FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Arthur Smith wants Richie Grant to be more active on social media.
"Maybe I'll tell him to be more of a social media star and he'll get more hype," Smith said Thursday, "but he's a damn good football player."
One thing to note about the Falcons head coach that doesn't come across in print. His humor is often deadpan. Smith is so good at delivering a straight-faced punchline it takes even those who know him a beat to tell if he's joking or not.
RELATED CONTENT:
- Bair: Falcons will be fascinating to watch as Terry Fontenot, Arthur Smith era enters second phase
- Calais Campbell goes to NFI in flurry of Falcons moves
- Camp report No. 1: Kyle Pitts returns in time for first training camp practice
- Finding Falcons rookie series: Bijan Robinson | Matthew Bergeron | Zach Harrison | Clark Phillips III | DeMarcco Hellams | Jovaughn Gwyn
In this case, he was. Trust me. Tongue was firmly planted in cheek. I've been through enough interactions to know. Smith doesn't love "Instagram stars," guys who put their work out there for pats on the back. He likes players who work hardest when no one's looking.
Grant is one of those guys. Smith was also trying to make a point with the quote above. Folks might be sleeping on the third-year safety from Central Florida.
The Falcons, however, know what they've got in Grant.
"Richie has made a pretty big impact here and he'll continue to get better," Smith said. "He has a knack for the ball. He's a fun player to coach."
Then he dropped a mention of Grant being a gosh darn good football player.
Grant absorbed the compliments with a smile in a subsequent interview, but wouldn't be down to raise his light social media presence even if Smith was series (which, again, he wasn't).
"I appreciate Coach for saying that, but I think it just comes from the preparation and hard work and putting good stuff on film," Grant said. "Whatever I see, I try to react to it the right way. If I'm making plays, that's good for the team."
Grant made some plays for his team during his first year as starting safety, with two interceptions, including one that sealed a win in Seattle, and five passes defensed. In Grant's mind, that's not nearly enough.
"I want to be more of a factor," Grant said. "I want to be aggressive and play smart and make big plays. I have trust in my teammates. I want them to have trust in me."
Trust that he's going to be in the right spot. Trust that he's going to help where needed. Trust that he's going to be consistent and bring the energy every day. And trust that, when the time is right, he'll make a big play.
Grant is also working to build trust and rapport with top-tier new safety Jessie Bates III, who joined the Falcons on a big free-agent contract. While he makes no assumptions that he's got the starting gig, despite him taking first-unit reps with Bates. He has too much respect for Jaylinn Hawkins and even Micah Abernathy for to claim ownership of a starting spot.
He would say, however, that he's putting in extra time with Bates to make sure they're in lockstep.
"A lot people look at what happens on the field, but it goes way beyond that," Grant said. "It starts in the film room with chatter about what you see and how you'd react. The coaches can coach you, but we're the ones out there playing. We have to make the scheme come to life. He's always throwing out little tips and I'm listening to them. If I have some feedback, then we just bounce ideas off each other. Then we come out (on the field) and we do it."
Chemistry is important on the back end. So is communication between levels of the defense. It's getting better each day as the first team comes together during camp.
"That trust factor is growing," Grant said. "There's a lot of experience in this group. We all listen to each other and believe in each other. That's important."
Take a look as the Atlanta Falcons put in the work in Flowery Branch during the 2023 AT&T Training Camp.
Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo #6 greets fans during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge #12 and Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London #5 high five during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons linebacker Tae Davis #50 and Atlanta Falcons linebacker Andre Smith #59 run drills during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
Fans look on during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Atlanta Falcons)
Fans look on during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Atlanta Falcons)
Fans during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
Fans play football during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Atlanta Falcons)
Fans look on during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Atlanta Falcons)
Fans look on during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder #9 signs autographs during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Fans look on during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman Joe Gaziano #99 walks out to practice during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Zay Malone #82 runs drills during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons tight end Feleipe Franks #15 practices during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons inside linebacker Troy Andersen #44 runs drills during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
Fans look on during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts #8 walks out to practice during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman David Onyemata #90 runs drills during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder #9 runs drills during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Frank Darby #88 runs drills during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter #0 and Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman Zach Harrison #96 run drills during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons outside linebacker DeAngelo Malone #51 during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith and Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman Grady Jarrett #97 and Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman David Onyemata #90 run drills during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Carlos Washington Jr. #28 runs drills during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver J. J. Arcega-Whiteside #83 runs drills during AT&T Atlanta Falcons Training Camp at Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
