Hey there.
Tyler Estep, AJC newsletter guy, here with you today.
Your usual Hall-of-Famer of a host is enjoying some time off … but Falcons never sleep.
‘THERE’S REALLY NOTHING TO ADD’
Falcons coordinators — including new offensive leader Tommy Rees and special teams guru Craig Aukerman — met with reporters for the first time Wednesday.
More from that right here (and further down in the newsletter).
First we need to talk about James Pearce Jr.
As you no doubt are aware, Pearce was arrested over the weekend near Miami. The accusations involve his ex-girlfriend, WNBA player Rickea Jackson, and they’re ugly.
- Stalking her.
- Twice ramming her car with his own.
- Hitting a cop’s knee with his car, driving away, crashing, running away.
- Struggling with officers attempting to detain him.
In all, five felony charges and even more traffic citations.
Through his attorneys, Atlanta’s all-time rookie sack leader has maintained his innocence. But he’s staring down a heap of trouble, with the legal system and the league.
And the Falcons?
Well … as columnist Ken Sugiura writes, they can’t do much of anything right now — and may not be able to for awhile.
🗣️ Head coach Kevin Stefanski: “On the James Pearce situation, there’s really nothing to add. I’ll defer and our coaches will defer to the statement that was put out.”
🗣️ Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich: “It’s still so early. We’re not there yet either way.”
Both of those unenlightening statements were delivered in-person Wednesday.
Ulbrich, who added he was “obviously disappointed” in Pearce’s alleged actions, was responding to a question about potentially planning for the pass rusher’s absence.
No. 2 sack-getter Brandon Dorlus will be back. Jalon Walker will continue to develop. But for a team that’s been desperate for a pass rush for literal decades, the idea of having to replace Pearce is unpleasant at best.
Even more so without this year’s first-round pick, sacrificed to draft Pearce last year.
More from Ken:
- “From a human perspective, it is a sad affair, a person with a brilliant future allegedly committing horrific violence against a former girlfriend.”
- “From the perspective of the operation that the Falcons are trying to run, it would seem a mess.”
Indeed.
Over in The Win Column (my all-things-Atlanta-sports newsletter), I asked fans to offer thoughts on the situation — and specifically whether Pearce, if the accusations are substantiated, should be cut altogether.
Small sample size. But almost everyone who responded said yes.
📬 Have your own thoughts? Shoot me or D. Led an email.
YOUR TURN, TOMMY
The most interesting morsels from offensive coordinator Tommy Rees’ brief media appearance involved quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
Directly or otherwise.
Rees called Penix a “great young man” with “extreme arm talent.”
“Can throw with anticipation, can throw with great accuracy, is a tough guy in the pocket, man. He will stand in there and deliver the ball down the field.
“Like any young player, there’s always gonna be areas for improvement and growth, and that’s what we’re excited to get to work with Michael on. But there’s a lot to like on the film. Excited and eager to get ready to build (on) that with him.”
🤔 And might we see Penix under center more often?
“I think there’s definite benefits to being under center. That’s been a huge part of the identity with (Stefanski) going back throughout his career,” Rees said.
“Offensive football at its crux is putting defense in conflict. … You’re constantly trying to keep the defense off-balance and stress some of their rules. There’s a lot of ways to do that. Under center is certainly one of them and that’s one we utilize, but there are other ways to get to those points as well.”
Clear as mud!
TALKING SPECIAL TEAMS
If you bore any kind of witness to Falcons special teams play last season, the words of new coordinator Craig Aukerman — a 17-year NFL coaching vet — should soothe your soul.
He talked a lot about accountability, discipline and “detailed coaching.”
“Good coaching,” Aukerman said Wednesday, “is taking a player where he’s not capable of going by himself. Bad coaching is asking a player to do something they’re not physically capable of.”
Aukerman said each special teams player will have their own IDP, or individual development plan — strengths, weaknesses and areas they can improve in.
Then they’ll be put in the best position to succeed.
🤔 And on the kicking side of things?
“I want a guy that’s gonna have total confidence in himself,” Aukerman said. “I want his teammates to have confidence in him, that he can go out and perform at the highest level.”
- Also of interest: The Falcons announced this morning the hiring of Chase Blackburn as assistant special teams coach. He was special teams coordinator with the Rams until a particularly rough December outing led to his dismissal.
WHAT DID WE LEARN, CLASS?
Before Sunday’s big game, Mr. Ledbetter went deep on what the Falcons could learn from the Seahawks, the Patriots and their rapid turnarounds.
The short version: Create the culture and get good players.
You can do the latter through free agency (New England spent big on the defensive side), the draft (over the past four, Seattle picked up 20 starters or solid contributors) or both.
Someone’s got to chart the right course, too.
“It’s really about doing the things you do well,” Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said. “And what you do best is what you try to lean on the most.”
Pretty straightforward. But (ahem) clearly harder than it looks.
🔗 More Super Bowl linkage:
NOT FOR NOTHING …
In last week’s Dispatch, D-Led predicted the Seahawks would win 28-17.
At last check, that’s pretty darn close to 29-13.
Man knows ball.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
One day the world-beating Dirty Birds will dance down Peachtree … right?
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
To replace Kaden would take more than one human being.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of the Dirty Birds Dispatch. Questions? Suggestions? Contact us at dledbetter@ajc.com.
Follow @DorlandoAJC on X, too.
About the Author
Tyler Estep hosts the AJC Win Column, Atlanta's new weekly destination for all things sports. He also shepherds the Sports Daily and Braves Report newsletters to your inbox.
