Falcons Say They're Not "Dirtbags"
Written by Bob Whalon, Wednesday January 04 2012
It seems that offensive linemen have feelings after all. And New York Giants defensive lineman Justin Tuck has hurt the feeling of the Atlanta Falcons offensive linemen.
With the Falcons traveling to New York to play the Giants in the first round of the NFL playoffs, Tuck said that the Falcons linemen have a reputation of being "dirtbags". On Wednesday, Atlanta offensive coordinator Mike Mularky and some of his offensive linemen took exception to what Tuck said.
"We thrive on doing things right," Mularky said. "We thrive on playing physical. We've been doing that for four years. Nothing is ever preached beyond the whistle. Ever."
"If [Tuck] views us as cheap, then so be it," Falcons left tackle Will Svitek said. "We're going to do what we do. We take pride in being physical. You don't want to be viewed as soft. We're always going to be there, and we want them to know we're there."
Tuck is now trying to say that he never called the Falcons linemen "dirtbags", only that they have that reputation. Actually, he has a point.
After an Oct. 9 game against the Green Bay Packers, several Packers players complained about the way the Falcons line played. "Great teams don't indulge in the cheap stuff the Falcons do. These guys are coached to play after the whistle," Packers nose tackle B.J. Raji said.
Two weeks later Detroit defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh said it was karma that Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan got hurt in the Falcons' 23-16 win, referencing what he said was cheap play by the Falcons offensive linemen.
"We play to the whistle and we're going to continue to do that," Falcons right tackle Tyson Clabo said. "That's just kind of the way we play, that's why we've had the success we've had here, and we're not going to stop. We're not going to hit anybody late or do anything like that, you know, and if you want to call it dirty call it dirty."
Svitek joked that he was going to get T-shirts made up for the offensive linemen with their new "nickname" on them. Maybe they can even wear them under their uniforms during the game on Sunday in New York, when the trash-talking will stop and the teams will let their play do the talking for them.
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