FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Defensive tackle Grady Jackson practiced with the team Tuesday morning for the first time at Russell Falcons Training Camp. He had been held for conditioning reasons.
“It felt pretty good out there, just getting back out there and getting my feet wet and getting back into drills felt good,” he said after the morning workout. “It’s just one day at a time. I’m not trying to over do it because we’ve got a long season ahead of us.”
Jackson, who led the NFL with 13 tackles for loss last season, is entering his second season with the Falcons. He started 15 games in 2006 and finished with 52 tackles, one forced fumble and two passes defensed.
Head Coach Bobby Petrino was glad to get the 345-pound defender back on the practice field.
“The first thing is making sure he’s in condition and he’s smart with how we gradually get him there,” Petrino said. “I think he’s in fairly good condition right now, but we just have to make sure we don’t have any setbacks with the knee. But he’s feeling good. I think he’s happy to be back out here. He had a good smile on his face and it was good to see him.”
After practice Jackson spoke on the thrill to be back and the new schemes across the defensive line.
“It looks good,” he said. “There are a bunch of calls in there designed for me to make a lot of plays. I think it’s going to be real big. I just have to step up and do it.”
AHEAD OF THE CURVE: Offensive linemen are graded, in part, on their durability.
Rookie guard Justin Blalock still has a ways to go before he passes all the measures of an NFL lineman, but he’s already well on his way to proving how durable he can be.
Blalock started a school-record 51 straight games at Texas in the process becoming an anchor on a team that faced – and beat – some of the best college teams in the nation.
How’s that for credentials?
“Something I’ve always been told is, if you play hard, you usually don’t get injured,” Blalock said when asked about his start streak. “It’s usually something that happens when you’re standing around – those freak accidents and whatnot. But I’ve been very blessed to not have anything major come up. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep it up for a long time here.
When asked about the players he’s facing in camp, Blalock said he has some work to do.
“We played a lot of big games against some of the best players available in the country (at Texas),” he said. “That being said, it’s nothing like this. Here you’re facing the best player. It’s like playing against the best player you played against in college every day. You have to learn to have your techniques right every time and be mentally sharp every day you come out here where as maybe in college you could get by on pure talent a couple days. That’s not going to happen out here.”
The coaching staff is equally complimentary and supportive of Blalock. The rookie said offensive line coach Mike Summers had the unit over to his house and takes time to talk life along with football.
“We really like Justin, his size and also his athletic ability -- especially for his position,” Petrino said. “He is a guy that learns fast and that part is very important to him. He is in there with the first team and we just have one guy that is out with a foot problem. Those are the only two that are competing for that position. Other veterans like Wayne Gandy and Todd McClure will assist the rookies with any assignments they need as training camp progresses.”
POSITION BATTLES: Six days into training camp. Time for position battles to heat up.
Petrino highlighted one high-profile position Tuesday when he talked about Chris Crocker, Jimmy Williams and the safety position.
“They’ve both getting better; they’re both learning the package,” the coach said. “Chris is also playing a lot of nickel for us and I think he’s doing a good job at nickel. Jimmy’s showing the range that we thought he would as far as going to the ball. So, it will really be fun to get into the preseason games and watch him tackle… It’s good competition. They’re both competing for it and we really have no timetable on making a decision on who would be the starter.”
YOUTH WEEK UPDATE: Youth Week presses on at training camp. Check AtlantaFalcons.com tomorrow for more updates as the team plans to welcome a youth football team from Panama to training camp.
ATTENDANCE WATCH: Petrino moved practice to a fresh field at the training center Tuesday, pushing action away from the hill where fans normally watch practice.
But that didn't mean they missed out on the action.
Most of the 534 fans who were in attendance were able to move across the back side of the administrative offices and take up spots right on the sidelines.
WEATHER REPORT: The team practiced Tuesday morning under partly-cloudy skies and planned a light walk-through for the afternoon which was not open to the public. Fans can return to Flowery Branch at 3 p.m. Wednesday for practice.
