 What's up everybody and welcome to another edition of the Falcons final whistle podcast brought to you by windows 11 I'm Scott bear along here with Tori McElhane and to quote the lion king Pumba most specifically Wow our trios down to two Here's what I was gonna do is gonna be like you know on the episode of new girl where they think Nick is gonna die And there's Steve at the bar and they're like in Winston's like this is a sad song I was like that's kind of what this feels like without Chris being yeah Normally there is a chair over here occupied by our dear friend and colleague Chris rim who Did his last podcast last time? Then he took a brief sojourn in Portugal and now he's gonna go to a little paper called the New York Times Which is what I say every time I mentioned his career path also Honestly, I saw a comment the other day that said Chris had the best voice of the podcast and I 100% agree with that I think so too. I think my voice is incredibly annoying and And I know I do I think it's so annoying And so I honestly very rarely do I like listen back to the podcast because I'm like oh gosh I can't hear my voice well there there will be no more sultry tones of Chris rim But yeah, as we move through the summer we are gonna start having guests on the pot Get some fresh energy in here But that's all for the future another shameless plug before we get started on on what will be an OTA Primer podcast where we delve into everything that the Atlanta Falcons are going to do over the next two and a half or three weeks Including I believe it's ten OTAs that officially started that their first of ten On Tuesday and they run through a mandatory Mini-camp if I can say that right in mid-June and then they go real quiet until training camp But before we get to that just a quick promo on June 3rd Clear your calendars go down to Mercedes-Benz stadium to watch the Falcons OTA practice That's gonna be awesome. Yeah, and then after the practice. We're gonna do a live episode of Falcons final whistle With you and who knows who else and a player. Yeah, we don't know which player But a player that's not it could be Anybody from your imagination? Maybe it's Grady Jarrett Maybe it's Lorenzo Carter who we're gonna get to later in this podcast I could be one of the new NFL draft picks You're gonna have to show up to find out and also there will be time for you guys to ask questions too So all that stuff is gonna be fun June 3rd Mercedes-Benz stadium be there or B square before we get to all that Coming up next week. Let's focus on what's coming up right now And that's the off-season program is starting to ramp up a little bit now. Are they putting pads on? No, they're not so there's still elements that this isn't a full training camp period But it's the first time that we get to see the veterans and the rookies interact the first open OTA where we can all take lots of bad cell phone pictures and Tweet them out is Thursday. So stay tuned for lots of content coming up about that Tori kind of What are you expecting? What do you kind of want to see from like from this OTA period when there's so much roster turnover heading into 2022? I think that's the main thing. I want to be able to see this group performed together I know, you know OTA is kind of you know, it's not training camp OTA is really the first chance that we get to see this group together And I think that's what I'm most looking forward to it's not necessarily that I want to see them go out and Compete like how they will in training camp. I just want to see what this team looks like together I want to see what this offensive line looks like all lined up together And I'm not just talking about the the I mean the a team however, but the first team however, you want to say I'm talking reserves. I'm and I want to see how these Receiving weapons actually look out on the field all together I know we've been talking about how tall they are how big they are how they actually Coincide and then also just some pairings that I'm looking forward to seeing I'm looking forward to seeing These draft picks go alongside some of these veterans I'm excited to see Rashaan Evans and Troy Andersen work side-by-side You know, it's that kind of stuff that we've been talking about for months But now we actually have the first opportunity to actually see these groups working together Yeah, and we're going to to dive into all of the players that we're interested to kind of get that first look That that first glimpse of in a Falcons uniform some of these draft picks and of course We're gonna have a lot of quarterback talk as you would expect for a team with Matt Ryan now on the Indianapolis Colts and Desmond Ritter the third-round draft pick and veteran Marcus Mariota in Flowery branch here getting ready to kind of lead that offense But before we do all that a big thank you to our sponsor Microsoft Windows 11 The official operating system of the NFL and the Atlanta Falcons The all-know Windows 11 is here to bring you closer to what you love like this Falcons final whistle podcast Learn all about the awesome new features of Windows 11 at windows.com So, I mean, let's start with the most popular position obviously offensive line. Yes, exactly Let's go straight to that right tackle position battle and kind of go from there The quarterbacks coming in this will be the first I mean rookie minicamp doesn't count because Matt Ryan wouldn't have been there anyway, right? So this Thursday will be the first time the media will be in front of a full squad Falcons practice without Matt Ryan there In over a decade in over a decade. Yeah all the 13 plus years. That's gonna be different. Yeah different isn't bad but it's gonna take some adjustment right for The for the new quarterbacks coming in for the offensive line working with new guys for the coaches for so many different things Matt's footprint and his legacy here is huge It will go on Through the history books, right? But now that they're turning the page here with OTA's look They're gonna make mistakes. There's gonna be pre snapped this There's gonna be inaccurate throws. So when you see the tweets come out, right? Let's not panic and let's not put a hierarchy of where Marcus is and where Desmond is and where Felipe is right, but these quarterbacks these quarterbacks can move right and I think it's it's gonna be interesting to see What kind of command they have and how they're able to kind of run this offense knowing full Well that that that Marcus is probably gonna be the alpha as we start the offseason program Yeah, and I think that's not something that is unknown You know, like I know a lot of people are talking about Desmond getting some reps and everything and he's going to get his reps I mean, I think we're so far away from the start of the season that to talk about a day one Starter and who we think it'll be is kind of doing a disservice to the process of OTA's and training camp and what this coaching staff can learn about Marcus Mario to and Desmond Ritter So I but I do go back even in saying that I do go back to what Arthur said the night that Desmond Ritter was drafted He was like, you know, Marcus is the veteran in that room. He's played a lot of NFL football That matters. He's played in an Arthur Smith system that matters I think that they will still be learning about Desmond Ritter throughout the next three ish weeks and throughout training camp And they'll still be learning about Marcus too. I'm excited to see just these guys Out there. I know that goes back to my very first thing But like I really am excited to see how Desmond pushes Marcus and Marcus pushes Desmond. I do think that this pairing is going to be Beneficial for both guys and I think that there's sometimes you can't say that about every competition In every position group But I do feel like you can say that about these two guys because I think they both And this is a theme that we've talked about over the course of the last few months is like this team has something to prove I think this Quarterback group Marcus and Desmond and Felipe to they all have something to prove Desmond wants to prove that he should have been a first-round pick Marcus wants to prove that you know, he was a first-round pick and he deserved that and he Honestly, like just getting back into a starting rotation is or not even a rotation a starting role That's what he's trying to prove that he is that guy. He still is that guy and so that to me is Very interesting. It's a very interesting storyline when you're heading into OTAs and then training camp and then, you know, the first of the season. Yeah And when you look at it, I was asked in the most recent bear mail that came out on Monday Who my biggest Surprise was going to be this season like a bold prediction in May type of thing I said, look, you can go ahead and alert freezing cold takes and that's fine And when he if he doesn't win the a starting job being rubbed in my face, but I said Marcus Mariota I just have a feeling that because of the environment He knows the the the scheme and because Desmond Ritter is here to push him Desmond Ritter I thought said it so well during his last press conference Where he basically said look that that he looks up to Marcus He that they have similar skill sets that there's a healthy respect for one another But they're gonna push each other and Desmond Ritter for as much as I think that they'll like working together I think Desmond wants the number one job Yeah, right, but I I think that's a good environment for Marcus to be in he's not being handed anything If he's gonna want to prove that he's an established starter in What may be his last opportunity to do so, right that he's gonna need to be at his best early and learning and then performing and Producing right so I think this is a good environment for him I still go back to the fact that he was the number two overall draft pick for a reason, right? Not every number two overall draft pick works out, but I think that he has the skill set Especially when paired with the skill players here that he can Cordero Patterson in the backfield I think there's an opportunity for him to thrive We're not gonna know about that for three or four months But back to your point is that That this is a good opportunity to see these guys run around to see what it looks like With a truly mobile quarterback and to see what Arthur Smith is going to come up with to accentuate These guys talents, so I think it's gonna be fascinating and look quarterback is gonna be a hot topic Yeah, we're gonna talk about this for so long. I mean this is gonna. I think that's fine I do too. I mean, it's fun because we haven't been able to say that right over a decade And that's nothing against Matt Ryan having an established guy at quarterback that you trust is a luxury and it is great Now the Falcons don't necessarily have that luxury anymore And it's gonna be everybody's gonna want to know about this position and how Desmond Ritter looks how Marcus Mariota Looks how they're connecting with Kyle Pitts and Drake London and etc. Etc All of that is going to be a topic of conversation until a starter is named and even then even then it doesn't even if Marcus is Starter day one I think we're still gonna be talking about Desmond Ritter and his progress Throughout the course of the season as well, and I think because he wasn't the number eight overall pick He was the number 74 overall pick. There's no Assumption or commitment to him being the long-term franchise quarterback So at first we have the who's gonna be the day one starter question And how do they fit in like in into this offense question? And how is Desmond Ritter doing over the course of the year question? There's also a bigger one I know Arthur Smith is focused on 22 doesn't like talking about 23 But the bigger question is are one of these guys Marcus Marriott is only 28 are one of these guys Your long-term answer at quarterback and that's gonna be an overarching question for a long time heading into 2023 when they may have to make a new decision Mm-hmm on the quarterback or they may feel really comfortable with who they have and they can focus on other things So I think for all those reasons it's gonna be fascinating to watch these guys and dissect it And I'm sure the coaching staff will like roll their eyes at us sometimes and we'll drive them nuts because we're going so far into it But it's such a you need so important. Yeah. Yeah, so look We're not gonna have an answer tomorrow or Thursday when we start, you know tweet and stuff out But it's all small pieces of information on a bigger puzzle So when you're when you're reading the stories on Atlanta Falcons comm when you're on social when you're seeing these little videos and snippets of action, right? Stored away add it all up make an informed opinion down the road as opposed to quick. Yes. I'm lecturing. Wow Honestly, do you know how far that lecture will go on Twitter? It will not go very far. No, I mean I think it you're absolutely right, but at the end of the day everybody wants to To consume immediately. That's what the game of social media is you consume immediately make a snap decision in a snap judgment Mm-hmm, and you're telling people not to write They're gonna be really like Scott like we chill let us have our fun Scott. I know all this kind of high and mighty Football as academic academia academia. Thank you. There you go. Whoo. So Marcus Mario at a Desmond Ritter Felipe Franks Especially those working with the first unit are gonna be throwing to a basketball team the core of past catchers here which if you subscribe to this podcast if you don't please do has been a major topic of That wide receiver was a major need. Well, they went out and spent the number eight overall draft pick on a guy named Drake London Who in addition to being a pretty awesome football player average 29 points per game as a high school or in basketball? If you haven't seen his 540 don't do it, but he's six three and Audentate is six five and Kyle pits is six four Six four. Yeah, right that you're that's a big Cordero Patterson six to six. I mean, I guess we can include a six two guy I mean, yeah And but the other thing I think about when I think of all these guys Drake London huge catch radius Kyle pits massive wingspan huge catch radius So you can be on target or maybe a little off-target and still get a completion out of these guys I think that's gonna be important for this offense as they start to kind of get in sync But Arthur Smith, of course said hey, look, I don't Against a Lama day Zakiya. No, he said I don't discriminate under wide receivers under the under six foot Which is nice, which is super nice of him to say and then he goes on to say I love a Lama day Zakiya It's one of my favorite professionals. I want to ask him why OZ is his favorite He said he said that a few times. He has I know and that's nothing against OZ like we've talked to him a few times I enjoy talking to him and he's made some clutch plays 100% but for Arthur Smith to say this is my favorite professional my favorite guy to coach Intriguing I will be asking that at some point over the course of OTA's and or training camp be on the lookout for it Yeah, I think it's gonna be interesting and to see how this group comes and Evolves right because there's so much new here and there was so much new that needed to come in Because Calvin Ridley is out for the entire year Russell gauges in Tampa Bay Frank Darby as we've said a bunch of times was the only is the only returner with at least one reception Outside of OZ outside of OZ. I was at the time. He was tendered yet and signed his yeah Thanks for the clarification that that would have garnered a couple of you. Oh, yeah I got your back, bro. Thank you. So as you look at this wide receiver core I think there's intrigue there that this is this is another group where you thought major need Can they take care of it all in one year? And now I think that's still a major question mark, but How is that group gonna come together? Expecting a first-year wide receiver to be like do what Justin Jefferson did is pretty difficult I think because it's so complicated the position But going in to see Drake London against veterans at rookie mini camp He's against you know try out cornerbacks and it's half speed and now it's still no contact But at least it's gonna be maybe AJ versus Drake or Casey Hayward versus Drake Those are the types of match-ups that even if they're not truly physical that I really want to To see play out. Yeah, and I also I've noticed this when I sit and I write stories about the Falcons offense just over the overarching Idea of the Falcons offense. I tend less to write wide receiver core and just receiving weapons Yep, because I think you can't put Kyle Pitts with Drake London and with Brian Edwards He's not he's a tight end and Arthur Smith I think would say he's a tight end first and foremost that's our tight end and and so I think even though he is Gonna be one of the most important receiving weapons same exact thing for care Cordero Patterson He's a running back, but he is one of the most important receiving weapons That I think is the scope of what this offense wants to be is that they have And it comes up all the time the versatility to keep defenses on their toes Not knowing what they're gonna do with CP not knowing what they're gonna do with Kyle Not knowing what they're gonna do with Drake I think that is what makes this Falcons offense and Arthur Smith and the entire offensive Coaching group. I think that's their goal is they want to be a confusing offense And so when you're talking about Wide receivers and how important it was that they rebuilt that position to me. It's more. It's it's more than that It's more than just the receivers it or the wide receivers. It's all about these other pieces as well So the six-round tied in John Fitzpatrick had his first rookie mini camp press conference The other week within five minutes of him taking the podium with a microphone in front of him He said a phrase he said positionless football. Yeah already already. We're here He'd only been there in flour he brings for like 48 hours. Yeah, he'd already heard the term positionless football Which I think goes to what you're saying is that they you're right to to say all right Well, Kyle Pitts can only be involved in this cuz he's a tight end or you know what I mean to bring their positions in I've been asked a lot. Well, how much is Cordero gonna play in the backfield? Do we need to put an RB by his name? No, it's just why at the end of the day. It doesn't matter I know Arthur Smith is very like he gives he gives you a hard time or not you a hard time But he gives people a hard time about depth charts like during the season and it he just kind of like me Like depth charts aren't a thing. It's just kind of like we know It's one of those things where it's like so who so who cares about who's starting if Kyle Pitts isn't out there the first snap It's that package. Like, you know, it's it's very interesting to me how they view What they have versus what I think traditionally we view lineups and how they're used and We're gonna see skill players moving all over the place and to forget about Brian Edwards in the basketball team. He's six foot three right. Yeah He's he's gonna fit right in but in order for the skill players in the quarterbacks to do what they do You need a pretty good steady starting five. Yeah upfront on the offensive line It could be that the offensive line looks exactly like it did last year. Yeah, Caleb Magari at right tackle Chris Lindstrom at right guard Matt Hennessey center Jalen Mayfield left guard Jake Matthews left tackle It could be but it could it's very possible that That gets jumbled up somewhat and I think that that's gonna be again We gotta wait till pads get on before we know what's going on there But just I think off offensive line is gonna be really intriguing to see not only who lines up where But how they operate with a mo a truly mobile quarterback Yep, and how how they operate it I think is gonna be fascinating because there is some competition there now Well, I think I've said this before and maybe I said on the podcast or maybe I wrote and I'm not sure but I am Very interested in seeing this offensive line in training camp I think that group maybe more than any other group on this entire team is the one with the most competition I don't think that anyone It anyone's position is safe And I think Arthur Smith has said that like we want to he talks about competition and having competition all the time And finding these nasty guys up front Outside of maybe Jake because you know, they just extended them for three years and outside of Chris Lindstrom who you know They just picked up his fifth year option. I Wouldn't put money down on anyone. I think there's going to be a Significant competition maybe not now at OTA's but when we get to training camp. I was actually talking to Coach Ledford who's the offensive line coach a couple days ago Well actually knows around the draft when when they took Justin Schaefer and I asked him I was like how excited are you to get to training camp and he was like, huh, you know You could just see like the excitement like oh, yeah I want these guys to go like beat up on each other essentially and he didn't say that but I'm paraphrasing like but that's what you want from these guys You want to understand who you have and in offensive line is such a interesting position because we're talking about position battles, but Collectively as a group of five That's really important to how they work together There's a lot of moving parts when it comes to offensive line, and I know offensive line doesn't sell It's not a sexy topic like any of that kind of stuff But it is going to be so important when we're talking about What happens over the course of OTA's what happens over the course of training camp and when we get into the season And you have to have answers at some point before you kick the ball off on September 11th, right? Because we saw the Falcons offensive line last season kind of evolved during the course of the year after some earth after some early Struggles because daily mayfield was playing right tackle a lot that they didn't have a set starting five So I think as we move through the Off-season program as we get into training camp We start seeing where some of these new guys are lining up and who's working with first units I know our drives Arthur Smith nuts But nonetheless to see how this whole thing is is gonna shake out is really interesting And it's not like we're talking about Drake London or we're talking about Desmond Ritter We're talking about offensive line play I know but I think it without the office without the offensive line play Yeah, there won't be a lot of highlights to talk about no You're not gonna see Marcus Mario to take off for you know five yards if this offensive line came block for him 100% Now the Falcons defense Defense if you're a Falcons defender and you're listening to this podcast one Thank you to you I feel like a little slighted The whole time and now we're like running down to the end of it. Oh PS There's a whole other side of the ball. That's been completely remade. Yeah So when you get to that side of it There's a lot of new pieces there. Yeah, who were you most excited to? See over the course of these OTA Line up anybody knew anybody old that you want to I mean I I don't know how many times I've said this and I'm gonna say it again I feel like this podcast has just been been me Reiterating all of the points that I feel like I've already made but which is right about where we are It's time for some action and the OTA's exactly to give it to us. Yes, finally Casey Hayward and AJ Turrell. I am so excited to see That pairing like and I know that in OTA's it's different because you know how the pads on you really don't have them going 100 miles an hour down the sideline or anything like that. You don't have them bumping all the way down. I mean that's I'm just excited to see those two because I think that that those two change what Dean peas can do in front of them and I think that's really important I think having Isaiah Oliver back is gonna be really important I I really want to see what he does this year. I know he's on a one-year deal Because I believe this again people might think this is hot take But I do believe that he for a majority of that his time in Atlanta has been playing out of position and it wasn't until the back half of the 2020 season when Raheem Morris moved him to nickel and then Dean peas kept him there that we really saw What Isaiah Oliver could be and I think you know now he's coming off of ACL That sucks, you know, there's no if ands or buts about it It's not good, but you have this one. He's on this one. You're prove it deal. He has AJ Terrell beside him He has Casey Hayward beside him and then you have you know your deep safeties you have Richie you have Jalen Hawkins. You have Eric Harris is coming back I mean, I think that this secondary with AJ Terrell and Casey Hayward kind of being the anchors of it Changes things for Dean peas and what he can do. I think that's what I'm excited about. Yeah, and When it comes to secondary play you will probably get a clearer picture of what they're doing and how they're operating at OTAs and things like that then you will The guys up front, but that's not gonna prevent me from saying a guy that I'm Fascinated to see not only in these early OTAs But over the course of the entire off-season and training camp and that's another Georgia Bulldog on the team Lorenzo Carter. He's a guy that he's had five sacks before. He's a big strong guy intriguing talent He was one of the early early er free agent signings I think and you actually covered Georgia when he was there. Yeah, us a little Scouting report. Yeah, I'm like, what what can I expect? Yeah, so I really enjoyed my time covering Lorenzo Carter It was the year that it was him and Nick Chubb and Sonya Michelle and they decided to come back I think that was the bit that was the big storyline of that year is when they went to the national championship Lost Alabama, but we won't talk about that. But you know one be Baker Mayfield in the Rose Bowl and then goes to the national championship and It was that year that they decided to come back. They all could have gone into the draft But they decided to come back and I think Covering Lorenzo Carter in that year. He I mean it was just the picturesque year Even though they didn't win the national championship, but for a guy like Lorenzo Carter It was he it was just like his length always caught my eye I mean you think about the he the one moment I think that every Georgia fan or college football fan will remember is in that Rose Bowl when he blocked the blocked that kick and in double overtime and and that was just You saw his link there like you saw you saw why he is the player that he is and so and I think that Talking to him when he first got to Atlanta He was talking I guess flyer branch, but you know But he was talking about you know his he felt like he was finally coming along and then he has the Achilles tear And then last year was all about just trying to get back into The forum that he thought and then I think you saw in the last five games of last season what really good It's really good. What he can be and what he hopes to be. I mean he had like a sack in every single Every single game the last like five weeks of the season had a lot of tackles for loss like I mean it was a Significant time for him. It's showing and I think that's why he was willing to take a one-year deal is showing teams That person that you saw for those five games That is who I am not what you saw before when I was trying to get right with the with the Achilles all that kind of stuff It's this guy and so I think I'm excited as well to see what he can does especially because you know He's gonna play a big role because that outside linebacker group is so young They have so much so young so you're so young like I was talking to Ted Montecino Who's the outside linebackers coach and he was like, you know It's nice because you can kind of build them and morph them into what you want because do you think? Audet Ogenday. She's the second-year guy you have Arnold Evacchetti and D'Angelo Malone Two rookies. Mm-hmm. These guys are young They have a lot that's gonna kind of be thrown at them in this year particularly having Lorenzo Carter They're as a guy who really wants to prove like I am the guy. I think that's it's gonna be good. I I think it's it may not be Significant sack numbers good, but I think for their part all their personal growth. It'll be good Yeah And they're gonna need him as you pointed out to play a major kind of stabilizing role That means good against a run that means creating havoc in the backfield something that they struggled to contain Even slightly mobile quarterback. So we're looking for improvement from this defense knowing it's kind of a multi-year project But there's so much new here from the quarterback spot all the way through the defensive backfield. It's gonna be interesting It's gonna be tough for us to remember the right numbers for the right guys. I know everybody's so different I think I think Rashawn Evans is 54 and that was foyer and I'm just like, I don't know Yeah, and it'll be interesting to see how these guys come together for the first time So be sure to stay tuned to Atlanta Falcons calm for all of your Falcons content needs there There will be lots of good stuff and again Rate review subscribe to the Falcons final whistle podcast to our friends over at Falcons audible They're awesome as well and please come down to the stadium and say hi. Yeah, so much friend questions Yeah, we're super excited to finally be able to interact directly with with fans You'll get to see our faces in real life real life And we're gonna do all that on June 3rd. So come on down can't wait to see you and we'll talk to you soon