Asante Samuel fully enjoyed the Falcons' 30-17 romp over the Eagles on Sunday.
Not only was the victory pretty nice, but it also provided some validation for Samuel, who was traded from Philadelphia during the offseason amid rumblings that coach Andy Reid thought he had lost a step.
Samuel was soaking up the win Sunday before it was even over, trash-talking the sideline and dancing around the field. But the show didn't stop there — after the game, he had quite the rambling news conference as he told everyone just how good he thought he was while taking shots at Reid.
Samuel said he tried to talk to Reid after the game, but Reid would have none of it.
"He didn't want to speak to me," Samuel said, according to Comcast Sportsnet Philly. "I went up to him, said, 'What's up, coach?' I don't know why. … As happy as I am, he wouldn't even tell me, 'Great game, Asante. I love ya, man. …
"He didn't speak to me. Like it's my fault, like what did I do to you? You know what I meant? I think it was the way we was dancing out there. It got to him a little bit."
Samuel could be seen after the game talking to Reid, but it wasn't clear whether that included an actual conversation or just Samuel jabbering some more.
Samuel was also asked about comments he made after Reid's recent firing of defensive coordinator Juan Castillo, whom Samuel had defended on Twitter with a veiled shot at Reid. Samuel quickly reiterated who he thought was to blame for the 3-4 Eagles' problems — while giving himself a nice pat on the back.
"Juan, didn't he have the No. 12 defense in the league?" Samuel said Sunday. "Juan was doing pretty good. If [they] would have had me over there, they could have counted on at least one turnover."
He didn't stop there.
"The difference between these teams? I think it's the coaching," he said. "We got really good coaching."
When asked if the Eagles would be struggling if he was still playing for them, he said, "We're 7-0 over here, baby — wouldn't be no struggling. Everything would be good. It would be victory Monday if I were over there."
Samuel wouldn't take the bait when he was asked whether he thought Reid deserved to be fired, but he did return to the topic of Reid not talking to him after the game.
"All the players — the players spoke to me. Coach wouldn't speak to me," he said. "… I thought every coach was supposed to have a first-class mentality. I don't think that was first class."
Samuel was not asked to grade his own comments.
Samuel is settling in with the Falcons after being traded in the offseason as the Eagles turned to Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Nnamdi Asomugha for their cornerback positions. Philadelphia has struggled all season, including at cornerback, while the Falcons have looked dominant in their 7-0 start.
