WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.960 Hey everybody, this is your GM, your back row 00:00:01.960 --> 00:00:03.620 dom, it's your GM who currently is not on the 00:00:03.620 --> 00:00:05.419 team right now, but don't you worry about it, 00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:08.000 Kale, here to bring you episode 6 of the Stack 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:10.240 and Shed series. Now in this series, we're covering 00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:13.960 all 32 teams, so nobody is neglected, everybody 00:00:13.960 --> 00:00:17.059 gets a turn, okay? Now in this series, we're 00:00:17.059 --> 00:00:19.699 covering a few different topics, and those topics 00:00:19.699 --> 00:00:23.500 include what went wrong, what do they need, Stack 00:00:23.500 --> 00:00:26.620 or Shed, their draft picks, one move I would 00:00:26.620 --> 00:00:29.000 do in their cap space. Now, in this episode, 00:00:29.100 --> 00:00:31.800 we're covering the Falcons. So buckle up. It's 00:00:31.800 --> 00:00:33.280 going to be a little bit crazy, but we're going 00:00:33.280 --> 00:00:42.920 to get through it. So let's lock in. All right, 00:00:42.920 --> 00:00:44.640 let's get into it. So what went wrong in the 00:00:44.640 --> 00:00:46.859 Falcons season? And I would venture to say it 00:00:46.859 --> 00:00:49.210 was a lack of quarterback stability. Going into 00:00:49.210 --> 00:00:51.229 last season, we knew that Kirk Cousins had become 00:00:51.229 --> 00:00:53.729 frustrated with the organization, and we also 00:00:53.729 --> 00:00:55.869 knew that there was mounting pressure for Michael 00:00:55.869 --> 00:00:58.109 Penix to start. Now, I don't believe that if 00:00:58.109 --> 00:01:00.490 Kirk Cousins or Michael Penix became the week 00:01:00.490 --> 00:01:02.329 one starter, that it would have changed the outcome 00:01:02.329 --> 00:01:04.370 of the season. Because at the end of the day, 00:01:04.390 --> 00:01:07.469 the Falcons are still far away from being contenders. 00:01:07.590 --> 00:01:10.670 Now, according to NFL Pro, in the nine games 00:01:10.670 --> 00:01:14.230 that Michael Penix started, He was 276 attempts 00:01:14.230 --> 00:01:19.790 for 166 completions, 1 ,982 passing yards, nine 00:01:19.790 --> 00:01:23.010 touchdowns, three interceptions, 7 .2 yards per 00:01:23.010 --> 00:01:25.549 attempt, and a 60 .1 completion percentage. In 00:01:25.549 --> 00:01:28.060 the 10 games that Kirk Cousins played, He was 00:01:28.060 --> 00:01:34.379 269 attempts for 166 completions, 1 ,721 passing 00:01:34.379 --> 00:01:38.140 yards, 10 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 6 .4 yards 00:01:38.140 --> 00:01:40.920 per attempt, a 61 .7 completion percentage. Now 00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:43.760 ask yourself this. Do you believe that the Falcons 00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:46.379 offense played better under Michael Penix or 00:01:46.379 --> 00:01:48.659 Kirk Cousins? Somebody let me know under the 00:01:48.659 --> 00:01:50.959 comments on our YouTube page at Football Junkies 00:01:50.959 --> 00:01:54.250 Pod. Because, honestly speaking, neither one 00:01:54.250 --> 00:01:56.489 of them played significantly better than the 00:01:56.489 --> 00:01:58.689 other. Now, I know someone's rebuttal is, well, 00:01:58.709 --> 00:02:01.689 Kurt Cobanks and Kyle Pitts was cooking the Buccaneers 00:02:01.689 --> 00:02:04.129 defense on that Thursday night game. They were 00:02:04.129 --> 00:02:06.629 dipping and dying all over the field, and the 00:02:06.629 --> 00:02:08.969 Buccaneers defense didn't have the answer for 00:02:08.969 --> 00:02:11.889 it. Kurt Cousins can do no wrong in my eyes. 00:02:12.150 --> 00:02:14.150 Now, with that being said, what do the Falcons 00:02:14.150 --> 00:02:16.349 need? And that is more patience from ownership. 00:02:17.000 --> 00:02:18.919 Better decision making on building the roster 00:02:18.919 --> 00:02:21.639 and stability at quarterback. Now I understand 00:02:21.639 --> 00:02:23.659 that Arthur Blank wants to experience winning 00:02:23.659 --> 00:02:26.099 football again. And I understand that he wants 00:02:26.099 --> 00:02:28.120 to experience being in the Super Bowl again. 00:02:28.259 --> 00:02:31.240 But he needs to be honest with himself. You still 00:02:31.240 --> 00:02:33.599 have a question mark at quarterback. You still 00:02:33.599 --> 00:02:35.180 need to figure out what you're going to do at 00:02:35.180 --> 00:02:38.599 other positions on this team. And you need to 00:02:38.599 --> 00:02:41.740 figure out if Kevin Stefanski is the guy. So 00:02:41.740 --> 00:02:44.539 when you factor all these things in, you need 00:02:44.539 --> 00:02:47.180 to be a little bit more patient. Now, am I saying 00:02:47.180 --> 00:02:49.240 that Raheem Morris was going to be the answer 00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:52.199 to all of their troubles? No. But I think Raheem 00:02:52.199 --> 00:02:54.020 Morris showed enough towards the second half 00:02:54.020 --> 00:02:55.620 of the season where you can say, you know what, 00:02:55.719 --> 00:02:58.360 let's run it back one more time. And if you ran 00:02:58.360 --> 00:03:00.479 it back one more time and you had the same outcome 00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:02.580 that you just had this past season, then get 00:03:02.580 --> 00:03:04.919 rid of him. But you can't just say, we want to 00:03:04.919 --> 00:03:07.000 be competitive, we want to win a championship, 00:03:07.199 --> 00:03:09.960 but you're continuing to fire head coaches in 00:03:09.960 --> 00:03:12.840 less than three years. At some point, you have 00:03:12.840 --> 00:03:15.099 to give these coaches a chance. This stuff takes 00:03:15.099 --> 00:03:17.759 time, and it also doesn't help when you continue 00:03:17.759 --> 00:03:20.120 to make dumb decisions when it comes to this 00:03:20.120 --> 00:03:22.539 roster. And since we're talking about the roster, 00:03:22.719 --> 00:03:25.319 let's talk about the former GM. How is it that 00:03:25.319 --> 00:03:27.819 he was able to give a $100 million contract to 00:03:27.819 --> 00:03:30.300 Kirk Cousins, who's coming off a torn Achilles, 00:03:30.520 --> 00:03:32.960 draft Michael Penix with the eighth pick in that 00:03:32.960 --> 00:03:35.879 draft class, and then retrade back into the first 00:03:35.879 --> 00:03:38.639 round to draft James Pierce, who's no longer 00:03:38.639 --> 00:03:40.259 going to be able to play in the league again? 00:03:40.379 --> 00:03:42.699 Those are the type of decisions that push your 00:03:42.699 --> 00:03:45.620 team back by years but you wouldn't know that 00:03:45.620 --> 00:03:47.740 because all you're looking at is the play on 00:03:47.740 --> 00:03:50.379 the field and not looking at the roster construction 00:03:50.379 --> 00:03:53.219 the roster construction is just as important 00:03:53.219 --> 00:03:55.379 as what you see on the field but you wouldn't 00:03:55.379 --> 00:03:58.039 realize that because you're so focused on winning 00:03:58.039 --> 00:04:00.599 and the way that you're going about trying to 00:04:00.599 --> 00:04:04.629 win is the wrong way As I've said before in multiple 00:04:04.629 --> 00:04:07.770 episodes, every single chance that I get, the 00:04:07.770 --> 00:04:10.770 only way that you can truly be competitive and 00:04:10.770 --> 00:04:13.990 win a championship is if you hit on your draft 00:04:13.990 --> 00:04:16.709 picks and you have an infrastructure of success. 00:04:17.319 --> 00:04:19.860 If you don't have those two things in play, you're 00:04:19.860 --> 00:04:22.040 not going to be successful. I don't care what 00:04:22.040 --> 00:04:24.240 receiver you have. I don't care what running 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:26.459 back you have. I don't care what offensive lineman 00:04:26.459 --> 00:04:29.699 you have. It won't work. And that's been a problem 00:04:29.699 --> 00:04:33.079 with the Falcons for a very long time. Now, stability 00:04:33.079 --> 00:04:35.300 at quarterback is a little bit tricky, and here's 00:04:35.300 --> 00:04:37.240 why. We all know that Michael Penix is still 00:04:37.240 --> 00:04:39.220 recovering from injury, and we know he won't 00:04:39.220 --> 00:04:41.439 be able to hit the field anytime soon. We also 00:04:41.439 --> 00:04:43.779 know that Kirk Cousins is going to be released 00:04:43.779 --> 00:04:47.019 at the start of the new league year, find a bridge 00:04:47.019 --> 00:04:49.600 quarterback for the time being. Now, the question 00:04:49.600 --> 00:04:52.240 is this. If you're the Falcons, even though you 00:04:52.240 --> 00:04:54.120 don't have a lot of draft picks, do you at least 00:04:54.120 --> 00:04:56.339 take a swing on someone like a Kay Klubnick, 00:04:56.500 --> 00:04:59.060 a Garrett Nussmeyer, a Drew Aller? Because at 00:04:59.060 --> 00:05:01.180 this point, you won't have an answer to this 00:05:01.180 --> 00:05:03.779 problem until Michael Penix gets healthy and 00:05:03.779 --> 00:05:05.740 you figure out what you're going to do at quarterback 00:05:05.740 --> 00:05:08.300 long term. Now, with that being said, the question 00:05:08.300 --> 00:05:10.680 we all need to ask ourselves is stack or shed? 00:05:10.920 --> 00:05:12.779 And I would venture to say stack. And the reason 00:05:12.779 --> 00:05:14.819 why I say this is because there's no need for 00:05:14.819 --> 00:05:17.019 you to shred what you have right now. Instead, 00:05:17.199 --> 00:05:19.740 you need to learn from your mistakes move forward, 00:05:19.819 --> 00:05:22.220 and create a realistic plan on how you're going 00:05:22.220 --> 00:05:24.319 to change things around. Now, if that means that 00:05:24.319 --> 00:05:26.279 you have to trade away somebody, okay, fine, 00:05:26.439 --> 00:05:28.500 do it. If it means that you have to cut somebody, 00:05:28.779 --> 00:05:31.360 hey, oh, well, it's a business. And let's be 00:05:31.360 --> 00:05:34.379 honest here. The Falcons are operating in a cycle 00:05:34.379 --> 00:05:36.639 of insanity, hoping for a different outcome, 00:05:36.779 --> 00:05:38.879 and it's not going to happen. Now, the only way 00:05:38.879 --> 00:05:41.019 they can break out of this cycle is by admitting 00:05:41.019 --> 00:05:43.019 that their current approach to the game of football 00:05:43.019 --> 00:05:45.779 is outdated and unsuccessful. Now, when we look 00:05:45.779 --> 00:05:47.399 at their draft picks, they have their second, 00:05:47.480 --> 00:05:49.939 their third, their fourth, their sixth, and seventh. 00:05:50.100 --> 00:05:52.220 Now, what I'm about to say is very controversial, 00:05:52.459 --> 00:05:54.829 but just hear me out. I think the Falcons have 00:05:54.829 --> 00:05:56.769 a chance to sneak into the first round. And the 00:05:56.769 --> 00:05:59.209 reason why I say this because this draft class 00:05:59.209 --> 00:06:01.089 doesn't have a lot of blue chip talent, right? 00:06:01.189 --> 00:06:03.670 It is talented, but it doesn't have that type 00:06:03.670 --> 00:06:06.089 of talent that we've seen in previous draft classes, 00:06:06.189 --> 00:06:08.550 which means that a lot of teams are probably 00:06:08.550 --> 00:06:10.870 going to trade down or just trade out of the 00:06:10.870 --> 00:06:13.889 first round altogether. I believe that the second 00:06:13.889 --> 00:06:16.689 and third round is the sweet spot in this draft 00:06:16.689 --> 00:06:18.850 class. And I believe there's going to be a lot 00:06:18.850 --> 00:06:21.610 of high quality players that everybody wants 00:06:21.610 --> 00:06:23.519 that's going to be in those drafts. draft classes. 00:06:23.600 --> 00:06:25.819 So if you're the Falcons, could you possibly 00:06:25.819 --> 00:06:28.439 entertain the idea of maybe trading into the 00:06:28.439 --> 00:06:30.740 first round? Now you may have to give up a player 00:06:30.740 --> 00:06:33.779 or you may have to tap into the 27 draft stock, 00:06:33.939 --> 00:06:35.920 but you're going to have to do something. However, 00:06:36.120 --> 00:06:38.300 if you feel like the draft board is working in 00:06:38.300 --> 00:06:40.560 your favor, then just stay put. But remember 00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:43.639 this, when it's time for you to submit your pick. 00:06:44.129 --> 00:06:46.970 Please, please, please, please, please make sure 00:06:46.970 --> 00:06:50.129 you make the right pick. Do not do anything stupid 00:06:50.129 --> 00:06:53.170 because I promise you, if you do something stupid, 00:06:53.410 --> 00:06:55.529 you're going to lose the fan base, which I mean, 00:06:55.529 --> 00:06:57.689 you've already lost the fan base right now. But 00:06:57.689 --> 00:06:59.329 you know what? That's another story for another 00:06:59.329 --> 00:07:01.800 day. All right. Now, the one move that I would 00:07:01.800 --> 00:07:04.259 do is sign a veteran bridge quarterback, specifically 00:07:04.259 --> 00:07:06.579 somebody that has worked with Kevin Stefanski. 00:07:06.779 --> 00:07:09.079 Now, the first person that comes to mind is Joe 00:07:09.079 --> 00:07:11.500 Flacco. But hear me out for a moment, and I know 00:07:11.500 --> 00:07:13.459 this is going to contradict everything I just 00:07:13.459 --> 00:07:16.199 said. What if you can try to smooth things out 00:07:16.199 --> 00:07:18.800 with Kirk Cousins? Hear me out. If you're the 00:07:18.800 --> 00:07:21.420 Falcons, if you're Kevin Stefanski, what would 00:07:21.420 --> 00:07:24.180 it take for Kirk Cousins to stay with the Falcons? 00:07:24.420 --> 00:07:26.860 Because I don't believe the relationship is just 00:07:26.860 --> 00:07:29.660 burned all the way. I do believe you can work 00:07:29.660 --> 00:07:31.779 through it. But the only way that you can work 00:07:31.779 --> 00:07:33.879 through it is if you put everybody in the room 00:07:33.879 --> 00:07:36.319 and you hash it out. I think if you run it back 00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:39.259 with Kirk Cousins just one more year, I think 00:07:39.259 --> 00:07:41.399 that's good enough. Because right now, outside 00:07:41.399 --> 00:07:43.980 of Joe Flacco, there's no other good options 00:07:43.980 --> 00:07:46.040 available. Are you going to pay 30 plus million 00:07:46.040 --> 00:07:48.439 for Malik Willis? No. Are you going to trade 00:07:48.439 --> 00:07:50.459 for Tua? No. Are you going to trade for Kyle 00:07:50.459 --> 00:07:52.920 Murray? No. So then what are you going to do 00:07:52.920 --> 00:07:55.079 at quarterback? Now, if you're Kirk Cousins, 00:07:55.160 --> 00:07:56.939 you probably have a thousand and one reasons 00:07:56.939 --> 00:07:59.180 on why you want to leave the Falcons. But just 00:07:59.180 --> 00:08:02.120 here. me out. You had success with Kevin Stefanski. 00:08:02.180 --> 00:08:04.259 You know that if you don't go to the Vikings, 00:08:04.439 --> 00:08:06.660 you're not going to be successful anywhere else. 00:08:06.879 --> 00:08:09.180 Even if it means you have to take a reduced salary. 00:08:09.579 --> 00:08:12.000 Do it. Because at this point, if you go anywhere 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:13.740 else, they're going to treat you like a bridge 00:08:13.740 --> 00:08:16.100 quarterback. No one is going to commit to you 00:08:16.100 --> 00:08:18.699 long term. When we look at the Falcons cap situation, 00:08:19.019 --> 00:08:21.540 they have 30 .6 million, which isn't bad, but 00:08:21.540 --> 00:08:23.240 they can create more if they restructure some 00:08:23.240 --> 00:08:25.579 deals, cut a few people, trade away some people, 00:08:25.699 --> 00:08:28.000 you know, the same generic business stuff that 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:30.740 every single team does, right? Now, do I expect 00:08:30.740 --> 00:08:32.679 the Falcons to be big players in free agency? 00:08:32.940 --> 00:08:35.399 No. I think at best, they'll probably be really 00:08:35.399 --> 00:08:38.179 active in that second and third wave free agency. 00:08:38.379 --> 00:08:40.799 However, I do expect the Falcons to try to re 00:08:40.799 --> 00:08:42.659 -sign some of their players, such as Drake London, 00:08:42.960 --> 00:08:45.480 Kyle Pitts, and maybe some players on the defensive 00:08:45.480 --> 00:08:47.379 side. But I'm going to end this episode here. 00:08:47.500 --> 00:08:48.960 If you guys like what you are listening, please, 00:08:49.080 --> 00:08:50.440 please, please, please, please make sure you 00:08:50.440 --> 00:08:52.539 guys leave a five -star, five -star, five -star, 00:08:52.539 --> 00:08:54.759 five -star, five -star review on anywhere and 00:08:54.759 --> 00:08:56.480 everywhere that you can listen to podcasts, okay? 00:08:56.639 --> 00:08:58.940 We are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 00:08:59.179 --> 00:09:01.320 and a few other places. Now, if you want to access 00:09:01.320 --> 00:09:04.379 those other places, go on Google, type in rss 00:09:04.379 --> 00:09:06.860 .com football junkies podcast. It should be the 00:09:06.860 --> 00:09:09.240 first link. Click on that link. It'll take you 00:09:09.240 --> 00:09:11.940 to our rss .com page where you can listen to 00:09:11.940 --> 00:09:14.419 this podcast on your online browser. 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Make sure you guys like, 00:09:35.220 --> 00:09:37.450 share, subscribe, turn on notifications. bell 00:09:37.450 --> 00:09:39.490 and leave a comment down below let me know your 00:09:39.490 --> 00:09:41.190 thoughts on anything and everything that i have 00:09:41.190 --> 00:09:44.029 covered in this episode as well as other episodes 00:09:44.029 --> 00:09:47.169 am i right am i wrong let's talk about okay you 00:09:47.169 --> 00:09:49.950 can follow me on tiktok at football junkies pod 00:09:49.950 --> 00:09:53.110 football junkies pod i got a whole lot of clips 00:09:53.110 --> 00:09:55.470 i gotta post give me some time all right you 00:09:55.470 --> 00:09:57.909 can follow me on instagram at football underscore 00:09:57.909 --> 00:10:00.529 junkies pod football underscore junkies pod junkies 00:10:00.529 --> 00:10:08.750 pod is now what It is together, not spaced. Okay. 00:10:08.789 --> 00:10:11.830 It is together, not spaced football underscore 00:10:11.830 --> 00:10:14.990 junkies pod. You can follow me at blue sky at 00:10:14.990 --> 00:10:22.029 G M kale, G M K a I L E. All right. G M K a I 00:10:22.029 --> 00:10:25.230 L E. You can follow me on Twitter at G M kale, 00:10:25.370 --> 00:10:29.730 G M K a I L E. All right. As always, I hope I 00:10:29.730 --> 00:10:31.750 gave you guys a fix that you guys need. I love 00:10:31.750 --> 00:10:33.710 you guys. I appreciate you guys so much. Thank 00:10:33.710 --> 00:10:35.429 you guys for listening to the best football. 00:10:35.529 --> 00:10:37.610 podcast that you can listen to on a week -to 00:10:37.610 --> 00:10:40.090 -week, day -to -day basis. And this is your GM 00:10:40.090 --> 00:10:42.309 Kel signing out. Peace and love. Later, guys.