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  • 2 days ago
Dukes and Bell continue sounding off after hearing what Falcons QB coach Alex Van Pelt had to say about what he wants to see from the players in his room. Bottom line: whoever anyone *wants* to win the job does not matter. The only thing that will matter is who the coaches think gives the team the best chance to win.
Transcript
00:00All right, maybe we need to replay some of that audio from Alex Van Pelt, the quarterback's coach.
00:04We're talking about, you know, evaluating, you know, where they're at with Michael Penix Jr.
00:08And the one thing that we've been talking about from before the OTAs even started is that until Mike is
00:14100% ready,
00:15you can't really have a true competition.
00:16That was something that came out yesterday from the audio.
00:19And then we were talking about, you know, some of the footwork and says, to be accurate, you've got to
00:22have great footwork.
00:23But no matter who the quarterback is.
00:25So you and I said, look, you know, this is something we've been talking about.
00:28And we're not trying to trigger people because there are people that have an agenda.
00:32It's got to be Michael Penix or nothing.
00:34Like, that's it.
00:35That's their guy.
00:36Right?
00:36And I've said he hasn't shown you enough.
00:38And we said it's not his fault because they did some stupid stuff in signing Cousins and drafting Penix.
00:43So one guy was always going to be behind the eight ball.
00:45But then you went and got a rookie offensive coordinator.
00:48That did not help his development.
00:49We've said that's certainly not on Michael Penix Jr.
00:52So I think we've been fair and balanced.
00:54But these guys hear it another way, Carl.
00:55I'll start with the first comment here.
00:57From D, creative vision.
00:59Okay, D.
01:00Let that man develop.
01:01That's all.
01:02Everyone, please do yourself a favor and go listen to the full interview to get the right context.
01:07What do you think we're doing?
01:10We listen to the full interview.
01:12That's why we're presenting it to you so that we can lay it out and say, hey, look, it's not
01:17Dukes and Bell.
01:18This is what the coaches are saying about this situation.
01:20Why are you guys not talking about him saying Penix is accurate?
01:23Isn't that what you and everybody else have been saying?
01:24Van Pelt just debunked that, right?
01:27Well, not necessarily.
01:29Not necessarily.
01:31You know what he did say?
01:33I will tell you this.
01:34What's his name?
01:35D what?
01:35It's D dash creative vision.
01:38Okay, D creative.
01:40He did say that Penix has a strong arm and that when you have a strong arm, we know this,
01:46it stresses defenses.
01:47Elway, go through the history and the annals of guys with strong arms.
01:51You have to respect it because they can take shots that other quarterbacks can't.
01:55Okay?
01:56But he did say that.
01:57As far as the accuracy, guys, that's tied hand in hand with the footwork.
02:02The reason why Michael Penix has not had a 60% completion rate yet in his career is because it's
02:08tied to the footwork.
02:10That is what Alex Van Pelt is telling you.
02:12Go ahead, Mike.
02:13Oh, I don't want to read that.
02:14That'll make you upset.
02:15I'll read it.
02:15Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, what?
02:17Money to the moon, 55.
02:18Carl is very two-faced.
02:20Money to the moon.
02:21You just made the list, pal.
02:25Money to the moon.
02:27This is why I say they have a narrative.
02:30Okay?
02:30They haven't said anything positive about Penix in months.
02:33They have to keep up the radio narrative.
02:35That's why they cherry-picked the Pelt interview.
02:37The reason I'm telling you all this is because I'm playing both sides so that I always come out on
02:41top.
02:41Let me say this.
02:42Let me say this.
02:43Okay?
02:44About this whole, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, what am I two-faced about?
02:47Tell me what I've been two-faced about.
02:49I simply heard Tua be one of the, in one of the most honest interviews I've heard in a very
02:54long time.
02:55And then I said, let's give him a chance.
02:57All of a sudden, everybody piled on and said, Dukes, what are you talking about?
03:00We have to give him an opportunity.
03:02That's all I've said.
03:03I've not once said what my partner has said.
03:07I've not once said any of those things.
03:10I believe in Michael Penix Jr.
03:12I've not said that.
03:14So what are you talking about?
03:16Yeah, Carl, I mean, look, guys, all we've ever said, and this is where we, I don't want to repeat.
03:20I want you to read more.
03:21This is fun.
03:21The previous segment.
03:23So what should people think?
03:25Carl said he believes in Tua.
03:26So basically, he wants him.
03:28I want the best guy for the job.
03:31Mike keeps talking about his knees and the quarterbacks in the draft.
03:34Yes, because that's why other teams didn't draft Penix Jr.
03:37because of the injury history, okay?
03:40We want him to succeed.
03:42I just want someone to lead this team and be able to win and play great quarterback.
03:46And we've already talked about, now, after drafting him, we're going into year three,
03:50and we still don't know if Michael Penix Jr. can be a starting quarterback in the NFL.
03:54What's wrong with that statement?
03:55What part of that is unfair or an agenda?
03:57I also don't know that Tua can reclaim the ability and the things he was able to do last year
04:02before things went off the rails.
04:03Is he going to be the same guy?
04:05I'm very confident he is.
04:07Yeah, jiu-jitsu for sure.
04:10Now, we do have some guys that have our backs here, okay?
04:13Oh, that's good.
04:13Penix is getting the development he needs.
04:15You all have to admit, his footwork was not great.
04:17He is a natural passer.
04:18I'm 100% seeing him succeed, but he needs some tweaks and help with his fundamentals.
04:22That comes from Francis.
04:23That's the key.
04:24And by the way, I think more than anything, some of you who are hitting us up, and you can,
04:30at 404-726-0929, you know what you're most afraid of?
04:36That it doesn't work, and that this ends up being a situation where you're all in on it,
04:43and Mike, he ultimately doesn't become the star quarterback we need him to be.
04:49Right.
04:50That's sports, guys.
04:51It's the reality of where we're at.
04:53Nobody's cheering against him.
04:55As a matter of fact, when the kid was drafted, most of you who are saying what the hey right
04:59now,
05:00we're totally against the move.
05:02Right.
05:02You were totally against it.
05:03Now, this opportunity has presented itself, and he's got to work his way back,
05:07and all of a sudden, because we're not saying nice things, you have an issue with it.
05:11You're more worried, Mike, that this, you're all in on Penix, and if it doesn't work, damn it.
05:16Guys, let me be clear.
05:17I'm not trying to make excuses for Penix.
05:19That's D-creative.
05:20He says, if Tua wins the job, then cool.
05:22But what I'm tired of is this slanted narrative.
05:24What is the freaking slanted narrative?
05:27That the guy has not finished the season five of his eight years playing football in college in the pros?
05:32That's not a narrative.
05:33That's not a fact, okay?
05:35That's not an opinion.
05:36That's a fact, okay?
05:38That he had a partial MCL tear on a knee, the one he has not already had injuries to, that
05:45now he has to rehab from.
05:46And he can't do the same things that Tua is doing, and if he can't do the same things, how
05:50do you judge him to win the quarterback contest if he can't compete with Tua on the same playing field?
05:55How is that slanted?
05:57That's facting.
05:58But this is the crap that we deal with that drives me crazy.
06:01With guys that for some reason, they get in their fields if their guy gets criticized or they perceive as
06:07criticism.
06:07Because they're a fanboy.
06:09And I know people don't like to hear that word.
06:11But I don't know what else to say to you.
06:13We want to win playoff games.
06:15We want a winning quarterback.
06:16I don't care if it's Tua.
06:17I don't care if it's the guy they drafted from that jerkwater college in Minnesota.
06:20I don't care who it is.
06:21Jack Strand.
06:22Find a guy that can play quarterback and win us some games.
06:24We want it to be one way.
06:28We've wanted to be the way that it should be.
06:31Big O is in the studio behind the glass, data executive producing.
06:35You want to call us, let us know what you think, call us.
06:37Right.
06:37404-726-0929.
06:39You can tell us what you think.
06:41But you can't dismiss what the coaches are saying from Flowery Branch.
06:46And even though Kevin Stefanski has been very guarded, Alex Van Pelt was being honest.
06:53I don't have that in front of me today.
06:55Thank you, Coach.
06:56I mean, that's what I'm talking about.
06:58When I said yesterday, the answer's no.
07:00Is he playing in preseason?
07:01And you're stuttering around this.
07:02The answer's no.
07:03I don't have that in front of me today.
07:07Kev, just say no, he's not playing.
07:08And we can accept it.
07:09But because he's guarded with this, you're still trying to figure out, all right, Dukes
07:14and Bale, where exactly is this?
07:16And then the quarterback's coach comes out and says, well, he's doing what he needs to
07:18do.
07:19I mean, the footwork, we're working on it.
07:20We're working on it, Mike.
07:22Why?
07:22Because he needs it.
07:24Under center, well, he didn't do enough of that.
07:26Did I say that?
07:26Oops, I didn't mean to say that out loud.
07:28He didn't do enough of that.
07:29That's Alex Van Pelt.
07:30He's just good.
07:31And so when that information comes out, we're reacting and responding to it.
07:35And again, it's just, anybody outside of 285 sees this situation as Panix Jr. until
07:42he, you know, most people have a handle on this.
07:44You watch NFL Network, you listen to ESPN.
07:46Well, maybe not Stephen A., but most people have a handle on this, where it's going.
07:50You know, and if Michael Panix Jr. can bounce back, then we're all for it.
07:54Again, there's nothing against Michael.
07:56Have you heard our interviews with Michael?
07:57He's a wonderful person.
07:59Everybody's pulling for a young man, okay?
08:01He's also got guaranteed money, guys.
08:03It's not like if things don't pan out here, this guy's going to be out there, you know,
08:06with a cardboard sign, we'll throw for coffee or something.
08:08That's not how it's going to work.
08:10I think some people project their own personal lives into this thing as if it's a zero-sum
08:14game.
08:14And it's not.
08:16You know, even if it doesn't work out here, he's going to bounce around the NFL.
08:19Or he gets traction, wins the job, and becomes the Pro Bowl quarterback he was drafted
08:24to be.
08:24Period.
08:25You can't line up behind center because you'd have to bend your knees as much?
08:30We're working on it, Steven.
08:31We're working on it.
08:32But anyway, that's about as fair and balanced as I think we can be, my brother.
08:35Yeah, and here's the other part about this, too.
08:38You just mentioned something that I think is very important to the conversation.
08:42For all of you who are wanting, wishing, hoping that Michael Panix ultimately becomes
08:48the quarterback that we want him to be, he also has to live up to a standard.
08:53He was a top-ten pick.
08:55And Mike just said the Pro Bowl quarterback that he could possibly be.
08:59Like, it's not just being under center.
09:03It's results.
09:05It is the ranking and the standard of what people think about you and your peers in the
09:10league, Mike.
09:11And is he a top-five or six or seven quarterback in this league?
09:14And can he be that for a long time?
09:17Like, there's more to this than just, well, can he get under center and play?
09:21You were the eighth overall pick.
09:23We just talked about Drake getting his bag.
09:25You have to live up to the expectation.
09:27Bijan is living up to the expectation.
09:30So when he finally gets his chance, because he's only had 12 starts, when he gets that
09:34opportunity, there is something else there.
09:36It's not just, well, he won the job.
09:38Dude, you've got to win, and then you have to be consistent.
09:41And guess what?
09:41But that's how you start to make these jumps.
09:44But you just said it, and I think it kind of goes unspoken, Mike, where it's like, well,
09:47yeah, he'll be our quarterback.
09:48No, we need more than just the quarterback.
09:50No, guys, and again, there's no agenda here.
09:52Heck, man, we're not trying to rationalize, but we've made the case for guys like James
09:57Pierce Jr.
09:58and why he gets a second chance.
10:00We don't have to listen to the show, guys.
10:01We let things play.
10:02I love the line Carl always says, we go with what we know.
10:05Here's what we know right now before the 4th of July.
10:07That Michael Penix Jr. still can't throw 11 versus 11.
10:10When he can, then he can compete, right?
10:12Now, what happens, guys, if we're into August?
10:14Don't know.
10:14This is just a hypothetical.
10:16It's not an agenda.
10:17But if he can't compete when they're doing these scrimmages, right, against Indianapolis,
10:21for instance, Coach says, I think we're going to see, maybe, I'd love to see these guys
10:25in preseason football.
10:26So then we all get to see his fans, how far they've developed, and where they are in this
10:30offense.
10:30That would be the goal.
10:31All right.
10:32There we go.
10:32Sorry to get your dander.
10:33We'll see when we get there, I think.
10:35Hey, Carl, sorry to get your dander up.
10:37Yeah, no, I just, and look, we love the feedback.
10:40We love interacting with you guys.
10:42And you guys are passionate about it.
10:43I just think sometimes the passion is a little bit misplaced because you make it feel like
10:46we've got an agenda.
10:47No, I don't have an agenda.
10:48You know what I want?
10:49I want to go to playoffs, man.
10:51I want to win.
10:52Can we win the division?
10:53I want to be relevant.
10:55You know what I want?
10:56I want people calling Mike and I in December into January going, man, how good is this football
11:01team?
11:02Because we haven't had that in eight years.
11:05Right.
11:06Okay?
11:07Right.
11:08Guys, we're looking up, it's us and the Jets.
11:1014 years and then eight years.
11:12You know what you are when you're in the same conversation as the Jets?
11:14You're a bad franchise.
11:15Losers.
11:15That's why we've got to have faith in Matt and Ian and Stavansky and all these guys to
11:18get it right.
11:19But I do like the fact that Van Pelt kind of put it out there.
11:23I do too.
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