|
| |
| ||
|
| ||
|
'I think we can beat them' Anderson confident Falcons have shot at upset
Posted: Tuesday January 12, 1999 04:22 PM
SUWANEE, Ga. (AP) -- Some athletes are skittish about all the hoopla that goes along with playing for a championship. Remember Leon Lett's meltdown before the Super Bowl a few years ago? Then there's Jamal Anderson. The Atlanta Falcons running back doesn't shy away from the moment, he thrives in it. Not unlike the man he calls "Uncle Muhammad" -- family friend Muhammad Ali -- Anderson figures the whole world in his stage, so keep the spotlight shining. "I'm glad you're here," Anderson told reporters who converged on the Falcons training complex Monday to launch a week of hype for the NFC championship game. "You're not going to bother me. I'd rather you be here than covering somebody else for the championship, so bother me all you want." The All-Pro already has shouldered an inordinate load for the Falcons this season, setting an NFL record with 410 carries and a franchise mark with 1,846 yards rushing. If Atlanta is to beat the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Anderson likely will have to produce another of the 30-carry, 100-yard games that have become so routine this season. The Falcons know it. The Vikings know it. Everyone knows it. "Every team comes in with a goal to try to shut down our run," Anderson said. "It's an honor for me, really. I like when teams have to prepare to try to shut me down. That's what I thrive on." Anderson has never been shy about touting his abilities. From the first day he reported to camp in 1994 as an obscure, seventh-round draft pick from Utah, he expected to some day be ranked among the game's best runners. For some, that sort of attitude comes across as conceited. For those who are around him on a regular basis, his braggadocio is more charming than annoying. "Everybody is talking about how they don't want to see the Dirty Bird," he crowed, referring to his trademark dance. "Yada, yada, yada. We're coming to play." He's like a nightclub comic whose act never shuts down. He's constantly going about the business of being Jamal, from his arm-flapping, end-zone celebration to his good-natured (though unsuccessful) campaign for MVP. "People say Jamal is arrogant," safety Eugene Robinson said. "Jamal is just hungry, man. Every time he looks up, Barry Sanders is being mentioned, Terrell Davis is being mentioned, everybody's name is being mentioned but his. "Now he's got a chance to say, 'Hey, you better reckon with me. I'm going to punish your defensive backs. I'm going to punish your linebackers. I'm going to make sure I'm the hardest guy you've ever had to tackle.'" That he is. Anderson runs lows to the turf, transforming himself into a 5-foot-11, 234-pound bowling ball who appears to be nothing more than helmet, shoulder pads and knees. While lacking breakaway speed, he is deceptively quick. "To combine the power he has with the quickness, well, there's not very many people that size who can make people miss," coach Dan Reeves said. "And when he does get tackled, he's hard to bring down. He's got such a low center of gravity." The only team to beat the explosive Vikings controlled the clock and dominated with the running game. Tampa Bay rushed for a team-record 246 yards in its 27-24 victory over Minnesota more than two months ago. The Anderson-led Falcons are capable of that type of performance. They led the NFL in time of possession and held the ball for more than 32 minutes in a 20-18 playoff victory over San Francisco last weekend. "Can we beat Minnesota? Oh, I think anybody can be beaten," Anderson said. "For us to beat them, we have to do what we do best, and that's play our style of football. If we do that, then I think we can beat them." He doesn't want his season to end at the Metrodome, even though he is only 26 years old and most of his career seems ahead of him. "People say you're young and you'll get to do this over and over, but you never know," Anderson said. "Who would have thought Dan Marino wouldn't have gotten back to the Super Bowl yet. You have to take advantage of every opportunity." So, he is. After four years of virtual obscurity in Atlanta -- few people seem to realize this in his third straight 1,000-yard season -- Anderson is finally in his element, a prime-time player. You can almost see the dollar signs flashing in his eyes. "Hopefully ... we'll get more people buying season tickets and we'll get more fans coming out and purchasing my jerseys," he said, rolling his eyes mischievously. "I really like it, thank you very much. Kids, parents, I love it. Grandparents, whoever wants to wear it, I appreciate it."
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 1999 CNN/SI. A Time Warner Company. Terms under which this service is provided to you.
| |||||||||||||||||||||
