It was one of those truly memorable training-camp scenes.
The kind that stays in your memory bank, such as when New England and quarterback Tom Brady were here to practice against the Falcons and he sliced up the secondary in a nearly perfect seven-on-seven drill.
Or when the Bengals came in 2013 and won all of the one-on-one matchups against the Falcons’ offensive line.
With Jake Matthews missing most of the offseason recovering from foot surgery, there was great anticipation for the first matchup between Matthews and rookie defensive end Vic Beasley.
During the team’s first padded practice Monday, observers from every scout and quality-control coach up to general manager Thomas Dimitroff and assistant general manager Scott Pioli gathered around the one-on-one drill to see the first set of battles between the two players.
"That was one of those matchups that I couldn't wait to see," coach Dan Quinn said. "That's how you get better. The great thing about those two (is they) have the competitive spark. That's one, we'll be watching for a long time."
Quinn considered the matchup a draw, with Beasley and Matthews both winning a few of the battles.
The Falcons hope that Beasley and Matthews are connected at the hip for years to come. Matthews, who was selected with the sixth overall pick in 2014, is expected to anchor the offensive line at left tackle.
Beasley, a former Clemson standout from Adairsville, was selected eighth overall in the 2015. He was tabbed to breathe some life into the team’s dormant pass rush.
They battled again Tuesday during the second padded practice and seem to have a hardy respect for each other.
“It’s definitely mutual,” Beasley said. “Jake is a great athlete. He’s trying to get me better each and every day.”
Matthews, who started 15 games as a rookie last season, came away impressed with Beasley.
“He’s a really good player,” Matthew said. “We’re going to make each other a lot better.”
In addition to the battles on the field, the two are working together off the field.
“Every day we are talking and picking each other’s brain about what we need to do to get each other better,” Matthews said. “I’m excited for the matchup and to keep going at it with him.”
In addition to the matchups with Matthews, Beasley has impressed other tackles, too.
“The one thing that I saw was his ability to beat a guy to the punch,” Quinn said. “As a pass rusher, that’s such an important thing. When you can close the distance so fast. That’s what I saw on tape and when you see it here, it was really clear how he can play.”
Beasley appears to have adapted well to the pro practices.
“We are getting a lot of good work,” he said. “There is no sense of overload.”
Clemson has had eight of defensive linemen drafted over the past six drafts, beginning with defensive end Ricky Sapp’s selection by the Eagles in the fifth round in 2010 through the Falcons taking Beasley and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett (fifth round) in 2015.
The Falcons also selected former Clemson defensive end Malliciah Goodman in the fourth round in the 2013 draft.
“Playing at Clemson prepared me well,” Beasley said. “I think it’s going good for me. I’m off to a good start. My first camp, things are looking good for me right now. I’m just ready to get going and get ready for this first (exhibition) game.”
On the second day in pads, Beasley was in the backfield hunting for the quarterback, but rookie running back Terron Ward spotted him and blocked him to the ground.
Beasley, stunned by the hit, was down for a few seconds before he could shake it off.
“Football is a tough game, so you’ve got to be tough out here,” Beasley said.
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