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Can Falcons Newcomer Crack the Starting 11 on Defense?

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Can Falcons Newcomer Crack the Starting 11 on Defense?


The Atlanta Falcons are almost midway through training camp. While there are plenty of stories on the offensive side of the football, some defenders deserve to be talked about as well. 

All-Pro caliber safety Jessie Bates III is genuinely motivated to take the Falcons defense to another level. He told reporters at training camp that it’s the unit’s goal to be top 5 in every category.

But he cannot do this alone. It will take some other players reaching their potential in new defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake’s defense to make that possible. One of those possible players is a newcomer to the team’s defense – James Smith-Williams.

Like Bates last season, Smith-Williams is in his first training camp with the Falcons after signing as a free agent.

Through the first four days of camp, Smith-Williams has received a ‘good’ number of reps at the outside backer position. The question for some is, can the fifth-year player earn a starting bid on defense this season?

After four seasons with the Washington Commanders, the 6-foot-4, 265-pound linebacker has played 1,412 defensive snaps since being drafted in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of NC State. As a player who has put up 47 quarterback pressures in the past two seasons, he has proven he can get after the quarterback and be a solid run defender.

What separates Smith-Williams from other players is his above-average competitive toughness. He is always seen making the extra effort to make a football play, as seen above. For Atlanta, this could propel him into one of the starting outside linebacker spots opposite Lorenzo Carter. 

Since his college days, Smith-Williams has always been a high-energy, good football I.Q., and hard-nosed football player.

“Obviously, I’m a very intelligent player. Play recognition and play diagnosis are a big part of my game. But also, I’m a guy who plays very violently. I have great hand strength and strike. That’s kind of what I enjoy most about the game: the physical part. Going pad to pad with another human being is very fun. I’m tremendously athletic and a high-energy guy,” Smith-Williams said during his draft process in 2020.

As someone who sat behind two-time Miami Dolphins Pro Bowler Bradley Chubb as a member of the Wolfpack in college, he knows a thing or two about stepping up when his number is called. For Atlanta fans, it is worth eyeing his activity in training camp not just now but presumably when the pads go on this week.

That’s when his push to be a starter this fall really begins.

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Atlanta, GA

Buckhead apartment building evacuated due to dangerous carbon monoxide levels

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Buckhead apartment building evacuated due to dangerous carbon monoxide levels


A Buckhead apartment building was evacuated for a time late Tuesday night due to a carbon monoxide alarm. 

What we know:

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The incident occurred at an apartment complex in the 2900 block of Pharr Court South. 

According to Atlanta Fire Rescue, firefighters are investigating elevated carbon monoxide levels.

The entire building was evacuated as a precaution. 

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One person was evaluated at the scene for possible carbon monoxide exposure. 

Crews ventilated the building while they looked for the source.

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Firefighters say they were able to finally locate the source and contain it.

Once readings were back to a safe level, residents were allowed back inside the apartments.

What we don’t know:

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It remains unclear how many residents were displaced by the evacuation. 

The Source: The details in this article come from the Atlanta Fire Rescue.

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2 arrested in deadly drive-by shooting of 7-year-old Atlanta girl, police say

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2 arrested in deadly drive-by shooting of 7-year-old Atlanta girl, police say


Two suspects in a shooting that left a 7-year-old Atlanta girl dead and her mother injured are now in custody nearly a week after the violence, police say.

The shooting happened around 9:45 p.m. on Feb. 24 at a home on the 2200 block of Tiger Flowers Drive NW.

Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from a dispute between one of the victim’s family members and the gunman over the phone. Thirty minutes after the argument, the suspect came back and fired shots into the home, police said.

Officers responding to the scene found a 44-year-old woman and her daughter, identified as 7-year-old Zoe Price, shot. Medics rushed the pair to a local hospital, but Price died from her injuries.

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Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said the department’s homicide unit secured an arrest warrant for 19-year-old Preston Smith two days after the shooting. Smith turned himself in to the Fulton County Jail on March 2.

Schierbaum said officers executed a search warrant on Feb. 27 at a home on McDaniel Street. On that day, 17-year-old Steven Richardson, who police described as an “accomplice,” turned himself in to authorities.

Both men are charged with murder, criminal attempt to commit murder, three counts of aggravated assault, second-degree criminal damage to property, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and four counts of third-degree cruelty to children. Richardson is also charged with possession of a Firearm by a Person Under 18.

At a press conference to announce the arrests, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens described Price as a bright and compassionate little girl who was “full of energy and full of joy.”

“Her life was cut short in an act of senseless violence, and that loss is not abstract. It is a chair that is going to be missing at the dinner table each night. It is an empty classroom seat next to her friends,” Dickens said.

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The mayor called the arrests “a step forward towards justice” for Price’s family and families across the city.

Dickens said that violence, like the act that took Price’s life, would not be tolerated in Atlanta.



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Atlanta Braves News: Top 30 Prospects, Starting Pitching Depth, More

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Atlanta Braves News: Top 30 Prospects, Starting Pitching Depth, More


On Monday, the Braves were able to earn another Spring Training victory over the Detroit Tigers. It was a game where the starting pitching depth of the Braves was on full display, as Bryce Elder, Joey Wentz, and Owen Murphy all threw multiple innings. While it is likely unwise to expect big things from any of these three arms this season, they are a part of the “next man up” group for the Braves if injury again impacts the rotation. Each had a solid effort today, a trend that will hopefully continue.



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