July 25, 2022 • 21 mins
Scott Bair and Tori McElhaney break down major storylines and position battles to keep an eye on once training camp begins this week. That includes position battles along the offensive and defensive line, the development of a new-look pass rush and, of course, the quarterback spot with Marcus Mariota as Desmond Ridder as options under center. We take a look at all that and more in this 2022 training camp preview Timecodes: (00:00:00): Intro; setting up Falcons training camp storylines (00:03:25): How lines of scrimmage might shape up (00:07:23): Can new players improve Falcons pass rush? (00:13:43): Will QB turn out to be a real competition? (00:17:33): Marcus Mariota’s rare opportunity
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
What's up, everybody, and welcome to another edition of The
Falcon's Final Whistle podcasts. Y'all haven't heard that intro in
a couple of weeks because Tory and I I'm Scott Bear.
That's Tory mc laney. We've been on summer vacation and
it has been awesome. I went to Key West with
the fam, had a blast. Saw a shark while I
was snorkeling actually here, and the the swimsuit right off me. Basically,
(00:32):
it was like, wait, that's a ten foot shark very
close to my six year old son. That's not a
good situation. Do you know what I did, Tory? I
didn't pay y'all shark. I just moved a few other
strangers closer to the shark and me farther away, so
the shark would want them, not me. I don't think
that a good person. But what's the saying, like, if
(00:54):
a bear is chasing you, like, you just have to
be faster than the slowest parson. That's the same, the
same principle, you just have to be faster than other
people in the water. Yes, that is exactly right. So
we are prerecording this when I went to Key West,
Tory has gone to Tybee Island. There's a Jamaica trip
(01:14):
coming up. I think you will be on your Jamaica
trip when this podcast comes out. I think, if I'm
doing the math right, you've got to be stoked for that.
I cannot wait. I'm going with one of my friends
who is from Jamaica, so we're doing the true Jamaican
experience because we're staying with her grandmother for a couple
of nights. So it's gonna be It's gonna be fun.
(01:35):
Will there be any time for you to have a
cocktail with a tiny umbrella in it? Though? Oh, that'll
be So we're staying at an all inclusive resort like
the first three nights that were there, so I will
only be drinking things if they have a tiny umbrella.
I feel like that's essential because heading into training camp,
our lives formally end and we turn ourselves over to
(01:57):
the Falcons machine as they try to improve and continue building.
In Terry Fontineau and Arthur Smith's second season, how about
that for a transition, We're heading into this training camp,
which I think, I don't know what you think. I
think is intriguing as heck, right, because there is so
(02:17):
much competition. How many times have we heard prove it,
you know, earn your role, right, there's gonna be I
think there's more training camp competition than any camp that
I've covered, whether it was the Falcons or the Raiders
or the forty nine ers in several years. And I
think there are several intriguing areas where there's gonna be
(02:39):
a lot of drama, right that we really don't know
who's going to start, who's going to have these bigger roles.
And over the course of the next fifteen twenty minutes,
we're going to talk about those specific areas that the
three kind of big storylines that Torry and I are
focusing on as we head into training camp. Oh and
by the way, we've got some freaking awesome stuff coming
(03:00):
up during training camp. We're talking about live podcasts, we're
talking about player guests, so much fun stuff coming up
on the Falcons final whistle. But before we get to that,
we have to talk about what's coming up and Tory's
what's a storyline that you're going to have your eye
on as we start to get into late July in
(03:20):
August and we move towards the regular season, I think
this isn't a very I don't even know what the
word is. It's not like a very sexy answer to
say the line of scrimmage and offensive line and defensive line.
But I'm gonna say it because I think every good
thing that could happen for the Falcons to me, it starts,
(03:44):
it begins and ends at the line of scrimmage. And
I can't look at this twenty twenty two Falcons team
and not look at this line of scrimmage and hope
that there is significant improvement from twenty twenty one to
twenty twenty two, both on the offensive and defensive line.
(04:05):
For the offensive line, it's protecting the quarterback, whoever it
may be, though I'm saying right now it's going to
be Marcus Mariota, but you know, don't come for me.
But it's protecting him. It's making sure that he has
time in the pocket. It's all of these things that
we need to see an improvement on it. Then with
the defensive line, I know we're going to talk about it.
It's getting after the quarterback. It's getting the guy off
(04:28):
of his spot and not letting him leak out the side.
I mean, that's these are all things that are very
important to any success the Falcons may have in twenty
twenty two. Yeah, and I look at it. This team
has a bunch of intriguing skill players. I want to
see what Tyler Algier can do. I want to see
(04:49):
what Drake Lundon can do. And Kyle Pitts in his
second year, and I think Brian Edwards is on the
verge of a breakout year. None of those guys can
do anything if they are not protected, right, And I
think here's the weird thing is that we talk about competition, competition, competition, challengers. Right,
It's possible. It's possible that we go into twenty twenty
(05:11):
two with the exact same offensive line that we that
the Falcons had last year. Yeah, it's possible. But Matt
Hennessy is going to be challenged at center, Jayleen Mayfield
will be challenged at left guard, Caleb McGarry will be
challenged at right tackle. And I think if they go
earn it, then they deserve the right to maintain their jobs.
(05:34):
But I think the fact that there will be challengers,
veteran challengers. Jermaine Effettie first round pick, right up and
down sort of career to this point he wants to
start right. Drew Dallman didn't come here to be a
backup right at center, and I think that competition is
going to be good. So if we end up with
(05:55):
the same starting five, okay, cool. But they have earned it.
We're last year. I think they were given it a
little bit, right, Yeah. I think it was more of
a we are just patching this up to get through
the first few weeks, and then you get to a
point where it's like, Okay, you can't necessarily take you
can't take Jayleen Mayfield out of this. I mean, I
(06:15):
think I think people forget that the offensive line was
set differently before last year's training camp than what it
actually ended up being. I think Josh Andrews was supposed
to play a much bigger role and then he goes
and gets injured a couple weeks into training camp, and
that to me, changed the whole scope of the offensive line.
(06:38):
Because of that, now we're looking at a different group altogether.
And I think that you're absolutely right that there is
I've said this before, I think I've said it on TV,
But like the offensive line competition I think is going
to be it should be the nastiest competition on the field.
(06:58):
This training camp bar none in my opinion, they should
be beating each other up to earn that starting role.
And going back to the storyline, we're on the offensive line,
but you said line up scrimmage, and I think once
we get pads on, which is I don't know, five
days into camp something like that, I think it's going
to be intense, right. And I think that those one
(07:22):
on ones, the eleven on eleven stuff, I think is
going to be fascinating. And I think it can transition
talking about the line of scrimmage can transition to another
storyline that I really am keeping an eye on. And
it revolves around the number eighteen. Right. Number eighteen was
the number of sacks the Falcons had last year. T J.
Watt had more. Okay, that's not good they I know
(07:45):
sacks aren't the be all end all right, but I
think that's an indicator. Those are game changing plays. Sacks
can come with strip sax, Sacks can force a punt,
Sacks can change the course of an offensive series. In
addition to the fact that the Falcons were very good
at doing the basics right, containing mobile quarterbacks, keeping guys
(08:07):
in the pocket, forcing Arrant throws, getting your hand up
and knocking the ball down, right, basic stuff that needs
to get better. So with the defensive line, we're kind
of the Falcons are hoping for better from the same right,
Grady Jarrett to quant Graham, Marlon Davidson. Potential hasn't been
(08:27):
realized yet, has to get better off the edge. Lorenzo Carter,
I will not stop talking about this dude. I think
he's poised for a breakout year. I know it kills
Tory because I give him so many compliments that she
doesn't have a chance to. Here's the thing with Lorenzo Carter.
I feel like I could add so much to the conversation,
but God just keeps talking about him that I built up.
(08:49):
I feel the need like I can't talk about him
because then like we're both talking about him, and then
it's overkilled. You know, It's like there's a there's a
fine line. So I will let you have your Lorenzo
Carter soapbox. I give it to you, all right. Well,
then let's transition to the rookie and what do you expect?
What do you expect? What are you looking to see
(09:10):
during training camp? From Arnold Ebacadie and D'Angelo Malone, the
third round pick. Yeah, I want to be able to
see obvious improvement. And am not saying that in any
way to say like that I didn't see them do
well in mini camp. That's not what I'm saying at all, men,
But I think there is a misconception that mini camp
(09:32):
you can learn a lot from mini camp. And I
can sit here and say you don't learn a dang
thing in mini camp, thank you, because you are not
seeing these guys go even seventy five percent like there
aren't there aren't pads on, no one's hitting, there's no tackling,
there's no running like and so you don't get to
(09:52):
see these guys really get after it in the way
that you need to see in order to understand what
they need to do and improve on. So for training
camp purposes, I want to see exactly like what we're
talking about with offensive line, I want to see Arnold Ebuchetti,
D'Angelo Malone, Ada Ogan Dagi, Lorenzo Carter. I want to
(10:14):
see them get after it. I want to see them
be able to make some things happen when they are
playing in those more live settings. And I do believe
that we are going to learn a lot more when
we get into the joint practices with New York and Jacksonville.
I think those four practices, to me are the most
(10:36):
important days of training camp. And I would hope that
by the time we get to week one that we
see a guy like Arnold Ebuketty. Maybe he's not starting
in the very first package or the very first rotation,
but he should be in that rotation, you know, like
he should be a big part of it. And I
(10:57):
think like the expectation for a guy like Arnold Becketti
isn't necessarily to start day one, week one of the season,
it's to develop into that guy. I'm okay with not
seeing him be a full time starter until halfway through
the season because I want to see him improve. I
want to see I don't want to see a linear line.
(11:19):
I want to see it go up. I want I
want to see the production go up as the year
goes on. That's that's the hope that I have for Arnold.
Evokeati's year in D'Angelo Malone too. I don't want to
not talk about him, but mainly Arnold Abaghetti. Yeah, I
think if you're being a negative Nancy, you would say
(11:43):
that Arnold Evocati is a one year wonder, right, that
he had a great year at Penn State, some decent
years at Temple. There are some draftnicks that thought he
was a first round pick, that he belonged in that
elite class. I think he has all the tools. I
think he has the right mindset. Guys, once you get
to know him, you're gonna dig him. He is just
(12:05):
a cool dude personality plus and comes with a great
backstory that we'll have features about. But nonetheless, I think
it's gonna be interesting for him. I think de'angelo I
just want to see him as that like rabid dog
being held by the leash and then somebody just like,
let's go of it right Like I want him to
(12:26):
do that. I want his one job to be like
see that quarterback right there, go tackle that dude. Well
that's what he was. That's what he was in at
Western Kentucky. I mean I talked to scouts and assistant
coaches if you read my Rookie series, like you know
that was de'angelo Malone's role at Western Kentucky. They were
(12:47):
just like DeAngelo sick him. That's literally what Edmondcino said
they did with him, and so, translating that to the league,
I completely get what you're saying. Yeah, So I think
if they can up the number of game altering plays,
whether it's strip sacks or whether it's quarterback pressure that
(13:10):
forces an errand throw. AJ Terrell would appreciate some quarterback
pressure that leads to lame ducks that float up that
he can snatch out of the air. And there are
some good defensive backs here. I'm pretty confident that the
secondary will be a strength. Yeah. I think. I think
Jalen Hawkins, he's in my Lorenzo Carter camp. I think
we could have breakout, seasoned material from him. So I
(13:34):
think there's a lot of intriguing things to look at.
Line of scrimmage, offensive line. We talked about the pass rush,
but we got to talk about the quarterbacks, right, I
do it. I think I'm one hundred percent in agreement
with you that Marcus Mariota is gonna start the year
as the starter. Yeah, I mean, dosn't. Ritter, according to reports,
was talking in the pre draft process saying how he
(13:55):
was going to unseat a veteran right he's got I
don't know, just he got. He has he has something
that right, that's really intriguing to me, you know, um,
and I want to know what that's about. And I
think he's going to push. He's forty four and six
was his collegiate record. The guy's a winner, he just has.
(14:20):
He never lost at home. I don't think, no, he
never lost at home. That Yeah, that was something that
I kept talking to people about. They're like, well, you
talk to Desmond Ritter and he's a winner, and he
has a comparative competitive spirit and etcetera, etcetera. It's all
good things, of course, but then you actually talk to
Desmond Ritter and it makes sense, Like that's the thing
(14:42):
is like, I think that talking to him, I think
he's very I mean I I think if you were
to say, like go up to Desmond Ritter and be like, hey, man,
like enjoy your backup role in twenty twenty two, he'd
be like, I don't know what you're talking about. Like
I'm going to be the starter, you know. Like he
just cares each himself in that way, in that confident way,
and I think that vote's really well for him. And
(15:05):
I think something that I'm never gonna get over is
Arthur Smiths saying that from the neck up that Desmond
Ritter is light years ahead of rookie quarterbacks that he's
worked with before. I cannot that does not pay that
type of compliment to someone I don't know. I don't
know how else to like pound it into people's brains.
That that is a very very important comment for Arthur
(15:28):
Smith to make about a rookie quarterback. Like if you
go back to last training camp, right, and we were
all there and we all saw Kyle Pitts doing Kyle
Pitts things in practice in training camp. There are times
where I mean he's going over and above like he
he just his physical tools were evident. And then you
(15:50):
go to the press conference and you'd be like, hey, Arthur,
did you see Kyle Pitts do that crazy athletic thing?
And be like, I don't want to talk about I
don't see nothing. Right, he just wouldn't do it because
he has a philosophy and that you got to go
prove it, right, Yeah, Like in a game, Arthur Smith
(16:11):
talks a lot about Kyle made like a crazy one
handed going one way, the ball was going another way
catch against Tampa Bay, Right, And then after that he
was talking to our PR director Davidasity, and he was like,
the media has got to talk about that. Right, then
he's alloted to compliment that type of behavior. He went
(16:31):
out and did it, right, So to have this back
to Desen writ or now I'm wondering when we were
going to go back. Maybe never, So we going back
to to Desmond. That's I'm trying to give some context
to the gravity of that comment, right, and going back
to what you said before too, right, that you can't
learn anything in mini camp, right, don't chart his passes
(16:55):
in mini camp. Okay, don't do it. Yeah, you guys,
we insane, but you can chart them in the middle
of training camp, right, Yeah. And I think that what
it was interesting about the comment that I think it
will be intriguing is so he's mentally getting it right,
will that translate into better physical play? I think we
need to see that. We need to see the accuracy,
(17:16):
we need to see the arm strength, we need to
see the commands which is pretty clear. And I think
that if we're if this is a competition, that's the
best way for Desmond to make it a competition, right, right, Again,
I just I just look at Marcus Mariota. He's twenty
eight years old. Yeah, he ain't that old man. Here's
(17:37):
the thing about Marcus Mariota, there is I think there
are very few people in the league that have an
opportunity like what Marcus Mariota has with the Falcons in
twenty twenty two. I think a lot of times when
you have somebody of that caliber slips, it's so hard
to get back to where they were and to be
(17:59):
given a chance to show that hey, I'm still starting
quarterback caliber guy. I'm still that guy. Marcus Mariota has
a chance that doesn't come around very often. It I
really do believe that he is in this year specifically
looking at this opportunity like this is it for me.
(18:19):
I've got to go out improve We talk about proving it,
proving and proving it. There is no one who better
epitomizes that than Marcus Mariota. So I know that everybody's
talking about like Desmond, Marcus, Desmond, Marcus. Don't overlook the
absolute like I mean, just like inward competition that Marcus
Mariota has with himself to prove to himself that he
(18:43):
is that guy and that he can go out in
twenty twenty two and still be that guy. Yeah, it's
gonna be a fascinating This guy's won a playoff game, right,
he was the number two overall pick. He's been in
the national spotlight for a long time. And I think
so much of court backing is, you know, the old
nature versus nurture argument. He's got the nature part, He's
(19:04):
got all the physical tools. Can he be nurtured in
a way that allows him to thrive? I think if
he he talked about playing free, if we're if we're
dissecting comments, which I like to do. Oh that's all
we get paid to do. Good point. Thank you everyone
for listening to him. But I go back to him
talking about playing free. And it was on it was
(19:27):
Chris Simms was talking about Marcus on a podcast on
Pro Football Talk or something like that, and he talked
about Marcus previously being robotic, and Marcus has talked about
being robotic in that he's reading sheet music right, he's
going through his going through his progressions, and he's making
what he thinks is the right choice. And he talked
(19:47):
a little bit about playing free, playing jazz man like
he like like you dig like like I'm losing my mind. Fantastic,
I'm gonna need a Yeah. So I just think that
if he can play free and allow his physical tools
(20:08):
to shine, I think that could be a good thing
for the Falcons. UM. So keep an eye on you know.
I like that we added you added a competition to
all these competitions. Right, We've got the spots on the
offensive line, We've got the edge rushers, we have the
quarterback competition, and then we have the Marcus Mariota competing
with himself competition, which is a great point. It's something
(20:29):
that I'm totally gonna steal your idea and write a
whole column about it and give you zero credit. I'm
glad that I could be of service. Yeah, yeah, I'm
gonna go ahead and steal it. Plagiarism at its finest.
But nevertheless, keep an eye on that too, um, and
also keep an eye on the Falcons Final Whistle podcast
(20:49):
and what I talked about earlier, We're gonna be doing
so much cool stuff during training camp. Please come out
to training camp to say hi to us. By the way,
it's gonna be really really fun. And another thing, this
is our last podcast with just two of us. UM.
By the time that you listen to this, you will
have read the intro column from Ashton Edmonds, who is
(21:10):
joining the squad. We are so freaking punch, so you know,
rate reviews, subscribe, do all that fun stuff. Um, as
you're listening to this on July twenty six, Tori will
be sipping my tie probably or and H and then
after that we're gonna be on the grind.
What's up, everybody, and welcome to another edition of The
Falcon's Final Whistle podcasts. Y'all haven't heard that intro in
a couple of weeks because Tory and I I'm Scott Bear.
That's Tory mc laney. We've been on summer vacation and
it has been awesome. I went to Key West with
the fam, had a blast. Saw a shark while I
was snorkeling actually here, and the the swimsuit right off me. Basically,
(00:32):
it was like, wait, that's a ten foot shark very
close to my six year old son. That's not a
good situation. Do you know what I did, Tory? I
didn't pay y'all shark. I just moved a few other
strangers closer to the shark and me farther away, so
the shark would want them, not me. I don't think
that a good person. But what's the saying, like, if
(00:54):
a bear is chasing you, like, you just have to
be faster than the slowest parson. That's the same, the
same principle, you just have to be faster than other
people in the water. Yes, that is exactly right. So
we are prerecording this when I went to Key West,
Tory has gone to Tybee Island. There's a Jamaica trip
(01:14):
coming up. I think you will be on your Jamaica
trip when this podcast comes out. I think, if I'm
doing the math right, you've got to be stoked for that.
I cannot wait. I'm going with one of my friends
who is from Jamaica, so we're doing the true Jamaican
experience because we're staying with her grandmother for a couple
of nights. So it's gonna be It's gonna be fun.
(01:35):
Will there be any time for you to have a
cocktail with a tiny umbrella in it? Though? Oh, that'll
be So we're staying at an all inclusive resort like
the first three nights that were there, so I will
only be drinking things if they have a tiny umbrella.
I feel like that's essential because heading into training camp,
our lives formally end and we turn ourselves over to
(01:57):
the Falcons machine as they try to improve and continue building.
In Terry Fontineau and Arthur Smith's second season, how about
that for a transition, We're heading into this training camp,
which I think, I don't know what you think. I
think is intriguing as heck, right, because there is so
(02:17):
much competition. How many times have we heard prove it,
you know, earn your role, right, there's gonna be I
think there's more training camp competition than any camp that
I've covered, whether it was the Falcons or the Raiders
or the forty nine ers in several years. And I
think there are several intriguing areas where there's gonna be
(02:39):
a lot of drama, right that we really don't know
who's going to start, who's going to have these bigger roles.
And over the course of the next fifteen twenty minutes,
we're going to talk about those specific areas that the
three kind of big storylines that Torry and I are
focusing on as we head into training camp. Oh and
by the way, we've got some freaking awesome stuff coming
(03:00):
up during training camp. We're talking about live podcasts, we're
talking about player guests, so much fun stuff coming up
on the Falcons final whistle. But before we get to that,
we have to talk about what's coming up and Tory's
what's a storyline that you're going to have your eye
on as we start to get into late July in
(03:20):
August and we move towards the regular season, I think
this isn't a very I don't even know what the
word is. It's not like a very sexy answer to
say the line of scrimmage and offensive line and defensive line.
But I'm gonna say it because I think every good
thing that could happen for the Falcons to me, it starts,
(03:44):
it begins and ends at the line of scrimmage. And
I can't look at this twenty twenty two Falcons team
and not look at this line of scrimmage and hope
that there is significant improvement from twenty twenty one to
twenty twenty two, both on the offensive and defensive line.
(04:05):
For the offensive line, it's protecting the quarterback, whoever it
may be, though I'm saying right now it's going to
be Marcus Mariota, but you know, don't come for me.
But it's protecting him. It's making sure that he has
time in the pocket. It's all of these things that
we need to see an improvement on it. Then with
the defensive line, I know we're going to talk about it.
It's getting after the quarterback. It's getting the guy off
(04:28):
of his spot and not letting him leak out the side.
I mean, that's these are all things that are very
important to any success the Falcons may have in twenty
twenty two. Yeah, and I look at it. This team
has a bunch of intriguing skill players. I want to
see what Tyler Algier can do. I want to see
(04:49):
what Drake Lundon can do. And Kyle Pitts in his
second year, and I think Brian Edwards is on the
verge of a breakout year. None of those guys can
do anything if they are not protected, right, And I
think here's the weird thing is that we talk about competition, competition, competition, challengers. Right,
It's possible. It's possible that we go into twenty twenty
(05:11):
two with the exact same offensive line that we that
the Falcons had last year. Yeah, it's possible. But Matt
Hennessy is going to be challenged at center, Jayleen Mayfield
will be challenged at left guard, Caleb McGarry will be
challenged at right tackle. And I think if they go
earn it, then they deserve the right to maintain their jobs.
(05:34):
But I think the fact that there will be challengers,
veteran challengers. Jermaine Effettie first round pick, right up and
down sort of career to this point he wants to
start right. Drew Dallman didn't come here to be a
backup right at center, and I think that competition is
going to be good. So if we end up with
(05:55):
the same starting five, okay, cool. But they have earned it.
We're last year. I think they were given it a
little bit, right, Yeah. I think it was more of
a we are just patching this up to get through
the first few weeks, and then you get to a
point where it's like, Okay, you can't necessarily take you
can't take Jayleen Mayfield out of this. I mean, I
(06:15):
think I think people forget that the offensive line was
set differently before last year's training camp than what it
actually ended up being. I think Josh Andrews was supposed
to play a much bigger role and then he goes
and gets injured a couple weeks into training camp, and
that to me, changed the whole scope of the offensive line.
(06:38):
Because of that, now we're looking at a different group altogether.
And I think that you're absolutely right that there is
I've said this before, I think I've said it on TV,
But like the offensive line competition I think is going
to be it should be the nastiest competition on the field.
(06:58):
This training camp bar none in my opinion, they should
be beating each other up to earn that starting role.
And going back to the storyline, we're on the offensive line,
but you said line up scrimmage, and I think once
we get pads on, which is I don't know, five
days into camp something like that, I think it's going
to be intense, right. And I think that those one
(07:22):
on ones, the eleven on eleven stuff, I think is
going to be fascinating. And I think it can transition
talking about the line of scrimmage can transition to another
storyline that I really am keeping an eye on. And
it revolves around the number eighteen. Right. Number eighteen was
the number of sacks the Falcons had last year. T J.
Watt had more. Okay, that's not good they I know
(07:45):
sacks aren't the be all end all right, but I
think that's an indicator. Those are game changing plays. Sacks
can come with strip sax, Sacks can force a punt,
Sacks can change the course of an offensive series. In
addition to the fact that the Falcons were very good
at doing the basics right, containing mobile quarterbacks, keeping guys
(08:07):
in the pocket, forcing Arrant throws, getting your hand up
and knocking the ball down, right, basic stuff that needs
to get better. So with the defensive line, we're kind
of the Falcons are hoping for better from the same right,
Grady Jarrett to quant Graham, Marlon Davidson. Potential hasn't been
(08:27):
realized yet, has to get better off the edge. Lorenzo Carter,
I will not stop talking about this dude. I think
he's poised for a breakout year. I know it kills
Tory because I give him so many compliments that she
doesn't have a chance to. Here's the thing with Lorenzo Carter.
I feel like I could add so much to the conversation,
but God just keeps talking about him that I built up.
(08:49):
I feel the need like I can't talk about him
because then like we're both talking about him, and then
it's overkilled. You know, It's like there's a there's a
fine line. So I will let you have your Lorenzo
Carter soapbox. I give it to you, all right. Well,
then let's transition to the rookie and what do you expect?
What do you expect? What are you looking to see
(09:10):
during training camp? From Arnold Ebacadie and D'Angelo Malone, the
third round pick. Yeah, I want to be able to
see obvious improvement. And am not saying that in any
way to say like that I didn't see them do
well in mini camp. That's not what I'm saying at all, men,
But I think there is a misconception that mini camp
(09:32):
you can learn a lot from mini camp. And I
can sit here and say you don't learn a dang
thing in mini camp, thank you, because you are not
seeing these guys go even seventy five percent like there
aren't there aren't pads on, no one's hitting, there's no tackling,
there's no running like and so you don't get to
(09:52):
see these guys really get after it in the way
that you need to see in order to understand what
they need to do and improve on. So for training
camp purposes, I want to see exactly like what we're
talking about with offensive line, I want to see Arnold Ebuchetti,
D'Angelo Malone, Ada Ogan Dagi, Lorenzo Carter. I want to
(10:14):
see them get after it. I want to see them
be able to make some things happen when they are
playing in those more live settings. And I do believe
that we are going to learn a lot more when
we get into the joint practices with New York and Jacksonville.
I think those four practices, to me are the most
(10:36):
important days of training camp. And I would hope that
by the time we get to week one that we
see a guy like Arnold Ebuketty. Maybe he's not starting
in the very first package or the very first rotation,
but he should be in that rotation, you know, like
he should be a big part of it. And I
(10:57):
think like the expectation for a guy like Arnold Becketti
isn't necessarily to start day one, week one of the season,
it's to develop into that guy. I'm okay with not
seeing him be a full time starter until halfway through
the season because I want to see him improve. I
want to see I don't want to see a linear line.
(11:19):
I want to see it go up. I want I
want to see the production go up as the year
goes on. That's that's the hope that I have for Arnold.
Evokeati's year in D'Angelo Malone too. I don't want to
not talk about him, but mainly Arnold Abaghetti. Yeah, I
think if you're being a negative Nancy, you would say
(11:43):
that Arnold Evocati is a one year wonder, right, that
he had a great year at Penn State, some decent
years at Temple. There are some draftnicks that thought he
was a first round pick, that he belonged in that
elite class. I think he has all the tools. I
think he has the right mindset. Guys, once you get
to know him, you're gonna dig him. He is just
(12:05):
a cool dude personality plus and comes with a great
backstory that we'll have features about. But nonetheless, I think
it's gonna be interesting for him. I think de'angelo I
just want to see him as that like rabid dog
being held by the leash and then somebody just like,
let's go of it right Like I want him to
(12:26):
do that. I want his one job to be like
see that quarterback right there, go tackle that dude. Well
that's what he was. That's what he was in at
Western Kentucky. I mean I talked to scouts and assistant
coaches if you read my Rookie series, like you know
that was de'angelo Malone's role at Western Kentucky. They were
(12:47):
just like DeAngelo sick him. That's literally what Edmondcino said
they did with him, and so, translating that to the league,
I completely get what you're saying. Yeah, So I think
if they can up the number of game altering plays,
whether it's strip sacks or whether it's quarterback pressure that
(13:10):
forces an errand throw. AJ Terrell would appreciate some quarterback
pressure that leads to lame ducks that float up that
he can snatch out of the air. And there are
some good defensive backs here. I'm pretty confident that the
secondary will be a strength. Yeah. I think. I think
Jalen Hawkins, he's in my Lorenzo Carter camp. I think
we could have breakout, seasoned material from him. So I
(13:34):
think there's a lot of intriguing things to look at.
Line of scrimmage, offensive line. We talked about the pass rush,
but we got to talk about the quarterbacks, right, I
do it. I think I'm one hundred percent in agreement
with you that Marcus Mariota is gonna start the year
as the starter. Yeah, I mean, dosn't. Ritter, according to reports,
was talking in the pre draft process saying how he
(13:55):
was going to unseat a veteran right he's got I
don't know, just he got. He has he has something
that right, that's really intriguing to me, you know, um,
and I want to know what that's about. And I
think he's going to push. He's forty four and six
was his collegiate record. The guy's a winner, he just has.
(14:20):
He never lost at home. I don't think, no, he
never lost at home. That Yeah, that was something that
I kept talking to people about. They're like, well, you
talk to Desmond Ritter and he's a winner, and he
has a comparative competitive spirit and etcetera, etcetera. It's all
good things, of course, but then you actually talk to
Desmond Ritter and it makes sense, Like that's the thing
(14:42):
is like, I think that talking to him, I think
he's very I mean I I think if you were
to say, like go up to Desmond Ritter and be like, hey, man,
like enjoy your backup role in twenty twenty two, he'd
be like, I don't know what you're talking about. Like
I'm going to be the starter, you know. Like he
just cares each himself in that way, in that confident way,
and I think that vote's really well for him. And
(15:05):
I think something that I'm never gonna get over is
Arthur Smiths saying that from the neck up that Desmond
Ritter is light years ahead of rookie quarterbacks that he's
worked with before. I cannot that does not pay that
type of compliment to someone I don't know. I don't
know how else to like pound it into people's brains.
That that is a very very important comment for Arthur
(15:28):
Smith to make about a rookie quarterback. Like if you
go back to last training camp, right, and we were
all there and we all saw Kyle Pitts doing Kyle
Pitts things in practice in training camp. There are times
where I mean he's going over and above like he
he just his physical tools were evident. And then you
(15:50):
go to the press conference and you'd be like, hey, Arthur,
did you see Kyle Pitts do that crazy athletic thing?
And be like, I don't want to talk about I
don't see nothing. Right, he just wouldn't do it because
he has a philosophy and that you got to go
prove it, right, Yeah, Like in a game, Arthur Smith
(16:11):
talks a lot about Kyle made like a crazy one
handed going one way, the ball was going another way
catch against Tampa Bay, Right, And then after that he
was talking to our PR director Davidasity, and he was like,
the media has got to talk about that. Right, then
he's alloted to compliment that type of behavior. He went
(16:31):
out and did it, right, So to have this back
to Desen writ or now I'm wondering when we were
going to go back. Maybe never, So we going back
to to Desmond. That's I'm trying to give some context
to the gravity of that comment, right, and going back
to what you said before too, right, that you can't
learn anything in mini camp, right, don't chart his passes
(16:55):
in mini camp. Okay, don't do it. Yeah, you guys,
we insane, but you can chart them in the middle
of training camp, right, Yeah. And I think that what
it was interesting about the comment that I think it
will be intriguing is so he's mentally getting it right,
will that translate into better physical play? I think we
need to see that. We need to see the accuracy,
(17:16):
we need to see the arm strength, we need to
see the commands which is pretty clear. And I think
that if we're if this is a competition, that's the
best way for Desmond to make it a competition, right, right, Again,
I just I just look at Marcus Mariota. He's twenty
eight years old. Yeah, he ain't that old man. Here's
(17:37):
the thing about Marcus Mariota, there is I think there
are very few people in the league that have an
opportunity like what Marcus Mariota has with the Falcons in
twenty twenty two. I think a lot of times when
you have somebody of that caliber slips, it's so hard
to get back to where they were and to be
(17:59):
given a chance to show that hey, I'm still starting
quarterback caliber guy. I'm still that guy. Marcus Mariota has
a chance that doesn't come around very often. It I
really do believe that he is in this year specifically
looking at this opportunity like this is it for me.
(18:19):
I've got to go out improve We talk about proving it,
proving and proving it. There is no one who better
epitomizes that than Marcus Mariota. So I know that everybody's
talking about like Desmond, Marcus, Desmond, Marcus. Don't overlook the
absolute like I mean, just like inward competition that Marcus
Mariota has with himself to prove to himself that he
(18:43):
is that guy and that he can go out in
twenty twenty two and still be that guy. Yeah, it's
gonna be a fascinating This guy's won a playoff game, right,
he was the number two overall pick. He's been in
the national spotlight for a long time. And I think
so much of court backing is, you know, the old
nature versus nurture argument. He's got the nature part, He's
(19:04):
got all the physical tools. Can he be nurtured in
a way that allows him to thrive? I think if
he he talked about playing free, if we're if we're
dissecting comments, which I like to do. Oh that's all
we get paid to do. Good point. Thank you everyone
for listening to him. But I go back to him
talking about playing free. And it was on it was
(19:27):
Chris Simms was talking about Marcus on a podcast on
Pro Football Talk or something like that, and he talked
about Marcus previously being robotic, and Marcus has talked about
being robotic in that he's reading sheet music right, he's
going through his going through his progressions, and he's making
what he thinks is the right choice. And he talked
(19:47):
a little bit about playing free, playing jazz man like
he like like you dig like like I'm losing my mind. Fantastic,
I'm gonna need a Yeah. So I just think that
if he can play free and allow his physical tools
(20:08):
to shine, I think that could be a good thing
for the Falcons. UM. So keep an eye on you know.
I like that we added you added a competition to
all these competitions. Right, We've got the spots on the
offensive line, We've got the edge rushers, we have the
quarterback competition, and then we have the Marcus Mariota competing
with himself competition, which is a great point. It's something
(20:29):
that I'm totally gonna steal your idea and write a
whole column about it and give you zero credit. I'm
glad that I could be of service. Yeah, yeah, I'm
gonna go ahead and steal it. Plagiarism at its finest.
But nevertheless, keep an eye on that too, um, and
also keep an eye on the Falcons Final Whistle podcast
(20:49):
and what I talked about earlier, We're gonna be doing
so much cool stuff during training camp. Please come out
to training camp to say hi to us. By the way,
it's gonna be really really fun. And another thing, this
is our last podcast with just two of us. UM.
By the time that you listen to this, you will
have read the intro column from Ashton Edmonds, who is
(21:10):
joining the squad. We are so freaking punch, so you know,
rate reviews, subscribe, do all that fun stuff. Um, as
you're listening to this on July twenty six, Tori will
be sipping my tie probably or and H and then
after that we're gonna be on the grind.
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