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2015 Training Camp: 5 Things To Get Excited For


birdz4i

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The offseason is nearly over, and when XFINITY Training Camp begins Friday, the Falcons will kick off a new year, one that's shaping up to be a step in the right direction.

Intensity Picking Up: The NFL offseason can feel especially long, and while OTAs and minicamps are always important, the mood is relatively low key. That will change on Friday. When the pads go on, players battling for their jobs will ramp up the intensity. There will be skirmishes; a brawl or two is inevitable. And it will feel like football is truly back.

Start of a New Era: On Friday, Dan Quinn’s first season with the Falcons officially gets underway. Training camp is always more captivating when a new head coach takes over, and this year should be no different. Quinn has compiled a large staff — similar to the size of Pete Carroll’s — which includes plenty of established football minds. With the new coaches come new playbooks, schemes and approaches. Fans who come to Flowery Branch will receive an interesting peak at all these chances.

Julio Jones: Julio Jones’ contract situation has yet to be cleared up, but as he previously mentioned, the star receiver doesn’t plan on holding out. This means we’ll be treated to his usual array of highlight reel moves — inarguably one of the most entertaining parts of training camp. One-on-one drills will be appointment viewing

New Faces: The Falcons added a lot of key players this offseason — many of whom will jump right into starting roles. Vic Beasley Jr., drafted eighth overall, will garner plenty of attention throughout camp; other defenders such as free agent acquisitions Justin Durant and Brooks Reed will be under the microscope, as well. There may be several intriguing additions made over the next few weeks, and adding more players would only make competitions more fascinating.

Return of Injured Players: A number of players who finished last season on injured reserve are scheduled to be active for camp. This list includes offensive linemen Jake Matthews and Joe Hawley. Matthews, now entering his second year, is recovering from a Lisfranc foot ailment that nagged him for much of 2014; Hawley is on the mend from a season-ending knee injury he suffered last September. How those two recover in 2015 will have a signifianct impact on Atlanta’s chances to return to playoff action. Safety William Moore and Antone Smith are also on track to return.

http://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/blog/article-1/2015-Training-Camp-5-Things-to-Get-Excited-For/c7760f1d-cce3-4d3b-b9cc-1895fd15db6b

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There has been so much conversation about how Jake didn't live up to this potential last year, but good grief you can't play hurt like that. I'd say he did a dang good job switching positions and playing on a bum ankle all season. Considering half the line are on the IR, I'm not worried about Matthews.

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*sigh*

Matthews only got the Lisfranc at the end of the season. He was suffering from a high ankle sprain from about game 2 and on.

The media is almost always COMPLETELY wrong on Jake Matthews. Only one time have I read an article that got his injury situation correct and didn't blast him for the being the worst rookie tackle there has ever been in the history of everything.

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I really think that there are about a dozen people here on TATF that could write much, much better articles about our team than 80% of the media. HeII, even D-Led, with all his access, still is wrong way too often. Give me that kind of access and I bet I could write better and more accurate articles than what we hear out of the media most of the time. Drives me crazy.

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*sigh*

Matthews only got the Lisfranc at the end of the season. He was suffering from a high ankle sprain from about game 2 and on.

actually it was the first preseason game. Or was that baker? Lol ha your right, game 2, baker got hurt first preseason smh
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Despite anyone's opinion of how Matthews season went last year, it's not really up for debate that he was dealt about as poor a hand as a rookie could possibly get.

He was training as a right tackle all offseason and throughout camp and has to switch sides at the end of preseason.

That certainly didn't help...

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