Antwan Lake
By Jordan Renna

Standing an impressive six foot four and over three hundred pounds, Atlanta
Falcons defensive tackle Antwan Lake has been waiting for the 2006 football
season all his life. Undrafted three seasons ago, Lake was signed as a
restricted free agent to compete for the starting defensive tackle position
opposite Pro Bowler Rod Coleman this preseason.  Lake and incumbent
Chad Lavalais are the front runners to claim the position that coach Jim
Mora declared up for grabs at the start of the off-season.  One of the biggest
weaknesses of the Falcons in 2005 was their inability to stop the run up the
middle, which is exactly where Lake fits in.  Although Lake has the ability
to get to the quarterback, he is more useful to Atlanta as a run stuffer.  The
Falcons have one of the quickest defensive lines in the NFL with newly
acquired John Abraham and Falcon veteran Patrick Kerney, however the
cost of sporting that lineup is being soft at stopping the inside run.

After a slow start at training camp coach Jim Mora publicly called out both
Lake and Lavalais while singing praises about the work ethic and
production of reserve defensive tackle Darrell Shropshire.  Mora expects
more from Lake as he has all of the tools to be a solid nose tackle in the
NFL.  Lake is currently projected to be the third man in a three player
rotation at the two defensive tackle positions, but it is still very early in
training camp and if anyone can make an impression on the Falcons
coaching staff, it is Lake.

Antwan was born in the small town of Seaford, Delaware and enjoyed
playing a variety of sports growing up.  He had always been athletic and by
the time he was in high school it was obvious he would excel at football.  By
his junior year he was dominating opponents as he led his team to a state
championship in football and another one his senior season. Lake was a
member of the Cambridge South Dorchester (MD) High School team that
went 26-0 and his legacy lives on in both small towns.

Lake was recruited by a number of high-impact universities and finally
decided on West Virginia where he majored in liberal arts.  Lake had a
standout season his sophomore year recording 39 tackles, but, his junior
year he was less productive only recording 19 tackles and he was anything
but a budding young NFL prospect.  He rolled into his senior season
without any hype and went on to have a solid, above-average showing for
the 3-8 West Virginia Mountaineers, yet his name went uncalled at the 2002
NFL draft.  The Detroit Lions quickly signed him and by the start of the
2002 NFL season he was one of only two rookie free agents to make the Lions
final 52 man roster.  However, after only one season he failed to earn a roster
spot and was one of the final cuts for the Lions the following season.  After
spending a season without a team, the Atlanta Falcons signed him in
December of 2003 and he has been working his way up the depth charts ever
since. “Everything you do -- if you get a sack or a safety or a fumble or
whatever - all the pain is well worth it.”   

Lake has had a rollercoaster type career since graduating from college and
he knows how important it is to take advantage of an opportunity.  Antwan
knows what it is like have the rug pulled out from underneath and he has
battled back.  He now has a chance to earn a starting slot on solid NFL
team, which is exactly why he has been waiting for the 2006 NFL season his
whole life.