After the New York Giants' Justin Tuck accused the Falcons' offensive line of playing dirty, Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith predictably fired back with a flurry of politeness, and in concert, offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey went on the offensive for his line, speaking to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
"We thrive on doing things right," Mularkey said. "We thrive on playing physical. We’ve been doing that for four years. Nothing is ever preached beyond the whistle. Ever."
"We are really disciplined," Mularkey said. "We try to be one of the least penalized teams and offenses in the NFL. We’ve done a good job for the most part. We’ve had some spurts where we had some bad penalties, but it’s really, really important for us to don’t hurt ourselves with penalties such as that. It’s addressed all of the time."
The Falcons' Michael Turner has never had a 100-yard rushing performance in the postseason. With the weather expected to be drizzly and cold, and the New York pass rush one of the league's best, the play of the Falcons' offensive line - dirty, clean or hugs and kisses - could very well determine the outcome of Sunday's game.
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