 We are back on the Falcons audible presented by AT&T. We've got smiles here. DJ's ready. He's flexing Dave's punchin I'm our Cineo hauling. Okay. I know for the young people that are watching you have no idea who I'm talking about But it's okay. You've got this thing on your computer It's called Google put it in Google everybody, okay, he's the Dave Archer DJ Shockley Derek Rackley Here is the three that are in charge of this deal and we are going to talk about It seems like an eternity ago that the Atlanta Falcons played Carolina Panthers in Charlotte Dave. Do you remember that like I do? Yeah, I was I was there for it. Yeah So we're gonna talk about that game just a little bit, right? We're gonna give you our takes on what happened We'll talk about a player or a position group that through this point in the season that you know what? We've been pretty impressed with they're actually doing a pretty good job And then we will fast forward. We will talk about the Chicago Bears next opponent on the schedule for the Atlanta Falcons But first Dave, let's talk a little bit about Carolina. Let's go back to Charlotte Crappy conditions. No good rain off and on the entire game Course Atlanta comes up short. Why don't you give us our your synopsis of what you felt like happened? Where did things go wrong and remember Dave? We're on a limited time here Where do you think kind of went wrong the only thing it the only thing was worse than maybe the weather was the way we played Yeah, and I think that that everybody saw that You got a block and tackle in this game as it turns out and we didn't do any of that in the game Let's let's be real Couldn't handle Derek Brown could not handle anitis in the middle that created a problem for your quarterback Now your quarterbacks run around Quarterback made some bad decisions with the football put it in harm's way, which we can't do The one thing it does fall in the quarterback One of the thing one of the many things that falls on the quarterback is your ability to minimize damage. So Yeah, things weren't going well. We weren't running with a lot of effectiveness. The quarterback was under siege Now I got to take care of the ball. I can't throw the ball the other team So that was the the last part of it that didn't work out offensively The other side of the football had a tough time of the run game This is it they gutted you in the run game and it wasn't perimeter run game It was right at you. Yep, and you could not stop the interior run game. There's some reasons for that That are fixable. I think But that was a problem as well And then some tackling issues in the back end I thought created some maybe some of the the couple plays they got out where they got explosive And they weren't overly explosive offensively either, right, but they had a couple plays where tackling was an issue Yeah, but they kind of you know again gave Atlanta a taste of their own medicine by pounding the football And and that's why so many people myself included even though we seem like we're guys in this generation of Quarterbacks chucking the ball through the air if you can run the rock if you can dominate the line of scrimmage Good things are gonna happen And that's what we've got a chance to see in this game I mean Atlanta has not been able to solve this foreman guy for Carolina in two games Like he's kind of just marched right up and down and Dave made a good point I don't want to sit here and single out one play but you know the one where Mario to scrambles and then he's going down to the ground and he and he just chucks the ball in Granted it gets replayed right and he's down. Yeah, but you're but but you're kind of you sitting there like Like why we do that? Yeah, right? Like those are some of the decision-making things that it's like if you don't feel like you're gonna get out and throw The ball about well shock talk about that because from the time we start learning to take snaps There's a ball security thing that comes into mind What what are some of the things that you remember hearing pounded in your head about taking there the ball? Well, the number one thing I was always taught was don't turn a bad play into a catastrophe Yeah, so basically like ours just mentioned the play is already dead pretty much and nothing's really there And this was I thought was the first game that I thought our quarterback tried to force the issue at times I think there were you know, he wanted to make the play so bad And I don't fault him for that, but I just you know I wanted him like arching you like you just said to make better decisions when it's just not there Sometimes you got to just pun it sometimes you just got to throw it away as bad as that feels as bad as you may just had Two three and outs. They just went down a score. You can't make it worse And I thought a couple times in his ballgame. He had ample opportunities just to chuck it in the third row Yeah, or just eat it and the decision to try to force the football and make something happen And I can understand it. I'll be honest. I've been there before I've been a guy who hasn't played a lot and I know we're you know Like all eight nine games in a season and he's played a bunch of football But it still is a guy who you know is trying to prove Not just to the fouls, but to the rest of the league that he belongs as a starter and he wants to make plays So I totally understand I totally get it just in some of those instances the idea of taking care of the football and throwing it away is a lot better than Trying to throw it from your back and you can't see the defense and that's that's a tough thing that he has to kind of get over I think in the last couple games and let's let's let's be real about this too One of the reasons he's playing is because his veteran ability to understands the game. He's been in the game for a while So with experience a shock in our talk about that we're young players and we played get early to play I got to play early my career. I made some mistakes like that, but When you're struggling offensively as a coordinator, you got to be able to trust the dude It's got the ball in his hands every snap whether you hand it off or throw it to somebody you got it every snap So I got a trust To a certain extent I've called a play and it might not be the best play in the world But now I'm I'm turning over the trust that you're gonna take care of the ball for me And this was as shock said was the first time I think this season now There's been some mistakes balls gotten out though an interception or whatever, but not to the degree of that So that's something he's gonna Marcus is gonna have to go back and check his whole card He's gonna look at his tape. He told me right after the game. I did not play well. Those are right out of his mouth I did not play well. Yep, you can bet he'll be a better player this weekend because that's just who he is So it's so but you're our trusting as a play caller that okay. Here we go. Here's the team Here's the ball. Yeah, you take care of it for me if this thing gets jacked up a little bit I need you to I need to trust you you're gonna get rid of it in the right way You talked about experience and that's the reason why he's likely the starting quarterback as it stands right now and Some of the decisions you would think maybe fall on a guy. That's a rookie, right? So there's been this conversation and I know you kind of made a joke about it I want you guys to talk about this as quarterbacks because the Questions and I'm not trying to create a controversy here But the questions about if and when is it Desmond Ritter's time to get a chance to play Do you think we're getting close to that or do you still feel like Marcus Mariota gives Atlanta the best chance to win right now? Right now. I still feel like Marcus is the guy and I feel like as much of the things that we saw that we Were not encouraged about there are tons of things that you've seen through this season That has you encouraged that has you thinking. Okay, this guy has kept us in a lot of ball games He's made a lot of plays. He's made a lot of big-time throws. We had to stand the pocket There were a couple times throughout the year where we needed a big-time play for him and he made it so I think as much as you're always looking forward to the next guy and We were talking about before we came on I've been the backup plenty of times in my career my life where this college was been NFL and You got people on the outside calling your taxi you need to be playing Be the guy and Yeah, obviously that guy's probably cuz you ain't seen him play yet So until he gets on the field and he throws another Inception or he doesn't have a bad snap of something and looking for the next guy So I understand why fans are looking forward to the shiny new toy that has been ridder Yeah, that you went out and drafted you saw some good things out of him preseason So you're like oh we could have that guy behind the thing But I believe and ultimately what we just talked about an experience factor that he brings the things that he's done this season I think Gives him the advantage right now that he still should be the guy and we gotta we gotta keep it real as bad as it feels right now And you're just coming off two straight losses You're still one game out of the division. You're still one game away from winning this division or being out in front So I still like some of the things that Marcus is done But we're talking about 70 plays on a game and there's three or four that you look at and say man I wish you did that a little bit differently. Yeah, there's so many things that never comes up in the stat sheet There's nothing there's sometimes you never hear coach talk about that. He does at the line of scrimmage We watched the game and you see him go can-can you see walking to the line of scrimmage change of play You see him the running back having big runs a lot of time That's him getting them out of a bad play into a good play But it never comes up. So it's not something that you can tangibly touch. Yeah, that makes you say alright That's the reason why that play works So there's still a lot of things that he's doing that's really productive and good for this team Dave You know sometimes the grass is greener on the other side. Not it's not always as you mentioned, right? So it's like you pull the trigger put a guy in like Desmond Ritter Maybe it goes well. Maybe it doesn't but what I do know is You mentioned that we got a block better. We got a tackle better. Yeah, we block better Maybe Marcus plays a little bit better. So but at the end of the day This is kind of what you get yourself into if you're not Patrick Mahomes Josh Allen Kyler Murray just a herb Justin Herbert like these type of things are going to come up. It comes with the territory of being a quarterback and not necessarily a a Established big-time starter. Are you in agreement? Is he still the guy that needs to stay under center? Yeah, no question No question just because all the things shocked has talked about because of all the things He's doing for the team. Remember if Desmond gets on the field and he probably will at some point during the season They'll give him a chance maybe Providing, you know, if we keep going the way we're going then there's definitely that's we're going to trend towards that direction but This thing is still in doubt. You still get Tampa one more time But what happens if you put the young QB in and he's got some ability and by the way He's there's this comer. There's this conversation about him. Is he ready to play? He's not ready to play That's why he's not playing If you weren't ready to play wouldn't be the backup. Yeah, okay. Let's clarify that now Being ready to play and being able to hold control Control everything that Marcus is controlling is two different things. Yeah, you just talked about all the things He's doing so that would be a pared down scenario for him But what Marcus is if you get think about the the end of the game even everything that went on We went into two minutes and what Marcus do right down took you right down the field through a touchdown pass Okay, and that was with with some degree of protection. Yeah, okay And he even scrambled in that one went to the left and threw one back across the bird across the field Twisting and made an unbelievable throw to bird along the sideline. So you can see it. It's there. He can get it done Yeah, help him out a little bit. Give him a little bit of help and don't put him under duress completely Like we did this last weekend and you got some things and let's be the you start talking about the NFL week to week This is a completely different matchup. Yeah, you know to think that this is a okay Oh my god, this is the way it's gonna be all year long. No, think about all the weeks how different they've been each week He was the he was the NFC player of the week a couple of weeks ago. Yeah, okay So let's let's keep that in perspective. That's what happens was we lose perspective a little bit. Yep. All right So let's go ahead. Let's let's put a bow on that when we mentioned that was a few days ago Let's move forward because again, that's what the players and the coaches are doing. So Chicago will be coming here Little bit of a you can call it a mini by week if you will because you had to turn around so quickly last week So maybe some guys get a chance to get their feet underneath them Maybe we get a couple more guys back out on the field that have not been recently But all that aside because we can't control any of that Dave Let me let me ask you this who is Chicago right now Who who are the Atlanta Falcons playing this weekend? Where are the Bears in the scope of their season strengths weaknesses? And and where do you feel like they can attack? Well, what you're gonna see is a very similar version offensively that we play They want to run the football David Montgomery's an outstanding run of it from Iowa State No good good running back even he reminds me a lot of our guy in Tyler Algier his ability Runs with good power. He's got more juice than you think he has and he's a good receiver out of the back Well, so a multi-purpose this guy you've got a quarterback that can run Justin Fields is ripped. He's leading them in rushing. He leads the Bears in rushing He's had two back-to-back 100 yard games the last two weeks in two losses They lost to a good Miami team and a high scoring 35 32 affair and then this last weekend They just lost to the Lions 31 30 and another game in both those games He had a 60-plus yard touchdown run in the game That can't happen. You cannot allow the quarterback to run for a touchdown anywhere on the field But let alone rip one off 60 yards for you. That's part of what you're gonna have to deal with is trying to contain him Now on the other side of the football They struggled against the run in fact there they're in the bottom four or five teams in the league It's run given up about a hundred and forty five hundred fifty yards a game on the ground Atlanta's number four in the league even after last weekend or last Thursday night in rushing the football There's your area to attack you got to get back to your roots and run the football and when we throw it Let's get a block give them to give yourself an opportunity So it stopped their run game. He's averaging about 20 passes a game and about 10 runs a game And I'm talking about Justin Fields He will affect the game very similarly the way Marcus Mario to tries to affect our game and running it with the quarterback Handing it off and play-actioning DJ. I want to ask you this question back in the day when you were playing You're fleet of foot you can get outside the pocket So when you were running with the football if you wanted to try to attack a defense with your legs What gave you the most fits what slowed you down as a quarterback, right? So we can just kind of flip the table and you put yourself in Justin Fields shoes. What makes you uncomfortable? You know what? I think the number one thing that makes any quarterback uncomfortable is interior pressure Because if you have guys who are disciplined enough and that's gonna be a big thing that actually talked about is Discipline in these rush lanes whether it's the pass or run You have to be disciplined in how you rush this guy And I think interior pressure always gives any quarterback face let alone a guy who wants to move around and run because You're taught for the longest Never go backwards. You're taught never to go backwards and then try to escape from me out Unless you have to you always want to climb climb climb up in the pocket And if you climb up in the pocket and you have interior pressure, guess what that's uncomfortable You're not gonna really be to see down feel because you got a guy bearing down He's right in your face and it's hard for you to step into a throw Oh, it's hard to throw because you may hit a hand on a helmet What if it is interior pressure is the number one killer for a quarterback inside the pocket You run or throw and if you watch Justin play you watch any other quarterback who can move like that When you don't have that interior pressure There's always a little lane that you can find if you're thinking about taking off if it's not there Because most of the times the guys in this league are pretty good when they come around the edges They know how far you're gonna get they know how deep you're gonna drop So they get to a point and then they come back or they get to a point and they fall back inside But if you got interior pressure and you're pushing from the middle and then those guys on the outside do a good job of keeping Containing they have like a cage around it. It's really nowhere to go so the interior pressure is gonna be big in this ballgame and You know, I mean TQ's played I thought pretty well this season I think you know great actually is it's who he is But if you can find a way to contain and keep him inside the pocket as opposed to him getting on the outside And creating that's gonna be a big part of the game as well So the guys on the edge have to play a huge role in how they rush up feel and then the guys on the inside have to always Keep eyes on it. So DJ likes interior pressure. No, I don't I don't like it I'm saying that we need the Falcons to bring Dave I want to ask you this question because I see this sometime in the college game when you have a linebacker that can run You'll start to see a lot more spy coverage with a linebacker Maybe a safety when they know they've got an athletic quarterback that's gonna run Probably would have been like a Dion Jones type role because of the way that he can run Do you think that's something that Atlanta could mix in there? Or does that put them susceptible in other areas that they could give up big place? Well, you have to mix it up D&P and I think D&P's will employ that because you've got three linebackers that can run Rashon Evans Troy Anderson and Michael Walker can all run Now can they run well enough to track this kid down? He's a they're very similar Troy Anderson ran what four four at the combine. That's what this guy ran Okay, so it's gonna be close and this is a big dude now. He's six three about 225 pounds So it's not like you know, you're dragging down a frail quarterback But you can't let him escape through the middle if you can shove him to the sidelines now that extra defender The sideline comes into play The past game is one thing when things break down their first play in the game against the Lions is zone read He runs 25 yards off the left edge for on a zone read play So when you start talking about edge players playing a huge role in this to mush rush him and keep kind of keep him In a pocket they're gonna have to be really disciplined and maybe even go back to their college days of how option football works in the zone Read because if you crash he's he's gonna get at least 15 yards on you before you're gonna touch him Yeah, so if you can keep him him then you can see where if you keep him him then against the Lions There's some indecision and where he wants to throw the football He tried to make some off balance throws that weren't very good He put the ball in harm's way a couple of times because he's trying to make off balance That you want to make him uncomfortable like shock said, but it's gonna be that whole mush rush that that front four or front seven We're gonna have to be really good this weekend Just to add one more thing to what archers talking about when they get into that zone read I think Dean's is gonna do a really good job of changing the looks of who he has to read Because when you think about his own read something think about okay I just read the end if he crashes I pull it and go well You could also use the end where he crashes and you got the linebacker to loop around or you can keep the end and Have you know the backer on the inside? You got to find ways to make it look different to him to make him be a little bit indecisive when he has it So you can do that and change up that look like I just talked about in that part of the game Then you got something to the other thing I'll add to is the defense gets Justin Fields in Chicago into third and long situations You can't go to sleep. I mean I'll remember DJ you around like third and 15 when we had Mike Vick around Like there was people on the sideline that was just like I just run it Yeah, right because you got somebody that's got the speed and elusiveness you can't think oh on third and 15 We good right because this guy can tuck it down and he can get it Whereas 99% of the NFL is probably not gonna pick it up So third down got to get off the field and part of the problem now that Chicago has is There's a dude on this side. That's just like that. Mm-hmm if it Marcus gets out of the pocket He's a problem. Okay, so they're thinking their conversations up in Chicago are very similar to our conversations down Here I say, okay. Yeah, he had a tough day this last Thursday, but let's look at the other games He's got now the pocket. He's bought time. He's found guys. He's also taken off and run with the football So they've got the same issues with there and their defense is not playing overly well They're the strength of their defense is brisk or the safety. He leads them in sacks To go on brisk or the safety from for their their rookie safety from from Penn State Is they're leading sack or with three? Wow, they've got a rookie middle linebacker that it lead the sandborn out of Out of Wisconsin that's played well. Roll corn swift never gone. Yep And so they've had to rely on some young players to make plays. What happens to young players better Have I discipline and you can get those guys going where they're not supposed to go and you take advantage of that So Chicago is up next three and seven oh and three in their division and again Don't necessarily want to judge an opponent by the record because I think you could have done the same thing with Carolina last weekend And we saw how things shook out for Atlanta on that one if you just want to look at win-loss record 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 I wanted to ask you guys this question We're at you know obviously well past halfway in the season and I want to ask you guys like who do you think is a Surprise player or somebody that has developed or maybe it's a unit that you felt like has been pretty solid all season long and It's it's a player or a position group that we can continue to count on as we finish out the season You know what it? There's one guy that came to mind when we started talking about this and Obviously, it's hard to be clean at this spot because it's an every single down Type of position you got to be good. Yeah, you're gonna have some mistakes here and there But one guy who I thought has kind of rose to the occasions Caleb McGeary I mean you look at a guy who came into this season. Obviously Didn't pick up his fifth year option a Lot of people thinking okay. This is his last year. He could be gone. He couldn't easily powder He could have easily said okay. Well, this team doesn't believe me, but there's been games I thought this guy's played to a level that they thought he would when they get when he got drafted So I'm I'm really encouraged by the way. He's played of course. He's had moments where you know He's been beat or you know, if he had some bad times in a game But I thought he's you know kind of rose to the occasion and said okay I'm gonna give you guys something else to think about this season with how he's played Yeah, and I think it's probably good that I go next to piggyback on that because yeah We want to sit there and pick at at the Marcus Mario to his performance last weekend And and maybe that he didn't get the blocking the protection up front but I'm gonna stay kind of in that same realm because a guy like McGeary has played well enough that the Running game has been really solid this year And we've seen a guy like Caleb Huntley take advantage of an opportunity and take his game to the next level and really Provide a boost with with his power with his physicality even he's got some burst now I mean he's a bigger back But he's still got some burst and and I I really like the rotation Because it's like you see Al Geer come off the field and he hustles off and Huntley runs These guys are very unselfish right now. They understand that this collective group is what makes them good CP being healthy Obviously helps this collective group But I feel like Huntley is taking advantage of an opportunity And he is he is really taking his game to the next level and provided an area that has been a strength all season long Dave, what's a player or position group that that is stuck out to you? Huntley's built like a fire if fire One of those ones yeah, it's this thick. I Think that it's been tough on the safeties. I think Jalen Hawkins and Richie Grant have really kind of taken their game to another level I think that you now was expected. I think you needed it to happen. They I think they've done that I mean think about what they've had to deal with though. I mean both corners are gone You've had a nickel out. I mean so they're the only constant in the game with have been the two safeties They've been asked to cover in the slot. They've been asked to blitz They've been asked to come down in the box and defend the run and the thing I like about them and they're really to me the future of what the secondary is going to be with AJ When he gets back and hopefully he might be back this week at the corner spot But their ability to kind of last time you say So So those two guys being able to fluctuate back and forth, okay I'm gonna come or come up and cover in the slot whether it's tight in back out of the backfield I'm gonna blitz but their ability to both do kind of the the back end and well as the front end their versatility To me that that really bodes well for this defense moving forward from a future standpoint as you begin to build around some guys I think the two safeties have played a pretty high level I just want to add one quick thing to that and I think it's a great point because you look at this season You watch the things that Dean piece does with his defense And if you don't have those two guys back there who can make the calls or who can get guys in position It's gonna be tough on your defense and Dean has so many different looks at his defense It's so multiple weekend and week out and if those two guys don't have it It's gonna be really tough on a coordinator trying to make those calls Yeah, and I don't want to throw a guy into the bus here, but he's not here anymore. So I'll throw him under the bus Jalen Hawkins in the guy they got beat on that deep shot. Okay. That's that's Jalen Hawkins His replacement was in the game at that time we get beat over the top by DJ more for the touchdown in the Carolina game here I don't think that happens if Hawkins is in the game. So And that's just just my just a couple of two cents worth there I just think the two safeties have played pretty solidly. Yeah What final thing I wanted to discuss sometimes we get so in everybody else we get so dialed into X's and O's results wins losses and Every once in a while you forget that like NFL players are still human beings They still have real-life situations that's going on go back to last Thursday Jake Matthews Him and his wife were expecting a baby. Yeah, and if I read it correctly, they had it scheduled for Sunday So they were playing on Thursday. They're gonna be back late Thursday night early Friday morning should be just fine on Sunday to have his baby. Well, that's not the case gets a phone call Thursday morning from his wife Apparently he had missed like 13 calls on his phone His phone rings in his hotel room and you guys know this like when the phone rings in the hotel, you never have a way Yeah, excuse me. Well, yeah, so this Jake says he's like I'm wondering why my hotel phone is ringing Picks it up his wife in to go to the hospital Has his bed has his boy has his baby comes back gets to the game in time Basically runs into the stadium with shorts and a t-shirt But an exciting moment for him and his wife But I want to ask you guys like you ever have any stuff like this happen or to teammates when you guys were playing where it was like somebody all of a sudden had to leave town because of Expecting a baby or something along those lines. They had to run back in the last second first off Let's let's say thank you to Arch for allowing Jake to use his plane That Jets good good deal. Yeah How come he hasn't let us borrow I don't know man, you know, it's yeah I've never had a player have to do that drink and let's let's get on Jake and his wife Maggie's his wife named Let's get on both of them. You can't have a kid during the Work on a But the kids gotta come in the off-season you can't have to kick her in the air. That's a complete blow-up on his Fall wedding my kids were in March and April so it worked out I would like I would like to throw out a big kudos to brand and brand and Ruth who handles our Logistics on the road for us because Brandon went over time here Okay, so Jake's leaving. You don't know when Jake's coming back Okay, so now they have to get Harrison a guy They just signed and Shae for the kid out of Georgia were back in Atlanta. They had to get them to the game Okay, so he had to rent a car and have the car delivered here to it here to flowery branch Within an hour to get them driven up. They couldn't get a flight for him or anything So they drive them up there to get them to the game in case Jake can't make it back So we have enough people actually play right on the offensive line, and then of course you give an assist to the big guy Mr. Blank, he's the guy that got him back here Brandon have a car to get him there So Brandon Ruth who does an amazing job with all his travel stuff man That's great with all the things that go on with the team This was above and beyond dude metal of honor for you phenomenal effort to try to get everybody where they needed to be Jake sees his yes, he's his baby born and gets back for the game Just a correct incredible effort now the game didn't turn out that we wanted to but that was a W for brand Unbelievable you see him running in at seven o'clock with his flip-flops on I mean, it's unbelievable I've never had anything close to that in my career of anybody done something like that and maybe turn it around So I'm glad we weren't on the West Coast or something like that Didn't happen to me either But if I remember correctly I didn't have a chance to get to Finn But I almost remember one time I was getting on a plane and Brian Finner and his wife called one of the seven And we were literally walking down the jetway and he turned around and went back out And I think it was because one of his kids was was about to be born and and he ended up flying and make it to the game Then I'll text you later. I'll make sure I'm right on that one Alright, that's gonna do it guys because me and shock and arch have a flight to catch on Dave's plane here Let's do it. I don't know where we're going, but we're Vegas baby. Let's just gonna cruise The dogs the dog have qualified for the championship game against LSU dare we revisit this man's championship moment Was a monster in a game a sec player of the year Shock went off for the dogs beat LSU in the building right down here now. It's a George's dome at a time. That's okay But my guy my guy went off. I had to get you a little cut. I appreciate it. I know we're gonna pay. Yeah, I'll pay. Yeah So, yes, LSU will be the SEC championship got to give DJ a little bit of love and maybe we'll revisit some of those highlights On the next couple of weeks leading up to the SEC championship All right Atlanta got Chicago Bears on the docket next Let's see if they can rebound after a couple of stumbles get back in the wind column and continue to make a run at this NFC South division that's gonna do it everybody even the Falcons audible presented by AT&T. That's arch. That's DJ I'm DRac. Those are nicknames for you today. We'll see you next time Thanks so much for watching on whatever platform you check us out on