Falcons Training Camp 2016: Day 3 was fast, physical, and in pads

Saturday marked the third day of training camp, and it was the first opportunity the Falcons had to get out there and hit somebody after strapping on pads for the first time this camp period.

The offense looked a little better today, though the timing seemed to be still just a bit off. That’s not terribly surprising, considering that this was the closest thing to real pressure the offense has actually experienced throughout OTAs, minicamp and training camp thus far.

Offense

• Tevin Coleman’s excellent performance throughout camp continued on a day where he had to deal with actual contact from defenders. His hands look improved and he’s definitely progressing as a receiver. Having two well-rounded backs in Coleman and Devonta Freeman, if what we’re seeing from Tevin translates to game days, is going to be pretty fun.
• Scrappy, gritty fan favorite Nick Williams hauled in a couple of nice catches Saturday.
• The offensive line held up well with contact.
• Jacob Tamme had an excellent touchdown catch toward the end of practice.
• Devin Fuller ended the day with a touchdown catch.

Defense

• Desmond Trufant, and this may not surprise you, looks awfully good in coverage. He came way with a pick off of a tipped ball.
• Yes, Jalen Collins is going to miss the first four games of the season, but he’s looked good throughout camp, so there’s hope he can serve his suspension and come back and really contribute. Collins had a couple of quality pass break-ups.
• Robenson Therezie also stood out on at least one play, breaking up a deep ball intended for Devonta Freeman. That doesn’t happen often.
• Dan Quinn was asked after practice if there is one position group that has stood out to him in terms of their progress so far through camp, and Quinn said to this point, it’s been the linebackers and secondary. Quinn credited position coaches Jeff Ulbrich and Marquand Manuel for the success so far.

Of note...

• Julio Jones participated in individual drills and looked fine. He was held out of team drills, which isn’t concerning, considering that throwing him back in with any kind of tweak on a day when there’s actual contact is probably a little reckless. Julio said after practice that he’s fine, and Dan Quinn said after practice that he expects Julio to get back to a full workload by tomorrow or Tuesday (Monday is a day off for players) and that continuing to limit him is merely a precaution.
• Alex Mack was seen favoring his knee a bit during practice, but Quinn said after practice that Mack takes excellent care of his body and that it wasn’t an injury or anything fans should be concerned about.