July 24, 2025 • 29 mins
Tori McElhaney and Terrin Waack join Will McFadden to kick off coverage of the Atlanta Falcons 2025 AT&T Training Camp. After breaking down Raheem Morris' opening comments, they address both the vibes and expectations around the team coming into training camp. Finally, they dive into the 6 biggest things they NEED to see from the Falcons before week 1, from Kyle Pitts production to James Pearce Jr. & Jalon Walker's development.
0:00 - Intro
1:10 - Raheem Morris' comments
6:05 - Vibes & expectations
10:27 - Things we NEED to see in training camp
28:22 - Outro
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Dirty Birds. Welcome back the fans. We're back today, the
players are back, the coaches are back. Tarren Walk is back,
Tory Naclaney's back. I'm Will McFadden and we are here
to welcome you back to the Atlanta Falcons podcast network.
And it was a blast seeing everybody up there on
the hill for the first practice of training camp. A reminder,
Saturday is Welcome back Day across the NFL, so if
(00:22):
you've got your tickets, we're really looking forward to seeing
you guys out there. If you don't have tickets for
any future practices yet, they're free, you can go on
to Atlanta Falcons dot com and get some for training Camp.
Saturday is sold out and we're looking forward to an amazing,
amazing crowd. It's gonna be a lot of fun. We're
also gonna be having a training Camp live show on
our YouTube channel, So if you're not gonna be able
(00:43):
to make it out to practice, but you still want
to get the vibes and the energy of being out there,
to watch the second open practice of twenty twenty five
at and T Training Camp, pop on at nine to
twenty to the YouTube channel and just vibe. Yeah, it's
gonna be great, Terry and Raheem. I think we're gonna stop.
Tory's going to be on it, Dave Archer, everybody, it'll
be a really fun hang so be sure to pop
(01:06):
on and do that. But yeah, it was great to
see everybody and be back. And we kicked off the
day hearing from Raheem Morris and he set the stage. Taren,
you asked him the first question you got, the first
question of the twenty twenty five season. What'd you ask him?
Speaker 2 (01:20):
What do you say, are you excited about training camp?
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (01:24):
His answer was yes. I mean, it was a simple question,
but it kind of just also had to set the
tone for what we were about to see. And yes,
he's excited, but he also and this came with my
second question later where I asked him, how do you
balance being realistic but also being optimistic And he said
that's not really up to him. It's kind of like
the identity thing. Whenever we ask him about the identity,
(01:46):
he's like, it's not up to me. I kind of
wish it was, but it's not like I wanted to
be up to the players on the field. So it's
the same thing when it comes to expectations for twenty
twenty five. We will see those unfold as training camp
goes along.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
And speaking of kind of on the field work, I
think the biggest piece of news that came out of
Raheem Morris's presser was kind of giving an overall health
update on the team and where it stands after guys
were able to kind of get some medical evaluations when
they checked in this week. It was interesting because the
guys that you expected to get the green light got
the green light. So Brayln Trice, DeMarco Helen's two guys
(02:21):
who were on the rise, for lack of a better
word and phrase like, they were doing so well last
training camp and then unfortunately had some season ending injuries
that kept them off.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
The field all of last year.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
They're back, they have Raheem Morris said, they've got the
green light, They're ready to go, They're they're trending in
the right direction. And then he made a mention of
Kyle Pitts and Kaylen McGary, two guys who didn't really
play all that much, didn't really have all that much
practice time during OTAs because they were being pretty cautious
with them as they were working through some stuff. But
(02:56):
I think the biggest piece of information that came out
of Raheem's presser today was about Troy Anderson, who also
suffered a season ending injury last year about halfway through
the season. That never really got right, that knee injury.
Despite the fact that he had these like flashes and
moments where you really liked what you saw from him,
(03:16):
there's this knee injury that has lingered for him and
they placed him on the Physically Unable to Perform List
puplist For those that need the acronym. I won't go
over all of the rules for a pup list, I
will say this isn't the end of Troy Anderson. You know,
like there is an opportunity for him to come back.
(03:36):
It seemed that Raheem Morris was optimistic about his health
and returning. It's just right now for training camp, we're
not going to see him. I would recommend going on
Atlanta falcons dot com reading the story that I wrote.
It lays out all of the rules and expectations for
a player going on a pup list and eventually being
activated from it. But I think ultimately, and this is
the main thing that I got from this is like,
(03:58):
Divine Diablo's presence is so important to this roster now,
not that it wasn't before, but I think it just
heightens when you know that Trey Anderson, in that speed
of which he has, isn't going to be out there.
Divine Diablo is a guy who should be starting right
alongside kay Neills at the inside linebacker spot.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
No, absolutely. When he was brought in here the soft season,
it was kind of clear that, hey, this is a
starting caliber player. He's somebody I'm very excited to see.
But as you said, it's not the end of Troy Anderson.
What I want to know, though, is is the end
of you Tory? Like, what's up with your voice today?
It's like, how are you doing? Should you be on
the pup listing?
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Is?
Speaker 1 (04:35):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
I woke up this morning and I didn't have a voice.
And it's funny because if I talk down here, yeah no,
if I talk in a lower register, I'm fine, But
when I get excited and I start like really getting
into it, it's like I lose it.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Squeaker.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Yeah, I'm like wheezy on toy story that.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
So I'm sorry about my voice. It is probably not
the best listening. But I'm hoping. I'm hoping that it
gets better in the next couple of days. I feel fine,
it's just I'm so excited. I don't have a voice.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
High expectations, low octaves, the story of Tory mclaney and
twenty five. That's it. That's what we're doing here. No,
it was it is important, I think to consider the
guys coming back from injury, but also you know, looking
at the young players and the amount of young contributors
that this team is going to need to rely on.
Like that was one of the final things Marahem Morris
(05:27):
kind of wrapped up on at the end of his
presser was it feels like they're going to have kind
of like two draft classes almost and not just Michael
Pennock stepping up, but like Rucuroro, Brandon Dorles, those guys
if DeMarco Hellum's you know when he comes back, like
he missed his whole second year, so that's another young player.
Like there's gonna be a lot of young guys mixed
in with the veterans like Jake Matthews and Chris Linstrom
(05:49):
and Jesse Bit, you know. So it's it's gonna be
a weird like confluence of energy, and that's made it hard,
I think, to pinpoint exactly what the expectations should be
for the Falcons in twenty twenty five, and after a
whole off season of seeing what they've done and thinking
about it and just digesting it all. Like, Tory, where
was your head at for the expectations for this team
(06:10):
driving into training cams today?
Speaker 3 (06:12):
I think I was just so excited to finally see
some ball. Like I just I hate the off season.
I also love the off season. My thing is is
like during the off season, everything is so speculative and
you're just trying to kind of piece meal together your
own thoughts and opinions about a team that you haven't
seen play together. And to your point, there are a
(06:33):
lot of question marks within this team about the young
pieces that they have and how much they can ultimately
pan out as players in this league, and this is
the year that they're going to get the opportunity to
show what they've got. And I think for that reason,
this team has been a hard one to pin down.
The expectations for this team has been difficult to pin
down because there are so many question marks and because
(06:54):
you're introducing so many different new faces, let alone a
new defensive coordinator with a whole bunch of new defensive players.
Like it, it really feels like everything is out there
for this team, but I don't know what they're going
to go after first and kind of what the first
dominoes to fall are going to be for some of
these players. And I think that's where I was driving
(07:16):
in today. I was just sitting here, like finally just
get to see something instead of like just talking about
it and going through and writing position breakdowns about what
I think these positions are going to look like. All
of those things. Now it's actually okay, we're getting closer
and closer to answers. Dominoes are starting to fall, and
we'll be able to feel pretty quickly who this team
(07:39):
is going to be now that they put the ball down.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
It is so funny. It's like so much of what
we project for the future is informed by like the
immediate past. It's like what a team did last year
is now like where they're all going to fall in
the preseason power rankings and stuff. That's usually not the
way that this works. Typically, there's like three teams you
just never saw coming that make the plays or that
fall out of the playoffs, and so in looking at
(08:03):
kind of this offseason and what this team could be,
I've been hearing a lot of people say, well, twenty sixteen, right,
you know, like second year coach, first year kind of
was weird. You yeah, started off strong and then you
faded a little bit. So like, there's obvious parallels there.
So I was doing some digging and I was like, well,
what were the vibes of that team coming out of
training camp in twenty sixteen. Were people high on the
(08:23):
Falcons saying they're going to the super Bowl? Not really
a lot of people. They actually, I think had the
hardest schedule in the league that year. People were pointing
to that being like, man, it's going to be tough.
The Kyle Shanahan Matt Ryan chemistry bit of it didn't
go so well in twenty fifteen. What was that going
to look like in twenty sixteen? And then they lose
in Week one? It was a little bit of tough,
but obviously they catch lightning, they keep on going and
they make the super Bowl. Same thing in nineteen ninety eight,
(08:46):
which is weird. I know, I'm kind of making two
comparisons here that are Super Bowl teams probably fraught, like
Raheem's ears are ringing down the hallway, like hold on, yeh, expectations,
what's going on?
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Right?
Speaker 1 (08:55):
But that team in ninety seven they went seven to nine,
like they weren't on the cusp of the Super Bowl either,
And that year in ninety eight, they led the league
with forty four turnovers. So what I'm saying is that
the identity of teams are different, and they often do
take time to develop. So while we're all excited, and
I'm every bit as excited as any player, you guys
(09:16):
or anybody, but like, they're not going to win the
Super Bowl on July twenty fourth, They're not going to
win the Super Bowl at any point in August. What
they can do is lay the foundation and put themselves
in the best chance to catch lightning in a bottle.
But the twenty sixteen team, we didn't see that coming.
Ninety eight we didn't see that coming. The pieces are
in place, now, it's about putting them together and learning
(09:36):
as much about those pieces as possible. So that's really
where we're going to focus throughout our training camp. Coverage
is kind of like what did they do today that
we maybe have not seen before and how is that
going to impact the season. But the proclamations about like
they better, what are they doing today to win the
Super Bowl? That's kind of not how it works, right,
So calm down, So Taran, I know you heard a
(09:57):
good bit from the players this today after practice kind
of talking about expectations and things like that. What did
they tell you, and specifically maybe the offense because that
we've talked a lot about defenses offseason. What did you
hear from the offense? Guys?
Speaker 2 (10:09):
We're saying not to do these high expectations and meanwhile
the offense is out here like we're going to be
the best.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
That's true.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
They are staying out.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
They're staking that like claim, they're putting their flag in
the ground, and they are just putting that sentence out
there in bold, italicize an underline.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
What do you need to see from them to know that, hey,
they're hitting those expectations.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
This is a message to Crystal Instrum, Michael Pennock Junior,
and Cale McGarry, who all said the word best. I
need to see this offense come together as one cohesive
unit because, as Will said, there are a bunch of
pieces into play, But we need the whole puzzle to
see the full picture. That begins with building chemistry between
the quarterback and the wide receivers, the quarterback and the
(10:53):
running back, the running back in the offensive line, the
offensive line in the quarterback. Like I could go through
every position. I mean, the only one I miss was
tight end.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
But we'll get there.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
And so because talking to Cale McGary today, he was like,
something we're learning about having Michael Penox junior behind them
is just like how far back he goes, the tone
of his voice, if he's like thrown off a bit,
like the feel of the pocket, And it's little things
like that that will grow. He said that could take months,
and they had that end of the season last year
and now they're building on it in off season program.
(11:24):
They're building on it now, so you're getting those months,
but it's still not there yet. And that's what I
need to see. I need to see that grow and
you can visibly see the offense get cleaner, be more fluid,
and just be one unit.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
Yeah, there are a lot of There is a lot
of cohesion between some of the parts of the unit.
Right The offensive line has been together for a while
outside of the edition of Ryan Neusel. The Wide Receiver
Corps has kind of been in place for a little
bit now. Michael PENNOCKX is kind of the only difference,
and it's an exciting difference. But maybe that does make
it easier to like kind of get like when one
new person is coming into the building and everybody else
(11:59):
who was then there only has to learn one new name,
and the new guy has to learn like eleven new names.
Maybe they can figure out a way to make that
one new guy kind of learn those eleven names quicker
and really adjust and acclimate. And I think we're gonna
get our first kind of taste of that maybe during
joint practices. And there was when I was playing in
high school, like we would go through the summer two
days and workouts and things like that, but when we
got to that first scrimmage game, our coach would sit
(12:22):
us down and say, look, you've been going up against
the same ugly mugs in practice. It's hot, you hate
each other, but now you get to go beat up
on somebody else. Now you get to go play for
each other and you get to go just whoop somebody else's.
But I need them to take that attitude into joint
practices against the Titans and kind of come for blood,
Like I want them to dominate in joint practices because
(12:45):
it is a lot of talk, there is a lot
of expectation being set right now, but this is the
year of prove it to me, Like, show it on
the field, and that's gonna be the first taste against
another team, and it's a really good measuring stick. I
love that the league has starting to embrace these joint
practices more because you can only tell so much when
you're watching the same players day in and day out.
They know each other and you kind of know them.
(13:06):
So this will be a really good measuring stick kind
of series for them when they start those joint practices
against Titans. I need to see them go out there
and dominate.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
I love joint practices yea, Like I've always loved joint practices.
I think that you find out the most about a
team at this point in the season, preseason during those
two day joint practices because a lot of times, especially recently,
the joint practices are kind of the only time that
you get to see the starters. It's the only time
you get to see the vets, it's the only time
that you get to see like the groups that could
(13:35):
potentially be your first teamers playing against. It's like good
on good. Yeah, I'm curious. I know Raheem talked. I
know he was asked a little bit about it today
about like what's the plan for the preseason and I'm curious,
like what did he have to say about that, because
I feel like the way that this roster is constructed,
the plan may need to change and evolve from what
(13:59):
maybe it was in the past.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Yeah, this has been one of the weirdest things I
think to try to think about and game out of
the off season, right, because, yeah, last year he didn't
play the starters, you know, and that was that made
a lot of sense given who the starters were and
Kirk Cousins coming off of his injuries. So like the
sense that I'm getting because Raheem was saying, a lot
of that is is yet to be determined, and that
(14:22):
it will kind of be determined in joint practices in
kind of the first block of camp and into the
second block and into the third and who's able to
string together and earn and carve out a role for
themselves and so as they learn that and evaluate and
say who do we need to see more of against
live competition, who do we trust? And it's good And
then what's weird about it is the kind of groupings. Right,
(14:43):
if you're going to send a starter out there, you'd
want to have maybe starters around them so that they're
working on something that will feel familiar to them in
a game. So there's a lot of complicated stuff that
goes into it. And it's not as black and white
as they didn't play their starters last year, they're not
going to play their starters this year because this is
a new year and a new team. And when you
have a young quarterback and you're trying to develop chemistry
(15:05):
and makes a lot of sense to get him every
rep possible.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
Give him a dirty pocket exactly right, you gotta.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
But you can enjoin practices and so that is kind
of where last year they took the approach where it's like,
on the practice field, we can control things to a
certain degree and we can make it difficult, so we
feel confident in our ability to get game ready controlling
what we can control out here. But now it is
about maybe introducing some of these young guys a Jalen
Walker to a live situation and seeing how he reacts
(15:33):
in an uncontrolled environment. So we don't have an answer
really yet. It's kind of gonna unroll as it goes.
But I'm really curious to see how it does.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Yeah, I am too, and I think for the most
part too. Raheem even said like we'll find out more
like we'll make a decision later because it ultimately depends
on how much you can get done in the next
two weeks and also in those joint practice situations.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
I love that mindset though, and it just kind of
opens the door to different opportunities and it's not kind
of putting the cart before the horse.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Absolutely, somebody who could have a lot of opportunities this year.
Kyle Pitts, if the first practice is anything to be believed,
he was getting targeted early and often. Toy is this
is this real? The new Michael Pennocks insertion? Is that
gonna get Kyle Pitts the ball or no?
Speaker 3 (16:22):
Well, I need to see that. I need That's the
one thing in training camp that I keep I know
all of the topics of conversation this offseason have been
about Kyle Pits and I understand that. I understand why
this is a guy who's going into his fifth year
and production hasn't been there the last few years. Even
Rahie Morris said, we're chasing what his rookie year was. Yeah,
(16:43):
and it hasn't been that way. And I think like
something that really stuck out to me today at practice
was this is Michael Pennox's first true training camp practice
in front of fans. Everything's going on, This is his
first opportunity to be QB one, to be introduced as
QB one, And every first that he had today at
(17:05):
practice involved Kyle Pitts. His very first pass during eleven
on eleven was this twenty yard out route, beautiful to
Kyle Pitts. The first thing that he that Michael Pennock
says in his post practice press conference is got the
ball a lot to kp Today. That's gonna happen some
more like so, the fact that this is somebody who's
(17:25):
in this environment and still making a point, whether it
be on the field or off the field, to put
a spotlight on Kyle Pitts. I think that matters. I
think it's intentional, I think it's strategic. I don't think
Michael Penix is sitting there just like, Oh, I'm gonna
talk about Kyle Picts just because I want to know.
I think he's sitting there being like, No, this is
a guy who I trust, and I'm gonna show people
(17:48):
that because something else that's interesting is like a part
of what Michael Penix is doing right now. It's probably
a little bit of uncomfortable, Like he's probably in an
uncomfortable setting because this is again your very first practice
as the starting quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons. Like with
all of these fans on the hill, there's like sixteen thousand,
(18:09):
sixteen thousand, sixteen hundred people sitting on the hill watching
and you're trying to work on your chemistry and trying
to do that. I think, like what is obvious to
me is that there is a prioritization with Michael Pennix
and Cowpits, with Michael Pennick's working to get the ball
to Cowpits. And again, I know it's early, and this
(18:30):
is going against everything I know. People are sitting there
like Tori, don't suck me in again, like, don't give
me a false hope. Like I tweeted something about like
Cole Pits being Michael Pennick's favorite target on one on
ones in barstool picked it up and it was.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Like the okay, Grandpa, like yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
It's just but I just have to I have to go,
like I can only go with what I've seen In
this one practice we saw Cole Pits have a very
obvious and intentional connection with Michael Pennock.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
That's why we keep talking about him because it is enticing.
You see the flashes and you see the potential there,
and it is a little bit of a savvy move,
I think from Michael Pennix, Like, yeah, I saw the
movie F one recently and there is a there's a
there's a scene in there. It's not a spoiler, it's
not a spoiler. There's a scene where Brad Pitt shows
his kind of veteran savvy in a moment and in
(19:22):
an exchange where it's all kind of set up and
it looks like it's ego on ego, and then you realize, like, no,
it's actually more about him stepping aside and doing what
is right for the his other driver, the much younger
kind of like I'm I'm almost like fooling you here
a little bit, but I'm given, I'm pushing you where
you need to go and get in your mind where
it needs to be, and you know, you could see
(19:44):
like a reality where that is a little bit of
what's going on here. It's kind of like we're getting
you where you need to go because we need something
from you. And having a quarterback who recognizes that, like
I need him for this to work. I love that.
I love seeing him in his own way kind of
step in and like, yeah, let's do this. I'm influencing
it kind of subtly and picking me up. And if
(20:04):
they developed that chemistry in the way that like Desma
Ritter did with Drake London and kind of they become
like a go or Kirk with Darnell. Like if early
on we see MPJ and Kyle Pitts like really developing
that go to guy type of connection, I wouldn't hate
it at all.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Well, And Kyle was also working on his blocking too,
because at the end of practice I definitely noticed him
off to the side with Kevin Koger, his position coach,
whereas normally it's like him, but John Robinson and Drake
London kind of hanging out with the quarterbacks in the
center of the field while special teams is going on,
but Kyle was off on his own and you could
tell he was working with the pads and specifically on blocking.
(20:42):
So it's good to see him kind of trying to
capitalize and improve on both areas of his game individually
and with Michael Pennock Junior.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Absolutely, Taren, what's the second thing that you want to
see out of the Falcons this training kit.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
I'm going to the flip side of the ball.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
And we need to talk about the beefix.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
I think there's going to be a lot more youth
in the starting defense this year, whereas last year. I
think it was the opposite. Rookies are going to play immediately.
Raheem Morris has said it, and we saw it today
when Jalen Walker and James Piers Junior both lined up
with the starting defense against the second team offense during
(21:21):
eleven on eleven work. And I think it's a completely
different path than what they did last year. Was say,
Brandon Dorles and Ruca Roro Row and.
Speaker 4 (21:31):
You're smiling at how I said, wrong, brain fart okay
and Ruca Row, It's great, it's.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
The best name.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
Exquisitely, thank you.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
I just enunciate every single part of it.
Speaker 3 (21:47):
You have to hit all the roads, all.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
The roads for the boat anyway, it's just a very
different thing. And so I want to see that actually
play out and work out in the exodisition games, if
they play, or in joint practices or continuing on in
just eleven eleven work. It's something I don't want to
see once and then it'd be let go in the
veterans swoop back in. I want to see it throughout
(22:11):
and see that rotation continue where the youth is involved.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
Yeah, I think I do have high hopes and expectations
for the four draft picks on the defense side of
the ball, and I think there are some young defenders
kind of across the board who we may not be
that familiar with you, who have been identified for kind
of what they can bring to the table. I think
Lamar Jackson today had a really really good play down
the field, and so I kind of piggybacking off of
(22:39):
what you want to see with the rookies really owning
and growing into their starting roles sooner rather than later.
I need three guys who were kind of not talking
about right now to step up and play above and
maybe earn a bigger role than we expect because for
any team, I think really to truly elevate themselves to
that level of contender, you need those eyes that you
(23:00):
didn't really see. Zach Bond last year is a great example. Now,
I'm not saying somebody has to come in and basically
be Kate Ellis, because that's what Zach Bond and Kate
Ellis were the two guys that did that last year.
But I'm thinking of like a Brian Pool in twenty sixteen.
You know, can somebody maybe it did, Lamar Jackson, the
cornerback that I just named, or anybody on kind of
(23:21):
like the offense. Cadarrel Hodge was a great example I
think last year where he did a little bit more
than you needed him necessarily to do. So who were
kind of three guys? That's all I'm asking for is
three guys this preseason who identify themselves, whether it's a
Ta Kwan Graham or a Zach Harrison or somebody like that,
who all, right, we thought we were going to get
this from you, and now we're pleasantly surprised. We're getting
a little bit more. And that's gonna have a ripple effect.
(23:43):
That's how you elevate your depth, That's how you help
like your starters. So that is really kind of the
one thing I'm going to look at in terms of
how can we heighten the floor and maybe amplify the
ceiling a little bit as well.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
It is one practice. But somebody who did catch my
eye that would fall under that category as Khalid Kareem. Yeah,
because I know he was getting reps with the starters
and I would love to see that for him.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Yep. I think any any of the guys along that
defensive line group of is j D bertrand you know,
like there are some candidates on this team where they
really could step up. I think my CU's was a
good example last year of one player who kind of
did that. So who were going to be those guys
this year? I need to see somebody separate themselves. But
let's wrap it up here with your final thing, Tori,
what do you need to see?
Speaker 3 (24:25):
I need to see Michael Panicks Junior play with some confidence,
not that we haven't seen him do that. I think
that he was very confident in those three starts that
he had last year. I think that he is incredibly
confident in his arm strength and his talent as he
should be. I think that the first time he threw
the ball down the field today, I was sitting there like, oh, man.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Like you feel it.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
You feel that arm strength and you feel that talent,
and it was really interesting. And we were talking about
this before we had even started recording. But being in
his press conference today, the Michael Panix who was standing
in front of me differed greatly I think from the
Michael Pennocks who stood before me back in December, which
makes sense, like he was new, the situation was difficult.
(25:09):
Now he's had six months of absolutely knowing, Hey, I'm
QB one, this is my team. And I felt that
from him today. I felt that from him in eleven
on elevens. I felt that from him when he's addressing
the media about the connection that he has with his
players and what he feels like. I think the moment
that stook out to me was I asked him I
was like, we were talking to Zach Robinson prior to Ota,
(25:33):
so kind of back in the spring about what his
off season workload looked like. And I remember he said,
I went back and I watched a lot of Washington
tape of Michael Pennix, just trying to refresh myself on
what he does best, what he's most comfortable at, how
I can best utilize him in what I'm asking him
to do. And so I asked Michael Pennock today, I
was like, did you feel that in your own conversations
(25:54):
with Zach Robinson over the course of the last few
months of just kind of you know, getting all the
ducks in a row? And he kind of laughed and
he goes, I mean, yeah, I guess, but for the
most part, like I'm just sitting there telling him, like,
call it up, call it for me. I'll run out there,
I'll do it, like And I think that to me,
like the confidence, the ability of like allowing the opportunity
(26:21):
for your offensive coordinator just be like, hey, I'm gonna
see if he can rip it here, like let him
go rip it. And I think, like, so when I say,
like I want to see a confidence in Michael Pennock, Juior,
that's not to say that I don't already see that.
It's just kind of like I do see that. I
see that today. I saw that, you know, six months ago.
It's can I see that every day? And can this
(26:42):
offense feel like it did today because today it felt
like Michael Pennock Junior's offense in games.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (26:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
I think the most important thing too, is that it's
a real natural confidence like the quarterback it's not forrest. Yeah.
The leadership aspect of the quarterback position is really kind
of tricky because it is very and anybody who watched
I think Quarterback on Netflix like can see the different
styles of leadership that some of the games best have,
(27:10):
but it resonates with their team because it's genuine to
who they are. And that's the biggest thing is just
like kind of don't be fake, because these are all
adults who are are like, hey, don't you know blank
on me and then tell me it's raining, Like, just
just call it as it is and let me then
do with that information what I will. And Michael Pennix
has been himself even as he's elevated, I think his
leadership abilities and kind of self confidence, So I love
(27:33):
that that is something that we absolutely needed to see.
Maybe the most important thing given the position that he plays, right, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:40):
And I think just for the simple fact of the
matter that the Falcons drafted him with the number eight
overall pick with the expectation that he was going to
be their quarterback of the future. That future is now.
So what does he do with that now?
Speaker 1 (27:52):
Yea?
Speaker 3 (27:52):
And how does that confidence piece play into it as
he's working on things like I don't know, just the
touch on a ten yard out route, you know, like
instead of just every single time going deep down the field,
Like we know that arm strength, but can you get
those little like a little wheel route to bajon Like
I just think those moments confidence can show up quietly,
(28:13):
And I think in those moments is when you can
see that too.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
A small step is a big step.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
Yes, As we've been told, yep.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
All right, Well, we've got a lot left to do
this summer. We're not gonna do it all in this
one show, just like the Falcons are gonna win it
all in one practice. But we will be here consistently
for you guys. Anytime there is an open practice, we're
gonna be able to bring it to you and wrap
up and share everything that we're seeing out there. The
next time you guys will hear from us will be
(28:42):
on Saturday after the open practice, where again it's the
welcome Back Saturday across the NFL, so it's gonna be
really exciting and a lot of fun. Check it out
on YouTube. Nine to twenty is when it will start
our training camp show, so if you're not gonna be
out there, please at least join in, leave a comment,
engage with all the fan It is gonna be so
much fun. I don't really have anything else for you
(29:04):
guys today, so let's go ahead and get out of here.
It's been a long first day. Thank you guys so
much for listening and watching. Check out the YouTube channel
if you can, subscribe where you can, and we'll see
you next time.
Dirty Birds. Welcome back the fans. We're back today, the
players are back, the coaches are back. Tarren Walk is back,
Tory Naclaney's back. I'm Will McFadden and we are here
to welcome you back to the Atlanta Falcons podcast network.
And it was a blast seeing everybody up there on
the hill for the first practice of training camp. A reminder,
Saturday is Welcome back Day across the NFL, so if
(00:22):
you've got your tickets, we're really looking forward to seeing
you guys out there. If you don't have tickets for
any future practices yet, they're free, you can go on
to Atlanta Falcons dot com and get some for training Camp.
Saturday is sold out and we're looking forward to an amazing,
amazing crowd. It's gonna be a lot of fun. We're
also gonna be having a training Camp live show on
our YouTube channel, So if you're not gonna be able
(00:43):
to make it out to practice, but you still want
to get the vibes and the energy of being out there,
to watch the second open practice of twenty twenty five
at and T Training Camp, pop on at nine to
twenty to the YouTube channel and just vibe. Yeah, it's
gonna be great, Terry and Raheem. I think we're gonna stop.
Tory's going to be on it, Dave Archer, everybody, it'll
be a really fun hang so be sure to pop
(01:06):
on and do that. But yeah, it was great to
see everybody and be back. And we kicked off the
day hearing from Raheem Morris and he set the stage. Taren,
you asked him the first question you got, the first
question of the twenty twenty five season. What'd you ask him?
Speaker 2 (01:20):
What do you say, are you excited about training camp?
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (01:24):
His answer was yes. I mean, it was a simple question,
but it kind of just also had to set the
tone for what we were about to see. And yes,
he's excited, but he also and this came with my
second question later where I asked him, how do you
balance being realistic but also being optimistic And he said
that's not really up to him. It's kind of like
the identity thing. Whenever we ask him about the identity,
(01:46):
he's like, it's not up to me. I kind of
wish it was, but it's not like I wanted to
be up to the players on the field. So it's
the same thing when it comes to expectations for twenty
twenty five. We will see those unfold as training camp
goes along.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
And speaking of kind of on the field work, I
think the biggest piece of news that came out of
Raheem Morris's presser was kind of giving an overall health
update on the team and where it stands after guys
were able to kind of get some medical evaluations when
they checked in this week. It was interesting because the
guys that you expected to get the green light got
the green light. So Brayln Trice, DeMarco Helen's two guys
(02:21):
who were on the rise, for lack of a better
word and phrase like, they were doing so well last
training camp and then unfortunately had some season ending injuries
that kept them off.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
The field all of last year.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
They're back, they have Raheem Morris said, they've got the
green light, They're ready to go, They're they're trending in
the right direction. And then he made a mention of
Kyle Pitts and Kaylen McGary, two guys who didn't really
play all that much, didn't really have all that much
practice time during OTAs because they were being pretty cautious
with them as they were working through some stuff. But
(02:56):
I think the biggest piece of information that came out
of Raheem's presser today was about Troy Anderson, who also
suffered a season ending injury last year about halfway through
the season. That never really got right, that knee injury.
Despite the fact that he had these like flashes and
moments where you really liked what you saw from him,
(03:16):
there's this knee injury that has lingered for him and
they placed him on the Physically Unable to Perform List
puplist For those that need the acronym. I won't go
over all of the rules for a pup list, I
will say this isn't the end of Troy Anderson. You know,
like there is an opportunity for him to come back.
(03:36):
It seemed that Raheem Morris was optimistic about his health
and returning. It's just right now for training camp, we're
not going to see him. I would recommend going on
Atlanta falcons dot com reading the story that I wrote.
It lays out all of the rules and expectations for
a player going on a pup list and eventually being
activated from it. But I think ultimately, and this is
the main thing that I got from this is like,
(03:58):
Divine Diablo's presence is so important to this roster now,
not that it wasn't before, but I think it just
heightens when you know that Trey Anderson, in that speed
of which he has, isn't going to be out there.
Divine Diablo is a guy who should be starting right
alongside kay Neills at the inside linebacker spot.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
No, absolutely. When he was brought in here the soft season,
it was kind of clear that, hey, this is a
starting caliber player. He's somebody I'm very excited to see.
But as you said, it's not the end of Troy Anderson.
What I want to know, though, is is the end
of you Tory? Like, what's up with your voice today?
It's like, how are you doing? Should you be on
the pup listing?
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Is?
Speaker 1 (04:35):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
I woke up this morning and I didn't have a voice.
And it's funny because if I talk down here, yeah no,
if I talk in a lower register, I'm fine, But
when I get excited and I start like really getting
into it, it's like I lose it.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Squeaker.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Yeah, I'm like wheezy on toy story that.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
So I'm sorry about my voice. It is probably not
the best listening. But I'm hoping. I'm hoping that it
gets better in the next couple of days. I feel fine,
it's just I'm so excited. I don't have a voice.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
High expectations, low octaves, the story of Tory mclaney and
twenty five. That's it. That's what we're doing here. No,
it was it is important, I think to consider the
guys coming back from injury, but also you know, looking
at the young players and the amount of young contributors
that this team is going to need to rely on.
Like that was one of the final things Marahem Morris
(05:27):
kind of wrapped up on at the end of his
presser was it feels like they're going to have kind
of like two draft classes almost and not just Michael
Pennock stepping up, but like Rucuroro, Brandon Dorles, those guys
if DeMarco Hellum's you know when he comes back, like
he missed his whole second year, so that's another young player.
Like there's gonna be a lot of young guys mixed
in with the veterans like Jake Matthews and Chris Linstrom
(05:49):
and Jesse Bit, you know. So it's it's gonna be
a weird like confluence of energy, and that's made it hard,
I think, to pinpoint exactly what the expectations should be
for the Falcons in twenty twenty five, and after a
whole off season of seeing what they've done and thinking
about it and just digesting it all. Like, Tory, where
was your head at for the expectations for this team
(06:10):
driving into training cams today?
Speaker 3 (06:12):
I think I was just so excited to finally see
some ball. Like I just I hate the off season.
I also love the off season. My thing is is
like during the off season, everything is so speculative and
you're just trying to kind of piece meal together your
own thoughts and opinions about a team that you haven't
seen play together. And to your point, there are a
(06:33):
lot of question marks within this team about the young
pieces that they have and how much they can ultimately
pan out as players in this league, and this is
the year that they're going to get the opportunity to
show what they've got. And I think for that reason,
this team has been a hard one to pin down.
The expectations for this team has been difficult to pin
down because there are so many question marks and because
(06:54):
you're introducing so many different new faces, let alone a
new defensive coordinator with a whole bunch of new defensive players.
Like it, it really feels like everything is out there
for this team, but I don't know what they're going
to go after first and kind of what the first
dominoes to fall are going to be for some of
these players. And I think that's where I was driving
(07:16):
in today. I was just sitting here, like finally just
get to see something instead of like just talking about
it and going through and writing position breakdowns about what
I think these positions are going to look like. All
of those things. Now it's actually okay, we're getting closer
and closer to answers. Dominoes are starting to fall, and
we'll be able to feel pretty quickly who this team
(07:39):
is going to be now that they put the ball down.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
It is so funny. It's like so much of what
we project for the future is informed by like the
immediate past. It's like what a team did last year
is now like where they're all going to fall in
the preseason power rankings and stuff. That's usually not the
way that this works. Typically, there's like three teams you
just never saw coming that make the plays or that
fall out of the playoffs, and so in looking at
(08:03):
kind of this offseason and what this team could be,
I've been hearing a lot of people say, well, twenty sixteen, right,
you know, like second year coach, first year kind of
was weird. You yeah, started off strong and then you
faded a little bit. So like, there's obvious parallels there.
So I was doing some digging and I was like, well,
what were the vibes of that team coming out of
training camp in twenty sixteen. Were people high on the
(08:23):
Falcons saying they're going to the super Bowl? Not really
a lot of people. They actually, I think had the
hardest schedule in the league that year. People were pointing
to that being like, man, it's going to be tough.
The Kyle Shanahan Matt Ryan chemistry bit of it didn't
go so well in twenty fifteen. What was that going
to look like in twenty sixteen? And then they lose
in Week one? It was a little bit of tough,
but obviously they catch lightning, they keep on going and
they make the super Bowl. Same thing in nineteen ninety eight,
(08:46):
which is weird. I know, I'm kind of making two
comparisons here that are Super Bowl teams probably fraught, like
Raheem's ears are ringing down the hallway, like hold on, yeh, expectations,
what's going on?
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Right?
Speaker 1 (08:55):
But that team in ninety seven they went seven to nine,
like they weren't on the cusp of the Super Bowl either,
And that year in ninety eight, they led the league
with forty four turnovers. So what I'm saying is that
the identity of teams are different, and they often do
take time to develop. So while we're all excited, and
I'm every bit as excited as any player, you guys
(09:16):
or anybody, but like, they're not going to win the
Super Bowl on July twenty fourth, They're not going to
win the Super Bowl at any point in August. What
they can do is lay the foundation and put themselves
in the best chance to catch lightning in a bottle.
But the twenty sixteen team, we didn't see that coming.
Ninety eight we didn't see that coming. The pieces are
in place, now, it's about putting them together and learning
(09:36):
as much about those pieces as possible. So that's really
where we're going to focus throughout our training camp. Coverage
is kind of like what did they do today that
we maybe have not seen before and how is that
going to impact the season. But the proclamations about like
they better, what are they doing today to win the
Super Bowl? That's kind of not how it works, right,
So calm down, So Taran, I know you heard a
(09:57):
good bit from the players this today after practice kind
of talking about expectations and things like that. What did
they tell you, and specifically maybe the offense because that
we've talked a lot about defenses offseason. What did you
hear from the offense? Guys?
Speaker 2 (10:09):
We're saying not to do these high expectations and meanwhile
the offense is out here like we're going to be
the best.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
That's true.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
They are staying out.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
They're staking that like claim, they're putting their flag in
the ground, and they are just putting that sentence out
there in bold, italicize an underline.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
What do you need to see from them to know that, hey,
they're hitting those expectations.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
This is a message to Crystal Instrum, Michael Pennock Junior,
and Cale McGarry, who all said the word best. I
need to see this offense come together as one cohesive
unit because, as Will said, there are a bunch of
pieces into play, But we need the whole puzzle to
see the full picture. That begins with building chemistry between
the quarterback and the wide receivers, the quarterback and the
(10:53):
running back, the running back in the offensive line, the
offensive line in the quarterback. Like I could go through
every position. I mean, the only one I miss was
tight end.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
But we'll get there.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
And so because talking to Cale McGary today, he was like,
something we're learning about having Michael Penox junior behind them
is just like how far back he goes, the tone
of his voice, if he's like thrown off a bit,
like the feel of the pocket, And it's little things
like that that will grow. He said that could take months,
and they had that end of the season last year
and now they're building on it in off season program.
(11:24):
They're building on it now, so you're getting those months,
but it's still not there yet. And that's what I
need to see. I need to see that grow and
you can visibly see the offense get cleaner, be more fluid,
and just be one unit.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
Yeah, there are a lot of There is a lot
of cohesion between some of the parts of the unit.
Right The offensive line has been together for a while
outside of the edition of Ryan Neusel. The Wide Receiver
Corps has kind of been in place for a little
bit now. Michael PENNOCKX is kind of the only difference,
and it's an exciting difference. But maybe that does make
it easier to like kind of get like when one
new person is coming into the building and everybody else
(11:59):
who was then there only has to learn one new name,
and the new guy has to learn like eleven new names.
Maybe they can figure out a way to make that
one new guy kind of learn those eleven names quicker
and really adjust and acclimate. And I think we're gonna
get our first kind of taste of that maybe during
joint practices. And there was when I was playing in
high school, like we would go through the summer two
days and workouts and things like that, but when we
got to that first scrimmage game, our coach would sit
(12:22):
us down and say, look, you've been going up against
the same ugly mugs in practice. It's hot, you hate
each other, but now you get to go beat up
on somebody else. Now you get to go play for
each other and you get to go just whoop somebody else's.
But I need them to take that attitude into joint
practices against the Titans and kind of come for blood,
Like I want them to dominate in joint practices because
(12:45):
it is a lot of talk, there is a lot
of expectation being set right now, but this is the
year of prove it to me, Like, show it on
the field, and that's gonna be the first taste against
another team, and it's a really good measuring stick. I
love that the league has starting to embrace these joint
practices more because you can only tell so much when
you're watching the same players day in and day out.
They know each other and you kind of know them.
(13:06):
So this will be a really good measuring stick kind
of series for them when they start those joint practices
against Titans. I need to see them go out there
and dominate.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
I love joint practices yea, Like I've always loved joint practices.
I think that you find out the most about a
team at this point in the season, preseason during those
two day joint practices because a lot of times, especially recently,
the joint practices are kind of the only time that
you get to see the starters. It's the only time
you get to see the vets, it's the only time
that you get to see like the groups that could
(13:35):
potentially be your first teamers playing against. It's like good
on good. Yeah, I'm curious. I know Raheem talked. I
know he was asked a little bit about it today
about like what's the plan for the preseason and I'm curious,
like what did he have to say about that, because
I feel like the way that this roster is constructed,
the plan may need to change and evolve from what
(13:59):
maybe it was in the past.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Yeah, this has been one of the weirdest things I
think to try to think about and game out of
the off season, right, because, yeah, last year he didn't
play the starters, you know, and that was that made
a lot of sense given who the starters were and
Kirk Cousins coming off of his injuries. So like the
sense that I'm getting because Raheem was saying, a lot
of that is is yet to be determined, and that
(14:22):
it will kind of be determined in joint practices in
kind of the first block of camp and into the
second block and into the third and who's able to
string together and earn and carve out a role for
themselves and so as they learn that and evaluate and
say who do we need to see more of against
live competition, who do we trust? And it's good And
then what's weird about it is the kind of groupings. Right,
(14:43):
if you're going to send a starter out there, you'd
want to have maybe starters around them so that they're
working on something that will feel familiar to them in
a game. So there's a lot of complicated stuff that
goes into it. And it's not as black and white
as they didn't play their starters last year, they're not
going to play their starters this year because this is
a new year and a new team. And when you
have a young quarterback and you're trying to develop chemistry
(15:05):
and makes a lot of sense to get him every
rep possible.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
Give him a dirty pocket exactly right, you gotta.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
But you can enjoin practices and so that is kind
of where last year they took the approach where it's like,
on the practice field, we can control things to a
certain degree and we can make it difficult, so we
feel confident in our ability to get game ready controlling
what we can control out here. But now it is
about maybe introducing some of these young guys a Jalen
Walker to a live situation and seeing how he reacts
(15:33):
in an uncontrolled environment. So we don't have an answer
really yet. It's kind of gonna unroll as it goes.
But I'm really curious to see how it does.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Yeah, I am too, and I think for the most
part too. Raheem even said like we'll find out more
like we'll make a decision later because it ultimately depends
on how much you can get done in the next
two weeks and also in those joint practice situations.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
I love that mindset though, and it just kind of
opens the door to different opportunities and it's not kind
of putting the cart before the horse.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Absolutely, somebody who could have a lot of opportunities this year.
Kyle Pitts, if the first practice is anything to be believed,
he was getting targeted early and often. Toy is this
is this real? The new Michael Pennocks insertion? Is that
gonna get Kyle Pitts the ball or no?
Speaker 3 (16:22):
Well, I need to see that. I need That's the
one thing in training camp that I keep I know
all of the topics of conversation this offseason have been
about Kyle Pits and I understand that. I understand why
this is a guy who's going into his fifth year
and production hasn't been there the last few years. Even
Rahie Morris said, we're chasing what his rookie year was. Yeah,
(16:43):
and it hasn't been that way. And I think like
something that really stuck out to me today at practice
was this is Michael Pennox's first true training camp practice
in front of fans. Everything's going on, This is his
first opportunity to be QB one, to be introduced as
QB one, And every first that he had today at
(17:05):
practice involved Kyle Pitts. His very first pass during eleven
on eleven was this twenty yard out route, beautiful to
Kyle Pitts. The first thing that he that Michael Pennock
says in his post practice press conference is got the
ball a lot to kp Today. That's gonna happen some
more like so, the fact that this is somebody who's
(17:25):
in this environment and still making a point, whether it
be on the field or off the field, to put
a spotlight on Kyle Pitts. I think that matters. I
think it's intentional, I think it's strategic. I don't think
Michael Penix is sitting there just like, Oh, I'm gonna
talk about Kyle Picts just because I want to know.
I think he's sitting there being like, No, this is
a guy who I trust, and I'm gonna show people
(17:48):
that because something else that's interesting is like a part
of what Michael Penix is doing right now. It's probably
a little bit of uncomfortable, Like he's probably in an
uncomfortable setting because this is again your very first practice
as the starting quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons. Like with
all of these fans on the hill, there's like sixteen thousand,
(18:09):
sixteen thousand, sixteen hundred people sitting on the hill watching
and you're trying to work on your chemistry and trying
to do that. I think, like what is obvious to
me is that there is a prioritization with Michael Pennix
and Cowpits, with Michael Pennick's working to get the ball
to Cowpits. And again, I know it's early, and this
(18:30):
is going against everything I know. People are sitting there
like Tori, don't suck me in again, like, don't give
me a false hope. Like I tweeted something about like
Cole Pits being Michael Pennick's favorite target on one on
ones in barstool picked it up and it was.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Like the okay, Grandpa, like yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
It's just but I just have to I have to go,
like I can only go with what I've seen In
this one practice we saw Cole Pits have a very
obvious and intentional connection with Michael Pennock.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
That's why we keep talking about him because it is enticing.
You see the flashes and you see the potential there,
and it is a little bit of a savvy move,
I think from Michael Pennix, Like, yeah, I saw the
movie F one recently and there is a there's a
there's a scene in there. It's not a spoiler, it's
not a spoiler. There's a scene where Brad Pitt shows
his kind of veteran savvy in a moment and in
(19:22):
an exchange where it's all kind of set up and
it looks like it's ego on ego, and then you realize, like, no,
it's actually more about him stepping aside and doing what
is right for the his other driver, the much younger
kind of like I'm I'm almost like fooling you here
a little bit, but I'm given, I'm pushing you where
you need to go and get in your mind where
it needs to be, and you know, you could see
(19:44):
like a reality where that is a little bit of
what's going on here. It's kind of like we're getting
you where you need to go because we need something
from you. And having a quarterback who recognizes that, like
I need him for this to work. I love that.
I love seeing him in his own way kind of
step in and like, yeah, let's do this. I'm influencing
it kind of subtly and picking me up. And if
(20:04):
they developed that chemistry in the way that like Desma
Ritter did with Drake London and kind of they become
like a go or Kirk with Darnell. Like if early
on we see MPJ and Kyle Pitts like really developing
that go to guy type of connection, I wouldn't hate
it at all.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Well, And Kyle was also working on his blocking too,
because at the end of practice I definitely noticed him
off to the side with Kevin Koger, his position coach,
whereas normally it's like him, but John Robinson and Drake
London kind of hanging out with the quarterbacks in the
center of the field while special teams is going on,
but Kyle was off on his own and you could
tell he was working with the pads and specifically on blocking.
(20:42):
So it's good to see him kind of trying to
capitalize and improve on both areas of his game individually
and with Michael Pennock Junior.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Absolutely, Taren, what's the second thing that you want to
see out of the Falcons this training kit.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
I'm going to the flip side of the ball.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
And we need to talk about the beefix.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
I think there's going to be a lot more youth
in the starting defense this year, whereas last year. I
think it was the opposite. Rookies are going to play immediately.
Raheem Morris has said it, and we saw it today
when Jalen Walker and James Piers Junior both lined up
with the starting defense against the second team offense during
(21:21):
eleven on eleven work. And I think it's a completely
different path than what they did last year. Was say,
Brandon Dorles and Ruca Roro Row and.
Speaker 4 (21:31):
You're smiling at how I said, wrong, brain fart okay
and Ruca Row, It's great, it's.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
The best name.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
Exquisitely, thank you.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
I just enunciate every single part of it.
Speaker 3 (21:47):
You have to hit all the roads, all.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
The roads for the boat anyway, it's just a very
different thing. And so I want to see that actually
play out and work out in the exodisition games, if
they play, or in joint practices or continuing on in
just eleven eleven work. It's something I don't want to
see once and then it'd be let go in the
veterans swoop back in. I want to see it throughout
(22:11):
and see that rotation continue where the youth is involved.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
Yeah, I think I do have high hopes and expectations
for the four draft picks on the defense side of
the ball, and I think there are some young defenders
kind of across the board who we may not be
that familiar with you, who have been identified for kind
of what they can bring to the table. I think
Lamar Jackson today had a really really good play down
the field, and so I kind of piggybacking off of
(22:39):
what you want to see with the rookies really owning
and growing into their starting roles sooner rather than later.
I need three guys who were kind of not talking
about right now to step up and play above and
maybe earn a bigger role than we expect because for
any team, I think really to truly elevate themselves to
that level of contender, you need those eyes that you
(23:00):
didn't really see. Zach Bond last year is a great example. Now,
I'm not saying somebody has to come in and basically
be Kate Ellis, because that's what Zach Bond and Kate
Ellis were the two guys that did that last year.
But I'm thinking of like a Brian Pool in twenty sixteen.
You know, can somebody maybe it did, Lamar Jackson, the
cornerback that I just named, or anybody on kind of
(23:21):
like the offense. Cadarrel Hodge was a great example I
think last year where he did a little bit more
than you needed him necessarily to do. So who were
kind of three guys? That's all I'm asking for is
three guys this preseason who identify themselves, whether it's a
Ta Kwan Graham or a Zach Harrison or somebody like that,
who all, right, we thought we were going to get
this from you, and now we're pleasantly surprised. We're getting
a little bit more. And that's gonna have a ripple effect.
(23:43):
That's how you elevate your depth, That's how you help
like your starters. So that is really kind of the
one thing I'm going to look at in terms of
how can we heighten the floor and maybe amplify the
ceiling a little bit as well.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
It is one practice. But somebody who did catch my
eye that would fall under that category as Khalid Kareem. Yeah,
because I know he was getting reps with the starters
and I would love to see that for him.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Yep. I think any any of the guys along that
defensive line group of is j D bertrand you know,
like there are some candidates on this team where they
really could step up. I think my CU's was a
good example last year of one player who kind of
did that. So who were going to be those guys
this year? I need to see somebody separate themselves. But
let's wrap it up here with your final thing, Tori,
what do you need to see?
Speaker 3 (24:25):
I need to see Michael Panicks Junior play with some confidence,
not that we haven't seen him do that. I think
that he was very confident in those three starts that
he had last year. I think that he is incredibly
confident in his arm strength and his talent as he
should be. I think that the first time he threw
the ball down the field today, I was sitting there like, oh, man.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Like you feel it.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
You feel that arm strength and you feel that talent,
and it was really interesting. And we were talking about
this before we had even started recording. But being in
his press conference today, the Michael Panix who was standing
in front of me differed greatly I think from the
Michael Pennocks who stood before me back in December, which
makes sense, like he was new, the situation was difficult.
(25:09):
Now he's had six months of absolutely knowing, Hey, I'm
QB one, this is my team. And I felt that
from him today. I felt that from him in eleven
on elevens. I felt that from him when he's addressing
the media about the connection that he has with his
players and what he feels like. I think the moment
that stook out to me was I asked him I
was like, we were talking to Zach Robinson prior to Ota,
(25:33):
so kind of back in the spring about what his
off season workload looked like. And I remember he said,
I went back and I watched a lot of Washington
tape of Michael Pennix, just trying to refresh myself on
what he does best, what he's most comfortable at, how
I can best utilize him in what I'm asking him
to do. And so I asked Michael Pennock today, I
was like, did you feel that in your own conversations
(25:54):
with Zach Robinson over the course of the last few
months of just kind of you know, getting all the
ducks in a row? And he kind of laughed and
he goes, I mean, yeah, I guess, but for the
most part, like I'm just sitting there telling him, like,
call it up, call it for me. I'll run out there,
I'll do it, like And I think that to me,
like the confidence, the ability of like allowing the opportunity
(26:21):
for your offensive coordinator just be like, hey, I'm gonna
see if he can rip it here, like let him
go rip it. And I think, like, so when I say,
like I want to see a confidence in Michael Pennock, Juior,
that's not to say that I don't already see that.
It's just kind of like I do see that. I
see that today. I saw that, you know, six months ago.
It's can I see that every day? And can this
(26:42):
offense feel like it did today because today it felt
like Michael Pennock Junior's offense in games.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (26:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
I think the most important thing too, is that it's
a real natural confidence like the quarterback it's not forrest. Yeah.
The leadership aspect of the quarterback position is really kind
of tricky because it is very and anybody who watched
I think Quarterback on Netflix like can see the different
styles of leadership that some of the games best have,
(27:10):
but it resonates with their team because it's genuine to
who they are. And that's the biggest thing is just
like kind of don't be fake, because these are all
adults who are are like, hey, don't you know blank
on me and then tell me it's raining, Like, just
just call it as it is and let me then
do with that information what I will. And Michael Pennix
has been himself even as he's elevated, I think his
leadership abilities and kind of self confidence, So I love
(27:33):
that that is something that we absolutely needed to see.
Maybe the most important thing given the position that he plays, right, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:40):
And I think just for the simple fact of the
matter that the Falcons drafted him with the number eight
overall pick with the expectation that he was going to
be their quarterback of the future. That future is now.
So what does he do with that now?
Speaker 1 (27:52):
Yea?
Speaker 3 (27:52):
And how does that confidence piece play into it as
he's working on things like I don't know, just the
touch on a ten yard out route, you know, like
instead of just every single time going deep down the field,
Like we know that arm strength, but can you get
those little like a little wheel route to bajon Like
I just think those moments confidence can show up quietly,
(28:13):
And I think in those moments is when you can
see that too.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
A small step is a big step.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
Yes, As we've been told, yep.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
All right, Well, we've got a lot left to do
this summer. We're not gonna do it all in this
one show, just like the Falcons are gonna win it
all in one practice. But we will be here consistently
for you guys. Anytime there is an open practice, we're
gonna be able to bring it to you and wrap
up and share everything that we're seeing out there. The
next time you guys will hear from us will be
(28:42):
on Saturday after the open practice, where again it's the
welcome Back Saturday across the NFL, so it's gonna be
really exciting and a lot of fun. Check it out
on YouTube. Nine to twenty is when it will start
our training camp show, so if you're not gonna be
out there, please at least join in, leave a comment,
engage with all the fan It is gonna be so
much fun. I don't really have anything else for you
(29:04):
guys today, so let's go ahead and get out of here.
It's been a long first day. Thank you guys so
much for listening and watching. Check out the YouTube channel
if you can, subscribe where you can, and we'll see
you next time.
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