FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons’ offensive and defensive models received into a number of skirmishes Sunday throughout observe, together with two involving rookie edge rusher James Pearce Jr.
On one collection with the group’s first-team offense going up in opposition to the second-team protection, Pearce received into it with left guard Matthew Bergeron, whose helmet got here off. There was pushing and shoving between a number of gamers on each models, and edge rusher Leonard Floyd got here to Pearce’s protection.
Only one play later, tensions rose once more. Pearce received into it with proper sort out Kaleb McGary, who was screaming at Pearce together with his helmet off. As soon as once more, Floyd got here in to attempt to separate issues with extra pushing and shoving throughout.
“We’re attempting to develop a tradition, a mode of play for positive, and a part of that’s the violence with which we play and aggression, the urgency and all that,” defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich mentioned. “At present, at instances, it went a bit too far and we have got to discover ways to handle that.
“You are going to get agitated and, particularly if you’re taking part in actually good protection, the offense goes to get very agitated, so you have to anticipate punches being thrown, issues being mentioned, individuals getting pushed. In these moments, you bought to thrive and never retaliate and so it is a good lesson to be realized as we speak.”
The important thing, Ulbrich mentioned, is to cease earlier than punches are thrown. And there have been a few of these Sunday within the massive scrums.
Ulbrich mentioned it’s going to be a significant studying expertise for Pearce, who has been taking part in extraordinarily arduous from the bounce in observe and appears to have a chip on his shoulder.
“He is prideful because it will get,” Ulbrich mentioned. “He loves this sport. He is received deep love for his teammates … and he needs to return out right here and create a robust impression on all people — and himself included — that he can do that. And also you do that at a excessive stage, and I believe if you’re in that place of simply each ounce of your physique’s attempting to show who you might be, generally it will get to that place the place it may possibly get a bit wacky generally.
“His anger received the most effective of him a bit bit and it’s going to be an important studying expertise for him.”
Ulbrich mentioned what he appreciated in regards to the scuffles is how Floyd got here to the help of his teammate and that Pearce had a number of good performs after them. Pearce later batted down a Kirk Cousins move, and Cousins even complimented him on the sphere after observe for the play.
Offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford mentioned these coaching camp practices are like “off-roading in a pleasant truck.” You need to put the pedal to the metallic as a lot as you’ll be able to — however not a lot {that a} collision occurs.
“Yeah, we had a few crashes as we speak,” Ledford mentioned. “However the factor about these guys — I do know this, I understand how our locker room, the tradition that now we have right here on this locker room — these guys, they are going to shake it up. They know they received to get to work collectively and it is going to take each of us. It is sort of like what we mentioned, man, if either side of the ball are taking part in arduous like that, it is simply going to make us on either side that significantly better.”