Falcons' show ready to hit the road

The first person off the bus usually is Spencer Treadwell, the team’s director of logistics and facilities.

“The goal is always the same,” Treadwell said. “We want to get the guys there as efficiently and as distraction-free as possible and into the best accommodations and for the best price.”

Coach Mike Smith has major input into the travel plans. He decides if the team is staying close to the stadium or close to the airport. The team hotel must have ample meeting space for the team and be free from distractions.

If there’s a wedding scheduled for that weekend, the Falcons will look for another place to stay.

“Weddings are tough,” Treadwell said. “I can’t have our meetings being interrupted by a celebration.”

There are a lot of “moving parts” that Treadwell has to monitor and make sure that Smith and the players have time to focus on the game. The Falcons need the buses, the hotel, the airlines, the weather, the stadium authority and the airport authority all to be coordinated for their trip to run smoothly.

“I have one phone, but it rings constantly,” Treadwell said. “These days I get a lot of text messages, with a lot of quick info back and forth. There are a lot of moving parts and details that I’m trying to keep from floating in the air.”

Brian Boigner, the Falcons' equipment director, and his staff of four, started packing for the trip Monday and Tuesday.

“Then Thursday, NetMove will send about three-quarters of our equipment, trainer’s equipment, and some video equipment up to New England by truck,” Boigner said. “On Saturday, on the team charter, we will take the game uniforms and the player bags, their travel bags, which has their helmets, shoulder pads, shoes, gloves and all of the stuff.”

The real bustle starts Saturday. Some players drive to the airport area to a designated parking spot. Others board buses at the team facilities. Treadwell and Brian Cearns of the communications department are armed with a list of cellphone numbers of players. They cross them off as they arrive.

Treadwell has his phone in one hand and three-ring binder with all of his plans in the other.

“It will say, ‘airplane leaves at 3 o’clock’,” Treadwell said. “But so many more things need to happen before that plane leaves. The buses have to be here. The police escort has to be here at a certain time. We start screening at a certain time.”

The players have their travel rituals.

“On Friday, I’ll go in my closet and pick out what I’m going to wear and throw some stuff in the suitcase,” wide receiver Roddy White said. “I’ll throw my shorts in there, my things for the meeting like my playbook. I’ll throw my suit in the bag.”

White will leave his bag near his front door, and Saturday, he’ll grab it and keep it moving.

“Usually you have like two hours to get all of your stuff together and get down to the parking spot,” White said.

Defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux makes sure he doesn’t pack a key item.

“I usually leave my I-pod and my head phones out so I can carry it in my hand,” Babineaux said.

Helping with the travel logistics is a part of the job of head coach that Mike Mularkey doesn’t miss.

“It’s a lot of time and planning on things you really didn’t get to be a head coach to do,” said Mularkey, the team’s offensive coordinator and a former NFL head coach. “Menus, travel time, what rooms do you want ... I don’t know if anybody enjoys that part of it.”

Usually the Falcons trips go smoothly.

“They try to make it as easy for us as possible to travel in a relaxed atmosphere,” Babineaux said.

The sheer size of the operation still stuns some players.

“To get all of these shoulder pads, helmets and cleats and just the extra things that we need during the game, gloves and things like that,” White said. “It’s just amazing.”