hawkeye Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) - John Abraham took no particular satisfaction in nearly body slamming Jake Long last week.Long just so happened to be standing between the Falcons' three-time Pro Bowl defensive end and Miami quarterback Chad Pennington.The same will hold true this weekend when Abraham lines up opposite Jordan Gross in his pursuit of Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme."I'm the pass rusher on this team," Abraham said Friday. "It's my job to get the quarterback."With two sacks in a 19-7 win over the Dolphins, Abraham now has 86 in his career, second-most among active NFL players. His dismantling of Long is still reverberating in Atlanta and Miami.Long, the No. 1 overall draft pick of 2008, spent time this week trying to deflect questions from reporters who wondered how Abraham could make him so vulnerable.After allowing just 2.5 sacks throughout last season, Long gave up two against the Falcons, but Abraham's first-quarter bull rush has become instant fodder for television highlight reels and talk-show radio hosts.Dolphins guard Justin Smiley said Thursday that center Jake Grove snapped the ball too soon in Pennington's silent count, a mistake that gave Abraham an immediate advantage to slam the top of his helmet into Long's chest and use his right arm to push the 6-foot-7, 317-pound lineman on his back.To Abraham, however, such hindsight was irrelevant. His only concern was that Long lost the battle in protecting Pennington and that the Falcons (1-0) are eager to keep Carolina (0-1) on its proverbial heels Sunday at the Georgia Dome."I'm going to produce no matter what," Abraham said. "It's not just about the sacks. We defend the run. We defend the pass. We follow our game plan and we use our instincts. It's all about winning the football game and keeping yourself in position to get in the playoffs and win the Super Bowl."Atlanta left tackle Sam Baker can only imagine what Long felt like. Baker, who was drafted 20 spots after Long and was the fifth offensive tackle selected last year, has spent the last two training camps getting his fill of blocking Abraham."For four quarters? With crowd noise?" Baker wondered aloud. "Oh, man. I would be hollering up there for a chip. I would need a slide or (have) someone to slide with me. In terms of third down, he's a nightmare."With Abraham seemingly close to 100 percent healthy and 10 years into his career, Falcons defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder knows matchups against young players like Long are usually going to favor the Falcons.So don't be surprised if Abraham switches from side to side against Carolina. Gross, who starts at left tackle, is in his seventh season. Jeff Otah, the right-side starter, is in his second year. The Falcons' end rotation of Abraham, Jamaal Anderson, Chauncey Davis and Kroy Biermann sacked Delhomme three times in beating the Panthers 45-28 last November.Davis had two sacks, but Abraham, who had one of his 16.5 that set a Falcons single-season record last year, drew constant double-teams to free other defenders."I think the physical traits that he brings are difficult for offensive tackles in our league," VanGorder said. "He's a great speed rusher. We all know that, but he knows how to work from speed to power in a way that's really unique to him and then how to use leverage. He's gained a great knowledge over the years, and you couple that with the great talent, it makes him difficult to deal with."VanGorder was quick to point out that Delhomme's struggles with 11 turnovers in his last two games don't necessarily mean Abraham could have a four-sack Sunday. The Panthers are coming off a 38-10 home loss to Philadelphia that included five interceptions and a lost fumble by Delhomme."We expect they'll be prepared for us and our defense and what we do and make protection a huge priority," VanGorder said. "He's an awfully good quarterback and he's played a lot of good games against us."Abraham gives little significance to his Atlanta debut in the 2006 season opener, when he had six tackles, two forced fumbles, two sacks and one pass defended in helping the Falcons win 20-6 at Carolina."I have a lot more freedom now," he said, "so I think it's showing up on the field and also how I play."http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/1009103...n-Jake-Delhomme Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUB Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 rofl @ Abe "i am THE pass rusher on this team" STEP IT UP JAMAAL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimsmusic™ Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 rofl @ Abe "i am THE pass rusher on this team" STEP IT UP EVERYBODY ON THE D-LINE!fixed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ltstorm2 Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 Everytime I read anything a Falcon says. I always hear this same tone from all of them. "Humble and Hungry" They all seem to be teeming with confidence, but still all recognize they still have to get better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconBlood Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 love abe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falcons_own_nfc_south Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 I remember that ABE first game with Falcons (2006). He was a BEAST in that game. He single handily took over that game.Good Luck Abe..Go get your SACKS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duff_Man Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 When Abe is healthy, he is easily one of the most exciting players on the field. He was making all kinds of plays last week. His recovery in the run game is insane. Just hope we can keep him on the field...if so, he's a Ring Of Honor guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnrealfalcoN Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 Worth all of that 1st rounder and more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bossFALCON™ Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 10 more sacks and abe is 3rd all time in falcons history Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUB Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 fixedJamaal is the only guy not touching the QB...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyguy28 Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 man if i were the jets i would be pissed givng up a guy like abe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimsmusic™ Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 Worth all of that 1st rounder and moreyeah he wasJamaal is the only guy not touching the QB......then you aren't watching the games Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUB Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 yeah he wasthen you aren't watching the gamesgames? We had one game this year.........literally only two guys have sacks for the season thus far but out of our rotation there is only one guy with no tackles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFanSince1970 Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 "I'm the pass rusher on this team," Abraham said Friday. "It's my job to get the quarterback."True. But the Beer Man is catching up fast. Abe had 7.5 sacks in the last 12 regular season, playoff and preseason games. Kroy had 5.0 in the same stretch with zero starts. He punked Jake Long too. The Beer Man was better against the run in those games with 39 tackles compared to Abe's 14. Abe is 31 years old folks. Kroy is probably 25. Abe might not be the best pass rusher for much longer.Jeff Otah, the right-side starter, is in his second year. The Falcons' end rotation of Abraham, Jamaal Anderson, Chauncey Davis and Kroy Biermann sacked Delhomme three times in beating the Panthers 45-28 last November.Busterson. This is your your week son. Turn in a goose egg Sunday and even the blind loyalists will start bailing out.Davis had two sacksAs a back up. Dude can get to the QB.Abraham gives little significance to his Atlanta debut in the 2006 season opener, when he had six tackles, two forced fumbles, two sacks and one pass defended in helping the Falcons win 20-6 at Carolina.His best game as a Falcon. It was a masterpiece. Except for the injury. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_winger Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 We're in trouble if they double Abe, double Beerman, and double Lofton. Wait, they're in trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PensacolaFalcon Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 Man I wish I had a large lump of coal to stick in Delhomme butt you know its gonna be puckered so hard Sunday that by the 3rd quarter you could pull out a nice shinny diamond ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ltstorm2 Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 Man I wish I had a large lump of coal to stick in Delhomme butt you know its gonna be puckered so hard Sunday that by the 3rd quarter you could pull out a nice shinny diamond ...Delhomme is already under so much pressure you could just hand him a lump of coal and POOOF,Diamond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_winger Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 man if i were the jets i would be pissed givng up a guy like abeAfter the trade Jets fans were all over the boards talking about how much we were going to regret it.The psychic network must have been down.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_winger Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 Man I wish I had a large lump of coal to stick in Delhomme butt you know its gonna be puckered so hard Sunday that by the 3rd quarter you could pull out a nice shinny diamond ...No, YOU pull it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millenium falcon Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 this could be a good game. otah is injured(shoulder) but he might still play. either way, you would think abe will have his way on the right side but i have seen injured players and down on their luck players(delhomme) have great games. i hope we dominate but it is not a given. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye Posted September 19, 2009 Author Share Posted September 19, 2009 “I just kind of got into him good. I was able to hit him right in the middle, where we really want to hit people. I didn't know I was going to hit him like that,...”- Falcons DE John Abraham on his bull rush over Miami left tackle Jake Long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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