DEL.ICIO.USMilloy interception may have been game-saver
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Detroit appeared well on its way to getting up from the 21-0 haymaker the Falcons threw to open the game.
Instead of running out the clock with 1:32 left in the first half, the Falcons tried to run their two-minute offense, but two incomplete passes stopped the clock and gave Detroit enough time to cut the lead to 21-14 at halftime.
Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com
Lawyer Milloy makes an interception of pass intended for Detroit wide receiver Roy Williams.
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The Lions had the ball to open the second half and drove down to Atlanta’s 38-yard line, when safety Lawyer Milloy made an acrobatic interception of pass intended for Detroit wide receiver Roy Williams, who was open.
Instead of the score being tied 21-21 and a sense of doom engulfing the Georgia Dome, the Falcons got a field goal and added a Jerious Norwood touchdown to make it 31-14 with 5:57 left in the third quarter.
“In the locker room at halftime, we were just saying that defensively we were up first and that we had to do something to change the momentum,” Milloy said. “It just so happened that I got the opportunity.”
Cornerbacks Chris Houston and Brent Grimes had tough days on Williams and Calvin Johnson. But Milloy thought they held up well.
“I’m really proud of the job our two young corners did,” Milloy said. “They were going up against two Pro Bowl caliber wide receivers. They gave up some, but they bent but didn’t break.”
Milloy also liked the Falcons running attack as it kept the defense off the field for longer stretches.
“That kind of keeps us fresh,” Milloy said.
Baker’s debut
Left tackle Sam Baker had a solid showing as the offensive line paved the way for a team-record 318 yards rushing.
“It was great, those other four guys were leading the way and I was just following those guys,” Baker said.
However, Baker did get beat by Detroit defensive end Dewayne White for sack.
Falcons coach Mike Smith gave the line credit for the record rushing output.
“When you run the ball like that, you’ve got some guys up front that are blocking,” Smith “I thought our offensive line blocked well. I thought our receivers were a part of that equation as well.”
Defensive line shuffle
Falcons defensive line coach Ray Hamilton was shuffling players around to create mismatches. One of John Abraham’s three sacks came from the left defensive end position, while Chauncey Davis was at Abraham’s usual right spot and Jamaal Anderson was inside at tackle.
Rookie Kroy Biermann also got some action at left defensive end.
Inspector Gadget
Offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey earned the nickname “Inspector Gadget” in Pittsburgh for his penchant for calling effective gadget plays.
He’s clearly going to have some fun with Jerious Norwood this year. On one play, Norwood was lined up at quarterback.
Another time, Norwood looked like he was suppose to pitch the ball back to Matt Ryan, but when he saw a defender he took off on a run.
Streaks continued
Linebacker Keith Brooking made his 113th consecutive start, moving him past longtime center Jeff Van Note into second place all-time in Falcons history. Bob Whitfield holds the record with 123 consecutive starts from 1992 to 2000.
Center Todd McClure also extended his consecutive games starting streak to 97 straight games to move past Patrick Kerney and wide receiver Terance Mathis into 5th place all-time in that category.
Inactives
D.J. Shockley served as the third quarterback.
Newly acquired cornerback Dominique Foxworth headed up the list of actives which also included: linebacker Tony Gilbert, center Alex Stepanovich, defensive end Simon Fraser, tackle Quinn Ojinnaka, tight end Martrez Milner and defensive tackle Jason Jefferson.
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