J.Mike's Missives

The Falcons took the field at the Allstate All-Access Roam the Dome Saturday with two goals: Work hard and put on a show.

With thousands of fans in attendance and a mock game that featured turnovers and three touchdown passes, both missions were accomplished.

Head Coach Mike Smith split his roster and ran the team through 11-on-11 stretches across the Georgia Dome turf. The red team won the mock game, 21-6.

Quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Michael Jenkins had the early highlight — a 28-yard touchdown strike up the seam in the first half.

On the next series with the first team, Ryan found newly-acquired tight end Tony Gonzalez on three straight passes, including a 10-yard play to the end zone for a score over safety Jamaal Fudge.

Chris Redman also threw a touchdown pass, finding Ben Hartsock from 6 yards out in the second half of play.

Three times the white team, quarterbacked by John Parker Wilson and D.J. Shockley marched into the red zone. Two stops were treated as field goals. The third trip ended with a Brent Grimes interception.

Click here for more photos from Roam the Dome and Friday Night Lights

SOME NOTES FROM THE FIELD…

… The session opened with some punt return work. Eric Weems, Chandler Williams, Brian Finneran and Grimes lined up as return men, with Grimes showing some nifty moves. The team needs to find a new return man since Harry Douglas (knee) is out for the season.

… The first-team defense allowed just one first down on the opening possession helped, in part, by a John Abraham sack of Shockley (no contact, of course).

… On offense, Finneran and  Jenkins were the top two receivers with the first team. Former arena football star Troy Bergeon was the first man in for three-receiver packages but the team also showed plenty of two-tight end looks.

… Ryan made a bit of a fashion statement, wearing black sweat pants instead of shorts with his red practice jersey. Kind of looked like he rolled out of bed Saturday morning, had a cup of coffee and decided to go be an NFL quarterback.

… Defensive end Lawrence Sidbury and defensive tackle Peria Jerry, 2009 Draft selections, worked with the second team defense. Curtis Lofton and Trey Lewis sat out, pushing Thomas Johnson into the rotation at defensive tackle and Tony Gilbert to first-team middle linebacker.

… Smith was all over the field, watching the scrimmage from behind the offense and talking to his staff via headset. He also alerted officials to a missed face mask and gave quick, direct instruction to both sides of the ball.

… William Moore, who is out for the next one to four weeks after minor knee surgery, did not play. Thomas DeCoud and Erik Coleman continue their work as first-team safeties.

… Cornerback Chris Houston, who played with the first-team defense broke up a would-be touchdown pass from John Parker Wilson to tight end Jason Rader.

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OK, so it’s not really “kickoff” to Allstate All-Access Roam the Dome. It’s a non-contact event. But, the Falcons and the scoreboard operators didn’t hold back in the production.

Behold, the actually “60 Seconds to Kickoff” piece to be used during the 2009 season (better quality coming to AF.com once I can hijack it from the control room).

I’m taking notes in the press box at Roam the Dome now. Will pull them together and give everyone a little recap and some highlights at the end of the event.

But, as I type… A near one-handed grab by Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez from near-Pro Bowler Matt Ryan. It’s the first throw to Gonzalez today, but his presence has opened up throwing lanes for Ryan in this workout to the outside and the deep middle.

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Sitting in the press box at the Georgia Dome fighting back feelings of nostalgia and listening to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution sing along with “One Thing Leads to Another…”

The Falcons plan to kickoff the mock game at Roam the Dome around 12:30 p.m. but thousands of fans are already filing into the Dome.

Roam the Dome doesn’t offer the same, live action scrimmage feel from Friday Night Lights, but the trade off comes in the game day atmosphere. The team plans to show the 2009 NFL Films highlight real on the new, HD scoreboards and a full-scale team introduction will push out from the tunnel.

Why? To get the team used to a game-day atmosphere and all the non-football bells and whistles from an NFL game.

The coach-to-player headsets are plugged in and ready to go. The music is pumping and the team will go through a routine, pre-game warm up.

No wonder Head Coach Mike Smith’s teams are comfortable at home.

More photos and some Flip video to come from the event…

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