DEL.ICIO.USFalcons secondary takes turns picking off Brees
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Coming into the season, the Falcons secondary was an unknown quantity. Halfway through the season, it’s not like they were household names. Last week in Oakland, DeAngelo Hall got more pub playing against the Falcons and later getting released than any one of the cornerbacks the Falcons have now.
But after Sunday’s 34-20 win over New Orleans and the top-rated passing offense in the NFL, some names are starting to emerge.
Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com
Falcons head coach Mike Smith reacts from the sidelines (background) as safety Erik Coleman runs with the ball after intercepting Saints quarterback Drew Brees’ first pass of the game.
• Chris Houston: The rookie corner put an end to Saints’ realistic comeback hopes by picking off Drew Brees in the end zone with 4:21 left.
• Chevis Jackson: The rookie nickel back ruined what Brees’ said was an attempt to throw the ball away with an interception at the Atlanta 5-yard line and returned it 95 yards for a touchdown with 1:17 left. His first career interception was the second longest return in Falcons history, behind Tom Pridemore’s 101-yard return against San Francisco in 1981.
• Erik Coleman: The free-agent safety picked off Brees on a deep pass the Saints’ first play from scrimmage, giving the Saints reason to think twice about going for their “explosive plays” of 20 or more yards. The Saints came in leading the NFL with 34 pass plays of 20 or more yards. They wound up with six but all were in the fourth quarter, and the only one that went for a touchdown was the tipped ball for a Hail Mary at the end of the game.
• Domonique Foxworth: The cornerback picked up in a trade the final week of the preseason, who didn’t break into the lineup until three games ago, broke up a pass intended for Marques Colston in the end zone in the first quarter. It was one of three key pass breakups he made, and 15 by the Falcons as a unit.
Need a name? Take your pick.
“We went out there and accepted the challenge against a very good offense,” strong safety Lawyer Milloy said. “We didn’t flinch.”
The veteran Milloy, the best-known player in the Falcons secondary, has been encouraging the newcomers to make a name for themselves.
“What I always tell the guys is ‘Why not you?’ ” Milloy said. “Think about making the play. Don’t wait for somebody else to make the play.”
They all seemed to stand up at once Sunday. And defensive back row was a popular place in the locker room after the game. A pack of reporters went from one locker to the next: Jackson’s, Foxworth’s, Houston’s, and on down the line.
“We’re not really too concerned,” Coleman said of the lack of attention. “But in the back of your mind you know it’s always there. We’ve been trying to get ourselves better every week, stay extra in meetings, watch a little extra film together, just trying to grow as a secondary.”
Houston said being a group of “unknowns” can be helpful. Follow his reverse psychology.
“That’s how we want it,” Houston said. “We don’t want to be above one another. We want to be silent and just creep up on people. So people don’t give you respect and once you make those plays, then they start saying ‘Who is that out there?’ “
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