Asante Samuel talked about making big plays during Atlanta's first full-squad practice this offseason on Tuesday. "Can I get some action out here?" Samuel called out on the field during the practice. "Am I out here for my health? I want to show the people what I can do!" Within minutes he had two interceptions, one against Matt Ryan.

Mike Smith has been successful as the coach of the Falcons, but he has yet to lead the franchise to a postseason victory. In an interview with 790 The Zone in Atlanta, Smith said the team needs to alter their approach to come up with better results. "Well obviously we have to do it different than what we've done in the past. We've been there, we just haven't been very successful," Smith said. "So it starts with me in evaluating how I prepare our football team, or we as a coaching staff prepare our football team. And believe me, we've done some soul searching. When you go to the places that we've been and not have the success that you want in those situations, it's tough. And I know everybody's disappointed, but nobody's more disappointed than I am — I can assure you that."

Matt Ryan has been hitting the gym early and often as the Falcons look to place a greater emphasis on their vertical passing game in 2012. "I've been working hard on that and getting with (director of athletic performance) Jeff Fish now that we're back to make sure that I'm ready to go," Ryan said. "(I'm) ready to be strong in December and January. I want to be able to play my best football at that time. That's one of the things I've tried to figure out and analyze myself; how do I get myself to be playing my very best, when your very best is needed. I'm still working on getting there." Falcons coach Mike Smith, who has emphasized a run-first mentality in Atlanta, will now be leaning on former Jaguars offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter's knowledge and understanding of the vertical passing game after the team brought Koetter to run the offense.

The Falcons have released former Pro Bowl fullback Ovie Mughelli in a move that clears salary cap space and creates an opening for Bradie Ewing. The 31-year-old Mughelli was due to earn a base salary of $3M in 2012 before Tuesday's move.

The NFL recently granted the Falcons $3 million worth of salary-cap credits due to the money Michael Vick owed the franchise after he declared bankruptcy, according to league source. Atlanta signed Vick to a 10-year, $130 million deal in 2005 that made him the top-paid player in the league at the time. Vick lost it all when he went to jail and he eventually filed for bankruptcy. As part of his $20 million settlement, Vick was ordered to repay part of his signing bonus from that deal to the Falcons.