Falcons getting ready for practice road trip

There was some notable feistiness between the two teams during the first practice last season, but things eventually simmered down with no all-out brawling.

The Falcons also held a joint practice with the New England Patriots last season. With a compressed training camp schedule and no offseason practices, Smith felt that practicing with the Jaguars again would be helpful.

“Even though we are practicing once a day in a full-speed or near full-speed practice, we need to work against other guys,” Smith said. “You can get stagnant and stale working against the same guys.” Smith served as Jacksonville’s defensive coordinator from 2003 to 2007 under coach Jack Del Rio.

Smith was disappointed with the secondary Friday night giving up touchdown passes of 44 and 28 yards against Miami in the team's first exhibition. He knows the defense will get a good test from the Jaguars and offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter.

Before squaring off with Jacksonville and New England last season, the Falcons last joint practice was with Tennessee in 2004. Those practices with the Titans were marred by fighting. The players are looking forward to the trip.

“I think it was a good experience to get to see a different group of guys,” left tackle Sam Baker said. “Jacksonville is kind of a similar defense, but we don’t know their calls. It’s a better competitive environment and someone else to hit.”

Smith and Del Rio have coordinated the schedules and will brief their players on expectations before practice starts on Wednesday.

“The practices [last year] went pretty smoothly,” Baker said. “They wanted to make sure that we weren’t going to be strolling around, not knowing what to do. They wanted to make sure that we were ready. I’m sure it will be real similar to last year. The only difference is that we’re traveling and they are staying at home.”

The two teams seem to respect one another.

“Guys are professional,” Baker said. “They still know that it’s training camp. Guys are not taking cheap shots at each you. Both sides are trying to come out healthy and still get some good work in.”

Ironically, Falcons right guard Tyson Clabo and defensive end Kroy Biermann got into the biggest fight of camp on Sunday. Both were sent to the locker room and were fined by Smith, who said he was not going to tolerate any skirmishes with the Jaguars.

“It’s been emphasized time and time again that we are going to be professional when we practice and scrimmage with other teams,” left guard Justin Blalock said. “We are going to do things by the book and keep it clean. Obviously, what happens in the game may be another story. But for the time being, the fighting and all of that stuff, we have to do it between the whistles.”

Blalock felt last season’s joint practices were productive. The Falcons got a chance to see New England’s 3-4 defensive scheme up close and go against Jacksonville’s version of the 4-3.

“It was very helpful from the standpoint of not blocking the same guy every day,” Blalock said. “We are looking for a lot of the same things. We have a chance to go out there and see some different things.”

The defensive players enjoy joint practices because they can tackle.

“Just in terms of being ready to hit somebody when the game rolls around, because we are not really hitting each other in practice,” safety Thomas DeCoud said. “When you go down there, the guys have a chip on their shoulders and everybody wants to hit. That gets you ready for the game.”

Because of the proximity of the two cities, a lot of the Falcons and Jaguars socialize in the offseason.

“But when the bullets are flying live, tempers are going to flare,” DeCoud said. “We are on the same team and we had a scuffle today. Those things happen.”

Safety William Moore and linebacker Sean Weatherspoon played at Missouri with Blaine Gabbert, Jacksonville’s highly-touted rookie quarterback.

“I know what kind of skill set he brings to the table,” Moore said. “I know what he can do. He can launch the ball. He has a great arm.”