Falcons' Arthur Smith Unbothered by Panthers' 'New Wrinkles'
The Atlanta Falcons are preparing for their season opener against the Carolina Panthers, a team that has a strong mix of recognizable commodities and new additions.
While there are familiar players like Shaq Thompson the Falcons will have to deal with, there are also new players like quarterback Bryce Young, the No. 1 overall pick making his NFL debut.
Add in the fact that Frank Reich is a new coach for the Panthers, and there's a big bundle of mystery on the other sideline.
"You make camp competitive, but every week, there's going to be stuff that somebody throws at you," coach Arthur Smith said. "Whether they have a new wrinkle they want to show in the openers or they get to where they're throwing zone read on you, or things like that. You have to be disciplined in your rules."
The Falcons are slightly more familiar, retaining coach Smith and keeping a lot of the same personnel from last year. However, quarterback Desmond Ridder will play his first game against the Panthers while running back Bijan Robinson represents the newest "wrinkle" for the Falcons.
In Week 1, there's not much teams can go by. Preseason tape can be helpful, but flawed. So at the end of the day, it comes down to teams playing their brand of football as best as they can.
The Falcons are set to host the Panthers on Sunday at 1 p.m. inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where they look to snap a five-year Week 1 drought.
