 It's Friday night in the A and you know what that means. Kelly Price and Tori McElhady coming at you on Rise Up Tonight, presented by AT&T. I don't know about y'all, but it has been a week. Sunday's game, which we're about to talk about, feels like it was a decade ago, Tori. I honestly feel like I've aged seven years in seven days. It's what it feels like. It really does feel like that for whatever reason. Well, the Falcons entered Sunday's matchup in Tampa with a chance to take control of first place in the NFC South and to get over 500 for the first time since the end of the 2017 season. It didn't quite go that way. Let's head off about it. Let's have a look with Kelly and Tori on the world of Falcons football. And you know where we're gonna start. The end of the game, about three minutes remaining. The Falcons defensive line executed one of the most beautiful stunts I think I've seen. Had Grady Jarrett breaking free, straight for Tom Brady, he wrapped him up, took him to the ground, fourth down would be fourth, and the Falcons offense had a fighting chance. Well, at least that's what everyone thought. Jarrett was flagged for roughing the passer. The excitement was an instantly deflated like those footballs that Brady likes. Jarrett and Arthur Smith didn't wanna talk too much about it, but here's what some of the other Falcons said. It was just, it was crazy because I mean, it was just a regular set. Like it wasn't anything extra on the greatest part, but I guess the referee seen it the other way and you know, had we got the ball, should probably wouldn't be sitting in here, you know, sad and mad about the outcome of this game. You know, speaking on Grady's penalty, I don't think there's really any teaching points that we can run off of. I feel like we just gotta continue to play hard, continue to, you know, be in a position to make plays like that, and you know, just keep pushing forward. To Graham's point, maybe not exactly a teachable moment. Is there anything that Jarrett could have done differently there, Tori? No, nothing, literally nothing. He literally could not do and should not do anything differently. Why? Because that's a pretty dang close to perfect sack. And that's pretty much what Grady Jarrett said himself. He said, looking back on it, he was still left clueless on what exactly he's expected to do in that situation. And I'm here to say Grady, man, just keep doing what you did because from my vantage point, and I think from a lot of people's vantage point, what you did was clean. Have pretty much as close to a textbook tackle as you could get, but I'll say what I heard every Falcon say in that losing locker room on Sunday afternoon. That call would not have been a death sentence to the Falcons had it put themselves in an early hole. They were down 21, nothing heading into that final quarter. Even Kyle Pitts said this week he was yelling at his TV, watching at home. Why do you think it takes this team such a long time to really get going? How do they fix that going forward? Yeah, you're absolutely right. But to answer your question, the offense put themselves in way too many third and long situations. They were really struggling to move the ball on first and second downs. That didn't fly against the Bucks and it's definitely not going to fly against the 49ers who have the best defense in the league currently. Even if this offense is picking up two or three yards on first down, then it's much better than what they were doing the first half against Tampa. And I really do feel like this is the key to any offensive success that they may or may not have. Right. Well, not having Kyle Pitts and Cordero Patterson on Sunday was a huge loss, obviously, but I'm not sure that's why Marcus Mariota went nine of 18 for 84 yards through those first three quarters and why the Falcons were outgained by more than 200 yards in the first half alone. It takes everyone on the field to execute, of course. I can point to a number of key drops, a season high five sacks on Mariota, but how does the offense kind of regroup, rebound as it prepares for a tough 49ers defense, as you said. They're going to have to put up some points before the fourth quarter this Sunday. Yeah, exactly. We were actually talking to Marcus Mariota on Wednesday and he said he feels like the struggles on third down and in the red zone or something that he feels like he talks about each week and he was like, look, I get it. Until we do better as an offense in those scenarios, it's going to continue to be a topic of conversation as it should be. And it sounds so simple, but it really is in the details with the Falcons right now. This offense not getting in its own way with missed assignments, drop passes, and of course, untimely penalties. When they play clean, they're competitive. Right. Well, a slow start on the field for the Falcons maybe, but they were coming in hot with some pre-game looks. I'm not going to lie, this might have been the hardest cut down of the season for us. Let's take a look at Sunday's best Falcons fits. First up, A.J. Turrell with the tropical flare. I love when guys lean into a theme. Like right here, we're leaning into the fact that you're playing in Florida. A.J. says, I don't give a dang if it's October. We are keeping the summer vibes flowing. And he's the founder and creator of Turrell Island after all. Isn't he? I mean, this fits his overall life theme as the Falcons residence island boy. Island boy, if you get that reference. Thank you for that. All right. Now for Chris Lindstrom making his Falcons fifth debut. This is just a dapper look for the offensive lineman. I love an executed, well-executed, simple look like this suit. Doesn't need to be flashy, but I do really love the subtle gradient pattern going on here. I'd love to see it completed with the suit jacket. Yeah, Chris. Break out the jacket next time. Hopefully he will wear this fit again and the next time he wears it, also hopefully it won't be 80 degrees like it was in Tampa on Sunday. Yeah, that might explain why he wasn't wearing the jacket. Been a minute since we talked about a Grady Jarrett outfit. This seems like a good week to continue talking about all the great things that number 97 is doing. Big fan of the bold print in this shirt. Of course, you know it's Louis Vuitton because Grady always dresses designer accentuating up top with some ice, both wrists, let all the quarterbacks know here. I get paid to take you guys down. Grady Jarrett is one of my favorite people to watch on Sundays for two reasons. One, because of what he does on the field, egregious penalty or no. And two, because his fits are always fire. Always. He never fails. The man is so consistent. Finally, the man who is becoming the king of falcons fits also consistent, Kaderrill Hodge. We've got a green leather pants. We've got a simply printed casual shirt. We've got fresh sunglasses and we've got an entire vibe going on here, Tori. Kaderrill Hodge just keeps showing up. I mean, he has a tulip shirt. How could we not include him in this week's fits? Also, question, do we think that his favorite color is green? Because I feel like we've seen him in various shades of green almost every single week. I honestly love it. I think that's a good take. And green is my favorite color, so I'm here for that for sure. Well, with the Braves in the NLDS, we have baseball on the mind as well. So what would some of the guys' walk-up songs be? That's our question of the week. Drip too hard, because I'll sweat a lot. I'll probably be sweating when I walk up. As an alignment, you know, I listed a lot of really messed-up music because I'm getting ready to try and rip somebody's face off with my face, you know? No matter how hard you try, you know? So I'd say a fair estimation would be a one-by-metallica. Enter Sandman's very big, big-metallica fan. Or Disturbed, huge Disturbed fan too. What's that one? The Undertaker. The Undertaker, I like that one. My favorite part is how Rashawn just, like, deadpans in the camera. I like that song, it's scary. I mean, I need to understand why he strikes fear in so many, which is, you know, if that's the look he gets on Sunday. And all those intense metal songs, I guess it's the mindset you want your guys to have if they're hitting other guys. It makes sense, I mean, I support it. As Caleb said, tearing people's faces off, apparently. All right, well, still to come here on Rise Up Tonight, a really interesting conversation with the creative mind behind some of your favorite Dirty Bird merch. And of course, we're talking about the return of those red helmets. And the Falcons prepped for game day by giving back to our neighbors in the Sunshine State. That story is next on Rise Up Tonight. Rise Up Tonight is presented by AT&T and brought to you by Georgia Lottery. Today could be the day. By Home Depot, how doers get more done? By Mercedes Benz, the best of nothing. And by Truist, committed to a better future. Before the Buccaneers and Falcons clash on the gridiron last Sunday, they came together for a greater good, helping those affected by Hurricane Ian. As we rise up for Atlanta, brought to you by Truist. On Saturday, staff from both teams and their families visited the Sarasota headquarters of the American Red Cross to put together comfort kits and kids care packages, along with writing notes of encouragement for those devastated by Hurricane Ian. In collaboration with the Sarasota NAACP, volunteers delivered the kids care packages, provided games, and visited with members of the light of the world international church. Falcons president and CEO, Rich McKay, grew up in Tampa Bay, and he says it meant a lot for him to give back to our neighbors in Florida. To see it happen, to see the devastation, it's just cool that all the people of Florida, all the people from out of the state, people like us can come down here and try to make a difference. I'm jacked that the Bucs allowed us to join, you know, to join them. We're thrilled to be here. We'll do our little part. We'll continue to fund and help in ways we can. And I just ask anybody that watches, listens to think about what you can do to make a difference, because there's a lot of people that need that difference made in their lives. That's awesome. Well, everyone's favorite player on the back, on the roster is the backup quarterback, right? On Sunday, the name Desmond Ritter was once again a trending topic on the old Twitter in Atlanta. But Tora, in your notebook this week, you talked about how that's kind of a lazy take and things aren't really that simple. Yeah, and I'll say this about it. Do I want to see Desmond Ritter operate a Falcons offense in 2022? Yes, I do. Did I want to see it happen in that moment against the Bucs? No, I did not. You're down two of your best playmakers in your O-line is having difficulties protecting the quarterback against a veteran Bucs defense. I don't think that gives you the evaluation you need of Desmond Ritter to one day decide whether or not you think he's your future quarterback. I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but I want to emphasize that I'm not saying I never want to see Desmond Ritter. I'm saying I didn't want to see him in the second half of that Tampa Bay game. But people don't want rational takes. No, they want hot takes, which we have some of those wanting your true quarterback to take some snaps against one of the best defenses in the NFL as his first snaps. That is a hot take, but it's silly. We'll have some actually good hot takes for you to wrap up the show later on. And the creative director behind the Falcons at Lane United and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Larry Liz, joins us next on Rise Up Tonight. Rise Up Tonight is presented by AT&T and brought to you by Georgia Lottery. Today could be the day. By Home Depot, how doers get more done? By Mercedes-Benz, the best of nothing and by Truis, committed to a better future. Welcome back to Rise Up Tonight. Let's head in the nest with Kelly Tory and this week's special guest, brought to you by Mercedes-Benz. This week, the iconic red helmets are back for the dirty birds. With us in the nest is Larry Luke, the AMBSE creative director overseeing everything. Falcons, United, Mercedes-Benz Stadium. And you led the design of this red helmet retail collection. It's all designed in-house, which is super cool. What was kind of behind this initiative and making it happen? Well, there were a lot of people involved in getting the energy up behind doing an in-house collection. But I would say our creative focus was to celebrate the red helmet and everything that is red. So as you can see, my sweatshirt is red, but there are other pieces where the red helmet is featured prominently in a premium way. And just really excited for fans to have more red helmet things to wear. I'm glad that you brought up the red helmet because as a lot of people know, this is the red helmet game. And I was actually in the locker room the other day and being able to see all of the red helmets hanging up in the locker room was very exciting to see. I mean, for you, what does it mean to bring back the red helmets and kind of the history of this? It's everything that an Atlanta sports fan would want, right? Like in listening to the fans, everyone's been clamoring for the red helmets to come back. And then when the NFL announced that we get a second helmet basically this year, it was all systems go. So my first day here on the job starting in February was let's bring back the red helmets and then the conversation started. And actually those conversations started before I even came on, but there was a lot of momentum building at that point. And just like the day is here, we're so excited for it. Obviously something that's been in the works for a while, like you were saying, but what's kind of been the behind the scenes of like, hey, we're gonna roll out this retail collection. Hey, we're gonna do all this stuff on social media to promote it. What's been kind of all the different creative elements there? There's been photo shoots happening, video happening, making sure we can get player imagery in the red helmet, coordinating with equipment, making sure the retail stuff looks good online and obviously designing it in-house and having a point of view on like what all those assets look like. It's just been a thrill. Every single day has been like a new adventure in celebrating the red helmet. Now you got your bachelor's degree from Emory University and then the Miami Ad School at Atlanta for graduate school for graphic design. How has, and you've been in this position for a few months, but how has this kind of your career accumulated to where you are now and what does it mean to you to be in this position? I mean, it's been a dream come true, truly. Like I've always been a sports fan, but I've been more art focused. And when you watch a sports game, or at least when I watch a sports game, all I do is look at the logos, the uniforms, the ads, everything that's happening in and around the game and to finally be here in the seat that kind of has a say in how that all rolls out is just, it's just so amazing. We talked before, we got on camera about how you were a brave fan as a young boy. You always looked at Atlanta, even though you didn't live here when you were younger. As a city that you wanted to come to, what makes this city so special for you and what's kept you here all these years? I'd just say that the culture's so rich here. You've got all kinds of music. You've got people from all different walks of life. You've got people just trying to like make a better life for themselves together collectively. And that that energy is just so infectious for me. And yeah, again, like being a brave fan, being a Falcons fan before I even lived here, just made it all that more special to move here finally. So for our viewers, we have talked so much about Falcons fits. This is a huge part of our show, but also something that we talked about. We actually showed the sweatshirts, the Sundays in Atlanta kickoff collection sweatshirts. And that was something that you kind of helped lead the, I guess the fight for, you know, these collections and the team has really let Virginia Falcons fits to highlight the Sunday game day fits. I mean, how cool is it to see the players and also the fan base kind of rally around this, you know, fashion movement? Yeah, the Sundays collection was just kind of a brainchild of me and some other people on the creative team where we were like, well, what do we do on Sundays? What is the ritual? It's like we rise up, we watch the Falcons. That's what Sundays in Atlanta are all about. And so we took that thought and kind of built out a little mini like lifestyle collection around it. And to see it resonating with fans and players is just wild. It's amazing to see. And like we even got some stuff prepared for like Halo board visibility now, which it's, I don't know, it's really cool to like have a little creative spark and have it blow up like this. It was cool too, because I see the players walking around with their sweatshirts on all the time. Like whether it's before a game or even in the locker room. I mean, to have these players kind of, I don't know, feel like they are a part of this too. Like, what does that mean for you? It's amazing. Like it's a dream come true for a designer to like have an athlete wear something that you worked on, right? So that's really cool. And also just to bring a different visual thing that like you would normally find something like this in a team store. So to just bring like more of a lifestyle focused piece to the fans has been awesome. Thank you so much for the time. Really appreciate it. Really fun week this week with the Red Helmets for the Falcons. Anyone who wants to catch the full conversation head to fox5atlanta.com and we'll be right back on Rise Up Tonight. Atlanta, this is Ed Gragg talking and you watching Rise Up Tonight presented by AT&T. It's like I don't get caught up in whatever narrative is after four weeks of the daily narratives. You can almost write some of these narratives and live and die every week by narratives because it sets up bad narratives. You can frame the narrative. You can write narratives. So those are easy narratives. So Tyler Algiers still did not score his first touchdown. There is still time for our guys still waiting on Kyle Pitts to find the end zone too. So not doing great on those predictions, but this week I think it's special teams that'll make a difference in this game. The Niners have allowed 318 kick return yards on the season tops in the NFL, including 200 yards last week by Carolina alone. Atlanta has allowed 119 all year for reference. I expect the Falcons who've played really well on special teams this year to see that on film to exploit it on Sunday. Hey, maybe they block another punt or even a kick and if the offense is off to another slow start, special teams making a play is a good way to get things rolling, kind of like last Sunday. I'm looking at you, Avery Williams. I love this hot take. Now my hot take is that this Falcons offense is going to be way more productive this Sunday with Kyle Pitts back in it. He missed last Sunday's game with a hamstring injury, but confirmed on Wednesday that he'll be ready to go this Sunday. I know fantasy owners won't believe me when I say this, but even when the ball is not coming his way, Kyle Pitts is a major part of this offensive production. Just having his presence changes the way defenses view this offense. It's time for Kyle Pitts to go off and if the run game isn't working because of San Fran's run defense, which we know is good, find KP and let him run the show. And I think there's some secondary to be taken advantage of there for the Niners as well. After waiting to see what the Falcons have to do with Dion Jones, that saga is finally over. The Falcons traded their long-time linebacker and a 2024 seventh round draft picked to Cleveland in exchange for a 2024 sixth round selection. And it kind of felt like not as big a deal as some thought it might be earlier this offseason. Just like that, it feels like the final chapter of this old regime has really wrapped up. I honestly couldn't have said it better myself. You think of the big contracts this new regime had to contend with. Right. When they took over in Atlanta, Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Jake Matthews, Grady Jarrett, Dion Jones, the only resolution that we didn't have coming into this season was Dion. Well, now we have it. And I honestly think that this is the best outcome for every party involved. Dion gets a fresh start and the Falcons are able to move on. Absolutely. Well, that'll do it for us here on Rise Up Tonight. Thanks for staying up late with us. For Tori McElhaney, I'm Kelly Price. We'll see you right back here next Friday night. Good night. That was perfect.