Here’s what Falcons coach Dan Quinn had to say after Friday’s practice:
Opening statement:
"Before we get rolling today, I do want to recognize some first responders here including the APD and members of the fire department. A number of those people, especially in the fire department, were involved in the incident on I-85. We are glad to have those men and women here today. What jumped out to me at practice today was really the speed again. We put them in a lot of situations. We finished the end of it with a third down and then we went right into a two minute at the end of the half. We really wanted to see guys hit the gas. Sometimes that's what we need to do so I was pleased with that. As we get into the next block tomorrow, we will have a padded portion of our practice. There are new opportunities, especially along the line of scrimmage. We are going to work like crazy on that part of our game. That will be what's ahead tomorrow. More install tonight for this four-day block and we are going to go for it all we can. Then we will take that break, reassess and come back again. It's almost like a game where you put in all you can those four days, then take a break and come back to do it again. Glad to open it up."
On whether this is the fastest and deepest team he has coached:
"You're not getting me with the comparison on that one, but I do recognize this team. I'd say I recognize their comradery and the connection they have for one another. It's a rare thing when you can really push the other guy and even to a spot where he doesn't want to go. When you see someone in this game where you're bloodied and hurt to where you're most triumphant. You know the ins and outs and you've been with the guys for a couple years. I'm not surprised that the connection they have is so strong. We're always going to keep pushing the speed and Desmond Trufant is one of them that sets the tone at that spot."
On the injury update for Devin Fuller:
"I don't have one. I know it was a knee, but I don't know what. I'll have one on Fuller for you tomorrow. Obviously, the doctor will be here today to evaluate it, but I don't know the severity of it yet."
On what he tells the team during huddles:
"I'll be glad to comment on that. In the competition periods, I'll say this is what's at hand. Be really specific as to get two first downs. I also did it on third downs to establish good communication. At the end, I did two minutes at the end of a half. Then I'll ask them what they learned from that. Sometimes those coaching moments are the right way, and I don't want to wait all the way until the film room. I made a mistake today during the two minutes with a timeout so I wanted to acknowledge that I'm training too. It was a good session today and we probably spent 50 percent of our time in some type of situation. That's really where the game is. Almost 50 or 55 percent is second down with no red zone, no short yardage, no goal line. All the rest is the two minutes, the short yardage and the goal line. How we balance those was a big situation today. I generally don't hit the emergency break about being upset. The only thing that really gets me jammed up is a lack of effort or a lack of concentration. If I don't see those things, I'd rather take a guy out and say you're not up for the job right now. That usually stings because this time of year is about the evaluation, but it wasn't about that. It was how could I get a quick one minute teach time and another was like in a game with a TV timeout to get extra hydration in this heat."
On Devonta Freeman's contract and balancing the brotherhood with the business side of things:
"It can be a tricky thing because we are so connected. We do have the strong bond that we have. We all recognize that there is that side to it. Fortunately, most of us have somebody to help us with the guidelines for the finances and the team, so that helps. I'm not going to say it completely helps alleviate the stress in your mind. He's a pretty strong guy. He knows this is a process he goes through and oftentimes it's not like you go to the ATM and say 'Here's your situation'. It's not always easy to understand that. Oftentimes, it's like a mind game, but that's when the brotherhood is good. When someone who has been through it can say 'Hey man just stay your course'. He's got great mentors and has been through that road on this team where it doesn't always happen right when you want it to."
On whether he has talked to Devonta Freeman about his contract:
"I didn't have to, but I definitely did. The reason I'm saying that one is it's not someone who got sideways. It's not like I had to. For most of the guys who are in that contract time, I've definitely had discussions with them and talked it through. I want to have open lines of communication with them if there's something that's jamming them up or something that I can assist with. That is my responsibility too. Their connection with the team and the staff is an important one. I want to make sure we are always keeping our lines clear."
On his evaluation of the local players at training camp:
"In typical fashion, those are two that you called out who are off to a good start with Reggie Davis' speed today. His opportunity is now here. He can really go. He had a nice catch today on a deep ball. When guys prove that they can handle it and have a bigger role, we give them more reps. I don't know if you noticed the quarterback was who threw him that pass today, but it was Matt Schaub. He is off to a good start and doing some good things. We have a long way to go and part of his game is finding that versatility and the different things he can do, but he has our attention. On the other side with Quincy Mauger, we have been impressed by his intelligence, his ability to communicate, and his athleticism. Everyone's evaluations get ramped up over the next few weeks when we get into the preseason games and how do we respond under that stress. So often what we do to guys and don't tell them this, but we're trying to stress them out to see what situations we can put them in to see how they will respond. We try to make these game-like scenarios and have them perform. That's why we have the crowd noise. It was awesome having the fans yell today so those two guys are off to a good start."
On Duke Riley and Deion Jones working together on the field:
"I'm not surprised they have a good connection, but this linebacker group in general does. There will be times when you see LaRoy Reynolds, Deion Jones, and Duke Riley. We are going to mix and match these inside guys. Kemal Ishmael is another one because he's such a good tackler. We want to get him involved with it. We've got a long way to go and nothing will be earned in short time. We like to go all the way through the process and we'll take it from there. He's off to a good start."
On whether he was aware of Julio Jones' pain level last season:
"Yes. It takes time to build that relationship so you can communicate. He is an athlete that is in tune with his body. I think it's probably because he's endured some of these injuries. He's been back from rehab, so he knows what he can play with and when it's not like that. When he couldn't go, I had to make the decision for him and I know now after a couple years with him that he could. His heart was in the right spot to do it. Generally, he'll want to go and he has a high pain tolerance. Sometimes, we have to be the ones to say what number are we at. You don't want to think about it while you're performing the movement. His pain threshold as a competitor is damn high."
On whether players have expressed concerns about CTE:
"We've had none of those conversations here regarding a player. On the first day, we do a good bit on the reporting and the information on that. We are going to try to teach it safe, and I'm hopeful that the way we bring the issue out that it goes to college. It goes to high school and it goes pop warner. I think that's happening. There was a time maybe within the last five or six years where it took a hit at the youth level. I think we're making a good comeback knowing that we are teaching things safely. As a coach, you can appreciate that knowing what the game can mean to so many boys and girls who are playing. I'm glad the word is out that we're teaching it safely."
On the players being receptive to the message of safety:
"Yes, I do feel the players are receptive to that message because that's their responsibility to take care of one another. How hard we can compete and go for it, but take care of one another is in the front of our thinking."
On what he has seen from Andre Roberts so far:
"Speed. He's got very good change of direction and I'm sure that's why the punt returning has been so good. As a kickoff returner, you have to have speed and long speed to make one cut and go. As a punt returner, it's a different job where you catch, but you have to have lateral quickness for a guy who is coming full speed to dodge him and get up field. It's these short, lateral bursts and go whereas kickoff return you have the long speed. He's unique because he can do both. Oftentimes, you say why is one guy just a punt returner and why is one a kick returner? When you have the guys like Devin Hester who excelled at both, those are the rare guys."
On Taylor Gabriel being in the mix on special teams:
"As a punt returner, he will. That's one of the jobs we can look at. It creates more touches. If that's an option to get more touches for him, it's something we definitely want to look at."
On how the offense is connecting with Steve Sarkisian:
"We went through a good portion of the spring. What I'm hopeful for over the next month is their connection with the new players. How do we add them in? Sarkisian is an easy guy to communicate with and he's done a good job with our staff and the team of getting to know them. As a first-year coordinator and I know as well, how do you build these relationships with the players? How do you feature them? He's excellent at that and that's what we'll continue to build. That will just keep getting stronger as we go."
