Recently, Falcons legend John Abraham would sit down with Atlanta Falcons journalist Josh Petry, host of the "Nerdz Enigma" Podcast on YouTube to discuss his case for the NFL Hall OF Fame, playing with and against Mike Vick, Arthur Blank being the coolest dude in the room, and battling mental health after football.
Abraham was the last great pass rusher for the Atlanta Falcons. When asked about the current Atlanta Falcons, listening to the fans, and addressing their need for pass rushers on defense by drafting Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., he would say, "If these players pan out how you want it to, it's gonna be a big decision on who you want to keep, but that's 4-5 years down the road."
Falcons legend edge rusher John Abraham rushes the QB against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Falcons legend edge rusher John Abraham rushes the QB against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"Right now, let's get these guys running around like some crazy Atlanta Falcons out here. Let's get them going here, going there."
Abraham is currently the Falcons' all-time sack leader, sitting at number 13th on the NFL list with 133.5 sacks during his career. When asked about whether he thinks that mountain of a man (David Baker) would be kicking his door in anytime soon to to place him in the hall of fame after being selected in the first round of the NFL Draft after losing 21 straight games for the South Carolina Gamecocks he would say, "I don't expect it anytime soon, but I am going to do my part and make sure the people see the numbers."
Abraham was also asked about Arthur Blank being the coolest dude in the room and his first impression of him: "He definitely is, and I think the older I get, the more I appreciate being in his presence. You know you can meet some people and know they're great without knowing they're great. You know how when you walk around somebody and they have that aura? I've been around so many great people, and he is one of those guys."
When speaking about Mike Vick, and whether he practiced the same way he played, Abraham would say, "Yeah, even if you watch him now as a coach, it's the same way he was as a player. He was very competitive, and I don't think that we were able to see the best out of Mike Vick, and if he was able to stay in Atlanta, I think you would have seen so much more, and if we could have kept that squad and the momentum we were building? Man, a championship probably would have been in Atlanta by now."
Abraham dealt with adversity after his game was done, and had trouble adapting to life after football. When asked about any advice for the younger generation to learn how to deal with mental health when they're done playing he would say, "First of all, I would encourage you to talk to people. I would encourage you to write stuff down. Turn your negative thoughts into positive ones, and once you get over that fear of failing? Your life is so much better."
I have included the full interview in it's entirety below.