There is football in Flowery Branch: the Atlanta Falcons opened training camp Wednesday at team headquarters in Hall County, gearing for a September 10 season opener that is 45 days away, when the Falcons host the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
From the Associated Press…
Third-year coach Arthur Smith is facing expectations to end the Falcons’ streak of five consecutive losing seasons, including back-to-back 7-10 finishes in his first two seasons. Atlanta lost to New England in the Super Bowl following the 2016 season, finished 10-6 in 2017 and has been stuck below .500 since.
Finally free from salary cap restraints, the Falcons spent about $140 million in free agency to revamp their defense. There could be six new starters on defense when Atlanta opens its season on Sept. 10 against Carolina.
There also is hope that quarterback Desmond Ridder’s first full season as a starter, the return to health of tight end Kyle Pitts and the addition of rookie running back Bijan Robinson will boost the offense.
Ridder was 2-2 in his four-game audition as the starter to close the 2022 season after Marcus Mariota was benched and then released. Former Washington starter Taylor Heinicke signed a two-year deal with Atlanta to be Ridder’s backup.
One year ago, Ridder was a rookie backup. He has to assert different leadership this summer as the starter.
“Obviously, he wasn’t the starter last year until he was, but now he’s the full-time starter, so he has stepped into the new role and he’s stepping up and being more vocal,” Pitts said. “He’s the quarterback and we’ve got to do like he says.”
Ridder said he was glad to see Pitts, his surgically repaired left knee supported by a sleeve, on the field for the opening day of camp. The Falcons are expected to be a run-first offense again with Robinson joining Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson at running back, but a healthy Pitts is crucial for Atlanta’s hopes.