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Speaker 1: What's going on, Dirty Birds.

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Speaker 2: This is Tory mcelhaney joined by Tarren Walkin on us

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Speaker 2: Upon for the Falcons Final Whistle Podcast presented by Zaxby's,

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Speaker 2: and we are here to break down a season finale

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Speaker 2: of the Atlanta Falcons twenty twenty four season that didn't

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Speaker 2: quite go I think the way that many thought it would.

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Speaker 2: The Falcons lost in overtime forty four to thirty eight

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Speaker 2: to the Carolina Panthers, who finished their season five and twelve.

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Speaker 2: The Falcons finished theirs eight and nine, and, as Will

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Speaker 2: wrote in Our Rundown, on a terrible, horrible, no good,

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Speaker 2: very bad day, the Atlanta Falcons twenty twenty four season

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Speaker 2: is officially over because simultaneously, as the Falcons lost to

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Speaker 2: the Bucks, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers held on and beat

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Speaker 2: the New Orleans Saints to clinch the NFC South for

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Speaker 2: the fourth fifth year in a row. Remember exactly how

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Speaker 2: many it's been, but it's been a long time since

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Speaker 2: the Falcons have been atop the NFC South, I can

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Speaker 2: tell you that. So now that the season is kind

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Speaker 2: of over, guys, and we look back on what it

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Speaker 2: was before we even get into this game, I want

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Speaker 2: to talk big picture, How did you feel kind of.

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Speaker 1: As you're sitting there, because I know, for me, I was.

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Speaker 2: Sitting and watching when the game happening in front of us,

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Speaker 2: and then also on the laptop watching what the Saints

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Speaker 2: were doing, and at halftime when this thing could have

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Speaker 2: it felt like the NFC South was literally like hanging

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Speaker 2: in the balance for sure, and then obviously it turned

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Speaker 2: the complete wrong way for the Falcons. But what were

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Speaker 2: your thoughts you guys, as y'all were going through through

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Speaker 2: the day and watching what the Saints were doing, what

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Speaker 2: the Bucks were doing, and then what we were watching for

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Speaker 2: the Falcons on and you want to go first.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean I was definitely watching because I even

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Speaker 3: have it like for the stream, I have it earlier,

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Speaker 3: so I'm able to see everything that's happening before anybody

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Speaker 3: really knows other than the people that are there with

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Speaker 3: the live stream. And it felt like things were trending

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Speaker 3: in the way like, oh, could this actually happen right?

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Speaker 3: Like the Saints were up, the Falcons, you know, were

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Speaker 3: neck and neck with the with the Panthers, and it

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Speaker 3: felt like, okay, the things that like they had been

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Speaker 3: saying this whole time, control what you can control.

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Speaker 1: That's what they're doing.

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Speaker 3: They have it in their hands right now and let's

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Speaker 3: just see, how, you know, things fall as they may.

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Speaker 3: And then the second half of both teams happened and

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Speaker 3: it was funny how it was happening. Yeah, literally simultaneous, right, yeah,

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Speaker 3: because as like the Falcons, I think it was their

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Speaker 3: last touchdown to tie it up before getting into overtime.

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Speaker 3: The flags were waving and Mercedes Been Stadium just as

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Speaker 3: Tampa Bay goes up twenty seven to nineteen, and it's.

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Speaker 2: Like, oh yeah, it was like the energy just kind

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Speaker 2: of diffused out of the building.

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Speaker 1: A little bit. Yeah.

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Speaker 3: I mean like on the first play of overtime, Tampa won,

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Speaker 3: they clinched, it was over, and.

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Speaker 2: It kind of felt like a moot's point at that

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Speaker 2: point for the Falcons to go into overtime with the Panthers. Taran,

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Speaker 2: I'm curious your thoughts on the day and what it

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Speaker 2: ended up acculminating to.

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Speaker 4: Oh boy, I mean, I think it was very interesting

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Speaker 4: how interesting the Saints made it for everyone, true, and

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Speaker 4: how interesting the Panthers made it for everyone. Yes, I

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Speaker 4: think entering week eighteen, the idea was the Buccaneers are

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Speaker 4: going to slaughter the Saints and the Falcons are gonna

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Speaker 4: defeat the Panthers.

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Speaker 5: Yeah, Like, I don't know that.

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Speaker 4: Anyone would have written up what happened and how close

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Speaker 4: both games were. Broadcasts probably couldn't have asked for anything better.

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Speaker 4: So flowers to the NFL broadcast teams in that regard

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Speaker 4: having them play at the same time.

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Speaker 2: Multiview probably was working really really hard for a lot

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Speaker 2: of people.

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Speaker 5: Exactly, And I just.

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Speaker 4: I come away thinking, like the Saints fought harder than

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Speaker 4: the Falcons did for the falcons.

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Speaker 5: Future, if that makes sense.

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Speaker 1: I mean, it's a good point.

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Speaker 5: Is that a weird way to freeze it?

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Speaker 2: No, I don't think so, because ultimately the Falcons needed

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Speaker 2: I mean to put it all out there, and I'm

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Speaker 2: probably not saying anything that people at home don't already know,

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Speaker 2: but the only way for the Falcons to reach the

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Speaker 2: postseason and to clinch the NFC South was for the

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Speaker 2: Saints to beat the Bucks and them to sign simultaneously

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Speaker 2: beat the Panthers.

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Speaker 1: That was the only way.

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Speaker 4: And the Saints had nothing on the line, nothing, so like,

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Speaker 4: had they won, it would have been solely morausing.

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Speaker 5: But the Falcons had.

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Speaker 4: Their season on the line, like it wasn't completely all

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Speaker 4: in their control, but they had to win. The Saints

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Speaker 4: didn't need to win, Yeah, but the Falcons did, and

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Speaker 4: one of them played that way.

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Speaker 1: Yeah.

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Speaker 2: No, it's a good point. And you know, let's talk

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Speaker 2: a little bit about the game. And I don't want

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Speaker 2: to honestly, because of how the game ended and because

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Speaker 2: the season ended, Like, I really don't want to talk

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Speaker 2: too much about this game because in the grand scheme

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Speaker 2: of things, I don't think anyone's really gonna remember it.

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Speaker 2: If I'm the script lines about the.

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Speaker 5: Game, No, we're going we were.

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Speaker 1: Don't worry.

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Speaker 2: I'm still gonna go by the script. Don't worry, Will

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Speaker 2: I'm going by your script. But I was like, I

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Speaker 2: just wanted to start off by saying, like, in the

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Speaker 2: grand scheme of things, like this game feels kind of

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Speaker 2: like a throwaway game because of everything that happened to

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Speaker 2: this point, everything that we're going to remember the twenty

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Speaker 2: twenty four season by, to me, it's not going to

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Speaker 2: be how this thing ended and how it looked at

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Speaker 2: the very very end, granted outside of maybe what Michael

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Speaker 2: Pennix is doing, but let's talk about what this game was.

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Speaker 2: The Falcons lost in overtime again, forty four to thirty eight. OMNA,

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Speaker 2: what was the most surprising part of this game for you?

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Speaker 3: That the defense folded in the way that they did.

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Speaker 3: Like Carolina, Granted, Bryce Young has been playing a lot

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Speaker 3: better and in the Falcons has been saying that all week.

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Speaker 3: They took notice of what Bryce has been able to do,

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Speaker 3: but the fact that like, it just looked so easy

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Speaker 3: for them. They were flying up and down the field.

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Speaker 3: Bryce had two rushing touchdowns work he essentially just like

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Speaker 3: walked in like you know, a couple of those other

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Speaker 3: touchdowns are were just like wide open, guys.

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Speaker 2: Yeah he Bryce Young ended the day twenty five of

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Speaker 2: thirty four for two hundred and fifty one yards through

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Speaker 2: the air, five total touchdowns, three passing, two rushing, and

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Speaker 2: even without Hubbard on the field because he's now on

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Speaker 2: ir the Panthers still average five point two yards per

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Speaker 2: carry and scored three touchdowns on the ground. They were

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Speaker 2: having significant offensive output that I even tweeted it did

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Speaker 2: this performance by this defense did not feel indicative of

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Speaker 2: everything that they have done since.

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Speaker 1: The bye week.

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Speaker 2: It felt like a regression back to what they were

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Speaker 2: before the bye week and that was I think really disappointing.

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Speaker 2: And I use that word disappointing not as Tory mclaney

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Speaker 2: saying that, but as Raheem Morris. It's the first thing

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Speaker 2: that he said when he came in postgame is like,

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Speaker 2: this was an incredibly disappointing performance from this defense. He

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Speaker 2: even said it was a quote huge step back by

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Speaker 2: this defense. Tarn what are your thoughts about what was

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Speaker 2: going wrong with the defense today?

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Speaker 5: Right?

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Speaker 4: I mean, that's what I wrote about, was how the

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Speaker 4: defense took a quote huge step backward because Bryce Young

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Speaker 4: had himself a day. They could not contain him, whether

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Speaker 4: through the air or on the ground, and he wasn't

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Speaker 4: intercepted once nor sacked once. And that is only the

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Speaker 4: second time this season the Falcons haven't been able to

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Speaker 4: do either in a single game. And this is coming

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Speaker 4: after weeks of us being like the pass Russ has

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Speaker 4: turned the corner like they are leading the NFL since

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Speaker 4: the bye week and Sacks, I was blanking on the word.

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Speaker 4: But it's just a complete different performance day. And I

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Speaker 4: can't even say it's like a week one or week

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Speaker 4: two performance out of the defense because the first half

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Speaker 4: of the season pre by I want to say it

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Speaker 4: was kind of applauding this secondary specifically, and you didn't

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Speaker 4: see that today.

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Speaker 5: Those passes were just being caught.

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Speaker 4: It wasn't like it was a jump ball and you're

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Speaker 4: grabbing it over a defender and being an immaculate whoa

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Speaker 4: moment it was So and So is wide open, catches

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Speaker 4: it and runs the remaining five yards into the end zone.

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Speaker 1: Yeah.

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Speaker 2: Raheem Morris was asked after the game, you know, was

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Speaker 2: this performance by this defense a little bit shocking?

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Speaker 1: And he said yes.

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Speaker 2: I thought he was very transparent in that, Yes, this

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Speaker 2: is not the defense that I think anyone had come

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Speaker 2: to know Atlanta to be playing, especially of late.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, and the question was very specific in that, with

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Speaker 3: all the implications on the line in this game, where

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Speaker 3: you shocked that they came out the way that they

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Speaker 3: did And he said, yeah, really shocked.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, you have the full quote here if you want it,

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Speaker 1: go ahead.

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Speaker 5: Really shocked.

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Speaker 4: I was really disappointed in our defense today, especially based

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Speaker 4: off of how they've been playing and how we've been going,

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Speaker 4: how we've been attacking the quarterback, how we've been able

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Speaker 4: to manipulate in terms of getting after people. I was

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Speaker 4: really fired up with where we were going the direction

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Speaker 4: we were going. We took a step back today, a

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Speaker 4: huge step back.

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Speaker 1: Yeah.

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Speaker 2: I mean again, to his point, it's just disappointing the

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Speaker 2: fact that you felt like the Falcons had made such

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Speaker 2: significant progress as a defense. You felt like what they

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Speaker 2: were doing with Caden Ellis and the looks that they

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Speaker 2: were getting with him, the pressure that they were getting

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Speaker 2: up front. What aj Terrell Jesse Bates had been doing

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Speaker 2: over the course of not just the last few weeks,

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Speaker 2: but over the course of the season was pretty impressive. Heck,

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Speaker 2: when we were on our podcast on Friday, I was

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Speaker 2: standing on the table for some of these guys and

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Speaker 2: then to see what happened against a Panther's team that,

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Speaker 2: let's be honest, through various points in this season, had

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Speaker 2: really really struggled to move the ball offensively, and it

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Speaker 2: just felt like they were just kind of slicing through

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Speaker 2: butter with a steak knife today.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I think Justin Simmons kind of summed it up

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Speaker 3: where he said, we never played our best ball when

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Speaker 3: we needed to throughout the entire season. That's a microcosm

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Speaker 3: of not even just a defense, but the entire team.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, and I think that that's something that we can

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Speaker 2: kind of move forward a little bit to talk about

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Speaker 2: the Atlanta offense because despite the fact that Atlanta lost game,

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Speaker 2: I do have some stats that I want to read

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Speaker 2: through because it's kind of a little bit crazy. The

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Speaker 2: Falcons out gained the Panthers five hundred and thirty seven

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Speaker 2: total yards to four hundred and twenty five. Bjon Robinson

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Speaker 2: had one hundred and seventy rushing yards with a six

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Speaker 2: point one yards per carry average two touchdowns. Drake London

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Speaker 2: had one hundred and eighty seven receiving yards on ten

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Speaker 2: catches two touchdowns. Michael Pennings Junior was twenty one of

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Speaker 2: thirty eight for three hundred and twelve passing yards, two

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Speaker 2: passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, and the Falcons still lost

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Speaker 2: the game despite that much offensive output.

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Speaker 5: Yikes.

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Speaker 2: When y'all are kind of looking at this offense and

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Speaker 2: what it was able to do today, I think Raheem

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Speaker 2: Morris did say say very pointedly that the Falcons if

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Speaker 2: there's something, if there's a silver lining that no one

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Speaker 2: wants to hear about, but if there was one, it's

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Speaker 2: the fact that what Michael PENNOCKX Junior was able to

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Speaker 2: do and the connection that he had with Drake London.

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Speaker 2: What Bajon Robinson was able to do running the ball

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Speaker 2: with Teller Algie was able to do running the bond,

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Speaker 2: that is a little bit of a silver lining there.

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Speaker 2: So Tarren, I'll start with you what part of the

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Speaker 2: offensive performance is best suited to carry over into twenty

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Speaker 2: twenty five and even beyond. As you're as you're like

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Speaker 2: kind of looking at this offense.

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Speaker 4: It's simple because it comes down to Michael Pennock Junior.

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Speaker 4: I think what was really telling in Raheem Morris's postgame

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Speaker 4: press conference is one moment he would express his disappointment

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Speaker 4: and defense, the next he would express his hope in

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Speaker 4: the offense in Michael Pennock Junior. Because in these three

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Speaker 4: games you did see a turnaround in the offense and

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Speaker 4: what they're able to do. And you have to keep

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Speaker 4: in mind Pennix was just thrown into this in week

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Speaker 4: eighteen minus three fifteen because he only had these three games.

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Speaker 4: Imagine the bond he can build with an off season

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Speaker 4: under his belt with the first team. Imagine the bond

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Speaker 4: he can build with more than three starts with the

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Speaker 4: first team. And that is something even London the postgame

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Speaker 4: locker room afterward was asked like how difficult was it

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Speaker 4: because you didn't have that much time with him? Like

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Speaker 4: how difficult is it to form that bond quarterback to

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Speaker 4: receiver when you don't have that much time? And he

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Speaker 4: admitted that it is difficult, and you can't argue that

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Speaker 4: at all, Like there was they didn't have much time

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Speaker 4: together whatsoever, and yet here they are still making these

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Speaker 4: plays that you're like, Okay, I see you, Michael, I

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Speaker 4: see you. And I think of the almost touchdown pass

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Speaker 4: to Drake London. I can't remember what quarter it was

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Speaker 4: because all the quarters blur together between the game in

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Speaker 4: Tampa Bay and the game here in Atlanta, so many quarters,

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Speaker 4: but Michael threw it to Drake in the end zone.

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Speaker 4: Drake only got one foot down, so it was incomplete.

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Speaker 4: The very next jet not day play, Oh my gosh,

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Speaker 4: very next play, he throws the exact same ball, but

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Speaker 4: it's inbounds and Drake falls clearly inbounds with it, and

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Speaker 4: it's a touchdown. It's just like a tweak right there

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Speaker 4: in the moment, and you see growth, you see the success,

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Speaker 4: you see how he's able to right the wrongs and

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Speaker 4: I think that's the thing Falcons fans and Falcons franchise

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Speaker 4: internally can.

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Speaker 5: Look forward to. Yeah, which thinks to already be like,

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Speaker 5: all right, next season, I.

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Speaker 2: Know, but it's the reality of the situation in twenty

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Speaker 2: twenty four is over right.

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Speaker 5: Literally, I'm figuratively.

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Speaker 1: Literally, it's done.

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Speaker 2: We're sitting here kind of post mortaring, mortom ing.

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Speaker 1: I don't even think that's I don't think that's a word,

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Speaker 1: but y'all get it.

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Speaker 6: Today's episode of Falcons Final Whistle is brought to you

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Speaker 6: by Zaxby's. And after a long game, when I'm tired

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Speaker 6: and I need to refuel, I turned to zax Pies

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00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:47,120
Speaker 6: their marinated, handbreaded fried to perfection chicken fingers. They get

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Speaker 6: the spot every time. Get yours with seasoned crinkle fries,

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Speaker 6: a nice drink in whichever of their twelve signature sauces

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Speaker 6: you're feeling at the moment, but it always hits just right.

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Speaker 6: So next time you need to refuel, go get yourself

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Speaker 6: some Zaxby's.

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Speaker 2: It's not what it's really interesting is talking to Michael

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Speaker 2: Pennock's post game about the connection that he has already

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Speaker 2: developed with Drake London and tearing to your point.

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Speaker 1: He kind of made this comment where he was like, I'm.

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Speaker 2: Excited about the off season to kind of go into

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Speaker 2: it knowing exactly who you have, knowing exactly what you

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Speaker 2: need to do to get better, and having the time

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Speaker 2: and resources to do so. And that was something that

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Speaker 2: he seemed really excited. I kept kind of reiterating to

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Speaker 2: the fan base mainly to continue to believe in what

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Speaker 2: this offense can do and what they can be, and

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Speaker 2: we've seen glimpses of it.

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Speaker 1: And what I'll say too, is the.

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Speaker 2: Connection between Michael Pennock's junior and Drake London, I think

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Speaker 2: is something of beauty, and it is a thing of beauty,

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Speaker 2: and I think the fact that they have this trust

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Speaker 2: established so quickly bodes well for the future. But there

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Speaker 2: are still certain areas in which Michael Panics, I do

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Speaker 2: think can grow. He is still a ricky quarterback that

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Speaker 2: has had three starts. Even though this guy is not

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Speaker 2: afraid to sling the.

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Speaker 1: Dang ball he is.

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Speaker 2: It's so funny because I oftentimes think that he doesn't

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Speaker 2: know his own strength and that he just is throwing

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Speaker 2: the ball.

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Speaker 1: And sometimes I'm like, I want you to have.

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Speaker 2: A little bit of touch, get take a little bit

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Speaker 2: off of it so that it's not just smacking the guy,

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Speaker 2: your guys in their face.

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Speaker 1: But yeah, even in.

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Speaker 2: That, it's like you see, I said this on the

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Speaker 2: podcast the other day, but like you see the vision,

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Speaker 2: you see the control. Did it start off fast for him? No,

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Speaker 2: he had a few very significant misthrows and overshots early

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Speaker 2: in the game, but he's the type of player that

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Speaker 2: you saw once he settled in what he could do,

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Speaker 2: and by the end of the game, this is a

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Speaker 2: guy who you try to lead the team within a

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Speaker 2: two minute and hit Drake London for a twenty nine

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Speaker 2: yard game.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean every time Carolina scored it was like,

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Speaker 3: oh yeah, Mike can come back and do this thing.

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Speaker 3: He just felt that confidence, Yeah, because he could slee

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Speaker 3: it so far down the field and those explosives lit

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Speaker 3: this place on fire when it was you know, honestly,

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Speaker 3: it was a little quiet when it started.

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Speaker 2: No, for sure it was. And I I can't remember

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Speaker 2: exactly what play it was. It had to have been

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Speaker 2: one of the ones to Drake.

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Speaker 4: But I was going to say the thing that turned

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Speaker 4: the vibe around was Pennix's nine yard touchdown.

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Speaker 5: Oh yeah, when he.

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Speaker 1: Stretched out You're right, You're exactly right. That was the plan.

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Speaker 1: He did it himself.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and it was funny because I think he really

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Speaker 2: didn't want to. In the moment, you could see him

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Speaker 2: kind of motioning to Drake to like peel back towards

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Speaker 2: the back of the end zone so he could kind

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Speaker 2: of lob it up to him, and Drake's just kind

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Speaker 2: of like, I can't, Nope, can't do that. And I

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Speaker 2: was just very very I've just been very impressed with

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Speaker 2: Michael Penning's junior and I do agree, even though again

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Speaker 2: no one may want to hear it, but I do

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Speaker 2: agree with what Rahem Morris said that you feel good

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Speaker 2: about where he is in his development and who he

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Speaker 2: can be for you in the future.

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Speaker 1: But even in saying that, that doesn't take away.

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Speaker 2: The fact that the Falcons did not live up to

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Speaker 2: expectations in the Year of Our Lord twenty twenty four.

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Speaker 2: So I wrote about this post game, and it's the

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Speaker 2: way that I've been feeling now for probably a few weeks,

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Speaker 2: even probably a month, is that the Falcons and the

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Speaker 2: perception of which they had for themselves, the expectations that

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Speaker 2: they even set themselves for themselves does not meet the

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Speaker 2: reality of who this team is right now. And that's

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Speaker 2: a tough pill to swallow when in an off season

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Speaker 2: that you changed your entire coaching staff.

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Speaker 1: You have all new coaches in here.

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Speaker 2: You went out and you signed a starting quarterback to

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Speaker 2: a ninety million dollar, fully guaranteed contract, You drafted a

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Speaker 2: future starting quarterback, You traded for an all pro edge rusher,

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Speaker 2: you got Justin Simmons in All Pro safety to sign

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Speaker 2: here during training camp.

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Speaker 1: All of these things, and all of.

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Speaker 2: The way that things were shaking out in the NFC South,

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Speaker 2: where you felt like the Falcons had the best roster

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Speaker 2: in the NFC South, and the fact that it started

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Speaker 2: at six and three with a four and zero record

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Speaker 2: in conference play and ended this way where the Falcons

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Speaker 2: lost six of their last eight games and are sitting

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Speaker 2: at second overall in the NFC South, coming off of

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Speaker 2: a loss against Carolina like that. That leaves a really

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Speaker 2: bad taste in your mouth because of how much you

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Speaker 2: invested into this twenty twenty fourteen, how much had been

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Speaker 2: built into this twenty twenty fourteen. This is a team

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Speaker 2: that was, I'll say it, years in the making for

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Speaker 2: this organization and That's what makes it so difficult to

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Speaker 2: sit here right now and talk about just this game

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Speaker 2: and what it was, because to me, it's not just

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Speaker 2: this game. To me, it's the years of from twenty

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Speaker 2: twenty one and you make the decision that you're no

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Speaker 2: longer gonna stick with Matt Ryan and you send him

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Speaker 2: to Indianapolis, and you're trying to fight your way out

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Speaker 2: of salary cap hill and you get out of it,

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Speaker 2: and then you build it and you sign guys, and

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Speaker 2: you create this roster, and you go out and free

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Speaker 2: agency and you do all these things and you draft

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Speaker 2: all these guys and then for it to amount to

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Speaker 2: one more win than what you've had the last three seasons,

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Speaker 2: that is it's sickening.

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Speaker 1: It's really really it makes you sick because of how

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Speaker 1: much went into all of that.

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Speaker 4: When you think of the six and three to start

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Speaker 4: and then the two and six to finish, and then

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Speaker 4: I think back to when that schedule came out and

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Speaker 4: we did our schedule release, podcasters like, oh, the first

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Speaker 4: half of this season is super difficult. Yeah, and alas

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Speaker 4: they did better in the first half than they did

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Speaker 4: the second.

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Speaker 2: No, that's such a good point because I remember us

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Speaker 2: sitting and talking and being like Mike, Holy, holy cow,

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Speaker 2: you face you know, Tampa Bay on the road, you

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Speaker 2: face the Saints, and then to start the season you

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Speaker 2: had the Steelers at home and Eagle Jeeves like you're

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Speaker 2: talking about like super Bowl contenders that are playing in and.

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Speaker 5: I went in six and three.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, It's it's crazy.

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Speaker 5: It's two and six to finish, right.

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Speaker 1: It's it's such a tough pill to swallow.

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Speaker 2: And that's what makes it so difficult even to think

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Speaker 2: about twenty twenty five and what next year could look

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Speaker 2: like because I don't really know exactly where the team

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Speaker 2: goes from here. They have a lot of decisions to make,

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Speaker 2: notwithstanding what they're going to do with the quarterback position,

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Speaker 2: with the contract that they have kind of looming over

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Speaker 2: their heads, a lot of one year deals, a lot

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Speaker 2: of guys who could come back who could not come back,

427
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Speaker 2: a lot of expiring deals. It's another draft. I mean,

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Speaker 2: it all resets, it all starts over. But it's just

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Speaker 2: it's one of those things that it's like, Oh, you

430
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Speaker 2: didn't want to feel that you needed to reset things

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Speaker 2: after this year, considering all the work that you put in.

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Speaker 2: But as we kind of move forward and look ahead

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Speaker 2: to twenty twenty five. I'll start with you, what are

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Speaker 2: the key priorities for Atlanta entering into the off season.

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Speaker 3: If you had to pick just one, if I had

436
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Speaker 3: to pick just one, to not to be prisoner at

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Speaker 3: the moment, be like this defensive performance now means that

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Speaker 3: you have to go in and reshape your defense. But

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Speaker 3: there's a lot of guys who are coming off those

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Speaker 3: one year deals and a lot of decisions they'll have

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Speaker 3: to make on defense. So I think that's where you

442
00:21:23,119 --> 00:21:25,640
Speaker 3: kind of look because of the way that they've invested

443
00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:28,040
Speaker 3: on offense, especially in the draft in the last few years.

444
00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:29,080
Speaker 1: Like they're good, we.

445
00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:31,359
Speaker 3: See it, we see the issue vision, we see the

446
00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:34,679
Speaker 3: last you know, three number eight overall picks.

447
00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:39,720
Speaker 1: They look looking good, looking good, they're clicking so far.

448
00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:41,600
Speaker 3: You know, things are still going to shake out in

449
00:21:41,640 --> 00:21:43,680
Speaker 3: the way that they do as games finish up here.

450
00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:46,200
Speaker 3: But you're looking at you know, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen in

451
00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:48,720
Speaker 3: the draft if you can find you know, we say

452
00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:51,000
Speaker 3: it every year, right like one of those edge guys

453
00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:53,760
Speaker 3: or like you're getting back Braylan Trice, like you you

454
00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:57,119
Speaker 3: need to reinvest again on your defense. Yes, just as

455
00:21:57,200 --> 00:21:59,280
Speaker 3: much as you've done your offense. Yes, No, that's such

456
00:21:59,280 --> 00:21:59,800
Speaker 3: a good point.

457
00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:03,159
Speaker 2: I know I'm sitting here, We're sitting here not really

458
00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:05,960
Speaker 2: exactly knowing where the Falcons are gonna end up. But

459
00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:08,119
Speaker 2: it's gonna probably be right in the middle of the

460
00:22:08,160 --> 00:22:11,359
Speaker 2: first round, is kind of what it's shaking out to

461
00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:12,000
Speaker 2: look like.

462
00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:16,840
Speaker 1: Which I keeps going back and forth them like it's.

463
00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:20,480
Speaker 2: Prime real estate to go get a corner, prime real estate,

464
00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:22,399
Speaker 2: to go get an edge rusher. I know I've said

465
00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:24,800
Speaker 2: every single year for the last four years that the

466
00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:26,479
Speaker 2: Falcons need to draft an edge rusher.

467
00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:30,080
Speaker 3: Well, yeah, and I think that their mentalities has always been,

468
00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:32,280
Speaker 3: you know, take the best guy available, and that was

469
00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:35,240
Speaker 3: always you know, an offensive guy. But you're gonna be

470
00:22:35,280 --> 00:22:37,480
Speaker 3: sitting there down in the middle. A lot of those

471
00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:41,160
Speaker 3: guys who are like generational players are gone.

472
00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:42,119
Speaker 1: They're gone, They're gone.

473
00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:47,120
Speaker 2: Yep, there's no Bujon Robinson at number sixteen. Just I'm

474
00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:49,119
Speaker 2: throwing it out there, probably not gonna happen.

475
00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:52,679
Speaker 3: You find your key rotation, your your role players in

476
00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:53,880
Speaker 3: those those spaces.

477
00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:57,600
Speaker 2: Yeah, Karen, what's the key priority for Atlanta entering the

478
00:22:57,600 --> 00:22:59,040
Speaker 2: off season in twenty twenty five.

479
00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:00,920
Speaker 5: I want to know they're going to do with Kirk

480
00:23:00,960 --> 00:23:01,800
Speaker 5: Cousins contract.

481
00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:03,240
Speaker 1: Yes, it's a lot of money.

482
00:23:03,359 --> 00:23:05,639
Speaker 5: There's a lot of money.

483
00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:09,800
Speaker 4: Yeah, And like and then if he isn't in Atlanta

484
00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:11,440
Speaker 4: next season, who's the backup?

485
00:23:11,680 --> 00:23:12,120
Speaker 1: Mm hmm?

486
00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:15,440
Speaker 2: And how what are the repercussions of having to pay

487
00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:20,600
Speaker 2: that contract out? And and how does that pigeonhold the

488
00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:24,280
Speaker 2: moves that you could potentially make to bring in more guys.

489
00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:26,880
Speaker 2: One you got to think about it this way too,

490
00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:29,800
Speaker 2: Like there are some offensive line questions. You have a

491
00:23:29,880 --> 00:23:32,600
Speaker 2: kicker because some of those guys are on expiring deals.

492
00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:35,320
Speaker 1: You have a kicker question.

493
00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:37,720
Speaker 5: Like how bad is ye Kuh's injury?

494
00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:38,120
Speaker 1: Right?

495
00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:41,879
Speaker 2: Also like how quickly can he get back to his

496
00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:44,000
Speaker 2: old ways because you have to think about the fact

497
00:23:44,040 --> 00:23:46,840
Speaker 2: that he was not as consistent as he has been

498
00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:47,800
Speaker 2: in years past.

499
00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:49,320
Speaker 1: That has to be a conversation.

500
00:23:49,680 --> 00:23:52,960
Speaker 2: And then defensively, I believe Justin Simmons is on a

501
00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:56,359
Speaker 2: one year deal. Mike cues Is, I think this is

502
00:23:56,400 --> 00:23:58,639
Speaker 2: his last year. I think Cayden Ellis this is his

503
00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:01,800
Speaker 2: last year. David on Yamata, I believe this is his

504
00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:05,399
Speaker 2: last year. I even if it's not their last year's,

505
00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:08,919
Speaker 2: I think they're nearing the end of their deals, So

506
00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:12,879
Speaker 2: what does that look like? How much money are you

507
00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:15,240
Speaker 2: actually going to have to play with? And you won't

508
00:24:15,280 --> 00:24:19,200
Speaker 2: know that answer until you make a decision.

509
00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:20,600
Speaker 1: On what you're going to do with Kirk Cousins.

510
00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:23,880
Speaker 5: Absolutely, okay for.

511
00:24:23,880 --> 00:24:26,240
Speaker 4: Those worried, Katie Ellis and David on Yamata will both

512
00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:29,240
Speaker 4: be back next season. If they're the contracts are still live,

513
00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:29,680
Speaker 4: so it's.

514
00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:30,600
Speaker 5: Still who knows.

515
00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:32,959
Speaker 4: But if you need, they have another year, right at

516
00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:34,200
Speaker 4: least on both contracts.

517
00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:36,359
Speaker 1: Yeah, but then it's kind of like, at what point,

518
00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:37,040
Speaker 1: but when.

519
00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:37,919
Speaker 5: Do you need to keep them?

520
00:24:38,080 --> 00:24:38,719
Speaker 1: Yeah? Do you need?

521
00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:42,320
Speaker 2: How much cap savings can you have? Like if you again,

522
00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:44,520
Speaker 2: you won't know until you know what's going to happen

523
00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:45,280
Speaker 2: with Kirk's contract.

524
00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:47,119
Speaker 4: This is the exact same thing I said last season.

525
00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:49,520
Speaker 4: The quarterback is the first domino to fall.

526
00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:55,280
Speaker 2: It's it's everything we've said since he traded Matt to Indianapolis.

527
00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:58,000
Speaker 5: Like, you're still paying for your quarterback position.

528
00:24:57,800 --> 00:24:59,800
Speaker 2: And that was not the position that the twenty twenty

529
00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:02,680
Speaker 2: four Falcons needed to be and it's not the position that.

530
00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:03,640
Speaker 1: They saw for themselves.

531
00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:07,280
Speaker 2: Like the fact that we're having a quarterback conversation now

532
00:25:07,359 --> 00:25:12,040
Speaker 2: for the one, two, three, four, almost fifth year in

533
00:25:12,119 --> 00:25:17,560
Speaker 2: a row is a little headache inducing, and that's why

534
00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:21,200
Speaker 2: I feel like with the fan base, I understand the

535
00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:24,760
Speaker 2: frustrations because it's kind of just what is it like,

536
00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:28,360
Speaker 2: same same thing, different year, just wrapped in a different package.

537
00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:34,360
Speaker 2: And that's kind of where this kind of ship has sailed.

538
00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:36,800
Speaker 1: For lack of a better metaphore, that's.

539
00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:40,360
Speaker 5: My biggest question, Marcus, what's going to happen with Kirk Cousins.

540
00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:44,719
Speaker 3: Yeah, I hate the term double playing, double advocate, and

541
00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:46,560
Speaker 3: I hate to play it, but I actually will in

542
00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:50,239
Speaker 3: this moment because as much as like this is like

543
00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:54,159
Speaker 3: same cycles repeating, I think for the first time, and

544
00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:56,000
Speaker 3: I'll just quote Raheem Morris, you see a light at

545
00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:59,800
Speaker 3: the end of the tunnel with Pennix, and they seem

546
00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:02,760
Speaker 3: you know, obviously a lot can happen, but I think

547
00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:04,879
Speaker 3: when you're looking at what he's been able to do

548
00:26:04,920 --> 00:26:09,000
Speaker 3: in just three games, it by far feels different than

549
00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:10,560
Speaker 3: these other moments.

550
00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:13,560
Speaker 1: I don't know. Maybe maybe that's just my perspective.

551
00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:15,920
Speaker 2: But no, I think that's fair because you think about

552
00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:19,159
Speaker 2: where this team was at the end of when it

553
00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:20,600
Speaker 2: was like Marcus, Mario de de.

554
00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:23,000
Speaker 1: Des matter kind of what I'm comparing him, and.

555
00:26:22,880 --> 00:26:27,000
Speaker 2: Then from Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heineke to whatever came next,

556
00:26:27,040 --> 00:26:30,000
Speaker 2: which ended up being Kirk Cousins, Like, I get what

557
00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:32,840
Speaker 2: you're saying. You feel confident in what the Falcons have

558
00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:35,600
Speaker 2: at the quarterback position with Michael Pennix more than you

559
00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:39,080
Speaker 2: have previously in the years that have kind of bridged

560
00:26:39,119 --> 00:26:41,240
Speaker 2: the gap between Matt Ryan and where we are now.

561
00:26:41,359 --> 00:26:44,320
Speaker 4: Yeah, the conversations right now with Michael Pennock Junior are

562
00:26:44,359 --> 00:26:46,720
Speaker 4: a lot different after three games than they were with

563
00:26:47,640 --> 00:26:49,760
Speaker 4: Desmond Ritterer after three games.

564
00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:55,400
Speaker 1: Yeah, and especially after different rounds of drafts too. Yeah. Sure, yeah,

565
00:26:56,320 --> 00:26:59,399
Speaker 1: Apple's orange is. But exactly, I don't know. It's just

566
00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:02,720
Speaker 1: really tough. And on to thank you for bringing up

567
00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:04,080
Speaker 1: the light at the end of the tunnel.

568
00:27:04,160 --> 00:27:05,080
Speaker 5: That's not Devil's Advocate.

569
00:27:05,119 --> 00:27:06,800
Speaker 1: That was that was that was very nice.

570
00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:08,199
Speaker 5: That was the opposite of Devil's advocate.

571
00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:08,840
Speaker 1: And you left us.

572
00:27:09,160 --> 00:27:14,080
Speaker 2: Yeah, you left us, you know, on an relatively okay note.

573
00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:17,800
Speaker 2: I'm gonna say relatively okay because I don't have anything

574
00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:19,040
Speaker 2: else to say.

575
00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:20,000
Speaker 1: Good.

576
00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:22,080
Speaker 2: So my mom always told me, if you don't have

577
00:27:22,080 --> 00:27:24,040
Speaker 2: anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. So

578
00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:27,760
Speaker 2: we've been talking for like twenty five minutes. So I'm

579
00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:30,880
Speaker 2: going to shut up now and allow everybody to get on.

580
00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:31,440
Speaker 1: With their day.

581
00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:35,960
Speaker 2: But I really, really, really want to thank everybody for

582
00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:39,120
Speaker 2: listening and following along with us all season long. It's

583
00:27:39,160 --> 00:27:43,199
Speaker 2: been can't say it was boring. Can't say it was boring,

584
00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:46,640
Speaker 2: it was. It was anything but boring. We always had

585
00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:50,480
Speaker 2: something to talk about, whether it was the last time

586
00:27:50,520 --> 00:27:54,600
Speaker 2: we put on these headsets in the first like month

587
00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:56,840
Speaker 2: of twenty twenty four when we were coming back from

588
00:27:56,880 --> 00:27:59,520
Speaker 2: New Orleans and there was a coaching change and everything

589
00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:02,600
Speaker 2: that's happened. Sense, Thank you guys for sticking with us.

590
00:28:03,119 --> 00:28:09,400
Speaker 2: Our first annual Final Whistles coming on Friday. They are

591
00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:13,840
Speaker 2: the twenty twenty four awards that we will be giving out,

592
00:28:14,320 --> 00:28:17,640
Speaker 2: not all of them positive, yes, yeah, so yeah, Will

593
00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:19,160
Speaker 2: did say not all positive.

594
00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:21,640
Speaker 1: So it's not just gonna be like keep it real.

595
00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:24,679
Speaker 3: Yeah, the final whistles exactly, the final whistles.

596
00:28:24,800 --> 00:28:28,960
Speaker 2: Think of them as the what's on the office, the dundees, Yeah,

597
00:28:29,119 --> 00:28:31,679
Speaker 2: the dundee the dundees. These are the final whistles, and

598
00:28:32,119 --> 00:28:34,600
Speaker 2: you know, so make sure you listen out for that,

599
00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:38,000
Speaker 2: but please rate, review, like, and subscribe. Follow us on

600
00:28:38,040 --> 00:28:41,760
Speaker 2: the Atlanta Falcons Podcast Network wherever you get your podcast.

601
00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:44,880
Speaker 1: For Taran and Amna, I'm Tori and we will see

602
00:28:44,880 --> 00:28:45,720
Speaker 1: you guys real soon