FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- It's hard to envision an individual more perfectly suited for his name -- and position -- than Falcons strong safety Lawyer Milloy.
Well-spoken, hard-hitting and sometimes gut-punching honest, Milloy's name fits his persona. He could probably pass for a broker on Wall Street or a high-power attorney (as his namesake would suggest) but he prefers to hold his power ties and suits for trips on the Falcons' charter. He's more comfortable in shoulder pads and Falcons red.
So it was little surprise that, when the team needed a defensive spark last week against the San Francisco, it was Milloy that provided the pop. But he didn't stop with just one play. The 12-year veteran tied a season high with 11 tackles (seven solo), picked up his first interception as a Falcon and made a key stop on third-and-goal that forced a field goal instead of what could have been a momentum-crushing touchdown.
But like any successful counsel, Milloy knows he couldn't get the job done without good research and friendly support.
"You just show up and play ball," Milloy said. "You do your part. Everybody on the team, especially on our defense, has a role. Some guys' roles are bigger than others and you've got to be able to accept that. I think more so, being a leader, is your approach to the challenges that this sport presents you on and off the field."
Milloy's veteran eye and experience led his teammates to select him as one of two defensive captains. It's a position he takes seriously, especially during a season that has had more than it's share of frustrations.
Under Milloy's guidance, however, the team has kept its composure.
"This year has been rough just keeping the focus in the locker room," he said. "We're 2-6 but, when you come in (the locker room), it doesn't feel like that. It's because we keep it friendly. We keep it competitive, but we keep it friendly. This year has probably been my most challenging year off the field because of all the situations we've been through, with the youth we have on this team and the changing of guard with the coaches. It's been rough but it all boils back down to how I approach the game, how I feel about myself when I wake up in the morning and what I do on the field."
The veteran credits defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer for "calling his number" against San Francisco -- a modest streak that sometimes appears through Milloy's outer grit. There too is an important lesson he can pass to his younger teammates.
"I would like for him to call my number every time but I'm not selfish," he said. "I really feel like I'm a piece of all this; I'm a piece of the puzzle. I'm not just one man out there making plays. I can be that but I try to have success through the success of the team and the defense. I think some guys get caught up on the individual stuff. That's why you see some guys, when they don't get their number called, they have a negative approach. I go to the game worrying about winning the ball game."
There's no denying the fire that seemed to flicker from Milloy as he made play after play against the 49ers. He may have finished with a fraction of the 64 tackles he's accumulated this season, but it was as if his whole heart wanted to thump it's way out of his chest on every snap.
"That's what I do," Milloy said simply when asked about the string of big plays. "I think anybody in any sport the more his number is called, or the more he sinks the bucket, or the more he's throwing strikes, the stronger he's going to get."
Now if some of that confidence can spill over into the Falcons' next game -- an intra-division contest at Carolina -- the team will be in even better shape.
The Panthers won 27-20 earlier this season. Running back DeShaun Foster ran for 122 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons defense that week. But Milloy, who had eight tackles in the game, said Atlanta isn't blitzing their play book on Foster alone.
There are bigger issues.
"The future is the Carolina Panthers," Milloy said Wednesday as if he were simultaneously straightening his tie for a closing argument. "The only way we get back into this thing is winning one game at a time. Our focus right now needs to be one game at a time. That's the only way you get back into this thing.
"Our situation is a situation we put ourselves in. We were 1-6 before last week and we were just talking about getting that win and feeling good about ourselves. That's the same approach we have to have about this week. With the exception of a handful of teams in the league nobody is really beating anybody. It's pretty well-matched competitively. If we can win one game at a time we can get back into it."
ABRAHAM ENERGIZED: Milloy said defensive end John Abraham "broke down" the huddle after Wednesday's practice. The South Carolina native has four sacks, two forced fumbles and two passes defensed in his last three games against the Panthers.
He's excited about the match up.
"He definitely had a little more energy about his speech and I know he'll be ready to go," Milloy said. "We're going to be ready to go as a unit."
"I feel more confidence out there personally and also as a team," added Abraham after practice. "People looked like they were having fun (at practice). They didn't just look like they were at work. People are coming for a goal. It's Carolina. It's a big game for us."
INJURY UPDATE: Head Coach Bobby Petrino said running back Jerious Norwood missed a second day of practice Thursday. The second-year running back, who is second on the team with 311 rushing yards, tweaked his right ankle last week against San Francisco.
Tight end Alge Crumpler, who has missed the team's last two games practiced for a second straight day on Thursday.
"Alge took some more reps again today which is very encouraging," Petrino said.
The coach also said he's "very encouraged" that veteran tackle Todd Weiner, who hasn't started a game since Oct. 7, will be ready to play.
- RELATED: Falcons-Panthers Injury Report
BUILT WITH LOVE: Warrick Dunn, D'Anthony Batiste and Trey Lewis took part in a special community project Tuesday to help associates from The Home Depot and honor Dunn's recognition as a Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP.
Dunn is one of only 17 players selected league-wide as an "MVP" for his work in assisting single parents achieve first-time home ownership.
The players helped renovate portions of the Clarkston Community Center facilities. The center serves more than 500 families and the project presented an opportunity for children, parents, coaches and community members to work together.
- RELATED PHOTOS: Pictures from the renovation project and other community events
- RELATED VIDEO: NFL Neighborhood MVP Build - 11-6-07
