Wrestling with MMA fighter helped Falcons’ Paul Worrilow tackle issues

11:27 PM ET

Paul Worrilow is far from ready to challenge Anderson Silva or Jon “Bones” Jones, but the Atlanta Falcons linebacker and its three-time leading tackler certainly has a better appreciation for mixed martial arts after experiencing it firsthand.

Worrilow has stepped on the mat a few times this offseason – 10 times, to be exact. It has nothing to do with a desire to switch professions or pick up a new hobby. This was about an NFL player realizing his tackling flaws and seeking ways to correct them.

So while driving around the Atlanta suburbs one afternoon, Worrilow dropped by Straight Blast Gym, tucked away in a small shopping center in the town of Buford, Ga.

“I just asked them if there was anyone who was willing to work with me,” Worrilow said.

Lead instructor Phillipe Gentry raised his hand. The MMA and Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach catered a program to Worrilow’s desire to improve his tackling, meaning hourlong sessions twice a week in which Worrilow would absorb instruction from Gentry and spar with Jared Gooden, a local MMA fighter with a 5-0 professional record.

“I’d go in there and we’re working grappling and wrestling leverage,” Worrilow said. “As close to tackling as you can get is wrestling and trying to take somebody down who doesn’t want to be taken down … just like football.”

The sessions typically started with stretching and shadow-boxing as a warm-up. Then on went the gloves, as Worrilow and Gentry bounced around and threw light punches, the emphasis on footwork and hand speed. The real fun started when the …

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