5 Biggest Things to Take Away from Atlanta Falcons' Training Camp

Every year, there's always something to take away from NFL training camp. The Atlanta Falcons are no different—based on the team's performance through the first two preseason games.

After a 31-17 loss against the Baltimore Ravens and a 24-19 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Falcons are now turning their focus to fine-tuning the little things. The fine-tuning will come prior to the third preseason game, which is where the starters will play the longest in the preseason.

Some areas need more work than others, but they're looking strong in other areas.

Here's a look at five things we can take from the Falcons training camp thus far.

Julio Jones Is Going to Have a Big Season

We all knew how good Julio Jones was last year even before he stepped foot on an NFL field.

After a year in which he had 54 catches for 959 yards, Jones is ready for his first 1,000-yard campaign of his NFL career.

Although the preseason means nothing, Jones has shown that he means business out of the gate.

Against Baltimore, he had six catches for 109 yards. In the game with Cincinnati, Jones didn't have as great of stats, only garnering three catches for 41 yards.

Once Jones is playing a full game, he'll be over 100 yards in more than half the games.

The Falcons truly have 1A and 1B receivers in Roddy White and Julio Jones.

Swagger Is Back in the Secondary

If swagger is what you want, then that's what you are going to get with newly acquired cornerback Asante Samuel.

Samuel has been known to have swagger on the field, and it's something I think will help the Falcons.

There's the cockiness side of swagger and there's the confidence side of swagger. For Samuel, it's more of the latter because he talks the talk and walks the walk.

According to Pat yasinskas of ESPN.com, Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff doesn't see it as a problem.

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He’s a feisty, very confident corner. One that can not only make an impact on the field, but also make an impact on our locker room and help our element of confidence and swagger within the secondary.

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Samuel has 39 interceptions in the last six years, along with 104 pass deflections. He's been one of the better defensive backs in the league and he let's everyone know it.

There's a Chip on Everyone's Shoulder

Since quarterback Matt Ryan and head coach Mike Smith came to the team, the Falcons are 0-3 in the playoffs. That alone puts a huge chip on both of their shoulders.

Their recent stint was also their ugliest as they couldn't get anything going on offense, losing to the New York Giants 24-2.

Tony Gonzalez has a chip as well. His chip is the fact that he's at the end of his career, according to an article by D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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I would say that I’m 95 percent sure, just in case Gonzalez said. I talked to my family this offseason. I’ve had a great run. I feel pretty good about where I’m at as a player. I just want to make sure that I end at the top.

I don’t want to be one of those players towards the end — nothing against those guys who’ve done it like that in the past — but I want to make sure that I’m at the top of my game when I do go out.

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With it possibly being his last season, you can bet Gonzalez has a chip on his shoulder. He not only wants to go down as the greatest tight end ever, but also as a Super Bowl champion.

Then there's the offensive line. After struggling last season, the biggest addition to the unit came via the draft in center Peter Konz. Other than that, the line should look the same as last year.

That being said, they know they have to step up their game if the Falcons are going to go anywhere in the playoffs. Maybe the swagger that Samuel brings to the defense will rub off on the offense.

Mike Nolan's Intensity Will Pay Dividends

Acquiring Asante Samuel was the best move of the offseason for the Falcons.

Next to that was hiring Mike Nolan as the defensive coordinator. Nolan has been coaching in the NFL since 1987, including four years as the San Francisco 49ers head coach from 2005-08.

Among Nolan's credentials as the Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator last year was the fact that his defense held opponents to 95.6 yards per game and had 41 sacks. That tells me the Dolphins got after the ball.

If the Dolphins of all teams could get after the ball like that, then that gives me confidence in the fact that a better Falcons defense will do the same.

Nolan brings in the ability to help the Falcons become one of the elite defenses in the NFL.

There's Still Red-Zone Issues

The Falcons had multiple problems in the red zone last year. So far in the preseason, it's much of the same.

Last year, the Falcons had 56 red-zone attempts. Of those 56, they scored a touchdown 31 times and kicked a field goal 17 times.

That's a stat that has to improve for the Falcons.

They've done a good job at getting into the red zone, but they'll have to get a few more of those field goals turned into touchdowns.

Replacement Officials Are Going to Hurt the League

This is going to affect every team in the NFL, not just the Falcons. However, I would be remiss to not mention it.

Replacement officials are going to hurt the league.

As we've seen throughout all of the preseason games so far, there have already been many mistakes. In the NFL, you can't have that, especially as player safety is at the forefront of the issues.

The league needs to get a deal done with the regular officials. The safety and well-being of the players depends on it, as does the overall game play.