Halo

Typically outspoken Atlanta Falcons cornerback Asante Samuel downplayed Tuesday morning comments from New Orleans Saints linebacker Scott Shanle after the Saints 31-27 win over Atlanta on Nov. 11 where Shanle called the Falcons the team's "little brother."

"Of course we wouldn't feel that way (like the Saints' little brother)," Samuel said. "We're just going to go out there on Thursday night. We're going to let our play do all the talking. We're just going to go out there and play hard."

Shanle may have produced the lightning rod quote of the season after the Falcons game when he told Yahoo! Sports the Falcons were like the Saints' "little brother" considering the Saints have won 11 of their last 13 games against Atlanta.

"Everybody was ready to let Atlanta know we still own them despite how our year has gone," Shanle said after the Saints beat Atlanta on Nov. 11. "It was awesome, man. They thought we were supposed to be scared of them. We're now 11-2 since we got here in '06 against them. They're like our little brothers. Deep down they know they can't mess with us even when we are having a down year."

Seemingly before, during or after every Saints-Falcons game there's some sort of chatter back and forth between the bitter NFC South rivals.

"There's no sifting (through the back-and-forth verbal barbs) that really goes on," Falcons Coach Mike Smith said. "Not meaning it to be taken the wrong way, but there's noise before every game. It starts usually on Tuesday if the game is on Sunday.

"There's noise outside the building and it's part of the process of leading up to a football game. Our focus, like the guys down there's focus, is on what do we have to do to play our best ball game on Thursday night. We don't listen to it. We don't concern ourselves with it."

Meanwhile, Samuel said he's taking his shoulder injury day by day after sustaining the injury in Atlanta's win over Tampa Bay on Sunday. Smith said Samuel will be a gametime decision.

NOLA.COM

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