 Ahead on Early Birds, it's a battle for first place in the NSC South. You heard me right, first place on the line. We'll break down how the Falcons will try and make the bucks, walk the plank. Plus, shocks in the film room, we go one-on-one with one of the big bruisers in the middle of Atlanta's defense. And what is up with the dogs? That ends so much more ahead on Early Birds. Well, good morning and welcome into Early Birds. Falcons coming off back-to-back wins. Shock, maybe they'll add another two back on that? Oh, that'll be real nice. Should be a good one this weekend. Let's start things off with the opening drive. We've got the Falcons and the bucks tomorrow right here on Fox 5. Good news, DJ. And some bad news on Atlanta's run game. Good news is the Falcons have the fourth-best rushing attack in the league. Bad news, Cordero Patterson is now on IR, knee injury, out at least four games. So, can they keep it up without CP? Just, I think they can because I think this is a scheme that is made to run the football. We've seen it in really four straight games being able to run the football. I think it starts up front with those big guys. I think they're finding some cohesion. They're creating those rush lanes and they're playing physical, changing that line of scrimmage. And that's what it's all about. Then, of course, you've got some bruisers back there as well running the rocket. Last week we saw those two guys, actually three guys were running the rocket really hard. Yeah, and taking advantage of those rushing lanes, among those Tyler Algear, Caleb Hunley, they say they're ready to pick up the slack. Really just, I think throughout the whole season, just getting myself ready, ready for whatever happens because, you know, it's a long season. You know, anything, anything happens. So, you know, just kind of make the most out of our opportunity and stuff. I just feel like everybody in our room got that mindset of wanting to be physical and, you know, punishing the opposing team. If you do that and you break their will, you break their will. That's how you win the game. Simple as that, break their will. All right, as we continue on the opening drive. Okay, we got to talk about Tom Brady, right? How about this stat? The Falcons are trying to hand Tom Brady his first three-game losing streak in 20 years. It hasn't happened since 2002. Tons of receiving weapons, Julio. So shock. How do you handle this guy? I think the number one thing in stopping Tom Brady and the one thing that makes him really uncomfortable is push from the middle of the pocket. That's when he becomes really normal and not seem like a super human winning all these games. But when you push from the middle of the pocket, he will throw it to you. You know, he doesn't want to move. So, Taqon Graham, Grady Jerry. This is a big time ball game for you guys to really, and Grady knows a little bit about sacking. Our man Tom Brady did it a couple times in the Super Bowl. So hopefully he can do it again tomorrow. Yeah, believe it or not, Arthur Smith, younger than Tom Brady, since the GOAT doesn't even get enough credit. And I don't think Brady gets enough credit to sustain that level of success year after year. He said he's going to make the right play. So you make a mistake and you leave somebody uncovered. Usually he finds them. Clearly he's got a lot of trust with Mike Evans. And I would do if I was a quarterback. And they got other vets in there and they mixed and matched. And as we wrap up the opening drive, still very early in the season. But DJ, what would it say for the team, even now, to win and be all alone in first place in the NFC South? Would be huge because I think coming into the season, everybody said this is a two-win team. Well, guess what? They already got two wins and they're going to play four games. So it tells you, you have to play the game. Everybody talks about what can happen before the season starts, what it looks like on paper. But ultimately it comes down to what happens between those white lines. And this team believes that they have the players inside that building to get it done. And they've been showing it the last few weeks. A lot more people will be believing if they can get a win tomorrow. Welcome into Early Birds alongside DJ Shockley. I'm Justin Felder. And there will be a lot of eyes on Atlanta's quarterback as well this week. Marcus Mariota, seven completions last week, though, as the Falcons will point out, in a win. Yeah, no doubt. You didn't need him to be that efficient in the past game. Obviously, you want him to be. But I think coming into the future, you will need Marcus Mariota to make some throws with his arm. Well, Shock, yo-ho, yo-ho. It's a film room life for me. He's getting worse week by week or better. That's how you look at it. Go warm up this illustrator. We will see you in just a few. But first, one of the key off-season signings for the Falcons might end up being a new big guy who's been patrolling the middle of the field. With all that youth on that side of the ball, Rashawn Evans is a veteran leader and also the Falcons' leader in tackles through the first four games. Kelly Price went one-on-one with the linebacker and former first-round pick out of Alabama. Going back to kind of your background in Alabama, kind of the country boy upbringing. How did that kind of shape your work ethic, the player that you are, and the person that you kind of are now? I would just say, yeah, it kind of taught me you got to work for everything at that point. You know, just me being and doing the country stuff, you know, cleaning out stalls, you know, I would say just being around an environment where there's a lot of animals, love animals. So I would say just that just made me kind of love, you know, what it feels like not to have a lot of materialistic things, but just love being who you are and loving, you know, the things that are going on around you. So I say that. So was reading that you used to chase horses to train and become faster? Tell me more about that. Well, my brother put me on, because he used to run tracks. So down in the country, you know, we known for riding horses. And I remember one time he was doing it one time. I guess he was just being funny, but I saw this like, you know, a workout tactic. So I was like, let me go ahead and try it out. He was the only person that actually caught one. But I almost got close one time, but my brother at the time, he was a lot faster than me because he was running track, but he was able to do it. So I started doing it maybe a couple of years, but then eventually once I got to the league, I was like, in my country, I can't do it no more. If I get hurt, I'm not going to get none of that money. Well, you know, on this defense, you guys have been super physical this year. I think from the outside looking and not a lot of people maybe expected that from this group, especially what they did last year. How much you guys pride yourself on that physicality on defense? I think now it's become my identity. So, you know, it's expected amongst a lot of guys, you know, and when you don't see it on film, you know, the coaches don't have to say anything about it. The players are able to. So when you got that, you know, that's always a good thing. What's it like for you being a part of this kind of building that you guys are? You have so many young guys on this team, kind of the next chapter of this kind of franchise. I think it's just a new refreshing type team at this point. Guys are young, guys got a lot to look forward to. Even though it's a new team, we don't feel like we're rebuilding. I feel like we just, you know, we've kind of accepted the fact that people don't see us as a good team and that, you know, we're kind of like the underdogs. So we love that challenge and, you know, we've been trying to play and approach it like that each and every week. It's time to get some game intel from shock. You're invited into the film room. So cut the lights and let's get started. Last week, the Falcons rushed to the tune of 200 yards against the Cleveland Browns and it's because of the really good run game, but also because of what the big boys do up front. Now, I'll show you what this is looking like to this defense. The Falcons were in a lot of outside zone. So then with the outside zone goes this way. They want the line. Everybody going at this angle. They ran really well against the Browns in this, what we call outside zone. But what Falcons are going to do is they're going to fake like they're going this way and run a counter back this way. Because defense have been unblocked. Drew Dalman is going to come around and kick him out, but everything looks like outside zone. So all these guys are going to be going downhill and then you come back with a counter and it creates the perfect design and play for the Falcons. Let's get this thing started. I'm going to show you exactly what I'm talking about. So here it is. Everybody is going at an angle. Everybody is going this way. Look at everybody is going this way, this way, this way. But here's the guy I want you to watch. He's going to get here and get him square. Once he gets square, now he gives AV Williams a two-way go. He can go this way or he can go outside. This is a great example of Dalman doing a great job of squaring the defender up and then giving the back a two-way go. And let's clear it and let's finish how this play ends up and boom. Look at that. Now he's got a two-way go. Look, he can go inside, outside. Now it's a huge run and a nice job by this offensive line blocking. But Drew Dalman at the point of attack being really good. And this results in AV Williams having a huge run. He will be a big part of the running game at no CP. Look forward to having him a part of this, Justin. And he will be an excellent part with that speed. You have a big chance for those young running backs. Shock, thank you very much. We've got more to come on Early Birds including, what's going on with the dogs? Georgia got a scare last weekend against Missouri. Michael Jenkins and I discussed, was it a fluke or maybe something more? Plus, you want them to react to you, but also you may have to react to them. That's just being the patient part that I'm talking about. Putting receivers in a jam. There's more to play in corner than just deflecting passes and getting picks. AJ Terrell takes us going deep. Welcome back into Early Birds. We welcome in former Falcons wide receiver, Michael Jenkins. All right, let's start it off. Big college football day. We'll give your Buckeyes some love. Yeah, my Buckeyes are always looking good right now, so they're playing very well right now. CJ Stroud, 18 touchdowns, two picks. Still your husband favorite, I'm sure, right? Of course. He's going to win it. All right, well, I'm skipping it to CJ Stroud right now. All right, let's get back to business. Enough of the big 10. Let's talk Georgia. What's up with Georgia? What's going on? What we saw last week. They're hosting Auburn today. They needed every single one. To beat Missouri came right down to the end. So that's two weeks in a row where it wasn't perfect. No. But what did you see? I think this is a game Kirby actually wanted to see his team go through on the road, SEC opponent and not playing their best, but just having that grit, that determination, that will to win, come back and show that resolve to win on the road in the SEC. Yeah, they got the resolve. They went through the adversity. We know how coaches like to see their team go through that. Here's what Kirby Smart had to say. I don't look at it as you're in a hitting slump or some kind of funk or anything like that. Because a lot of that is predicated on what the other team does and what we did. We're a team, you know, like last year's team, they would have played in that a bunch of times. So there's a lot of youth there, but to be honest with you, it was a great opportunity to see what we're about. Because I don't know that you could find any greater adversity than be down 10 points in the fourth quarter resiliency, all those things. But we got to make sure that we're on the road. But we got to make sure that we do a good job building on that. All right. Meanwhile, while my Gators may have faded just a touch in the SEC. Sorry. I appreciate it. Maybe another challenger looming for the dogs. Should we be taking Tennessee a little more seriously in the SEC? I think so. Obviously they beat, I'm sorry, your Gators. But they've been playing well. Obviously, Hennan Hooker is a Heisman candidate right now. He's playing at a high clip. And if they can beat LSU on the road and then play Alabama and at least play them tough. Yeah. I mean, you definitely have to consider Tennessee as a long shot. Yeah. What do you like about their quarterback, Hennan Hooker? I mean, this guy can do it all. I mean, he can use his legs. He's accurate with the football. And he just continues to make plays and gives his team a chance to win. Exciting player. Big test for the Valls today at LSU. And let's get some props to Georgia Tech, right? Hosting Duke today. And they scored an upset last weekend. Nobody saw it coming. Nobody. They went at Pittsburgh. Right. Nobody was calling for that. That game, again, after a coaching change. Yeah. I mean, big coaching change. Coach Key takes over as the interim guy. He's a Georgia Tech guy. He's a lumb. But I think the rain obviously helped him a little bit. But Coach Key's offensive line guy was able to run the ball, establish the time of possession, and get a big win on the road at Pitt. And I think he can win two in a row. Taking on Duke. Yeah. It's a winnable game, certainly. And you mentioned Coach Key. Here's what he said this week. Consecutive wins. Things like that. I mean, success is the enemy of it. More people. Well, they said more people will die, you know, going down Mount Everest and actually climbing up Mount Everest. So, you know, when you start looking at what you've done in the past, right, you're going to fall. So, you know, putting things together, you know, stacking games and wins. I mean, that's all kind of bogus to us and our kids in the room. All right. So you think the Jackets can turn around their season? They got a good chance to make some things happen. I don't know if I turn around, but they got a good chance to make some things happen this year. All right. Taking on Duke today. In shock, we'll send it over you. We'll see what happens for the deep South's oldest rivalry. You feeling all right? I'm feeling great. I'm all good. I mean, they play 3-3, so we got time. Appreciate it, guys. All right. When it comes to playing cornerback, there's a little more to it than just deflecting passes that come to work. Let's just send the end of the process according to AJ Terrell. He says it all starts when the ball is snapped. He shows us how to jam a receiver and this week's going deep. One, you got to come up. You got to have a game plan approaching the receiver by watching film or whatever. Just having a game plan on what his strengths and weaknesses are. When you get down in the position with him, you just got to know your game plan, like I said, and then also just being patient at the line, not falling for all of the fake moves that they give you to give a release, because at the end of the day, they're trying to replace where you are. So being patient and understanding your strengths and weaknesses and not panicking. Just playing relaxed and under control. I'm glad you said like not falling for all that stuff. So are you kind of reacting to what they do or are you trying to initiate it and kind of dictate the action? Yeah, that's the beauty of the game. You want them to react to you, but also you may have to react to them. Like that's just being, that's the patient part that I'm talking about. You just got to just have a mindset, a dominant mindset, knowing that you're going to win at the line. I feel like the route is won at the line to release, you know, putting hands on or sometimes you may not want to put hands on. You know, some people come up there with a game plan of not putting hands on because a receiver may be handsy at the line and you may give them a little fake, you know, just playing tick for tick. Hey, Ditch Harrell going to have his hands full against the Bucks. More to come on, Early Birds Falcons got the win against the Browns and it was good to see one of our former High Five sports stars back in the Benz. We'll check in with some folks from Nick Chubbs Alma Mater ahead on Early Birds. You're watching Early Birds. Presented by Mercedes Benz on your official home for Falcons football, Fox Five at Linn. Welcome back into Early Birds. Well, Sundays usually mean long afternoons for football players and coaches, but of course they're not the only ones putting in long hours. The Falcons medical staff are right there with them at the stadium, making sure everything is ready to go for a safe game day. Dr. Kyle Hammond takes you behind the scenes and this week's Emory Road to Recovery. So if we're going to kick off on a typical Sunday at 1 p.m. I'm going to get here by 10 a.m. The training staff has been here long before that. Setting up, preparing, and then the players are usually, some guys like to get here really early, some guys, they don't need as much preparation time or whatever their routine is, but 10 a.m. is kind of a general time market where most of us or the majority of people are in this place and getting here. So three hours before the game and then the games are ending around 4 or 4.30 and we're typically leaving the stadium myself around 6 p.m. We're calling players that night to check in on them. We're preparing for the following day, what we're going to do the following day to assess those players who might have dealt with an injury during the game. We're getting MRI set up for this next day. We're getting exams by myself to see me the next day. We're starting to maybe talk to agents, family, etc. after the game about that player who may have been injured. So the day in itself is long. We do a lot of work. You know, blessed out of such a great staff working with me that helps me with all these things. So the majority of the day is spent here for a lot of people and they're really working hard and they do an amazing job. Alright, thanks Doc. He's a former dog and hometown hero for his high school. We're here to watch a Cedar Town great in action. That's next on Early Birds. The best or nothing. Falcons fans, score a touchdown with low tire prices at Mavis Tires and Bricks. The official tire retailer of the Atlanta Falcons. Visit MavisTire.com to find a store near you. Well, he's a guy we've been following here at Fox 5 since his Friday nights at Cedar Town. Of course, UGA. I know plenty of folks were excited to see Nick Chubb back at the Benz last weekend. Of course, Falcons taking on his Browns. DJ, I got some video of the group from Cedar Town in the stands and DJ, I know he's a guy you know well and hey, the fans there, people are rooting for the Falcons but they can root for Nick a little bit too. Yeah, no doubt about it. I mean, obviously you're torn a little bit as hey, you would have root for your Falcons but also you got a hometown of guys so you always got to give those guys a lot of love when they come. You want them to succeed but you want their team to lose. Kind of high went down, you know? Right. Yeah, so they got a pretty good day. Nick Chubb had a great day. I mean, he's still got all kinds of records at Cedar Town. It's been a really tough season. Quite a thrill for members of the team who got to watch Nick and the Browns here last weekend. Yeah, I think it's special to be able to bring these guys here and let them see them and see somebody that works out with them and came from the same place that they come and see them on this stage. It means a lot to me to come out here and watch them and learn from them and stuff. It means a lot for them to do this and everything else. I think it brings good bonding to the team and watching somebody that grew up in Cedar Town play their series on high school. It's for four years. Watching my own play. I think it means a lot. All right. Very cool stuff there. So Falcons and Bucks, tomorrow here on Fox 5. Make sure to join us for the Dirty Bird Report. Tomorrow night highlights, interviews and so much more. Tomorrow night, 11.30 p.m. Make sure to join us in shock before we let you go. I know a lot of folks still talk about the quarterback situation. Marcus Mariota, we hit it at the top of the show, but what do you want to see out of him in addition to obviously whatever it takes to win? Yeah, you know what? Marcus has played decent football. A lot of people want the stash. They want the numbers to look good, but he's done a lot of things in the line of scrimmage. He's created plays. He's improvised on the outside, used his legs. There are a lot of things in the run game that he helps because he's able to get outside the pocket. So I think Mariota's done a good job. I know everybody wants to see the numbers improve, but I just want to see him more consistent in the pass game. And I think we'll be good. Really quick. One more player to watch in this game. Oh, that's a good call. I still want to see. I want to see a guy like Coral Hodg and make a big play. Okay. That's a good big part of the office. Let's see him make a big play this game. Passing game in the spotlight. That's it for us here on Early Birds Parkour. Back DJ Shockley. I'm Justin Felder. Thanks for joining us. Have a good morning and a great weekend.