Notebook: Pressuring Warner key, Falcons claim

Editor’s note: AJC columnist Jeff Schultz will blog live during Saturday’s Falcons-Cardinals playoff game. Follow the game with Schultz and add your comments.

Flowery Branch — Putting pressure on Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner, who was sacked only 26 times this season, is key for the Falcons’ defense Saturday in their NFC playoff game.

“We know that he’s going to be pocket,” safety Lawyer Milloy said. “He makes quick decisions, and he gets the ball out into his playmakers’ hands.”

Defensive end John Abraham led the Falcons with 16.5 sacks this season.

“He gets hit more than any quarterback in the league,” Abraham said. “Our biggest thing is to keep the pressure on him and keep hitting him. We might not get the sacks, but we have to do the best we can to get him frustrated.”

Defensive end Jamaal Anderson has not practiced since suffering a high ankle sprain against Minnesota on Dec. 21 and likely will be inactive Saturday. Replacing him will be Chauncey Davis and Kroy Biermann.

Davis and Biermann, who each had a sack Sunday against St. Louis, have combined for six sacks this season, while Anderson has just two. With three sacks against the Rams, the rest of the defense finally combined for a sack total (17.5) higher than Abraham’s.

“My guys are stepping up and playing like they can play,” Abraham said. “We’ve done a good job of hitting quarterbacks all year.”

With Warner throwing an average of 37 times a game, Abraham knows the entire unit has to stay after the quarterback.

“I know I can’t hit him [37] times,” Abraham said. “We’ve got to split it up and get to him as much as possible. We have to try to keep him moving around the pocket and make him throw a couple of errant passes.”

The Cardinals are bracing for Abraham, who’ll face Mike Gandy when he’s rushing from right end and Levi Brown when he lines up at left end.

“If you let him get rolling and coming off the edge, he can really change the course of a game because he’s such a dynamic player,” Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said.

Only six left from NFC title game appearance

There are only five players and one coach left from the 2004 team that played in the NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia.

Center Todd McClure, tackle Todd Weiner, wide receivers Brian Finneran and Michael Jenkins and linebacker Keith Brooking.

Emmitt Thomas, assistant head coach/secondary, is the lone holder from Jim Mora’s staff.

“You realize how hard it is to get back,” Jenkins said. “In my rookie year, coming in, we got all the way to the championship game. You think it would happen more often than it really does. It’s a special feeling. You don’t know when you are going to get back so you treat it a little differently.”

Practice news

The Falcons piped in crowd noise during practice this week.

Arizona’s stadium has a retractable roof that could be open or closed for the game.

“We are anticipating that it’s going to be loud whether if it’s open or closed,” Smith said. “When we play on the road, we always go with crowd noise in practice.”

After going through the last practice in Georgia on Thursday, the Falcons were set to travel to Phoenix. They have their final practice there Friday. The team has flew out a day early for West Coast trips to Oakland and San Diego this season and wanted to keep the same routine.

Injury updates

Abraham (thigh/shoulder) and Anderson (high ankle sprain) did not practice Thursday.

Left tackle Sam Baker (hip/back), wide receiver Harry Douglas (head), defensive tackle Grady Jackson (knee), middle linebacker Curtis Lofton (knee), Milloy (back), fullback Ovie Mughelli (knee) and left tackle Todd Weiner (knee) were all limited in practice.