 Welcome everybody to the Falcons final whistle podcast. I'm Scott bear alongside Chris rim And we are at MetLife Stadium hours after the Atlanta Falcons came through with a clutch Come from behind 17 to 14 victory that marks the team's first win of the season You'll notice that our trio is down to two Tori McElaney Atlanta Falcons be reporter and analyst at a wedding with her family back at the ATL and She was not the bad luck charm that that prevented this victory Previously it was just a matter of clutch performance on the field Chris We saw a lot of good play from the Falcons in the fourth quarter. Yeah for sure I mean from Kyle Pitts is catched to Cordero Patterson's clutch play We saw a comfort behind win and just clutch play overall Yeah, and you know what else is clutch the fact that we have a new sponsor on board Microsoft Windows 11 a big thank you to them 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 the Falcons final whistle post-game podcast learn all about the awesome new features of Windows 11 at Windows com and by this point this is our third final whistle podcast episode you guys probably already know the format we're gonna break this thing down in four five minute quarters and we're and we're gonna talk about a bunch of different topics including one that you brought up to Us on Twitter starting with exactly what happened in this game and moving down to what this game could mean for the Falcons Moving forward as they get again their first win of the season one and two. It was clutch It was dramatic. It was fun to watch and it's gonna be super fun to talk about as we start the first quarter We've got five minutes on the clock Chris rim to talk about the Really interesting play of Kyle Pitts who was not involved in the offense at all through three quarters to the tune of Zero yards and zero catches on zero targets and then comes through and is a pivotal player in this fourth quarter Comeback. What did you make of his day as a whole? Because when it mattered most Kyle Pitts definitely showed up Yeah, I think through the first two weeks We saw pits gradually come into the threat that we expect him to become last week. He had 73 yards the first week I think he he had a couple catches but not maybe like 40 yards and this week I think people expected to see him take another step and maybe even reached that 100 yard barrier with you know What this defense but we saw the complete opposite. We saw Lee Smith get three targets, right through three Lee Smith Not the great guy, you know throwback dinosaur But Lee Smith is a blocking tight end, you know He's traditionally he had four receptions last year and year before that his career high ten receptions Oh, wow a little bit odd when you see Lee Smith with three receptions and Kyle Pitts with without a target It'd be different if he had six targets no receptions That's different but weren't even trying to seemingly to get him involved and and I think you know Art Smith mentioned post game that you got to give the defense some credit and Matt Ryan also mentioned post game But they were doing things like Calvin really started out really hot And then they began doubling him within the zone as Matt Ryan mentioned to them with Kyle Pitts He was seeing a cornerback or a linebacker and then a safety over top. So I guess that played a role but man, I think The biggest thing that we saw on Twitter and that fans were talking about was where is Kyle Pitts? Well, I think when you draft a person especially a tight end number four overall You can't can't have him in in his three-point stance that he perfected since high school game He has to be out there catching passes and scoring points for you So and we saw it in the fourth quarter quick. He changed the game in one quarter So I thought it was an interesting strategy to not you know Try to call something up to get him involved and then in the fourth quarter We see we saw what he can do when he just touches the ball And even when he's not touching the ball getting past PI calls those guys on Twitter are good with Photoshop, right? We saw one picture of Kyle Pitts on a milk carton in the third quarter where where did Kyle Pitts go? Why do we draft this guy? Well, we saw in the fourth quarter why you draft him because not only did he have some important catches Including that fourth court. I'm sorry on that final drive He gets the 24 25 yards to set up the game-winning field goal Also that past interference play just by his presence of being there causes that contact helps set up that Lee Smith throwback I love that Lee handed the ball to an offensive lineman because offensive lineman never get to spike it Lee Smith never gets to spike it Take your moment This is a humble guy to throw back diner. That's who we like said he likes to party with yeah Yeah, I think just and you see by just by just being by just throwing a target is we doesn't have to always catch the ball But just give him a shot especially in the red zone because you saw you know They were grabbing them because he's so big he's six six two hundred forty five pounds and he runs a 4-4 It's just hard to stick with that guy So I think just giving him a chance and and I think moving forward Arthur Smith and Matt Ryan and and the offense They'll figure out ways to get Kyle more involved earlier because you have to yeah If you go back to that preseason finale against Cleveland he played one snap It was a design play where he goes into the flat He gets hit in stride turns it into a 25-yard play or something like that Those are the types of things or even if it's just something to get the guy a touch and this isn't us Criticizing Arthur Smith's play calling it was obviously very effective and it's been innovative But getting guys touches early I think can be helpful getting them into the flow of the game and yes He said it's disrespectful to the Giants defense We're just gonna go straight at one of the weapons if they're working so hard to take him away But this is a game. They also played without Russell gauge right that they were down one of their top weapons And we saw what happens when Kyle Pitts is a factor when you just throw at him the possibility of a flag gets in there This guy about the should they or shouldn't they have drafted a thing of course they should oh, yeah, right But you see these windows these opportunities. He's just such a dynamic Playmaker that you just have to go to him. He's so fun to watch right. He's so big. He's so entertaining Like what was your favorite Kyle Pitts moment? I think it was that catch at the end where he put them in field position in the 20 Well, actually, maybe it was the passing interference just because he's so big and guys can't contain them But I think yeah like you were saying there are certain players Where sometimes you just need them to touch the ball and great things happen Yeah, sometimes you have to break your game plan or whatever it is to get your best guy the ball and put Him in space to do well So that's what I think they need to do more of and we saw be could do today with one second left Chris Rym comes that locks it in at five minutes exactly as we move on to quarter number two and In the second quarter, we are taking a Twitter topic coming from Stimmy Turner Curious if that's your real name, please. Please let us know if it is I love it And he wanted to talk to hear us talk about the comeback right that the Falcons has scored What once heading into the fourth quarter Yep, and then they found a way to score on that Lee Smith touchdown And then they found a way to go ahead on the young way coup 40-yard field goal by the way right through the middle right to clutch as it gets Why don't we start at the end since we just mentioned him young ways from? New Jersey, right and you asked Arthur Smith Does it make you a little less nervous when you like when you have a guy like that who's been so clutch? And he's like he didn't say it directly, but yeah, basically the answer is yeah I mean was there any doubt in your mind what he was going to do at that moment. Yeah, I felt like it was almost Like there was like no once I saw where they were I thought okay to get once Kyle caught that pass I was like, okay the game's over right because I just young young ways been so good over the past two and a half seasons It's all it's almost like automatic when he's within that range and even when he's over 50 It's still you know kind of kind of automatic. He was perfect from that range last year So yeah, and and his coach his longtime coach from high school Pat Sempier, I hope I'm not mispronounced his last name was also there and we got to see that on the Instagram story And I feel like it's a cool. I feel like this this game today was probably for cool We haven't we didn't get a chance to talk to him But it had to have been a cool full circle moment for him, you know four years ago He's run out of Los Angeles He misses a game tying field goal the game winning field goal charge to start over four and then four years later fresh off a Pro Bowl year and His third game of the season he gets his first game winning field goal and it's it's 12 miles away 15-minute drive from where he learned what football was in seventh grade where he started playing football and his coaches and teammates are in attendance So it's like must have been a great moment for him on top of everything everything else That's a wealth of knowledge about a kicker Chris, and I wonder why Shameless plug number one. Yes big story coming soon this week. Yeah this week on young way on Staying at the top. He's determined to you know his journey come in here from South Korea in Seventh grade and learning about football after he just kicked the ball at recess and you know His he's he's driven and I would say the more than driven He's obsessed with never going back to the feeling he had because for two years young way Sat around and you know wondered What am I doing in my life and my his football the right thing and now he's one of the best kickers in the league He has one of the largest followings for a kicker and and not and then he's also You know a representation for a bunch of kids who don't see people who look like him in the national football league I think the percentage is point one percent Asian in the league. So he's a Superstar and you know a representation for a lot of kids who I think will strive to be like him Yeah, we've talked about young way. We've talked for five minutes about Kyle Pitts, right in the previous segment What about Matt Ryan who was just okay? Yeah early on and then Completed I don't have the stats in front of me like 11 of 12 or 12 of 13 or a very efficient clip as he's marching down The field to lead the Falcons to two vital touchdowns. This is a guy who's been there before He's made a bunch of clutch performances before his role as a calming influence. He went into that final huddle and said We are going to win this game Everyone do your job and only your job and then they went out and executed. How vital is it to have? Maddie ice in those situations super vital. I think having a guy like that is Especially for a young team like the Falcons having a quarterback like that It was been there before it done it before it doesn't matter how he played before the final drive a minute 50 seconds left on the clock You have a third, you know 13 year 14 year veteran on On your team and a former MVP You can almost lock that in and say that that he's gonna put you in the best position to succeed regardless of how he did during the day because I thought if anything I thought today's game I thought was maybe the worst of the three so far for Matt this season Yeah, I think the first two games of the year he I thought a lot of the the offensive line struggles played a role in his numbers but I thought today His three sacks kind of resulted from him holding the ball a little bit too long and and yeah So I thought to I thought up until that point He was struggling a little bit and then for a minute and 50 seconds you saw why Matt Ryan is Matt Ryan Yeah And I think that when it comes down to it these comeback drives came down to their most important players to this point Cowpits young waco who as a specialist is important Matt Ryan Jake Matthews and and Cordero Paterson on that big play in the flat when it came to crunch time their big players showed up We're gonna start the third quarter and spend five minutes not talking about the offense which really surged there at the end, but the defensive side of the football that had a bunch of nice moments and Probably as important as anything in between those touchdown drives when they had to get a stop They got a stop and that included a third down play where the Falcons thought they got off the field and Fabian Miro ended up with a defensive PI call that was questionable But they stuck with it They were able to get the punt that they needed and and allow the offense to do their thing This wasn't a perfect performance from the offense. They gave up 346 yards Total offense, but what did you think of their performance one and two? Do you think that it's better than what we've seen the previous two games? Yeah, I think it's definitely better than what we've seen the previous two games But I also will say if we're being honest, I think this is probably the Well, would you say this is the worst offensive played the worst offense that they play? Yeah. Yeah Oh, yeah, that's what I say. So I'll say taking within that content. I think this is the worst offensive played and A beat-up team on the O line as well, but I thought the defensive line down I thought defensive line looked very dominant today That play when Grady Jarrett did that swim move. Oh my gosh, 68 is on the Giants, but yeah price He literally he was looking the complete opposite It was like a video game the way it was Grady faked him out and did the spit did the swim move and Did we I rewatched it on the on the big screen and then on the Fox broadcast again? I was about that was and then the sack he got You know his his first sack of the season and then I thought as far as run stop Bitch, I thought they did a great an excellent job at slowing down say Kwame Barclay He only had 50 yards on the ground and I think he and that was a large chunk of that He got on like a 15-year-old run So for the most part it was all you know two to four yard gains and the only time we saw him Even really out in space was when he would come off of a screen So I thought on the run they did I thought the D line really stood out in the linebackers And I think as far as containing Daniel Jones did a lot better at doing that than they did with Jalen Hertz So I thought that was a strong point for the defense for sure and and yeah I was just really impressed by how they approach the run Yeah And and that's the foundation for any good defense and that maybe is a sign that they are Continuing to get better a guy who maybe isn't consistently standing out But Dante Fowler that's two straight games with a strip sack right and those are the types of things that you want if You've got to get home more often if you're an edge rusher But every time that he does it he makes an impact and I think that that's an important thing to see as we move forward last year Dante Fowler had a terrible year. I think he would tell you he had a terrible year. He was banged up his Performance didn't meet his contract The guy takes a huge pay cut and stays here And I think is now trying to fight to reestablish himself as The edge rusher that we saw when he was with the LA Rams He likes Dean P scheme and those types of plays if you're gonna make a sack if you're gonna get home Take the ball away and that that's something that Foyer a lukewarm does a lot. We saw Isaiah Oliver Keep showing up and you know Tori actually wrote about this during the week. So Tori Basically saying it's time for Falcons fans to give Isaiah Oliver and I'm sorry yet again He showed it. He's becoming a pretty solid player in the slot. Yeah, for sure. And I think You know, I think also the the players in that secondary also I mean from from Eric Harris to Fabian as you mentioned and Ron and whoever and all the all the secondary in General, I think when we talk to them during the week, they're a very tight-knit group I think they help guys like that, you know, the Isaiah Oliver's of the world who maybe are struggling and you know From fans or social media who are telling them that they aren't so well It keeps you grounded and then it keeps you it helps you when you're you know to have games like this And I think if you know if Isaiah just continues to build off of that I think the secondary can be legit I would definitely like to see how they look against Because of Giants Robert series were banged up today. Yeah, so I would definitely like to see before I evaluate You know, I think you play well today, but I think before we make any kind of bold statements both statements I think I definitely want to see them Next week against Washington Terry McLauren. That'll be that'll be a test. Yeah And and it's gonna be a test against the run with Anthony Gibson for sure and you know So it's gonna be interesting to see how yeah, you're right To see how they pivot here. I think it was a step in the right direction I just look at it and I think okay They need to keep doing better because while they beat the Giants in this way I Can count a lot of teams where we may be sitting here having a different discussion for sure Right, so I think that starts defensively But the important thing is what you said it starts with good run defense. We saw better against a good back There's no taking that away from them as they continue to move forward and try to build off of what they did here against the Giants And we're starting the fourth quarter with five minutes to talk about what this game means in the context of the 2021 season because if they don't build off of what they did if they don't take this clutch play at the end and find a way to Use that confidence as fuel to execute well in the future It was just one happy Sunday and that's not gonna be good enough because there's a lot of Sundays left So how can the Falcons? Build on this moving forward. How can this have a lasting effect on on what they do throughout the course of a Three-game stretch of winnable games Giants Washington and the Jets and on forward throughout the season How can this game mean more than just a singular event? I think taking Just using the confidence you gain from this from this game in the future. So guys like Cameron How do I pronounce Cameron's last thing is ELEC? Okay, sorry Cameron But yeah, the guys like Cameron is it like what we saw we saw from him He was one of he was he was really key in today's game in terms of pinning the Giants back Especially the game yet last week, you know It was first there was reported that he might be getting cut and then it was then the then he didn't get cut But the Falcons brought in Dustin Cole quit and that's a lot of pressure Especially a guy who was also in the AF with with coup On you to perform and he really stepped up today to perform So a guy like that specifically taking taking confidence and keeping that moving forward But I think also understanding that I think staying level like okay We got a win we're one and two, but that was a banged-up team and We struggled we barely got we barely got away with the win I think looking at the win honestly not not saying that the win doesn't mean anything Appreciating the win and taking your strengths, but also looking, you know, we can be a lot better We're a lot better than I think again. I think the Falcons are a lot better than a game winning field goal in a game like this today so I think Taking the positives, but also looking at what what they did wrong and what they can be better, right? I think there's many things I think Moving forward obviously we need to see more of what we saw in the fourth quarter targeting targeting Kyle I think even with just getting the ball in your stars hands. Absolutely on the offensive And you know even even with couch design something for for Calvin if you know He's being smothered design something for Kyle get quarter career ball Mike Davis Get your stars the ball and defensively The defensive line it starts with them Yeah, and play with that confidence that they show today and then good things happen on the back end. Yeah I think Arthur Smith had a very honest and very candid. That's the same word But that he was very good in his press conference at both Acknowledging this could be a big moment for our program in that the 2020 Falcons were three and seven and one score games they gave up leads Like a lot of them and so you have that problem now This is a totally different regime totally different coach It's tough to link those two, but there needs to be a break between what has happened recently over the last two or three Seasons and what will happen moving forward in the Arthur Smith regime and he kept preaching belief and confidence and that's You want to say that you want to establish that mentality, but until you go out and execute it It doesn't mean a lot to me a 20-point loss doesn't mean a lot to me, right? Because you know Because the third quarter against the Bucks was good But I think that he talked a lot about that and most importantly He came back at the end of his press conference said look we have a lot to improve and we know that it that doesn't change because we Won that's the name of the game and that's what we're preaching growth and improvement. Hopefully we see that again this week We have the right mindset. This will say more about us than anything else this performance and and what they do Next right? I don't think we're in a situation where we have to wonder if the Falcons heads are gonna get too big for themselves They're still wanted to everything you've said about the Giants is true, but how what's the best way moving forward? How do they respond to this so they can come out and give themselves a chance and maybe beat Washington and now we're talking to and to Yeah, I think it's starting by saying the right things to and I think I think a coach Arthur Smith is saying the right thing At least he's saying it to the media at least but like I said earlier I think taking from this just keeping that confidence keeping that that swag that toughness that you get from that win You know, like I said last week they look defeated after that pick that Mat through after he the defensive line in that third quarter last week the game was the game was over after that They were only down ten or I think they were down ten or nine, but the game was over Yeah, you know he the the image was of him face read to scream to express Supposed to and the game was over from that point. So just taking the confidence I think that's that's the utmost thing if you at Westgate you feel good you put whatever whatever the same good play Good do better something like that. Yeah, so if you feel good and you just have that confidence every week that we are that team Then often times you play better. So just taking that confidence and building on it Yeah, I think that's gonna be key moving forward and key to the Falcons Doing better than what they showed early in this season and trying to build some positive momentum Against beatable teams heading into a bye, and then you never know how like what can transpire you start playing better than the sum of your parts And that'll do it for another episode of the Falcons final whistle podcast brought to you by Windows 11 Thanks again to Microsoft for coming on board. We're so excited to have them on there The Falcons fans should be excited by what they saw here at MetLife Stadium earning 17 to 14 victory and You all know what to do next right go back subscribe on iTunes Spotify give us a rating. We'd prefer it to be five stars. Yes. Yes. Give us a good review We prefer it to be nice, especially to Scott and Chris story. Especially you Timmy Turner Timmy Turner, excuse me. Yep. Yeah, I'm steamy Turner and yeah, so do all those things and Download this thing on a regular as we take you through this Falcon season what you saw and what it means for the future That's our goal each and every week and we look forward to coming to you next week from home Finally when the Falcons play the Washington football team talk to you next week