FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — It's been a disappointing season for the Falcons, to put it mildly. But at least the Atlanta players haven't encountered ugly fan behavior.
If an NFL player has been the poster child for falling victim to the beyond-the-pale ire of his hometown fans, it's Texans quarterback and former Falcons draftee Matt Schaub.
A former Pro Bowler and AFC passing champion (2009), Schaub was the subject of derisive cheers from the Houston fans when limping off the field (ankle injury) last week, during the Texans' 38-13 loss to the Rams. Leading into that game, Schaub tossed a pick-six to the opposing team in four straight outings.
Booing an injured player is generally more associated with one of America's toughest sports towns — Philadelphia — than Houston.
The Texans (2-4) actually have a better record than the 1-4 Falcons. Maybe the boorish behavior toward Schaub was more a commentary on football-crazed fans in Texas, compared to Atlanta, known as a city that's "too busy to hate" since the Civil Rights Era, but one that also carries a milquetoast reputation as a pro sports town — deserved or not.
In any case, it’s hard to imagine fans at the Georgia Dome cheering an injury to quarterback Matt Ryan or any other Falcon, unlike Schaub from last week. Ryan has arguably been Atlanta's best player this season, ranking fourth in the NFL in completion percentage and sixth in QB rating.
Ryan and Schaub grew up about 10 miles apart in Philadelphia's western suburbs and share mutual friends in Atlanta, like former Falcons wide receiver Brian Finneran.
"You never want to see that stuff," Ryan said. "Matt's a great guy and certainly somebody that he works his butt off and prepares week in and week out to have himself ready to go, so that's part of the ugly side of this deal. I wish him nothing but the best moving forward."
The previous week, a Houston TV station also reported that some unruly fans came to Schaub's home and berated him for his play. NFL security and the Houston police have reportedly investigated the incident.
Houston police have denied such an incident took place, as has Schaub, who did acknowledge disturbing behavior in another form and that he notified club officials when it occurred.
"When you see multiple people driving down the street taking photos of your home and you're not sure why that usually leads you to contacting team security," he told reporters in Houston. "My main focus is to make sure my family is safe at my home."
Snelling, a college roommate of Schaub's at Virginia, was drafted in 2007 — the year the Falcons traded Schaub to the Texans.
The Atlanta running back said Schaub is part of his "brotherhood" of former teammates, keeping tabs with one another via email and often sending out good-luck wishes at the start of a season.
"As far (Schaub's) troubles right now, playing with him, I know how hard he works as a player, I know all the things going on over there can’t all be his fault, as it never is one player’s fault on any team," Snelling said. "Of course, they’re always going to put blame on a guy. He’s in that spotlight. He knows how to handle it.
"As a teammate and a player in this league, you never want to see a stupid cheer when a guy gets hurt. I'll never make comments about their fans or anything like that because I don’t know them. It wouldn’t be fair. But what I saw — and not all the fans are like that — you never want to see a situation like that."
Fans who lose perspective on the bigger picture, going beyond any reasonable definition of acceptable behavior, are essentially hurting something they profess to love so much.
What was a major reason for Osi Umenyiora signing with the Falcons? He had previous ties to Atlanta and felt comfortable here. It's a great city for athletes to live.
Courting free-agent athletes can, at times, require more than just money. If multiple cities are competing for the same player, the athlete takes in other factors — livability, for example. Incidents like the ones involving Schaub — fans have burned him in effigy — stick in the collective memory of athletes.
Don't just take the Falcons' words for it. Look at what Schaub's teammates are saying.
Players remember these things.
