Hartwell and Falcon LB's

Chief Faithful · 08-23-2005, 08:26 AM

http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/story/8760203

Living in Atlanta I've gotten an opportunity to watch the Falcons on a regular basis. The most impressive part of the team is the fine LB core they have assembled over the last few years. This year they added Edgerton Hartwell.

Considering how hard the Chiefs tried to recruite Hartwell I thought some of you might like reading this article.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The shadow cast by greatness can sometimes overwhelm a man.

Edgerton Hartwell lived that life for the past four years.

Edgerton Hartwell can get boisterous, just like a certain former Ravens teammate. (Getty Images)
Playing alongside Ray Lewis, the game's best linebacker and quite possibly one of the best middle linebackers of all time, Hartwell never seemed to get his due.

When the words linebacker and Baltimore Ravens were mentioned, all anyone thought about was the frantic, in-your-face style of Lewis, one of the league's marquee stars.

Hartwell? He just went about his business trying to gather up a scrap or two of attention.

What was lost on those who didn't give it to him was that Hartwell made himself into one heck of a linebacker. Now that he's playing for the Atlanta Falcons, courtesy of a multi-million contract he signed as a free agent, Hartwell has faced a lot of questions about the shadow cast by Lewis and how good it feels to be free of it.

With the issue raised a lot already, and probably more so as the season moves along, you get the impression Hartwell doesn't really care too much about the subject.

"I really didn't see it as overshadowing me," Hartwell said after a practice last week. "He's been in the league so long. He's earned his stripes. I was a young cat coming up, doing the things I had to do to earn my stripes. I made my plays. As the years moved on, I earned my stripes. The fans knew who I was when I stepped on the field. When you play next to Ray, you have to do a lot of things to get noticed."

Hartwell did plenty. It's why he was a hot free agent in the spring. The Kansas City Chiefs offered him more money than the Falcons did, but he opted for Atlanta because he felt more comfortable there.

It's also his chance to show that he's in the same class with Lewis.

"I think I am in that class," Hartwell said with confidence. "I have to go out and prove it every day, that I am a dominant middle linebacker and a complete player. Not just be a dominant player, but the monster in the middle that terrorizes offenses."

Isn't that last sentence a definition for Lewis?

Truth be known, Hartwell isn't as good as Lewis. Then again, who is? Ever? But last year Hartwell was close to being as good as Lewis. And that's the rub. Word around the Ravens is that Hartwell thought Lewis received too much of the attention, that he was credited with tackles made by Hartwell. It was the old piling-on routine.

The shadow lingered.

"I know the type of player I am," Hartwell said. "People will see now that I'm in Atlanta."

Hartwell deserves props for thinking he's in the Lewis class. That confidence comes through loud and clear when talking to him -- and on the field, too. His new teammates have noticed quickly that Hartwell plays with a passion and he also plays with a big mouth, not unlike Lewis.

"We have a lot of guys on this defense who play with a passion, so adding another one is great," Falcons defensive end Patrick Kerney said. "The more the merrier. He's got such a positive approach. He not only tells us we're going to win, he tells the other team we're going to win. He loves to run his mouth. I do a little of that myself, but he does it even more. He plays with a supreme confidence."

Kerney admitted he wasn't that familiar with Hartwell until the Ravens and Falcons met last year in the preseason.

"His name was getting announced all the time over the loudspeaker," Kerney said. "He was going sideline to sideline making plays, making vicious hits. Every time I watched the Ravens after that, I couldn't help but watch him."

Hartwell will team with Keith Brooking and Demorrio Williams or Ike Reese to give the Falcons a much-improved linebacker group. Brooking and Hartwell should excel at plugging the opposition's run game with power, while Williams is a good run-and-chase linebacker.

One thing Hartwell insists is different between him and Lewis is that he takes on blocks. The knock on Lewis is that he runs around blocks, using his instincts and speed to get to runners, rather than taking on a fullback or a guard in the hole.

"I've got everything," Hartwell said. "The only thing I have that he doesn't is I come down and hit you in the mouth when I take on a block. He doesn't really care about doing that too much. I say you keep hitting that guy blocking you and blowing him up, they won't want to do it anymore. They'll slide away and say, 'Oops, I missed the block.' They didn't want to get it upside the head."

That's another shot at Lewis. If you sense resentment, you might be right.

"(What did he teach me) in terms of playing the game of football?" Hartwell said. "Not a lot. Just being honest. He's a great guy, a great guy to play next to. But coming into it, I knew how to play football. I knew how to watch film. I knew how to do all those things. I really didn't need him to pull me to the side and teach me something.

"People always ask what he taught me. I don't go too deep into it. We worked. We didn't visit too much outside of work. Some things that go unnoticed are just better off unsaid. That takes nothing away from anybody. He's a great guy. He's a great inspiration. He's done it. He's been successful."

Hartwell was fourth-round pick of the Ravens in 2001 out of Western Illinois. He had transferred to that school after two years at Wisconsin. He wasn't sure if he had an NFL future when he made the move, but quickly realized he did after a solid junior season.

In his second season with the Ravens in 2002, he became a force. Playing next to Lewis he led the team in tackles with 191. He had 140 the next year and 141 last season.

But who knew him? Other than a funky first name -- most people call him Ed -- it was hard to get any attention. That's why he was so jacked to face the Ravens in the second preseason game this year, picking off a pass and doing his trademark on-field cacophony of screaming.

"He's going to bring us a little spunk, a little swagger," Falcons coach Jim Mora said. "I know the players feed off his energy a little bit."

If Hartwell can help improve a defense that finished 14th last season, and help get this team to the Super Bowl, he might finally start to get the props he deserves -- and people might stop considering him the former caddy for Ray Lewis.

"My plan is two years from now people will be talking about me as one of the great linebackers that's played," Hartwell said.

With no shadow now cast over him anymore, it's his time.

Iron Chef · 08-23-2005, 09:13 AM

Where about in Atlanta do you live?

jidar1 · 08-23-2005, 09:15 AM

Wish we could have got that guy. If he doesn't want to play here though what can you do?

I'll tell you what though, if he's so confident then why did he shy away from coming to KC? He could have come here and been a part of turning around the defense, or was he afraid he couldn't have a big enough impact?

Chief Faithful · 08-23-2005, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron Chef

Where about in Atlanta do you live?

I live in East Cobb, but I have a Roswell address.

I grew up in KC near I-435 and Holmes Rd. I went to Center HS.

chiefz · 08-23-2005, 09:22 AM

The way I look at it is that he wanted to break out of the shell of only being productive because he played beside Ray Lewis but he didn't want to take on a project of one of the worst defensive teams in football for several years.

Unfortunately he could end up in a similar situation being overshadowed by Keith Brooking.

Chief Faithful · 08-23-2005, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jidar1

Wish we could have got that guy. If he doesn't want to play here though what can you do?

I'll tell you what though, if he's so confident then why did he shy away from coming to KC? He could have come here and been a part of turning around the defense, or was he afraid he couldn't have a big enough impact?

I don't understand why he preferred Atlanta. The article says he wanted to get out from the shadow of Lewis, but in Atlanta there is no bigger shadow then next to the big Southern SEC product Keith Brooking. I think the real issue is Hartwell wanted to live in Atlanta and continue to play on a 3-4 defense.

Brooking and Hartwell is a tough one-two punch on the inside. Plus, they have a rookie Jordan Beck from Cal Poly-SLO backing up Hartwell that looks really good. There is no doubt the Falcons will be stoping the run again this year.

What is more fun is the O-Line blocking under Alex Gibbs. There has been a lot for news from Saban in Miami calling out the Falcon O-Line for dirty blocking tactics. Interesting that Gibbs goes to Atlanta and all of a sudden they are being accused of dangerous dirty blocking methods.

Gibbs is choosing smaller, quicker linemen and using the same schemes we saw from the cheating Donc's for years. You guys may want to consider Dunn or Ducket for your fantasy teams if you can't get the guy your after.

Iron Chef · 08-23-2005, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chief Faithful

I live in East Cobb, but I have a Roswell address.

I grew up in KC near I-435 and Holmes Rd. I went to Center HS.

Nice, I live in Paulding County but work near the Galleria, I also grew up in KC north of the River. Park Hill High School.

jiveturkey · 08-23-2005, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chief Faithful

I grew up in KC near I-435 and Holmes Rd. I went to Center HS.

Same here. When did you graduate?

Chief Faithful · 08-23-2005, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jiveturkey

Same here. When did you graduate?

1980

jidar1 · 08-23-2005, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chief Faithful

Brooking and Hartwell is a tough one-two punch on the inside. Plus, they have a rookie Jordan Beck from Cal Poly-SLO backing up Hartwell that looks really good. There is no doubt the Falcons will be stoping the run again this year.

They were awesome at stopping the run last year... except for one game.

Quote:

What is more fun is the O-Line blocking under Alex Gibbs. There has been a lot for news from Saban in Miami calling out the Falcon O-Line for dirty blocking tactics. Interesting that Gibbs goes to Atlanta and all of a sudden they are being accused of dangerous dirty blocking methods.

I hadn't heard this but that's not surprising. I wonder if Alex Gibbs gets volume discounts on vaseline.

Quote:

Gibbs is choosing smaller, quicker linemen and using the same schemes we saw from the cheating Donc's for years. You guys may want to consider Dunn or Ducket for your fantasy teams if you can't get the guy your after.

Good call, I should have thought of that. Not thinking of things like this are why I never win my league...

Chief Faithful · 08-23-2005, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron Chef

Nice, I live in Paulding County but work near the Galleria, I also grew up in KC north of the River. Park Hill High School.

Park Hill

Disciples of Alex Gibbs knee hunting bastiges!

I always go to a local sports bar on Roswell Hwy by the Chattahoochee to watch the Chiefs. Let me know if your going to pass by this way for a game.

I'm also trying to learn to be a Falcons fan, but it is not easy. There was no way with Dan Reeves as coach, but I really like Jim Mora Jr. and the current defense.

jiveturkey · 08-23-2005, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chief Faithful

1980

I was 1995 so I'm betting that we don't know the same people.

Chief Faithful · 08-23-2005, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jidar1

I hadn't heard this but that's not surprising. I wonder if Alex Gibbs gets volume discounts on vaseline.

It was the big news on sports radio yesterday. The whole thing gave me a cheating Donc flash back.

I'm thinking the Donkey's lost a lot more than they realize with the departure of Gibbs.

kc rush · 08-23-2005, 10:36 AM

Didn't Hartwell sign with Atlanta prior to the draft? I remember it going on and on for an infinite number of 48 hour periods, but can't remember exactly when he signed.

I'll bet that if the Chiefs had signed Hartwell, they wouldn't have drafted DJ. I'd rather have DJ for the upside potential.

Frosty · 08-23-2005, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chief Faithful

I think the real issue is Hartwell wanted to live in Atlanta and continue to play on a 3-4 defense.

The Falcons ditched the 3-4 before last season. Hartwell is playing MLB and Brookings has moved outside.

08-23-2005, 08:26 AM
Chief Faithful Predicting Chiefs Victory Join Date: Sep 2001 Casino cash: $9966500	Hartwell and Falcon LB's http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/story/8760203 Living in Atlanta I've gotten an opportunity to watch the Falcons on a regular basis. The most impressive part of the team is the fine LB core they have assembled over the last few years. This year they added Edgerton Hartwell. Considering how hard the Chiefs tried to recruite Hartwell I thought some of you might like reading this article. FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The shadow cast by greatness can sometimes overwhelm a man. Edgerton Hartwell lived that life for the past four years. Edgerton Hartwell can get boisterous, just like a certain former Ravens teammate. (Getty Images) Playing alongside Ray Lewis, the game's best linebacker and quite possibly one of the best middle linebackers of all time, Hartwell never seemed to get his due. When the words linebacker and Baltimore Ravens were mentioned, all anyone thought about was the frantic, in-your-face style of Lewis, one of the league's marquee stars. Hartwell? He just went about his business trying to gather up a scrap or two of attention. What was lost on those who didn't give it to him was that Hartwell made himself into one heck of a linebacker. Now that he's playing for the Atlanta Falcons, courtesy of a multi-million contract he signed as a free agent, Hartwell has faced a lot of questions about the shadow cast by Lewis and how good it feels to be free of it. With the issue raised a lot already, and probably more so as the season moves along, you get the impression Hartwell doesn't really care too much about the subject. "I really didn't see it as overshadowing me," Hartwell said after a practice last week. "He's been in the league so long. He's earned his stripes. I was a young cat coming up, doing the things I had to do to earn my stripes. I made my plays. As the years moved on, I earned my stripes. The fans knew who I was when I stepped on the field. When you play next to Ray, you have to do a lot of things to get noticed." Hartwell did plenty. It's why he was a hot free agent in the spring. The Kansas City Chiefs offered him more money than the Falcons did, but he opted for Atlanta because he felt more comfortable there. It's also his chance to show that he's in the same class with Lewis. "I think I am in that class," Hartwell said with confidence. "I have to go out and prove it every day, that I am a dominant middle linebacker and a complete player. Not just be a dominant player, but the monster in the middle that terrorizes offenses." Isn't that last sentence a definition for Lewis? Truth be known, Hartwell isn't as good as Lewis. Then again, who is? Ever? But last year Hartwell was close to being as good as Lewis. And that's the rub. Word around the Ravens is that Hartwell thought Lewis received too much of the attention, that he was credited with tackles made by Hartwell. It was the old piling-on routine. The shadow lingered. "I know the type of player I am," Hartwell said. "People will see now that I'm in Atlanta." Hartwell deserves props for thinking he's in the Lewis class. That confidence comes through loud and clear when talking to him -- and on the field, too. His new teammates have noticed quickly that Hartwell plays with a passion and he also plays with a big mouth, not unlike Lewis. "We have a lot of guys on this defense who play with a passion, so adding another one is great," Falcons defensive end Patrick Kerney said. "The more the merrier. He's got such a positive approach. He not only tells us we're going to win, he tells the other team we're going to win. He loves to run his mouth. I do a little of that myself, but he does it even more. He plays with a supreme confidence." Kerney admitted he wasn't that familiar with Hartwell until the Ravens and Falcons met last year in the preseason. "His name was getting announced all the time over the loudspeaker," Kerney said. "He was going sideline to sideline making plays, making vicious hits. Every time I watched the Ravens after that, I couldn't help but watch him." Hartwell will team with Keith Brooking and Demorrio Williams or Ike Reese to give the Falcons a much-improved linebacker group. Brooking and Hartwell should excel at plugging the opposition's run game with power, while Williams is a good run-and-chase linebacker. One thing Hartwell insists is different between him and Lewis is that he takes on blocks. The knock on Lewis is that he runs around blocks, using his instincts and speed to get to runners, rather than taking on a fullback or a guard in the hole. "I've got everything," Hartwell said. "The only thing I have that he doesn't is I come down and hit you in the mouth when I take on a block. He doesn't really care about doing that too much. I say you keep hitting that guy blocking you and blowing him up, they won't want to do it anymore. They'll slide away and say, 'Oops, I missed the block.' They didn't want to get it upside the head." That's another shot at Lewis. If you sense resentment, you might be right. "(What did he teach me) in terms of playing the game of football?" Hartwell said. "Not a lot. Just being honest. He's a great guy, a great guy to play next to. But coming into it, I knew how to play football. I knew how to watch film. I knew how to do all those things. I really didn't need him to pull me to the side and teach me something. "People always ask what he taught me. I don't go too deep into it. We worked. We didn't visit too much outside of work. Some things that go unnoticed are just better off unsaid. That takes nothing away from anybody. He's a great guy. He's a great inspiration. He's done it. He's been successful." Hartwell was fourth-round pick of the Ravens in 2001 out of Western Illinois. He had transferred to that school after two years at Wisconsin. He wasn't sure if he had an NFL future when he made the move, but quickly realized he did after a solid junior season. In his second season with the Ravens in 2002, he became a force. Playing next to Lewis he led the team in tackles with 191. He had 140 the next year and 141 last season. But who knew him? Other than a funky first name -- most people call him Ed -- it was hard to get any attention. That's why he was so jacked to face the Ravens in the second preseason game this year, picking off a pass and doing his trademark on-field cacophony of screaming. "He's going to bring us a little spunk, a little swagger," Falcons coach Jim Mora said. "I know the players feed off his energy a little bit." If Hartwell can help improve a defense that finished 14th last season, and help get this team to the Super Bowl, he might finally start to get the props he deserves -- and people might stop considering him the former caddy for Ray Lewis. "My plan is two years from now people will be talking about me as one of the great linebackers that's played," Hartwell said. With no shadow now cast over him anymore, it's his time.
Posts: 4,315

08-23-2005, 09:13 AM	#2
Iron Chef Starter Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Georgia Casino cash: $7654981	Where about in Atlanta do you live?
Posts: 418

08-23-2005, 09:15 AM	#3
jidar1 Starter Join Date: May 2005 Casino cash: $10004900	Wish we could have got that guy. If he doesn't want to play here though what can you do? I'll tell you what though, if he's so confident then why did he shy away from coming to KC? He could have come here and been a part of turning around the defense, or was he afraid he couldn't have a big enough impact?
Posts: 150

08-23-2005, 09:22 AM	#5
chiefz Plummer Sucks! Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Central IL Casino cash: $10004900	The way I look at it is that he wanted to break out of the shell of only being productive because he played beside Ray Lewis but he didn't want to take on a project of one of the worst defensive teams in football for several years. Unfortunately he could end up in a similar situation being overshadowed by Keith Brooking. __________________
Posts: 514

08-23-2005, 10:36 AM	#14
kc rush Blah Blah Blah Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: In front of the computer. Casino cash: $4099559	Didn't Hartwell sign with Atlanta prior to the draft? I remember it going on and on for an infinite number of 48 hour periods, but can't remember exactly when he signed. I'll bet that if the Chiefs had signed Hartwell, they wouldn't have drafted DJ. I'd rather have DJ for the upside potential.
Posts: 12,554