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Falcons fan Laura Crisp gets the ball from Roddy White after getting beat on a pass route.
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- Jason McDonald
Falcons Score Touchdown With Midtown
By Jason McDonald
Falcons football fans wasted no time getting their 2006 football fix. Thousands of football fans flocked to Piedmont Park in midtown to take part in the Falcons first Midtown Touchdown festival.
Fans braved intense heat, brief thunder showers and long lines to get autographs from their favorite players and catch a glimpse of the 2006 Atlanta Falcons training practice routine.
The hot summer temperatures didn't keep fans from getting in line as early as 2:00 p.m. to get tickets for an autograph. To pass the time attendees played football, listened and danced to music from the sound stage, and shopped for Falcons paraphernalia.
From 10th Street, Piedmont Park resembled the Georgia Dome parking lots before a game, as fans set up tailgate tents along its perimeter. Ticket holders and non-ticket holders alike held animated discussions on football, specifically Falcons football. The chief topic of discussion, naturally, centered on the Dirty Birds signal caller Michael Vick.
By the time the players arrived from Flowery Branch so had the rain. The light rainfall became heavy and steady in no time at all sending festival attendees scurrying for their cars or shelter.
After roughly 30 minutes the rain eased off as gradually as they had arrived. Ticket holders who braved the rain slowly entered Grady Stadium for the main event.
The new Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders kicked off the evening practice with a couple of short dance routines on the soggy stadium turf. It was nice but the crowd hungered for the real deal. Having saved its loudest cheers for the guys in uniforms, Grady Stadium exploded in unison as the Dirty Birds made their way onto the field.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank under-stated the magnitude of the evening when he asked the crowd if they were having fun. Fun. It was more like a dream come true as players tossed footballs and gloves into the stands. And as if that wasn't enough several youngsters were given the opportunity to come down and take part in the drills.
Laura Crisp was given the unenviable task of covering receiver Roddy White one-on-one on a deep post route. A roar from the crowd filled the air as Crisp ditched her flip flop sandals and squared up with White in her bare feet. And though the lack of appropriate footwear turned out to be a hindrance no one would have ever known it as the grin on her face reached back to her ears.
Amidst the shirt and poster signings the Falcons made the year for many fans who may never get a chance to see them play live. In the end the Falcons lone touchdown was more than enough to win the hearts of many more Atlantans.