Flowery Branch, GA- It’s the beginning of week two of 2019 Training Camp for the Atlanta Falcons, and that means preparations have begun for their first preseason game, as they get set to take on the Denver Broncos at the 2019 NFL Hall of Fame Game on Thursday night.
The Falcons resumed their scrimmage from yesterday, playing out the second half at two split teams in white and red, so that the first-team offense squared off with the first-team defense, with the reserves facing off following them. The scrimmage began with a 23-7 advantage for the red team, and the starters in white would only score one time today, so the red squad came away with the win.
Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, and Deion Jones all remained out of action for today but could be seen on the sideline in full pads going through their treatment. head coach Dan Quinn continued to say that all are to be considered day-to-day but they won’t rush any of them into action until they are fully ready to participate.
Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn on today’s scrimmage and what he saw from his team, “We tried to mix in versatility with players in a lot of spots defensively mixing between the 3-4 and the principles of the 4-3 which is nice to have that versatility.” He continued, “I thought it was good offensively, we had some more examples of two minutes to run down and two-point plays and that was good for us.”
The Falcons have a unique opportunity this year, as the Hall of Fame Game gives them an extra preseason game to work through than 28 of the NFL’s other teams have. Because of this, coach Quinn will take the opportunity to get many reps to the younger guys on the roster, especially the newly drafted rookies, as it will be the first NFL game action for them.
That means started like quarterback Matt Ryan will not see the field that night, but they will be present and have the ability to coach up and get a live look at their new teammates to see how they will fit on this team.
Ryan talked about the opportunity for the younger guys on the team saying, “It’s a great opportunity for our young guys to get out there with the lights on and showcase what they can do and I’m looking forward to seeing what those guys can do on Thursday night to see their hard work come to fruition.”
Thursday night’s game marks the beginning of football season for 2019, and while coach Quinn and Matt Ryan both say the team has a lot of work to do before the NFL regular season, they are excited about the talent they have and believe they will return to form following a disappointing 2018 campaign.
The Atlanta Falcons will square off with the Denver Broncos on Thursday at 8 p.m. est from the 2019 NFL Hall of Fame Game.
Written by Brian Pohl
