With the playoffs all but out of the question for the 6-8 Atlanta Falcons, the debate among some portions of the fanbase has become; do you want a win Sunday against the Lions or a loss to improve your draft position?
Nick Kayal and Brian Noe, filling on Dukes & Bell, say that the question shouldn’t even be up for debate.
“I am not remotely close to being in draft mode. I'm in 'culture mode' right now. I want another one or two wins…If we can get to 7 or 8 wins, I think that really sets the tone for the offseason as this team continues to rebuild,” Kayal said.
Noe said that the Falcons don’t have to look too far to find a team that is fighting to win, regardless of their record.
“Look at the Lions and look at Dan Campbell. They’ve got a shot at the number one overall pick and they want to win…If the Lions are doing that, the Falcons should be doing the same thing,” Noe said.
Former Falcons defensive linemen Chuck Smith joined the show today and didn't hold back on the matter.
“Anybody who ultimately says that they want them to lose, they’re not a competitor and they probably never played at the highest level. Any of the former players I see on TV that say stuff like that, I say ‘you forgot who you are’…I want those guys to play their best, try to get as many wins as they can, and then, wherever you get the pick, make the right pick,” Smith said.
Smith pointed to the Patriots, Saints and Packers as organizations that manage to win while often picking later in the first round.
If the season ended today (spoiler alert, it doesn’t), the Falcons would hold the 9th overall pick.
