7 of 9 CBS sports "experts" pick Seattle

[JSeahawks]

And of course Prisco is one of the two picking Atlanta, so thats a good omen for us!

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/features/w ... ight-up/19

 

[Falcan Moore]

Comfortable with those that have the 2nd and 3rd best records picking us...and the Falcons play harder when they aren't given a chance. Bet it feels good to be on the other side of the fence, though.

 

[Cartire]

Comfortable with those that have the 2nd and 3rd best records picking us...and the Falcons play harder when they aren't given a chance. Bet it feels good to be on the other side of the fence, though.

Not given a chance, but it doesnt even matter. All the pressure is on the Falcons this weekend. #1 seed vs #5 seed. Veteran vs Rookie. and oh yea, the constant stigma of Mike and Matt not being able to win a playoff game.

The way i see it, and I think a lot of people do, the hawks are playing with house money here. The Falcons have everything to lose and all the world watching them, waiting for them to screw up.

This wont be your standard "chip on the shoulder" attitude. These guys know that if they lose, everyone will mock them into non-existence. If they win, well, they were supposed to win in their position and good for them. Seattle will not be mocked.

 

[Hasselbeck]

Comfortable with those that have the 2nd and 3rd best records picking us...and the Falcons play harder when they aren't given a chance. Bet it feels good to be on the other side of the fence, though.

Not given a chance, but it doesnt even matter. All the pressure is on the Falcons this weekend. #1 seed vs #5 seed. Veteran vs Rookie. and oh yea, the constant stigma of Mike and Matt not being able to win a playoff game.

The way i see it, and I think a lot of people do, the hawks are playing with house money here. The Falcons have everything to lose and all the world watching them, waiting for them to screw up.

This wont be your standard "chip on the shoulder" attitude. These guys know that if they lose, everyone will mock them into non-existence. If they win, well, they were supposed to win in their position and good for them. Seattle will not be mocked.

Yep..

 

[AROS]

All the pressure is on the Falcons this weekend. #1 seed vs #5 seed. Veteran vs Rookie. and oh yea, the constant stigma of Mike and Matt not being able to win a playoff game.

The way i see it, and I think a lot of people do, the hawks are playing with house money here. The Falcons have everything to lose and all the world watching them, waiting for them to screw up.

This wont be your standard "chip on the shoulder" attitude. These guys know that if they lose, everyone will mock them into non-existence. If they win, well, they were supposed to win in their position and good for them. Seattle will not be mocked.

So very true.

 

[treefidy]

I don't buy into the pressure argument.

It's the NFL Divisional Round Playoffs. Both teams have pressure.

Seattle has the pressure of living up to the favorite roll. The pressure of having to win on the road against a #1 seed in one of the toughest places to play in the NFL. The pressure of a rookie quarterback playing against a top 5 defense in said enviorment. The pressure of hassling Matt Ryan with their leading DE out. The pressure of starting Ryan Longwell and expecting him to make big kicks in the playoffs. The pressure of their DBs living up to their expectations against the best receiving core in the NFL.

There's pressure both ways. There's no house money argument here. You lose, you lose everything for the season. It's one and done, not lose all your money and try again later.

It will be a good game.

 

[SoCalFalconFan]

Comfortable with those that have the 2nd and 3rd best records picking us...and the Falcons play harder when they aren't given a chance. Bet it feels good to be on the other side of the fence, though.

Not given a chance, but it doesnt even matter. All the pressure is on the Falcons this weekend. #1 seed vs #5 seed. Veteran vs Rookie. and oh yea, the constant stigma of Mike and Matt not being able to win a playoff game.

The way i see it, and I think a lot of people do, the hawks are playing with house money here. The Falcons have everything to lose and all the world watching them, waiting for them to screw up.

This wont be your standard "chip on the shoulder" attitude. These guys know that if they lose, everyone will mock them into non-existence. If they win, well, they were supposed to win in their position and good for them. Seattle will not be mocked.

The Falcons are gifted at shielding that crap. Very mature, well-coached team, with a stellar locker room. None of those guys give a flip what anyone outside of their organization thinks about them. It's the fans that get all worked up.

 

[razgriz737]

Warms my heart to see almost no one picking the Whiners. They get a pity pick from the machine.

 

[Seahawk Sailor]

I buy the pressure 100%. There was a segment today on ESPN where they were talking about "quarterback pressure" to perform in the playoffs. All quarterbacks listed were between seven and ten. They ranked Wilson's pressure at a three, "same as his number." Said he was "playing with house money."

And he absolutely is. Sure, he really, really wants to win this game. He wants to win all the games. The championships. Create a dynasty.

But he's a rookie who's already out-performed even the wildest optimists' dreams. He wasn't even supposed to start the season, and yet all he did was break records and take the team into the playoffs, where he'll finish with at worst a .500 record in his first year.

Meanwhile, Matty Ice is hearing nothing but how he's 0-4 in the playoffs, can't get it done when it counts. They're the number one seed in the NFC, and they're scared to death of getting bounced by the kid.

 

[m0ng0]

If I was betting my house I dont think I would have the stones to pull the trigger on that bet......I love Seattle and hope they prove me wrong but this is going to be a hell of a game !

 

[Seahawk Sailor]

The Falcons are gifted at shielding that crap. Very mature, well-coached team, with a stellar locker room. None of those guys give a flip what anyone outside of their organization thinks about them. It's the fans that get all worked up.

No, I don't suppose they would. But as the average NFL career is about 3.5 years, one's window of opportunity does not allow for very many blown chances, and you can bet they WILL be thinking about that aspect of it. And being bombarded with that stuff will have it on their minds.

 

[Blitzer88]

I actually would rather have picking the Falcons than us, would provide just another piece to the chip on our teams shoulder.

 

[Seahawk Sailor]

I actually would rather have picking the Falcons than us, would provide just another piece to the chip on our teams shoulder.

The Seahawks are gifted at shielding that crap. Very mature, well-coached team, with a stellar locker room. None of those guys give a flip what anyone outside of their organization thinks about them. It's the fans that get all worked up.

 

[Cartire]

I actually would rather have picking the Falcons than us, would provide just another piece to the chip on our teams shoulder.

The Seahawks are gifted at shielding that crap. Very mature, well-coached team, with a stellar locker room. None of those guys give a flip what anyone outside of their organization thinks about them. It's the fans that get all worked up.

...i see what you did there...

 

[loafoftatupu]

I just can't believe they are even doing it. Akbar on NFLN was coming out and saying the Falcons don't stand a chance.

Look, I like that these guys are all over the Hawks, but Atlanta is better than that. I think these guys like to go with the flavor of the week and that the Hawks have been the flavor of the week since the game in Chicago. It seems like the team went from above average to totally dangerous right then.

 

[mikeak]

The two first redskin drives will help us. It allows PC to remind everyone this is the playoffs an if not ready to play from the first snap ATL will win. There has been no media chatter a la Garçon vs Sherman - this is business 100% focus and what matters. I truly think Seahawks simply are focusing but Atlanta carries all the pressure of past failures. They are supposed to win, they are him, they had a bye, they are SO Great in offense, this is thei year - of course that is pressure.....

CBS 60minutes did a thing about choking a few years. Showed how areas of the brain intensified when under pressure. Choking is real...

 

[HawkRiderFan]

I don't buy the pressure being even in this game, particularly at QB. If the Hawks lose, people talk about Russell Wilson as an up and comer with a great future who alrady won a playoff game on the road in his rookie year. Falcons lose the "hasn't win a playoff game" weight on Matt Ryan's should gets a lot heavier.

This reminds me of last year when the Giants were the 4 seed and went to 15-1 Green Bay Lots of people were calling it a bad matchup for Green Bay and picking the Giants. It seemed weird bsed on the difference in record between the two 2 teams in the regular season. I figured too many people were calling it, didn't buy it and blew any football pool I was in by going with Green Bay. Hoping for a similar result Sunday.

 

[RolandDeschain]

I don't get Pete Prisco. A couple of times this year, he picked us and was in the vast minority; and a number of times he has picked against us and again been in the vast minority. :229031_shrug:

 

[treefidy]

I don't buy the pressure being even in this game, particularly at QB. If the Hawks lose, people talk about Russell Wilson as an up and comer with a great future who alrady won a playoff game on the road in his rookie year. Falcons lose the "hasn't win a playoff game" weight on Matt Ryan's should gets a lot heavier.

This reminds me of last year when the Giants were the 4 seed and went to 15-1 Green Bay Lots of people were calling it a bad matchup for Green Bay and picking the Giants. It seemed weird bsed on the difference in record between the two 2 teams in the regular season. I figured too many people were calling it, didn't buy it and blew any football pool I was in by going with Green Bay. Hoping for a similar result Sunday.

Whichever team loses, doesn't play anymore this season.

To me, that makes the pressure equal.

 

[theoaklandphenom]

I buy the pressure 100%. There was a segment today on ESPN where they were talking about "quarterback pressure" to perform in the playoffs. All quarterbacks listed were between seven and ten. They ranked Wilson's pressure at a three, "same as his number." Said he was "playing with house money."

And he absolutely is. Sure, he really, really wants to win this game. He wants to win all the games. The championships. Create a dynasty.

But he's a rookie who's already out-performed even the wildest optimists' dreams. He wasn't even supposed to start the season, and yet all he did was break records and take the team into the playoffs, where he'll finish with at worst a .500 record in his first year.

Meanwhile, Matty Ice is hearing nothing but how he's 0-4 in the playoffs, can't get it done when it counts. They're the number one seed in the NFC, and they're scared to death of getting bounced by the kid.

Falcons as a team have lost 4 straight playoff games but Ryan is 0-3, with one of those losses coming his rookie year when the Falcons couldn't stop Kurt Warner and the Cards, who at that time had the best receiving core in football. Another loss came when the team gave up 48 points to the Packers. You aren't winning many games when you give up 48 points, even if your QB is at the top of his game. Last year's loss to the Giants was indeed pitiful.

I think the determination will override the pressure in this game. This team has heard the talking heads dismiss everything they've done THIS season due to the playoff results from 1, 2, and 4 years ago when the team had different coordinators, different personnel, and different schemes. I'm not saying the Falcons will definitely win or anything like that, but a loss would have more to do with Seattle just playing better for 60 minutes than any outside pressure placed on the Falcons.