Unnamed Falcons player upset about Saints running up the score

On the way to Drew Brees breaking Dan Marino's single-season passing record, the Saints scored a whole lot of touchdowns, and the Falcons resorted to a whole lot of field goals. CBS Sports' Pete Prisco and an unnamed Falcons player had a problem with the Saints continuing to pass when they were up by 22 points.



It was a questionable decision to say the least to go for it in that manner since the Saints have another game to break the record ... The players I talked to all thought it was classless.

"No need for that," one player said. "It came on our watch, but it didn't have to come that way. We won't forget it."

Yes, those sentences were written about an NFL game between divisional rivals, not the pre-season scrimmage played on a Pop Warner field. I have to agree with the take Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon told to Yahoo! Sports' Jason Cole.



"No man, it's our job to stop them," said linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, who missed New Orleans running back Darren Sproles on the record-setting play. "I can't say I'm upset by them running up the score or anything like that when I had a chance to make a play."

Not only did the Falcons have a chance to stop Brees from getting the record during Monday night's game, they also could have stopped him during their game in November. Brees dropped 322 yards on the Falcons in that game.

That's the beauty of football. If this unnamed Falcon has a problem with something the Saints have done, he can exact revenge on the football field.

Titans accuse Saints of blowing whistles on the sidelines

The mantra pounded into every young football player's head is "Play 'til the whistle blows." According to a couple of Tennessee Titans, the New Orleans Saints tried to take advantage of it by blowing some unscrupulous whistles in an effort to get the Titans to stop playing prematurely.
Via Paul Kuharsky at ESPN.com, a man named Dean McCondichie, who produces a television show for the team, had a microphone on offensive tackle Michael Roos. The mic picked up some unauthorized whistles.

"During the game we heard this whistle blowing, but they weren't stopping the game, they just kept playing," he said. "They were loud enough for me to hear it on the microphone on him. They were all trying to figure out why play continued. I asked them if they knew where it came from and they said the New Orleans bench. Nobody saw it, but it was pretty loud and it was definitely a whistle."

Jake Scott, another Titans lineman said he heard it, too.

"Dean's got it on tape," Scott said. "Somebody was blowing a whistle on the sideline. There is audio of it, so we'll let it go from there. The second to last drive I think."

My prediction as to what will come of this is absolutely nothing. Unless the video shows some Saints employee with a whistle in his mouth, then how does anything get proven? How do we know it wasn't a guy in the first row blowing a whistle?
I expect a denial coming from the Saints shortly, and then this little issue going away.

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Six the- hard way: Which coaches might be next on the chopping block?

With Jack Del Rio, Todd Haley, and Tony Sparano already out the door, and just three weeks left in the regular season, it's time to start counting that little window of postseason, pre-draft narrative known as the mass termination of head coaching contracts. Here, in our general opinion, are six more head coaches who might want to watch their backs.

We might also add Mike Shanahan and Jason Garrett as more extreme longshots — it might take the Redskins and/or Cowboys losing out for such things to happen, but there are surprise firings every season … you just never know.

The Coach: Steve Spagnuolo, St. Louis Rams
The Record: 2-10 in 2011 (10-34 in third season with Rams)
The Case For: Took over a team that was bad enough to go 1-15 in his first season as head coach; rebuilt things enough the seemingly good drafts to advance to 7-9 in his second year. Was one win away from the NFC West crown in 2010. 2011 fallback has been far more about the team's offense than the defense, which is really Spagnuolo's domain.

Black Monday: Tony Sparano gets fired from Dolphins.

Monday has been rough for NFL head coaches. Just hours after Kansas City dismissed Todd Haley, word comes from the NFL Network that Dolphins coach Tony Sparano is the next to go. Secondary coach Todd Bowles will take over as the interim coach for the remainder of Miami's schedule.

Whispers about Sparano's job security began when the Dolphins started the season with seven straight losses. Though they improved to 4-9, it wasn't enough to save Sparano's job. It's possible that the Chiefs' decision to fire Haley played a part in ending Sparano's season.

The Miami Herald reports that finding a big-name coach who has proven himself to be a winner is a priority for Dolphins owner Stephen Ross. Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden and Brian Billick are all possible candidates.

Sparano's record with the Dolphins is 29-31. In January, Miami extended his contract to 2013.