What we’re looking for in preseason opener against Detroit Lions

It could be very easy for the Falcons to not put a clean product out on the field on Friday. With so many new faces, and heavy rotations happening all over the field, the situation almost lends itself to mess ups and mishaps. However, if the Falcons can show they can do the little things right? I’d feel hopeful about where they are at this point in the preseason. But what am I talking about? Pre-snap penalties, taking care of the ball, limiting missed assignments, and – of course – no errors in tackling. Asking Mariota about Smith emphasizing playing clean football in the preseason, the quarterback said that this is a sticking point with the head coach and the team at large.

“I think it’s very important because at the end of the day if you don’t beat yourself, you give yourself an opportunity to go win the games,” Mariota said. “I think some of the better teams in this league, they let teams beat themselves. If we can focus on taking care of the things that we can control, we’ll make the plays, we have the talent, we have the guys that can do that… (Play) just a clean game, good execution, everyone comes out healthy.”