Takk McKinley didn’t seem to be in a good mood the other day, but maybe that’s OK, as long as he shows up in a foul mood Sunday when the Falcons play the Bengals at 1 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Falcons’ pass rush has been pedestrian, and last week without him, it was nearly absent.
With only five sacks through three games, the Falcons are looking for ways to better push opposing quarterbacks into stressful situations.
Getting McKinley back after he missed Sunday’s game against the Saints with a groin pull sure won’t hurt.
Going into that game, he ranked tied with nickel back Brian Poole for the team lead with two sacks each. Those were all of the Falcons’ sacks in the first two games.
Left defensive end Vic Beasley added one against the Saints.
But New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees was not frequently pressured, and the Falcons’ sack rate of 3.88 percent of all pass attempts ranks No. 30 in the NFL behind the Patriots (1-2) and Raiders (0-3).
Sacks are a big deal in the NFL, so defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel is glad to have the second-year pro back this week. What kind of difference does McKinley make?
“Takk has a tremendous gift. A healthy Takk is a guy that goes out there, you know he’s going to give you everything that he has. He brings toughness to our defense ... and he does that every snap,” Manuel said. “The more you can put Takk out there, now you take less off other men and you can put more on him.”
McKinley is better than most at leveling up and down. He engages with social media at times, and avoids it at others.
He was subdued Wednesday when asked about how comfortable he is returning to action, so who knows?
“Uh, we’ll see,” he said to a question about how he feels physically.
At face value, it’s crystal clear that the Falcons want McKinley back.
That was not typical Takk, but there is little doubt that the Falcons hope that the full Takk is back.
“We were a little bit lighter on defensive end last week from a pass-rushing standpoint with both Derrick (Shelby) and Takk out,” coach Dan Quinn said. “... Every time you’re throwing that back into our group, that kind of speed and toughness and physicality, I think that’s only a good thing.”
As much as anything, McKinley brings juice. Energy. Scouts call it “high motor.”
Most of the time, he brings that to the locker room and practice field as well.
Not so much Wednesday, when he had a sweatshirt hoodie pulled over his head and seemed reluctant to answer questions from media. He did acknowledge, though, that he was annoyed to miss Sunday’s game.
“Any time you’re not on the field, it’s a little frustrating. That was my first NFL game that I missed, so it was different. I can’t wait to get back out there with my brothers and contribute,” he said.
“I don’t know. ... Football is what I do. It’s my job. It’s what I’ve been doing my whole life, so that’s all I know.”
Brooks Reed knows more about Takk than many. He started in his place last week, and registered a tackle while playing a whopping 62 plays as opposed to left defensive end Vic Beasley’s 65. Their play counts with everybody healthy would normally be in the high-40s to low-50s.
The Falcons will be better off with McKinley back in the mix because he’s so talented and has improved so much.
“Absolutely,” Reed said. “He’s a much more aware player, and he’s developed a couple moves in his preparation for sure.
That will be an improvement. With Shelby also on the shelf Sunday with a groin injury, the Falcons were strapped at the end position.
McKinley’s not worried about details. He just want to play, and he gets jacked up like nobody’s business when he does sack the opposing quarterback.
“Whenever I get my opportunity, I’m just out there trying to compete in ways to affect the quarterback ... be disruptive,” he said. “It’s also part of the fans. Fans are a big help being a pass rusher. They get excited, and I get excited ...
“I think it’s pretty obvious. You’ve got to get more heat on the quarterback regardless of who’s out there, who’s down ... you’ve got to step up.”
About the Author
