00:00Happy Friday, everybody.
00:01The countdown is on, and I do mean that.
00:03As the rookies report to training camp today up at Flowery Branch,
00:06I want to remind our listeners that next Wednesday we'll be broadcasting live
00:12from Hooters.
00:13We call it the Taj Mahooters up in Buford, guys.
00:17Hooters at the Mall of Georgia right there,
00:19and it'll be a special edition of the show.
00:21I'd love to tell you we'll be there every day, but we won't.
00:23We'll be moving around different places, different practice times and whatnot.
00:27But as camp gets underway next Wednesday, come on out and join us, man.
00:30Make plans.
00:31Great food, drinks at Hooters.
00:32And I said this.
00:33We got a bunch of regulars, Mike, for the last three, four, five years,
00:36whatever it's been, who come out.
00:38It's like a dysfunctional Dukes and Bell family.
00:40It really is.
00:40And we have a great time.
00:42There's arguments within the arguments within the arguments.
00:44You'll come in there, and it's like shows within a show.
00:47Yeah.
00:47You're right.
00:48But please listen to our show.
00:49We prefer it.
00:50Correct.
00:50That's Wednesday from 2 to 6 at Hooters Mall of Georgia.
00:53So training camp is literally here.
00:56Like, we're going to have a nice weekend, hopefully.
00:58All right, everybody.
00:59And over the weekend, there'll be more teams reporting.
01:03But for us, the vets report on Tuesday.
01:05And you brought up something very interesting, and I just want to kind of rehash this,
01:08because we haven't spent a lot of time on it.
01:11As camp gets underway, there will be some things that we'll be focused in on.
01:14But you brought up the fact of the right tackle situation.
01:17Yeah, man.
01:18Juwan Taylor, now, he didn't have as bad a year statistically with some false starts,
01:21as a couple of Falcon fans reminded us.
01:23But if he was still really good at his job, the Chiefs would not have cut bait on him.
01:26So is this a guy that can be on a reclamation project to a degree with one of the best,
01:31if not the best, offensive line coaches in football and Bill Callahan?
01:34Callahan.
01:35But you've got a guy whose size-wise he fits.
01:38I mean, he's right out of central casting for a blindside defender.
01:42I should say offensive lineman to keep those defenders off his back.
01:44But he struggled of late, Carl.
01:46And remember, we don't have Storm Norton, because Storm Norton, unfortunately,
01:49is going to miss another season.
01:50Now you begin to wonder about his career.
01:51We picked up another backup from Kansas City.
01:54Juanya Morris.
01:55And we may pick up some more guys if it doesn't go well.
01:58But we take for granted that we're all focused on panics.
02:01Panics, panics, panics versus Tua.
02:03But either way, that's got to be addressed.
02:05Because I know you're not as nervous about the offensive line as I am.
02:08Yeah.
02:08And they apparently are satisfied with Ryan Neusel.
02:11We love Ryan.
02:11He's a great guy.
02:12We thought he might be a little bit undersized.
02:13But they're apparently happy with him.
02:14Yeah, look, with Callahan, I'm going to trust his experience.
02:18Whatever he's looking at, Mike, he comes in here.
02:20I thought we had a really good offensive line coach prior to Callahan.
02:23And, you know, the kudos goes out.
02:25I mean, he's even complimented that situation.
02:28But he inherited, I think, a really good line that has been together.
02:32I just don't think we realize how good Chris Lindstrom's been, guys.
02:35Four times, second team All-Pro.
02:38We don't even talk about it.
02:39So, you know, Bergeron has been very good.
02:43He doesn't miss games, Mike.
02:44He's not hurt.
02:46He's going to be due for a contract, too.
02:47Absolutely.
02:48And so the Juwan Taylor thing is very interesting because I'm not sure what the plan is there.
02:55My guess is, remember, that was out of necessity.
02:59Correct.
03:00Correct.
03:00And, by the way, because Caleb McGarry kind of, like, I presume they weren't blindsided,
03:04but maybe they did kind of throw him for a bit of a loop.
03:06But they did get proactive and they got Taylor in it.
03:08And hopefully he can, you know, get back to being what the guy was.
03:10He's got Super Bowl rings and everything else.
03:11But it is interesting.
03:12And thanks to Mark Ramondi because this came up about two weeks ago.
03:14He had the article.
03:15But it's a great point, though, about, you know, things to be concerned about is how does
03:19that battle evolve?
03:20Or is he just going to get the job and be the guy?
03:23And then in which case, maybe we've secured that line, that position.
03:26Yeah.
03:26Because last year, as good as it, you know, we didn't complain, but still you had a guy
03:30out of position, a guard technically playing tackle, a swing guard.
03:33Yes.
03:34And it wasn't great.
03:35I just feel like, and here's my thing with Juwan, and I hope he's great.
03:39We'll be watching and seeing how that is going over there.
03:41Juan, you'll be over there as a backup.
03:43But, Mike, he had a quarterback that made him look better than what he actually was.
03:50Because even if you beat Juwan Taylor, you still had to get to Patrick Mahomes.
03:53And a lot of times guys don't because he steps up, sidesteps Mike, then he's running to the
03:58sidelines, then all of a sudden there's a 30-yard pass down the field.
04:00And you go, damn, what a play by Mahomes.
04:02What you didn't see is Juwan Taylor's man was running and chasing Mahomes the entire time,
04:07and he was beat.
04:08So, even when he was in danger, it was like plays were made by the best play-making quarterback
04:14in the league.
04:15And my point is, neither one of our guys right now has that kind of escapability.
04:19You bring up a great point.
04:20Remember when Bokhtari was always hurt for the Packers, and they were dealing with some issues.
04:24Aaron Brogers made them look a little bit better.
04:26And so that's something we don't have.
04:28I mean, Tua, you don't want Tua taking any contact.
04:30I do think, and again, Michael Penix Jr., speaking of Patrick Mahomes, just wait for it, kids.
04:35But I want to see Michael take yardage when it's there.
04:38I want to see if there's five or six yards.
04:40And I don't think he'll ever be in the situations, I think, as far as silly play calls and holding
04:45the ball for seven-step drops and all that crap.
04:47That'll be more secure this year.
04:50That will be.
04:50With Stefanski and Tommy Reese and everybody else and Alex Van Pelt, the whole crew that's going
04:54to help things.
04:55We were talking about Zach Robinson last year.
04:56All right, Day-Day gave us this information last hour.
05:01Patrick Mahomes, apparently, according to the big Kool-Aid band Andy Reid-Carl, has been
05:05cleared to practice for the Chiefs.
05:07Yeah, look, I went off earlier on this simply because, Falcon fans, this is what I've been
05:12saying about Penix.
05:15Where's the statement?
05:17Where's the clarity?
05:19Where's the video?
05:20Give us something.
05:22And look, I know many of you are like, well, you're just going to have to wait.
05:25Okay, fine.
05:26But why is this announcement from Andy Reid, one of the best in the league, coming out
05:30about Patrick Mahomes, whose injury, help me, oh, happened before or after Penix?
05:37It was after and it was more severe.
05:41All right.
05:41Because they did the two L's, right?
05:43It was an A and an M or an L?
05:44A and an L.
05:45So, of the CL family in Patrick Mahomes' knee.
05:48I just think it's just...
05:49So, that's all I'm asking for.
05:50Like, I appreciate, Mike, that we know that he's been cleared for practice.
05:55What that simply means is, for, again, for a guy like Patrick Mahomes, guys, he knows
06:00the system.
06:01The deal is, though, he's going to be on the field.
06:03That's what they're telling you.
06:05And we are still wondering if that's going to be the case for Penix.
06:08Now, I hope it is.
06:09And I hope we can put this to bed.
06:11But they could put it to bed today if they wanted to.
06:13And they haven't.
06:14Which makes me wonder.
06:17Well, maybe you'll hear it tomorrow.
06:19That's not a news dump thing.
06:21Maybe Monday or Tuesday.
06:23When the vets show up.
06:24When the vets show up, you're going to hear from Kevin Stavansky.
06:27Michael Penix Jr. is cleared to practice.
06:29All right.
06:29Let's go.
06:30But if he's not, and again, Penix Jr. fans don't get triggered.
06:33We're just saying.
06:34Here's Patrick Mahomes.
06:35It's an injury chronologically.
06:37He came after the Michael Penix Jr. injuries of week 11.
06:40It was December, right, from Mahomes Orange?
06:41Did you look it up?
06:42Yep.
06:42So, the other thing is, and this is part of the discussion that we've had a million times
06:46with the guys who think we're being too hard on Penix.
06:50Remember, Mahomes has had ankles.
06:51He's rolled ankles a million times.
06:53But this was his first big knee surgery.
06:54True.
06:55But then, why wouldn't Penix?
06:57We're not orthopedists, but it doesn't take a rocket science to figure out.
07:00You've got a guy who's had two knee surgeries on one knee, and this was the first time on his
07:03left knee.
07:04There you go.
07:04So, it's going to take, I'm just stating facts.
07:06It just takes a little bit.
07:07Three knee surgeries.
07:08Well, it takes a little bit longer to get back.
07:11I mean, you just said it.
07:12Mahomes' injury happened after Michael Penix's injury.
07:15Isn't that crazy?
07:16And I know everybody heals differently, but that's all, man.
07:19Once I hear that, then I know...
07:21You want clarity.
07:22Yes.
07:22And then I know, Mike, for a fact, that we'll be watching a legitimate competition.
07:28Right now, that's still not clear.
07:30We'll see when we get there.
07:31Coach can't wait.
07:32All right.
07:32It's Dukes and Bell.
07:34Let's count down, man.
07:35What is it?
07:36Six days until the start of training camp.
07:40Come on!
07:41It's Dukes and Bell's Falcons camp countdown.
07:44Six days until we have confident kickers on the field.
07:47What?
07:47Special teams lost the Falcons games last year.
07:50Nobody's arguing with you, Mr. Voice.
07:52We were terrible.
07:53Young Way Koo went from everybody's darling to a pariah.
07:56Nick Folk?
07:57Nick Foles.
07:58Foles?
07:58Oh, Folk.
07:59No, he's a quarterback.
08:00You're right.
08:00You're right the first time.
08:01Nick Folk.
08:02And help me...
08:03Bailey, right?
08:04As I'm thinking, that's who we brought in as a punter, I believe.
08:08Guys, Mr. Voice, the kicking game has to be better this year, Mike.
08:13Right?
08:14It's Folk and Jake Bailey.
08:15That's right.
08:16Thank you, guys.
08:16Jake Bailey is our punter.
08:18But most are new faces.
08:20And remember, we invested in this.
08:21They spent some money on these guys.
08:22Yes, they had to address it.
08:23Because remember, guys, even though our punter...
08:25This is why the PFF stuff never tells the entire story.
08:28We had a punter who had a pretty good average.
08:30But when you needed to flip the field...
08:32You couldn't.
08:32You couldn't do it.
08:33It was Shank City, or you just didn't get the performance you were looking for.
08:37And that killed us.
08:37I mean, how many times, guys, in the last three years have we had some of the worst field position
08:40in the NFL?
08:42One thing we agreed on last year that didn't happen, and I think it was also a tale, Mike,
08:46that this was...
08:47They knew.
08:48The special teams coach had been fired last year.
08:50Halfway through the year.
08:51And that didn't happen.
08:53And we were like, what's going on?
08:55Why is this not happening?
08:56Maybe that was the tale that they knew at the end of the year things were going to
09:00go the way they did.
09:01But yeah, that hurt this team tremendously.
09:04And it's funny, because it was all that...
09:06Who was it?
09:07It's been so long.
09:08I forgot the guy's name.
09:09Krieg.
09:09Lenny Krieg.
09:10That's right.
09:11That was it.
09:12Again, I said publicity stunt.
09:13Guys, oh, you're being mean.
09:14It's a freaking publicity stunt.
09:16It's the NFL talking about the NFL Europe and advancing the game and bringing guys in from
09:20other countries.
09:21And Lenny's a nice guy, but he wasn't accurate.
09:23He could kick it a mile, but he had no chance of going through the uprights.
09:26So we never had competition.
09:28That also goes...
09:28This reflects, for my money, on the previous general manager and how they didn't have their
09:33ducks in a row and it cost us games.
09:35If special teams isn't a clown show, there's a good chance that regime is still running
09:40this football team.
09:41Mike, three games?
09:42Two games?
09:43How many cost us?
09:43Three.
09:44Three.
09:44You couldn't get to overtime with the Patriots.
09:47Well, you couldn't get to overtime with the Chiefs.
09:49Patriots game?
09:49That was also...
09:50And we'd moved on.
09:51We went to, what, three kickers last year?
09:54That's not how it works.
09:55All right.
09:56Let's hope that's right.
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