 We are back with another edition of the Falcons audible presented by AT&T. I am Derek Brackley I'm back with my guys DJ Shockley and Dave archer as you can see the guys just got a little bit different feel to their bodies They got some smiles on the face because we're coming the first episode of this podcast in 2021 after a Falcons victory So we will talk about some of the excitement that happened that before I get to the guys Let me give you a quick rundown of what we are going to cover in this episode First of all, I'm gonna ask the guys to call their shot They're gonna give us one play maybe one player that happened in last weekend's game that they felt like changed the momentum and Put things in the favor of the Atlanta Falcons We'll also take a look at did the Falcons turn a corner in that game Maybe this the performance is something that they can build on for weeks ahead or maybe the guys feel differently We'll get into a debate Maybe maybe not on whether the defensive performance from Sunday is something that we can expect for weeks to come Or maybe that was a one week affair. I'll get the guy's opinion on that Maybe we'll have a little bit of argument We will have a little bit of a story time where we get into a situation where maybe DJ and arch can tell us a Similar scenario, maybe they got their season started off on a slow note But then they were able to move things forward throughout the rest of the season Then of course we will finish by taking a look ahead at the Falcons next opponent as they get into week four of The NFL season so without further ado DJ. I'm gonna start with you We're gonna get in to call your shot again. The rule here is not really rules. Okay, these are just policies. Maybe the guidelines We need you to call your shot So you need to pick one player or one play that you felt like made a difference in Sunday's game Maybe turn the momentum put things on the side of the Atlanta Falcons. So with that being said ready set go Just see that that was a crossover right there and now I'm gonna shot Cameron Nizelik I called a special teams out last week How about this six punts average 47 yards and three inside the 20 Cameron Nizelik. That's my dude. I can't Yes, yes bring it on. Yeah. Yeah This is the interesting part about a segment like this Dave because you go second I'm gonna go third. You got to be ready, right? Because what happens if DJ takes the one that you already go with so this is kind of a stall tactic That's pretty good really good by you. All right, really good. Okay your turn Dave call your shot What did you hit it from Sunday's game? He didn't think you take his punter. Yeah By the way Nizelik was master Dante Fowler with another late sack strip Forces the ball out forces a third in 19 with two minutes to go and it provided the opportunity for Atlanta to get the ball back To drive down and kick the game winner. Yeah, not only did he get the strip sack But he was held on the plate to there was a penalty so that shows how talented and how good of a two for two right? We two for two baby. You got to bring it. Guess what guys? I don't even have to think about it because when you're the host of the show you can kind of twist the rules So I'm actually gonna go with a drive of the game I'm gonna say it was the Falcons touchdown drive in the fourth quarter right after the Giants have put a touchdown on the board And I'm talking about covering field 15 plays 67 yards and how about taking time off the clock to eight minutes 40 seconds off the clock not to mention Matt Ryan goes nine of ten Passing on that drive for the Atlanta Falcons to answer so often It's so important how you answer a touchdown drive for they tied up the game and we obviously know what you can also do You can expand on your thoughts a lot longer than you and I got to he got to talk a lot I shot to be very precise So much for the precise I like it. I like it. That was he told Rick. I like it. I like it. All right, so good We got we got to call our shot a little bit. All right, so let's let's get into this a little bit more Dave I want to see my question for you is this did the Falcons turn a corner, okay? Sometimes it's easy in any competitive sport, especially when you get off to an 0 and 2 start to say they won a game Okay, they've arrived right now They're gonna end up building on this performance, but I think there was things to build on in this performance So did the Falcons turn a corner in this game? Was there enough in this as far as meat and potatoes for you to say, okay? Now I see this team taking off I think there are a number of things that come out and I'll try to be concise And try to keep some things to get the early sack by Jarrett on the first drive of the game Creates another long-yarded situation Atlantic had played zone forces the field goal That's the second time we've seen interior pressure. Remember it was Marlon Davidson last week got the sack this time Grady Jarrett gets single and gets the sack I mentioned Dante Fowler back-to-back weeks late in the second half the the one last week was in the third quarter This was in the fourth quarter a sack that created a long yardage situation I think you're seeing that become a little bit more of a pattern Interior pressure edge pressure something we have not noted or seen very much of I think that is is turning corner Now if we turn the corner completely defensively It's not happening for four quarters happened in the second half of this game It happened in the third quarter of the game against Tampa You could might even say the second half against Tampa So two second half performances when you look at no plays of 15 yards or more last week for Tampa in the second half after eight in the first half and in this week Only two plays of 15 yards or more in the second half for the giant team that had six in the first half So second half performance certainly turning the page for us Yeah, and obviously Dave, you know as as the two quarterbacks here arch decides to go a little bit more defense DJ Did you see anything offensively that you felt like maybe the Falcons are turning a corner because again We welcomed in an offensive minded head coach that we felt like was gonna take the offense to the next level through the first two weeks Not really seeing that on the field, but offensively were there pieces there that you saw that turned the corner a little bit Rick, I'll say this. I say the DNA of this offense. I believe is there I don't know if we have turned in the corner, but we absolutely on the street and headed in the right direction I'll say that When you think about some of the things that happened in this ballgame you talked about your drive of the game 15 plays you were consistent. You did what you need to do You ran the ball when you had to at times you picked up positive yardage Some guys stepped up on the outside and then the most important thing to me I think when I think about this arch is what's going on in the red zone the last two weeks Three or four last week two or two this week You were scoring touchdowns when you get down there you're converting them And I think that's a big part of starting to turn in the corner is yeah We've always moved the football really well from 20 to 20 But once you got inside the red zone you had an issue here there that where you start kicking field goes So I love the fact that I think the DNA of this team is there where you're trying to make sure the run in the past is all together I did a breakdown and I think a lot of people gonna see especially in the run game There was a second in one and I could I think it was in a second quarter second in one arch You probably I know you remember this Matt comes up to the line of scrimmage He goes can can he changes the play and they get a 10-yard game by Cordell Patterson going to the left side There's a safety that comes down to the right side Matt changes the play goes to the other side And it is perfectly blocked and when I say the DNA of it Everybody has a hat on a hat and the first guy that gets to Cordell Patterson is the safety And that is what I think everybody should expect from the Falcons run game when it looks the way it's supposed to And then we know the pass game will come along and will continue to build So I think the DNA is there. I think the consistency is starting to get there But you just have to do it at a higher tick, but I absolutely believe we are on the right street head in the right direction I love the way that you did that DJ you definitely build it on that We haven't turned a corner yet, but at least we're on the right street. No doubt. It could be different We could be in a different zip code, right? No, yeah, and that's that's a problem It's interesting. You mentioned a couple things you mentioned scoring in the red zone And I thought it was a great play call when the Falcons got down on the goal line situation They tried to run it one time they got they got stopped short and what does Arthur Smith do? He's got a heavy package on the field. He comes back with play action and he slips Lee Smith out into the end zone I don't think the defense was expecting expecting it It was a great play call and think a little bit of a tendency breaker there Yeah, did you did you have to jump in DJ where you want to jump in? I just thought that was I thought that was an awesome call because you start out with pits out wide He goes out and a lot of the attention goes to him everybody's like, okay Finally here's I mean because he had three targets in the game So everybody's like where's cow pits and now you put them out wide everybody thinks oh, they're definitely throwing the fade in You're not throwing the fade, but then like okay, you don't do that We're gonna turn around and we're gonna hand it to our big back. You don't even do that You slip Lee Smith out and it's a easy touchdown. I love the creativity I love using the personnel you have to set it up. So I was just agreeing with you right Yeah, no, it's good speaking of mirage you use the blocking tight end to slip in the end zone for a touchdown So I really liked the play call there But you also mentioned DJ Cordero Patterson and as I watched this Falcons offense The more I see the value in what he does now I'm gonna make this comment because I'm not at the Falcons meetings. I'm not at Falcons practice So I don't know what goes on but I believe he had 13 touches in the game and I like that number for Cordero Patterson because It seems like he finds ways to make plays guys whether it's his Physicality when he goes up against the defensive back because he's just bigger than those guys Or he gets matched up out in space against a linebacker and a lot of times He's got the footwork and the quickness to get around them So I feel like he could end up being one of the difference makers for this offense Just because of the versatility that he has at a bigger frame He looks kind of like a wide receiver But he also kind of looks like a tight end but he's got a whole lot more athleticism than a tight end does This episode in part brought to you by the Home Depot There are officially no more excuses about why you can't get your bathroom fixed or why you can't build a deck in the backyard Not sure where to start no problem Everything you need for your next home improvement project is just a tap away on the Home Depot app Their digital toolbox gives you access to how-to guides project calculators Image search so you'll always know exactly what you need to pick up Don't have the tools you need rent items from drills blowers carpet cleaners generators and more Big or small indoor or out the home depot has the equipment You need with the tap of a finger you can reserve equipment ahead of time swing by and pick it up and get started Ready to invest in your own tools browse through millions of items from top brands 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 By the way, be sure to join our Falcons insider Scott Bayer Tori McElhaney and Chris rim as they debate all of the Falcons action as soon as it happens Right after each game now speaking of debate arch. I want to get back to you Let's talk about the defense because I know that was one of your things as far as turning the corner Did this defense turn the corner in the game against the Giants or was it merely A reflection of the Giants and the fact that their offense is not quite there yet What side of the spectrum do you fall on from what you saw on sunday? Well, I don't know that I can fall on one side of the other uh guys And I don't like to ride the fence here But remember the Giants lost two of their four receivers in the first 20 minutes of the game to injury so they No pun intended that hamstrung them from an offensive standpoint. Do you like what I did there? So I think that daniel jones was limited to a certain extent there But I do think that atlanta had the ability to slow play and by that I mean Bend don't break scenarios where they were able to create plays down in the defensive red zone and their defensive end Remember it was the grady jacks jay grady jarrett sack that thwarted the first drive They forced a field goal and then as it turned out it was a giant mistake They they giant mistake was a huge mistake the ball snapped by the quarterback as it went by thank you Man, just I'm here all week. Just make sure you take your bar take your your bartenders and waitresses But that forced them out of range where they got in a long yard situation to get atlanta can play the zone You dump it off you force a field goal So they got two deep penetrations inside the falcon territory Early in the football game and only got six points out of it and that was all they knitted the entire half so As much as some of it was self inflicted sometimes If you make a team go the long way if you make them put 10 12 14 plays together Most teams aren't going to be able to do that. There's a folding penalty coming. There's an offside something happens To thwart the drive a guy drops a pass. We saw it happen to atlanta calvin really drops a third down conversion Stops the drive you you have those things happen when you put those long plays together That seems to be the flavor of this football team and then creating that that one splash play a fowler sack a jurret sack They get you off the field Yeah, dj. What about you are are you feeling like you got to straddle the fence? Or did you see enough here to think that the falcons defense is Turning the corner and they're becoming a much more stout unit I won't say you've seen enough because We got to remember it's still early in the season and I think we're still trying to find That identity on deep as you're still trying to find out which guys can do what and we've seen dmp be multiple This season we've seen a lot of guys do a lot of different stuff in different spots But I will say this there has been some constants And when I say constant there's some guys like art just mentioned in fowler the last couple weeks has been consistent Getting to the quarterback and getting the ball out talked about grady being a a force in the middle How about foyer being a guy that's consistently doing what he's been doing the last couple years And then there's another guy you could add in there isiah oliver Since he's moved inside has been a stalemate on the inside has played pretty well Had a really good play where he knocks the football out strips it out rips it out and then you know gets the form of recovery Those guys are becoming the constants of the defense those guys you're seeing and I think one thing that's really important is When you look at this defense Guys aren't running scot-free guys aren't just wide open if you think about okay Oh, yeah the last game grok had a touchdown, but that was versus cover two That was just a good play call in that particular spot In this game balls are contested guys are around the football I thought tj green they went after him early in the ball game, but he showed up I mean there was a tremendous play that would never come up on the stat line They throw a bubble screen out to the right side and he keeps contain and because he keeps containing Forces the ball back inside foyer comes from the inside and makes the tackle like that kind of stuff You'd never see on the stat sheet, but that kind of stuff shows up on film and on tape and those are things you can build on So I love the fact you got guys who are starting to play a bigger role Like a michael walker had a deflection in in the game when the giants were backed up You got some guys starting to feel I think a little bit more comfortable about the spot they're in And I think it gives dean peas a lot of opportunities with this defense to be able to do a lot of multiple stuff To help this defense become the style in which he wants You know, I think the average viewer or or fan of the game too probably thinks that Oh, even though a new coaching staff came in and let's just call it january And they've had the entire off season to work with the team that they've got things figured out What they don't know to your point dj is this coaching staff is still trying to figure out their personnel What play calls what positions to put them in and I think that's a learning process and arch I'm going to throw it back to you because there's a guy that's really important to this defense It's not on the field and aj torrell. So do you think that the falcons have found a little bit of depth When you don't have a difference maker and a defensive back like torrell in the lineup? Well, I think there's no question when a guy has to be forced to play You get an opportunity to get your feet wet You got to find out what a guy can do when the lights come on you can talk about preseason games or whatever aj aj green is a foreigner's safety played safety in college at clumson He came into league as a safety He was moved a corner during training camp about halfway through training camp and now aj green steps up at that at that corner spot this weekend with aj torrell out And all of a sudden you say oh, I that that was okay because he's physical on the outside He played leverage now to shock's point I'm calling the game differently With a with with with aj green at corner than I am with aj torrell But now I know how I can call it and it's comfortable If I can feed everything inside to deon jones and foyer luikin, which is what they did in this game Those two guys combined for 27 tackles in the game You've got two speed linebackers that can go sideline to sideline funnel everything back in Don't let anything go over the top. We got a chance to bend bend and not break And make teams make their own mistakes. And that's what you saw this weekend Yeah, guys, I'm kind of in the same camp. I'll keep it quick, but I still want to see more It was definitely a good performance To build upon but I'm not quite sure I'm saying that the falcons defense has arrived To me, there was a couple too many screen passes that ended up being a little too easy One of them or say koan barkley got out in the open Would have picked up a first down and kind of a game changing play But there was a penalty on it So there's to me There's still some things that need to be short up a little bit, but guess what dean peas is going to say the same thing It's three games into their first season working with these guys. So guys, let's step back a little bit We got the falcons sitting at one and two this year So I want to kind of get into some story time into your guys's careers and dj I'm going to start with you. Can you think of a time And dj is going to sit back there and say well rack. We didn't lose him when I was at I mean, I mean Can you give us a moment where you are the member of a team That got off to a slow start and then something changed Either after that slow start or in the middle of the season that spark things Turned it around and maybe can give falcons fans something to look forward to after this giant's victory You know, rick, I think I I go back to I got to go back to college because my first my freshman year in college back in in 2001 and You know, we start the season win the first game But then you lose the second game of south carolina and obviously that's an ecc opponent and you don't feel good about it You end up, you know Winning three games and then you lose two more games in the stretch and you win three more at the end So we end up, you know losing some early But then we found something throughout the year that kind of helped to propel us and obviously the next year We go on and we won a championship But I think Going through those tough times We learned about ourselves who we were and the kind of team we wanted to be because The expectation was always to win every game and when you don't do that And you have spurts throughout a year where things don't go your way I think you find out true character of guys in those certain spots So I think the falcons will understand that I think they are going through it Um, and there's still gonna be some bumps in the roads this year They're gonna lose some games that maybe you know, they were expected to win or whatever it may be But they're also gonna have some good moments like they had on sunday Where you find out about guys and about this team and you find a way to win games I think all that ultimately will help you down the stretch run As you start to become a more cohesive team and get this team, you know going in the right direction But I think you need these kind of games. You need some games where you lose You need some games where you know, everybody has to kind of look inside themselves and look in the mirror and say, all right You're gonna be a man about it or you're gonna stand up and go play. So, uh That was probably the only time where I could think about where Yeah, I knew it was coming. Yeah, I mean, we had a up and down kind of season, but Ultimately, I we did learn a lot about ourselves in in losses And I'm sure it'd be similar to the to what the falcons go through Our child about you a time that you can remember maybe where you had some youth because we know that The land of falcons have some youth in specific position groups And maybe you experience some of the same and you were able to turn it around through the course of a season Well, I'd like to say we turned it around through the season But I'll be honest with you guys When you get off to a slow start, it takes a lot of resolve and you got to have some pretty good veterans To make sure you flip it around and I think this team has A couple older veterans on the team and then some middling veterans that I think can make it happen But it's hard to do. I remember in 85 we started off really poorly I wouldn't even play and I was a second year man But we had a bunch of young players on our team and we got off to a horrible start But we closed the season really well we finished the season and it was a springboard into the following year We finished I think Three we finished three and one and the land of final four games of that season And we started the next year four and oh And and so it it was a springboard through and that's hard to carry through the off season But it did carry into our our off season training and the excitement of the young players kind of carrying on Now that's not what the fan wants to hear. They want to know about right now I don't want to hear about next I got time for next year Yeah, so but I do like the fact that they went on the road and you guys know as well as I do and anybody that's That watches this game very it's hard to go win on the road now And you see teams, you know Tampa look like look pretty good They went out there and the Rams handed it to them, right? So you got to you got to make sure that you are dialed in each every weekend styles make fights We'll have a different fight with Washington this weekend than we had with the with the Giants's last weekend. So I think the confidence you gain from winning on the road is exponential over potentially even winning at home Yeah, and it's interesting that you mentioned Dave as far as the youth and there I think back to uh, 2002 and we had what everybody would remember that remembers 2002 a very young and inexperienced Quarterback room one that consisted of a michael vick a dug johnson and a curt kittner You can't get a whole lot more young and inexperienced in that quarterback room Um in that season. Dave will remember we started one in three. We lost our opener to green bay in overtime Uh, which was irony or you some irony there? Yeah, exactly, right? Um, and we start the season. We had an early bi week So we were one in three But then we ended up picking up a victory and we ended up ripping seven straight Well, we had a tie in the middle of the season They remembers that against pittsburgh's dealers when I actually sat on the sidelines that game was 2002 I didn't even know that you could tie in the nfl at that time full 15 minute overtime period But we went through a stretch where we were 7 0 and 1 after starting one and three So it can happen into arches point Something has to spring the young players as well as the veterans to give them the confidence and the momentum To believe that every single game they can go out to win So we'll see if the falcons can do that and build off of that victory with the giants now Let's go ahead and close things down as we end up taking Uh a look to this weekend It was week two of the nfc east for the atlanta falcons this time will be at home DJ give us your kind of early preview of the atlanta falcons against Their opponent this weekend coming up with washington Well, I think it obviously starts with you know, they got a guy who was from here playing quarterback Uh went to collins hill and taylor hernicky. So, you know, he'll be excited to be back in his hometown in front of his You know some of his friends and family to play here Stepping in there's a familiar face that wants play here for the atlanta falcons and jadie mckissick Who they use a lot in a lot of different roles similar to like how we use courthel patterson He's a big part of what they like to do and I think the other part of it is This washington defense that everybody expected to be just so good coming into the season But you look at him coming into this this year now They're allowing 432 yards a game, which is 31st and 30 points a game, which is 20 knife So this defense is not what Everybody expected it should be coming into this game But at the end of the day, it's kind of what it's coaches speak But the falcons have to play their their style of ballgame and you know You don't worry too much about what they're doing as far as getting prepared Obviously the adjustments will be there. But this is a washington team that's looking to get a win as well Obviously, you got there They got their buzz handed to them and buffalo it. I don't think many people expected them to go to buffalo and get a win Um, but they got a quarterback now in in heineken who's got a couple starts on his belt And uh, we'll be excited to come back to his hometown. I know that You know, everybody talks about you just start fans will start to think about the record of an opponent Right washington's going to come in here and they're sitting at one and two as well So they're at a very pivotal point in their season But david if there's one thing that we know about the nfl guys that prepare the right way They're not worried about what washington's doing and lana's got to worry about what they're doing So thinking about what atlanta needs to do by themselves Yes, you can go ahead and point out some things that that they're going to have to focus on with washington But what does atlanta need to do this weekend to even their record at two and two? Well, I think one of the things that's going to jump out at me is Can you create as a wide receiver core and or past receiving core? Can I create early wins or separation so my quarterback can get the ball out? Right now we're seeing matt have to stand in a pocket and hold the football and you can see Anybody that plays that matt uh, both the shock and I both stood When it when it starts to take too long your clock goes off in your head and you get a little antsy now matt We were able to move a little bit that's not what ryan's game is He's going to climb in a pocket and get it out And so guys aren't creating separation. This is a team. It's going to play more man coverage than they've seen Probably in the last couple of weeks. This is something that this team likes to do They do have four former or i'm sorry seven four not former number one draft picks four of those guys up front That are russian the passer but three more guys in the second and third level That are former number ones that may be played for somebody else that are on this team So this is a team that's used to playing at a pretty high level They played really well as shock said a year ago But if i'm a if i'm a falcon group and i'm a unit and there's one particular unit in in particular in my mind It's my wide receiver core. I take a lot of solace in the fact that oz made a couple plays a couple of tough catches Olamide zakias you got some from ridley ridley dropped the ball He'll be working on that and how do i get kyle pits involved against some man coverage and get him the football more He showed tremendous resilience guys and i don't think it could be overstated He's the number one draft pick everybody wants to talk to me everybody wants to know When is he going to make a play? He didn't make a play until the fourth quarter of the game yet. You didn't seem hang his head There was no frustration and when they finally got man coverage He runs a great route a pressure break on a dig route catches the tough grab of the guy all over him And then wins on the corner route to put us in field goal position to win the football game I thought that showed a lot of maturity for a guy that actually should be in his senior year at florida right now But he kept his resolve and he kept his focus so when his team called on he made some plays That's the group i'm looking for your pass receivers create separation so matt can get the ball out Yeah, and dave i'm kind of in the same camp like that was the one thing that watching the game is I wanted to see more explosiveness. I want to see calvin ridley beat somebody deep And if it doesn't work the first time that's okay dial it back up again later But for him to just be doing five yard hitch routes and eight yard curl routes and 12 yard comebacks along the sidelines That's all fine and dandy But this guy is an elite talent like i want to see him downfield Beating coverage finding the the the open spot of the zone and making something happen The same thing with cow pits and trust me arthur smith knows the same thing He's going to try to find ways to get the ball in these guys hands and let them be explosive Because that's the type of athletes they are that's what I would like to see against his team And as you mentioned dave, it's not going to be easy with this defense And I will say that to to to arthur smith's defense and i'm not trying to create excuses here But a shock we've probably played Three of the worst defenses from an explosive play standpoint you could possibly play Because all they want to do is play a shell. Yeah, they just want to sit over the top and make you throw all the ball underneath And so it's really tested ryan's patience the receivers patience To go ahead and take the five six seven yard throw the dump off to the backs Be positive and find ways to move the chains that way I think you're going to get opportunities like you're talking about rack Where you're going to see a little bit more man coverage this weekend And you might have some shots over the top Well, that'll be exciting to see if we end up getting some of those matchups And if matt just has enough time to cut that ball loose and see if these guys can be All right guys that's going to do it this week I know we got a lot more that we can talk about but sometimes you just got to wrap it up DJ shocky dave archer great stuff as always Appreciate you guys joining me on this stuff right great work appreciate you man All right, everybody. That's the falcons audible presented by AT&T We appreciate you joining us make sure you come back and join us next week We'll have some great Analysis and insight following the Atlanta Falcons against Washington. Have a great week everybody