The stretching portion of practice usually is when players are the most relaxed. Players form lines, sit on their backsides and contort their bodies in various ways to hopefully prevent soft-tissue injuries.
They also cut up with those sitting next to them. It’s the calm before the storm, so to speak.
Then there’s Damontae Kazee, the Falcons’ fourth-year safety who breaks out a dance move or two in between stretches.
Always moving — and groovin’ — Kazee isn’t one to sit still for too long. Earlier in the week, the Falcons blared Tag Team’s 1993 hit song “Whoomp! (There It Is),” which prompted one of Kazee’s outbursts.
Jokingly, he was asked if any teammates critiqued him on his dance moves. Then again, for those who have been around him for the past three seasons, seeing Kazee use the practice field as his own personal dance floor isn’t a new sight.
“Nah, nobody critiqued me today,” Kazee said with a laugh. “I was just in my zone having fun.”
That spirit and energy also translates to the football field. Manning the free safety position during Thursday’s practice, Kazee spotted an open receiver underneath just before a pass was thrown. He broke on the play and neared the wideout just as he caught the pass. In a live game, this would have resulted in a hard tackle. And the hit would have taken place maybe a second after the catch, possibly causing the ball to pop loose.
Plays like that have been commonplace since his second NFL season.
Selected in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft, Kazee entered his second season in 2018 as a backup safety and special-teams player. But as the preseason unfolded, Kazee continued to make plays in the back end, which forced the Falcons’ coaching staff to start thinking about ways to incorporate him into the defensive game plan. But after Keanu Neal tore his ACL in the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, Kazee became a starter.
Kazee’s ballhawking skills led him to seven interceptions, which tied for the 2018 league lead with Chicago’s Kyle Fuller and Miami’s Xavien Howard. After Neal returned from his ACL injury, Kazee slid to nickel back, which is where he started for three games in 2019. Neal, however, tore his Achilles, which forced Kazee to move back to safety.
Credit: ccompton@ajc.com
Credit: ccompton@ajc.com
Kazee is going to stick at free safety this season. The Falcons are opting for a rotational approach at the position with Kazee, Neal and Ricardo Allen. The three of them are talented enough to play, but typically only two safeties are on the field at the same time. That stated, Kazee believes there will be plenty of snaps for everyone.
“Basically, there are no starters at the safety position,” Kazee said. “The way we rotate it out is how we’re going to do it. From base to nickel to other formations we have together with all three of us on the field. I love it. It gives us enough time to get a breath. We can get some plays off and then get back in there. I love it.”
Said Allen: “With me, Kazee and Keanu, all three of us have a lot of games and a lot of reps in this defense. We’re all similar but very different, and I think they can use all in different ways to make each other better and give us a chance to go do other things and give each other chances to give different disguises.”
Kazee is entering the final year of his rookie contract, which is something he said he isn’t thinking about at this time. A strong season, however, should result in a hefty payday for Kazee, evidenced by recent safety deals in the NFL.
Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker just signed a four-year extension worth $59 million.
“(Kazee’s) a hell of a competitor,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “Whether it be a contract year or not, his standard of going for it has always been on point. What we expect from him, it’s the speed coming out of the middle of the field that sets him apart.”
Although Kazee isn’t concerning himself with the details of his next contract, he is looking forward to the day where he has plenty of disposable income to buy his parents a house. Kazee and his three brothers all grew up playing football, which meant the fees piled up. With two sisters totaling five siblings, there were a lot of activities that required money.
His goal after signing a new deal is to buy his parents a new house, Latrease and Walter Kazee. But with or without a lucrative deal, Kazee has been saving up for this moment.
“I’m a big family guy,” Kazee said. “When we were playing (youth) football you had to pay $250 each to play. We all played. You have to think about prom. It was three of us going to prom in one year. It was a lot. Graduation tickets, graduation gowns. It’s time for them to relax and feel the breeze and not have to worry about anything anymore.”
Kazee can be a jokester at times during the few slow moments at practice. He also possesses a singular focus. Preparing for his fourth NFL season, Kazee is ready to play what should be an even bigger part within the Falcons’ defense.
“For my game, I just have to know my role and play it well,” Kazee said. “That’s all I can do. Do my job so my brother can do his.”
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