 It's game week everybody week one of the 2022 NFL season is upon us Thank you for joining us here on the Falcons audible presented by AT&T I'm Derek Rackley with my guys is always in the flesh in studio this week DJ Shockley is back He doesn't have his work commitments right now. So we it's not a hologram. Yeah, it's he's actually here And of course Dave Archer we've got some excitement because look not that all the rest of the season is not excited to talk about but When you're actually getting ready for regular season and you're gonna see more than like four minutes of starters You're looking forward to some things going on not to mention the fact of the opponent that is coming into the house So let's dive right into it. Here's what we're gonna cover today Of course our first reaction season opener here at Mercedes Benz Stadium We're gonna talk about the Saints the Saints come into the house into the house this week And we're gonna kind of give you a little bit of background of what the New Orleans Saints look like right now Because there's been some changes with them just like there has been with every team throughout the NFL What's it gonna take on the field to beat New Orleans and then finally? I'm gonna toss it up and see if the guys have any favorite season opening memories from their career We're gonna take a trip down memory lane. I don't know my memories and all that great these days But hey, we'll still do it. All right. So guys, let's get into it first reactions Dave I want to start with you. There's a lot of things that you could be excited about it's week one. It's the rivalry It's a home game at Mercedes Benz Stadium. What's got you the most excited for this weekend? Well, I think it's all of that really but it's the new guys you got on the field. There's a there's a breath of fresh air There's some newness this football team obviously with the two quarterbacks or the quarterback and Marcus Mariota Is gonna bring the table from ability to stretch the sideline to sideline make some plays there Drake London You're expecting him to be on the field We'll have to find out midweek where he is coming back from his injury whether he's sustained against Detroit So I think just the newness of it is the excitement level I think a lot of teams get that way, but then you throw in Saints at home first game What's not to be excited Dave? I want to I want to bounce it right back to you because you also call the games on the radio For the Falcons and this is gonna be the first season opening game that you're gonna call without a certain guy playing quarterback How is it gonna be for you? I mean not that it's nostalgic or anything like that What there was one constant that you would always prepare for it was Matt Ryan was gonna be taking the first snap That's not gonna be the case. So what is have you wrapped your mind around that your head around the new quarterback here? Because it's been the same guy for a long time Yeah, Matt Ryan was was a phenomenal player, I think he's a Hall of Fame player I think that shock and I would agree with that 14 years here the best quarterback. It's ever put on the uniform So all that being said some newness there I actually exchanged text with Ryan after their first preseason game So I kind of went through this then I'd call I've called every game of Ryan's career up to that preseason game Yeah, all the preseason 14 years of football brilliance and football. I Text him I said dude, this is weird man And I didn't play he hit me back says archer miss you he says love being down here excited about the new opportunity Missing all you guys I wish the Falcons nothing but but success and all that kind of stuff So all the things you'd expect Matt Ryan to say but I kind of wrap my head around it during the preseason So I haven't really thought about it now because I feel like we've already kind of been there and done that right Yep, yeah I mean such a gracious pro and it it's obviously gonna be different for all Falcons fans seeing a different a different guy back They're taking the first snap, but that's just kind of how the business works. Sometimes you move on DJ I want to throw it over to you We're talking about week one rivalry Mercedes-Benz stadium or It could be like the old multiple-choice quizzes and quizzes in school D. Other none of the above What what's got you excited? Well first off the most interesting thing is the fact that me and archer both QB's right? Yeah, we pretty much think alike, right? I'm gonna pull this out arch What is the first thing on my sheet say right here? What's that say newness? Exact same thing I mean thinking about all the newness that this team and this offense gonna have and it's funny when he started talking I looked at my notes and said it's the exact same thing I was thinking and then you brought up the offense and Matt Ryan And that's one of the things that really sticks out for me that I'm excited about is we're going to see a Totally different style of offense. Yeah, then we have seen in 14 years I mean, we haven't seen this style where we have a quarterback that can move that can get on the edge I can do a lot of different things we saw it in the preseason And I think that's something to be excited about because it's going to look different to the fans It's going to is going to score points differently. It's going to you know, just the newness of it I think it's going to be fun I think a lot of you should be excited about the different pieces that you have The ways you can use a quarter of Patterson now the way you can use cow pits all that kind of stuff I think it's gonna be fun read what you got right there Fresh start. I mean that's that's as you can't summon up any better one shocks got written down there Yeah, I mean there there is a lot of excitement because it's it's the one time of the year where you're you're oh, no You're zero and zero because as you guys know like after a loss like walking around the locker room and all that stuff like When you start off the season oh and one. It's just a different feel right It's just like right you start the season off with a victory and you're like, okay Let's go. We're doing this and there's one more piece. I want to add to it We all heard D&P talk is off-season How excited should you be that he's talking to the media like this? So, you know what is like inside one of those meeting rooms and what he's expressing to them about We're not gonna be who everybody thinks we're gonna be we're not gonna be the old Falcons defense And he talked about a culture shift and change he let everybody know it's gonna be different So if you're not excited about that at your coach your defensive coordinator who's been around 50 years is excited about this season Said he's excited about this bunch. I don't know what you excited defense I think he said something along the lines of defense hadn't been too great around here recently That's gonna change right and if it if you're made of the right fabric. That's what you're looking forward to So there is there's a lot of newness I think you're you're gonna be looking at difference in the backfield as far as running back goes It's gonna look differently this year as you mentioned quarterbacks We're gonna have more carries than we've ever seen Matt Ryan have and then of course again Like you mentioned if Drake London is able to be out if his health is good enough for him to be out there Can he stretch the defense? Can he take the top off and be that piece opposite of Kyle Pitts? And then as you mentioned see the next progression in Kyle Pitts's career is gonna be really exciting So let's take a quick little shift here because we've talked a lot about the Atlanta Falcons a lot of the new players A lot of these schemes that we're gonna see on the field. Let's talk about the opponent guys DJ I'm gonna bring it right back to you For the fat the fans that are watching that are more Falcons fans So they're not diving into New Orleans Saints knowledge Give them a little bit of a scouting report of what the New Orleans Saints look like right now I think you got to start with the head man Dennis Allen who's been there I say he's been there 12 years I think it is as a part of the staff some way somehow and now he's getting his first job as the First change as the head coach it starts there with him And then obviously the quarterback James Winston a guy who everybody knows really well was playing really well last season Until he got hurt and then you got some of the usual suspects on the off-hand side of the ball with Marquess Calloway, you know Michael Thomas Alvin Kamara who's always been big for him Over the years and always been a key factor Then you you talk about bringing up a veteran in Jarvis Landry You know is a guy who's been there who's done it who who's gonna go out and play above and beyond and they bring In this rookie Chris Olave out of Ohio State So you're talking about some explosive guys on the offensive side of the ball that this falcon teams have to get ready for it I think that's why you watching the precinct with the emphasis on the second day arch I think you might have brought up in our first time talking, you know What's our depth depth look like there because you go around this league? Everybody has quality receivers. Everybody has big-time receivers. The Saints will have the same now I was looking up some some numbers on James Winston and last year he had three interceptions In 161 attempts in 2021 that tells you that he's trying to adapt his game He's trying to change the way people looked at him back in 2019 when he had 30-plus interceptions His time sitting down, you know watching Drew Brees has helped him in 2021 He kept 67% of his passes to 10 yards or less. That tells you yeah, he wants to throw the football down the field That's what he's known for but mentally I think he's changed his game to be a little bit more efficient and accurate So having some weapons around him having some guys around I think he's kind of understood that part of the ball game for us And I'll let Arch talk more about the defense and I'm sure he had more that on the offense But the usual suspects on that side of the ball I think it's gonna be interesting to watch and how the Falcons really go about trying to guard those Yeah, interesting that you talk about the shift in James Winston because you're right taking those shots down the field Our explosive plays but that's also balls that are getting picked off in the NFL The corners are just too good at this level So I think this organization arches obviously adjusting because they were in such a good position With Drew Brees at quarterback and Sean Payton as the head coach I mean this this organization was locked up tied up and they had the right player that was leading everything from the quarterback position So that's changing now. What do you feel like the Saints are gonna look like in 2022? Well, offensively, I don't think they're gonna look a lot different. Pete Carmichael has been the quarterback coach in 06 I think he took over as the quote-unquote OC under Sean Payton in 09 He's the same guy that's still there They're gonna look the same from a schematic standpoint have wrinkles here and there that fit whatever game plan that week But you're talking about you mentioned Winston his ability to change gears a little bit and be able to distribute the view of the football Horizontally maybe in short of the first down line more more high percentage throws He's still gonna stretch the field and that's the one thing that he can do that Drew Brees could not do later on in his career Make no mistake. He's gonna take shots down the field. They've got guys that can go get the rock He just mentioned the number of the players that can go do it But I do think he's gonna have a little bit more of a shorter passing game at his disposal That'll make him much more devastating when you look at his numbers against the Falcons when he was the Tampa Quarterback his numbers didn't look anything like his overall numbers against the league He had somewhere around 21 touchdowns only seven interceptions against the Falcons He averaged about 275 yards per game So he's had great success when playing Historically the Falcons now. This is a different group of players. He's playing with a different football team So some of that is different. I'll look at the other side of the ball shock Did a great job of breaking down their offense defensively? This is where their their breads buttered They are salty on the defensive side. They were fourth in the league and scoring a year ago under 20 points a game They were sixth in total defense and they were fourth against the run only gave up 93 yards a game on the ground That's where Atlanta's gonna have to make some hay is run the football against this team to be able to win this game They're gonna have to have some flexibility because you don't want cam Jordan coming off He's got 21 career games. He's got 20 think he's got 23 sacks or something like that He's lived and feasted on the Falcons. You can't let him come off and get off the ball to Mario Davis They're outstanding inside linebacker on our 100 tackles last year had 16 tackles for loss They're good on that side of the ball So Pete Carmichael same system Dennis Allen new head coach, but defensive coordinator a year ago There's gonna be a lot of things that are very similar to what New Orleans is supposed to look like Pete Warner in his Believe his second or third year is gonna play next to Mario Davis at the linebacker position And then another one of their new additions with Tyron Matthew again You talk about a venue a veteran in the secondary that knows how to play physical and he knows how to take the football away So you got to give New Orleans credit even just just from a being professional standpoint They've done a really nice job of bringing in talented players to complete their team You talked about an offense Chris Olave being drafted by Ohio State He is gonna be I think he's gonna be a really good player if they find the right touches for him He's a little bit more leaner of a wide receiver But this kid is smooth and he finds way to make plays and then you talked a little bit about Michael Thomas You got to remember two years ago. He's been banged up the last two seasons two years ago He lit the NFL on fire now granted You still have to figure out whether or not he's gonna be healthy and if he gets back to his ways of 2019 But if he does defense is gonna have their hands full because they're gonna have a couple of really good Receiving options on the offensive side again assuming James Winston is able to get them the ball. You talked Michael Thomas Here's his numbers between 2017 and 2019. These are averages averaged a hundred and twenty two receptions per season and 1500 yard receiving and during those three seasons. He had 23 receiving touchdowns That was between 17 and 19 the last time we saw him was in 27 game Just 40 catches and just a right around 400 yards receiving zero touchdown So he declined significantly after ankle injury and then there was the I don't know if I should play and there was the 21 season So you're right Can they get the guy back that they drafted who was unbelievable player for a three-year stretch exactly the last thing? I'll notice I'll note is that Taysom Hill member. There was the experiment about him playing quarterback They've kind of moved on from that right now I'm sure he's still gonna be involved in some playmaking type packages But he's moved kind of more to a tight end position now and they've brought in Andy Dalton as their backup quarterback So that's kind of a breakdown of personnel for New Orleans. I think if you look at their personnel They still have the chance to be a really good team this year Atlanta's gonna have their hands full, right? They're gonna have their hands full this weekend, but we wouldn't want it any other way in a rivalry matchup This episode in part brought to you by the Home Depot everything you need for your next home improvement project is just a tap away on The Home Depot app the Home Depot app digital toolbox gives you access to how-to guides Project calculators and image search so you'll know exactly what you need to pick up with the tap of the finger You can rent and reserve the right tools for the job Also browse through millions of items from top brands that you can have delivered right to your door Whatever your project find exactly what you need with the Home Depot app download the Home Depot app today So guys, let's focus actually on the field and arch. I'm gonna come right back to you We talked a lot about the personnel. We talked about the coaching staff. We talked some about Atlanta What's it gonna take for Atlanta to get to 1 and 0? Which is the goal after every single week is just get one game at a time Well to me this is this is gonna be Atlanta's theme throughout the season But certainly in this game to get off to a good start You got to win in the margins and and I mean you got a limit penalties That's something that we've seen good games with and then we saw the second game of the preseason And there was 13 penalties and you've got a limit penalties. You can't give yards away You're gonna have to win the special teams battle. That's again winning in the margins That means we get a guy we pin a guy on a kickoff coverage unit or we get limit No return on pot return or we get a 10 15 20 yard return and that gains you a couple first downs Those are hidden yards within a game that either flip the field or give you more of an opportunity for a short field to score Or a long field defensively to defend but ultimately it comes down to me the keys of the game are early down success for Atlanta on offense I think you got to stay in manageable third down situations Don't let Jordan tee off and get after you and get after the passer Keep the quarterback in play as far as the run game and all it you can run for first downs when it's five and six yards Chuck I'll tell you he and I both moved around but it was in third and 12 Third and 13 is kind of hard to take off because all eyes are usually on you when you take off It's hard to go skate for 13 yards. You get him in that man coverage These guys could create some problems and on the defensive side of the football We talked about maybe a little bit more of a dispersed passing game short And I think the explosive if you make them put 10 or 12 plays together I think you're gonna like where you are in the fourth quarter But if you give up explosive plays which James is gonna want to reach for especially if this receiver course in tackle We're talking about they're gonna want to stretch it and go get it. Those are the keys to me Yeah, and guys I'm gonna kind of piggyback in and I'll give you my quick ones because I'm gonna stay consistent And mine's gonna be the lion's scrimmage I think Atlanta and I'm gonna focus more on the offensive side because that's kind of the drum that I've been beating But on the defensive side, too, they brought in some new faces. We talked about Grady Jared, you know what you're gonna get from him Defense needs to find a way to limit the explosives as well as well, especially with Alvin Camero Like don't let him get through the tackle box and all of a sudden he rips off a 40 50 yard run So defense is obviously gonna be big time got to find a way to get after James Winston, but on offense, right? I want to see communication upfront by the offensive line, right? They've been working the centers throughout the preseason Somebody has to step up and make sure that all the calls get communicated down the line Not only the communication, but the technique There's been too many times that I've been watching and our tackles are stepping underneath themselves giving up corners around the edges You're seeing past rushers getting the backfield that stuff. I feel like needs to get cleaned up It's been a big issue. It's something that they have to overcome They brought in some new bodies When the line of scrimmage especially on offense because we can't just expect Marcus, Marriota to use his athleticism and get away From sacks get around the corner as you guys know you need to be able to see the entire field as a quarterback Not just roll out every time and only have half the field So I want to see them win the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball specifically on offense DJ, what are you seeing as some of the keys for this? You know, I think you guys hit on a lot of points that I actually have on my list here on both sides Of the ball and all of them are good. I'll add one to both sides of the ball Are you mentioned being able to run the football you mentioned the offensive line being able to communicate? I think the run game has to show up in this ball game They gotta it has to pay dividends. It has to give you some positive in this ball game I'm not saying you got a rush for 150 yards But if it's you know second and four third and three you got to be able to run the football to pick up The first down short yards You got better run the football in this game and a lot of what this office is Predicate office made able to use the run game to get your quarterbacks on the perimeter Be able to show some play action to be able to get those linebackers pulled up a little bit So you can hit some shots behind them So I think the run game has to pay dividends in this game and on the defense side of ball You talk about Camara being an X factor and it is huge He is one of those type of guys that has all these hidden yards in the ball game before you know it He's got you know 80 yards receive and he's got 80 yards, you know Russian You got to be able to stop him But I think the linebackers in this ball game gonna have a big responsibility You talk about even outside linebackers or inside linebackers being a recovering space But then also better tackle in space. That's a big deal because I'm talking about some of these short and shifty receivers that they have They catch these five six yard routes You can't let them turn it into 12 15 20 yard gains and these guys have to be able to cover So I think the linebacker gonna play a huge role in this ball game whether it's in coverage or Russian Jamies on the outside with the hands up like Lorenzo Carter or adai to baby get up feel and put pressure on the Shock such a good point and the linebackers because who has been Alvin Camara's kryptonite Dion Jones and Dibo will not play in this game He is in my opinion one of the best if not the best culver linebacker in the league At least he has since he's been in the league. He has shut Camara down a Large number of times when these two teams have gotten together in fact He's been the Saint Breaker if you will had the interception in the end zone and the color rush game here that ended the game off A breeze he had the pick six his rookie year in New Orleans He's had big games against these guys and he won't play in this game So someone in shocks to shocks point one of those linebackers gonna have to step up and be that guy that My eyes are on Camara. I'm gonna take care of him Yeah And the obviously the communication on the defensive side of the well of the ball is gonna be huge because of all these Different playmakers that they have so there's some of the keys that we feel like Are gonna be a necessity for Atlanta to get the win Let us know what you guys think feel free to comment right into us Let us know we'll discuss it on the next show. Maybe it'll end up being a key for next week Yeah, all right guys Let's talk a little bit about So we talked about what the Atlanta Falcons of 2022 need to do to get a victory Let's kind of take a step back and arch I'm gonna come back to you What kind of a opening week memories do you have your first game of the season? Whether it was rookie year whether it was later on in your career. What kind of sticks out to you? This is an easy one. We opened against the Saints in New Orleans my third year in the league It was Jim Morris seniors first game as their head football coach And we win and we thumped their rear end. We got after them We held the ball for almost 38 minutes of the game Gerald Riggs had over 150 yards rushing Though the memory that sticks out in my mind is we're up 20 21 to 3 at the time and we get the Bible he was 21 to 3 at the time and we get the ball Early to mid part of the third quarter and we go on this March 18 plays shove it down their throat rig scores Riggs scores from about three yards out punches it in we jump up What at that point I guess 28 to 3 at that point on the Saints and they get the ball go 3 and out And they kick it back to us their defense had just been on the field for like eight minutes We come we start a March again I bootleg went how the pocket ran out of bounds about about 15 yards up the field and Dave Whamer They're starting corner comes over and he goes arts just staying bounds man. We ain't got nothing We're all done we ended up beating them 31 to 10 and just smack them around it Yeah, that was that was what Dave what did you tell us before we started your record against the Saints? We're I have not lost this It's much better than I could say because I think I'm about 500 against the Saints when I was playing DJ What about you? What kind of opening week memories? Can you remember? I just remember my rookie year? My rookie year coming into the league and we were playing Carolina on the road Okay, Carolina in 06 and I think all the talk was about how good Carolina was gonna be there's gonna You know be a Super Bowl Calvertine got Jake DeLome at Keyshawn Johnson Steve Smith I mean they were they were loaded and we went out and thumped them in that ball game It was fun. I mean my first ever game watching Mike had a couple touchdowns Ward ran for like 130 yards jinx had a touchdown I remember Brookings and Ed Hartwell and I mean guys like I mean we had just got a Abe that year. Abe had two sacks in his first game that year Big Grady Jackson was in the middle just brought him over to Green Bay. Yeah, so I mean we were we felt good about it Going in it was just cool to ever see From a guy who grew up watching this team to be a part of it and then going to roll similar here What you're playing at home, but how to the vision game and to go out and beat Carolina was pretty cool Yeah, that's awesome I tried to remember something like my rookie year and I actually had to go back and look it up I'm not one of these nostalgic guys that you know you talk to some guys and they're like Oh, you remember that play from 2001 like in the second quarter when I was like nope Okay, but in 2000 was my rookie year and we played against the San Francisco 49ers that game was here at home I think it was the next year. We did the West Coast trip arch I think we had the Raiders and the 49ers back-to-back and we were there for 10 days But I'll just never forget like playing against the 49ers like a very historic team in the NFL I was you know starting as a long snapper that year and just the butterflies that I dealt with You know as your first NFL game you want to make an impression and it has and as a long snapper You know you're kind of always like you got to be perfect, right? Like you're you're one of those guys that's towards the end of the roster, right? Like you make a mistake or two and your day your days are gonna be limited in an NFL uniform So I lasted eight years, so I think I did a decent job, but we ended up winning that game. It was close It was 36 to 28. I believe it's Jeff Garcia was the quarterback at that time 2000 sounds about right. Is that right Dave? So we're yeah, yeah, so we're describing three wins to start the season Yeah, Atlanta struggled here of recent years and an opening day game, so it'd be great to get a little nice little Yeah, we talked about three. Let's let's go ahead. Yeah, let's get let's get one week. I'm saying all right So that's gonna wrap it up here this week on the Falcons audible presented by AT&T I hope we gave you a good rundown of what we felt like Atlanta was gonna look like what New Orleans gonna look like took a Little trip down memory lane and I'll try to jog my brain and see if I get some really good memories for you the next time But hey, we talked about it three opening week victories here Let's go ahead and get a fourth one this weekend at home Mercedes-Benz stadium Atlanta Falcons hosting their bitter rival the New Orleans Saints Thanks so much for joining us here on whichever platform you get your podcast Atlanta Falcons comm Spotify YouTube iTunes All of those we thank you for joining us continue to like comment subscribe Come check us out every single week as we'll be talking Atlanta Falcons for Dave Archer DJ Shockley. I'm Derek Rackley. We'll see it next time Thanks a lot beat the Saints. Let's go