Greetings, Falcons fans! I’m here in press box at the beautiful University of Phoenix Stadium ready to take in all the action for today’s NFC Divisional Playoff game between the Cardinals and Falcons.
You can tell the people of Phoenix are excited. They are out in full force tailgating in preparation for the first home playoff game since 1947! It’s funny to think that these two franchises, perhaps the two least successful in the entire league, are meeting here on the opening day of the 2009 postseason.
I did see some Falcons fans. Looks like a good deal of them have made the trip out west for this one. On a side note, it was interesting to see so many no. 7 jerseys from both sides representing players that bear no relevance whatsoever for the two teams. Of course I’m talking about Michael Vick for Atlanta, and the long forgotten backup QB Matt Leinart of Arizona. Isn’t it time we got some different attire for the games?
We just got the inactive list, and it looks like the birds will be without Jamaal Anderson at defensive end. So look for a steady dose of Chauncey Davis opposite of John Abraham today. As for Abe, he will play as expected, and I don’t see him being hampered by his injuries. He’s been battling through a host of bumps and bruises for some time now, I wouldn’t expect anything different today.
But the big news is that starting DE Travis LaBoy is out for the Cards. According to reports, Laboy was supposed to play today after nursing a knee injury for the last several weeks, but clearly that wasn’t the case. Bertrand Berry will start in his place.
With LaBoy out of the lineup, it would surprise me to see Mike Mularkey direct some Michael Turner runs at Berry early, and test the 11-year pro who spends most of his time on the field in passing situations.
Anquan Boldin will play as expected for ‘Zona, and he looked good in warm-ups earlier.
I’ll be back after the first quarter to keep you guys posted back home. So sit back, enjoy the game, and be sure to check back to scoreatl.com for some on-the-scene updates from me.
Here are the inactives for both teams:
For Atlanta: QB D.J. Shockley (third QB), CB Glenn Sharpe, S Eric Brock, LB Tony Gilbert, OT Wayne Gandy, C Alex Stepanovich, OT Quinn Ojinnaka, DE Jamaal Anderson
For Arizona: QB Brian St-Pierre (third QB), CB Eric Green, DE Travis LaBoy, T Elliot Vallejo, T Brandon Keith, DT Alan Branch, WR Early Doucet, TE Leonard Pope
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