{"id":19925,"date":"2017-01-20T10:47:10","date_gmt":"2017-01-20T10:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=19925"},"modified":"2017-01-20T10:49:12","modified_gmt":"2017-01-20T10:49:12","slug":"as-falcons-elder-statesman-dwight-freeney-relishes-shot-at-super-bowl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/sports\/as-falcons-elder-statesman-dwight-freeney-relishes-shot-at-super-bowl.html","title":{"rendered":"As Falcons elder statesman, Dwight Freeney relishes shot at Super Bowl"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As Falcons elder statesman, Dwight Freeney relishes shot at Super Bowl<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

These are the days that Dwight Freeney will ultimately miss about the NFL.<\/span><\/p>\n

Freeney, who will be 37 next month, is the oldest player on an Atlanta Falcons defense that is serving youth to the hilt, and is now 60 minutes away from another Super Bowl. He was in this spot last year, too, with an Arizona Cardinals squad that was trounced in the NFC Championship Game.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now comes another shot. Maybe his last.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAt this stage in my career, this is why I play,\u201d the 15th-year veteran told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday, preparing for Sunday\u2019s clash against the Green Bay Packers \u2013 and the headache of trying to contain Aaron Rodgers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not about the regular season. It\u2019s about this feeling. The race. The playoffs. Championships. Super Bowls. That\u2019s what drives me. As you get older, you really start to have more appreciation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It has been a great run, evidenced by a resume that includes a Super Bowl title, an NFL defensive player of the year award, multiple Pro Bowl selections and all-pro honors. He\u2019s produced 122 \u00bd career sacks, which will someday help his case for Canton.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet in the here and now, the Falcons could sure use a blast from Freeney\u2019s past prowess in dealing with the NFL\u2019s hottest quarterback, the scrambling Rodgers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Freeney, who comes off the bench as a situational pass-rusher and had three sacks during the regular season, has gone 11 games without a sack \u2013 matching the longest sack-less stretch of his career, from the 2014 season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even so, sacks don\u2019t always tell the whole story, even with one of the premier pass-rushers from his era. Freeney — who played more than half the defensive snaps in the NFC divisional playoff victory against Seattle and tallied two hits on Russell Wilson — can still generate a rush.<\/span><\/p>\n

And if you listen to his young teammates, Freeney has brought tremendous value as a guru who resembles a coach on the field.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so much deeper than the physical thing,\u201d said second-year defensive tackle Grady Jarrett.<\/span><\/p>\n

Years ago, Jarrett was in middle school, looking up to Freeney as a model for a D-lineman who succeeded despite lacking the prototypical size. Remember, the knock on Freeney coming out of Syracuse in 2002 was that his arms were too short to win in the trenches.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now Freeney\u2019s also the one freely sharing his mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHis knowledge of the game is amazing,\u201d linebacker Vic Beasley said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beasley, in his second season, led the NFL with 15 \u00bd sacks, which is kind of like Freeney leading the league in his third season with 16 sacks. They have formed a special bond, in part because Freeney sees his younger self in Beasley, who possesses a quick burst off the snap.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then again, Freeney \u2013 who credits a strict diet based on his white blood cell count for his longevity \u2013 feels anything but old.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat trips me out, when you see people born in \u201994 or \u201995, that you\u2019re playing with,\u201d Freeney said. \u201cI was almost going to college then.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what\u2019s really crazy is that I\u2019ve got to run around with these dudes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Freeney remembers a particular chat during a walk-through session this season, when Beasley told his that his knees were sore.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI said, \u2018Vic, do you realize when you were 10 years old, I was you now?\u2019 \u201c Freeney said. \u201c \u2018Imagine you talking to a 10-year old right now. That\u2019s you! I don\u2019t want to hear about no knees.\u2019 \u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

Call it a Zen moment. Beasley chuckled when reminded of the exchange.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat was pretty funny,\u201d he said. \u201cThe same guy I watched when I was growing up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Every team needs a guy like Freeney, in the playoffs for the 13th time in his career.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not lost on Freeney that each team in the conference championship game includes the significant presence of an aging veteran. Packers linebacker Julius Peppers just turned 37 on Wednesday. The Pittsburgh Steelers defense is rolling with 38-year-old linebacker James Harrison, who will be trying to put a rush on 39-year-old New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not just there,\u201d Freeney said. \u201cThey\u2019re going strong. It\u2019s a testament to their consistency. Whatever routine they\u2019ve done in their careers, it\u2019s worked out well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-\u00a0http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/nfl\/columnist\/bell\/2017\/01\/19\/dwight-freeney-atlanta-falcons-nfc-championship-game\/96802688\/<\/span><\/div>\n

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