FLOWERY BRANCH -- Despite leading arguably the best defensive unit in the NFL the past two seasons, new Atlanta Falcons head coach and former Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has been noticeably silent about his past work.
“I can’t remember not one time Coach Quinn mentioning the Seahawks. It’s all about us now,” fifth-year defensive end Adrian Clayborn said after Wednesday’s minicamp session at the Falcons Complex.
“We watched (Seattle) the last couple of years and you want to play in a defense like this one,” Clayborn said. “It’s fun.”
Wednesday was the second of a mandatory three-day minicamp. The final session will be held Thursday beginning at 10:55 a.m. and will be open to the public.
The Falcons defense in 2014 was among the bottom-feeders and perhaps Quinn’s work with the Seahawks was a contributing factor to him landing his first NFL head coaching job. If Wednesday’s session is any indicator of what Falcons fans can expect to see during the regular season, they’ll like it.
As a whole, the defense had a stellar day against the offense, including several interceptions, and looked quick and aggressive. Here is a look at each group and how they fared overall and individually as well:
DEFENSIVE BACKS:
The group tallied three picks, two off Matt Ryan, with rookie Damian Parms getting his second in as many days and second year player Ricardo Allen getting a leaping grab in front of Leonard Hankerson.
Veteran Robert Alford had an interception out of bounds off Sean Renfree but his coverage of Justin Hardy was near-flawless and he only allowed two catches during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills.
Rookie Jonathan Mincey batted down a pair of passes on tight coverage.
However, rookies Jalen Collins and Robenson Therezie both struggled at times as they get more comfortable. Collins was beaten by Julio Jones across the middle that likely would have been a touchdown and Therezie limped off the field at one point but later returned to get beaten on two consecutive plays.
Rookie Michael Lee was beaten badly on a fly pattern to Hardy but T.J. Yates badly overthrew the ball on what would should have been an easy touchdown.
Jones also beat the inside corner on a slant route that would have resulted in a big gain or a touchdown.
Alford felt the group has made strides in a short amount of time.
“Coach Quinn coming here being a defensive coordinator and showing us things to improve our technique and improve in the backfield is a big help,” Alford said.
“I feel like we’re improving every day at practice. We go in and watch film and come out the next day and try to improve on those things.”
Despite torching them personally for most of the session, Jones sent some praise toward the secondary, which was a major trouble spot for the Falcons a year ago.
“They are improving,” Jones said. “They’re getting off the ball every play and competing. That’s all you can ask for. We’ve got some playmakers back there.”
LINEBACKERS:
Joplo Bartu also recorded an interception on a tipped pass from Yates, who had two INTs on the day.
Rookie and No. 8 draft pick Vic Beasley had some ups and downs but had one stretch where he wore out veteran tackle Tyler Polumbus. On consecutive plays he recorded a sack on a wicked inside spin move to get to Ryan and then registered a tackle-for-loss beating Polumbus to the outside on a running play to Devonta Freeman. He also helped force a quick throw on the next play with another inside spin move.
Kory Biermann, who has moved to OLB from DE, helped force a pair of quick throws by Ryan.
DEFENSIVE LINE:
Tyson Jackson helped force a pair of quick throws by Ryan for incompletions and Wisconsin rookie Warren Herring registered a TFL and forced Yates into a quick throw for an incompletion.
Clayborn, who helped chase Ryan once and Yates once out of the pocket, said the competition with a new staff is driving everyone.
“It’s a new coaching staff and you have to impress them,” Clayborn said. “I feel we’re making progress. Every day we’ve gotten a little bit better.”
Quinn let a slight smile escape when asked about the perceived progress of his defense.
“It was a good effort today and some days it’s going to be like that and others days they won’t be able to get close to the ball,” Quinn said. “For us attacking the ball is big and will be at the top of the list. Taking shots at the ball and getting after it is what we are preaching. I think they’re doing a good job of understanding what we want and doing better at executing those things.”
Here are some excerpts from today’s session:
Julio Jones
On contract talks in the wake of the Dez Bryant situation in Dallas:
“The only thing I can do as a player is come out here and compete. That’s on my agent, Thomas (Dimitroff) and the Falcons. I want to be here for a long time, but it’s on them to make that decision.
“I want to win. If I’m not here, then I’m not with my teammates and I’m letting them down. That would be selfish.”
Dan Quinn
On the crowd on the hill
“A great crowd today with over 3,000 fans and a lot of kids. We really felt their energy.”
On 11-on-11 drills
“We went into a two-minute drill right from the beginning to work on that. We want to be the best finishing team in the league. We did some good things.”
On Julio Jones
“Julio is a unique guy and one of the biggest competitors I’ve been around. I love his approach and he’s a great teammate. For him to say he just wants to win is what I love about him and his attitude.”
On Jalen Collins
“Physically Jalen looks good. A couple things on technique but he’s got really good ball skills and he can go track the ball and get it.”
Are big guys like Collins (6-1, 203) at CB the future of the NFL?
“With guys that have size and length it’s one way to go and attack the receivers we will play against. With smaller guys you may have to play more scheme so to have guys that can match up on the line is a way to make it hard for the quarterback to get his throws in.”
On T Tyler Polumbus
“We’ve switched him a bunch at right and left tackle. And that’s going be a critical role once we get to training camp. It will give him some versatility. I love his work ethic and consistency.”
INJURY UPDATE: Lamar Holmes will be out for the foreseeable future after suffering a broken foot during Tuesday’s minicamp session. Quinn said no timetable has been set for his return. Holmes had worked back onto the field after an injury last season so it is a setback for the fourth-year tackle out of Southern Miss. ... Roddy White was held out again on Wednesday for an undisclosed injury as a precaution. ... WR Devin Hester again was not at minicamp after being given the day off for personal reasons.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2015/6/317558/falcons-defense-shaping-up-as-training-camp-nears