AJC > Sports > Falcons > Blog > Archives > 2006 > October > 23
Monday, October 23, 2006
A special effort indeed
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Regardless of what side of the fence you sat on, Sunday’s 41-38 victory by the Falcons over the Steelers was fun to watch. The end of regulation could not have been wackier, either, with plenty of justifiable arguments to be made about strategy and officiating.
Amid all the dozens of spectacular plays and non-plays, the actual play of the game -– for the Falcons -– might have been made in the first quarter, immediately after Michael Vick’s 22-yard touchdown pass to tight end Alge Crumpler.
Kicker Michael Koenen made a shoestring, touchdown-saving tackle of Santonio Holmes at Pittsburgh’s 42. Holmes had broken through Atlanta’s coverage and seemed headed to the house when Koenen made a huge stop. The Steelers still ended up scoring a field goal, but if Holmes gets to the end zone, Falcons’ fans probably would not be celebrating a victory today.
It was the type of play that gets overlooked in the immediacy of the game, but in hindsight, it’s one that can’t go unnoticed. Neither can the overall play of the special teams.
From Omare Lowe’s forced fumble on a punt return by Holmes, to Allen Rossum’s 220 yards in kickoff returns, to Morten Andersen’s 32-yard game winner, the special teams were special. And not one Falcons’ player or coach failed to mention how courageous a call special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis made midway through the second quarter when he summoned an on-sides kick.
Atlanta recovered the ball and went on to score on a 17-yard, acrobatic catch by Michael Jenkins and gained enough momentum to go blow-for-blow with the Steelers.
