Curtis Lofton: "I Have To Impact The Game"
by Dave Choate on Mar 31, 2010 8:00 AM EDT
in Falcons News
40 comments
Credit goes to the Official Site, where they've got some eye-opening quotes from everyone's favorite stud middle linebacker.
One of the things I've really come to enjoy about this football team is how self-aware they are. They're not delivering soliloquies in the locker room or anything, but they talk frankly about the talent level on the Falcons and what needs to be done in order to bring the team to an elite level. It's really quite refreshing, and as a young leader on the team, Curtis Lofton is no exception.
I mean, take a look at what he said about the reason he believes he wasn't selected to the Pro Bowl last season:
"They made more game-changing plays than I did," Lofton said Monday evening after his appearance at the Taco Mac Insider Reality Show. "I have to impact the game. Tackles are going to be there; that’s a given. I just have to work on making game-changing plays."
That's extremely encouraging, because it tells me Lofton sees what he was missing last season. He's still one of the premier young inside linebackers in the NFL today, but he wasn't filling the stat sheet with much except tackles in 2009. While that's not necessarily the biggest deal, are you willing to bet against Lofton amassing more forced fumbles and maybe even interceptions in 2010? I'm sure as hell not going to.
This goes along with Michael Turner saying all the right things about fewer carries and Tony Gonzalez telling everyone who will listen that the team is a few pieces and better play away from greatness. There's guys here who have bought into a philosophy, and a winning culture is growing out of that. I'm awfully proud to be a Falcons fan right now.
And, in case you're more interested in the travels of one Monster Mr. Lofton, he also said he believes the pass defense must improve and will improve (citing Dunta Robinson as a quality addition) and that Mike Peterson provided him with some Good Old-Fashioned Veteran Leadership in 2009, which helped him to get better at his position. So the upshot here is that Dunta Robinson will solve everything and Peterson's a sage teacher, in the mold of Mr. Miyagi. Hey, are you going to argue with Curtis Lofton?
I didn't think so.
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He still shoud've made the pro bowl.
Besides Patrick Willis did any other MLB make any game changing plays?
by dunndada77 on Mar 31, 2010 9:37 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
actually yes...
jonathan vilma singlehandedly won the saints game against the falcons in the georgiadome with the interception and the tackle shy of the first down. karlos dansby won the playoff game against the packers. gary brackett sealed the colts game against the ravens TWICE last season.
by saintfever09 on Mar 31, 2010 6:00 PM EDT up reply actions
No D bagging allowed.
Taints are always nasty.
Rule #1: Double tap.
by Ball Hawk on Mar 31, 2010 6:59 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
Dave will hate me for it ...
But I’m gonna rec the you-know-what out of this!
"There's a little sound off the bat," Cox said.
I can't hate you
….But I wish I could quit you.
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But Lance Briggs
over Curtis Lofton??
That makes no sense.
Its true. I'm a Falcoholic! I just can't live without Falcohol!
by phoenix falcoholic on Mar 31, 2010 9:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Vilma single-handedly shoved Roddy out of the way so the New Orleans CB could score an easy pick-six?
Looked like he used two hands to me.
Longest Atlanta Falcons winning-seasons streak: 2008 - current
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Well I'm excited.
It sure beats the exodus that is the Carolina Panthers. It seems they only have one guy on their team who wants to play football (D.Williams). Talk about a negative culture. Lofton, Gonzo, Ryan, Turner and etc. Are bringing a winning attitude and that’s the stuff champions are made of just ask the Taints. This is slated to be the NFC souths most interesting year and maybe the Falcons best!!
Rule #1: Double tap.
by Ball Hawk on Mar 31, 2010 10:01 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
with our D improving in the run
its only a matter of time before the pass rush improves as well. We have good defensive coaching, we really do. Lofton will be a massive piece in our defense and will only get better. Oh yeah, its amazing to know that we will be going up up up in the near future
If peeing your pants is the coolest, consider me Miles Davis
yes, this is year 3...
the year most good things happen to teams that stay together and just add a piece here or there to compliment the whole. We had our sophomore slump, if you will, and now it’s time for our JUNIOR JUMP (patent pending)to the elite level of teams in the NFL. I see the team improving on it’s on without additions, just because of our young guys getting another year under their belt, but now with the additions we are going to make to the team- already the best FA CB out there- we will make that JUMP to the next level and dethrone the aints, cuz they AINT winning the superbowl again, and they AINT winning the division again, IT’S OUR TURN!!!
nice try there buddy.
dunta robinson is a very overrated corner. although he has all the physical tools to be a shutdown corner in this league, he just can’t stay healthy. those injuries are starting to accumulate and he is actually much older than his age. if you want to get past the saints, you have to be able to stop the passing game and be able to run the ball. i will admit the falcons have a powerful running game, but their pass defense? not so much. dunta robinson can’t stay healthy. brian williams is getting old. brent grimes is too small. who can handle marques colston, robert meachem, devery henderson, lance moore, jeremy shockey, david thomas, pierre thomas, and reggie bush? who will rush drew brees? jamaal anderson? the aging jon abraham? who will stop our running game? sure you have some good defensive tackles, but they are both undersized. babineaux and peria jerry are both simply 3-technique tackles. you don’t have a nose tackle who can eat up space along the line. your linebacking corps, other than lofton, is average(stephen nicholas is raw and mike peterson is old). you dont have a game-changing safety like a darren sharper or ed reed. while this will be a compelling division battle(you guys are our number 1 contenders in the nfc south, the panthers are very dangerous, and the bucs cant get any worse can they??), i think that the saints will prevail again. sean payton finally “gets it.” drew brees is in his prime and has a plethora of great receivers to throw to and a great offensive line to protect him. they have a solid run game and a defense that will only improve by the hands of the leadership of the great gregg williams. that is why the saints will win the division again.
by saintfever09 on Mar 31, 2010 6:10 PM EDT up reply actions
come on man ...
Y’all won the super bowl. Are we on your blog pointing out the Saint’s inadequacies? Seriously.
We know Dunta sucked in ‘09 and ’08, you’re just plain wrong about Abe/Grimes/Nicholas, and someone (ahem … YOU) have far too much confidence in a team that we almost beat twice last year, gross defensive inadequacies and all.
"There's a little sound off the bat," Cox said.
by FrankyWren on Mar 31, 2010 6:19 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Rec'd
This guys (saintfever) needs to calm it down a bit. I mean had Chris Redman not thrown that interception and led one of his patented late game winning drives the game would’ve been over, or had Brent Grimes not been called for a ghostly pass interference call (What the F was that about I tore my hair out) we wouldve won that game.
Saints fans need to know that there were games there they could’ve easily lost (Redskins game too)
Australian Atlanta Falcons Fan EST 2003
Lost to bucs and barely beat them the first time they played. Btw Vikes lost Saints didn't win.
If you think your magical trip to Disneyland will continue you are going to wake up in a world of pain.
Rule #1: Double tap.
by Ball Hawk on Mar 31, 2010 7:04 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Enjoy the Super Bowl win
because this coming season is going to be different story. The Saints had the perfect chemistry this past season and it’s gone. ATL will own the Saints this coming season.
The Saints defense was saved only by turn overs last year other than that it was grossly over rated.
Good luck cause y’all are going to need it this season.
With any luck, you'll be eating those words in a few months
Have some ketchup ready.
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Yeah...Mr. FrankyWren said it best......
“You have faaarrrrr too much confidence in a team that we almost beat twice last year”!!! And my opinion really doesn’t count for nothing but, that undersized DT could’ve made a difference….but he was injured(so was our 2nd rounder) Our game changing speedster was injured too. HD might be the piece that makes our offense just as scary as the Aints. But we can’t dwell on last year’s injuries. Just know that the league is in for something serious if we can stay healthy, draft spoon and find a DE somewhere….
The '09 in your screen name says it all, Bandwagon.
Longest Atlanta Falcons winning-seasons streak: 2008 - current
The Falcoholic · Blog · Twitter
Brent Grimes Too Small?
He’s not small enough to pick Brees off twice, Leaping in the air to snatch that ball away from the tall Marques Colston.
by brotherbrown on Apr 3, 2010 2:46 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
who can handle marques colston, robert meachem, devery henderson, lance moore, jeremy shockey, david thomas, pierre thomas, and reggie bush?
Maybe then we could get some pressure on Brees (if there were only 2 O-Linemen on the field)…
"Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital." - Aaron Levenstein
Step it up Defense... Impact the game
I agree with you… lofton is a good player. But I like that attitude he brings to the organization about making an impact to the game. Curtis lofton has established himself as a tackling machine but to be remembered as a playmaker and difference maker we need to add more sacks, interception, tackles for loss, and of course taking a fumble to the house for a touch down.
We need that killa defense attitude like them intimidating ravens defense,pittsburgh, with that swagger that every play I’m trying to put you in the hospital cause we hit so hard that cause turnovers.
With a good pass rush that starts with a healthy peria jerry….. that same swagger we had when all the pieces were in place the first 3 games.. We made plays!!! Abraham,Bierman,lofton, peterson , grimes,nichols,B.williams,coleman, made an impact in the game.
Agreed and one more argument for Spoon.
He may be the hardest hitting guy in the draft. Watch the tapes, I don’t see much getting past our lbs if we get him in the mix.
Rule #1: Double tap.
by Ball Hawk on Mar 31, 2010 3:09 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Can't wait...
For the season to start. I am getting nothing but positive vibes in the offseason. Looking forward to the moves we make in the draft and to an exciting year as a Falcons fan.
Check my band out on iTunes. The band name is Legend Has It and the album is titled "Driven." Let me know what you think.
KNOCK ON WOOD
Longest Atlanta Falcons winning-seasons streak: 2008 - current
The Falcoholic · Blog · Twitter
Mike Smith has got these guys on the right page
Every Falcon seems to have a purely team-oriented mentality and a drive to become a dominant force in the NFL. Glad to see the mighty Lofton (who SHOULD have made the Pro Bowl) is planning to go ham this season.
Everyone is going Ham!
Just wait till we get Weatherspoon, it’ll ham, bacon and pork going down!
Australian Atlanta Falcons Fan EST 2003
Speaking of Lofton...
I met him at Jocks and Jills (at the Galleria) and shot the bull with him for about 20 minutes. The guy just seems to have everything going for him. He is one of the players that makes you proud to wear the red, white and black.
Check my band out on iTunes. The band name is Legend Has It and the album is titled "Driven." Let me know what you think.
Curtis is the best!
He’s always open. He catches a lot of balls. He’s un-guardable, no matter how old he is
I’m slowly coming over to the majority here who believes we should take Wheatherspoon. I still want Lofton to be the leader of the defense but Wheatherspoon’s fire might light a spark in Lofton and get him more vocal. I just don’t want to see Wheatherspoon’s outsized personality(obnoxiousness) become a detriment.
detriment....
nah….it’s like having a bunch of brothers. Some brothers are bigger, stronger and more louder than others. Some are shorter and more humble. But get in a fight with the wrong set of brothers and it’s a problem. Spoon could spark a fire in the whole LB core….he could bring more energy and emotion to a defense on the rise. That my friend….is a good thing.
Look at it from the other side of the fence
it could also cause problems. Won’t know until the draft to see if ATL picks Spoon. I am one of the few that hopes we don’t.
The only reason it would cause problems
is if he was starting opposite of Mike Peterson. I’ve been saying this for weeks, now. Sean Weatherspoon IS Mike Peterson. Peterson is vocal, he’s youthful, he’s energetic. He doesn’t play his age. Lofton is a beast, but he’s not really vocal. And Nicholas sure as heck isn’t vocal.
Weatherspoon is the perfect, young replacement for Peterson because he’s a young Mike Peterson. It’ll be plug and chug. Spoon’s vocal, he’s youthful, and he’s a leader. Lofton has kinda assumed the silent leader type, and that’s fine, but we need a vocal leader, and Spoon can be it, just like Peterson is now.
"Ryan, under center. Single receiver set, to either side. Ryan, gonna throw. First professional pass.....CAUGHT!! Jenkins! 30! 25! 20! 15! 10! 5! He lives in Atlanta!!!" -Wes Durham
I hope the falcons consider Alex brown
If the falcons sign alex brown this will add depth to the d-line. I guess arther blank have to discuss the contract . This will give the birds some options now in the first round.
Do we get a lb, wr, ol, rb, or a big nose guard to keep the offensive uglies of the lb’s to make plays. MMMMMMMMMMMMMM
A big nose guard don’t sound too bad. I missed grady jackson. 1 and 2 downs or goal line play.
Why would we draft a nose guard?
You don’t really have a nose guard in a 4-3 and ATL drafted Jerry last year.
DT is one of the few positions we have strength..
"If lessons were learned in defeat, our team is getting a great education." -Murray Warmath
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