Atlanta Falcons: First Day in Pads a Success
By John Buhler
The Atlanta Falcons put on the pads in the third day of training camp. Head Coach Dan Quinn expressed his satisfaction in seeing intriguing individual matchups like LT Jake Matthews versus OLB Vic Beasley for the first time in full contact.
Yesterday was the first day the CBA allowed for a padded practice in 2015 Training Camp. This was the first opportunity for Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan and Quarterback Matt Ryan to see the much-anticipated zone blocking scheme in full effect. Ryan said, “the effort was great” in the first day in pads. He expressed that players get better playing at “legitimate speed” going against “live defenses”.
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Ryan referred to Shanahan as a “chameleon” in his ability to adjust to whatever personnel he has on his team. This sounds great to me as Kyle Shanahan inherits the best passing game he has ever had to work with. Plus he has two young, potentially dynamic tailbacks at his disposal as well. I think the 2015 Atlanta Falcons will have the most balanced offense they’ve had since Matt Ryan came to town in 2008.
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Head Coach Dan Quinn said though the first half of today’s practice was sloppy, as expected since it was the first day in full pads, he liked how his team finished the drill on Sunday. Quinn has often expressed his wish for his Atlanta Falcons team to become a great fourth quarter team. I’m all for it as Mike Smith‘s teams were notorious for taking their foot off the gas, like blowing a 17 point lead at halftime in the 2012 NFC Championship to the San Francisco 49ers.
When asked if the Atlanta Falcons’ defense will have a similar construction as the Seattle Seahawks, built from back to front, Coach Quinn said that it all starts with tackling. The Atlanta Falcons are going to use leverage in making tackles for Quinn, similar to the style of tackling found in rugby. That bodes well for the Dirty Birds as tackling has been problematic for several years now, especially in the secondary.
Left Tackle Jake Matthews likes the energy that Quinn is bringing to the team and how he harps on competition. It’s days like yesterday where the coaching staff gets to see players like Matthews go against Vic Beasley on the outside or watch CB Desmond Trufant compete against WR Julio Jones at full speed.
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It sounds like the first padded practice of training camp in the Dan Quinn Era was a success. I expect the 2015 Atlanta Falcons to build upon yesterday’s finish and continue to fight hard for their new head coach. There’s a different, more positive vibe emanating from Flowery Branch.
I feel Atlanta sees a drastic improvement in their season’s performance over last year. While we always want to believe that new is always better, everything seems like it’s trending up for our Atlanta Falcons.
Next: Atlanta Falcons: Offensive Line Must Stay Healthy
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