Showdown is right. The emotions are running high in the city of Atlanta this week. The return of Micheal Vick is a big event, and there is no doubt about this. What a week, at least if you’re a Falcon fan. Your team returned from a proper drubbing in Chicago, only to come home to prepare for one of the franchises biggest former stars. Arguable the franchises BIGGEST Star ever. I played with Micheal Vick, albeit briefly. And to be frank, one of the great regrets of my career is the fact that I got hurt during our time together. I would have loved to play with Michael Vick for a few more years. Fate dealt me a different hand.

Vick is an exceptional talent. Few who have ever played this game can claim to posses the talent of number 7. Micheal Vick’s time in Atlanta can truthfully be summed up on one word, inconsistent. Vick has said this himself. But, when he was on, he was amazing to watch in the Dome! That was then, this is now. Vick has found a new home. More importantly, he has excelled in his new home. When you think for a second about all he has been through, all that he brought upon himself, you must marvel at where he is now. YOU must marvel, as I had little doubt, that he would come back strong.

I am sure you’ve been hearing all week from certain members of the Falcons that this is just another game. Another week in a 16 game schedule. That is true, literally. Further, it is what most players will say to downplay the hype. There is NO downplaying Micheal Vick coming back into the dome. They hype, the expectations, the energy, shall all be on display tonight! So will the explosive Eagles offense, if the Falcons fail to show up. Vick, McCoy, Jackson & Co field one of the fastest teams in the NFL. I  really believe the fastest offense in professional football. Miss a tackle, they are gone. Blow a coverage, good night Irene. Blow an assignment, you can cancel Christmas.

As I have watched, read, and heard all of the pregame hype for tonight’s game I got fired up. If you follow me on twitter, you are well aware of this fact. Sometimes, it seems as if Football started and ended in Atlanta with Micheal Vick. Yes, a great player. Yes, a winning QB. YES, a very exciting player. But, you’ve got to keep perspective.  I know Vick has lot of fans in Atlanta, as he should.  However, I also believe that if your team is the Falcons, that is who you should be rooting for. That’s just me. I’m not saying you can’t root for Vick to play well. I also don’t care if you wear his jersey to the Dome tonight. Just weird to me if you support the Falcons, because Vick has moved on, YOU should have too, right?

There is no doubt that I always want to see the Falcons do well. I will always be associated with the Falcons for several reasons. I’ve said this before, but feel it need’s to be said again.  Please do not confuse my hopes, with my job. I will be as critical of the Falcons as the next analyst if they fail to show up tonight. A repeat performance of the Chicago go would be disastrous on many levels. Outside of losing the game a week ago, the only issue I had with the Falcons was the apparent lack of emotion in the lost. Everybody loses, lord knows I am well aware of this fact. I still would like to see the unbridled hatred for losing. More so, when you field the talent the type of talent the Falcons do.

Since the arrival of Mike Smith, the Falcons are in the midst of the best three year run in the organizations HISTORY. No Vick, No Dirty Bird. You cannot discount this fact, just because they did not play well in week ONE. Expectations are just that, expectations. They do not mean a thing without action. The Falcons have spent well this off season. Everything they have done is pointing to a Super Bowl run. Starting the season 0-2 could lead to a run down. Especially if that second loss is to Vick & the Eagles tonight in the dome. Vick will forever strike some type of nerve in the hearts & minds of Falcons fans. As he should. If you like to compete, you dream to play in games like this. Matt Ryan the ball is in your hands, now. I can assure you that Mike Vick will be coming to play, I am also certain Falcons are fans hoping Matt Ryan is as well.

I can’t wait for tonight’s game as a fan of football. I expect an exciting match up that could go either way, easily. One thing I am also certain of. If Vick explodes early, it could be a very long night. Mike Smith will have the Falcons ready to play tonight. Further, the Falcons with Matt Ryan under center have enjoyed a very successful home record. One of the main reasons for my pick tonight, the Dirty Birds can ill afford to lose this game. Not only for their record, or playoff aspirations, but also for the  hearts & minds of Falcon fans. No, It should not be this way in game two, or with this team. Last week did the Falcons no favors. Additionally, the Saints & Buccaneers won their respective game today. Vick shinning,  & winning tonight will make it all of this worse. The reality of this fact seems painfully evident. Big game, indeed.

For more on the game tonight, please see the Q&A I did for NBC Philadelphia: http://bit.ly/rrIB5p.

My pick: Falcons

So often under tragic circumstances involving players people often dismiss the real cause, or reason behind these deaths. What needs to be focused on is the origin of the issues that lead to death. I applaud those who are actively taking part in trying to discover the issues affecting ex-players all over.

Further, Shane Dronett was not just a teammate, but a friend. Shane was a damn good man, a good father, and a good husband to Chris. I was crushed to see what was occurring with Shane, but even more devastated to learn of his death. You have to understand, I just saw Shane prior to his death.

We play the game of football for many reasons. One being the feeling of being on a team full of gladiators, who must physically fight for victory! As such, that toughness, part of which gives you the ability mask real pain, an lead to fatal consequences. We must find a way to seek help for real issues. Toughness be damned, I don’t want to lose another friend.

Please see the video below, as well as CNN’s story featuring Chris & Hailey Dronett.

R.I.P Shane, you are missed.

(CNN) — Former NFL lineman Shane Dronett’s transformation from an affable prankster, quick to flash a wry smile, to a person who was often frightened — and frightening — was subtle at first.

It began in 2006, with a bad dream.

“He woke up in the middle of the night and started screaming and told everyone to run out of the house,” said Chris Dronett, Shane Dronett’s wife. “He thought that someone was blowing up our house. It was very frightening.”

Chris tried to dismiss the incident as isolated, except that two weeks later, there was another outburst, then another, until they were an almost-nightly occurrence. And as Shane’s fear and paranoia began overwhelming him, so did episodes of confusion and rage that sometimes turned violent.

Only three years after retiring from the NFL in 2006, Shane was suffering. The tragic culmination of his pain came when he committed suicide in 2009 at 38.

Read the story on CNN

Gone, but not forgotten. Shane & Chris Dronett have two beautiful daughters. Of course, they do not play football.  As a tribute to Shane’s life,  one of Shane’s best friends (AKA Room Dog) Travis Hall’s son [Austin]  is wearing Shane’s #75!  THIS, is what made being on my Falcon teams so special. WE ARE DIRTYBIRDS, ONE TEAM, ONE FAMILY.

Austin Hall honor's Shane Dronett by wearing 75

]]> http://blog.jamalanderson.com/2011/04/08/sanjay-guptacnn-profile-the-shane-dronett-story/feed/ 0 http://blog.jamalanderson.com/2011/03/29/choose-one-john-elway-vs-tom-brady/ http://blog.jamalanderson.com/2011/03/29/choose-one-john-elway-vs-tom-brady/#comments Tue, 29 Mar 2011 21:11:39 +0000 Dirty Bird http://blog.jamalanderson.com/?p=1600

The conversation about who is the best, will never end. Regardless of the sport, position, team, etc. We all love to argue our point of view for one particular player over another, don’t we? Essentially, that is the origin of the post. A friend sent me a tweet asking me who I thought was better between Marshall Faulk, and LaDainian Tomlinson. From there, the conversation began about other players.  Of course, those other players lead us to our first ” Choose One” post.

For me, these are never really easy to do. I mean, who in the heck wants to choose between Elway & Brady? Is there a way we can have them both? In all seriousness, these debates will go on forever. As a former player, the goal is to simply play great enough to be in the debate.

As much as I enjoy watching Tom Brady, I chose John Elway. As I said on twitter, Elway was smart, tough, athletic, a leader, and of course a champion. If you were to look up a picture of the prototype quarterback in the dictionary, there should be a picture of Elway.  Just my opinion here folks. One thing I have to note, I grew up a RAIDERS/Giants Fan, I have NEVER liked the Denver Bronco’s, actually the opposite. We won’t even mention that ame tagged with the XXXIII.

Now, as I promised, here are a few of your tweets sent to me, UNEDITED. #ChooseOne

Ok, let me take you back a few months, when it became evident that Michael Vick would become the Eagles starting QB. I sent a series of tweets about Vick that some found surprising. I talked about Vick’s immense talent. I also suggested that if he worked, he could be unstoppable in the NFL. I do not say this lightly, because I never thought there would ever be a day where I would ever say such a thing. Additionally I suggested that Vick could be the best QB the NFL. Clearly if the man is unstoppable he must be number one. Of course you want to know the basis for those tweets, right? Sure you do. Well folks, no other passer possesses Vick’s all around abilities. PERIOD.

I remember it like it was yesterday. Training camp, 2001. Michael Vick’s rookie season. We had training camp at Furman University in South Carolina. Vick walks into huddle, mutters out a play call, the next thing I hear is Bob Whitfield & Ephraim Salaam. Salaam & Whitfield tried to tell Vick to speak up, to speak clearly. Interesting, especially after all of those fantastic highlights, Vick was quiet in the huddle. This is the NFL folks, when you have the first overall pick in the draft he comes with high expectations. Quiet isn’t bad, but Vick almost seemed to bit intimidated. Then, we walked to the line of scrimmage. Vick picked it up, and barked out the cadence. The ball was snapped. We had a play action pass play called. Vick faked the hand off to me, then set himself to the proper distance. I remember looking back to see what he was thinking, especially since I was an outlet. I could tell Vick did not see what he like what he saw down field. The pressure began to close on Vick from our defensive line. Vick pump faked the ball, then exploded out of the pocket. Chris Draft, one of our linebackers at the time, was shadowing Vick. Draft was one of the fastest, if not the fasted linebacker we had. I was flanked to Vick’s left at this point. As the primary outlet I had to stay ready. No need. Vick dashed to the left, kept the ball high as if he was going to throw it, and simply ran right past Chris Draft. By the way, Draft had an amazing angle on Vick. NO HELP AT ALL. Vick exploded down sideline as we all exhaled from what we just witnessed.

I have never seen anything like Michael Vick on the football field. Think about this. I played with Jeff George and figured I would never see an arm like that again. I am not sure Vick’s arm is as strong, but I cannot tell at all. Besides, at any given moment he is always one of the best runners on the field. He is the QB folks. The QB touches the ball on every single snap of the game. Never has one player potentially been so dangerous. There in lies the crux of this post. Potential. Seems as though Vick has gotten it together this year. I certainly hope so for our continued enjoyment. This is the most complete I can ever remember seeing Vick play. Imagine now, just for a minute, that he put it all together EVERY week. This is why I say he could be unstoppable.

The Redskins will need a repeat performance of their first meeting with Vick to beat the Eagles. Every superman has his kryptonite, and Micheal Vick’s is getting hit. I am all about speed & quickness, but at 210 pounds Vick’s body has shown it can only take so many blows. Disguising coverages, and physically pounding Vick are keys to stopping him. Of course, IF he knows where to go with the ball on every play, stopping him will be impossible….

I did not forget about Donovan McNabb, who after today will most likely be out to prove his worth. This could be an explosive game, and it could easily not be. Two very competitive QB’s who are looking for a chance to best each other. Sound familiar? A treat for the fans, again. Enjoy!

My Pick: EAGLES

Jamal Anderson

You think its tough to be the Quarterback of America’s team? One thousand words, right above you. Who would have thought I would be writing the Cowboys season could be OVER before Halloween.  There is no doubt 1-4 is not good, 1-5 is A LOT worse, trust me. In regards to the Cowboys plight, earlier today I posted the following tweets.

- Could this be the game to Cowboys finally show up?? If not its a wrap on 2010….

-Very tough to just flip a switch and turn the bad tide. We ALMOST did it. Have to stop the “bleeding’ to change the tide. Maybe tonight??

-Talent is there. Will focus, determination be there? Cowboys must eliminate mental errors, stop turning ball over, & BLOCK Umenyiora!

-In 97, we were 1-7 after 8 games. We got it together, finished 6-2. Would’ve been 7-1 if not for Jake “The Snake” Plummer. My point…

-Very tough to just flip a switch and turn the bad tide. We ALMOST did it. Have to stop the “bleeding’ to change the tide. Maybe tonight??

You see, I know from personal experience how difficult it can be to change the tide of a losing season. The Cowboys are loaded. That is why they are so frustrating to watch. How often do you witness a team put up the numbers (over 400 in offense every week) the Cowboys do, and still lose? Rare indeed. Mental errors & turnovers are season killers. The Cowboys dance with both entirely to much.  The Cowboys have got to find a way to run the ball with success. I know Tony Romo is the guy, but this is a different team IF/when they run well.

The Giants are letting the Jets have the hype, while they just win games. Did you know that Eli Manning has a 19-4 record in October games?  The Giants are playing good football right now, clearly one of the better teams in the NFL.  Osi Umenyiora’s reemergence as a premier pass rusher has been impressive. Last season everyone was wondering what was wrong with Osi. I can assure you those ACL injuries are not easy to bounce back from folks. Sure, most players come back from the injury, but that first year is a doozy. Umenyiora is back, and leads one of the best defenses in the NFL. The Cowboys have to keep Umenyiora off of Romo tonight. Nothing is as effective as running right at him.

As usual this game will be a battle to the end. The Giants should win this games. The is solely based on how the teams are currently playing. My gut tells me the Cowboys show up, maybe even show out tonight. However, I shall lean towards the team that has been consistent…. My pick: Giants

I am never happy when my picks do not end up in the winning section. Especially when, for the FIRST TIME EVER, I had a 500 week on the NFL picks. In the immortal words of Ebenezer Scrooge, ” Bah Humbug”. Sure, we win more than we lose, but this week was a trip. I would most certainly be bragging if I won all of the games. I figured it would be fun to look back on the seven games that did not go my way. Welcome to 7 wins, 7 loses.

Bengals vs Buccaneers

I like Josh Freeman, I have watched him closely since Kansas State. I expected him to improve this year, but leading the Bucs to a 3-1 record, can’t claim I expected that. Further, the Bengals should have one this game. I know, should of, could of, would of.  The expectations, the hype, the defense, those WIDE RECEIVERS, their QB. Guess what, Josh Freeman and the Buccaneers failed to get the memo. Freeman’s clutch pass, added by WR Michael Spurlocks toe tapping acrobatics, lined the Bucs up for a game winning kick. Carson Palmer’s three interceptions certainly did not help matters. The Bungals need to get it together ASAP. IF you are a supposed to be a contender, you cannot lose games like this.

Chargers v Raiders

First of all, the Raiders have failed to win in this matchup since 2003. To put that in perspective, I was damn near a Patriot that SAME YEAR. Second, the Chargers QB is Philip Rivers. Who happens to be one of the best QB’s in this league. I know this is a rivalry game filled with hate, but the Chargers have owned the Raiders. Although I would like to see Jason Campbell play well, my pick was primarily based on these two facts. Rivers had a shot, but the Raiders defense snatched the bullet!

Giants v Texans

I figured we would get a game in this one. Not a chance, although I picked the Texans. The Giants are a talented, like almost every NFL team, but  a inconsistent bunch. The Giants do have the top ranked defense in Football, but the Texans were ready to play. At least that’s what I thought? Especially with Brian Cushing returning to the line up. The Texans offense could not get anything going. Osi Umenyiora didn’t help this pick at all. In fact Umenyiora is on a tear, with 5 sacks in the past two games. The Giants defense lived up to their #1 ranking by man handling the Texans, who managed a scant 24 yards rushing. ELi Manning to Hakeem Nicks is also looking pretty lethal lately….look out!

Titans v Cowboys

What a game we had here! I picked the Cowboys in this match up because I was not sure of how well Vince Young would play in Dallas.  I also expected to Cowboys to be able to contain Chris Johnson. Meaning, less that 100 yards. Contain, not stop. I knew all about the  Titans 10 game (11 now) winning streak against NFC foes. Still picked the Boys’ to win. The Cowboys are, and have been an enigma the past few years. I don’t want to beat a dead horse, or Cowboy in this case, but underachieving has a home in the Big D!  Young was efficient, add in Chris Johnson’s 100+ rushing, 2 TD performance….You’ve got a Titans win. Welcome to 1-3 Dallas, this is looking painfully familiar in the NFC. Speaking off, The Cowboys LOST, with these stats: Romo throws for over 400, Miles Austin over 150 receiving, Felix Jones rushing for over 100. A close game with two teams that are contenders, something has to give, right? Sure, and it was Romo with 3 interceptions.

Eagles v 49ers

I guess I should just call this my “emotional pick”. I picked the 49ers in this one. No Vick for the Eagles as Kevin Kolb started. I also must confess I wanted to see Alex Smith play well, as he is a UTE. The rest is “emo pick” history. Hey, I am human you know. Alex Smith started ugly, and really came on strong to make this a game. Another reason for the pick, there was NO WAY I could see the 49ers losing FIVE in a row. Another preseason contender who is looking anything but, a contender. The list is growing, I sure hope your team is not on it..

Vikings v Jets

If you read the blog yesterday, I said all signs pointed towards the Jets. Of course, I picked the Vikings. The old man almost made me look like a genius in the second half, because the first was painful to watch. The jets dominated every phase of this game in the first half, but failed to convert that dominance in substantive points. The door was open, the magic was seemed to be happening for #4. Only to see it all come crashing down with a Dwight Lowery pick six. So much for the Broadway closing! The Jets Mark Sanchez was solid, and more importantly he has not turned the ball over in four games. The Jets offensive and defensive lines are nasty! Can you smell the recipe for success here? NO turnovers, great running game, nasty defense, tough o-line, emerging QB. Stay focused Jets, stay focused. Looking ahead, the Vikings better put it together fast, or 1-3 could easily end up 1-6. Back to that list….

Bears v Panthers

This is the kind of accident that could crush a man. Frankly I thought I picked the Bears. My lesson for rushing. Once the picks are up, I can’t change them. Basically I crossed my fingers. That helped a lot, NOT! Matt Forte ran through, around, under, and over the Panthers to 166 yards. Julius Peppers showed his athletic brilliance batting the ball, then diving for the interception. How bad was this for the Panthers? Bears QB Todd Collins threw FOUR interceptions, and this still wasn’t close. The Bears defense was stifling all afternoon, keeping the talented Panthers RB’s in check. Jimmy Clausen starting for the Panther did not help either. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid. Next week, I will triple check the picks before posting. Ha!

Here’s to never repeating this many loses in a week!

JAM

After the first quarter of the season, things become much clearer. Now, we’ll get a chance to see who the pretenders, and who the contenders, are. Without further delay, my picks today.

Falcons v Browns

My pick: Falcons

Bills v Jaguars

My pick: Jaguars

Giants v Texans

My pick: Texans

Chiefs v Colts

My pick: Colts

Buccaneers v Bengals

My pick: Bengals

Packers v Redskins

My pick: Redskins

Rams v Lions

My Pick: Lions

Bears v Panthers

My picks: Panthers

Broncos v Ravens

My pick: Ravens

Saints v Cardinals

My pick: Cardinals

Titans v Cowboys

My pick: Cowboys

Chargers v Raiders

My pick: Chargers

*Sunday Night*

Eagles v 49ers

My pick: 49ers

Enjoy the games!

Jamal Anderson

I would hear from people then, and for many years now, how my holdout contributed in some way to my injury. I could understand a hamstring, or some injury of that sort. My injury was an ACL tear. I probably did my ACL a favor by missing a few days of camp.

In fact, when I was holding out the only thing I could think about was Natron Means. The ex-Charger was also a big running back, who held out a few years prior to my own. Means did not come into camp in the best shape after procuring his deal. I was adamant that I would never be that guy. I trained harder that off season than I ever had before. Once my contract issue was over, I actually reported to camp weighing less than I ever had before.

Nobody was more angry than me, to be injured the way I was. I took pride in being a physical runner who did not shy away from competition. To be injured during a play, but in a non contact manner was tough to swallow. Such is life, I don’t think I have lost that much sleep over this.

Fortunately I did holdout, because as most of you know I injured my other ACL in 2001. Not long after, in the midst of yet another comeback, I was released by the Falcons. Rather unceremoniously in fact, after I agreed to restructure my contract. Teams move on, they prove it daily. They also prove that this is a business, and you have to get what you can, when you can, PERIOD. Want proof, see ME.

Jam

Jamal Anderson

The NFL returns tonight in the match up we have grown accustom to seeing. A rematch of the NFC Title game, and last years game was a treat. Physical, hard nose, spectacular plays, unbelievable bumbles, everything!

The Saints ending and improbable and amazing run by Brett Favre and the Vikings. You knew #4 had to come back again for another crack at the title. Especially when he looked at that Vikings roster and realized all the pieces were still in place. Torture us you did, Brett, but we are all glad you’re back!

The Saints spent and off season with lots of fan fare and parades befitting a Champion. They also realized the glaring light of the media with their fair share of controversies as well. Title town isn’t the “big easy” all the time!

Back to basics tonight. No more talk, no more hype, no more speculation about who’s the best. Tonight, we get to see it on the field! Forget all of the off season talk about how hard the Saints smacked Favre around. Are the Vikings going to do anything about it? Oh and those people that say New Orleans got lucky? Will the Vikings prove that tonight?

I will tell you New Orleans is a tough place to play, especially now! As rivalries go, I would not consider myself a true Dirty Bird if I picked the Saints, but they are tough. I think the Vikings are going to do it tonight. I also expect a big night from #28! Drew Brees is always dangerous, he will be in top form! Either way, I am ready to for season to start!!!

My Pick: Vikings!!!

JAM

Jamal Anderson

**The blog post I was working on this week. I figure what the heck, I’ll post it anyway.  I know he’s back, and I am happy about it as well. But the process, well….read on.**

I like Brett Favre, a lot, and I love him as a player, leader, warrior. But enough is enough. If you are going to play, then play. If retirement is the path, then do that.

Listen, as a player Favre is awesome. I know Favre throws a lot of risky passes. However, I am one of those people who will except those risk because of everything else Favre brings to the table. Look at the season Favre put together last year, when nobody thought he could.  I figure Favre is a bit like a shooting point guard in basketball. Sort of Iverson like, if you will. Favre is a tough guy who puts it in the air a bit to much, but you can’t argue with the finale numbers. When the first retirement was announced, Favre’s legacy near at it’s peak. At this point even those who “love” Favre as a player are shaking their heads. Add me to that list.


This entire show stinks. The back and forth, the press, the erroneous reports. As awful as this entire thing is playing out, I still want Favre to come back to play. I am just running out of nice things to say about it now. The Vikings are primed for another shot at the Super Bowl. This same team had it in their grasp a few months ago, so Favre stepping down makes no sense to me. I am just completely over the nonsense.  Get on the field, or get on a tracker, just get to one of them.

JAM