Everything You Need To Know From Day 1 Of Falcons-colts Joint Practices

WESTFIELD, Ind. — I can’t believe I got sunburned in Indiana.

I’ve been at dozens of Falcons training camp practices in Flowery Branch over the years, and I’ve come home with exactly zero sunburns in the last decade or so. I wear sunscreen religiously, including today. I reapplied before I went out on the practice field. And my face is currently about the same shade as the red jerseys the Falcons wore in last week’s preseason loss.

Other than the sunburn, I had a fantastic time watching practice, and it was an interesting day for the Falcons. We got some time afterward with Tua Tagovailoa, Chris Lindstrom, and AJ Terrell, and got their perspective on how practice went, the energy levels, and how ready they think they are for the season.

Here’s everything you need to know:

We’ll hear from Kevin Stefanski tomorrow

There was a misunderstanding about when Stefanski would speak — either we all read the details incorrectly or something changed, because we all expected him to speak prior to practice. Keenan Allen, the Colts newest WR, was the only person to speak prior to practice. Stefanski is definitely speaking prior to Thursday’s practice — estimating around 2:15 p.m., but that could change. Practice begins at 3 p.m. again on Thursday.

This isn’t a big deal or anything. Stefanski does address the media regularly, and head coaches don’t have to address the media every day.

Practice was fast-paced and high-energy

I was very curious how this joint practice would be structured, and I liked the way they ran it. The facility where the Colts practice, the Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield, Ind., is absolutely gorgeous, and massive. The setup is two full-sized football fields end-to-end, which does make it impossible to see everything that’s happening.

The Falcons went through their typical warm-up routine before running individual drills against the Colts. Afterward, Atlanta and Indianapolis ran a variety of team drills against each other, from special teams to in-game scenarios. I was walking back and forth between the two fields quite a bit, which made it hard to keep track of everything. Some observations:

• Michael Penix Jr., as expected, did not participate in team drills. Tua took the first-team reps, and Cooper Rush and Jack Strand also got plenty of reps.
• Tua did not have a spectacular day. He took a few sacks, fumbled a snap, Tua also threw a pick-six to Colts CB Justin Walley. Tua had a few good moments, too — including a pass to Drake London where London absolutely Mossed the unfortunate Colts defender tasked with covering him into oblivion. But that was more London’s doing than Tua’s. Until the regular season starts, I’m just going to hope we see improvement, because I’m having a hard time coming up with a realistic scenario where he isn’t starting against the Steelers Week 1. Tua’s smart and very serious about getting it right, and I hope he does.
• I mentioned the high energy level at practice. Before practice even officially started, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was making the rounds as his players stretched, getting everyone hyped up.
• Atlanta’s receivers and tight ends look like they’re gonna be a problem for defenses this year … as long as whoever’s throwing them the ball can actually do that effectively. But as Tua mentioned after practice, when a quarterback has guys like Drake London (6’4) and Kyle Pitts (6’6) to throw the ball to, with their size and catch radius, they can win those contested or not-quite-on-target balls and that makes the quarterback’s life much easier.
• And Bijan Robinson looks as dominant as ever. He will perennially be a problem for defenses.
• Speaking of the tight ends, Charlie Woerner’s effort stands out to me. We know he’s an excellent blocking tight end, but he’s putting everything he has into every receiving rep he gets. I would be shocked if he didn’t make the final 53-man roster, but he played in this joint practice like his roster spot was riding on it.
• Nick Folk was booming kicks deep throughout special teams drills. He was very consistent today.
• On defense, Kendal Daniels got a lot of work with the first team and looked good. I’m very impressed with the rookie.
• Daniel Jones looked REALLY good, going 15 for 15 against the Falcons defense, which was up-and-down from what I was able to see.
• I saw AJ Terrell get beat on one snap, and the very next snap rebound with flawless execution. Players seemed extremely focused on making the most of these reps. After practice, I asked Terrell what he thought the defense did well in joint practice, and he mentioned the energy levels. “I feel like we had a good energy switch, just being able to go up against somebody else [who isn’t a teammate].
• And here’s my real-time reporting from today:

I’ll be back up there for Day 2 on Thursday, and as always, you’ll be able to find my reporting in The Falcoholic’s Feed. What are your thoughts on today’s practice, and what are you hoping to see tomorrow?