The Dirtiest Bird

When Jamal Anderson passed 1,000 yards rushing, in the Atlanta Falcons’ 10th game of the season, he ordered a truckload of 20-inch TVs to reward his offensive linemen and blockers.

By season’s end, Anderson had set a franchise record with 1,846 yards rushing, led the NFC with 14 touchdowns rushing and set an NFL record with 410 carries. A 20-inch TV wasn’t going to cut it, and he knew it.

So last Monday, the day after he’d rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns in the Falcons’ 20-18 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC divisional playoffs, he gave eight teammates state-of-the-art, 36-inch flat-screen TVs. Retail price: more than $1,000 each.

“When he’d have a big game, we’d be going, ‘The box is getting bigger,’ ” left tackle Bob Whitfield told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “When I saw the box, I said, ‘He’s the greatest running back ever.’ ”

While it’s far too early to say if he’s among the best ever, Anderson is certainly among the most exuberant. His prancing, arm-flapping “Dirty Bird” post-touchdown celebrations are unique, even if he stretched the truth by claiming his gyrations are closer to the artistry of ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov than the shuffle of Ickey Woods.

And don’t hold it against him, but he even likes reporters and has been enjoying the spotlight this week while the Falcons prepared for Sunday’s NFC championship game against the Minnesota Vikings at the sure-to-be-rocking Metrodome.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Anderson said to interviewers at the Falcons’ training complex. “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.”

Anderson is a key reason the surprising Falcons have made it to the title game. The 5-foot-11, 234-pound battering ram with the startling quickness and superb lateral movement has never lacked confidence, only an outlet for his fearless determination.

In his fifth season with the Falcons, but only his third as a starter, Anderson led the NFL with 12 100-yard games and finished second in rushing yardage to Denver’s Terrell Davis, who totaled 2,008 yards. But Anderson might have led the NFL in torn and dirty uniforms, the badge of honor for a running back who gains ground inch by painful inch. Under Coach Dan Reeves, the Falcons are 19-2 when Anderson has 20 or more carries.

“Jamal has had an outstanding year,” said Reeves, who dumped former coach June Jones’ run-and-shoot offense for a run-run-run-and-then-maybe-shoot offense that capitalizes on Anderson’s gifts. “I’ve been around running backs like Tony Dorsett, Calvin Hill and Walt Garrison and I don’t know that anybody had as good a year as Jamal had.

“When we lost Byron Hanspard [to a knee injury in the exhibition finale], that made him the guy who was going to have to take the burden, and he came through. He’s just a complete football player.”

He’s also completely frustrating for defenders. Grab him low, and his tree-trunk thighs power him forward. Grab him high, and he can stiff-arm tacklers, a relic of bygone days in the NFL but a favorite trick of his since he learned it playing Pop Warner football.

He used it on 49er safety Merton Hanks twice on one play last Sunday, pushing Hanks back at the 15-yard line and again at the five before diving into the end zone to complete a 34-yard run for his second touchdown.

“He’s fast, he’s powerful. He’s strong. He has good balance,” New Orleans Coach Mike Ditka said earlier this season. “Most people look at him and say he’s a power back, and I guess he is. But he’s a power back who can go the distance.”

He goes the distance without tiring, having collected more than 1,000 of his yards in the second half against tiring defenses. “With his combination of size and quickness, he breaks one tackle, and all you see is his helmet, shoulder pads and knees,” Reeves said. “That’s not a great target.”

When he’s not running over people, he’s using his agility to elude them, cutting back to create opportunities. He eats yards and clock, a key component in a ball-control offense. The Falcons averaged a league-leading possession time of 33 minutes, 10 seconds. When the Falcons have the ball, the Vikings’ record-setting offense won’t, perhaps a simple idea but one that lies at the heart of Atlanta’s hopes for success Sunday.

“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 rushed for 113 yards and had touchdown runs of two and 34 yards last Sunday.

And he’s so formidable a ground threat that opposing defenses must focus on him and leave themselves vulnerable to play-action passes. Falcon receivers Tony Martin and Terance Mathis took advantage of that, catching 130 passes for 2,317 yards and 17 touchdowns.

“It’s going to be crucial to have a great game out of Jamal for us to have a good game Sunday,” Reeves said.

But until the last few seasons, Anderson’s talents weren’t properly showcased.

After gaining 1,153 yards in his senior season at El Camino Real High in Woodland Hills, he was used mostly as a blocker for All-American Freddie Bradley at Moorpark College. He had 1,163 yards in his sophomore season, but played little the next season at Utah. He rushed for 1,032 yards as a senior but wasn’t chosen until the seventh round of the 1994 draft, the 24th running back selected. Of those drafted ahead of him, only Marshall Faulk--drafted second overall by Indianapolis--has more yards rushing.

“It was difficult to assess where I belonged,” Anderson said. “I played I-formation fullback at Utah and then in the single-back formation. The Bus [Jerome Bettis] was just getting started in the NFL and there wasn’t a trend toward big backs at the time. Maybe I was a ‘tweener.’ ”

Seeing himself listed last on the Falcons’ depth chart at his first training camp, Anderson drew an arrow, redirecting his name to the top. The trip took a while, because he was slotted behind veteran Craig “Ironhead” Heyward his first two seasons. Given the chance, he hasn’t looked back, gaining confidence by the yard.

“The No. 1 goal is to win each and every game,” he said. “But individually, no one should be out there just to be on the team, just to be another guy. You want to be the best. That’s my goal each and every season.”

He grew up around celebrities, because his father, James, works as security coordinator for boxers and musicians. Now he has become a celebrity himself, a gracious man who uses his fame to good ends when he speaks to youth groups in Atlanta and Southern California.

“Jamal has been one of our shyest children [among eight] and he let his athletics speak for him,” said his father, James. “He’s starting to become more comfortable with his success.”

Having tasted it, Anderson is hungry for more.

“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.”

“People say, ‘You’re young and you’ll get to do this over and over,’ but you never know. Who would have thought Dan Marino wouldn’t have gotten back to the Super Bowl yet? You have to take advantage of every opportunity.”

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A REVERSE

Wayne Huizenga and Dan Marino talk Jimmy Johnson out of retiring, with Dave Wannstedt added as assistant head coach. Page 12

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On the Run

Atlanta Falcon running back Jamal Anderson led the NFC in rushing, finishing second in the NFL to the Denver Broncos’ Terrell Davis (2,008):

Rushes: 410

Yards: 1,846

Yards/Rush: 4.5

Touchdowns: 14