FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Falcons’ offseason program opened Tuesday, beginning the monthslong buildup to the season. Cornerback A.J. Terrell and left tackle Jake Matthews, leaders on defense and offense, made it clear they believe in the direction of their franchise in transition.
There are new faces aplenty in Flowery Branch, most notably at quarterback, where Marcus Mariota replaces Matt Ryan, the longtime face of the team. Mariota was present Tuesday, earning compliments from his new blindside protector.
“We talked a little bit today and all good stuff,” Matthews said. “Great guy from what I’ve been able to see so far. The beginning of building that camaraderie and like, ‘Hey, we need to get the O-line and quarterbacks out weekly and go get dinner or something.’ Just stuff like that, those initial steps to building that teammate companionship that you have. Because I’ve noticed that the teams that are usually better were closer as a group. We do more stuff together, and we get along, and we all work hard and have the same ideals.”
