FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Patrick Kerney wants you to know he is not undersized.

Kerney, a former Virginia standout who starts at defensive end for the Atlanta Falcons, laughed when a reporter uses that adjective to describe him. When told that Falcons coach Jim Mora Jr. also described Kerney that way, he laughs again.

"That's something I've been stuck with my whole career and I laugh at because I'm actually heavier than the average starting defensive end right now," Kerney said after practice this week.

Kerney, who was chosen by Atlanta in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft, is 6-foot-5 and weighs 275 pounds.

"I don't look at my size as any kind of barrier," he said. "At 275, compared to a lot of the 255-pound ends, is a good-sized end in this league."

Mora has scrapped the Falcons' 3-4 defense for the 4-3. He said the new set will be good for Kerney.

"It gets him a little more on the edge, which is probably a better position for him because of his size," Mora said. "He's 275, which is by NFL standards for a defensive end probably a little on the small side."

There it is again. Even Mora considers Kerney on the small side.

"Any defensive end that's not Reggie White is undersized," Kerney said with a grin. "The 300-pound guy that moves like Reggie, he doesn't exist. That's a once-in-a-lifetime guy. Now if you're under 290, you're undersized. I don't know of any ends that are over 275 pounds that make many plays in the league any more. You've got to be able to run for all four quarters."

Kerney has started every game for Atlanta the past four seasons. He had 87 tackles and 61/2 sacks last year.

Mora, the Falcons' rookie head coach, loves Kerney's tenacity and said he is one of the hardest workers he has been around.

"He just never never stops. It's unreal. It's fun to watch," Mora said.

Kerney expects to have fun in the 4-3 defense.

"In the passing game in particular you won't have two offensive linemen on top of you, so I'm excited about that and expecting a big year because of it," said Kerney, who has 34 career sacks.

The Falcons ranked last in the league in total defense (381.8 ypg) last year, which Kerney considers "unacceptable." They finished 5-11, their fourth losing record in Kerney's five years on the team.

"I've certainly taken my licks here — a couple 5-11 seasons, a 4-12," Kerney said. "Coach Mora has come in here and put a shock into the system. Hopefully that will create a much different result, one that's a lot more desirable."