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Speaker 1: What's up, everybody, and welcome to the Falcons Final Whistle Podcast.

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Speaker 1: I'm Scott bar alongside Tory mcelhaney and Aston Edmonds. That

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Speaker 1: sounds like our regular cast of characters, and we're coming

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Speaker 1: to you after a thirty two seventeen victory Falcons victory

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Speaker 1: over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers here at Mercedes ben Stadium.

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Speaker 1: We are still here. It's very We're pushing well into

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Speaker 1: the late night into the evening as we record this podcast,

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Speaker 1: and we are not going to break this game down

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Speaker 1: a whole lot, right because I don't know how many

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Speaker 1: fans want to dissect a win that had no impact

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Speaker 1: on the playoff picture when I think all the optimism

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Speaker 1: and focus is on what could and likely is a

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Speaker 1: pivotal off season for the Atlanta Falcons we're after dealing with.

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Speaker 1: I just checked over thecap dot com. Eighty two million

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Speaker 1: dollars in dead money built up. It started in the sixties,

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Speaker 1: right right before the season was over. They're gonna have

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Speaker 1: a lot of cap space. Yep. They're going to have

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Speaker 1: a really good draft pick it. We haven't seen anything

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Speaker 1: official from the league at this point. It's either eight

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Speaker 1: or nine. Seems to look like eight. Yeah, Okay, they

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Speaker 1: got a pretty good player at number eight last year,

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Speaker 1: guy by the name of Drake London. He had a

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Speaker 1: big day to day, hundred and twenty yards on six

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Speaker 1: catch six catches. Wow, I know that, right, But but yeah,

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Speaker 1: so we're gonna talk about this youth movement, We're gonna

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Speaker 1: talk about Desmond Ritter and the four game evaluation. We're

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Speaker 1: gonna look at where the Falcons go from here in

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Speaker 1: terms of needs. Give a little offseason preview. That's what

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Speaker 1: Tory mclaney script says. So no overall takeaways to this game, right,

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Speaker 1: but from where they sit with the assets they have, Tory,

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Speaker 1: it seems to me you're smarter than me. It seems

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Speaker 1: to me, though, that they have a golden opportunity to

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Speaker 1: get better fast. Ye I look at what so on

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Speaker 1: Saturday night we saw Jacksonville get a birth to the playoffs,

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Speaker 1: and I look at what they were two years ago

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Speaker 1: and now they're a team going to the playoffs. I mean,

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Speaker 1: I think that just goes to show that when you

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Speaker 1: do have money, you can spend it in free agency,

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Speaker 1: and then when you get some really high draft picks

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Speaker 1: and you have a couple of good draft classes that

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Speaker 1: have a bunch of impact players on it. That's what happens.

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Speaker 1: I don't think we're sitting here right now as the

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty two season officially comes to an end, that

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Speaker 1: there is any reason to not be hopeful and optimistic

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Speaker 1: about where the Falcons are going. We've said it before,

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Speaker 1: I'll say it again. I do think that this Falcons

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Speaker 1: team has a really horton rookie not just rookie class,

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Speaker 1: but young players that you can use as your foundation

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Speaker 1: to build upon. And I really like, I mean literally,

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Speaker 1: you've seen what Drake London and Tyler Algier have done

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Speaker 1: in the last month and a half of the season

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Speaker 1: and getting into franchise, the franchise record books like there

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Speaker 1: is something building here. We're still, i think, in the

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Speaker 1: early stages of that. And it was something that two

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Speaker 1: years ago when Terry Fontineau and Arthur Smith came to

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Speaker 1: Atlanta and the first day that they were here, I

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Speaker 1: remember saying I can't remember if it was on the

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Speaker 1: radio or what, but it was like, this was never

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Speaker 1: going to be an overnight haul. This is not going

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Speaker 1: to be something that you get a new coaching staff

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Speaker 1: in here, you get a new front office in here

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Speaker 1: and everything magically changes. Because the salary cap constraints were

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Speaker 1: so significant, you knew that it was going to take

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Speaker 1: a couple of years to even begin to see what

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Speaker 1: Terry Fontineau and Arthur Smiths want to build in Atlanta.

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Speaker 1: And I think that's where we are now. I actually

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Speaker 1: think that we are on the cusp of that. Now

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Speaker 1: we've seen these foundational pieces, the Drake Lendon's, the Tyler Algiers,

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Speaker 1: the Chris lands Shows, a J. Rrell's, Kyle Pitts, these

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Speaker 1: pieces that you know you can keep around and build around.

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Speaker 1: Now you have. Now you go into this offseason with

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Speaker 1: money which you haven't had. You can be players in

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Speaker 1: free agency, and you're going to have some pretty significant

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Speaker 1: draft capital to work with. I'm talking from the top

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Speaker 1: all the way down. They have a lot of picks

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Speaker 1: going into this twenty twenty three NFL Draft. It's going

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Speaker 1: to be a really big off season for this team,

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Speaker 1: for this organization, one that in my opinion, should shift

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Speaker 1: the way that we think about this team. And we've

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Speaker 1: talked a lot about the offseason priority list, the offseason

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Speaker 1: shopping list, what they need, what is most pressing Ashton.

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Speaker 1: I think it's fair to say that because of what

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Speaker 1: we've seen, let's put desmon Ritter in a Yeah, we'll

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Speaker 1: talk about him in a minute. But what I believe

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Speaker 1: is that what we've seen from first and second year

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Speaker 1: players is that they have established themselves as long term

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Speaker 1: solution possibilities. Do you agree that that the shopping list

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Speaker 1: still has some big, big holes? Well, the spot right,

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Speaker 1: but it seems to have gotten shorter based upon what

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Speaker 1: we've seen from first and second year players. Oh yeah,

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Speaker 1: most definitely, I think, um, like you mentioned in your article,

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Speaker 1: from what Tyala Alger and Drake London and those young

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Speaker 1: guys have did this season, I think that definitely has

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Speaker 1: made the shopping lists way shorter. Um. I'm sure that

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Speaker 1: the Falcons are going to look at the defensive defensive

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Speaker 1: side of the ball, UM, on the front line and

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Speaker 1: also in the secondary UM when thinking about you know,

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Speaker 1: getting players in free agency or maybe drafting a player. UM,

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Speaker 1: I think the defensive side of the ball is really

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Speaker 1: going to be like a big focus going into the draft. UM,

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Speaker 1: just because you know, like Tory said earlier in the season,

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Speaker 1: that a lot of these guys are just on like

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Speaker 1: one year contracts or um minimum contracts and this team

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Speaker 1: is pieced together, so some of these guys may not

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Speaker 1: be on the team next season. And I think, um,

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Speaker 1: it's crucial and critical that the Falcons do look for,

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Speaker 1: you know, maybe a pass or talent or maybe somebody

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Speaker 1: in the secondary that, um, you know can add that

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Speaker 1: to that group. So, UM, I definitely think the shopping

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Speaker 1: list is shorter, but I do know that, Um, it's

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Speaker 1: going to be a crucial offseason for the Falcons. I

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Speaker 1: think it's gonna be fascinating. Honestly, this is the most

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Speaker 1: excited I've been heading into an off season. Right, Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I'm excited. I'm excited for the f Yeah. Just I

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Speaker 1: think and it will be it only works if you

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Speaker 1: spend and draft right. Yes, and how they we're not

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Speaker 1: going to nerd out on contract structure. Tory and I

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Speaker 1: will do that, three of us will do that. But

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Speaker 1: I think in general, if you do it right, so

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Speaker 1: much and there's been oh this was the point that

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Speaker 1: I was gonna make. There has been a lot of

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Speaker 1: roster turnover over the last couple of years. Out of necessity.

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Speaker 1: They either had to get rid of a loaded contracts

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Speaker 1: they couldn't afford to pay guys that they wanted to

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Speaker 1: keep like Foyer luikin that there are some guys that

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Speaker 1: they had to let walk out the front door, and

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Speaker 1: that doesn't have to happen anymore. So I think we're

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Speaker 1: going to see more roster turnover a significant amount this

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Speaker 1: coming off season. There's only thirty nine dudes under contract

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Speaker 1: right now, wild right, so, which is not unlike what

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Speaker 1: it was the year before last. Right. But as we

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Speaker 1: move forward, if they're doing it right, the roster turnover

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Speaker 1: should get slower and slower and slower because they don't

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Speaker 1: need as many things. And I think it's important because

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Speaker 1: we're talking about having this money right, and part of

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Speaker 1: it is you need to among the players. They need

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Speaker 1: to be confident that if they if they perform and

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Speaker 1: are productive and honorable members of the team, they will

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Speaker 1: get rewarded. You. You have a chance to make a

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Speaker 1: statement this offseason with AJ Terrell and Chris Lindstrom and

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Speaker 1: I don't know, maybe if the price is right, Caleb McGarry,

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Speaker 1: so you have an opportunity to show your draft picks.

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Speaker 1: You do well, we pay you, And I think that

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Speaker 1: is an important thing. And what is left out of

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Speaker 1: that is another important thing. Can they go find the

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Speaker 1: right marquee, a list impact, premium position player and get

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Speaker 1: him in here and have and put him into the

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Speaker 1: culture that Arthur Smith has established and have that work out.

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Speaker 1: Because I think everything that Arthur said, and I know,

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Speaker 1: nobody cares about the small stuff. My branch is almost over.

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Speaker 1: Nobody cares about the small stuff of working hard day

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Speaker 1: to day, the practice, grind, the commitment. They want to

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Speaker 1: see wins, right they. I think the foundation for how

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Speaker 1: the Falcons work, how they operate, what they stand for,

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Speaker 1: has been established. I think they do not have enough

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Speaker 1: talent to compete with upper level teams. Right, seven and

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Speaker 1: ten two years in a row. A blown opportunity to

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Speaker 1: win a division that was claimed by an under five

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Speaker 1: hundred squad. Gross Yeah, miss miss opportunity. But can you

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Speaker 1: make the most of the next one. We can get

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Speaker 1: into some more offseason stuff here. Let's switch to Desmond

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Speaker 1: to where you wrote about kind of the state of

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Speaker 1: the Falcons quarterback situation heading into twenty twenty three. What

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Speaker 1: did Arthur Smith, What did Desmond say about that, and

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Speaker 1: what did you kind of learn about him over the

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Speaker 1: course of Force Starts. Yeah, So, I think, first off,

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Speaker 1: the first thing that I want to say about this

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Speaker 1: is that I want everyone to understand and let's be

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Speaker 1: clear about this. The twenty twenty two season was always

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Speaker 1: going to be a bridge from the Matt Ryan era

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Speaker 1: to whatever comes next. And we are sitting in the middle,

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Speaker 1: standing in the middle of this bridge, looking out across

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Speaker 1: whatever body of water we are. I'm really painting a

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Speaker 1: picture here. I love it. The waves are crashing and

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Speaker 1: so you're looking over there, but you can't see what's

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Speaker 1: on the other side yet. And twenty twenty two, I

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Speaker 1: think when I went into it, I was like, it's

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Speaker 1: okay if we don't know what the direction is, but

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Speaker 1: we should be able to see the Falcons heading in

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Speaker 1: a specific direction after the season's over. So right now,

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Speaker 1: you look at where Desmond Ritter is. We got to

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Speaker 1: see him in a four game let's call it a

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Speaker 1: try out. It was really and truly the coaching staff

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Speaker 1: giving themselves the opportunity to see what they have in

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Speaker 1: Desmond Ritter, the guy that they drafted with the number

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Speaker 1: seventy fourth overall pick. You've seen him go out and

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Speaker 1: perform for four games. You've seen him improve, I think,

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Speaker 1: and take steps in the right directions through four games.

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Speaker 1: I am really curious. I would love to be in

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Speaker 1: the mind of Arthur Smith, Dave Ragone, et cetera, et cetera,

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Speaker 1: Charles London, these decision makers for this offense about truly

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Speaker 1: what they feel like they do have in Desmond Ritter.

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Speaker 1: Do you feel like you saw enough in four games

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Speaker 1: to give him the start in twenty twenty three? If

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Speaker 1: it's me, I am shopping around this offseason. Definitely either

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Speaker 1: way regard and I said this before, regardless of what

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Speaker 1: Desmond Ritter did in those four games that we saw,

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Speaker 1: quarterback was always going to have to be on the

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Speaker 1: priority list. It just how much did Desmond Ritter move

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Speaker 1: the needle for how important it is that you find

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Speaker 1: a starter caliber quarterback. I honestly still think you need

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Speaker 1: to go out and find that, and whether that's in

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Speaker 1: the draft, or whether that's in free agency or a

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Speaker 1: trade or whatever. I just I still think that you

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Speaker 1: owe it to yourself to see what options are out there,

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Speaker 1: to fall in love with somebody who you think could

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Speaker 1: be your future franchise quarterback, because you can't stay on

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Speaker 1: this bridge forever. At some point you're going to have

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Speaker 1: to make a decision and go towards it. Yeah. I

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Speaker 1: think Desmond has deserved, has earned the right to compete

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Speaker 1: for this job and compete and be a respected competitor,

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Speaker 1: not somebody who would need something herculan to make it happen.

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Speaker 1: I kind of. I don't know if I disagree with you,

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Speaker 1: but I wouldn't if you're not going to draft a

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Speaker 1: quarterback in the first round, Oh, I wouldn't. I mean don't, yeah, right,

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Speaker 1: because you already have a third round talent and a

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Speaker 1: guy who knows your system and is likable and a

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Speaker 1: good leader and all those types of things. Don't go today?

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Speaker 1: Two and three one fall in love, right exactly because

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Speaker 1: when you fall in love, fall in love is a

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Speaker 1: first round pick, right, So it's and I don't think

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Speaker 1: that it benefits the Falcons to just give Desmond the

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Speaker 1: keys and bring in a Culton McCauley type, a career

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Speaker 1: backup at this point. I don't know if that helps either, right,

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Speaker 1: there are so many quarterbacks seemingly this front franchise tags

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Speaker 1: haven't been applied yet, but there are so many quarterbacks

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Speaker 1: in hitting free agency. Uh, Derek are Ryan Tannehill, Daniel Jones,

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Speaker 1: Lamar Jackson sort of but probably not. But there's there

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Speaker 1: are a lot of options there, and Tori mentioned a

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Speaker 1: trade we are seeing sort of signal callers move at

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Speaker 1: a crazy rate. Yeah, And I think this could be

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Speaker 1: the busiest quarterback offseason that we've found, and we have

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Speaker 1: the last five six years have been very busy in

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Speaker 1: the quarterback market, right. I mean, just the Blockbrester trades

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Speaker 1: that we've seen over the last five years have been

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Speaker 1: kind of mind boggling because I feel like we didn't

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Speaker 1: see stuff like that prior like ten years ago. Right now.

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Speaker 1: For going back to like what the Falcons do and

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Speaker 1: what Desmond Ritter does, I think too, A part of

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Speaker 1: this is that I do think that I get the

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Speaker 1: sense that Arthur Smith does like Desmond Ritter. I think

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Speaker 1: I think he likes him for him to say constantly

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Speaker 1: that he likes what he's made of, and he really

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Speaker 1: he likes what he sees from Desmond Ridder in pressure situations.

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Speaker 1: Using the example of what we saw against Tampa Bay today,

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Speaker 1: they went for it on they were kind of around

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Speaker 1: midfield and the fourth quarter and they go for it

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Speaker 1: on fourth and medium, and Arthur Smith said after the

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Speaker 1: game that it was because of Desmond Ridder in those

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Speaker 1: pressure situations that it almost kind of changed his thinking

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Speaker 1: about going for it on fourth down. I kind of

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Speaker 1: think that that's a good thing for I mean, if

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Speaker 1: I'm Desmond Utter and my coach says that about me,

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Speaker 1: then feels like I can come up in the clutch,

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Speaker 1: that's pretty good. And I just I think about what

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Speaker 1: maybe again, it all just goes back to what I

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Speaker 1: think Arthur Smith is thinking. He's the play caller, He's

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Speaker 1: the head honcho, Like in his head, does he want

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Speaker 1: to stick with Desmond Ritter. Yeah, he's got the usion.

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Speaker 1: He's seen a lot of football. He's been a coach

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Speaker 1: in the NFL for a while, He's seen a lot

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Speaker 1: of different players come through the league. And Desmond only

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Speaker 1: played four games, but I do think you saw his

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Speaker 1: confidence through those four games. He played a lot of stuff,

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Speaker 1: seems the Saints, the Ravens, Cardinals, and now the Tampa

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Speaker 1: Bay Buccaneers, and I think he did really well. I

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Speaker 1: think he progressed in each of those four games. And

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Speaker 1: that's that was like one of the main things that

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Speaker 1: he talked about focusing on, is just progressing each game.

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Speaker 1: And um, you know, like Tory said, Arthur Smith, it

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Speaker 1: seems like he has a lot of confidence in Desmond

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Speaker 1: Ritter and it seems like he really likes what he

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Speaker 1: sees out of Ritter, so um, you know, yeah, yeah,

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Speaker 1: and it's it's it's gonna be fascinating because there is

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Speaker 1: no doubt that Arthur and Terry will be pictured at

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Speaker 1: Ohio States Pro Day. Yep. And we talked about this

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Speaker 1: and they're gonna be there. They're gonna be there, and

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Speaker 1: why not do your due diligence and see what is

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Speaker 1: available to you in terms of the top tier in

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Speaker 1: the same breath of when we got to the bye

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Speaker 1: week and we're talking about the Falcons deserve to see

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Speaker 1: what they have in Desmond Ridter. They deserve to see

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Speaker 1: what's out there and what is an option for you

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Speaker 1: moving forward and what are things going to cost if

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Speaker 1: they go and they sign a quarterback in the open

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Speaker 1: market for twenty five million bucks a year, You're you're

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Speaker 1: locked in that one. Yeah, And you've made your decision

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Speaker 1: right and that the actions of what comes next will

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Speaker 1: will speak louder than anything that can be said from

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Speaker 1: a podium and should not be looked at as a

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Speaker 1: referendum on Desmond Ritter and his ability to compete at

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Speaker 1: an NFL level. He talked about increasing confidence after this

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Speaker 1: four game stint. I think he showed he can play

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Speaker 1: at this level. Yeah, with four games without a pick.

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Speaker 1: I mean, that's that's pretty impressive. I know, like, I know,

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Speaker 1: you can kind of talk all day long, but this

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Speaker 1: is a guy who I mean, sure, we go back

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Speaker 1: and we look at that Saints game and there probably

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Speaker 1: should have been three picks in that game, but there wasn't.

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Speaker 1: They didn't kept them. He went four games without throwing

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Speaker 1: an interception. Yeah, I think his body of work was

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Speaker 1: one of quality, and that's a compliment that I think

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Speaker 1: is fair and should be afforded to a guy who

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Speaker 1: I like it because he's got moxie. He's a gamer. Yes,

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Speaker 1: I like gamers. Yeah, and he is definitely one. I

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Speaker 1: mean we saw it on I mean, the best play

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Speaker 1: that I think he's made he made today was his

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Speaker 1: best performance. Definitely, in my opinion with that question, we

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Speaker 1: saw a Desmond Ritter's best today. I know, the first

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Speaker 1: half was not great, he was four for nine for

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Speaker 1: like twenty five passing yards whatever, But then he comes

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Speaker 1: out in the second half and this is what I

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Speaker 1: think Desmond Ritter does so so well. I cannot compliment

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Speaker 1: him enough on the way that he doesn't let one

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Speaker 1: bad thing progress into more bad things in spiral out

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Speaker 1: of control. He gets he can get a hold of himself,

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Speaker 1: like if something bad happens, he's right back in it.

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Speaker 1: And I think that's what you saw in the second half.

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Speaker 1: And the guy goes out and throws for over two

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Speaker 1: hundred passing yards. And the one of the best best

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Speaker 1: plays that I thought he made was on his very

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Speaker 1: first touchdown pass to Michael Pruitt. The pocket is collapsing

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Speaker 1: in around him, he scrambles out, he extends the play

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Speaker 1: enough so that he makes the defender come to him,

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Speaker 1: and it leaves Michael pruit wide open, or not wide open,

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Speaker 1: but open enough to get in the ball in the

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Speaker 1: end zone. I'm not saying that's the best play that

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Speaker 1: he's made in these four games, but to me, it's

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Speaker 1: up there, and it shows that gamer mentality, and it

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Speaker 1: shows you something that maybe you want to see more

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Speaker 1: of when there are more weapons out there, when you

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Speaker 1: maybe go out and get a couple more wide receivers

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Speaker 1: and Kyle Pitts gets back out there, you know, like

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Speaker 1: that's another part of this. Do you want to see

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Speaker 1: Desmond Ritter with a different collection of playmakers around him. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: that's another question too. It is and Arthur Smith he's

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Speaker 1: not going to go over his offseason priority list, but

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Speaker 1: he made it clear even in this press conference, and

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Speaker 1: it's not the first time he's mentioned this, but he said,

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Speaker 1: we need to get more explosive on offense, and we

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Speaker 1: need to improve our past rush and past defense as

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Speaker 1: a whole. I think those are two major areas that

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Speaker 1: need to get addressed, both through the draft and free agency.

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Speaker 1: They've got to get more explosive on offense. And I

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Speaker 1: think you're right, Desmon Ritter gets better if Kyle Pitts

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Speaker 1: is out there, he gets better with another I think

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Speaker 1: Juju Smith Schuster. Yeah, I just I don't speaking it

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Speaker 1: into existence. I think he'd be a great personality for

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Speaker 1: this group as well. But but there's a lot of

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Speaker 1: intriguing talent and go out there take care of those

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Speaker 1: two things. Yeah, I mean, I just go get someone someone,

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Speaker 1: anyone beside Grady Jarrett. Yeah, and it's not just edge rushers,

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Speaker 1: although they need some of those. So I think it's

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Speaker 1: gonna be important to see how that works forward. Um,

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Speaker 1: you know, I don't know if you guys have it.

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Speaker 1: What's what's on top of your priority list? Right? Exactly?

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Speaker 1: It's different for everybody, you know, Like, what's on top

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Speaker 1: of my priority list is an interior defensive lineman. Okay.

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Speaker 1: I tend to lean defense heavy anyways. I said last

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Speaker 1: year I wanted them to draft an edge ussher, so

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Speaker 1: either both. I tend to lean that way anyways, especially

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Speaker 1: considering what defense has been in Atlanta for the last

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Speaker 1: few years. So for me, that that's where I think

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Speaker 1: you put You need to put money back into that group.

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Speaker 1: I know you're paying Grady Jarrett a lot, but gosh,

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Speaker 1: we saw against Tampa Bay the man had two or

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Speaker 1: three people around him at all points in time. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: almost every snap outside of that one tackle for a

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Speaker 1: loss where they just forgot where is Grady Jarrett? Yeah?

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Speaker 1: I would say my minds is honestly cornerback in a

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Speaker 1: secondary Okay, you definitely need somebody opposite. We know Casey

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Speaker 1: Hayward's contract is through the twenty twenty three season, correct, Yeah,

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Speaker 1: he has one more year after this year. Okay, So

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Speaker 1: I would say I think the Falcon should look yet,

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Speaker 1: you know, maybe maybe drafting a young cornerback or maybe

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Speaker 1: bringing in a young cornerback through free agency. M I

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Speaker 1: feel like that was an area where they struggle. You know,

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Speaker 1: a lot of teams they passed over like two hundred

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Speaker 1: plus yards over the course of this season, which has

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Speaker 1: hurt the Falcons defense a lot um And I definitely

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Speaker 1: think they need a more solid cornerback opposite of AJ's world.

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Speaker 1: I mean, and you would hope that you get Casey

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Speaker 1: Hayward back, and he is the guy that you all like.

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Speaker 1: I think everybody thought that that duo would be the

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Speaker 1: AJ Turle Casey Hayward duo. I said so many times

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Speaker 1: on this Durn podcast. I was the most excited to

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Speaker 1: see AJ Turle and Casey Hayward work together. I still

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Speaker 1: feel that way. I still want to feel see how

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Speaker 1: they work together. But I also agree with Ash and

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Speaker 1: that you have to build up that position group because

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Speaker 1: when we look when Casey Hayward went down, and we

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Speaker 1: look at nothing against the guys that went in for him,

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Speaker 1: but there was a very obvious dip. Yeah, and Casey

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Speaker 1: Hayward is entering his mid thirties right at this point,

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Speaker 1: so that's not gonna go on forever. So I do

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Speaker 1: agree that both of those position groups in areas, I

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Speaker 1: always think edge rusher and and that's one of those

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Speaker 1: that you draft and then you go get one, get

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Speaker 1: one that you just can't have enough. I think Dean

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Speaker 1: p said we need guys who can win one on

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Speaker 1: one battles. He said that in December of twenty twenty one.

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Speaker 1: He could easily say that in December of twenty twenty two. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: no offense to Arnold Abacatie. I think who will be

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Speaker 1: a good player. And DeAngelo Malone, who needs to keep developing.

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Speaker 1: He's gonna first real off season going to pack on

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Speaker 1: some muscle probably, But I just think that you need

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Speaker 1: more there. I think do you think this isn't in

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Speaker 1: the script? Do you think fans would be how do

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Speaker 1: you think they would react to another skill player like

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Speaker 1: in the first round because they've gone pits in London.

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Speaker 1: My thing is is, especially with the state of this

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Speaker 1: deal right, my thing is is what the state of

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Speaker 1: this defense? I can't overlook the state of this defense.

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Speaker 1: And also this may be a hot take, I'm gonna

415
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Speaker 1: say it anyway though, because you don't have a solid

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Speaker 1: answer at quarterback, it makes it really hard for me

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Speaker 1: to say you go out and you get Kyle Pitts,

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Speaker 1: Drake London, and then another receiver, let's say, another wide

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Speaker 1: receiver three years in a row. When you have this

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Speaker 1: fluctuating idea of what you want to do at quarterback,

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Speaker 1: because those guys, I mean Kyle Pitts will be entering

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Speaker 1: into his third year in the league, which is bonkers

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Speaker 1: to say, But you don't want to waste that, right,

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Speaker 1: And I don't know if waste is the right word.

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Speaker 1: That's probably a little too harsh, But I just can't

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Speaker 1: overlook that the fact that you've you've gone out and

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Speaker 1: you've got some really good receivers here put something towards

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Speaker 1: this defensive line, right, and I mean addressers and I

429
00:24:03,480 --> 00:24:07,560
Speaker 1: mean interior guys. Yeah, I personally just can't get past that.

430
00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:10,359
Speaker 1: Right at this juncture where we are right now, the

431
00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:14,560
Speaker 1: entire defensive front seven needs help a lift. Yeah, I think.

432
00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:18,280
Speaker 1: All right, another quick question for you, which of the

433
00:24:18,359 --> 00:24:25,240
Speaker 1: prove it deal guys do you resign? Um? I I

434
00:24:25,359 --> 00:24:27,520
Speaker 1: know you're gonna say Rashaan Evans. I'm not gonna You're

435
00:24:27,520 --> 00:24:29,000
Speaker 1: not gonna say I was gonna say. I was gonna

436
00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:31,120
Speaker 1: say if you weren't gonna say Rashwan I was gonna say,

437
00:24:31,160 --> 00:24:37,359
Speaker 1: Michael Pruitt, Okay, that's a good one. I really emerge. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Rashwan,

438
00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:43,600
Speaker 1: you think about it, Rashawn, Michael Pruitt, Um Bradley, Bradley pinion,

439
00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:49,200
Speaker 1: I think is on the prove it. Uh. He signed

440
00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:53,240
Speaker 1: a restrictive yeahender, so he will hit the market. Yeah.

441
00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:57,320
Speaker 1: You know, so like that's another guy who's been productive.

442
00:24:57,359 --> 00:24:59,080
Speaker 1: You could kind of bring all those guys back. I

443
00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:02,920
Speaker 1: think they if I bring Isaiah Oliver back, why not,

444
00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:05,320
Speaker 1: you know, why not? But you still need to keep

445
00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:08,600
Speaker 1: stacking that cornerback, right, Yeah, you just have to. That's

446
00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:11,639
Speaker 1: another position where you can't have enough good ones, right.

447
00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:14,879
Speaker 1: So I think some guys have proven it. Yeah. I

448
00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:17,280
Speaker 1: think Rashaun Evans is coming back. I'll say it. I

449
00:25:17,359 --> 00:25:21,480
Speaker 1: think I think he should. Yeah, defense and he knows it,

450
00:25:21,640 --> 00:25:25,040
Speaker 1: and you know, I think I think he I think

451
00:25:25,080 --> 00:25:28,800
Speaker 1: he works, Right's spoke a lot of great things about

452
00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:30,760
Speaker 1: him just over the course of the season. Yeah. And

453
00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:34,520
Speaker 1: then for Michael Pruitt, I think that's a good one

454
00:25:34,560 --> 00:25:36,919
Speaker 1: outside the box one. Yeah, I think I've been very

455
00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:39,600
Speaker 1: pleased with what he did and Kyle Pitt's absence, and

456
00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:44,040
Speaker 1: I think getting Kyle Pitts back, like I think. I

457
00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:46,719
Speaker 1: actually think Michael Prue it's a really good like number two,

458
00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:49,960
Speaker 1: number three tied end option for you. And I think

459
00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:52,040
Speaker 1: he's a good pass catcher. We've seen I mean, gosh,

460
00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:54,040
Speaker 1: she's been in the end zone how many times this year? Yeah,

461
00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:59,520
Speaker 1: I think he's a really good um downfield blocker. I

462
00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:02,480
Speaker 1: think in terms of just like your I think he

463
00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:06,720
Speaker 1: works in Arthur's Smith system. He's proven in that. So

464
00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:10,480
Speaker 1: I like Michael Pruett, I like Rashaun Evans. I'll be

465
00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:13,160
Speaker 1: interested to see what they do with Elijah Wilkinson. Yeah.

466
00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:16,600
Speaker 1: I think the fact that they were playing around with

467
00:26:16,640 --> 00:26:20,040
Speaker 1: the idea of moving Matt Hennessy to left guard, that'll

468
00:26:20,080 --> 00:26:23,160
Speaker 1: be something to watch this offseason. I'm curious to see

469
00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:27,960
Speaker 1: across the offensive line how that group shapes out. But

470
00:26:28,119 --> 00:26:30,119
Speaker 1: in terms of prove it, guys, those are kind of

471
00:26:30,119 --> 00:26:33,240
Speaker 1: the ones on my radar. Yeah, And I think overall,

472
00:26:33,560 --> 00:26:35,320
Speaker 1: like we could kind of go through all these things

473
00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:39,639
Speaker 1: and go well over time. But I think what the

474
00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:44,200
Speaker 1: takeaway is is that twenty twenty two had some good

475
00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:48,200
Speaker 1: and positive developments within it. It obviously wasn't good enough

476
00:26:48,320 --> 00:26:50,760
Speaker 1: or the Falcons would still be in contention or still

477
00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:53,600
Speaker 1: be playing. But that's not the case. But I think

478
00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:56,159
Speaker 1: that there were some good developments and I think that

479
00:26:56,320 --> 00:27:00,360
Speaker 1: we're going to enter into a fascinating period that we're

480
00:27:00,359 --> 00:27:04,840
Speaker 1: going to write a ton about quarterbacks, edge rushers, and cornerbacks.

481
00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:08,480
Speaker 1: Everything is just premium position one after another. I agree

482
00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:12,720
Speaker 1: with Arthur Smith. Get more explosive on offense and generate

483
00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:15,080
Speaker 1: a pass rush that has not been good enough. That

484
00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:18,760
Speaker 1: has to change as we head into the twenty twenty

485
00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:21,640
Speaker 1: three offseason. Yeah, and let's be honest too, I'll say

486
00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:25,320
Speaker 1: this as well. The pressure is on for this front

487
00:27:25,359 --> 00:27:30,760
Speaker 1: office and coaching staff to create pass rush options in

488
00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:35,640
Speaker 1: Atlanta because I think the old regime missed the mark

489
00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:37,200
Speaker 1: on that. I think that there are a lot of

490
00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:38,879
Speaker 1: people who would say that they did. I mean that

491
00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:42,200
Speaker 1: Tach McKinley just didn't work out. So I think the

492
00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:45,760
Speaker 1: pressure is on. It's been years since pass rush has

493
00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:49,880
Speaker 1: been a topic of conversation for the Falcons. I want

494
00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:51,879
Speaker 1: to see that change this year. Yeah, So it's going

495
00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:55,160
Speaker 1: to be fascinating to see how this develops. As I've

496
00:27:55,160 --> 00:27:57,480
Speaker 1: said in this pot, and I always say, actions speak

497
00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:01,520
Speaker 1: louder than words, and it's action time for how they

498
00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:04,879
Speaker 1: build this roster up and that's gonna do it for us.

499
00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:08,720
Speaker 1: Here Week eighteen, Falcon's final whistle. Thank you guys so

500
00:28:08,880 --> 00:28:11,560
Speaker 1: much for sticking with us for season number two of

501
00:28:11,640 --> 00:28:16,119
Speaker 1: this podcast. It started literally from nothing and has a

502
00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:18,480
Speaker 1: really solid following, and we've been you know, and we

503
00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:22,360
Speaker 1: really appreciate the people that go on they comment on YouTube,

504
00:28:22,440 --> 00:28:26,040
Speaker 1: they you know, put questions in the mail bag, and

505
00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:28,760
Speaker 1: that we've seen this thing grow and that's only because

506
00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:31,760
Speaker 1: of you guys. It's all word of mouth, and it's

507
00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:35,200
Speaker 1: all about having the loyalty of a great fan base,

508
00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:37,960
Speaker 1: and you guys care and that's the most important thing.

509
00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:40,040
Speaker 1: We don't want you to agree with us all the time. Now,

510
00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:43,720
Speaker 1: I need to be passionate about how you feel this team.

511
00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:46,960
Speaker 1: I would absolutely love I mean, I love having a

512
00:28:47,120 --> 00:28:49,680
Speaker 1: different of opinions because a lot of times it helps

513
00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:53,600
Speaker 1: me think differently about what other people prioritize and why

514
00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:55,800
Speaker 1: they prioritize it. I think it's so good to have

515
00:28:55,880 --> 00:29:00,800
Speaker 1: a different opinion, that there be difference of opinions collectively

516
00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:03,560
Speaker 1: across the board. Just be nice about it, that's all

517
00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:07,200
Speaker 1: I ask. I don't ask for anything else, just be

518
00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:10,960
Speaker 1: kind about it. Well, hey, please rate review, subscribe to

519
00:29:11,080 --> 00:29:17,040
Speaker 1: the Falcons Audio Podcasts Network. If that's how I'm supposed

520
00:29:17,040 --> 00:29:19,720
Speaker 1: to say it. Yeah, that's podcast network. And uh boy,

521
00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:22,200
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna give away. I'm not I'm not gonna

522
00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:25,080
Speaker 1: give anything away. But have we got some exciting podcast

523
00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:29,520
Speaker 1: related developments coming for you. Stay tuned for that very soon,

524
00:29:30,360 --> 00:29:33,640
Speaker 1: maybe even this week, and we will talk to you again,

525
00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:36,560
Speaker 1: real real, see yo,