Training camp in Flowery Branch took a turn Sunday when several scuffles broke out between the Falcons’ offense and defense during live drills.
Training camp in Flowery Branch took a turn Sunday when several scuffles broke out between the Falcons’ offense and defense during live drills.
One series, including the Falcons’ first-team offense going up against the second-team defense, saw rookie edge rusher James Pearce and guard Matthew Bergeron, whose helmet was knocked off, engage in the extracurriculars, according to ESPN’s Marc Raimondi.
The back and forth metastasized into multiple players across both units, shoving each other.
Notably, fellow edge rusher Leonard Floyd stepped in on behalf of Pierce.
Moments later, Pearce squared off with right tackle Kaleb McGary, leading to a second heated exchange, again requiring mediation.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich later addressed the incidents, calling them a learning opportunity:
“We’re trying to develop a culture, a style of play for sure, and part of that is the violence with which we play and aggression, the urgency and all that,” the former interim Jets coach said. “Today, at times, it went a little too far and we’ve got to learn how to manage that.
