 Ahead on Early Birds, the Falcons are big Apple bound and looking to build off an impressive pre-season debut, plus a former La Crosse star is turning heads with his hands and college football's biggest game is coming back to the A. That and more coming your way on Early Birds. Grab a cup of your favorite, Joe, and let's talk Falcons football on Early Birds, presented by Mercedes-Benz. Oh, good morning and welcome into Early Birds. He's DJ. I'm Justin. Season three. Season three, maybe. Somehow of Early Birds. That's crazy. Good to be back. And as always, we will start things off with the opening drive and shock. We've got Falcons and Jets coming up on Monday, but the team is already in New York practicing with the Jets before Monday's game. Now, we're seeing this so much in the NFL these days. Why shock are so many teams doing these joint practices? Well, the joint practices are so important because you get a chance to go against somebody else. You're going to get yourself for the last two, three weeks, and now you get a chance to go against somebody else to get the feel them out. And now the fundamentals of, okay, what have we worked on all off season? How would that match up versus somebody else? And ultimately, competition always makes you better. Now, when you see somebody else with a different uniform on, it usually makes you play a little bit more. Rams things up. Falcons, remember they practiced in Miami last year. They got the Jags coming here next week. Grady Jarrett loves it. Super excited to be able to have the opportunity to go against some other players. It's going to be a good week. I think for both teams, get some high competing in and see how other guys do versus competition. They don't see all the time. So I think both organizations are looking forward to it. It's going to be a good time. They're important just because you get to see a different face besides your teammates and you get to measure yourself against another set of competitions. So I would say they're productive as long as everybody's not fighting. Yeah, that's important to be sure. All right, continuing on the opening drive. Flowery Branch is one thing, but shock, can players make more of an impression on coaches by what they do in these joint practices and even more so in the game? Oh, absolutely. I mean, I got a couple of guys that come to mind right now and de-offered. I mean, he's the guy who last came, had the interception, played really well. But guys can make a huge impact because you think about a practice where you go through it and now you get an opportunity to make something happen in a game when the lights are on. How important that is means a lot because they want to see a transfer from the practice field to the games. Yeah, De-offered, he made a big play in preseason game one. He's looking for more. We practice against each other every day. You know, obviously, you know, the coaches can see, you know, what we do against each other. But it, you know, it could be different when you step in front of a whole different team and away teams, no fans and stuff like that. But, you know, it's just an opportunity, you know, to continue to show like everyone, the coaches, the teammates, and, you know, even yourself, you know, what you're capable of doing. Falling high school represent and as we wrap up the opening drive, let's talk quarterback, Shaku solid. Little Marcus Mariota last week, Desmond Ritter at the game winning drive. What do you want to see Monday? I just want to see more consistency out of these guys. Both these guys played really well, took care of the football, which is the most important thing, but got this team into the right play throughout the game. Both guys use their arms, use their legs to make some plays. This was an important game for them to get started. I want to see them build on and continue to have that success with their legs and arms in game number two. Monday night, Falcons taken on the Jets preseason game. Number two, welcome in to Early Birds alongside DJ Shockley. I'm Justin Felder and one of the cool things we saw in preseason game one, most everybody played, which is kind of a different from preseason's past. So, Shock, should we expect key starters to maybe play even more Monday night? Yeah, I think they will. I think guys, you got to see more in this second game than you will probably in that third game. So, expect to see more of the cow pits, see more of the Marcus Mariotas, especially on the offensive side. Try to get this new look offense with new faces all together. So, I expect more of the starters to play in this game for sure. That would be exciting to watch for sure. Well, Shock, do not get lost in the concrete jungle. I think we're doing music this year. We'll see you in the film room in just a few. But first, do you know what the Towaritan Award is? I'm going to level with you. I did not. It is basically the Heisman Trophy of College La Crosse and one of its recent winners is on the Falcons. Jared Bernhardt, he got the game-winning touchdown in the preseason win over Detroit, played college La Crosse at Maryland before transferring to Division II Ferris State where he played quarterback and led the team to a national title. We spoke one-on-one this week and I asked Jared what carries over from his La Crosse days to now. Past relationships, experiences, you know, people I've had that were older than me that, you know, taught me kind of the way to prepare and not on the field to get ready to come on the field. So, I would say, you know, those people and those experiences I had. How good was your intramural flag football team at Maryland? He didn't have one. We did a turkey bowl, usually, the La Crosse team for Thanksgiving. So, that was about the extent of it. You have an extremely successful lacrosse career. What happened? What's the story behind making the switch over to sign to pursue football? Yeah, kind of, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do after college. So, me and my dad kind of were talking and football was brought up, you know, about maybe doing an extra year and I kind of got the ball rolling and, you know, took me to Ferris State and then, you know, fortunate enough to get an opportunity to come here. So, from getting signed to training camp to now to catching a touchdown, just how do you describe the last few months? Yeah, it's been a grind for sure, but very fortunate, you know, to have this experience and, again, build relationships, meet new people and kind of go through this. It's been really sweet. What's next for you? What do you look into, accomplish and show through the rest of training camp and here in the next pre-season game? Yeah, I'm just trying to, you know, help these guys each and every day. You know, you're not promised, you know, the next day. So, winning is kind of the biggest thing. Obviously, everyone's goal in mind. So, as long as I can, you know, help out any way possible, I'm going to do that while I'm here. I have a question for you. If we ask Coach Smith about Jared Bernhardt, he says, I'm sorry, Bernie, is that who you're asking about? Coach, Bernhardt, the other night catching a TD pass, coming from a different sport. You mean, Bernie? Yeah. Yeah. Where did that nickname come from? Is he the only guy that calls you that? It kind of, and now it's around the team, but I've been called that actually growing up even in, like, Pop Warner and so it's kind of funny to hear it come full circle. It brings back memories, you know, growing up and playing, you know, Pop Warner football. So, you know, he's the boss. So, just kind of go with that. Are we allowed to say Bernie? If one of these fans is trying to get your autograph, can they yell Bernie or is it just the boss? No, no, absolutely. They can say whatever they like. It's time to get some game and sell from shock. You're invited into the film world. So, cut the lights and let's get started. Yeah, let's talk about that big play at the end of the ballgame. Two rookies making play. We just saw Jared Bernhardt win a big time play. I'm going to break down exactly what happened right here. Now, let's look at this individual player. You're going to get a blitz from this linebacker here. He's going to blitz up the edge and here comes Tyler Ijear. He's going to have to pick this blitz up. If he doesn't pick this blitz up, it's a chance this marooner gets sacked. But as you watch, this guy is going to have him in man coverage. Once he blitzes and he stays there, this guy will add on. So, let's watch this play to get started. Bernhardt is at the top of the screen here. Now, you see here comes the blitz. Here's Ijear coming to pick this blitz up. And you remember, this guy has him man to man. So, when he has him man to man, he sees him blitz. He adds on and says, I'm going to get the quarterback which ultimately forces Ritter outside the pot. As the play continues, you can watch. Boom. Nice job of sticking his head in there and a nice block right on. And here comes the add on blitzer. You see Bernhardt at the top of the screen. He's fighting off the jam trying to get off and make a play for his quarterback. Ritter has his eyes downfield. Now, because of the pressure, he has to get outside, lays it up deep and watch here. Look at him fighting. Fighting to get in front of him. Looking forward. He does a great job of coming back to that football, making a nice play. And this is one rookie in Bernhardt who is making a huge impression on this team. And that play right there helps. So, hopefully, game two, he makes even more of those plays, Justin. Oh, shock. Well done. Great breakdown and a great play as well. Still to come, college football starts next week. Most of our state teams start play in two weeks. We're going to get you ready. Plus. It might look weird and a lot of people don't get it, but it's extremely hard. There's more than meets the eye when it comes to being an offensive lineman. Jake Matthews shows you the difference between pass and run blocking. Next, in Going Deep. Hey, Falcons fans, score a touchdown with low-tire prices at Mavis Tires and Bricks, the official tire retailer of the Atlanta Falcons. Visit MavisTire.com to find a store near you. Presented by Mercedes-Benz. The best or none. And brought to you by Georgia Latter. Today could be the day. By Truist. Committed to a better future. By Home Depot. How doers get more done? I'm going to switch gears and talk a little college ball. Brought to you by Truist. BB&T and SunTrust are now Truist. Here again is Fox 5's Justin Felder. All right, we're back here on Early Birds. Talking college football and shock. Games start next week. But most of our, I know, right? Most of our state's team starting in two weeks. I'd ask if you're ready, but I know you're ready. Oh, absolutely. I cannot wait to get going this season. It's going to be fun. A lot of great teams vying for that top spot. So we'll see. All right. I'm going to let you talk about your Georgia Bulldogs. I know you've been itching to. All right. Let's talk about UGA as you see a little bit of these guys working hard and fall practice and shock here. There's a lot of little questions. Let me ask you the big questions. Can they repeat? Yeah, just I know this segment is tough coming from a gator. So I totally understand talking dogs off the top. But yes, I think they can. I mean, this is a really good football team. A lot of inexperience. A lot of guys who have played some, but haven't been in that big time role now. Obviously the SEC East is not as strong as it has been, but there's still Alabama in this conference. And you still got to get by those guys. You finally beat them in a championship. So we'll see if the dogs can repeat, but they do have the players to do so. Kirby Smart. It will not shock you is focused on the process. We're really focused on getting better. You know, we got a lot of good players to replace, and we got a lot of good players to replace them with. So it's about getting the right guys on the bus and getting the guys in the right seats, just like it is every year. Get the guys on the bus. Very important. All right. On the kind of other side of things, Georgia Tech DJ coming off a three and nine season, they open up with Clemson on Labor Day at the Benz. I'm sure you're going easy on your Georgia Tech friends when you're hanging out with them. They're read on it on the flat. Justin, for one, I'm not going easy on them. I always give them all the fury. But no, I think Tech is in a weird position. They got a lot of guys, I think, who are wanting to be great. They said the off-season's been great. Jeff Collins is saying all the right things. I think it comes down to Jeff Sims. Obviously, a quarterback. And you see new offensive coordinator, Chip Long, who's had success wherever he's been. If he can get those guys playing at a high level, they got a chance to make some noise. That first one versus Clemson, that's going to be tough, though. They finally got all their own guys in there. So now is the time to be able to prove it, maybe change the narrative over there if Bobby Dodd. Something, though, shocked. Everybody can agree on BU Gator, or Georgia Fan, or Georgia Tech. Atlanta remains the college football capital of the world. This week, we found out the national championship game coming back to Atlanta. DJ, and it's so exciting. 2025 is coming. Just so great for the city. So great for everybody who loves college football. I mean, to have that game here, it means a lot. A lot of excitement. It brings a lot of revenue to the city. But come on, it's Atlanta. Everybody comes here and has fun. Everybody already lives here in the off-season. So why not have the biggest game in the entire world here in Atlanta? I love it. Atlanta will become the first city to host two championship games since the playoffs started. And it's a little too early on a Saturday morning for politics. We don't do that. But we're cool with a little political college football trash talk. I believe they're going to repeat this year. Then win the next year, and then we'll see them win the fourth in the road, Mayor, the following year in this game. But I'm with the governor. We can get Georgia back to back to back. And then in 2025, we can have the Bulldogs versus the Yellow Jackets, y'all. Right here for the national championship. That would be amazing. Yeah, that would be amazing. I can't wait to see my dogs back in the Natty. Meanwhile, as a former quarterback, offensive linemen, I guess they are my best friend. And there's a distinct method to their madness when it comes to protecting the quarterback and run blocking. This week, we go deep with Jake Matthews, where he shows you the difference between the two. As an offensive lineman, I guess I'm going to make it as simple as possible. You're either run blocking or pass blocking. And when you're pass blocking, I guess what makes it so hard is you're practically backpedaling as they're sprinting into you full speed. And the goal is, you know, don't let them get around you or through you to the quarterback. And you got to basically backpedal, keep your balance and react to whatever they're doing. So the easiest way I could explain it, I guess, is keep a good base. If you ever feeder together across, you're probably in bad shape. These guys are really good. They'll make you look like a fool really quick. So that's just the footwork part of it. Then you got to use your hands. If you don't use your hands, the guy's just going to run around you. So there's a lot that goes into it. It might look weird. A lot of people don't get it, but it's extremely hard. Keep a good base. Good advice for all of us. All right, it was a thrilling first pre-season win in our crew in Detroit. Captured some of the best moments on air. We'll show you some of the best calls of the game later in Early Birds. You're watching Early Birds, presented by Mercedes-Benz on your official home for Falcons football, Fox 5 and Linn. Welcome back into Early Birds. Last week, Falcons fans held their collective breath when they saw rookie wide receiver Drake London go down with an injury. Doesn't sound like it's anything serious, which is certainly good news, because that's the last thing you want at any point, but especially this time of year. Falcons team Dr. Kyle Hammond explains why the pre-season calls for precaution when it comes to player injuries, and it's the focus of this week's Emery Road to Recovery. Pre-season training camp, you know, the roster's larger. You know, practices are pretty intense and, you know, they're going through their, you know, they're preparing to get ready for pre-season, so the coaching staff and everyone's getting ready to select who they want, you know, at certain positions. And so as injuries are occurring during that time period, a lot of that comes down to not only just the nuts and bolts of looking at injuries, but also evaluating where the athlete is and as far as their position. And if it's an injury again to be managed safely, then we'll manage such safely, but if it's an injury that's going to hold a player out for a certain period of time, then sometimes in the pre-season, unfortunately the coaching staff from the front office make decisions that are based off of how they're preparing the roster, preparing the team for the upcoming season. And so a lot of that is dictated first and foremost by me and the athlete with the injury specifically, but then as it comes to how they're building the roster, some of those factors come into play in the pre-season time. All right, great stuff from the doctor. More to come on Early Birders. The best calls of the game presented by our own Fox team up in Detroit. That's next after the break. This has been presented to you by Mercedes-Benz. The best or nothing. Falcons fans score a touchdown with low tire prices at Mavis Tires and Breaks. The official tire retailer of the Atlanta Falcons. Visit MavisTire.com to find a store near you. As we put a bow on game one of the Falcons pre-season, let's now take a look back at some of the best sites and sounds from Detroit. We've got Justin Kutcher, Steve Weish and Koi Weyer on the team play-by-play. Our own Blaine Victor behind the lens to show you how things looked from Ford Field. All right, great stuff there. And if you're wanting to go to more Falcons games this season, just scan the QR code you see here for details. Now, the code will also send you to the Falcons season ticket page. Packages are available now for the exciting new season ahead. All right, DJ, a Jets game coming up Monday night. We talked a lot about D. Alford. We talked about Jared Bernhardt. Who's the player that's caught the ball? How about two defensive guys? Arnold Ebikati and Doran Etters. Two guys I think played really well in the last pre-season game. Made a lot of noise for themselves. Both young guys are keeping a second year guy. So expect those guys to have a little bit more edge. Probably get more playing time because they play really well. I thought last game was the Detroit line. So see if those guys can play a little bit fiercely and make plays. Maybe make a little statement on a little national TV playing up there against the New York Jets trying to make it 2-0 in the pre-season. Well, it's 1-0 for us. Season premiere early bird season 3 in the books for our quarterback DJ Shockley. I'm Justin Felder. We appreciate you joining us so much. Hope you have a good rest of your morning and a great weekend.