Who Dat Nation Should Pull For Atlanta
By Dean Mullen
To Pull for Atlanta is like pulling teeth. It’s hard to do. Believe me, the pill will be difficult to swallow. To be honest, the thought irks me gravely. However, there is a rationale behind the madness.
First of all, seeing your rival win the Super Bowl has to sting. That anger can be cultivated for motivation. The whole world will be watching our rival win the darn thing.
If this doesn’t get the Saints motivated nothing will. Surely at the least, having that pigeon symbol with a championship banner besides it has to get the Black and Gold’s juices going.
Second, the Falcons haven’t been in the playoffs in FOUR years. Indeed, the 2016 Atlanta Falcons looked very different from early on. Matt Ryan has supposedly put in extra time in to garner closer relationships in the locker room. Ryan has also worked extra hard in this offseason. In one year the Dirty Birds are in the big game.
The relationship breakthrough though was key. This one aspect gets overlooked. However, if a teammate knows that a player has his back, then the team becomes unstoppable. There is no limit on the breakable bond between men that will sacrifice themselves for the greater good of the team.
Furthermore, the Saints will have an opportunity to play the Super Bowl champs twice next year. This is a rare opportunity to see if the Black and Gold can compete with the best of the best. If the Falcons can win, they will be the kings of 2016. That’s the hard truth.
Finally, the fact that the Falcons are in our division will give the NFC South credibility. The Falcons would be the third team to win a championship out of the NFC South division.
The Carolina Panthers would be the only team left that has not won the Super Bowl. If I’m wearing the Black and Gold next season, there’s nothing that would get me going than to pound the Falcons next year after they’ve won a championship.
Ultimately, the decision will be up to Who Dat Nation. Each person will have to dig deep and pick a team. Regardless, their decision will have no effect on the game anyway. Just think about it.