Like Redman, Biermann had not kicked since high school. He kicked for four years and said he was trying not to "mess anything up." His main goal was to keep the ball in bounds.
He said he was not nervous when he learned in the huddle that he would take over the kicking duties.
"My cover guys didn't know where it was going and they ran down as hard as they could to make those tackles so they did an awesome job covering for me, so it was good," he said.
Just as Biermann kicked off for the first time in an NFL game and Ryan held for the first time, a few Falcons' rookies achieved their own firsts. Cornerback Christopher Owens had his first NFL interception while defending perennial Pro Bowl wide receiver Terrell Owens on a deep ball.
"He is big," the 5-foot-9 Christopher Owens said of his Bills' 6' 3" namesake. "I just wanted to play my game. Throughout the week the coaches just said, 'play your game' and everything will come together and it did."
He said the best feeling came after the interception.
"All the guys just gave me high fives," he said. "They were really happy for me. It feels better than the pick itself that my teammates were behind me 100 percent."
Smith said the interception was a "big moment" for Christopher Owens.
Owens' fellow rookie defensive teammate Lawrence Sidbury had his first defensive touchdown in the NFL when he returned a forced fumble by Chauncey Davis 11 yards.
"I thought there were a number of young guys on our team who grew up today," said Smith, who singled out the performances of third-year cornerback Brent Grimes (three interceptions in two games), Sidbury, second-year safety Thomas DeCoud and rookie defensive tackle Vance Walker.
Sidbury said he thought that the day represented a tipping point in his maturation.
"Your rookie year's a big learning process," he said. "A lot of things are coming at you. At the end of the season, some of the things you've worked on and seen, you start to get better at them. And coaches put you out there and see what you can do. Chris got his first interception. I did some pretty good things... We had young guys doing some good things and got some momentum for the next game."
They also had some other young guys -- like Biermann and Ryan -- doing some new things.
See that, even in the NFL, players can learn something new every game.
MORE FALCONS-BILLS COVERAGE:
GAMEDAY LIVE:Complete Falcons-Bills coverage from AF.com * GAME RECAP:John Manasso takes a look at some of the key moments * GAME CENTER:Stats and more from NFL.com * FIRST TAKE:Daver Archer chats with some of the key contributors * MULTIMEDIA:Highlights and more player interviews from Falcons-Bills * J. MIKE'S MISSIVES:Additional thoughts from the AF.com Managing Editor * THE BEAT BLOG:Quarter-by-quarter updates from AF.com's John Manasso * GAME NOTES:Official game notes from the Falcons-Bills game * TRANSCRIPTS:Postgame thoughts from Falcons players | Bills * INACTIVES:Game inactives and starters from Sunday afternoon * PHOTOS:Images from the Falcons 31-3 win over the Buffalo Bills * FORUMS:Talk about the game with other fans on FalconsLIFE
