The Atlanta Falcons are aiming for a huge season in terms of success and wins, including making the playoffs for the first time in a long while. They have the pieces to do it. The veterans on the squad are there to guide the young players taking their first steps in the NFL.
Jalon Walker is a future star in the making, and head coach Raheem Morris already likes what he sees. However, Walker isn’t the only future star Atlanta drafted back in April. James Pearce is set to be a really reliable player for years to come.
When it comes to reliability, no one has been more consistent than veteran David Onyemata, a staple on the Falcons’ defensive line.
“At 32 years old, Onyemata is coming off his seventh season of logging more than 500 defensive snaps, proving to be one of the more reliable players at his position in recent years,” wrote Sports Illustrated’s Jonathon Macri.
On Monday, it was Onyemata who got involved in a scuffle during OTAs.
“David Onyemata and Matthew Bergeron were at the center of a scuffle at #Falcons practice that has caused a halt to the proceedings here. Raheem Morris giving an impromptu speech to the entire team in the field as I type this,” Falcons reporter Joe Patrick wrote.
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While that isn’t a great look for the two veterans, it’s a good sign that practice is getting competitive—showing the players care.
“Fights throughout summer practices serve as a sign that there is a lack of apathy. It requires a level of intensity that promises the needed effort is being put in. While things never need to go too far and there are obvious injury concerns, it should be viewed as a positive sign that this team is doing everything possible to turn the corner,” ATL All Day’s Nick Halden wrote.
Incidents like this are bound to happen in football, but scuffles within a team are rare. Morris was able to step in and deliver a message—one that hopefully prevents another scuffle from breaking out.
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