Falcons

So many parents and alumni of St. Denis Catholic School in Havertown supported merging with friendly CYO rival Annunciation B.V.M., the marriage should have gone off without a hitch. Instead, parishioners hoping to embrace the past and future in a name were told the regional school would honor the late Cardinal John Foley. The decision was, in their pastor's words, "nonnegotiable. " Children voted on a mascot, only to have their choices (Cardinals, Falcons, or Phoenixes)

Here is a jaded look at Atlanta?s NFL team. Public Enemy No. 1. Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is trying to unseat Donovan McNabb as the NFL?s Mr. Excitement. Vick is good, but did he play nearly a whole game on a broken ankle like you-know-who? Call them fans? On Dec. 1, 1974, a record 40,202 no-shows stayed home, wisely it turned out, for the Falcons? 30-7 loss to the Rams. Brett who? The Falcons traded Brett Favre to the Packers for the 17th overall choice in the 1992 draft.

Today at 1 p.m., at Lincoln Financial Field TV: Fox29 Radio: WYSP-FM (94.1), WIP-AM (610) Line: Eagles by 9 THE MATCHUP MICHAEL TURNER VS. EAGLES RUN DEFENSE WHO IS TURNER? He ranks third in the NFL in rushing with 597 yards on 128 carries, averaging 4.7 yards a run. ... He has six touchdowns, including a 66-yarder. ... He set a team record with 220 yards rushing against Detroit on Sept. 7, the second-highest opening-day total in NFL history, behind O.J. Simpson?s 250 in 1973.

The Atlanta Falcons literally limp into the Georgia Dome to play the biggest game of the year against the Eagles in basically a do-or-die game to get to the postseason for the second consecutive year. The Falcons' difficulties have been well-documented throughout the season, including everything from tons of injuries and a difficult schedule to inconsistent offensive play and an underperforming defense. But the bottom line remains that the NFL shows no pity and excuses need not apply.

Phil-Mont Christian's basketball team accomplished two unusual things during last weekend's 22d Annual Delco Christian Invitational. Not only did the Falcons (23-3) win their first invitational championship, but they also defeated coach Russ Nixon's Delco Christian squad for the fourth time this season. "We were one of the original teams in this tournament, and it makes it that much nicer to win it," Falcons coach Chip Struck said. "And beating any team, especially Delco Christian, four times in one season is a tough thing to do. Russ has done a great job with his kids, and they've played us well all season.

Burlington Township has forfeited its only two football victories after an internal investigation revealed an ineligible player had participated in the games, the school announced yesterday. Burlington Township's 34-3 victory over Cinnaminson on Sept. 29 and 34-0 win over on Palmyra on Oct. 7 have been changed to forfeit victories to those schools. The Falcons are now 0-5 entering tomorrow's game with Holy Cross. Citing NJSIAA rules, Burlington Township said the player should have sat out for 30 days from the first game of the season.

Bishop McDevitt defensive end John Kiley may be small in stature. But the 5-foot, 7-inch, 145-pound junior stood tall for the Lancers Sunday afternoon, helping McDevitt to a 28-0 Catholic League Northern Division win over visiting North Catholic at Cheltenham High School. Kiley spent more time in the North Catholic (2-3, 1-2 division) backfield than he did at his defensive end spot. He continually pressured Falcons' quarterback Matt Helverson into making bad throws. The first time he and Bob Hartman put pressure on Helverson, the result was the first of two Todd Peters interceptions and McDevitt's first touchdown.

Pennsbury used a combination of solid defense, tough pitching and strong hitting to claim the Suburban One League's National Conference Patriot Division with a 7-1 victory over second-place North Penn on Friday. In 1987, the Falcons (16-2, 14-2) won the title, and they have shared the crown three times since then with Council Rock. The Falcons have won 14 games in a row since losing to the Maidens (13-6, 12-4) by 8-2 early in the season. "They thumped us, but we said to the kids after that game it was the best thing they could have done for us," Falcons coach Frank McSherry said.

The Phil-Mont Christian Falcons won the 22d Annual Delco Christian Invitational Basketball Tournament Saturday with a 44-43 victory over Norfolk Christian. Phil-Mont's Carlin Warley, who averaged 17 points per game in the three- game series, was voted the tournament's most valuable player. Carlin's brother Jason Warley, who averaged 23.6 points, was named to the tourney's all-star team. Jason Warley failed in his bid to reach 1,000 points for the season during the championship game.

I STARTED the week resolved to pick the Falcons, 5-0 at home this season, 12-1 over the past 2 years in their cozy dome. The Eagles have been both plucky and lucky in winning the past 2 weeks, and their injury list seems to be growing, not shrinking. They are due for a reality check. However, then I heard Matt Ryan was out, and Michael Turner might be, too. You look at the Falcons' recent work, other than a reasonably close loss at New Orleans, 35-27 on Nov. 2, not much impresses.

Dani Litwin did not think she would be in the starting lineup when she arrived at her Pennsbury home field before a 4 p.m. first pitch Wednesday. The top-seeded Falcons were playing in a District 1 Class AAAA softball playoff game, and Litwin was just a freshman junior-varsity call-up. By 5:30 p.m., Litwin was doing a radio interview and winning a free pizza. Thanks to an RBI bloop single in the second inning, she was the hero of Pennsbury's 1-0 victory over No. 17 seed Pennridge.

As was the case with his late and well-known father, Richard Ashburn Jr.'s love for baseball runs deep. The Hall of Famer's eldest son, rarely straying from the game that grabbed his attention when he was a youngster, is a full-time hitting instructor and second-year head coach at Pottsgrove High. "I'm certain that a lot of it came from following my dad everywhere and being around the Phillies a lot," said Ashburn, who was a bat boy and clubhouse attendant for the club during his father's days as a broadcaster.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Timing, the New York Giants know, is an incredible force. In the NFL playoffs, it's not enough to have strong parts on your team. Those parts also have to excel at just the right time. The Giants have made that happen for the last three weeks, culminating with a bruising, 24-2 win over the Falcons in a wild-card playoff game here Sunday. The run has been enough to help the Giants win the NFC East and now, in some corners of New York, inspire comparisons to their 2007 championship run, when the pieces also fell into place at just the right time.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - There was much debate about how real the Eagles' defensive improvement was the last month of the season, and whether it meant the Birds could have been a competitive playoff team. We'll never know. But if the question is, "Can you have a bad defense most of the season, come together late, and dominate to win a game in the postseason?" - well, the answer there yesterday at MetLife Stadium was "yes. " The Giants came into their Wild Card Weekend matchup with the visiting Atlanta Falcons having closed the books on the regular season ranked 29th in NFL pass defense, 27th in overall defense, 22nd in points allowed.

The New York Giants are only four years removed from their last Super Bowl victory, and they have nothing on the Atlanta Falcons in terms of postseason experience. The Giants (9-7) will be the novices Sunday when they host the Falcons (10-6) in an NFC wild-card game at MetLife Stadium. New York is returning to the postseason after a two-year absence that put coach Tom Coughlin's job in jeopardy, while the Falcons will be appearing in the playoffs for the second straight year and third time in four seasons.

How fast do we expect NFL success these days? Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, now in his fourth year in the league and heading into the third playoff game of his life, is already facing questions about "getting the monkey off his back. " That big, 0-2 monkey. Three whole seasons in the making, including Ryan's rookie year, when the Penn Charter alumnus from Exton led the Falcons to the playoffs after taking over a team that had gone 4-12 the previous campaign. But impatience and expectations are realities for young quarterbacks, especially those drafted as high as Ryan, taken third overall in the 2008 draft out of Boston College.

Here are my picks to roll, and get rolled, in Week 16 of the 2011 season:   Watch 'em roll Matt Ryan, QB, Falcons at Saints. With seven TD passes and no interceptions over the last two weeks, Ryan is among the hottest QBs in the land. He'll need to keep up the blistering pace on Monday night as he duels Drew Brees in what is sure to be a fantasypalooza. Ryan Mathews, RB, Chargers at Lions. Coming off a week in which he gashed the Ravens' elite defense for 90 yards and two scores, Mathews now gets to pick on Detroit's vulnerable run defense.

ATLANTA - Matt Ryan threw three touchdown passes and the Atlanta Falcons clinched a fourth straight winning season with a 41-14 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night. At halftime the Falcons (9-5) were up by 27-0 and the Jaguars (4-10) had a net passing total of minus-1 yard. Falcons 41, Jaguars 14 Jacksonville 0 0 7 7 – 14 Atlanta 10 17 14 0 – 41 First quarter   Atl–Jones 29 pass from Ryan (Bryant kick), 10:51.

ATLANTA - The Falcons had been waiting all season for a complete game. They finally got it. Matt Ryan threw three touchdown passes in less than three quarters of work, John Abraham had 3 1/2 sacks and the Falcons clinched a fourth straight winning season with a 41-14 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars last night. "Hopefully, we can play like we did tonight for the next couple weeks," Ryan said. This one was over by halftime. Atlanta (9-5) led, 27-0, when the teams trotted to the locker room.

After losing to Pottsgove by 40 points three weeks ago, Phoenixville went into Saturday's rematch hoping for a better overall showing and a possible upset victory. The final differential wasn't as bad for the Phantoms, but the Falcons, scoring on their first five possessions, again won in dominant fashion. Piling up 542 rushing yards on 50 attempts, Pottsgrove cruised, 42-13, at Plymouth Whitemarsh to claim its second PIAA District 1 Class AAA championship in the last three seasons.