Camp tour: On the field, it's between God and Abraham

Falcons: Five things to know

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Mention the name John Abraham and malcontent might be something that might come to mind, a pre-conceived notion that follows the defensive end around like he does quarterbacks.

John Abraham will help to improve a defense that was 32nd in 2005. (Getty Images)

This is the same John Abraham who was blistered in the media 2½ years ago when his comments about a knee injury inferred he was more concerned about a new contract, rather than what he could do for his team. Doing a John Abraham even became a sports refrain of sorts, which meant I'm not pushing it for anybody but myself.

That's never good.

But the reality is Abraham is far different than the painted picture. He is engaging, polite, fun and, more importantly to his new team, the Atlanta Falcons, he is a good teammate. They all swear by the guy, from the players, the coaches and the staff.

"I can't say enough good things about him," Falcons linebacker Keith Brooking said. "Everyone watches the sports news, so we heard some of those things about him. But I'm really impressed by the type of guy he is, as much as I am as him as a player. He fits in with everything we do. He works so hard. And he's such a dynamic player."

That's the attraction of Abraham, and the reason why the Falcons traded a first-round pick to the Jets last spring to acquire him. In a league with an endless thirst for speed rushers, the Falcons seemed to have quenched theirs.

Abraham will play the right end, opposite Patrick Kerney, giving the Falcons as good a pass-rushing duo as there is in the league. Abraham put his speed on display here Saturday night in the Falcons' preseason victory over the Tennessee Titans, getting three tackles, and getting close to the quarterback on a couple of pressures.

On one running play, he whipped left tackle Michael Roos and slammed running back Travis Henry to the ground for no gain.

"He's a very good pass rusher, but the thing most people don’t see is how well he plays the run," Falcons coach Jim Mora said. "He has the arm length and strength to secure the edge."

The Falcons finished the 2005 season as the 32nd-ranked defense. You can't win many games like that, no matter what you do on offense, which is why Abraham was acquired in the trade with the Jets.

Abraham has 53½ sacks in six seasons, including 10½ in 2005 for the Jets. He is the type of player who can change the outcome of a game with one big play, which is why the Falcons were also willing to give him a six-year, $45 million contract in addition to giving up the first-round pick.

"He's a game changer," Mora said. "That's what he is."

Even so, the Falcons did a lot of investigative work before making the deal. They wanted to know if his injury troubles that forced him to miss time in three seasons were something real or a potential problem, the sign of a malingerer who really didn't like to play. They found out they were real. They also wanted to know if a 2003 arrest for drunken driving was the norm or an aberration, and came away feeling it was the latter.

Poll Will John Abraham help the Falcons win the NFC South? 24% Yes: He's the missing link   33% Nope: They still have too many holes   43% Who cares: The Panthers will kill everybody   Total Votes: 3604

To help investigate Abraham, the Falcons enlisted the help of Kevin Winston, the team's director of player development, and Sal Alosi, the team's strength coach. Both came from the Jets this year.

"To John's credit, he had some thing happen to him early in his career, and he corrected them," Mora said. "They follow you around forever, unfortunately, but he's a pro. He gets it."

He's also quite happy to be out of New York. It's almost as if he has been re-born. During a half-hour interview, his face lit up when he spoke of his new start with the Falcons, leaving behind the pressures of New York.

"When I got here to Atlanta, somebody asked me if there would be a lot of pressure because of all the expectations," Abraham said. "I told them this would be the least amount of pressure I've had after playing in New York. It's like I'm coming home to play."

Raised in South Carolina, he went to the University of South Carolina and has maintained a condo in Atlanta for a few years. Even so, he nearly went to play with the Seattle Seahawks, who actually offered him more money. In the end, he opted for the comforts of the South.

Being away from New York, he says, will be a good thing for him. Playing there is like no other city.

"There are so many people trying to bring you down," Abraham said. "A good story is you not having three sacks. A good story is you having three drinks and getting into a car accident. That's the story they want to read. They don't want to read you are getting your MBA, but would rather read about you touching some girl. It's tough up there when you're a player."

In defense of the New York media, some of it was self-inflicted. But Abraham insists he is a changed man.

"I still make mistakes," he said. "Who doesn't? But I'm more mature."

One incident, though, he said was blown way out of proportion. That's when he said his comments about playing with a knee injury during the 2004 playoffs were taken out of context.

"A reporter asked me a question," Abraham said. "He asked me if my contract had anything to do with me not playing. I told him you think about that stuff. But that it wasn't the big deal. The big deal was to get back healthy for the team. The next day it was all over the place that I didn't want to play. The reality is I went to Dr. (James) Andrews the week before the game to see if I could play, and he told me no. The Jets then told me they knew I wasn't playing, but that they would list me as probable so people could gameplan for me. I didn't know it would all come back and backfire on me. Otherwise, I would have told them just list me as out."

Abraham was painted as a greedy player, more worried about his contract than the team. That's not a reputation that any player wants to have following them around. The Jets still thought enough of him to put the franchise tag on him to keep him from leaving in 2005. Abraham held out, eventually signed a one-year deal before the season, then went out and had the 10½-sack season.

It was shortly before the season that Abraham got a new tattoo on his back, something to link him to his new outlook on life. It reads: God's Plan. Why that?

"This is all His plan," Abraham said. "Everything in life is God's plan. If something bad happens, it's part of the plan. So I don't worry about it anymore. In New York, I used to beat myself up. Now I don't do that. I'm so happy to be here in Atlanta."

The feeling is mutual. But it's more than just football.

"I love the guy," Mora said. "I really do."

If he gets 15 sacks, which he's capable of doing, you can bet the Falcons will love him even more.