Falcons legend Ovie Mughelli talks Bijan, defense, & Panthers matchup | Friday Five Podcast

What's up, Falcons fans, and welcome back to the Friday Five. I'm Will McFaden. Tory Mlaney is off today or off this week. So, we have a really special uh episode for you. I called in my old pal Obie Mahaley. You may know him best as the former Falcons fullback uh for many, many years with Michael Turner. You can catch him now on Believe in Falcons with the exact same Michael Turner. They are talking football as well, but he joined me for an excellent conversation. and we're going to kind of preview Falcons Panthers. It's the home opener on Sunday. They're going to dawn the red jerseys for the first time. So, make sure you're there. Make sure you're loud. Make sure you're wearing red because the I85 rivalry is worth it. So, Obie and I are going to break that down. We're also going to talk a lot about Bjan Robinson and just what makes him such a special player. You know, there's really nobody better to kind of talk about the running back position than somebody who played fullback in the NFL. Uh, and so talk about that and then at the end we kind of talk about the Falcons run defense and the performance that they had against the Pittsburgh Steelers and why it could be for real and what OV saw from that group and what makes a really good run defense in the NFL. So, it was a great conversation. I hope you guys enjoy it. A little bit different, but it's a lot of fun. Let's get to it. All right, this is a blast from the past. We've got Oie Mahaly, uh my original podcast partner and of course a Falcons legend joining us on the show. Obie, thank you so much for uh for joining and uh filling in. >> Well, thanks for having me, Will. It's appreciate me. It's an honor to be a part of the William McFaten show. I don't know that's the title of the show, but it should be William McFadden show. >> Oh, you know, I I think Tori might have a a thing or two to say about that. And honestly, she should because uh most days I am just riding her coattails, but today I get to ride yours and I'm very excited to do that. Um for those who don't know, Obie and I were on Believe in Falcons for what was it? Three years together. >> Three and a half. A solid a strong three and a half. Yeah. >> Yeah. It was it was a good it was a good run. Um and then you upgraded and you now have Michael Turner joining you. So, anybody who loved the glory days of the Atlanta Falcons from 2008 to 2011 that featured Michael Turner and Obie Mahaley in the backfield, go check out that podcast. >> It was a vibe, Will. It was a whole vibe, man. We were doing our thing. We were number one ranked offense in uh 2008 for most of the year. Finished number two, but uh yeah, we were part of the first back-to-back winning seasons in Falcons franchise history. Matt, Ryan, me, Mike. It was It was fun. >> It was It was so much fun. Um it was really the evolution to some degree was already taking place in the passing game. The year before, obviously 2007, we saw the Patriots, but really what y'all did was make this young Atlanta child growing up who was just entering high school when Matt Ryan was drafted. Sorry to make you sound old or feel old there, Oie. I just had to get one throne in there on you. Um, you made me appreciate and love the run game. Like I fell in love with the ability to just pound the ball in between the tackles and watching Michael just kind of bounce off of dudes. I I think it was Chris Long. I was listening to a show where he said Michael Turner was the toughest player of his era to tackle. And also that's because he had you lead blocking for him. So, they had to go through a brick wall just to get to Mike and even get the chance to do it. Um, so I when I was thinking about just who I would want to have on to talk about Bjan Robinson and the evolution of the Falcons run game, you were the first person that uh that came to mind. So, I want to start with just what did you see from Bjon in week one? And yeah, I mean like in your eyes, somebody who's been around this league for forever, like where does he stand just in terms of special players? >> So, I mean, after you heard Saquon Barkley over a year ago now say that, hey, I'm very confident in who I am, what I can do, and how I can accomplish. But Bean is special. Bean Robinson is a guy that is doing things that is one of one. And when Saquon said that, I was like, "All right, I'm not crazy. We're all not crazy. Of course, we're gonna think Bejian's the best things to sliced bread because he's our guy." But when other people around the league are looking at our Bejon and realizing that he does things that simply the human body should not be able to do, that's when you have confirmation that um he he's that guy. So, I I I loved the evolution of Bejon because there is a sophomore slump. There is a, you know, a thirdyear junior slump. There's people at a certain point get tired of getting better when you already are supposedly at the top of the mountain where he is. Even though he's so good, he finds little ways, minute ways to get better. I've heard it in his interviews. I was blessed to go uh to training camp about seven or eight times this off seasonason. I made um you know uh a real concertive e effort to go for my podcast of Believe in Falcons and check out the players look at behind the scenes. I wanted to meet the coach. Had a chance to shake Stfansky's hand. Yeah. Just like Raheem. He let the players roam the field. So I was almost in the huddle offensively, defensively. >> Just seeing the breakdown O line pass rush. It was fantastic. And I'm like >> that's a way better view than I get. Yes, slight slightly better. And I I did it one time. I came as media and I was like, why don't I have to sit here? Oh, well, you're media. I was like, well, I'm media and I'm a player, so can I [laughter] here's media, so I >> you gota you got to always go as a player. You you you earned that right. Use that right. Go stand in that huddle, Obie. >> I I learned that. But no, uh for Bejon, he's a guy that they're now allowing him to do more than just scurry around the outside. I saw more between the tackles. I saw more even though Brian Robinson the other uh B- Rob is uh a tank and I loved it reminded me of some Tyler Algier when he got the ball he was just waiting he was hungry and he was out there beating people's heads in putting his shoulder pads down and just giving me a little bit old Michael Turner and Tyler Algier but Bison has added that to his game. So I think the physicality has been upped a little bit still can turn on a dime. Still can make people miss. still can um accelerate with a a thought. And it's it's so exciting to know that we have that, but as I'm sure you'll get into, he can't win games by himself. That he almost did last last game, but he can't consistently win game by himself. >> No, he he can't win games by himself. And and we will get into that, but you g you gave me so much to to kind of unravel there. And I I want to start with really what you said about Bjan adding things to his game every single off seasonason, right? Like he is such a good player. He's maybe the player who I have ever covered or witnessed where he came in with already such a high floor and he has worked as hard as, >> you know, your undrafted free agent who is a diamond in the rough type of player who's going to earn everything he's going to get. Like when you already have that level of talent and then you build on top of it, that's when you become one of the true kind of special just elite in all of these. Christian McAffrey is is such a great comp, but also Marshall Faulk, also Leenian Tomlinson, you know, like these guys who could just impact the game in every way. And I think we saw it early against Pittsburgh. That one-handed catch in the back field was like every time like Bjon makes one of those special plays, I kind of like stand up in my seat for a split second before I realize I'm in the press box and I need to be a professional. But I the fan in me comes out so strong. It's like the Hulk. And that was one of those plays. And so we know that he's a great receiver. We know that he is so difficult to pin down in space, but the part that you just mentioned that I think is what he added this off season is that ability to stick his nose in the thick of things and just kind of run downhill. And that is so important, I think, in what the Falcons have transitioned to offensively with their run scheme, which is a more gap power scheme. and they still have zone sprinkled in. But Obie, can you explain to me why it's important for Bjan to now have this kind of decisive downhill nature when you're going to be running more of a gap scheme? >> Because uh they watch film like we watch film. They have access to the, you know, the the all 22 and to the sky view. They can see what he likes, what he's comfortable with, what he can do well, what he excels in. And you cannot give them the playbook to stop you. You are going to die if you do not evolve as a running back. And as a running back, Bejian has a desire to be the best of the best. And when you talk about the schemes they're putting in now, gap zone, everything, he wants to do it all because there are times we they brought in Tyler Algier so that it's goal line or it's short yardage or they want to change things up and run between the tackles more. They want to bring in a bruiser and yeah, I get that and Tyler's great at that and as is Brian Robinson the short amount of times we saw him do it. But if we can throw them off and say, "Oh, it's Bejon outside, off tackle, screen. Bean's scared to go a gap, B gap. He's not doing that." And Bejan can do that. Or he can start outside and cut it back inside. He's so good at putting his foot in the dirt and heading uphill. I just felt like >> our OC was trying to take full advantage of all of Bejon's uh um you know um best qualities and best characteristics and that's a part that they talked about um and they actually put it into action partially because they had to. We we didn't have um a uh a passing attack that scared anybody. we didn't have a passing attack that made people um afraid to drop a extra guy in the box or at least linger in there. And so knowing that with with Bejon, we had to get creative and I I like I love the fact that we were able to do that in the past game despite it giving us the outcome we wanted. Yeah, I saw I think it was NextGen stats which does a great job providing these like really cool insights um kind of the day after the game and one of theirs from Falcon Steelers was that the Steelers did not play a single snap of man coverage on on Sunday. So they were entirely zone which >> wow >> which shows you on the one hand yes it is >> right we're going to we're going to drop we're going to see and and part of that is just yeah the newness of of the offense and the defense and kind of getting single but another part of that is you're keeping eyes on sometimes it's a mobile quarterback sometimes it's just the run game and a screen game and all the ways that you're going to get number seven the ball and so even though it may be a pass the Falcons have shown time and again sometimes their best option And shoot, they said it in training camp. Just be it. Just toss it. Yeah. Right. >> Just be it. >> Yep. That that Yeah, just be it. And you just you drop it off to number seven. You let him do the rest because So, here's another element of this decisiveness is sometimes it felt like on these outside zone plays, he would get a little too dancy. And and even though he's amazing at that and there's nobody in the world who I would rather have dancing in the backfield, I think Tevin Coleman is a great example of the type of player who in that Kyle Shanahan scheme, boom, one cut, foot in the dirt, north south, and I'm just beline to the end zone. And that's where I think in this scheme, at least on Sunday, I noticed more of that from Bjon. It was I see my crease or I know where my hole is and I am hitting it full speed. That's what we see from him on screens. >> That touchdown, >> he knew exactly where that crease was going to be, right between Chris Blair and right between Charlie Warner. And he hit it full speed and nobody can touch him. So, I love that Tommy Reese is finding ways to kind of get Bonan the ball like that where he's going to get a full head of steam and he knows where he's going. Um, because you're right, you know, I think that that right now is Atlanta's best approach. Certainly when you look at what the Panthers just gave up to DeAndre Swift. I mean you mentioned that the Bjon can't do it all himself and I agree with you but this matchup coming off of the heels of kind of what the Bears were able to do and I know it's two different teams and the Panthers have had the Falcons number certainly last year swept them. So it's going to be yeah a renewal of the real rivalry. The Falcons are coming in here focused, but Bjan Robinson has to kind of be looking at this matchup uh and really excited about what he could do on Sunday. >> 1,000%. And um I had a chance to be on the Believe in Panthers uh show, our sister station or or show u podcast and Jonathan Stewart was one of the guys I actually got to talk to. And so I asked Jonathan about about Bejon. He was >> he everybody does. like I lean back like it's it's it's going to be a challenge, an uphill battle because we made it to where um he should be salivating. He should be licking his lips and excited about what he could do against us. If a if a running back that is not Bejon had so much success, what could a bejan do? But I I was telling him, I was like, "Don't get too excited." I was like, we you guys had uh or I guess the Bears had a quarterback that was pushing the boundaries and making you have to play both sides. >> Caleb Williams played out of his mind in that game. That was really >> He had a great game and it's like >> can um it beneficial to is Tua going to start? I don't >> No. So nothing We are I should preface this. We are recording this uh Tuesday night at 10:30, which is much earlier than Tori and I would normally record a a Friday episode. Again, little bit of a change of plans this week. Um I'll I'll mention it kind of at the top of the episode. This the media episode. Little behind the scenes magic for you. Sometimes they don't always happen sequentially. Uh but there you go. So Obie, we do not as of now know the quarterback. The last we heard was Kevin Spansky saying Monday he's going to kind of get through the next couple of days, figure out what that's going to be. Um, the last we know, right? Two missed the game with the oblique injury. Mike still said, you know, as of last Monday, not 100%. We don't know where he is Tuesday night. By the time you listen to this on Friday morning, we probably will know much more. But for right now, Obie, it's tough to talk a little bit in specifics about the quarterback because it's like >> we would have one conversation if it's Chua, we'd have another conversation if it's Michael Bick. We'd have a different conversation if it's Cooper Rush. >> A lot of conversations. And um I think um regardless of who the quarterback is, we just need some consistency. We need some stability. We need somebody who can, you know, not underthrow Kyle Pittz, who can confidently get B on the ball without him having to make a circus catch onehanded behind the the back. Like we we see a quarterback to >> to give us a steady hand. And I think >> and I would add to that too, like I I think the penalties as well like played as much a role in that lack of consistency on on Sunday at least. >> Yeah, it's um it's every first game around the league, almost every first game. not some people able to transcend that. Uh I think having a new coach with a new system makes it a little bit harder, but um it's your first game. You're not giving your best uh uh effort, not your best effort, you're not giving the best look of what your team can look like because you're going live for all four quarters and no one's done that all preseason. Uh, shoot. We're lucky that our starters even played preseason because that was not >> that was a change and that was a welcome one. >> Yeah, it was a very welcome change, but they played a quarter, maybe a quarter and a half, maybe two quarters, four quarters in a row, first game, you got to be able to stay sharp when you're tired. And as someone who was very tired multiple times, I I know how the brain can play tricks on you. The mic can play tricks on you and you can not hear the snap count. You can be seeing ghosts when safeties are blitzing. Who's in the A gap? Who's not in the A gap? You got to really lock in and focus. And if you don't, what happened to us will happen where you make mistakes that veteran guys, uh, you know, you had starters who've been here for a while, guys who make a lot of money were, you know, off start false start and jumping off sides and different penalties, special teams. I hate >> that. I was just about to say, there we go. been looking for that a big special teams return and given us a chance to start ahead of the sticks. Yeah. Nope. Holding >> um kicking game. >> It's exciting to see Zachariah Branch have that in him, right? But yes, it's you got to you got to make him count. It's the It stinks that that's the first reaction I feel like I have and I'm I'm sure it's ton of fans listening, perhaps every fan listening. Anytime there's a big kickoff return or a big punt return, >> immediately my eyes go from wherever the returner is to like midfield to just be like, where is there yellow anywhere? And if there isn't, now I can celebrate. And if there is, it's like, all right. Ah, so yeah, it's it sucks, but like it's great to see Zachariah have that in him and you clean that up and those are the details and then you move forward, right? >> Yeah. It's I mean it's uh it's part of football and I I really feel like the sky is not falling. It isn't time to panic yet. >> No, it's >> Yeah, it's week week two. Falcons fans are uh unfortunately used to be in this position, but this is a year and I tell people um they don't want to listen. I tell them Matt Ryan did not come to the Falcons organization to live in mediocrity. That eight and eight, eight and seven, all that full that's done. like you know even if our record is similar to that like the ability to be like we'll go get an extra that's done and so I'm not in the meeting rooms I'm not in uh some of the uh closed doors conversations but I know my boy Matthew uh J Ice whatever Matt real name is I don't know what it is Matthew J Ice he did not come to play and is serious about getting the QB room correct and getting the whole team uh in in a good place cuz I feel confidently I would bet money. I have a nice house. I bet my whole house that before Matt Ryan leaves Atlanta as a uh executive we will win a Super Bowl. That's how confident I am that Matthew is not going to come here just for, you know, giggles and poops. I can't say the other word. [laughter] Can I say poop on on the podcast anyways? But um no. Yeah. Well, thank you. Uh Matt's coming to to do um the Lord's work and get this team to the playoffs, and playoffs mean opportunities to win Super Bowls, and I cannot wait for that to really get started. >> A little a little Ostradamus. I love it. A throwback. Nice. Um, >> yeah, you I we're going to wrap this up soon, but I do have uh just kind of a couple more for you along those lines because >> so you're mentioning like I think the first year that we podcasted together was um Arthur Smith's first season in 2021, maybe it would have been 2022. And it was [clears throat] >> it for us it was really about like yes, we're going to talk about every game. We're going to analyze kind of the ins and the outs of the season, but it is it's growth. It's trajectory. It's what the long-term trend is. And I'm thinking very similarly about 2026. You know, week one is as much about how you adjust in week two as it is the performance that you have in week one because that is your first real measuring stick and then you get the chance to kind of grow from that. >> Correct. In a lot of ways, we just need this year to see the correctable mistakes get corrected and that that pattern of improvement week to week to week. But I'll tell you what, I saw already a year to year upward trend that I loved. And that was the defense, dude. The more that I think about that defensive performance, do they were playing man coverage so often on the outside with those corners and they blitzed at I think like an 11% clip and last year they were closer to the 40s. So they are getting pressure with their front four while also playing man coverage on the back end. To me, that is just such a confident showing from Jeff Olrich to go out there week one against Aaron Rodgers and say, "All right, buckle up, boys. It's on you. Mike Hughes, it's on you. AJ Terrell, it's on you. We're putting you guys out there man coverage. We're only sending four. Like, we're going to blanket this field." And they did that. It was such a great performance, I think, from the defense. >> It was fantastic performance. and the fact that you know um James Pierce uh Jaylen like a majority of our sacks are not available to us and we still had a day against a hall of fame >> Smith is a great addition to this >> not only is his story fantastic not only were we all rooting for him with um you know how he came back to Atlanta why he left in the first place but he came to play he made I think two sacks he had like actual presence on the field. I love veterans cuz as an older guy played 10 years years 8 n 10 there was uh you know some some old people hate like ah this guy's too old can he still do it whatever. So Darius he put on a >> he said he came to he said he came to football late he was like I didn't start playing football until like late in high school. I'm fresh man. He's like I got years left on me. I'm a young dog. It's it's it's so much fun to see the older guys still show that they can get the job done and he did that and it's just you already mentioned testament to Jeff and there's a reason why they cleaned house but said Jeff no no no no you you you stay we we want you here we don't want you moving you're out here breaking records you're out here giving us you know uh um sack totals we've never seen we're ranked 30th 31st 29th in all these categories and now we're in the top five in some categories despite the personnel, it was the system, it was the coach, it was the the scheme and and Jeff Oh, yeah. The the mindset like the physicality and and the swagger that they had uh last year, it it was fun. It was palpable. You could it jumped off the field. You could see it. You could feel it. And even watching it, you're like, you know, can the defense hold up? Aaron Rogers, oh, all right. Okay. Yeah. And there were so many times that you were proud as a Falcon of this defense. So, it's about building on that. You mentioned how can you uh improve on what you did week one. Offense got a little more work to do than the defense, but the defense if they can improve upon an already great showing. Imagine where we are week four, five, six. So, that's the uh the goal for our defense, but they're they're a strong point for us and uh very happy to have them still be that strong point. And that that to me is the identity of your team right now. It is a run game offense that that can be efficient through the air when it needs to. It just needs to be that. It needs to be efficient through the air and and protect the football. And then let your defense kind of really put the clamps on some other teams. If you can get a big play in special teams, that's awesome, too. And that swings it as well. Last one for you, Obie, is we're talking defense. There was such a big push on improving the run defense this off season because that that was really kind of I think the one nitpick fans had last year with everything they were doing. It was all right we got to tighten up the run defense and the reason for that is that puts you in more of the fun stuff, right? It like that puts you in the third and longs if you stuffing the run on first and second down. So >> as a former NFL fullback, the most qualified person on earth to answer this question, what makes a good run defense? Oh man. Um I loved I was think was it Brandon Doris I believe? Uh he he had a great game. Uh we already talked about Zarius Smith, but it was back to the mentality. Um you watch those guys and coaches often tell players to turn off the noise, turn off the sound, and just watch football. >> Watch yourself. Watch the Dline. Watch how the defense moves. linebackers, DBs, every level. See how they run to the ball, see how they finish, look at their motors. And if you turned off the sound and just watched our defense, you'd be like a proud father, a proud older brother, like, you know, you know, a proud uncle where you're like, "Yeah, that's that's that's my boys. That's what I'm talking about. That's that's the Falcons. I know their effort." And it sounds corny. It sounds cheesy. Sounds a very basic and rudimentary, but I tell people all the time like the the greats, they are brilliant in the basics. The great of offensive linemen, their first step is always on point. Their hand placement is always on point. It's the simple things from the duff, the best defensive line, the best defenses. It's the simple things, but it's doing it consistently over and over again. Ray Lewis said, and I remember it to this day, he's like, "Excellence to the standard." He's like, "You don't find Hall of Famers who are excellent every now and then. Excellence is the mother, love, and standard. It's what you expect. It's what you demand. It's what you show so everyone else can copy what you do." And it seemed like so many people on the defense were living like excellence was a standard. And you're not going to hit it every single time. You're not gonna have a perfect play every single time. That's impossible um for most people. Uh, but for our defense, you felt like every guy was striving for that. And it you I I had a chance to to meet Jeff several times again while training camp, just walking around, roaming like a uh a crazy person, just looking at taking in all the one-on- ones, taking in all the defensive, offense, just loving being around football as a 46-y old man that have hasn't played since 32. Uh, it was just like they're going to be good. And guess what? They were good. So, you asked a question about what it takes to be a good defense. Um, angles and attitudes is an easy answer, but the effort that those guys showed you and the physicality that they showed you was something that's going to make them good for a long time. >> Yeah. I think it's the most telling is that, and you know me, you know, I love to get nerdy and go down all the like the rabbit hole of the smart guy stuff so that I'm going to sound super smart. Right. >> Of course. Every time I try to ask Jeff something about that, like, oh, how do you make a multiple scheme simple so the players can still? He's like, will we start with our we start with our style. Our style is is everything and everything kind of stems from that. But to me, that is the most apparent when you watch them on a Sunday is their style >> comes through whether it's a first and 10 run or a third and two run or a third and eight pass. It's the same every play and it's just it's it was a joy to watch last year. I was so excited to see the start that they had this season because despite the transitions and and Kaden Ellis no longer being here and again Jaylen Walker being out and and James Pierce Jr. being out, it's like >> even with new faces, you're getting the same style coming through. And that is so exciting because to me that is that is a trend. That is something to bring it full circle. Getting better at podcasting. Obie, look at me. I'm I'm growing up and so are you. Uh so let's wrap it there. Everybody, please go check out uh Believe in Falcons. Obie and and Michael Turner uh and hear them talk about football from a players perspective because that's that's something I could never offer you. So Oie, share a few words about believe in Falcons. >> I mean, I I just don't know where else you can get go to get four all pros sandwiched into one show. You got the best fullback in Falcons history, myself, not me, like they say, and uh the best tailback in Falcons history. There's some greats, but I'm a little biased. Mike T holds some records and did his thing. But no, we have fun. We're actually friends. Uh we enjoy talking about football. We'll give you some insights and some stories that you can't get anywhere else. So, show us some love. Believe in Falcons. Trying to grow this thing, trying to, you know, share with the fans this journey to a uh eventual Super Bowl. But it's baby steps. You get to the playoffs first, anything can happen. You win a division first, you get to the playoffs. So, the baby steps that are necessary can happen with this team. We're here to go on the roller coaster with you. Love it. Yep. Please everybody go check out Believe in Falcons. Obie, thank you so much again. It was a pleasure uh doing this with you. I know I was on your your show recently. Um >> yeah, >> I'd love to come back at any point and return the favor, but hopefully this won't be the uh the last time you're on here either. >> Not at all, Willie. We'll make it happen. >> Awesome. And thanks again, man. >> Appreciate it. >> All right. I hope you all enjoyed that conversation with Obie. Uh Tori and I will be back, but it will not be next week. We will have our Thursday night matchup against the Green Bay Packers. It's going to be a lot of fun. Uh so we will be back with our Friday 5 episode the following week to preview what is that the Monday night game against the New Orleans Saints. So we're going to go rivalry to rivalry here on the Friday 5. It's going to be a blast. Uh we really loved the first episode that we had for Friday 5. That will be the format for the rest of the season. Uh this one was just again a little bit different because we had to call in a substitute teacher here. And I thought Oie was great. I thought you really uh he kind of was able to talk about some of the things from a player perspective that Tori and I can't always kind of reach that level even though we talk to these guys all the time. Uh so it was a nice guest uh to have come on and I really appreciate you Obie uh for for hopping on with me. So, that will do it for this week's episode of Friday 5. Catch us in 2 weeks before the Monday Night Football game against the New Orleans Saints. But I hope everybody enjoys Sunday's game. I hope people are there at the stadium. If you got tickets, get there early. Be loud. Wear [music] red. Uh, and let's take this home with a W. All right. So, I'm Will McFaden for Obie Mahaley and we'll see Tori next time. Take care. Hey, hey, hey.