FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Seventh-round draft pick Jason Snelling arrived at the Falcons practice facility in the spring split between two positions.
The 5-foot-11, 232-pound running back played fullback and tailback at the University of Virginia and wasn’t sure where he’d land on the pro level. But he and Jamal Robertson were mentioned when Head Coach Bobby Petrino talked about tailbacks Sunday morning.
“I like what I see out of Snelling,” the coach said. “It’s going to be a question to see how he does once we get into preseason games but he has real good vision and makes nice cuts. We’re hoping he has some power when he runs with the ball and will be able to run through some tackles.
“We brought him in as a tailback.”
Snelling rushed for 1,246 yards and 10 touchdowns and added another 703 receiving yards and four receptions for scores at Virginia. He started nine games at tailback in 2006 but was the full-time fullback the previous season.
“I’m getting to feel how an NFL game is going to be,” Snelling said when asked about training camp and his immersion into tailback duties. “I’m just trying to learn as much as I can and do as much as I can to make the team.
“I’m picking up the offense well at tailback. I’m excited about getting the opportunity to run the ball and play tail but, wherever I’m going to be at, I’m going to try to do my best to be on this team.”
Snelling acknowledged a slight advantage in blocking skill having lined up as a fullback, but he’s not taking anything for granted in his fight to make the 53-man roster.
“I knew it was a whole different ball game from the first time I got here during mini camp,” Snelling said. “From the second day coach told us we’re not rookies anymore and, to make this team, you have to step up and play like veterans.”
BOLEY’S THOUGHTS: Linebacker Michael Boley may be just 24 years old but he’s seen plenty of action on the football field. In three seasons with the Falcons Boley has appeared in 32 games with 25 starts and, in the process, earned a role as starting strong-side linebacker.
Boley started as a rookie in place of an injured Ed Hartwell and has been a fixture in the line-backing corps ever since. Through two years in Atlanta Boley has 150 total tackles, two forced fumbles, three fumble recovers, two interceptions and 13 sacks.
He said the team’s adjustment to Mike Zimmer’s new defense is going well.
“It’s going pretty good – just continuing to install every day and trying to perfect these plays that the coaching staff is putting in for us,” Boley said. “But, you know, overall it’s looking pretty good. We’ve had a pretty good first couple of days of training camp.”
Boley also finds himself getting re-acquainted with his fellow linebackers in a new system. Keith Brooking is moving to middle linebacker this season and weak-side linebacker Demorrio Williams missed most of the off-season with a torn pectoral.
That process got a shot in the arm when Williams returned for the first practice of training camp.
“It’s good,” Boley said. “He’s been down for a while now and missed most (organized team activities). He was still in meetings but you don’t really get a feel for it until you actually get out on the field. He’s come along good. He’s starting to look a lot better in his movements and it looks like he has a better feel for what’s going on.”
Boley said the new defensive scheme should be pleasing to fans because of it’s focus on the linebackers’ athleticism.
“The overall look of things is much better for the line-backing corps,” he said. “It puts us all in the best position to make plays.
“Seeing some of the different things that this scheme can provide for an individual is great. Whether it be covering, blitzing or base defense, it all works out good.”
THE NEW GUY: The Falcons added more depth to the quarterback position by bringing in NFL Europa and Arena League veteran Lang Campbell late last week.
Stopped for an interview Saturday Campbell said he’s spent most of his first days in training camp learning the offense.
“The offense is completely different from what I’m used to, from what I’ve run,” Campbell said, saying the Falcons offense has more “talking” at the line of scrimmage. “So I’m just trying to catch up the best I can. It’s a tough situation because everyone has been in the offense all summer and getting more and more comfortable with it every day where I’m just seeing things for the first time sometimes out here on the practice field. It’s difficult but I think I’m up to the challenge."
Campbell, who threw for 6,494 yards and 54 touchdowns (12 interceptions) at Williams & Mary, spent 2007 with the Austin Ranglers of the AFL. He threw for 2,277 yards and 41 touchdowns in the arena league on a 111.66 quarterback rating. He joined the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2005 but was waived by the team at the end of training camp.
The Browns allocated him to NFL Europa in 2006 where he threw for 1,264 and 10 touchdowns for the Berlin Thunder. He returned to training camp but Cleveland released him on Aug. 28, 2006.
“(I) just kind of stick with it,” he said. “The coaches have been great about not throwing me to the wolves right away and kind of working me in piecemeal and that’s honestly all I can do… I’ll just maybe be an arm for a while and spot some legs here or there wherever I can.”
YOUTH WEEK UPDATE: Day two of Youth Week at Russell Falcons Training Camp marked an exciting day for young fans looking to dress like pros.
Eleven lucky kids won an autographed jersey from their favorite player during the “Jersey Frenzy” contest. Children ages 5 to 17 had an opportunity to register to enter for the drawing before the start of practice.
At the close of practice, kids and their families waited anxiously to hear their numbers called. Most participants traveled to training camp from the Atlanta area and other parts of North Georgia but one young fan and her family made Flowery Branch the last stop on their way home to Maryland.
Tori Smith, from Bel Air, Md., entered the Jersey Frenzy drawing won the No. 3 jersey worn by quarterback D.J. Shockley.
“I’m not sure who he is, but everyone says I should definitely keep this jersey,” Tori said.
The Falcons congratulate Smith and the following young fans who walked away from training camp as winners in the contest:
- Bakari Green -- Lithonia, Ga.
- Hunter Crawford -- Flowery Branch, Ga.
- Dylan Karnitz -- Suwanee, Ga.
- Brianna Longoria -- Cumming, Ga.
- Tyler Myers and Cody Peplin -- Atlanta
- Nina Rodriguez -- Cumming, Ga.
- Chase Dague -- Flowery Branch, Ga.
- Paul King -- Winder, Ga.
- C.J. Talley and Keeley Smith -- Gainesville, Ga.
WEATHER REPORT: A thick fog greeted players Sunday morning on their walk (or golf cart ride) to the locker room from the dorms on the edge of the Falcons' campus. It lifted just a few hundred feet into the sky for practice and kept the workout cool and the lighting soft and gray.
The evening practice commenced under mostly sunny skies – a perfect Georgia night.
The lack of humidity, however, has raised a few red flags in the head coach’s mind.
“Actually I’m starting to worry about it,” Petrino said. “I like to see it nice and hot and humid. We’ve got to go to Jacksonville and play at 1 o’clock the second game of the year so we need some heat and we need some humidity. It’s been pretty easy on them so far.”
The forecast for Monday’s practice calls for partly-sunny skies and a temperature of about 85 degrees.
ATTENDANCE NOTES: Numbers came in Sunday from the Falcons' practice session from Saturday afternoon. A total of 2,753 fans came out to see the team work out despite a driving rain storm. Sunday's attendance clocked in at 1,734.
Atlanta Falcons staffer LaRhonda T. Jackson contributed to this report.
