Falcons, Stefanski Address James Pearce's Presence at Mandatory Minicamp

FLOWERY BRANCH -- Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski has officially addressed the presence of James Pearce Jr. after he arrived at Flowery Branch for mandatory minicamp. These are the first official comments made by the regime since Pearce's arrest in February.

"Throughout every situation, you take in all the information available to you," the Falcons' head coach said ahead of the first day of mandatory minicamp. "Obviously, this being our mandatory portion of our program, he will do work in the weight room, he'll do individual, he's not going to team settings, team period type stuff yet -- I just feel like with him not being here for the off-season program to date, I'll make sure to put him in those types of drills, but he'll be up."

The Falcons' defender has been away from the team since his February arrest, but he entered a 12-month pre-trial agreement which could help him avoid court or any jail time. There is not yet any word from the league office if there will be any suspension for the alleged domestic violence and subsequent charges.

Now, the challenge for the Falcons and Pearce will be reacclimating to the locker room.

"Football teams and locker rooms, those are organic things, and I believe in the people that we have in our locker room," Stefanski continued. "I think any player that comes into our building understands what's expected of that player, and understands what's important in this football team."

Stefanski declined to get into the specifics of those personal conversations that he has had with Pearce, saying only that he "knows what is expected of him."

As for when Pearce could be reintroduced to the team portion of what the Falcons are doing, Stefanski had this to say:

"I think every situation is different, and you want to make sure that your players are -- as they're introduced to your schemes and to your program -- that they understand why you're doing what you're doing," he said. "Everybody's in a different place, if you will, and just making sure that they're understanding why you're doing what you're doing."

At whatever point Pearce does return to the mix, the edge rusher will be an important piece of the Falcons’ defense this season. Last year, they set franchise record for sacks, with Peare leading both the team and all NFL rookies in sacks last season (10.5). He finished third in the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year vote.

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