Goodbye 2008, Long Live the Falcons!

As I watched the clock tick down from the final two minute warning, still reeling from the 17 yard pass Warner made on 3rd and 16, thus crushing any hope we would have in yet another Matt Ryan Miracle, my wife said to me, "Are you sad?"I had to think about it. Basically, yes, I was sad to see such an untimely end to such an unlikely season. But as I dug deeper, I still found I felt a great deal of pride about my team.They didn't play a great game, far from their best, at a time when their best game should be coming to the forefront. Matt Ryan looked like a rookie at times, but that only makes sense. The Cardinals were all over our offensive line (not to nitpick, but how many times can the Cards jump offside before the refs flag 'em....just saying...) and Michael Turner was effectively shut down, though he was able to make a rather exciting TD run. The game seemed lopsided at times, but it still came down to a six point game. As they have shown all season, the Falcons are not willing to lie down, and will not give in.All in all, at the end of the playoffs, the Falcons will be remembered as a team that made it to the playoffs against all odds, and remain a team heading in the right direction, while the Cardinals will be remembered for a vulgar excessive celebration penalty. (Really? What the heck was that??)Oh, I almost forgot...Mike Smith is the AP Coach of the Year!!I'll get to that in the next entry, as well as my favorite moments from 2008.