Tag: Bralen Trice

Blessings Are Key for the 2024 Atlanta Falcons Draft Class

Allison Smith – May 16, 2024

Another awesome interview by the voice of the Atlanta Falcons, Dave Archer. Today, Arch had the first three draft picks of the 2024 draft with him. Talk about some impressive young men. After the interview was over, I texted a friend, “I am fully on the Super Bowl train again.”

Archer introduced the guys and asked a few questions before asking fan submitted questions.

Asked about being drafted to Atlanta, Michael Penix, Jr. from the University of Washington called out that being drafted into the NFL in general is amazing, he grew up wanting to play in the NFL and here he is. He’s very excited to be in Atlanta.

Clemson Defensive Tackle, Ruke Orhorhoro noted that his is very familiar with Atlanta and is happy to not have to move far and learn a new place. He is ready to “put my big boy pants on” and get to working.

Bralen Trice, also from the University of Washington is ecstatic to come to Atlanta.

Asked how he will handle pressure on the field and relationship with quarterback Kirk Cousins:

Penix said that he doesn’t feel pressure any more. He played in the National Championship game and felt no pressure. It is the game that he loves and played since he was 5 years old.  He prepares himself mentally and physically for everything, then just goes about his business. He is ready for any moment. As for Kirk, he is planning to lead the team to win. “I am going to do my part and play my role.” Kirk is a veteran and a professional, there is allot to learn from him.

With a deep defensive line and lots of rotation, how are you feeling about your part:

Ruke is ready to contribute to the culture , excited to bring new energy to the team. With a big smile and energy beaming, Ruke noted that when he steps on the field, his energy level goes up and he cannot wait to get to work on and off the field. He is ready to learn from starting DT’s Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata, then put his own spin on what they teach.

Trice said this may sound corny, but, “I let go and let God.” He knows that God will handle the stress and pressure and Trice just does his job and trusts his teammates to do theirs.

Ruke commented on his style of play. He said it is fast, physical and aggressive. He is always ready to put his nose into stuff, is not scared of anything, and is ready to do the dirty work. He tries to model himself after Kansas City DT Chris Jones, he is tall and good with hands. Jones always sees what he hits. Ruke is preparing to slow down in his head and see the bigger picture.

Trice on preparing to be an aggressive edge rusher. He began by commenting on many edge rushers that just focus on the passing game and are going after the sack count. Trice plans to focus on the rushing game as much as the passing game. He wants to be aggressive and take on any situation. He models himself after the Las Vegas Raiders’ Max Crosby, he is all effort, relentless. Trice had 16 sacks in his last 28 games, sounds like he goes after the passer quite successfully.

Things may change entering the NFL now, but they are already planning how to prepare on game day.

Penix prays, has a favorite gospel song “God’s Got a Blessing,” then kicks other tunes to pump up. Penix’s song ensures that he keeps his head up, through many difficult circumstances over the years, he realizes that there are no excuses, you have to overcome and help the team win.

Ruke starts his time on the field with a prayer, then walks around alone and visualizes everything he did in practice and what he plans to do on the field that day.

Trice has a good prayer the night before. Then on gameday, after meetings and prep, he tries to slip in a 30-minute nap to refresh. We will see if he manages nap time in the busy NFL Sunday.

Asked what it means to have played in front of their families over the years, Trice said that seeing his Mom in the stands nearly makes him tear up. His Mom did allot for him and his siblings and is so happy, that motivates him to be great for her and the people around him and God.

Ruke asked his family not to come his freshman year at Clemson as he did not play and was mad about it. Parents still came, they were just happy to see him in his jersey on the sideline. That gave him inspiration and now gives him extra energy to play.

Penix talked about the many sacrifices his parents made and he has to pay them back, on the field and as a man. He always looks for his parents in the stands and knows that it is a true blessing to be able to play.

Penix is excited to work with Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson and Quarterback Coach TJ Yates. They both have great personalities. Penix loves being in a QB room with coaches that can relate to you, your position and experience of being a rookie in the league. They are going to ensure Penix gets to where he wants to be.

Ruke is excited to play with Jarrett, he noted “it’s crazy, been watching film on him since freshman year and now I to get to soak up the knowledge from him directly.”

Trice played for new Defensive Coordinator Jimmy Lake when Lake was the head coach of U of W. Trice called Lake as soon as he got drafted saying, “Let’s turn it up.” Trice knows Lake’s style of coaching and how he leads a team. Lake knows how to flip the switch, be nasty and get everyone in same mindset.

Having come from the latest national championship contender, Penix said the major change is that this is your job now. In college, you have classes and football, here, football is everything. While you have more time to learn, you need to watch the veterans, they won’t tell or teach you everything, so you have to notice the small things and better your game on your own.

Clemson and U of W have been pumping guys into the league lately and Trice and Ruke have many resources to reach out to for assistance and questions. Clemson being D Line U, Ruke reached out to former teammates like Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins who are always willing to provide advice, no question is a dumb question and Ruke has appreciated that.

Although everyone’s time in Atlanta has been limited, mostly at Flowery Branch, Trice noted that the folks around are always so nice and welcoming and trying to have conversations vs. many places, people don’t even look up to speak. Ruke is very familiar and knows the lay of the land and is planning to take the guys to all the good restaurants, “I like to eat” he says with a big smile.

If they could be as good at another sport as they are at football, Penix would be a golfer. He just started playing recently and isn’t that good, but gets really happy when he gets the ball on the green. It is a good sport that you can play for a long time. Ruke said he is already good at basketball, so he would do baseball, that is where the big bank is. Trice played tennis for 6 years and was pretty good, so he would continue tennis. It provides lots of cardio and movement and is addicting when you are good at it. Arch is concerned about starign Trice down across the tennis net, but is excited to tell Penix about all the great local golf courses.

And finally, the big question….what is your WHY?

Penix has two younger brothers and they have been looking up to him from a very young age. He noticed at 14, his brothers would come home from school talking about what their friends had said about him. He realized that his brothers were going to copy him, so he needed to be great on the field and a role model off the field. He wanted to show them that you can be strong and overcome adversity. Even though they are spread across the country, he wants to show them, every time he steps on the field, what they can also become, that adversity comes to everybody, but adversity can’t stop you.

Ruke plays for the shear love of the game. He loves every aspect, when your “legs are heavy, drives me to grind harder.” “If love and respect the game, it will love you back.”

Trice does it all for Mom. She set him up for success, sacrificed for him. He wants to take care of her. He loves the game, but first, plays for Mom.

All of the guys are super excited to step into and out of the tunnel for the first time, come onto the field, see the fans, the stadium view. Penix said he is excited to see the fans, run on the field and WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP.

We are with you Penix, we are with you.

#RISEUP #DIRTYBIRDS

FALCONALLEY OWT

The D in Draft Stands for Defense

Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons 

Allison Smith

April 29, 2024

After being the most talked about team from night one, after taking a quarterback at 8 after just signing a $100 million quarterback in free agency, the Falcons rebounded with four back to back defensive players, filling current and future/rotation needs.

The Falcons moved up a few spots in the second round to take Clemson Defensive Tackle, Ruke Orhorhoro, just before a run on DT’s began. Then in the 3rd through 5th rounds, Linebacker Bralen Trice, DT Brandon Dorlus and another LB, JD Bertrand. With 3 picks in the 6th and final round for the Falcons, they drafted a Running Back, Wide Receiver and another DT. These will be development players, playing some on special teams and seeing if they stick on the team or not.

After being legit angry for nearly 24 hours, including driving 4 hours back from Atlanta, listening to 92.9 The Game the whole way, I was starting to calm down and buy in, but then triggered again, then calmer again. By the time the 2nd round pick came in, I was 15% less angry with Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris. I had full faith until that 1st round pick, but trying to come around and believe they have a plan.

As a Clemson fan, I was very happy about Orhorhoro, I know he is a beast. I’ve heard his name 1000 times in Clemson games. I’ve seen how disruptive he has been and can be in the NFL. Ruke is excited to join former teammate AJ Terrell and another Clemson legend, Grady Jarrett….who he will be able to learn behind.  Ruke wants to prove he was worth trading up for. At 6 foot 4 and nearly 300 pounds, he had 12 starts, 22 tackles, 8 for losses and 5 sacks in his last year at Clemson. And was even more often, around the ball. Ruke is versatile and can play any position on the line and was considered a top 5 DT.

Bralen Trice is out of Washington, the near 2023 National Champions, so you know he has good experience on the field and in big pressure situations. Trice will be a great edge rusher, which is a definite need for the Falcons and should be contributing early on. He started 15 games, amassed 49 tackles, 11 for loss and 7 sacks in his final season. Trice was the top player in all of college football in the last two seasons for pressures.

Not to confuse Bralen with Brandon….but in the 4th round, the Falcons drafted Defensive Tackle, Brandon Dorlus from Oregon. Dorlus will make a great addition to this line, whether starting or in rotation learning behind Jarrett and David Onyemata. Dorlus started 13 of 14 games with 25 tackles, 6 for loss and 5 sacks. At 280 pounds, Dorlus is a little small for a nose tackle, but is versatile and can move to other locations on the line.

Note that sacks are starting to add up already with these additions and you can’t outrun everyone, so if you escape Ruke, Bralen, or Brandon, there will be someone else waiting for you.

In the 5th round, the Falcons continue on their defensive draft and snapped up another Linebacker, JD Bertrand from Notre Dame. A homegrown product from Alpharetta, GA, making his family happy for short drives to home games. In 12 starts, Bertrand had 76 tackles, 7 for loss, and a forced fumble.  He led the Irish in tackles in his last 3 seasons. Bertrand seems to match the current linebacking core in makeup, personality and play. Hopefully he will be the force that Kaden Ellis, Troy Anderson, and Nate Landman have been in their short times in Atlanta. Bertrand is likely not a day 1 starter, but has a great group to learn behind and grow with and rotate in quickly, specifically behind Landman.

All of these guys have played college since 2019, so they are a little older, but also more experienced and more mature. I believe that was intentional by Fontenot and Morris.

While trying to buy in to the draft so far, one must remember that the only constant over the last few years is Fontenot. Not only is the head coach new, his coordinators are new to being coordinators and everyone is bringing fresh eyes to the game. The guys just drafted (and obtained in free agency) fit what this new regime has planned.

Now, it gets a little sideways for me again, but going to try to assume that Fontenot and Morris have a plan.  They are drafting and planning for their jobs, I just want to have a team to win games, they NEED this team to win, and win NOW.

In the 6th round, the Falcons had 3 picks and selected Alabama Running Back, Jase McClellan, Illinois’ Wide Receiver Casey Washington, and then another DT, Zion Logue from Georgia. McClellan and Washington will likely be on special teams for a while, but a roster spot is a roster spot. Logue is a straight up Nose Tackle at 6 foot 5 and 315 pounds. If he can learn and follow from the current defensive line, he can win a spot onto the final roster as well. These later rounds aren’t necessarily for finding starters, but diamonds in the rough, special teamers, practice squad guys.

One of my biggest questions is the lack of drafting a cornerback (CB2), but maybe he is already on the roster, he just needs to be coached up. Several were obtained in free agency (Clark Phillips, Kevin King, Antonio Hamilton) and others were already on the roster (Dee Alford, Richie Grant), so with new coaching, maybe he identifies himself in mini or training camp. I have to believe that Fontenot and Morris know they need a corner opposite of Terrell.

The second big question is money….isn’t it always? Can we pay everyone that we need to pay. As I type this, the Falcons exercised their 5th year option on Tight End Kyle Pitts. Terrell will need to be dealt with next year at the latest, it would be smart to lock him in now, just in case he gets even better. We don’t know if Calius Campbell is coming back….and if so, will he take a discount to stay one more year in The Atl? We don’t want to start restructuring too many contracts and get into the same mess we were in previously, but again, smarter people than me, that are fighting for their jobs know that.

The more I think that way, this isn’t “just” a job for Fontenot and Morris, this is their livelihood and you have to believe that Fontenot, for sure, is on a short leash. Being evaluated on what he can do separated from former coach Arthur Smith. Can Morris redeem himself as a head coach and take Atlanta to the promised land?

Seems that some of these picks, or lack of picks say that this coaching staff and GM think this team is set now and ready to “Win Now.”

With that said, I close by saying, when Raheem Morris was announced as the new Head Coach, and held his first press conference, while being so excited to have Ra back, tearing up some, I felt (and have told countless people) that I had a good feeling and am planning to travel to New Orleans next February to watch us win the Super Bowl. So, as the days move farther from the shock of the draft, I am still saving my time and money and planning on a Super Bowl win for my Falcons.

#RISEUP #DIRTYBIRDS

FALCONALLEY OWT