Atlanta Falcons: Mini-Camp Update

The first day of Atlanta Falcons Mini-Camp is in the books.

It seems like Tony Gonzalez, who was traded to the Falcons right before the draft, is fitting into the offense quite smoothly.

Matt Ryan made sure he developed a significant QB-TE chemistry.  In the 11-on-11 player drills, Ryan through plenty of passes his way.  

"As a quarterback, any time you get a new toy you want to try it out," Ryan said. "I threw a few balls his way and he didn't disappoint."

Mike Peterson, who was signed as a free agent on March 10th, also made his presence known, flying around the ball and being loud. 

Yes, I said loud.

He's one of those guys who motivates and keeps his teammates loose.

Peria Jerry and William Moore both played on the second team defense.  But expect Jerry to slide into the first team defense sooner than later.

As for Moore, he's going to compete for the starting safety position against Thomas Decoud, who played on the 1st team defense today.

Stephen Nicolas played on the 1st team defense at outside linebacker.  Nicolas and veteran Coy Wire are expected to compete for the other outside linebacker spot. 

But don't sleep on Robert James who missed all of last season due to injury.

Rookie cornerback Christopher Owens, who was selected in the 3rd round (90th overall), also looked pretty impressive.  Owens is a little guy but boy is he fast.  His recovery speed is remarkable.

Jamaal Anderson and Kroy Biermann both started on the 1st team defense today.  Kroy Biermann stepped in for starting defensive end John Abraham.

John Abraham, Kicker Jason Elam, Center Alex Stepanovich, Cornerback Von Hutchins, and Cornerback David Irons all sat out because of injury.

And of course,  Matt Ryan looked great, connecting on every pass, hitting receivers between the numbers.  He's going to have a great season so make sure you target him on your fantasy football team.

I'll post more articles about the mini-camps the next two days.