The Falcons were back at work Monday to refocus and wrap up 2014 XFINITY Atlanta Falcons Training Camp in Flowery Branch. Here are a few pictures from the final practice of camp.
Offensive line coach, Mike Tice, talks to offensive coordinator, Dirk Koetter, and assistant offensive line coach, Wade Harman.
Secondary coach, Tim Lewis, talks to S William Moore
QB Sean Renfree warms up
CB Josh Wilson looks at CB Desmond Trufant
QB Matt Ryan
The offensive line prepares for warm ups
OL Mike Johnson and T Jake Matthews
QB Matt Ryan helps QB Jeff Mathews warm up
QB Matt Ryan
LB Sean Weatherspoon smiles at S William Moore and CB Desmond Trufant
T Jake Matthews participates in offensive line drills
WR Julio Jones and WR Roddy White
CB Desmond Trufant
HBO's 'Hard Knocks' shoots LB Sean Weatherspoon chatting with S William Moore
S Dwight Lowery
FB Patrick DiMarco
FB Maurice Hagens
WR Harry Douglas
WR Bernard Reedy
LB Sean Weatherspoon and linebackers coach Glenn Pires
LB Sean Weatherspoon and linebackers coach Glenn Pires
CB Robert Alford
Linebackers coach Glenn Pires never wastes a teaching moment with LB Prince Shembo
LB Tim Dobbins
Head coach Mike Smith
DE Osi Umenyiora
Offensive line drills
DT Paul Soliai
DT Travian Robertson
DE Cliff Matthews
DT Corey Peters
Linebackers at work
QB Sean Renfree prepares to pass to TE Jacob Pedersen
TE Levine Toilolo makes a run for QB Matt Ryan
TE Jacob Pedersen
Tight ends coach, Chris Scelfo, works with his group during a drill
TE Levine Toilolo matches up against DE Jonathan Massaquoi while T Jake Matthews faces DE Malliciah Goodman
S William Moore pulls back against RB Antone Smith
RB Antone Smith finishes the drill
DE Jonathan Massaquoi
RB Josh Vaughan breaks up the middle
Head coach Mike Smith keeps an eye on the team's progress
GM Thomas Dimitroff and Assistant GM Scott Pioli talk during practice
T Terren Jones pushes against LB Jacques Smith
The Safeties
S Dezmen Southward
TE Levine Toilolo
TE Levine Toilolo
TE Bear Pascoe
WR Roddy White and CB Josh Wilson
CB Josh Wilson and WR Devin Hester
S Sean Baker, S Kemal Ishmael, and S Tyrell Johnson
DT Corey Peters
WR Geraldo Boldewijn and CB Jordan Mabin
WR Geraldo Boldewijn and S Dezmen Southward
WR Geraldo Boldewijn and CB Josh Wilson
S Sean Baker
S Kemal Ishmael
S William Moore
QB Sean Renfree
CB Robert Alford
QB Matt Ryan
CB Robert Alford
1. Matthews at LT an 'Easy Switch': Falcons head coach Mike Smith took the weekend to decide, but it turned out to be a no-brainer. Jake Matthews has moved to left tackle. The rookie will start in place of Sam Baker, who will miss the 2014 season with a patellar tendon injury. "As soon as we had confirmation that Sam wasn't going to play any more this season, it was an easy switch," Smith said Monday. "Jake is our No. 1 pick — sixth pick in the draft. He had left tackle written all over him."
2. Change at RT, Too: At right tackle, Lamar Holmes saw a lot of work in Saturday's loss to the Texans as well as during Monday's practice session. Whether he'll lock down that spot, however, remains to be seen. Smith said Holmes and Ryan Schraeder will work at the position for now, but Gabe Carimi will get a shot when he returns from an ankle injury.
3. Corey Peters Returns: Defensive tackle Corey Peters returned to the practice field Monday as he officially came off the camp PUP list. Peters will be slowly indoctrinated back into the mix along the defensive line and Smith said how he fares during the next few weeks will determine if he'll be ready to play Week 1 against New Orleans.
4. Nickel Battle Still Close: Smith has had three good cornerbacks to look at when it comes to the nickel position in Josh Wilson, Javier Arenas and Robert McClain. Wilson has started at the spot in the preseason and has seen a lot of snaps there, playing the most defensive snaps (69 percent) than any Falcon in Week 2. This week, however, Arenas will get his chance to shine: "This is Arenas' chance to get his reps in there and then we'll make a decision going into the fourth preseason game on who's going to be our starter at nickel," Smith said.
5. Penalties Are a Big Focus: Smith is concerned about the number of penalties called on the Falcons. There were 15 called against his team in Saturday's loss, albeit not all of them were accepted, but with the NFL calling tougher games from a penalty standpoint, Smith is adamant about making sure his team knows what's acceptable and what's not: "We've got to make sure that we understand how the game's going to be called from the officiating side. They're going through changes, we're going through changes — there are a lot of emphasis points that the league has basically mandated, and we're going to adjust to them," Smith said.
