Payton's Tuesday Press Conference
 

Are you surprised that you’ve been on this six-game winning streak and Atlanta has stayed right behind still with a chance to catch you in the division?

“They’re a real good team. We felt going back to even our game when we played them earlier in the year, every time it seems we play them it comes down to a last possession or field goal. We’ve just played so many close games, so many hard-fought games that it’s a sign that typically both teams are pretty evenly matched, very competitive and very good.”

What is your opinion when you hear players from other teams talking about your defense being dirty?

“I actually haven’t seen any of that. I think more than ever the officials nowadays are doing a great job of controlling games and monitoring hits. Roman (Harper) got called on a penalty that was one that really could have gone either way. I really don’t pay a whole lot of attention to that. I guess it’s a little like our whistle guy.”

What has impressed you most about the Falcons and what you’ve seen from them?

“I think they play very good team defense, they get to the ball, they have good speed and are real solid in a lot of areas on that side of the ball. Offensively, we’ve seen a lot of these players for a number of years, and you add a rookie receiver in Julio Jones to that equation and now you have really what amounts to a lot of weapons and a lot of guys you have to defend. They have great special teams play. I think it’s a team that gets it and understands how to win and understands the objectives each week in order to get a win. It’s been a big reason why Mike (Smith) and his staff and his team have been so successful. They understand what wins games, they understand what loses games, and that’s why they’re always a difficult opponent.”

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Payton's Tuesday Press Conference

Great read - says all the right things. SOunds good sounds right!! Keep it up.