More than 12,000 fans attended Friday Night Lights, the Falcons’ first intra-squad scrimmage of training camp at Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee, Georgia. Those who attended got a first hand account of the best position battles throughout the first week of training camp.
Defensive end Lawrence Sidbury got the better of RT Andrew Jackson, who is fighting for a roster spot. Sidbury, who recorded four sacks last season, finished Friday Night Lights with two sacks and was active both on the line and dropping back into coverage. He was the only defensive player to record a sack. Jackson, a seventh round draft pick in 2011, spent last season on the Falcons practice squad.
“We have a lot of different looks,” Sidbury told Orlando Ledbetter, referring to his flexibility on the field. “It’s simple for us but we try to make it look complicated for the opposition. We have a lot of things that we can do. We can bring pressure from anywhere.”
Defensive end Kroy Biermann, who had 37 tackles and 2.5 sacks, also was used in a hybrid set, playing both DE and dropping into linebacker coverage.
The Falcons displayed what coach Mike Smith has referred to as “duplicity” or the ability to interchange certain players at various positions along the defense.
“Matchups are so crucial in the game especially in your sub-packages,” Smith said on July 31. “You’ve got to be able to matchup at times and we’re going to have that flexibility. We’re going to have multiplicity in what we’re doing defensively in terms of where guys are going to line up.”
Rookie Peter Konz, who isn’t sure himself whether he’s predominantly a RG or a C, saw action at both positions and continued his push for a starting job. However, Garret Reynolds isn’t ready to relinquish his position just yet. Reynolds started seven games last year and has spent the majority of the preseason working with the first team.
Other highlights: Michael Calvin, an undrafted rookie WR from California, made two nice catches from backup QBs John Parker Wilson and Dominique Davis. “You saw some speed going up the sideline there,” head coach Mike Smith said. “Michael can run extremely well.”
CB Asante Samuel and Christopher Owens each had interceptions in Friday Night’s scrimmage. Owens had 35 tackles and one sack last year in 14 games.
Falcons sign Obi: With DT Corey Peters sidelined for the next two weeks with a foot injury and Vance Walker missing Thursday’s practice with an undisclosed injury, the Falcons picked up Conrad Obi, a 6-3, 290-pound tackle out of Colorado. Obi was originally signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent following the 2012 draft.
For more Falcons coverage, follow Mike Singer @CBSSportsNFLATL.