Clink.
I was disembarking from the team charter Sunday evening when my Payless dress shoes got hooked under something metallic.
I looked down to see a pair of crutches sticking into the aisle just inside the first class bulkhead. I turned to the right to see Falcons rookie tight end Martrez Milner looking up at me as if to say: 'Sorry about that.'
A quick nod (I was holding up traffic) and I was on my way, leaving the injured Bird on his first-class perch.
Unfortunately for Milner, players normally don't ride in first class. Unfortunately for Milner, he needed the extra leg room.
The rookie hurt his left ankle in the team's 20-13 win at Carolina and he needed some room for the protective boot. Today we learned his season is over -- another addition to the injured reserve list.
At the news I thought back to the first-class encounter and how Milner still cracked a smile in the face of such an injury.
That led me to think about my interaction with the rookie through training camp.
Smiles. Always smiles and laughter.
Here's a guy that's grateful for an opportunity. A silent (but hard) worker, it's a shame to see his rookie campaign get cut short.
But if you can stay smilin' in this league, you have an advantage.
Here's hoping the next noise I associate with Milner is that of a crowd celebrating his first professional touchdown.
We'll just have to wait a while to hear it.
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