 What's up everybody and welcome to the latest edition of the Falcons final whistle podcast recorded right here in Ticketmaster studios I'm Scott bear. That's Tori McElhaney. We have a third member Our duo has turned into a trio because we have John Abraham You've seen him destroying Quarterbacks in the city of Atlanta for a long time several other teams We are so happy to have him because we have a guy who knows so much about the game And we just spent the last hour and a half watching the final Falcons minicamp practice the final practice of the entire off-season program. Yeah, they're about to go in the books break for summer It's the last day of school. They're signing your books KIT and stuff Yeah, but what we're gonna do here over the next 20 minutes or so is we're gonna kind of take a look at What John saw on the practice field? We're gonna analyze what you and I have seen over the last couple of practices and just kind of say hey This is the state of the Falcons right now Here's where they are especially on defense since since we have a defensive guy here that we're really gonna dive into that See where they are and maybe where they got to go. Yeah, right? So fresh off the practice field, right? One thing that you absolutely notice above all else is that Kaleis Campbell is a massive human being at 6 foot 8 He towers above just about everybody else and he hasn't been here for the whole off-season program But he's been around a lot. Yeah, especially recently and you can see the guys He's in year 15, but John he's still got it Definitely, um, just just playing with Kaleis knowing what the attitude and the the passion he brings to the game when I first met Kaleis, I thought he was a big doofy guy You know coming from Denver playing in Miami I thought he might have went to Miami and just turned to a crazy man But he ended up you know when I met him and I talked to him you really get to know him You want to be around him like you said his presence is automatically once you're that size kind of like a shack Type guy you automatically gonna be when you walk in the room people see you people know who you are people Want to get to know you sometimes people don't have the attitude that he has he talks. Well, he's very like family-oriented and He generally loves his teammates like me being his teammate for that year or a year and a half Like we talked and you got to know him and when you when you get to know Kaleis You know like being the man of the year the water painting man in the year You can you can see why yeah because he gives back and I think he's gonna that's gonna be his biggest attribute on this team Having someone that's level-headed, you know, like he's firing when he plays But when you get in the locker room, you can see the level-headedness of man You can actually talk to him like he told me the story He told me was like I guess when I was in when Arizona and I'm a vet now at this time And I just got fired from y'all I'm coming around a little hotter to come to the collar I'm really not I'm really not, you know, they give me like three plays a game at the time and he was like He just told me this so I'm just finding this out He was like well, you know the coaches told me to go talk to you cuz I was scared I was like why I was like, yeah, he's like no, so he came up to me. He was like John, you know I know you did all this did all that. What are you doing me lately? I was looking like this before he ain't in the pro bowl So I was like man, you made a pro bow yet He was just like man, so that's the story that me and him share But I didn't know that the coaches told him to go over there But that's that's the kind of pool he has a kind of power. Yeah, cuz he wasn't even I think he was my Even being a year three four or five at that time. So he wasn't even the Kaleis camera. We know now This is the no-pro bow guy. This is the guy that was just you know Coming from Miami and you know trying to make a name for itself So that just showed what kind of I guess credibility he has at a young age and also has now It's really and first off your Kaleis impression was pretty good It may be the best that I've heard like I can't get that But no, I think you make such a good point and I've really enjoyed talking to Kaleis and Something that he said recently when I was talking to him was he was going on about kind of how it's really interesting guys coming up to him even in the calf and even just out on the field and being like Hey, it's really nice to meet you and almost like starstruck to a certain extent of being like you have been in this for so long And I really just want to hear you speak about the game And I think that's what something that's really interesting about this entire defensive front Is that there are a few guys that are like that you have Kaleis you have Bud Dupree and Grady Jarrett David on Yamada For me, I think it's really interesting though because I was talking to David on Yamada the other day and he made the comment that he was like, yeah, you know Kaleis has come in Buds come in I've come in you have all these veterans in that have you know A lot of things to say and a lot of experience But this is still Grady's group and I thought that was so profound in terms of just how other veterans see Grady Jarrett and kind of what he's built here in Atlanta I mean just kind of watching someone like a Kaleis Campbell come in and say that about Grady Jarrett I mean, what does that just mean about what Grady what you think Grady Jarrett means to this team I guess I can speak on it as in you think about when Roddy White was here. Yeah When we got Julio, we knew Julio was gonna be the guy, but we knew who house it was it was still Roddy's house Yeah, everybody knew it was like this is right house, but you knew it's you know who the cat even Julio came Julio comes like Everybody knew like it wasn't even like nobody was like Julio is gonna be number two. We was like We knew it, but it still was like the respect was there for him and Roddy's still friends now And I think with Grady, you know being a guy from Georgia going to Clemson and being in the area so close to home And he's a name mark because I look now he has 32 and a half sacks He had like six last year and If you see the stats, you'll be like, oh, well, you know, you know, he don't have like 50 60 sacks You don't have a hundred like Aaron Dodd on nothing like that, but it like he brings Georgia Like being a fan of Georgia now being in Atlanta and wanting to see and want to hear people names He got a big old thing about Grady hospital like this Yeah, so, you know, like that's the kind of stuff that Kaleas brings and you know Like being with one team and and having that come already fifth round pit Yeah, and coming here and proving that he was willing to play and I think the biggest thing with me never got in trouble Very patient kid like I mean patient because he played he played good thing coming to come from that Clemson team They were all kind of shackles and this guy this guy this guy. He's the only person we really talk about now Yeah, that's right, and I'm not even trying to be rude to anybody else But the saying to have that kind of mentality to always be the kind of like not even the underdog Cuz he's really way far from that But seeing how he plays and seeing how he comes out just just hearing his name. He was like, oh We know him and you feel like you know me even though you know because everybody's been the underdog in life So how he plays and how he shows up every every year and he always has big plays in big games You see the Super Bowl, you know then to play with Tom Brady even though it was a boo He's gonna be known for that play forever. So that's the kind of plays I wanted to make in my career I never got nobody I always wanted to get something like that. I never had that. I don't got that I don't got that trademark yet. I'm like good Lord and the and but with Grady, right? There was a great Segment last year where he was miked up and I can't remember which team it was But he was literally triple-teamed both guards and it was two. It was two years ago. It was two years ago Detroit at home and it was both guards in the center. Yes, both guards and they basically just pushed him back and Grady Goes don't you all have anybody else to block? Yeah, but in 2021 the answer was maybe not But this year you do have other guys to block Triple block and Grady's gonna be a bad move if you have on Yamada and Campbell and Dupri and Carter and The Katie coming off the line and me telling this little anecdote is kind of gets back to something that John I we're talking about during practice Fuck it's a 28 sacks last year, right? 21, okay So they're they're not they're they need to generate more pressure and impact the quarterback more often When I throw these names out, right and look they haven't put pads on yet So you can't read a ton into it But if you look at this talent on paper, do you think that look I'm not saying go straight to Philadelphia 70 sacks But can they make improvements with Ryan Nielsen at defense coordinator and the collection of talent that they have? me personally Just looking at Kalei is on Yamada Grady, Bud Dupri, Katie Nellis, Lorenzo Carter Troy Anderson possibly I'm looking at Ryan Nelson having 48 sacks in New Orleans And I'm looking at these guys Kalei has had five and a half on Yamada had I think six Grady six, but he didn't have a great year, but I think with the injured Yeah, yeah with with with with the add enough Kalei is and Kate and I want to see him I want to see him pass rush. He had seven sacks last year So for me personally be in the past Russia anywhere in 55, come on My number I want to see 55 in the backfield again So I know he's gonna be probably playing off the ball more But I think with the scheme and he knowing that he has so many backup he has a backup plan that I mean We have a two we have a tool belt that's pretty Length, you know, we can pretty much reach for anything and make something happen You can have you can have Kalei's play inside outside. You can have Bud play on or off the line You can have Caden coming it can be all kind of schemes that he can mix up with this And I think what he done with I'm you know last year, you know with Cam last year in New Orleans With this piece of the way we have I can see a lot of stuff happen from a 3-4 to 4-3 Man-to-man covers because I love how our cornerbacks are and like like we talked about earlier Akuta's a guy that I really want to see do well So I think with this kind of lineup. I can't see I Honestly can't see us doing bad But you know, you never know how the season goes barn injuries right and barn You know how certain people play I think you bring up a good point too about the secondary because half the battle is making sure Everything in the back end is straight You know, we can talk all day long About this front seven getting to the quarterback and and they'll do their job But you got to think about the guys in the back end doing their job as well And I think the fact that you have a guy like Jeff Akuta who's coming in here Let's be honest with something to prove I mean, this is a guy who I think really really wants to come in in 2023 and and show something a little different And I know I was talking to we were talking out of practice And I was I know I was telling you this about a conversation that I recently had with Jerry gray Who's kind of in charge of the Falcons secondary and he made such a profound comment about I want to see the Jeff Akuta from college I want that guy back that guy was confident that guy was a ball hawk that guy was getting after it I want to see him show up and I I know like kind of going off script here a little bit but For you as someone who's been in this game What does it kind of take for someone to to go from being the top at the pinnacle of their career Go through some injuries Have to figure some things out coming to a new team with a fresh opportunity I mean, what does that mean for for a guy like Jeff Akuta? I would say me personally on my first year I got injured and I was so young I didn't think about and I and I and the next year I went and made a pro bow and then I made a pro bow the pro bow and then when I came to Atlanta I got hurt again, but this time I didn't handle it like I supposed to because first of all I was immature on how to handle You know injuries Yeah, and sometimes I think that we should go to treatment and not like real treatment like go to treatment But like go to talk to someone Because trauma is real like trauma is real and it's not just from I think about a lot of my career The reason why I stayed away from football out of football because of injuries. I missed 46 games So I'm a hundred thirty three and a half sacks. I'm a possible Hall of Famer 46 games give me 46 games back, right three seasons of football So I played 15. Yeah, I played 15 years But literally I only played 12 because I only got a hundred ninety two games So that's a lot of thing that hurt me mentally and also you got to think about family stuff That's going on in other states that going into life But I definitely think he got a mentally just get back into the game Yeah, and you got a start over. It's a start out when I came to Atlanta It was a start over for all the trauma I had from New York when I came to Atlanta was a start over so I like look I Atlanta first of all Atlanta if anybody know Arthur Blank and For me what I what I've heard from or talked to Terry Fartin though and talk to Arthur Smith They're the guys that they're not gonna hold grudges Like they're kind of like what are you doing now? And I think that's why they went and got them Like we they saw a good player a good person Detroit y'all want to Bag y'all want to form of this bag. We're going to see what he can do Yeah, yeah figure it out and and I think like getting back to what Jeff Acuta's strengths are and that that's just I think that's what it pulls down to and I think Jerry Gray is the type of coach that can get that out of Jeff Acuta And I'm excited about it. I know that we need to wrap up, but we haven't talked it all about the offense, right? So just for the last I think we got a deal guys I know I know it but I gotta throw an offensive question in there And I do think that we need to talk about just Bajon Robinson. We were just out at practice You saw him catch a few balls, you know run a few routes all that kind of stuff And I know we're talking about a quote-unquote running back, but this is the guy's an offensive weapon What first time kind of going out to practice what were your thoughts on on Bajon Robinson? You know, I can't wait to see him in pads You know the passing camps are great to look at for people who are offensive minded Yeah, but defense we like man. I want to see him get a little popper You know, but how he cuts and how he moves like I think a big thing that we were talking about just for you know BSing around I was like, did you see that hit? So you see what kind of limber he is. He got hit His head was down here. His feet came all of it. If y'all haven't seen this Y'all haven't seen this y'all y'all look up the clip of B. John Robinson and that hit I know it's gonna be out there somewhere, but and but watch him and seeing how he stacked like he looks like a running back If you've seen running back that you want that can last in the league like, you know The nice trunk space, you know I'm looking like this guy's this guy's nice and and for me playing football for so long Some guys always look small to me. So, you know what they take the pads if they look small But I'm like he's gonna he's he's looks like a guy that Can be six seven years we can really you know put up, you know put on our backs and like be happy for you Know, they're a lot more sevens gonna be out in the crowd. Totally. Yeah I mean them I was trying to think of an adjective to like describe how he runs and like shifty isn't it elusive Like elusive, but he he's like a glut. He's so smooth. Yeah, he's like a gliding powerful and yeah Powerful and smooth like at the same time, which I'm probably some type of car, right? I mean not big on cars I'm sure there's some type of car. I think he has a like he has a Lamborghini deal, right? We'll just call him that. Yeah, but nonetheless, I think it's gonna be fascinating to watch him Totally, I think it's gonna be fascinating to see a lot of these because we have the Falcons have a fortified Offensive line that's been together. Yeah, a lot of good defensive linemen. Let's put the pads on this summer Let's see how these training camp position battles how these position offense versus defense battles go I think that that's when we're really gonna get to know what this team is like But I think what it was important today To dive into the defense so much new what can they do and let's be honest John Abraham is gonna be back in this chair during training camp and we're gonna evaluate especially you have to come back After they put the pads on yeah, you can get a real evaluation A guy who's been in there and then we can go back over the same stuff and see what we've learned and what we can Learn about this team as we get towards September 10th week one against the Panthers So that's gonna wrap it for this edition of the Falcons final whistle podcast. I'm Scott. That's Troy John Thank you so much for stopping by such an honor for sure And please do what you do great review subscribe Give us some five stars that would be super nice to the Falcons podcast network And we will talk to you again real real soon. See you