I’m just going to cut to the chase here — obviously, we’re going to focus on the Falcons’ joint practices with the Colts today. I’ve spent the past two days in Westfield, Ind. covering those practices, and I have a lot of thoughts to share in the Opening Drive — mostly about the quarterback situation.
The layout of the practice fields at the Grand Park Sports Complex where the Colts hold their training camp practices made it really difficult to monitor everything that was happening, but the Falcons
beat had a fantastic contingent on the ground in Indianapolis, and I’ve linked out to everyone else’s coverage below, too. If you want a well-rounded perspective on the whole team’s performance vs. the Colts in joint practices, I’d strongly recommend checking out everyone’s coverage.
And don’t miss the Falcoholic Community Question of the Day at the end of the post! A sneak preview: If you were in charge of writing the Atlanta Falcons’ mission statement for the 2026 season, what would it say?
Falcons Opening Drive: What we learned during joint practices with the Colts
In the past four days, I’ve spent time in six different states — Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. I’ve driven about 900 miles, with about 700 more to get home tomorrow. I’ve gotten sunburned, in INDIANA of all places; I’ve woken up at 1:41 a.m., mistaken the streetlight outside my hotel window for daylight, and panicked, thinking I was late for a 3 p.m. practice; and I have watched the Falcons starters take a lot of reps against the Colts. As I write this on Thursday night, in my hotel in downtown Indianapolis, Ind. mulling this trip over, I have to say that it was all well worth it.
You can learn a lot about a team by observing them in an unfamiliar environment and unusual circumstances.
Tua Tagovailoa had an up-and-down couple of days, but it’s important to remember that even though these were padded practices and they were pretty physical, tackling to the ground was not allowed, and any player’s performance in joint practices is not necessarily an indicator of how they’ll play in the regular season. I know we all wanted to see Tua deliver a — I hate to say it, but a Daniel Jones-on-Wednesday type of performance. I don’t think any of us wanted that more than Tua himself did.
Tua responded to his poor performance in the first preseason game against the Broncos, and a rocky performance in Wednesday’s practice, with a workmanlike attitude, a lack of ego, and a commitment to getting it right — and he did look better on Thursday. Now that Jawaan Taylor is healthy enough to be on the field, the offensive line should have a chance to develop the chemistry and timing they’ll need to keep Tua upright.
Michael Penix Jr. updated the media on his medical status on Thursday, and I don’t think anyone’s surprised that Tua will most likely be the Week 1 starter. Starting Tua and giving Penix as much time as possible to get fully healthy is the right call. I do think Penix is close based on how fluidly he moves in 1-on-1s and 7-on-7s, and I won’t be surprised if he ends up starting later in the season. But for now, we have to hope Tua’s able to stack up some wins as the Falcons’ starter.
And after what I’ve seen and heard from Tua these past two days in Westfield, Ind., I know he’ll do everything in his power to make that happen.
Now, let’s get to the Falcons coverage you absolutely must read, watch, or listen to today:
- Daniel Flick, AJC: Day 1, Day 2
- Josh Kendall, The Athletic: Day 1
- D. Orlando Ledbetter, Bowtie Sports: Day 1, Michael Penix hopes to be cleared after call with his doctor Thursday night
- Will McFadden, AtlantaFalcons.com: Day 1, Day 2
- Daniel Jones looked disturbingly good (my words, not the writer’s) against the Falcons passing defense on Wednesday, as Stampede Blue’s Jon Spradley notes.
- Day 2 recap from Stampede Blue’s Thomas Butler-Guerrero.
From the Falcoholic Community
I thought this was great insight from FalconsFaninMaine in the comments on Wednesday’s Opening Drive. Obviously we’re all just guessing at this point of the preseason, but this is a very well reasoned take. I hope Atlanta wins more games than this — I think we all do — but I can’t argue with any of the points Maine made here.
Maine’s notes about kicking in particular stood out to me because Folk looked so great in joint practices on Wednesday. And I have to think the offensive coaching will be improved, because I am not sure it could be more predictable than last season.
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The Falcoholic’s Question of the Day:
A member of the Colts staff was wearing a shirt during Wednesday’s joint practice that had the team’s mission statement emblazoned on the back. It read:
“To entertain, inspire, and unite by winning the right way.”
If you were tasked with writing the 2026 Atlanta Falcons mission statement, what would it say? Share it in the comments.
Have a great weekend, Falcons fans, and I’ll be back on Monday with a look at Saturday’s preseason game against the Colts, and what it means for the Falcons’ 2026 roster.
