UPDATE: 8:49 p.m.The fourth annual Kia Motors Friday Night Lights is being held at Norcross High School this evening, and AtlantaFalcons.com managing editor Jay Adams will be live blogging throughout the night. Check back here frequently for updates as to what the Falcons are up to during their team scrimmage.
8:49 p.m. - Friday Night Lights has had to wrap a little early due to inclement weather on the way. Thanks for joining us tonight on AtlantaFalcons.com!
8:43 p.m. - Thomas Dimitroff just came on the mic for an interview with Wes Durham and told him that he has talked to head coach Mike Smith every day and Smitty says "we're on the right track." Dimitroff also added he didn't get much sleep during a very crazy week of negotiations. Shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Thomas is as hard a worker as there is in the NFL.
8:38 p.m. - The Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders just finished with their first performance of the field. Quite excellent.
8:30 p.m. - The Falcons have headed inside for what has been termed "halftime" of the evening. They're headed to the locker room for about 15 minutes and they'll head back out after a determination has been made whether or not to continue because of the weather. The storm still looks to be a bit in the distance, but who knows. The Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders are about to step on the field for a performance — their first of the year.
8:25 p.m. - As so often happens at this time of year in Atlanta, Mother Nature may put a damper on the evening. A strong thunderstorm looms over the horizon and some folks are heading for the doors. It's not clear if the storm is heading for us, as I'm merely an amateur meteorologist, but if I can use the limited weather-telling skills I have, it don't look good.
8:15 p.m. - The Falcons are getting into a situational period right now where the first team offense runs against the first team defense. TE Tony Gonzalez just made a nice catch on an out route to the sideline for what would have been a first down in nearly any situation.
8:07 p.m. - The Falcons are currently running an installment session. Head coach Mike Smith was just on the mic, interviewing with Wes Durham, and told the crowd that what they're seeing right now is not unlike what they'd see if they came out to Flowery Branch. Because of the new CBA rules, the Falcons are limited in the number of padded practices they can hold, so that's what they're doing right now — holding practice. Smitty announced that there would be a live scrimmage at the end of the practice for some of the younger players.
7:59 p.m. - The biggest cheer of the night so far came from wide receiver Andy Strickland. Who, you ask? He was on the practice squad last year. He made a nice little move to get past Brent Grimes and scored a TD on a post pattern to the end zone. On a separate play, CB Dominique Franks continued to show fantastic cover skills. He didn't do anything flashy, just what he was supposed to do — stay on his receiver. In my estimation, the wide receivers are getting the edge in this particular drill. Harry Douglas and Roddy White have been running some nice routes and making some good catches.
7:55 p.m. - The Falcons are starting with 9-on-7s and 1-on-1s right now, which is basically the run offense vs. the run defense and the wide receivers vs. the cornerbacks on separate sides of the field. Roddy White just made a nice little catch on Brent Grimes, and UDFA Kamaal McIlwain just made a nice INT.
7:51 p.m. - The national anthem just wrapped up and we're ready to get the scrimmage underway!
7:47 p.m. - Here's a look at my view from the press box:
7:34 p.m. - The press box is a bit like an oven at this moment. The fact that there's a grill below us blowing smoke and lighter fluid fumes into this small area doesn't help. I think Daniel Cox may pass out and/or spontaneously combust. I'll keep you updated. By the way, the Falcons are still running their usual pregame drills out there right now. The color guard has assembled on the sideline and we'll have the national anthem here shortly.
7:23 p.m. - Jay Adams back at the controls. Just interviewed Jessie Tuggle to announce him as the winner of our Fans' Favorite Falcon bracket. The video of that interview will be on the site Saturday evening. Back to the practice at hand. The Falcons are currently in team stretch right now. The majority of this practice so far has been comprised of what the Falcons would do prior to a game with drills and team stretching, etc. Special teams coach Keith Armstrong was just interviewed by Wes Durham over the loud speaker here and he said he was very impressed with punters Matt Bosher and Ken Parrish so far in camp. That's going to be one of the overshadowed battles of camp.
7:11 p.m.-The winner of the recent contest, Fans' Favorite Falcon, Jessie "The Hammer" Tuggle is on hand tonight. He just shared with Wes how excited he is to be here tonight and how much he's looking forward to the Falcons' season this year. He definitely still bleeds red and black. He was here last year as well.
7:03 p.m.-Hey Falcons fans, Daniel Cox in the driver's seat for a moment while Jay Adams handles some official Falcons business. The Falcons esteemed radio announcer Wes Durham just announced the punter during this drill, rookie Matt Bosher. He also shared with the fans gathered here tonight that back deep fielding punts were Harry Douglas and Julio Jones. You can tell the fans are excited about Jones — he received a huge ovation as Durham said his name.
6:54 p.m. - The Falcons are lined up to practice some special teams — kickoff, to be exact. This is a place where a lot of undrafted guys will need to prove themselves if they hope to make the final roster, and you can see a lot of them taking the drill very seriously.
6:45 p.m. - Welcome to the fourth annual Kia Motors Friday Night Lights! We're in for a great night of action, and I'll be keeping you updated right here on Atlanta Falcons.com. The Falcons will be running a variety of drills to start off, not unlike what you'd see if you came to Flowery Branch for an open session of practice. There will be a live scrimmage later in the evening between the third- and fourth-stringers, which will put a wrap on the evening. The Falcons are warming up right now, and we'll be underway here shortly.
