On The Rise | S6E7 | Preseason and joint practice prepare the Atlanta Falcons for 2026

Drake London, thanks so much for joining the show. We're out here at Laneir High School, the home of the Longhorns. What was it like kind of walking into this environment today? >> No, it's good. The atmosphere is great. There's a lot of red and black out here. That's what I like to see. Just going to put on a show for the for the fans out here and try to show them what we've been working on and um what we're going to continue to work on. >> This is a really cool opportunity because we're we're on a high school field tonight. If you could go back and and talk to high school Drake, what was something what's maybe something that you would say to him? >> Um, just have fun. Stop stressing. Um, and that football probably going to be your thing, man. >> Friday night life is the best thing alive. Just took me back to times I used to play in Northwind in high school. Um, you get that Friday night feeling. It's it's one of the best things uh on the weekend uh when it comes to high school football. >> Yeah. Coach, what's your plan for the uh Saturday Night Lights? >> Saturday Night Lights. Thanks for asking about I'm excited about Saturday Night Lights. >> So lucky to coach a kids game. >> Anytime players and I guess coaches are under the lights, there's a little bit of juice that comes with that. And I think the guys all we all get taken back to high school days and we're excited about the opportunity to go down to Laneer High School and we'll get a lot of good work done there. Certainly excited to be in front of our fans. >> Can't wait to watch out. Appreciate you, dog. We got something for you. >> Being out there when we went back to Lenir, it was just a surreal moment. I had all my friends and family all around the the stadium. Uh so it was just good to see everybody's coming to watch and the lights are just on you and your team. >> 1 2 3 Energy. Energy. Let's get it. >> Let's go y'all boys. Just me being from here. I just want to show them that I'm not the only person that can make it to the league. >> Why you jump inside like that? >> Split, bro. >> Yo, split wide as hell. >> You just going to give me the fade? >> Hell yeah. For corner, we use the sideline. >> Yeah, >> you can beat me to it. I just need to close. >> But the slant that's easy work. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you. Thank you so much. said this was like >> I'll I'll try to do something tonight at least >> cut those off a little bit. So chin sleeve is changed. Obviously like on every off day I'll go through and change out chin sleeves for hygiene purposes. Um but then also I'll do a hardware check with guys before and after practice. Hey, how does it feel? Cuz again, all these helmets now are precision fit to their heads. Right now, we're just redecing them. Obviously, we're introducing a new uniform this year, and you want it to be you want to look great every time, but you especially want to look the best the first time. So, what we're going to do is we'll go through and um if we have chip birds, we'll go ahead and tear those off, get them on here, use the heat gun, get them get them looking right, just heat the bird up. You know, you can always see the outline. So, if you got a good outline on the previous bird, you just reuse it. you know, on the long line from the tail to the beak. Make sure that's down the way that I want it. And as you push the burr down, that adhesive will lay down a little bit better. Last but not least, we're going to clean the shell. Also checking back bumpers, checking the flags, making sure the the flag's not ripped, making sure the NFL logo is not ripped. There we go. One down. however many more to go. You know, >> usually we'll do this on Thursday nights. We have a Sunday game and some guys will take care of us and buy us pizza and a few other things. You know, it's a good time. That's why we call it a helmet party. A good thorough check 2 and 1/2 3 hours, you know, just to make sure. Then we'll drop bags for the next day and uh start prepacking those um for some guys and making sure, you know, depending on the fit, you know, they got to wear the right cleat and everything like that. Joey was saying you've been doing cases for like 30 years now. >> Yeah, it feels like it. >> When did you uh first start? >> My first year was 97. everybody that's on the sideline from the coaches to the trainers to the video guys to the doctors to the the other equipment guys and we basically outfitting all of them with pants, shoes, hats, shirts. Basically, I lay the menu out. There's like five items and then I just let them pick which one they want. usually like a polo, a long sleeve, a short sleeve, hoodie shirt. It's kind of like the options. So everybody has like kind of a name. So I just I label the belts. I label the shoes. So when everybody turns it in, I know who to return it to. I just kind of manage it throughout the season. So I get it done the first time and then it's just managing. Everybody turns it in, I wash it, match it. >> Yeah. But when you got to start everybody from scratch, belts, pants, shirts. Yeah. We learning a whole new staff on top of all the players. We got to sign out a new draft class. Just try to get everybody like in a routine. Yeah. >> And sometimes that takes time. So, we're getting ready to go over to the stadium this afternoon and load in for our first preseason game. So, basically, we have everything and anything that we need for the game for all the coaches, the players, the support staff, uh, to be able to to run a football game. Even bring a backup jersey for a kicker. You never know. >> It's been a while since we've been in the stadium. So, usually the first home preseason game is a little more uh than a normal game in terms of what we pack and what we bring. Uh we kind of have to get everything set. Uh, and then once you kind of have it set for for one game, you can kind of just fill in for the rest of the year. Our week in a nutshell is is preparing, you know, uniforms, uh, cleats, helmets, shoulder pads, uh, everything for 90 plus guys on the roster. These sheets here, each guy's name, he's got a game jersey pack, backup jersey, game pants, travel bag. You got a lot of bags, Jimmy. >> Shoulder pads, helmet, two pairs of cleats, right and a left. Not two rights, not two lefts. Knees and thighs. Some guys have wrist guards, knee braces, anything specialized for each guy. We have these little cards in each bag. Um, some guys like a toiletry bag, some guys need a comb, you know, you name it, man. Cleat is the biggest thing because if a cleat rips in the game, um, you know, they got to have another pair that they're comfortable with. >> Uh, Pant Movement is our moving company. Uh, they've been with us for a while and whether we're here at the home stadium, we're on the road, uh, it's getting out of here, getting to the truck, getting to the plane, getting to the hotel, getting to the stadium. Uh these do these guys do a fantastic job. They're they're really an extension of our staff. >> Everything. God, I hope so. I hope that's everything. >> And uh we can't do this without them. The guys are out getting the lockers ready. We have 70 lockers around the perimeter for our locker room. So we have to bring in about 20 to 25 this time of year where the the roster is at 90. So we put the rookies in the middle the smaller lockers. It's just one game this year. >> First one up Nick here. >> We put all the uniforms out um day before uh and we put them all in in front of everybody's locker and it's just like the fifth check to make sure everybody's got a jersey and pants. Preseason is more than just the players and the coaches getting ready for the plays. It's it's really for for everybody uh a nice appetizer before we uh sit down and eat the full meal for the season. Going against the same people in practice, sometimes it just gets a little repetitive, which you can always get better, but seeing just new fronts, new people in the preseason really gets you ready to go week one. >> You know, going into camp uh about them first two weeks um up until the first preseason game, you're just practicing against your teammates. It's always fun where you competing against a team of a different color. >> You ran through the tunnel at the bins with our new uniforms on. What was that experience like for you? >> Something I can get used to for sure. Um, you know, I played in red and black uh in high school. Um, now I'm playing red and black here in the league. Back in when they was in the Falcons or no stadium, we used to play in Corky Kale state championship used to be hosted there. So, um, it was me it was just everything was just surreal cuz it's just me being back home. Uh, being back home is everything knowing my family is there. Uh, like my friends, like I said earlier, um, it's just a surreal moment. Hey, can't wait to watch y'all play. YEAH, GOOD JOB, FOLKS. COME ON. Let's do this, man. >> Let's do it, bro. >> Show the world. For real. >> It starts, you know, our guys. >> It's new. I mean, it really is. You look from the top. Other than Arthur Blank, everything else is is pretty much new. New president, new general manager, new head coach. You're looking at it more from a standpoint of what is the system they're trying to implement? How are they using the different pieces when you see them in practice? and you don't worry about the results of it so much because I always go back to the year that the Detroit Lions went 0 and6. They were 4-0 in the in their preseason and I can't tell you how many Super Bowl champion teams didn't win a preseason game. So, you don't read a whole lot into the results of it. You just watch the the effort >> right there on three. 1 2 3. >> That's probably was the biggest thing that I was going into preseason. A lot of people, Coach Brick asked to see my hands before the game and he thought I was going to be jittery and nervous, but the big I wasn't nervous before the first game. Um, I knew that I knew my plays. The biggest thing that I was worried about was going out there and giving the older guys the call and then not messing that up, you know, just earning their respect. So, I feel like um that was the biggest thing. >> There's a momentum thing that begins to build. Okay, we practices have been good. Okay. And now that Kevin Stfansky has has committed to the fact that I want my guys to play, I'm going to get my guys some play time. >> He wants some momentum built. >> They listen to me, you know, they tell me to control the huddle and so I try to get them in the huddle and tell them to call. We had a good back and forth um during the game, but you know, stuff like that, you need to be able to build um for the older guys to trust you, you know. So, you want to earn their respect before anybody else's um cuz they have a lot to say. So, you know, if they don't trust you, they'll let it be known. And so, going out there and being able to speak and and be loud. I wasn't loud when I first got here cuz I really didn't know anybody, but I got comfortable and started talking a little bit more. And so, it's been fun. >> Come on, let's go make a play. >> YEAH. HEY, >> LET'S GO MAKE A PLAY. GAIN THE MOMENTUM RIGHT NOW. HEY, THAT AIN'T NOTHING. COME ON. >> I like that we got preseason games instead of going in to straight into the season like college. fresh who backs up around the 11 and will field it at the 10 and he got tripped up nicely. Boy, Atlanta covered that beautifully and that's Demarco Helms. >> Your defense and your offense kind of know each other after a while. I don't care how you mix up the plays and everything. Guys are able to recognize things because they've seen it in practice day after day. Third down and a yard. They measured it to the 14 and he will slip across and the ball pop loose and Atlanta's recovered it. >> So when you get an opposing defense or an opposing offense if you're on the defensive side, it gives you something fresh. It teaches you how to react and that builds camaraderie because when it's successful, guys pat each other on the back. When it's not successful, guys can lift each other up. You get put in different circumstances. >> You saw this off on the edges. >> I'd pound it right at him. >> They're going to have a chance. It's going to be Jack Strand at 65 and 240. AND IS HE IN? HEY, GOOD. >> Touchdown Atlanta. >> Plenty to clean up. You know, I thought it was great being in our building for a lot of us being in here for the first time, seeing what it's like uh in the building and I thought it was a great atmosphere for our players. I thought uh just was exciting to be in front of our fans. Um you know, when you look at the game and and you look at the score and then immediately I look at turnover margin and I believe we were minus two in that first half and obviously turning uh where we thought we had points and then it's going back the other way and they're scoring seven. So, uh, that that's the first thing that gets, uh, my attention because that's something that we, uh, really want to be great at is that turnover margin. So, uh, ways to take it away on defense and ways to to hold on to it on offense. >> Can't get that. Can't get that. Can't get that. Can't get that. >> And the big message for this entire football team is you have to take the practice field to the game field. And I didn't think we did that uh, in a bunch of areas, including penalties. >> Start right here, bro. This starts right here. Every need. I need energy. >> Personally, I love joint practices because um I don't really have to care about their team. You know, I could just play ball. You know, I don't want to hit Bejon as hard, but if it's another team, I won't really care. I can just, you know, go out there and ball. >> Obviously, like you try and do your best to protect your teammates. Uh, you know, obviously you trying to protect all the players around the league. Uh when it comes to joint practices, it has more like a a game feeling to it where it's like, "All right, I'm I'm going all out." And uh yeah, I'm very excited for it. It's always a great time. Like I said, it's all to make, you know, them better, us better, but it's it's it's definitely going to be physical for sure. >> In joint practices, you get the starters against the starters for the other team. And you also get specific situations. You can run goal line situations. You can have a preseason game and never get inside the the red zone or never get inside the 10 yardd line. you can script those things when you get to joint practices and see your best players against their best players in specific situations that you want to test out. And so I I think that you teams are now realizing they get more out of these joint practices, which is why so many teams are doing them. We already started high one ones. You know it >> when you get a chance just to compete uh against another team. Brings out that competitive edge and that in that kid personality. >> WHOA. HEY, cut that out. >> Talking smack to somebody other than Drake and Von was great. Um it I loved it. you know, just being able to put everything you've done on display and try not to overthink it. It's just practice, but it ain't just practice. You know, you're going up against another team and and smack talking is a big part OF >> YES, SIR. >> different defenses, the different uh pass rushers and stuff, you know, obviously Indie has one of the better, you know, pass rush uh defensive line in the National Football League. So just being able to spend a week with them, learning from them, and seeing their looks and stuff, I think is going to make us better and be ready for week one. >> Gives you an opportunity to just kind of be nasty, you know? I mean, let's face it, that's part of what football is. There's only so much nastiness you can have when it's your teammate and you don't want to push him and shove him and get into a fight and one because you love him. Two, you're going to get in trouble with the coach. Ah, but when they're wearing a different uniform, you can be as nasty as you want to be. >> The energy. >> I feel like we had a a good energy switch just being able to go against somebody else. Um, all the guys got to compete and, you know, just show new talent that we got. just a clean good work day to see a different look and for myself like against Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner like those are two of the best starters in the NFL and so to get work against them back and forth there and it was fun. And it was just like what you like about these days >> really when it comes to comes to football uh being prepared for the game uh the process of being ready for the game. Um it's it's not much differences. Um I'm confident in my uh abilities and my capabilities. Um, like I said, we are a great opportunity just to come in and just get my foot in the door and show these coaches what I can do and that I can be uh that I can contribute to a win and contribute through throughout the season. >> Golly, boy, it's a great day to be great, ain't it? I'm not from here, but I'm back. >> Goodson's come in as a running back. branch in motion to the right and they're going to hand it to Tyler Goodson. He's got a crease in the 40. Goodson 35 30 20 15 10 5 TOUCHDOWN ATLANTA. TYLER GOODSON 49 yds and they come off the bench. I MEAN GUYS ARE COMING FROM EVERYWHERE. Arch the veterans who aren't dressed for the game and a flag has been thrown on the Tyler Goodson 49 yd touchdown run. So, the O line did a phenomenal job of reaching their keys and assignments. And um all I pretty much had to do was just press my aiming point. And once I uh pressed my aiming point and I cut up field, I just seen a a big old space, a big old gap to where I can run through. That's that's probably when I said you this is something that only happens in a preseason game. But one of the things that that Kevin Stfansky demands out of his team is that they play together and that they celebrate together. >> This is my happy place, man. um come back play football. But you know um coming out running out on the field, you know the fans. It's not only just the fans, man. The joy that I get from winning and just getting sacks, man. I'm happy to be back. >> Come on. Come on. >> Proud of the effort uh by those guys, offense, defense, and special teams. Obviously got off to a good start. really proud of a bunch of guys in in different areas. Challenged our whole football team, but just to take the practice field to the game field, I thought with the execution and how the guys operated in a bunch of different situations, I thought was was really good today. >> Shotgun for Strand. Looks right, moves up in the pocket. Go get it. The 10, the five. Touchdown, Jack Strand. Nick V from 51. >> The guy's a fine wine. >> And 50. Yes, he is. >> It's important to to not forget that we are not out of training camp. We're still in training camp mode and focusing on getting better every single day. >> That's been my goals like always be better than last season. So, you know, just how I've been working and how we've been working in practice, like I think we're going to show that because we work super hard here and coach Defensky like sets a standard and I take it to heart and it is I I think I like that it doesn't matter who you are like everybody's going to be coached up the same way that COUNT I >> had six years here. Um, and those were probably some of the best six years of my life being able to uh, you know, play for Miami, being able to be in front of the crowd to come back, play at Hard Rock, but then the perspective changes >> motion towards us. Here's the snap to two and he'll throw it out on the plate. It's a screen pass to Pitts down the far sideline, turns the corner, has the first down and more. Breaking tackles over the 20, the 15 and tripped up close to the 10 yd line by Ethan Bonner. And Kyle Pittz gets the Falcons into the red zone. Inside hit off Robinson finding a hole up the middle. He's into the end zone for the Falcons touchdown. >> Yeah, we just been building on it from from the the first one up until now. And obviously, like you said, that wasn't the outcome that we wanted, but we got back to the drawing board, been working every day in it, and it it was great to get these last two wins. Pressure again, SPINNING TO THE NEAR SIDELINE AND SACK. BUSTED OUT OF BOUNDS. Drop fires over the middle. Caught for the touchdown. >> Okay, good to get a win. Uh thought some great things to teach off of in that football game. Uh, some really good effort on that football field. >> Fellas, that's a hell of an effort. That's a hell of an effort from the first play to the last. Think about all theing lifts, all the practices, all the meetings, and you guys have done everything I've asked you to do. You've done everything your coaches have asked you to do. I appreciate that. Now, everybody knows business of football. We don't have to like that part of this game, but that is the part of this game. So, first things first, I appreciate this group. I appreciate everything about this group. Again, going all the way back to April and thinking about all the work that you put in. Have not asked, have not secondguessed one thing. You've kept your head down and you've worked and that has made us that has gotten us to where we are right now in this moment. So, I appreciate you guys. >> We welcome you back to Ticket Master Studios for the 2026 season preview. Atlanta Falcons training camp has wrapped up and we have a lot to discuss because the initial 53man roster has been made. >> Who can continuously uh stack days, right? And who was going to rise to the occasion, who could run the offense and defense uh like the coaches wanted. I feel like Kevin and his staff put together a great plan. Um they've made it challenging, they made it tough, which was good for us in in the evaluation. And then ultimately we had some tough decisions to make once we got to to the end of training camp, but I feel good with the process that got us to to those decisions. >> I think you're going to see a team uh that is really together that is unified. >> I got a balanced, athletic, and versatile. The athletic and versatile part, I think, speaks. We know this roster has a lot of guys who can play a lot of different spots. The balance part of it for me, you have a a a mix of big veteran guys like a Jesse Bates or a uh you know AJ Terrill and then you got a mix of some of the younger guys, some of the rookie guys were going to have impact. Some of the second and third year guys you're expecting to take a bigger step. >> Feel like we've got a uh good group of of young um talent that's uh up and coming. Um I think you you've seen it some in the in the preseason. the energy that this that that this group brings, the camaraderie that they've already shown um the culture that that Kevin and his staff has helped set on the field um has has been noticed. >> I'm going to say I'm going to go with something that we've been talking about that Ian Cunningham talked about, raise the floor. We know it's a battle of attrition in this game because that next guy that steps in is at a weak link and I think they've done a really good job of raising the floor to where that's not going to be the case. I think the NFC South once again is prime for the taking and and the Falcons in our view nationally are right there. We see what this offense actually looks like and we see who's operating it um from under center. That's when we'll have a little bit more clue behind this. But this is a really good Falcons team. They've made, I think, some really smart moves in the offseason. They drafted well. They're set up in a really good position, I believe, to to take over here. >> Now, we voted this morning on captains that see in your chest. You guys represent who we are. You represent who we are as Atlanta Falcons, right? Leadership will come in many, many forms, but those guys that walk out there represent who we are. Let's have a break now. >> Y'all be safe this weekend. Let's get back here Monday for this first game. Go kick some breakfast. Hey, family on three. 1 2 3.