Five things we learned from day two of Falcons training camp
Day two of Atlanta Falcons training camp is in the books with day three coming at 10:00 am tomorrow morning. 3,100 fans packed into The Branch to watch the players perform and that they did. No injuries were reported as everyone saw snaps throughout the practice.
The team left the pads in the locker room for the second straight day, but a lot of things were learned after watching day two of practice.
1) Tevin Coleman received first team reps today and played very nicely. Coleman also worked on his footwork as well as his hands in receiving drills.
“I expect to win the starting job,” Coleman stated. It is great to see such confidence from a rookie, but it isn’t his job quite yet. Devonta Freeman had a nice practice as well. His ability to hide behind his offensive line and make his way though small holes really separates him from Coleman. His style of play really fits into what Kyle Shanahan likes to do and will make a big impact for the Falcons in 2015.
Aug 1, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman (24) stretches on the field during training camp at the Flowery Branch Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
2) Jacob Tamme seems to be pulling away from Levine Toilolo. Tamme continues to impress with his unique ability to get open. Quinn reiterated that point after practice and really likes what he is seeing out of him. Tamme also has great hands and doesn’t let too many passes get away from him. Toilolo nabbed some receptions today but has yet to standout over what Tamme has been able to do.
3) Ricardo Allen is receiving high praise for his play at free safety. Although he won’t be truly tested until the team puts the pads on, his communication skills are really standing out. Desmond Trufant spoke about his ability to adapt to the new position change and to be a leader. The work he has put in is showing and is fantastic to see.
4) The first team offensive line today was Jake Matthews, Mike Person, Joe Hawley, Jon Asamoah and Ryan Schraeder. The line is really adapting to the zone blocking scheme very nicely but still needs work with it. The second group of lineman on the field consisted of Matthews, Person, Hawley, Chris Chester and Tyler Polumbus from left to right. Many project Chester to beat out Person for the starting left guard position but at the moment it is Person.
5) The play action pass is back! The way the Falcons’ offense will function in 2015 is starting to take form after two days of practice. Shanahan has really stressed the play action pass a ton thus far an it is working very well. This is something that Matt Ryan did extremely well early on in his career but didn’t get a lot of chances to do so under Dirk Koetter. Ryan has always excelled in this style of play and will get to use it in his repertoire in 2015.
Let Blogging Dirty know if you would like anything specific looked at during training camp this year. We would love to hear your questions and thoughts.