Atlanta, what in the good Lord’s name just happened? I’m here on the Westside, walking the BeltLine, and folks out here are just… stunned. You know we been through it, right? We’ve seen the highs and the lows, the almost-there’s, the heartbreak that feels like it’s written into our city's very soul. But this? This feels like a whole new chapter of 'what are we doing?' When the Atlanta Falcons were on the clock, my phone was blowing up, everybody at Red's Beer Garden was holding their breath, thinking, *surely* we gon’ get that edge rusher we been needing, or maybe a corner to really lock things down. We already got Kyle Pitts locked in, Darren Hall signed back up, so the pieces for a real run are *right there*.

But no. The Atlanta Falcons went and drafted... a quarterback. Again. Michael Penix Jr. from Washington. Now, don't get me wrong, I like the young man's game, I do. He’s got an arm that could throw a football from Grant Park to Buckhead. But we just signed Kirk Cousins to a *massive* deal, remember? The ink ain't even dry on that contract, and now we got Penix in the mix. It feels like we're back at The Varsity trying to order a chili dog and they tell us they outta chili. What kind of message does that send to Cousins? What about our immediate needs? We needed someone to get to the opposing quarterback, to pressure, to make plays on defense. Not another quarterback for the future when our present is still trying to find its footing.

Confused. That’s the mood in Atlanta right now. Folks are scratching their heads, wondering if Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris are playing chess when we all thought we were playing checkers. We were looking for a foundational piece to get us over that 8-9 hump, to finally make a real run in the NFC South. Instead, we got a move that feels like it’s for two or three years down the line, not right now. It's a gamble, a big one, and only time will tell if it pays off. But for today, Atlanta is just… thinking.

ATL forever, rise up, and that's on Cascade.

Now, if you wanna hear some real talk about this wild night, Keith and the crew got you every morning. Catch 'em live at mornings.live.