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Speaker 1: This is Terry Fonto's best draft. We'll stop when we're

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Speaker 1: all like, what what you are?

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Speaker 2: They're not getting not getting cuter.

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Speaker 3: It's I think we'd be like, I don't want to

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Speaker 3: be a blonde.

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Speaker 2: Happy Thanksgiving Falcons fans, welcome back to the Friday Five.

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Speaker 2: We hope everybody has grabbed a play the leftovers and

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Speaker 2: they've settled down to listen to a little bit of

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Speaker 2: Falcons talk heading into Sunday's game against the New York Jets.

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Speaker 2: But before we dive into today's show, a reminder that

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Speaker 2: Pro Bowl voting has commenced and the Falcons have a

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Speaker 2: lot of interesting candidates. Tarin and I were trying to

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Speaker 2: talk through some of that this morning about all right,

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Speaker 2: who conceivably could make it? Well, you can make your

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Speaker 2: voice heard on who you think shamik it. You can

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Speaker 2: go to Atlanta Falcons dot com backslash Pro Bowl to

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Speaker 2: vote for your favorite Falcons. You can also vote on

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Speaker 2: social using the hashtag, or you can check out this

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Speaker 2: QR code that we have on screen right now and

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Speaker 2: vote there. I have no idea if that's actually going

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Speaker 2: to fit into the window, So go check YouTube. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: I'm I'm going up here. I'm gonna go over here.

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Speaker 2: Let's see how many QR codes we can get on

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Speaker 2: the screen. Let's put one on front of a.

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Speaker 3: Ticket funds like the DVD sign Yes I.

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Speaker 2: Love that, Yes Jared, a movable QR screen. Let's go. So,

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Speaker 2: if you want to vote on the Pro Bowl or

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Speaker 2: the players that you think should make it, those are

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Speaker 2: all the ways that you can do so. But we're

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Speaker 2: gonna start now with our question of the Day, which

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Speaker 2: you guys can check out on the Atlanta Falcons TikTok

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Speaker 2: feed anytime you want to, So, Tori, you want to

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Speaker 2: queus hut. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: So it's a it's actually not a question, it's more

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Speaker 1: of like a can you do this thing? It's like

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Speaker 1: a it's a reflex game. So from what I've seen,

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Speaker 1: from what and what I've been told is essentially it's

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Speaker 1: one of those things where you have the polls and

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Speaker 1: you try and you don't know when they're going to drop,

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Speaker 1: and once they drop, you have to catch them. It's

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Speaker 1: kind of like what F one and NASCAR drivers use

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Speaker 1: to like hone in and yeah, hone in the reflexes.

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Speaker 2: It's like you're catching like icicles. Yeah, same thing is

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Speaker 2: almost what it looks like or like wind chimes.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, so the question, and since we don't have the

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Speaker 1: game with us, we're not gonna play, but like who

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Speaker 1: on the team do we think had the best reflexes

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Speaker 1: or if you were to line them all up, like

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Speaker 1: who who would I think I have a good answer,

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Speaker 1: but I'll let shall go first.

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Speaker 3: I'm gonna go with Jake Matthews.

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Speaker 2: Really, I was wondering where would like offensive line, defensive

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Speaker 2: line fit into this.

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Speaker 3: I think about the fact that he has like so

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Speaker 3: much experience. He's also very like the word I want

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Speaker 3: to say is organic when it comes to his recovery.

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Speaker 3: That I feel like this type of game is something

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Speaker 3: he just has at home to like practice on and

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Speaker 3: then having a kid multiple kids too, that he's probably sharp.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I feel like I feel like it's

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Speaker 2: probably a receiver or a defensive back. I'm gonna go, man,

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Speaker 2: I think I'm making this like just decision in real

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Speaker 2: time because it is I'm gonna say, like Mike cues,

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Speaker 2: you know, it's probably somebody off like the radar a

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Speaker 2: little bit, but has like stuck around in the league

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Speaker 2: for a long time. Veteran worked at a lot of

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Speaker 2: different spots, probably been exposed to a lot of different things,

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Speaker 2: and that, like cross training probably does just help your

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Speaker 2: handy coordination, your reflexes, reaction time, all of that stuff. So, yeah,

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Speaker 2: we got an offensive lineman and then we got a cornerback.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I was gonna go with this receiver as well,

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Speaker 1: because I think just like hand eye coordination, the quickness

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Speaker 1: of which they're making decisions in the air. But I

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Speaker 1: didn't feel very convicted in that answer. And so who

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Speaker 1: I did feel conviction on is Xavier Watts. And the

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Speaker 1: reason why I feel Xavier Watts is because something that

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Speaker 1: came up from Jesse Bates to Jerry Gray to people

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Speaker 1: at Notre Dame about Xavier Watts is his instincts and

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Speaker 1: a lot of your reflexes is your instincts taking over.

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Speaker 1: And so I think if there's someone like an Xavier

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Speaker 1: Watts who has this level of instinct about him, I

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Speaker 1: think it makes sense that would translate to the reflex game.

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Speaker 2: I wish we could see actually like who.

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Speaker 3: Like philibustering on another really good honorable mention Lenny Creek

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Speaker 3: because he's very very good at ping pong in the

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Speaker 3: locker room.

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Speaker 1: Okay, I was wondering. I had no idea where you're

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Speaker 1: going with that.

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Speaker 3: I think the only like Bradley Pinion has beat him

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Speaker 3: at ping pong. Yeah, so that's that would be reflexive.

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Speaker 3: I mean that's only one hand.

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Speaker 2: Leo Jones was also a former ping pong You're in

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Speaker 2: the locker room.

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Speaker 1: And Jones played spike ball too all the time, which

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Speaker 1: is very reflex Yeah.

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Speaker 2: I love that. I love all those those fun little games.

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Speaker 2: So yeah, go check out the Falcon's TikTok account to

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Speaker 2: find out who won the reflex game. Actually, who do

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Speaker 2: you think among the three of us would win not

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Speaker 2: reflex game?

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Speaker 1: I think I would win. I'm pretty confident. Yeah, I'm

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Speaker 1: pretty high black of yeah, dar instantly, yes, yeah. No.

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Speaker 1: Something we were saying before we started recording is my

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Speaker 1: dad used to have that like ball. I played softball

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Speaker 1: and I was a first baseman and my dad had

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Speaker 1: this ball with the little like nodules on it and

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Speaker 1: he would throw it like a pick and I wouldn't

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Speaker 1: know where the ball was going. So I feel I

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Speaker 1: feel pretty confident in my abilities.

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Speaker 2: Say, anytime that you guys go to the doctor's office

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Speaker 2: and you get your hearing checked right and They're like, Okay,

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Speaker 2: you're gonna hear a beep. When you hear a beep,

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Speaker 2: click the little mouse to let us know. I try

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Speaker 2: to click that thing so fast, so I'm always checking

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Speaker 2: my reflex. I'm pretty confident too.

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Speaker 3: The last time I did that.

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Speaker 2: All Right, Well, this podcast has already just taken so

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Speaker 2: many turns. Let's go ahead and look at the injury situation.

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Speaker 2: Right it's week thirteen in the NFL, so player injuries

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Speaker 2: are just a part of life when you kind of

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Speaker 2: get to this part of the calendar of the Falcons,

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Speaker 2: of course, not immune to that. Drake London missed this

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Speaker 2: past game. We'll get into kind of like what it

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Speaker 2: feels like his status for Sunday should be. But before

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Speaker 2: we kind of talk about the guys on the injury

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Speaker 2: report available for Sunday, not available for Sunday, let's just

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Speaker 2: kind of close the chapter on Michael Pennox Junior and

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Speaker 2: you know what he's been dealing with his knee tarying.

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Speaker 2: He got updates for us on that.

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Speaker 3: Yes, on Wednesday during his weekly press conference for he

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Speaker 3: Morris did say that Michael PENNOCKX Junior had his surgery.

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Speaker 3: It was on Tuesday, yeah, that's yesterday and he said

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Speaker 3: it went well. Zach Robinson also said he texted him

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Speaker 3: after the surgery and said Pennick seems to be in

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Speaker 3: good spirit. So that's what you want to hear with

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Speaker 3: the quarterback of your future. We didn't get an update

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Speaker 3: on Billy Bowman Junior slipped our mind in the moment,

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Speaker 3: but he did tweet saying for surgery ever made the

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Speaker 3: Lord guide me built for whatever the journey begins. And

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Speaker 3: I don't think you're tweeting if you're if it didn't

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Speaker 3: go well. So that's a good sign, right, Like he

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Speaker 3: seems to have a good mindset about it, especially knowing

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Speaker 3: that it's his first is huge. But those are like

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Speaker 3: the two biggest names when it comes to seeding ending

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Speaker 3: and I are.

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Speaker 2: Yeah for sure, So Drake and we should preface this.

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Speaker 2: It is Wednesday afternoon. We don't have the first injury

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Speaker 2: report of the week yet, so a lot of this

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Speaker 2: is just kind of maybe reading the tea leaves of

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Speaker 2: how things will go and based on just a couple

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Speaker 2: of press conferences. But what is the latest on London?

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Speaker 2: Do we expect to see him out there on Sunday?

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Speaker 3: Again? On Wednesday morning, That was another update we got

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Speaker 3: from Raheem Morris. He said he's doubtful. He wouldn't like

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Speaker 3: concrete say that that's a no go.

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Speaker 2: I feel like you rarely see doubtful any like, even

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Speaker 2: though that's an official designation and it's always questionable.

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Speaker 1: So I do the injury reports every single week, and

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Speaker 1: I don't even think I've seen more than two doubtfuls. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: and and I don't even think the Falcons have been

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Speaker 1: one of the two. I think that's been other teams

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Speaker 1: that have listed people as doubtful.

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Speaker 3: He did say like or whatever the actual word lay

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Speaker 3: of the land law of whatever was like, I don't

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Speaker 3: know what the exact phrasing, but he admitted he didn't

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Speaker 3: know the exact wording for the injury report. But yeah,

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Speaker 3: so Drake London remains week to week. More said that

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Speaker 3: London is moving well, he looks good. He's happy that

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Speaker 3: the Falcons will get him back soon, but they're just

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Speaker 3: not sure how soon that is, So probably not Sunday

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Speaker 3: in New York aka New Jersey.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, he did say that he doesn't think it'll be

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Speaker 1: this weekend. Yeah, he was like, as it stands right now,

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Speaker 1: it probably wouldn't be this weekend.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so you know, like, given that, how do we

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Speaker 2: expect We saw what the offense could do without Drake. Obviously,

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Speaker 2: Darnell's connection with Kirk is has been strong. I mean,

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Speaker 2: do the Falcons need Drake in this game? How does

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Speaker 2: that meaningfully impact their offense? Like if he's not out.

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Speaker 1: There, I don't think you have to have Drake London

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Speaker 1: in this game. I think if he needs another week,

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Speaker 1: you're in a position where you can give him another week,

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Speaker 1: and I would behoove them to do that. I think

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Speaker 1: they had a good thing going with Darnell Mooney, David Sills.

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Speaker 1: You had some guys stepping up, which was really nice.

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Speaker 1: I believe Kirk Cousins connected with seven different receivers over

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Speaker 1: the course of the win against the Saints, which is

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Speaker 1: one of those things that like is what you expected.

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Speaker 1: And I actually even said as I was prepping for

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Speaker 1: this podcast, it's like, if Drake London even did come back,

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Speaker 1: come back, I actually didn't think that it would look

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Speaker 1: like operationally, very different than what it looked like against

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Speaker 1: the Saints. I still think that the goal would be

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Speaker 1: spreading things out with with Kirk Cousins, like you still

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Speaker 1: would want to run the ball with Bajon and Tyler,

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Speaker 1: you still want to spread the ball out as much

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Speaker 1: as possible. Maybe it with Drake inserted back in, it's

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Speaker 1: not seven different receivers, because you know Drake would get

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Speaker 1: he would have a number of looks as the number

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Speaker 1: one option. But and also like just Drake in the

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Speaker 1: red zone changes things a little bit as well. But overall,

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Speaker 1: I don't necessarily feel that when it comes to Drake

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Speaker 1: London in the sense of going up against this Jets defense,

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Speaker 1: that you have to have his presence, when in reality,

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Speaker 1: it's like, if he's not one hundred percent, I wouldn't

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Speaker 1: want to throw him out there, knowing that you kind

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Speaker 1: of have bigger fish to fry down the road.

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Speaker 3: And you have Darnell Mooney now, who's showing that he's

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Speaker 3: kind of back from the injuries he's dealt with, and

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Speaker 3: he and Kirk Cousins have a really strong connection. So

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Speaker 3: maybe they can build on that and Mooney do Mooney

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Speaker 3: things in this last stretch of the season.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it'll be nice to if he can kind of

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Speaker 2: continue to pick up his play like he started last

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Speaker 2: weekend in New Orleans. Whenever Drake gets back right, It

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Speaker 2: probably won't meaningfully change the offense outside of maybe that

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Speaker 2: pass distribution chart, but I think it is fair to

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Speaker 2: kind of wonder if Kirk and inserting him at quarterback

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Speaker 2: change the offense. How it didn't change the offense, What

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Speaker 2: is the identity of the Falcons offense? Things like that,

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Speaker 2: y and Zach Robinson was asked a lot about that

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Speaker 2: on Wednesday. Raheem was asked a lot about it on

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Speaker 2: Monday by you Tory with a kind of under center

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Speaker 2: and play action, and it's just been really a topic

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Speaker 2: of discussion, so we should probably discuss it. But for

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Speaker 2: those you know under center, right, I think it's pretty obvious,

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Speaker 2: you're right up under center. Yeah, quarterback is right behind

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Speaker 2: the center. Pistol and shotgun are a little bit different, right,

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Speaker 2: So shotgun the quarterback is a little bit further back.

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Speaker 2: Usually the running back is right next to him, or

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Speaker 2: they don't have a running back at all and he's

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Speaker 2: spread out wide. Pistol is a little bit of a

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Speaker 2: hybrid look. Quarterback is you know, about five yards back.

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Speaker 2: Running back is another three yards or so behind him,

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Speaker 2: So you get some of that downhill look, you get

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Speaker 2: some of the extra play action that has allowed for

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Speaker 2: and more importantly, Zach Robinson feels that it kind of

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Speaker 2: creates that whole menu option for them with motions where

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Speaker 2: you can insert blockers. I think of Charlie Warner how

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Speaker 2: often he has kind of motioned over before the ball

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Speaker 2: is deaf and then like inserted off tackle or something

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Speaker 2: like that. So yeah, it's just like I'm setting up

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Speaker 2: this whole conversation because I want to get into what

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Speaker 2: we think about, like a how the Falcons looked with

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Speaker 2: Kirk Cousins yea under center literally a little bit more

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Speaker 2: than Michael Pennix has. And we saw the highest play

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Speaker 2: action usage rate this past Sunday by the Falcons. I

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Speaker 2: think it was like twenty nine percent. That's the biggest

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Speaker 2: of the season, yeah for them, And it was effective.

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Speaker 2: I thought that shot to Darnel Mooney obviously the highlights.

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Speaker 1: So a couple check downs to Bajon that I think

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Speaker 1: worked really well.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, or he's been twitching to talk about this one.

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Speaker 2: She has, so so let's let's go. Yeah, Tory, like,

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Speaker 2: why why do you think we've seen this discrepancy between

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Speaker 2: the two quarterbacks? Is there a discrepancy between the two quarterbacks?

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Speaker 1: There is point blank. I think that you can't look

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Speaker 1: at what happened on Sunday against the Saints and say

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Speaker 1: that there isn't because of how drastic I felt like

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Speaker 1: the operation was. When it comes to this whole discussion

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Speaker 1: about pistol under cent or play action off of either.

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Speaker 1: I think actions speak louder than words in this situation,

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Speaker 1: but I think words can help us prove our point.

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Speaker 1: On Sunday after the game, where he Morris said point blank,

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Speaker 1: when Kirk Cousins came off of his torn achilles injury, quote,

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Speaker 1: he felt a little bit more comfortable and pistol. So

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Speaker 1: now that Kirk Cousins is quote back to what he's

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Speaker 1: been in the past, per Morris, the offensive play style

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Speaker 1: was put in place to quote accommodate Kirk. So we

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Speaker 1: know what Kirk Cousins has been, We know what his

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Speaker 1: history with kind of this under center play action has

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Speaker 1: been for him throughout his entire career. So my thought

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Speaker 1: process in this, and it was the reason why I

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Speaker 1: understood where everybody's questions were coming from in the wake

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Speaker 1: of this Saint's game, was that okay, So by the

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Speaker 1: same logic of Kirk Cousins not being fully confident and

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Speaker 1: comfortable coming off of the injury to be in anything

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Speaker 1: other than pistol shotgun. By that same logic, it brings

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Speaker 1: you to the question of whether or not Michael Michael

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Speaker 1: Pennox felt comfortable and confident enough doing so, because, let's

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Speaker 1: be honest, it's in this playbook, Like you just showed

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Speaker 1: us twenty nine percent of what Kirk Cousins did in

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Speaker 1: New Orleans, so there must be a reason that we're

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Speaker 1: not seeing it. So you confirmed that Kirk was not

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Speaker 1: comfortable doing so last year. Okay, then what is stopping

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Speaker 1: you from doing it with Michael Pennocks. Is it because

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Speaker 1: Michael Pennox is not yet comfortable in his own right

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Speaker 1: to be under center with that play action to the

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Speaker 1: extent it is. I definitely think people need to go

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Speaker 1: listen to Zach Robinson's press conference that just happened literally

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Speaker 1: an hour ago as we're sitting Wednesday, Wednesday. Yeah, Like

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Speaker 1: he was asked all these questions, and I think that

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Speaker 1: a big part of what he said, whether or not

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Speaker 1: you agree with it, is that the Falcons felt that

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Speaker 1: last year when they were up under center, that it

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Speaker 1: was one of their least effective plays like play action

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Speaker 1: under center was one of their least effective plays in

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty four. I think, like my thing with that,

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Speaker 1: in my response to that, and now I'm about to

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Speaker 1: get on a soapbox, is that the modern game you

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Speaker 1: have to have that as a wrinkle. You have to

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Speaker 1: figure out why it's not working. And let's be honest.

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Speaker 1: If you felt like in twenty twenty four that Kirk

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Speaker 1: Cousins was not healthy enough to do some play action

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Speaker 1: under center stuff, and you felt like maybe Michael Pennocks

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Speaker 1: was not as efficient or comfortable doing so, that needed

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Speaker 1: to have been more of a priority in Michael pennockx's

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Speaker 1: development in my opinion, because at a certain point you

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Speaker 1: have to develop Michael Pennocks in this wrinkle of the

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Speaker 1: game to get the full extent of what you need

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Speaker 1: to out of this offense.

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Speaker 2: I think that phrase right there, the full extent right

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Speaker 2: is there feels a little bit too much in one

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Speaker 2: direction with pistol right, And the balance is ultimately where

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Speaker 2: I think everything is most effective, because that is where

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Speaker 2: you don't have these tendencies like right now, the Falcons

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Speaker 2: have a very clear tendency with pistol right. So if

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Speaker 2: I'm a defense Okay, well that's what we got to

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Speaker 2: prepare for. And yeah, you feel like you guys can

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Speaker 2: run a lot of what you want to run out

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Speaker 2: of that, but you can also run a lot of

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Speaker 2: what you want to do under center. And to me,

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Speaker 2: it would just be one more element that a defense

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Speaker 2: would have to prepare for, which I'm big on, Like

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Speaker 2: how do you stress a team throughout Wednesday through Friday

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Speaker 2: when they're trying to implement everything like hours, There are

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Speaker 2: only so many hours in a day, So give them

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Speaker 2: as much stuff as they have to prepare for, and

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Speaker 2: it feels like you are leaving a little bit maybe

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Speaker 2: on the table there. That being said, and we talked

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Speaker 2: a little bit about this on Falcons Final Whistle is

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Speaker 2: like you just maybe look at how they came up

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Speaker 2: right when Michael Pennix junior was coming up through high

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Speaker 2: school and probably lower than that, Like it's a first game.

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Speaker 2: They're doing seven on seven, they're doing a lot of

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Speaker 2: the shotgun stuff. So I do truly wonder if just

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Speaker 2: the number of hours he has had Washington, he's in

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Speaker 2: shotgun like all over at the time.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and I get that too, And my response to

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Speaker 1: that is kind of like, look at what the Rams

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Speaker 1: are doing. Like, look at if we're looking at the

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Speaker 1: Rams and what Matthew Stafford in particularly is doing running

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Speaker 1: their play action operation out from under center more than

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Speaker 1: any other quarterback in the league right now and having

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Speaker 1: the most success than any other quarterback in the league

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Speaker 1: doing so. The Rams lead and play action rate and

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Speaker 1: under center drop backs, Colts and Bears are up there too.

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Speaker 1: All of these teams are winning a lot of games.

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Speaker 1: All of these teams have really good offenses in place.

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Speaker 1: And who was the player comp for Michael Pannings junior

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Speaker 1: coming out of the NFL draft. Matthew Stafford. So, Matthew

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Speaker 1: Stafford is a true pocket passer. Matthew Stafford is somebody

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Speaker 1: who loves to sling it downfield. Matthew Stafford loves a

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Speaker 1: one on one with some of his receivers. Like, so,

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Speaker 1: if Matthew Stafford is the standard of what you need

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Speaker 1: Michael pinnockx to be, then I think this part of

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Speaker 1: the game, the under center play action stuff has to

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Speaker 1: develop absolutely.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean you mentioned Matthew Saffer. Like if you

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Speaker 2: look at just the usage of under center for quarterbacks

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Speaker 2: this season, like it is the it's the best offenses.

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Speaker 2: It's it's the Rams, it's Seattle, it's the Lions, it's

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Speaker 2: the Bears, you know, the forty nine Ers, Packers, Patriots, like, yeah,

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Speaker 2: down the list, right, So it is very clear that

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Speaker 2: at least maybe that is not there's not maybe a

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Speaker 2: causality there. Like I'm not saying that the best offenses

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Speaker 2: are the best offenses because they're running the most under center. However,

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Speaker 2: I think it illustrates the effectiveness of what some of

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Speaker 2: that under center usage does for you. And that is

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Speaker 2: just kind of where I think you're right, Like having

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Speaker 2: the player grow in that direction ultimately allows for more things.

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Speaker 2: And one of the most interesting things that I think

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Speaker 2: Zach said on Wednesday was last they didn't necessarily expect

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Speaker 2: them to be an eleven personnel team as much as

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Speaker 2: they were. They kind of thought it would be more

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Speaker 2: twelve personnel, one running back, two tight ends, which makes sense.

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Speaker 2: You've got Kyle Pitts, you got Charlie Warner, right, and

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Speaker 2: I think we did see some of that evolution where

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Speaker 2: maybe Kyle Pitts was out of the lineup or spread

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Speaker 2: out wide as kind of that big wide receiver. And

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Speaker 2: when you look at the Rams specifically, what they have

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Speaker 2: been doing so well this season and Seattle, frankly is

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Speaker 2: throwing the ball out of heavy looks, and we saw

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Speaker 2: the Falcons do that against the Saints, a lot of

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Speaker 2: thirteen personnel with effective play action behind it. So that

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Speaker 2: is where if you're gonna provide kind of like a

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Speaker 2: play action look which is inherently meant to fool a

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Speaker 2: defense in a thinking you're going to run the ball,

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Speaker 2: it is probably best done out of a look where

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Speaker 2: all of the other set dressing screams we're going to

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Speaker 2: run the ball, or under center, we have three tight

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Speaker 2: ends on the field and boom, there's a pass over

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Speaker 2: top right. And I just kind of think that to

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Speaker 2: the eye naturally, when a quarterback is in pistol which

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Speaker 2: looks like shotgun, just kind of think pass a little bit.

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Speaker 2: And the Falcons have been good at running the ball

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Speaker 2: out of pistol this season. Like the efficiency is there

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Speaker 2: and all of that. It's just been the passing game

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Speaker 2: hasn't seemed like there have been many easy completions or

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Speaker 2: easy explosive plays in the way the Frankly there were

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Speaker 2: on Sunday, Yeah.

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Speaker 3: Listening to y'all, it's just kind of like The next

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Speaker 3: question that comes to mind is why do you think

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Speaker 3: that development hasn't been there or been done yet.

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Speaker 1: I think it's a great question, and I think it's

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Speaker 1: something that Zach Robinson Raheem Morris like kind of have

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Speaker 1: to answer to. And I think that what I ultimately

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Speaker 1: think about it is probably you know, I can't even

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Speaker 1: say it's accurate, you know, like I, what it looks

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Speaker 1: like from the outside looking in is that the Falcons

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Speaker 1: decided early on with Kirk Cousins that he was not

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Speaker 1: comfortable going under center. YEP, so they were say they

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Speaker 1: have and they have verbed them.

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Speaker 2: For injury reason yeat injury reasons.

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Speaker 1: So the operation, the install all of last year were

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Speaker 1: to account for that. Well, then you get to the

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Speaker 1: point at the end of the season where you bring

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Speaker 1: Mike in. How much of even any type of under

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Speaker 1: center work was Mike getting as the number two behind

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Speaker 1: Kirk Cousins win The operation itself was not going anywhere

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Speaker 1: close to being under center at a significant margin. So

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Speaker 1: then you move into this off season and you're like,

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Speaker 1: Michael Pennix is a young guy. We know what he

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Speaker 1: does well, we know that he wants to stretch the ball, downfield,

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Speaker 1: get it to the outside, all of those things. We

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Speaker 1: know he worked a lot last year in pistol and shotgun.

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Speaker 1: We know at Washington Shotgun that's what he wants to do,

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Speaker 1: that's what he feels comfortable with in his first year

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Speaker 1: as a starter. We're not gonna make it too complicated.

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Speaker 1: I think that, to me is what happened. Do I

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Speaker 1: think that's right or wrong? No one gives a crap

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Speaker 1: what I have to say about it. But I do

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Speaker 1: think moving forward, and that's why this is this conversation

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Speaker 1: that we're having right now. You've got to develop Mike

435
00:20:56,000 --> 00:21:00,399
Speaker 1: to feel more comfortable in under center play action looks.

436
00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:02,480
Speaker 3: That would make sense that he is that he was

437
00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:05,760
Speaker 3: kind of learning what they were doing rather than everything

438
00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:09,199
Speaker 3: that he could be learning. Right, Yeah, he's going with

439
00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:11,760
Speaker 3: the playbook rather than the whole saga.

440
00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:13,160
Speaker 2: Yeah, and there you go.

441
00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:14,720
Speaker 3: Talking about the books earlier?

442
00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:17,360
Speaker 2: Is that four or five? But I and I think

443
00:21:17,359 --> 00:21:19,359
Speaker 2: it's also fair to point out too that like when

444
00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:22,560
Speaker 2: you're running a scout team offense, you're usually operating kind

445
00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:26,360
Speaker 2: of different offensive looks, not always like what the Falcons

446
00:21:26,359 --> 00:21:27,960
Speaker 2: are going to be running. And we knew that Kirk

447
00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:29,960
Speaker 2: got all of the first team reps pretty much last

448
00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:32,080
Speaker 2: year because it was his first year working with Drake

449
00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:33,919
Speaker 2: Lunnon and Kyle Pitts and Darnel Mooney and all of

450
00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:36,440
Speaker 2: those guys. And when you look at just the timeline

451
00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:40,040
Speaker 2: with which everything happened, when they kind of get in

452
00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:44,240
Speaker 2: here in the off season program in you know, May June,

453
00:21:44,400 --> 00:21:47,080
Speaker 2: all of that, you gotta start installing your offense, right.

454
00:21:47,160 --> 00:21:49,960
Speaker 2: You can't just wait for your quarterback to be fully healthy.

455
00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:52,080
Speaker 2: And he was healthy enough to get out there on

456
00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:54,280
Speaker 2: the field, so you say, all right, we're going to

457
00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:56,680
Speaker 2: start you back in shotgun and pistol like where you're

458
00:21:56,680 --> 00:21:59,359
Speaker 2: not having to put a lot of this strain on

459
00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:02,679
Speaker 2: your achille. And so I think from there, what do

460
00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:04,760
Speaker 2: we see in Pittsburgh right, A lot of the pistol.

461
00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:07,680
Speaker 2: They naturally kind of went back a little bit more

462
00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:10,960
Speaker 2: under center with Kirk once he started kind of getting healthier.

463
00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:13,560
Speaker 2: But then those final three games with Mike, it's not

464
00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:15,680
Speaker 2: like we were going into the offseason really really worried

465
00:22:15,680 --> 00:22:18,679
Speaker 2: about the offense. Right. They did really well, so you

466
00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:22,719
Speaker 2: could understand them saying, hey, look what we have here works.

467
00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:26,080
Speaker 2: What Mike did at Washington obviously got him to be

468
00:22:26,119 --> 00:22:28,160
Speaker 2: the number eight pick in the draft and the runner

469
00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:31,080
Speaker 2: up for the Heisman. So like it worked for him there,

470
00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:33,879
Speaker 2: let's just keep on doing it and now you're seeing

471
00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:36,720
Speaker 2: maybe where some of the deficiencies are or where you

472
00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:39,639
Speaker 2: lack some of those other areas that are beneficial.

473
00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:41,639
Speaker 1: My last note on this and this is we can

474
00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:43,919
Speaker 1: kind of move forward from here, but it really is

475
00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:46,480
Speaker 1: now that Michael Pennox is coming off of his third

476
00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:52,520
Speaker 1: AICL reconstructive surgery in five years, right, it's five years

477
00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:55,200
Speaker 1: now that he is coming off of this. You're kind

478
00:22:55,240 --> 00:22:57,160
Speaker 1: of right back a little bit to where you were

479
00:22:57,440 --> 00:22:59,760
Speaker 1: last year. With last year with Kirk coming off of

480
00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:03,120
Speaker 1: a season ending Achilles injury. Obviously different ligaments, different parts

481
00:23:03,119 --> 00:23:04,240
Speaker 1: of the body, all those kinds of things.

482
00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:05,080
Speaker 3: But still the injury.

483
00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:10,040
Speaker 1: Very big injuries that have an effect on a quarterback's

484
00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:13,679
Speaker 1: mobility and comfortability in the pocket. So how much of

485
00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:18,240
Speaker 1: this conversation is even going to carry over into twenty

486
00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:21,600
Speaker 1: twenty six? Yeah, I mean this is something that we're

487
00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:23,800
Speaker 1: going to be talking about, I think for a while.

488
00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:26,119
Speaker 2: Definitely. Yep. So let's put a pin in that and

489
00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:28,800
Speaker 2: we will, I'm sure return to it many many times.

490
00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:29,520
Speaker 3: With a quarterback.

491
00:23:29,640 --> 00:23:31,399
Speaker 2: But let's flip over and talk about the defense a

492
00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:33,240
Speaker 2: little bit. A note that we brought up on Falcons

493
00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:36,080
Speaker 2: final whistle was maybe this was the beginning of kind

494
00:23:36,119 --> 00:23:40,960
Speaker 2: of a new evolution for Atlanta's defense. The Falcons blitzed

495
00:23:40,960 --> 00:23:44,080
Speaker 2: at their lowest rate of the season, just over fifteen

496
00:23:44,119 --> 00:23:47,719
Speaker 2: percent against Tyler Schuck, but he faced a lot of pressure.

497
00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:50,359
Speaker 2: They got nineteen pressures in five sacks and only sending

498
00:23:50,359 --> 00:23:54,600
Speaker 2: four or fewer tarren Why is that important for Atlanta's

499
00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:55,520
Speaker 2: defense moving forward?

500
00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:59,240
Speaker 3: Because you love going back to the receipts. In week six,

501
00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:02,400
Speaker 3: Jeff Olbrick said, I don't want to be a big

502
00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:05,440
Speaker 3: pressure team, and we were all like, what, but you are?

503
00:24:06,320 --> 00:24:08,120
Speaker 2: You don't want to get this right?

504
00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:09,040
Speaker 1: This is who you are.

505
00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:11,720
Speaker 3: Aren't they number one in blitzing at the time or

506
00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:13,160
Speaker 3: something like that. We were like.

507
00:24:13,400 --> 00:24:17,200
Speaker 2: By a large margin, Like the offense was in pistol

508
00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:19,400
Speaker 2: by like a large margin, and the Falcons were blitzing

509
00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:20,679
Speaker 2: by like a large margin.

510
00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:22,240
Speaker 3: And I'm like if that took me being like I

511
00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:26,080
Speaker 3: don't want to be a blonde, but you are. So

512
00:24:26,119 --> 00:24:28,080
Speaker 3: when Jeff said that, we were like, what do you mean?

513
00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:30,520
Speaker 3: And it's like I want us to rely on our

514
00:24:30,560 --> 00:24:32,840
Speaker 3: front four to win and do their thing and play

515
00:24:32,840 --> 00:24:35,800
Speaker 3: coverage behind it. He didn't. Right now, we're just not

516
00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:40,119
Speaker 3: quite there yet, are they there? Sunday it looked like it.

517
00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:42,200
Speaker 3: But I guess it's kind of just scene moving forward.

518
00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:45,920
Speaker 3: Whether they can repeat that performance and be the defense

519
00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:50,160
Speaker 3: that Jeff wanted. He wants to dye his hair, Yeah,

520
00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:51,240
Speaker 3: an interesting.

521
00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:53,440
Speaker 2: Man blonde head out, that'd be something.

522
00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:53,960
Speaker 3: Yeah.

523
00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:54,240
Speaker 2: No.

524
00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:56,480
Speaker 1: I think that a part of this that I've kind

525
00:24:56,480 --> 00:24:59,080
Speaker 1: of been ruminating on for the last like four or

526
00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:01,600
Speaker 1: five days, is are we going to see it again?

527
00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:04,520
Speaker 1: Versus the Jets. I think that there were some deficiencies

528
00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:08,600
Speaker 1: along the Saints offensive line that maybe made this thought

529
00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:12,920
Speaker 1: of sending only four easier more execute You can execute

530
00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:15,280
Speaker 1: it at an easier right because of some of the

531
00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:18,040
Speaker 1: deficiencies with the Saints. You have a little bit of

532
00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:21,399
Speaker 1: a better offensive line. Against New York they have some

533
00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:23,600
Speaker 1: good tackles. Are you going to be able to do

534
00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:25,600
Speaker 1: it again? And I think to your point of like

535
00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:30,359
Speaker 1: the development of guys, I think that an interesting thought

536
00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:32,159
Speaker 1: that I want to put out there to the people

537
00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:37,000
Speaker 1: is that the Falcons have not been im people gestures

538
00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:40,919
Speaker 1: broadly to them, we the people. Is there a realm

539
00:25:41,119 --> 00:25:44,479
Speaker 1: where in the last four weeks without Divine Diablo that

540
00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:48,800
Speaker 1: it kind of forced guys along the Front seven particularly

541
00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:51,879
Speaker 1: to develop faster. And what I mean by that is

542
00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:56,679
Speaker 1: like without Divine Diablo, who you relied upon for a

543
00:25:56,680 --> 00:26:00,280
Speaker 1: lot of pressures and for a lot of a lot,

544
00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:05,040
Speaker 1: point blank, full stop, Like without him, did you have

545
00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:10,040
Speaker 1: to see guys like Rouke, Brandon Dorles, Jalen Walker, JPJ,

546
00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:12,520
Speaker 1: like all of those guys step up a little bit,

547
00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:15,400
Speaker 1: to the point of when Divine Diablo came back four

548
00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:19,239
Speaker 1: weeks later, you felt like, hey, we really don't have

549
00:26:19,320 --> 00:26:21,880
Speaker 1: to send Divine on a blitz in order to get home,

550
00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:23,720
Speaker 1: Like we have some guys up front who are winning.

551
00:26:24,119 --> 00:26:26,880
Speaker 3: Maybe that's the Bike Committee approach Jeff Ulrick was talking

552
00:26:26,920 --> 00:26:27,800
Speaker 3: about all this time.

553
00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:30,040
Speaker 1: Yeah, Well they rush as a unit like you can

554
00:26:30,080 --> 00:26:33,000
Speaker 1: see it, like Arnold Abakhetti or Leonard Floyd gets like

555
00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:35,200
Speaker 1: an inside push and then you have James Spears Junior

556
00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:38,320
Speaker 1: coming around behind him like that is as much as

557
00:26:38,320 --> 00:26:41,000
Speaker 1: that sack will go down as like James Spears Junior sack,

558
00:26:41,119 --> 00:26:45,480
Speaker 1: Like everything along that Front seven is all encompassing amongst

559
00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:47,920
Speaker 1: the individuals it's an organism, right.

560
00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:50,160
Speaker 3: I was trying to go with like what you were saying,

561
00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:52,639
Speaker 3: how a lot of people stepped up when Divine was

562
00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:54,200
Speaker 3: gone because they had to, And I was like, maybe

563
00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:56,159
Speaker 3: that's the Bike Committee, But I don't think that landed.

564
00:26:56,560 --> 00:26:57,800
Speaker 1: Oh oh, I mean.

565
00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:03,240
Speaker 2: The amalgamation of like, yeah, everything that he brings. I

566
00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:05,560
Speaker 2: do think if you just like, look, they have way

567
00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:09,280
Speaker 2: more dudes this year than I can like ever remember them.

568
00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:12,600
Speaker 2: How Like I remember when it was just tacking Vic Beasley, right,

569
00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:16,240
Speaker 2: and Adrian Claiborne is like the third man off the bench, right.

570
00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:19,400
Speaker 2: But they have slowly just been adding pieces so you

571
00:27:19,480 --> 00:27:22,000
Speaker 2: can rush in waves and instead of one player being

572
00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:25,240
Speaker 2: out there for forty snaps, instead you're seeing the benefit

573
00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:28,480
Speaker 2: of somebody who's out there for thirty snaps, twenty two snaps,

574
00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:32,120
Speaker 2: and they are just bringing it every single So it's

575
00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:34,480
Speaker 2: not a surprise that you have a game where it's

576
00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:37,560
Speaker 2: like Brandon Dorles r. Guerroro, Jalen Walker, James Peters, she,

577
00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:40,399
Speaker 2: like all of these guys are getting involved instead of

578
00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:42,080
Speaker 2: one player having four sacks.

579
00:27:42,160 --> 00:27:45,120
Speaker 1: Yeah. And I also think to that point, like all

580
00:27:45,160 --> 00:27:48,720
Speaker 1: of this is so indicative of acute development among these

581
00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:50,520
Speaker 1: young defenders.

582
00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:53,639
Speaker 2: And you're saying acute development, not cute development. They're not

583
00:27:53,640 --> 00:27:54,160
Speaker 2: getting cuter.

584
00:27:54,240 --> 00:28:00,400
Speaker 1: They're not getting cuter, acute like a cute rapid escalation of.

585
00:28:00,160 --> 00:28:04,880
Speaker 2: Development personality moments on the podcast, I don't even.

586
00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:05,280
Speaker 3: Know where to come in.

587
00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:08,520
Speaker 1: No, so right now, this week, Jalen Walker leads all

588
00:28:08,600 --> 00:28:11,960
Speaker 1: rookies in sacks and force fumbles, James Fearce junior quarterback pressures.

589
00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:15,000
Speaker 1: Let's even throw in Xavier Watts with interceptions, because what's

590
00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:17,199
Speaker 1: happening on the back end effects what's happening in the

591
00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:21,480
Speaker 1: front seven. They're all rookies and the Falcons, the Falcons

592
00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:26,000
Speaker 1: have players rookies leading across the league in this category.

593
00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:31,000
Speaker 1: This is Terry font Knowa's best draft, full stop. I

594
00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:33,520
Speaker 1: have no no qualms, no, And as much as it

595
00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:35,880
Speaker 1: sucks that Billy Bowman Junior is going to be out

596
00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:37,280
Speaker 1: for the rest of the year, what you have in

597
00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:39,560
Speaker 1: Billy Bowman Junior is something really good as well. He

598
00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:42,040
Speaker 1: was doing some really really good things. It's unfortunate that

599
00:28:42,120 --> 00:28:44,480
Speaker 1: injuries piled up the way they did with him. But

600
00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:47,160
Speaker 1: some of these guys, I mean, this has a ripple effect.

601
00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:50,800
Speaker 1: I think beyond this year, this has a ripple effect.

602
00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:53,600
Speaker 1: I also think even in game planning, in what you

603
00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:56,560
Speaker 1: decide to do and what positions you put your defense in,

604
00:28:56,640 --> 00:28:58,520
Speaker 1: and whether or not you go for for things on

605
00:28:58,840 --> 00:29:02,640
Speaker 1: third and fourth down, all those things are topics of

606
00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:08,040
Speaker 1: conversation that starts with what this defense does by way

607
00:29:08,080 --> 00:29:09,120
Speaker 1: of getting after the quarterback.

608
00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:12,160
Speaker 2: Absolutely, and we're going to push here to topic four,

609
00:29:12,160 --> 00:29:13,440
Speaker 2: but I want to add one more note, as is

610
00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:17,200
Speaker 2: Just Stevens or Jess Stevens on our comms team was

611
00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:19,120
Speaker 2: pulling up kind of the pass rushers from the last

612
00:29:19,160 --> 00:29:21,280
Speaker 2: two years, right, because I think it's fair to say

613
00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:24,000
Speaker 2: Brandon Dorless and Ruku Row ro like are kind of

614
00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:26,520
Speaker 2: pseudo rookies last year.

615
00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:31,720
Speaker 1: I mean they were healthy scratches for majority of especially

616
00:29:31,720 --> 00:29:34,520
Speaker 1: Brandon Dorless majority of last season.

617
00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:37,120
Speaker 2: And now he has He's got six acts this season,

618
00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:40,320
Speaker 2: which is tied for the most among players taken last

619
00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:42,440
Speaker 2: year and this year in the draft. So when you're

620
00:29:42,480 --> 00:29:45,600
Speaker 2: looking at guys like Latu Latsu, Jared Verse, all the

621
00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:48,600
Speaker 2: players that we were talking about in last year's draft, Yep,

622
00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:51,120
Speaker 2: Brandon Dorless is right there with him. Jalen Walker is

623
00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:53,720
Speaker 2: one behind those dudes. James Pierce Junior is one behind it.

624
00:29:53,800 --> 00:29:56,840
Speaker 2: So it's like this whole class of first and second

625
00:29:56,920 --> 00:30:01,120
Speaker 2: year defensive lineman has been simply amazing. So the Falcons

626
00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:05,000
Speaker 2: obviously got a much needed win on Sunday against the Saints.

627
00:30:05,240 --> 00:30:09,120
Speaker 2: It didn't really meaningfully, i think, change their playoff hopes

628
00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:13,320
Speaker 2: in any way, but keeps you alive, right, and so

629
00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:15,520
Speaker 2: then when you have a week in which you're the

630
00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:18,480
Speaker 2: only team in your division to win a game, okay,

631
00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:21,560
Speaker 2: maybe those those feelings get get hiding a little bit.

632
00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:23,240
Speaker 2: So really quickly, just want to run down kind of

633
00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:28,640
Speaker 2: the schedules for Tampa, Carolina and then Atlanta, because there's

634
00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:33,160
Speaker 2: one is not like the other. Unfortunately, I think Tampa

635
00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:36,480
Speaker 2: has kind of the easiest road left. They've got Arizona

636
00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:40,360
Speaker 2: this weekend, New Orleans, Atlanta, Carolina, Miami and then finishing

637
00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:43,920
Speaker 2: up again with Carolina. Right that, Atlanta's got at least

638
00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:46,120
Speaker 2: a chance there to get a game back on Tampa.

639
00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:49,440
Speaker 2: So that's good. But it seems like a pretty favorable

640
00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:54,440
Speaker 2: schedule for Tampa Carolina. Different story. They got the Rams,

641
00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:58,360
Speaker 2: then a merciful bye week right then you got the Saints,

642
00:30:58,480 --> 00:31:02,280
Speaker 2: the Bucks, Seattle and the Buck again, I mean Bucks, Seattle, Bucks,

643
00:31:02,760 --> 00:31:09,040
Speaker 2: that's a tough way to end it. Atlanta schedule real quick, Jets, Seahawks, Bucks, Cardinals, Rams, Saints,

644
00:31:09,120 --> 00:31:11,280
Speaker 2: so a kind of a mix of both there having

645
00:31:11,400 --> 00:31:15,040
Speaker 2: Seattle and obviously La with the Bucks. Those are going

646
00:31:15,120 --> 00:31:18,840
Speaker 2: to be your three big games left. But what are

647
00:31:18,920 --> 00:31:21,560
Speaker 2: kind of like the different permutations of how this could

648
00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:23,400
Speaker 2: play out? And do we feel looking at all of

649
00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:26,400
Speaker 2: that toy like, how do we feel about the Falcon chances?

650
00:31:26,560 --> 00:31:29,760
Speaker 1: Yeah, it still doesn't look good. You've you've played yourself

651
00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:31,800
Speaker 1: into this position that you're in now where it doesn't

652
00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:33,520
Speaker 1: look good and it's going to take a lot for

653
00:31:33,680 --> 00:31:38,840
Speaker 1: it to look better. What is interesting is that right

654
00:31:38,880 --> 00:31:41,640
Speaker 1: now as it stands, Tampa Bay is on a slide,

655
00:31:41,960 --> 00:31:44,960
Speaker 1: and I think they've lost five of their last six

656
00:31:45,160 --> 00:31:47,360
Speaker 1: if I if I'm doing the math.

657
00:31:47,280 --> 00:31:50,160
Speaker 2: Right, I didn't scream grab that far back, but it's something.

658
00:31:50,840 --> 00:31:52,440
Speaker 1: It's last three in a row for sure, And I

659
00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:55,560
Speaker 1: think even before then, it was it was a couple right.

660
00:31:55,360 --> 00:31:58,040
Speaker 2: Before, yeah, by couple right before that. Yeah.

661
00:31:58,080 --> 00:32:02,840
Speaker 1: So, but that was all so their toughest stretch of

662
00:32:02,920 --> 00:32:06,840
Speaker 1: the season. They played the Bills, the Rams, the Patriots

663
00:32:06,920 --> 00:32:09,280
Speaker 1: like boom boom boom boom, lost all of those, so

664
00:32:10,280 --> 00:32:13,200
Speaker 1: you figure if you were gonna have some losses by

665
00:32:13,200 --> 00:32:15,960
Speaker 1: this Tampa Bay team, it was gonna come during that

666
00:32:16,040 --> 00:32:19,040
Speaker 1: stretch of games. And now you look at the rest

667
00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:22,640
Speaker 1: of their slate and it's like, well, they should arguably

668
00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:24,440
Speaker 1: probably beat a lot of these teams. And then you

669
00:32:24,480 --> 00:32:26,520
Speaker 1: look at Carolina and it's like, yes, they still have

670
00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:28,320
Speaker 1: the Rams, they still have the Seahawks. I feel like

671
00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:34,200
Speaker 1: the Falcons and the Carolina Panthers are probably pretty even

672
00:32:34,320 --> 00:32:38,720
Speaker 1: right now in terms of strength of schedule left. Unfortunately

673
00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:41,840
Speaker 1: for the Falcons because the Carolina Panthers own the tiebreaker

674
00:32:41,960 --> 00:32:45,800
Speaker 1: over them. And unless something happens with the Carolina Panthers

675
00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:50,240
Speaker 1: where they absolutely implode, and something happens with the Tampa

676
00:32:50,320 --> 00:32:53,959
Speaker 1: Bay Buccaneers where they absolutely implode. Like that's kind of

677
00:32:53,960 --> 00:32:55,880
Speaker 1: what I know, it's not great to talk about, but

678
00:32:55,920 --> 00:32:58,400
Speaker 1: that's kind of just where the Falcons find themselves right now.

679
00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:00,760
Speaker 2: Yeah, Taron taking it kind of a game at a

680
00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:05,720
Speaker 2: time approach, like how could Sunday further alter the playoff

681
00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:08,880
Speaker 2: picture for Atlanta and kind of their chances.

682
00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:10,360
Speaker 3: Right now this time of year, we're hearing the one

683
00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:13,040
Speaker 3: and O phrase a lot, like you just got to

684
00:33:13,080 --> 00:33:14,760
Speaker 3: go want to know. You just got to go want

685
00:33:14,760 --> 00:33:17,800
Speaker 3: to know. And that's all they can do if they

686
00:33:17,840 --> 00:33:19,840
Speaker 3: want to keep their playoff hopes alive. I mean, they're

687
00:33:19,840 --> 00:33:22,560
Speaker 3: hanging on. It went from less than one percent to

688
00:33:22,560 --> 00:33:26,320
Speaker 3: two percent, according to the New York Times simulator after

689
00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:29,840
Speaker 3: the win in New Orleans. You mess around with it,

690
00:33:29,840 --> 00:33:32,160
Speaker 3: it doesn't never get too high. Regard.

691
00:33:32,160 --> 00:33:35,440
Speaker 1: Don't think it can ever get above seventy six percent.

692
00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:37,360
Speaker 1: And that's if the Falcons completely went out.

693
00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:39,560
Speaker 2: Yeah, higher than I thought it would be.

694
00:33:40,560 --> 00:33:42,040
Speaker 3: I don't think it's that high anymore.

695
00:33:42,480 --> 00:33:44,920
Speaker 1: That high that was on Sunday where I looked at it,

696
00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:45,640
Speaker 1: so it may not be.

697
00:33:45,920 --> 00:33:49,400
Speaker 3: But regardless, Like it's crazy to say that, because I

698
00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:53,720
Speaker 3: feel like with how the Bucks have been going, the

699
00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:57,120
Speaker 3: Panthers have been going, it's almost closer than it feels

700
00:33:57,160 --> 00:33:59,920
Speaker 3: when you look at the standings themselves. I mean, yep,

701
00:34:00,120 --> 00:34:02,200
Speaker 3: the Bucks are six and five, the Panthers are six

702
00:34:02,240 --> 00:34:05,560
Speaker 3: and six, the Falcons are four and seven, Saints are

703
00:34:05,560 --> 00:34:06,680
Speaker 3: two and nine.

704
00:34:07,720 --> 00:34:09,160
Speaker 2: Love it, love it, say it again.

705
00:34:09,320 --> 00:34:11,120
Speaker 3: Like Saints are two and nine.

706
00:34:11,200 --> 00:34:13,640
Speaker 1: Yes, the problem is is that the Falcons have only

707
00:34:13,680 --> 00:34:16,080
Speaker 1: beaten the Saints in NFC South play Like that's what

708
00:34:16,160 --> 00:34:18,600
Speaker 1: it is like, let's be real again, Like.

709
00:34:18,800 --> 00:34:21,920
Speaker 3: They're three and one in the NFC, No. One in

710
00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:24,600
Speaker 3: three in NFC South. They wish they were three in

711
00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:29,839
Speaker 3: the NFC South. So even though the division itself looks

712
00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:33,360
Speaker 3: like it's kind of getting a tighter picture, it's a

713
00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:35,480
Speaker 3: little films developing.

714
00:34:35,640 --> 00:34:36,880
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's good. I like that.

715
00:34:37,440 --> 00:34:38,640
Speaker 3: That was a lot better than the hair one.

716
00:34:38,680 --> 00:34:42,520
Speaker 2: The picture is crystallizing. Yeah, so let's let's talk about

717
00:34:42,520 --> 00:34:43,800
Speaker 2: that one to know, right, what do you got to

718
00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:45,440
Speaker 2: do on Sunday to get a win against the Jets?

719
00:34:45,440 --> 00:34:47,440
Speaker 2: And last week we kind of played a fun game

720
00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:49,480
Speaker 2: about what do we need to see to feel like

721
00:34:49,560 --> 00:34:52,640
Speaker 2: this team is not just capable of breaking their five

722
00:34:52,640 --> 00:34:56,280
Speaker 2: game losing streak but actually like building maybe something moving

723
00:34:56,320 --> 00:34:58,799
Speaker 2: forward for the rest of the season. So kind of

724
00:34:58,880 --> 00:35:02,200
Speaker 2: keeping that it alive, Like what do we need to

725
00:35:02,239 --> 00:35:04,960
Speaker 2: see on Sunday against the Jets to feel like, Okay,

726
00:35:04,800 --> 00:35:08,000
Speaker 2: they took the first step against the Saints. Now they're

727
00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:10,440
Speaker 2: taking a little bit of a second step. Maybe ultimately

728
00:35:10,480 --> 00:35:12,959
Speaker 2: it all comes too little too late, but you would

729
00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:15,200
Speaker 2: like to feel better about this team as the season

730
00:35:15,280 --> 00:35:17,160
Speaker 2: kind of continues along. So what do they need to do?

731
00:35:17,680 --> 00:35:20,520
Speaker 1: I think you need to come out fast start. I

732
00:35:20,560 --> 00:35:22,520
Speaker 1: think that you I would ideally like to see this

733
00:35:22,560 --> 00:35:24,640
Speaker 1: team have a lead, take a lead into halftime. I

734
00:35:24,640 --> 00:35:26,920
Speaker 1: don't think you have to, but I think it's it's

735
00:35:26,960 --> 00:35:29,640
Speaker 1: a good idea too, because of the issues that we've

736
00:35:29,640 --> 00:35:31,919
Speaker 1: seen them have in the third quarter, not being able

737
00:35:31,960 --> 00:35:34,040
Speaker 1: to score, not really being able to get off the field,

738
00:35:34,120 --> 00:35:36,839
Speaker 1: all of these things kind of bouncing off of one

739
00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:40,160
Speaker 1: another and in this bad spiral of third quarter play.

740
00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:43,759
Speaker 1: Because that's what we saw against the Saints. As you saw,

741
00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:46,120
Speaker 1: they got out to a good start, they were in

742
00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:48,719
Speaker 1: a good place going out coming out of halftime, and

743
00:35:48,760 --> 00:35:50,719
Speaker 1: then you let the Saints hang around and then you

744
00:35:50,760 --> 00:35:52,719
Speaker 1: get to the fourth quarter and oh look, it's a

745
00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:56,480
Speaker 1: one scorer game. So for me, it's like, don't allow

746
00:35:56,520 --> 00:36:00,200
Speaker 1: a team to hang around coming out of halftime, A

747
00:36:00,200 --> 00:36:03,279
Speaker 1: foot on the gas. If you're the Falcons in that

748
00:36:03,360 --> 00:36:05,360
Speaker 1: third quarter, let's see something different from you in that

749
00:36:05,360 --> 00:36:07,480
Speaker 1: third quarter. If I can see that, I would feel

750
00:36:07,520 --> 00:36:12,279
Speaker 1: more confident in what a win and what would constitute

751
00:36:12,320 --> 00:36:15,680
Speaker 1: a success for this Falcons team, because then at that

752
00:36:15,719 --> 00:36:18,040
Speaker 1: point it's you turn from just a win to a

753
00:36:18,080 --> 00:36:20,359
Speaker 1: convincing win to a decisive win.

754
00:36:20,480 --> 00:36:22,880
Speaker 2: So following along that, like the Falcons have liked to

755
00:36:23,080 --> 00:36:24,839
Speaker 2: take the ball and start the ball if they win

756
00:36:24,880 --> 00:36:27,000
Speaker 2: the coin toss and just start on offense, would you

757
00:36:27,239 --> 00:36:29,440
Speaker 2: maybe want to see them change that strategy and defer

758
00:36:29,600 --> 00:36:31,840
Speaker 2: and say we'll take the ball in the second half

759
00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:35,000
Speaker 2: to try to maybe recreate some of that energy that

760
00:36:35,040 --> 00:36:36,040
Speaker 2: they've had at the start of games.

761
00:36:36,080 --> 00:36:38,439
Speaker 1: This is potentially, but I don't really I'm not one

762
00:36:38,440 --> 00:36:41,480
Speaker 1: that really thinks that it matters all that. Yeah, I

763
00:36:41,520 --> 00:36:43,400
Speaker 1: really don't like. I really think that it's up to

764
00:36:43,480 --> 00:36:45,400
Speaker 1: you in the moment. Like if you go out and

765
00:36:45,440 --> 00:36:47,360
Speaker 1: your defense is playing well, and your defense has a

766
00:36:47,360 --> 00:36:52,040
Speaker 1: good stop in that very first drive of the second half,

767
00:36:52,080 --> 00:36:54,040
Speaker 1: and you come out offensively and you go down and

768
00:36:54,080 --> 00:36:56,600
Speaker 1: you score, Okay, I don't care when it happens.

769
00:36:57,000 --> 00:36:59,279
Speaker 2: Treke it a happy right, Yeah, all right, Taren, What

770
00:36:59,320 --> 00:36:59,959
Speaker 2: do you need to see?

771
00:37:00,920 --> 00:37:03,799
Speaker 3: You know what I'm gonna say. They just need to win.

772
00:37:05,520 --> 00:37:07,480
Speaker 2: That's why I like it is you're like just straight

773
00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:09,960
Speaker 2: cut to the bone. What matters at the end of

774
00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:10,720
Speaker 2: the day, get.

775
00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:12,839
Speaker 3: That getting that win. I mean Rahee Morris has said

776
00:37:13,040 --> 00:37:16,680
Speaker 3: good teams pull out ugly wins. I don't like it

777
00:37:16,719 --> 00:37:19,120
Speaker 3: doesn't need to be perfect. It doesn't it is it

778
00:37:19,120 --> 00:37:21,839
Speaker 3: would it be nice if it was clean, Yes, But

779
00:37:21,880 --> 00:37:23,600
Speaker 3: at the end of the day, like the players say,

780
00:37:23,640 --> 00:37:27,400
Speaker 3: we have to go on and Oh what I realized

781
00:37:27,440 --> 00:37:31,160
Speaker 3: while you were talking though, is the Falcons maybe should

782
00:37:31,160 --> 00:37:34,440
Speaker 3: erase this issue they have with the number three third

783
00:37:34,520 --> 00:37:38,680
Speaker 3: quarter third downs. They kind of fixed the field goals

784
00:37:38,680 --> 00:37:41,680
Speaker 3: with three points. They only ran three plays in that

785
00:37:41,719 --> 00:37:44,839
Speaker 3: third period in New Orleans. Yeah, and I'm just like, oh, this.

786
00:37:44,800 --> 00:37:48,680
Speaker 2: Is a lot, Jesse Bates noted problem. Jesse Bates the

787
00:37:48,840 --> 00:37:51,439
Speaker 2: third Maybe that cancels it out.

788
00:37:51,480 --> 00:37:52,040
Speaker 1: I think it does.

789
00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:53,280
Speaker 3: Is that why he's that number?

790
00:37:53,320 --> 00:37:55,879
Speaker 1: I think so. One thing that I'll add to this

791
00:37:56,000 --> 00:37:58,399
Speaker 1: and this isn't necessarily like they have to do this

792
00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:00,840
Speaker 1: or like it's gonna be indicative of success or not,

793
00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:03,480
Speaker 1: is like, I do have some questions that I'm wanting

794
00:38:03,600 --> 00:38:07,680
Speaker 1: answered in this game. We've alluded to it throughout the podcast. Offensively,

795
00:38:07,880 --> 00:38:10,879
Speaker 1: it's what is the offensive game plan? And how much

796
00:38:10,880 --> 00:38:13,319
Speaker 1: are you going under center using play action off of that?

797
00:38:13,440 --> 00:38:16,040
Speaker 1: Like is that here to stay? Is that something that

798
00:38:16,040 --> 00:38:18,279
Speaker 1: they're gonna do with Kirk Cousins moving forward? It feels

799
00:38:18,360 --> 00:38:20,719
Speaker 1: like potentially they are, but we don't know for sure,

800
00:38:20,760 --> 00:38:22,919
Speaker 1: yet we only have one sample size of that when

801
00:38:22,920 --> 00:38:25,400
Speaker 1: game was sample size. And then defensively, it's can you

802
00:38:25,440 --> 00:38:28,560
Speaker 1: continue to win by only sending for yep? That is

803
00:38:28,600 --> 00:38:31,280
Speaker 1: one of those things that is Was that something that

804
00:38:31,480 --> 00:38:33,400
Speaker 1: they felt like they could take advantage of with the

805
00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:35,680
Speaker 1: New Orleans Saints or is this something that is gonna

806
00:38:35,680 --> 00:38:38,799
Speaker 1: again like play action under center, something that's here to stay.

807
00:38:38,840 --> 00:38:39,840
Speaker 1: Those are my two questions.

808
00:38:39,880 --> 00:38:42,000
Speaker 3: Basically, can you repeat what you just did?

809
00:38:42,400 --> 00:38:45,120
Speaker 2: H boom? Yeah, it's like it's a one game sample size,

810
00:38:45,160 --> 00:38:47,480
Speaker 2: so like we're just really evaluating that one game, But

811
00:38:47,560 --> 00:38:50,400
Speaker 2: can you create a broader trend off of that?

812
00:38:50,480 --> 00:38:54,359
Speaker 3: Stack the wins and stack the trends. Trends there, you go,

813
00:38:54,760 --> 00:38:55,480
Speaker 3: thank you for the word.

814
00:38:55,680 --> 00:38:58,359
Speaker 2: Of course words, that's what we do here. That's what

815
00:38:58,400 --> 00:39:03,200
Speaker 2: we do here, the trends, stack the views. Go check

816
00:39:03,280 --> 00:39:06,640
Speaker 2: us out on YouTube and download and like and subscribe

817
00:39:06,760 --> 00:39:09,160
Speaker 2: and share it to everybody. Got it? Got the plug

818
00:39:09,160 --> 00:39:13,080
Speaker 2: in there? What's up? Jared? Love me for that? All right?

819
00:39:13,160 --> 00:39:15,360
Speaker 2: Pro Bowl voting as a reminder, one more time is

820
00:39:15,680 --> 00:39:17,640
Speaker 2: open now, So go, whether you do it on social,

821
00:39:17,680 --> 00:39:19,520
Speaker 2: whether you do it on a landofalcons dot com, or

822
00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:21,640
Speaker 2: you check out our QR code, which I'll let Jared

823
00:39:21,680 --> 00:39:24,719
Speaker 2: put anywhere he wants to do right now, Ye, please go

824
00:39:24,760 --> 00:39:28,880
Speaker 2: do that everybody again. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving,

825
00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:31,280
Speaker 2: have a great Thanksgiving weekend. That's one of my favorite

826
00:39:31,280 --> 00:39:33,160
Speaker 2: parts about the holidays. It's on a Thursday, but it

827
00:39:33,200 --> 00:39:35,640
Speaker 2: feels like it just rolls right into the weekend. With

828
00:39:36,000 --> 00:39:38,120
Speaker 2: all the college football games on Friday, I know you

829
00:39:38,120 --> 00:39:41,160
Speaker 2: guys are going to be enjoying some of those in clean,

830
00:39:41,200 --> 00:39:43,120
Speaker 2: old fashion hate.

831
00:39:43,160 --> 00:39:46,920
Speaker 1: I'm super pumped. Will be in Mercedes Been Stadium, all

832
00:39:47,320 --> 00:39:48,879
Speaker 1: the dogs and the Jackets.

833
00:39:49,360 --> 00:39:51,480
Speaker 3: I'm tailgating, but I don't care who wins.

834
00:39:52,960 --> 00:39:55,359
Speaker 2: All right, well, you know we got two dogs here,

835
00:39:55,400 --> 00:39:56,600
Speaker 2: so like, let's go.

836
00:39:57,080 --> 00:39:58,800
Speaker 3: Let's not forget the Iron Bowl.

837
00:39:59,600 --> 00:40:00,879
Speaker 2: No, that's you, You're dear.

838
00:40:01,040 --> 00:40:02,160
Speaker 3: Iron is a big deal.

839
00:40:02,560 --> 00:40:04,279
Speaker 2: All right, We're gonna get out of here for Tory

840
00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:06,439
Speaker 2: McLean and tarn Walk. I'm moman fattan. Thank you guys

841
00:40:06,440 --> 00:40:08,440
Speaker 2: so much for listening, and we will see you for

842
00:40:08,600 --> 00:40:11,320
Speaker 2: Falcons Final Whistle on Monday, Falcons Audible middle of the

843
00:40:11,360 --> 00:40:13,919
Speaker 2: week next week, and of course Friday five next time.

844
00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:15,000
Speaker 2: So see y all then,