On a day when temperatures touched the upper 60s in this suburban Atlanta outpost, Falcons players bounced around with a little extra pep in their step.
It had less to do with Wednesday’s spring-like weather than the fact that the Falcons sit one victory away from the franchise’s second Super Bowl appearance.
This is a team that has had cabin fever for 51 years.
But these players aren’t concerned about the Falcons’ Lombardi Trophy-less history – not if the scene in the locker room before Wednesday’s practice was any indication.
Former Clemson defensive end Vic Beasley and linebacker Philip Wheeler played ping-pong on one end of the room, and guard Andy Levitre beamed over the recent birth of his child at the opposite end.