Flowery Branch — Falcons coach Mike Smith has combined tactics from NFL stints in Baltimore and Jacksonville to structure his first training camp.

Under Smith, the Falcons will not practice on Sundays and have only one practice on Wednesdays. Most practices will be at full speed, but there will be sessions at half speed and even simple walk-throughs. Smith calls them "walk and talk" sessions.

CURTIS COMPTON/ccompton@ajc.com (ENLARGE)

Falcons center Todd McClure takes advantage of a big fan during a mandatory break.

[an error occurred while processing this directive] PRESEASON OPENER • Who: at Jacksonville • When: 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 9 • TV; radio: WATL; 92.9 FM

After about an hour of the team's first training camp practice last Saturday, the Falcons all gathered under a long shade tent and replenished with energy drinks. It's required down time. Smith wants the players "off their feet."

"It is not necessarily fun all of the time going through two-a-days," Smith said. "It's not fun for coaches or players. It can be a grind."

The players received tent breaks in Jacksonville, where Smith was an assistant coach from 2003-07.

"The humidity down here is so much more than New York," said safety Erik Coleman, who played four seasons for the Jets. "It definitely gets hot down here and it's important to stay hydrated. You don't want to lose any guys to muscle pulls and dehydration."

Smith doesn't want to overwork his team in training camp.

"Their bodies will be prepared, but at the same time they will be well rested and ready to go in September," Smith said.

Quarterback Chris Redman, who played for Baltimore from 1999-2002, is familiar with the structure of Smith's practices.

"This is the exact same schedule that we had in Baltimore," Redman said. "It's the best schedule going. That's when we always had good teams in November and December because we were fresh.

"I really admire what Coach has done here. Everybody loves practice and he's definitely treating us like grown-ups, treating us like we're professionals."

Smith believes the "walk and talk" sessions provide coaches with more teaching opportunities and give the players' bodies a break.

"Also, it simulates what's going to happen in a game," Smith said. "They're going to go out and play on offense, defense or specials teams, get a few snaps, come to the sideline and sit on the bench. So it's designed to help them with the pacing and help them with their conditioning."

During the special-teams afternoon sessions, most linemen are excused but are required to lift weights — inside and out of the heat. That's a big hit in the locker room.

"Although we are just going inside to lift weights, any time that you can go inside and get out of the heat a little bit it's going to help your body out in the long run," left guard Justin Blalock said.

Coleman has played under head coaches Herm Edwards and Eric Mangini. Both ran militaristic-styled training camps.

"There are two different philosophies," Coleman said. "You have coaches that are going to take care of their players. And you've got a philosophy where they are just going to beat you down."

Defensive end John Abraham said, "Mentally it helps out. Coach Smith getting us the breaks and some time to take our helmets off and relax is good."

And Abraham, like most nine-year veterans, is not a big fan of training camp.

"The best training camp I had was when [the Jets] franchised me and I didn't have to come to camp," Abraham said. "But after that, this has been my best camp so far."