Person wins first-team center spot
Mike Person, who’s been battling to stick in the NFL since being drafted in 2011, was named the team’s opening day center by Falcons head coach Dan Quinn on Tuesday.
“We’ll start it off with Mike inside (at center),” Quinn said. “He’s going in, he’ll start it off for us.”
Person, who was last with the Rams, beat out James Stone and Joe Hawley. Hawley was released after the Falcons claimed Gino Gradkowski off waivers on Monday.
Hawley was the starting center at the beginning of 2014. Stone took over after Hawley and then Peter Konz suffered season-ending injuries in 2014.
Gradkowski started 16 games for the Ravens in 2013. He played 1,181 snaps and gave up three sacks, quarterback seven hits and 26 hurries. He was the 30th rated center of 30 players, who played more than 50 percent of their team’s snaps in 2013, according to profootballfocus.com.
Gradkowski fell out of favor in Baltimore and was traded to Denver, where he was beaten out by rookie Matt Paradis.
Person, who played at Montana State, was drafted in the seventh-round (239th overall) by San Francisco 49ers in the 2011 NFL draft. He has spent time with the 49ers, Indianapolis Colts, and Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams. He has played in 17 games in his career, including all 16 games last season.
“It’s been quite a journey,” Person said. “It just goes to show that you just have to work every day. There were some down times that I had over the past four years, that’s for sure. But by no means have I arrived. I can only go up from here, but it’s been one heck of a journey.”
He will be in charge of making the calls on the revamped line that will feature left tackle Jake Matthews and four new starters.
The Falcons traded for left guard Andy Levitre, who was working with the first-team, right guard Chris Chester and right tackle Ryan Schraeder.
Getting the group to come together will be important for the new outside zone rushing attack.
“That will start with me at center,” Person said. “I will put a lot of my shoulders. I have to set the table, make the calls and help everybody get situated.”
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
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