This post has been pulled from J. Mike’s blog on AtlantaFalcons.com
First-round draft pick Peria Jerry worked with a trainer on an adjacent field as the Falcons worked through the first practice of organized team activities (OTAs) on Wednesday.
Jerry injured his right knee during mini camp.
Head Coach Mike Smith said the defensive tackle bumped the knee during drills but, after Tuesday’s practice, he was optimistic the 24th overall pick wouldn’t be away from his teammates for much longer.
“We’re going to continue to work with him on the side but we don’t anticipate him missing a whole lot of time,” Smith said.
As a junior at Ole Miss Jerry recorded 58 tackles (14 for loss). He played a big part in a defensive turnaround from 2007 to 2008. The team ranked fourth in the nation in rushing defense last season after ranking 101st the previous year.
Jerry led the SEC with 18 tackles for loss as a senior. He registered 10.5 sacks over the last two seasons.
In other OTA news…
… A few players were missing from workouts, including tight end Tony Gonzalez and rookie cornerback Chris Owens. Smith said Owens was finishing classes at San Jose State and, when it comes to other absences, he’s not concerned.
“I’m not really going to talk about attendance but I can assure you I’ve talked to every one of them and I know where they are,” he said.
Attendance at the team’s 14 OTA sessions is voluntary.
… Quarterback Matt Ryan said the team will use practice time during this offseason stretch to work on little mistakes.
“I think the biggest part is to try and fine tune the little things, try and improve individually,” he said. “I think if we can do that we can improve collectively. We had a couple mental errors today but that’s the kind of stuff we need to clean up now so when we get to training camp it’s improving on our timing and having a great understanding of what we’re doing.”
To read more of Mike’s blog go to: http://jmike.blogs.atlantafalcons.com/
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