 What's up everybody and welcome to another edition of the Falcons final whistle podcast. I am Scott bear and Tori McElaney is joining me in the weirdest way possible We are both sitting at Mercedes Ben Stadium after Monday's open practice I'm on one side of a massive press box and I can both see Tori in the zoom and I can see her all the way across The press box we need enough distance where we can't hear each other, but but we're still essentially in the same room Yeah, it's weird. It is weird and I said before we started recording I was like, I don't know if this is the dumbest thing we've ever done or the smartest thing we've ever done And you said and I quote it's probably both and I tend to agree with that Yeah And really what it is is it's this situation is built out of laziness because I could have brought all the podcast Equipment down there in a very heavy blue case and I chose an easier Trip from my car to the stadium today, you know, that's okay We're gonna both look back for a little bit and then look forward So back at what we learned in that Detroit Lions game and what we still need to see Heading into a really important stretch where they have two joint practices against the New York Jets Followed by a Monday night football game in August if that's a thing And it's gonna be important times for this team to kind of come together and develop and build chemistry and show Steady progress and improvement as we march into what's gonna be a really intense stretch, right? But I just talked about all that Jets Competition and then the next week they're gonna have joint practices against the Jags and then they're gonna play the Jags And then they're gonna have to make some tough cuts. So before we go all the way forward, let's go back a little bit Who stood out? Well, like what were your big takeaways from that from that Lions performance that the Falcons Was probably the most engaging preseason game that I've ever seen now. That's not a very high bar But it was still fun to watch. I know I said and I quote That it was the most fun. I've had covering a preseason in Maybe ever like I don't think I've ever called a preseason game exciting like truly. I don't think I have But that was a fun game and I know that there were some moments that the Falcons want to workshop There are some moments they want to have back But at the end of the day, they put together a game that I just very much enjoyed watching which in and of itself is Very difficult to do in the preseason But in terms of kind of my takeaways I think my biggest takeaway and it was something that I wrote about the next day in terms of like what we learned about this team I really felt like we learned that this team is gonna be physical and I say that in a number of different ways And I and I think when I look at this team There are gonna be some games that are gonna be tough and and is Physicality enough to win games or lose them. I don't know I don't know what the record is gonna be at the end of this 2022 season But I feel confident in saying that I do think that this team is gonna show up every Sunday or Thursday Or whenever it is that they're playing and they're gonna play physical football and like I said It's not something that I think it's gonna make or break a season but it could be a maker and a marker of Where this organization is going in the future. So that's kind of where I stuck my flag In terms of what we learned in that game a maker and a marker That's actually in the story too and it is love that line so much that I Screenshot it it highlighted it and sense it back to you saying how awesome it was You said chef's kiss chef's kiss because what I want it's beautifully written and to I think it's That's it's a perfect phrasing for what this team needs to be to be competitive, right? Right that that's how they're going to Kind of make themselves earn respect and that's gonna be their trademark of How they're going to go about getting wins they're gonna be tough and it's weird when you talk about Physicality and you talk about tough that you're also talking about a quarterback, right? Yes, Marriota for a preseason game where he's pretty in my opinion pretty much set as the week one starter Was going hard was inviting contact was not Lighting and was playing aggressive football. I thought that was a very interesting development I liked what Marcus did. I don't know if Arthur did Answer that question I don't think Arthur did because I did ask him after the game and this is how the conversation went. I said You know, I think Arthur I said I think Marcus maybe put his body on the line a little too much than what you would want and before I could even get Out a question There was going into a yeah, we would like him to get down earlier Maybe not take those hits that he took but then he said that's just the guy who Marcus is and I kind of thought a lot About that. It's like and then I asked him I was like is that the physical type of runner that That everybody should expect Marcus to be and he's kind of like yeah This is just who Marcus is and even after the game when we were talking to Marcus Marcus like yeah He would he laughs a little bit about like not sliding or anything like that But then he was like that's just kind of how I play the game And if it comes if he comes by it honestly, and that's how he does it That's how he does it but maybe hold back a little bit just a little bit in the first game of the preseason And I know this is week one of the preseason that like that we're talking about But this is a guy who has said several times that this is an opportunity. He does not take lightly This is the chance to reestablish himself This is a chance for Marcus to prove that Marcus is as good as he and a lot of his supporters think that he can be Maybe he's just a little amped even though it's week one that this process has really started now So but I like the way that he ran There were a couple of times Trying to be armchair quarterback and looking at the coach's film, right? You can see there were times where Alameda was open where Kyle Pitts was open And he's running pretty quickly with it So you of course you want to see him make plays downfield, but I think his legs Scare defenses or they at least have to respect it. It opened up in my opinion some rushing lanes for for quadriolison I should mention just since we're letting everybody in here All the lights on Tori's side of the press box just went off like total darkness She's in total darkness just being like what is happening here, but you know what we're just gonna keep on rocking This is this is a podcast I wish that this was like on video because I think when the lights went out like my face was just instant air Instantly like this is the end. I'm dead And I thought I was just gonna like gloss over it move beyond it Then I like I looked over both at the screen and then I was like, oh my gosh, what is happening here? Nonetheless, we're talking about Mark's mariota and I you know, I think for all those reasons He's really excited about it. Of course. I think Arthur Smith would like him to slide maybe Check one more read or progression or something like that But he opens up lanes for the the falcons ran the ball really well and yeah, he was two for two They moved the ball seamlessly they held on to the ball for nine minutes 27 seconds like an offensive coordinator dream I think that there were lots of positives to take from it Then you look at Desmond Ritter, right? If you just looked at the box score and you didn't watch the game you be like That guy did not have a good day, right? Right then Charles London the quarterbacks coach and head coach Arthur Smith took the podium on Sunday and practice said Hey, this guy's more accurate than you think he is When you listen to what? Both coaches said when you talk to Desmond Ritter after the game when you watched him Score at the end of the half score at the end of the game with a go-ahead touchdown on fourth and nine He's rolling out and scrambling for his life. What do you make overall of what we saw from? from Desmond, I Think it was funny because when all of that was happening and they got the ball back, you know with about two minutes left in the game I don't know if it was you or if it was me I think it was you that said gosh, he's just a gamer and he just wins and talking about Desmond and then he goes and he has you know the Tosses up a game-winning touchdown like there's something about this guy that when the moment is there He's there and I do think of that with Desmond Ritter It's one of those things where he I think very much Understands what he wants to do and why he wants to do it and at some point the physical part of it Maybe the inaccuracies of what we're talking about at some point I think that's gonna click to and because I do think that we are seeing him Understand where he wants to go and why he wants to go there And Arthur Smith has said a couple of times how please and Charles London to help please they are with his understanding of the playbook so To me when I think about Desmond Ritter It's like we're not talking about the number eight overall pick the expectation When I think of Desmond Ritter is not to be ready to go Week one of the season and have an entire offense rely on him. That's not what he is He's a number 74 overall pick out of Cincinnati that won a ton of games that has Some of those really good intangible like leadership qualities in the football IQ that I think can take him really far But this is gonna be a long-term vision that we're gonna see enacted for Desmond Ritter I'm not super worried about like oh if he's inaccurate here. He's inaccurate there if this is again the number eight overall pick Maybe it's I have a different point of view But then this number 74 overall pick if that makes sense. No it in as you were saying that I'm sitting here thinking that Troy Anderson was the number 58 overall pick and nobody expects him to start his first year and everybody expects him to be brought along and Now we're talking about a third round pick at 74 and I think a lot of that is because He was the second quarterback taken and quarterback is obviously like these are guys that that that you know And you watched a lot on college football Saturdays and you're right The expectations are different and they're probably a bit unfair right now I hate to use Arthur Smith's words too much here But it's like he talks about these long-term visions and it's clear that they have one for him I talked to him for a long time on Sunday. He did and I was really One enlightened as I normally am talking to him But he seemed very Cognizant of what he did well and what he did do well. He was very honest in his assessments of Performing well in the moment and where he made mistakes and he's just such a conscientious Dude and a conscientious Total side note here, right? I'm talking to him forever I'm holding my notebook and I have a roster in like one finger and it drops And he's like in the middle of like what he was doing in the fourth quarter to help score that final touchdown And I dropped my paper and he stopped and he reached down and he grabbed it and he handed it back to me And I said here you go man, and I said thank you and then he just kept going He just you know one of those guys. I think he just gets it So yes, there is a lot of work to do. Yes. I think he's He needs to improve on accuracy and timing and all those things but we're talking about him being two weeks into training camp here Right. Yes. Yeah, and I think like to to be completely honest. It's To think that he's going to be ready to go Immediately two weeks into camp. I think it's very very unrealistic if we are talking about where Desmond Ritter is in his career that you hope is gonna be a very long and prosperous career like I Just don't want people to get ahead of themselves in thinking that like Desmond Ritter is the savior of the Falcons now that Matt Ryan is no longer here. I don't look at it that way And I think to put that weight on a guy's shoulders like Desmond Ritter is Relatively unfair right and and and you'll see some people who they watched him orchestrate that comeback And they'll just feel the emotion of the moment even if it was in the preseason and think well Let's start him right now. He's ready. No, no, none of those things are true That they have a guy that can come in and start is as hungry as you can get to prove and establish himself And we'll see how it ultimately works out down the road. This offense is gonna look different. Yeah Oh, I don't think that's a bad thing. This yeah One of those offenses that like between the quarterbacks and the running backs like I mean they could have what 35 carries a game or something It's very very possible And Arthur Smith can do some fun things with guys who can run the football So and that goes back to the physicality thing. I think it's been encouraging to see Caleb McGarry Didn't get his fifth year option picked up. I thought running to the right side of the offensive line with Lindstrom and Caleb I thought was very effective. Yes You know Matt Hennessy while not always great. I feel like he's showing up a little more Here's the thing that Matt Hennessy was not bad in run blocking last year I think people I think people overlooked that like yeah pass blocking was a little iffy But he was actually relatively okay in in run blocking if you look at his like PFF scores Which I know is not the end-all be all but he had a good run blocking grade. I think people forget that So I think that this offense is gonna look different. I think you know, that's gonna create opportunities for cow pits and Drake London down the line This wasn't on our script, but I just mentioned Drake London. We saw him make a Very impressive 24-yard catch and run. He ran a great route He caught it Marcus through a great ball He turned up field he was physical upfield and then he obviously has this knee injury that Arthur Smith is saying is not Of concern to them long term. There's no guarantee that he's gonna play again in the preseason I don't know. I don't know. I think he needs to play anymore. Right. It's not doing him healthy for September Yeah, I definitely go easy with him there. Yeah, I do too. I mean it's not I Don't know I'm I'm also very like I don't feel like I need to see him Like I know it was funny because I did a five players to watch story before We went into Friday Friday's game in Detroit and I didn't put Drake London on there at all and someone asked me Like, how can you not put Drake London in there? And I was like, I really don't need to see him Like I really feel like I've seen enough in the course of the last two weeks I feel like I have a pretty good idea of how Arthur Smith wants to use him I feel like I have a pretty good idea of where he slots in and Kind of what the expectation for him should be I don't need to see him in a preseason game to feel like I know where he can be During the season. Yeah, and I think I think that's a great Assessment playing starters in the preseason. I know lots of fans and people have different feelings about it. It scares the dickens Considering what we just what we just saw with Zach Wilson It should scare every head coach in the league in my opinion But I also understand Arthur's take that like you can't get in your car every day being worried about a car accident Even though it's but but nonetheless, you know as we move forward now towards this towards this difficult stretch Or not difficult, but it could be a really important stretch, right? You look at the pass rush and it's impossible to evaluate You know anyone player on 12 snaps or something like that, but I think this pass rush These outside linebackers are so young, right? And Lorenzo Carter had five sacks, but he's only had five sacks, right that there's a lot that these guys have to establish What did you take from Dean P's press conference about kind of what he thought about the Lions game And maybe where he thinks that he needs that this defense needs to get better. Yeah, so I thought what Dean said was very Interesting, and you know, I love talking to Dean. So anytime there's Dean Yeah, anytime that there is a Dean P's press conference, I'm there and I have like my ears dialed up to 11 But he was asked, you know, what was his evaluation of Friday's game? And I thought what he said was very very interesting I thought it was something that every fan should hear and I'm paraphrasing here I definitely recommend you go back and listen to what he actually said, but paraphrasing here He was talking about how yeah that first drive where the defense looked like they got manhandled By the Lions offense the first string both sides like he was like, yeah, yeah, no, I didn't like that I didn't like that first drive. He was like, but the good thing about that drive was is he was like We came over to the sideline as a defense as a unit and we made Adjustments and then you go back out and for the remainder of the game the Lions so before the in that first drive They were running the ball for over five yards a carry They're averaging over five yards carry you come back you make adjustments and then from that point on Dean was like They average 3.1 yards a carry instead So I think like before everybody gets like really in their head and thinking that this is absolutely horrible And the the defense got absolutely just crushed by this Lions offense. I don't necessarily think that's the case. We saw these guys For a drive. We did not see them any time after that and I don't feel like it's talk about being fair Realistic unrealistic like I feel like it's unrealistic to be like This defense is horrible because they gave up a touchdown in the first week of the preseason to the Lions and So I and I thought had the way that Dean Articulated it and kind of used the example of the Lions run game and brought in statistics I thought that made so much sense. He's like we came back and we Made adjustments as a staff as a unit and we changed it and that's what you that's what good teams do Yeah, I asked I know we're talking about defense But I asked D. Alfred and I asked Desmond Ritter a couple different people about the value of the first preseason game tape And it's a real kind of progress report about where you are and where you need to go and Heading into this Jets week. I'm really excited to see one-on-ones, you know, like let it get shipy Let it get physical. Let's edge rushers against tight ends and against offensive tackles New York is not without talent. I got Quinn and Williams over there. They've got some guys who can move Upfront and I can't wait to see those types of things I want to see though the wide receivers and some of these other Guys like Brian Edwards kind of go heads up against some of these Jets players and I think that's gonna be key Here's the thing about joint practices I think we find out more about the team that we cover during joint practice than we ever do in a preseason game 100 I 1,000% felt that last year and I guarantee you I'm gonna feel that after New York and after the Jags come to Atlanta Because you do you talk about like getting chippy and seeing some one-on-ones and really getting to gauge Where each Individual person on this Falcons team is in comparison to somebody else on another team and that I know that sounds super simple But that sometimes is something that you don't you don't see in training camp You're seeing very scripted Regimented practices that no one is going a hundred percent in I guarantee you when AJ Terrell lines up with whoever on Jets team like they're gonna be going a hundred percent even in a one-on-one Because there is just that innate sense of competition when you do have someone in a different color jersey than you That I know that some of that sounds elementary But it really does from a mindset standpoint I really do think that you learn more in joint practices than you do in the preseason games. Yeah, and Yeah, I even going back to last year's Dolphins practices I felt like I learned more about the team in those two days than I did at any other point and Kyle Pitts was fantastic then and you know I I think it's gonna be an important and good stretch Arthur Smith obviously thinks they're important to schedule two joint practice sessions With the Jets coming up and then the Jaguars On the other side. So I think look we all want to see these rookies Develop and continue to make progress. We want to see people stand out Tori And I just put 53 man roster projection. I think after watching the joint practices We're gonna feel more confident in our decisions or really be able to kind of fine-tune kind of what we're seeing so Definitely keep an eye on Atlanta Falcons.com for tons of dispatches from Florham Park. I think that's where the Jets practice Question mark mark, which is always a good thing to throw out there on a pot is an uncertain thing But nonetheless stay tuned for that. We'll obviously have another podcast next Tuesday Ashton Edmonds is out for a couple of podcasts here, but he'll be back for the Jaguars game in no time So do your thing man rate review subscribe all that fun stuff and thank you guys so much for following along We'll talk to you again next week