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June 2008
OTAs end, time off begins
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Flowery Branch - It was the old-school equivalent of students yelling “school is out for the summer” on the last day of class.
The Falcons raced off the field after their last Organized Training Activity practice on Thursday. Even some of the rookies, who were carrying four or five of the veterans helmets, were skipping merrily along.
Coach Mike Smith knocked off a three-day minicamp for next week and told the players he’ll see them for training camp on July 25. They’ll hit the field the next day on the 26th. Camp is likely to run through Aug. 17th, but the official training camps schedule will come out early next week.
“They are going to get ready to take a little vacation time,” Smith said. “They have worked very hard.”
The players will be expected to workout and lift weights while away. Smith and strength and conditioning coach Jeff Fish have ordered the players to keep working on what they call “functional speed and functional strength.”
Also, Smith’s staff has been on the grind for a while and some have been away from their families. They’re about to get some time off, too.
“We’re going to tie up some loose ends over the next few days.” Smith said. “But we’ll start moving out in different directions.”
Smith is looking forward to spending some time in metro Atlanta and taking some day trips with his family.
How do you plan to satisfy your Falcon football fix until training camp starts?
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Williams’ cut not a surprise
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Falcons’ release of safety Jimmy Williams Tuesday morning didn’t come as much of a surprise as he rapidly fell out of favor with a new coaching staff that didn’t appreciate him reporting to offseason workouts weighing 236 pounds.
It didn’t help Williams’ case when he dipped out of town for two of three voluntary mini-camp workouts.
Though Williams was well within his rights to leave, the team had just signed Erik Coleman in free agency to start at free safety and this staff wants players on board who want to compete and earn their jobs.
Making things worse for Williams, Atlanta drafted Cal safety Thomas DeCoud in the third round, moving Williams further down the depth chart. By the time Williams was cut, Coleman, DeCoud and Antoine Harris were ahead of him in the pecking order.
Of equal note, although imprisoned/suspended Michael Vick is on the roster, Williams’ dismissal clears the team of any players from Virginia Tech. In a three-year span starting in 2005, former Hokies Keion Carpenter, Matt Lehr, Vick, Williams, DeAngelo Hall and Bryan Randall have come and gone.
Most notable about Williams’ release is that he was the top choice (second round) of the ’05 draft class that has not yielded a full-time starter. In fairness, it was a five-man draft group with no first-round pick (that was dealt in order to land DE John Abraham).
However, not having a starter from one-draft class affects the quality of the roster. Compounding things, only one player from the ’04 draft class - WR Michael Jenkins - is still with the team.
Hall (Oakland) and QB Matt Schaub (Houston) were traded. Linebacker Demorrio Williams was not re-signed and the remaining three players were cut within two years.
Are there any questions now as to why this team had to be rebuilt?
Changing the Culture
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Over the past few weeks of mini camps and offseason workouts, it’s been interesting to watch how the new Falcons’ staff, headed by coach Mike Smith, has interacted with players - and vice versa.
I say interesting because the staff, filled with longtime NFL coaches - but not too many greybeards to cause a generational gap - seems to get it. They speak to players like coaches, but also like men. As a result, players respond with respect. Players ask questions without fear or reprisal or embarassment and tend to get the answers they need to do things the right way.
You often hear new coaches talk about changing the culture upon their arrival. So far, at least on the field, the culture with the Falcons is changing.
Don’t get it twisted, Smith and his staff, are hardly a soft crew or so-called players coaches. They’ll jump on a player if he continually lapses or shows poor body language. But they’ll also pull a player aside on the field and show him where he may have made a mistake instead of berating that player in a meeting room and creating an environment of mistrust and fear.
The respect between players and coaches is very important in trying to build or maintain success. The second that bridge is broken, it becomes difficult to traverse through adversity. Then chaos ensues. We saw that last season, when players doubted the Bobby Petrino-led coaching staff and the coaches didn’t show faith in some of the players.
This new style might not translate into an abundance of victories. Then again, it might. The talent divide among teams in the NFL is not large. The slightest thing could provide one team enough momentum to make a run or fall short of expectations.
What Smith and his staff appear to have established at this point, though, are lines of open communication and respect. That might not amount to much on the field right now, but the push to change the culture seems to be successfully moving forward.
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