Falcons Have 'Lot of Respect' For Rams LB Bobby Wagner

Wagner is in his first season with the Rams after a decade with the Seahawks.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 15, 2022

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons (0-1) are set to face the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams (0-1) this weekend. And even though the Rams won it all last year, some would argue that they are even better this season.

One of those reasons is the signing of veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner, who recorded 170 tackles last season (third-most in the league) and made eight Pro Bowls in 10 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. He also was part of the iconic Super Bowl winning defense in 2013.

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith is aware of Wagner's impact and respects the opponent in front of him this weekend.

"He's got intelligence, obviously instincts," Smith said. "Been a very productive player. Similar to (New Orleans Saints linebacker) Demario (Davis), not the first time they've seen most of the stuff we throw at them. Got great experience, tough, makes plays all over the tape. Got a lot of respect for him as well."

In his Rams debut, Wagner was productive, recording seven tackles and his first Los Angeles sack. While the Rams failed to grab a win in last week's opener, Wagner and the Los Angeles defense is hungry to prove to the rest of the league that last week was a fluke. And the Falcons would like to overcome the odds and defeat Wagner's Rams.

The Falcons and Rams kick off at 4:05 p.m. Sunday at SoFi Stadium.

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Published Sep 15, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.