It has seemed for the past two weeks that the Falcons decided to channel “Fight Club” in this training camp. But to get lost in the theatrics of the shoving matches (“Stop. … No you stop.”), the punches (“Hi, HBO!”) and the ill-advised hook to somebody’s helmet by a rookie linemen (coach Mike Smith: “We need to focus on body punches.”) misses the point.
The biggest difference this camp from the last one: There’s no sense of comfort. There’s uncertainty.
There’s no sense of entitlement. There’s humility.
They didn’t come to camp thinking, “We almost made it to the Super Bowl last year.” They arrived with the memory, “We went 4-12.”
“You could say the attitude is a little tougher. It’s like, ‘I’m not going to back down,’” defensive end Kroy Biermann said. “When you have guys who won’t back down, who aren’t soft, it’s going to lead to something.”
It already has led to Biermann vs. Jake Matthews, Joe Hawley vs. Ra’Shede Hagemen, Jacques Smith vs. Ryan Schraeder, Mike Johnson vs. Javier Arenas, Joe Hawley vs. Jacques Smith, Joe Hawley vs. the world.
Forget the horn to start each new practice period. How about a fight bell?
“We’re not taking any crap from anybody,” Hawley said.
Sounds good. Looks good. So what happens when they step on a field and it means something? There’s no certainty this attitude will carryover when the Falcons open the regular season Sept. 7. But as tight ends coach Chris Scelfo put it, “If you don’t show something in those (heated) moments, what are you going to do when it’s third-and-1?”
Last summer, it was Camp Comfy. We're great! Steven Jackson in the house! Osi Umenyiora in the house! Tony Gonzalez .. well, not in the house, but he'll be here later, and he's great! Oh-and-4 in the preseason … who cares! We got this!
It was if they had no frame of reference that a storm might be coming.
Well. That’s not a problem now.
Everything went wrong. Everything can go wrong. One way to diminish the chance of that happening again: Maybe hit back?
Fighting makes everybody a little uneasy. This team isn’t good enough to lose any player of significance, and seeing Hageman, a second-round draft pick, throw a punch at Hawley’s helmet last week nearly caused a break. (Hageman initially believed he had a hairline fracture in his wrist, but X-rays were negative.) But the edge, the nastiness — that’s fine.
“I smile when I see ramped-up competition,” general manager Thomas Dimitroff said.
Did he see it to this level last season?
“No.”
There’s something else losing brings out in people: Honesty.
Sure, Smith has told every player he wants this team to be physical, and that’s bound to make an impression. But it’s more than that. Jobs are up for grabs in training camp. Jobs are on the line this season. Nobody in a position of authority is happy. There’s a ripple effect to all that.
“I think it’s a combination of frustration from last year and the fact they’ve brought in a bunch of guys competing for jobs,” said Hawley, who right now is being penciled in as the starting center over Peter Konz, a second-round pick two years ago. “A lot of guys are fighting for spots.”
Hageman fought frequently in practice when he was in college at Minnesota. He doesn’t see anything wrong with it.
“Fighting shows how physical you are and hungry you are,” he said.
When asked what happened to spark the fight with Hawley, he said, “The environment. There were coaches yelling and bickering. I was confused about what I was supposed to do, and as I was running back, the center grabbed my jersey. We were going one-on-one and when the whistle blew we were still going, and then I tried to run back, and he grabbed my jersey. I just snapped. You know what I’m saying? I was tired. I was frustrated. It was hot. I was trying to do my job, and the last thing I needed was for someone to play with me.”
I feel ya.
(Mental note: Don’t play with Hageman.)
Biermann watched most of last season’s unraveling from the sideline. He suffered a torn Achilles in Week 2. But he can speculate what happened to teammates when the bottom fell out of the season.
“Attitudes change when you’re not winning,” he said. “At certain points, it comes down to playing for pride and, I don’t know if guys got complacent or not, but it’s tough when you’re losing and it’s a tough season.”
Interesting. When the Falcons circled the drain last season, everybody denied that toughness was an issue and effort might be a question. Nobody dared to use the word soft. Time to reflect on a 4-12 season has changed a lot.
It doesn’t guarantee success, but at least now we can be certain there’s a pulse.
About the Author
