Falcons offensive vibes are high after Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. additions

As the man responsible for snapping the ball to the quarterback, Atlanta Falcons center Drew Dalman is very excited to have both Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. part of this team up in Flowery Branch.

Cousins came over from the Minnesota Vikings in his free agency after six seasons. After taking the Washington Huskies to the national title bout, Penix comes to Atlanta by way of the No. 8 overall pick. Although Taylor Heinicke remains, this duo is a massive upgrade over what Atlanta had the last two years in Desmond Ridder and Marcus Mariota two years ago.

As the offensive line has really started to find itself, Dalman can't wait to see what the season has in store for this revamped Atlanta offense. He spoke to me about this over the weekend on behalf of CoolMitt on The Blogging Dirty Podcast.

Dalman feels reinvigorated to be working with a quarterback who loves practice and preparation.

"Yeah, been feeling super fortunate to work with a guy like Kirk, someone who has that much experience. I love the way he approaches practice and preparation and all those things. So I feel like I find myself asking him a lot of questions and kind of learning from his process, seeing what he does super well and how I can incorporate that kind of into my own preparation."

As no surprise, Cousins has fit right into this locker room because of the genuine person that he is.

"So that's been awesome. And then just as a player and a teammate, he's incredible. People know that. It's been great so far."

Most importantly, the team seems to have clear and realistic goals for what they want to accomplish.

"I think we have very clear expectations for what we need to do to improve every day. And then we just go up there and see if we can execute them. If we can't, then we go back and fix those mistakes, and then improve the next day. So it's been a pleasure working with him."

Here is entire interview I had with Dalman on behalf of CoolMitt over on The Blogging Dirty Podcast.

Dalman also had some nice things to say about the Falcons' first-round rookie out of Washington.

Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix Jr. has reinvigorated Atlanta Falcons offense

Even though their time did not overlap in the Pac-12, Dalman absolutely loves Penix's work ethic.

"Yeah, it's been great. His work ethic and approach to practice has been awesome. He's been a good teammate. So all those kinds of boxes are being checked and that's been a pleasure to work with him on that. But yeah, I think everybody is excited. The more talent and good players on your team, you're never upset about it. It's been great."

I got the same impression when speaking with Penix on behalf of Amazon shortly before the start of the College Football Playoff while he was at Washington over on False Start. He is quiet, but would rather let his actions speak for him. Penix has a great mentor in Cousins, as well as an up-and-coming offensive mind in Zac Robinson to learn and grow from. He looked great during his preseason debut.

Overall, it is hard to not feel optimistic about the season ahead for Atlanta. Dalman is entering year four out of Stanford. This may be the last year of his rookie deal, but he has certainly proven his worth at the fulcrum along the offensive line over the last two seasons. With weapons galore in the backfield and in the receiving corps, it is time for the offense to finally be unleashed like it should.

Ultimately, we all know that nothing is going to be handed to this team. The first five games of their season will be very challenging, as they draw Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Kansas City, New Orleans and Tampa Bay in succession. The schedule does soften up considerably after that. Should Atlanta be able to hold serve through their September slate, the Falcons should end their playoff draught.

Improved quarterback play could be what unlocks this team, helping the Falcons go from good to great.

Drew Dalman spoke with FanSided over on The Blogging Dirty Podcast on behalf of CoolMitt.