I mean, can he stay healthy, right? The last thing
I remember seeing for Marcus, Mariota is week, one
Monday night football against the Ravens. He takes off on
a nice run. He hurts himself, holds his hamster, know
whatever May seen him. Lately. May have seen him on a cameo
later in the year. But that was it. Yeah, I remember he had
that game against
the Chargers. When
Derek Carr had the groin injury. It was a prime-time
game in 2020. He came in and had a good game, but you can't
count on to stay healthy. He's got the five-year relationship
with Arthur Smith from there.
Time together in Tennessee, but
surely he's not the end. He's the beginning.
They got to be thinking something and I don't know if
they're thinking about maybe drafting someone or if they've
got something else up their sleeve but Marcus Mariota can't
be
and maybe it is. Maybe it is, maybe you're right. Maybe
they're just gonna they're just going to mail it in or phone it
in or whatever. The right saying is I never get that
right? Or I never feel confident about mail it in or
phone and I think both work,
but maybe that they are the same pizza. Maybe they're just
going to say what the hell,
what the hell? And it's Here, that this is the year. This is
the year to say.
Let's go get it because
the NFC is weak right now, right? This is a weird year. It
is a weird have C. And your the Falcon you say have forget
forget this let's just
let's go sell or two dollar hot dogs and call it a day,
but I'm kind of surprised that that they pivot so quickly too
while we may be something with the Sean Watson to
it'll be 2023 before you know it. Yeah. No, I know and you
know, I think they thought That they got to Sean Watson. They
were going to have to take some lumps for a year or two as
well.
I do think that but
my get it is, it is fascinating,
it is and I do think Elena would the Marcus Mariota move.
That's what it is. It's hey, let's see what happens, you
know, if he plays awesome great. Maybe we got a guy and
we got a quarterback for the next four or five years.
Maybe but II would also think that yes, there's a plan here
whether he's
the quarterback just threw this year. And they dabble and draft
options coming up here soon,
or if they're just going to go, we're going to get Marcus
Mariota and kind of way all options here throughout
the next year. And then we'll figure out next offseason
whether we, you know, like that quarterback draft class, or if
there's a
free agent quarterback, that's going to come about there that
fits our team. But Atlanta, you know, is weird team. They are
weird in the fact of this.
They totally exceeded expectations last year
the fact that they were seven and ten to me. He was one of
the more Miracle things that happened in football last year.
They had no business being seven and ten
and you really look at their team and you go. Wait, what
exactly was it that made them win? Some of these games. They
weren't supposed to win.
We can't really name. A lot of people on defense. They just
lost their best player and the linebacker for a
boy asada lueck on, right? He goes to Jacksonville. So
the offense, you know, they had the issues and Calvin Ridley.
Laughed. And we know that running back is no star. Their
offensive line solid but nothing special.
So it was amazing that they went 7 and 10 last year.
So it's going to be a little bit of a,
you know, a knock on the head for Atlanta Falcons fans this
year. Because I think this is a scenario where you're going.
We're going to try to take a step back to go, two steps
forward here in the future,
and we're going to have to do this. And within doing that.
Yes, they're not going to be very good. They got to rebuild
their team that makes sense for how they play on defense.
Fence. And like we said on offense,
what? Who is there to talk about their stock? I'll pits
Cordarrelle, Patterson, and that's about it. I mean,
there's nothing else that you look at and you go. Whoo,
man. Atlanta they got this one area on the team that you look
at and go, wow, they could be something. So, you know this,
there's nothing there and they'll get Cordell Patterson.
He's going, I'll play quarterback. He might as well.
He plays every other
position on the field, but
that's my two cents with Atlanta. I guess a little Mike.
I don't know if you agree with it or not. But that's kind of
how I look at it.
Well and as you're explaining it, I'm going back and forth
with the idea that it was smart for them
to tear it down and it was dumb for them to tear it down.
I mean they were 7 and 10 last year, there were seven dollars
going into the final two games, right. The thing about Atlanta
last year if they would win, it would be closed if they would
lose
it would to be dominated. Yes. Be Christ. Yeah, right,
but but I think the key
is something we haven't mentioned yet. I think what?
Cause them to reassess their situation.
Was the decision to Tom Brady to come back to the Buccaneers?
I think that's what change the analysis
could get. Cuz
you know, if Brady is gone and we didn't know what the Bucks,
we're going to do it quarterback, but Brady's gone.
Sean Payton's gone. Drew Brees is gone. The Panthers are
a mess right now. They can't get anybody to go play quarterback
for them. And so hey, we got Matt Ryan. We were 7 and 10
last year. We kind of hold it together.
Maybe we can make it interesting. Then Brady comes
back. So I called. Well, sorry that well. Hey, we can get
the shawl W and Calvin Ridley goes, right. I mean that that will
really was before Italy happened before Brady, but
I know you're ready. Coming back was the thing that caused them
when they had the deal in place. It was reported. Like
I said, as fact that they'd restructured the Matt Ryan Deal
to keep them around and reduces cap number by by 12 million
from forty eight point six six. It would it was the highest cap
charge
ever until he was traded yesterday and the dead money
left behind of 40.5. 25 million was the highest dead money,
charge a team. Ever
taken for one player,
but I think the pivot
and it gets filled by many things. But I think the Tom
Brady return was one of the big factors because this is a team
that was not uncompetitive. Although. Yeah. I'm looking at
their net points
- 146 points to go 7 and 10 and to be able to, pour my Senate,
right? They've kind of beyond the teams that were even to
them and they got their asses whooped against the team that's
were better. And
that's why it's weird, and you're right, but go ahead.
Mike. I didn't mean it. Interrupt you there. Now?
I just I, but
the idea is, we assume we assume these teams.
Have very meticulous, careful, deliberate planning and maybe
they do, but it can change in the blink of an eye blink of
an eye. And I don't think I've seen a strategic shift for any
team happen, as organically
unexpectedly and swiftly as the Falcons in the past week that,
I guess that's my overriding point here. The thing was
moving in One Direction. Moving in One Direction, then they get
the call about the Shan. Whhat's. After. And
and they're like,
well, you know what?
I know we're Suddenly at we're Suddenly at a fork right in
the road. Right? Well for Kit, let's go and
they, you know, they shoot their shot with Watson knowing
knowing
that the aftermath even if they don't get to Sean Watson, and
I'd love to know when the light that's me to about the real
thing that you
don't get DeShaun Watson, right? We're done with Matt
Ryan, right? I think they went into it. Hey, Matt's mature.
Understands where I can have a baker, Mayfield problem here
where you're right, nose out of joint. He understands what
we're trying to die will be fine with Matt Ryan
because because Chris they would have traded him last
Thursday. They wouldn't have asked for four more days. If
they were done with Matt Ryan, agree. They do the deal then.
That's why I brought this up, I did
to me. That's the sense. I've gotten here from some people,
the league that this is, I don't know exactly how it went
down. But the Watson thing,
you know, started the conversation in that building
to wait. Maybe we should just move. To the next phase,
whether that's DeShaun Watson, or we don't get them. We rip
the Band-Aid off, take our lumps. Yeah, dead cat money and
do that. And that's where I'm, I am intrigued by this.
Yes, Michael, like you're saying here.
I don't know. That is the million dollar question. When
did the light go on to go? Okay, we didn't get Watson or
whatever. However, that played out and to go.
Okay. Well, you know what? It's time to move on, from Matt Ryan
here, too. And let's start, you know, a new era here in linen.
I'm with you. That's what I'm fascinated by. I would love to
know.
They brought back Cordarrelle, Patterson through it all.
That's what's weird. It's this mixed bag. Like why do you need
Cordarrelle Patterson? If you're going to phone it in /,
mail it in this year. Maybe you need somebody that the fan base
gets excited about or somebody that the
fantasy football crowd cares about. Although
if they don't have very good quarterback play,
Cordero Patterson isn't going to have quite the impact that
he had last year because he becomes the guy. The only guy
that you're really worried about on offense him and pits
unless
unless Mario to stays
healthy. I mean, I'm
Into this assuming that he's not going to play all 17 games,
not because of skill, but because at some point, he's
going to get banged up and he's not going to be able to keep
going. So they've got a lot of work to do.
Yeah, and I don't know. I don't know who else they end up
getting. Whether there's a veteran out there that they had
or whether they target somebody in the draft, but I feel like
they still have work to do,
and I feel like they still have a chance to be competitive this
year. Even if they are deliberately choosing to take
their lumps. Now post Matt Ryan and that's always the
T, when you separate from a franchise quarterback, there's
going to be a reckoning in the form of a gigantic cap number
because you've been kicking the can in the final years of
the relationship into a future cap year.
When you rip the Band-Aid off, with a pre June 1 transactions,
he last year Drew Brees waited until after June 12, officially
retire, the team wait until after June 12, put him on
the reserve retired list. So they were able to spread the cap
charge over two years
for the Falcons, are taking it. All right? Now, 40.5, 25
million right now that leaves 168
million, I think to work with, for their, for their team,
right? But but that's the reality, after 14 years.
That's where you are. And after 14 years. Here's where the