FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — It's hard to believe the calendar now reads July, but here we are staring down the barrel of another football season.
Given that reality, Tori is off for some well-deserved rest and relaxation ahead of training camp, so I'll be answering your questions in this week's mailbag. And, wow, we've got some great ones.
The Mailbox is open: Leave a question here
Let's get to them.
Leslie T. from Bay Point
What is the condition of Troy Andersen & will he be playing this next season?
Appreciate the question, Leslie, and I thought this would be a good one to address with camp a few weeks away. While Andersen hasn't been mentioned by name in a few weeks, this quote from Raheem Morris about Kyle Pitts’ status in early June gives us a pretty good indication.
"We're going to be extremely cautious with him," Morris said. "We had a couple of people like that. We don't have them out there that we're extremely cautious with that we know are here and have been a part of everything."
I think Andersen would fall under that label of "extremely cautious." He is still working his way back from injury, and the Falcons have better depth in place at inside linebacker around him. They can afford to be patient with Andersen. While I do fully expect him to play at some point in 2025, and perhaps even in Week 1, I wonder if his role will be a more refined one.
Brandon B. from Rome, Ga.
Could the Falcons pursue a more inside run game this year, effectively making more use out of Tyler Allgeier, and kick Bijan out to the slot more to juke DBs and get open?
To paraphrase the all-time classic "Pulp Fiction" — Check out the big brain on Brandon! I love the way you're thinking. The Falcons would like to see an uptick in the number of explosive runs this season, and a more vertically inclined run game is a good way to do that.
The Los Angeles Rams transitioned from a heavy dose of outside zone to a more inside, gap-centric approach a couple of years ago while Zac Robinson and Raheem Morris were on staff and it helped revitalize their run game. Now, the Falcons' rushing attack is just fine as it is — they had the second-best success rate last season, per Next Gen Stats — but variety isn't a bad thing, especially with the backs they have.
I do wonder if Atlanta will use more two-back sets on the field this season to increase their avenues for creativity. But I would advocate for both Allgeier and Robinson to get touches up the middle. There's a bit of Warrick Dunn in Robinson's game, and he's plenty tough enough to go between the tackles. Give them a bit of daylight up the middle, and either player can go the distance.
The biggest arguments against a wholesale change in philosophy would be the structure of the offensive line and the play-action elements. The offensive line is more agile than mauling, although they can certainly play with power. And I'm personally a bigger fan of a play-action game that uses stretch zone than an inside zone, but there are options there as well.
You might be on to something, Brandon.
David H. from Marshalltown, Iowa
It seems as though the two 1st round picks (and subsequent highly regarded picks on the defense) have VERY high expectations, seemingly to be the answer to all the issues we've had on that side of the ball. Do you think there is too much pressure and expectation placed on them as rookies?
I get where you're coming from, David. Expectations are something that have been on my mind a lot this offseason, actually. It's understandable why the fan base is invigorated by the thought of a defensive class stepping in and making the impact that, say, the 2016 group did. Who knows? Maybe that will be the case.
But my answer to you would be that the external factors are very different from the factors inside of the training facility in Flowery Branch. I think Raheem Morris and the support staff he has here in Atlanta have taken a smart approach with development. They are going different speeds with each rookie and giving them what they can handle.
All four defensive rookies may be wearing the same colored penny out on the practice field, but they have very different backgrounds. The coaching staff understands that, and they won't be asking more from them than they can handle. Look no further than last year's class to see the proof of that.
Do I expect Jalon Walker, James Pearce Jr., Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman Jr. to have an impact on this defense in 2025? Yes. But that will look different for each of them, and I think that approach from Atlanta will help release any pressure before it becomes too great.
Artie H. from Warner Robins, Ga.
Why is there never any mention of Fulton Kuykendall (Kaptain Krazy)? The man who I think ended Roger Staubach's career!
I wanted to end on this one, because Artie's right: Why don't we talk about Kuykendall more often? Here's what I wrote about him a few years ago during my quest to determine the best jersey number in Atlanta sports history:
"Part of Atlanta's legendary 'Grits Blitz' defense, Fulton Kuykendall was known as 'Kaptain Krazy' for the reckless abandon he played with on the gridiron. There weren't a ton of individual stats recorded during the era in which Kuykendall played, but comments from former teammates and coaches have assured me that he was the real deal. Plus, the performances of the defenses he was a part of speak for themselves. Atlanta's early NFL days featured some very good linebackers, and Kuykendall deserves to be included among that group."
Unfortunately, Kuykendall passed away last year at the age of 70. But his impact for Atlanta's defense, especially that 1977 group, is something I encourage everyone to do a little homework on if they are interested.
If you'd like to leave a question for a future edition of The Mailbox, please do so here.
