Kicker Koenen gains toehold

By STEVE WYCHE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/29/05

Flowery Branch — After two of his kickoffs went out of bounds in the Falcons' exhibition opener against Indianapolis in Tokyo, Michael Koenen didn't think he'd even get to ride home on the team plane.

"I was worried because I got quite the chewing when I came to the sideline, and I was thankful that the next kickoff was a touchback," Koenen said.

He was allowed to return, and once he saw there was no pink slip in his locker and wasn't called into a meeting with the head coach, Koenen regrouped.

The rookie from Western Washington outdueled veteran Toby Gowin, who was waived Friday, to win the kickoff and punting jobs — for now. The Falcons could bring in another kicker, but that is not the immediate plan, coach Jim Mora said.

"Nothing is guaranteed, and he's got to keep producing," special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis said. "He's had some great punts. He had a 57-yarder out of bounds the other night (at Jacksonville) and he had a 47-yarder out of bounds two weeks ago. He's handled the kickoffs well, other than the Japan game. He's just a good young punter, and those guys are hard to come by, and we need to start developing him."

Koenen will share kicking duties with Todd Peterson, who will kick field goals. Koenen might be where he is because of Peterson. For five years, Koenen, then a teenager in Ferndale, Wash., watched Peterson kick for the Seattle Seahawks. He was a fan, but also a motivated pupil, watching Peterson's technique and focus in various situations.

"I can remember back in high school watching him play for Seattle, and I would be like, 'Man, I want to be better than him,' " Koenen said. "I was like that every time I would watch football, no matter who was playing. I was always like, 'I've got to be better than that guy.' To actually be here is quite a blessing."

Koenen has averaged just over 46 yards on eight punts and has consistently placed the ball in corners deep in opponents' territory on kickoffs, a crucial element in coverage.

"We face some great returners every week, and we're trying to cut the field down as much as possible for them, and if you don't have a guy that can directional punt [and kick off], it affects things," DeCamillis said. "He's shown that he can do that, up to this point."

Koenen said he honed his punting placement ability in adverse situations in college, playing in the rainy Northwest, where he was routinely under duress from the weather or from opponents. His deep snapper his senior year was the quarterback, whose accuracy throwing the ball to receivers was much better than getting the ball to him.

He frequently had to rush his kicks, but in the process he was conscious of trying to boot them to spots to diminish return possibilities. That fusion of concentration with a strong leg impressed coaches enough to overlook his relative obscurity against an established veteran.

"In Tokyo, I realized I was kicking as good as [the Colts'] punter, and I began to get more confident," Koenen said. "I felt like maybe I was meant for this. I always knew I could punt the ball, but once I saw more and more punters, I realized I was comparable to them, and that really helped my confidence."

Having someone who could handle the punting and kickoff duties is important to the Falcons because the coaching staff prefers that the veteran Peterson, a Georgia product, focus solely on place-kicking.

"I'm starting to hit the ball more consistently but I'm really gearing toward opening day," said Peterson, who has made eight of nine field-goal attempts. "I'm feeling really good, but you don't want to start peaking right now."

he deserves the position, i think.

I like this kid..I think he'll do fairly well in the Kicking game, provided he doesn't put any more of them out of bounds...in the punting game, he's proven he's quite good, and whether it's luck or skill, he's managed to kill two punts inside the 5, which is pretty damn special... fgtb76