Falcons vs. Buccaneers: Let the trash talk begin

Though still five days away, the NFC South showdown between the Atlanta Falcons (5-2) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2) is already underway. Coach Raheem Morris stated Monday that his young Bucs were the best team in the NFC South, following a thrilling 38-35 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday night. "This is not trash-talking. It's a mentality," Morris said. "It's a mentality before it's a reality. If you don't believe you can win, you probably won't. And I believe, and my team believes, in us, "(By Fred Goodall AP Sports Writer © 2010 The Associated Press). Though Atlanta coach Mike Smith remains humble about his team’s future matchup, Falcons players probably see Morris’ comments as more of a competitive gesture than a degradation of the Falcons. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, when asked about the upcoming matchup, Wide receiver Roddy White said, “We’re playing the best team in the NFC this week. Lucky us.” Then he laughed and walked away. (12:33 pm November 2, 2010, by Jeff Schultz).

The Buccaneers are out to prove themselves, coming off a 3-13 season last year (Morris’ first with the Bucs). The Falcons on the other hand, are in prime position to show just how good they are in the NFC, with both the Bucs and Baltimore rolling into the Georgia Dome in the next two weeks.

Presently, Atlanta looks to have the advantage going into Sundays Matchup. Each team has respectively played five of the same teams (Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Arizona and New Orleans) Atlanta having the slight edge by beating the Saints in overtime and soundly defeating the Cardinals 41-7. Also interesting to note, Michael Turner and Jason Snelling should look to get a fair amount of playing time this week. The Falcons rushing offense ranks 5th in the league, averaging 137.4 yards per game, whereas the Bucs rushing defense leaves much to be desired, ranking 30th overall and allowing an average of 149.5 yards a game.

Alls to say it should be an interesting showdown in the Georgia Dome come Sunday.

Sources: (espn.com, ajc.com, chron.com)