Atlanta Falcons: Sights and Sounds from Camp, 8/19/09

Head Coach Mike Smith with Roddy White, AP Photo/Curtis Compton

Atlanta Falcons Head Coach Mike Smith flexed his impeccable planning muscle on Wednesday when he had his team take the field without pads.

The day turned out to be much hotter than anticipated and after a physical practice in pads on Tuesday in cooler temperatures, the players appreciated the lighter load in Wednesday's heat.

With a game on Friday against the St. Louis Rams, it's a short week and that also played a factor.

His team's defense showed their appreciation by having a strong practice.

They were led by six-year safety Erik Coleman who was all over the field, knocking down passes and grabbing an interception from the arm of quarterback Matt Ryan.

In the last few days, the first-team defense, when on the sideline watching the second and third teams practice, have taken to a cheer of "D" every time a play is made in their favor. The chemistry of the defensive starters appears to be coming together and it's even more evident when they're cheering on their teammates, some of whom are fighting for spots on the team.

Injuries bring new opportunities

Smith said simply that his team isn't as healthy this week as it was last week, but added that's to be expected once games begin.

Starting cornerback Chris Houston will not play on Friday, the coach said on Wednesday. Houston is still nursing a sore hamstring sustained in last Saturday's game against the Lions. Additionally defensive tackle Jason Jefferson and linebacker Edmund Miles won't be available. Running back Thomas Brown will be a game-time decision.

An injury to a player like Houston means younger players will get an opportunity to play more in Friday's matchup with the Rams. Rookie Chris Owens was playing with the first team on Tuesday and Wednesday and following a strong showing last week will be expected to continue that this week. Another rookie, William Middleton, will also have more opportunities.

Though injuries are never what a coach wants, he views it as a chance to see some of his younger players against another team's best players. Injuries or not, that was to be Smith's plan all along.

"We want to bring some of our young players in a little bit earlier this week so that they can play against the first-liners that St. Louis has," Smith said on Wednesday.

The head coach maintains that while he and the team want to win every game in which they compete, the preseason games are more about developing his team and evaluating every player on the roster.

"It's about us more than about them [the opponent]," said Smith.

Ryan to White not missing a beat

Following his holdout, wide receiver Roddy White admitted to having some rust once he rejoined the team, but he's quickly gotten himself up to speed.

In last Saturday's loss to Detroit, White appeared in sync with Ryan, catching three passes for 29 yards in limited duty. Ryan feels the game action brought him and his Pro Bowl receiver even more up to speed.

"I think that first game, like everybody, helped knock some of the rust off," said Ryan. "I'm not worried about Roddy. He did a good job for us last year. He did a good job in the first preseason game and I just continue to expect to get better with him, myself, and all the other receivers."

White has progressed since his first day of practice and appears to be finding his stride. Ryan is looking to White often in practice and the playmaking ability of the fifth-year receiver is starting to shine through.

Smith was happy that White came to camp in shape and is pleased with what he's seeing.

"I think he and Matt have started where they left off from last year," said Smith.

Ryan is asked about his weapons on offense often, but he was asked a new question on Wednesday. Will the 2008 Offensive Rookie of the Year join the Twitter craze?

"No twittering from me," Ryan said, adding that he's not savvy enough to do it.

In only his second season in the NFL Ryan's already begun to earn a reputation as a tireless study of all things football and he implied as much in his response.

"I'm too busy doing some other things," he said. "So, you'll probably never see any Twitter from me. I have enough trouble checking my email."

High expectations

With the addition of tight end Tony Gonzalez, the Falcons offense has been one of the most talked about stories in the early NFL season.

When Pro Bowl running back Michael Turner talks about the offense, he first reminds anyone listening that the team's offense put up a lot of points last season. He believes all the tools are in place to do even better things this year, but everyone's still go to put in their work.

"Now we're adding a Hall of Famer into the mix," Turner said about the addition of Gonzalez to the team's offense. "On paper it's supposed to be a plus for us, but we've got to get the chemistry down and just work from there. We can't just show up and expect to score a lot of points."

Turner has led the pack in shying away from great expectations. He's said more than once that last year no longer means anything. But when asked how he could top last year, his answer was simple.

"Win a Super Bowl. That's what we're playing for. We've got a lot of opportunities to do something great here."

Additional Training Camp/Preseason coverage

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