FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Sometimes it takes a strained ear to hear what Michael Boley is saying. But there's no misunderstanding the soft-spoken linebackers' message when it comes to football.
It's all about winning.
Boley says he takes every loss personally, so it's almost poetic that his best game of the season coincided with the Falcons first win of 2007. The linebacker had a team-high 13 tackles, forced a fumble and dropped fullback Vonta Leach for no gain on a Texans fourth-and-2 attempt that led to a Falcons score.
He now has 38 tackles and two passes defensed on the season which, before last week, grew more excruciating for him by the day.
"Man, it was great to finally get a win," Boley said. "I have never been 0-3 in anything. We wanted to just fix the problems that we were facing. When those clocks hit those triple zeros and we won, that was the defining moment right there. There's nothing like starting off like we did 0-3 and then finally getting that first win under your belt. There's no better feeling. That was the greatest moment of last week."
The third-year player out of Southern Mississippi has cemented himself as a starter at outside linebacker and, with the play-making ability he showed against the Texans, appears to be well on his way to a solid career for the Falcons on a defense that includes such ball hawks like Lawyer Milloy, Keith Brooking and DeAngelo Hall.
"I felt like he was running around and making plays everywhere," Head Coach Bobby Petrino said of Boley's performance in Week 4. "Every week when we go through the stats and the tape, Michael is up there near the lead in tackles and plays made. He is having a really good year for us and he was really glued into what they were trying to do. The other thing are the plays he made during crucial parts of the game. That is something we have been looking to do."
Four of Boley's tackles came on third or fourth down against the Texans. That's a sort of big-play litmus test he isn't planning on failing as the season moves on.
"Overall, I think we had a great plan for them last week," Boley said. "We came in and executed. I think that helped me put myself into the best situation to make plays."
Petrino praised Boley, a fifth-round pick in the 2005 draft, for his ability to play the pass and the run. That balance helped him start 25 games over his freshman and sophomore seasons in the NFL and notch 423 tackles, 28.5 sacks and nine forced fumbles in college. Four times in his pro career Boley has put up games with double-digit tackle numbers. Two have come in the first four games of 2007.
"I'm just trying to maintain it," he said. "Don't let my play drop off from this past week. I'm looking forward to getting better. That's been one of my things, trying to get better each week and not take a step back."
A step back could prove hazardous to Boley's mental well being since a win -- by a point or a blowout -- is the one driving force when this quiet competitor takes the field.
After a loss he can do nothing but sit silently in front of the television. After a win...
"I come home, hug on the kids and wife and chat and talk it up with family," he said.
"I started playing Pop Warner when I was 7. Winning was fun and it's still fun now. My main thing is winning. I take it personally. It really hurts me when we don't win. I think winning is my biggest motivation."
INJURY UPDATE: Safety Chris Crocker returned to practice Thursday after sitting out Wednesday's workout. Crocker, who suffered a bone bruise in the preseason, has missed practices sporadically since the injury.
"(Crocker) was back out there today. He felt good," Petrino said. "It's just a matter of how many weeks it's going to take to get back to where, after a game, he's not sore. I think he'll be able to go full speed on Sunday. (Dwayne) Blakley took a lot of reps today. I think he did a nice job. It was good to see that (and) he was really in to it."
According to Petrino, Rod Coleman took more reps thank Wednesday. Tackle Todd Weiner also returned to practice.
