Beneath the Helmet: Grady Jarrett
USA TODAY Sports" Tom Pelissero breaks down what to look out for from Houston as the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons prepare for Super Bowl LI. USA TODAY Sports
Falcons DT Grady Jarrett made 48 tackles this season.(Photo: Brett Davis, USA TODAY Sports)
HOUSTON Jessie Tuggle recently received a copy of an 18-year-old photograph from his son that hed never seen before.
It featured Tuggles then-5-year-old boy, Grady Jarrett, wearing a kid-sized version of his No. 58Atlanta Falcons jersey while doing the Dirty Bird dance with his elementary school teammates.
The old picture made Tuggle smile, remembering back to his own Super Bowl season with the Falcons in 1998. Jarrett, now a 23-year-old starting defensive tackle for Atlanta, is currently preparing to play in the game for the first time.
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But just as jarrett wasnt in florida when Tuggles team lost to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII, Tuggle will be home in Alpharetta, Ga., on Sunday, watching the game on a 130-inch big screen. Nagging knee injuries have slowed him down, and he knew going to Houston would mean plenty of walking. Plus, he wants to afford Jarrett the chance to shine, away from the large shadow he"d already cast with the Falconsorganization.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play in the largest game on earth. The world is watching. This is his day. This is the Atlanta Falcons" day. It"s not my day, it"s his day, Tuggle told USA TODAY Sports in a phone interview. So I want to sit back and, from a distance for me personally I want to let him do his own thing.
Tuggle played 14 years as an inside linebacker for Atlanta, retiring after the 2000 season as the franchises leading tackler. Hes a member of the Falcons" Ring of Honor, and his picture is displayed prominently at the club"s training facility in Flowery Branch, Ga.
Being drafted by the team for which your father once starred could mean weighty expectations, but Jarrett said he doesnt feel it.
I never felt any kind of pressure to live up to any legacy or anything like that. I"ve always gone my own way, Jarrett told USA TODAY Sports.
He was raised in Conyers, Ga., by his mother, Elisha, and her husband, Grady Jarrett Sr., whom Jarrett calls dad. But Tuggle was always part of his life, too, as were his other children, Justin (a former Houston Texans linebacker) and Jessica, who played tennis in college.
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Jarrett, the youngest of Tuggles three children, showed aptitude for football early, even though he was always too big to play with kids his own age. Yet ironically, his size would eventually become an issue for a different reason since Jarrett was regarded as too short to fit the mold of a prototypical defensive tackle.
Falcons defensive line coach Bryan c*x, an NFL contemporary of Tuggles, said Jarretts stature (6-feet, 305 pounds) was the biggest reason he fell to the fifth round of the draft in 2015.
Many teams probably realize it was a mistake to overlook him.
Despite being relatively light for his position, Jarrett routinely handles double-team blocks and racked up 48 tackles and three sacks from his interior post this season. What he lacks in sheer size, hes made up for in other areas, including an important lesson he learned while winning two state titles while wrestling in high school.
Its all about leverage. The lower man wins, Jarrett said. I wouldn"t say I have to make up for anything, it"s just what I do differently, as far as using power and quickness. I dont have any choice but to look at it as a positive.
Tuggle and Jarrett spoke by phone before the Falcons departed for Houston, and Tuggle tried to share some advice about what Jarrett could expect in his first Super Bowl.It took until the 12th year of Tuggles career to reach this stage, and he wants his son to cherish how special it is to be here just two seasons into his career. So far, that message seems to be sinking in. Jarrett purchased all of his 15 allotted tickets for family members on his mothers sideand is looking forward to their arrivalFriday.
And on Sunday, hes hoping to get the one thing his father never did: a championship. Nothing would make Tuggle more proud, both as a Falconsalum and a father.
I remember the Super Bowl in 1998. We lost, that"s all I remember about it. But we get another shot at it, a second time, Jarrett said.
I"m fortunate enough to be on this team that can go and try to finish it off. Its definitely an exciting time for the people of Atlanta.
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Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones
PHOTOS: Falcons" road to Super Bowl LI
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