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Sunday, Jan. 31 11:03pm ET Atlanta fans: Wait until next year |
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ATLANTA -- Falcons fans lined up outside area bars before
they opened Sunday to stake out prime seats for the Super Bowl.
It took them just a few minutes to clear out after the Falcons
lost to the Denver Broncos 34-19.
But regardless of the loss, most of the fans were proud of their
team, which made the Super Bowl for the first time in its 33-year
history.
They were also mindful of next year -- when the NFL championship
game will be in Atlanta's Georgia Dome.
"I hurt for them. No matter what, I'm still a Falcons fan,"
said Larkin Gates, one of about 1,500 people who crowded into the
Three Dollar Cafe in Buckhead.
"I'll be up there next year. I'll be doing the Dirty Bird for
them," said Gates, who had a Falcon tattooed on chest, with a
Falcons throw worn like a cape and an Atlanta bandana in his hair.
There were few people doing the Dirty Bird -- a prancing dance
performed by Falcons players after big plays -- following John
Elway's methodical attack against the Atlanta defense that earned
him MVP honors in Denver's second straight Super Bowl victory.
"I still love my Dirty Birds," said Jimmy Moon, a cook at
Reggie's British Pub at the CNN Center in downtown Atlanta. "They
lost tonight, but they'll be back next year. I've been with them 33
years and I'm not giving up now."
The Dirty Birds, as the team became known during their race to
the NFC championship, captured admiration statewide.
The Three Dollar Cafe in Atlanta opened at 11 a.m., said manager
Samantha Lockridge. By midafternoon, it was standing room only.
Gates, a longtime Falcons fan, shook hands with friend Grant
Donlay when he realized the game was over.
"You guys got it, man. You guys got it," he said.
Donlay, one of the few Denver fans in the throng, wore a Broncos
ball cap, but wisely remained quiet for most of the game.
"They're both championship teams," he said after the Denver
win. "The two best teams win."
Patrick Heggy, wearing a helmet with a Bronco rising from the
front, put the hat in a bag in the fourth quarter.
"This way, I can walk out without an altercation," Heggy said.
"The team with the most experience won. Denver lost four before
they won one. You've got to lose some before you win one."
At the Atlanta Police command center in Buckhead, where officers
had prepared to deal with a rowdy outdoor celebration if the
Falcons had won, little activity was reported after the game ended.
"It's very quiet. Nobody is doing anything they're not supposed
to do. We expect people will be going home now," said Maj. Bill
Gordon.
Although the weather was balmy most of the week, an icy rain
fell Sunday night.
"I expect the weather had something to do with it (being
quiet)," Gordon said.
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