Will Atlanta Falcons’ New Attacking Scheme RESURRECT Pass Rush?

Will Atlanta Falcons’ New Attacking Scheme RESURRECT Pass Rush?

With the Falcons defense set to be on the attack, is it time we start getting a little bit excited about that unit coming together? You are Locked On Falcons, your daily Atlanta Falcons podcast, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. Welcome back everyone to another illustrious episode of the Locked on Falcons podcast or daily Atlanta Falcons podcast. Part of the Locked On Sports Atlanta team cohort, whatever you want to call us, your team every day. And this episode of Locked On Falcons is of course brought to you by the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K. Turn any TV into your Xbox. No console needed. Just head to amazon.comfiretvlocked to learn more. So, if you don’t know me, I’m your very humble host, Aaron Freeman, aka Mr. Drew, aka the Jolly Green Giant, aka Mr. aka, and I’ve been covering the Atlanta Falcons for almost two decades formerly at ffans.com. RIP still going strong on this illustrious podcast. And I thank each and every one of you that go strong with me as everydayers. That means you make this podcast your first listen each and every day. And all you have to do to become an everyday is subscribe or follow for free on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcast. So today we will be talking about Drake London’s fifth year option. But the gist of today’s episode is all the various sound bites and nuggets of information that the Atlanta Falcons coaches uh you know released out there into the world on Wednesday. And we get to talk about some of these things that you know are you know music to the ears of Falcon fans, myself and of course my guest today, Jarvis Davis, who needs no introduction. Jarvis Davis of course the hardest working man here on the Lockdown Podcast Network. You can find him each and every day over at Locked on Sports Atlanta. So, Jarvis, when I saw the sound bites and when I heard the clips from the Falcons new Dline coach Nate Ali, I had a feeling that you were this was music to your ears, which was some of the things that he was talking about. You know, some of those nuggets that he he put out there. It seems like the Falcons are going to more of that 4-3 attacking style defense, wide nine that the Jets and 49ers and other teams made famous. We’re going to see Zack Harrison kick back out to the edge. We’re going to see Brandon Doris kind of dabble both as an inside outside player uh in that sort of role and that sort of attacking defense. The idea basically is we’re gonna stop the run on the way to the quarterback. So, I’m curious, Jarvis, when you heard Nate Ali talking about these things on Wednesday, what was going through your mind and sort of do you feel like this is the style of defense that you want to see from this Falcons team in 2025? I got excited, man. Uh cuz I got a chance to talk to him before all the uh the Calvary came, you know, and all the cameras and and twilights and stuff. So, I was able to have a really good conversation with him and just talking about, you know, different guys like, you know, of course with Braden Trice coming off the injury, what does he expect from him and and kind of getting in sync as to what what what this Falcons team is trying to do. And then when you hear attacking defense, you talk about him using the term four uh equals one. You know, that means they want to rush as a unit, right? because you can’t have independent contractors and that how he put it, which is a great way to put it, you know, and put it into context. Like you can’t have independent contractors out there trying to do their own thing, get to the quarterback. Like we saw so many times last year where a guy a defensive tackle may have pushed pushed up field and got out of line and then essentially ended up outside of the defensive end because defensive end rushed inside did a inside move and the quarterback got out got out of the side of the pocket then got a first down. That’s not rushing as a unit, right? You have to be able to stay in your lane like you know Mr. Mr. Ball said, right? So all those things kind of boil down to me just really taking it in and hearing and understanding where he comes from, right? This dude has a very good track record of having success when whether you talking about going back to the Colts, even going back to the uh Tennessee Volunteers when he was in college, he coached Derek Barnett to the point where he broke Reggie White’s um career record at the University of Tennessee and he coached him in Philadelphia as well. So, all of those things add up to me saying, “Okay, yeah, I was super excited hearing him talking about what his plan is for guys.” And he got really excited when I asked him about James Pierce. So, this is going to be interesting, man. I I feel like having a guy like this, he’s a former player, played defensive line himself. like I respect that a lot more than probably some. But, you know, not saying it’s a determining factor whether or not you’re a good coach, but I feel like there is it means something. It it it had it holds weight in my eyes. So, yeah, this is Nate Ali is I feel like he’s the perfect guy for for this team right now to implement what Jeffrey wants to do and that is like you said, man. Okay. Yeah, we can stop the run, but we stopping the run on the way to the quarterback. That’s that’s our ultimate goal. And yeah, and I I remember and not going to get too deep into it, but I just remember talking about Brandon Doris and this style of defense to me was the style of defense that I thought would be the best scheme fit for him. And with the defense that the Falcons had last year, I wasn’t convinced that Brandon Dolles would blossom in this in that scheme long term. And so I I do think that uh makes me feel a lot better about his potential development. But you you mentioned James Pierce, right? And Jarvis, you know, we were both kind of skeptical of James Pierce before the draft. Express those skep sk skepticisms on the on the show before his selection. Uh you know, I try to be a little bit more diplomatic than you when it comes to uh that sort of skepticism. So, you know, I’m I’m gonna throw you under the bus and say like, “Oh, Jarvis is way more skeptical of James Pierce than I am.” But I’m curious with this notion of this scheme, does this alleviate some of the concerns that you have with James Pierce? Going back to that conversation that we had last Wednesday where he was being light in the dumper as what you’re talking about um this style of defense, this attacking defense, does that make you feel a little bit better about the James Pierce selection than you maybe would have been a week ago? Sure. Absolutely. Because here’s the thing, man. They already have a guy that I don’t trust to play play on first and second down. That’s Arie Edi, right? You know, because he’s had different defensive coordinators and different schemes and having to implement a new scheme pretty much every year since he’s been here. So, those are some of the things that matter to as to whether or not a player can be successful. So yeah, I I think it lines up with a guy like James Pierce because like can he play on first and second down and be that guy in this style defense more so than whatever they were they were trying to run last year? Yeah, I think so. For sure. The answer to that question is yes. I feel so for me when you have multiple guys that kind of fall into that category, you know, that you spent high draft capital on you putting them in situations where they can be successful. I one, I feel like there’s no excuse for them not to be have success and then two, like you’re setting them guys up to get paid. And that’s what you want. You want the Falcons to be in a situation where like, dang, man. Like, I don’t know how much money we gonna have to pay these dudes because they’ve been balling out for all three years or three or four years of that rookie contract. So, yeah, this is and then and another thing, if it really works out, you gonna have these guys for five years, Jaylen and dog on James Pierce. So, yeah, man. This is like if it works, everybody got to shut up. You gotta shut up. You gotta stop complaining because the Fabers going to be setting themselves up to have a defense for quite some time. Yeah. And uh obviously, you know, we’re only touching the the tip of the iceberg with the scheme questions and different players roles. So continue to make lockdown on Falcons your first listen all summer long because we’ll be breaking this down more and more again while everybody else is, you know, packing it in when we get to the end of May and June and July. Now we’re still going to be here as a daily podcast giving you that content that you crave. Uh so you know this is just the beginning of these conversations about this. So you know I know we’re not going to too go too deep because we we could we could talk for hours about this stuff but let’s flip the script and let’s talk about the offense, right? uh and some of the things coming from the various coaches like Kevin Koser on Kyle Pittz as well as new quarterback’s coach DJ Williams on Michael Penn as we continue today’s locked on Falcons. Now guys, did you know that your Fire TV is also an Xbox? You can turn any TV into a gaming and entertainment hub with Fire TV Stick 4K devices. No console required. Just grab your pair controller, subscribe, or sign into your Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with EA Play included, and you are ready to go. Dive into hundreds of premium titles from EA Sports, College Football 25 to Call of Duty as easily as you stream your favorite shows. It’s gaming made simple, and it’s all on your Fire TV. Do you find yourself tired of constantly changing apps? Now, with the Fire TV Stick 4K, everything’s all in one place, from Netflix to YouTube and beyond. So whether you’re a hardcore casual gamer or have no interest in video games, Fire TV has got you covered. Head to amazon.com/firetv locked on to get started. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and compatible controller required. Available on select devices, including Fire TV Stick 4K second gen, Fire TV Stick 4K Max first and second gen, and Fire TV Cube third gen. So, Jarvis, I know the player that you love to talk about more than anybody else is none other than the illustrious Falcons first round tight end Kyle Pittz going into that allimportant fifth year uh make orb breakak year. We’ve been saying every season for the last couple years has been a makeorb breakak year for Kyle Pittz. And you see some things you like and then you see some things you don’t like with Kyle Pittz. And I thought it was interesting that the one thing that I think everybody agrees on uh with Kyle Pittz is that lack of consistency is exactly what we’re talking about and Kevin Kier uh when asked about Kyle Pittz and and the thing that he needs to work on in this sort of make and break year is being that sort of consistent playmaker. So um what are your thoughts on Koser’s comments on Kyle Pitts and and sort of are are you over the Kyle Pitts? Will they will he won’t he? or, you know, is there still some hope left in in Kyle Pittz having the type of season that we haven’t seen him have since his rookie year? I mean, he has to get it right if he wants to stick around. It’s a contract year for him. So, if he doesn’t succeed, it’ll kind of fall back to what I’ve thought about him as a player as he’s as to what he’s put on tape, right? What he’s put on tape has kind of given me how I feel about him. If he balls out this year, I would totally get it because you trying to get that check. I know he I feel like he’s going to ball to be honest with you, right? Because of the situation that he has in front of him and I feel like Kyle wants to wants to stick around here and and he wants to be viewed a certain way. I he hears it. I I remember looking back to that uh interview that he had on um Cam News podcast and he just is a guy that he hears it. He resp he was responding to the negative comments in the conversation with Cam. He’s like a lot of people don’t even know about all the what’s going on in the play. It’s so much that goes into a play. Yeah, we know that, bro. But why is it always dealing with you? And I go back to the point that I made on Atlanta football party um on yesterday. dog. Drake London has been productive with all the cash you’ve been playing with. You know, he might not have put up amazing stats. I mean, he did last year. Amazing numbers. Put himself in a very high category last year with over 100 yards. I mean, over 100 catches and over,200 yards receiving. And I think that when you kind of make excuses, I mean, that’s kind of what it is. Everybody don’t know what the play is. You know, you don’t know what’s going on. You don’t know who did that didn’t do their job or didn’t do their job. Well, I mean, a lot of times it might be you. That might be a part of it. It’s not might might not be all your fault, but if you’re being in inconsistent, if your assistant coaches are saying that, hey, we got to see this every time. We got to see this all the time or all you have to do is or all he has to do is understand what he brings to the table. We heard that from Kirk himself. Mr. not step on anybody’s souls. Kirk Cousins kind of, you know, this last year has been a little different, but you know, hey man, Kirk Kirko is Kirko and he’s said it to the media as well. So, and you so you know, he said it to him to his face like, hey man, I need you to be here if you want me to get you to rock on a consistent basis. That just hasn’t happened. So I I think there is a accountability factor that is going to be in play for him this year because this is a contract here and I would not be surprised if he gets it done. Okay. Well, as I said with the defense, uh I’m sure we’ll be having many more conversations about Kyle Pittz over the next eight months. So, uh you know, let’s we’ll get to it when we get to it. So, let’s talk about uh the player that I think most people the general consensus is a lot more excitement and optimism for them uh this upcoming the season. Of course, it is none other than quarterback Michael Pennix Jr. We got to hear from DJ Williams uh freshly promoted as the Falcons new QB coach taking over TJ who got promoted to passing game coordinator. I forget what his official title is, but he’ll be working more directly with Zack Robinson in terms of the play calling and game planning and stuff like that, while DJ Williams will be more of that day-to-day guy working with Michael Penn. Um, and Jarvis, I know you got a chance to talk with DJ Williams. What were some of the things that stood out to you in that conversation? One thing, man, I think there’s this from a relationship relationship standpoint, excuse me, just how important it is to be able to have that, you know, and to be able to establish that with him. And I even I even asked him about like, “What was the first thing you said to Michael Pence when he when he came in?” He was like he was like, “You know what? That’s a good question.” And then he thought about it for a second and he said, “You know what? I think we were at the taco truck and I asked him did he want this extra taco that I had and he was like nah man I’m good and just when you think about it from that standpoint I know people like man whatever you talking about taco drivers but I look at it from a standpoint of understanding the impressions a person has on you when you first meet them and how that is used to build that relationship because once you establish that personal relationship with say player that player and you’re building equity with that guy. And so you’re understanding that player is understanding who you are as a person. And then once they understand who you are as a person, then that makes your job easier as a coach because these are human beings we’re dealing with. These are not numbers. We’re not dealing with numbers and analytics and all that stuff. We’re dealing with hardcore human beings. And I think that DJ really understands because, you know, his father’s Doug Williams. I don’t know if people know that or not. Like he he talked about how he got into scouting initially and there was he just felt like he wanted to do more because, you know, he felt like he wanted to get back because he played quarterback at Gramlin as well, you know, right right behind his father, right? So, I I think there is a connection there that is going to benefit both of them, right? Because I’m sure the dude has a vision of of continuing to move up, continue to get those promotions and hey, be calling plays one day and hopefully. So, I I think that Michael Pennix is going to benefit from a guy like that because he was working with him closer last year, you know, with Kirk, you know, being being in a situation in TJH, obviously, you know, dealing with Kirk a little bit more more so than uh Michael Penn. So, I think this is I think this is the beginning of something that could be beautiful, man, because Rob built this coaching staff to for guys to go move on and be head coaches. And I think that BJ is probably lining himself up to be that OC one day. Yeah. Yeah. We we joked about it a lot last year with like the six different quarterback coaches that the Falcons had as Yes. Uh you know, every everybody in that room, even even Taylor Hineki, uh you know, basically had their own quarterback coach that they could basically work with. Yes. Uh and we’ll see if it certainly pays off for fasttracking the development of Michael Penn. Eno and talk about the tacos, man. you know, you you can learn a lot about a guy if they’re a cilantro guy or, you know, they like onions or, you know, what kind of hot sauce they put on their tacos and and all that stuff. So, you know, again, it may not seem like a whole lot, but you know, you know, these are deep male bonding situations when it’s like, you know, how do you enjoy your tacos and whatnot. Yes, this stuff, that type of stuff matters, man. Like, like I said, you’re dealing with humans. I know a lot of people if you you think about it just from any relationship, personal relationship that you have, you remember the little things, you’re like, “Oh man, that was cool.” Or that was cute, man. I like how she picked up the phone after the first ring. You know what I’m saying? Like that stuff matters to you. It’s like, “Man, you know, cuz you’ve picked up you’ve heard, you’ve called someone and they’ve picked up after the sixth or seventh ring. Like, man, wait a minute. What took you so long? What you doing?” You know what I’m saying? Like they give you that comfort. It’s a certain level of comfort that these guys need. And I was even having this kind of similar conversation with Michael Petri, the running back coach for the Falcons. He was saying that establishing a relationship, that human relationship with guys matters so much to because you got to be kind of a understanding psychology of being a coach, right? Because you can’t treat everybody the same way. I can’t talk to Bjan Robinson the same way I I talked to Tyler Aljier. Not saying that he said that, but it’s just using it as an example. So, there are ways that you have to deal with people, certain people, and have establishing a real relationship as the quarterback coach with QB1, the guy who’s probably going to be around here for a very long time. Absolutely. Yeah, that makes all the sense in the world. Yeah. Well, you know, from QB1 to wide receiver one, let’s talk a little bit more about Drake London’s fifth year option and sort of the expectations for him going into this season. Uh, and you know, the potential very lucrative contract that Drake could be earning, uh, you know, this time next year. And we’ll get into all of that, guys, as we wrap up today’s lock on Fence. Drake. Drake. Drake. Yes, I don’t get too often to play the sound bite. So, uh, let’s talk about Drake. Um, he got his his fifth year option u picked up uh yesterday uh just ahead of the deadline of May 1st. Uh $16.8 million keeping him locked in through the 2026 season. Um but you know, this year four is a big year. The precedent that the Falcons have shown pretty consistently going back many many years, whether we’re talking about AJ Terrell, whether we’re talking about other guys, is that guys get paid before that fifth year option gets hit. And when you’re in the say a situation like Kyle Pittz or whatever, um, you know, the fact that he hasn’t gotten paid this off seasonason tells you a lot about uh how the team looks at him. But, um, you know, I say that because we just got big contracts from T. Higgins, Jamar Chase, you know, T. Higgins, highest paid number two wide receiver in the NFL, 29 whatever million dollars it is. And basically, if you’re Drake London and you’re saying I’m the number one guy, you know, if you’re going to pay me, that number better have a three in front of it. Uh, you know, as sort of the start of the negotiation and that number can go up. And so this is a big important year for Drake London from a personal standpoint. And certainly if Drake can have the type of numbers where you sit there and you say like the fifth year option, hey, this is a no-brainer to pick this up. It’s a no-brainer to pay Drake London, you know, sort of market value for a wide receiver. That probably leads to, you know, that that probably stems from a very very successful season for this Falcons offense. So I’m curious, Jarvis, you know, what are your expectations for Drake London? uh this season in and sort of you know is the sky the limit for you know not only his uh price tag but also you know his production in this Falcons offense moving forward. I quote the GOAT of basketball. The ceiling is the roof whatever that means. Uh yeah but yeah my expectations are high man uh for for Drake because like I said he’s been the guy that been that has been productive throughout whatever the situation is. Well, whoever the quarterback is, he’s found a way to be productive and you understand and watch him. You you say, “Yep, he can be that guy.” And for some strange reason, it seems like people were kind of questioning that coming into last season. And I think he answered those questions. Say, “Hey man, how about 100 balls, 200 yards, and what? Nine touchdowns.” Yeah. Yeah. That that kind of that how does that feel? Yeah. Stick that. So, and and to your point about what that number looks like, yeah, wide receiver one, it’s 30 mil. Am Ros Brown, DK Metave, shoot, Tyreek Hill still making 30 mil, right? You know, when last time we talked about him as one of the top guys in the league, it’s been a minute. Last time we heard from Tyreek Hill, he was asking out of Miami and then he apologized the next day saying, “Oh, I was just playing.” You know, so all of those things come into play when you start thinking about, okay, if he has a great season, man, we got to figure out how how we going to pay this dude. But, you know, that’s a good thing. I mean, you were right cuz a lot of people were questioning that pick. I know I was probably one of them because I just got so tired of them drafting pass catchers. I get it, you know. So, but for all in all though, like them picking up the the uh the fifth year option for 16.8 million, which is about half of what he’s probably going to be asking for or what he should be asking for. If his agent’s not asking for that, I don’t know what’s wrong with him, but but yeah, this is the this is what you want, man. You want to be in situations where you be like, man, oh, I don’t know how we gonna pay this guy versus, “Oh, man. we not gonna pay this guy or we have to move on and try to replace this guy because this he’s not who we thought he was and that can do nothing but bold well for Terry Fonto in how he’s built this how he’s built this team. Yeah, I I remember Jarvis because I think you had just joined the network uh ahead of that 22 draft. Yep. Probably the second or third show that we probably did together talking about that selection. I think both of us were very um upset, I guess is the the word, with the Falcons. That’s fair. You know, not at that with that top eight selection. Yeah, I think both of us liked Drake London. I certainly was a fan of his game, but it just didn’t feel like, hey, this is the right pick for this team at this time. They they need to address this pass rush. And, you know, three years later, they they finally got around to it. You know, they put on the back burner. Uh, so, you know, you know, better late than never, I guess you could say. Um, and I feel like, you know, Drake has quieted a lot of those criticisms. And when you we’re talking about, you know, the potential price tag for him, you know, until we get around to paying Michael Pennix in in two or three years, he’s probably going to be the highest paid player on the Atlanta Falcons should he earn that contract. Um, and I think when you think about, you know, the player, the person, all that stuff, and, you know, something that we’ve talked about a lot with, you know, AJ Terrell in the past and others, you know, you play the, you know, you pay the player, but you’re also paying the person, right? It’s a, you know, teams want to pay the right people and be like, you see this guy, this is, you know, for all the young players coming into the building be like, this guy’s making a bajillion dollars and if you do all the things that he’s doing, you can make a bajillion dollars. And I think Drake has certainly earned um you know sort of that distinction uh you know on and off the field and and then ultimately it’s just kind of you know I guess crossing the tees and dotting the eyes um this upcoming season to continue to perform at the level that you you’ve been talking about uh you know that he has performed pretty consistently. Again you know we contrast him and Kyle Pittz like consistency is not an issue for Drake London. um it is an issue for Kyle Pittz and so you know assuming that Drake London can continue to show that consistency this upcoming season you know I I think when we get around to next off seasonason we’ll be sitting here going like potentially this is a no-brainer and and to be and to add to that you know that used to be Grady Jared when they like man oh man making 1920 million year all day bro I can do that come in do your dog on job and make sure you come in prepared, ready to do whatever the coach asks you to do or, you know, establish yourself as that dude. And I think, like I said, Drake has established himself in all the muck and mire of the quarterback situations. I will continue to harp on this because that’s one thing that’s important to see because you can’t when you come into the NFL, man, it’s hard to make excuses for not producing. And if you’re not producing, a lot of times it falls back on you. And you can make a case for quarterback here that then thriving said system that he was drafted by and then he goes other places then and has success, right? Baker Mayfield, Jared Golf, and all that stuff. Yeah, that stuff happens. Oh my gosh, it doesn’t happen often. Like I just named two times, two instances in the past what at least the past few years that you know that that’s been true. But a lot of times it’s it’s on the player. And that’s the beauty of this NFL thing, man. A lot of it on you. You don’t have that college coach screaming in your ear having your schedule planned out 16 hours of your day, right? You know, it doesn’t work like that in the NFL. It’s on you to get better. It’s on you to call that pass rush coach and say, “Hey man, I need some help. I need a plan and I need to be better cuz I need to get paid.” And like that stuff has to be ingrained in your brain and understanding once you go into the league. You can’t just beat guys on talent. Everybody talented, man. Like that that offensive tackle that you used to eat off of every all for all all three years you were in college. Nah, man. That’s gone. that’s gone. It’s it’s going to be that all American dude that you going to be facing every week. And it’s going to be up to him whether or not he going to be able to block you once you get to the league because like I said, accountability adds up. It stacks up, man. You have to be your own coach. You have to be that guy, you know, along with pair pairing with uh the right scheme. But like I said, it’s mostly on the player, man. is mostly on the player when it comes to whether or not you’re productive in it. And I think that you got a guy like Drake who’s been that guy. He’s a prime example of it and he’s going to be rewarded for it and he as well he should. I don’t care what the number is. Pay it because he’s earned it. Yeah. Well, Jarvis, speaking of accountability, I’m contractually obligated to talk about Jeff getting fined. Um thoughts to close out today’s locked on focus? Yeah, man. And I’m glad that this there has been a resolution to this because I I feel like the NFL was heavy over with with the fine stuff, you know, and and and I think that, you know, a guy like Jeff, who I I admire, I I like Jeff Ober, you know, as a person, and for him to kind of just have to fall on this sword, so to speak, publicly for what his son did. It’s kind of jacked up. It’s jacked up and and I’m glad that they can this can potentially be some fuel to the fire, right? Because everybody knows this defense got so much to prove. They have focused in on the defense. Four of the five guys they drafted this year were on the defensive side of the football. You lot some people, not all, um didn’t like the Jeff hire. Hey man, go out there and prove it. I promise you we won’t be talking about it if this defense is is in the top 10 and if it’s in I’m about to say points given up but if they’re in the top 10 and sacks what all right you know what I’m saying I’m not I’m not saying that’s going to happen it’s going to happen trust me bro I feel I saw it out 10 sacks the Atlanta Falcons okay no just scoring defense scoring defense dog. Like it’s it’s been done before. You know what I’m saying? They top 10. That is possible. That is possible. That is so possible. Yeah, man. Like, nobody ain’t going to be caring about what what Jax did back in back in April. You know what I’m saying? Nobody be caring about that. I promise. Yeah. Well, I was one of those people that was skeptical of the Jeffrey car. So, um Fair. I’m I’m I’m looking forward to seeing what happens this season, if this defense can live up to the hype uh this upcoming season. And uh you know, I don’t think we’ll be talking about this fine of prank calls anymore. Yeah, we’ll see if the Falcons and Jeff can get some redemption this upcoming season with the defensive turnaround. Um, and we’ll see, you know, what’s what uh about some of these young players that will be part of that turnaround because we still got, you know, May is just beginning and this is all we, you know, we spend five days a week talking about all these draft picks, right? And, uh, you know, speaking of draft picks, Jack Nelson, you know, I just want I just want to sell Jack. He’s not going to get a lot of love on this podcast for the next couple of weeks, but I’m I’m going to make an effort probably when we get to June. We might we might, you know, get like a a week of Jack Nelson content. So, Jack Nelson, you’re going to get your flowers at some point on this podcast. I don’t know when that’s going to be, but you know, we’re we’re gonna give Jack Nelson some love here on Lock on Focus because no one else will uh at some point in the future. But obviously, you know, the focus is going to continue to be on these defensive pieces and uh we’ll get more into that next week on the podcast. So, continue to make lockdown Falcons your first listen. Uh, of course, you can do so by subscribing or following for free on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcast. And for your second listen, check out the locked on NFL scouting podcast with the draft dudes, Joe Marino of Cow Crabs, not only giving you the lowdown on this year’s draft class, but also sort of all the things that go involved in team building and roster building all summer long. So check out Locked on NFL drafts, locked on NFL scouting with the draft dudes. It’s all part of Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day.

With the Atlanta Falcons shifting to a more aggressive 4-3 defense, are they poised to transform their pass rush? Host Aaron Freeman and Jarvis Davis (@LockedOnATL) explore how this change impacts key players like Zach Harrison and Brandon Dorlus, alongside how it impacts the potential of rookie James Pearce. Explore the impact of the Falcons coaching staff on Kyle Pitts and Michael Penix’s 2025 outlooks. They also discuss Drake London’s fifth-year option being picked up and its implications on his and the team’s future. Did the NFL’s fining and punishing the Falcons and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich for his son’s role in prank calling Shedeur Sanders go too far?

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