Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers or coach Mike McCarthy said something Wednesday on a teleconference about the value of team chemistry in chasing success, and while it's hard to sift through reams of interviews before Sunday's NFC Championship game, Dwight Freeney will tell you it's easy to say that the Packers have nothing over the Falcons in that category.
Much has been said of the Falcons’ “Brothership,” a merger of the terms brotherhood and friendship as the team has charged to a 12-5 record and the franchise’s fourth NFC Championship game appearance in a 51-year history.
Freeney, one of the Falcons’ two greatest NFL elders — he and kicker Matt Bryant are both 15-year veterans — said it’s real.
He’s seen a few things, having gone to two Super Bowls and winning one with the Colts. As recently as last year he went to the NFC Championship game with the Cardinals. Freeney gets this concept. He swears it’s real.
“This is up there. This is probably one of the most enjoyable environments, locker rooms, meetings that I’ve been in during my career,” Freeney said. “They do a great job around here of keeping things upbeat, light, you know.
“I don’t know if it’s the fact that there are so many young guys that there’s always energy in the building. I’m not sure, but just walking around here it’s a different feeling. It’s uplifting, energy that I think has a lot to do with Dan and how he likes to run his team.”
Dan is Quinn, the Falcons’ head coach.
Many a Falcons player, particularly wide receiver Julio Jones, will talk about how Quinn has made this a “player-led team.”
This is not a new concept.
Former Falcons coach Jim Mora said privately in 2004, while the Falcons were on their way to the NFC Championship game in Philadelphia, that “peer-to-peer accountability” is more important than anything a coach can say to players.
When the rank-and-file are in step, and they truly care about one another, when they don’t want to let each other down, the product can be greater than the parts.
Jonathan Babineaux, the elder Falcon, gets it.
He’s a little hesitant to slight his former teammates, but he said Wednesday that his current team has a vibe that works.
“It’s up there. I think this team overall is connected,” the 12-year Falcon said. “In the past, we had teams that were very close, but it seems like in the offseason what we’ve been through. … I feel like our bond has gotten stronger every time we played.”
Quarterback Matt Ryan on Wednesday echoed these comments when he said that his idea to organize skill players and several defenders in Florida last spring for a throwing camp of sorts helped create ties that bind. He spoke of the benefit of players young and old getting to know each other, “professionally and personally.”
Freeney believes the Falcons’ expedited process in this regard is sparked by Quinn, who, like Jones and others have said, empowers players through bestowing upon them a greater sense of ownership in most processes.
“I definitely see how he’s treated each guy like a man until you prove otherwise,” Freeney said. “Everyone is responsible for getting ready. We don’t have to do any extra stuff or be any extra tougher on anybody because we’re all men around here.”
I definitely see how he’s treated each guy like a man until you prove otherwise. Everyone is responsible for getting ready. We don’t have to do any extra stuff or be any extra tougher on anybody because we’re all men around here.
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