By many measures of success, the opportunity to play a kid's game professionally would satisfy most people -- let alone football players. But former Cavalier Patrick Kerney is not your average football player. He has a goal to reach -- uncompromised excellence.
"I want to be the best all-around defensive end in the league," Kerney said.
Kerney gave that pledge to his teammates when the Atlanta Falcons drafted him 30th overall in 1999. Six years later, he has racked up a body of work that makes him arguably one of the most productive defensive linemen in the National Football League.
With an average of 9.6 sacks over the last three years and 85 tackles over the last four years, Kerney has been more than reliable for the Falcons' defense. He has 72 consecutive starts and has seen time in all 88 games of his career. Kerney recognizes that dependability is the first step to becoming the NFL's best lineman.
"At the professional level, it's a question of getting consistent, not getting better," Kerney said. "Everyone at some point has done every technique perfectly. You have to do it every week."
For the last two years, Kerney was subjected to playing end in a 3-4 defensive alignment, responsible for clogging up holes and occupying blockers. The experiment wore on the 273-pounder, who found his production dropping against bigger 300-pound guards. Nevertheless, Kerney kept up his pledge to be the best end and worked to raise his level of play.
When new Falcons coach Jim Mora Jr. brought back a 4-3 defensive scheme this year, Kerney was again able to unleash his talent on opposing backfields. After only eight games this season, Kerney has put up numbers that would be impressive for any defensive end over the whole season. He is currently third in the NFL with seven sacks and is tops among defensive linemen with 30 solo tackles. He even recorded an interception in the Falcons' victory against Denver last week. Those numbers are on pace to eclipse Kerney's 2002 statistics of 10.5 sacks and 54 tackles, which earned him a nod as a Pro-Bowl alternate.
Considering that Kerney arrived at Virginia on a lacrosse scholarship and only made the football team as a walk-on, his achievements in football are remarkable. Kerney had only two years of actual playing time for the Cavaliers. By the time he left Virginia, Kerney had tied Chris Slade's single season record for sacks in 1998 with 15, had climbed to third on Virginia's career sack list with 24 and was named an All-American.
Kerney has not limited his quest to just the football field. He spends time away from football around his Atlanta community, serving as the Falcons' United Way spokesperson. He said he still remembers his old love of lacrosse, but because he can't risk injury, he just coaches a local high school team in the off season.
The Falcons don't play this Sunday, so Virginia fans should be able to spot Kerney in his box seats during Virginia's contest Saturday against the Terrapins. Though Kerney said he loves playing for the new Atlanta Falcons' ownership, he jokingly complained of an infestation of Hokies on his team, including quarterback Michael Vick and 2004 first-round pick DeAngelo Hall. Luckily, the arrival of Cavalier quarterback Matt Schaub gave him some company.
"Patrick down here has been a big help," Schaub said. "There's a four or five guys from Tech down here, and he's happy to finally have some company. He's been good to me."
Good to his teammates, good to his community and a quiet leader of his defense, Kerney may now be able to say he's fulfilled his pledge. What is the next goal on his list?
"I want my hands on the Lombardi trophy and a ring on my finger," Kerney said. "That's by far the most important thing."
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