The Red Dragon has arrived in DC

My dream job has come to an end.....for now!  I'm on the search for a career in the sports industry and I'm not stopping until I get it!

My first day of "work" with the Atlanta Falcons *tear*

Here are some behind the scenes pictures from the Falcons' 2nd preseason game against the New England Patriots.....

Pregame fireworks for the team tunnel

The BOSS - Roddy White cuing the in-game OPS

I packed (more like stuffed) everything into the Red Dragon (my red Dodge Neon) and hit the road for the 10 hour drive.  Marcus flew down to Atlanta to help me pack and make the drive back home....thanks! : )  We BOTH managed to get speeding tickets and his was for only 12 mph over - guess they need to get their monthly quota in.  The next day we were driving his car to Richmond and the picture below explains it all:

The shredded tire

As we were driving in the fast lane, the car almost swerved into a tractor trailer.  However, we were saved by Marcus' superb driving skills *cough* : )   A walk down the highway, guessing the wrong kind of tire, hitching a ride back, and one good samaritan later.....we were back on the road.




This is a sad post as it is my last as far as Atlanta Falcon's insight......however, I'm determined to  get a job in the sports world, and once I do, I'll continue my blog and behind the scenes looks.


Stay Tuned.........

my LAST day at Flowery Branch ......

This feels like that last day of vacation or visiting family for the holidays and you don't want to leave.....

Flowery Branch :* (  

the last day was the WORST tho!  We had to break-down everything - barricades, SCRIM (I just want to reiterate that I do NOT like that word), blow up games, tables, chairs, cord covers, cinder blocks, EVERYTHING!  I already got my workout in for today - still might go for a run - listening to music makes me want to get out there and run!  


I'll miss driving by this everyday - I almost crashed the gator staring at it while I drove by.....

Michael Turner's Whip - B-E-A UTIFUL!

The Falcons play the Patriots tomorrow and the last of the interns and I are going to be up in the press box....my last time : (.  The players head to downtown Atlanta to stay in a hotel tonight and are up and ready to play tomorrow at 8pm.  I'll have some behind the scenes pictures up tomorrow.  I'll see if I can get on the field and get some shots.  


I think I'll go for that run now.....Adios!


SHOUTOUT to Ryan Stewart  and his new "do".....haha

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS at Flowery Branch......

This was my view this morning while eating breakfast......

The NE Patriots getting ready for the morning practice

I saw my life flash before my eyes today as we had a lighting storm over the complex of Flowery Branch.  As the afternoon practice was approaching, dark clouds hovered over The Branch.  The clouds seemed as though they were moving away and we were in the clear......until - the EMS guy (luckily awake this time) shouted "JILL!" and pointed at the downpour that was headed our way.  We all quickly grabbed the music equipment, shut the sponsor car doors, and grabbed anything we could that couldn't take the rain.  As it started to die down, the BIGGEST THUNDER cracked literallllllly over our heads.  I've never heard a louder thunder in my life.  We quickly hear Hamzah over the radio trying to figure out what we can do with the fans because it was a matter of safety at this point.  Two minutes later another louuuuud thunder.  At this point, fans start to worry because it is so loud, long, and close - as the staff was trying to figure out what to do, the skies began to clear up and the storm slowly moved away.  It was a quick storm, but definitely a dangerous one.


Practice began about 30 minutes later and DJ Hamz played "Teach Me How to Dougie" which pulled two players out of their stretches, jump in the middle of the team stretch, and did the Dougie for all to see.  One of the players was Weatherspoon (who has already showed his "Birdwalk" at a previous practice) and I couldn't tell who the other player was.  Weatherspoon has quite a personality, he's an outgoing guy who loves to make anyone laugh.  I like him!  

This is the stretch where Weatherspoon got up to do the "Dougie" for the fans

Bill Belichick extremely happy to interview

As Hamz said, "The Tom Brady Effect"

Falcon's Facts:


1. DE Rajon Henley is waived; Maurice Lucas from the practice squad is added 


2. CB Chevis Jackson picks off a Tom Brady pass intended for Randy Moss


3. WR Harry Douglas beats double coverage to catch a bomb from Chris Redman


4. Randy Moss made a nice one-handed grab with Brian Williams covering


5. Today was the last practice open to the public ........ nooooooo!


New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons August 19th at the Dome LIVE 8PM on FOX


LAST DAY at FLOWERY BRANCH tomorrow ..........NOOOOO!    I don't want to leave!  

Adam Schefter's in tha BUILDING!

ESPN's Adam Schefter brought his bus to Flowery Branch on Sunday.....

Can you see me??

As the other interns and I walked into the cafeteria to eat breakfast, I saw a great photo opportunity---->we were watching Adam Schefter live on ESPN while he was broadcasting outside our window......

Sorry - had to make this XL so you could get the point of the picture

So I decided to take a picture of Mr. Schefter while he was broadcasting and said "What's up @Adam_Schefter !!" on twitter and "mentioned" him in the picture above that I twitpic'd.  Wouldn't you know that he not only responded, but he DIRECT MESSAGED me saying:

Hi, Jill Porto. You have a new direct message: Adam_Schefter: Fun stuff, Jill. Thanks for posting! I felt like a little kid who just got an autograph from one of their favorite pro players - funny because he was actually signing autographs for the fans with the Falcon's players.  However he stood out like a sore thumb as he's about 5-foot nothing!  They chose to interview Roddy White and Matt Ryan in the bus (my guess that morning!) The back of the bus - they hadn't posted the Falcon's sticker yet - (*cough* they DO have the Eagles sticker up...haha) Stay tuned for Falcon's Facts on the next post!   Off for a possible run, shower, food, sleep, 4:45AM wake up (2nd to last day tomorrow.....no bueno!)

I'm Pulling a Michael Jenkins.......Droppin' the Ball

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to blog because my power cord to my laptop blew and I have no battery....FAIL.  I'm borrowing a DELL charger from whoever can lend me theres until I get mine in the mail- so if you have one - please let me know if I can borrow it!


I don't even know where to start b/c so much has happened in the last couple days.......

Got my Credential, Parking Pass, and Ticket for the Game!

First Preseason Game --> Falcon's top Chief's 20-10  


The other interns and I got to the GA Dome at 3:30pm to attend Hamzah's OPS meeting at 4:00pm.  We headed up to the pressbox following the meeting to catch up with Roddy and find out our job for the game - we had the honor of timing sponsorship displays on the the new big screens and record it in a database - Hey, you have to start somewhere!  But this view was all worth it.....

View from the press box - pretty sweet!

One of the best seats in the house!

It was such an amazing view and experience.  We got to take it all in and watch the OPS crew get their tasks completed, the cheerleaders practice their routine, production make last minute adjustments, and see everything come together.....its amazing to see how MANY different departments come together to put on one amazing show every Sunday. 

While timing and recording we received the Stats Sheets for each Quarter:

EMS literally sleeping on the job.....

Good thing we didn't have an emergency...our EMS crew-------------->

Don't worry, we gave the ambulance a nice shake to wake him.....we couldn't get our hands on an air horn (I would have recorded that!)  Maybe next time.....I'm sure there will be one

Falcon's Facts (Highlights in Falcons vs. Chiefs Game)

1. Falcon's CB Chevis Jackson intercepts a pass and returns it for 26 yards.

2. Chris Redman hits Roddy White for a 22-yard gain in the second quarter.

3. DB Shannon Schillinger picks off a pass and returns it 29 yards in the third quarter.

4. Falcon's rookie Dimitri Nance scores 2 touchdowns (a 1-yd and 2-yd run).

5. Dunta Robinson eases Falcon's Defensive struggles - and its pronounced like Daunte (don't worry - we couldn't figure it out either!)

Look out for my next post about Adam Schefter's (from ESPN) visit to Flowery Branch......time to shower, eat, sleep and up at 4:45AM 

Feelin Good, Feelin GREAT!......

.....one of our sayings at TC and how I'm feeling about now.  I've been enjoying myself so much through this internship - the players, coaches, staff, fellow interns, supervisors (Hamz & Tron), the football, "intern corner", the jokes, the FOOD, driving gators,  unlimited gatorade & water, and even carpooling alllllll the way out to Flowery Branch.

Brings me back to my Quantitative Analysis class....eww

Today is my day off and I couldn't even sleep in....these 4:30AM wake up times are messing with my sleeping patterns!  Yesterday we put together all the credentials & and parking passes for all the staff.  It was a daunting task to say the least.  Check out Hamz's "calculations......"  
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We used the entire conference room to layout all the different parties who were receiving credentials/parking, created a system for the most efficient assembly line and got to it!  In the middle of our conference call, Roddy White (on staff - not the player) asked if any of the interns knew how to delete all duplicate songs on his itunes (no one knew) - so if someone knows how to - LET ME KNOW - I'm sure the Director of Event Marketing has better things to do.....

3 interns packing the credentials/parking (Justin, John, & J'Mia)

Who would have thought there would be two people named Roddy White .....let alone they work in the same organization.

Warrick Dunn stopped by the Branch to say hello.  He's still ripped and in shape as much as he was when he was playing.  

I lost my favorite jacket on one of the gators and had to go on a search & rescue mission with Meiko.  Luckily, it was found with no harm done.....it was like I lost my favorite pair of jeans - I know everyone can relate to that!

Falcon's Facts

1. Falcon's first preseason game - THIS Friday at the Dome against the Kansas City Chiefs!

2. Twitter --> 

Harry Douglas, Brian Williams and Peria Jerry will not play in Friday night's preseason game, per  Coach Smith. #aftc2010 #Falcons

3. For Friday - CB position --> Dunta Robinson & Chris Owens were listed as starters; however, Brent Grimes will be starting as Robinson's coming back from a tight hamstring.

4. Brian Finneran is starting at WR in place of injured Michael Jenkins.

5. NFL Network's Total Access show is airing highlights from our Friday Night Light's Game at NGHS at 7:30pm.  Does someone have DVR?? - I wonder if I'll be on TV??

GA Dome Endzone Stencil

Georgia Dome's Endzone Stencil

Hamz headed over to the Dome to drop off the Credential Packets we made today for all staff......guess what "staff" he dropped it off for tonight at the Dome........

Falcon's Cheerleader's practicing at the Dome - Thanks Hamz

Updates & Falcon's Fact's coming tomorrow during my day off!      ...............Hi mom!

Mascot Music Video - HILARIOUS

So there was a split second of my day where I could have sworn I was on Sportscenter.......

Jaxson - the Jacksonville Jag's Mascot

The Jag's Come to Flowery Branch:

The Jacksonville Jaguars arrived today for their first combined practice with the Falcon's.  Little did we know how much fun we'd get into.  ----> Got a call from Hamz over the radio saying that we're shooting a music video with Freddie (Falcon's Mascot) & Jaxson (Jaguar's Mascot).  My response, "Is there going to be booty shakin??" Hamz: "Of course!  It's a music video. Me: "We'll be there in 2"  

Here's the behind the scenes look at the "Making of Freddie vs. Jaxson Video":       http://twitvid.com/6DFKW

The guy in the Jax mascot suit had us all rolling.  I can't even repeat what he was saying or post video's - but you'll just have to take my word for it and take what you saw from the video I could show.  These guys are characters and really a different specie.  

Jaxson looking at the "fake" ATL players....haa

Falcon's Facts:

1. Michael Jenkins out for at least 4 - 6 weeks.  This injury may have saved his position b/c they can't let a player go while on injury reserve......lucky him.

2. Kerry Meier from Kansas, has been deemed "One of the team's most attention-grabbing rookies" - haven't seen him drop a pass yet.

3. The battle for Jenkin's WR position is between Harry Douglas (returning from a knee injury), Brian Finneran (returning from a back injury) & Eric Weems.  Douglas & Weems will probably get most of the snaps in the Chiefs game as they are the more experienced players.

4. Jones-Drew from the Jags - “Obviously, Atlanta’s a team that a lot of people see and think they have a great chance at winning the championship,” 

5. Rookie CB from Oklahoma, Dominique Franks, is literally following Dunta Robinson's every move. Franks told reporters" “He doesn’t know yet. I might be walking behind him and I might turn around and be like, ‘What time is it? Oh, Dunta! How you doing, man?,’ Franks said as he demonstrated how he plans to play it cool if he gets caught. “Just a little something like that.”  Franks is trying to take in all he can from veteran Robinson, and try to get an edge on Brent Grimes, Christopher Owens and Brian Williams.

This day was too funny - Off to eat/shower/sleep and back up at 4:30AM to do it all over again....let's go!

Let's Try This Again......

Following a scrumptious dinner, a long shower, 12 hours of sleep, church, and catching up with my mom.....I'm ready to take on this next week of craziness......


After a taxing week (to say the least) and being in a delusional state of mind - I somehow deleted my blog from yesterday that I'd spent about 2 hours on.  That's grounds for calling it quits for the day.  Today's a new day, and I'm ready to tackle another week with the other interns.  Here are the two pics I posted yesterday......

The scrim is up & logo's are painted for FNL

Our view from the sidelines during FNL - Matt Ryan, Tony Gonzalez & Roddy White chatting

Mock Game (Flowery Branch) - August 7th


The Alabama School for Deaf's Football team came out to Flowery Branch to catch the players in their first Mock Game.  Jamaal Anderson (DE) talked to the kids through sign language as his father is deaf.  I had a reality check when I saw this team dressed in their burgundy uniforms at the game and come to find out at the lunch table following the game all these kids were deaf.  I had NO clue.  When asked a question that many of us wondered as well, "How do these kids play football?", Anderson replied:

"One thing, when you lose a sense, your other ones pick up,’ so that’s one thing I know about these guys. They’re very intelligent. They’re very smart, and it’s always good to give back to them.”  

 It's truly inspiring and makes you appreciate what you have.  It was a reality check for myself to really be thankful for the simple things I take for granted.  I'm sitting here listening to music as I type this blog post - I listen to music when I'm stressed, upset, or want to pump myself up for a game too.  They have to find it within themselves to get through that stress or upsetment and for the times when they need to get that adrenaline rush for that big game.  As I said......truly inspiring.


On a funny note ----- Before the first whistle for the Mock Game kickoff, 'Stats', a regular fan who comes dressed for every practice (pads & all), shouted Michael 'The Hotdog Burner' Turner - the crowd & even players were rolling in laughter.  Hahahaha.

Falcon Facts:

1. Young players step up to the plate in FNL game.  Fifth round pick in the 2010 draft, Kerry Meier (WR) had two big catches with his first resulting in a 30-yard pickup.   Dimitri Nance (a powerful RB) & Antone Smith (a RB with great speed and an eye for the gaps) are among some of the other young players who stood out.  Antone Smith reminds me a lot of Michael Turner....keep your eye on him!


2. Jacksonville Jaguars come to the Dirty South for a combined practice August 9th & 10th.  Shoutout --> Julie McFarlane and possibly Danielle Blair are coming out to practice this week! 


3. The Falcon's Week 2 (Aug. 19th) preseason game against the Patriots is going to be televised live on FOX - look out for me on TV! 


4. Michael Jenkins injures shoulder in FNL game - don't know extent of injury - this follows the 'Branch chatter' regarding his questionable stay with Atlanta - the coaches want to see more catches or this could be his last Training Camp with the Falcons.  


5. Thanks to Hamzah's music selection - the crowd and players were having a great time dancing before the kickoff of the Mock Game.  Birdwalk by Soulja Boy came on and Weatherspoon was "bird-walking" to the song - very well I might say.  I'd say he had to of practiced in front of the mirror multiple times.....something I've neverrrrrrr done before.  Haha ok, maybe I lied.  I mean, come on, everyone has practiced a dance in front of the mirror once or twice in their lives.  How do so many people know how to do the cupid shuffle.....?


6.  I'm adding a 6th fact b/c I wanted to point out something that many people tend to loose sight of at times (me included) - Any moment with your family is priceless and should never be taken for granted.  They will always be there in the end no matter what - make sure they feel the same about you. 


That's all for today - I'm off to get some more rest before another big week!  I love this job!