2024 NFL Season Preview

The college football season has already begun, and the NFL season is soon to follow. We are a few days away from watching the Baltimore Ravens take on the Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch of the ’23 AFC Championship Game on Thursday Night Football. With that in mind, right now is the opportune time to preview the 2024 NFL season. What are the key storylines to follow in the NFL? The Sports Beacon has ya covered.

Could the Chiefs three-peat as champions?

It’s really Patrick Mahomes’ world these days, and the rest of us are just living in it. The star quarterback has successfully guided his team in back-to-back Super Bowl victories where his performances earned him consecutive Super Bowl MVP awards. Could football fans see Mahomes take this team to new heights with the offseason additions of wide receivers Xavier Worthy, Marquise Brown, & JuJu Smith-Schuster?

No team in the rich history of the league has ever won three straight Super Bowls. Not even the Patriots dynasty of the 2000s/2010s decades could accomplish the feat. The Chiefs are already the dynasty of the 2020s decade, but accomplishing this feat would cement their status in NFL history as one of the greatest dynasties of all-time.

Where will the 49ers go from here?

Losing the Super Bowl is tough, but losing two Super Bowls in the past five years to the same team is tougher, just ask Buffalo Bills fans if you want to know about that. I’m not comparing the 49ers to those 1990s Bills teams, but the question must be asked, what can they do to improve and successfully bring home a championship? History is not exactly on their side, but three teams (1970 Cowboys, 1972 Dolphins, 2017 Patriots) have lost a Super Bowl and then won the Super Bowl the next season.

The team managed to re-sign WR Brandin Aiyuk after an offseason full of drama, but OT Trent Williams is still a holdout after failing to report during the preseason. That’s not good news, but the team has had a fairly successful offseason otherwise. They didn’t really lose anyone of note, and they have added DE Leonard Floyd, LB De’Vondre Campbell, and DT Maliek Collins to bolster their star-studded defense.

Will rookie QBs save struggling franchises?

Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Bo Nix each have the opportunity to turn their struggling NFL franchise around in their rookie seasons if they are able to play well. The Bears have longed for a legitimate franchise QB since the days of Sid Luckman, while the Commanders and Broncos haven’t had one to bank on for nearly a decade. Could three rookie quarterbacks shift the balance of power in this NFL hierarchy?

Armed with a trio of playmaking wide receivers (DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, & Rome Odunze), Caleb Williams could be in a great position to succeed right out of the gate. Daniels has a No. 1 WR (Terry McLaurin) to work with, but he will face a tough task overcoming working behind one of the worst offensive lines in football last season. Nix has the most work experience (61 college starts) and the best head coach (Sean Payton) to work with, but the WR talent behind Courtland Sutton is questionable.

Are the Falcons contenders in the NFC?

No team invested more heavily in their QB room this offseason than the Atlanta Falcons, upgrading from Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke to Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix, Jr. in an offseason that was full of surprise transactions by the team. On defense, the team traded for EDGE Matthew Judon and signed S Justin Simmons.

Are these additions enough to establish the Falcons as contenders in the NFC South? How about as contenders in the NFC as the top two teams in the conference (49ers, Lions) appear set but the rest of the field (Eagles, Bucs, Packers) looks a little shaky? Time will tell, but there are reasons for hope in Atlanta for the first time in a while.

How will teams defend the Ravens offense?

NFL teams will be tasked with defending QB Lamar Jackson, RB Derrick Henry, TEs Mark Andrews & Isaiah Likely, & WR Zay Flowers this season. Good luck, defenses! Matching up against all these players on defense should present quite a challenge.

This offensive unit is a recipe for success as the Ravens have surely realized that poor tackling habits amongst defenses are becoming commonplace across the NFL. If this team stays healthy, they are well suited to play football in the winter months. Defensive coordinators will lose sleep at night in anticipation of facing the Ravens.

Mock Drafting 101

Fantasy football is right around the corner, which means that you may have drafted a team already, or perhaps your first draft is scheduled for the Labor Day weekend. The people who are in the latter category will benefit the most from this article, but there are always lessons to be learned in this challenging fantasy football landscape. Read on to find out how to use effective mock drafting strategies and tactics to your advantage as you prepare to draft your fantasy team and win your league in 2024.

Pretend that it’s your real draft

This tip is all about having the right mentality when it comes to mock drafts, as it’s really easy to come in to a mock draft without a plan and without much motivation. Planning to conduct a mock draft is always a good idea, and a much better idea is to schedule your mock draft for the same time and day of the week as your real draft. That way, your body & mind feel as though they are getting ready for the real thing.

Practice using different draft slots

Most fantasy drafts have randomized draft orders where nobody knows what pick they will get until thirty minutes or so before they are scheduled to be on the clock. If that’s the case, why not practice utilizing mock drafts at different draft positions? This strategy ensures that you’re prepared for any & all scenarios in your real draft.

Prepare to stay the entire draft

I’ve seen plenty of mock drafters leave the draft when things don’t work their way. My advice is to stay for the duration of the draft and to make all of your draft picks, even if things don’t work out, that way you can go back & evaluate why it didn’t work. Mock drafts don’t take that long to do anyways, which brings me to my next point…

Pick up the pace, stay on track

Mock drafts usually have a thirty second timer to make each draft pick, which is faster than most real life drafts will give you to make each of your draft selections. Use that to your advantage to practice making your selections quickly & efficiently. Once the bullets start flying and your draft begins, you will be ready for the chaos.

Let’s examine the Falcons new-look defense

I hope that the Falcons will one day be champions of the world, but until then…

There were two big pieces of sports news out of Atlanta this week as the Falcons not only traded for Patriots DL Matthew Judon at the cost of a third round pick, but they also announced the signing of All-Pro S Justin Simmons to a one-year, $8M contract.

These were major moves for a defense that certainly needed an influx of new talent. Add in the return of DTs Grady Jarrett & David Onyemata from their season-ending injuries, and it’s clear that the Falcons are cooking up something special on defense.

What does the defense look like now (on paper) as they prepare for the 2024 season? Let’s discover the answer to that question as we examine the Falcons’ new-look D.

Returning starters from last year

S Jessie Bates III and CB A.J. Terrell are two important starters from last season’s defensive unit who should play well under new defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake. LBs Nate Landman and Kaden Elliss, alongside CBs Dee Alford and Clark Phillips III, will look to continue their ascendent play within a new 3-4 defensive scheme.

LBs Arnold Ebiketie and Troy Andersen are young defenders who still have massive upside, but the clock is clearly ticking on these guys to prove themselves this season. GM Terry Fontenot called out Ebiketie specifically in a recent interview by declaring that, “we believe that he’s going to take another step this year and continue to grow.”

Defenders returning from injury

DTs Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata will take the field together for the Falcons Week 1 game against the Steelers for the first time since Week 8 of the 2023 season. Jarrett missed nine games last season due to an ACL tear, while Onyemata missed three games in 2023 as he dealt with a chronic ankle injury that derailed his season.

These guys are key cogs in the defense, particularly in the pass-rushing department. Unfortunately, both guys are getting older, and the team has begun looking for their replacements in the NFL Draft as they selected three defensive tackles back in April.

Incoming rookie draft class

The Falcons spent five of their eight total draft picks on defensive players in the 2024 NFL Draft, selecting DT Ruke Orhorhoro, EDGE Bralen Trice, DT Brandon Dorlus, LB JD Bertrand, and DT Zion Logue to bolster their much maligned defensive unit. Trice is out for the season with a torn ACL, but the rest of this solid crew should see meaningful snaps at some point this season whether that’s as a starter or as depth.

New pieces to the defensive puzzle

LB Matthew Judon and S Justin Simmons will step in as impact starters on defense. Judon’s impact on the defense cannot be understated, as the Falcons have lacked a true pass-rushing presence off the edge for years, and now they finally have one. Pairing Simmons with Jessie Bates III gives the Falcons the best safety tandem in the league, as they will get a chance to truly showcase their talents as playmakers.

What does this mean for the defense?

The Falcons defense will look vastly different in 2024 in comparison to 2023’s unit. They have two impactful new starters at key positions, two solid starters returning from injury, and four rookies who should provide depth to a unit that badly needs it.

Six of the team’s eleven total defensive starters are already in place from last season. A new-look 3-4 defensive scheme could also provide a boost for young players like Arnold Ebiketie and Troy Andersen as they will face make-or-break seasons in 2024. Add all of this up & there’s a lot to like about the Falcons defensive unit this season.

Braves offseason signings define 2024 season

Credit GM Alex Anthopoulos for getting these guys on the team

The Braves have gotten major contributions from players that they signed during the 2024 offseason, as injuries to players like Spencer Strider, Ronald Acuna Jr, & Tyler Matzek have left the team scrambling for answers at times during the 2024 season.

Enter players like Reynaldo Lopez, Jarred Kelenic, and Jesse Chavez to name a few. These guys have provided not only great value based on the financial aspects of their contracts, but fantastic production that has exceeded expectations to boot.

In other words, where would the Braves be without these key players this season?

Reynaldo Lopez

Who could’ve anticipated that converted reliever-turned-starter Reynaldo Lopez would be leading the majors in starting pitcher ERA (1.70) during the 2024 season? His 3-year, $30M contract will be a bargain if he keeps up his production like this.

He’s been arguably the team’s best starting pitcher, and he has been needed in the absence of starter Spencer Strider who was lost for the year in April to a torn UCL. The team has managed his innings all season long in an effort to keep him healthy as a starting pitcher so that he will be available for a run through the postseason.

Jarred Kelenic

Jarred Kelenic’s career renaissance has been the story of the season for the Braves. The former first round pick of the Mets who played for the Mariners the past three seasons was traded to the Braves this offseason for Jackson Kowar and Cole Phillips. As part of the deal, the team took on the loaded contracts of LHP Marco Gonzalez and 1B Evan White, but Kelenic has been well worth all that it took to acquire him.

He went from being the team’s platoon LF to their starting CF in a few short months. Offensively, he’s moved up in the batting order from the No. 9 spot to hitting leadoff. On the season, he’s hitting .278/.324/.781 while providing Gold Glove-caliber defense. He’s been nothing short of spectacular despite key injuries to his fellow outfielders.

Jesse Chavez

Okay, so Chavez has been with us before, but the team did re-sign him this offseason to another minor league deal before he inevitably joined their roster in mid-March.

Injuries to relievers Tyler Matzek, AJ Minter, & Ray Kerr have put a ton of pressure on Chavez, who has responded with another All-Star caliber season in the bullpen. He’s been simply sensational with a 1.32 ERA & 29 strikeouts in 34 innings pitched.

Honorable mentions

Where would this team be without veteran pitchers Chris Sale and Aaron Bummer?

Sale has bounced back in a major way this season after suffering three consecutive ineffective, injury-plagued seasons with the Boston Red Sox from 2021 through 2023. The Braves gave up quite a haul to get Bummer, but he’s been solid if unspectacular with a 3.72 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 29 innings pitched coming out of the bullpen.

Lopez, Kelenic, Chavez, Sale, and Bummer have all made a huge impact this season. Win or lose, these guys have shown up ready to play at a high level every single day. The Braves success in 2024 is measurable in the form of their offseason acquisitions.

Arthur Blank does NOT belong in the Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor

Yes, you heard me correctly. By now, you’ve surely heard the news that Owner and Chairman Arthur Blank, along with franchise quarterback Matt Ryan, will both be inducted into the Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor in Weeks 3 & 5 of the 2024 season. I’ll get to Matt Ryan in a minute, but right now I need to explain why I believe that Arthur Blank doesn’t belong amongst all-time Falcons greats in the Ring of Honor.

Ring of Honor built for players

The Atlanta Falcons franchise’s Ring of Honor description on the team’s official website reads as follows, “the Atlanta Falcons organization doesn’t officially retire jersey numbers, but considers certain player’s jerseys worthy of being honored… The Falcons Ring of Honor honors individual players and not [only their] jerseys.”

Matt Ryan, a Hall of Fame-caliber player and the greatest quarterback in franchise history, deserves to enter into the team’s Ring of Honor based on the criteria above. Arthur Blank, the team’s owner for over two decades who has done little in terms of contributing to the team’s on-field success (or lack thereof) does not deserve to get in.

Rewarding mediocrity

Arthur Blank has overseen the greatest era of Falcons football in the team’s (not so storied) history, and yet the team has a record of just 178-176-1 under his ownership. The team press release calls it an era of “unprecedented success,” but I beg to differ. After all, this is the same franchise that hasn’t been to the playoffs in over six years.

Franchise cornerstones such as Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Roddy White, Matt Bryant, and Grady Jarrett have all suited up for the Falcons since Arthur Blank took over as the owner of the franchise back in 2002, and yet the team has been constantly inept.

Homefield advantage is something that the team has never had under Arthur Blank, as his plan to create “Fan First Pricing” at Mercedes-Benz Stadium has led to much cheaper concession stand prices but less butts in the seats as the middle class fan has been priced out of being able to afford a game ticket, much less season tickets.

Have you ever been to watch a game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium? Because I have, and let me tell you, there is no homefield advantage on that field, one which has played host to Super Bowl LVIII, the 2018 College Football National Championship, the NCAA Men’s Final Four, but still has yet to play host to a Falcons playoff game.

Is he a good (much less great) owner?

We’re not talking about an owner who will one day make it into the NFL Hall of Fame here, we’re talking about an owner who has meddled in the Falcons’ affairs. Think about it for a second, the Falcons are always in the spotlight of the national media for all of the wrong reasons, & the team’s owner is always at the center of it.

As the team was engaged in contract negotiations with WR Julio Jones back in 2019, Arthur Blank publicly stated that Jones would remain a “Falcon for life” to the AJC. Julio Jones became the league’s highest-paid wide receiver on a per-game basis as a result of the outburst, & the contract was an albatross for the team in future years.

Fast forward to 2022 when the Falcons were pursuing QB Deshaun Watson via trade. Blank said that he met with Watson for an hour and a half, yet he later described the team’s interest in the available star player as simply “exploratory” and “preliminary.” Matt Ryan was rightfully pissed off as a result of these trade discussions though, to the point that he requested (and was later granted) a trade from the franchise.

The above statement serves as a reminder of why Arthur Blank, an NFL team owner who will join a players-only Ring of Honor, is just not deserving of such recognition.

What will the Braves do without Ronald Acuna Jr?

In case you missed it, Ronald Acuna Jr. will miss the remainder of the 2024 season after suffering a complete tear in his left ACL on an awkward play in Sunday’s game. This is devastating news for Acuna, the Braves, their fans, and the game of baseball. The 2023 NL MVP is fresh off the first 40 HR, 70 SB season in MLB history, & now he will spend yet another season during the prime of his career recovering from injury.

Baseball is an unforgiving game though, & life goes on in a sense as the Braves have to pick up the pieces rather quickly and play another 112 games without their MVP. The team has already made some notable roster moves, including placing Acuna on the 60-day IL, activating C Sean Murphy from the injured list, and recalling OF J.P. Martinez (who?) from AAA to help fill the void created by the loss of their superstar. What other roster moves could the team look to make over these next few months? Read on to find some options for the team as they build the roster down the stretch.

Insert Sean Murphy, Austin Riley into the lineup

As mentioned above, the Braves are set to reinsert C Sean Murphy back into their lineup after an oblique injury sidelined him for the first 50 games of the ’24 season. All indications are that 3B Austin Riley will make his much-anticipated return to the diamond on Monday as well after a left intercostal strain caused him to miss games. Getting these two guys back into action is huge news for a lineup that has struggled to hit and score runs with any type of consistency over the season’s last month or so.

Recall Forrest Wall to the team’s active roster

Wall could have (& perhaps should have) been recalled instead of J.P. Martinez, but it’s only a matter of time before the talented OF prospect joins the big league club. The 28-year-old is hitting .306/.417/.495 in 30 AAA games this season, and he’s spent some time with the team already as he cracked their Opening Day roster in March. He’s also recorded 52 stolen bases in each of the past two seasons in Gwinnett, and the team is sorely in need of a sparkplug who brings some juice on the basepaths.

Move Ozzie Albies or Michael Harris II to the leadoff spot

The team will need to decide how to best fill the lineup spot at the top of their order. Two guys who fit the bill in terms of internal candidates, Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II, each have experience batting leadoff when Acuna has missed game time. Albies, who is a switch hitter, will get his first leadoff opportunity in the team’s new-look lineup (minus Acuna) in their Memorial Day afternoon game vs. the Nationals. Harris will surely get an opportunity at some point, but for now he will have to wait.

Trade for an outfielder(s) at the deadline?

Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos shocked the world when he traded for not one, not two, but three outfielders at the 2021 MLB trade deadline enroute to a championship. History has a way of repeating itself, as the circumstances then and now are similar. Alex is probably already making calls to try and improve the roster via trade, and Braves fans have learned over the years to trust his process in assembling the team.

With the 8th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons select…

People reacted in many different ways to the Falcons surprising first-round selection…

Michael Penix Jr, Quarterback, Washington. Talk about a total draft night stunner. Analysts and fans were understandably beside themselves upon hearing the news. After all, the team had signed veteran QB Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal with $100 million fully guaranteed less than two months before the selection.

Speaking of Cousins, the team apparently decided not to keep him in the loop on their pick, with his agent Mike McCartney sharing their side of the story to NFL Network, “we had no idea this was coming. The truth is the whole league had no idea this was coming. We got no heads up. Kirk got a call from the Falcons when they were on the clock… [The Penix pick] never came up in any conversation.”

So, what exactly were the Falcons thinking when they made their draft night plans? The short answer is that they probably weren’t thinking at all, but that answer just wouldn’t be much fun to try explaining to my online audience of sports enthusiasts. Read on as I explain just what happened with the Falcons franchise on draft night.

Same old Falcons

The Falcons always break away from conventional thinking & walk their own path. Over the past four years, they have used four straight first round picks on offensive players despite glaring roster holes littered throughout their woeful defensive unit. They’ve failed at using their high draft picks to improve the defense in recent years.

Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson in particular both seemed like luxury picks for teams that had more pressing needs at the time, and this same viewpoint applies to Penix. Perhaps he turns out to be a great quarterback who was worthy of the No. 8 pick, but with Kirk Cousins contract fully guaranteed for at least the next two seasons, isn’t it possible that our limited draft resources could have been better utilized elsewhere?

Prioritizing the future, ignoring the present

The NFC South is up for grabs right now, with the Buccaneers winning the division with consecutive mediocre records of 8-9 in 2022 followed up by a 9-8 finish in 2023. Baker Mayfield, Bryce Young, and Derek Carr are the quarterbacks that the Falcons compete against in the division, and Kirk Cousins compares favorably to those guys.

Guys like Alabama DE Dallas Turner, UCLA DE Laiatu Latu, and Texas DT Byron Murphy would have helped the team win right now with Cousins at the helm, but drafting his replacement was somehow more important than seizing the moment. All three of those guys would have been immediate starters for this team given the sorry state of the defensive line, but instead the team selected a player in Michael Penix Jr. who, barring injury, won’t be seeing the field at all for the next two years.

Laughingstock of the NFL

It’s been seven years since Super Bowl LI and the infamous 28-3 debacle, and yet Falcons fans are constantly reminded of this gut-wrenching loss on a regular basis. The game of football is unforgiving, and fans of other teams around the league are quick to reference the overtime loss whenever an NFL team blows a lead in a game. Honestly, the team nor their fanbase have ever recovered from the haunting defeat.

Fast-forward to draft night, and the Falcons proved once again why they are truly the laughingstock of the NFL after the surprising selection of Michael Penix Jr. was met with head-scratching and a heavy dose of skepticism from around the league. Most people believe in the former Washington QB as a talented prospect; however the pick and the process by which the Falcons made the pick don’t make much sense.

The Falcons seem to enjoy being in the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons. From “28-3” to the fake crowd noise debacle to the Penix pick, the franchise cannot stay out of their own way long enough to construct a championship-caliber culture. Time will tell whether or not Penix pans out in Atlanta, but history is not on his side.

Positions of need for the Atlanta Falcons in the 2024 NFL Draft

Who will the Falcons pick in the 2024 NFL Draft?

The 2024 NFL Draft is approaching as teams will soon begin gathering in Detroit for the three-day extravaganza between Thursday, April 25th and Saturday, April 27th. There will be plenty of expectations, surprises, and drama to go around at the event. Most NFL fans will pay attention to the first round at least, where the highest-rated prospects are often the primary source of scrutiny & intrigue surrounding the event.

It’s important for fans to realize though that the draft is a seven-round experience, and although the first round is important, talent can be found in the other rounds. This is great news for the Atlanta Falcons, who are clearly more than just a “player away” from contention after a disappointing season that ended with a 7-10 record. Yes, the team filled a massive hole at QB with the addition of Kirk Cousins, but the roster is still littered with holes at some important positions heading into the draft. Defensive line, wide receiver, and cornerback are amongst the team’s roster needs.

Defensive Line

Grady Jarrett, David Onyemata, and Arnold Ebiketie lead the Falcons defensive line. Jarrett and Onyemata are great, but they are getting older, and while Ebiketie is a young player who has shown flashes, he hasn’t proven himself in the league just yet. Kentavius Street, Ta’Quan Graham, and Zach Harrison are role players in the unit, but there just isn’t enough there for Raheem Morris to build this defense around.

Defensive end is an obvious need for the team as the pass rush has been a big issue. Prospects like Alabama’s Dallas Turner, UCLA’s Laiatu Latu, and Florida State’s Jared Verse are amongst the highest-rated players available at that position in this draft.

Getting younger at defensive tackle should also be a priority for the team this year. Texas’ Byron Murphy II, Illinois’ Jer’Zhan Newton, and Florida State’s Braden Fiske headline a defensive tackle group that is top-heavy compared to other draft classes.

Wide Receiver

Drake London, Darnell Mooney, and Rondale Moore lead the Falcons receiver unit. London has the potential to be a superstar, playing with a great QB for the first time. Mooney is a solid No. 3 receiver, but he feels miscast as a No. 2 receiver, and while Moore has shown flashes he has yet to clear 500 yards in any of his three seasons. This means that the team should be looking for a No. 2 receiver in this draft class.

Wide receiver is a stacked position in the NFL Draft, and there are three receivers that stand out from the rest of the class as Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr, LSU’s Malik Nabors, and Washington’s Rome Odunze are all potential top-10 draft picks. Georgia’s Ladd McConkey, Alabama’s Jermaine Burton, and Florida State’s Keon Coleman are projected second-round picks who could also interest the Falcons.

Cornerback

AJ Terrell, Dee Alford, and Clark Phillips III headline the Falcons cornerback room. Terrell is entering the last year of his contract, and the team will try to re-sign him. Alford and Phillips are young players who are still playing on their rookie contracts. The team recently signed veteran Antonio Hamilton to provide quality depth at CB.

How will the Falcons go about determining the future at their cornerback position? They have some young corners on the roster whose contracts are set to expire soon. Their replacements could come in the NFL Draft, as the position remains unsettled. Alabama CBs Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold, along with Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell, are the featured players in a cornerback class that has solid depth within.

Honorable mentions

Center and quarterback (of the future) are other options for the Falcons in the draft. Drew Dalman has been just okay at center, and it might be time to make an upgrade. Falcons fans will remember the huge impact that the Alex Mack signing made back in 2016 as he was the anchor of the offensive line during the team’s Super Bowl run.

Kirk Cousins is under contract for four seasons; however, the contract is essentially a two-year deal and he will be a 36-year old player coming off a torn Achilles in 2024. It’s notable that the Falcons recently sent a sizable contingent of their leadership to watch a private workout of former Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. in Washington.

Life lessons that my dad taught me

Full disclosure, this article (as the title suggests) will not discuss sports whatsoever. This article will instead focus on a personal healing opportunity for me, and that is to talk about my dad who passed away from esophageal cancer just six months ago. He was such a loyal and dedicated father to me, and he was one of my best friends.

My dad was my rock after my mom’s passing despite his ongoing battle with cancer. I needed him to be there for me during this challenging time in my life, and he was there for me every step of the way despite his decline in health & feelings of fatigue.

I’m forever grateful for the good times and fun experiences that we shared together. Writing about my dad will present quite a challenge for me, but here goes nothing. Without further ado, here are several important life lessons that my dad taught me.

Support the Braves (win or lose)

Braves baseball returned this week, which has got me feeling pretty sentimental as this will be the first season that I will watch the games without my dad being here. He was the Braves No. 1 fan from the time that he was a kid, watching those awful 80s Braves teams that featured Dale Murphy (and not much else) stink it up on TBS. A lifelong dream of his was realized when the Braves won the World Series in 1995. Both of my parents were in attendance for Game 6 of the 1995 World Series, which was the night that Tom Glavine pitched a shutout & got one run from David Justice.

Fast forward several years later, and another young Braves fan was coming of age. My dad and I spent countless hours together watching the Braves on TV, enjoying the games together at the ballpark, and complaining about the team on the phone. We always joked about how the Braves should call us and ask for our opinions on how to manage & improve the team, because we were certainly chock full of ideas.

The two of us frequently attended team autograph and photo sessions, where we met Braves legends like Bobby Cox, Chipper Jones, and Charlie Culberson together. Those fun times were then followed by the Braves winning the World Series in 2021. Against all odds, the team won the championship as we celebrated along with them.

Work hard at everything you do

My dad was always one of the first people to volunteer to get his hands dirty & work. There were times where it seemed like he never stopped working, as he often kept busy by working on his car and attending to various projects in & around the house. He was an inspiration to me in that way as he was a lead by example type of leader.

His passion was in the field of radio as the host of “Classic Gold Country Saturday Night” on WSGC 105.3 FM, where his peers lovingly referred to him as “B-Diddy.” What was most impressive to me about my dad was that he worked just as hard at his day job as he did for his beloved radio show where he was an unpaid volunteer. Research and preparation were essential elements of his radio gig, and he spent countless hours reading books and browsing the internet to produce great shows.

Text me when you get home, will ya?

“Text me when you get home, will ya?” was a phrase given from a father to his sons. My brother and I lived far away from our dad during the later years of his life, so any time that we were headed out from his house he would say this and hug us goodbye. This act of care that my dad expressed made me feel reassured as I traveled home.

Brian Deakin was all about preparation and safety in virtually all aspects of his life. There were jokes at the time of his passing about God hiring a new safety manager. Yes, being the safety guy was his job, and he took it seriously at work and at home.

Tough times don’t last, tough people do

Watching my dad’s lengthy battle esophogeal cancer made me realize this key fact. He handled it all with such grace, never once complaining even at his lowest points. Despite losing a substantial amount of weight and struggling with fatigue on a daily basis, he still managed to spend time with his family, go to work, and attend church.

Faith carried my dad through this time, as his relationship with God strengthened. His family and friends witnessed his struggles, and yet he wasn’t afraid of adversity. A quote from Sylvester Stallone in the movie Rocky motivated him, “it’s not about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” Everyone can learn from Brian’s story, as it’s a testament and an inspiration to all.

My thoughts on Kirk Cousins signing with the Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons traded away Matt Ryan to the Colts two years ago and have struggled mightily with consistency and stability at the quarterback position ever since then. Enter Kirk Cousins, who is basically a younger version of Matt Ryan at this point. He’s solid, albeit not spectacular, and he’s a huge upgrade over Desmond Ridder.

I’m not exactly keen on the idea of signing a 35 year-old quarterback to a four-year deal that includes massive guaranteed money, but at least the deal is front-loaded. What I am a big fan of though is the team pushing all of their chips in on the table. Too often over the years the Falcons have shied away from making the big move to put them in contention, but this move signifies that the franchise is in it to win it.

What Cousins brings to the table

Kirk Cousins brings consistency and stability to a team that desperately needs it. Cousins is who he is at this point in his career, which is a slightly above average quarterback who (last year notwithstanding) stays healthy throughout the season. Those two factors are important when discussing the veteran, as there are many teams that struggle with performance and injuries at the quarterback position.

His outstanding accuracy stands out as a true hallmark of his game, as his career completion percentage of 66.9% ranks fourth in the league amongst active starters. Production and longevity are two more staples of the Kirk Cousins experience, as he’s posted 4,000+ passing yards in a season seven times in his twelve-year career. An average season for the passer involves 4,000+ passing yards & 27+ touchdowns. That will certainly play in today’s NFL where solid quarterback play is paramount.

Limitations of the veteran QB

Cousins is the last of a dying breed as a pure pocket passer with limited mobility. Add in the fact that he recently tore his Achilles back in October, and it’s easy to see that he will need a solid offensive line & weapons to work with in order to succeed. Luckily for him, the Falcons feature an above average offensive line and a stable of skill position talent that includes Drake London, Bijan Robinson, and Kyle Pitts.

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room when it comes to Kirk Cousins though, and that is his lackluster ability (or lack thereof) to win in primetime and in the playoffs. He has a career record of 1-4 in the playoffs and an 11-19 mark in primetime games. Fortunately for him, the Falcons don’t even know what a primetime game looks like. All jokes aside, our new quarterback will need to prove himself in the playoffs in order for the signing to be viewed by the franchise & fans as being a successful one.

The final analysis

I think that the Falcons did the best that they could do given their situation, which was that they had money to spend but not a great draft pick to grab a top rookie QB. I’m certainly not saying that Cousins was a consolation prize, as he was clearly the top quarterback on the open market, & he offers more as a passer than Justin Fields. The signing definitely moves the needle, but the question then is by just how much?

Cousins gives the team a chance to play meaningful football games in December, which is really all that any of us can ask for as we embark on an pivotal 2024 season. It’s been seven long years since the Falcons last made the playoffs, but Cousins gives the team an opportunity to change that narrative in a wide open NFC South division.