Day dreaming while waiting for the 2008 regular season schedule...

The bus had just made the right turn into one of the tight parking lots that surround Oakland's McAfee Coliseum when the first egg shattered against the tinted window.

The yolk had just started to slide down the glass when a second egg got scrambled on the opposite side of the bus.

I couldn't help but chuckle as those Raiders fans without breakfast started giving us "the finger."

"So this is Oakland," I thought to myself.

I was in my first season with the Denver Broncos at the time and it was the special reception I wanted from the Silver and Black fateful.

Something tells me the Atlanta Falcons can expect a similar welcome.

It's a customary greeting from The Black Hole.

The Raiders game also figures to have a little more spice since former Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall was traded to the team a few weeks ago.

Either way, any Falcons fan that makes the trip to Oakland or catches the game on television is in for a treat from some of the most unique -- and frightening -- fans in the NFL.

Even the embellished stories don't accurately portray the nature of The Black Hole.

Think Mad Max meets Escape from L.A. Now, add silver face paint.

My route to the field post game on both trips to Oakland did not pass The Black Hole. Plus. Also, by the time I made it to the field, the Broncos had already secured a victory (I imagine it's a little bit crazier given a close game).

I have heard plenty of stories from colleagues, however, about some of the curiosities of the stadium:

There was a time a Falcons employee, as a sign of sportsmanship, went to shake the hand of a fan before the game. He barely escaped the grasp with his NFC Championship ring.

Then there was the video intern who made it a point not to wear any opposing logos or colors. Amazingly, that didn't help.

Why are there so many photos of The Black Hole? Probably because photographers have a good vantage from the opposite end zone.

Still, most players I've talked to say they're not intimidated by fans in any stadium. The hardest part of playing on the road is noise, which is just as easily made without a morbid costume.

In that respect, just about every game on the road in the NFL is the same.

The Falcons have eight regular-season challenges ahead of them, which we'll learn more about when the NFL schedule is released later this afternoon (coverage on AF.com).

That includes a trip to Lambeau Field in Green Bay, a stadium I've visited but not worked. When it comes to noise, I'd imagine Lambeau is on par with just about any other stadium.

Just keep your fingers crossed for decent weather, as I've never talked with a player who enjoyed playing in sub-zero temperatures.

Other Falcons road games will be at Philadelphia (a stadium I've never been to but I hear it doesn't compare to old Veteran's Stadium), division opponents Carolina, New Orleans and Tampa Bay, Minnesota and San Diego.

All quality venues with quality opponents.

But nothing compares to Oakland. Maybe I'll skip breakfast this year.

I got to meet plenty of great people when I worked in Denver, especially when it came to members of the media.

As soon as the Falcons signed Jason Elam, who holds most kicking and scoring records for the Broncos, I emailed an old friend -- Mike Klis of the Denver Post. Besides being a fellow Chicago Cubs fan, Mike is a great reporter who brings a baseball love of stats and creative writing to the football column.

I sent over some questions about Elam. Here's what I got back... Special thanks, Mike!

JMM: What is the feeling from Denver – and talk from the Broncos – about Elam not staying with the team he set so many records for?

MK: I would say 80 percent of Broncoland is bummed Elam is gone. It’s tough for kickers to get a higher popularity rating, by the way, that 80 percent. Bronco fans can see Elam doesn’t quite have the range he had 5 years ago, but after he made four walkoff winning field goals in a 7-win season last year, people here appreciate his accuracy under pressure.

JMM: What can Falcons fans expect to get out of Elam in 2008 and beyond?

MK: Jason’s M.O. is he’s virtually automatic from 40 yards and in. He’s also as good as it gets to about 43 yards. When weather is a factor, he’s honest with the coach about his range. That’s why the Broncos punted a time or two from their 30 last year, or went for it on fourth down. But for all those games at the Georgia Dome, Jason should be good to 48 yards.

JMM: With age, people question kicking power. Is this a valid question on Elam? What did you see out of his leg last season?

MK: Jason does keep himself in shape. He will try various offseason workout programs to maintain his leg strength. I see Jason being as good at 40 as he was at 37. 

JMM: As a reporter, what are you going to miss about working with Jason?

MK: One, Jason was perhaps the Broncos’ most accessible player, which is no easy task considering kickers are usually long gone by the time the daily practice is finished. What I will miss most, though, is Jason’s insight into the game. He may be a kicker, but he understands all the intricacies of offensive execution. He understands line play. He knows the game. After each game, he almost always directly hits the essence of the outcome, whether it is victory or defeat.   

JMM: Do you see more game-winning kicks from Elam in the future? How much was that talked about in Denver last year and does that “ice water in the veins” thing really apply to Jason?

MK: The four walkoff winning field goals were the most in an NFL season since at least the NFL merger in 1970. He had a fifth kick at the buzzer to send a game into overtime. Two of his final-second kicks came on the Toro! Toro! play, where the field goal team had to scramble onto the field without a timeout, and the seconds ticking down. It looked like a fire drill out there but Elam calmly booted them through both times.

A news station in Denver is reporting that Jason Elam, the Broncos kicker for the past 15 seasons, is going to join the Falcons.

Elam spent two days this week visiting with team officials.

Eric Goodman of Fox31 reports Elam has agreed to a deal to be Atlanta's next kicker. The veteran won four games with field goals last season for the Broncos.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and NFL.com are also reporting the deal, which is reported to be for four years for $9 million.

"It's a weird feeling and I never anticipated this," Elam told Fox31, "I loved being in Denver. (head coach) Mike Shanahan,  (owner) Pat Bowlen, and the fans were great to me. I envisioned retiring in Denver, but this is the nature of the business."

The 38-year-old kicker and former Georgia high school football player told Fox31 that he started to think he wouldn't be in Denver after the season. 

"I knew they were moving on," he said. "Their offer was clear."

Elam is tied for the longest field goal in NFL history -- 63 yards -- and has a career completion rate of just more than 80 percent.

Stay with AtlantaFalcons.com for official word on any signing. For more on the inital Elam-Falcons report and my history working with the award-winning kicker, click here.

Atlanta Journal Constitution writer Steve Wyche is reporting that Jason Elam, the kicker that co-owns the record for longest field goal in NFL history (63 yards), will visit with the Falcons on Wednesday.

Elam, 38, has spent his entire career with the Denver Broncos, but did not re-sign with the club at the end of the season. He thus is one of the biggest-name free agents in the kicking game.

He's also a product of Georgia high school football (Brookwood High School in Snellville).

Some will question his kicking power because of the Denver altitude. But half of Elam's games have come on the road and many games in Denver come with thin air and cold temperatures (the frigid air making the ball harder to kick).

He's hit 80.6 percent of his field goal attempts in his career and has converted more attempts on the road than at home (188-180). His career success rate on turf is 80.3 percent.

Only 17 of his career field goal attempts from 40 or more yards have come in domes, of which he's converted on 58.8 percent of his tries.

He also hit four game-winning field goals last season.

But records and accuracy aren't the only things the Falcons will pick up if they elect to sign Elam.

I had the opportunity to work with Jason for two years in Denver and must say he's the definition of "class act." He's a remarkable family man, world traveler, pilot, humanitarian and football player. He's also one of the few active NFL players to have co-written a book -- "Monday Night Jihad."

The thing I'll always remember about Jason, however, is his willingness to help others both in the community and in the business. He was always willing to share a story or a quote and often lost track of time while carrying on normal conversations with multiple friends and staff.

Jason was one of the first players I spoke with when sharing news of my new job in Atlanta. Along with Champ Bailey -- who suggested my wife and I look for a house in Buford (thanks Champ!) -- Elam discussed the Atlanta-area the most.

He somewhat joked that he may have "a homecoming" at the end of his contract. At which time I said I'd be happy to negotiate a deal -- for 10 percent.

A few mouse clicks, a few search terms and there it was .

Perfection. Rarely has a photo captured the ideal of a story as well as this photo of Rod Smith lying on the turf at Aloha Stadium semiconscious.

Blood streamed down his face -- the after effects of  a concussion-causing hit in the the final moments of the NFL all-star game.

It would go perfectly with the story filed by Andrew Mason from Honolulu.

"I just wanted to make that play for my teammates," Smith said in the story. "They're the best in the business at what they do and I want to always give us a chance to win the game."

The game mattered. Smith had the head wound to prove it.

I ran the photo across three columns in the next issue.

Publication, then phone call. On the other line? Ominous words: "There's a certain wide receiver that is none to happy about a certain photo in a certain magazine..."

I wasn't new to publishing. I wasn't new to complaints. I was, however, a rookie when it came to taking heat from a Pro Bowl wide receiver who, in Denver, demands more respect than the mayor.

We were able to talk face to face a few weeks later with me poised to run and Smith sitting at his locker like a judge behind the bench.

I learned something about Rod Smith that day.

His hard work didn't slow or stop when he made the Broncos as an undrafted free agent. It didn't take a back seat when he became a starter. It didn't fade when he won back-to-back Super Bowls and it didn't get overshadowed by hubris.

The Pro Bowl really meant something to him, and he didn't want his keepsake to have a photo like that.

I didn't lose any journalistic integrity. I explained to Rod the photo was chosen not out of malice, but newsworthiness. He understood. We put aside any frustrations and went on to have a good player-writer relationship.

He joked when I took the job in Atlanta that it took him close to two years, but he finally got me out of Denver.

You'll also notice that, out of respect for Rod, I decided not to republish the photo. 

So, here we are with the Pro Bowl just two days away. I suppose you can call this all-star game the official "end" to the football season.

Smith will not be at the Pro Bowl due to a season-long battle with a hip injury. Some have talked about his record-setting career coming to an end soon.

He's got three Pro Bowls under his belt, each with their own story to tell. His last undoubtedly has the most vivid imagery.

That photo, his near catch and the comments he made after the game will always stick with me.

It may be an all-star game. It maybe an excuse to hang out in Hawaii for a week. But you can't take pride away from an NFL player.

That's impossible.