The Atlanta Falcons are in the midst of their offseason program, working to install new systems and build a foundation for the upcoming season under first-year head coach Kevin Stefanski, according to a May 22 report. The team began its offseason conditioning program two weeks earlier than clubs with returning coaches, as permitted by league rules, giving players extra time to learn Stefanski’s approach.
Stefanski said this period is focused on player technique and fundamentals. “This is the time of the year where you’re going to make a mistake and then we’re going to learn from it,” Stefanski said. “We’re going to identify the reasons that it was made and we’re going to correct them. So, I think you’re seeing from the, certainly the veterans that have been around, you’re seeing them continue to get better in each rep, get better in each practice.”
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr., whose professional journey began less than a month ago, described how important it is for everyone on the team—rookies and veterans alike—to be aligned: “For us to go out there on the field and have the same mindset and have the same understanding of what’s going on around us, it’s only going to help us be better,” Penix said. “It’s been really good.” He added that learning a common language is essential as last year’s terminology has been replaced: “For us, it’s like everything from last year is flushed. So, I can’t come and ask coach, ‘Hey, what is this route,’ and call it a route from last year whenever I’m in a new system.”
The coaching staff are also making subtle adjustments in player techniques rather than wholesale changes. Stefanski explained: “We coach so much on the footwork… Having said that, there are subtle quarter-turn adjustments that I think you can make with technique… It may be how you’re transferring your weight from your back foot. It may be how you finish your throw.” Quarterbacks are spending significant time practicing dropbacks under center—an area where Penix had limited experience last season.
Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees commented on adapting schemes based on trends across football: “Everything in football is trends… you want to have some foresight on where things might be going or where things might be transitioning into.” Rees also noted strong engagement among players and staff: “There’s a lot of buy-in amongst the players and the staff… Our focus really offseason-wise is like fundamentals, technique, mastering the offensive system… And there’s always going to be things to clean up but that’s why we’re here right now and [I’m] looking forward to the rest of it.”
The Atlanta Falcons compete in the National Football League’s NFC South division as an expansion team founded in 1965; they are based in Atlanta, Georgia. Freddie the Falcon serves as their mascot; they advanced twice to Super Bowl appearances—in 1998 and 2016—according to their official website.