Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan works during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants in Atlanta.ATLANTA – Given the gut-wrenching, heart-crushing events of this past weekend in Newtown, Conn., Atlanta Falcons defensive back Asante Samuel might have chosen his words more carefully.
“We love the haters, man,” he said Sunday following his team’s 34-0 thumping of the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants inside the Georgia Dome.
“The haters keep us going. So keep your hate coming. It helps us play with a chip on our shoulder.”
Samuel was referring to all the negativity surrounding the Birds after their 30-20 loss at Carolina a week earlier, a defeat to dredge up all the Atlanta postseason playoff collapses of the past decade.
And there did seem to be a lot of chippy chirping from Falcons Nation for a team that still stood 11-2 before the Giants victory.