1
00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:03,720
Speaker 1: Dirty Birds. What's up? And welcome to another edition of

2
00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:06,640
Speaker 1: Falcons Final Whistle presented by Zaxby's. I'm your host Will

3
00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:09,959
Speaker 1: mcfat and I'm joined by Amna Saban and Taylor Vismore.

4
00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:14,080
Speaker 1: It is Tuesday afternoon. That feels weird to say after

5
00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:17,160
Speaker 1: a late Monday night football game. We're all up late

6
00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:20,480
Speaker 1: working covering the game, so you are getting this podcast

7
00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:23,959
Speaker 1: a little bit later than usual. But honestly it's a

8
00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:26,360
Speaker 1: good thing. I think that we have had some time

9
00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:29,880
Speaker 1: to sit and digest this one. The Falcons won fifteen

10
00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:33,239
Speaker 1: to nine in Las Vegas. But you know, Ima, what

11
00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:36,000
Speaker 1: do you do when a win doesn't really feel like

12
00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:39,400
Speaker 1: a win? Because I think that was the prevailing takeaway,

13
00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:41,520
Speaker 1: at least on social media, at least with the people

14
00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:44,800
Speaker 1: that I talked to, is Yeah, the Falcons won butt

15
00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:48,440
Speaker 1: and the butt felt pretty big last night. So after

16
00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:50,680
Speaker 1: being able to sleep on this one, have your thoughts

17
00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:52,320
Speaker 1: changed at all on the game?

18
00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:56,440
Speaker 2: Not really. I kind of took away from it feeling like, Okay,

19
00:00:56,520 --> 00:00:58,400
Speaker 2: win is a win, and I quite literally wrote in

20
00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:00,640
Speaker 2: my notebook a win is a win and then all caps.

21
00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:05,080
Speaker 2: But so you were right on point with that. Yeah,

22
00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:07,760
Speaker 2: this is we're in, We're going into week sixteen. This

23
00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:10,720
Speaker 2: is where this team when you looked at them in October,

24
00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,120
Speaker 2: you thought maybe they'd be peaking. Maybe they would have already,

25
00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:15,280
Speaker 2: you know, had the division in hand, and they would

26
00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:19,399
Speaker 2: have gone into these last few games ready for the playoffs.

27
00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:21,640
Speaker 2: And it's just that is not what this team looks

28
00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:23,080
Speaker 2: like right now. Yeah, I was.

29
00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:26,000
Speaker 3: I feel the same way as you do. It's a

30
00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:28,000
Speaker 3: win as a win, and I think the Falcons really

31
00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:31,680
Speaker 3: needed it, But there is a big butt. I think

32
00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:34,640
Speaker 3: on paper, this Falcons team is by far and away

33
00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:38,160
Speaker 3: better than the Raiders team, and they absolutely should have won.

34
00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:41,240
Speaker 3: I don't think in the final score they should have exactly,

35
00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:44,520
Speaker 3: they should have won convincingly. I just think that the

36
00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:49,200
Speaker 3: way this game was played was a very conservative approach

37
00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:52,040
Speaker 3: of we can win this, we can beat this team,

38
00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:55,320
Speaker 3: and and we're going to do it in the most simple,

39
00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:59,120
Speaker 3: conservative manner to make sure we can get back in

40
00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:01,400
Speaker 3: the win column. I think that's what you saw last night.

41
00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:04,160
Speaker 1: Yeah, And I mean I do think that like the

42
00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:07,240
Speaker 1: word conservative when it comes to a sporting event or

43
00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:09,680
Speaker 1: a game plan is a little bit of a like

44
00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:13,240
Speaker 1: has a negative connotation, certainly amongst the fan base, because

45
00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:15,320
Speaker 1: you know, I think a lot of people want to

46
00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:17,320
Speaker 1: see an aggressive approach. They want to see you going

47
00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:19,639
Speaker 1: for the juggular, they want to see explosive plays, and

48
00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:22,720
Speaker 1: you're really laying it all out there. But there is

49
00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,679
Speaker 1: some logic in some sense to saying, hey, this is

50
00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:28,240
Speaker 1: a primetime game, it's a different schedule. We are on

51
00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:31,280
Speaker 1: the road, and man, we need to win as badly

52
00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:36,120
Speaker 1: as anything. So let's take the element of kind of

53
00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:39,000
Speaker 1: risk out of it. We've got a great running back.

54
00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:42,240
Speaker 1: They are not very good two great running backs. No

55
00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:45,679
Speaker 1: slight to Tyler al gear there, but they don't have

56
00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:49,639
Speaker 1: a great running defense. You know. They their offense isn't

57
00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:52,800
Speaker 1: lighting the world on fire. Our defense, you know, can

58
00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:55,840
Speaker 1: affect the quarterback as they've done the last couple of weeks,

59
00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:58,720
Speaker 1: trust the secondary, so you can kind of see how

60
00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:00,839
Speaker 1: when they're looking weak to week, and that is something

61
00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:03,000
Speaker 1: that I do credit Rahem Morris and his staff for doing,

62
00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:06,560
Speaker 1: is kind of fine tuning their game plan to fit

63
00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:09,040
Speaker 1: what they feel is best to win each and every

64
00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:12,240
Speaker 1: Sunday or Mondays. Was the case last night. And yet

65
00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:16,440
Speaker 1: when your late third quarter, early fourth quarter and the

66
00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:19,400
Speaker 1: game is still very much in the balance, You're like,

67
00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:22,480
Speaker 1: why are we not putting these guys away? And then

68
00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:25,600
Speaker 1: you see late in the game, as the NFL often does,

69
00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:29,240
Speaker 1: it tightens right back up and everybody is kind of

70
00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:32,840
Speaker 1: stressed out and freaking out, and so you know, Taylor

71
00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:34,440
Speaker 1: will go right back to you, like, do you feel

72
00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:37,560
Speaker 1: any better about the Falcons even though they were able

73
00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:39,000
Speaker 1: to snap that four game losing streak?

74
00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:42,000
Speaker 3: You know, it's I think, honestly, for me, it's a

75
00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:44,880
Speaker 3: little too early to say, because I think there was

76
00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,640
Speaker 3: a lot of, you know, thoughts and feelings from the

77
00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:51,200
Speaker 3: media and from fans about this four game losing streak,

78
00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:53,560
Speaker 3: and I don't even know what those thoughts and feelings

79
00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:56,160
Speaker 3: of were. The for the players and coaches right to

80
00:03:56,240 --> 00:03:58,640
Speaker 3: go in there and kind of get that losing streak

81
00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:00,520
Speaker 3: off your back a little bit. So I think this

82
00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:03,000
Speaker 3: coming week that will be a little bit more of

83
00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:05,240
Speaker 3: a testament of who this team is for the remainder

84
00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:07,840
Speaker 3: of the regular season. I think their ability to go

85
00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:11,720
Speaker 3: in and finally get a win. I can't say what

86
00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:14,120
Speaker 3: this team looks like out of that game, right They

87
00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:18,719
Speaker 3: scored fifteen points, they allowed nine points, and I think

88
00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:22,080
Speaker 3: it was it was just an Okay, performance, I wasn't

89
00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:25,400
Speaker 3: nothing really made me. I mean, other than special teams,

90
00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:27,640
Speaker 3: I wasn't very impressed all around.

91
00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:31,120
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean it feels almost like you're like, do

92
00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:34,080
Speaker 1: we think they're going to be looser after this win?

93
00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:34,360
Speaker 3: Right?

94
00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:36,480
Speaker 1: Like you did get that monkey off your back.

95
00:04:36,279 --> 00:04:38,640
Speaker 2: And ideally you would want to get right and win

96
00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:42,120
Speaker 2: convincingly and kind of dominate, you know, two and eleven

97
00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:44,800
Speaker 2: now two and twelve team, But then you're coming right

98
00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:46,480
Speaker 2: back and you have the Giants who are in the

99
00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:47,800
Speaker 2: same position, so you kind of have.

100
00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:50,279
Speaker 1: To wear neck and neck for the first pick, and

101
00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:51,520
Speaker 1: that's fell draft.

102
00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:53,560
Speaker 2: And you kind of get the chance to do that

103
00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:57,240
Speaker 2: at home. So I am curious to see what if

104
00:04:57,279 --> 00:04:59,040
Speaker 2: they're able to kind of get that monkey off their

105
00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:00,880
Speaker 2: back and if that makes a difference.

106
00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:04,279
Speaker 1: Yeah, you mentioned special teams as an aspect that stood out,

107
00:05:04,279 --> 00:05:06,720
Speaker 1: But I do think that the defense kind of right

108
00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:10,239
Speaker 1: up until that last couple of drives in the fourth quarter,

109
00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:13,400
Speaker 1: played really well. They had four sacks yet again I've

110
00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:17,120
Speaker 1: got a note in here. Yeah, so they are the

111
00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:19,479
Speaker 1: only defense in the NFL with an active streak if

112
00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:22,440
Speaker 1: at least four sacks in three consecutive games, which is

113
00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:26,480
Speaker 1: crazy considering where we were in the bye week, right,

114
00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:31,080
Speaker 1: Like this was the Sky's falling pass rush and now

115
00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:32,880
Speaker 1: they are the only team in the NFL with at

116
00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:35,240
Speaker 1: least four sacks in three straight games. So, like that's

117
00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:40,160
Speaker 1: a big green check mark in the improvement column. Special teams.

118
00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:45,279
Speaker 1: Caderol Hodge making huge plays. Bradley Pinion also really effective

119
00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:49,200
Speaker 1: yesterday in Yeah, just keeping them pinned back, and so

120
00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:52,560
Speaker 1: you could see again just how the the shell of

121
00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:56,040
Speaker 1: this approach was coming together. We're gonna pin them deep.

122
00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:59,120
Speaker 1: We're gonna make Desmond Ritter and this Raiders offense drive

123
00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:00,680
Speaker 1: the whole length of the field. I don't think they're

124
00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:02,640
Speaker 1: gonna be able to do that against this defense. They

125
00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:04,640
Speaker 1: weren't really able to. And then you flip on the

126
00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:07,800
Speaker 1: other side and the run game was still effective. The

127
00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:12,080
Speaker 1: offensive line looked strong all night long. Bajeon's vision was great.

128
00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:13,280
Speaker 1: What'd you like about the run game?

129
00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:15,120
Speaker 2: I'm not Bijon Robinson.

130
00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:16,680
Speaker 1: Yeah, No, he looked great.

131
00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:18,880
Speaker 2: And he looks like a kid that's really coming into

132
00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:23,000
Speaker 2: his own in a second year. You find his patience

133
00:06:23,279 --> 00:06:25,479
Speaker 2: looks a little bit better where it's like on each drive,

134
00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:28,440
Speaker 2: it's not like he's he's not getting tackled in the backfield,

135
00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:30,440
Speaker 2: he's not getting one or two yards, Like he's finding

136
00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:33,880
Speaker 2: a way to even create a little bit more off

137
00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:36,040
Speaker 2: things that didn't look like it. Like we definitely know

138
00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:37,880
Speaker 2: that of Tyler Algier, and there was one play where

139
00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:39,800
Speaker 2: it's like he hit with two guys and he's like,

140
00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:42,919
Speaker 2: that's that's not gonna matter to me, and he keeps going.

141
00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:46,599
Speaker 2: But you're starting to see Bajon really take hold of

142
00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:48,800
Speaker 2: that as well and really become like a warhorse back.

143
00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:52,080
Speaker 1: Yeah, so those are some of the things we liked,

144
00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:54,120
Speaker 1: but let's obviously go ahead and get into some of

145
00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:58,680
Speaker 1: the things that we need to see improve and unfortunately

146
00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:01,240
Speaker 1: it's it's still some of the same things, right, And

147
00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:04,640
Speaker 1: I think you can't separate the conservative approach that this

148
00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:08,520
Speaker 1: team had from the play at quarterback because at times

149
00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:13,520
Speaker 1: it did really feel like the mitigation of risk pertained

150
00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:17,440
Speaker 1: directly to number eighteen. And Kirk finished this game eleven

151
00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:19,520
Speaker 1: of seventeen, one hundred and twelve yards. He did have

152
00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:22,040
Speaker 1: a thirty yard touchdown pass to Drake London, which was

153
00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:24,880
Speaker 1: really nice, you know, a double move, a slant and go.

154
00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:26,800
Speaker 1: He had a nice pump fake that really got the

155
00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:29,600
Speaker 1: corner to bite. He did throw an interception kind of

156
00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:31,840
Speaker 1: right at the beginning of the second half there, and

157
00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:35,360
Speaker 1: so I'm trying to kind of make the sense of

158
00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:39,200
Speaker 1: how this team continues forward, especially in the midst of

159
00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:42,200
Speaker 1: a playoff race, while still putting you know, for lack

160
00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:44,440
Speaker 1: of a better word, kid gloves on the quarterback position.

161
00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:48,280
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it's I mean, I'm not envious of

162
00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:50,520
Speaker 3: the people that have to have that conversation and figure

163
00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:53,640
Speaker 3: out what to do moving forward. I think, you know,

164
00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:56,800
Speaker 3: I saw this style, read it out falcon's face first

165
00:07:56,840 --> 00:07:59,920
Speaker 3: and ten twenty four times on Monday night. They ran

166
00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:02,520
Speaker 3: the ball twenty three out of twenty four of those times.

167
00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:06,000
Speaker 3: The other one was Kirk cousins interception when he threw it.

168
00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:11,400
Speaker 3: So I think what you're seeing from Zach Robinson and

169
00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:16,440
Speaker 3: this offensive staff is I don't I don't know how

170
00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:17,440
Speaker 3: to properly say.

171
00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:20,040
Speaker 2: This is just we have.

172
00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:22,440
Speaker 3: To make sure that Kirk Cousins believes in Kirk Cousins

173
00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:27,560
Speaker 3: before we can too in a way of you know,

174
00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:29,840
Speaker 3: we thought, I mean, I thought if he had a

175
00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:33,040
Speaker 3: touchdown like he did with Drake, that the bear would

176
00:08:33,040 --> 00:08:34,319
Speaker 3: get off the back a little bit and then you

177
00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:36,920
Speaker 3: would see, you know him kind of progress and move,

178
00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:39,679
Speaker 3: but then he had the interception, and I just I

179
00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:43,480
Speaker 3: wonder as not someone that's part of this organization, just

180
00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:46,040
Speaker 3: someone from like a national scope of what do you

181
00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:48,360
Speaker 3: do from here? You have three games left, you have

182
00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:51,040
Speaker 3: to win them. You're gonna go to Washington and play

183
00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:54,440
Speaker 3: the Commanders. That's a harsh place to play. Those fans

184
00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:55,679
Speaker 3: are crazy.

185
00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:57,880
Speaker 1: It's especially now and it's a dan Quinn defense, yep.

186
00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:00,320
Speaker 1: And what feast on turnover?

187
00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:02,360
Speaker 2: Right, Like what do you do?

188
00:09:02,640 --> 00:09:05,080
Speaker 3: Because yes, while you try to go want to know

189
00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:06,760
Speaker 3: every single week, and I know that the team is

190
00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:10,200
Speaker 3: focusing on the Giants. I'm looking at the Commander's games

191
00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:13,400
Speaker 3: thinking you cannot lose that game. That is that is

192
00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:16,520
Speaker 3: a very important game to win because you can win

193
00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:18,600
Speaker 3: out and so can Tampa. And I think if you

194
00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:21,599
Speaker 3: beat the Washington Commanders, you could still possibly make the

195
00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:24,439
Speaker 3: playoffs if you beat them. And so I don't know

196
00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:32,960
Speaker 3: if Zach Robinson in this offensive staff found that solace

197
00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:34,680
Speaker 3: in Kirk Cousins last night.

198
00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:38,480
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm not like, do you think because so you

199
00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:40,520
Speaker 1: wrote a win as a win. But right in the

200
00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:43,000
Speaker 1: game breakdown yesterday and I wrote this was a two

201
00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:45,640
Speaker 1: phase takeover, but they're gonna need all three phases to

202
00:09:45,679 --> 00:09:48,680
Speaker 1: catch the Bucks. Do you think that they can run

203
00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:51,319
Speaker 1: the table the rest of the way while managing the

204
00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:53,720
Speaker 1: quarterback position in the way that they kind of feel

205
00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:57,800
Speaker 1: like they have to at this point in time. I know,

206
00:09:58,160 --> 00:10:00,319
Speaker 1: I know that's a tough question, and like.

207
00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:03,680
Speaker 2: You're playing the Giants next week that you can, you know,

208
00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:07,600
Speaker 2: game plan specific, you're playing a team that's looking for

209
00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:08,440
Speaker 2: the number one pick.

210
00:10:08,280 --> 00:10:09,800
Speaker 1: In the gay Yeah, it could be a very similar

211
00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:10,400
Speaker 1: approach to this.

212
00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:13,600
Speaker 2: Yes, I've been looking again at that Washington Commanders game.

213
00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:18,200
Speaker 2: You can't have a conservative approach. You can't just try

214
00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:20,560
Speaker 2: to make sure that everything else is going well while

215
00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:22,760
Speaker 2: you're trying to fix this one thing and hope that

216
00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:26,520
Speaker 2: it gets there. And I just don't see that that

217
00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:28,560
Speaker 2: being a thing. But they're I mean they're very aware

218
00:10:28,559 --> 00:10:31,560
Speaker 2: of it. Kirk and Rahem both said after the game, like,

219
00:10:31,679 --> 00:10:34,640
Speaker 2: it's no mystery, he has to play better. I just

220
00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:36,480
Speaker 2: it's one of those things where I don't know if

221
00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:38,840
Speaker 2: it's like his own process where he needs to figure

222
00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:41,640
Speaker 2: that out. I mean, he's a thirteen year VET at

223
00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:45,240
Speaker 2: this point, Like, what is it going to be for

224
00:10:45,360 --> 00:10:48,800
Speaker 2: him to get to where he needs, for him to

225
00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:50,840
Speaker 2: be able to take this team to where it seemed

226
00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:52,320
Speaker 2: like they were heading when they were six and three.

227
00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:55,920
Speaker 1: Yeah, and Raheem after the game said, and I'll quote here,

228
00:10:56,160 --> 00:10:59,000
Speaker 1: he's got to play better talking about Kirk, Obviously, you've

229
00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:01,199
Speaker 1: got to go out there and look everything. He wants

230
00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:03,240
Speaker 1: to play better. He's got to play better. We've got

231
00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:05,240
Speaker 1: to find a way to get him to play better.

232
00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:08,840
Speaker 1: So that right there, you know, the coaching staff is

233
00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:13,600
Speaker 1: taking some responsibility, the team is taking some responsibility. But again,

234
00:11:13,679 --> 00:11:15,880
Speaker 1: going back to the pass rush and kind of that

235
00:11:15,960 --> 00:11:19,080
Speaker 1: particular issue going into the bye week, you can win

236
00:11:19,200 --> 00:11:22,800
Speaker 1: games when your pass rush isn't necessarily firing on all cylinders.

237
00:11:22,840 --> 00:11:24,880
Speaker 1: I think in the NFL it is very hard to

238
00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:29,400
Speaker 1: win games when the kind of glaring thing that you're

239
00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:32,600
Speaker 1: trying to mitigate is the quarterback position. And that just

240
00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:36,080
Speaker 1: speaks to the importance of that one position. And Raheem

241
00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:39,240
Speaker 1: likes to say, you know, coaches and quarterbacks get an

242
00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:42,400
Speaker 1: overshare of kind of the blame and the credit. And

243
00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:45,360
Speaker 1: yet there's kind of a reason for that, at least

244
00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:47,560
Speaker 1: with the quarterback position. It's because of the impact they

245
00:11:47,559 --> 00:11:48,080
Speaker 1: have on the game.

246
00:11:48,200 --> 00:11:50,520
Speaker 2: And that's why the Falcons also invested so much in

247
00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:52,920
Speaker 2: the quarterback position over the offseason, both in the draft,

248
00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:56,280
Speaker 2: yes and in free agency. Like you if you have

249
00:11:56,360 --> 00:11:58,280
Speaker 2: two phases of the ball which are clicking, and they

250
00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:01,960
Speaker 2: did it so well, the phase is the most important phase.

251
00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:06,120
Speaker 3: Well, I mean in the NFL, you cannot win without

252
00:12:06,360 --> 00:12:09,000
Speaker 3: a good quarterback. You cannot win in the NFL without

253
00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:11,640
Speaker 3: a good quarterback. I mean you can put together some games,

254
00:12:11,679 --> 00:12:14,640
Speaker 3: but you cannot win throughout the entirety of the season

255
00:12:14,679 --> 00:12:17,199
Speaker 3: without a good quarterback. And I think, like we've been

256
00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:20,680
Speaker 3: talking about, I mean, he only threw the ball seventeen times,

257
00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:23,160
Speaker 3: Jean Robinson touched the ball more than it left Kirk

258
00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:23,920
Speaker 3: Cousins's hand.

259
00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:25,720
Speaker 1: Wow. Yeah, that's a great point.

260
00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:26,280
Speaker 3: That's crazy.

261
00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:29,240
Speaker 2: And then also like the way that special teams played

262
00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:32,640
Speaker 2: like they had great field position many times in this game.

263
00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:35,040
Speaker 2: I know you have the exact step, but they weren't

264
00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:36,839
Speaker 2: able to do much about it. And then they had

265
00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:39,400
Speaker 2: two takeaways one the third one was at the very

266
00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:41,080
Speaker 2: end of the game, but they didn't weren't able to

267
00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:44,280
Speaker 2: capitalize off that as well, Like these are your the

268
00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:47,120
Speaker 2: rest of your team is handing you opportunities to go

269
00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:49,559
Speaker 2: and find that confidence and to go and get right,

270
00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:50,960
Speaker 2: and they just weren't able to do that.

271
00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:54,160
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's dad you mentioned. So that Falcons had four

272
00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:56,600
Speaker 1: drives start in Raiders territory. They only came away with

273
00:12:56,640 --> 00:12:59,719
Speaker 1: six points on those drives, right, And and that's that's

274
00:12:59,760 --> 00:13:01,840
Speaker 1: kind of the other side of that conservative approach, which

275
00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:05,439
Speaker 1: they were executing very well. Mentioned Bradley pinions like pinning

276
00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:07,960
Speaker 1: him back deep and then the defense getting a safety.

277
00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:11,120
Speaker 1: How about that. Yeah, Contavious Street busting in there, Zach

278
00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:14,720
Speaker 1: Harrison busting in there, like everybody else came to play,

279
00:13:14,920 --> 00:13:17,600
Speaker 1: like they bawled out the offensive line, the defensive line,

280
00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:20,600
Speaker 1: the secondary. Everybody kind of showed up and they were

281
00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:23,480
Speaker 1: executing it well. And yet when you look at hey,

282
00:13:24,040 --> 00:13:27,360
Speaker 1: you're getting those opportunities in plus territory, you gotta come

283
00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:31,959
Speaker 1: away with points and more importantly, touchdowns Like that is

284
00:13:32,040 --> 00:13:33,920
Speaker 1: kind of still the crux for this team, and it

285
00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:36,720
Speaker 1: just highlights like why we pay attention so much to

286
00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:40,120
Speaker 1: the offensive side and the quarterback position especially. It's because

287
00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:43,040
Speaker 1: points matter in this league and it's just really hard

288
00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:46,200
Speaker 1: to see a path to the playoffs if you're going

289
00:13:46,280 --> 00:13:49,959
Speaker 1: to continue to get at least the offensive performance, specifically

290
00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:52,720
Speaker 1: in the passing game that Atlanta had last night. So

291
00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:56,959
Speaker 1: we'll kind of end on the passing focus and kind

292
00:13:56,960 --> 00:13:58,559
Speaker 1: of the offensive focus. I do want to touch on

293
00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:01,280
Speaker 1: Bijon a little bit more, But before we get to that,

294
00:14:01,480 --> 00:14:03,880
Speaker 1: is there anything that you guys would like to fundamentally

295
00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:09,280
Speaker 1: see change about this offense? Maybe structurally more explosive passes,

296
00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:12,280
Speaker 1: more play action things like that over these final three

297
00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:13,560
Speaker 1: games to really get a jump started.

298
00:14:14,960 --> 00:14:17,160
Speaker 2: You know, you'd want to say play action, because that's

299
00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:20,440
Speaker 2: something that they highlighted and pinpointed in the bye week

300
00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:22,440
Speaker 2: saying we can do that. Kirk's been really great at

301
00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:25,800
Speaker 2: that all of his career. But then you saw it

302
00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:28,280
Speaker 2: last night and the Raiders blew it up.

303
00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:30,560
Speaker 1: Like yeah, a couple of times, at least a.

304
00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:33,000
Speaker 2: Good few times, and it didn't look at cohesive. So

305
00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:35,880
Speaker 2: I guess you could point to that and say, maybe

306
00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:41,160
Speaker 2: that's where they can continue to tweak. Obviously, if it's

307
00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:43,800
Speaker 2: getting blown up, you have some tweaks that you can

308
00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:47,920
Speaker 2: make to try to get Kirk going that way. I just, yeah,

309
00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:49,760
Speaker 2: it's a tough question to be like, Okay, well, can

310
00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:52,680
Speaker 2: you magically and fundamentally change. I think it all just

311
00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:55,040
Speaker 2: kind of goes back to Kirk Cousins.

312
00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:58,600
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think if I could change anything, it would

313
00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:02,320
Speaker 3: be the confidence, because that's where your explosive players come from.

314
00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:05,280
Speaker 3: You're going out there, you're playing confident, you're cutting it loose,

315
00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:08,120
Speaker 3: you're having fun. And of course this offense, like any

316
00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:11,560
Speaker 3: other offense in the NFL, they start to stack and

317
00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:14,640
Speaker 3: make really good moves and put together complete games when

318
00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:17,520
Speaker 3: they're making explosive plays throughout all four quarters. And so

319
00:15:17,920 --> 00:15:21,160
Speaker 3: for Drake London and Darnell Mooney and Kyle Pitts and

320
00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:24,760
Speaker 3: all the other past catchers to have these awesome explosive plays,

321
00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:27,040
Speaker 3: it does start at that quarterback position, and you have

322
00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:28,880
Speaker 3: to play confident. You have to play like your back

323
00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:30,760
Speaker 3: is against the wall and you have something to prove.

324
00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:34,320
Speaker 1: Yeah. I love that. I mean, because you look at

325
00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:36,760
Speaker 1: the team that Atlanta is now chasing in their own division.

326
00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:39,640
Speaker 1: Who's playing with more confidence right now than Baker Mayfield.

327
00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:43,720
Speaker 1: Right when every single throw that he has, he's ripping it,

328
00:15:43,920 --> 00:15:45,880
Speaker 1: He's running the ball like they put up over five

329
00:15:45,960 --> 00:15:50,360
Speaker 1: hundred yards on Sunday. It's that is really the dichotomy

330
00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:52,560
Speaker 1: of kind of where both the Falcons and the Bucks

331
00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:54,600
Speaker 1: are right now, and it's a start contrast to like

332
00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:57,960
Speaker 1: what you're getting in just the feel of the offense,

333
00:15:58,040 --> 00:15:59,960
Speaker 1: and when you look back to the way a Landa

334
00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:02,320
Speaker 1: was playing in October and the way they're playing right now,

335
00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:04,880
Speaker 1: it feels night and day. And I think confidence plays

336
00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:07,280
Speaker 1: a huge role in that. But somebody who is on

337
00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:11,120
Speaker 1: a roll of their own is Baijan and he surpassed

338
00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:14,000
Speaker 1: one thousand rushing yards last night, first time in his career.

339
00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:16,680
Speaker 1: Obviously it's only a second year, so that's great to see,

340
00:16:16,680 --> 00:16:19,800
Speaker 1: but to do that in just fourteen games is truly

341
00:16:19,840 --> 00:16:24,560
Speaker 1: a testament to his growth, his maturity, and also the

342
00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:27,440
Speaker 1: offensive line again, I feel like there is a connectiveness

343
00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:31,320
Speaker 1: or a connectivity between that group and the running back.

344
00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:34,120
Speaker 1: Obviously it's their second year working together. They've got Dwayne

345
00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:36,880
Speaker 1: Ledford as the offensive line coach and the run game coordinator,

346
00:16:36,920 --> 00:16:39,360
Speaker 1: so there's some continuity there as well. A big credit

347
00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:42,280
Speaker 1: to him, but Bijan had one hundred and twenty five

348
00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:45,680
Speaker 1: yards on twenty two rushes. He had another ten yards receiving,

349
00:16:45,720 --> 00:16:48,600
Speaker 1: so one hundred and thirty five total, but he had

350
00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:52,160
Speaker 1: forty three rushing yards over expected per next gen SATs,

351
00:16:52,160 --> 00:16:55,840
Speaker 1: which was his most in a game this season. Taylor,

352
00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:58,000
Speaker 1: what do you see out of Bajan And do you think,

353
00:16:58,080 --> 00:17:00,800
Speaker 1: you know, like, is Bijon kind of capable of being

354
00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:04,200
Speaker 1: the focal point over the rest of the final three

355
00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:06,880
Speaker 1: games and maybe delivering for this offense in the way

356
00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:07,440
Speaker 1: that we're hoping.

357
00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:10,240
Speaker 3: I'll start with that question. I just don't know that

358
00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:13,719
Speaker 3: a running back can do that, right, Like Saquon, he

359
00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:17,000
Speaker 3: is one of the faces, one of the faces of

360
00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:19,760
Speaker 3: the team for the Eagles, right, but he's not the

361
00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:23,440
Speaker 3: focal point he had. He is an equal with everyone

362
00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:26,640
Speaker 3: else on that offense, right, And I think you see

363
00:17:26,640 --> 00:17:29,080
Speaker 3: like Saquon and you see Derrick Henry as well, like

364
00:17:29,359 --> 00:17:32,639
Speaker 3: they've got other people to alleviate them. Because if you

365
00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:34,919
Speaker 3: can shut down a Bajon, if you can shut down

366
00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:38,960
Speaker 3: a Saquon and Dereck Henry, then you've got no game, right,

367
00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:41,199
Speaker 3: You can't just be on the running back. And so

368
00:17:41,560 --> 00:17:44,080
Speaker 3: I get your point, and I totally see it, and

369
00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:46,920
Speaker 3: I do think that you know, Bajon is kind of

370
00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:49,680
Speaker 3: the number one guy, it seems like to get the ball,

371
00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:52,399
Speaker 3: to get the rock. But I will say there was

372
00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:54,960
Speaker 3: a there was an anecdote a little story that I

373
00:17:55,359 --> 00:17:59,959
Speaker 3: saw on Slack last night about I guess Bjon took

374
00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:04,360
Speaker 3: a picture with the offensive lineman and the offensive group. Yeah,

375
00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:06,720
Speaker 3: and he said, this is a team accomplishment, this is

376
00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:09,040
Speaker 3: a team win. And if you talk to Bijon and

377
00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:13,200
Speaker 3: Tyler both, they they never talk about themselves without talking

378
00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:15,399
Speaker 3: about the offensive line. Because if that offensive line of

379
00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:19,680
Speaker 3: that offensive front cannot put together some good gaps for them,

380
00:18:19,880 --> 00:18:22,280
Speaker 3: they can't get anything done. So I think it's an

381
00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:25,520
Speaker 3: enormous testament to the guys at the front and the

382
00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:28,040
Speaker 3: opportunities that they give Bajon, and I love that he

383
00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:29,880
Speaker 3: kind of gives them their flowers as well.

384
00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:32,720
Speaker 1: Yeah. I was listening to ninety two nine on the

385
00:18:32,760 --> 00:18:35,000
Speaker 1: way in today and heard Mike Johnson, I think it

386
00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:37,240
Speaker 1: was Bijon was talking with Dave Archer after the game,

387
00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:38,800
Speaker 1: but he was like, you know, I'd like to thank

388
00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:40,920
Speaker 1: God and I'd like to think the offensive line. I

389
00:18:40,960 --> 00:18:43,040
Speaker 1: was like, that feels like the correct order, my man,

390
00:18:43,119 --> 00:18:45,680
Speaker 1: you know, like they're one A, one B and after

391
00:18:45,840 --> 00:18:49,040
Speaker 1: last night's performance. But yeah, I'm not like it. There

392
00:18:49,119 --> 00:18:52,479
Speaker 1: is that duality. There's got to be the compliment with

393
00:18:52,560 --> 00:18:54,879
Speaker 1: your offense. Because it does just feel like a running

394
00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:58,200
Speaker 1: back is a little bit easier to take away than

395
00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:01,160
Speaker 1: the entirety of a passing And so that is where

396
00:19:01,240 --> 00:19:04,439
Speaker 1: when we talk about play action, it feels like that

397
00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:07,480
Speaker 1: is just such a missing element to this team because

398
00:19:07,520 --> 00:19:09,880
Speaker 1: your run game is so effective right now.

399
00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:13,359
Speaker 2: Yeah, and Bjon can really allow that to open up

400
00:19:13,359 --> 00:19:17,919
Speaker 2: and we'll see if that's the case. But yeah, that

401
00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:20,280
Speaker 2: is something to point to. And when we look at it,

402
00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:23,439
Speaker 2: it's like confidence play action. I feel like those are

403
00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:25,720
Speaker 2: the two things we've pinpointed where it's like, I don't

404
00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:27,640
Speaker 2: know what else you can look at. At this point

405
00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:29,240
Speaker 2: in the season, you kind of know who you are

406
00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:32,120
Speaker 2: in a lot of ways, Yeah, and you just kind

407
00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:34,400
Speaker 2: of have to to navigate from there.

408
00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:37,080
Speaker 1: And that's something that I've been trying to rack my

409
00:19:37,119 --> 00:19:40,960
Speaker 1: brain thinking about play action specifically. And you are who

410
00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:43,280
Speaker 1: you are. That's a great point, and I look back

411
00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:45,159
Speaker 1: at when do you form that identity? A lot of

412
00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:47,959
Speaker 1: it happens over the summer in training camp. That's when

413
00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:50,080
Speaker 1: you're installing a lot of the offense, and once you

414
00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:52,680
Speaker 1: hit the season, it's kind of like full go week

415
00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:56,159
Speaker 1: to week. And no, I don't think Kirk is feeling

416
00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:59,719
Speaker 1: any ill effects right now of his achilles. However, in

417
00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:02,880
Speaker 1: the while he was still working his way back slowly

418
00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:06,600
Speaker 1: and they're installing this offense. Maybe they did lean a

419
00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:08,600
Speaker 1: little bit more on pistol. Maybe they did lean a

420
00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:10,560
Speaker 1: little bit more on some of these things that weren't

421
00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:14,160
Speaker 1: going to stress him injury wise in that way, and

422
00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:16,520
Speaker 1: now that wouldn't be an issue. I think it's just

423
00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:18,919
Speaker 1: simply like a matter of time, Like I don't know

424
00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:21,320
Speaker 1: if you have the ability and the hours in the

425
00:20:21,359 --> 00:20:24,919
Speaker 1: day to install thirty five plays of play action and

426
00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:27,200
Speaker 1: rep them to the point that you feel super comfortable

427
00:20:27,240 --> 00:20:29,080
Speaker 1: about it in a game. So I kind of think

428
00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:31,479
Speaker 1: that that ship has sailed a little bit and you

429
00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:34,399
Speaker 1: are what you are, And unfortunately, it just feels like

430
00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:37,760
Speaker 1: they're missing one key element of what this offense could be.

431
00:20:38,119 --> 00:20:39,919
Speaker 1: But let's flip over and talk a little bit more

432
00:20:39,920 --> 00:20:44,120
Speaker 1: about the defense and special teams because I mentioned those

433
00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:48,439
Speaker 1: four sacks and three consecutive games, d'angela Malone had two sacks.

434
00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:50,720
Speaker 1: Great to see he's been like a special team stud

435
00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:53,520
Speaker 1: for the last couple of years, but they worked him

436
00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:55,240
Speaker 1: into the mix. He got a couple of sacks. Kaden

437
00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:57,560
Speaker 1: Ellis had another sack. He's got four on the season,

438
00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:00,879
Speaker 1: tied with Arnold A. Bakati for the team lead. And

439
00:21:00,920 --> 00:21:03,280
Speaker 1: then Zach Harrison had a sack, which it's great to

440
00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:06,520
Speaker 1: see some of these names that we've been waiting for

441
00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:09,920
Speaker 1: really surface and pop up. And Arnold W. Katie generated

442
00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:12,360
Speaker 1: five pressures as well, the most of any Falcons player

443
00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:14,520
Speaker 1: in a single game this season. Taylor, what do you

444
00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:15,880
Speaker 1: see from the pass rush?

445
00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:18,000
Speaker 3: I just think that they've I don't know what changed

446
00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:21,520
Speaker 3: after by week to figure that out, and then all

447
00:21:21,520 --> 00:21:22,960
Speaker 3: of a sudden, I literally have no.

448
00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:26,760
Speaker 1: Idea what change power up mushrooms like the Super Mario brother.

449
00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:29,280
Speaker 3: Yeah right, I've got no idea, but it is working,

450
00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:32,080
Speaker 3: its clicking, and I love it. I love seeing like

451
00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:36,160
Speaker 3: ak like. I love seeing him like get the pressures,

452
00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:37,720
Speaker 3: get the sacks he's being able to get the last

453
00:21:37,760 --> 00:21:40,120
Speaker 3: couple of weeks, and of course like Zach Harrison get

454
00:21:40,119 --> 00:21:41,959
Speaker 3: in the mix. He was kind of a quieter rookie

455
00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:44,160
Speaker 3: on the field last year and so to be able

456
00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:46,399
Speaker 3: to see him come in and he he was the

457
00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:48,080
Speaker 3: one that got the tackle for the safety and so

458
00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:52,120
Speaker 3: he like, I just think it's not all one guy.

459
00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:55,960
Speaker 3: It's not just two guys, it's really everyone in this

460
00:21:56,160 --> 00:21:58,760
Speaker 3: in this defensive unit, like Dangela Malone, I don't even

461
00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:00,679
Speaker 3: know that he was playing a ton of in the

462
00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:02,280
Speaker 3: beginning of the season, and all of a sudden, like

463
00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:04,399
Speaker 3: he's in the rotation, he's in the mix. And so

464
00:22:05,119 --> 00:22:08,040
Speaker 3: I think it's so interesting that everyone on this defensive

465
00:22:08,160 --> 00:22:11,600
Speaker 3: like really front seven has been playing up to everyone's

466
00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:12,920
Speaker 3: level and everyone's standard.

467
00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:15,439
Speaker 1: Yeah, and I mean they were doing this and they

468
00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:17,840
Speaker 1: have been doing this honestly without Troy Anderson even in

469
00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:20,359
Speaker 1: the lineup, and he went on ir so it's a

470
00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:24,040
Speaker 1: shame that his regular season is gonna be done, but

471
00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:28,040
Speaker 1: he felt like somebody who would unlock especially kind of

472
00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:29,919
Speaker 1: that pass rush with just what he was able to

473
00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:31,720
Speaker 1: do and allow Kate Ellis to do. So the fact

474
00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:34,840
Speaker 1: that they're able to still generate this pressure without a

475
00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:37,840
Speaker 1: player that we thought would be pretty instrumental in all

476
00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:41,040
Speaker 1: of that is very impressive. But they also got a

477
00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:43,840
Speaker 1: couple of picks, notably on the very last play of

478
00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:44,480
Speaker 1: the game.

479
00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:47,720
Speaker 2: Which I'll say, like just in terms of like parallel structure,

480
00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:50,440
Speaker 2: like the last Monday Night football game ended when Jesse

481
00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:53,800
Speaker 2: Bates intercepted Jalen hurts. I just I love that.

482
00:22:55,119 --> 00:22:56,879
Speaker 3: No, I would have to point it out of like

483
00:22:57,040 --> 00:22:59,320
Speaker 3: are they going to be the Falcons versus Eagles? Are

484
00:22:59,359 --> 00:23:01,480
Speaker 3: they gonna Are they gonna win on this two minute drive?

485
00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:04,480
Speaker 3: Like I was, I was not thinking about Jesse May

486
00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:07,679
Speaker 3: It's like, oh he intercepted it last time against the Eagles. No,

487
00:23:07,760 --> 00:23:09,760
Speaker 3: I thought that they were going to pull in Atlanta,

488
00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:12,120
Speaker 3: you know, and score on that two minute Really.

489
00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:12,400
Speaker 1: Yeah.

490
00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:16,439
Speaker 2: I wrote a story about how turnovers were the focal

491
00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:19,159
Speaker 2: point of this defense going into this one, and they

492
00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:21,600
Speaker 2: were able to do that. They got a force fumble

493
00:23:21,680 --> 00:23:23,960
Speaker 2: d Alford how to the force fumble, and then also

494
00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:28,600
Speaker 2: like just tip a tip away from an interception and

495
00:23:28,640 --> 00:23:31,000
Speaker 2: then obviously the one from from Jesse and then also

496
00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:32,160
Speaker 2: justin it's.

497
00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:36,280
Speaker 3: The turnover dry there was the turnover margin, which is huge.

498
00:23:36,680 --> 00:23:38,400
Speaker 3: It was looking for wins here.

499
00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:40,639
Speaker 1: Yeah. I think before the game, I tweeted out, like

500
00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:43,000
Speaker 1: three keys was, you know, get over one hundred and

501
00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:46,040
Speaker 1: fifty rushing yards. So they accomplished that win the turnover battle.

502
00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:48,800
Speaker 1: They accomplished that be over fifty percent of the red zone.

503
00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:50,480
Speaker 1: They didn't even get into the red zone.

504
00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:53,800
Speaker 2: So zero zero is kind of like, yeah.

505
00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:56,200
Speaker 1: An in slash a not applicable, but yeah, no. I

506
00:23:56,400 --> 00:23:58,800
Speaker 1: I was kind of like yelling at the TV because

507
00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:02,600
Speaker 1: obviously you are always taught hey, just bat the ball down, like,

508
00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:05,040
Speaker 1: don't put it in play. So when Jesse was going

509
00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:07,439
Speaker 1: for that interception, I was kind of like, what are

510
00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:10,159
Speaker 1: you doing? But then it was Jesse. He kind of

511
00:24:10,160 --> 00:24:13,040
Speaker 1: can't be mad at Jesse Bates, especially when he secures

512
00:24:13,080 --> 00:24:16,399
Speaker 1: the pick and ultimately comes away with it. Taylor, you know,

513
00:24:16,920 --> 00:24:20,800
Speaker 1: seeing that performance from the defense and special teams, the

514
00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:24,360
Speaker 1: blueprint is there for this team to make a run,

515
00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:27,400
Speaker 1: to finish this thing off with three straight wins. That's

516
00:24:27,440 --> 00:24:30,320
Speaker 1: where it just comes back to the full complimentary and

517
00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:34,000
Speaker 1: three phase aspect of you got two amigos who are

518
00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:36,600
Speaker 1: just waiting for that third amigo to jump right on

519
00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:37,160
Speaker 1: the bandwagon.

520
00:24:37,240 --> 00:24:40,760
Speaker 3: Right. Yeah. So I think I say this every time

521
00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:42,719
Speaker 3: I do this podcast. I do a pregame show if

522
00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:45,720
Speaker 3: you guys don't know, with Derek Rackley for our player here,

523
00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:48,000
Speaker 3: and he always talks about, you know, playing complimentary football,

524
00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:50,280
Speaker 3: and we talk about it a lot, and he always says,

525
00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:53,520
Speaker 3: you know, it sounds so easy. We need special teams

526
00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:55,440
Speaker 3: to do really well. We need defense to play really well,

527
00:24:55,440 --> 00:24:57,280
Speaker 3: we need offense to play really well. It sounds so

528
00:24:57,359 --> 00:25:00,400
Speaker 3: simple and easy, but when you look at all seventeen

529
00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:02,879
Speaker 3: games that you play, whether that's three years ago or

530
00:25:02,920 --> 00:25:06,800
Speaker 3: this year in particular, there's always there's always one that

531
00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:08,960
Speaker 3: kind of is in the shadows a little bit that

532
00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:11,160
Speaker 3: it's not playing the best game that they were played

533
00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:13,879
Speaker 3: to put together everyone's best game in one game and

534
00:25:14,480 --> 00:25:18,720
Speaker 3: like throughout the season is it's not realistic in a way.

535
00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:21,840
Speaker 3: And so what he always says is, can we as

536
00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:24,520
Speaker 3: as a first phase, second phase, third phase, whatever it

537
00:25:24,600 --> 00:25:28,200
Speaker 3: might be, can we not drag down the other phases.

538
00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:30,480
Speaker 3: That's what we're looking for. Not we're not looking for

539
00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:32,600
Speaker 3: everyone to have explosive plays, but we're looking for you

540
00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:35,600
Speaker 3: to hit your keys, play your style of football and

541
00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:39,480
Speaker 3: not drag everybody else down. So I think, yeah, special teams.

542
00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:42,240
Speaker 3: What a night Marquise Smith, I think he I think,

543
00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:46,000
Speaker 3: or Marquis Williams, excuse me. I think he jumped and

544
00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:49,239
Speaker 3: screamed and was more excited than I've ever seen him

545
00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:51,159
Speaker 3: in my life. Like I need produ I need the

546
00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:54,560
Speaker 3: man's I need the man's vertical. Like the way that

547
00:25:54,680 --> 00:25:57,440
Speaker 3: he was jumping, I was like, please don't break anything,

548
00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:00,720
Speaker 3: Please don't break an ankle. But you saw something like

549
00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:03,200
Speaker 3: you saw that work for special teams, and you saw

550
00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:05,680
Speaker 3: work for defense. But there's also been so many games

551
00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:07,680
Speaker 3: where it hasn't worked for special teams and it hasn't

552
00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:09,720
Speaker 3: worked for defense. But this offense has done really well.

553
00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:12,000
Speaker 3: So I think what Rackley has kind of taught me

554
00:26:12,160 --> 00:26:15,959
Speaker 3: is you can't have explosive everyone that all three phases

555
00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:18,680
Speaker 3: are working and you know, playing the best game they've

556
00:26:18,720 --> 00:26:20,760
Speaker 3: ever played. You just want to make sure that no

557
00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:22,720
Speaker 3: phase is pulling the other ones down.

558
00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:25,600
Speaker 1: That's a great that's a great way to look at it. Right,

559
00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:27,520
Speaker 1: is not everybody has to be on their a game.

560
00:26:27,560 --> 00:26:29,840
Speaker 1: It's hard enough to just get like three people sitting

561
00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:32,280
Speaker 1: in a room to like all feed off each other's

562
00:26:32,359 --> 00:26:35,000
Speaker 1: energy and be totally and sync and lockstep. The key

563
00:26:35,040 --> 00:26:37,440
Speaker 1: is just no anchors, right. You don't want to have

564
00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:40,160
Speaker 1: somebody who's in net negative. Ultimately, you want the sum

565
00:26:40,200 --> 00:26:42,879
Speaker 1: of the individual parts to be positive. Right. And you

566
00:26:42,920 --> 00:26:46,920
Speaker 1: mentioned Kadaryl Hodge, like he played such a great game,

567
00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:49,480
Speaker 1: he definitely deserves to be in the Pro Bowl. He's

568
00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:50,520
Speaker 1: got a touchdown this.

569
00:26:51,119 --> 00:26:52,920
Speaker 2: Just this game he's been doing this.

570
00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:55,919
Speaker 1: Yeah, he's got he's got a special teams touchdown. He

571
00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:59,359
Speaker 1: literally caught the game winning touchdown in overtime against Tampa Bay.

572
00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:02,960
Speaker 2: He had he's blown up like fake punts, Yeah, things

573
00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:04,200
Speaker 2: of that sort he has.

574
00:27:04,359 --> 00:27:06,679
Speaker 1: Yeah, he's played so well and that's why, like the

575
00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:09,440
Speaker 1: special teams all season, shout out to Marquise has been

576
00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:12,760
Speaker 1: locked in. He only had one blocked punt yesterday, which

577
00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:15,119
Speaker 1: I yeah, I feel about that. Yeah, he got his

578
00:27:15,160 --> 00:27:18,959
Speaker 1: hands on two, right, but only one counted. Yeah, and

579
00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:19,560
Speaker 1: just sidebar.

580
00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:21,880
Speaker 3: You can vote for Caderrell Hodge for the Pro Bowl

581
00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:25,600
Speaker 3: on on the Falcons website and you can tweet Caderoll

582
00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:28,560
Speaker 3: Hodge hashtag Pro Bowl vote and vote him into the

583
00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:30,960
Speaker 3: Pro Bowl for Special Teams because he deserves it.

584
00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:31,720
Speaker 2: You can also vote for.

585
00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:34,639
Speaker 3: Any other player with the Falcons on the Atlanta Falcons

586
00:27:34,680 --> 00:27:38,400
Speaker 3: dot com and on Twitter. We're using hashtag Pro Bowl Vote.

587
00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:41,080
Speaker 1: Taylor the plug. I love it. Yeah, what can I say?

588
00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:42,439
Speaker 3: That's trying to get the guys to.

589
00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:42,840
Speaker 2: The Pro Bowl.

590
00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:44,680
Speaker 1: And on the twenty second and twenty third your vote

591
00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:48,760
Speaker 1: counts double thank you, so but ye let it. I'm

592
00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:51,199
Speaker 1: the Special Teams. What'd you love about it?

593
00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:54,040
Speaker 2: I just love the way that they were able to

594
00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:56,639
Speaker 2: execue like Taylor I had mentioned, like they didn't just

595
00:27:57,280 --> 00:27:59,400
Speaker 2: they didn't bring anything down, but they were just able

596
00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:00,800
Speaker 2: to shine in a way that I don't know that

597
00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:04,679
Speaker 2: they really had this much this season, Like they've had

598
00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:08,000
Speaker 2: their moments. Obviously we talked about Cadaryl, but yeah, when

599
00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:13,320
Speaker 2: you just see like those guys just excited, I don't know.

600
00:28:13,359 --> 00:28:16,520
Speaker 2: Whenever I see special teams like people excited, I always

601
00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:19,320
Speaker 2: get like a little bit like, I don't know, it's

602
00:28:19,359 --> 00:28:21,600
Speaker 2: just like it it gets me going, like it's just

603
00:28:21,640 --> 00:28:22,040
Speaker 2: a punt.

604
00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:24,800
Speaker 1: But it's like, but I know it's.

605
00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:28,600
Speaker 3: So and it's just a punt or it's just an

606
00:28:28,600 --> 00:28:32,000
Speaker 3: extra kick, Like it's really special teams more often than not,

607
00:28:32,119 --> 00:28:34,919
Speaker 3: especially in the NFL, it's so routine, so when something

608
00:28:34,960 --> 00:28:38,280
Speaker 3: happens and a play is made, it's like, oh my gosh.

609
00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:40,920
Speaker 2: Yeah they're doing something, like I know it's because it's

610
00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:44,120
Speaker 2: normally just yeah, yeah, just we're moving on, we're doing

611
00:28:44,240 --> 00:28:46,760
Speaker 2: next thing. Usually it's Coup who's making the big plays.

612
00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:49,040
Speaker 2: And he was two for three and he was he

613
00:28:49,120 --> 00:28:52,440
Speaker 2: was looking better than then maybe some points in the

614
00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:54,960
Speaker 2: in the season, but it wasn't just like Coup is

615
00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:57,760
Speaker 2: usually the focal point of special teams. We talked about

616
00:28:57,800 --> 00:29:01,520
Speaker 2: Pinion Caderill Hodge, Kevin King. Yeah, looked really good, like

617
00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:05,840
Speaker 2: it was just it was a special teams game for them.

618
00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:09,080
Speaker 1: Yeah. I know some people are pretty upset at Coup

619
00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:12,240
Speaker 1: for still missing that one field goal. Look, if he

620
00:29:12,240 --> 00:29:14,920
Speaker 1: doesn't make the other two. A's tie ballgame. You know

621
00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:18,479
Speaker 1: you're going in overtime against the Raiders. So yes, like

622
00:29:18,720 --> 00:29:21,080
Speaker 1: you would like to see your kicker be perfect. I again,

623
00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:22,640
Speaker 1: I love to use the analogy. It would be like

624
00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:25,840
Speaker 1: if you had a designated free throw taker in basketball.

625
00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:28,360
Speaker 1: If they come in and there they miss like one

626
00:29:28,440 --> 00:29:30,240
Speaker 1: free throw in a month, people are gonna be like,

627
00:29:30,360 --> 00:29:33,160
Speaker 1: get him out of here. He has one job. Sometimes

628
00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:36,040
Speaker 1: it's hard to do right. Having that consistency every single

629
00:29:36,120 --> 00:29:39,040
Speaker 1: game is tough. Two for three. You won't take it

630
00:29:39,080 --> 00:29:41,360
Speaker 1: most weeks, but you needed it last night and they

631
00:29:41,360 --> 00:29:41,760
Speaker 1: got it.

632
00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:44,720
Speaker 2: As a voice of our generation, once said.

633
00:29:44,760 --> 00:29:46,680
Speaker 1: I thought you were calling yourself a voice of Marginer

634
00:29:46,960 --> 00:29:53,240
Speaker 1: is just going Hannah Montana said, nobody's perfect. I think

635
00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:56,200
Speaker 1: that's the first of Montana reference I've never gotten on

636
00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:58,520
Speaker 1: a podcast that've been a part of. Wow. So let's

637
00:29:58,600 --> 00:30:00,640
Speaker 1: let's just move right along.

638
00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:03,480
Speaker 3: I love that reference on that thank you yeah voice

639
00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:04,160
Speaker 3: of our Generation.

640
00:30:04,360 --> 00:30:07,320
Speaker 1: That was great. Today's episode of Falcons Final Whistle is

641
00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:10,760
Speaker 1: brought to you by Zaxby's. And after a long game,

642
00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:13,400
Speaker 1: when I'm tired and I need to refuel, I turned

643
00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:18,320
Speaker 1: to Zaxbis their marinated handbreaded fried to perfection chicken fingers.

644
00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:21,680
Speaker 1: They hit the spot every time. Get yours with seasoned

645
00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:25,560
Speaker 1: crinkle fries, a nice drink in whichever of their twelve

646
00:30:25,600 --> 00:30:28,880
Speaker 1: signature sauces you're feeling at the moment, but it always

647
00:30:28,960 --> 00:30:31,800
Speaker 1: hits just right. So next time you need to refuel,

648
00:30:32,360 --> 00:30:35,040
Speaker 1: go get yourself some Zaxbies. So let's go ahead and

649
00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:37,640
Speaker 1: look at where everything is shaping up in the NFC

650
00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:42,160
Speaker 1: South in the playoff race. Tampa Bay looks really good

651
00:30:42,240 --> 00:30:45,920
Speaker 1: right now, guys. They beat the Chargers, who we all

652
00:30:45,960 --> 00:30:48,680
Speaker 1: expected were the best team left on their schedule and

653
00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:52,560
Speaker 1: could maybe beat Tampa Bay didn't even come close. Forty

654
00:30:52,560 --> 00:30:55,560
Speaker 1: to seventeen, Tampa won that game. They'd over five hundred

655
00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:57,800
Speaker 1: yards of offense. They did not allow the Chargers to

656
00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:00,680
Speaker 1: pick up a single first down on down they were

657
00:31:00,760 --> 00:31:03,760
Speaker 1: zero for six. I believe in that game. As it

658
00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:06,240
Speaker 1: stands right now, Tampa Bay has an eighty three percent

659
00:31:06,360 --> 00:31:08,720
Speaker 1: chance to make the playoffs. The Falcons have a thirty

660
00:31:08,760 --> 00:31:11,800
Speaker 1: six percent chance to make the playoffs. Taylor, you want

661
00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:13,880
Speaker 1: to read through their the remaining games on the schedule

662
00:31:13,880 --> 00:31:14,400
Speaker 1: for about time?

663
00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:16,320
Speaker 3: Absolutely? I think I know it by memory, but I

664
00:31:16,360 --> 00:31:20,000
Speaker 3: will rid it off. Tampa will go and play at Dallas.

665
00:31:20,040 --> 00:31:22,560
Speaker 3: They will then host the Carolina Panthers and host the

666
00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:25,880
Speaker 3: New Orleans Saints to finish out the regular season. Atlanta

667
00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:29,720
Speaker 3: will host the New York Giants in Mercedes Been Stadium

668
00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:32,400
Speaker 3: this Sunday, and then they will travel to Washington to

669
00:31:32,440 --> 00:31:34,400
Speaker 3: play the Commanders. And then they will come back and

670
00:31:34,440 --> 00:31:36,840
Speaker 3: host the Carolina Panthers to finish the regular season.

671
00:31:37,200 --> 00:31:39,800
Speaker 1: Yeah, and on those on if you were looking at

672
00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:43,239
Speaker 1: at Tampa's schedule, is there one game on there that

673
00:31:43,280 --> 00:31:45,480
Speaker 1: you kind of say, all right, this may be the

674
00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:48,000
Speaker 1: last best chance to get them, or you know, do

675
00:31:48,040 --> 00:31:49,560
Speaker 1: you feel like all three could be up and play.

676
00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:51,520
Speaker 2: I feel like at this point all three of them

677
00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:54,840
Speaker 2: could be up in play. Maybe less so the Panthers game,

678
00:31:54,880 --> 00:31:58,000
Speaker 2: but they did give them a run for the Buccaneers

679
00:31:58,000 --> 00:31:58,880
Speaker 2: money a couple.

680
00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:02,000
Speaker 1: Of weeks ago. Division game are always crazy, right they are.

681
00:32:02,480 --> 00:32:04,800
Speaker 2: But I think the Chargers game was really the one

682
00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:07,080
Speaker 2: that you were looking at, and that was that was like, Okay,

683
00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:10,560
Speaker 2: if the Chargers do what they've done all season, they

684
00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:13,440
Speaker 2: take care of the Bucks, then the Falcons do what

685
00:32:13,480 --> 00:32:15,240
Speaker 2: they need to do against the Raiders, and your back

686
00:32:15,280 --> 00:32:17,959
Speaker 2: where you were, and that was like the one that

687
00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:20,920
Speaker 2: you were really looking at. So, I mean, Dallas just

688
00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:23,560
Speaker 2: had to win against the Panthers. You hope, like maybe

689
00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:26,960
Speaker 2: they build some confidence there if you're the Falcons. But

690
00:32:27,040 --> 00:32:29,480
Speaker 2: that's a lot they have. I mean, the Commanders are

691
00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:32,560
Speaker 2: It's not going to be an easy game. So the

692
00:32:32,720 --> 00:32:35,600
Speaker 2: schedule in terms of ease of schedule is definitely in

693
00:32:35,640 --> 00:32:39,560
Speaker 2: Tampa's favor there. But yeah, that's that was the one.

694
00:32:39,600 --> 00:32:42,600
Speaker 2: I mean, I was watching scoreboard watching and I saw

695
00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:45,360
Speaker 2: ten seventeen Chargers and I was like, okay. I looked

696
00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:47,959
Speaker 2: back again, it was forty seventeen and I was like, Okay,

697
00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:49,440
Speaker 2: this is where we're at.

698
00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:53,320
Speaker 3: Yeah, and I think it's not even it's more than Tampa, right,

699
00:32:53,320 --> 00:32:55,960
Speaker 3: it's also the Commanders too. If they lose two more games,

700
00:32:56,000 --> 00:32:58,480
Speaker 3: one have them obviously has to be Atlanta. The Falcons

701
00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:00,920
Speaker 3: can still qualify for the player Off, so they have

702
00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:04,360
Speaker 3: a harder schedule. They host the Eagles this coming Sunday,

703
00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:06,720
Speaker 3: then of course they host the Falcons and they travel

704
00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:09,120
Speaker 3: to Dallas to finish out the regular season. So two

705
00:33:09,280 --> 00:33:12,240
Speaker 3: very big division games for the Commanders. So we'll see

706
00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:15,880
Speaker 3: what happens for them. But yeah, I wonder if it's

707
00:33:16,160 --> 00:33:19,200
Speaker 3: more about Washington at this point than it is about Tampa.

708
00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:21,160
Speaker 2: It's pointing towards that way it works.

709
00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:24,640
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, obviously if you're Atlanta, you can't overlook

710
00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:28,080
Speaker 1: the Giants right as we as we just saw on

711
00:33:28,200 --> 00:33:30,920
Speaker 1: Monday night, anything could happen at any time. But we

712
00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:32,720
Speaker 1: are getting a little bit of breaking news here on

713
00:33:32,760 --> 00:33:36,720
Speaker 1: the podcast, the Commander's Game Sunday Night Football. That will

714
00:33:36,720 --> 00:33:40,400
Speaker 1: be another primetime matchup for the Atlanta Falcons. Do you

715
00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:42,840
Speaker 1: guys have any live immediate reactions to that happening.

716
00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:46,720
Speaker 2: There's a lot of good storylines there.

717
00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:47,719
Speaker 1: It's gonna be juicy.

718
00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:50,640
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, Raheem returns.

719
00:33:50,680 --> 00:33:53,280
Speaker 1: Against dan Quinn Sunday Night Football.

720
00:33:53,400 --> 00:33:56,680
Speaker 2: Kirk's playing his second return game there. He returned when

721
00:33:56,680 --> 00:33:59,920
Speaker 2: he was a Minnesota Viking just once, which is I mean,

722
00:34:00,120 --> 00:34:01,320
Speaker 2: schedule wise, is interesting.

723
00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:03,840
Speaker 1: But yeah, right. Yeah, so somebody who's played thirteen seasons.

724
00:34:03,920 --> 00:34:07,200
Speaker 2: Yeah exactly, and so there he is again. Maybe he

725
00:34:07,240 --> 00:34:09,879
Speaker 2: can get back against a former team this time, while

726
00:34:09,880 --> 00:34:12,080
Speaker 2: he wasn't able to do it against the Vikings.

727
00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:16,239
Speaker 3: Yeah, Sunday Night football. It's I know that Monday Night

728
00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:18,719
Speaker 3: football used to be waiting all day. I know that

729
00:34:18,719 --> 00:34:21,480
Speaker 3: Monday Night football used to be like the Marquee, like

730
00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:23,919
Speaker 3: the best game of the week, right, that everyone tuned into.

731
00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:27,200
Speaker 3: But I really think Sunday Night football recently has become

732
00:34:27,239 --> 00:34:29,960
Speaker 3: the Marquee game. So to get the marque game kind

733
00:34:29,960 --> 00:34:34,080
Speaker 3: of during Christmas weekend is really exciting. And like Carrie

734
00:34:34,120 --> 00:34:37,359
Speaker 3: Underwood said, waiting all day for Sunday Night, I love

735
00:34:37,680 --> 00:34:41,520
Speaker 3: that song. Like I will run home from home games

736
00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:44,000
Speaker 3: and make sure that I'm sat to listen to her

737
00:34:44,040 --> 00:34:46,719
Speaker 3: saying Sunday Night football. Yeah, it's phenomenal.

738
00:34:47,040 --> 00:34:49,399
Speaker 1: She is, she is very good and it is so Yeah,

739
00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:51,319
Speaker 1: it's powerful, but I just can't wait.

740
00:34:52,239 --> 00:34:54,840
Speaker 2: I just can't another voice of our generation.

741
00:34:54,719 --> 00:34:57,320
Speaker 1: As an advocate. It's so powerful. I just love listening

742
00:34:57,360 --> 00:35:00,360
Speaker 1: to her saying I Yeah, I can't wait. All my Michaels,

743
00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:02,600
Speaker 1: Chris collins Worth, It's just fun honestly, to have the

744
00:35:02,640 --> 00:35:04,800
Speaker 1: Falcons be in such a relevant game this late in

745
00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:07,200
Speaker 1: the season, all eyes will be on them once again,

746
00:35:07,239 --> 00:35:09,480
Speaker 1: and let's hope, you know, that they can kind of

747
00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:11,759
Speaker 1: clean some things up, put their best foot forward, and

748
00:35:12,120 --> 00:35:15,400
Speaker 1: come away with a win against Washington. But let's close

749
00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:18,320
Speaker 1: out with one final question. What do you think is

750
00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:21,640
Speaker 1: going to be for looking at the week ahead after

751
00:35:21,760 --> 00:35:24,439
Speaker 1: again a win that didn't really feel like a win.

752
00:35:25,320 --> 00:35:27,759
Speaker 1: What's gonna be the number one topic that everybody's talking

753
00:35:27,800 --> 00:35:28,399
Speaker 1: about this week?

754
00:35:28,560 --> 00:35:31,080
Speaker 3: Well, considering it is the most important position in the

755
00:35:31,160 --> 00:35:35,200
Speaker 3: National Football League, I think the quarterback conversation will continue

756
00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:39,479
Speaker 3: to be had until there is an enormous, big, big game,

757
00:35:39,760 --> 00:35:41,880
Speaker 3: lots of explosive plays. I think that's a conversation that

758
00:35:41,880 --> 00:35:43,279
Speaker 3: will continue to be had.

759
00:35:43,680 --> 00:35:46,520
Speaker 2: I'm oh, yeah, there's there's nothing else to it.

760
00:35:46,840 --> 00:35:50,600
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm in total agreement. Right. It's it was the

761
00:35:50,640 --> 00:35:53,560
Speaker 1: one aspect of Monday night that felt like it was

762
00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:58,040
Speaker 1: missing again the run game, Bejon, check defense, a few turnovers,

763
00:35:58,360 --> 00:36:03,480
Speaker 1: four sacks, check special teams, great punting, blocked punts, two

764
00:36:03,520 --> 00:36:05,120
Speaker 1: out of three on field goals. You know you'd like

765
00:36:05,160 --> 00:36:07,439
Speaker 1: three out of three, but you'll take it. Check it's

766
00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:10,960
Speaker 1: just that one missing element that was so prevalent in October,

767
00:36:11,040 --> 00:36:12,359
Speaker 1: and you'd love it to come back.

768
00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:12,880
Speaker 3: Yeah.

769
00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:15,040
Speaker 2: I mean we could point to the Chargers game and

770
00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:18,640
Speaker 2: say that was a similar yes thing too. So it's

771
00:36:18,840 --> 00:36:21,640
Speaker 2: it's a trend that's been asked about for the last

772
00:36:21,680 --> 00:36:24,000
Speaker 2: few weeks, and it's gonna be asked about again.

773
00:36:24,080 --> 00:36:26,560
Speaker 3: Yeah, you gotta figure it out now, because yes, you

774
00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:30,719
Speaker 3: can't piece together games like I've mentioned without having a

775
00:36:30,760 --> 00:36:33,359
Speaker 3: good or even a great quarterback, but you cannot win

776
00:36:33,400 --> 00:36:35,719
Speaker 3: in the playoffs without having a good or great quarterback.

777
00:36:35,800 --> 00:36:37,480
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's well said. I'm glad you brought up the

778
00:36:37,520 --> 00:36:40,560
Speaker 1: Chargers game because this to give Kirk a little bit

779
00:36:40,600 --> 00:36:43,279
Speaker 1: of credit. It did feel like he has learned from

780
00:36:43,320 --> 00:36:45,279
Speaker 1: some of the mistakes he has made recently. Right, you

781
00:36:45,320 --> 00:36:48,440
Speaker 1: could see in moments where he's not the most mobile.

782
00:36:48,480 --> 00:36:50,080
Speaker 1: I think he would be the first probably tell.

783
00:36:49,920 --> 00:36:51,040
Speaker 2: You that he was taken off.

784
00:36:51,120 --> 00:36:53,640
Speaker 1: Yeah, but instead of all right, let me try to

785
00:36:53,719 --> 00:36:56,279
Speaker 1: force a ball, I'm gonna just run and pick up

786
00:36:56,280 --> 00:36:58,800
Speaker 1: three yards, right, I'm gonna dive forward, he did seem

787
00:36:58,840 --> 00:37:02,719
Speaker 1: like he was looking underneath a little bit more than

788
00:37:03,400 --> 00:37:05,799
Speaker 1: maybe he was previously and not trying to force things

789
00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:08,520
Speaker 1: into some tight windows. Right that first play of the

790
00:37:08,520 --> 00:37:11,160
Speaker 1: second half. I'm sure he would love to have that back.

791
00:37:11,200 --> 00:37:12,800
Speaker 1: That was one of the few moments where it felt

792
00:37:12,800 --> 00:37:16,080
Speaker 1: like he was really kind of just not even looking

793
00:37:16,120 --> 00:37:18,279
Speaker 1: necessarily at Hey. It was trusting a guy to be

794
00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:21,520
Speaker 1: in a spot throwing without seeing the full picture, and

795
00:37:21,960 --> 00:37:24,000
Speaker 1: he got burned on that. But by and large, I

796
00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:28,200
Speaker 1: do think he matched the conservative mindset appropriately and was

797
00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:31,800
Speaker 1: doing his part to try to not take the Falcons

798
00:37:32,160 --> 00:37:34,120
Speaker 1: out of the game the way that he kind of

799
00:37:34,120 --> 00:37:38,040
Speaker 1: did against the Chargers. So hopefully that is one step

800
00:37:38,080 --> 00:37:40,319
Speaker 1: in the right direction and that he gets back to

801
00:37:40,680 --> 00:37:42,839
Speaker 1: being Kirk. Now that the monkey is off the team's back,

802
00:37:43,080 --> 00:37:46,960
Speaker 1: they're looser, they get everything, they can go back to normal,

803
00:37:47,440 --> 00:37:50,279
Speaker 1: So that will do it for us today. I'm gonna

804
00:37:50,280 --> 00:37:51,960
Speaker 1: thank you so much for joining me, Taylor, thank you

805
00:37:51,960 --> 00:37:54,920
Speaker 1: so much for joining me, Thank you guys for listening,

806
00:37:55,000 --> 00:37:58,080
Speaker 1: and thank you to Jared, our producer, for his great

807
00:37:58,080 --> 00:38:02,160
Speaker 1: work on this episode. We'll be back Friday to preview

808
00:38:02,480 --> 00:38:04,799
Speaker 1: the upcoming matchup against the New York Giants. Will break

809
00:38:04,840 --> 00:38:06,800
Speaker 1: down everything that had happened throughout the week, what the

810
00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:09,799
Speaker 1: coaches and players have said, injury situation, all of that,

811
00:38:09,920 --> 00:38:12,280
Speaker 1: but please like and subscribe. Check us out on YouTube.

812
00:38:12,600 --> 00:38:16,160
Speaker 1: Great content coming, especially after a victory. That will do

813
00:38:16,200 --> 00:38:18,200
Speaker 1: it for us though, and we will see you all

814
00:38:18,520 --> 00:38:19,000
Speaker 1: next time.

815
00:38:19,360 --> 00:38:20,520
Speaker 3: Please vote for Pro Bowl