AJC > Sports > Falcons > Blog > Archives > 2008 > July > 31 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USFalcons’ Lofton, Turner, Mughelli get to play some hits
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Flowery Branch - Of the varieties of drills the Falcons run during training camp, the end result, in a nutshell, is simulated football. There is hitting a point, scheming to a point, playing full speed…to a point.
Well, Coach Mike Smith is finally going to allow his team to play football at a scrimmage Friday at Mill Creek High School. It will be a no-holds barred, full scale hitting and tacking practice, with only the quarterbacks being off limits.
If you plan on going, get there early because after a few kicking drills, Smith said the first teams from both sides will face off to start the scrimmage.
Here are some things to look for:
• Michael Turner: The “Burner” seems to be craving some contact but besides that, the big offseason free-agent acquisition could showcase some of his speed that could allow him to get out of some jams.
• Of course, the quarterbacks. While the completions will be a big thing, also take note of how Chris Redman, Joey Harrington, Matt Ryan and D.J. Shockley command players in the huddle and on the field. So much of being successful at that position depends on the quarterback’s overall presence.
• Along the offensive line, how left tackle Sam Baker executes will be worth taking note, but the guard play could be more interesting. Left guard Justin Blalock is said to have improved, which is hugely important after his so-so rookie season. Right guard Harvey Dahl has been impressive so far and needs to develop consistency to fend off Kynan Forney.
• Defensively, left cornerback Brent Grimes, who looks like he’ll be the starter, needs every bit of live action he can get. Him vs. Roddy White, who has had a great camp, will be fun to watch. Rookie WR Harry Douglas has also made some DBs look bad so far.
• Former Georgia middle linebacker Tony Taylor is working with the first unit but he’s being pushed by rookie Curtis Lofton. Lofton is a thumper and the coaches want to see him thump. Taylor, meanwhile, doesn’t make mistakes and has done nothing to hurt himself from retaining the starting position.
Of all the things I’m looking most forward to, it would be a third and short situation with fullback Ovie Mughelli — yes, he will actually be on the field this season — lead blocking for Turner with DT Grady Jackson, Lofton, OLB Keith Brooking and safety Lawyer Milloy trying to stand their ground.
Comments
By Thorpe
July 31, 2008 1:49 PM | Link to this
Ovie Mughelli is one of the best Fullbacks in the NFL!
Go Falcons.
By Falcon4Life
July 31, 2008 1:52 PM | Link to this
I love this game!!! Wyche, you guys (AJC reporters) are not reporting back enough. Can we have updates like every 2 hours? :-). Thanks for the info!!
By Thorpe
July 31, 2008 1:54 PM | Link to this
Ovie Mughelli is one of the best fullbacks in the NFL!
Go Falcons.
By littlebird
July 31, 2008 1:56 PM | Link to this
Contact … just make them clean hits and hope that all involved come out injury free. I’d hate to see some of the starters or anyone for that matter get injured in that situation. Let’s hope the Falcons have an improvement in their conditioning and maybe not so many players lost for the season. Good luck guys … may the sun shine on you all the way to a championship!!!
By Hollywould
July 31, 2008 2:08 PM | Link to this
Can’t wait. Anybody know if we can tailgate or is a cold one on the school grounds against the rules?
By larry simpson
July 31, 2008 2:12 PM | Link to this
the birds are gonna surprise some experts. man i can’t wait for the season to start!
By BUSHWACKER
July 31, 2008 2:17 PM | Link to this
I hope the ” ” community gets behind DJ like they did Vick. Shock would have won the starting job last year had he not goten hurt. He is a good man, whp is going to show Atlanta the differnce between a great athlete palyng QB, “vick” a QB who is a great athlete, “DJ”. Let’s not forget how flawlessly he ran Mark Richt’s offense at UGA. If you believe in karma, and I do, we may never know if MATT RYAN is any good because I think DJ is going to win the starting job and the hearts of the Atlanta/UGA fans!
Go SHOCK, make us proud!
By Expert
July 31, 2008 2:17 PM | Link to this
I wish I could attend, but lets face it, whoever looks good is only so because the opposing player is, to say likely, subpar. Despite this downfall, the falcons should have a very good season; maybe not win wise but developmental wise. Steve keep up the good work!
By Greg
July 31, 2008 2:18 PM | Link to this
In any season, there have always been certain NFL teams that could get at least 4 yards on the ground practically ANY TIME THEY WANTED TO. If we can get the O-line functioning well—-and assuming Baker is the real deal and Blalock has improved—- then Mughelli/Turner could be the duo to be able to achieve that. Imagine not HAVING to throw on third-and-four! What a weapon that would be for the Birds! It would open up the passing game, especially the short routes, tremendously, as the opponent’s backers have to play tight to stop the run. I’m ready to see it!
By James
July 31, 2008 2:21 PM | Link to this
Wyche, seriously dude, do your job. These every-other-day updates aren’t going to cut it.
By jt
July 31, 2008 2:23 PM | Link to this
I agree with falcons4life- there hasn’t been enough reporting on camp. I thought there was going to be continuous blogs. The info we get is good… when we get it. Common AJC, pick up your game!
By kirknga
July 31, 2008 2:27 PM | Link to this
Well let’s hope the addition of Jackson is enough to help our run defense. If it isn’t, it’s going to be a very long season.
Steve are the Falcons looking to bring in another CB? I really think the loss of Hutchinson is going hurt.
By E
July 31, 2008 2:35 PM | Link to this
You will get to see plently of DJ Shockley in the 4 preseason games, but when the real season start, he’ll be holding a clipboard or on the practice squad. Matt Ryan is the future of the franchise. Nice for the AJC to put Shockley’s picture of the front of the Sports Section with the caption of “competing for a starting spot”…AJC always playing up to the UGA fans.
By singndablues
July 31, 2008 2:36 PM | Link to this
Unfortunately for DJ there are about 70 million reasons why he won’t be the starter here and probably never will be (barring a total meltdown from Ryan). I just hope he makes the team.
By JB
July 31, 2008 2:46 PM | Link to this
I love Shock, But he will be the odd man out based on NFL playing time. If you’re Coach Smith, Do you take a guy with no game experience into the season or Harrington and Redman. Think about it.
By GABULDAWG
July 31, 2008 3:00 PM | Link to this
I think you’ll see Redman starting, Matt Ryan #2 and Shockley as #3. I think Harrington will be cut. I can’t see Matt Ryan starting out as number 3. We are desparate at Corner with all these 1st or 2nd year players. We better develop a relentless pass rush or we might set a record for plays over 20 yards allowed in one season.
By Expert
July 31, 2008 3:02 PM | Link to this
Sorry for not posting these questions eariler but what about Laurent Robinson, Keyan Forney, Todd Weiner, and lastly Matt Ryan, I heard he’s struggling a bit with the deep ball.
By jcarson
July 31, 2008 3:14 PM | Link to this
I’m assuming this article was written before this morning’s practice. I went to Flowery Branch today and Shockley was clearly the weakest of the 4 QBs this morning. He missed badly on a couple of throws and had a couple batted down. How tall is he? He can’t be over 6 feet. He looks like he could be Matt Ryan’s little cousin or something. No way is this guy an NFL QB…sorry DAWG fans.
By Darrin "The Vent King"
July 31, 2008 3:45 PM | Link to this
With Ovie opening the holes and Burner and Norwood running thru them, there’s no way we are the worst team in the league….defense and running game baby will serve any team well anyday- believe that!!
By **Frederick (Bailey) Douglass**
July 31, 2008 4:13 PM | Link to this
Falcons should be able to run…and with the run, comes the play action (like ‘98). Football ain’t that complicated. I really believe that the receivers will step up. Fingers are crossed about QB play.
I’m looking for the Birds to end strong with the young QB at the helm. If they can win 4 of the last 5, then the season will be a good one. Remember ‘97, when Reeves had that team win the last 6-7. It was a sign of things that came…
By Earl
July 31, 2008 4:16 PM | Link to this
Just got back from Flowery Branch.
A few observations:
The O-line looks to be the strongest it has been since the 98 season. Baker looks like a stud and should help sure up our line.
Wathced Finneran a bit and his legs look good. Should be good to have a tall, reliable receiver back in the fold.
Grady is even bigger (and slower) in person.
on the QB front, while I was a little skeptical going in, Matt Ryan looks like the Real Deal. He seems very poised and stands tall in the pocket. Great frame and a very strong arm. I was surprised at how accurate he was on the mid-range to long balls hitting a lot of guys in stride.
Coach Smith seems like he is having fun and so do the players. He was in complete control and everything ran very smoothly. What a difference a year makes!
Only time will tell, but I think things are looking up for the Falcons Nation.
-Earl
By lgwest
July 31, 2008 4:23 PM | Link to this
I’VE BEEN A FALCON FAN SINCE DAY ONE. THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN BUMPS IN THE ROAD, BUT YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE GOOD WITH THE BAD. I THINK THIS MIGHT THE FOUNDATION WE’VE BEEN NEEDING FOR SO LONG. IF THE RECEIVERS GET THEIR ACT TOGETHER, WE WILL BE A BETTER TEAM. AND IT WON’T TAKE 33 YEARS THIS TIME.
BRING BACK FALCON HISTORY BOOKLET OF THE LATE ’60s, AND EARLY ’70s/
By davonelson
July 31, 2008 4:29 PM | Link to this
I agree with Falcon4Life your coverage is very weak. Not to be critical but the braves coverage is much more extensive even though their season is almost lost. There should be more indepth player profiles, etc and little details at least until the season begins.
By P-nut
July 31, 2008 4:30 PM | Link to this
Heard that shockley looked bad today - throwing behind several receivers and having more than a few balls blocked at the line of scrimmage. I am pulling for shockley, but at his size, it is going to be tough. He’s no Doug Flutie. Shockely is the man though and he will probably make the team, if not start a few games.
By Orlando
July 31, 2008 4:31 PM | Link to this
The left side of the line will be crucial to everything the Falcons do next year. If Baker and Blalock can do their job along with Ovie at FB, the running game will succeed with Turner and Norwood putting up numbers in the run-first scheme Mularkey plans on running. That means Ryan won’t be forced into carrying the offense right off the bat.
That means the defense will be able to rest, and with a lot of unproven starters on that side, it will be beneficial for them not to be on the field for long stretches.
If Shockley is completely healthy, then I would consider having him in short yardage situations where his speed could move the chains on third down. Throw in some variables every now and then to keep opposing defenses guessing.
As long as everyone understands that this year is the beginning of a learning curve, the Falcons will be just fine.
By Paddy
July 31, 2008 4:38 PM | Link to this
I think we have to believe Coach Smith. It is open trials for all players showing NFL ability. I hope DJ can show what he’s got. It will make all the QB’s better. If he does, Harrington could be the odd man out. What a great story if DJ does win the job.
By LSU.
July 31, 2008 4:39 PM | Link to this
Jcarson,sure you were there why should we believe you when coach smith himself said that shockley looked great!Sounds like your a ga.tech or florida fan you hater!Stop drinking hateraid.yea im a lsu fan, and?
By Red
July 31, 2008 4:42 PM | Link to this
It’s going to be tough for shockley. He’s listed at 6 feet tall, but he looks to be closer to 5’10. He can’t see over the 0-linemen and he appears to still be having trouble with the play book. He blew two plays today….
By realist
July 31, 2008 4:43 PM | Link to this
I agree w/the others that the info coming out of Flowery Branch has been VERY weak. Thank you to Earl for posting some nuggets about practice this morning. I find it amazing that we are almost a week in and there has been nothing reported about our new franchise QB and how he is looking at practice. The coverage so far has been extremely POOR!
By DaltonDAWG
July 31, 2008 5:06 PM | Link to this
yeahwell-these tech fans got to go with the ant-SHOCK campaign. everyon nose he is the reall deal. Hes proved that he should be startin but there still trying to keeep him down. DONT BE PLAYA HATIN YO!
SHOKLEY IS DA MAN!
By Rod
July 31, 2008 5:31 PM | Link to this
I’m a huge dawg fan and it is really great to seeing DJ SHockley work so hard from his days at UGA to now with the falcons. He is the ultimate team player. It would be so good to see him play this year while the offensive line gels. Ryan is the future but I hope DJ is the present.
By jt
July 31, 2008 6:05 PM | Link to this
This the same garbage Petrino fed smash mouth football and everyone looked great in preseason. It doesn’t take much to look good in camp when you don’t have to worry about you being takled. Like the falcon have a defense.
By DP
July 31, 2008 6:25 PM | Link to this
GO DJ! What a great guy and a great QB! There are so many of us out there pulling for you. Give the guy a chance. He got hurt last year and may not be quite as sharp as those who were in full spring practice but he has what it takes to win!
By Stirg d'Nahsif
July 31, 2008 7:15 PM | Link to this
The more thought I give to it, the more it becomes logical…Brett Favre should finish his career in Atlanta. The Falcons youth could certainly use the veteran’s wisdom; Matt Ryan could use the tutelage; the up-and-coming wide receivers could use the passer. Favre already has a jersey in the market (he was drafted by the Falcons in 1991). What should be most attractive to Favre and the Falcons is that he resides only two states over (Mississippi). He and Grady Jackson can go half-and-half on the gas. The Falcons CAN afford him and Brett just wants to play. So, Mr. Blank, please consider this wonderful marketing opportunity; he’d be an immediate starter. Bring the fans back to the dome.
By Realist
July 31, 2008 8:01 PM | Link to this
The more I think about it, I don’t think that the Falcons beat writers get it. DOB and Carroll Rogers do a great job of getting information to the fans. We are in a day and age where information comes faster and faster and that is why the blogs are so popular. “Stories”, while still having a place in the print media, are almost becoming irrelevant. I think most of us would like to hear daily practice reports on who is and who isn’t standing out. Especially w/so many new faces on this team…I still can’t believe I don’t know how the QB’s are looking!
By Jimmy
July 31, 2008 8:28 PM | Link to this
I think if Ryan is the starter to open the season, we need to open up the offense via the short passing game. Think about it, w/ a rookie QB, teams will be stacking the box and disguising bliztes, even playing a cover 2 or 3 to confuse Ryan. We’ll end up getting stuffed on 1st down(since you know a run is coming), ending up in 2nd and 3rd in long.
If Ryan is the man, pass first, using 3-5 step drops for some short 4-5 yd completions. Dump off passes out of the backfield to Norwood would work great on 1st down. Then you’ve got a very manageable 2nd & 5 where you can either run, or hit another short pass. This sets up 3rd&short, where you establish your physical smash mouth presence and get the 1st down, or even go play action and hit a bomb deep. It sounds simple, but execution is the key. I’m confident, Mularkey was the man for Pittsburgh.
By Tim C
August 1, 2008 2:14 AM | Link to this
When are the Falcons going to WAKE UP and grab Brett Favre for a year or two?!? Maybe he won’t give the fans the finger. Hmmmm…let’s see — he had a great year last year, he is a future Hall of Famer, other Falcons QB’s could learn from him, he began his career with the Falcons, and the Falcons play at Green Bay this coming year. Most people would call that “poetic.” But, instead, the fans are supposed to get excited about a million QB’s all “battling it out” for the starting spot. Please!!! Does someone need to draw this out on a chalkboard for the Falcons?!? I mean, GOD FORBID that there be a year or two of excitement here!!!
By True Falcon
August 1, 2008 4:44 AM | Link to this
Only thing worse than a stupid post is a stupid post that appears six times. Tim, you are a moron. Favre? Let’s see… we have a rookie franchise qb who we’ve committed millions to, and who will undoubtedly be the starter sooner than later. We also have a team that, hopefully, will be tough and competitive this year but has no shot ar competing for anything substantial. Wouldn’t it be smarter to save whatever cap room we haveto see if any experienced LINEMEN get cut? Every year somebody dumps a still productive aging player to make room for a younger, cheaper, almost-as-productive player. You MUST have quality depth on the lines. Linemen, people, linemen!!
By ray
August 1, 2008 7:49 AM | Link to this
I’m glad to see that Shockley is doing well. I couldn’t see him staying behind Chris Redman and the awful Joey Harringtont for too long.
Harrington has stretches where he doesn’t hurt you…but the rest of the time he sucks a big one. I’m hoping Shockley takes over until Ryan is ready.
By Pete
August 1, 2008 12:20 PM | Link to this
INJURIES. This will be the only thing that will stall the Falcon’s progress. I hope and pray that no one gets injured tonight at scrimmage, and thruout training camp.
By DaltonDAWG
August 1, 2008 12:38 PM | Link to this
I am sorry to hear about shokley having a bad day, but DONT HATERAID! he’s still the man just like he was witht he dawgs. anyoneelse that seys otherwise is a tech fan or hater. SHOCKLEY SHOCKLEY SHOCKLEYSHCOHLEY!
GO DAWGS!
By jt
August 1, 2008 1:24 PM | Link to this
Falcons are irelevant to the NFL and will be in Atl in e yrs when Blank sells the team and it moves to LA watch
By What a nightmare
August 1, 2008 1:39 PM | Link to this
No, seriously, what happens if Harrington outplays the field in preseason? Does he start? I’d hate to be Smith if Harrington had the best camp and exhibition play.
By jt is an idiot
August 1, 2008 1:44 PM | Link to this
For gods sake, learn how to type a coherent thought instead of this nonsensical gibberish you opaque moron.
By English Language
August 1, 2008 1:49 PM | Link to this
Stop butchering me JT!!!!
By Grammar
August 1, 2008 1:53 PM | Link to this
I really need to give JT a lesson.
By Jamie Jones
August 1, 2008 2:05 PM | Link to this
Hey DaltonDAWG, get back to work
By Rick
August 1, 2008 2:22 PM | Link to this
dalton dawg anf the rest of the uga cool-aid drinkers. News flash…DJ Schockley is not going to start a game in the NFL…Ever!, He will not start in atlanta. the Falcons have MILLIONS tied up in Redmon and Ryan. Here is what is going to happen, Harrington gets released after the first preseason game to “to give him time to get on another team” Redmon is going to start the season, He will get hurt and or play bad and about halfway thru the season Ryan will start. Then we will find out in about 2 years if he is indeed the man.
By shockley?
August 1, 2008 2:23 PM | Link to this
Do uga fans do anything every day other than visit every sports blog, about any school, team, subject and try to turn it into a doggie blog? Are you people serious? Shockley not only won’t make the Falcons team, but won’;t be picked up by any other NFL team. Only reason Falcons threw away apick on this guy was to throw a bone to the doggie fans who had been whining that Falcons never drafted uga players. DJ has a career in Arena football waiting.
This blog was about the Falcons…the subject is not whether Shockley can be a third string clipboard carrier…who the he** cares?
By kirknga
August 1, 2008 3:04 PM | Link to this
People are high on DJ because they’ve seen him play enough to know that he can play in the pros and play well.
Don’t discount him just because you aren’t a UGA fan.
By cmarie
August 1, 2008 4:18 PM | Link to this
the only way the falcons will win this season is because they have a new coach that is good to them. not a jack but. you need to get rid of all the old players special the wide recievers and let eric weems play he is the best reciever you have watch and see
By Doc
August 1, 2008 7:37 PM | Link to this
Steve, Any detailed information about the activities at the GA Dome on Saturday?
By Quarterback
August 2, 2008 1:20 AM | Link to this
Haha, do these fools really believe the team will keep 2 rookies at QB??? Then I got a bridge to sell ya… The Falcons invested BIG money in Matt Ryan - and this year Joey Harrington IS da Man with 7 years NFL starting experience - and both Mularkey and Musgrave like him - so Joey is staying and see ya later DJ, your a nice guy … buh-bye… See ya baggin’ groceries at Publix!
By ламинат
August 13, 2008 2:43 PM | Link to this
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