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Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Kerney is Falcons’ catalyst on defense
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
Flowery Branch â€â€? In case you’ve been blinded by the spotlight on that Vick guy, the Falcons have several bright spots on an historically bleak defense. DeAngelo Hall is close to turning potential into reality. Keith Brooking owns a resume with four Pro Bowl trips and counting. Ed Hartwell has a habit of making offensive players go backward instead of forward.
Well, I’ll take Patrick Manning Kerney, thank you. Even before the Falcons’ defense started to leave mediocrity in its rear-view mirror last season while driving toward goodness, this highly active defensive end was impressive for those who dared to search the shadows.
Has Kerney ever had a bad game? I’m still thinking. So is defensive line coach Bill Johnson, who kept thinking and thinking on Wednesday at the Falcons headquarters before he began thinking some more. I’ll return to Johnson, but let’s move to Brooking, a highly active linebacker, who has been around for all of Kerney’s seven years with the Falcons.
“He’s full tilt. Not just in the game, but in the weight room, in the meeting room, in absolutely everything that he does,” Brooking said. There was confirmation from Falcons safety Keion Carpenter, whose eyes grew after the question of the moment came his way: I mean, has Kerney ever had a bad game? “He hasn’t even had a bad practice,” Carpenter said, with eyes still wide. “It’s him. That’s his want-to (attitude). That’s his desire. You want to get yourself to the level that he’s at every single day, and that’s greatness. I just love playing with that guy.”
Who wouldn’t? How many other NFL veterans spend long stretches during practice yelling encouraging words to those on the scout team? “Come on.” “Give them a good look.” “Great job.” “Let’s keep hustling out there.” Not only that, Kerney is the unofficial leader of the Falcons’ cheerleaders during home games. Between crushing people, he leaps, grunts, laughs, waves and does whatever else he can to turn the Georgia Dome into an ugly roar for the other team’s ears.
Here’s another thing: Kerney can play, which the Philadelphia Eagles saw often during their 14-10 loss to the Falcons on Monday night. His effectiveness went further than just his four solo tackles and blistering sack of Donovan McNabb that forced a fumble in the second half. With Kerney operating at his typically advanced level of efficiency, his teammates hadn’t a choice but to do the same.
Which brings me to somebody who does remember a bad game for Kerney, and that is Kerney. Although he didn’t classify Monday night as a bad game for himself, he wasn’t overly pleased. “There were about five or six snaps that I wish I had back, because it’s always a matter of trying to be perfect,” said Kerney, as strikingly composed off the field as he is dramatically frantic on it. “You’re never going to be perfect, but if you’re not striving for that, you’re not going to be able to become a great player. You have to be your own worst critic to keep improving.”
That’s because Kerney knows folks are watching. Take it from Carpenter, who kept attending every practice and every meeting for the Falcons last season with his broken leg. He kept doing so, because he knew Kerney would do the same thing. “When I was first coming back, it was hard, because I wasn’t in the condition that these guys were in, but Patrick would pep me up,” Carpenter said. “I would look at him and see how he kept getting to the rock. Then I’d say to myself, ‘If he can do it, then I can do it,’ and that helped me inspire a younger guy who might be looking at me.”
Anyway, let’s return to Johnson, who eventually said the following about Kerney regarding bad games: “You’re never going to think that he’s having a bad game because of his tremendous effort. He has such a passion for the game. He’s all about team. He’s a guy who will make a mistake, correct it and never do it again. You don’t have enough space to write all the things that really need to be written about Patrick Kerney, to be honest with you.”
I agree.
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NFL drops the ball on fight
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
Shame on you, Paul Tagliabue.
If the president of the United States can admit his mistake, which he did this week regarding the government’s reaction to Hurricane Katrina, then the commissioner of the NFL can admit his mistake, which he hasn’t. All you need to know is that Tagliabue watched his game officials look absolutely foolish Monday night at the Georgia Dome and hasn’t said or done anything about it.
No way those game officials should have ended the playing nights for Philadelphia’s Jeremiah Trotter and the Falcons’ Kevin Mathis. We’re talking about 40 minutes BEFORE the opening kickoff.
And, yes, I know it is an NFL rule that players throwing blows will be ejected from a game. Period. The idea is to nip the hint of brawls in the bud. But, no, that NFL rule doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use common sense along the way.
Competitive players often do what Trotter and Mathis did. That is, they got a little too excited before a big game. Not only that, those game officials should have considered more heavily that this was a highly anticipated Monday Night Game and that there was significant doubt as to whether one of those accused of throwing a punch (Trotter) did so.
Worse, those game officials still botched the situation despite watching replays. Worse yet, Tagliabue was at the Georgia Dome to view it all.
Without linebacker Trotter plugging the middle with his Pro Bowl credentials, the Falcons did the expected. Twice. They ran wild (gaining nearly twice as many yards rushing in this one as compared to what they managed against Trotter and the Eagles during last season’s NFC championship game), and they won.
The Falcons might have done both of those things on Monday night with Trotter playing, but we’ll never know.
Thanks to those officials’ stubbornness and to Tagliabue’s indifference.
Permalink | Comments (32) | Categories: Quick Hit, Terence Moore
