- 4 days ago
Zinno discusses the Falcons game against the Saints and why expecting last week’s dominating performance to continue is not a certainty.
He reminds us that Michael Penix still hasn’t played a full NFL season and that even now that he’s healthy, it doesn’t not mean everything will be as easy going forward.
Lastly, he breaks down the Braves-Phillies playoff series and what to make of it if the Braves don’t advance.
He reminds us that Michael Penix still hasn’t played a full NFL season and that even now that he’s healthy, it doesn’t not mean everything will be as easy going forward.
Lastly, he breaks down the Braves-Phillies playoff series and what to make of it if the Braves don’t advance.
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00:00Good morning. Welcome to A to Z here on Sports Radio 92.9 The Game, where today I tell you
00:05now is not the time to get out over your skis. Welcome in once again to A to Z as
00:10we are
00:11getting ready for the Falcons-Saints on Monday night and the Braves playoffs. Do me a favor,
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00:33what you guys like and don't like, and how we can make A to Z better for you guys each
00:37and every
00:37day. We've got a lot to dive into with the Falcons here. Braves playoffs kicks off today
00:41against the Philadelphia Phillies. We'll touch on that as well. We'll hand out shovels of wisdom.
00:45We've got a whole lot to do here on A to Z, so let's get it started.
00:48My calculations are correct. When this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you're going to see some serious.
00:58It's time for A to Z with Mark Zeno. It's elite sports knowledge.
01:04I am the smartest man alive. It's in-your-face opinions.
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01:20When Atlanta talks sports, there's only one place to turn.
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01:30A to Z starts now.
01:37All right, welcome back in here. I want to start out talking about the Falcons about a very simple idea
01:44that this is a journey, not a destination, particularly as it pertains to Michael Penix.
01:50This is a journey, not a destination.
01:53A lot of you, including my colleagues in the media, are under the assumption that what is going to happen
01:59with the Falcons next
02:00is that things will continue to ascend, and they will be this offensive juggernaut,
02:05and they will be this team that can score points at will, and they've got all this talent,
02:08they've got all these weapons, and everything is going to fall into place the way we all hoped it would.
02:13You need to not get out over your skis here.
02:16You need to not do that as Falcons fans and temper your expectations right now for what we're seeing.
02:22Okay, we all were relieved by what happened on Thursday night last week.
02:26We all felt good about it.
02:27We all feel like we have seen, at least, as I said after the show,
02:31we're scratching the surface of what this offense could be.
02:34But this was something I asked Kevin Stefanski about earlier today
02:38when the Falcons had their media availability as they get ready for the Monday night game in New Orleans.
02:43When you're looking at Michael Penix, now that he is 100% cleared and he's back to playing,
02:49that is not a destination.
02:51This is a journey.
02:52It is a week-to-week journey.
02:54It's not that Michael Penix is now 100%.
02:56He's good to go, and what we saw in one game will be what we see every game and how
03:00that's not the NFL.
03:02That's not how it works.
03:03Newsflash this just in.
03:05Michael Penix is not Josh Allen.
03:07Michael Penix is not Pete Patrick Mahomes.
03:10Michael Penix is not Joe Burrow at his height.
03:13Michael Penix is a quarterback who still has yet to play a full season's worth of games in the NFL.
03:20And there are going to be setbacks.
03:22There are going to be moments where things take a downward turn,
03:26not only from a production standpoint, but possibly from healing from his injury.
03:31There could be times where his knee is super sore, and he's not able to be 100%,
03:35and he may gut through it, but he might not give you the best performance.
03:38You cannot sit there and look at one game and go,
03:41that's exactly what we're supposed to get every single week.
03:45That's not reality.
03:47Now, maybe Michael Penix may turn into Pete Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen.
03:52We all hope so.
03:53That makes life a heck of a lot easier for everybody here in Atlanta.
03:56But until we have that confirmation, until we have figured out exactly what Michael Penix is,
04:03then you need to not sit there and think, this offense is going to explode.
04:08This offense is going to be top 10.
04:09This offense, we have Bajon.
04:11Look, he went off for 190 yards.
04:13We have Drake.
04:14He went off for 190 yards.
04:15Guys, reality is, and I'm not taking anything away from the Falcons,
04:20they faced a banged-up defense last week on a short week in a team with no running game,
04:24which means that three and outs are more likely than not,
04:26because when you pass the ball, only four things can happen.
04:29Three of them are bad.
04:31It's not in your favor to routinely pass the ball as much as the Packers had to on Thursday night.
04:36Again, not taking anything away from the Falcons and what they did.
04:40It was a great first step.
04:41There is no way you're going to sit here and get me to say anything else about the Falcons
04:45and their performance on Thursday night.
04:47But look what you're doing now.
04:49You're going into a much different scenario, where the stakes are much different.
04:54Walking into New Orleans on Monday night, 20 years after the Katrina game,
04:58and what happened there the last time around.
05:00This is not an easy environment.
05:02Oh, by the way, Michael Penix has never actually faced the Saints.
05:06He's never actually played a game in the Superdome,
05:10nor has anybody on this roster played a game of this magnitude to the Saints fans.
05:14And, oh, by the way, the Saints last week dumped a game to the Raiders,
05:18who probably aren't a 3-0 team and aren't that good yet.
05:22And so they're super ticked off and absolutely need a win here.
05:26So I ask you guys again, think objectively about what you want to see from this Falcons team.
05:34You know what you need to think about?
05:35Number one, just get a damn win, because road wins are hard to come by.
05:39The easy one you got on Thursday night, they're not all that easy,
05:43and they won't be that easy going forward, especially within division games.
05:48So I think that there is a certain amount of let's just let this thing continue to evolve.
05:55Let's let this thing continue to grow into something that it's supposed to be
06:00before we make it something that it's not yet.
06:03I mean, remember, it's one game.
06:06It's great to see Penick's back.
06:08It's a relief that he's back.
06:10It's a relief that all the drama from training camp and Tua Tagovailoa and Jack Strand,
06:15all that drama is behind us now, God willing.
06:18As long as Michael Penick stays healthy, that drama is in the rearview mirror,
06:22and we don't have to look back at it anymore.
06:24But still, you cannot expect last week's performance to be this week's performance.
06:30We just don't know if they're there yet.
06:32We just don't know what Kevin Stefanski and Tommy Reese are as a play-calling tandem,
06:37as a scheme tandem, and everything else.
06:39We just don't know.
06:41I mean, flat out, that's the ultimate reality of what we are facing here
06:46because there's a lot of unknowns.
06:50You can try to make it something.
06:51You can try to make it this deal where they are this offense that's going to be great.
06:58Who knows?
07:00I mean, through three games, the Saints have a bad run defense.
07:02That's a huge win for the Falcons.
07:06They're bottom six in the league in rushing yards loud at 128 per game.
07:10That bodes well.
07:12That bodes well for them.
07:14You know, middle-of-the-road pass defense so far,
07:16but they are home in an incredibly tough place to win, incredibly tough place to play
07:21against a quarterback who is essentially still a rookie, even in year three.
07:27We now have 13 games under Michael Penix's belt in his career.
07:32When we get to, like, 30, then we can start having conversations about what we know,
07:38what he is, and what he isn't.
07:40Remember, we've talked about this repeatedly here on the show,
07:43and something that you guys need to continually remind yourselves of.
07:47Week-to-week league, the goal each week is to win,
07:50but the overarching of the season is to find out if Michael Penix is your franchise quarterback.
07:56One game does not answer that question.
07:58It just doesn't.
08:00So I'm not wishing for the struggles.
08:02I'm not asking for the struggles.
08:04I'm not asking for the steps back.
08:05I'm not asking to sort of regress into anything.
08:08It's just the reality of this league.
08:11A year ago at this time, Drake May was on his way to being second in the MVP race.
08:16Now he leads the league in turnovers.
08:18That's how fickle this league is.
08:21A year ago this time, the Chargers were in first place in their division,
08:24and on their way to almost winning the damn thing.
08:27What are they now?
08:280-3.
08:30So everything changes.
08:32This is a week-to-week, year-to-year league.
08:36Look at the New York Giants.
08:37They went from all the high hopes of Jackson Dart to Jameis Winston,
08:41now to J.J. McCarthy.
08:43I mean, my God, you can't have wilder swings than you get in the NFL from week-to-week.
08:48Not only because of injuries and things of that nature, just because the nature of the game,
08:52the opponent that you play, and the venue that you go to, all that stuff matters.
08:58So I'll ask you again, temper your expectations.
09:03Try to stay reserved and understand there will be struggles and there will be stumbles along this thing.
09:10It's not just about the player.
09:11It's just about the nature of the NFL and the nature of football, that nothing comes easy.
09:16Josh Allen last week, and the Bills had five turnovers.
09:19Allen had two picks and a fumble.
09:21They won the game, but still, I mean, you know, if that happens,
09:26and Michael Pennix has two picks and a fumble, and somehow the Falcons win the game, great.
09:30Take it.
09:31But does that help answer the question of whether he's your long-term quarterback?
09:34No, it doesn't.
09:36It gets you to two and two.
09:37It gets you a division win, which you badly need,
09:39but it doesn't help answer the question that we're all wondering.
09:42The long-term answer is, is Pennix a guy that you want to give a 50-year option to
09:47and extend long-term and give $200 million to over the course of five or six years?
09:52Like, we just don't have the answers yet.
09:56So don't do this thing where the offense is going to explode.
10:02This is it.
10:02This is what we've been waiting for.
10:04All these weapons are finally going to come to fruition.
10:06Let's hope so.
10:07But if it doesn't happen, don't sit there and stomp your feet and act like,
10:11oh, my God, all of a sudden, you know, now we don't know.
10:13Now we're going to be drafting a quarterback again.
10:15We'll be in the top ten.
10:18Let it play out.
10:20Even if they lose and fall to one and three,
10:22nothing really is truly lost at this point in time.
10:25Nothing.
10:27So make sure that you understand what is in front of them this week.
10:31Tough test.
10:32This is a Saints team that some people thought would win the division this year.
10:35The Buccaneers look lost.
10:37The Panthers are still unproven.
10:38The Saints look like they are primed under Kellen Moore to take a big step forward.
10:43Both of these teams, the Falcons and the Saints, this is a huge game as far as this season is
10:49concerned in winning it.
10:50The winner is going to be in the driver's seat.
10:54The loser is going to have some hurdles to clear over, right?
10:59I mean, you know, the Saints playing their first division game so they can suffer the loss.
11:04But if the Falcons go to 0-2 in the division, it becomes increasingly difficult to try and get caught
11:11up in this whole thing as far as the division and the playoffs are concerned.
11:15And there's a world where this makes sense.
11:17I know it bothers you, but there's a world where the Falcons lose this game.
11:20Michael Penix plays his tail off and we still get a better data point long term than we have short
11:25term.
11:26Michael Penix throws the .353 touchdowns and the Falcons defense is a bad day and they lose 34-31.
11:32I don't think that's a loss in the big picture.
11:35And I'll sit here and tell you that next week.
11:37Not a loss.
11:38It's a loss this week.
11:401-3 isn't good, but it's not a loss.
11:43And in certain mindsets and the way you think about it, you'd almost rather that be the case.
11:48Because the best outcome, both short term and long term for the Falcons, is for Michael Penix to be a
11:55high-level franchise quarterback in this league.
11:57That's what this is about.
12:00Don't talk about offense exploding.
12:02Don't worry about things going on.
12:03Turn around and continue to look at the long-term development of Penix as the ultimate goal.
12:10All right, time for us to handle some business here before we get to the Atlanta Braves.
12:14It's time for Shovels of Wisdom.
12:16Brace yourselves, because it's time for the Shovel of Wisdom.
12:30Today my shovel goes to the New York Giants.
12:33Giants.
12:35Yeah, what a week it's been.
12:38Not sure I have a whole bunch of answers here for the Giants.
12:42Mostly because, listen, Jackson Dart goes down.
12:45Jameis Winston is not the answer.
12:47It was never the answer.
12:48Not even sure why they kept him on the roster, to be perfectly honest with you.
12:51I guess it made sense from a standpoint of a guy for a spot start with some experience, you know,
12:58and that has played and knows the team and knows the players.
13:00Okay, I see that.
13:02Jackson Dart goes down.
13:04Then they trade for J.J. McCarthy.
13:05I'm not even sure why they gave away any assets for him, because they said that he's not going to
13:10be the starter.
13:11What would you give away assets for a guy who's not going to be your starter?
13:14That makes no sense.
13:15They could have grabbed Joe Milton off the Cowboys practice squad and got the same result as a backup quarterback.
13:20I think that they felt like they needed some more depth at backup in case Jameis gets hurt, too.
13:25So I understand that notion, but I didn't understand giving away assets for it.
13:28And then on top of it all, you know what the Giants did today?
13:31They cut Odell Beckham, Jr., which I thought it was a foolish move for them to bring him in for
13:36the first place.
13:37In three games, he had six targets and one catch, and they move on from that.
13:40Some of this may be the fallout of, you know, the dart injury changing the scope of things,
13:45because that makes the roster change because of different things that have to happen.
13:48There's always a trickle-down effect.
13:49But not been a good week for the Giants, even with a win over the Titans.
13:55Not been a good week at all.
13:57All right, let's turn our attention to the MLB postseason and the Braves as they get underway with the Phillies
14:03later today.
14:04Just an absolutely critical, critical, critical win here in Game 1.
14:09In this short series, the Braves maybe have one of the best weapons in all of baseball, and that is
14:15one Chris Sale,
14:16because he's a guy who can dominate the entire lineup.
14:20He's a guy that can absolutely put them in position to win this series, win the short series,
14:26and set up things for the NLDS.
14:32I think the Braves, listen, and full disclosure, I bet the Braves to win the World Series at 15-1.
14:36Why not?
14:38They beat the Dodgers 5-6 this year.
14:41They're well-equipped to handle that team.
14:44And this may be one of the toughest challenges for them, is just to get past Philadelphia,
14:49because it's one bad inning that could change a game, and that changes the entire three-game series.
14:55It's just, you know, they're a series where the Rockies won this year.
14:59They're a series where the A's won this year.
15:00I mean, it's really hard to treat a playoff series like a three-game series,
15:06because you have to treat every game like it's an elimination game.
15:09There is no such thing as a, hey, we'll get them tomorrow.
15:12No, because tomorrow's an elimination day.
15:15So you have to just manage this thing well.
15:17I think we're going to look at a couple different things.
15:19One, can this Braves lineup continue to produce the way you need it to?
15:23I think the answer to that mostly is yes.
15:27Can this Braves bullpen be as good as it was all season?
15:29Yes, I think that's the answer, too.
15:31More than anything, I also tell you, I think that this is something where we look at the Braves and
15:40go,
15:40they're uniquely set up for this thing.
15:42Because after sale, even if you don't get a win today, like whoever's starting game two
15:48might only go three innings, maybe four, and then just turn it over to the bullpen and let them do
15:52their work.
15:53And that's the way you win it.
15:54The Phillies score a lot less on the road than they do at home.
15:56They have all season long.
15:58And they are in a position right now where, you know, I think they're the superior team here.
16:04But they've got to go out and prove it.
16:06They've got to go out there and show everybody that they are able to do this.
16:10It's going to be supremely disappointing if they don't win this series.
16:15Not only for my bet, but just in general, it's going to be supremely disappointing
16:19if they can't go out and win this series.
16:21And if they go against the Dodgers, they have a real live chance here.
16:26And then whatever's left on the other side of the bracket, whether it's the Cubs, Padres, or Brewers,
16:33I think all those are coin flips for the Braves.
16:36I think if they get past the first two series, this feels like a very advantageous position for this team.
16:43And I don't think anybody in the American League is better than the Braves.
16:47Maybe the Red Sox.
16:48The Red Sox are going to be a tough out.
16:50I just think the way they're constructed and the way they're built.
16:52But, you know, I think manifestly, Sale has to win game one and their best position with that.
16:59Maybe the only other guy I think that's starting in game one of the wildcard series
17:03that has as much as Chris Sale does as Cam Schlittler or the Yankees.
17:08Other than those two horses, there's nobody else who's going to pitch in any of the wildcard series
17:12that presents the opportunity for a win the way Chris Sale does for the Braves
17:16and Cam Schlittler does for the Yankees.
17:18And that is something that, you know, in this short, short series,
17:21because the DS, the LDS is a short series.
17:24This is a short, short series.
17:26And so they need to take advantage of this the whole way.
17:32It's one of these things where it's hard to get mad if they lose to a division rival
17:38like the Phillies in a three-game series.
17:40And it's hard to say that the season was a waste.
17:42And it's hard to say that they just didn't show.
17:45I mean, there's just so many variables.
17:47It's harder now to win a World Series than it ever was before.
17:50Just the sheer number of games and the sheer number of things that can go wrong.
17:54It is super hard.
17:56It really, remember, in this format, we've seen the Arizona Diamondbacks get to the World Series.
18:01We saw the Toronto Blue Jays get to the World Series.
18:03These are teams that just typically don't really ever, you know, present themselves as perennial contenders.
18:12The way the Braves are constructed, they present themselves as a perennial contender.
18:16The way the Yankees are constructed, the way the Dodgers are constructed, these are all teams that present themselves as
18:21perennial contenders.
18:22Not only from a payroll standpoint, from just an execution standpoint, the way they're set up.
18:27So, I have a real, you know, real hard time with downing the Braves if they don't win this series
18:34and thinking that this was all a waste or they're poorly constructed or anything else.
18:38I don't know that I see it that way.
18:40I think I see it as the amount of variance that comes in a three-game series and having to
18:45win two of them is incredibly difficult for everybody to overcome.
18:49There's a lot of luck involved in this.
18:51There's a lot of good fortune involved in this.
18:53Good teams make good breaks.
18:54They get good breaks.
18:55I believe the Braves are a good team.
18:56I believe they're well-equipped to win this series.
18:58I believe they're equally well-equipped to beat the Dodgers in the LDS.
19:01Fine.
19:02And by the way, one more note.
19:04Baseball has to recede.
19:06If they ever get the CBA done, they play baseball again next year.
19:08They have to recede in the postseason.
19:10This is ridiculous if they don't do it.
19:12It shouldn't be the Braves having to go to the Dodgers next when they're the three-seed.
19:16It's not the way it works out.
19:18So, especially when the one and two seeds both get buys.
19:21But that's a different conversation for a different day.
19:24And that'll wrap it up here for this edition of A to Z.
19:27We'll have more coming up later on in the week.
19:29We'll start bringing guests here into the show as well.
19:32Again, make sure you're subscribed.
19:33Hit that thumbs up.
19:35Drop a comment down below.
19:36Let me know what you like, what you don't like, what you agree, what you disagree with.
19:39Other than that, guys, we have a big week here for the Falcons.
19:42Bigger week for the Braves.
19:44A lot going on here in Atlanta sports.
19:46But keep it locked right here at A to Z.
19:47Twice a week.
19:48Right here on 92.9 The Game's YouTube page and Facebook page and all the social media channels.
19:53You guys have a wonderful Tuesday.
19:55Go Braves.
19:55And we will talk to you again next time.
19:57We'll talk to you again next time.