Falcons training camp is over, so bring on the season

If you were putting off going to Falcons training camp this year, I’m sorry to tell you that you waited a little too long. Tuesday marked the final practice of training camp.

You got final impressions from Jeanna Thomas and Andrew Hirsh with the Falcons, which you should absolutely read, but suffice to say training camp was a net positive this year. We saw a lot of exciting progress from young players, got an early glimpse at key veteran signings like Dwight Freeney, Alex Mack, and Mohamed Sanu, and saw Kyle Shanahan intercept Matt Ryan. There were some magical moments, in other words.

Most importantly of all, we saw what Dan Quinn is trying to do with this football team, adding speed and physicality to the defense that has been missing for years. We don’t know if it’s going to succeed, obviously, and throughout Atlanta’s history such efforts have not gone well. But I’m ready to find out.

The true test won’t come until the regular season, but we’ve seen enough from training camp to feel better about this team’s direction after three straight lackluster years. If training camp gave us nothing else, that was worthwhile.