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Speaker 1: Week one Lock about the Week, Seattle. I love it.

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Speaker 1: You're listening to Falcons Audible presented by A G and T.

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Speaker 1: And Welcome to Falcons Audible presented by AT and T.

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Speaker 1: I'm Matt Tebeacon. I am joined with Pete Prisco, senior

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Speaker 1: NFL writer from CBS Sports, someone I worked with for

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Speaker 1: several years when I was there. It is great to

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Speaker 1: see you, and thanks for taking time out of one

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Speaker 1: of the busiest days of the year to spend time

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Speaker 1: with us at Atlanta Falcons dot Com. Appreciate it, brother,

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Speaker 1: Oh good man, it look the cuts it easy, dad,

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Speaker 1: These days it's not a lock going on. A lot

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Speaker 1: of a lot of guys you expected to be cut

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Speaker 1: got cut. Yeah, so let's just start right with the Falcons. Pete,

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Speaker 1: any surprise moves, you know, as far as you're concerned

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Speaker 1: today with that final fifty three man wrestler, not at

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Speaker 1: all nothing. You know, some fans got excited when they

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Speaker 1: signed Laquon Treadwell, you know, you know they were thinking, hey,

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Speaker 1: we're gonna have three first round receivers when they go

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Speaker 1: three wide. But you just didn't. You just didn't stand

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Speaker 1: out in camp. And and there's some young receivers. They

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Speaker 1: are just like Christian Blake that just stood out and

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Speaker 1: played better. And you know what, that's what you do

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Speaker 1: in that scenario. You got to put the name aside

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Speaker 1: and go with the game. And I've always said that,

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Speaker 1: and clearly, judge of my you know what I read

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Speaker 1: and heard from up there, Treadwell did not have a

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Speaker 1: great camp. He doesn't run, he doesn't run that well.

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Speaker 1: That's a problem. And so I that wasn't a surprise

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Speaker 1: to me. And I looked up and down their cuts

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Speaker 1: and I'm like, where's the shock? There really wasn't any

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Speaker 1: I didn't think, did you think that? I didn't think

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Speaker 1: there was a surprise at all of them. No, I

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Speaker 1: mean I do my annual roster predictions. I got fifty

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Speaker 1: out of fifty three this year, and two of them

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Speaker 1: were just because the Falcons went with a different number,

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Speaker 1: you know, along the offensive and defensive lines. You know,

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Speaker 1: I had maybe I had Treadwell making it at the

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Speaker 1: end there, just because I thought first round head agree,

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Speaker 1: he's got some experience, he's got that size, you know,

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Speaker 1: maybe that you know he's like a you know, like

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Speaker 1: a Mohammed sanw type receiver. But Falcon's thought differently. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: and I'm not surprised by that their cuts are actually

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Speaker 1: pretty easy. Most of the cuts in the league were

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Speaker 1: pretty easy. Yeah. You know, do you think not having

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Speaker 1: a preseason hurt any of these guys? Pete? Do you

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Speaker 1: think it hurt maybe the undrafted free agents. I'm a

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Speaker 1: big believer and by the time you go to camp,

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Speaker 1: you usually know which twenty you're getting cut, and then

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Speaker 1: you got to figure out which to the rest of

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Speaker 1: the guys that are going to fight for the other jobs.

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Speaker 1: I think it's pretty easy to cut, and I've always

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Speaker 1: believed that now will there be one or two guys

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Speaker 1: that slip through the cracks and maybe wind up on

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Speaker 1: another team to become a contributor, maybe even a starter.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely that can happen. You know, they might not have

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Speaker 1: got the opportunity that they've had in the past. I

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Speaker 1: think the expanded practice squad rosters will be good for

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Speaker 1: a lot of young guys too, And it's gonna be

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Speaker 1: good for some vetters because you can keep five veterans

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Speaker 1: on those things, so that that'll help as well. So

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Speaker 1: it's just not the same cut day. It hasn't been

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Speaker 1: the same for a long time. By the way because

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Speaker 1: teams clean out all their overpaid veterans aren't contributing before

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Speaker 1: they even get the camp most of the time. So

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Speaker 1: it's it's not anything like what it used to be. Well,

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Speaker 1: speaking about those moves and those offseason moves, you could

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Speaker 1: argue that's where the Falcons really had. Maybe some of

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Speaker 1: them made some of the more surprising moves this offseason.

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Speaker 1: I know, we'll get into the MC South in a second,

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Speaker 1: but you know, the Falcons surprised everybody Pete when they

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Speaker 1: went out and it looked like they wouldn't be able

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Speaker 1: to keep you know, Austin Hooper, and they went out

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Speaker 1: and traded a second round picked for Hayden Hurst, a

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Speaker 1: kid that they really well he's not really a kid,

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Speaker 1: he's older, but they really liked him, you know in yeah,

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Speaker 1: I'll tell you what. They love his size, his quickness,

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Speaker 1: and they they liked him, you know, heading into that draft,

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Speaker 1: and so they traded for him, and as you know,

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Speaker 1: they signed a fowler. They signed Todd Gurley on a

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Speaker 1: one year proved deal. So what do you think of

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Speaker 1: their offseason moves? Well, let me start with hers. I

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Speaker 1: followed his career close. I followed him. I remember him

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Speaker 1: in high school. He's a Jacksonville kid. He's from where

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Speaker 1: when I used to live up there, So I think,

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Speaker 1: you know, you read all the stories about it, he

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Speaker 1: had a lot of off the field issues he had

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Speaker 1: to fight through. Then by the time he was in Baltimore,

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Speaker 1: he'd lost you know, Mark Andrews passed them by, I think.

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Speaker 1: And we had Matt Ryan on earlier this summer, and

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Speaker 1: Matt was raving about him, raving about him. He said

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Speaker 1: he's as athletic as Gonzalez and those guys, and that's

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Speaker 1: hot and Hooper and that's high praise. So I think

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Speaker 1: he's got a chance to have a big year in

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Speaker 1: that offense, and that'll help open up stuff on the outside,

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Speaker 1: much like Hooper did. So He's also a pretty good blocker,

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Speaker 1: so I think that'll be good for their offense. I

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Speaker 1: think Fowler was immature as a kid when he came

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Speaker 1: into the league. I mean, he missed meetings, he missed

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Speaker 1: rehab assignments, He get fined a bunch of times. Remember

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Speaker 1: he got his money back those fines, but what they

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Speaker 1: didn't say is how much he actually had to pay

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Speaker 1: for ones that were warranted. And so I think going

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Speaker 1: to La helped him. He's never going to be an

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Speaker 1: elite pass rusher, but what he is, he's a lot

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Speaker 1: like Clowney Jadeveon Clowney, really good run player, plays hard,

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Speaker 1: plays tough, can get to the quarterback as well. So

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Speaker 1: I like that signing Girly. If Gurly can give you

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Speaker 1: a year or two, they should clap like crazy for it,

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Speaker 1: because I think that knee has been a problem for

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Speaker 1: a while. And you know you've watched him in camp

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Speaker 1: more than I have. Is he dragging it? He looked

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Speaker 1: the same? Does he look great? Well, if he looks good,

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Speaker 1: that running game will be better than what it's been.

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Speaker 1: But doesn't really matter about the back. The line has

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Speaker 1: to be better. Lynstrom has to be good. The rookie

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Speaker 1: left guard has to be good. I think McGarry's going

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Speaker 1: to be better. I think with Lynstrom and McGarry both

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Speaker 1: being around for a whole year, I think the right

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Speaker 1: side will be much better. Yeah, if you've seen Chris Lynstrom,

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Speaker 1: he's a guy that I know you would like a lot.

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Speaker 1: He is. He has redefined himself physically and uh, you

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Speaker 1: know he missed that he went out in that first

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Speaker 1: game Pete last year against the Vikings, the opener missed

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Speaker 1: a bunch of games, came back for the final four games.

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Speaker 1: They went four and oh they played well, as you know,

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Speaker 1: down the stretch, went six and two, went into New Orleans,

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Speaker 1: beat him, went into San Francisco and one, so you know,

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Speaker 1: and then they beat the Bucks in overtime at the end.

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Speaker 1: But you know, that's been a lot of the talk

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Speaker 1: and they keep that, you know, momentum going and they

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Speaker 1: feel good about that line right now. Matt Hennessy and

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Speaker 1: Matt you know, the line when it's banned in the

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Speaker 1: interior has always bothered Matt Ryan and his career. Father's

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Speaker 1: any quarterback, but for him, he's a long strider. He

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Speaker 1: needs to be able to step into his passes and

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Speaker 1: I think people around his legs have always been a

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Speaker 1: problem for him. So they got to be stout in

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Speaker 1: the middle. And I think, you know, with Lyndstrom being good,

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Speaker 1: Matt get get another run on it. Hennessy will ultimately

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Speaker 1: be the center, I think, but he's going to play

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Speaker 1: left guard. They'll be better in the middle. They will

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Speaker 1: be tougher in the middle, and that's a good thing. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: And as you mentioned, if Hayden Hurst can block better

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Speaker 1: and he's a good blocker. That's gonna help them mentally too,

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Speaker 1: because they we all know the weapons they have outside

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Speaker 1: they're pretty good. I love the weapons out So Julio

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Speaker 1: is still to me the you know one or two

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Speaker 1: in the league. You know, for whatever reason, they talk

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Speaker 1: about the great receivers in the league, for some reason,

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Speaker 1: they forget Julio. You know that Michael Thomas, dis and

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Speaker 1: DeAndre Hopkins that no, Julio. Julio's a beast. You know.

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Speaker 1: Then Calvin Ridley, I thought he would take the giant

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Speaker 1: step next year. I mean last year, yeah, it quite happen,

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Speaker 1: but I expect it to happen this year. And I've

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Speaker 1: heard nothing but great things about him coming out of there.

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Speaker 1: He's been phenomenal. And they have so they have weapons.

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Speaker 1: They're gonna you know, they are going to get and

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Speaker 1: score points because they have a lot of weapons. Which

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Speaker 1: brings you back to the argument that we've had the

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Speaker 1: problem they've had for a couple of years. What about

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Speaker 1: the defense before we get off the offense though, you know,

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Speaker 1: Matt Ryan and considering everything you just talk about, I

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Speaker 1: mean he's put up really good numbers, steady numbers and

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Speaker 1: he can still make all the throws I say all

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Speaker 1: the time, I do it, you know, Monday through Friday

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Speaker 1: mailbag with fans. I'm shocked that I have to defend

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Speaker 1: him sometimes. He is playing still at an elite level

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Speaker 1: and he's been sacked forty eight forty eight times. He

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Speaker 1: was sacked last year, forty two of the year before,

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Speaker 1: and so they need to shore that up. If they do,

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Speaker 1: I think, you know, watch out with that offense. Matt

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Speaker 1: Ryan is one of the more underappreciated and picked the

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Speaker 1: park quarterbacks in the NFL. It makes no sense to me.

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Speaker 1: He wins an MVP and everybody goes, oh, a big deal.

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Speaker 1: You know, he didn't win the super Bowl. It wasn't

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Speaker 1: his fault. They didn't win the super Bowl. They should

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Speaker 1: have run the ball three times and kicked a field

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Speaker 1: goal and they would have had a ring sitting there

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Speaker 1: in Atlanta. But that's a whole nother story. Matt Ryan's

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Speaker 1: an elite quarterback. He can still play at a very

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Speaker 1: high level when everything around him is you know, the

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Speaker 1: protection is good. I don't understand how Atlanta fans don't

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Speaker 1: think he's good or if there are any because I

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Speaker 1: think he's outstanding. He's proven that over the course of

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Speaker 1: his career. And you know what, in the second year

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Speaker 1: with a coordinator, and now he's worked with Dirt Cutter before,

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Speaker 1: but this is the second go round with him and

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Speaker 1: the second year with Dirk Cutter. If you look at

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Speaker 1: the history and the second year with his coordinators, he

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Speaker 1: takes a big jump. I expect Matt Ryan to have

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Speaker 1: a big year this year for that offense. I think

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Speaker 1: so too. We'll find out soon enough. But yeah, let's

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Speaker 1: let's switch gears and go to the defensive side of

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Speaker 1: the ball. I know how you feel about Grady Jarrett.

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Speaker 1: I know you just are a huge fan of his.

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Speaker 1: They let Dit Beasley go. They still got Tech and

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Speaker 1: he's playing in the final year, and then they got

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Speaker 1: Follower and then Dion Jones is you know, he finally

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Speaker 1: came back, rebounded back and he's one of the better linebackers.

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Speaker 1: Just what are your thoughts on this defense? And you know,

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Speaker 1: they turn things around at the midpoint last year Pete

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Speaker 1: and they got Raheem Morris and Jeff Olbrick and Dan

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Speaker 1: Quinn still has his fing you hands on the defense,

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Speaker 1: but they figured out some things. You know, what do

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Speaker 1: you what do you think about this unit in general

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Speaker 1: when you look at the table, Well, they got to

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Speaker 1: stay healthy. I mean that's been the thing that's killed

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Speaker 1: him the most over the years. I mean that one

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Speaker 1: year they got decimated right up the middle. Everybody got hurt,

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Speaker 1: and that Keyan O'Neill hasn't you know, he hasn't been

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Speaker 1: the same. I don't think since the Super Bowls right

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Speaker 1: in that right, since the season ending injuries. But yes,

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Speaker 1: he looks leaner, he he, I'm telling you, he looks

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Speaker 1: good and he doesn't look like he's missed a step.

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Speaker 1: And that's what people are saying about him. So and

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Speaker 1: by the way, it's been a franchise that's seemingly been

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Speaker 1: chasing the pass rush since John Abraham went out to

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Speaker 1: the door. And they've drafted and they've signed guys and

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Speaker 1: they haven't worked out. And you know Ray Edwards remember

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Speaker 1: that flop that happened, and they just things haven't worked out.

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Speaker 1: So without a great pass rush, you better be good

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Speaker 1: on the back end, and they haven't traditionally been great

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Speaker 1: on the back end. So I think, now if you

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Speaker 1: get foul, how's McKinley look. That's because I mean, this

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Speaker 1: is a big year from that. I think he has

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Speaker 1: the tools to be a good player and a good

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Speaker 1: pass rusher, but he's got to put it together. Tell

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Speaker 1: you what he looks physically. When he showed up, he

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Speaker 1: looked like a different guy. I mean he was sick.

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Speaker 1: He always was a little thicker, right, Yeah, but now

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Speaker 1: he's he's cut, he's leaner, he's dropped some weight. He

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Speaker 1: looks faster, he's playing faster. Does it translate? I mean

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Speaker 1: everything's in line for a breakout year, right, I mean

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Speaker 1: you're in the final year. He's motivated, he looks good,

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Speaker 1: he benefits the foul. Everyone wins if he plays well

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Speaker 1: this year. So, and they got enough bodies next to

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Speaker 1: Jarrett that they can get by there. They're they're good

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Speaker 1: enough with those guys. I just think if they can

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Speaker 1: get McKinley and Fouler getting the quarterback, I think that's big,

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Speaker 1: you know, the other linebacker, because you're gonna played two

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Speaker 1: ways that he'll play. But has it Walker been playing

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Speaker 1: a lot too, And I've read that and Michael Walker. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: he's the rookie and he's had a knack for making plays.

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Speaker 1: Pete and he is you know, every time there's a

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Speaker 1: tip ball. When he's on the field, when there's a

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Speaker 1: tip ball, fumble of picks, he's there. He's he's got

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Speaker 1: a nose for the ball. I mean, here he is again.

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Speaker 1: You know you keep hearing it, Mike, it's Walker again,

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Speaker 1: Walker again. So yeah, not to you know, put the

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Speaker 1: bar too high for him. But he's looked good in camp,

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Speaker 1: and they're gonna start a rookie corner clearly. And I heard,

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Speaker 1: I heard he's a great camp. He's looked he's lined

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Speaker 1: up on the ones. You know, he's lined up on

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Speaker 1: Julio and Ridley and he has held his own. You know, Uh,

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Speaker 1: how does that translate? You know, Week one against the

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Speaker 1: Seahawks will find out, but he is. It will be

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Speaker 1: to aj and and Denard in this lot and Isaiah

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Speaker 1: Oliver is the other corner. Yeah, that's a good group,

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Speaker 1: that's it. But they'll play Denard in this lot though,

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Speaker 1: right it looks like he's gonna play more inside. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: And then you got you got three safty you got

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Speaker 1: chef chef that was reserved. You got three safeties that

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Speaker 1: can all play too, and you could do a lot

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Speaker 1: of different things with Ricardo while and I mean he's versatile.

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Speaker 1: I they'll be okay in the second there better than

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Speaker 1: people think. I think the defense has a chance to

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Speaker 1: be much improved. But again, you've got to be able

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Speaker 1: to knock the quarterback down. That's why Fowler McKinley are

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Speaker 1: so big. Well, let's talk about the NFC South, because

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Speaker 1: if there was a team p that won the off season,

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Speaker 1: it would have to be tom What do they what

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Speaker 1: do they call him? Tompa Bay, Tampa Bay. Yeah, fucking ears. Wow,

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Speaker 1: They've just they every time you turn around, they're signing

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Speaker 1: another Here's what I'm gonna say about that. Okay, you

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Speaker 1: got a forty three year old quarterback. He is forty three.

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Speaker 1: He's still Tom Brady, but he's forty three. You signed Gronkowski,

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Speaker 1: who didn't play last year's coming out of retirement. You

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Speaker 1: add Leonard Fournette was cut by the Jaguars because he

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Speaker 1: doesn't make anybody miss. I mean, you can go through

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Speaker 1: the entire offseason and pick it apart if you want to.

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Speaker 1: Now it's Tom Brady, it's Rob Gronkowski, so it's a

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Speaker 1: little bit different. But I'm a big believer in Bruce

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Speaker 1: arians as a coach. I just want to see what

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Speaker 1: Tom Brady is you know, it's an assumption forty three

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Speaker 1: he's gonna be the same guy. Well, at some point

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Speaker 1: he's not going to be. So I still think they're

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Speaker 1: gonna be good. And I don't know how good they're

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Speaker 1: how good will be defined by how good they are

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Speaker 1: the secondary. I mean, the secondary has a lot of

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Speaker 1: young kids. Antoine Winfield's gonna be back there, Jamal Deane,

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Speaker 1: They're very like they're young back there. And here's another

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Speaker 1: thing about the defense. With Shaq Barrett season, something that

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Speaker 1: is going to happen again and again or was it

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Speaker 1: an admiration from what he was before because he never

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Speaker 1: did it before. Yeah, So it gonna be interested to

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Speaker 1: see how that plays out. But they're talented. They have

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Speaker 1: a good coach. I'm a big believer in the Robbins

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Speaker 1: accordinator Byron Leftwidge. But there doesn't come without questions. Let's

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Speaker 1: put it that away. They've still got weapons on the

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Speaker 1: outset on that offense, Mike Evans and Godwin and you

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Speaker 1: know that defense is a little long in the tooth,

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Speaker 1: but they're still good. They were great against the run

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Speaker 1: last year. Is a force in the middle in there. Man,

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Speaker 1: he's really good and and you know Pierre Paul and

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Speaker 1: Barrett can rush the passer and the linebackers fly because

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Speaker 1: David could run and Devin White can run. I mean,

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Speaker 1: they they're good to the secondary will well ultimately what

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Speaker 1: decides how good they are. And you know, the Saints

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Speaker 1: are still the Saints. You know they didn't lose the

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Speaker 1: best Sea. Yeah, they you know, with Drew Brees and

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Speaker 1: Sean and Baton, you just gotta feel good that they're

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Speaker 1: h They're gonna be there and they've got weapons. They

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Speaker 1: didn't lose a whole whole lot this offseason. There's talk

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Speaker 1: now about them being in line to sign Clowney. I

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Speaker 1: don't know how you feel about that. He's like Fowler,

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Speaker 1: that would be a good addition for them, but he's

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Speaker 1: not an elite pass rusher. Okay, But they drafted Marcus Davic,

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Speaker 1: remember they made the move to go get him, and

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Speaker 1: he's been okay, just hasn't lived up to what they

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Speaker 1: thought he would be. They need help, like the Falcons did.

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Speaker 1: They need help on the other side from Cam Jordan.

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Speaker 1: But they're the best team in the division. What do

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Speaker 1: you make of the Carolina Panthers and Matt Rule what

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Speaker 1: do you have any thoughts on what's happening? Coach, he

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Speaker 1: will get the best out of those guys. They're gonna

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Speaker 1: be young as heck on defense, so they're gonna give

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Speaker 1: up a lot of points. But they're gonna be pretty

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Speaker 1: good on offense. And I think they'll have to be

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Speaker 1: because Joe Brady's a heck of an offensive coordinator. I

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Speaker 1: think the line will be okay, not great, but be okay.

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Speaker 1: They have weapons, and they have Christian McCaffrey and Teddy

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Speaker 1: Bridgewater get the ball out of his hands. I think

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Speaker 1: they'll score points. I think they're gonna give up a

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Speaker 1: lot of points. I don't think they're gonna win a

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Speaker 1: lot of games. Let me think about they're gonna start

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Speaker 1: Derek Brown eat or Gross Maddish. Jeremy Chin's gonna be

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Speaker 1: a starter in some form or fashion. They got a

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Speaker 1: lot of young guys at corner. They're gonna start Pride

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Speaker 1: from Notre Dame. He's a rookie. That's four rookies. They're

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Speaker 1: gonna be a big part of their defense. So I

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Speaker 1: think they're gonna give up points, but their watch out

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Speaker 1: for them in a year or two, depending on what

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Speaker 1: Bridgewater does Bridgewater can show that that five game season

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Speaker 1: he had last year for the Saints is back to

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Speaker 1: who he is now? Then there, then they'll keep him

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Speaker 1: and he'll be pretty good and they be pretty good

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Speaker 1: next year. But this year they're gonna give up a

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Speaker 1: ton of points. Quick question though, who are they going

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Speaker 1: to throw too? Who are their weapons outside? That's scary yet? Well,

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Speaker 1: I mean they don't forget. They added Robbie Anderson. They

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Speaker 1: he could fly, They added they have more who's good player?

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Speaker 1: And then they have and then they have Samuel who

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Speaker 1: they expect to get back going again in their offense.

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Speaker 1: Keep an eye on the tight end. I and Thomas.

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Speaker 1: I think he's gonna be a really good player. Those

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Speaker 1: score points. I worry about the defense more than anything.

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Speaker 1: Fair Enough, Well, let me just ask you this big

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Speaker 1: picture wise, what do you think it's gonna take? We

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Speaker 1: know you like the Saints, We know that you think

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Speaker 1: the Falcons are going to be competitive. Do you think

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Speaker 1: the Falcons can be competitive enough to push for an

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Speaker 1: NFC South title? Yes? And think that they're a playoff team, yes? Yes,

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Speaker 1: And yes I think they'll be a wildcard team. You

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Speaker 1: remember you get extra wildcard team, right, yeah, well, I

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Speaker 1: think both. I think the Saints will win the division,

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Speaker 1: but it wouldn't shock me to see any of those

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Speaker 1: three teams win it. I'll be honest with you, Okay,

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Speaker 1: I think Bucks will finish second and the Falcons will

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Speaker 1: finish third. I think they're all going to be close together,

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Speaker 1: like ten and six might win at nine and seven,

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Speaker 1: nine and seven, something like that, and then you'll get

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Speaker 1: a wild card spot. I think. I think the fact

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Speaker 1: and by the way, no matter which team is the

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Speaker 1: wild card and which team wins it, the other three,

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Speaker 1: the other two are going to be capable of going

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Speaker 1: through the postseason and winning games and get to the

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Speaker 1: super Bowl. I think it's a good division. I think

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Speaker 1: the Falcons are being underrated by a lot of people,

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Speaker 1: and they shouldn't be. Everybody's focuses on Tampa and New Orleans.

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Speaker 1: But keep it. I think the Falcons that that little

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Speaker 1: run at the end of the year showed some things,

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Speaker 1: and I think they'll get back to playing that kind

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Speaker 1: of football. In fact, Week one, lock them up, they'll

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Speaker 1: beat Seattle. I love it. And just last question for you,

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Speaker 1: what is going to be the key for this team

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Speaker 1: outside of health? What do you think is the key

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Speaker 1: for the Falcons to have a successful season. What quarterback down.

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Speaker 1: You got to knock the quarterback down and protectical quarterback.

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Speaker 1: You get Matt Ryan to get hit forty eight sack

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Speaker 1: forty eight times a hit. Who knows, I forget how

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Speaker 1: many the hits were. Amazing, he took a ton of

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Speaker 1: them last year. Protect him, knock the other guys down.

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Speaker 1: He'll be a playoff team and maybe much more team.

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Speaker 1: It's good to see him man always. This is Falcons Audible,

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Speaker 1: presented by A D and T