“The Beer Man” steps forward on Falcons' defense

By D. Orlando Ledbetter

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons defensive end Kroy Biermann matched his rookie season-output for sacks against Miami with two.

The former Division I-AA standout appears set to have a breakout season.

In a conversation with the AJC, Biermann discussed several topics, including his hometown of Hardin, Montana, adjusting to the South and changing the oil on his truck.

Q: How many people live in your hometown of Hardin, Montana?

A: About 3,000 people.

Q: How big was your high school class?

A: I graduated with about 85 kids.

Q: What was the football like?

A: It was 11-man football, so it was true football. But there is eight-man football throughout the state in the smaller towns. But I did play 11-man football.

Q: How did you all do in the state playoffs?

A: We never did really too good. We had a couple of winning records throughout high school. I think I made the playoffs maybe two years.

Q: Who was recruiting you coming out of high school?

A: Mainly, it was Montana and the University of Oregon. [Oregon] came out and had a visit. They decided to go with another guy, and I ended up not getting anything. But I felt like Montana was a great fit. Our [athletics director] at the high school, Mr. [Duane] Walker, his boys went to the University of Montana, and he played at Montana. He kind of got them onto me. They really pursued me good. I felt real comfortable there.

Q: When did you sense that pro football could be in your future?

A: I felt that kind of toward the end of my junior year. I had a good breakout season my junior year. My senior year, I knew I had to have an even better year. I needed more sacks and had to fly around. I really wanted to achieve winning the Buck Buchanan Award, which I did. I guess things just kind of kept rolling along, and I thought I might have an opportunity.

Q: What’s been the biggest adjustment culturally, moving from Montana to the Southeast?

A: The biggest adjustment has been the humidity. You do get a little bit of heat in Montana, but definitely not the humidity. Culturally, it’s just a lot of people. I wasn’t used to millions of people. Eight lanes of traffic, stopped and things like that. But I think I’ve adjusted well. I feel real welcome and comfortable here.

Q: What are some of the things you like to do in you spare time?

A: I like reading. I like tinkering on things like my truck, changing the oil. I love fishing, but haven’t really gotten into it down here because I’ve been focusing in on football. Being in the community is a big thing for me. Being in the community and helping kids.

Q: What kind of truck do you have? Did you work on the truck on your off-day?

A: I actually need to get my oil changed. I have a GMC Sierra.

Q: Working with John Abraham, how has that helped with your development?

A: Abe is a tremendous coach for me. During practice he watches my individual pass rushes. He talks about my hands and my eyes, all of the fundamental things you need for a good pass rush. He’s right there to correct me. Abe has a tremendous amount of experience and really stresses the importance of fundamentals.