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Speaker 1: Sturdy birds. What's up and welcome to another edition of

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Speaker 1: Falcons f I'm a Whistle presented by Zaxby's I'm your

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Speaker 1: host Will mcfad and I am joined by Tory mc

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Speaker 1: laney and Tarren Walk. We are celebrating another Falcons victory.

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Speaker 1: They knocked off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers thirty six thirty

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Speaker 1: in overtime on Thursday night in Mercedes Benz Stadium. They

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Speaker 1: are now three and two on the season. They have

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Speaker 1: a two to zero lead in the NFC South and honestly,

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Speaker 1: I'm just so freaking happy that this is the last

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Speaker 1: time we'll be recording a podcast at two a m.

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Speaker 1: After a game. It's the last primetime game for a

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Speaker 1: while for the Falcons.

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Speaker 2: Oh for a while?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, No, not for the season, Taran, as much as

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Speaker 1: as right now I wish it would be. But the

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Speaker 1: Falcons been great in primetime this year. And Jesse Bates

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Speaker 1: said after the game, this was one of the craziest

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Speaker 1: games he has been a part of in his entire career. Tory,

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Speaker 1: where does it rank for you? Yeah?

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Speaker 2: I think I have been to a lot of college

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Speaker 2: games as a fan and or working them that I

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Speaker 2: would put down in as like craziest games I've ever seen,

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Speaker 2: like LSU Georgia back in like what twenty fourteen was

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Speaker 2: one that I will remember forever. There's been a couple

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Speaker 2: like Georgia Auburn and Georgia Tennessee. I went to UGA.

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Speaker 2: So there have been a number of those games. But

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Speaker 2: I've been covering this team now for four years, and

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Speaker 2: I don't know if there has been a game quite

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Speaker 2: like this. We've seen a lot of obviously one score games.

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Speaker 1: You know.

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Speaker 2: We thought the Monday night two minute drill that Kirk

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Speaker 2: Cousins and company put together against the Eagles to win

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Speaker 2: that game was crazy, but this the way it all unfolded,

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Speaker 2: going to overtime, being on Thursday night, at being at home,

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Speaker 2: it was It was crazy. It was also crazy because

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Speaker 2: it was a game that was almost completely flipped on

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Speaker 2: its head from what it was four days ago, where

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Speaker 2: the offense could not get going, it could not get

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Speaker 2: in the end zone, to now we're about to sit

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Speaker 2: here and talk about Kirk Cousins breaking franchise records and

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Speaker 2: the Falcons are getting into the zone four times. And

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Speaker 2: I mean it's in this idea too of how clutch

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Speaker 2: like special teams and defense was but the Falcons really

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Speaker 2: really had to rely on the offense against the Bucks.

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Speaker 2: And I mean, we're recording this at two twenty in

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Speaker 2: the morning, and I feel pretty pretty jazzed, and it

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Speaker 2: was a fun environment to be around. And I don't

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Speaker 2: think I've had very many of those opportunities to really

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Speaker 2: feel feel that in a postgame locker room talking to Drake, London,

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Speaker 2: Darnold and Mooney, Kirk, Cousins, Bijon Robinson, all those guys.

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Speaker 1: Pretty jazzed, love love jazz, pretty jazz.

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Speaker 2: Okay, Kirk is rubbing off on me apparently.

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Speaker 1: All right, swag surfing, pretty jazz. Two sides of the

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Speaker 1: spectrum there, Taren, What about you? Where did this rank

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Speaker 1: in terms of football games?

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Speaker 3: When it comes to covering NFL games, it's definitely been

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Speaker 3: the most chaotic one in like a good energetic way.

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Speaker 3: It was my first overtime when it came to covering

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Speaker 3: NFL nice, I cannot say it's the most hectic overtime

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Speaker 3: game I have covered, though shout out to the twenty

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Speaker 3: eighteen National Championship. But when it comes to professional this

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Speaker 3: was definitely this is definitely the top of the list.

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Speaker 1: This was a crazy game. I mean, like I have,

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Speaker 1: I was here for the I believe it was also

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Speaker 1: Sunday Night against Philly in twenty nineteen when Julio had

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Speaker 1: kind of a walk off. Yeah that wasn't a walk off,

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Speaker 1: but just the late game kind of screenplay like I've

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Speaker 1: been witnessed to, not covering many different Falcons, like crazy

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Speaker 1: late game, the vic Era, you know, early in Matt

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Speaker 1: Ryan's career, games like that, But this one, this one

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Speaker 1: felt really like a heavyweight fight going back and forth,

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Speaker 1: and there were momentum swings, and I just always felt

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Speaker 1: like Tampa Bay was a good team tonight, that the

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Speaker 1: Falcons were gonna have to find a way to put away,

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Speaker 1: that they weren't just gonna fall off. And that's ultimately

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Speaker 1: what ended up happening is I think the Falcons really

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Speaker 1: kind of prove something to the fans and to themselves

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Speaker 1: a little bit in this win. So let's do a

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Speaker 1: real quick rundown of some of the key stats we mentioned.

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Speaker 1: Kirk Cousins. He had an all time night for the

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Speaker 1: Atlanta Falcons forty two to fifty eight for a franchise

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Speaker 1: record five hundred and nine passing yards with four touchdowns

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Speaker 1: and an interception. Drake Lonnon was his top target, twelve

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Speaker 1: catches one hundred and fifty four yards with one touchdown.

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Speaker 1: Darnell Mooney nine catches, one hundred and five yards, two touchdowns.

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Speaker 1: Kyle Pitts also good to see him, seven catches eighty

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Speaker 1: eight yards. The Jean Robinson fifteen touches for seventy seven yards,

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Speaker 1: filiping over to the defense. David Onyamada gets a sack tonight.

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Speaker 1: That's the only Falcon sack of the game, but good

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Speaker 1: to see him get one. Jesse Bates the key force

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Speaker 1: fumble late in the fourth quarter and kateen Nellis comes

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Speaker 1: up with that fumble recovery. Baker Mayfield nineteen to twenty

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Speaker 1: four for one hundred and eighty yards with three touchdowns.

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Speaker 1: He was good tonight too, He was really good. We'll

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Speaker 1: get to him, you know, a little bit later on

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Speaker 1: in the podcast. Mike Evans five catches for sixty two

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Speaker 1: yards and two touchdowns. For a second there, I kind

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Speaker 1: of thought we might be talking about a game in

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Speaker 1: which Mike Evans took over instead of Kirk Cousins, And

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Speaker 1: at that point I was looking up some stats. Did

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Speaker 1: you know so Mike Evans came into this game with

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Speaker 1: more receiving yards against the Falcons than any player in

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Speaker 1: the twenty first century.

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Speaker 2: I know this because you told me about this earlier.

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Speaker 1: In the week, so since two thousand. But trivia question

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Speaker 1: for both of y'all, Mike Evans does not have the

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Speaker 1: most receiving yards all time against the Falcons. He's the

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Speaker 1: second most receiving yards all time against the Falcons? Who

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Speaker 1: has the first? And it is a player I guarantee

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Speaker 1: both of y'all have heard of.

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Speaker 2: Can you give us a hint on the tie?

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Speaker 3: It's some two twenty five, am?

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Speaker 2: Is it the same?

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Speaker 1: Yeah?

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Speaker 2: It is two twenty five am?

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Speaker 1: Fair? Okay, so he played before the two thousands, so eighties, nineties, Lord, Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I guarantee you guys know who this. Think of famous

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Speaker 1: wide receivers and just throw throw an ame out.

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Speaker 2: We're going to have to cut this, but we'll tell

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Speaker 2: us who it is.

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Speaker 1: We're not cutting it. It was Jerry Rice well over

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Speaker 1: two thousand career receiving yards against I think it's twenty

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Speaker 1: three hundred when he was with the forty nine ers.

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Speaker 3: This is why I don't play trivia.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, A little disappointed in you guess. So anyway, let's

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Speaker 1: move on and keep talking about the Falcons offense. How

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Speaker 1: much did tonight's performance change your perception of this Falcons team.

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Speaker 2: It doesn't change my perception of them. It reinforces what

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Speaker 2: I already thought of them. Okay, I always thought that

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Speaker 2: they had this capability. This was the bar, this this

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Speaker 2: was the expectation. This time not five hundred passing yards

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Speaker 2: type of expect hait, but this level of a pass

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Speaker 2: game exploding and really truly being the crux of this

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Speaker 2: team in a way that we have not seen since

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Speaker 2: Matt Ryan was playing here. So for me, as I

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Speaker 2: was watching this unfold, I was like, there it is.

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Speaker 2: It's clicking. This makes sense. This is exactly what I

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Speaker 2: thought it was going to be. Kirk Cousins is hitting

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Speaker 2: Drake Lundon, Kyle Pitts, Darnell Mooney.

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Speaker 1: It was.

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Speaker 2: It was as advertised, like, this is the first time

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Speaker 2: the Falcons felt the Falcon's offense felt as advertised from

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Speaker 2: what they were building in the offseason. And because of that,

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Speaker 2: my opinion didn't change. Like this wasn't necessarily like an

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Speaker 2: opinion changing performance, it really was. I'm like, Okay, it

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Speaker 2: took five games y'all said that, you know, time and

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Speaker 2: time again. Even Zach Robinson this last week. I asked him.

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Speaker 2: I was like, you know, how do you coming off

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Speaker 2: of a game where, yes, you won and you had

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Speaker 2: over three hundred total yards of offense, but you didn't

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Speaker 2: punch it in the end zone? Like how do you

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Speaker 2: weigh that in your head? And he's like, I know

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Speaker 2: that we are this close. He was like, we're a

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Speaker 2: block or a miss block here, We're a misthrow here

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Speaker 2: in one day, like it or not one day, but like,

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Speaker 2: there's something that's not connecting. There's something that's not clicking yet.

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Speaker 2: And for the first time in five games, the past

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Speaker 2: game was clicking. Things were working, Guys were open. And

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Speaker 2: one of the most important things that I think Kirk

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Speaker 2: Cousins said after the game was he was talking about

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Speaker 2: the anticipation and the feeling of connection that he has

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Speaker 2: with his receivers and he said he was like, you know,

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Speaker 2: in the first four games, I felt like I was

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Speaker 2: almost kind of holding it a little too.

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Speaker 1: Long and not having to see it come open.

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Speaker 2: Yes, waiting to make sure that they got to the

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Speaker 2: end of their right route, making sure that they get

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Speaker 2: the separation where they.

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Speaker 1: Need to and then throw it as opposed to trust

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Speaker 1: it and throw it.

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Speaker 2: And that's he said exactly that. In the second quarter.

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Speaker 2: He was like, there was a moment in the second

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Speaker 2: quarter where I think you said he hit a couple

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Speaker 2: of guys and it was in those moments where he realized.

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Speaker 2: He was like, I was anticipating Drake to be there,

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Speaker 2: I was anticipating Kyle to be there, and they were there,

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Speaker 2: and he was like, that just goes back. I mean

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Speaker 2: he's been with Justin Jefferson, you know for however many

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Speaker 2: long how many years that they played together, Like it's

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Speaker 2: just one of those things. Julio and Matt talked about

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Speaker 2: it all the time, like you just knew where they're

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Speaker 2: going to be. We talked about it with Travis Kelce

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Speaker 2: and Patrick Mahomes three weeks ago. That connection between quarterback

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Speaker 2: and pass catcher is so important and having that innate anticipation,

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Speaker 2: and Kirk Cousins said that he finally felt that tonight

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Speaker 2: and I think that was the difference.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, And it was huge on a lot of those

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Speaker 1: especially over the middle routes that I think Drake London

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Speaker 1: does so well and file Pitts, does you know really well,

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Speaker 1: And I was thinking a lot back to the past

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Speaker 1: game on Sunday and when Ray Ray McLeod slips on

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Speaker 1: that in breaking round, it's Kirk Cousins' interception. That's what

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Speaker 1: we're talking about. I think with the trust, like you

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Speaker 1: have to trust that your receiver is a going to

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Speaker 1: stay on his feet but also not allow the safety

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Speaker 1: to undercut him, that he's going to be where it's

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Speaker 1: supposed to be, that the ball is going to be

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Speaker 1: there on tip like, there's so much trust in those

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Speaker 1: types of throws. But Taren, what about you did? Did

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Speaker 1: today's performance change what you thought about this team? Because

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Speaker 1: it sounds like Tory was a true believer sight unseen,

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Speaker 1: she knew that this was capable. Did you think that

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Speaker 1: this was capable?

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Speaker 3: I feel like I blanked and all of a sudden

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Speaker 3: it cracked five hundred. There was a lot of action

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Speaker 3: going on and whatnot. I still feel like there were

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Speaker 3: moments that I wish there was a.

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Speaker 2: Bit more more from what.

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Speaker 3: Field goal opportunities, like maybe they could have just kept going.

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Speaker 3: I don't know, but that's just me being picky. And

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Speaker 3: at the same time, maybe I'm just thinking back to

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Speaker 3: previous games where it felt like so many drives did

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Speaker 3: stall out prematurely. When it comes to whether or not

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Speaker 3: I thought they were capable of this with all things clicking, Yes,

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Speaker 3: did I think they were going to click that? I

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Speaker 3: don't know, because if you want to think back in

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Speaker 3: these past few games, it's like what has changed? And

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Speaker 3: maybe it is just time and comfortability. So I don't know.

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Speaker 3: It's like an intangible thing that I can't put a

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Speaker 3: finger on. It's just like I'm a I'll believe it

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Speaker 3: when I see it kind of person. So I think

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Speaker 3: that's it. Like I don't think I could have believed

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Speaker 3: it before I saw it, but now that I see it,

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Speaker 3: it's like if y'all backtrack, well, no, no, No.

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Speaker 2: The thing is is like they up until this point

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Speaker 2: didn't give anybody a reason to feel differently, you know,

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Speaker 2: like they didn't give anybody a reason to believe that

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Speaker 2: they could go out and do what they just did.

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Speaker 3: And so but you were saying, like you're a full

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Speaker 3: believer from the get go that like they were capable

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Speaker 3: of this. Yeah, where I am the opposite.

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Speaker 2: Where it's like I need to see it to believe it.

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Speaker 1: No, I totally get that sense of like needing to

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Speaker 1: see the thing happen, because now that we have seen

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Speaker 1: what it actually looks like, I think it's so much

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Speaker 1: easier to go into a matchup against a good defense

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Speaker 1: being like, Okay, well, I know what it looks like

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Speaker 1: when Kirk and Darnell connect on an improbable play for

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Speaker 1: a touchdown, Like I know what it looks like when

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Speaker 1: Kyle Pitts gets that's liver of daylight. So yeah, there

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Speaker 1: are some nitpicks about the offense that we can get

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Speaker 1: to here in one second, but by and large, like

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Speaker 1: seeing it and being able to confirm with your eyes

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Speaker 1: you know what the ceiling looks like, and how different

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Speaker 1: the ceiling for this offense feels compared to those of

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Speaker 1: the years past. Tory brought up Matt Ryan era, like

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Speaker 1: that's truly the only thing that this can compare to

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Speaker 1: right now, it feels like So Taren Caderill Hodge was

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Speaker 1: a player we haven't really mentioned yet, and he had

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Speaker 1: the biggest play of the game, the game winning touchdown,

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Speaker 1: And you talk to a bunch of players in the

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Speaker 1: locker room afterwards, what were they saying about caderrel Hodge

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Speaker 1: and that play.

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Speaker 3: I mainly talked to Darnell Mooney and Drake London so

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Speaker 3: his position mates and whatnot, and those two popped off

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Speaker 3: the stat sheet with over one hundred receiving yards a piece.

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Speaker 3: But what was so eye opening is they were quick

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Speaker 3: to applaud Caderrel and Cadarrel was also so self aware

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Speaker 3: in a way where he was like, I know I'm

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Speaker 3: not going to get that many opportunities, so I want

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Speaker 3: to make the most of them when I can, and

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Speaker 3: I'm going to be ready for them when they come up.

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Speaker 3: And he's saying how he stays after practice every day

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Speaker 3: to get a little extra reps, like he's putting in

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Speaker 3: all the hard work, and that was something he just

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Speaker 3: kept coming back to, like, man, I've worked so hard,

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Speaker 3: I've worked so hard for this. In hearing Drake and

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Speaker 3: Darnell kind of back that up and be like we

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Speaker 3: see that, Like give him that. What's the word I want?

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Speaker 2: Kudos?

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Speaker 3: Kudos affirmation. Yes, my brain is like half operating right now.

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Speaker 3: But that's what stood out to me most is kind

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Speaker 3: of like you have like wide receiver one in two

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Speaker 3: applauding perhaps wide receiver?

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Speaker 2: What four because you still have Rey Ray up there?

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Speaker 1: Four? Five?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, four or five, and Cunero's like, I'm living

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Speaker 3: the dream. I have a few opportunities, but I'm on

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Speaker 3: an active roster. I'm getting paid to play football, like

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Speaker 3: I am giving it my all, so I don't waste

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Speaker 3: an opportunity because I know they're rare, and that's that's

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Speaker 3: something you have to admire.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean in some ways, that role, I think

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Speaker 1: is even more difficult because you have to go in

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Speaker 1: sometimes to the most stressful and intense situations without the

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Speaker 1: benefit of like having been on the field to work

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Speaker 1: up a lather. You know how much it stinks when

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Speaker 1: somebody throws to you cold in a podcast when you

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Speaker 1: haven't talked for like seven minutes, Like I'm about to

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Speaker 1: do to Toy and ask her, you know what she

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Speaker 1: thought about the penalties in today's game, because that is

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Speaker 1: still I think a little bit of a if they're

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Speaker 1: is something boiling underneath the surface here, not even underneath

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Speaker 1: the surface, like starting to kind of creep up, like

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Speaker 1: the penalties I felt could have ultimately, if we're talking

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Speaker 1: about a loss, that's what we would have been talking about.

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Speaker 1: It's the miscues that prevented them from scoring some of

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Speaker 1: the extra touchdowns Instead of field goals things like that.

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Speaker 1: I mean, how big of a factor or concern is

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Speaker 1: this for you? Still?

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Speaker 2: Very I'm very concerned about it, and I I mean

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Speaker 2: Kirk Cousins said it best, I think at his postgame

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Speaker 2: press conference where he said, you know, we were able

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Speaker 2: to overcome the penalties tonight.

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Speaker 1: It's a good way to put it. Yeah, And.

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Speaker 2: It's frustrating. And I'm going to use this stat because

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Speaker 2: I thought Tarren's story that she wrote on these on

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Speaker 2: the issues that the Falcons have had from a penalty standpoint.

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Speaker 2: So even going into this game, the Falcons had been

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Speaker 2: penalized thirteen times as an offense, and ten of those

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Speaker 2: times the post penalty mark off put the Falcons in

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Speaker 2: situations that required a play of eleven or more yards

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Speaker 2: to get a first down, And eleven of those thirteen

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Speaker 2: penalties came on first or second down, which makes sense

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Speaker 2: why that the yardage is so long. And there were

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Speaker 2: moments again in this game where you saw things get

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Speaker 2: wiped away, and not just not just plays here and there,

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Speaker 2: but big momentum shifters. Potentially first downs get wiped away

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Speaker 2: because of a hold here and illegal man downfield here

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Speaker 2: at pass interference here, so and it's it's offensive.

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Speaker 1: Yeah.

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Speaker 2: And that's another thing.

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Speaker 1: It's like, the the defense had the second fewest penalties

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Speaker 1: called against them of any defense in the league coming

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Speaker 1: into this game.

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Speaker 2: So and that's what's so and that to me, it's like, Okay,

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Speaker 2: the offense is offense. It is the offense.

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Speaker 1: I think, right, it's the offense.

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Speaker 2: And that is worrisome because it continues to be kind

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Speaker 2: of this to your point, this underlying issue, this lingering

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Speaker 2: thing that can bite you in the butt if you

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Speaker 2: don't get it under control. To me, these like situational

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Speaker 2: offensive penalties and kind of what they are taking away

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Speaker 2: from this team is really really tough to overlook. In

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Speaker 2: the first five games of the season, but also in

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Speaker 2: the exact same breath, it's like they were able to

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Speaker 2: overcome it at least to get the win. Against the Saints,

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Speaker 2: they didn't score like drives stalled and ended because they

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Speaker 2: because of some of these penalties. And then today against

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Speaker 2: the Bucks, it was like, okay, yeah, they did have

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Speaker 2: a few penalties that really kind of put them behind

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Speaker 2: the sticks a little bit, but they were still able

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Speaker 2: to convert some important fourth downs. I mean, they were very,

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Speaker 2: very gutsy tonight. And I'm not saying that like these

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Speaker 2: penalties change everything or the scope or we don't have

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Speaker 2: the ending that we have tonight, but it is something

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Speaker 2: that you have to take note of and you got

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Speaker 2: to clean up.

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Speaker 1: Today's episode of Falcons Final Whistle is brought to you

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Speaker 1: by Zaxby's. And after a long game, when I'm tired

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Speaker 1: and I need to refuel, I turned to Zaxbies. They're marinated, handbreaded,

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Speaker 1: fried to perfection chicken fingers. They get the spot every time.

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00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:27,399
Speaker 1: Get yours with seasoned crinkle fries, a nice drink in

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00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:31,040
Speaker 1: whichever of their twelve signature sauces you're feeling at the moment.

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00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:34,119
Speaker 1: But it always hits just right. So next time you

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Speaker 1: need to refuel, go get yourself some Zaxbies. I mean,

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Speaker 1: there was a chance where again, like I thought that

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Speaker 1: they would play a factor in the outcome going differently tonight,

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Speaker 1: Like there especially in the third quarter when the Falcons

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Speaker 1: are driving away from from us in the press box,

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Speaker 1: Like there was a series where Atlanta gets down into

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Speaker 1: the red zone again. They got into the red zone.

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Speaker 1: They've been getting into the red zone a lot this season.

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Speaker 3: I feel like, and then they're like backed out of and.

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Speaker 1: Then it's immediately a penalty and you go back by

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Speaker 1: I think it was second and five, now it's second

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Speaker 1: and ten, and then there was another penalty on the drive.

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Speaker 1: And I was just thinking that our main takeaway from

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Speaker 1: this game was going to be against the best teams

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Speaker 1: in this conference. And if those are your aspirations to

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Speaker 1: compete for the playoffs and get in there and see

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Speaker 1: what you can do, then you need to be able

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Speaker 1: to go toe to toe without shooting yourself on the foot.

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Speaker 2: Okay, it's so funny that you say this, because in

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Speaker 2: the third quarter I wrote down in my notebook, I said,

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Speaker 2: the Falcons can't get out of their own way. The

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Speaker 2: only thing standing in this team's way is itself. In

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Speaker 2: a game that should have been celebrating a pass game

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Speaker 2: finally clicking, the Falcons were left talking about mistackles, missfield goals, drops,

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Speaker 2: and penalties.

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Speaker 1: I literally started writing down in this outline, So Falcons

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Speaker 1: missed opportunities in a game against a very good team.

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Speaker 1: A J. Trell drop pick, Kho's missfield goals, Kirk sacked

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Speaker 1: out of field goal range on a drive at the

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Speaker 1: end of the second quarter. Two penalties in the third

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Speaker 1: quarter and a great scoring chance Darnel Mooney's drop pass

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Speaker 1: and then Koo's blackfield goal attempts.

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Speaker 2: That's so crazy because that they.

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Speaker 1: Won this game thirty six to thirty exactly.

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Speaker 3: With over five hundred yards of offense.

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Speaker 2: That's what's so bananas, is not mathing Like, That's what's

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Speaker 2: so crazy is the narrative of this game would have

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Speaker 2: been so very, very different.

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Speaker 1: Yep.

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Speaker 2: If they don't win. If they don't win, we're not talking.

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Speaker 2: Like the only reason I brought that up was to

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Speaker 2: point out that we're not talking about that stuff. But

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Speaker 2: that's the stuff that in week ten, week eleven, week twelve, whatever,

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Speaker 2: potentially a postseason run if you have one knock on wood,

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Speaker 2: that's the stuff that would haunt you.

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Speaker 1: Yes, and it's a Justin Simmons said this exact same

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Speaker 1: thing after the game. Yeah, I was like, you've been

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Speaker 1: in this league for a long time. You know how

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Speaker 1: important wins like this are, even though there are things

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Speaker 1: you can nitpick, and even though they feel tight and

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Speaker 1: could go either way. Yeah, in in late November December,

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Speaker 1: when you're looking at the thick of a division race

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Speaker 1: or the wildcard race and you're saying, man, I'm really

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Speaker 1: glad we won those games against the Eagles and against

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Speaker 1: the Saints and Bucks. Not oh man, it was so

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Speaker 1: close and that that's.

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Speaker 3: All that matters in the end.

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Speaker 1: Right, But it's also why I think that there is

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Speaker 1: the sense and maybe why Tori was kind of the

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Speaker 1: disciple of this offense is that how high can it go?

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Speaker 1: Even on these days when you're you are kind of

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Speaker 1: making some of these unforced errors, you're still moving the

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Speaker 1: ball really well. Like even in any of these games,

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Speaker 1: their average yards per play has still been really high.

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Speaker 1: So like this could be a better team if they

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Speaker 1: really get the details ironed out, then people even think

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Speaker 1: maybe right now, So let's flip over real quick, though,

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Speaker 1: and talk about the defense, because they made another really

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Speaker 1: big play late. They made a huge three and out

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Speaker 1: stand to get the ball back for the offense to

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Speaker 1: allow that overtime to even happen.

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Speaker 3: Like both of you have said, Baker Mayfield played well

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Speaker 3: and it did come down to a one possession game

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Speaker 3: again for the fifth time in a row. But seeing

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Speaker 3: this defense step up when it needs to most has

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Speaker 3: been not just a this game thing, but kind of

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Speaker 3: an all season thing already. Where sure the Buccaneers were

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Speaker 3: able to move up and down the field, but they

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Speaker 3: were stopped. And that's what ultimately mattered in the end,

435
00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:30,640
Speaker 3: because it's the bet not break, as we have said

436
00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:33,720
Speaker 3: multiple times on this podcast too, like they bent, but

437
00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:36,040
Speaker 3: they did not break. And I'm okay with that.

438
00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:38,800
Speaker 1: And when you're playing that style of defense, you're going

439
00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:41,159
Speaker 1: to need those impact plays. But when you got a

440
00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:43,960
Speaker 1: player like Jesse Bates, when you got somebody like Justin

441
00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:46,000
Speaker 1: Simmons or a j Trell or David on your motet,

442
00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:50,000
Speaker 1: like those guys, when they step up, it means such

443
00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:53,280
Speaker 1: big things for this team overall, just as much as

444
00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:56,040
Speaker 1: it does with Kirk stepping up on the other side. So, Tori,

445
00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:59,200
Speaker 1: somebody who unfortunately wasn't out there tonight, but who steps

446
00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:00,680
Speaker 1: up in a big way in the way last game

447
00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:04,120
Speaker 1: was Troy Anderson. You know, how did you feel his

448
00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:06,440
Speaker 1: absence in this defense tonight?

449
00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:08,920
Speaker 2: So I think it was very obvious that the Falcons

450
00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:12,520
Speaker 2: missed his speed, and I know that there was at

451
00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:15,080
Speaker 2: one point I can't remember exactly what happened, but I

452
00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:18,359
Speaker 2: believe it was when Baker Mayfield kind of escaped the

453
00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:21,040
Speaker 2: pocket and picked up like ten yards in a first

454
00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:23,119
Speaker 2: down and Will and I kind of leaned over and

455
00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:25,439
Speaker 2: we were talking, and it was kind of like, Okay,

456
00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:27,240
Speaker 2: there's a lot of leaking, and there's a lot of

457
00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:29,679
Speaker 2: leaking that's happening in kind of this middle part of

458
00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:34,359
Speaker 2: the field, which would notoriously be where a Troy Anderson

459
00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:38,400
Speaker 2: and or even a Nate Lamman would be roaming. And

460
00:23:38,960 --> 00:23:42,560
Speaker 2: I felt like you did miss that presence with the

461
00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:45,000
Speaker 2: two of them not saying anything about like j D

462
00:23:45,119 --> 00:23:47,160
Speaker 2: Bertrand and his performance. I thought he had a really

463
00:23:47,200 --> 00:23:49,919
Speaker 2: good once he kind of got into the groove of

464
00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:50,920
Speaker 2: the game a little bit.

465
00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:53,040
Speaker 1: I felt like he did an amazing play down here

466
00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:55,560
Speaker 1: at the game and where he kind of like stood up.

467
00:23:57,119 --> 00:24:00,959
Speaker 2: Right and so nothing against him at all, but it

468
00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:03,359
Speaker 2: was one of those things where it's like, you did

469
00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:06,160
Speaker 2: you missed the thump of Nate Laman on a couple

470
00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:08,239
Speaker 2: of those runs, a couple of those plays that like

471
00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:11,239
Speaker 2: leaked out. On a couple of those plays that leaked out,

472
00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:14,080
Speaker 2: you missed Troy Anderson's speed and kind of sideline to

473
00:24:14,119 --> 00:24:20,479
Speaker 2: sideline ability. So to answer your question, yes, I do

474
00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:25,480
Speaker 2: think that his absence and Nate Lamon's absence did impact

475
00:24:25,560 --> 00:24:29,600
Speaker 2: the defense's ability to kind of something that we've talked about,

476
00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:32,480
Speaker 2: and I asked a few guys this over the course

477
00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:35,880
Speaker 2: of this short week. Was like, Okay, yes, this Falcons

478
00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:39,960
Speaker 2: defense they do. They were leading the league in stopping

479
00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:44,800
Speaker 2: explosive plays of twenty or more yards going into this game.

480
00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:47,719
Speaker 2: And I remember asked Gary Dy Jared. I was like,

481
00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:50,639
Speaker 2: does that stat matter to you guys? Is that like

482
00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:52,640
Speaker 2: an identity building stat? And he's like, well, of course,

483
00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:54,040
Speaker 2: you don't want to give up big place, but like,

484
00:24:54,080 --> 00:24:56,760
Speaker 2: we have got to be better on these like the

485
00:24:56,800 --> 00:25:01,120
Speaker 2: next rung down, So like fifteen yard explosives like ten

486
00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:04,879
Speaker 2: plus ten plus ten to like sixteen, and that was

487
00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:08,880
Speaker 2: the bread and butter of the Bucks today. They were

488
00:25:08,920 --> 00:25:13,399
Speaker 2: getting especially early. Honestly, in the first three quarters. It

489
00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:17,000
Speaker 2: was like every three plays was a pickup of fifteen

490
00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:21,280
Speaker 2: yards and that'll kill you. And that's what allowed them

491
00:25:21,320 --> 00:25:24,400
Speaker 2: to be what they were. But we knew going into

492
00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:29,080
Speaker 2: this game that was kind of their stick. You knew,

493
00:25:29,520 --> 00:25:32,080
Speaker 2: you knew how accurate Baker Mayfield was, you knew that

494
00:25:32,119 --> 00:25:36,520
Speaker 2: this was a top ten passing offense. You knew the

495
00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:40,040
Speaker 2: problems that Mike Evans and Chris Godwin presented so you

496
00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:43,280
Speaker 2: knew all this going in, so I'm kind of like.

497
00:25:44,240 --> 00:25:46,480
Speaker 1: Yeah, And that's why, I mean, I think we all

498
00:25:46,560 --> 00:25:49,040
Speaker 1: kind of like looked at each other when Atlanta won

499
00:25:49,119 --> 00:25:51,199
Speaker 1: the toss and then didn't elect to defer, and they

500
00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:53,040
Speaker 1: were like, nah, we'll just give us the ball. We'll

501
00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:56,439
Speaker 1: start on offense. Yeah. I think that they maybe had

502
00:25:56,440 --> 00:25:58,919
Speaker 1: a sense that this was going to be a point

503
00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:01,920
Speaker 1: scoring game and let's go ahead and get on out

504
00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:03,480
Speaker 1: and let's be the first ones out of the gates

505
00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:07,000
Speaker 1: and put some points up on the board, because that

506
00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:10,440
Speaker 1: that really is just it felt like the defense was

507
00:26:10,480 --> 00:26:12,880
Speaker 1: taking a little bit of time to figure out how

508
00:26:12,920 --> 00:26:15,440
Speaker 1: they were going to operate without Troy in there as well.

509
00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:18,879
Speaker 1: And that's why I think you saw, especially over the middle,

510
00:26:18,920 --> 00:26:21,679
Speaker 1: some of those plays early on for Tampa Bay's offense

511
00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:24,720
Speaker 1: through the air, because you know, the way everything was

512
00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:27,120
Speaker 1: fitting and where everybody was supposed to be what they

513
00:26:27,119 --> 00:26:29,000
Speaker 1: were worried about first.

514
00:26:29,760 --> 00:26:32,200
Speaker 2: I'll tell you. I'll add too, I think it's being

515
00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:35,120
Speaker 2: overlooked as well that Dee Alford got a concussion very

516
00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:37,880
Speaker 2: very early in this game. And I think that when

517
00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:40,840
Speaker 2: you are already down Troy Anderson and they did play

518
00:26:41,840 --> 00:26:44,280
Speaker 2: in a lot of Nickel looks, but only having Caden

519
00:26:44,320 --> 00:26:48,520
Speaker 2: Ellis out there at inside linebacker, I think when you

520
00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:51,520
Speaker 2: don't have d In there, who he's been such an integral.

521
00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:54,720
Speaker 1: Part of that second level in the Yeah.

522
00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:58,920
Speaker 2: I think, again, nothing against Antonio Hamilton, but Dee's been

523
00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:01,960
Speaker 2: the guy. He's been number one. An Tonio Hamilton is

524
00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:04,560
Speaker 2: actually coming off of an injury that he missed the

525
00:27:04,560 --> 00:27:07,959
Speaker 2: first what two games of the season with a groin injury,

526
00:27:08,160 --> 00:27:11,720
Speaker 2: so that I think is also maybe a little bit

527
00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:14,680
Speaker 2: of a wrinkle in in that middle of the field area.

528
00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:19,320
Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure, I do think that, you know, the

529
00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:22,960
Speaker 1: defense continues ultimately, like Terrence said, they're getting off the field,

530
00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:25,960
Speaker 1: like they're preventing the touchdowns and they're getting off the

531
00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:29,719
Speaker 1: field of the field goals or you know, tonight, finding turnovers,

532
00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:32,280
Speaker 1: you know, making big plays. I think the Bucks were

533
00:27:32,280 --> 00:27:34,320
Speaker 1: six of eleven on third down. Again, he'd like that

534
00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:37,000
Speaker 1: number to be better if you're Atlanta's defense, But they

535
00:27:37,040 --> 00:27:39,720
Speaker 1: did win the time of possession battle tonight. So things

536
00:27:39,920 --> 00:27:41,600
Speaker 1: are trending in the right direction. And again, the most

537
00:27:41,640 --> 00:27:45,680
Speaker 1: important stat is that you have three wins in five games,

538
00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:48,240
Speaker 1: even as you're trying to find your footing, and tonight

539
00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:51,160
Speaker 1: was a game in which the Falcons offensively very much

540
00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:53,879
Speaker 1: found their footing. And again, I think they're starting to

541
00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:55,960
Speaker 1: build a little bit of this team identity of you know,

542
00:27:56,040 --> 00:27:58,880
Speaker 1: never say die and just kind of being a really

543
00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:04,320
Speaker 1: resilient team. So let's wrap it up with our game balls,

544
00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:07,320
Speaker 1: and Tory, I was really gonna take your advice and

545
00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:11,560
Speaker 1: just get rid of game balls all together for losses.

546
00:28:11,760 --> 00:28:14,439
Speaker 1: And then they just haven't lost yet, so you know,

547
00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:16,920
Speaker 1: I think we're gonna just have to keep sticking with

548
00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:19,200
Speaker 1: game balls because they're obviously going to win forever.

549
00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:22,280
Speaker 2: So I mean, they heard me that you don't get

550
00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:23,480
Speaker 2: a game ball if you lose.

551
00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:25,600
Speaker 1: They want those game balls. So who are you going

552
00:28:25,680 --> 00:28:26,240
Speaker 1: to give yours to?

553
00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:29,800
Speaker 2: Kirk Cousins, Duh, I feel like you have to. I mean,

554
00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:36,280
Speaker 2: the man broke Matt Ryan's single game franchise record while

555
00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:39,440
Speaker 2: Matt Ryan was in attendance, literally looked.

556
00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:41,360
Speaker 1: At me, I am the Captain Matt Ryan.

557
00:28:41,640 --> 00:28:46,480
Speaker 2: Like legitimately, the night that Matt Ryan was inducted into

558
00:28:46,520 --> 00:28:50,080
Speaker 2: the Falcons Ring of Honor, Kirk Cousins goes and does

559
00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:54,240
Speaker 2: that like that is It's crazy. And the fact that

560
00:28:54,320 --> 00:28:58,280
Speaker 2: Kirk Cousins at this point in his career, knowing the

561
00:28:58,320 --> 00:29:02,480
Speaker 2: expectations of the contract that he signed with the Falcons

562
00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:07,239
Speaker 2: and how much money and and and end. That was

563
00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:12,200
Speaker 2: a very very important performance for Kirk Cousins, for this

564
00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:16,760
Speaker 2: franchise and most importantly for I think this offense and

565
00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:19,440
Speaker 2: the confidence that they need to be building together.

566
00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:21,600
Speaker 1: Absolutely, I mean.

567
00:29:21,520 --> 00:29:24,440
Speaker 3: It has to go to Kirk Cousins. Torri explained all

568
00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:27,000
Speaker 3: the reason why I guess my honorable mention would go

569
00:29:27,040 --> 00:29:32,040
Speaker 3: back to Kadaryl Hodge because if he doesn't score, if

570
00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:34,600
Speaker 3: he doesn't break that first tackle and then slide through

571
00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:38,360
Speaker 3: the other like wave of defense and make it to

572
00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:41,120
Speaker 3: the end zone without getting caught, who knows what we

573
00:29:41,160 --> 00:29:42,080
Speaker 3: would be talking about.

574
00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:45,800
Speaker 2: Here's my honorable mention though. Drake London, he was targeted

575
00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:49,160
Speaker 2: thirteen times, had twelve catches for one hundred and fifty

576
00:29:49,200 --> 00:29:52,920
Speaker 2: four receiving yards, and I thought that underneath have his name.

577
00:29:54,760 --> 00:29:58,200
Speaker 2: I loved watching Drake Lonnon play. If you talk to

578
00:29:58,280 --> 00:30:00,920
Speaker 2: Drake London just like as a person, and he's really

579
00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:04,560
Speaker 2: really chill and pretty just like he's very California esque.

580
00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:06,840
Speaker 2: But on the field he flips this switch and he

581
00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:11,640
Speaker 2: turns into this like really really aggressive physical receiver. And

582
00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:13,720
Speaker 2: I love watching him play, and I felt like we

583
00:30:13,760 --> 00:30:16,640
Speaker 2: saw exactly that tonight. I mean, heck, the guy had

584
00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:20,160
Speaker 2: to go into the locker room for a very long

585
00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:25,040
Speaker 2: time to get cleared from concussion protocol, came back out, immediately,

586
00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:27,120
Speaker 2: put his helmet on, ran back out on the field.

587
00:30:27,760 --> 00:30:31,120
Speaker 2: Was a huge part of this offense. One hundred and

588
00:30:31,120 --> 00:30:36,160
Speaker 2: fifty four of Kirk cousins five hundred passing guards. I

589
00:30:36,360 --> 00:30:38,760
Speaker 2: would like to honorable mention him, all.

590
00:30:38,720 --> 00:30:40,880
Speaker 1: Right, consider him honorably mentioned.

591
00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:41,320
Speaker 2: There you go.

592
00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:46,760
Speaker 1: Yeah, Kirk three for three. Congratulations man, you get the

593
00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:50,560
Speaker 1: game ball? You like that? Yeah? I had to. I

594
00:30:50,840 --> 00:30:53,840
Speaker 1: don't like myself either, But he.

595
00:30:53,720 --> 00:30:55,880
Speaker 2: Did it walking off the field. He did it walking

596
00:30:55,920 --> 00:30:58,840
Speaker 2: into the locker room. Drake London said that he liked that.

597
00:30:59,480 --> 00:31:02,960
Speaker 2: Donald and he said, and I quote, Kirko's a dog,

598
00:31:03,400 --> 00:31:06,320
Speaker 2: which was probably my favorite quote of the entire night.

599
00:31:06,800 --> 00:31:07,640
Speaker 1: Kirko is a dog.

600
00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:08,600
Speaker 2: Kirko is a dog.

601
00:31:08,920 --> 00:31:11,600
Speaker 1: You know what I like? Can you do, either of y'all?

602
00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:15,600
Speaker 1: Have this pulled up Ben Solac's tweet about the next

603
00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:17,600
Speaker 1: end stats or win probability.

604
00:31:17,680 --> 00:31:19,200
Speaker 2: I surely do. Please.

605
00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:21,480
Speaker 1: This is a great stat to just kind of wrap.

606
00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:25,160
Speaker 1: I think today's podcast up with because hey, man, like,

607
00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:27,200
Speaker 1: who would have thought? Yeah?

608
00:31:27,480 --> 00:31:31,480
Speaker 2: So, according to next Gen stats against the Eagles, Saints,

609
00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:35,160
Speaker 2: and Bucks, the Falcons win probability bottomed out at one percent,

610
00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:40,360
Speaker 2: twenty six percent, and five percent, respectively. That's a point

611
00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:45,000
Speaker 2: zero won three chance to win all three games, a

612
00:31:45,240 --> 00:31:50,160
Speaker 2: one in seven thousand, six hundred and ninety two chance.

613
00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:54,120
Speaker 2: It's like that Star Wars quote about the moons. You

614
00:31:54,160 --> 00:31:55,000
Speaker 2: know what I'm talking about?

615
00:31:55,480 --> 00:31:59,560
Speaker 1: Yes, yes, that famous Star Wars quote about the moons.

616
00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:05,320
Speaker 2: Yeah, no, yep, okay, oh okay. The possibility of successfully

617
00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:08,680
Speaker 2: navigating an asteroid field is approximately three thy seven and

618
00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:12,480
Speaker 2: twenty to one. Han Solo responds to c Throp says,

619
00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:15,960
Speaker 2: that never tell me the odds. So so this.

620
00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:19,400
Speaker 1: Was harder, This is less likely than navigating an asteroid

621
00:32:19,400 --> 00:32:20,400
Speaker 1: field successfully.

622
00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:24,600
Speaker 2: Yes, correct, The Falcons beating the Eagles, the Saints, and

623
00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:26,880
Speaker 2: the Bucks, and the way that they did was actually

624
00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:34,800
Speaker 2: more difficult statistically than flying the millennium Falcon through a

625
00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:35,520
Speaker 2: asteroid field.

626
00:32:35,600 --> 00:32:38,120
Speaker 1: Well, look at that, Captain Kirk and Majan Solo just

627
00:32:38,200 --> 00:32:44,040
Speaker 1: navigating this offense to three and two infinity. Heck yeah,

628
00:32:44,160 --> 00:32:46,040
Speaker 1: let's go all right, so that will do it for

629
00:32:46,200 --> 00:32:50,040
Speaker 1: today's Falcons final whistle. More Tory mclaney and Tarren Walk.

630
00:32:50,440 --> 00:32:53,680
Speaker 1: I am Will McFadden. We will be back to preview

631
00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:56,360
Speaker 1: the Atlanta Falcons next game against the Carolina Panthers. But

632
00:32:56,400 --> 00:32:59,320
Speaker 1: everybody enjoyed them any bye week, celebrate that three and

633
00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:01,480
Speaker 1: two start, and let's get ready for the next one.

634
00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:03,720
Speaker 1: So until next time, everybody, take care.