What is a predator without the hunt? The thrill of the chase. The constant need for more… more… more. The satisfaction, the release, the ultimate justification for the attack.
For 15 seasons, John Abraham was The Predator. He hunted quarterbacks. Stalked his prey. He was, by all intents and purposes, every bit of the moniker his nickname entailed.
His career racked up 133.5 total sacks, which ranks No. 14 all time since sacks became an official individual statistic in 1982, and 48 forced fumbles, the No. 3 total in NFL history behind Robert Mathis and Julius Peppers. He was voted to five Pro Bowls and earned three First-Team All-Pro selections.
When all was said and done, The Predator had become the standard for pass rushers everywhere.
Emulate him. Watch him hunt. You'll see the sleek yet powerful juxtaposition of one of the NFL's best.
"John Abraham," Jonathon Babineaux said simply, "is a bad ass."
In 2008, Matt Ryan was drafted to the Atlanta Falcons. Abraham was already there, having been traded to Atlanta from the Jets two seasons prior. By then, The Predator was fully established in his game-wrecking ways.
Atlanta was his jungle. The quarterback, his prey of choice. Even on the practice field. Even his own quarterback. A young man then, just dipping his toe into the watering hole of the professional pool.
"Going against him every day in training camp," Ryan recalled, "I learned what elite pass rushing looked like. He was a problem, a nightmare for a tackle."
A nightmare for a quarterback, too, when slicing by his protectors.
"The clock in my head as an NFL player was set by John Abraham in practice," Ryan said. "I am forever lucky for that."
Lucky, but also on the run. The object of a chase, even if before every practice the two were seen chatting and laughing in the hot tubs off the training room.
But that's the duality of Abraham.