Michael Vick joins Will McFadden to talk about his first spring as head coach of the Norfolk State Spartans and the challenge of transitioning from player to coach. He then shares his thoughts on Michael Penix Jr. and what he sees ahead for the Atlanta Falcons. To end the show, he shares his favorite memory from his time playing for the Atlanta Falcons.
0:00 - Intro
0:25 - First spring as Head Coach
2:15 - Choosing Norfolk State
4:59 - Legacy as a coach
7:13 - Learning from former coaches
9:25 - Becoming a teacher
13:25 - Michael Penix Jr. & Atlanta's offense
14:30 - Talented Falcons defense
17:03 - Atlanta's rushing attack
18:25 - Favorite Falcons memory
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thirty birds.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
What's Up?
Speaker 1 (00:01):
And welcome back to the Atlanta Falcons podcast network. I'm
your host, Will McFadden. It is my absolute honor to
welcome Norfolk State head coach and Atlanta Falcons legend Michael
Vick to the show. Mike, thank you for joining us.
How you doing, man, I'm good man.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
How about yourself? I'm great? And to be sitting here
with you, man, Yeah, long.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Time excited to uh to kind of dig into what
you got going on in kind of your next chapter.
And you just wrapped up your first springs as a
head coach in Norfolk State.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
What was that like? Man? It was exciting at the
same time.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Uh, you know, just being a first year head coach,
you instantly find out, you know, what works and what
don't work, and uh, you know, it was fun just
learning every day being around the guys and being around
the coaches, and and you know, just learning what it
takes to.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Be a football coach, a head coach at that.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
You know, watched a lot of coaches over the years,
but never really knew what happens behind the scenes, and
so had to pick a couple of coaches brains and
put my own little spin on it, and that was
the cool part.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
It does seem like you've immersed yourself with a staff
of guys who have some NFL experience and I think Leroy, Reynolds,
Falkens fans probably know pretty well. But yeah, so what
has that immersive kind of getting your hands in there
just really, like you said, identifying some of the strengths
of weaknesses.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Yeah, myself, Leroy Turns, Garvid, Elton Brown, just a couple.
I didn't want to have a staff full of NFL
former NFL players, which I could have. I just wanted
to have enough experience to where the young men can
relate and we can share stories, and we can build
(01:46):
character and you know, we can help them find ways
to chase that level of commitment. Because we had to
do it. And I did take credit away from the
other coaches who didn't make it or didn't play on
that level. It was just I just felt like it
was a bonus for them. And so I got an amazing
staff for coaches, you know, top to bottom, and we
(02:07):
all share the same goals. We know it's at stake,
and we just carried the monster that everything matters.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
So to go back to kind of the beginning, of
the process once you make it known that you're interested
in and potentially pursuing coaching.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
It.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
It seemed like Norfolk State reached out pretty quickly. Can
you take us through what that process was like with them?
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Yeah, Norfolk State, they reached out like late November last year.
I remember it was right around Thanksgiving because I was
thinking about it and contemplating it just throughout the holidays
and you know, the opportunity that was at hand, but
still enjoying Fox and Lovin you know, being at at
(02:47):
Fox Sports and the people that.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
I worked with there. So it was a tough decision.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Truthfully, at the end of the day out I was
wanting to go into coaching, you know, a couple of
years from now, but the opportunity just came a little
earlier than what I expected. And so I was at
a crossroads, like, you know, do I wait another two
years or do I just step into it now and
get the experience. And I felt like God was, you know,
(03:14):
putting me in a position where I was forced to
make a decision and hopefully I made the right one.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
And so I know I did.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
I know I made the right decision, but it was
hard to leave Fox but I'm glad that I made
the decision and just get out there and do it
and not be afraid. And you know, the only thing
I'm afraid of is failing, and that's a good thing.
But I can handle it.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
And how important or how big of a role did
returning to the Hamptons Roads community kind of play in
your decision ultimately to say, maybe this is the right
time to go back to a community that means so
much to you.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Yeah, I think it was part of the reason that
I went back, being in my hometown, you know, thirty
minutes away where I grew up from Norfolk in Newport News,
and you know, I had a chance to go to
Sacramento State where they had you know, tons of money
(04:06):
in IL, tons of money to pay me. My wife
still think I'm crazy for going to Norfolk. And you know,
sometimes it's not all about the monetary. It's not about
the money. It's about, you know, the experience, what you
can get out of it. I don't do things for
all the time for for monetary reasons, and so if
(04:29):
it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. I felt like this
was it was a great place to gain some experience,
get a layer of the land, and get a feel for
what I really wanted to do for the next ten
years of my life. And uh, you know, I'm gonna
make it a success. It's gonna be successful, and I'm
looking forward to it.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Yeah. I mean, you don't have to look far around
the league to see that the legacy you left on
the field is carried on today even greater than it
was when when you kind of carried on the Doug
Williams and so forth. But what kind of legacy or
you're hoping to leave in the community you know now,
as as Michael Vick the coach.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Yeah, I'm looking to leave a legacy.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
To a standpoint of it, don't matter what you do,
It don't matter what you look like, don't matter where
you come from.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
You can always give back into your community.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Like and you know, when I was playing with the
Falcons and when I had millions and millions of dollars
and I was making that type of money at the time,
I gave back. When you know, I went away and
I came back, and before I got signed to the
Philadelphia Eagles in a major contract, I was giving back
and doing football camps and when I retired, I still
(05:38):
came back home when I wasn't playing in the NFL
and making millions of dollars, I still gave back to
the community. Kids, still came home and coached. Still coached
UH football camps here in Atlanta, Tennessee, you know, Texas.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
I moved around.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
I was mobile with it, me and some of my coaches,
and that's on the staff with us now. And we
always cared, man, We always cared about what the next
generation and would look like. And especially after seeing the quarterbacks,
you know, like Michael Pennix and Lamar Jackson and Russell
Wilson and RG three. After seeing these guys emerge and
Cam Newton, I was like, man, this is because the
(06:15):
work was put in years probably, and so I was
just just proud of that.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Has that always been kind of inate quality or was
that something you picked up in childhood kind of the
importance of paying it forward for future generations?
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
Well, I seen Bruce Smith as a kid when he's
from Virginia Beach, and I seen him when I was
about thirteen years old at a football game and I
spoke to him. He spoke back, and then he he
spoke to us after practice, and like, I just remember
him smiling at me and talking to us, and you know,
(06:48):
I probably didn't understand what he was saying at the time,
but I'm like, he took the time out to talk
to us. Bruce Smith is standing right there talking to us.
And so I always felt like if I had a
chance to be in that position one day, then I
would do the same thing. And so years later I
was able to give back in the community and teach
kids football and teaching principals and teach them how to
lead and teach them how to care.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
You have played for some of the best teachers in
the NFL, Andy Reid, Mike Tomlin, Dan Rieves here in Atlanta.
I'm curious, do you think that they all shared kind
of a common trait that made them a great coach?
Or as you're going about looking as your career as
a coach, are you trying to pick bits and pieces
from each one that you've worked with.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Yeah, definitely take bits and pieces from each and each
and every coach that I've had.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
From Dan to Jim to Andy.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
To Mike t You know, great football coaches, but I
think extraordinary people, you know, great men, and maybe it's
just because of the way they was raised and the
principles that they was taught. And then they turn around
and in still it writing us. And so when we're
making a mistake or going down the wrong path or
not doing things right and need some advice, we can
(08:01):
go to them and get the proper advice. So they'll
see it coming. Hey, why don't you do this? And
this should be done this way? And so those the
moments that you know, when you and him, you might
be hearing something that you don't want to hear, but
you're hearing what you supposed to hear, and that makes
a difference. And so you know, even just talking to
(08:22):
my him today and just hearing him, you know, just
just know that these dudes are used to leading men.
They're very used to it.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
What was that like kind of seeing Raheem work out
there on the practice field and what's your impression of
him so far?
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Well, me being in that same position, I'm just watching like, yeah,
that's kind of that's me.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Like I go from one side of the ball to
the other.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
I try to encourage, you know, even though on my
offensive mind, I try to encourage the defense to you know,
put pressure on the offense every day and don't let up,
and you know, try to shut him out if you can,
you know, And that's creating toughness, you know, that's creating
a hard core mentality. And it's good for my players
to see that. I'm not biased just because I played
(09:05):
in the NFL and I played quarterback and I cater
more to you know, I spent probably spend more time
with my quarterbacks than I do any other position. But
I think that's the most important position on the field
for sure, and not unit position.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Yeah, it's so interesting because I've heard that, you know,
there are some aspects qualities that you can't coach right,
and I think it's fair to say that a lot
of what you did on the football field, it's hard
for me to learn how to do those things right.
So how do you kind of strike that balance between
coaching something that maybe came to you a little bit
more naturally than others, while still being able to provide
(09:42):
insights and kind of really get in there technically?
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Yeah, you just gotta, you know, read between the lines
and a lot of situations. You got to be straightforward
with your quarterbacks, and it's your offense in general, and
I think more so now just with my team, I
can't cut any corners, I can't take any choice. I
gotta be fully transparent with them in order to get
(10:08):
the best version of them. And so you know, I'm
learning that, you know, being honest is the best thing.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
You know.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
We try to teach trust in the process and that
everything matters, and so I got to believe in that
as well. And so when I see something that needs
to be taught or need to be talked about, or
need to be spoken upon.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
I gotta I gotta do that.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
And so that I appreciate that responsibility because I feel
like it's just God putting me in this position to
just continue to lead.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
I you know, as kind of a leader when you're
entering your first season, I mean, you don't want to
focus necessarily on the results, right because results can be
the result of the process. And so how much are
you trying to work on the men, the players, the
people on your team versus kind of the score and
the record at the end.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Of the year.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
Yeah, I think most important, it's important for us to
get to know each other. You know, what makes me tick,
what makes them tick? It's a lot of them, a
lot of personal relationships. But it'll happen in time, and
some of them you'll be a little closer to than
others because some get more reps and need more communication
than others.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
But you know, they all come and knock on my door.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
They all walk into my office and say hi and
speak and sit them and chair and talk and communicate,
and I think that's special. And so you know, I
hope that we continue to have those same vibes and
keep that same energy and you know, keep putting forth
the best best effort and so as long as we
try and it's specipicated, I think we will be successful
(11:40):
in there.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
I've got one more kind of coaching one before we
talk a little Falcons football. But it seems like you're
you're following a trend of a lot of former athletes
becoming head coaches. Obviously dianna Is is kind of the
number one example there. But have you reached out to
any of your former colleagues to kind of like, see, hey,
what's this about, Yanni. Advice is to go into my
first year here?
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Yeah, I mean I reached out to pretty much to
all the coaches that I played for and and talk
to him and they all they all reached out to me.
You know, I think they all recognize and understand who
I was as a person as a player, and they
can see that that that's gonna come out. So yeah,
it's just uh, I think, you know, just in most
(12:25):
recent it was just like Dion was like the one
who went through it, like you know, especially playing coaching
college football. You know, it's like, man, how do I
need to look at things?
Speaker 1 (12:37):
So?
Speaker 3 (12:37):
How do I need to And but even today I
was picking my ing brain on a couple of different things.
He was telling me some things that he do and
I'm like, okay, I'm doing it that way too, So
I'm spot on with it.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
He like, yeah, you spot on, keep it that way.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
And so just keeping it simple man, and you know,
not not wearing it out, you know, the team meetings
of that sort and not having them every day and
trying to preach him like let things happen naturally and
knowing when to step in and knowing when to communicate
and how to communicate it is important. So I'm soaking
all these things in. But at the same time, got
(13:10):
great mentors around me, and Rahim was he reached out
as soon as I got the job in off Stateum,
you need anything, reach out, It's great.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
That's awesome. Yeah, it's amazing to hear. And there are
so many facets and different styles of leadership, and it'll
get busy twenty four to seven trying to learn all
of it. But Atlanta's offense is kind of under a
new leadership of sorts with Michael Pennock stepping in as
a starting quarterback. You know, what are your thoughts on
him as he heads into a second year.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Yeah, I'm excited for Mike.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
I think this is gonna be an amazing season for him.
Just watching practices look like everything is slowed down. He
threw a couple of touchdown passes today, good reason, move
well in the pocket, good pocket presence, and good feel
for the game. And so with some complimentary players around
him like Bijon and Drake and Cayl, you know, the
(14:00):
these guys are gonna really do some special things this year.
And with a revamped defense, which I think is most
important to talk about. Yeah, Rahim did what he's supposed
to do. That's what Rahien do, like he Bill's defense.
So you know, it's funny. I was headed over here
and I seen that Jayleen Ramsey was still on the market.
I'm like, damn, what would Jayalen Ramsey and aj Terrell
(14:20):
look like? But then I started thinking about the economic
part of it, and that just won't work. But they
got some young guys that they drafted and they wrung in.
It's gonna be They're gonna be dynamite as well.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
No, yeah, day day two, in the beginning of Day three,
it was all all secondary for Atlanta. Sure when you
look at kind of the Jews that they're adding in
the pass rush with James Pierce, Jamen Walker, I mean,
you know, after playing Julius Peppers and some of those guys,
the importance of having a pass rush.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Oh man, it's invaluable to have a pass rush, and
to have it for four quarters. It's a full quarter game.
I got told him today. I feel like the game
was won in the first quarter, second quarter. It's phially one.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
In four quarters. You gotta play the whole full game.
And uh, it ain't.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
Over to that that clock right, triple zero, man, when
it's all said and done. And so you know, you
need them pass rushers to keep going and keep getting
getting to it and keep battling.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
And that's what football is all about it. It's a
constant battle.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
So that's been kind of a talking point this offseason
here with the defense is kind of the waves of
pass rushers and having some rotations in there. I'm curious,
like the groups that gave you the most trouble in
your playing days, was it the defensive lines that could
rotate fresh legs?
Speaker 3 (15:29):
It was it was the Philadelphia Eagles of the world.
But Corey Simon and Javon Cursed and I think they
Guy mcdouga. They just had good pass rushers all across
and it was just a bunch of it was a
couple of them. And then the Bucks when they had
Sap and Booker and you know, they had Simeon on
(15:51):
the edge, and so you know, those are the teams
that get you fits. You know, when they got a
pass rush that's consistent, and you know, you know in
the fourth quarter, when it's all set and done, that's
when you gotta win the game.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
You gotta win the fourth quarter.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
And then Jesse Bates on the back end, you know,
just kind of seeing the whole field.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
Yeah, Jesse is so smart, like just understand what's going on,
like the quarterback of the defense. And you know, just
a true leader. So you know you got you know,
you got a good pass rush and and then you
got you got AJ who's still gonna hold it down.
You know what I'm saying, A stick I was talking
to him today like I ain't done.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
I'm not done.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
It sounds like, yeah, I'm a big fan of AJ man,
AJ strong and he you know what I'm saying, he
play the game the right way and he's done it
the right way.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
I can't believe me. It's like his seventh season or something.
It's crazy. Eight season. Man, it just.
Speaker 3 (16:42):
Still got They still seem so young, but you know,
just coming into their own and at the same time
like maturing into their role. And so you know, you
got a guy like AJ who's really a who's a
pro bowler, who gonna be leading the next generation the
corners come and then and that's that's big.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
You can't get it. Don't get no better than that.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
I would be remiss if I didn't ask you about
you know, the player who took up the mantle of
number seven here and both he and Tyler Algier. Honestly,
it reminds me a little bit of of Warwick and TJ.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Yeah, man, what are your thoughts?
Speaker 3 (17:16):
Oh man, I mean just Tyler and Bjon. Man, Like,
Tyler gonna do the dirty work. Bison gonna just be dynamic.
And this season right here is gonna be the breakout season.
And then when you look at it, man, it almost
looked like what we had. You know, you got the
big receivers, you know I had. I had Fan, you know,
(17:36):
I had Algae, He Michael got Pitts, he got cal
he got Drake, big receivers, and then he got a
dynamic I had Warick, a dynamic running back behind me,
and then and then and then another dynamic running back
and t J. Duckett, and so with Chris and Vjon,
it's like and I was just talking to Mic, like,
what you think the offense is? What type of offense is?
(17:59):
He like, I think we oriented, but we're gonna throw
it a lot of them, like you gotta run when
you got those type of runners. And so it just
eases up depressure and makes the game a lot easier.
From a quarterback standpoint.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
It is exciting to think, you know a lot of
rookie quarterbacks you come in and then you start building
out around them. He's coming into a situation where, yeah,
you kind of get this thing going in the right
direction early. Yeah, it does feel like they could catch fire.
Last one for you, You know, all these years removed
from your time here in Atlanta, when you think back
to your your playing days with the Falcons, is there
(18:30):
one moment, one memory that kind of bubbles up to
the surface a little more often than others.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
Man, I remember when I broke my ankle in two
thousand and three and I missed twelve games and we
was struggling. It was like one in eight, one and nine,
and I was just kind of contemplating, should I come
back this season. It's no need to come back. The
season's already over. I probably just sit this season out.
(18:55):
And I came back in week twelve or thirteen because
I I wanted to be out there for my teammates.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
I watched them, you know, their struggle. They was losing.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
It was dismal, and even though I was I had
never had the type of injury that I had, I
was afraid to get back out there. But I was like,
if I'm gonna make a sacrifice, I'm a do it
for my teammates. I'm a door for my for the guys,
and I went back out there. We went I think
we went two and one, and we might have went
three and one, two and one. I know we I
(19:27):
came back, we beat Uh, we beat Carolina, we went
to Indian got smoked by Peyton, and then we beat
the Bucks and then we beat the Jaguars at home.
And I just remember, you know, and just asking you
asked me about the memory man, just being so satisfied
with a four game season for myself, And it wasn't
(19:50):
because we came back and won the games came. That
was because I came back and battle with my teammates
and showed them how much I cared and it meant
a lot to me.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
Oh that's such an awesome answer. Thank you for sharing that.
I remember exactly where I was, as you probably a
ten year old kid at that. Yeah, for watching that game,
Sorry about it. I tend to be apologize, but yeah,
that's that's incredible. And to look at what then the
two thousand and four season was, right, you springboarded that
(20:18):
so well. So, Mike, thank you so much for taking
time to join us on this podcast. A lifelong dream
of mine come true. And thank you guys so much
for listening, watching, We will catch you guys soon.
Thirty birds.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
What's Up?
Speaker 1 (00:01):
And welcome back to the Atlanta Falcons podcast network. I'm
your host, Will McFadden. It is my absolute honor to
welcome Norfolk State head coach and Atlanta Falcons legend Michael
Vick to the show. Mike, thank you for joining us.
How you doing, man, I'm good man.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
How about yourself? I'm great? And to be sitting here
with you, man, Yeah, long.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Time excited to uh to kind of dig into what
you got going on in kind of your next chapter.
And you just wrapped up your first springs as a
head coach in Norfolk State.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
What was that like? Man? It was exciting at the
same time.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Uh, you know, just being a first year head coach,
you instantly find out, you know, what works and what
don't work, and uh, you know, it was fun just
learning every day being around the guys and being around
the coaches, and and you know, just learning what it
takes to.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Be a football coach, a head coach at that.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
You know, watched a lot of coaches over the years,
but never really knew what happens behind the scenes, and
so had to pick a couple of coaches brains and
put my own little spin on it, and that was
the cool part.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
It does seem like you've immersed yourself with a staff
of guys who have some NFL experience and I think Leroy, Reynolds,
Falkens fans probably know pretty well. But yeah, so what
has that immersive kind of getting your hands in there
just really, like you said, identifying some of the strengths
of weaknesses.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Yeah, myself, Leroy Turns, Garvid, Elton Brown, just a couple.
I didn't want to have a staff full of NFL
former NFL players, which I could have. I just wanted
to have enough experience to where the young men can
relate and we can share stories, and we can build
(01:46):
character and you know, we can help them find ways
to chase that level of commitment. Because we had to
do it. And I did take credit away from the
other coaches who didn't make it or didn't play on
that level. It was just I just felt like it
was a bonus for them. And so I got an amazing
staff for coaches, you know, top to bottom, and we
(02:07):
all share the same goals. We know it's at stake,
and we just carried the monster that everything matters.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
So to go back to kind of the beginning, of
the process once you make it known that you're interested
in and potentially pursuing coaching.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
It.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
It seemed like Norfolk State reached out pretty quickly. Can
you take us through what that process was like with them?
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Yeah, Norfolk State, they reached out like late November last year.
I remember it was right around Thanksgiving because I was
thinking about it and contemplating it just throughout the holidays
and you know, the opportunity that was at hand, but
still enjoying Fox and Lovin you know, being at at
(02:47):
Fox Sports and the people that.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
I worked with there. So it was a tough decision.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Truthfully, at the end of the day out I was
wanting to go into coaching, you know, a couple of
years from now, but the opportunity just came a little
earlier than what I expected. And so I was at
a crossroads, like, you know, do I wait another two
years or do I just step into it now and
get the experience. And I felt like God was, you know,
(03:14):
putting me in a position where I was forced to
make a decision and hopefully I made the right one.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
And so I know I did.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
I know I made the right decision, but it was
hard to leave Fox but I'm glad that I made
the decision and just get out there and do it
and not be afraid. And you know, the only thing
I'm afraid of is failing, and that's a good thing.
But I can handle it.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
And how important or how big of a role did
returning to the Hamptons Roads community kind of play in
your decision ultimately to say, maybe this is the right
time to go back to a community that means so
much to you.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Yeah, I think it was part of the reason that
I went back, being in my hometown, you know, thirty
minutes away where I grew up from Norfolk in Newport News,
and you know, I had a chance to go to
Sacramento State where they had you know, tons of money
(04:06):
in IL, tons of money to pay me. My wife
still think I'm crazy for going to Norfolk. And you know,
sometimes it's not all about the monetary. It's not about
the money. It's about, you know, the experience, what you
can get out of it. I don't do things for
all the time for for monetary reasons, and so if
(04:29):
it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. I felt like this
was it was a great place to gain some experience,
get a layer of the land, and get a feel for
what I really wanted to do for the next ten
years of my life. And uh, you know, I'm gonna
make it a success. It's gonna be successful, and I'm
looking forward to it.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Yeah. I mean, you don't have to look far around
the league to see that the legacy you left on
the field is carried on today even greater than it
was when when you kind of carried on the Doug
Williams and so forth. But what kind of legacy or
you're hoping to leave in the community you know now,
as as Michael Vick the coach.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Yeah, I'm looking to leave a legacy.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
To a standpoint of it, don't matter what you do,
It don't matter what you look like, don't matter where
you come from.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
You can always give back into your community.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Like and you know, when I was playing with the
Falcons and when I had millions and millions of dollars
and I was making that type of money at the time,
I gave back. When you know, I went away and
I came back, and before I got signed to the
Philadelphia Eagles in a major contract, I was giving back
and doing football camps and when I retired, I still
(05:38):
came back home when I wasn't playing in the NFL
and making millions of dollars, I still gave back to
the community. Kids, still came home and coached. Still coached
UH football camps here in Atlanta, Tennessee, you know, Texas.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
I moved around.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
I was mobile with it, me and some of my coaches,
and that's on the staff with us now. And we
always cared, man, We always cared about what the next
generation and would look like. And especially after seeing the quarterbacks,
you know, like Michael Pennix and Lamar Jackson and Russell
Wilson and RG three. After seeing these guys emerge and
Cam Newton, I was like, man, this is because the
(06:15):
work was put in years probably, and so I was
just just proud of that.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Has that always been kind of inate quality or was
that something you picked up in childhood kind of the
importance of paying it forward for future generations?
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
Well, I seen Bruce Smith as a kid when he's
from Virginia Beach, and I seen him when I was
about thirteen years old at a football game and I
spoke to him. He spoke back, and then he he
spoke to us after practice, and like, I just remember
him smiling at me and talking to us, and you know,
(06:48):
I probably didn't understand what he was saying at the time,
but I'm like, he took the time out to talk
to us. Bruce Smith is standing right there talking to us.
And so I always felt like if I had a
chance to be in that position one day, then I
would do the same thing. And so years later I
was able to give back in the community and teach
kids football and teaching principals and teach them how to
lead and teach them how to care.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
You have played for some of the best teachers in
the NFL, Andy Reid, Mike Tomlin, Dan Rieves here in Atlanta.
I'm curious, do you think that they all shared kind
of a common trait that made them a great coach?
Or as you're going about looking as your career as
a coach, are you trying to pick bits and pieces
from each one that you've worked with.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Yeah, definitely take bits and pieces from each and each
and every coach that I've had.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
From Dan to Jim to Andy.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
To Mike t You know, great football coaches, but I
think extraordinary people, you know, great men, and maybe it's
just because of the way they was raised and the
principles that they was taught. And then they turn around
and in still it writing us. And so when we're
making a mistake or going down the wrong path or
not doing things right and need some advice, we can
(08:01):
go to them and get the proper advice. So they'll
see it coming. Hey, why don't you do this? And
this should be done this way? And so those the
moments that you know, when you and him, you might
be hearing something that you don't want to hear, but
you're hearing what you supposed to hear, and that makes
a difference. And so you know, even just talking to
(08:22):
my him today and just hearing him, you know, just
just know that these dudes are used to leading men.
They're very used to it.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
What was that like kind of seeing Raheem work out
there on the practice field and what's your impression of
him so far?
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Well, me being in that same position, I'm just watching like, yeah,
that's kind of that's me.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Like I go from one side of the ball to
the other.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
I try to encourage, you know, even though on my
offensive mind, I try to encourage the defense to you know,
put pressure on the offense every day and don't let up,
and you know, try to shut him out if you can,
you know, And that's creating toughness, you know, that's creating
a hard core mentality. And it's good for my players
to see that. I'm not biased just because I played
(09:05):
in the NFL and I played quarterback and I cater
more to you know, I spent probably spend more time
with my quarterbacks than I do any other position. But
I think that's the most important position on the field
for sure, and not unit position.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Yeah, it's so interesting because I've heard that, you know,
there are some aspects qualities that you can't coach right,
and I think it's fair to say that a lot
of what you did on the football field, it's hard
for me to learn how to do those things right.
So how do you kind of strike that balance between
coaching something that maybe came to you a little bit
more naturally than others, while still being able to provide
(09:42):
insights and kind of really get in there technically?
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Yeah, you just gotta, you know, read between the lines
and a lot of situations. You got to be straightforward
with your quarterbacks, and it's your offense in general, and
I think more so now just with my team, I
can't cut any corners, I can't take any choice. I
gotta be fully transparent with them in order to get
(10:08):
the best version of them. And so you know, I'm
learning that, you know, being honest is the best thing.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
You know.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
We try to teach trust in the process and that
everything matters, and so I got to believe in that
as well. And so when I see something that needs
to be taught or need to be talked about, or
need to be spoken upon.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
I gotta I gotta do that.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
And so that I appreciate that responsibility because I feel
like it's just God putting me in this position to
just continue to lead.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
I you know, as kind of a leader when you're
entering your first season, I mean, you don't want to
focus necessarily on the results, right because results can be
the result of the process. And so how much are
you trying to work on the men, the players, the
people on your team versus kind of the score and
the record at the end.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Of the year.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
Yeah, I think most important, it's important for us to
get to know each other. You know, what makes me tick,
what makes them tick? It's a lot of them, a
lot of personal relationships. But it'll happen in time, and
some of them you'll be a little closer to than
others because some get more reps and need more communication
than others.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
But you know, they all come and knock on my door.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
They all walk into my office and say hi and
speak and sit them and chair and talk and communicate,
and I think that's special. And so you know, I
hope that we continue to have those same vibes and
keep that same energy and you know, keep putting forth
the best best effort and so as long as we
try and it's specipicated, I think we will be successful
(11:40):
in there.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
I've got one more kind of coaching one before we
talk a little Falcons football. But it seems like you're
you're following a trend of a lot of former athletes
becoming head coaches. Obviously dianna Is is kind of the
number one example there. But have you reached out to
any of your former colleagues to kind of like, see, hey,
what's this about, Yanni. Advice is to go into my
first year here?
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Yeah, I mean I reached out to pretty much to
all the coaches that I played for and and talk
to him and they all they all reached out to me.
You know, I think they all recognize and understand who
I was as a person as a player, and they
can see that that that's gonna come out. So yeah,
it's just uh, I think, you know, just in most
(12:25):
recent it was just like Dion was like the one
who went through it, like you know, especially playing coaching
college football. You know, it's like, man, how do I
need to look at things?
Speaker 1 (12:37):
So?
Speaker 3 (12:37):
How do I need to And but even today I
was picking my ing brain on a couple of different things.
He was telling me some things that he do and
I'm like, okay, I'm doing it that way too, So
I'm spot on with it.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
He like, yeah, you spot on, keep it that way.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
And so just keeping it simple man, and you know,
not not wearing it out, you know, the team meetings
of that sort and not having them every day and
trying to preach him like let things happen naturally and
knowing when to step in and knowing when to communicate
and how to communicate it is important. So I'm soaking
all these things in. But at the same time, got
(13:10):
great mentors around me, and Rahim was he reached out
as soon as I got the job in off Stateum,
you need anything, reach out, It's great.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
That's awesome. Yeah, it's amazing to hear. And there are
so many facets and different styles of leadership, and it'll
get busy twenty four to seven trying to learn all
of it. But Atlanta's offense is kind of under a
new leadership of sorts with Michael Pennock stepping in as
a starting quarterback. You know, what are your thoughts on
him as he heads into a second year.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Yeah, I'm excited for Mike.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
I think this is gonna be an amazing season for him.
Just watching practices look like everything is slowed down. He
threw a couple of touchdown passes today, good reason, move
well in the pocket, good pocket presence, and good feel
for the game. And so with some complimentary players around
him like Bijon and Drake and Cayl, you know, the
(14:00):
these guys are gonna really do some special things this year.
And with a revamped defense, which I think is most
important to talk about. Yeah, Rahim did what he's supposed
to do. That's what Rahien do, like he Bill's defense.
So you know, it's funny. I was headed over here
and I seen that Jayleen Ramsey was still on the market.
I'm like, damn, what would Jayalen Ramsey and aj Terrell
(14:20):
look like? But then I started thinking about the economic
part of it, and that just won't work. But they
got some young guys that they drafted and they wrung in.
It's gonna be They're gonna be dynamite as well.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
No, yeah, day day two, in the beginning of Day three,
it was all all secondary for Atlanta. Sure when you
look at kind of the Jews that they're adding in
the pass rush with James Pierce, Jamen Walker, I mean,
you know, after playing Julius Peppers and some of those guys,
the importance of having a pass rush.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Oh man, it's invaluable to have a pass rush, and
to have it for four quarters. It's a full quarter game.
I got told him today. I feel like the game
was won in the first quarter, second quarter. It's phially one.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
In four quarters. You gotta play the whole full game.
And uh, it ain't.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
Over to that that clock right, triple zero, man, when
it's all said and done. And so you know, you
need them pass rushers to keep going and keep getting
getting to it and keep battling.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
And that's what football is all about it. It's a
constant battle.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
So that's been kind of a talking point this offseason
here with the defense is kind of the waves of
pass rushers and having some rotations in there. I'm curious,
like the groups that gave you the most trouble in
your playing days, was it the defensive lines that could
rotate fresh legs?
Speaker 3 (15:29):
It was it was the Philadelphia Eagles of the world.
But Corey Simon and Javon Cursed and I think they
Guy mcdouga. They just had good pass rushers all across
and it was just a bunch of it was a
couple of them. And then the Bucks when they had
Sap and Booker and you know, they had Simeon on
(15:51):
the edge, and so you know, those are the teams
that get you fits. You know, when they got a
pass rush that's consistent, and you know, you know in
the fourth quarter, when it's all set and done, that's
when you gotta win the game.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
You gotta win the fourth quarter.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
And then Jesse Bates on the back end, you know,
just kind of seeing the whole field.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
Yeah, Jesse is so smart, like just understand what's going on,
like the quarterback of the defense. And you know, just
a true leader. So you know you got you know,
you got a good pass rush and and then you
got you got AJ who's still gonna hold it down.
You know what I'm saying, A stick I was talking
to him today like I ain't done.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
I'm not done.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
It sounds like, yeah, I'm a big fan of AJ man,
AJ strong and he you know what I'm saying, he
play the game the right way and he's done it
the right way.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
I can't believe me. It's like his seventh season or something.
It's crazy. Eight season. Man, it just.
Speaker 3 (16:42):
Still got They still seem so young, but you know,
just coming into their own and at the same time
like maturing into their role. And so you know, you
got a guy like AJ who's really a who's a
pro bowler, who gonna be leading the next generation the
corners come and then and that's that's big.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
You can't get it. Don't get no better than that.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
I would be remiss if I didn't ask you about
you know, the player who took up the mantle of
number seven here and both he and Tyler Algier. Honestly,
it reminds me a little bit of of Warwick and TJ.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Yeah, man, what are your thoughts?
Speaker 3 (17:16):
Oh man, I mean just Tyler and Bjon. Man, Like,
Tyler gonna do the dirty work. Bison gonna just be dynamic.
And this season right here is gonna be the breakout season.
And then when you look at it, man, it almost
looked like what we had. You know, you got the
big receivers, you know I had. I had Fan, you know,
(17:36):
I had Algae, He Michael got Pitts, he got cal
he got Drake, big receivers, and then he got a
dynamic I had Warick, a dynamic running back behind me,
and then and then and then another dynamic running back
and t J. Duckett, and so with Chris and Vjon,
it's like and I was just talking to Mic, like,
what you think the offense is? What type of offense is?
(17:59):
He like, I think we oriented, but we're gonna throw
it a lot of them, like you gotta run when
you got those type of runners. And so it just
eases up depressure and makes the game a lot easier.
From a quarterback standpoint.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
It is exciting to think, you know a lot of
rookie quarterbacks you come in and then you start building
out around them. He's coming into a situation where, yeah,
you kind of get this thing going in the right
direction early. Yeah, it does feel like they could catch fire.
Last one for you, You know, all these years removed
from your time here in Atlanta, when you think back
to your your playing days with the Falcons, is there
(18:30):
one moment, one memory that kind of bubbles up to
the surface a little more often than others.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
Man, I remember when I broke my ankle in two
thousand and three and I missed twelve games and we
was struggling. It was like one in eight, one and nine,
and I was just kind of contemplating, should I come
back this season. It's no need to come back. The
season's already over. I probably just sit this season out.
(18:55):
And I came back in week twelve or thirteen because
I I wanted to be out there for my teammates.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
I watched them, you know, their struggle. They was losing.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
It was dismal, and even though I was I had
never had the type of injury that I had, I
was afraid to get back out there. But I was like,
if I'm gonna make a sacrifice, I'm a do it
for my teammates. I'm a door for my for the guys,
and I went back out there. We went I think
we went two and one, and we might have went
three and one, two and one. I know we I
(19:27):
came back, we beat Uh, we beat Carolina, we went
to Indian got smoked by Peyton, and then we beat
the Bucks and then we beat the Jaguars at home.
And I just remember, you know, and just asking you
asked me about the memory man, just being so satisfied
with a four game season for myself, And it wasn't
(19:50):
because we came back and won the games came. That
was because I came back and battle with my teammates
and showed them how much I cared and it meant
a lot to me.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
Oh that's such an awesome answer. Thank you for sharing that.
I remember exactly where I was, as you probably a
ten year old kid at that. Yeah, for watching that game,
Sorry about it. I tend to be apologize, but yeah,
that's that's incredible. And to look at what then the
two thousand and four season was, right, you springboarded that
(20:18):
so well. So, Mike, thank you so much for taking
time to join us on this podcast. A lifelong dream
of mine come true. And thank you guys so much
for listening, watching, We will catch you guys soon.
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