FLOWERY BRANCH — During player-led offseason practices, Falcons middle linebacker Curtis Lofton played the role of wicked defensive coordinator.
He conjured up the schemes and did his best Brian VanGorder impersonation to yell out instructions.
Lofton would confidently make his calls and then jump up and down when he got a stop from his hyper-aggressive play-calling.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt that it shows his maturity,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said Tuesday. “We had a little talk in the staff meeting [after the lockout] to see what he was calling back there at Buford High. We tried to kind of get an idea of where his head was.”
Smith, a former defensive coordinator, doesn’t have any problem mixing in some of Lofton’s ideas.
“It’s all about collaboration,” Smith said. “We talk about being a communicative organization. We also want to be collaborative. Everybody is working for the same goal.”
That’s fine with Lofton, who led the team with 142 tackles, two sacks and an interception last season. He had eight games with 10 or more tackles.
The Falcons have added veteran defensive end Ray Edwards and re-signed linebackers Stephen Nicholas and Mike Peterson. They haven’t made any major additions to the secondary.
Just how aggressively the Falcons play will be determined by how well the cornerbacks hold up in man-to-man coverage. They expect to line up with Brent Grimes and Dunta Robinson on the outside, and Christopher Owens and Dominique Franks will battle for the nickel position.
Free safety Thomas DeCoud and strong safety William Moore also return. The Falcons were 27th in the NFL against the pass in 2009. They improved to 22nd last season, but gave up 366 yards to Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers in a 48-21 playoff loss.
“I still think that our pass defense has got to get better,” VanGorder said. “It’s still a concern for us.”
Lofton, who’s entering his fourth year in the NFL, has started 47 of 48 games in his career. He appeared headed for the Pro Bowl until knee injuries slowed him late last season. He had minor offseason surgery on both knees.
“As a vet, you look at things differently,” Lofton said. “You’ve got the physical part down. Now, it’s more mental. I want to grow mentally. When you grow mentally, you also grow on the field.”
He knows that his unit didn’t perform well against the Super Bowl-bound Packers, and that’s what all that work and aggressive play-calling in May and June was all about.
When Lofton looks around the unit, he sees a stronger defensive line, linebacker corps and a young and improving secondary. In addition to adding Edwards, there is hope that defensive tackle Peria Jerry can improve and be more of a force while rotating with Jonathan Babineaux and Corey Peters.
“Peria, coming off knee surgery, struggled to get to 100 percent,” VanGorder said. “He never got to 100 percent a year ago. He already looks a lot better and more confident moving around on it.”
Lofton feeds off the defensive line.
“Our line is very important to how I play,” Lofton said. “They’ve been doing a good job. It’s going to allow me to do some things I haven’t been able to do in the past. Hopefully, get to the quarterback more.”
Lofton is not necessarily calling for blitzes.
“Whatever the coaches call, is what I’m going to play,” he said.
It’s too early to see how everything is going to fit together.
“Right now, everybody is working to get better at their jobs,” Lofton said. “Everybody is getting better at what they have to do, and we’ll go from there.”
Smith is fine with Lofton taking on more responsibility on defense.
“You want your middle linebacker to be the guy that everybody rallies around,” Smith said. “That’s the kind of guy that Curtis is. He’s been mentored for that role and expecting that role.”
