Posted by: jmike811_DEP at 9:47AM EST on February 14, 2008
And Kristy is No. 1!
You voted and now Falcons Cheerleader Kristy is the fan favorite when it comes to Pro Bowl cheerleaders.
Kristy, who represented the Falcons in the league all-star game last weekend, got more than 2,000 votes (53 percent of the total voting) on nflcheerleadersblog.com.
Kristy also offered blog updates from Hawaii.
Click here to find out more and look for more photos and video as she gets settled back on the East Coast.
Posted by: jmike811_DEP at 11:47AM EST on February 8, 2008
It was February 2006. I just finished my first full-time season in the NFL and was downloading some images from the Pro Bowl to use in a feature story for
Broncos Magazine
.
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.
He had been to other Pro Bowls, but he treated every one like his first and last. The photo in the magazine may have been a great way to illustrate the story of the day, but it wasn't the way Smith wanted to remember his shot at what could have been a game-changing catch.
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.
Posted by: jmike811_DEP at 11:30PM EST on January 21, 2008
Got an email forwarded to me the other day alerting me to an online survey every Falcons fan should take interest in. In case you didn't know, Kristy of the Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders will be representing the team at the Pro Bowl.
Want to vote her as the nation's favorite Pro Bowl cheerleader? Click here and stuff the ballot box!
Also, check AF.com during Pro Bowl week to get blogs and photos from Kristy as she travels around Hawaii.
Posted by: jmike811_DEP at 9:15AM EST on December 19, 2007
I don't usually get into the all-star game debate in any sport (though, if you get me going, I may reveal that Major League Baseball's system is -- and always will be -- a joke).
But this morning, after sleeping on the Falcons lack of Pro Bowl performers, I couldn't stay quiet.
Linebacker Michael Boley did not get selected to the Pro Bowl despite 122 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions, three forced fumbles and seven passes defensed.
Those are the numbers of an all-around linebacker.
Julian Peterson (Seattle), DeMarcus Ware (Dallas) and Lance Briggs (Chicago) made the NFC roster in Boley's place.
I got numbers from NFL.com on these guys (so these aren't the tackle numbers recorded by the team like Boley's).
I think they still say something, though.
Peterson: 68 tackles, nine sacks, four forced fumbles, two interceptions.
Ware: 75 tackles, 11 sacks, two forced fumbles.
Briggs: 94 tackles, 2 sacks and two forced fumbles.
Boley's tackles without team review? 106.
I look at this and I see this year's grade of linebackers leaning more toward sacks, especially when it comes to Peterson and Ware -- the two Pro Bowl starters.
Boley has just three sacks, but he got them all in one game against one of the best offensive lines and quarterbacks in the league (Indianapolis).
Are sacks really the best measure?
I can go on and on, but I think our fans here on FalconsLIFE have covered things well.
Boley is a young player who deserved a shot. But, if I know Mike, he's going to work even harder next year.
Feel free to comment and let me know your thoughts on how this year's Pro Bowl team shaped up.
Posted by: jmike811_DEP at 11:22AM EST on November 23, 2007
I wasn't that tired last night even after systematically going through multiple servings of starch and turkey so, this is what I came up with...
While driving home from the Georgia Dome after the Falcons 31-13 loss to the Colts I got to thinking about some of the key plays on defense that essentially went for naught as Peyton Manning and the defending Super Bowl champions pulled out another victory.
I kept coming back to one player's performance.
Michael Boley.
Nine tackles (and that's before the coaches' film review) and a career-high three sacks. That gives Boley close to 100 tackles, three forced fumbles, two interceptions and three sacks in what is become a breakout season for the third-year pro out of Southern Mississippi.
I hear some fans starting to get a little panicky about re-signing Boley. I say, yes, this is something to consider (and you know Rich McKay and others in the front office evaluate and consider constantly -- 365 days a year).
But don't get too excited just yet.
Boley is putting up Pro Bowl-like numbers. I, for one, am rooting for him to go to the big game and look forward to see what he can do in the final five games of the regular season.
I've seen a lot of great linebackers during my career, many of which tend to feed off their own energy. Boley has this trait (you could see it as he made plays all around the field last night).
He also has something much more valuable, however.
Consistency.
Win or lose you know Boley is going to bring his 'A' game.
With that, the turkey is catching up with me. Good game, Mike.
Linebacker Michael Boley 
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