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Bijan Robinson continues to build his legacy after another show-stopping performance on Monday Night Football in a win over the rival Saints. With the performance comes more comparisons to great past running backs, but Joe Patrick shares why the recent comps to Barry Sanders and LaDainian Tomlinson don't quite hit the mark. Plus, what coordinators had to say ahead of another big primetime matchup -- this time back in Mercedes-Benz Stadium against the Baltimore Ravens.
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00:01Bajon Robinson is in fact not Barry Sanders and we're going to talk a little bit about why that is
00:06on today's episode of Joe Patrick on football. Welcome back everybody. We are up here on Thursday ahead of the
00:10Falcons upcoming matchup on Sunday night football against the Baltimore Ravens that we're getting prepared for and got to talk
00:16to the coordinators today as well as some of the players and we'll talk a little bit about that.
00:20But first I do want to vamp on on Bajon Robinson and I've heard these comparisons to Barry Sanders being
00:27made and honestly I think it's a little disrespectful to Bajon Robinson and I say that I kind of jokingly
00:37it's all due respect to Barry Sanders. Like many of my age he was the best. Emmitt Smith probably put
00:44up more numbers. Emmitt Smith may have been better known at that time. I'm talking about all you 90s kids.
00:50like myself because Emmitt Smith played for a better team and the Dallas Cowboys who were you know America's team
00:56on the four o'clock game on Fox basically every Sunday. Barry Sanders you had to seek him out a
01:02little bit more but it was clear that Barry had the agility and just like this wow factor that Emmitt
01:08Smith didn't have and certainly Bajon Robinson does have that kind of agility that kind of ability frankly that Barry
01:17Sanders had to make defenders completely miss
01:20behind the line of scrimmage. Behind the line of scrimmage. But there's something about that comparison that to me just
01:27doesn't quite make sense and that is the physicality that Bajon Robinson has and displays not just when he's running
01:33the football but also in the pass protection. I just posted on X a video of Bajon doing in pass
01:40protection. Unfortunately the play that particular play that I posted is actually a sack.
01:46But the sack but the sack doesn't come from his side but the sack doesn't come from his side and
01:49he absolutely de-cleats Danny Stutzman a rookie out of Oklahoma linebacker who was blitzing on the play.
01:54And it's not the first time we've seen Bajon Robinson do this kind of thing and it's something that he
01:59prides himself on and I know that Falcons coaches past and current show in the film room to just show
02:07what excellence is but also to show that just because he's known for carrying the football scoring touchdowns doing all
02:14these things also going to do that dirty work of protecting the passer and just being a super physical player.
02:22And I just can't get over just the kind of special nature and the special player that we're able to
02:30watch in Bajon Robinson week in week out.
02:32I really do think that he is in a category of his own as far as running backs are concerned.
02:38Again I don't see Barry Sanders doing some of the things that Bajon Robinson did.
02:42The other thing about Barry Sanders you won't really I don't know see this or hear this as often from
02:47people when they're reflecting on him because of how great he was
02:51and his special agility but he would lose a lot of yards on several plays.
02:57I mean he was kind of known for he might lose 10 yards on a carry because he would try
03:02to you know he believed in himself to be able to run around the backfield and then make something happen
03:06to elude defenders ultimately.
03:09And sometimes he would pull that off but he wasn't willing to lose yards and Bajon Robinson is not that
03:15kind of a back.
03:15He is getting what is blocked for him and obviously a lot more.
03:20He probably definitely has a better offensive line than Barry Sanders had which is worth mentioning but Bajon can just
03:27do everything man.
03:28He can catch the ball.
03:30He can obviously run the football but even like the way he runs.
03:33I mean go back to that long touchdown run that he had to start that game against New Orleans.
03:39The cuts are our next level and they're almost like more incisive than the way that Barry Sanders would cut.
03:48Barry Sanders would kind of cut, juke to the side, make guys miss and then be able to get upfield.
03:55Bajon seems to be able to cut and get upfield almost simultaneously or the cuts that he makes have a
04:01lot of purpose in terms of making defenders miss
04:05or become or reduce their angles and then get himself into the right hole he has to get into
04:10and then be able to accelerate which we talked about after that game.
04:14But just something that's been lingering in my head because I keep on hearing the Barry Sanders comparisons.
04:19I know Bruce Arians is kind of the latest high known figure to make that comparison.
04:23I just don't think it's the right one.
04:25I think that and Ladanian Tomlinson is another one that Bajon gets compared to a lot obviously because of the
04:29ability to run
04:31and produce in the passing game, but I would kind of have a similar critique to that comparison
04:38where I don't think LT had the physicality that Bajon Robinson does.
04:42I need to look into the stats, but it feels like this Falcons football team, and Brian Robinson contributes to
04:46this,
04:46but this Falcons team seems to be so effective this year running the football inside the opponent's 10-yard line.
04:53They just seem like their red zone offense is really carried by this ability to run the football,
04:58and that kind of opens everything up, and Bajon Robinson is as good as anyone in the NFL
05:02at picking up those hard yards and successfully converting carries into touchdowns or first downs
05:10when he's in some of those goal line situations, some of those low red zone situations.
05:16So just continuing to just think about his greatness, and I think we all probably should as the days go
05:23on
05:23and just knock on wood that nothing bad happens to our boy here.
05:27So with that out of the way, let's talk a little bit about what the coaches were talking about today.
05:32Jeff Ulbrich, kind of the most interesting thing I thought he said was kind of speaking about the team's versatility.
05:38Brings me back to a conversation I had with him last year talking about versatility,
05:43kind of being king, reigning supreme in modern NFL with the way that defenses want in disguise,
05:49with the way that teams have to match up personnel.
05:52Having players who can do different things allow these defensive coaches to disguise more,
05:59have to substitute less, which allows them to operate in some different ways that are more conducive
06:07to producing on that defensive side of the football puts offensive coordinators in tougher positions
06:12when you have players that can help you change your scheme from play to play but not necessarily have to
06:20get new players in.
06:21And he highlighted Kendall Daniels and Brandon Dorlis as two guys on this particular defense
06:26that have that versatility that make it so they don't have to necessarily substitute in certain situations
06:32that really helps the team.
06:33Last year when we talked to Ulbrich, he talked about Sean Payton kind of being the best at using certain
06:40personnel packages
06:41that really forces defensive coordinators to, I don't want to say show their hand necessarily,
06:47but forces them to play certain players and then they can capitalize on that.
06:51And to have players like Kendall Daniels and Dorlis, Dorlis' case,
06:56it being his ability to obviously slide interior or be more of a bigger edge.
07:01And obviously we know with Daniels, he's that linebacker, but he's got safety experience.
07:05Kind of was joking about he's only played linebacker for a couple of years now,
07:10so still learning things there.
07:12But, you know, it is worth highlighting just what these players are adding to this Falcons defense
07:17that is shockingly better than they were last year.
07:22But it feels weird to say it's shocking because they're so much better, at least so far,
07:27than what they showed last year.
07:28It's really, really impressive.
07:29I posted on Twitter yesterday, this Falcons defense is on average contacting opposing ball carriers
07:37in the opponent's backfield.
07:400.13 yards into the opponent's backfield is when the Falcons are on average making first contact.
07:47The next best team is at like half a yard upfield.
07:50No teams in the backfield.
07:52And I went back actually the last several years since they've been tracking this stat in the next-gen stats.
07:58So since 2020, I think it was, 2019, I think the best team in the NFL is usually in the
08:060.7, 0.8-ish area.
08:08I think the best ever in a recorded season was 0.6, and remember, the Falcons are at negative 0
08:16.13.
08:17So really incredible what they're doing.
08:19It's a testament to Jeff Ulbrich and all these players.
08:22Harold Perkins, another standout, not necessarily in the regard of hitting guys in the backfield,
08:27but just the ability of him to be able to come into this defense and make a big impact.
08:32We talked about the impact that the rookies are making, but he's another one that I wouldn't say he's necessarily
08:37like the player that's adding versatility to this defense right now,
08:41although I think he certainly has the potential to be that.
08:44But he's certainly been very additive to this defense when they've been in these passing situations,
08:49and he's found himself on the field a lot, a lot more than Kendall Daniels these last two weeks
08:54because teams have been having to throw in the Falcons because the Falcons have had leads, especially late,
08:58and quarterbacks like Tyler Shuck and Jordan Love, like the opposing coaches are putting the ball in their hands,
09:04and so Harold Perkins has had a lot of work to do these last two weeks, and he's done it
09:07really well.
09:08We also talked to Tommy Reese, offensive coordinator for the team,
09:11and I wanted to ask him about Tanner Engstrand.
09:13And he's a coach, he's the passing game coordinator for the Falcons,
09:18and I feel like he's a coach that there was a lot of questions about his hiring.
09:23I believe he came from the Jets last year, but prior to that he had been with Ben Johnson for
09:29a long time.
09:30He'd been an offensive coordinator in the NFL previously.
09:34And Tommy said that they specifically sought out Tanner Engstrand for his experience
09:42with Ben Johnson's scheme.
09:45And Tommy didn't name Ben Johnson, but he just said that the scheme that he had been a part of
09:50that we wanted to kind of take and add to what we do,
09:56that was a key in wanting to hire Engstrand personally,
09:59and Tommy described him as just being a home run hire to this point.
10:03He said that he works extremely closely with him throughout the week and during games,
10:07and you can see how much more effective and competent looking this passing game is.
10:15I noted during the Monday night game against the Saints,
10:19it just feels like the spacing on all the routes are a lot better, better executed.
10:24I'm sure some of the spacing in previous years, you know,
10:28like they draw it up differently and then on the field it manifests and it's not right.
10:31And it feels like the Falcons are getting it right, and I give credit to the passing game coordinator,
10:37but also identifying, you know, some of the things that Michael Penix and this offense can do well
10:43and can effectively carry out.
10:45Seems certainly like everybody's very happy to have Engstrand on board.
10:49And Tommy Reese also just kind of went out of his way to say it's not just Engstrand,
10:53but a lot of these offensive assistants, he just wanted to give a lot of credit to,
10:58he was saying that, like, they've been doing an amazing job for them.
11:02And it's one of the reasons why we're seeing a Falcons offense that's playing so well right now.
11:07And so we'll hope they continue to play well when they play the Ravens.
11:11Back at home at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday Night Football,
11:13I know some of the talk here yesterday was about how much,
11:17well, I give credit to B. John for just saying it.
11:19Like, we need to win at home.
11:20We need to get our fans back engaged and get that kind of party atmosphere back at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
11:29But, you know, he said that the way that we do that is by winning games.
11:32You know, it's on us, basically, to do that.
11:35So credit to him.
11:37Before we get out of here, quick injury report.
11:38Jake Matthews was upgraded as a limited participant today, so that's great for him.
11:43This was, of course, their first day of practice.
11:45They didn't go through an actual practice yesterday.
11:47It was an estimated injury report.
11:49Sands and Ebikon, Divine Diablo remained limited as well in practice today,
11:53both with their hamstrings.
11:54Both of them played in the Monday night game.
11:57So I would assume that that means that they're just being cautious with them at this point,
12:00but they would still be good to go.
12:02I think you can see a little bit of it affecting Divine Diablo.
12:05He doesn't seem quite as maybe dynamic in the way that he's moving.
12:10And I would imagine that that is that hamstring that's kind of bothering him a little bit.
12:15Cam Thomas and Mike Jarrell were upgraded to full participants today as well.
12:18So good news for them there.
12:20And it's generally pretty good news for the Falcons on the injury report,
12:23on the injury front, especially when you compare them to the Ravens,
12:26who had some good news today with some of their key players,
12:30but still DNPs for them.
12:32Some very key ones, including quarterback Lamar Jackson,
12:35Trey Hendrickson, defensive end, Marlon Humphrey, the corner.
12:38And then, of course, Cam Juergens, who they just traded for.
12:41Was never going to play this week, but he is not practicing either.
12:44Kyle Hamilton was upgraded to a full participant,
12:46so it looks like he'll be back for them,
12:48as well as a Flowers, who was limited this week.
12:50And it did sound like, just from perusing some of the reporting that happened today,
12:55it sounds like Lamar Jackson is maybe more likely to play than was assumed yesterday.
13:00I think Adam Schefter had something on that,
13:01saying that there is still a chance that he could play.
13:04So we'll obviously continue to monitor that.
13:06But honestly, even if he plays,
13:08you can't imagine that he's going to be, you know,
13:09at 100% be the Lamar Jackson that we've seen when he's at his best.
13:14And I think that this Falcons defense is showing that they're capable of
13:18corralling these types of quarterbacks.
13:20And I think that it's going to be a tough day,
13:22whether it's Tyler Huntley or Lamar Jackson back there,
13:24because of how well this Falcons defense is playing.
13:27Again, we said it on the last episode of the podcast that we did,
13:32but this Falcons team, how they're playing right now,
13:34they're playing like a top five team in the NFL.
13:36Maybe even that's understating how well they've been playing.
13:40So I think the Ravens are going to have a tough test
13:42when they come into Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sunday
13:45for that big-time matchup, where we'll see.
13:47The Falcons can actually sweep this primetime slate of games,
13:52which, wow.
13:53I mean, it's just so far from where we were a couple weeks ago,
13:57and I think we're all very thankful for that.
13:59So thank you guys so much for watching another episode of Joe Patrick on football.
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