Falcons left tackle Jake Matthews believes the offense is off to a strong start in training camp.
“Just with this offense and the mindset that this team has, it’s really easy to go out there to push yourself and get better with all of the talent that we have on defense,” Matthews said. “Just get better. Keep building on it and improving.”
Falcons offensive line coach Chris Morgan has praised the work ethic of Matthews and right tackle Ryan Schraeder, who both are approaching 50 NFL regular-season starts, at 48 and 47, respectively.
“This is my fourth year now. I feel like I have a really good routine down,” said Matthews, who was picked sixth overall in 2014. “I know what I need to do to get out there and perform every week. I have to stay on top of that.”
Matthews faced the Falcons’ first-round pick this year, defensive end Takkarist McKinley, on Wednesday.
“It was good,” Matthews said. “He’s a good player. I’m excited to have him here.”
The offense had the same starters for all 19 games last season. The group is working to replace right guard Chris Chester, who retired over the offseason.
“There is right guard position that needs to be filled, but we have a couple of good guys who are capable of doing that and we have a lot of confidence in,” Matthews said. “Wes (Schweitzer) and Ben (Garland) are the top two, but I think we are going to be just fine either way. We have a lot of good players on our front five.”
About the Author
