Falcons in a fighting mood

FLOWERY BRANCH — The heat must have gotten to the Falcons on Wednesday.

Tempers repeatedly flared during Organized Team Activities sessions, with three fights breaking out.

“We are in the dog days of OTAs,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “The guys are getting tired of working against each other.”

In the first rumble, offensive lineman Jose Valdez went after defensive lineman Thomas Johnson.

A couple of little guys, wide receiver Eric Weems and rookie cornerback Chris Owens scrapped. Weems put a leg whip on Owens to take him down to the ground and jumped on top of him before veterans were able to separate them.

The last one was just a big pile-up, with first-round pick Peria Jerry at the bottom.

After the last one, Smith called for the horn to be blown, called the team into a circle and ended the practice.

“We definitely love to see the enthusiasm, but we don’t want to get anybody hurt when they are out there competing against each other,” Smith said.

Key players out

Defensive end John Abraham, tight end Tony Gonzalez, running backs Michael Turner and Jason Snelling and wide receiver Roddy White and kicker Jason Elam did not participate in the Wednesday sessions, which are voluntary, for various reasons.

Cornerbacks David Irons (knee) and William Middleton (hamstring), offensive lineman Alex Stepanovich (back) and wide receiver Khahil Jones (quadriceps) did not participate because of injuries.

More time for Sidbury

With Abraham out, rookie Lawrence Sidbury is getting more action during OTAs.

“Lawrence is a guy that’s got the skill set we are looking for in a defensive end,” Smith said. “He played very well at the Senior Bowl when we were doing our due diligence. We were pleased to get him drafted.”

Sidbury, a fourth-round pick from Richmond, is trying to make the jump from Division I-AA to the NFL.

“He’s a guy that’s going to have to go through … learning how to rush the passer in this league and have multiple moves in this league,” Smith said. “But he’s also going to have to shore up his run defense.”

Staff writer Chris Vivlamore contributed to this report.