Top Five Stories from Falcons Training Camp - Day One

"Once again it's ON!" Naughty By Nature

Falcons fans, it is that time of year again, when two-a-days are the norm, when the search for that next breakout star is as evident as that next drink of water from an exhausted lineman, struggling with the Georgia heat of the summer.

Hope beyond hope reigns that star players avoid injury, and injured players from last year show that they are ready for what is going to be a special season.

Ladies and gentlemen, training camp is here! We are excited that a new season of Falcons football is only a month and a half away, and we're going to take a look at some of the more interesting storylines coming out of day one at Falcons headquarters, otherwise known as Flowery Branch:

1.) Spoon Signs with Atlanta

Continuing to sign all of their rookies prior to training camp is what GM Thomas "Boy Wonder" Dimitroff does best, and as of yesterday, Atlanta was the fourth NFL team to sign their first-round pick this season when they inked LB Sean Weatherspoon (19th pick overall) to a five-year deal.

It seems that he has already made an impression on the Falcons faithful. This is a comment he made that was posted by Jason Butt of CBS Sports after fans in attendance this morning brought wooden spoons in support of rookie LB Sean Weatherspoon:

“Being in college it was like that after my first couple of years, the spoons came out,” he said. “I’m excited the fans are excited about me being here.”

2.) Matt Ryan Looking Sharp in 7-on-7s

One of the major goals for QB Matt Ryan is to improve on his accuracy as his passing yards and QB rating dropped in 2009. This morning Ryan looked sharp in 7-on-7s, completing eight of 10 passes. His two incompletions involved CB Dunta Robinson getting his hands on the ball.

Not receiving many reps in 7-on-7s were backup QBs Chris Redman and John Parker Wilson. Redman completed two of four passes and Wilson completed one of four.

(courtesy of AJC.com)

3) Brent Grimes: Potential Starter?

In what could be a major surprise coming out of this morning's training camp was seeing CB Brent Grimes starting on the first team's drill alongside prized free agent pickup Dunta Robinson.

The 5'10" Grimes was often a target of opposing QBs last season. However, he picked up his game later in the season to finish among the team leaders in INT's with six in 2009.

4,) Injured Players Coming Along

One important storyline coming out of training camp will be the progression of DT Peria Jerry, S William Moore, and CB Brian Williams as they return from different injuries which ended their 2009 season prematurely.

The former players are rookies who Atlanta is counting on heavily to improve not only their pass rush, but their overall pass coverage as well.

While reports indicate that each of them are moving along well, Coach Mike Smith is going to only have them participate in the morning drills to monitor their progress as the camp continues.

5.) Kroy Biermann: Dating a Housewife?

Some training camp stories are just too good to pass up, but rumors persists that Kim Zolciak is dating Falcons DE Kroy Biermann.

Sure, this doesn't have anything to do with pads or working on pass routes, but that has been the celebrity buzz going around Flowery Branch as the two have been spotted around Atlanta's hot spots in the past few days.

Besides, in this celebrity-based culture who doesn't like a little juicy story to beat the heat?

As for Biermann, his stock continues to rise. From making clutch plays to handling kickoffs to winning Atlanta's "Dancing With the Stars" and now dating a reality TV star (not to mention having a cool last name), what can't he do?