Crazy Rebel(l)s
Thema drucken
24.08.2019 04:28
|
Reminisce about the Falcons of old." Podcast on The FalcoholicContact The FalcoholicFalcons StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Falcons NewsYahoo Falcons Team PageYahoo Falcons ReportYahoo Falcons Depth ChartYahoo Falcons TransactionsYahoo Falcons PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub 鉁旻alcons Throwback Thursday: Remembering former OT Mike KennNew Marcus Green Atlanta Falcons Jersey ,7commentsReminisce about the Falcons of old.EDTShareTweetShareShareFalcons Throwback Thursday: Remembering former OT Mike KennHey Falcoholics, I’m back with another edition of The Falcoholic’s Throwback Thursday series. This weekly segment highlights a former Atlanta Falcons player and discusses their life and what they did for the franchise.Whether you’ve been a fan since the inaugural season, or just became a fan recently, this series will give insight on players from the past. This week we will be focusing on offensive tackle Mike Kenn.Mike Kenn was born in Evanston, Illinois on February 9, 1956. Kenn attended Evanston Township High School, where he played ice hockey and lacrosse.He received a call from The University of Michigan, and headed to Ann Arbor. His freshman year went poorly. Kenn was injured and struggled in the classroom, almost costing him his scholarship. As a sophomore, Kenn started nine games at left tackle for the Wolverines who finished the year ranked No. 3 in the final AP Poll.In his junior year, Kenn started 12 games at left tackle, and the team finished with a 10-2 record. In his senior year at Michigan, Kenn started 11 games at left tackle, and was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten Conference tackle.With the 13th overall pick in the 1978 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons selected offensive tackle Mike Kenn. In his rookie season, Kenn started all 16 games at left tackle and was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team. 1978 also marked the first time the Atlanta Falcons had ever made the playoffs in team history. In 1979, Kenn allowed only 4.5 sacks and was penalized four times. During the 1980 season, Mike Kenn only allowed 3.5 sacks and wasn’t penalized at all, a rare feat even in today’s NFL. For his efforts that season, Kenn was named a consensus All-Pro and was invited to the NFL Pro Bowl. The following season, Kenn was again voted to the NFL Pro Bowl, and was selected as a second-team All-Pro. He would go on to be selected to every Pro Bowl from 1980 to 1984, putting him behind Julio Jones and Claude Humphrey as the only players in team history with more invites. Kenn was voted as the NFC NFLPA/Coca-Cola Offensive Lineman of the Year Award for 1981 and 1982.In 1984, Kenn was voted to the second-team All-NFL and started all 16 games. Unfortunately, during the following season Youth Marcus Green Jersey , his consecutive games started streak was broken due to a knee injury. In 1988, Kenn allowed only 6.5 sacks and had only one holding penalty. He would be voted to the Pro Bowl as an alternate due to his efforts. In 1991, Mike Kenn’s pass blocking allowed the Falcons to set a franchise record by giving up only 31 total sacks, in which Kenn only gave up one. During a memorable game against the New Orleans Saints, he shut down defensive end Pat Swilling, who at the time was the NFL’s sack leader. Kenn would be recognized by being voted a first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press for the second time in his career.During the 1992 season, Kenn was called for only one penalty, allowed five sacks, and was an alternate to the NFL Pro Bowl. Mike Kenn would officially retire following the 1994 season, having spent all 17 seasons of his career with the Atlanta Falcons.Following his football career, Mike Kenn was the chairman of the Fulton County Commission for six years. He eventually stepped down so that he could run the nonprofit Georgians for Better Transportation. He was very active in the NFLPA, including the eight years he served as the NFLPA president.In 2014, The Falcoholic’s Jeanna Thomas sat down with Mike Kenn for an interview, which you can check out here.In my opinion, Mike Kenn is one of the most underrated players in Atlanta Falcons history. The Falcons had losing seasons from 1981 to 1990, and Kenn was still dominant. Overall the Falcons struggled, but their offensive line was impressive with starters Mike Kenn, Jamie Dukes, Jeff Van Note, Bill Fralic, and R.C. Thielemann. Legendary San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh even said of Kenn, “I’ve never seen any offensive tackle with his agility and quickness.” Add Mike Kenn to the list of Falcons greats currently snubbed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He got close in 2014, as he was named a semifinalist to enter Canton. In 2006, Kenn was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. In 2008, Mike Kenn was inducted into the prestigious Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor Youth Terrell McClain Jersey , alongside Claude Humphrey. For more on Mike Kenn, visit his website MikeKennFootball.comLet me know in the comments below some of your favorite Mike Kenn memories. As always, you can find me on Twitter @EvanBirchfield. Additionally, make sure to follow @The_Falcoholic on Instagram for up-to-date news and information. Thanks for reading, Falcoholics.Falcons vs. Saints: Takeaways and irrational reactions to the loss DWAhem.Alcohol, my only friend.Alcohol, there to the end. My family, my friends, they’ve left me again.Alcohol, alcohol, my only friend.Dave ChoateInjuries may very well cost the Falcons this season, but we’re not dead yet. I still believe the Falcons are talented enough to make the best of the rough hand they’ve been dealt, injury-wise, through the first three weeks of the season. It’s just getting harder and harder every week to thread that needle, what with the increasing number of ailments and the defense’s alarming decline minus their best players. What is clear is that the Falcons are going to have to lean heavily on their offense the rest of the way, and they’re going to need something mighty and heroic and heretofore unseen from what’s left of the defense to make it work. But they’re not dead yet. Kendall JacksonPLEASEStop pissing away Matt Ryan’s awesome performances.Cory Woodroof Atlanta will have to, once more, rely on high-power offense to win games. It’s almost kind of comical to think that, after 2017, Atlanta would once again have to resort to the good-old days of explosive offensive performances to win ball games because of a lagging defense. This time, it’s of no fault of the organization, of course. Injuries have ravaged a once-promising unit, and only a Hail Mary trade for FS Earl Thomas, the addition of a stalwart pass rusher via trade and the swift return of Deion Jones will stabilize the on-field output. You’re not even guaranteed one of those right now. If the offense ever falters, this team does not have the personnel to take down the league’s best teams. Even on a day where they score 37 points Stitched Logan Paulsen Jersey , the defense still let a loss slip through its fingers. It’s fair to be pessimistic for this team’s postseason outlook. Quite frankly, it might be wise. But stranger things have happened, and Atlanta is still, believe it or not, in a position to contend for a playoff spot if this offense keeps playing like this and if the defense can rally just enough to be mediocre. The schedule gets a bit easier after Pittsburg, too. Though, no game in the NFL is a given, nor is a season. 2018 has been unexpected in a myriad of ways. One wonders what other surprises await for the year.Carter Breazeale The offense will have to bail out the defense -- constantly. To echo Cory, this season now falls squarely onto the shoulders of the offense. I was optimistic that with the talented personnel that the Falcons possessed, the defense could blossom into a top-five unit in the league. Injuries have laid waste to that prediction, and the best we can aim for is a defensive unit that keeps games within reach. Matt Ryan and Steve Sarkisian seem to have finally developed a cohesion on offense, and there’s no better timing because if the Falcons want to remain competitive they’re going to have to score loads of points. TorgoYou can’t win if you can’t even walk.The 2016 team lost quite a few players to injury over the course of the season. But this team already has four starters - including two of last year’s Pro Bowlers - on injured reserve. I really do think the approach to preseason was a factor, in that the players didn’t have enough actual game reps to ramp up to full game endurance by the opener against the Eagles.As for this game, I first got the sinking feeling very early, when the Falcons threw a bomb and the officials missed an easy interference call. And when Will Lutz hit the upright but still got the three points, that told me that somehow, some way, this would not be our day.So the Falcons are now 1-1 in the critical division games. It’s not over yet, as the offense is looking better every week. Also, every team plays four games against division winners from the prior season, and we already have two of those games out of the way. The defense needs to find some answers, but at least we have a pretty good defensive coaching staff in place to make that happen.So the season is far from over, but the team can’t withstand many more injuries on defense. |
|
Antworten
