 What's up everybody and welcome to the latest edition of the Falcons final whistle podcast We are coming to you from Mercedes at Ben's stadium After a 20 to 16 victory for the Falcons over the Detroit Lions and if it's a Falcons victory this season We all know it was pretty dramatic. Oh, yeah, and this game is no exception. It came right down to the wire with a dramatic beautifully executed interception by foyer a luke in with 33 39 seconds left. He made the interception on the one-yard line and The slide and save this Falcons victory We are going to break down Everything that you could possibly imagine from this game starting with those final minutes including foyer We're also going to talk about Kyle Pitts and his record-breaking day the fact that Foyer actually said it it was gritty not pretty and that's just fine and in the fourth quarter We are going to look ahead using the same format that that we always do that you guys know Well, it's gonna be over the course of five minutes. We will debate a topic We will get to the bottom of it and I will essentially and inevitably be right, but before we get to all that I'm I'm Scott bear here with Tori McLean and Chris rim Tori your big takeaway from the Falcon 7th victory of the season. It's really so we'll get into the like the Gritty not pretty comment that I absolutely Adored from foyer point post game that essentially is my takeaway, but in all series or I guess like to not jump the gun I really liked that the Falcons got a win at home in 2021, right for so long What were they oh and five set off some confetti, right? Yeah Um Legitimately didn't know if it was gonna happen in 2021 I'm glad that it did for the sake of this fan base And I know Arthur Smith has talked about it a few times how they really just want to win at home They've done pretty well on the road But haven't broken that proverbial glass ceiling at home and gotten a win and so I think the fact that they were able to pull this out it was a Interesting game it was a very very interesting game for those in attendance and those watching at home but the fact that they were able to At the bare minimum pull this win out at home. I think is just Nice it was key and Chris. Uh, what was your big takeaway your your thoughts right after this one? Uh, it's probably Philly bias, but just cow pits is him Hashtag Philly Yeah, cow pits is that dude. He's still that dude and he reminded everybody today in the second half and I'll talk more about it later But that's my takeaway cow pits is the guy the man and and he was good yet again and key in this falcons victory And before we break it all down over the course of our four quarters A big thank you to our sponsor microsoft windows 11 the official operating system of the nfl and the atlanta falcons The all new windows 11 is here to bring you closer to what you love like this falcons final whistle podcast Learn all about the awesome new features of windows 11 at windows.com We're starting off quarter number one breaking down those vital final minutes in this falcons victory The home team had a 20 to 13 advantage when hayden herst Secured a touchdown grab that was with about 13 minutes to go in the fourth quarter Then things got a little more tense the lions cut it down to a four point deficit for them And they and after a rustle gauge fumble They were in position to go down and score the game winning touchdown as time was rapidly decreasing Ultimately as we said at the top of the pod To foyer a luke and came through he had a huge game in general But really made a nice play there at the end. Yeah, I mean i'm gonna Shameless plug My story for this week as I if y'all follow me on twitter I've already done it twice and i'm about to do it a third time but this time in voice form not in twitter form But this week I worked on a story that I was really proud of because it's one of my favorite stories of this entire team And it's the story the story of foyer and how the falcons essentially found him in 2018 and A kid from yale who was a safety who was probably undersized and they saw Something in him that I guess has essentially Manifested now like what is it four years later? right He was taken with the 200th pick in the 2018 draft and it was really cool because Talking to people about the about this story specifically about foyer story specifically It was really interesting because a lot of them were like, you know, the the vision for foyer was essentially You know, we thought at best we were going to get a good depth guy. We were going to get A good special teams player a guy with high character And they would say if you look back in in april 2018 We would be lying if we said that we thought foyer was going to turn into the the player that he is today Which I would say is arguably one of the most dynamic defenders the falcons have and I think you just saw today kind of what he has Become for this team as in terms of both a vocal leader and just production leader So that moment I thought was really really great and something that I wrote about just post game in general but um, I think if you're if you're thinking about that moment I thought it was really interesting because The defense was tired Like I remember I was watching them right before foyer made that made the interception and they have their hands on their hips They're heavily breathing and it's like they were on the field for 38 minutes And and not just that but they come off of a before rustle gauge fumbled the ball They had been on the field for over 10 minutes That was a 17 play 10 minute drive that that detroit had just gone down the field to score a field goal I mean They're tired and to go out and be able to make the play that they did to ultimately win the game But that was really really important Chris, so how do you I mean it was obviously a positive But when rustle gauge fumbles the ball they lose it Um, you know down you know down deep To have the defense be able to come back and and respond like that like how key was it They talked about being confident in that moment Um, but it was a pretty much dire straits there at that point You know like that was a real pivot point after that gauge fumble Yeah, and I think it was like Torrey said the defense was really tired and worn out And I think Arthur Smith have been called a time out to to kind of give them a breather and great Jared had like water or Have an energy drink all over his His the front of his uniform and his face and he had his hands on his hips and Uh, they were in the red zone and you're kind of thinking, you know, oh my god Can they can they get a stop here and and when they needed one they did and it was big time and like Torrey said, um You know, it's it's I guess it's kind of rare when you write a story and then your person has I don't know if this is his moment, but he had, you know, a big moment. Um today So, you know good for Torrey and make sure I go breathe Before it's kind of been the guy all season who you know, we don't his name is not I don't know if his name is I don't know if I should say brought up not a lot because I think we talk about him a lot But maybe more so, uh, I guess the national discussion I don't think he's talked about as much as he should be and he just makes plays He just does his job. Well, he makes plays like these And he doesn't he's not brash or boastful So he might not get the credit that he deserves But he showed up today as he as he typically does and always has and when they needed him most I thought he was definitely that the falcons best defensive player that there were a couple of moments Where Torrey and I kind of looked at it at each other and said that couldn't have been played any better Even if it's a a one yard game where he makes a big stop or he's the only guy left I thought he was excellent throughout the course of this one and as we wrap up quarter number one I spoke with uh, Brandon Copeland after the game about these About the seven and two record about the defense being on the field for so long And he said it comes down to two key things belief and conditioning Right that somehow you really have to truly trust the guy next to you They had that and they had just enough energy left to be able to make that big play and ultimately win this game We're starting quarter number two talking about The falcons rookie pro bowler tied in Kyle Pitts who had another monster day six catches for 102 yards Can we get the guy a touchdown, please? My goodness. Um, I would like to go on the record This is a chris. This is a chris rim fun fact that he bestowed upon us last week Kyle Pitts has not caught a touchdown on american soil Wow The only touchdown he got has been in london He has not got a touchdown in the united states of america and it needs to happen even though And here's the weird part is he was a touchdown machine right in college. He was just uh, he was a walking six points Yeah, basically uh, hasn't had a lot of touchdowns. It's had tons of yards as a matter of fact He said a franchise yard beating a franchise record for most receiving yards by a tight end eclipsing tonic and solace who I believe has a gold jacket And uh with another solid day and he's coming He's closing in on mike ditka who set the rookie receiving record for tight ends back in 1961 no guys. I was not alive then Not funny kind of that joke You couldn't even give us the opportunity to make the joke. I'm not gonna do it. I'm not gonna do it But uh chris rim, you wrote about kyle pits. He's uh another pennsylvania guy. Um another excellent day for number eight Yeah, excellent day. I mean that that play I wrote about in the story. I kind of started with that play where he was lined up one on one on the outside and Matt threw him the ball. I think maybe on his fourth step before he was even open And then college is separated from the guy while the ball was in the air That's not something you see like a tight end do like tight ends aren't supposed to do that Defensive backs at least like this guy 66245 and separating from you know a defensive back who You know weighs like probably 30 pounds less or five inches Shorter and then he was also so good in the matt talked about this in the intermediate like moving the chains He got there isn't a third quarter I think he got nine and then he got eight and he got 19 So he was so and then he set up that set up hayden for a touchdown and then after the game You know people were just raining praises and you know brandon copeland went on about How since otas because with cow this is this is what he was expected to be right, you know, and it's rare when a a player who is Hyped as much as he was lives up to the hype because it's kind of impossible to do But he's I mean, he's just about doing it, you know in terms of you know Just a hundred yards away from catching mike dick could 50 yards away from A thousand yards and it might seem like you know, it was just handed to him or like he just Got it because of who he was but what I think brandon copeland shined a light on was that You know arthur smith was challenging him every day and still is especially in training camp at otas and And making sure that he was you know going after every play every route and learning And even matt ryan talked about his evolution over the season and how to read defenses and prepare for games And how many times they've practiced that route that worked today So I think it's just a testament to their chemistry and and how he's growing over the season his his performance today Yeah, right on americans. Well, I really liked what you said about essentially essentially like the execution of Kyle pit's meeting and surpassing the expectations that were set upon him because and and I saw this on twitter So if you listen to this podcast and and this is your tweet, I apologize because I'm about to lift it but essentially Someone was talking about how there were so many expectations put on kyle pit's shoulders And he you know gets to this point at this point in the season where he's getting all these accolades And he's breaking these records and it's really awesome And people are talking about it But maybe not with like the reverence of which we should be talking about what he's doing because that that's really And we're not talking about it in the way that we maybe should be talking about it Because of all the expectations that were put on him through the pre draft evaluations. I I just think back to the entire pre draft process and And just all the things that were said about kyle pit's and how different he was how special he was How he was going to take this league by storm and it's like Almost to a certain degree the expectations Even though he's met them They've kind of like almost dwindled like the success of what he's had in his first year because people expected him to do this And it's like you expect him to do all these Amazing crazy like lofty things and he goes out and does it and you're like, yeah Well, he was supposed to do that like that's what that's the feeling that I get around kyle pit's right now And it's like no this this really is a big deal and it should be looked at league wide as the big deal that it is It's wild to me that he'll have like four catches for 61 yards or something like that and and arthur smith like we'll get asked So what's wrong with kyle? Like why can't kyle get involved in the game? He didn't have 300 yards today That doesn't make any sense to me And I also like I don't kyle's attitude towards things he's a soft spoken dude But you know he even said in his in his press release like I never really thought about a thousand yards That number just seemed like too big like not possible And now he's knocking on the door of it because he's continued to grow and not just because things have been given And he's a freak in his unicorn. So it just happens. I just arthur smith talks a lot about his mindset Carrying him through the season and I think that that's an underrated part of his game because you look at him And he's big and fast and Can do all these crazy physical things that that you forget in or you know Go back to that staphon gilmore. Welcome to the nfl moment and see how he's grown from there and how he will continue to grow I think that's really what has been most impressive for me There were a lot of good quotes coming out of the falcons camp after this victory over the lions Hard to think of any that were better than what Than what foyer said afterward that this win was gritty not pretty and why that's just fine Yeah, why there's no style points as long as you get out there and win to where you you kind of wrote about this We've talked about foyer somewhat Already, but what did you take away from that quote kind of maybe dissect what he's trying to say there Yeah, first off. I just love the gritty not pretty. I almost feel like that should be my life motto But no on a serious level I just really loved the idea of gritty not pretty from the perspective of the falcons as a whole in 2021 You look at this team and they are seven and two in one possession games And that record I think says a lot but to me and scott, I know you you wrote a lot about this post game But to me it really is a shift in the mindset of this organization And I think foyer even said it after the game when he was talking about the the whole idea of being gritty not pretty And he said he was like, you know that that seven and two record was not what it was last year They were two and eight. They were two and eight. Yeah, so they have flipped that on its head and and I think that just almost more than anything should encourage falcons fans moving forward just just because That that to me shows a culture change a mindset change that and even chris lynstrum talked about it In his post game press conference where he was like, there's an expectation There's a standard of which we want to play to and that means Winning games it may not always be pretty. It may not always be perfect even matt talked about that. It hasn't been perfect but just being able to take steps in the right direction and honestly taking a two and eight record in in 2020 20 in games that were decided by a one one possession to now seven and two That's pretty significant and I think it just goes to show that this is a bigger overhaul than maybe what some people think Yeah, and let's just What if seven and two in one score games was four and five this season feels so much different, right? It feels like the world is collapsing and that the sky is falling, right? But their performance in those moments can be a core principle of the arthur smith era, right? And it's not just doing better than than 2020. It's establishing a winning mentality that is required There's only so much that he can do with the salary cap situation And the lack of roster depth and and the last and and the lack of Superior upper level talent, right that they've done a good job of beating teams below them They've obviously struggled like they did against the 49ers Trying to keep up with competitive playoff contenders. That's been a thing That's still a thing But I think the impressive part that I have found from this late game performance is there's very little that can be Kind of taken with you beyond one season from winter to next spring I think that that mentality that belief in guys like chris lindstrom who are back next year Those guys can carry that mindset moving forward and I think that that that can help them Down the line. I really think that that's going to be key for them Um, but it's also about doing it, right chris and Is there anything that any any commonalities, right? That maybe that you can think of about why they've been good in these types of situations because as tori wrote It's been offense. Sometimes it's been defense other times. It's been different guys You know, but are there any themes about why they've been able to do well in these late moments? Yeah, I think it's hard to point out a specific stat or number to like you said to say what the difference is But I think it's a lot of what tori talked about a mindset change a culture change You know a new a new regime new a lot of new faces as well to make that change But I think what's important is is winning close games really matters And I think it doesn't and I think it matters It doesn't really matter who you're playing to like winning finishing out close games is not easy in in the league and and And and I think that falcons fans and people who've been following this team should definitely be impressed with how they've done this season like the lions Beat down on you know, one of the best teams in the NFL last week and they've played teams close All year for the for the second half for the year. So I think while the record says one thing I think that was a that was a good win today and and a gritty win And like like foyer said and gritty makes me think of the flyers mascot. It does. Haha. Yes Unfortunately, they've stolen that word from us Haha. Yeah, overall, I think just winning close games matters regardless of who you're playing and That's all that's a good momentum and a good thing that they're doing this year that they can work on next year Or you know, maybe if something happens and they get some extra games at the end of this year in january, who knows Very smooth way to reference something without defining it. Ah, yeah I like it that chris rim so talented and we can talk more about Where the falcons go moving forward with only two games left in this regular regular season And we're coming up in the fourth quarter talking about what this win means moving forward Moving forward. There aren't a lot of moves left in this season. They play at buffalo Which I think it's going to be kind of cold there. Oh, I'm okay. Here's the thing about buffalo on january 2nd I may not return because my southern body may just freeze over And scott will be unable to get me on the plane because I will just be an icicle I am unprepared For buffalo in january and that's all I'll say on that. No, I'm not done Supposedly you have to go buy a winter coat just for the trip. Yeah, so I have nothing in your wardrobe That can communicate you through the weekend. Yeah, I have like one winter coat, but it's really not that thick I wore it to new york and I was phrasing here's the thing about me if it drops full my threshold is 56 degrees Wow, if it drops below 56 degrees, I am good for nothing So best of luck when you'll listen to this podcast in seven days time You'll be hearing my teeth chatter as well as me complaining for about the entirety of the 25 minute podcast Of which this is but I digress. Yeah, well, okay Well, then so they have buffalo in the You know seasonal confines of whatever that stadium is called now And then afterward they have a rivalry game at home against the saints a chance to get two victories at home here You know In talking to brandon and copeland he actually said, you know He was saying that even the sliver of a pulse He said his grandfather often says that if your head's above the ground You still have a chance and their heads above the ground That said they need so much help for that for us to explain it would oh my gosh, it would take too much Yeah, it would take another 25 minutes, but nonetheless it right now I I think it's about building positive momentum establishing your core beliefs and principles as a head coach as a football team and as a football culture And continuing to win maybe even win We don't use the word playoffs anymore, right? That being able to win in these moments can show you something can they go up the buffalo Where it's cold against a good team pull out a win that they haven't done yet Can they beat a rival here? Maybe when the saints are playing for everything? Yeah, right Can they do those little things to help continue this season's progress that really for me is what i'm looking for Yeah, and I agree with that like I think when we were talking post game Last week when I think we all were just kind of like oh my gosh Like that was the 49 the loss of the 49ers just like wasn't good It wasn't good and it kind of ruined the any chance of using the p word for the Falcons this year in 2021 but We were talking about like what what's left for the Falcons in in 2021 and and I know I said I was like I want to see the growth and I said I couldn't see the growth against the 49ers When I ask Arthur Smith after the game about you know, you have to give the ball back To your to to Detroit after you fumbled the ball and you give it to him in your own territory with two minutes left to go in the game What did you feel and and what does that say about the defense that you felt confident in that? And he said it shows growth It shows growth that I felt fine with giving the ball back to Detroit and feeling as though that the defense is Going to come up with with the big play and we and we've seen The offense come up with the big play. We've seen young waiku come up with the big play special teams come up with the big play So we've seen these moments. It's it's I completely agree with you that it's about Seeing the continuation of these moments and building upon it Chris, what are you looking for down the stretch? Yeah, I think similar to y'all just continuing to be consistent uh building on build young players building on things for next season building that Now, I don't I don't want to say building the not the identity but Just sticking to who they are as a unit continuing to win games continuing to like we says maybe spoil other team seasons um and take and take pride in the fact that There's still a chance And while there's still a chance there's also an opportunity to build for the future And and working on on doing so by doing things the right way and just focusing on things They've been focusing on throughout the season and the the good things I would say Um, not so much the bad things. Well, I guess fixing the bad things right And I think it was good that even though that the level of competition between the lions and the 49ers is massive Right, but the the fact that they were able to rebound again after a tough loss where it really It seemed to hurt from an outsider's perspective It seemed to hurt the falcons that they lost the way they lost Yeah, it wasn't just that they lost it was that they played the way that they did right and then Even though again, like they just could have shown up and gotten beat here by the lions Who as chris pointed out are playing a lot better of late They just beat the cardinals for goodness sakes and to come out and respond and find a way to get a win We still haven't seen that that complete game, right? We're probably maybe we won't yeah, and maybe that's okay Right, right because this team isn't at a level where they can put a full four quarters Of dominant football together But if they can continue to find little moments and come out on the right end of the final score I think that's the most important thing As we move forward now that's going to wrap it for another edition of the falcons final whistle podcast. Thank you guys so much For sticking with us throughout the course of the season. We have two episodes left So do what you always do head over to itunes spotify if you haven't yet subscribe give us a five star rating and a review Do the same for falcons audible. Why don't you? Great bunch of guys that dave archer dj wrackley and dj shockley. Love them to death great group of men great group Listen to their pod. Please listen to ours moving forward and appreciate you We'll talk to you next week from the flow when tori is legit phrasing her butt off. Whoo