FLOWERY BRANCH — One drama is over.
The Falcons opened training camp Friday — on time — despite the summer-long anxiety caused by the NFL’s 132-day lockout.
Now, another drama begins.
It is time to get down to the business of football. The frenzy of roster moves continued Friday with the signing of free agent Ray Edwards in the afternoon and the release of recent first-round picks Jamaal Anderson and Michael Jenkins in the morning. Practices began even as some players, such as newly re-signed Tyson Clabo and Mike Peterson, must wait until next week to take the field.
Rookies finally got their playbooks, less than 24 hours before the first practice. Two-a-days are gone, thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement, with a non-contact walk-through in the morning and a full practice in the afternoon. But there they were Friday, players and coaches together on the field for the first time since January’s playoff loss to Green Bay.
“It was good for the old guys,” veteran center Todd McClure said of the offseason. “I enjoyed the rest. ... I might be able to play 10 more years with this type of practice.”
Yes, this is not your normal training camp.
Owner Arthur Blank called the past several days following the labor agreement “free agency on steroids.” General manager Thomas Dimitroff simply used the word “wild” to describe his early mornings and late nights spent re-shaping the team.
Blank called Dimitroff late Thursday night to discuss the next morning’s roster moves.
“Things that I wanted to go over with him,” Blank said. “It’s more me understanding and making sure I’m clear on his logic.”
Friday’s cuts enabled the Falcons to clear salary-cap room on a roster that figures to undergo further changes between now and the start of the regular season Sept. 11.
With the CBA specifics in place, coach Mike Smith and his staff set about adjusting and implementing a plan that was developed over the uncertain summer. Smith said, even with the new practice rules, he expected to have the same number of practices in pads as previous seasons.
Despite the player-organized workouts of the offseason, rookies and undrafted free agents already are behind. There was no rookie camp, no OTAs, no communication with the coaching staff. Talk about hitting the ground running.
“Our rookies are swimming more than any other year,” Smith said. “This is the first time over the last 48 hours that we’ve had a chance to meet these guys face to face. … It is a different year. We are going to improvise, and we are going to adjust. They are going to have to catch up. They know they are behind. We know they are behind.
“We are going to make sure the volume of work that we give those guys is such that they are going to be able to take it all in. We have a different plan in place for the rookies than we do for the veterans.
“Basically, what we are installing is for everyone, but we are not going to call all of the stuff that we have in our playbook.”
The tone of Friday’s afternoon practice changed. Helmets replaced the baseball hats worn during a walk-through. Full pads will come later, but the practice was more up-tempo and deliberate.
And fans got their first chance to see the team during the open afternoon session. About 200 in attendance were glad for the opportunity after the tenuous offseason.
“I was almost in tears because I love football,” said 18-year-old Lonnie Perryman, of College Park, who will play football in the fall at Arlington Christian School. “I was worried up until a point, like midway through it, then I started to feel like football was coming back.”
Perryman arrived an hour before the start of the afternoon session to get an up-front seat.
Danny Burson, of Flowery Branch, brought his 9-year-old cousin Zach Allbright to watch the first practice. He also was concerned this day had been in jeopardy.
“Extremely worried,” Burson said. “I was thinking it was going to be just college [football this season]. I was worried for the juniors who came out early into the draft. They could have stayed that extra year. Like [Georgia’s] A.J. [Green]. [Georgia] needed him and he could have stayed, but I’m glad it all worked out.”
It wasn’t just fans who were concerned. Blank had his doubts. However, he was happy to survey the fields during the morning session, himself still unsure of all the players under his eye.
“It was very difficult,” Blank said of the offseason. “It was very difficult as a fan. This is America’s game. If you put yourself in the shoes of the fan, it was full of anxiety.”
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