 It's Friday night in the A and you know what that means. Kelly Price and Tori McElhaney coming at you on Rise Up Tonight presented by AT&T. At Atlanta it is a new season of Rise Up Tonight of Falcons football and kind of like how we're seeing a lot of new faces in Falcons uniforms. I am beyond pumped to welcome a new beautiful face beside me in atlantafalcons.com beat reporter Tori McElhaney. Tori, welcome. Thank you. I'm so excited to be here and look at us. Who would have thought? Not me. All right, well let's huddle up y'all. Of course the biggest talker coming out of that exhibition opener was the quarterback play. And man, both Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ritter showing off their wheels. I think they got so excited that they forgot how to slide. I mean it is the preseason after all guys. But then to see Desmond Ritter stay in there, get the chance to bounce back, lead a game-winning drive and show his maturity and command of the offense. Major props in my opinion to Arthur Smith for letting that all develop in a game scenario. No, I think you're absolutely right. We need to see Desmond Ritter in that scenario. We need to see him run a game. And that's exactly what we saw. So I think I completely agree with you. It's really good that we were able to see this because we're going to need to see it. And really important for his development, I think, going forward. So now it is time for joint practices in New York. Guys get so juiced up for this. We always hear about how chippy these practices get. And Patriots and Panthers. It's funny because I talked to Brian Edwards this week about how the biggest thing he's worried about is really just protecting himself this week. But upping that competition ante is a good thing to see at this point, right? I will tell you this. There is nothing I learn more about in terms of a team than I do at joint practices. Out of all the pre-season training camp pre-season games, I learned so much about these teams at these practices. They're so important as we get to week one of the season. And it's important for this team to really learn about itself in these situations as well. While the starting defense didn't get a ton of time to learn about itself against the Lions, I think what we already know about this group is they're playing with a lot more confidence, comfortability, swagger, if you will. And I think we all saw Dean Pease's impassioned speech about changing this team's culture. What improvements did you see on that side of the ball in week one? I think it's something that we should talk about. I'm glad that you brought it up because Dean Pease talked about this a lot. He said, you know, that first drive wasn't what we wanted to see at all. But we came back to the sideline, we regrouped. And I think after that they only gave up, I think, 3.1 yards per average for every running play. That was so important to see a defense go from giving up quite a bit of runs a lot. And then to come back and regroup, that was important. Yeah. And at this point we've seen Drew Dalman and Matt Hennessey rotated around its center. Arthur Smith said he's really looking for someone physical, but someone who has a solid command of the offense as the quarterback in front of that quarterback. That's a big battle to watch and how's it kind of shaken out? I'm going to be completely honest with you. I think this is going to go throughout all of the preseason. I really think that Matt Hennessey and Drew Dalman are neck and neck right now. This is as significant a position battle as you're going to see on this team. Yeah. You want to see that kind of shake out through the preseason. And hopefully someone kind of takes a commanding spot there. Well, it is the new season, same drip. And this team don't quit when it comes to them. Falcons Fits. Let's start with Michael Walker this week on Falcons Fits. We love a tie-dye graphic team moment for Travel Day. I'm a huge fan of the white kicks. The ripped jeans really kind of bring this together with the white kicks. And of course, we've still got a few months of solid white jeans season. I'm here for that, Tori. Here's the thing. I think he has many of those hats. Those number three hats. I think I've seen him around the facility. And you know, I like the consistency. Get one thing in every color. I think he has it in like multiple colors. Because we've talked about this on Rise Up Tonight. That's like a chance the rapper nod, but also he's number three. So you'll have to see that. Next up, Kaderrill Hodge with the classic Falcons Standard Issue Team hoodie. And it is not so much the fit here that I love, but the vibe. It is giving very much first day of school vibes. Like he should be holding up one of those little chalkboard signs that says, I'm Kaderrill Hodge. I'm 27 years old. And I'm going into my fifth season in the NFL. Look, this is the face of a guy who just wants to get on this plane to go play some football. That's it. He doesn't want to do anything else. He's like, just get me there. I love to play. He's absolutely cheesin. Next up, Geronimo Allison with an impressive amount of bags he is carrying in things that he's got going on here. Like how many things can he get into this airplane without having to pay extra money? That is the same vibe that I'm carrying on when I carry on stuff. And I love to see the snacks as well. That was going to be my point. The snacks, the drinks, the bag. I mean, you're looking at a guy who is prepared for this flight. I know I always get hungry before I get on a plane. Yeah. I mean, you can't just rely on the little cookies and snacks. You've got to bring your own veteran move there by Geronimo Allison. Finally, King of the Good Vibes, Frank Darby, who had not just won, but two solid trips for this Detroit, solid fits for this Detroit trip. People may not know this, but normally these guys pack just one outfit that they wear pregame and onto the plane. But nah, our guy Frank said, let me flex on him with a beautiful ombre hoodie situation and skinny jeans and then the all-white tracksuit. Love that. Oh, that's the thing is I fly on these planes. You're only allowed to carry on. So props to him for bringing not one, but two good fits on this trip. Yeah. I mean, he's obviously utilizing packing cubes as we saw you do as well. We love packing cubes. All right. Well, Frank Darby always makes us smile, of course. And you know what else warms our hearts? Memes. And so we asked some of the guys what their favorite means are for our question of the week. No, it's not the frog. It's a penguin. It's like he's just sitting on a stool. He's like, oh, he's got the cross arms. And he's like, no, I'm not going to do it because he told me to. That's kind of me. So. I'm guessing the one that just came to mind off real with the Nick Young one. Huh? Everybody. That one. My favorite meme. What's a meme? Come on. Serious? It's like memes on the internet. I don't know. I like gifts. It depends on my mood. I think I like the future sensational. Future sensational. It's just like sensational. It's sensational. I would say the one I use the most is that Idris Elba meme. Like where he's in the back of the car and he's like shaking his head. I don't even remember that one. I use that one the most because it's like, it's the one that's like, or how dare you ask me that or something like that. Or like, you know, just like appalled basically. Yeah. So I like that one the most. Okay. A lot to unpack there. First of all, Lorenzo Carter doesn't even know what a meme is. I wasn't sure how to describe what a meme is. It was funny because I was watching you talk to him and you're like, really, you're being serious. This is a real question that you're asking me as a 26 year old man. I thought he was like trying to imitate a meme or be funny. And I was like, no, really, you don't know what a meme is. So wait, what's your favorite meme? My favorite meme. Actually, I agree with AJ Terrell. That is, I use that all the time. What about you? Do you remember when we were filming in New Year's Eve? It was the New Year's Eve special and we did the whole Spider-Man point? That's my favorite. I love it. We're bringing it back in week one because it is still a solid meme. Well, as we roll on here on Rise Up Tonight, we can't wait to share the story of our first guest this season and appropriate start because she brings some serious girl power to our set. That is still to come. Plus, a new face of the franchise for the thousands is already making an impact in the community. That's coming up next on Rise Up Tonight. Rise Up Tonight is presented by AT&T and brought to you by Georgia Lottery. Today could be the day. By Home Depot, how doers get more done? By Mercedes Benz, the best of nothing and by Chewers, committed to a better future. Football season is just about to kick off, but the school year is already underway. Though New Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota has yet to play a snap in the city of Atlanta, he didn't waste any time giving back to his new community. As we Rise Up for Atlanta, I've brought to you by Truist. Hi! What's going on, Marcus? His motivate foundation surprised members of the West Side Falcons Flag Football League at training camp earlier this month, gifting each kid a fancy new backpack and school supplies. The West Side Falcons Flag Football League was founded in 2016 by the Arthur Blank Family Foundation, providing kids from the West Side of Atlanta an opportunity to play for free. In total, Marcus and the motivate foundation gifted over 150 backpacks as the West Side Falcons prepare for their season opener in September. It really just comes down to providing resources. I know it's tough. Coming out of COVID and all that, some of these kids don't even get an opportunity to get backpacks. So being able to put a backpack together, whether it's school supplies, you get notebooks, you get pens, you get pencils, so that they don't have to worry about those types of things. So we're very happy we were able to do that. It's something that we try to constantly do year in and year out and you know, proud of what this foundation has done and I'm excited to see what continues in the future. Still to come here on Rise Up Tonight, a new segment this year will cover your ears and eyes, Arthur Smith, because Tori and I will be bringing you hot takes for the week. We talk breaking down barriers and some PIA deck next on Rise Up Tonight. Rise Up Tonight is presented by AT&T and brought to you by Georgia Lottery. Today could be the day. By home deeper, how doers get more done? By Mercedes Benz, the best of nothing and by Truist, committed to a better future. Welcome back to Rise Up Tonight. Let's head in the nest with Kelly, Tori and this week's special guest, brought to you by Mercedes Benz. Welcome in the nest, guys. We are so excited to have Santia Deck joining us. She is known as the queen of abs for her 885,000 followers on Instagram. You're such an appropriate first guest for us because as the first 30-minute women's sports show that we've got here going on on Rise Up Tonight, you are also a trailblazer in the world of women's sports. So we're very excited to have you. What's been kind of the biggest challenge for you as a female in a male-dominated kind of field? Oh, man. Where do I start? We can relate. Yeah. I mean, I would say honestly and I think most female athletes can speak to this. It's just constantly having to prove myself. And definitely being a football player, they're like, no, you don't play football. It's no way. And I'm like, yes, I really do play. And they're like, show me. And then I show them like, oh, okay, you actually play, play. So I think always having to constantly do that. Also honestly, just how hard it is to continue to get like people to really pour into what we're doing. A lot of people don't know that tackle exists for women. Flag is growing rapidly, but there's still so much more that we can do to even improve that sport. So I think for us, like knowing that most of us are playing for free, you know, we are fighting, you know, every day to make that, you know, that reality, you know, go away. But honestly, that and like I said, every day some guys like, you don't play. There's no way you don't play. There's no way. So, yeah. It's funny because you talk about like, yeah, I like play, play. And not only do you play, play, but you play for the Atlanta Phoenix and the women's football league and you've signed a multi-million dollar contract. And I mean, this is all really amazing stuff. And I feel as though you should be really, really proud to be the trailblazer that you are. But how did you get your start in football and what's that journey been like for you? Yeah, so I come, well, first of all, I'm from Texas and everybody knows Texas is like football country. So all of my brothers play football. They are running backs as well. So being in that type of environment, I naturally was outside, you know, catching balls, running routes, getting hit, hitting people. So I didn't even realize at that time that that was preparing me for this. But I was a track runner. So honestly, I wasn't even really thinking about playing football. It wasn't until after college, graduating and no longer being able to run track, I was like, okay, what do I do now? Like, I still want to be an athlete. I still want to be active. And honestly, I was just driving, driving one day and I saw a flag football tryout sign. And I was like, okay, why not? And I went, I had one practice. The coach was like, what the heck? How long have you been playing? I'm like, I don't play football. He's like, what? Okay, yeah. So anyways, we're going to get you on this team and then the rest is history. So literally just driving. And I've seen a sign. She's lived in Atlanta for a while. So obviously you really like it here. I mean, what's kind of kept you here? Oh, man. Oh, everything. First of all, it is hot. Hot land. Yes, this is a real thing. Yes, it is. But I mean, I love the weather. I love that we have, you know, we get to have pretty cool, you know, I guess winters. Well, actually, they are pretty cold. We have really cold winters actually, but we get to really have like the summers that I honestly, I miss Texas sometimes. So I get to kind of take that, you know, I bring that back here, you know, whenever. So that, but also like just the environment, like this is like the home of entrepreneurs. It's a lot of success here. Anything that you want to be any style, anything. Like we have everything. So if you're into, you know, techno, we have that if you're in a hip hop, we have country, we have everything. We have the fashion industry is here as well, the music industry, our sports, you know, I love the, I love, I love, I love Atlanta. So anything that comes with Atlanta, I love, I love our football team, our soccer team, you know, everything like that. But you can just feel the love here. I feel like you can really feel the love. There's a lot of support here, no matter what you're doing. So for me, it was kind of a no brainer when it came to where I was going to live. But, um, yeah. And then the food is good. Oh, food is amazing. Yeah. The food is amazing. And something else that we love about Atlanta is the home of the Atlanta Falcons. And this is an Atlanta Falcons show. So I wanted to ask you just, do you have any memories of either seeing someone or meeting someone related to the Atlanta Falcons that you wanted to share? Yes. So I have two. So definitely my favorite was meeting my big. And I actually got to meet him on two occasions. One, I was actually supporting his clothing line one time. And then a second time recently was, I was actually supposed to play the flag football game with him. And he knew that I was supposed to play. So he came over and he was like, man, I really want to play with you. Like, I want to see those moves. I want to throw the ball. I want to see you cast it and take it home. And I was like, oh man, I wish I could do it. But he would, he's, I didn't even know, but he's actually a fan of what I do. So knowing that, you know, I have someone that, you know, in his position that actually looks up to what I'm, not look up, but actually supports what I'm doing. It was kind of surreal. And getting to see him in action was actually really cool too. Yeah, very cool. Because, you know, he's Mike Vic. But yeah. And then the second memory was actually being in a camp with Mohamed Sanu. Mohamed. Mohamed Sanu. I should never get his name right. And seeing him in action as well, seeing him supporting women, got to see his son and everything in action as well. Honestly, those are my two memories, but they were both amazing. Love that. Awesome. Very good stuff. Well, thank you guys for joining us. Obviously, we'll have the full thing posted on Fox5Atlanta.com, and we'll be right back on Rise Up Tonight. All the narratives, all the hot takes. Coaches certainly going to hate this new segment, but hey, we're having fun out here. We're going to leave you with a sizzling finish to each episode of Rise Up Tonight this season, giving our hot take for the week. I'm not a betting woman, but I feel like the odds are the Falcons have to get a sack this week. With five quarterback hits last week, it felt like they were so close last week to getting to the quarterback against Detroit. Poor Taekwondo Graham even had a sack taken away from him after a penalty. So this week, I think like all you hungry Falcons fans out there, I'd really just like to see them hit home against the Jets. No, you're right. Everyone would love to see that. Everyone, even the coaching staff, these players, everyone wants to get after the quarterback. I'm sorry, but that's just what it is. Now, for me, my hot take, I'm actually going to the other side of the ball. I think we're actually going to see Felipe Franks a little bit more this coming Monday night. I personally thought that we were going to see him quite a lot. As we know, in training camp, he's been taking a vast majority of his reps at tight end, but also sparingly sprinkling in a little bit of quarterback play here and there. But we didn't really see him all that much when they played Detroit. That was something that we really need. I really want to see him because here's a guy who's on the bubble to make the 53 men roster. And I was a little surprised we didn't see him as much as we thought we might see in that first game because the first half you didn't really see him make an impact at tight end and he's been doing that in training camp every practice. But then he didn't play quarterback in that second half. So I don't know if some of that was kind of situational trying to see how Desmond Ritter really handled that situation, but this week has Arthur Smith or really anyone on the coaching staff or what you've seen in practice given you an indication that we will see more of Felipe Franks. Not really. I mean, that's what's so funny about this is like in training camp, I mean, we're not making this up. We see Felipe out there all the time working with the second team, sometimes even the first team, so a little sprinkle of that in there too. But we haven't seen him in a real live game scenario yet. You have two more preseason games to go. I want to see what he can do. And Tori mentioned the 53 man cut down is approaching. That's about two weeks away now at this point. Who's maybe kind of still on that bubble? Yeah. So for me, I really am looking at this wide receiver core. To me, I feel like the locks are Drake London, Brian Edwards, and Alameda Zaccheus. If you're going to carry five or six wide receivers on this 53 man, that's only a few spots that you can fill up. And there are guys like Kaderal Hodge that we're talking about. Damir Byrd, Frank Darby, Geronimo Allison, Audentate. These are all players who have a really good chance to make this roster. And these next two games are going to be so important to deciding who is going to make that group. I know you mentioned Quinton Bell in one of your stories earlier this week. He had a great play earlier in practice. And he's someone else that defensive line group is kind of interesting to see what might happen there. It's funny because when I was making my initial 53 man roster projection, I wasn't going to carry as many outside linebackers. But Quinton Bell has really changed my mind. I'm like, you know what? I could see that he can make, he's a real life bubble player. You talk about bubble players, that is who that is in my opinion is Quinton Bell. Keep an eye on him in these next two preseason games. We'll see how it shakes out. Thanks for staying up late with us on Rise Up Tonight. See you next week.