Flowery Branch, GA- Following an off day yesterday, the Atlanta Falcons returned to the practice field to resume their 2019 Training Camp. Atlanta will participate in the 2019 Hall of Fame Game in less than a week, so the team is already practicing in full pads in preparation for the game.
Today was the start of a second four-day block of practices, and Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn talked about today’s practice saying, “We really went in yesterday [on the off day] to find things that we liked through the first four practices and some of the things we want to reemphasize and now set the course for the next four days.” He continued, “Today was a big red zone push. We worked exclusively on moving the ball and red zone work with a two-minute drill at the end of the game.”
The big story coming out of today was Calvin Ridley not participating. Last year’s first-round pick for Atlanta tweaked his hamstring at Thursday’s practice and was unable to go today. The second-year receiver out of Alabama was at practice, however, and could be seen watching and chatting with his fellow receivers throughout the day.
Dan Quinn on Ridley, “He’s doing our late-night walkthrough meetings, but he’s got a sore right hamstring and we are going to make sure he can go full speed because at his position he’s got to be able to explode.” He continued, “We are going to take it day to day but it’s not going to be a long-term thing.”
Another note, Star receiver Julio Jones, who is still in the news about his potential contract extension, was in full pads for the first time today but wasn’t participating in full-contact drills. The fact that he is on the sidelines in full pads shows that he is inching closer to participating, perhaps in the coming days to prepare for the first preseason game on Thursday.
It was a solid day of practice for Atlanta, who avoided that injury bug that has seemingly plagued them so far at their 2019 Training Camp. They will be back on the field tomorrow morning to continue assembling their squad for the 2019 NFL Season, as they try to return to the playoffs after a disappointing 2018.
The Falcons will square off with the Denver Broncos at the 2019 NFL Hall of Fame Game this Thursday at 8 p.m.
Written by Brian Pohl
