Falcons' season 'already a mess and it hasn't even started'

0:00nothing ever goes right for this franchise. Atlanta, what's going on? It's Duke Simebele on Sports Radio 92 9 the game. We start off every day in every hour by saying, hey man, we now know who's going to start in Pittsburgh and it is not Michael Pinnix. So it is not to a tongue of my low on. Nope, it is not even Jack Strand. Nope, it is Cooper Rush. What? Who was named today by Kevin Stofansky after two of her disobleek yesterday at practice. This is already a mess and the season hasn't even started. Yes. I'm so at my wits in, Mike. And I got to tell you, look, I blame the front office for this because they had an opportunity to either make a trade or bring in somebody else. If they knew and had talked to Michael Pinnix about where he is, but I'm starting to believe Mike,

1:01they didn't because it's almost like, well, you just tell us what's going on. And then when he said, I'm not ready, they went, oh crap. Well, that's just it. I mean, I've had all these guys tell me, you can't rush Pinnix. This is his career year. He's not going to have a career, he isn't going to get out on the field. So I know, don't project your life into Michael Pinnix's life if you're a quiet quitter. Okay, Michael Pinnix Jr. has got to impress GMs around the league who right now we're going, how is this guy clear to not playing? Okay, that's reality. There's nothing to do with just Atlanta. If Michael Pinnix is future lives somewhere else, other GMs are questioning the same things I'm questioning. Regardless, Carl, they had two options. He was either Kyler Murray or two of Tonga Velo. That's not true, Mike. They could have made a trade. They could have gone out and acquired a quarterback if they really thought our quarterback room is going to be crap. Not to paraphrase you. Who? Who? Well, look, Cooper Rush was sitting at home, not doing a damn thing, wedding on a phone call, all off season. They didn't call him until we acquired him on the 29th of July, okay?

2:01So he was like last minute after thought. Just in case we need another guy. And now, all of a sudden, he's starting on Sunday. I'm just saying a front office worth its salt. Does its research and says, hey, we got to bring in more qualified people in here because we may be without Michael Pinnix a lot longer than we think. They didn't do that. Well, again, I thought they figured two of Tonga Velo was looking to reinvent himself because he liked to continue to get paid other than what the dolphins still pay him for not being a dolphin. But I will say that two of us, injury to start, the camp was kind of maybe a harbinger of what's going on with this guy. We think about the concussion, we worry about that. Turns out to be my aching back. So today, I mean, yesterday, he literally, it's like that scene in the Royal Tannenbaum's when Jean Hackman goes, oh, remember, he lays down slowly and they put the spoon in his mouth, pretending like he's at a stroke or something. And that's the way he went down. So guys, it's just very frustrating that, yes, we didn't have a better option. But the one thing I'm excited about is, maybe we see Jack Strand. The good news bad news on that is, if you see Jack Strand on Sunday in Pittsburgh, we're probably down by 25, 30 points.

3:03Correct. And a lot of fans will be curious to see how he responds. But this is gonna be Cooper Rush who's been there done that as a bunch of starts, high pressure, being in there for the Cowboys years ago. But it's just so uncompaling as a Falcon fan. I want to see Michael Pinnix Jr. You don't get that. All right, we'll give me two. I don't even get that. So you're right. Sometimes, and I hate to play that Atlanta I discard. You feel like you're cursed. 404-726-0929. I told you guys yesterday, nobody. And I mean, nobody is giving us a chance to go up to Pittsburgh and win. That was prior to this decision. What is Cooper Rush? Cooper Rush is a 32 year old backup quarterback in the National Football League who has played 42 games and is 9 and 7 as a starter. He was 0 and 2 for the Ravens last year. That's what he is. So if you're asking, hey, what are we getting on Sunday? I really don't know a whole lot about Cooper Rush for those Cowboy fans. You might remember him as the backup. He had moments, okay? But at the end of the day, this is a tough way to start the season.

4:04And again, when you acquired the guy on the first day of training camp, just because, and now, yesterday was his first real, first team snaps. And he said it yesterday after practice. He said, ah, it's good to get out there because if I have to play, at least I have a feel for what's going on. Falcon fans, where are you at with this? Because it really feels like this sets the season and the tone for the opposite direction of what we thought might, what this might look like. I heard Rusty Mansell the other day say, that's a long season. Yeah, it's a long season. But every year, our seasons come down to one game, one or two games and we win the division. So we're just gonna say, oh, yeah, it's a 17 week season, but week one is an extension of the preseason. Carl, I can't wrap with that. That's a bunch of nonsense. I mean, these games matter, okay? Now, if you're the Rams and you look like Sturfried blank last night down under, you can always come back and get it right because you're the Rams. You've got better talent than we do. Yes. But if you're the Falcons, we got no margin for error. Where you just say, I concede week one. That's why I was so irked about Panic's not being willing

5:05to go when he was cleared. All right, man, we got a lot to chop up today. It certainly changes the direction of what we thought we'd be talking about. And that is, hey, all right. Two has gotten all these raps. They got a game plan in for two. And by the way, the game plan was specifically centered around what two of us best. That's now been tweaked. And the time is ticking until kickoff on Sunday. And so I'm not telling you again, Falcon fans, that Cooper Rush won't step in and do the best job that he can, of course he is. But it just diminishes our chances. When you know you're going into a game with a guy who really gives you a 50% or less chance to win this game. It's just being honest with you guys. That's how I feel about this. Now, if he pulled off a miracle mic, and Monday we roll into the studio, and we're talking about what a win for the Falcons. Great, but I just don't feel like that. No, you need the offense to really be trucking because your defense has now what, lost. We did the math. Half of those sacks it made us the second best pass rushing team in the league last year. Those sacks are out of the building right now.

6:06At least until James Pierce Jr. comes back 10 and a half, whatever he can do in a half a season come back. Joe Sue Mendoza hits us up on the X. He goes, I don't know what PENX putting on the Cape even means. He goes for and eight as a starter. Literally, it's not shown once that he can play it in a elite level. I said, and my argument is with a better head coach, a better offensive coordinator, a real game plan, not that crap that Zach Robinson was in over his head with. That's what I want. That's why I can't wait to see Michael PENX in this sample size. That's what I mean by give him a shot to come out there and be the hero. All right, look, we have no choice. We've got to get behind Cooper Rush. We'll see what this looks like. I hope he plays well. By the way, speaking of Jack Strand, Frost is the backup. So to Mike's point, now we're talking about him being to play away. And I've been saying this all off season. Either one of these guys are a playaway. Whether it was going to be PENX or Tua, and you guys laugh when I said Jack Strand could be a playaway. Literally on Sunday, he is a playaway. Well, now they've talking about, they'll be an emergency quarterback. They haven't. Well, is it going to be Michael PENX Jr. or Alamedez Aqueous? Who played quarterback in Pop Warner or in junior college

7:09that can play quarterback in a pinch? Everybody's got one. Now, this we're bringing Heinz Ward back or Matt Ryan is going to come out. Matt Ryan is signed on one day contract to be an emergency quarterback. You know, I'd be down with that. I mean, this is so falcony. It's just so falcony. It's what unfortunately, and I hate to tie in previous seasons with a fresh start, but the fresh start just feels like more of the same. Well, this is why Mike and I know, again, we hadn't played it down, but this is why I'm looking at the front office. What are we doing? It's almost like, what's the plan? And the most important plan going into the season, this off season was what? You guys know, it was quarterback. It was the number one thing we talked about. PENX coming off of this injury and everybody just assumed, dude was going to be fine. How many of you guys told us he'll be ready for the season? He's not. Did the falcons front office not realize that and say, you know what, we really need to kind of double down on this and be prepared. So look, the two of thing is what it is, but many of you thought he was injury prone anyway. You thought he was injury prone anyway? I was never really sold.

8:10The one thing we can talk about, now they're not going to start him. And by the way, you and I were talking at the end of the show guys who missed it about, how does the NFL work week? You know, work because they're traveling up to Pittsburgh on Saturday morning. It's talking with Archie last night on the way home, be a text. And Dave was saying there's some seven on seven, some red zone today, but it's not like your full day of practice that you was here earlier in the weekend when they do the installs. So it's not like Cooper Rush is going to be beating out Jack Strand. It's all Cooper Rush. And Jack Strand won't have that opportunity. But Jack Strand is on this roster for a reason. Somebody in that building carl up, Stairer says, I believe enough about Jack Strand to take away a vital 53 man roster spot. So as much as I argued with you that he's not ready, or you can't throw him up there against Pittsburgh, I think every Falcon fan listening would rather see Jack Strand out there than Cooper Rush, just to at least see what this kid's about, you know, in the ultimate trial by fire. That's where I've been. And I said, if Tuakim play at two-odd start, obviously that's not who they're starting. Today, Kevin Stofansky, when he addressed the media,

9:11was not upset. He was not read in the face. He simply delivered the information. And I've said this about him. I do like this aspect. Even when we're kind of freaking out about stuff, he is right here all the time. And so he said that they have always had a plan. I'm not sure if that's true. I think this is reaction. Okay, I don't think this is part of the plan. Action, reaction. Okay. But he said, hey, we've always had a plan. But Gary, four quarterbacks, isn't that, doesn't that mean you anticipate it some stuff? I think the four quarterbacks was, we know Pinnix now is not ready. So at least we've got three. Okay, that's what I thought. They weren't expecting two of them to go, ah, my back. Are you know, Carl, we're live at Twin Peaks here in Buckhead. Can I give a shout out real quick to start the show? Absolutely. Carl, I believe that children are our future. And you and I have talked about Gen Z being soft. Randy Watson said that. Being weak. Yeah. Having no balls. That's not what's happening right here. Three young men from the University of Georgia, hardworking guys, Duke's and Bill, this, there's Carl.

10:12They only got to see national championships with Kirby. Young men right there just got certified as an agent, as a like a professional sports agent. How cool is that? One guy's in banking, one guy's in real estate. They're here to bird dog chicks. Let's give it up for these, you know what? Gen Z, they're not all worthless. Oh, that's good. That's good. Way to go, Gen Z. All right. Too bad. It's a room full of dudes right now. I know. Exactly right. And then once you hit 25 to 54, you help Carl and I hit our bonuses. So you get you guys get that birthday soon. All right, man. Good to have you guys in the building. Appreciate you guys coming out. You can come out here and hang out with us. The drinks, the eats, the scenic views as we like to say. Here at Twin Peaks. All right, we got a lot to get to. We're going to talk to our man, B-Mac. Bryant, McFadden, two time Super Bowl champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was already leaning Pittsburgh. Haha. He's already killing us. We said this today on the pre show on Twitch and YouTube. He's going to be chirping like there's no business. I mean, he's you know how much he's going to be chirping today. All right, we'll talk to him. And last night, all that Rams hype. Calm down.

11:13We're live at Twin Peaks on a Friday at Stukson Bill.