Atlanta, GA

Atlanta Falcons See ‘Lot of Similarities’ Between Kirk Cousins, Matt Ryan

Published

2 years ago

April 30, 2024

Atlanta Falcons See ‘Lot of Similarities’ Between Kirk Cousins, Matt Ryan

Kirk Cousins’ tenure as the starting quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons is just now taking flight. Matt Ryan’s professional career, which featured 14 years under center in Atlanta, just made its final descent.

But the Falcons may spend the next several years watching a brand of football that hasn’t been seen since Ryan was traded in the spring of 2022.

“I think there’s a lot of similarities,” Falcons right guard Chris Lindstrom said at Tuesday’s press conference. “I think both those guys have a lot of experience, are great leaders and both extremely successful.”

Ryan is the Falcons’ all-time leader in passing yards (59,735) and touchdowns (367), two categories in which he ranks top 10 in NFL history. He’s also played more games in franchise history than anyone else who’s donned the red and black.

In the two years that followed Ryan’s departure, the Falcons started three faces at quarterback – Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke. None proved to be formidable short- or long-term options.

So, Atlanta aggressively pursued the 35-year-old Cousins, a 12-year veteran with 150 games of experience – and proven results – under his belt.

The Falcons signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract March 13. He’s spent the last month and a half perusing the grounds of the team’s headquarters in Flowery Branch, bouncing in and out of meetings and training rooms as he recovers from a torn Achilles suffered Oct. 29.

During his introduction the night he was signed, Cousins stressed the importance of building bonds with teammates as soon as possible. Evidently, he’s off to a strong start.

“When you get here and watch how the guy works, it’s remarkable,” Lindstrom said. “The way he interacts with us has been great. You can’t ask for anything more. You just see the way he approaches every single day, the intensity in every single rep and the purpose behind it.”

Stylistically, Ryan and Cousins are both pocket passers known for their precision and intelligence. They’ll never be confused for dual threats, but they don’t need to be.

Both players have four Pro Bowl nods to their name. Ryan earned the nickname “Matty Ice” for his late-game performances, guiding 46 game-winning drives. He averaged one such drive per every five career starts. Cousins’ average is the same.

There’s an element of veteran savvy present in each – a calm, trustworthy voice and the right arm to match it. Lindstrom worked alongside Ryan for three years, seeing these traits each day.

Safety Jessie Bates III, who signed with the Falcons last spring, never played with Ryan. He does, however, know the value Cousins’ experience provides to the team, let alone the offense.

“His presence alone, just being there is next level,” Bates said. “The coaches can’t be out on the field too much, but when you have a guy like Kirk Cousins, he can go out there and run a whole script. That presence is something that’s priceless.”

Cousins has been a topic of hot discussion in and around Flowery Branch of late, as the Falcons drafted his potential successor – first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. – before he played his first snap in Atlanta.

But the Falcons remain firmly behind Cousins and the things he can accomplish in the years ahead, watching as he’s lived up to the billing they expected when dishing out a sizable contract this spring.

“The exciting thing about him is we know his makeup and his mentality, and we know it fits what we’re about and this culture that we’ve been working hard to build,” general manager Terry Fontenot said. “So, you definitely feel the impact.”

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Atlanta, GA

Bill Belichick takes in girlfriend Jordon Hudson’s Atlanta cheerleading competition

Published

7 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Bill Belichick takes in girlfriend Jordon Hudson’s Atlanta cheerleading competition

She’s cheer captain, and he’s in the bleachers.

Bill Belichick was in Atlanta over the weekend to cheer on his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, during a cheerleading competition, TMZ reported.

Hudson was competing for Code Black, which she cheered for in a Cheer Extreme All-Stars event in Raleigh, North Carolina, in November.

Belichick sported a button-down shirt, jeans and a Navy submarine cap, while Hudson donned the Code Black uniform, as did the rest of her teammates.

Jordon Hudson performed with Code Black in Atlanta over the week, with boyfriend Bill Belichick among the spectators. Instagram / milllies.camera

Photos published by the outlet showed the two all smiles as they stood next to one another.

Hudson had also posted a video of part of the routine Code Black performed during the first day of the competition.

Belichick has not been shy about supporting his younger paramour since their relationship became public over the summer of 2024.

The University of North Carolina football coach, and six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach, attended the cheer competition in November and was there to support Hudson at the Miss Maine USA pageant earlier this year.

Hudson has been there to support Belichick throughout his first season at the helm at UNC, which drew plenty of headlines off the field.

Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson at the NFL Honors. — Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson in 2025. AP

The relationship between the 73-year-old and Hudson has generated plenty of interest and drama, aside from Belichick going 4-8 in his first season at UNC and repeated questions about whether he would leave the football program. Belichick ended up making major staff changes after the season.

Hudson created waves earlier this year when she stepped in during a “CBS Sunday Morning” interview when Belichick was asked how the pair met, creating weeks of headlines.

More recently, she has been in a back-and-forth with investigative sports journalist Pablo Torre – at one point claiming she would sue him – and last month The Post reported that Jen Belichick, the daughter-in-law of Bill – went on a nearly hour-long rant in the coach’s office about Hudson and how she was “f–king twisting” Belichick’s brain.

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Security tightened for Hanukkah celebrations across metro Atlanta after Sydney mass shooting

Published

19 hours ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Security tightened for Hanukkah celebrations across metro Atlanta after Sydney mass shooting

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Dozens of Hanukkah celebrations across metro Atlanta will go on as scheduled this week.

Security is now top priority following the brutal shooting that killed 15 people at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.

“Of course the minute the news came out from Australia we were in touch with our law enforcement partners,” said Renee Kutner, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. “We went back through the plans. We amped them up where we needed to. People will see extra patrols around, not because there’s threats but because we just want to make sure everybody knows that they’re safe.”

The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta says it spends millions of dollars every year securing its community against antisemitic attacks.

“We are so blessed to have really, really great relationships with law enforcement at every level across metro Atlanta and throughout Georgia,” Kutner said. “And we’ve been in contact with all of them. They are so supportive and they will be at our events – they will amp up the security.”

According to Kutner, the heightened security is out of an abundance of caution.

“We have no credible threats, no reason to believe that lone actors somewhere else will affect anything here, and we want to give our community the chance to celebrate,” Kutner said.

RELATED COVERAGE:

Australia to tighten gun laws after Bondi Beach Hanukkah massacre leaves 15 dead

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Father and son gunmen kill at least 15 people in attack on Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach

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Atlanta, GA

Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers Announce Starting Lineups For Tonight’s Game

Published

1 day ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers Announce Starting Lineups For Tonight’s Game

The Hawks would love to forget Friday’s embarrassing loss to the Detroit Pistons.

After an entertaining first quarter, Atlanta was dominated over the final three quarters and ended up losing by 27 points to the top team in the Eastern Conference. They are hoping for a quick bounce back today at home vs Philadelphia and will could use a win to get back on track.

The game is getting closer to tipoff and both teams have announced their starting lineups:

Hawks

G-Nickeil Alexander-Walker

G- Dyson Daniels

F- Zaccharie Risacher

F- Jalen Johnson

C- Onyeka Okongwu

76ers

G- Quentin Grimes

G- VJ Edgecombe

F- Paul George

F- Dominick Barlow

C- Joel Embiid

Deeper look at Atlanta

Dec 5, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) shoots against the Denver Nuggets in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

When previewing the game this morning, our own Rohan Raman took a deeper look at the Hawks’ advanced numbers today:

“Atlanta’s offense has been surprisingly solid without Trae Young, but the Pistons game was a poor showing. The Hawks are 12th in points, 10th in FG%, 10th in 3P%, 17th in FT%, 25th in rebounds (24th in OREB, 22nd in DREB), 1st in assists, and 18th in turnovers per game. They’re 16th in offensive rating this year.

On a per-game basis, the Hawks’ defense rank 21st in points allowed, 18th in FG% allowed, 9th in 3P% allowed, 23rd in rebounds allowed, 4th in steals, and 12th in blocks. They’re 14th in defensive rating on the year, which puts them in a slightly above-average tier despite their recent run of poor performance on end.

Philadelphia is still figuring out how their offense operates when everyone is healthy, but Tyrese Maxey is always dangerous and they quietly have a reasonably deep roster. They’re 16th in points, 24th in FG%, 17th in 3P%, 6th in FT%, 9th in rebounds (10th in OREB, 9th in DREB), 20th in assists, and 11th in turnovers per game. They’re 15th in offensive rating this season.

After a difficult night against a tough Detroit defense, the matchup gets slightly easier against the 76ers. Even so, they’ve been playing good defense as of late – albeit against poor competition. They are 12th in points allowed, 8th in FG% allowed, 8th in 3P% allowed, 21st in rebounds allowed, 19th in steals, and 2nd in blocks. They’re 9th in defensive rating, so this would be the second straight game for the Hawks against a top-ten defense by defensive rating.”

Because they are at home and will have the best player on the floor, I like the Hawks to win this game. Quentin Grimes is someone who has given the Hawks trouble before, and rookie VJ Edgecombe has had a great start to his career. Still, I like Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu to lead the Hawks to a win today at home.