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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.
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