 What's up everybody and welcome to another edition of the Falcons Final Whistle podcast I'm Scott Bear alongside Tori McElhaney and drum roll please It was just like a pause for dramatic Yeah, and and that and that voice that you just heard that you don't recognize is the one of Ashton Edmonds And bring a new member of the Falcons digital slash editorial team Yeah, he's gonna be writing tons of big features for us lots of great be coverage. Yes Yeah, and is graduating from North freaking Western. Yes a lot So so we have a couple big announcements on this podcast and now and the first one is the fact that Ashton's joining us full-time. We're so stoked tell Falcons fans kind of where you come from and how you ended up here Yeah, man, I'm from so I'm from Florida Pensacola, Florida born and raised Move to Pittsburgh for a few years and then moved back to Florida to Tallahassee and they're my undergrad years at Clark Atlanta So I'm very familiar with the Atlanta area literally walking distance from Mercedes Ben So this is truly a full circle moment for me and just to be back here in Atlanta You know, I grew up watching Michael Vick Roddy white You know Matt Ryan all of them guys and and just to be back here in this space is truly a blessing So I'm happy to be here man. Yeah. Whoa, and now you're getting ready to tell stories about Marcus Marriota Yes, Torrell and what are your first initial impressions of how this Falcons team kind of looks? Yeah, now that you've got a chance to meet Terry fontano and Arthur Smith. Yes those guys No, I think this team is really great I think the new pieces that they added on this roster is gonna be amazing. Um, it's a it's a relatively young team Yeah, so they have a lot of potential to grow to build around these guys And you know, I think the defense is probably like one of the biggest stands out to me Especially the secondary one with you know, Casey Hayward and AJ Torrell and Richie Grant and all them guys I think the defense is gonna do really good this season. So and Terry, he's he's amazing. He's amazing all of Arthur Just the whole just the whole team and I'm you know, they're really great. Please Find the man on Twitter and Instagram at AE 11. Yes couple underscores to underscores Yep, that's key. Follow the man. Gosh, you've already got 300 plus followers Man, every day is every day is like five new followers on the rise. Shout out to Falcons fans Yeah, man, keep it coming and something else that's super exciting that's coming down the pike Tori McElaney is going to be co-hosting. Yeah, I didn't know where you were going with this I was like, there's nothing. Yeah, I like to keep you in the dark I'm good to say on our toes But nonetheless Fridays at midnight throughout the course of the season Tori McElaney Kelly Price are going to be hosting rise up tonight There's tons of exclusive Falcons content. I'm staring at Tori McElaney right now You can't see her but she's like seriously giddy with excitement. We're all so stoked for her Big announcement came on good day Atlanta. Yeah this morning. Tell us some more about it. Yeah, I'm really excited. We are the first I think and only Female led sports show love it in the Atlanta market and that is something that is very very It's something that I never really thought that I would do TV was never something that I really wanted to thought that I wanted to venture into it all But Kelly has always been someone who's very much been in my corner And she presented this opportunity to me and she's like I think it would be great and she's like we're kind of breaking ground a little bit here And that was something that was very very near and dear to my heart. So I think I'm really excited I'm like 60% or 60% excited 40% nervous. I feel like that's a good ratio. It's a great ratio It keeps you on your toes a little bit like you know, but I am really excited and yes Friday nights at midnight Kelly and I are gonna be we're gonna be doing some hot takes Which is something that Arthur Smith hates and that's kind of while we're doing it Right like and then we're gonna be going over some Falcons fits, which if y'all follow me on Instagram y'all know y'all know How much I love a good fit session? Fit check should I say and yeah, we're also gonna get into like some scheme stuff, too I mean shoot. It's a football show. So definitely gonna I think it's gonna be fun and I'm really excited about it So she's gonna be we're all gonna be busy over the course of this football season Right in the big long-form features that you like this Falcons final whistle is gonna keep rolling throughout the course of the season And the offseason you're gonna be hearing and reading and seeing us quite a bit in this market I think it's fair to say and with lots of kind of hot takes Instant reaction and now that we're into training camp. We're into our second week of training camp Wow lies when you're having fun and I don't know what day it is Yeah, that's a yeah, that's a thing with training camp that I don't think many people like realize is like We actually have no idea like what day of the week it is. We have no concept of it, right? It's only because there's a literal calendar Yes, got cheating don't let him play That I do know that it's Tuesday because it says the word podcast on top of it So that's my clue. So over the course the next 25 or so minutes We're gonna break down our early impressions of the Falcons in what is a very intriguing Training camp because there's so many position battles and so many new faces around here We're gonna take a look at some early camp standouts. We're obviously gonna have to look at the line of scrimmage Most notably the offensive line We're also going to talk about a word that Arthur Smith uses a lot that sounds like coach peak But in this case is really really real and that's competition I mean, it's the cut the competition is fierce and is heavy and of course, we're gonna end it talking about quarterbacks because you know We got it. Go to it does seem essential. So so let's just hop right into it here. Let's talk a little football and go with Early impressions who's really stood out to you Tori over the course of this Early portion of training camp I was going to be like really off the wall and say somebody that like no one's really hard of But then that would be wrong of me because no one has caught my eye like Kyle Pitts has yeah And I really truly think that we are watching a We're watching a player that I think is we always talk about Arthur Smith saying that he's always scratching the surface of what he Can be in this league and I really do think like just watching him out there right now I'm just kind of tearing some DB's up left and right on occasion some linebackers up I think that we are seeing something really special in Kyle Pitts It's something that I think we saw in year one that now I honestly feel like we know Kyle Pitts a lot better In year two I I just feel like just looking at the guy that we talked to like a couple weeks into camp last year Versus the guy that we talked to now It is night and day with this guy And I think he understands that he is one of the primary faces of this franchise in a year That is very very transitional in a lot of different ways and just seeing him out on the field and kind of being a Leader and seeing the physical attributes of which he has it was funny My dad came to practice on Monday. It was the first day of pads and the coach Mack Yeah, and so the in the first one of the first things he says Kyle Kyle Pitts was working with Justin Peel Who's the tight ends coach and he said he's like man. He's like he's a specimen He's like he just look he's like he just looks different and it's true I think a lot of people like We talk about Kyle Pitts a lot being such an important part of this offense But to just see him go out there and do some of the physical things that he can do on the field It's really it's really stands out in my mind Yeah, I think the way he carries himself to that there's an air of confidence that definitely isn't cocky No, he just has a real belief in in himself and his last press conference, which I thought was really good He talked about finding his voice as a leader Maybe not as a raw raw guy, but just as a way to encourage Those under him and I think he understands and accepts the responsibility that's coming to him He knows he's gonna see double teams He knows he's gonna have to produce and score more than one touchdown. Maybe you might be a good thing Yeah, and maybe do it on US soil. That's just I'm just throwing it out there, right? Maybe Pro Bowl doesn't count. No, I know it does not and I will I will throw hands with anybody who says differently No, I won't I'm scared But I do think though that all these things that we're talking about with Kyle This it's it's fine to bring him up as a standout here because he looks Thank you. Thank you. It's comfortable. Yeah. Yeah, and that's really the key thing and the most fun matchup Which leads to Ashton standout is when Kyle Pitts goes up against a cornerback that Ashton Just being here for the last two weeks. You're starting to see AJ Terrell Yes, what are your thoughts kind of seeing this guy work in practice every day? Yeah, nah He this is his third year. He looks very much confident very much comfortable in this defense You can tell he's always in a right place at the right time And you could tell he's starting to step up into that leadership role And I think you know DPs is looking towards him to be a leader on this defense and especially in the secondary And just playing alongside Casey Hayward That's going to develop his game tremendously You know Casey is a veteran in the NFL and you know just playing alongside him. It's gonna be amazing So AJ Terrell has really been doing good. And you know in training camp and I'm super excited for him this season Yeah, he just doesn't he just doesn't make mistakes. Here's the thing about AJ is I think it's you talk about him being in The right place at the right time. That was something that I thought was very evident on Tuesday's practice It was like this there there was a play where Marcus Mario to launches the ball I don't even know who it was who it was to tell me your bird. Yes, and it should have been a touchdown It should have been you it should have been a touchdown and AJ just comes out of the air and just barely Last I can look barely tips it and it may it looked like this It looked like the easiest play that ever was but to be able to do that like in that moment and to Recognize where he is and to have like the body control to do what he did to make that play I was just like dang. Yeah, like the He's he's gonna get his recognition. Yes. I really and his size is is amazing like he's a perfect size cornerback I think he can match up against smaller receivers He can match up against really tall receivers and I think that's the edge that the AJ Terrell has over a lot of people Yeah, and he just he's so consistent. Yeah, I'm never too high too low always a tough test for Kyle Pitts Somebody that I want to bring up despite the fact that Arthur Smith does not like Complementing rookies who haven't done anything in the NFL at all. I generally Follow that same right. Oh, yeah I'm gonna go ahead and break my own rule here and talk about Drake London because over the over the course of this early training Camp period one he looks physically bigger in person just standing next to him. He's a big dude He's a tough dude and the thing that impresses me the most It's not that he doesn't drop the ball or that he's made plays downfield He seems to have like a bag of tricks to create separation. Yes He'll do a small hesitation or his footwork is precise enough where it will it will Get a defensive back to bite just enough to create space for him to make the catch and him being consistent I think him being dynamic in that way is something that is really intriguing to me First year wide receivers They don't all produce at the level that they will eventually not everybody's Justin Jefferson, right? Who's gonna come into the league and just Do amazing, but I really think that there's a good foundation here. I don't know if he's gonna have a thousand yards I don't know if he's gonna be get votes for offensive rookie of the year, but I like what I'm seeing now I think he's an impressive player and you and we we talk about Pitts, right? He needs somebody to take pressure off of him and you talk about AJ and Drake needs to go up against AJ AJ's still winning most of those battles. Yes, right But you need him to be tested in that way. I think AJ's being tested I think that's a good thing I think Drake London is showing up early and it it's at least a positive sign that maybe he can show up in September and October and be a force for this team and really fit in with the scheme as well as The Falcons think he can be he was the first receiver off the board. How many draft nicks were like, well, they should have taken X Y or Z Garrett Wilson or Chris a lot of a or whomever literally anyone else There are a lot of people that are like what in the world like this doesn't make any sense And it's like but it makes sense for what the Falcons want and need right now. Thank you You're welcome point for toy right there But the only way that these guys can operate is if the line of scrimmage does its thing. Hey, oh, right? How about that for a transition? I loved it honestly That was nice But there are position battles Across the offensive line. We talk a lot about Right tackle center left guard Right tackle. We've seen Caleb McGarry be with the first team all the time Jermaine to Fetty be with the second team all the time The other two have not been that way now. We've seen drew Dalman and Matt Hennessy rotate They and I will say this they are rotating daily Like Arthur Smith made the comment on the very very first day of practice That they wanted to get a fair assessment of those two and that they were going to be getting as equal reps as they possibly could And sometimes I'm like, yeah, sure. Okay, but no They are tracking this and they I don't I really believe that they are looking at it. Like this is drew Dalman's day This is Matt Hennessy's day and they are legit going back and forth every day Then let's let's let's talk more about that because you asked Arthur Smith during his Tuesday press conference Kind of what differentiates them. What was his answer there? Yeah, I asked him, you know At some point you're gonna have to make a decision as to who you want to be the starting center And I was like, so what do you need to see Over the course of the next three four weeks from both of these guys in order to make that decision come week one Of the season and he said he was like, you know, the physical stuff Obviously goes without saying he was like, but I really want to see Their command and I thought that was really important. Like can they command this offensive line Can they help out Marcus mariota or Desmond Ritter when they need to and that was something that I asked both Drew Dalman and Matt Hennessy about after practice. I was like, what does that look like for you and both of them said Something similar in that like they want to be the people that Others come to when they have a question about the offense and they want to be able to command In the meeting rooms as much as they want to be able to command on the field And I thought that was a really interesting point That Arthur Smith made about really wanting to see that command happen And how Drew Dalman and Matt Hennessy are kind of enacting that in and of themselves day in and day out Like think about how spoiled this franchise has been at that center spot. Yes. Have you gone from Todd? McClure Essentially to Alex Mack. I'm not saying, you know, but there were some missteps along the way But but the but they've had two Generational type centers and they're looking for that next player and I think intellectually center. You just have to have it You do Elijah Wilkinson. He's got some starting experience. He's played lots of right tackle, right? Um He's kind of like asserting himself in that spot as they try to find The front five that they can run with all season. Yeah, I mean, I think it's really interesting because when it comes to Elijah Wilkinson and Jalen Mayfield because that's what we essentially believe the competition to be I think that it was interesting That we have seen so much of Elijah Wilkinson I'm not saying that I'm willing to call the left guard position now and that it's, you know, Elijah Wilkinson's spot Can I foresee him being the starter? Absolutely at that spot But am I willing to call it yet? Not necessarily because I just I need to see more and right now I think a big misconception of training camp is that we can see so much and we Learned so much and while we do learn a lot You I really don't think you learn as much as you do Until you get to those like live preseason games Especially for the line of scrimmage, and I'm talking offensive line and I'm talking defensive line, too And so I'm really interested to see how Elijah Wilkinson works with that collective Five whatever five that is Um, that's something that I'm very interested to see in the preseason games because I think right now It's a little bit like oh, okay. Like we're seeing them, you know, bump pads every now and again But there's a live tackling right now. No guys are not going a hundred percent right now. So to get to that point I'll be very very interested to watch The offensive line but particularly that left guard spot and and there's going to be plenty of good opportunities for it not only Over the course of the three game preseason slate, but they have joint practices against the Jets and the Jaguars So we're going to see some guys differentiate themselves I still think Jermaine if Eddie's going to have an impact on this line somewhere Do you think that we'll see him at all over the course of the next couple weeks rotate in there with the first team? He hasn't at all. Not yet at right tackle. I talked to Caleb Um earlier Tuesday, he seems very confident in where he is physically where where he is mentally and the fact that he's grown Each and every year I think he looks at this as a big year and he doesn't look at them not Picking up his fifth year option as like a mortal insult He seems to take it as like yes, it's a piece of motivation But he's not going to let that cloud his judgment or his emotions or get in the way of his work And I think that's a really good outlook to have as he tries to really establish himself there He's going to compete like heck that's just in his nature And I think it's going to be interesting to see how that shakes out the reason why I brought up Jermaine is that he's played inside too. So I think that at some point he could factor in but we We do need to see more You know the the the one thing we talked about this offensive line Ashen it has to get the running game going. Yeah a little bit, you know, you got Patterson back there Like those like those two things have to work hand in hand. That's true. That's very true, man This offense, you know matt ryan was set 40 times last year This offense the line has to improve, you know, not only in the past passing game, but in the rushing game Um, cordial Patterson, he's a he's a veteran, you know, and you have some young guys back there But you know, I think that's going to be a focal point going into this season Is the running game. I think that needs to improve drastically And um, you know, I think that right tackle spot and the left tackle spot is is going to be something that Arthur Smith is going to focus on for this offensive line Yeah, and when you look at it across the board, right, we're talking about position battles up front There's uh, some sorting to be done in the running back room and everywhere else Competition competition competition, right? We we keep hearing it. It's often coach speak But it's kind of real, right at this point And we've definitely seen it play out and it's pretty intense practices for it being this early point in in camp Yeah, the practice on saturday. So oh, so great It was without question one of the most fun practices that I feel like I have gotten a chance to watch in a long time Now granted I add a little asterisk to the side because kovat protocols makes things Made things so difficult over the course of the last two years to like, I don't know but it was So I'm trying to like accurately explain like that practice and how competitive I felt like it was Because there were so many moments that really stuck out to me. I know everybody's gonna Everybody already knows about there were two fights and someone got kicked out. Blah blah blah I know I know that but outside of that. It was a very competitive Practice and there was one moment in particular where they were running some db's versus receivers and It was drake london versus d alford and D got drake just went up over him in the end zone and it was it was a fantastic play It's one of those that you're like, oh, that's why they got drake london. Well, then D alford goes over to john hoke who's a secondary's coach and they're talking they're talking and then two plays later Same play not with drake london, but same exact play same ball placement same route and d alford goes out there and Knocks the ball down. It was it was back and forth the whole practice But it was it was a super clean practice like it was intense But like you can tell all all of the players were in the right positions Everybody knew what they were doing and I think you know if this that falcons team or this falcons team can go Into the season with that mindset with that intensity and aggressiveness. I think they can really be good Yeah, you see marcus, uh mariota who isn't a super emotional guy He runs the ball in which they're allowing him to run in practice because they want the defense to get used to it and he Chucks the ball about 60 yards onto the hill into a crowd of 2,500 people If the the the person who dove for the ball then missed it and then didn't end up getting it back If there were some there were some people rolling down the hill. Yeah, there were some squabbles. Yeah The ball back, but you know what someone got it. Yeah, but I love seeing that Marcus there was another touchdown pass that he threw to drakelyn and where he gave like an uppercut Like he was really into it. I think that it feeds into that level of intensity that that you need and not only Is it competition between this team? But we're also hearing a lot about low expectations, right? And those low expectations I mean when you have this much turnover and this much dead money the low expectations come with it But the coaching staff and this team want to give a giant middle finger to those expectations And I think are using it as motivation But they also Are kind of sick of hearing about it and I think that's the that's a fine attitude to have right? They know it exists. You can act like they don't hear it They know that it exists. They're they're getting after they're getting asked about it all the time And they don't have any in they don't have any interest in it. I think that there's everybody talks about prove it Prove it prove it competition. They want to go out there and compete improve people wrong They're better than what they think whether that turns out to be the truth or not I I think it's definitely fueling them and they got that big chip on their shoulder for sure Yeah, I mean I think it's something that we talked about when Even when we were talking about this draft class and how a theme of the draft class was that they all have Something to prove and they all have a chip on their shoulder and they all have a chance to go out and play Which I think is something that doesn't always happen but I think You set me up perfectly to talk about what dean peas was talking about and I know everybody's like no tori Don't but I'm going there. I thought his if you haven't listened to his speech from over the weekend about wanting to change the mindset and the culture of defenses in Atlanta and the way that you think about defenses in Atlanta go listen to it I don't want to like put words in his mouth or anything like that But just go listen to it and I think like his sentiment about how He knows that this defense is perceived from the outside looking in And how he wants to change that I thought was very it was a very riveting conversation I think overall and it's one that it's like, okay. Yeah, like we all can say They all can say this and everything and I still believe that this is something that's going to be a two three year transition Not just like one year, but they no one on the field wants to hear that No, Casey Hayward doesn't didn't come to Atlanta to lose games and to be like, oh, like you're on you're on Atlanta's defense Like that's not what Casey Hayward came to do And I think like that's the point that this coaching staff is trying to make it's like you keep telling them like Oh, they're bad. They're bad. Like they'll start to believe it. Casey Hayward didn't come here to play on a bad defense Casey Hayward came in here to lead a team and lead a secondary. So I think That is kind of where The conversation is right now. Yeah, and I think marlin davison he talked a lot about that He said he sees the headlines. He sees things on social media But his coaches tell him, you know, don't pay attention to those things because they could really mess up their mind So I think everybody on defense has that mindset of you know Just blocking out the noise and focusing on what they can control and improving upon that and You know, I think what d&p said in the press conference, you know You could tell he really wanted to get that out and he really wanted to address that for a long time. So Man, I'm excited for this defense. Like it's so many great pieces Um, and you know, I really have a good feeling about what they're going to do this season Yeah, I think Dean's done it a couple times now or you're right He's clearly been thinking about something beforehand has an opportunity to talk about it and really takes advantage of the fact on the just Why why would you accept mediocrity? Why would you accept anything less? And I think that that's a good attitude to have is they continue to build this thing and change the culture and all that kind of stuff So much of their competitive success is going to depend upon the guys Undercenter throwing the football Going back to the first day Charles london and kind of mentioned that marcus mariota was the quote-unquote starter I think he sort of meant was the starter maybe dot dot dot Right now or if you were to go into the season right now Um, I think it is marcus mariota. It's kind of the clear and obvious qb1 here Tori and I have been saying that for months. Yep. No that that was the expectation and I think it still is the expectation but I guess I'll just open it up in impressions of marcus mariota and desmond ridder And it's really just two quarterbacks throwing a lot of passes kind of what are what are everybody's thoughts about How these guys are doing um as we progress through the summer. Yeah, I I think Again, it goes back to I just want to see more. I think I I think that From watching them. I think they have a we talk about the command of this center position And arthur smith has talked a lot about the command of the quarterbacks And that was something that charles london when we were talking to him He was like I want to he was like I want to be able to see That the install is there and they just go out and do it in that there is no and if or buts They do it they perform and we can see them perform And I think like in that regard I feel pretty confident in saying that they're at a good spot that marcus mariota and desmond ridder are Understanding the playbook understanding why they're running certain things. I feel good about saying that now I still need to see so much more from these guys because again, we're not seeing a lot of like 100 11 on 11 Series I think today was the first day. We're talking on tuesday today was the first day that we actually got to see A hurry up session right like a two minute drill Today was the first day that we got to actually see that and so I think the more that i'll be able to see that the more I'll be able to give a better answer as to Where I think they are and how I think they're doing but for for right now I do think they have a good understanding of the scheme and what arthur smith wants them to do I think there are still times when A watch a play and i'll think was that a bad throw or was that a bad break or are they not Are they working on yeah, or are they working on something that they're not quite in sync with They're working on new things that that's why it's tough to judge over the course of a couple of practices They've only had two in paths to say exactly where everybody is I will say that I think marcus mariota looks very comfortable In what he's being asked to do And I think that's a good thing For this point being in command Hearing some of the offensive line talk about the fact he's taken him out to denner He's playing golf with with with cow pits. He's getting to know this team He's being a good leader and all these other types of things. Um, I think all those things are important as he Tries to reestablish himself as an as an nfl starter So I feel comfortable at least saying that that he seems comfortable He seems like um a good not a raw raw guy, but somebody who is capable of leading this offense You know, so, um, you know how it all turns out, you know, we don't know but tbd. Yeah tbd But what are your initial impressions of ridder or uh mariota? I want to go back to what you said earlier about when he threw the ball in the crowd I think you could tell that marcus mariota is starting to feel confident really confident and getting to and get into his element Um, and I think you know if he continues to carry that same passion that same confidence Um, you know, he can be really great this season, you know, like there were there are some low expectations For this offense, but um, I think marcus mariota is it's truly tunnel vision going into this season And you know in these couple of weeks of training camp and um, I think the more he continues to learn this offense The more he continues to learn this scheme and um, just to put the pieces that are around him He's I think he can be really great. Yeah And he was talking in his monday press conference that he doesn't take this opportunity lightly That he understands what's at stake here I think he knows that times running out to reestablish yourself as A starting quarterback in this league. Yeah, there's definitely that that hourglass because he was he was a He was a strictly a number two in vegas and that's two years Yeah, if you don't take advantage of the next opportunity, will you get the next one? Yeah, will you get another one? He seems to understand the gravity of all that. I think he ended up in a pretty good position To be able to take advantage of this chance. So it's all going to be interesting to see And watch as we continue to march through this training camp We have a bunch more time to go and a bunch more podcasts to discuss everything that's going on Welcome again ashton joining the crew. We're so excited and uh, again Great review subscribe all that fun stuff and we're gonna come back and talk to you again next week