Falcons coach Mike Smith has some advice to rookie defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman, who played his high school and college football in Minneapolis and will be returning home to play the Vikings on Sunday.
“I’m sure that he’s going to have a lot of ticket requests,” Smith said. “The first thing I would do is don’t honor all of them. Save your money.”
Hageman, who was selected in the second round of the draft, played 37 percent (22 of 60 snaps) in the 56-14 rout of the Tampa Bay Bucs last Thursday. It was his most action of the season.
He played 20 percent (15 of 75 snaps) against New Orleans and 15 percent (11 of 71 snaps) against Cincinnati.
“Ra’Shede has continued to get more playing time,” Smith said. “We think he’s going to be a really good player for us.”
Smith wants Hageman to block out of his mind where the game is being play. The site is TCF Bank Stadium, where the Minnesota Golden Gophers play there home games while the Vikings new stadium is being built.
“When it kickoffs it doesn’t matter where the game is being played,” Smith said. “It doesn’t matter who’s in the stands. It’s really about you playing against the guy you’re lined up against. That would be my advice. Don’t even think about where we are playing.”
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