones, Roddy White, Tony Gonzales, and Michael Turner) in place for Ryan and the offense it’s all systems go. They have the weapons on offense and may have just enough on the defensive side to make serious noise this post season. In his first four seasons in the league Ryan has enjoyed modest success reaching the post season and making little  

noise, but this team is off to a fast start at 3-0, has a new look of confidence to it, and just may be on the verge of doing something great.

There's still a lot of football to be played, but with the current debacle of the Saints (who play Green Bay this week), if you live in Atlanta you have to love what lies ahead for Ryan and the Falcons the rest of the way; looking good.

Facts: Record 3-0, just beat Broncos and Chargers (on road) back to back. Number three (tied with Giants) scoring offense in league averaging 31.3 points per game. Eleven offense touchdowns, tied for most in league. The defense is ranked 8th against pass and is tied for second this season with 12 sacks. This is a complete and dangerous team.

By David Ortega

TALKIN FOOTBALL

Monday Edition

September 24th, 2012

  

Talkin Football

The New Manning Era: It's now Eli’s time.

After three weeks it's quite clear there's a new sheriff in town and his name is Eli. For the past decade some may argue that the NFL was Peyton's place, but the tide has shifted and now it's Eli Manning’s time to shine.

This Manning hardly gets the credit he deserves, but with two Super bowl rings under his belt and his recent dominance the past two weeks notice must be taken. Eli has become a difference maker and it's just a matter of time before the whole football world acknowledges his rightful place among the elite.

Eli has proven clutch time and time again in his young career and with the talented receivers he has lining up this season, he looks primed to rip off some big numbers along with some big wins. If we aren’t talking about this Manning now, it’s only a matter of time before his name dominates our conversations at the watercoolers.

Numbers: 1,011 passing yards (rank 1st), 8.6 yards per pass (rank 3rd), 5 touchdown passes (rank tied for 7th), 66.9 completion (rank tied for 10th), 79 completions (rank tied for 4th), 20 yards or more completion (rank tied for 2nd).

By David Ortega