FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga- It was a wet and soggy day at the Falcons training facility on Tuesday morning as the team got back to work for day two of camp. They are continuing to come together and hoping to stay healthy after looking Safety JJ Wilcox to a season-ending torn ACL on day one of camp. Also, defensive tackle Michael Bennett suffered a broken ankle as confirmed by coach Dan Quinn after practice Tuesday. However, he doesn’t expect it to be a season-ending one.
“Michael’s not as bad in terms of season-ending,” explained Quinn. “But, it’ll set him back for a while. I think they have to do a procedure to get him back. But, hopefully for him at some space, he’ll be able to come back and return in the ’19 season.”
The Falcons took day two to utilize a lot of emphasis on the defensive side of the ball, as coach Quinn continues to work on the defensive communication. “I’m going to try to take it as far as I can, so we can get to the level where you’re calling it out at the line of scrimmage, making the checks and alerts. That’s when you get the chance to play the best team defense. Not 11 ones, but 11 as one. We’re going to work crazy at that.” said Quinn.
Monday evening it was announced that the Falcons added former Chiefs defensive end, Allen Bailey on a two-year contract. He will help add to the early exit of Bennett and Wilcox on the defensive side of the ball.
“On the new addition of Allen, somebody we’ve had our eye on for some time. He’s got versatility at defensive end to defensive tackle.” said Quinn, “His toughness, his attitude, the edge he can bring to our club was something that we really coveted and wanted.”
Speaking on the weather, after overnight rain soaked the practice fields, t wasn’t known if the team would practice outside or indoors. However, quarterback Matt Ryan noted that the break in the weather was a welcomed addition for him and the rest of the team in the normal hot conditions of camp.
“It’s pretty nice today. A little bit of rain in the morning, a little bit cooler weather with the overcast. It’s not typical Flowery Branch Georgia for July.” explained Ryan, “So I think everybody was appreciative of that, kind of the second day getting into it. To get a little break in the weather was very nice.”
Julio Jones took to the field for his first reps of Falcons training camp Tuesday, after watching from the sidelines on Monday. Jones was limited in practice, however. Of note as well, is that Tuesday’s practice was non-contact.
Coach Dan also noted that the team will take to the field for their first practice in pads on Wednesday, which will start off gradually with practice pads and then working up to full pads over the course of a few days.
Written by Adrian Beecher
Image Credit: Henry Gomez / The SkyBoat
