00:00Mark, much fanfare today with the new unis dropping.
00:04What has your reaction been, and what have you seen from Falcons fans in general about the new unis?
00:11I guess mixed. I guess mixed would probably be my best guess as to what I've seen on social media.
00:19Personally, I'm not on my thing.
00:23You know, it's fine, but I've really never cared what my favorite teams have worn.
00:31As long as they're winning games, it doesn't matter to me.
00:34They could be wearing a tutu and a tiara, it does not matter, as long as they're winning games.
00:40But it seems like it's been a mixed bag, and I think they look sharp.
00:45I know that some people were not happy.
00:47They wanted something different, stripes on the sleeves.
00:51But I think they look fine.
00:54Mark, do you know why that surprises me a little bit?
00:56Because your passion for wrestling and how important the attire is for wrestlers for their gimmick.
01:03I'm a little surprised.
01:06100%, but this is not wrestling.
01:09You know, it's a sport.
01:11And in a sport, it's about the competition.
01:14It's about the wins and the losses.
01:16It's not about the performance.
01:18And wrestling is different, right?
01:20Wrestling is an aesthetic business.
01:22It's show business.
01:23It's entertainment.
01:24And football is entertainment as well, there's no doubt.
01:27But, again, it's winning and it's losing.
01:31And that's really going to be the thing that...
01:34If the Falcons start winning in 2026, Turtle, the fans are going to be very happy with these new uniforms.
01:40Yeah, no, and you're 100% right about that.
01:43All right, so to the best of your knowledge, what's going on with the Drake London conversations?
01:52Well, we got a chance to get in front of Ian Cunningham for, you know, about 30 minutes on Monday
02:00in Arizona at the owners' meetings.
02:02And I asked him about that, and basically the message was, this is a new staff, right?
02:09This is a new regime in Atlanta.
02:12And they are still focused on what Ian Cunningham described as a second wave of free agency.
02:20So I would expect the Falcons to be doing some more things here in the next few weeks as far
02:26as free agency goes.
02:27And then, of course, there's the draft.
02:29And once that is over, Ian Cunningham said that is when they will then focus on things like extensions for
02:36Drake London, for Sean Robbins.
02:39Doesn't mean he's not thinking of it.
02:40He did say that it's on top of mind.
02:41That was the quote.
02:43But there's a focus on other things right now for a staff that is kind of playing catch-up a
02:49little bit, right?
02:50Because they are new.
02:52There's a question in my mind that I wonder if it's going on right now.
02:56And, Mark, there's no way for us to know, so I'm just curious about your opinion on it.
03:00Do you think that they're going to hardball him a little bit?
03:03Because if you look at the – and the reason I'm asking, because I think the market is split basically
03:08in two lines when it comes to wide receivers.
03:10There's your top three or four guys with Chase, Jefferson, Nakua, who's going to get his.
03:16And that's about it.
03:18There's maybe Justin Jefferson, maybe one or two other guys.
03:21I think Drake is in that – in the top of the next tier.
03:25But, Mark, unfortunately, what that means for him is about six, seven, maybe $8 million difference in what he's going
03:32to get annually.
03:34Yeah, absolutely.
03:35I think you're definitely – I think you know that on the head.
03:39I do.
03:40I do.
03:40I think that there will certainly be some give and take in negotiations, and they're going to feel it out.
03:47And, you know, we're going to see.
03:50The thing is, is that it's really hard to have any kind of prediction of what this new front office
03:58will do, Turtle,
03:59because we just don't have the history yet.
04:01We just don't know what their priorities are going to be, what they're looking for.
04:06We don't really know also the long-term vision necessarily.
04:09We have an idea.
04:11We have kind of like a skeleton of what they've talked about as far as being a long-term vision.
04:16But we knew the old staff, right?
04:18We kind of knew what Terry Fontenot was going to do because there was that history there.
04:22There was the things that he had done previously.
04:24Ian Cunningham has never been a GM before.
04:27Matt Ryan has never been a president of football before, right?
04:30So we just don't know what this group is going to do.
04:34And I guess we have to wait and see.
04:35This is going to be, you know, I would argue that the Drake, London, and Pajon Robinson potential extensions
04:42are going to give us kind of a feel for what this front office is going to be like.
04:47I think it's a really good point because in terms of the draft that's coming up, I've
04:52been reading mock drafts every day, Mark, and there is zero consensus out there in terms
04:57of what the Falcons are going to do at 48.
04:59I've seen all of the following picked.
05:01Corner, offensive tackle, defensive tackle, and wide receiver.
05:06All taken at pick number 48.
05:08With the signing of Darnay Holmes, bringing back D'Angelo Malone, the signings of Harris
05:14and Tindall, do you think that direction has been swayed in any one specific way?
05:20I don't.
05:21I really don't.
05:22I think that it really, and this is going to be trite.
05:26This is going to be mundane.
05:27This is not what talk radio is all about, Turtle.
05:31But I really do think they're going to look and see who the best player available is when
05:37their time comes up or, and if nothing moves them at number 48, maybe they trade back and
05:44they try to get some more picks.
05:46Now, one of the things that I asked Ian Cunningham on Monday in Arizona was about his affinity
05:53for picks and how the Falcons only have five.
05:56And I said that.
05:57I said, you know, you guys only have five.
05:59And he cut me off as I'm asking the question.
06:02And he said, for now.
06:03So take that, take that for what it's worth.
06:07I do think that at some point the Falcons will be at least attempting to compile some
06:13more draft picks.
06:14Talking all things Falcons with our good buddy Mark Ramonde of ESPN.
06:17Make sure you check out all his great work at ESPN.com.
06:20So piggybacking off of that, the Kyle Pitts trade rumors won't die either.
06:24Is that a dot worth connecting?
06:28Maybe, maybe.
06:29And that was also something that I asked Ian Cunningham on Monday.
06:32I did ask him about that.
06:34And he gave kind of a non-answer.
06:36He said that he's looking forward to getting to know Kyle Pitts and, you know, getting forward,
06:41you know, looking forward to seeing him play this season for the Falcons.
06:44But he also said it is his job and it's their job as a front office to listen to potential
06:50offers.
06:51So I would not, I don't, I don't see, I don't foresee that happening.
06:57Because, I mean, we talked about this before on this very program turtle.
07:01What, what is going to be the compensation for Kyle Pitts?
07:04And is that compensation going to be more than the value that Kyle Pitts will bring to this
07:10team in 2026 at the $15 million in change that he's getting paid?
07:15And I would argue, unless it's a second day pick or better, that would not, that would
07:20not be the case.
07:21And I mean, maybe, I mean, a high fourth round pick, maybe would, would, would sway, you
07:28know, would sway them.
07:29But I just, I just feel like Kyle Pitts, for what this team needs right now, is more valuable
07:36than what he could possibly bring back in a trade.
07:39So we all know about the reported quarterback competition that's going on.
07:43And Mark, the one thing I can't wrap my mind around is, what type of competition can you
07:48really have if Penix isn't ready?
07:52Well, you're not counting Trevor Simeon in that discussion?
07:57No.
07:57No, I mean, there's no, there's, I mean, the only competition that Michael Penix Jr.
08:02is having right now is with himself.
08:04And that's to get himself ready as quickly as possible.
08:08And I don't even want to say as quickly as possible.
08:11He has to get ready to the best of his ability to be as healthy as possible now and beyond,
08:18right?
08:18Moving forward.
08:19Right.
08:19Because that's what they keep saying publicly, Mark.
08:22They keep saying the only thing we care about for Penix right now is him giving 110% to
08:28his rehab.
08:28That's it.
08:29We're not thinking about anything past that.
08:33Did I lose you?
08:35No, I got you right here.
08:36I was saying so.
08:37Oh, sorry.
08:37No, I was saying so.
08:38The only thing they've said publicly about Penix is that they want him just to focus on
08:43his health and nothing else.
08:44That's it.
08:46Yeah.
08:46And that's the right answer.
08:49You know, that's the right answer.
08:50This is still a guy that he tore his ACL, which is his third one in eight years, in November,
08:57right?
08:58That was not that long ago, honestly.
09:02And him being ready for training camp, I still think is, I mean, maybe he'll be ready
09:07during training camp.
09:09I don't know if he'll be ready for day one of training camp.
09:12I would find that hard to believe, knowing what we all know about torn ACLs and when people
09:18come back from those injuries, right?
09:21So it's, you know, Tua is going to get the reps right now.
09:24He's going to get the reps in OTAs.
09:26He is going to get the reps, probably, you know, the first team reps early in training
09:32camp.
09:32And they're going to take it from there.
09:34So it really will not be a competition until Penix is healthy.
09:39And when that is going to be, it's still not something that any of us could really predict.
09:45Before I let you go, you think I'm crazy to think that Kirk Cousins is going to Vegas
09:48to be the starter?
09:51He's going to be the starter.
09:54That's what I think.
09:55He's going to be the starter.
09:55That's what I think.
09:56He's going to be the starter.
09:58And I mean, they have, they have, Clint Kubiak has been, has been pretty clear that he, that
10:03his, that his vision, right?
10:05That his, his belief is that he would rather not start a rookie at quarterback from day
10:12one.
10:13So I could see Kirk Cousins being the starting quarterback there, but maybe even the entire
10:192026 season.
10:20I think at some point there'll be a competition and he'll get pushed, you know, but we, we
10:24don't really know, you know, we don't really know, um, what Mendoza will be at the next
10:28level.
10:28But I do, I do find it interesting though, because of all the cities that Kirk Cousins could go
10:36to, and I'm not saying it's a bad fit from a football standpoint, but the wholesome Kirk
10:42Cousins in Las Vegas, in Sin City, the evangelical Christian, Kirk Cousins, right?
10:51Great, great guy.
10:53Tremendous.
10:53Wholesome.
10:54Family man in Sin City.
10:57Kirk Vegas.
10:58How about that?
10:59So you don't think he's getting an apartment on the strip is, is what you're saying?
11:02I mean, I'm saying, I don't think we're going to be seeing Kirk Cousins at the Spearman
11:06Rhino Turtle on a, on a Friday night.
11:09I can promise you that.
11:12Uh, no.
11:13And I don't think that's what he did here in Atlanta either.
11:15I just think he lied to the team and sabotaged his whole career, but we know that story is
11:20now officially over and done with.
11:22Mark, appreciate you as always.
11:24We'll chat soon and we'll check you out at ESPN.
11:26Thank you, Turtle.
11:27All right.
11:27That is our good buddy there, Mark Ramonde.
11:29Can you imagine Kirk with the shirtless, with the chains on in the middle, just like laid
11:34out, arms on either side of the couch of the Blue Rhino, just taking it up.
11:39Let me ask you this.
11:40Just taking it all in.
11:42Over under the number of casinos, Kirk Cousins visits, or he's in, while he's in Las Vegas
11:50for more than 30 minutes.
11:52You know why the answer is zero?
11:54Why is that?
11:54Kirk Cousins has never lost a penny in his life.
11:58This is very true.
11:59And he will not do that in Las Vegas.
12:01He will not do that in Las Vegas.
12:02All right.
12:02When we get back, more of your calls, A, do you like the new Falcons uniforms?
12:07Let me know why or why not.
12:08And B, are you a collector of swag?
12:10Do you collect jerseys?
12:11We had a bunch of different great callers collecting pins from different travel sites.
12:15I got somebody says that they get tin trackers from breweries.
12:20That hit me up on Twitter.
12:21Thanks to Jay.
12:22Let me know.
12:22Are you a collector of swag in general, or do you just want the Falcons to win?
12:26We'll also get to some brave, true, and false questions with O.
12:29That's coming up to start the 7 o'clock hour.
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