COURTESY BALTIMORE RAVENS
Kahuku alumnus and Baltimore defensive lineman Maake Kemoeatu went from free agent to Week 1 starter for the Ravens.
Rookie Maake Kemoeatu is no Ray Lewis, but playing next to the All-Pro Baltimore linebacker should prove beneficial. Kemoeatu gets a shot
By Nick Abramo
nabramo@starbulletin.comKemoeatu, a defensive lineman with the Ravens, signed as a free agent earlier this year.
"I watched them two years ago in the Super Bowl and wondered what it would be like, and now I'm running on the field with guys like Ray Lewis, (cornerback) Chris McAlister and (defensive end) Michael McCrary and (linebacker) Peter Boulware," Kemoeatu said.
"Just to watch Ray Lewis run on the field is something. He's high energy all the way, and he will not ask us anything else than for us to run to the ball like he does. He's a great linebacker and a great leader."
Kemoeatu, who played at Kahuku and Utah, started the Ravens' first game against Carolina. And although he didn't get the nod the following week vs. Tampa Bay, he still played a lot.
At 6-foot-5 and 330 pounds, Kemoeatu says he's more of a run stopper than a pass rusher, and he'll get the starts when the game-plan emphasis is on stopping the run.
"When they announce my name at the stadium, it's like the Fourth of July every time," he said. "Here at home, the stadium goes crazy for the team, everybody feeds off us.
"We're a young team with two games under our belt, and so this next home game will determine the tone for the rest of the season."
The Ravens are coming off a bye, and the Denver Broncos are up next in a Monday Night Football contest in Baltimore.
"Yeah, I'm familiar with Ashley Lelie, a fellow Hawaii guy. I'll run him down, catch him and hit him," Kemoeatu said, playfully laughing, but not kidding.
Though Baltimore is 0-2, it's not the fault of the defense. The Ravens have given up just one total offensive touchdown in losses of 10-7 to the Panthers and 25-0 to the Buccaneers.
Kemoeatu made one tackle in each of the two games, but his ultimate thrill so far is going to practice every day --in the NFL.
One time, while signing off to his mother, Ahea, on the phone, Kemoeatu said, "OK, mom, I gotta go now. I gotta go to work."
Because of the way he said it, she thought maybe her son had a part-time job.
"I reminded her, 'Mom, I got a job playing football.' From 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., it's all football," Kemoeatu said. "I eat, sleep and do football, so whenever I do relax, it's fun.
"It's not like in college when you can enjoy a lot of fun time. This is the real world. They expect a lot more out of you here than in college. There's more technique to learn, more conditioning. You can't be late for meetings; it's strictly professional."
In April, when he was left undrafted, Kemoeatu and his agent decided Baltimore would be the best place to try out. So far, it's been a good choice.
"It's going well," he said. "They gave me a chance in training camp. The first week, they were telling me, 'Keep up the good work,' and the second week they were impressed and now they're giving me a lot of playing time."
For Kemoeatu, the NFL rookie, it's all in a day's work.
National Football League
