Head Coach Mike Smith
On the intensity of practice today:
A: “Anytime you have three straight practices at the beginning, it’s going to be a little chippy. It was fun to see. They were out there competing and enjoying each other’s camaraderie.”
Q: What have you taken from these past three days of practice?
A: “We wanted to make sure our guys knew how we were going to practice and what the structure was. We also wanted to become familiar with each other and that means players to players, players to coaches and coaches to coaches. It’s been a good three days for us and we’re excited about what we accomplished. The next time we get together, we’ll have an influx of new players and these guys will be mentors to the young guys coming in.”
Q: Is it a negative for the players who are not attending these workouts?
A: “No, it’s not. These are voluntary workouts and we are glad with the participation that we’ve received. The next time we get together will be our mandatory workout.”
Q: What have been your early impressions of Chris Redman?
A: “I think Chris has done a nice job. He and Joey Harrington are out there competing on every snap. Chris has done a nice job coming back after being out of the league for three years. I think it’s a nice story. He played efficiently at the end of the season and this year is a new system for him and for all of us. I think we’ve made a lot of progress, but there are a lot of things we need to clean up.”
On his philosophy of controlling the line of scrimmage:
A: “This is just the first step. In three days, we’ve only put in 10 percent of what we wanted to do. We want to expose our guys to as much as we can right off the bat. I thought (offensive coordinator) Mike Mularkey and the entire offensive staff did a great job getting the guys to understand the motions and the different things. I thought it was a very productive camp.”
On the importance of the draft and the number of picks the Falcons have:
A: “I think having the opportunity to have these guys work together and the coaching staff evaluate their capabilities is very important.”
Q: What are your first impressions of Jerious Norwood?
A: “Jerious is a very explosive back who has very good speed. I think he has a great feel for running the ball and he is going to be a great weapon for us.”
