Everyone at some point in his/her life has had the nightmare where you show up to work without any clothes on. The Atlanta Falcons will never have that problem though as the Falcons Equipment department is one of the best in the league, with Brian Boigner serving as the Equipment Manager. This is the 15th season for Boigner as the Falcons Equipment Manger and his crew is top notch. The department is responsible for properly outfitting the players with not just the jerseys but also the pads and shoes. Boigner makes certain that the players are suiting up with the safest and most advanced protective equipment available.
When the Falcons hit the road, Boigner and his staff kick it up a notch. Plenty goes into a typical road trip though as the Falcons travel away from team headquarters at Flowery Branch. We sit down as a staff and go over every different scenario,” said Boigner. “It’s not that much different than the coaching staff.”
Footwear is a big starting point as the team has different shoes/cleats for every surface imaginable from grass to astroturf, inside or outside, wet or dry conditions. “We have Houston coming up which has a retractable roof, so we plan for both.” Boigner noted that he and his staff will bring different shoes for if the roof is open and if the roof is closed. He travels with a team of eight people and he will include jackets for the coaches in case the roof is open and extra cleat options for the players.
“I will call the equipment manager for the other team and check weather.com or the local affiliates for updates,” said Boigner. He will also occasionally check with recent opponents of the upcoming opponents to gauge how to dress the team.
Tuesdays are a big travel day according to Boigner. “Once everything is ready, an advance truck is sent out.” Boigner surmised that if the game is played east of the Mississippi River, three-quarters of the equipment is sent on a truck ahead of time, with only the coaches’ gear, the players’ travel bags, the uniforms and the game balls flying with the team. If it is a west coast game, the equipment flies with the team.
The matter of which jersey is never really an issue because Boigner said the NFL lets you know in plenty of time what color and a great deal of the responsibility falls on the manufacturer to get the right one to the team. Typically when the Falcons hit road, the team will be wearing its white uniforms, but sometimes the League has special occasions such as a “throwback” weekend. The Falcons equipment staff is outfitted with those special jerseys ahead of time.
Boigner also orders and organizes the team’s inventory of apparel and equipment, ordering more whenever jerseys or helmets are damaged or when a better piece of guards becomes available. Boigner is on top of the issue of safety as he has sat on the NFL’s helmet group as well as the foot and ankle committee during the offseason. He knows how to properly keep his charges in proper pads.
The helmets are used throughout the year and are constantly repainted and repaired for safety purposes. The face masks are always being switched out every week or every other week, depending on the player and position.
Sometimes players come to Boigner with special requests for uniforms during travel, and Boigner said that he and his staff are more than accommodating with the modifications.
The last thing that Boigner will do on road trips is speak with fellow equipment managers and other clubhouse staff. “We are a tight knit group,” said Boigner. He said he picks their brains for ideas to try to improve not only the Falcons home office but also how they do things on the road. With Boigner’s 20 years of NFL experience, the team is in good hands and will look good on the road.
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