The following, a new weekly feature of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, allows our reporters to open their notebooks and provide even more information from our local teams that we cover daily. We think you’ll find in informative, insightful and fun.
Falcons to break ground on strength-and-conditioning center
The Falcons are set to break ground on a two-story strength-and-conditioning center in early July at the team’s headquarters, team president Greg Beadles announced recently.
The plans were in the works before the Falcons’ received some poor grades from the NFL Players Association in their recent team report card for strength and conditioning (D-minus) and the locker room (D).
The expanded strength-and-conditioning room will provide a seamless open-air transition from the workout areas to the outside practice fields. There also will be a second-floor mezzanine with a focus on cardio equipment.
The team’s dining area also will be expanded. The Falcons received a C-minus for food and nutrition.
Also, the player’s locker room will be a part of the second phase of construction. The plan is to expand the locker room to include 90 lockers and add space to the equipment room, coach and staff locker rooms.
“The locker room will be more than doubled,” Beadles said.
The first phase is targeted for completion by the start of the 2024 training camp and the second phase early in the 2024 season.
Overall, the Falcons ranked in the bottom half of the league, 23rd of 32 teams, by the NFLPA, and owner Arthur Blank was not pleased.
“They have their reasons, there were timing issues,” Blank said at the owner’s meeting in March. “There are issues from a logistical standpoint of when we could make these improvements, but it is our responsibility as leaders to listen, in this case, to our players.
“If we have a definite groundswell of support or call-out for the training areas, strength areas or the size of the locker room or whatever, we need to listen to that sooner, and we need to respond to that sooner. Which I wasn’t thrilled with.”
Beadles said the plans for expanding the dining room were hatched two years ago, and last summer they started discussing the other strength-and-conditioning and locker-room projects.
“This campus was built in 2000,” Beadles said. “The staff sizes that we have now versus 2000 are so much more. So, we’ve got probably downstairs in the football area, probably about 30% more people, coaches, staff, players, on a daily basis than we did back in 2000.”
Here’s the NFLPA report card:
*Treatment of families - B (12th)
*Food/Nutrition - C-minus (tied 16th)
*Strength coaches - D-minus (31st)
*Training room - B-minus (tied 12th)
*Training staff - A (tied 9th)
*Locker room - D (tied 25th; said to be too small)
*Travel - A-minus (tied 9th)
*Weight room - C-minus (tied 27th)
NFL attempts to clarify gambling rules
With a rash of players suspended for gambling over the past two offseasons, including former Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley, the NFL has attempted to make clear the rules to the players.
The NFL suspended Lions receiver Quintez Cephus and safety C.J. Moore and Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney for at least the 2023 season in April. Lions wide receivers Stanley Berryhill and Jameson Williams were suspended for six games each for betting from an NFL facility on non-NFL games.
Colts defensive back Isaiah Rodgers is being investigated for gambling.
All rookies now must attend mandatory classes on the league’s gambling policy. League officials will make in-person visits to teams to clarify what activities are prohibited and sports gambling has become legal in some states and with the league even taking advertising from gambling businesses.
Ridley, who was suspended for the 2022 season was reinstated. While he was serving the suspension, the Falcons traded him to Jacksonville.
The league highlighted six main rules for the players to follow:
• Don’t bet on the NFL. Period. That includes other NFL events such as the draft, combine, Pro Bowl, and NFL Honors.
• Don’t have someone place a bet for you. Do not ask family, friends, or significant others to place a bet for you.
• Don’t gamble (no bets on sports, casino or card games) at your team facility/stadium, while traveling for a road game, or staying at a team hotel.
• Don’t share team “inside information.” Do not share information that has not been publicly announced by your team.
• Don’t enter a sportsbook during the NFL season.
• Don’t play daily fantasy football.
More accolades for Acuña
Last week, Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. became the first player to have 15 homers and 30 stolen bases across the first 70 games. It was only the latest milestone for Acuña, who’s the betting favorite for his first National League MVP award.
“It’s going to be groundbreaking for a while here until he surpasses everything and starts lapping himself,” manager Brian Snitker said of Acuna’s tendency to achieve the unprecedented.
Catcher Travis d’Arnaud added: “I’ve never seen it before. It’s really exciting to see him set the table and also eat off the table when there are runners on, too.”
A welcome surprise
Michael Tonkin, 33, has been a welcome surprise in the Braves’ bullpen. He has a 3.21 ERA in 16 appearances (33-2/3 innings), giving the team a reliable multi-innings option.
Tonkin last pitched in the majors for the Twins in 2017 before this season. He pitched in numerous other leagues during his MLB absence, from Japan to the Mexican League to the Dominican Winter League.
“He’s been recycled probably more than I have,” said Snitker, who managed in the minors for decades.
CP has goals
Asked what he wants to achieve at this stage of his career, the Falcons’ Cordarrelle Patterson, 33, said he wants one more kick-return touchdown. He’s had nine in his career.
“I’m just trying to get another kick return,” Patterson said. “They changed the rules and whatnot, but that don’t affect us at all. We’re still going to try to be aggressive and get another kick return.”
Weird standings
If the MLB postseason started today (as of Thursday), the field would look nothing like we’ve grown to expect. The Braves would be the No. 1 seed. The Dodgers would be sixth – the last team in – while none of the other teams qualified last year: Arizona, Cincinnati, San Francisco and Miami.
The Reds haven’t won a postseason series since 1995 (they then lost to the Braves in the NL Championship Series). The Diamondbacks haven’t won a postseason series since 2007. The Marlins won a series during the expanded 2020 postseason, but beyond that hadn’t played in October since 2003. There’s a long way to go, but this season has showed parity across the sport.
There in spirit
Last week, the Braves placed Jesse Chavez on the 15-day injured list after a comebacker hit him in the shin.
Thus, he was not in the bullpen with his boys.
Well actually, he kind of was.
The Braves’ relievers took a batting dummy and put a Chavez jersey on it. The Jesse Chavez Dummy has been in the middle of all the action, so Chavez has been there in spirit.
Comfortable surroundings
Not only did Atlanta United include five Homegrown signees in Wednesday’s roster against NYCFC, it tried to make them feel more comfortable by putting them together in the locker room.
On one side of the room were the team’s veterans.
On the other side were Noah Cobb, Tyler Wolff, Ajani Fortune, Machop Chol in one quarter of lockers. Beside them were Luke Brennan, whose Homegrown contract will go into effect Jan. 1, and Nick Firmino, who plays for Atlanta United 2 but was with the first team because he signed a short-term agreement Wednesday to help cover the roster.
Firmino scored in the 95th minute to earn a 2-2 draw.
That side of the locker room is where most of the media congregated after the match to talk to Cobb, who made his third start this season; Wolff, who scored the first goal; Fortune, who earned his first assist; and Firmino.
Money matters
Atlanta United’s starting lineup in Wednesday’s match against NYCFC had a total salary of $3,370,625, according to the MLSPA database.
Interestingly, the total of the 11 players was less than Luiz Araujo’s $4,483,333. Araujo was supposed to be with Atlanta United through Saturday’s match at the Red Bulls. He was granted an early exit by Atlanta United so that he could go ahead and join Flamengo, which bought him for a reported $10 million.
-Staff writers Justin Toscano, Gabriel Burns, Doug Roberson and D. Orlando Ledbetter contributed to this article.
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