BUFORD, Ga. — Falcons training camp meets Saturday Night Lights.
The Falcons got a chance to compete in front of fans for the first time in camp at Seckinger High School.
"It felt like a high school game day all over again," Falcons safety DeMarcco Hellams said.
If yesterday was an offense-heavy day where Kirk Cousins and company looked sharp, the defense got to shine a bit, too, on Saturday.
Perhaps the loudest ovation from the thousands in attendance came when inside linebacker Troy Andersen picked off Cousins. The moment occurred when the first-team offense and defense went head-to-head. The offense claimed Cousins was ruled down by the official's whistle before making the pass. The fans didn't think so, though, and neither did the defense, as they ran to Andersen in the opposite end zone.
Cornerback Clark Phillips III also had himself an interception in the second-team section of the practice, jumping a route and picking off Michael Penix Jr.
A fan in from the stands cheered so loud you could hear it on the field.
"All season! All season!" they cheered.
It created an intimate atmosphere not usual for typical training camp practices. Some young fans caught Bijan Robinson's attention on the sideline. At first, the running back waved. Then, when Robinson had a free moment he came over to greet the children and was met with great excitement.
Falcons fans will get another chance to see the team in action on Aug. 2 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Attendance for practices at the team's facility has been restricted this year as construction continues on several upgrades to the building.
"It's exciting to be around your fans because you want the test for the guys to really turn them out," Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said, "but at the same time feel the presence, feel that energy that you love."
Notes and observations
Time with the D-line: When it comes to what we can see when we're at the Falcons' facility in Flowery Branch, individual defensive line drills are not something we often have the luxury of seeing because their drills occur two fields over from where the media are located. However, thanks to the nature of the singular practice field at Seckinger High School, we were able to get a much closer look at the defensive line action. And what was most notable when we were finally up close and personal was the variety in size amongst the defensive tackles. Grady Jarrett looks different from Zach Harrison who looks different from Ruke Orhorhoro who looks different from Eddie Goldman and David Onyemata and so on and so forth.
Working in tandem with a partner, the group worked through their lock-out moves, using different arm placement techniques to get their partner off balance. It was the first look I have felt like I've gotten at what the group looks like after all the offseason work. And when they're all together? Those different body types intrigue.
QBs have their favorites: Kirk Cousins found Kyle Pitts time and time again in front of fans. They connected on a number of different routes that resulted in four catches through a few 11-on-11 periods. One in particular saw Cousins throw a dime to Pitts as he tiptoed the sideline, the pass perfectly placed between Nate Landman in coverage and the sideline. As for Michael Penix Jr., his go-to on the day was Rondale Moore, with the two connecting for a notable touchdown when the team moved to red zone work.
A note on Kaden Elliss' usage: For so long I feel like I've waited to see some alignments with Elliss up alongside the defensive line, in a pass-rush role. I was satisfied to see that a couple times in Saturday's practice. Using the inside linebacker in a pass rush role was something Elliss saw success in his final year with New Orleans. As Will McFadden and I discussed as we walked off the field Saturday night, that probably was the Falcons' original plan for Elliss when he got to Atlanta last year. However, a season-ending injury to Andersen put a pause on those specific plans and packages. Well, maybe Saturday was a small inclination of that type of future usage for Elliss.
Breaking down the (rough) numbers: As Amna Subhan already noted at the top of this article, there were a lot of 11-on-11 periods that saw the second-team offense face off against the first-team defense and vice versa. Later on, they went 1s vs. 1s and 2s vs. 2s. Throughout each section, here's how some of the numbers shook out based on the notes in my notebook.
• Penix: 6-of-10 through the air with an interception by Phillips, who read Penix's eyes and jumped the route. When facing the first-team defense, Penix was under heavy pressure more often than not, having to work in a few collapsing pockets early on.
• Cousins: 15-of-17 with the lone incompletion coming from Pitts down the sideline on a long ball in the very first 11-on-11 period. It was a drop, as the ball hit Pitts perfectly in the hands. Cousins came up to Pitts afterwards with some words of encouragement. He then proceeded to hit Pitts every single time he targeted him thereafter. Of course, if you don't count Andersen's interception (which again, there's some debate as to whether the play was rule dead by the time the ball left Cousins' hand) it would mean Cousins was as accurate as the Falcons hoped he would be. In the end, Cousins connected with eight different pass-catchers, Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier included.
