FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Jack Strand's NFL career is off to a memorable start.
Entering his first professional training camp, the former Minnesota-State Moorhead star learned exactly why backup quarterbacks need to be ready at a moment's notice — even on Day 1. With Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. unavailable to play in 11-on-11 periods due to injuries, Strand operated Atlanta’s starting offense out of the gate.
"That's something that I've been telling myself a ton: Be where your feet are. Enjoy the moment," Strand said on the second day of training camp. "Don't look in the past, don't dwell on any mistakes or any success that you might have had. Don't look to the future and wonder what's going to be happening in two weeks, in three weeks, in a couple of months or anything. Just be where your feet are."
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On Friday night, Strand's feet were planted on the 1-yard line in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. There were 2 minutes and 16 seconds remaining in the third quarter of Atlanta's first preseason game against the Denver Broncos, and Strand had the offense knocking on the door of the end zone following a fumble recovery by Jammie Robinson.
The Falcons couldn't get the ball across the goal line on first or second down, but with just a single yard remaining, they dialed up a sneak for their 6-foot-5, 240-pound rookie quarterback who had nine rushing touchdowns during his college career.
Strand initially met a wall of Broncos defenders, but he kept his legs churning and managed to overpower them, falling forward for the first exhibition touchdown of his NFL career.
"We never ran a sneak in college, but I thought I'd be able to get it done," Strand said after the game. "I was excited to get the opportunity to do that. O-line up front, and the guys behind did a great job pushing me in. Because I think I got kind of stuck right away, but they came up big in that moment."
Strand scored the first touchdown of the game for Atlanta's offense, an encouraging sign of his continued progression thus far in camp. While the touchdown itself was an important moment for Strand, it was made all the more special by a few surprise visitors in the crowd.
"Yeah, my girlfriend was here [with] her family, and then my mom and two of my younger siblings actually surprised me before the game," Strand said. "I didn't know they were coming down."
During warmups before the game, members of the Falcons' staff told Strand that John Griffin, the team's director of player performance, needed to do something with him. When he approached Griffin, his family was waiting alongside him. They had traveled more than 1,000 miles from Bloomer, Wisconsin, to see Strand suit up in the red and black for the first time.
Strand finished the game 6-of-12 for 50 yards with the rushing touchdown. He delivered a few big moments for Atlanta's offense, including a nice 18-yard connection with tight end Josh Simon during which Strand got the ball off just in time before being hit on a play-action rollout.
"It's definitely a little different playing in an NFL stadium compared to playing in a Division II stadium," Strand said. "But it's the same game that I've been playing since I was six years old, so that was kind of my mentality going in."
A family drop-in wasn't the only surprise Strand received on Friday night. Following his touchdown sneak, Strand went straight into next-play mode on the sideline and left a memorable keepsake behind.
Fortunately, Tagovailoa and Penix tracked him down to make sure he went home with the football he forced past the goal line. The first professional touchdown of a player's career — even in a preseason game — is a moment worth holding on to.
"That's important because this is his first NFL game," Tagovailoa said. "I don't think people understand it's not easy to get into this league, whether you're drafted, whether you're undrafted. As little kids growing up playing football, it's always a dream to be able to play in the NFL. This being preseason, I understand, but that's a big deal."
From running the starting offense on Day 1 of training camp to scoring a touchdown in his first taste of game action, Strand has had a lot of big-deal moments so far this summer, and he's taken them all in stride.
