WEBVTT - Happy Half Hour Episode 84: Up In The Air 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:05.080 This week on the Happy Half Hour. The home results 0:00:05.120 --> 0:00:07.840 have not been good the last few years, and the 0:00:07.880 --> 0:00:11.240 fact that the last couple of weeks fans have seemed 0:00:11.320 --> 0:00:14.960 a little more engaged, and maybe it's not an accident 0:00:15.040 --> 0:00:17.320 that they won a couple of games at home, and 0:00:17.360 --> 0:00:20.120 I think people are starting to remember what that feels like. 0:00:25.040 --> 0:00:27.520 It's time for the Happy Half Hour with your friends 0:00:27.640 --> 0:00:35.600 Kristin Balboni, Augusta Stone and Darren Gannon. All Right, everybody, 0:00:35.960 --> 0:00:39.280 welcome to the Happy Half Hour. We are thirty three 0:00:39.280 --> 0:00:43.520 percent less happy this week because Kristin Balboni special assignment. 0:00:43.560 --> 0:00:47.400 But I'm Darren Gant, she's Augusta Stone, and we are 0:00:47.479 --> 0:00:51.519 here to give you your midweek fix of Carolina Panthers 0:00:51.560 --> 0:00:55.360 football and Augusta. One of the things I think sometimes 0:00:55.880 --> 0:00:58.360 we get caught up in the day today of what 0:00:58.400 --> 0:01:00.960 we do and what's going on and in that moment, 0:01:01.280 --> 0:01:05.120 and sometimes it's hard to remember what you've actually seen 0:01:05.319 --> 0:01:09.399 here in your first NFL season. I mean again, we 0:01:09.480 --> 0:01:11.720 got caught up the other day and there's news and 0:01:11.800 --> 0:01:15.039 there's another quarterback change and Baker Mayfield's back under center 0:01:15.080 --> 0:01:18.360 and all this. But I think it's worth recapping since 0:01:18.440 --> 0:01:22.600 the start of the season. This is now four quarterback injuries, 0:01:22.800 --> 0:01:25.520 three quarterbacks who have played, one of whom is not 0:01:25.600 --> 0:01:28.640 even here anymore, and at least one more who is 0:01:28.720 --> 0:01:31.880 probably going to get his first action here coming soon 0:01:31.920 --> 0:01:34.720 in the way in the next little bit. Oh by 0:01:34.760 --> 0:01:37.280 the way, a coaching change and a couple of star 0:01:37.400 --> 0:01:42.080 offensive players traded. Other than that, totally normal, exactly exactly. 0:01:42.080 --> 0:01:43.920 I mean it was we were talking about it yesterday. 0:01:44.040 --> 0:01:46.800 Is like sometimes and I appreciate this compliment coming from you, truly, 0:01:46.840 --> 0:01:48.280 it's like sometimes I have to sit back and be like, 0:01:48.320 --> 0:01:50.840 wait a minute, like you've never been through this normally, 0:01:50.920 --> 0:01:52.760 and this is about as abnormal as it gets. But 0:01:52.800 --> 0:01:55.520 I will say the fun part about that is it 0:01:55.640 --> 0:01:57.880 keeps you on your toes, like, well, it's hard to 0:01:57.880 --> 0:02:01.520 slip into monotony whenever you don't really know what's going 0:02:01.640 --> 0:02:03.480 to come up. And you know, some days I'll be 0:02:03.560 --> 0:02:06.760 driving over and I'll see a Slack message. I'll be like, oh, okay, 0:02:06.800 --> 0:02:09.800 that's happening today, got it, and it's I've you know, 0:02:09.840 --> 0:02:12.080 it's still exciting, right, but you almost become numb to 0:02:12.080 --> 0:02:14.960 the crazy news. I think there was a point probably 0:02:14.960 --> 0:02:16.720 in October where I was just like, you know what, 0:02:17.000 --> 0:02:19.600 like nothing really surprises me anymore. And I think that's 0:02:19.600 --> 0:02:21.000 awesome for like the first year, you know, you get 0:02:21.080 --> 0:02:24.040 rugged in that way. It's almost like a rugged nous. 0:02:24.040 --> 0:02:26.480 But um no, absolutely chaotic. It's funny. I want to 0:02:26.480 --> 0:02:28.160 sit back. I wish there was a way to like 0:02:28.200 --> 0:02:30.160 close my eyes and replay my life, go back to 0:02:30.240 --> 0:02:33.240 training camp, and to see what we see now when 0:02:33.280 --> 0:02:35.240 we walk out on the practice field versus what we 0:02:35.320 --> 0:02:37.760 saw over there, just in terms of personnel, and be like, 0:02:37.800 --> 0:02:39.600 this is normal and you will react to this and 0:02:39.600 --> 0:02:43.320 you will survive with everything intact. It's crazy. And I 0:02:43.360 --> 0:02:46.120 mean when we were in Spartanburg and Baker Mayfield was 0:02:46.160 --> 0:02:48.840 in the midst of winning a competition for a starting job. 0:02:49.280 --> 0:02:53.000 If you would have said, all right, Baker Mayfield starting 0:02:53.000 --> 0:02:56.280 and week eleven, you would have said, of course he is. Yeah, 0:02:56.440 --> 0:02:59.600 sure he won the competition. That's you know, normal, right, 0:03:00.160 --> 0:03:04.960 But nothing is normal around here lately, and it's interesting 0:03:05.000 --> 0:03:07.359 and I think it's gonna be fascinating see how the 0:03:07.400 --> 0:03:10.000 guy responds. I mean I I have told and I 0:03:10.080 --> 0:03:14.200 told people around Baker during the preseason. I worked very 0:03:14.320 --> 0:03:17.639 hard to not get caught up in what I heard 0:03:17.680 --> 0:03:20.280 about Baker or what other people said about Baker, and 0:03:20.320 --> 0:03:22.280 I said, you know, I'm just gonna take this guy 0:03:22.320 --> 0:03:24.600 based on what I see here in Charlotte and what 0:03:24.680 --> 0:03:28.960 he does. And and listen, Baker knows that everybody's watching him. 0:03:29.120 --> 0:03:32.880 You aren't on commercials as often as he is. By 0:03:32.880 --> 0:03:35.480 the way, the elephant one is really funny. The elephant 0:03:35.480 --> 0:03:37.760 one is that the Heisman House, in the Heisman House, 0:03:37.760 --> 0:03:41.240 where he says the elephant in the room, Oh yes, yes, yes, yes, 0:03:41.320 --> 0:03:43.160 Well I was gonna say too. It's like the celebrity 0:03:43.160 --> 0:03:46.320 of Baker Mayfield. It's when you actually get to know him, 0:03:46.320 --> 0:03:48.080 when you talk to him, he is He is just 0:03:48.120 --> 0:03:50.440 a guy. And that's something that when he came here. 0:03:50.480 --> 0:03:52.240 You know, I wasn't sure how that would how that 0:03:52.280 --> 0:03:54.280 would emerge either. But the way he's handled, you know, 0:03:54.360 --> 0:03:56.320 being behind p J. Walker because you said, oh yeah, 0:03:56.360 --> 0:03:58.160 he's starting in week eleven. He's starting in week eleven 0:03:58.160 --> 0:04:00.600 because p J Walker got hurt. Sure, who thought we'd 0:04:00.640 --> 0:04:03.880 be saying that and not anywhere? Um so you know 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:06.480 that's that's why we see him. But um no, I 0:04:06.520 --> 0:04:08.920 and I wanted to highlight too. He has been a 0:04:08.960 --> 0:04:12.400 really good teammate, like he really has. He watching him 0:04:12.400 --> 0:04:14.600 in practice, he was always engaged. I mean, you know 0:04:15.000 --> 0:04:18.040 whatever the headbudding thing, how engaged you want to say 0:04:18.080 --> 0:04:20.680 that is. I mean, that's a whole I I see 0:04:20.680 --> 0:04:23.000 both sides of that where it's like, oh my goodness, Baker, 0:04:23.000 --> 0:04:24.880 what are you doing? But he he's like, I do it. 0:04:24.920 --> 0:04:27.160 And what was in the press conference yesterday? I was 0:04:27.200 --> 0:04:29.320 watching it, Uh he said, you know, they're gonna get 0:04:29.320 --> 0:04:32.279 it either way. I love it. It's just that he's 0:04:32.320 --> 0:04:34.159 he's a very engaged teammate and at that point he 0:04:34.200 --> 0:04:37.040 could have never started again and and that didn't matter. 0:04:37.080 --> 0:04:39.520 So I think that's like something to be to be 0:04:39.600 --> 0:04:42.080 said about a guy who comes in is on TV, 0:04:42.760 --> 0:04:45.640 is Baker Mayfield, former number one overall pick and and 0:04:45.720 --> 0:04:47.960 he's over here behind then XTFL guy. You know, I 0:04:47.960 --> 0:04:50.240 think that's kind of cool. And listen. Baker Mayfield is 0:04:50.279 --> 0:04:53.960 a smart guy. Baker has an awareness about him, uh 0:04:54.120 --> 0:04:57.120 that you don't often see. I mean, and and part 0:04:57.120 --> 0:04:59.560 of that comes from You're you're a Heisman winner, You've 0:04:59.600 --> 0:05:02.279 been on an national stage at Oklahoma. People been looking 0:05:02.279 --> 0:05:04.240 at you for a long time. And he does not. 0:05:04.960 --> 0:05:09.520 He does not rebuke the attention. He enjoys it. Uh, 0:05:09.560 --> 0:05:11.719 He's used to being in the focus of the camera. 0:05:11.800 --> 0:05:14.680 And I think he also knows, whether he talks about 0:05:14.720 --> 0:05:17.799 it or not, that how he handles this year, whether 0:05:17.800 --> 0:05:19.480 he's playing or not, it's going to go a long 0:05:19.520 --> 0:05:24.440 way toward um his career future. I mean, it's the 0:05:24.480 --> 0:05:28.200 first five weeks did not go the way anybody wanted 0:05:28.240 --> 0:05:31.560 it to, not Baker Mayfield, not the Carolina Panthers, not 0:05:31.720 --> 0:05:34.839 people who are no longer employed here. And you know, 0:05:34.960 --> 0:05:37.680 because of that, I think there's been a big reset 0:05:37.960 --> 0:05:41.400 and Baker is smart enough to know that, based on 0:05:41.480 --> 0:05:44.039 the film he's put out so far, if he's going 0:05:44.120 --> 0:05:46.200 to play in the NFL next year, it's probably gonna 0:05:46.240 --> 0:05:50.200 be as somebody's backup. And so I think behaving as 0:05:50.320 --> 0:05:57.000 a mature adult, you know, healthy backup quarterback is something 0:05:57.040 --> 0:06:00.640 he needed show people because again, the perception of football 0:06:00.640 --> 0:06:04.200 players take route and they take hold in every front 0:06:04.240 --> 0:06:06.680 office in the NFL, and people think they know him 0:06:06.680 --> 0:06:08.800 based on what they see on TV. And I think 0:06:08.960 --> 0:06:13.440 it was important for him to show, hey, I am 0:06:13.480 --> 0:06:15.640 a good teammate too, and he has been. I mean, 0:06:16.320 --> 0:06:18.800 just in talking to guys talking to cade May's about 0:06:19.160 --> 0:06:22.600 the way he you know, reacts after the headbuts and 0:06:22.600 --> 0:06:24.880 what he's doing on the sideline and stuff. He does 0:06:24.960 --> 0:06:27.520 have a genuine appreciation for those guys in that locker 0:06:27.600 --> 0:06:29.680 room when he and I don't want to present this 0:06:29.760 --> 0:06:32.800 as Baker's trying to sell something. He kind of is 0:06:33.200 --> 0:06:37.040 um but the affection within that locker room is genuine. 0:06:37.240 --> 0:06:39.160 I mean, they do like the fact that he's got 0:06:39.160 --> 0:06:42.680 an energy about him. Deante Foreman was laughing. They teased 0:06:42.680 --> 0:06:46.160 each other about Texas Oklahoma games when Baker first got 0:06:46.240 --> 0:06:49.040 here and and Baker's like, it's okay, now we can 0:06:49.080 --> 0:06:52.200 be cool. Well, it's also like you said, like, I mean, 0:06:52.240 --> 0:06:54.359 Baker's smart. The guys in the locker anymore smart too. 0:06:54.520 --> 0:06:56.640 If they if they sense that it was a job 0:06:56.680 --> 0:06:58.719 to him or it was we're I'm, you know, putting 0:06:58.720 --> 0:07:02.320 on this space so that you know, I can project 0:07:02.400 --> 0:07:04.520 some sort of image like there's a genuineness to it. 0:07:04.520 --> 0:07:06.200 They would see right through and you would see it 0:07:06.240 --> 0:07:08.279 in the locker room that they see right through it. 0:07:08.400 --> 0:07:10.600 I think these last few weeks, whenever he was behind 0:07:10.680 --> 0:07:13.720 p J fully healthy backing up, was it to three 0:07:13.760 --> 0:07:16.160 weeks there. I think that was a pivotal moment, if 0:07:16.360 --> 0:07:19.280 as any, when it comes to just you know, be 0:07:19.320 --> 0:07:22.160 creating that atmosphere, creating that trust with your teammates. Because 0:07:22.320 --> 0:07:24.080 because that that was a there was a there was 0:07:24.080 --> 0:07:27.240 an opportunity for him to be miffed about that situation. 0:07:27.280 --> 0:07:29.680 Sure he could be frustrated if I'm healthy now. And 0:07:29.960 --> 0:07:32.120 we saw how hard he fought back from that angle, 0:07:32.600 --> 0:07:34.360 you know, I mean he was out there running around 0:07:34.440 --> 0:07:36.720 at practice wanting to be like like please, you know, 0:07:36.800 --> 0:07:39.800 let me play, let me play. So I think that 0:07:39.880 --> 0:07:42.160 those three weeks were as pivotal as any when it 0:07:42.160 --> 0:07:44.680 comes to just behaving. And I mean he's a grown man. 0:07:44.760 --> 0:07:46.679 But you know what I mean. And I always tell people, 0:07:46.680 --> 0:07:49.400 I mean, you and I are reporters. We are classically 0:07:49.480 --> 0:07:53.360 trained to sniff out a phony. The but we we 0:07:53.440 --> 0:07:57.240 also don't know these people. We see them for forty 0:07:57.320 --> 0:07:59.200 five minutes three or four times a week, and then 0:07:59.200 --> 0:08:02.480 out on the practice field during games, we don't know them. 0:08:02.520 --> 0:08:05.040 A locker room will sniff out of phony, the guys 0:08:05.080 --> 0:08:08.559 in that room will. If you're not genuine, you don't 0:08:08.600 --> 0:08:11.160 get the same kind of reaction. And and I will 0:08:11.200 --> 0:08:14.560 say to Baker's credit, I believe, based on the reaction 0:08:14.640 --> 0:08:17.880 of others around him, that that stuff on the sidelines 0:08:18.000 --> 0:08:20.480 of him wanting to be supportive, of him wanting to 0:08:21.320 --> 0:08:25.680 uh kind of fit in, is real. And and I've 0:08:25.720 --> 0:08:27.960 talked to players in there who believe. They're like, no, 0:08:28.200 --> 0:08:32.080 it's it's not an act. It's pretty legit. So, you know, 0:08:32.200 --> 0:08:35.280 good for Baker for being a mature adult. Uh. Now 0:08:35.520 --> 0:08:38.320 it is time for Baker Mayfield to actually play some 0:08:38.360 --> 0:08:41.200 more football. And you know, I think it's incumbent on 0:08:41.280 --> 0:08:43.800 him to play it pretty well or else. The Sam 0:08:43.880 --> 0:08:47.520 Donald there, I probably will end up starting sooner rather 0:08:47.559 --> 0:08:49.959 than later. I said the other day in the mail bag, 0:08:50.360 --> 0:08:52.839 I just feel like Sam's going to play, whether it's 0:08:52.880 --> 0:08:55.800 by accident or design, because that's just how this year 0:08:55.880 --> 0:08:58.719 is going. But Steve Wilkes said yesterday, you know, hey, 0:08:58.760 --> 0:09:00.760 they do want to see saying him at some point. 0:09:00.760 --> 0:09:03.120 They do want to mix him in. And you know, 0:09:03.240 --> 0:09:05.600 Sam's another one of those guys. Would he have preferred 0:09:05.640 --> 0:09:07.480 to have been playing the whole time, of course he would, 0:09:07.520 --> 0:09:11.200 everybody would, but Sam has you know, Sam doesn't have 0:09:11.200 --> 0:09:14.760 the same personality. He's not a big head butt guy. Um, 0:09:14.800 --> 0:09:17.480 as Paul Blart said, nobody wins with a head butt, 0:09:17.559 --> 0:09:20.240 and I think Sam has taken that to heart. But 0:09:21.080 --> 0:09:24.040 um yeah, I mean Sam's going to get an opportunity 0:09:24.120 --> 0:09:26.560 there soon. But I I do think it's interesting and 0:09:26.600 --> 0:09:29.280 watching the way Steve Wilkes has handled this team, He's 0:09:29.320 --> 0:09:31.679 just like, listen, we're trying to win a game. And 0:09:31.760 --> 0:09:34.520 so I don't think he's beholden to any of these 0:09:34.600 --> 0:09:37.920 quarterbacks necessarily. I mean, he's an interim coach and he's 0:09:37.920 --> 0:09:40.920 basically got three interim quarterbacks on his roster right now. 0:09:40.960 --> 0:09:42.680 It's true, It's true. I mean I think about I 0:09:42.720 --> 0:09:45.560 think back to Cincinnati, which, granted that was a special situation, 0:09:45.600 --> 0:09:48.200 because when you're down by five touchdowns coming out of half, 0:09:48.360 --> 0:09:50.920 why not make a switch with how PJ have been playing? 0:09:51.280 --> 0:09:54.120 And I'm not over here speaking into existence or manifesting 0:09:54.120 --> 0:09:57.440 anything like that happening in Baltimore. However, if that happens 0:09:57.440 --> 0:10:00.280 and you're you're running off the wheels essentially, I mean 0:10:01.040 --> 0:10:03.440 knowing that you have a guy like Steve Wilkes who 0:10:03.520 --> 0:10:05.840 is kind of, you know, very fluid with that situation. 0:10:05.960 --> 0:10:08.120 I mean I asked him before we even knew about 0:10:08.120 --> 0:10:10.440 the PJ Walker injury. Whenever he told us that Walker 0:10:10.440 --> 0:10:13.839 would be starting, what was this Friday? My week is 0:10:13.880 --> 0:10:16.640 all messed up. We played on Thursday. But when I 0:10:16.679 --> 0:10:19.320 asked some on Friday, you know, I was like, okay, 0:10:19.360 --> 0:10:22.280 so you're thinking week by week with the starting quarterbacks. 0:10:23.400 --> 0:10:25.760 What you know, like, is that going to be something 0:10:25.880 --> 0:10:27.679 moving forward? You know, like, oh, it's PJ this week, 0:10:27.720 --> 0:10:29.560 but maybe you know blah blah blah, and he's he's 0:10:29.600 --> 0:10:31.839 shown it in practice and in his words that it's 0:10:31.920 --> 0:10:34.760 just you know, opponent by opponent, week by week. This 0:10:34.840 --> 0:10:36.640 is the guy I'm going to send out here here here. 0:10:36.679 --> 0:10:39.560 It's kind of an interesting philosophy on it. But when 0:10:39.559 --> 0:10:42.440 you are an interim coach with three quarterbacks that I mean, 0:10:43.160 --> 0:10:45.000 we've seen them all in different ways. We haven't seen 0:10:45.040 --> 0:10:47.199 Sam Donald this year. That's something that for some reason 0:10:47.200 --> 0:10:49.040 in my head did not click. I think I'm having 0:10:49.040 --> 0:10:51.560 issues splitting the regular season with the preseason. But I 0:10:51.600 --> 0:10:54.120 was like, dang, Sam Donald really hasn't played regular season 0:10:54.120 --> 0:10:57.800 ball since last year. That hit me. I was like, man, 0:10:58.040 --> 0:11:01.520 because the time flies. So that's something also to put 0:11:01.600 --> 0:11:04.719 into into perspective. It's like, we bring Sam Donald out 0:11:04.720 --> 0:11:08.560 it's what week O leven he hasn't played since. That's 0:11:08.600 --> 0:11:11.040 something to think about. But there's there's just so many 0:11:11.120 --> 0:11:14.960 different factors, and I think that's something advantageous to him 0:11:15.000 --> 0:11:16.920 as an interim coach, the way that he is being 0:11:16.960 --> 0:11:18.400 able to be fluid. I mean, he just wants to win, 0:11:18.480 --> 0:11:20.600 doesn't matter who's out there, and it's going to use 0:11:20.760 --> 0:11:23.480 all the tools in his arsenal, regardless of how sharp 0:11:23.520 --> 0:11:26.120 they are, well where they are, as long as they're healthy, 0:11:26.280 --> 0:11:30.320 which is the key there because the ankles he getting 0:11:30.400 --> 0:11:33.800 hurt here in Charlotte's Uh, that's definitely a thing. And 0:11:33.880 --> 0:11:36.520 I think no matter which one of those guys is 0:11:36.559 --> 0:11:38.840 in there, one of the more important factors for this 0:11:38.960 --> 0:11:41.400 team as a whole, and probably the reason they've been 0:11:41.400 --> 0:11:43.200 able to get a couple of wins here at home 0:11:43.320 --> 0:11:47.240 lately is affected Everything around the quarterback is a little 0:11:47.280 --> 0:11:51.760 more settled, which you don't expect when you trade Christian McCaffrey. Um, 0:11:52.120 --> 0:11:54.480 Robbie was a different sort of deal. Robbie wouldn't produce 0:11:54.520 --> 0:11:57.040 him before he was traded, and he was unhappy. So 0:11:57.559 --> 0:11:59.480 that's just kind of cleared the way and I did 0:11:59.520 --> 0:12:02.200 a good job the other day augusta breaking down kind 0:12:02.240 --> 0:12:04.600 of where they were and where they are and the 0:12:04.640 --> 0:12:09.080 first five and the next five are pretty different exactly, 0:12:09.080 --> 0:12:11.520 Thank you, first of all. And also, I mean it's 0:12:11.559 --> 0:12:13.360 it's and again one of those things where you're missing 0:12:13.400 --> 0:12:17.680 Christian McCaffrey. Whatever anyone thinks about pat Elfly, I'm missing 0:12:17.720 --> 0:12:20.040 us or losing a center, and Bradley Bowseman is no 0:12:20.280 --> 0:12:21.960 you know, drop off, but that's still you know, a 0:12:22.000 --> 0:12:24.480 difference in chemistry and and there were some things about 0:12:24.520 --> 0:12:27.000 training camp and that was a really contested battle anyway 0:12:27.040 --> 0:12:29.720 before Bradley Boseman got her um week two of the preseason. 0:12:29.760 --> 0:12:31.120 So it's one of those things where I mean, it 0:12:31.160 --> 0:12:33.040 was kind of a toss up, but but you switch 0:12:33.120 --> 0:12:35.520 those pivotal positions and you're just kind of like, you 0:12:35.559 --> 0:12:38.280 wouldn't expect the offense to be performing better in general 0:12:38.320 --> 0:12:41.199 around a quarterback, and yet with Deonte Foreman, Bradley Bowseman 0:12:41.320 --> 0:12:44.120 versus Christian McCaffrey pat Elfine, the numbers are there for 0:12:44.120 --> 0:12:46.280 the running game. And then then that could also be 0:12:46.440 --> 0:12:48.360 a testament to Steve Wilkes when he came in, that 0:12:48.440 --> 0:12:49.920 was the first thing he said. He was like we're 0:12:49.960 --> 0:12:52.120 establishing the run, we're defending the run. That is like 0:12:52.400 --> 0:12:55.160 the proorities under Wilkes, and he's really put his money 0:12:55.160 --> 0:12:57.240 where his mouth is. The thing is about the Panthers 0:12:57.240 --> 0:12:59.760 when they've had success recently in the last was it 0:13:00.000 --> 0:13:02.120 four or five games, whichever I wrote about, it's always 0:13:02.160 --> 0:13:05.080 it's been through running, and it's been through Deonta Foreman, 0:13:05.160 --> 0:13:08.120 who hidden Jim that we didn't really even know we 0:13:08.400 --> 0:13:10.320 had here in care of the team, didn't know they 0:13:10.360 --> 0:13:13.560 had in Carolina until until Christian McCaffrey left. And it 0:13:13.600 --> 0:13:14.880 was because you know, when you have a guy like 0:13:14.920 --> 0:13:17.400 Christian McCaffrey on the roster, you're gonna want to play 0:13:17.480 --> 0:13:18.959 him a lot. And then you just don't see a 0:13:19.040 --> 0:13:20.600 lot of For me, you don't see a lot of Cuba. 0:13:20.840 --> 0:13:22.760 You didn't see a lot of raheem Blacks here who 0:13:22.800 --> 0:13:25.520 came in week three. I think. So you have these 0:13:25.559 --> 0:13:29.679 guys who can do the thing, especially with Deonte Foreman, 0:13:29.760 --> 0:13:33.440 I mean, goodness, gracious, he just runs over Atlanta like 0:13:33.559 --> 0:13:37.040 his Atlanta stats are insane. Three hundred yard games in 0:13:37.040 --> 0:13:42.319 the last four weeks, four touchdowns and and it's not complicated. 0:13:42.760 --> 0:13:45.720 I uh, it kind of reminds me and we'll see. 0:13:45.760 --> 0:13:48.120 I mean, one of the things I constantly have to 0:13:48.120 --> 0:13:51.960 remind myself is there's seven more of these. Um, this 0:13:52.120 --> 0:13:55.280 thing is only a little over halfway finished, so there's 0:13:55.280 --> 0:13:57.360 still a lot of football to be played. But right now, 0:13:57.920 --> 0:14:01.000 you know me, it goes to I'm contract actually obligated 0:14:01.040 --> 0:14:04.679 to talk about something that happened fifteen or twenty years ago. Um, 0:14:05.880 --> 0:14:08.520 once upon a time there was a guy named Nick Goings, 0:14:08.559 --> 0:14:11.600 and Nick Goings was about the third or fourth running 0:14:11.600 --> 0:14:15.760 back or option in the backfield, and everybody else got hurt. 0:14:16.280 --> 0:14:20.240 And I remember having conversations with then offensive coordinator Dan 0:14:20.320 --> 0:14:24.760 Henning because when Stephen Davison, Deshaun Foster gets hurt, that's 0:14:24.800 --> 0:14:28.360 that's big time. That's you know, high level stuff. And 0:14:28.400 --> 0:14:30.720 you're down to Nick Goings and it's sort of like, oh, 0:14:30.800 --> 0:14:34.120 what can you possibly expect? And Hittings like Nick Goings 0:14:34.200 --> 0:14:36.960 is really good. You're going to see that Nick Goings 0:14:37.040 --> 0:14:39.960 is really good. And Nick Goings ripped off four hundred 0:14:40.040 --> 0:14:42.560 yard games in a five game span and it was 0:14:42.640 --> 0:14:45.920 his career highlight. Okay, I mean that was outside the 0:14:45.960 --> 0:14:48.840 norm for Nick Going's career. He was a serviceable ve, 0:14:49.080 --> 0:14:51.440 of course, but we're gonna find out in the next 0:14:51.520 --> 0:14:55.840 seven weeks if Deonte Foreman is Nick Going's version two 0:14:55.880 --> 0:14:59.240 point oh or he's a guy you count on. And 0:14:59.360 --> 0:15:03.160 I think there are certain guys. There aren't a lot 0:15:03.200 --> 0:15:06.240 of free agents on this team other than all the quarterbacks, 0:15:06.800 --> 0:15:09.560 and it's going to be interesting to see over the 0:15:09.600 --> 0:15:12.720 next seven weeks how they handle like a Bozeman or 0:15:12.760 --> 0:15:16.080 a Foreman and what those guys do, because they are 0:15:16.160 --> 0:15:19.520 absolutely playing for the their future as well as his team, 0:15:19.640 --> 0:15:23.560 So it's always interesting to do one of the other things. 0:15:23.600 --> 0:15:24.920 There were a couple of other things I wanted to 0:15:24.920 --> 0:15:28.160 ask you about why we had this time in the 0:15:28.200 --> 0:15:31.000 absence of Kristen. Yeah, I think she always does such 0:15:31.000 --> 0:15:35.800 an amazing job of pulling back and maintaining a proper perspective. 0:15:36.560 --> 0:15:38.640 We we get caught up in the week to week 0:15:38.760 --> 0:15:42.040 so much that I don't think we ever stopped. And 0:15:42.240 --> 0:15:46.600 remember what we actually just saw last Thursday night was 0:15:47.760 --> 0:15:50.360 among all the first it was your first primetime game, 0:15:50.680 --> 0:15:54.400 it was first time in all black uniforms, first time 0:15:54.440 --> 0:15:59.520 in black helmets, and it rained. Yes, you go out 0:16:00.200 --> 0:16:03.040 during pre game, you watch pre game, you're you're down 0:16:03.040 --> 0:16:06.200 there absorbing the atmosphere, both of the crowd and the 0:16:06.240 --> 0:16:11.200 players and all the elements. What was that like for you? Oh, 0:16:11.240 --> 0:16:14.080 it's so cool. First of all, I there there definitely 0:16:14.160 --> 0:16:15.880 was a different sense of energy. I mean we talked 0:16:15.880 --> 0:16:18.080 about it last week, but just the whole week here 0:16:18.120 --> 0:16:21.000 with everybody buzzing around constantly, all the Amazon folks and 0:16:21.040 --> 0:16:23.840 all of the trucks and so so it felt different 0:16:23.880 --> 0:16:25.840 from the second I stepped on the field. I think 0:16:25.840 --> 0:16:29.800 the biggest difference was as as like basic as it sounds, 0:16:29.840 --> 0:16:31.720 but it's just something that I wanted to talk about. 0:16:31.840 --> 0:16:34.360 Every game I've covered, right, it's been during the day, 0:16:34.520 --> 0:16:37.160 so everything is lit up in the way, like the 0:16:37.200 --> 0:16:40.320 sunlights lighting it up, so so literally seeing the way 0:16:40.360 --> 0:16:43.160 the lights hit and then the way the rain looked 0:16:43.160 --> 0:16:45.440 in the lights. I love to look straight up and 0:16:45.480 --> 0:16:47.840 watch how the rainfall was. It looked like little crystals 0:16:47.840 --> 0:16:49.800 falling from the sky. I mean, this is the this 0:16:49.840 --> 0:16:52.480 is the Augusta analysis, because that's like the thing I noticed. 0:16:52.520 --> 0:16:54.280 I look up and I'm like, whoa, this is so cool. 0:16:54.480 --> 0:16:57.840 Freezing cold. That's another thing I noticed. Um, But really, honestly, 0:16:57.880 --> 0:17:00.280 the energy, you could tell that the it was the 0:17:00.320 --> 0:17:03.360 black helmets and that black jersey combo and everything hyped 0:17:03.440 --> 0:17:06.920 the guys up so much. They were just so excited. 0:17:06.920 --> 0:17:09.800 It's who the whole you know, you look good, feel good, 0:17:09.800 --> 0:17:12.719 perform good kind of thing. I mean that was terrible grammar, 0:17:12.760 --> 0:17:14.760 but you know what I mean. It's like they just 0:17:14.960 --> 0:17:17.959 they really did kind of lean into the whole welcome 0:17:18.040 --> 0:17:20.080 to the dark Side sort of thing that I thought. 0:17:20.119 --> 0:17:22.520 I thought that our digital team branded extremely well. I 0:17:22.520 --> 0:17:24.080 have a friend that's a Falcons fan who said it 0:17:24.080 --> 0:17:26.080 was awesome and loved the branding and thought it was 0:17:26.119 --> 0:17:29.000 spooky and great. But um no, the whole thing was 0:17:29.040 --> 0:17:31.439 super duper sick, and I think it really added some 0:17:31.520 --> 0:17:35.760 extra extra mojo. I mean, you really, you to have 0:17:35.880 --> 0:17:38.000 the night game, rain game, and Black Helmet game, I'll 0:17:38.040 --> 0:17:40.120 be the same game. It was like, Okay, you can 0:17:40.160 --> 0:17:41.720 have one of these things independent of the other. You 0:17:41.760 --> 0:17:43.440 can have a rain game that would be kind of cool, 0:17:43.440 --> 0:17:44.600 you can have a black helmet game, you can have 0:17:44.640 --> 0:17:46.520 a problem tonge game. But to have them all together 0:17:46.720 --> 0:17:48.159 and then play the way that they did it was 0:17:48.200 --> 0:17:50.800 an exciting game. I think. Um one of the things 0:17:50.920 --> 0:17:52.960 I realized stepping back from that game was how close 0:17:53.000 --> 0:17:55.080 it got at the end, and I hadn't really registered 0:17:55.119 --> 0:17:57.439 that in my brain. You know. I was like, as 0:17:57.480 --> 0:17:59.240 sports writers, I know you can relate to this because 0:17:59.240 --> 0:18:01.960 you write the rapid we sit there, we're like, okay, 0:18:02.040 --> 0:18:04.439 roughly mid third quarter, fourth quarter, kind of have an 0:18:04.480 --> 0:18:07.040 idea of the direction it might go. And obviously last 0:18:07.040 --> 0:18:09.359 time we played Atlanta or Caroline Plane Atlanta didn't do that. 0:18:09.400 --> 0:18:13.960 But um it uh, I didn't realize how close it 0:18:14.000 --> 0:18:16.080 got there at the end. Roe. I'm just like I felt, 0:18:16.119 --> 0:18:17.960 you know, I that I had an idea what was going. 0:18:18.000 --> 0:18:20.119 And then I was like, oh, put my rewatch. I 0:18:20.160 --> 0:18:23.000 was like that that got tighter than I thought it did. Um, 0:18:23.040 --> 0:18:25.520 but it was it was an atmosphere for sure. I 0:18:25.520 --> 0:18:27.760 mean it was. It was really really cool. And like 0:18:27.800 --> 0:18:29.959 I said, I liked all the elements of it. So 0:18:30.000 --> 0:18:33.040 if we can like, have you know, maybe another really 0:18:33.080 --> 0:18:36.160 cool jersey game or yeah, I think ring games are cool. 0:18:36.240 --> 0:18:38.840 I think I know that. Like you know, my my 0:18:38.840 --> 0:18:41.359 photographer friends and videographer friends probably wouldn't agree with me, 0:18:41.400 --> 0:18:44.600 but they look sick and you have beautiful art come 0:18:44.640 --> 0:18:47.440 from them. Yeah, I mean the photos in the video 0:18:47.560 --> 0:18:50.200 from that, I mean it just adds a cinematic element 0:18:50.280 --> 0:18:52.440 to the whole thing. But I the one thing I 0:18:52.480 --> 0:18:57.560 wanted to mention is I was actually surprised by the fans. 0:18:58.560 --> 0:19:01.040 And I try not to get into fan business too 0:19:01.160 --> 0:19:06.000 much because the results of games EBB and flow that 0:19:06.119 --> 0:19:09.120 happens we got no control over that. I was actually 0:19:09.119 --> 0:19:12.600 surprised at the energy in this place. There were two things. 0:19:13.359 --> 0:19:16.000 Number One, that they showed up in the rain to 0:19:16.040 --> 0:19:18.160 watch a game between a two and seven and four 0:19:18.200 --> 0:19:20.520 and five team on a Thursday night in a city 0:19:20.520 --> 0:19:24.200