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Training Camp 2015 The Falcons Secondary Stands Out


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http://www.thefalcoholic.com/2015/8/1/9084559/falcons-training-camp-2015-the-secondary-stands-out

The team shook up their approach to practice today, running through some different drills early on. One thing didn't change -- practice remained fast and physical.

Ryan Schraeder, who suffered a strain of some sort during yesterday's practice, was back on the field today.

Offense

The Falcons have a lot of depth at receiver, and it's going to be interesting to see which players secure roster spots with so many guys making a strong case right now. Leonard Hankerson, who impressed throughout OTAs and minicamp and stood out on day one of training camp, had another solid showing today. Hankerson tracks the ball really well and does a good job of receiving with his hands as opposed to using his body to make catches.

Eric Weems had a reallly good day, pulling in seemingly everything that was thrown his way, including a nice sideline catch.

2014 fan favorite Bernard Reedy had a really impressive contested catch. He had to really work for it, but clearly Reedy can be both fast and physical.

I saw Justin Hardy pull in one really nice catch. The rookie is definitely coming along.

Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman continue to battle it out to determine which player will get the heavier workload during the season. Both players took some first team snaps today. Dan Quinn said after practice that they intend to get players like Coleman first team reps because it will give the coaching staff a better idea of what they're capable of achieving.

Undrafted free agent running back Terron Ward broke off a long run, weaving through the defense for a big gain.

T.J. Yates did not have a good day. He looked uncomfortable in the pocket and throws were inaccurate. Sean Renfree, on the other hand, looked pretty comfortable. He had particularly good chemistry with Weems.

Jacob Tamme continued to impress, and Levine Toilolo had a couple of nice catches.

David Walker was at practice with me today, and he will have a closer look at the offensive line's performance in today's practice, so be sure to keep an eye out for that.

Defense

This secondary should be much improved. Desmond Trufant had a really good day today, including an interception on a ball intended for Julio Jones. Trufant said after practice that, on that particular play, he saw where the ball was going and anticipated the route and jumped it. It paid off for him.

Phillip Adams stood out again today. He has really good instincts in coverage and good timing.

Ricardo Allen continues to take first-team reps at free safety, and he really seems to have a good grasp on the position. Both Trufant and Dan Quinn praised Allen's efforts off the field to ease his transition to the new position.

Vic Beasley's technique is really coming along. I like what I saw from him today in terms of what he's doing with his hands. His burst off the line is remarkable.

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Jeanna Thomas also said

"Stone may have the edge in functional strength, and I like Stone a lot. I think he filled in admirably last season, and he's a smart guy and a hard worker. However, Hawley is really athletic, and that's a good fit for the zone blocking scheme. Thankfully, Hawley appears to be moving around pretty comfortably on that knee."

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Already got HD beat.

Yeah, Hankerson is lighting it up, has been ever since he got here. Hankerson's catching radius is something DQ commented on today. HD had to have the ball fall into his hands or it was an incompletion or bobled and picked off.

Hankerson will be a good red zone receiver at 6'3" and with his ability. He also doesn't mind going over the middle!

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I hear Alford's been the big camp standout so far on defense as well. Our DB's could be very good this year. I love hearing how well Ricardo's doing, especially from Tru.

can you imagine with a better pass rush how good our secondary could be? More turnovers, Alford and Allen are ballhawks.
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Yeah, Hankerson is lighting it up, has been ever since he got here. Hankerson's catching radius is something DQ commented on today. HD had to have the ball fall into his hands or it was an incompletion or bobled and picked off.

Hankerson will be a good red zone receiver at 6'3" and with his ability. He also doesn't mind going over the middle!

I really liked hearing he and Matt are making some chemistry over the middle. We need that. 4 wide 1 back sets could be interesting this year.

Julio, Hardy, Hank, Roddy, Freeman/Coleman/Smith.. the possibilities are endless. Then you have Tamme and Moeaki too, i am excited.

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can you imagine with a better pass rush how good our secondary could be? More turnovers, Alford and Allen are ballhawks.

I really don't think the scheme switch has been addressed enough as far as the CB's go either. I know Tru still did really well last year but the truth is he and Alf have been misused as much as anyone on D. This will be a very interesting year for our secondary indeed.

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I really liked hearing he and Matt are making some chemistry over the middle. We need that. 4 wide 1 back sets could be interesting this year.

Julio, Hardy, Hank, Roddy, Freeman/Coleman/Smith.. the possibilities are endless. Then you have Tamme and Moeaki too, i am excited.

Matt Ryan has always been good with ball distribution, even with subpar secondary targets. This year I'm really excited to see him with so many great targets to throw the ball to and with Shanahan who will exploit opposing defenses weaknesses with all these targets. The runnings backs are going to be deadly in the passing game, I can already see them sneaking into the flat with that incredible speed.
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Big difference in pads. Hank does well in shorts, I feel like Hardy is the kind of guy who'll really show off in game though. Hankerson is interesting, just doesn't seem to play as big as he ought to.

He's never had a QB like Matt Ryan throwing to him either.

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I always believed Alford has the ability to be great his technique just needed tweaking. Hope he proves me right this season I could see him wit 6+ picks this year if teams stay away from Tru

Alford and Ricardo Allen are super athletic, Turfant shut down and Moore has been misutilized IMO. Moores instincts have always been very good, let him attack! This season I can see these 4 really balling out collectively, especially with a real pass rush.

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Alford and Ricardo Allen are super athletic, Turfant shut down and Moore has been misutilized IMO. Moores instincts have always been very good, let him attack! This season I can see these 4 really balling out collectively, especially with a real pass rush.

If Allen pans out I think DBs become a strength this year. Pretty decent backups with Ish and hopefully Collins and Godfry

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