FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Competition is the theme of the Atlanta Falcons training camp in Flowery Branch, and starting Monday morning, the pads are on. The players are gearing up for the preseason.
“We’ve been competing all week, but Saturday was a whole different mindset. Actually, I wouldn’t say it was a different mindset, but the intensity kicked up. Offense was on defense and defense was on offense it was just everything,” Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier said.
Head Coach Arthur Smith said the Falcons are still in a ramp-up period, so day one of pads isn’t going to be the same intensity seen on Saturday. However, he believes after week two, some guys will start separating themselves on the roster.
“The rules are what they are. That’s all relative so we try to be smart, but we try to be intentional about building these guys up. You want to see day after day that this week is a real proving ground. It’s a long week for these guys and I think we’ll have a pretty good idea of people by the end of the week,” Smith said.
Falcons General Manager Terry Fontenot said the pads really define the players.
“Now we put on the pads. Now we can really see because a lot of these positions, really every position on the field, the pads really define you. We’re going to start seeing some separation," Fontenot said.
"The competitiveness has been outstanding though and it’s been fun to watch, and it speaks to the character of the team. We have a lot of guys out there that love football and love to compete," he added.