The first half of the Falcons’ practice at Archer High School on Friday night will feature drills and some controlled plays from scrimmage with no tackling.

Things will heat up from there.

“After our cheerleaders perform and we have our ‘halftime,’ we are going to go out there and play real football,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “(Fans) will get an opportunity to see guys playing the game as close as they can (to full speed)—except for our quarterback. We will be taking guys to the ground, there will be full-speed tackling and we will get a chance to evaluate some of these younger players.”

The practice is scheduled to begin at 6:45.

The Falcons have held a training camp practice at an area high school for several years since Arthur Blank purchased the franchise in 2002.

“You are going back to your roots when you go back and play at a high school field,” Smith said. “The atmosphere at a high school stadium is completely different than any other venue. I think the guys who have never done it will enjoy it, and the guys who have been doing it a while it’s one of their favorite parts of training camp.”

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