Peter Konz had never played right guard until being inserted into Falcons’ starting lineup last season.
“At first, it was a little frightening because you were going up against some pretty good players,” Konz said. “But as the year went on, Todd (McClure) and (Tyson) Clabo helped me a lot. I was able to get in a groove, feel more comfortable and help the team.
“Now, I’m ready for the next challenge.”
That next challenge is a rather daunting one.
Konz iz attempting to replace McClure, who was the team’s starting center for the past 13 seasons. He was the leader of the offensive linemen and his guile, savvy and tenaciousness permeated throughout the unit.
Konz started 10 games last season at right guard and played 674 snaps, 64 percent of the offensive snaps. It became a busy year for the second-round pick (55th overall) in the 2012 draft. He had started three years at Wisconsin and led the Badgers to two Rose Bowl trips.
He stepped in when first-team right guard Garrett Reynolds went down with a back injury that required surgery.
Konz (6 foot 5, 317 pounds) struggled at times, but was able to hold firm with his superior technique. He was steady and was not called for any penalties.
In pass protection, Konz allowed 25 pressures on his 406 pass block attempts and had a pass block efficiency rating (sacks, hits and hurries) of 95.1 that ranked 65th among guards, according to analytics website proffootballfocus.com.
Konz, 24, is taking a simple approach to winning the center job. His main competition is Joe Hawley. Also, Matt Smith, an undrafted rookie free agent from Kentucky, will get a lot of exhibition season action.
“Every day, improve,” Konz said. “If you take the approach that every day you’re going to do something better and every day the defense adds more complicated things, you’ll just keep improving upon your skills. Moving forward is the goal.”
Konz faces some challenges at center. If he doesn’t correctly recognize the defensive front or calls the wrong protection, quarterback Matt Ryan is at immediate risk.
“I think right now, it’s identifying everything,” Konz said of his challenges. “The defenses in the NFL are very complex. One play, they can be in your average 4-3 and the next play have five down (linemen) and then they could go into a 3-4. I will have to be aware of everything and know the call for each individual defense.”
Konz will use his team-issued iPad to help him study defenses. But a computer can’t teach evrything.
“One of the main things I learned (in 2012) was staying calm,” Konz said. “It’s easy to have your head spinning or freeze in the headlights as they say. But having that experience and having playoff experience especially let’s you know what level you have to play at every day.”
Some analysts contended that Konz was the top center in the 2012 draft. But after he lifted 225 pounds just 18 times at the scouting combine, he slipped into second round. He’s made gains over the offseason in the Falcons’ weight training program, but he and coach Mike Smith wouldn’t quantify those gains.
“I’m bigger, yes,” Konz said. “I’ll keep trying to improve on that. Also, I was trying to get functional strength. If it’s in (the weight room), I’ve got to (transfer) it out to the field. I have to bring everything that I do in (the weight room) out to the field every day.”
Smith said, “He is more naturally strong than he is weight-room strong.”
A.J. Neibel, the team’s new strength and conditioning coach, had players doing more traditional lifts with weights as opposed to kettle bells.
“We did a lot more running, too,” Konz said. “When it comes to the third and fourth quarters, we expect our team to be even better than last year.”
Ryan was particularly close to McClure. He’s working on developing a new bond with Konz.
“He’s taken on a lot in terms of the mental aspects of the game,” Ryan said. “We ask our centers to do a lot in the run game at the line of scrimmage, getting everybody situated, and he’s handled that seamlessly. He’s done a great job.”
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