FLOWERY BRANCH -- The Flowery Branch Inn is open.
Coach Mike Smith, some players, staff and coaches have been staying at the team's complex in the dormitories that are used during training camp.
Smith has stayed there since Sunday, but didn't want to impose that the players stay there. He wanted the week to be as normal as possible.
"I'm from Florida. I'm not going out in that stuff," Smith said.
Only running back Antone Smith and an unnamed player didn't make it to practice Monday.
Cornerback Dominique Franks did not make it Tuesday.
White on a mission
Wide receiver Roddy White is set to make his second playoff appearance.
In the wild-card game against Arizona after the 2008 season, White had 11 catches for 84 yards and one touchdown.
"A first-round loss would not be good," White said. "We feel that way. We feel that we have to go out there, and we have a lot to prove. Winning 13 games in the regular season means nothing if you get beat in the first round of the playoffs."
The Falcons are the No. 1 seed and would host the NFC championship game if they can get past Green Bay.
"We want to go out there and extend our season," White said. "Two years ago, we thought we had a chance. We thought we could go down there and win. We are going to go into this game with a different mentality."
Under Smith, the Falcons are 20-4 in the Georgia Dome.
The Falcons are 2-0 in playoff games in the Georgia Dome. They beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-18 on Jan. 9, 1999, and the St. Louis Rams 47-17 on Jan. 15, 2005.
On the run
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers warned against making too much of their new-found rushing attack.
He was the leading rusher in the teams' previous meeting Nov. 28. He ran 12 times for 51 yards as the Falcons dropped into zone coverage and left the middle of the field open.
With James Starks rushing for 123 yards in the wild-card win Sunday against Philadelphia, Rodgers may not have to run so much against the Falcons.
"Well, we'll see about that," Rodgers said via telephone. "It's just something you assess each time. It would be nice to have James' yards every week, or Brandon [Jackson] or [former Falcon] Dimitri [Nance] or whoever."
On alert
Middle linebacker Curtis Lofton has been nursing a right knee injury and didn't play in the second half of the Falcons' previous game, against Carolina on Jan. 2.
Stopping the run will be important against the Packers, and Lofton is the Falcons' leading tackler.
The Falcons' run defense finished 10th in the NFL, giving up 105.2 yards per game.
"Overall, in terms of our run defense, we gave up too many explosive plays," Smith said. "We gave up an 80-yard run, a 50-yard run and a 60-yard run. There are three large chunks that you can't give up."
The defense spent time over the bye week reviewing their angles and getting ready for some misdirection plays.
"They ran the ball about as effectively as they have all season," Smith said. "They committed to running it. They had almost 140 yards running. I was very impressed with the rookie sixth-round draft pick [Starks]."
-- Columnist Jeff Schultz contributed to this report.
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