Even though there was no live tackling, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan kept his head on a swivel.
The Houston Texans have a stout defensive front that now features defensive end J.J. Watt, a two-time All-Pro pick, and rookie outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney, the No. 1 overall draft pick.
“(Texans defensive coordinator) Romeo Crennel is very good at mixing things up and giving you different pictures,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “It’s something that Matt’s got to adjust to. It’s going to be good not only for Matt, but for our entire team.”
The Texans didn’t disappoint.
They were moving around up until the ball was snapped. Watt played right or left end, depending on the offensive formation. The Texans also moved outside linebacker Brooks Reed around a lot.
Clowney, a former South Carolina star, stayed on the right side for most of the practice.
The Falcons’ offensive line held up. There weren’t any free runs to the quarterback.
“It’s going to be good for our offensive line to see how they stacked up,” Smith said. “I believe there are six (first-round) draft picks on that defense that Houston presented. They’ve got some very good players.”
Ryan, who was sacked 44 times last season, could feel the sense of urgency during the joint practice.
“I think that everybody is a little more locked in than sometimes you would be going against just the same old defense that you see day-in and day-out,” Ryan said.
“You have to be on point in terms of communications because you’re getting different looks. You’re seeing different guys out there. … I think the intensity was there.”
While there was no live tackling, there was some major pad thudding. The Texans had heard about all of the fighting during the Falcons’ camp. There weren’t any major skirmishes, but the practice was physical.
“It was pretty similar to what we do and have at practice all the time,” Ryan said. “Both sides, nobody was really throwing people to the ground and all of that stuff. I thought it was productive.”
Ryan couldn’t help but notice where Watt was aligned.
“He is a stud,” Ryan said. “I played against him before. He’s a really good player. His work ethic. You see that from how he practices and competes every snap. It was impressive to see.”
Ryan felt that rookie right tackle Jake Matthews, who won some battles and had a tough time with Watt on some plays, did well.
“Jake has done a great job,” Ryan said. “He’s probably one of the most impressive rookies that I’ve ever seen. Just to come in with his maturity and his skill set, he’s as talented of a player that I’ve seen. He’s hungry to get better. He’s hungry to learn.”
For the first-team offense, which scored on a 15-play drive in the exhibition opener against Miami, Ryan believes the timing of the practices with the Texans are perfect.
“I think we’ve had a really productive two weeks,” Ryan said. “We have a lot of things to clean up from the first game that I think we have to address and get taken care of this week. We just want to continue to improve, and I think we’ve done a good job of that.”
After facing the Texans in the morning, the Falcons went through a closed afternoon walk-through at Rice University.
The Falcons have another practice set for 8 a.m. Thursday before playing the Texans at 8 p.m. Saturday at NRG Stadium.
“It’s good. It’s a change of venue for us to be down here,” Ryan said. “It’s a different offense and different defense to look at. I think seeing somebody else, any time that you play or practice, going against another team, it brings out the competitive spirit on both sides.
“There are a lot of advantages to it, and we really enjoyed it today.”
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