AJC > Sports > Falcons > Blog > Archives > 2007 > November > 06
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Still laying down The Law
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In reviewing some of the numbers the Falcons have compiled, two things jump out and they’re both on defense.
The first is that OLB Michael Boley already has 90 tackles based on the team’s accounting, which comes off film review. Boley’s tackle total matches his career-high mark set in 14 starts last season.
SIDENOTE: The NFL’s stats are taken off game tallies and frequently, when it comes to tackles, are significantly less than team-supplied totals.
Second, strong safety Lawyer Milloy is second in stops with 64. Now, a team never wants a defensive back ranking among it’s tackling leaders, but Milloy, truth be told, serves as a fourth linebacker, so he’s not making too many tackles 15 yards down field.
That Milloy is still producing at such a high level says something. Early in the season, it seems as if he’d lost some starch on his hits and some bounce in getting to the ball. However, over the past few weeks, he has seemed like a different player.
The coaching staff and front office love him, not only for his unquestioned professionalism, but also from the fact that he continues to be productive.
Which leads to a question: With several veterans likely to be jettisoned after the season, would Atlanta be better off hanging onto a good player and great locker room guy like Milloy for one more season (he has one year left on his contract) or should they send him on his way this summer and bring someone new in.
The Falcons seemingly have a lot of other areas of need to address than strong safety but Milloy, 33, is in his 12th season.
