00:00So, I want to hear from Kevin Stefanski in a second of him not saying anything about who was playing
00:06quarterback.
00:07I said, Michael Penix is good to go.
00:11This is on social last night.
00:13Needless to say, it's got a reaction.
00:14Yesterday, he left his team out to dry with third and fourth string quarterbacks.
00:19Is he that much healthier three days later?
00:22Do you think this is okay?
00:24Listen, I'm rooting for Michael Penix Jr., and there's nothing to make me happier than to see us play better
00:30football and have a chance to make a run in the NFC South and start to cash in on the
00:35money we're paying Drake London and B. John Robinson and Kyle Pitts.
00:40But the damage has been done from a psychological standpoint in terms of how a lot of people feel about
00:46Michael Penix Jr., because it is uncharted territory that an NFL quarterback is told you're clear to play but won't
00:53play.
00:54And be very clear.
00:54He won't play.
00:56He said, I'm not ready.
00:57I have my parameters.
00:58I have these measurements I'm waiting to hit.
01:00And until that happens.
01:02He was medically cleared by the organization.
01:05The people that have the most authority.
01:08Kevin Stefanski doesn't have it.
01:10Exactly right.
01:10Matt Ryan doesn't have it.
01:12Exactly right.
01:12The two or three guys in the building that can tell you this guy is ready to earn his paycheck
01:18or those doctors.
01:19And those are the guys whose careers are on the line.
01:21Because if you start listening to your coaches, the days of Bill Parcells telling a trainer, dude, I don't want
01:27to hear it.
01:28I don't want to hear it.
01:29That guy's ready to play.
01:30Those are over.
01:31Correct.
01:32So Michael Penix Jr. had an NFC South game to start their season, to set a tone for the season,
01:38to be out there for his guys.
01:41And he let Cooper Rush go out there.
01:43And listen, I've been crazy about Cooper Rush and frustrated.
01:47It's not his fault.
01:48The guy was an unemployed guy that now is starting in the NFL.
01:51Jack Strand's Division II player that was a free agent that all of a sudden was on an NFL field.
01:57The guy was playing in the NFL.
02:00Yeah, playing.
02:00Playing.
02:01If he got one snap in preseason, he's won.
02:03Right?
02:04Yeah.
02:04Rest of his life, he could say.
02:06Now, stranger things that happen, but not much stranger than that.
02:09So am I angry at Michael Penix Jr.?
02:12I'm just calling like I see it.
02:13He left his guys out to dry.
02:15There's a reason Drake's fighting with fans.
02:17There's a reason Kyle Pitts has one catch in two weeks.
02:22Yep.
02:22One catch.
02:23Had the least snaps he's ever had in a game also.
02:26There's a reason why Drake London and B. John Robinson and all these guys.
02:29So, like, go out there.
02:32Give us hope against Green Bay.
02:34Hope that the Michael Penix, at times that we saw in the NFL and what we saw in college, is
02:39that player.
02:40It's going to be hard.
02:41Yep.
02:41On the road at Green Bay.
02:43Every call that 92-9 the game has taken.
02:46Every Stake Shapiro social media viral moment.
02:51Everything that has led up to this moment can be gone with one thing if he plays well.
02:57Nobody will give a damn in December if this guy goes out and gives us 12 or 13 games of,
03:05like, okay, that's kind of who we thought this guy could be.
03:08He can erase all that.
03:09But if we go out there and he goes, I don't know, 2,500 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 picks,
03:17it's a wrap.
03:19And we go 5 and 10.
03:22It's a wrap in that building.
03:23And if you look at our schedule.
03:24Because you can never look a team in the eye and go, we're going to give this guy $120 million,
03:30the guy that refused to play.
03:31He can wipe all of it off now.
03:33Or even say, we still aren't sure, we still got to not draft a quarterback in the top 10.
03:39Because, by the way, they're only going to have so many opportunities to draft.
03:42Well, maybe not.
03:43You would hope.
03:44Yeah.
03:44Well, maybe not.
03:45You're right.
03:45And the fact is that it's very likely they go something like 5 and 10.
03:52They're already 0 and 2.
03:53That would put them at 5 and 12.
03:55It would put them at 4 and 13.
03:58It would put them 1, 2, or 3 in the NFL draft.
04:00Probably top four minimum.
04:02Yeah.
04:02So that's what's likely.
04:05But there's many things that are unlikely.
04:07Deshaun Watson went on the road to Tampa and won a game.
04:13New Orleans had no shot in Baltimore all day.
04:15And then they go 17-0 in the fourth quarter.
04:18And they win that game.
04:19There's plenty of examples of things that you don't see coming.
04:22And teams are the Oakland, the Las Vegas Raiders have Kirk Cousins balling out.
04:28And they're 2-0, by the way.
04:29And by the way, Jim Harbaugh is everybody's favorite coach.
04:33He got whooped by the Raiders, right?
04:34Yeah.
04:35And Kubiak.
04:36So 404-726-0929, 404-726-0929.
04:42I'm not buying that Stefanski couldn't have just told us yesterday in the press conference.
04:47Why does he have to tell his team first?
04:49Who cares?
04:50I understand you're playing coach speak.
04:52Here he is yesterday when asked the question, who's playing on Thursday night?
05:02I thought you said – okay.
05:04Well, we're going to try to run that.
05:09Well?
05:09I mean, the fact is that everybody knew he was playing on Thursday.
05:13That's how this thing went down.
05:14Yeah.
05:15I mean, I'm like – I don't understand what 24 hours later – I mean, look, I can't just sit
05:21here every day and just absolutely cause myself heart rate over there.
05:25Let this guy play and just play well, please, for the love of God.
05:30What about this explanation yesterday?
05:32I talk to Mike every day, and like I've told you guys, I'm very confident in our discussions with Mike,
05:40with medical, throughout this entire process.
05:43So it's not news to say I talked to Mike yesterday.
05:46I'll talk to Mike today.
05:47But anything past that, I really don't have an update per se.
05:52Yeah.
05:54So that's not the cut.
05:55The cut optic, and it's not – we have a bunch of cuts.
05:59When he told the media, I've got to tell my team before I tell you guys, I've got to tell
06:02my team.
06:03So whatever, you've got to tell your team.
06:05Just everybody knows what was happening.
06:07You know what they have?
06:07They have group chat.
06:09They have team me.
06:10Right.
06:11They do communicate through that.
06:12And just say – just letting you all know.
06:14Guys, letting you all know.
06:15Do not talk to the media into the building.
06:17Do not talk to the media.
06:18What would have been the big deal if they walk in and hear Penix is starting?
06:22What's the big deal?
06:23Whatever, dude.
06:24You know what it is?
06:25They'd be celebrating anyway.
06:26So whatever.
06:26I mean, it's such semantics at this point.
06:30Just like worrying about Kevin Stefanski getting angry after a game.
06:33Like what – okay.
06:35Yes, it's disappointing that he's not – doesn't look more irritated, but of course he's irritated.
06:41That was a frigging disaster.
06:43There's been a lot of disaster moments for the Atlanta Falcons.
06:46Not much bigger than a home opener where you lose by 30 points to a division rival,
06:51and the place is booing by the first play of the first quarter.
06:55They're booing the first play of the first quarter.
06:58Yeah, man.
06:58Just overall frustration, and I can't sit here and just – we got to – it's such a quarterback league.
07:05I mean, I can tell you this, Stake.
07:07The average fan, if you give me the 10, 12 teams that you think are good in the NFL,
07:11I'll tell you the 10, 12 teams that have got a quarterback.
07:13We got to have it.
07:14And we got injuries.
07:15We got all that stuff.
07:17And when I made this comment, I took a little bit of heat.
07:19If you go back to this, Stake, when I said this was a gap year in August,
07:23I'm telling you right now, I don't know if that's the right word,
07:26but we don't have Jimmy's and Joe's right now.
07:28And, oh, by the way, you lost your two number one draft picks,
07:31Jalen Walker for the year and the other one for eight games, okay?
07:34And then one of your other best players is playing for the Saints.
07:36And then we had this quarterback debacle.
07:38You know what I mean?
07:39My God, give me a half.
07:41Just – I'm starting at grounds – give me a half.
07:45What do you mean a half?
07:45I want the score to be 17 to 14.
07:48I'll give you –
07:4917 to 14.
07:50That's all you want.
07:50You just want to have it.
07:50You know what I like?
07:51Let me go back.
07:53Let me go back.
07:53Rewind that.
07:54You know what I want?
07:55I want one possession in the damn red zone.
07:57Stake, we're in the third game of the year.
07:59We haven't been in the red zone.
08:01You realize that?
08:02Yeah, no, I realize that.
08:03We are an NFL professional team.
08:05We haven't been in the red zone.
08:06So when I say give me a half, give me a half.
08:10Give me Thursday night that Drake London has four catches for 81.
08:15Ten yards at halftime.
08:17I'll roll with that.
08:18We'll figure it out.
08:19We went in the offseason and we took care of three who are supposed to be elite players.
08:26By the way, they're not supposed to be good players.
08:28They're supposed to be elite.
08:30Drake London, elite.
08:32B. John, the best running back in the NFL.
08:34And Kyle Pitts is number two in tight end numbers.
08:37So these are supposed to be elite players.
08:39Are we supposed to wait for a rookie to be drafted in the top ten and in two or three
08:43years?
08:44Where are these guys going to be in two or three years?
08:46We're paying them now.
08:48Well.
08:48What are we paying them for?
08:49We'll have the whole offseason to get there.
08:50But there is.
08:51We're going to have a rookie quarterback.
08:52Yeah, but I've seen it done.
08:54Bo Nix.
08:55Hell, he had a great year.
08:56The second year, yeah.
08:58Yeah.
08:58Right?
08:59Drake May's second year.
09:00Caleb Williams.
09:03Caleb Williams' second year.
09:04Yeah, second year.
09:06Bo Nix had a pretty damn good first year, too.
09:07And Jaden Daniels goes to the NFC title in his rookie year.
09:11Yeah.
09:12It can be done.
09:13With that group around.
09:14But we have pieces.
09:15Okay?
09:15But that's another whole discussion.
09:17I'm telling you right now, I want a red zone possession and I want a good half.
09:21Give me some hope because I'm telling you right now, if he wets the bed Thursday night,
09:27poor Mike Johnson.
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