FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Mike Smith wants his first two playoff losses with the Falcons to be “growing experiences” that will help his team prepare for Sunday’s first-round road game against the New York Giants.

With Smith in his first season as coach and Matt Ryan starting as a rookie quarterback, the Falcons lost to Arizona in the first round of the playoffs after the 2008 season. The Falcons had a first-round bye last year before losing 48-21 to Green Bay.

Smith said it’s important the Falcons (10-6) learn from the losses. He said based on those lessons he is planning tweaks to the Falcons’ practice this week.

“I know we’ve had two postseason games prior to this,” Smith said. “We haven’t gotten the outcome we’ve wanted. We are learning from those experiences. We’re going to use those as growing experiences and we’re looking forward to competing this week, and that’s not just Matt Ryan.

“That’s Mike Smith and every member of our team.”

The Falcons, who never enjoyed back-to-back winning seasons before Smith’s arrival in 2008, now have four straight winning seasons and the team’s first back-to-back playoff berths. The obvious missing piece in Smith’s otherwise impressive record is a playoff win.

Smith said he’s glad the Falcons, who capped their regular season with Sunday’s 45-24 win over Tampa Bay, can move straight into their playoff week.

“I think the way that it went down last year, I’d rather be up this week and go ahead and play,” he said. “That was one of the things I don’t know that we handled as well as we should of, the way that I structured it. I think if we get in that situation again we’ll handle it a little bit differently.”

Smith said he also discussed other changes for this week.

“In our staff meeting today, I brought out the notebook in terms of things we wrote down,” Smith said, referring to his notes from the last two playoff games. “You learn from everything that you do in terms of how you prepare. In terms of the actual scheduling, we’re not going to change that, but there are some things we definitely are going to do a little bit differently.”

He wouldn’t provide details of his planned changes.

“Some things I’d rather not talk about in terms of subtle changes in our installation and how we’re going to present things to our football team,” he said.

The NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement strictly limits the number of practices in full pads. Smith said the Falcons have not worked out in full pads since Week 13. He said his players could work in full pads in one practice this week.

“So it changes a little bit from what we’ve been doing in the last six or seven weeks of the season,” he said.

The Falcons had four turnovers, including two interceptions by Ryan, in last year’s playoff loss to Green Bay. They had three turnovers, including Ryan’s two interceptions, in their 30-24 loss to Arizona.

“There was a common theme in terms of you can’t turn the football over,” Smith said. “That was the pressing thing.

“It’s no different than regular-season football, but we’ve got to make sure that we have ball security. We cannot turn the ball over in the postseason. It’s imperative.”

The Falcons led the Buccaneers 42-0 on Sunday before pulling Ryan and other starters out of the game.

Ryan said the runaway win gave the offense momentum for the playoffs.

“I think it kind of put us in a little bit of a rhythm,” Ryan said.

“We made the plays and that’s what we need to do moving forward. I think everybody’s confidence is very high heading into next week.”

Smith said the Falcons have given the Jacksonville Jaguars permission to interview offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey for their head coach position. The interview is likely to take place next week.

Linebacker Stephen Nicholas, held out of Sunday’s game with a toe injury, worked on the practice field with trainers on Monday but is doubtful for the Giants game, according to Smith.

Jeff Triplette, Shutdown Corner’s favorite NFL official, is at it again. This time, Triplette took his tremendous combination of “skills” to the Monday Night Football game between the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. You’d think the NFL would want one of its best guys working a game of this importance, but as you’ll see when Triplette no doubt gets another playoff assignment, the NFL doesn’t seem to enforce any real standards when it comes to the competence of its officials.

Anyway, here’s the Triplette goof this time. The Saints have third-and-12 at their own 8-yard line with 7:27 left in the game. Drew Brees drops back, doesn’t see what he wants from the coverage reads, and scrambles to the right for a nine-yard gain and the end of New Orleans’ offensive possession. Pretty innocuous play, especially since the Saints were beating the tar out of the Falcons and the result was academic at that point.

And that’s when Triplette decided to make things more interesting. There was a flag thrown for holding, and after a mercifully brief discussion, Triplette made this ruling:

“There is no hold on the play … as it is a screen pass. The blocker was shedding him to the side.”

Uh … what?

Well, here’s the first problem, Jeff. We don’t know who either “the blocker” is, based on your description. You’re having a conversation with your umpire about a flag that apparently shouldn’t have been thrown, and that’s fine. But it would help if you informed us of your thought process in the first place. We’re assuming you’re just not smart enough to realize that you have an obligation to describe the penalty, whether it’s waved off or not, once you turn on your little microphone.

Unless, of course, our ancillary theory is correct and you’re one of the increasing number of officials who are throwing and then picking up flags in a weak and completely lame attempt to get more TV facetime.

Fortunately, Ron Jaworski spelled it out in the ESPN booth.

“You can see [Saints left tackle] Jermon Bushrod laying on [Falcons defensive end] John Abraham,” Jaworski said. “I’m not so sure it was a screen, though. In fact, it wasn’t a screen.”

Yeah … that’s the second problem, Jeff. It WAS a hold, because it WASN’T a screen pass. It wasn’t a pass at all. And there is no specific exception in the rulebook for a screen pass overthrowing a holding call even if it was a screen pass.

There is a provision that holding will not be called if it happens after a pass is clearly thrown, but Brees didn’t throw a pass at all. He read his coverage, saw nobody open, and scrambled. There is another provision that holding won’t be called if the action occurs away from the point of attack and not within close-line play. But Bushrod took Abraham to the ground and held him there, while Brees was still in the pocket and not two yards away from the hold.

So, Mr. Triplette, we ask you as we frequently do: What the hell were you talking about?

Related: Jermon Bushrod, Drew Brees, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Adventures in Officiating

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP)—Coach Mike Smith has led the Atlanta Falcons to
the playoffs in three of his four seasons.

Right now, he couldn’t care less.

Smith spent Tuesday trying to find answers for major breakdowns following
the Falcons’ blowout loss the night before in New Orleans.

A 45-16 defeat left him determined to fix these problems before the
postseason begins in two weeks.

The Falcons (9-6) host Tampa Bay (4-11) in the regular-season finale on
Sunday and will learn later that day where they will travel to open the
playoffs.

But Smith has more immediate concerns after watching his team lose badly to
the Saints.

“We did not match their physicality,” Smith said, “and I don’t think we
played real smart either.”

Atlanta’s offense, which had scored a combined 72 points in the previous two
games, was inconsistent:

— Before the score was lopsided, the Falcons had to settle for field goals
on three red zone possessions and went three-and-out both times the defense
picked off Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

— Running back Michael Turner, the NFL’s sixth-leading rusher, finished with
39 yards on 11 carries.

— Rookie receiver Julio Jones lost a fourth-quarter fumble that New Orleans’
Malcolm Jenkins returned for a 30-yard touchdown that put the game out of reach.

The Falcons’ defense was worse:

— New Orleans, which leads the NFL in third down rate, converted its first
nine chances and finished 10 for 13 as Atlanta failed to match the Saints’
frenetic substitution patterns.

— The Falcons were a mess in the red zone, allowing four touchdowns in six
opportunities. It seemed appropriate that Brees ended the night by setting the
league’s single-season passing record with a 9-yard TD pass on second-and-goal.

— And after falling to 2-6 against New Orleans in his tenure as Atlanta’s
coach, Smith was frustrated by his team’s inability to pressure Brees
consistently. He was only sacked once.

“We had a couple of opportunities with blitzes in which we had some free
runners at them and we did not make the play,” he said.

“But our pass rush was not what it needs to be. You can’t give that guy
time if you’re playing matchup coverages, man coverages and if he gets time,
those guys are going to get open. That was the case on a number of occasions.”

With so much at stake in the division, right end John Abraham never believed
the Falcons would begin the night playing timidly on defense.

But even though a win over New Orleans would’ve given Atlanta the chance to
win the NFC South and host a playoff game, Abraham wondered if his team was
overly confident after beating Jacksonville 41-14 the week before.

“I don’t know why we came out a little sluggish, but we did,” Abraham
said. “And in the end they got the momentum and held onto it.”

Whether the Falcons have some kind of identity crisis remains to be seen.
They had won four of five since losing in overtime to New Orleans six weeks ago,
but have just two victories this season over teams with winning records (Detroit
and Tennessee).

Tampa Bay, which visits the Georgia Dome on Sunday, isn’t likely to give
Atlanta much of a gauge. The Buccaneers have lost nine straight and are coming
off a 32-point road loss at Carolina.

Smith promises, though, that he will keep his team focused on Tampa Bay and
not on the playoffs. Atlanta is 0-2 in the postseason during his tenure.

“I can assure you that for our organization, our goal is not just to make
the playoffs,” Smith said.

“Our goals are much higher than that, and we have a roadmap that you have
to follow to get there, meaning that you’ve got games to play and we didn’t play
very good last night. I think it is a humbling experience for all of us because
we didn’t play Atlanta Falcon football like we know we’re capable of playing.”

Recapping the New Orleans Saints’ 45-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints clinched the NFC South title and remain in contention for the No. 2 seed in the playoff race.

DID YOU SEE?

MARQUES COLSTON

Once again, when the NFL’s Pro Bowl rosters are announced today, the Saints’ sure-handed receiver will be left out.

He’ll probably finish as a distant alternate behind players with flashier statistics from offenses that don’t spread the ball around as much as the Saints do, but it’s quite possible Colston is the best player in the league who has never been invited to the Pro Bowl. In another offense, he might catch 90-plus passes with double-digit touchdowns.

Colston surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the fifth time in his six-year career with another typical performance in Monday night’s 45-16 victory over the visiting Atlanta Falcons — seven catches, 81 yards and a touchdown. He especially was clutch early, catching four passes for third-down conversions in the first half, including an 8-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

“That’s my role,” Colston said in his usual humble fashion. “I think everyone in the receiving corps has their role, so I just try to play it to the best of my ability.”

JIMMY GRAHAM

Graham, on the other hand, will undoubtedly earn an invite to the Pro Bowl, which will make him the Saints’ first skill-position player to do so since receiver Joe Horn in 2004.

Graham had a pedestrian game by his standards Monday night, catching four passes for 42 yards. But his 9-yard touchdown late in the second quarter was one of the best of his young career. He leaped high over cornerback Brent Grimes to make the grab, showing his old power-forward form from his basketball days at the University of Miami. That was Graham’s 10th touchdown catch of the season, which set a franchise record for tight ends. He has a chance to set a NFL record against the visiting Carolina Panthers on Sunday. He’s 67 yards behind Kellen Winslow, who set the NFL record for tight ends in 1980 with 1,290 receiving yards. However, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is 6 yards ahead of Graham and could also break that record.

After the Falcons game, Graham gave praise to quarterback Drew Brees, insisting that he never wants to play for another quarterback.

“He only makes me look better,” Graham said.

HOW THE GAME WAS WON

The Saints’ offense was in fine form, converting its first nine third-down attempts en route to a 28-10 lead in the third quarter.

But once again, the Saints’ defense came up equally big.

After allowing Atlanta to score 10 points on its first two drives, the Saints’ defense went into shut-down mode. They held the Falcons scoreless on their next four drives, and then forced them to settle for field goals on the next two drives. After New Orleans’ offense then stalled, the defense came up with the biggest play yet — a forced fumble by linebacker Scott Shanle that was returned 30 yards for a touchdown by safety Malcolm Jenkins in the fourth quarter.

Jenkins had a great effort, coming up with two huge hits earlier in the game that led to punts.

Also big for the Saints was second-year defensive end Junior Galette, who made a rare start and came up with two hits against quarterback Matt Ryan that led to drive-killing incompletions and a third that forced a holding call.

LOOKING AHEAD

REMATCH IN TWO WEEKS?

The Saints finally put together a convincing victory against their rivals, snapping a streak of four games in this series that were decided by three points.

And for their reward? They’ll probably face the Falcons again in less than two weeks at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The Saints (12-3) are the third seed in the NFC, and the Falcons (9-6) are the sixth seed, which would set up a first-round playoff rematch. New Orleans can move up if it defeats the Panthers and the San Francisco 49ers lose at St. Louis. The Falcons can move up if they win and the Detroit Lions lose at Green Bay (questionable since the Packers might rest their starters).

If the rematch happens, it won’t be a “gimme” for the Saints. The Falcons are a bona-fide playoff team, but please spare me the argument that it’s “tough to beat the same team three times.” That’s bogus, based on historical data and common sense. It would be even tougher for the Falcons to come to the Superdome and beat a Saints team that has proven to be the better team twice.

DILEMMA FOR PAYTON?

The Saints are alive for the No. 2 seed, but they could consider resting their starters against Carolina.

Last season, Coach Sean Payton admitted that his biggest regret was playing his starters in Week 17 when New Orleans had a slim chance of earning the No. 1 seed. As a result, key players Graham, Jenkins and Chris Ivory all got hurt and couldn’t play in the playoffs.

The Saints now are in the same boat, with the 49ers unlikely to lose at St. Louis, though the Saints did Oct. 30.

Further complicating matters, if Brees doesn’t play, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady could pass him up for the all-time single-season passing record.

The Saints should and will try to win — at least until the scoreboard shows the 49ers comfortably ahead.

Atlanta Falcons Coach Mike Smith said twice Thursday he believes New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is, “having an MVP season.” Brees, who leads an 11-3 New Orleans against Atlanta this Monday night, could break Dan Marino’s single-season passing yardage record in that game.

Smith, echoing Falcons running back Michael Turner, carefully heaped praise on the Saints as the second 2011 installment of one of the NFL’s better rivalries approaches.

“I can’t say enough about the team down there, especially what they’ve been doing offensively,” Smith said with a chuckle. “They’ve just been off the charts in terms of what they’ve been able to accomplish. Drew, who always plays at a high level, is playing at an even higher level right now. Just to watch him operate in that offense is very impressive.

“Drew’s having in my mind an MVP season, there’s no doubt about that,” Smith continued. “He’s distributing the ball extremely well. They’re a top 10 team in running the football, the No. 1 team in total yards, No. 2 in points. Just to watch him operate, he looks very comfortable back there running the offense. It’s just amazing to watch him go out and run that offense. I hope he’s at his highest level because if he plays any better I don’t know if there’s any way to stop him.”