00:00All right. Seahawks rookies reported today. Can you believe that? Two training camp.
00:04Vets get a couple more days. 49ers rookies are going to report tomorrow.
00:07Our rookies next week this time will be at Flowery Branch.
00:11And then camp starts the following week.
00:14This is now, guys, literally right here at our front door.
00:18And, Mike, you brought up something pretty interesting earlier here on the show
00:21in regards to looking at different aspects of our defense, different position groups.
00:27We've been doing this a lot because there are some position groups that I have questions about.
00:31There are some players that I'm going,
00:32is he going to be able to step up and do what we need him to do?
00:35But I don't like where we're ranked in this. I just don't.
00:38Yeah, there's a couple of guys out there that are big analytics guys.
00:40And there was a number that came out today, and it was Warren Sharp.
00:44And, you know, it's not PFF, but he's a guy who's well-respected.
00:47And he's got over 400,000 followers.
00:48A lot of folks in the NFL follow this guy and see what he's talking about.
00:51He ranked the best front sevens to the worst front sevens.
00:54So whether you're in a 3-4 or a 4-3, where do you stack up?
00:58Well, some of the usual suspects you'd expect are up front, like the Broncos, do a great job.
01:03You know, you've seen what the Eagles have got.
01:05We came in 31st, 31st out of 32 teams, and we had the second most sacks last year.
01:12I mean, so he doesn't believe in, and maybe some of this is the James Pierce Jr.
01:16waiting for the shoe to drop from the NFL.
01:18We are of the opinion he's going to start the season.
01:20I do, yes, I do believe that.
01:22Will he be punished?
01:23Yes, at some point.
01:24But I don't know what that punishment is going to look like.
01:26And then there's a chance he might not be.
01:27We'll see.
01:28But to lead or to be second in the league in sacks, the one thing we didn't do a great
01:32job of,
01:33and we've got to be better at it this year, is stopping the run.
01:35But I don't think that's where we should be ranked in this,
01:38because the teams where you rank the Falcons are teams that are really bad.
01:44Yeah, man, those are teams that are going through fire seal mode.
01:46Now, look, the Bears made the playoffs, but they gave up a lot of points.
01:48That's where they had a lot of shootouts.
01:49Caleb Williams had to pull some fireworks out of us, took us.
01:52But they've got the Cardinals, actually the Saints at 28, Cardinals, Bears, Falcons,
01:56and then the Dolphins.
01:58So that's a team that, you know, they've kind of gutted the team with the exception of
02:01A-chain at running back.
02:03But, yeah, you look at the top end of this, it's all the usual suspects.
02:06The teams with the best defense, D'Amico Ryans and his Texans, Eagles, Rams, Broncos, Seahawks.
02:11Seahawks just won the Super Bowl with that front seven.
02:13We don't have Caden Ellis, maybe the James Pierce thing.
02:15You brought up a great point with the run stop, and is this defensive tackles,
02:19the guys in the middle, going to keep those offensive linemen off those linebackers
02:22that don't include Caden Ellis?
02:23Yeah, but let me say this about Caden Ellis, and I think, Mike, you might have been on vacation.
02:27Caden Ellis was a very good player on an average defense.
02:30He wasn't Ray Lewis.
02:32And so, with all of that said, he made a lot of plays, no debating it.
02:37And, look, we like the guy as a person.
02:39I think he was a very good player, and he's versatile.
02:42But I got to tell you, everything that he can do, Diablo can do.
02:46Everything that he can do, Divine Diablo can do.
02:48And as a matter of fact, we went on a five-game losing streak with Caden Ellis on the field
02:51and Divine Diablo not.
02:54So, that's where I'm at with the replacing Caden Ellis.
02:58My question is, who's going to be next to Divine Diablo and picking up that slack?
03:02Well, I mean, we're going to see if Jalen Walker or Christian Harris,
03:05who we picked up from the Texans, who's had high hopes coming out of college
03:08but has been a little underwhelming to play.
03:10That's why we got him for a one-year deal.
03:11I'm just telling you what the guy who runs the defense said.
03:14Ulbrich said back in February, replacing Caden Ellis, quote,
03:16would take more than one human being.
03:18Two people.
03:18So, that's – and I don't know if Warren Sharpe's up to that,
03:21but it's a team that did have the second most sacks.
03:24But, as Carl said, unfortunately, teams can still gash us with a run game.
03:27Yeah.
03:27It's going to be – look, that whole –
03:29I hope Jalen Walker wins the job.
03:31I hope it's – with all due respect to Christian Harris, I hope Jalen Walker –
03:34but they're going to still use him like a Swiss Army knife all over the place.
03:36I don't think he is in contention for that specific position.
03:40I could be wrong.
03:41But I think, Mike, they want to, to your point, use him in various ways
03:45and have him on the field doing a variety of things.
03:47It's Dukes and Bell Sports Radio 92.9, the game.
03:50Guys, we are all over Falcons coverage when it comes to training camp
03:53and, of course, throughout the course of the season as well,
03:56talking about training camps getting underway.
03:58And ours will start again technically next week on the Rookies report,
04:02but then the veterans, I don't think, report until that Tuesday.
04:05And then, Mike, that first day of camp is like the 29th for us.
04:08We spend a lot of time on Pennix and Tua,
04:10but that, to me, is the most compelling argument
04:13because Jalen Walker, you know, you can walk him up to the line.
04:15You know, he's big enough.
04:16Even though people thought he was undersized pre-draft,
04:18he's still 6'2", and you saw him do everything at Georgia.
04:21Or he can play the classic linebacker position.
04:23So, as you said, you got Divine – I said Divine Diablo!
04:27Moving over to what Cade Nellis did and Jalen Walker.
04:29That's a hell of a lot of athleticism at linebacker.
04:31No, it is.
04:32Combine that with what you got at safety?
04:33That's impressive.
04:34Well, if he can do the job.
04:36The thing is, with Walker and Pierce and Divine,
04:40like, the thing is, what are you up front?
04:42That's where the question marks are, right?
04:44That's why I think if you're going to take a jump –
04:46and we don't need to be the No. 1 defense.
04:49You've got to be top 10.
04:51If you're talking about making a real run,
04:53that's what we're talking about, guys.
04:54You've got to be top 12 in the league.
04:56You can't be, you know, 20, 24, 25.
04:59The only team that wasn't, because their offense was so dynamic,
05:02was the Bears.
05:02Yeah.
05:03And they also got a lot of turnovers, too.
05:04They were, you know, that made people over.
05:06But that's what we did our Super Bowl year.
05:07We turned people over.
05:09It's the equalizer.
05:09And the Saints did it the year they wanted.
05:10Not a great elite defense, but they turned guys over.
05:13I think that's a big part of it.
05:14All right, speaking of day – what is it?
05:16Day – how many days do we have?
05:1813 days until camp starts?
05:19All right, you're going to trigger somebody with this?
05:21I'm not doing a damn thing.
05:23Come on!
05:24It's Dukes and Bells Falcons Camp Countdown.
05:2713 days until the battle of QB starts.
05:30But is it really a battle?
05:32I'm starting to believe.
05:33T – you – never mind.
05:36Wow.
05:37See, this is why people think –
05:38Carl.
05:38You're Mr. Voice.
05:39This is why people say you're feeding this information.
05:42You're feeding the scripts to Mr. Voice.
05:44That sounded awful like the thing that you say all the time, Carl.
05:47Well, people repeat things I say on this show all the time.
05:50That's a catchy phrase.
05:51Hey, do you want to say it with me?
05:53T-U-A.
05:55I've been saying it for months.
05:57No one's a bigger Michael Penix Jr. fan on the show than this guy.
06:01And I'm ready.
06:02That is a complete lie.
06:04No, the best thing for the franchise is for this guy to win, grab the brass ring,
06:09take over the quarterback job.
06:11We save money because he's on his rookie deal.
06:14I mean, that's what's –
06:14Yes, please, whoever that idiot is in the background.
06:17This is what we need.
06:18No.
06:19I've had people stop me in the streets literally and go, T-U.
06:23He listens to the show.
06:24That is not me, guys.
06:25By the way.
06:27Come on.
06:28It's Dukes and Bells.
06:29Falcons can't count down.
06:3213 days until the battle of QB starts.
06:34But is it really a battle?
06:36I'm starting to believe.
06:37T-U.
06:39Never mind.
06:40I mean, this is right.
06:40You could have said that yourself.
06:41You've said that yourself.
06:43And that's what proves he listens to the program.
06:45It's a big show, Mike.
06:46We get big numbers.
06:47The guys – the joyless, humorless guys who follow us on YouTube.
06:51And I don't know what these guys do for a living, but thanks for watching.
06:53But these guys, they don't get the joke, Carl.
06:55Look.
06:56Is he wrong?
06:58Come on.
06:59It's Dukes and Bells.
07:00Falcons can't count down.
07:02Is he wrong?
07:0313 days until the battle of QB starts.
07:05But is it really a battle?
07:07I'm starting to believe.
07:08T-U.
07:10Never mind.
07:10You've been saying this for months.
07:12They got guys who think, literally, we're going to wrap up the show up there at Flowery Branch,
07:16and Michael Penix Jr. is going to run us over in the parking lot with his car over this.
07:21Look, he's a big boy.
07:22He's heard this before.
07:24He's got to go win the job, man.
07:25It's a competition.
07:26And by the way –
07:27Is it really, though?
07:28Let me just say this for the second time this week.
07:30Because, again, we like to think that 99.9% of our audience, which makes us number one at Afternoon
07:34Drive, get the joke.
07:35But there's always those guys, Carl, they're just – they don't really seem to get the joke.
07:39Whatever we say in the next 12, 11, 10 days –
07:4412 days after today.
07:45It has no bearing.
07:46This job will either be won or lost by Michael Penix Jr. being healthy and ready to go.
07:50On the field.
07:51That's it.
07:52We're having some fun.
07:53We're pulling your chain.
07:55I'm not.
07:56I'm not.
07:57I guess it makes a valid point.
07:58Just admit –
07:59Come on!
08:00It's Dukes and Bells Falcons Camp Countdown.
08:0413 days until the battle of QB starts.
08:06But is it really a battle?
08:08Yes, sir.
08:08I'm starting to believe.
08:09T-U –
08:11Ah, never mind.
08:11You know what?
08:12He's going to have the high ground.
08:13But, again, if panic's in these –
08:16Look, Michael, if you're listening, please, for the love of God, be sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber.
08:20Be doing all these things you need to do.
08:22He's got the lasers, Mike.
08:23He's got the heat.
08:24All that stuff.
08:25The stimulation on the left knee and everything else.
08:27And be ready to rock and roll so we have a real competition.
08:30Because nothing's going to be worse than we start the first two weeks of camp when they're in pads and
08:34everything's going and we're saying –
08:35Don't be looking at me, by the way.
08:36Michael Penix, Jr. is not a full participant.
08:38But, again, only time will tell.
08:41Only time will tell.
08:41Don't look at me.
08:42Mr. Voice is being clairvoyant.
08:44He's making it sound like it's a done deal.
08:45A fait accompli, as they say in Latin.
08:47Can he be trusted?
08:48It's a fair question.
08:51404-726-0929.
08:52Why don't you just put it on his shirt?
08:54T-U-A.
08:55Make some money off this for us.
08:57Once he wins the job.
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