NFL Dominates May Headlines with Schedule Release, Draft News

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00:00 [MUSIC]

00:03 A lot to discuss around the National Football League this week.

00:07 Not often in the middle of May does the NFL dominate the sports headlines, but

00:12 we do have the scheduled release day around the NFL.

00:15 And some big news in the ATL yesterday as well, where we find our guy Mark Zito,

00:21 who joins us live right here for the next two segments on this Wednesday on the early line.

00:27 We won't talk about Karis LeVert, we won't talk about game number four in Cleveland.

00:32 It's on to greener pastures here Mark Zito on this Wednesday.

00:35 >> I noticed you picked the word greener as in green as in Boston Celtics who took

00:40 me on quite the roller coaster ride only to have me have a connection at the end of

00:44 that game and Karis LeVert.

00:45 Well, I can't speak why he has a knee injury.

00:48 I don't know anything about it.

00:49 All I could say is it wasn't me.

00:50 >> I mean, if you're, we're not gonna point any fingers here.

00:56 I mean, you know what they're saying out here on the early line.

01:01 But Zito, you are in Atlanta.

01:02 And for the first time yesterday since the 2024 NFL draft, we heard from Kirk Cousins,

01:08 who was speaking about the Falcons drafting Michael Pennix Jr.

01:12 At eighth overall.

01:14 Here's what Kirk had to say.

01:15 >> Yeah, no, it's pretty straightforward.

01:17 I was at the same event at the stadium, was just driving back and

01:22 they called me and just said, hey, we're gonna take quarterback here at the pick.

01:25 And I said, okay.

01:26 And that was pretty straightforward.

01:28 Yeah, I think it's similar to the call that Mark D'Antonio made to me in 2000.

01:33 That would have been 2007.

01:35 He said, hey, we're gonna offer another quarterback.

01:37 I know you've signed Nick Foles.

01:39 You guys are gonna have to compete and it's like, okay.

01:41 Let's just take the next step.

01:44 And then I was drafted right with Robert Griffin.

01:48 And it's hey, you're going there with another quarterback in the same class.

01:51 Okay.

01:53 So this is more the norm than the exception.

01:58 And I think the response is that this is the exception when really,

02:03 if you know my story, this is more the norm of the journey.

02:07 And it's more of okay, let's just start working and start building together.

02:11 >> You know I appreciate a Michigan State shout out to Mark D'Antonio in the former

02:17 days for Captain Kirk in East Lansing.

02:20 That clip provided by the way from 11 Alive News' Maria Martin.

02:24 He was also further asked, and it was Kirk Cousins, about the idea.

02:29 Had Atlanta already informed him they were going to use their top ten pick,

02:33 eighth overall on AQB, would he have signed with the Falcons franchise this

02:37 offseason, and Kirk basically said I don't deal in hypotheticals.

02:42 What did you make of his response to the Michael Pettis Jr draft pick for

02:46 the first time made clear in public?

02:49 >> Well, we know clearly at this point, given the reporting and everything else,

02:52 we feel pretty confident in saying that, at best, Kirk was never informed

02:57 that taking Michael Pettis was in the Falcons' plans until that phone call

03:02 on draft night was made, right?

03:03 Like it was a general assumption, whether it was spoken or

03:06 not, that he was going to be the guy.

03:08 And that question, that was asked by the Atlanta media about,

03:11 had they told him about it in the recruiting pitch, is 100% fair.

03:15 And it's the right question to ask.

03:17 This is why you don't purposely create a quarterback controversy

03:22 like the Falcons did.

03:23 That question is fair.

03:24 Questions about Kirk's job security after a bad start will be fair.

03:28 Questions to Raheem Morris about making a switch at quarterback will be totally fair.

03:33 All that is in bounds when you have done what the Falcons have done, and

03:37 that is why you don't create a quarterback controversy on your own.

03:41 If one develops because you have two guys who can play, that happens.

03:46 Sometimes you can't control that, but you don't want to create this intentionally.

03:51 And that's what the Falcons have done.

03:52 And all these questions will be fair.

03:54 Look, this is Atlanta, folks.

03:56 And whether you want to hear this or not, the reality is that black quarterbacks in

04:00 Atlanta have an affinity from the fan base.

04:03 And there is a reason why, because this city has such traditions and

04:07 such history in the civil rights movement.

04:09 All that stuff is fair.

04:10 So it's the reason why they clamored for Justin Fields to come here.

04:14 It's the reason why that anytime there's a quarterback controversy that runs around,

04:19 they are always looking to the backup.

04:22 And so I think all this stuff plays into it.

04:25 Michael Pennix deserves a shot to start in the NFL.

04:28 And he's going to get it when we don't know that it is.

04:30 And will it be for the Falcons?

04:32 Guys, I don't know how this works out, where it makes sense.

04:36 Either you drafted the wrong guy or you paid the wrong guy.

04:39 It's really hard to be right on both.

04:42 >> It is odd because you understand the philosophy of what they're saying.

04:45 Well, we'll never be in the top ten again.

04:47 We expect to be good and to be a perfect handoff.

04:49 But you can't do that in a salary cap league and blow a top ten pick.

04:52 Mark, it wasn't as if this was a late third round pick where Pennix felt like

04:55 we really couldn't pass this up.

04:57 We got a stud wide receiver in round number one, a defensive end in round

05:00 number two, now we got our quarterback.

05:01 This is just a plethora.

05:02 We couldn't pass it up.

05:03 I get that.

05:04 But if we're looking also from inside the room, you will always hear this from

05:08 coaches because coaches don't have to compete against anything.

05:10 And being a player myself, most people say the fallacy of,

05:13 I love a good competition.

05:15 You know when you love competition?

05:16 When you're not the start and you get to compete to try to take down the starter.

05:19 You know when you don't love competition?

05:21 Is when you're the actual starter, which Kirk Cousins is.

05:23 And you're right, these questions are now rising that shouldn't happen.

05:26 But let me ask you this, in a perfect world,

05:29 what actually does happen for the Falcons?

05:31 Like when is the handoff?

05:32 Kirk Cousins wins two Super Bowls, then retires, then you give it to Pennix?

05:35 I mean, what are they actually anticipating here?

05:38 >> That's the only win-win.

05:40 I mean, at some point in time, again, I'm still wondering why.

05:43 Falcons fans have made this assumption all of a sudden that Pennix is the guy.

05:46 Like he will be handed the torch and he will move forward and

05:50 everything will be seamless and all of a sudden he'll continue to win.

05:53 When in reality, we know the six quarterbacks taken,

05:55 likely percentages of history tell us only two of those guys are gonna be worthwhile.

05:59 The other four are just not gonna be very good.

06:00 That's just the reality of drafting first round quarterbacks.

06:03 So beyond that, beyond assuming that Pennix is going to be good,

06:07 if the Falcons make the playoffs this year and next year, and

06:10 let's just say they even reach an NFC Championship game.

06:13 Let's just say at a minimum, they only win one playoff game and

06:15 they lose in the division around both years.

06:17 Are you benching Kirk Cousins and

06:19 cutting Kirk Cousins in favor of a guy who's never taken a snap in anger?

06:22 How do you pull the trigger on that?

06:24 Like, it makes no sense whatsoever.

06:27 And if Kirk Cousins plays so bad and the Falcons don't make the playoffs,

06:32 then what'd you pay the guy $180 million for?

06:35 Like you totally whiffed on that one.

06:37 And now you're in a salary cap issue area possibly with Kirk Cousins' money.

06:42 It's so hard to get this into a tight window where it all fits and

06:46 works out for everybody.

06:48 The only thing I'll say is this, guys.

06:49 If Michael Pennix ends up being very good,

06:51 it's easily forgotten about down the road in the big picture.

06:53 >> Yeah, but it's very interesting for Terry Fontenot, the GM in Atlanta,

06:59 to almost guarantee that we'd never be drafting in the top ten again for

07:03 a franchise that hasn't won more than seven games in six seasons.

07:07 And if you're not doing that, it makes no sense.

07:10 And even further, if it's only two years of Kirk,

07:13 Pennix has one year to start in Wow Atlanta for

07:17 them to pick up his fifth year option of his rookie deal.

07:20 So many confusing things.

07:22 [MUSIC]

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