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          Falcons will check out new stadium day before grand opening

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          Other chicken options will be available at new Falcons stadium (0:58)

          Woody Paige and Bill Plaschke react to the news that a Chick-fil-A in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium won't be open on Sundays, including seven Falcons home games. (0:58)

          • Vaughn McClure, ESPN Staff WriterAug 17, 2017, 07:50 AM ET
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            • Covered Bears for seven seasons at Chicago Tribune
            • Also worked at Chicago Sun-Times, Fresno Bee
            • Honorable mention, Football Writers Association of America for enterprise writing, 2002
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          FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Most of the Atlanta Falcons players have yet to be inside their new, $1.5 billion home called Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but they'll get a chance to experience it before actually playing a game.

          Falcons coach Dan Quinn said the staff and the players will “take our time and go through it all” before next Saturday night's grand opening, featuring an exhibition between the Falcons and Arizona Cardinals. The Falcons, who play their second exhibition this Sunday at Pittsburgh, will have a closed walkthrough next Friday to get adjusted to their new digs.

          “Football is football, but the one thing you can get a feel for is just the lights,” receiver Taylor Gabriel said. “But again, football is football. You can play anywhere.”

          Stadium officials have hosted several tours already, including one for 257 media members this week. Quinn has visited the stadium just once, right before training camp began.

          “Just wanted to see it all,” Quinn said, “and it's exciting. I haven't been since the field's been in. I've just seen the pictures of that. But we're pretty pumped to go represent. And I'm hopeful the intensity of the crowd is really feeling that way right from the beginning.”

          Quinn was asked if he was wowed by any part of the stadium, in particular.

          “Definitely the scoreboard, in terms of being in the middle of the field and where that was,” Quinn said of the halo video board, which is 63,800 square feet and stands 58 feet high.

          “The spot we went back for the players and their locker room, that's as good as you can get.”

          Mercedes-Benz Stadium has been in the news plenty this week. No topic seems to be getting more attention right now than the venue having a Chick-fil-A that will be closed on Sundays. But such is the chain's policy everywhere, and the Falcons noted there will be plenty of other food options. The stadium features “fan-friendly” concession prices that include $5 draft beers and $2 hot dogs.

          Falcons president Rich McKay tweeted out a photo of the stadium's LED lighting at night, just another one of the features that makes the venue so unique.

          The Falcons' first regular-season game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium is in Week 2, a Sunday night matchup against the Green Bay Packers (Sept. 17) in a rematch of last year's NFC Championship Game.

          The retractable roof of the new stadium will be closed for the two exhibitions and the season opener. Officials have not yet determined when the roof will remain open for a game.