Dukes & Bell

Carl and Mike get back into their conversation on Michael Penix Jr. not playing in Friday's preseason opener tomorrow and share why hearing reports of more established quarterbacks starting in their respective preseason games has them second guessing Atlanta's decision to keep their second year quarterback out of Friday's matchup.

Carl and Mike react to The Morning Shift's interview with Bralen Trice and agree they are hoping the second year defensive player is able to work his way back into the main defensive rotation.

Carl and Mike come back with some brief NFL talk and react to news of Matthew Stafford, who's been dealing with back issues, set to work out on Saturday and if all goes well, he will practice on Monday and Micah Parsons not showing up to Cowboys practice. They then get into some Georgia football talk and share thoughts on why they believe Kirby Smart has done a great job in not letting NIL money control the way they recruit players.

Carl and Mike are joined by AJC senior sport editor Rod Beard as they preview the Falcons' preseason game against the Lions and he shares what he witnessed in the Lions turnaround during his team covering the team.

Carl and Mike come back with a few more thoughts on Michael Penix Jr. not playing in Friday's preseason game and share why they believe if notable quarterbacks like Joe Burrow and Bryce Young are starting in their respective preseason openers, the Falcons are doing the second year QB a disservice by not allowing him to get reps in preseason games. They then get into some other NFL headlines including Aaron Rogers saying he's on board with playing in their preseason opener if the opportunity is presented, the NFL clarifying the usage of smelling salts and Shedeur Sanders starting in the Browns season opener and how this is an opportunity to increase his chances of moving up the depth chart.

Carl and Mike come back with a few more brief thoughts on Trae Young and whether or not the Hawks need to offer him a max contract now or if Young will have to go out this season and prove to the Hawks they need to pay him. They then get into some Braves talk as they share thoughts on Spencer Strider as Carl believes he had a "pathetic outing" giving up a career high of 11 hits, to which both the guys believe with the team having nothing to play for and Strider still trying to get back to form after dealing with injury, the Braves do not need to continue rotating him out regularly.

Carl and Mike get into some hoops talk and share some thoughts on Trae Young and why he appears to not be happy with not being offered a max contract which could be 4 years, $228M. As they discuss, the weigh in on the matter, they note several players who got their mac contracts this offseason and the positives and negatives of Young's stats from this past season and why they believe he may have to prove to the Hawks he is a max player, however the team should present him with something.

Carl and Mike open up the show with some Falcons talk and discuss the fact that Michael Penix Jr. is not playing in Friday's preseason game and share thoughts on whether or not he should be playing with both agreeing it would be good for Penix Jr. to "get the work" as they prepare for the season.

Carl and Mike share thoughts on comments by Roger Goodell as he states with the acquisition of NFL RedZone may open the door for a similar style of sports like college football. They then share thoughts on Andy and Randy's interview with Kaleb McGary and share why they believe he has a great mindset when it comes to wanting to run the ball all the time.

The full 8-5-25 show from Dukes and Bell.