Falcons notes: Rookie CB Owens proud of 1st career INT

ATLANTA - Growing up in Los Angeles, Christopher Owens enjoyed watching television when Terrell Owens would catch touchdown passes for the San Francisco 49ers.

Now Christopher Owens, an Atlanta rookie cornerback, can say his first career interception came against one of the NFL's most decorated career receivers in the Falcons' 31-3 victory over Buffalo on Sunday.

``I've been watching T.O. my whole life,'' Christopher Owens said. ``He's been in the league 14 years. I think I was 9. I'm 23 right now, and for me to get it, it feels really good. He's a phenomenal player.''

Though Terrell Owens finished with four catches to become just the sixth player with 1,000 career receptions, Christopher Owens impacted the game more directly than T.O.

Midway through the second quarter, on a 47-yard pass that Bills quarterback Brian Brohm threw too far inside the right sideline, Christopher Owens beat Terrell Owens to the ball in the end zone.
Interim Buffalo coach Perry Fewell credited Christopher Owens with covering the route efficiently while essentially blaming Brohm's lack of accuracy.

``It would have been tough for Terrell, I thought, to go over the defensive back and get it,'' Fewell said. ``He was expecting it more outside.''

A 6-FOOT-3, 260-POUND KICKER? Kroy Biermann doesn't plan to try out as an NFL kicker any time soon.

The Falcons' third-year defensive end has excelled in his reserve role this season, but coach Mike Smith called on Biermann as an emergency kickoff specialist Sunday after Matt Bryant and Michael Koenen suffered injuries in a 31-3 win over Buffalo.

Smith has considered Biermann an option since watching him kick for distance and relative accuracy during relaxed 10-minute sessions the Falcons have at the end of practice each Friday during the season.

Koenen handles punting and kickoff duties, but he left the game after suffering a concussion while making tackle on a blocked field-goal attempt near the end of the second quarter.

Bryant, whose 55-yard field goal earlier in the period gave the Falcons a 10-0 lead, hurt his hamstring while replacing Koenen at punter early in the third.

Atlanta allowed Bryant to kick all three of its extra-point attempts in the second half, but Biermann was used on kickoffs.

The results? Three kickoffs for a gross average of 59.7 yards.

``Two guys went down, we were in the huddle and they asked if I could do it,'' Biermann said. ``I said, 'Yeah.' It was just a credit to the guys on the field that helped me out.''

As a defensive end, Biermann has five sacks, 42 tackles, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery he returned for a touchdown two months ago at New Orleans.

He also leads the Falcons with 12 tackles on special teams.

YOU NEVER KNOW: Lawrence Sidbury is listed behind John Abraham, Jamaal Anderson, Chauncey Davis and Biermann on the depth chart at end, but the rookie from the University of Richmond was on the right end of a big play in the third quarter.

Davis had stripped a fumble from running back Fred Jackson when Sidbury grabbed the ball in mid-air and returned it 11 yards for his first career touchdown and a 24-0 lead.

``The ball was slipping between me and the guy's shoulder pads,'' Sidbury said. ``I took it and fell down but got back up. It's one of those things where the goal line looked so big, and I just kept running and got in there.''

NEVER TOO OLD: Marty Booker, an 11th-year receiver in his first season with the Falcons, scored his first touchdown this season on a 12-yard pass early in the third.

Booker, who signed a one-year contract in early August after a knee injury ended Harry Douglas' season, knew his receiving role would be limited behind Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez and Michael Jenkins.

For a guy who had consecutive 1,000-yard seasons for Chicago in 2001-02, Booker grew accustomed long ago to working in lesser roles. He describes himself as ``third-down guy.''

``When you get up there in age and in double-digit years you've played, it all comes to an end at some point,'' Booker said. ``I'm not that No. 1 or No. 2 guy anymore, and you kind of accept that.''

HASHMARKS: White finished with eight catches for 139 yards and two TDs, giving the fifth-year receiver his third straight season of 1,000 or more yards receiving and tying him with Andre Rison (1992-94) for most in franchise history. ... CB Brent Grimes has three interceptions over the last two games. ... Matt Ryan improved to 6-2 with 11 touchdowns and one interception in eight career starts against the AFC. ... DT Jonathan Babineaux had one sack to reach 5.5 this season. ... Abraham had one sack to reach 36 in his four years with the Falcons and place him in a tie with Jeff Merrow for seventh on the team's career list. With 89.5 sacks since the start of 2000, Abraham ranks third among active NFL players.