The Falcons turned into Gainesville High Red Elephants for a couple of hours Friday night at City Park Stadium.
“This is a staple of the organization,” Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said of the annual Friday Night Lights event before an announced crowd of 14,250 fans.
An hour before the Falcons arrived in three chartered buses, the streets around the stadium were lined with enthusiastic fans.
Those who couldn’t get inside the game watched from the hill over looking the stadium. The end-zone pavilion also was packed.
Dimitroff said the event was a good way to start the second week of training camp.
“The first week has been all about being aggressive,” Dimitroff said. “We’ve got good battles all across the board.”
Here are five observations from the practice:
1. Dominique Davis was hot and cold.
The Falcons elected not to sign a backup quarterback, and the path is clear for Dominique Davis to win the position.
He showed off his big arm by tossing a laser shot deep down the right sideline to wide receiver Marcus Sales.
He later had a miscommunication with wide receiver Darius Johnson and a pass sailed over his head. He also had a pass batted down by defensive tackle Cliff Matthews.
2. The newcomers were well-received.
Running back Steven Jackson, who played his previous nine seasons with the St. Louis Rams, received a loud ovation when he was introduced to the crowd.
The crowd also gave a similar response to defensive end Osi Umenyiora, formerly of the New York Giants.
Jackson ran hard through the drills, and Umenyiora got a few tag-down sacks as the team didn’t hit through most of the controlled practice.
3. The Falcons spruced up the return game.
Both the punt-return and kickoff-return positions are open competitions.
Rookie cornerback Robert Alford announced to the fans that he will get a chance to help.
“Me and Harry (Douglas) are back there competing for (the punt return) and whoever else the coaches put back there,” Alford said.
Dominique Franks was the primary punt returner last season. He returned 21 punts for 163 yards (7.8 yards per return). He had a long return of 28 yards.
Franks also made 18 fair catches, the sixth-highest total in the NFL.
Overall, the Falcons had 26 returns for 205 yards for an average of 7.9 yards per return, which ranked 25th in the league.
4. The scrimmage scoring system.
Falcons coach Mike Smith devised a scoring system for the scrimmage.
Here’s how the offense could rack up points: touchdown (six points), field goal of 25 yards or less (three), two consecutive earned first downs (two), “explosive” play of 20 yards or more (one).
The defense could score points with an interception (three), fumble recovery (three), forced three-and-out (two), sack or tackle for loss (one) and stop a drive without points (one).
5. NFL referees worked the scrimmage.
The Falcons were the least-penalized team in the league last season and had NFL referees work the event Friday.
The crew, led by local official Jerome Boger, who worked the Super Bowl last season, called three penalties. In 2012, the Falcons committed only 55. The second-place team was the New York Giants with 72.
The refs will be on hand for the practices with the Bengals on Monday and Tuesday. They’ll also have a session with the players and answer questions about the rule changes for 2013.
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