Yeah, that's right - Merton Tucker is going to be on the cover of EA Sports' Madden 2014. And no, I'm not worried about a "cover jinx". It's a great honor to be on the cover of Madden, everyone in the league plays the game, and only one guy gets to be on the cover. Michael Vick was on the cover of Madden 2004, and now 10 years later, his teammate's gracing the cover, even in the same uniform, our white road jerseys. Mike broke his leg 10 years ago and missed most of the season; the same isn't going to happen to me.

Speaking of Mike Vick, his trade is about to go through - the Seahawks are offering up a ransom, they lost MVP Matt Hasselback to retirement and are desperate for a quarterback. We're handing over the reins to Lamont Beck, who played well as Mike's backup last season when he was hurt. The Seahawks are offering a first-round pick, a 4th-round pick, and linebacker Willie Walker, and we're packaging Mike with SS Joe Jenkins, a backup who gets a lot of playing time.

April Fools! Mike's not going anywhere, as far as I know. Go to the Atlanta Falcons official site, it says that I'm being traded to the 49ers for a 1st-rounder this year and a 3rd-rounder next year...I saw it this morning and called my agent. I wasn't kidding about being on the cover of Madden 2014, though. I wasn't able to say anything before, when we did a little early photo shoot, but they announced it officially the other day.

Ok, now that I've got that out of my system, now for the true news (seriously). Troy Santiago, our backup middle linebacker, has demanded a trade - we drafted him in 2007, our of Eastern Michigan, as the heir apparent to Keith Brooking - problem is, Keith's still going strong at 37 and doesn't even have retirement rumors flying around, he's got at least 1 more, probably 2, or maybe even 3 seasons left in him. Troy wants out - he has never even broken 20 tackles in a season, since Keith plays every down and never gets hurt. Troy definitely has the talent to be a starter somewhere else, I wish him luck, he was my roommate on the road. Possible landing spots? Would you believe Tampa Bay? Lining up next to former Falcons LB Rick Owens, with the Buccaneers? I hope not, I'd have to run into them twice a year, and believe me, I've seen both of them in practice - you don't get to see Troy much, but he's starting LB quality. The Bucs lost longtime starter Shelton Quarles to retirement, the guy was 41-years old, and they've got no one to take his spot. Troy wants to play right away, and that's the only opening I know about - would we ship him to a division rival? No idea. The Chargers won't face us until 2016, and they might have a spot for Troy as well. I've got my fingers crossed for the Chargers.

Another big loss is Alge Crumpler - we just flat-out let him go, test the free agent market. Is there a market for a 35-year old receiving TE who's never been a big part of any passing game? There should be, he's definitely got more talent than any other TE in the league. If he had been on the Giants or Ravens, instead of Jeremy Shockey or Todd Heap, Alge would probably catch 50 balls a year. I'm not surprised by his release at all, I'm surprised he didn't choose to leave before. He's been stuck in offenses that rarely uses tight ends, but Atlanta drafted him back in 2001, and he stuck with the team - gotta admire that loyalty, he re-upped with the team a couple times and never complained. I have nothing but respect for Alge, he's made the Pro Bowl a ton of times. I kinda hope that he doesn't get much interest so he returns to the Falcons, but on the other hand, I'd love to see him join a pass-happy team and rack up huge numbers in his last couple seasons - as long as it's an AFC team. He wanted to retire as a Falcon, but the front office wasn't willing to pay what he was worth, for a position that isn't that important to our scheme. His parting with Atlanta was friendly, though, he just decided that he wanted to see how he did as an FA.

With Alge's release, all bets are on us taking a tight end with our first pick, wherever that may be - we're at #20 right now, pending any Troy Santiago trades that may move us up or down. Texas A&M has a very good tight end, James Nystrom, who's a big run-blocker - you know who I'm going to be pulling for. We'll probably beef up the pass rush a little as well, a linebacker or a defensive lineman, or both. Look for us to draft some raw, athletic players, put them on Special Teams - punt coverage was horrible last season, we lost at least one game because of that. The only Teams I play now is kick return, and I probably won't even get to play it this season (injury risk) - otherwise, I'd be out there myself.

Who's that guy on the right side of the photo? Looks like some stud tailback from Texas A&M...

That pic is from 2004, my first year at Texas A&M - yes, that's me, that little tailback (I was only about 220 lbs. back then as an 18-year old true freshman). Anyways, the reason for digging up that photo is #73, our right guard on that squad - Nick Ellis. He was drafted by the Dolphins in the 2005 draft, a senior while I was a freshman. I picked up about 600 yards rushing on the year, a lot of it behind him. Nick's been in Miami, but they let him go after some injury problems - and he's now the newest Atlanta Falcon, he signed a deal just in time for the last day of mini-camp, and I've gotta say, he's going to push Paul Gilbert, our starter of the past three seasons, for the job at right guard. Nick's more of a run blocker, a mauler, than Paul - he goes at about 320.

That's not all - Merton Tucker, Nick Ellis, DT Leonardo Lewis, and rookie TE James Nystrom, our 4th-rounder - the Texas A&M connection. In addition, Pro Bowl center Roberto Garza played ball at Texas A&M - Kingsville. And Mike Williams is the lone Texas alum on the team. I swear, I've got nothing to do with this...

Alge Crumpler will suit up for the Arizona Cardinals next season, he's got a very good quarterback in Leonard Sweeney and a Super Bowl-winning coach in Brian Billick - Billick had Todd Heap with the Ravens for all those years, and Todd had some great seasons - a perfect fit for Alge, but it'll still be weird seeing him as a Cardinal. We'll see him in person next season, the Cardinals will visit Atlanta.

Troy Santiago has also left the team - he was packaged with tailback Derek Watson, a onetime starter for the Raiders, and shipped to the Buccaneers, he'll play alongside former Falcon LB Rick Owens, last season's MVP runner-up. The Bucs have made some big changes on defense and offense, they signed RB Chris Krause as well, who was a part-time starter with the Texans. They also got Andy Reid to come out of his short retirement to coach the team, they're expecting big things in Tampa Bay next season. The whole South looks tough, the Saints are coming off a conference championship, the Panthers have Kalen Thomas at RB, who's a clone of me, and a tough defense, and the Bucs are on the rise.

Nick was our biggest signing, but we also picked up TE Tyrell Lewis, who's a very good blocker. He doesn't have much experience - TE is our question mark going into training camp in a month, we've got the rookie first-round pick out of SE Missouri, Derek Carter, who's a big guy with all-around skills.

An interesting pick was Craig Rashad, the WR out of Oklahoma - he's listed at 6'7", and believe me, the man looks like he's 6'7". He's pretty raw, but hey, if all else fail, we can just send him deep and lob it up and let him try to come down with it - he's got an incredible vertical, the guy's a former basketball player.

The newest addition to the backfield is Arizona tailback Kedrick Taylor, he's a little guy, about 5'8", kind of similar to Derek Watson, he's a pinball runner, kind of scampers around and bounces off tacklers. He's been going fine in camp.

Another Super Bowl ring would go nice with the one I've already got, that's always the goal. Warrick Dunn snagged was the league MVP in 2003, as a wingback in the old Atlanta Wing-T. We're not running that anymore, but I think I could pull of a similar feat to what Warrick accomplished - I've seen tapes of him back in the day, I watched a lot of his tape when I first came into the league, actually. It's a different offense, but I could see myself doing some of the things he did and maybe earning an MVP award myself - Warrick was the main weapon on that 2003 squad, not only rushing and receiving, but blocking and faking - play fakes to him opened up opportunities for other guys, like T.J. Duckett and Peerless Price. Warrick scored 27 touchdowns on the ground and through the air, and had over 2,000 yards from scrimmage that season. That '03 squad was actually very good, they just caught some bad breaks late in the season. I don't think 20 TDs, 1,800 yards rushing and about 700 yards receiving is out of the question.

Well, we've got our new tight end - Derek Carter, rookie first-rounder out of Southeast Missouri, has won the starting job, and deservedly so - he's similar to Alge Crumpler, just not as talented - but give the kid a couple years, and we'll see. He's got plenty of potential.

Another guy with a lot of potential is WR Craig Rashad, who looked decent in preseason - the 6'7" receiver out of Oklahoma's a huge target, and he's got some serious leaping ability. He needs to work on his route-running and his hands, though - we've got a long-term project in him. He's actually 8 inches taller than two of our top three receivers.

Our season opens up September 5th, at home, against the Panthers. RB Kalen Thomas returns, as well as their offensive line, which is solid. Carolina's always had a solid defense, led by LB Dan Morgan, DE Julius Peppers, DT Kris Jenkins, LB Will Witherspoon, and FS Deon Grant - the same group of guys they've had for years. No glaring holes anywhere. Should be a hell of a show, it usually is when we face the Panthers.

Rookie RB Kedrick Taylor has also impressed, he was a 5th-round pick out of Arizona and has played very well, he's passed up Martin Bever and earned the backup RB spot - he reminds me a lot of Darnell Abdullah, who we had for several seasons as a 3rd down back. Kedrick's a little sparkplug, a quick little guy. Speaking of Darnell, he's won the starting job up in Buffalo, he scored a TD against us, and looked pretty sharp.

Some other schedule highlights - we're facing the Super Bowl Champion Seahawks in week 4 on the road, the Dolphins at home on a Monday Night, two winter road games late in the season, the Bills and the Patriots, and a Sunday Night game at home against the Jets in Week 16, followed by the season finale - Saints @ Falcons.

Lennox Lynch had one of the best days I've seen a CB have - he had the play of the game in crunch time, led the team in tackles, and sealed our win over the Panthers.

Cedric Harper, big-play Cedric Harper, also had a monster day. We were down 13-3, thanks to me. Stupid play, at the end of the half, 3rd-and-8, backed up in our end with about 10 seconds left, and I don't even know what I was doing. We were setting up to punt, and I saw an opening, tried to get the first, hit by Deon Grant, and fumbled. Dan Morgan picked it up and went about 10 yards for the touchdown. Big boost for them, they went up by 10 at the half, and got the ball back in the 3rd quarter.

Defense stepped up early, and Joe Woodson picked off a pass on the first drive of the 3rd quarter. Three plays later, another 3rd down, we run playaction to me, and go deep to Cedric - he breaks a tackle downfield and scores from about 70 yards out, closes the gap to 3.

In the 4th quarter, Cedric put us up, another big play from about 70 yards out - a punt return for a score. He went all the way clear across the field on the play, he started right, cut back left, and went untouched. 17-13, Falcons, hardly a safe lead.

Kalen Thomas had a good day for Carolina running the ball, the passing game never got on track, though. Kalen outperformed me today, even though the stats say different. Anyways, led my Kalen, the Panthers drove down inside the redzone, late in the game. 4th-and-1, with about 1:45 left, they give it to Kalen on a sweep. I thought he was going to get it. He didn't - stopped inches short by Lennox, who came up from CB, fought off a WR's block, and somehow made the tackle, even knocking big Kalen backwards, who's a big boy, almost my size.

We run it up the middle twice - not much. 3rd down, we run a counter sweep left, got big Nick Ellis pulling and leading through. I get a nice hole, Jermaine Hutchinson gives me a great block downfield, I break a tackle of the safety, and run free - 84-yard touchdown. 24-13, Falcons, about a minute left.

Not over yet, the Panthers come back, try to move the ball, and turn it over on downs. We get a field goal, 27-13, Falcons. Panthers get the ball back once more, and Lennox ends the game with a leaping interception.

Lennox was all over the field - he gets my vote for game ball. I wasn't doing much until late in the game, that 84-yard run, and a couple others gave me most of my yards. Gary Jones won the DB of the Year last season, with him and Lennox, we've got the best CB tandem in the league - and with Joe Woodson and Brent James, two Pro Bowl safties, and Joe Jenkins, who would be a Pro Bowler on any other team, rotating in, we've got arguably the best secondary in the league. Everyone's fast, everyone makes plays, and everyone can hit and wrap - a point of pride for them. There are linebackers in the league who don't tackle as well as our secondary. Not surprisingly, they finished 1-2-3-4 in tackles against the Panthers.

Yes, I have - they invited me over there a couple months ago, around late July or so, right before training camp started, to play a bit, before they released it - they put me on the cover, yet they only rate me as an 86 OVR - go figure. I always soup myself up a bit anyways, they've always rated me low - I think I was something like a 60 or so as a rookie.

The game plays very well, I'm not the greatest Madden player out there (Cedric Harper's probably the best on the team, just like in real life, he always comes up with big plays), but I can hold my own. Andre McElroy, who was on the roster last season, was also very good at the game. I'm pretty happy that he's gone, since I'm now the best Madden player out of all the RBs (just kidding, I didn't take pleasure in seeing Andre get cut). Glenn Jackson, the kicker, is also pretty good...for a kicker. I'm better than a lot of guys on the Falcons, though. Chad Coen, for example. is horrible at the game. So is Isaac Quick - he always gets the controls mixed up.

I think 2014 is better than last year's, it's to the point where they've got some pretty realistic things in there - I still look funny in Madden, though, they've never gotten my player to look like the real me.

That's two weeks now Lennox Lynch's photo has bee featured on my site, and deservedly so - the guy's had a great two weeks to open the 2013 season. Two interceptions retured for touchdowns blew this game open, from a 10-3 deficit into a 24-10 lead, ending in a 52-10 rout of the Buccaneers. Looks like they're having problems picking up Andy Reid's new offense in Tampa, 3rd-year QB Dean Holcombe, out of USC, had a horrible game. Longtime starter Shawn Lester lost his job, I think the next time we play Tampa, in week 8, Lester will be under center - he's not the most talented guy, but he makes the right throws, and more importantly, wins games.

We saw three former Falcons - Rick Owens, Troy Santiago, and Derek Watson - on the Bucs' first play Watson broke lose for about 85 yards and a touchdown - he spent one season here, last year, didn't get to play much. I'm happy he's finally getting a shot, he was a part-time starter for the Raiders before signing with us, he's a little guy who runs hard. Troy Santiago had a couple tackles, he's another guy who looks like he's still trying to get settled in. Rick is still Rick, he had a very good game.

Lennox and the defensive backfield has been getting a lot of help from the pass rush, we were ranked something like 25th in sacks last year, but we're running more aggressive schemes now - I've seen the defense running a lot of 8-man fronts, bringing pressure from all over the place. Holcombe was getting hit all day, he's a young and inexperienced QB, and not very mobile.

Another little reunion next week, we we host the Cardinals and Alge Crumpler, who left the team last offseason. I know everyone here still likes Alge, he left the team amicably, and he'll probably get a nice greeting from the crowd when he jogs out of the tunnel next Sunday. I'm hoping he doesn't have the greatest game next week, but I'll wish him luck for the rest of the season. He's already getting plenty of looks in that Arizona offense, he's the #2 receiving target behind Anquan Boldin.

The Cardinals caught us off-guard with their gameplan - Pro Bowl RB James Hennequet was out of the season on injured reserve, but they had another Pro Bowler, Leonard Sweeney, under center. Common sense would say that they would air it out, but they instead handed the ball to backup tailback Emmitt Simms for most of the first three quarters. They didn't start to pass until the second half, and by then, we were up 14-0 and playing the pass.

Gary Jones, the NFL's DB of the Year last season, picked off two passes in the 3rd quarter and returned them for scores, sealing the win for us. His first was in the endzone, he leaped in front of Anquan Boldin, ran out of the endzone, got a block downfield on the QB, barely stayed in-bounds, and was free for the score. The other was in the flat, the ball was bobbled, and he just grabbed it and raced for his second touchdown. Our defensive backfield has 4 touchdowns already this season - I have only 3. The secondary has had a huge role in all three of our wins, they're playing at a very high level right now.

The game wasn't much of a contest after halftime, we were fighting in the first half, though. Cedric Harper scored the first touchdown, the Cardinals sent a blitz, and he was wide open in the endzone. The second TD was Derek Carter's first career TD, we took him in the first round of the draft. The guy he replaced, Alge Crumpler, had a decent day for Arizona, but they didn't throw to him much.

Big game next week - the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks. They lost MVP QB Matt Hasselbeck to retirement, but we'll see how we do against them.

Seattle's got something special in Tracy Williams, they're rookie QB - he looked like a veteran out there today. Hats off to him. Unfortunately, that means we lost - 13-16 to the Seahawks, coming off their Super Bowl win. Tracy's replacing an MVP at QB, he didn't throw a TD against us, but played well when it counted - in the 4th quarter.

The first half was a field goal battle, we tied the game up at 6 with about 3 seconds left. Michael Vick was very impressive on that final drive, we had no timeouts, every pass caught was close enough to the sidelines to get out of bounds.

Coach Dungy made a very gutsy call on the 2nd half opening kickoff - in a game where points were hard to come by, he called a surprise onside kick, caught the Seahawks off guard, and we recovered. That had the potential to backfire on him and put us into a hole, but we ended up scoring our first and only touchdown on that drive, Mike's 8-yard bootleg. Big drive, big score.

Seattle, down 13-7, got to work late in the 3rd quarter. Facing a 4th-and-4, just before time expired on the 3rd, they came out to punt. The clock hit 0:00, and as the fourth quarter began, they apparently reconsidered, and went for it. Veteran WR Koren Robinson got a step past safety Joe Jenkins and hauled in a 28-yarc catch, putting the Seahawks down inside the 10. Zeke Coen scored a couple plays later, a short rushing TD.

Koren made another big play as time wound down on the game - facing a 3rd-and-12, he ran a seam route and made the catch to convert. That final drive ended with a field goal, putting Seattle up by 3 with about 1:30 left. We got the ball back, one final drive.

Not the longest drive, Mike was picked off on the first play. The ball was tipped and fell right into the hands of CB Rashad Lynch (no relation to our CB named Lynch). A couple kneeldowns, and game over.

Disappointing to lose like that, but it's a long season, and we still only have one loss - against a very good team. We've got a bye week next week, and then a road game against the Panthers. We barely beat them last time, so they'll be out for revenge. Should be another classic Falcons-Panthers matchup.

Ah...to be honest with you, I did a couple years ago, but I guess I'm getting up there in years - especially by NFL standards. Most RBs don't last past 33 or 34, I'm already 27, this is my 7th NFL season. I might have done some "regrettable" things back then, as a dumb youngster...

Actually, I'm getting married this offseason, so looks like those days are over, and that's cool.

Warrick Dunn's best seasons, in my opinion, were around 2003, 2005. He was league MVP in 2003, and Super Bowl MVP, league MVP runner-up, in 2005, and I didn't get into the league until 2007. He was hurt for part of my rookie year, missed a good part of the season, and I think he began to decline there - he wasn't the same in 2008, and he retired after that season. I have yet to miss a single start due to injury, I've never even had a major injury - so I think it's going to be at least a couple years until I'll have to start looking over my shoulder. That's the way the NFL works, though, I know my time will be up someday.

I've never played golf, don't really want to make a fool of myself. I'll have plenty of time for that when I'm done with football - isn't that what all former NFL players do? I've been invited a couple times, declined. Donny Glaser, who lead blocks for me at FB, is a big golf nut, he always tries to get me to come along.

Things were looking pretty good at the end of the 3rd quarter - after falling behind 21-6, thanks to a long TD reception by Lions WR Charles Rodgers and a punt return for a score by Reggie Wright, we were back in it - we closed the gap to 21-13 just before the 3rd quarter expired, 2nd-year WR Jeff Rutledge hauled in a TD reception around the 20-yard line, and took it in for the score.

On the next series, we came out in 3WR on 3rd down, I motioned left, ran a wheel up the sidelines while Jermaine Hutchinson ran a streak on the other side. The defense ran cover 2, one safety went with me, the other went with Hutch - and Cedric Harper, uncovered, went right up the middle, wide open. Michael Vick wound up, threw a perfect pass to Cedric. And it bounced right off his hands. That was the closest we would get. The Lions took over and Andrew Perry killed our hopes with a 50-yard TD reception from Joey Harrington. Perry (#85, left) drew coverage from safety Brent James, and out-leaped Brent for the pass. Brent was about a foot away from knocking it down, maybe even picking it of. He couldn't make the tackle, and neither could Joe Woodson, and the Lions were up by 15. They added two field goals thanks to two interceptions throw by Mike Vick, he was having a great game and then unraveled at the end there. And we were handed our 3rd straight loss. We came in thinking, an easy win against the Lions, but they got up on us fast, and we couldn't catch up.

We've got the Buccaneers next week, we routed them last time down in Tampa, but we're not going to make the mistake of going in overconfident - I know we're going to have a tough week of practice. We can't afford trip-ups like this, the Panthers are too far ahead for us to screw up - it's got to be perfect. We haven't won a game in a month; it's time to snap this slump.

Woohoo, I finally earn the right to put a photo of me on the site.

135 yards and a pair of TDs against the 2-7 Dolphins on Monday Night, I told you I always do better under the lights. We clearly were the better team tonight, we just outplayed them - they've got a very young team and some injury problems, we'd be in big trouble if we had lost this game.

I sat most of the 4th quarter, Kedrick Taylor saw some good playing time, and we had Lamont Beck in there at QB late in the game. I still remember my first two seasons, hoping for blowouts - now, I'm not really a big fan of them. It's nice to watch from the sidelines with the ballcap, but I'd prefer finish games. But whatever, it's out of my hands.

Congrats to Jim Bates, up in Philly - he's got his Eagles at 8-1 and looking very impressive. He's done wonders with his rookie QB, Austin French, and CB Michael Randolph, who played under Jim here in Atlanta, is enjoying a very good season on the other side of the ball. We won't see the Eagles this season, except maybe in the playoffs.

The South division title race is shaping up to be close, as usual - thanks to the Saints for knocking off the Panthers, now we're tied with them. We've got the Saints in a couple weeks, and we finish with them at home - they're a better team than their record would indicate, and Deuce McAllister, after all these seasons, is going as strong as ever.

I'm about a game or two from breaking 1,000 yards for the 5th straight season, hopefully I can get it done next week and get it out of the way.

On a low note, RB Darnell Adullah, of the Bills, has been placed in injured reserve, he'll miss the season. He's decided to under go surgery and get ready for next season instead of trying to recover and play towards the end of this season, at less than 100%. I was looking forwards to playing against him in Week 13 when we travel to Buffalo. He caught a bad break - this was supposed to be his season, finally getting a chance to be a starter in the NFL, he was set to explode and surprise some people. We played them in preseason and Darnell looked very good, he's never had the chance to really show what he can do. I still think he'll be a fine starting back someday.

In case you don't know, he was drafted in 2008 out of Notre Dame, played behind me, as a 3rd down back, and he signed with the Bills last season, was stuck behind Travis Henry.

I love thee offensive shootouts - I really get to shine. Things started off pretty slow, we only got a touchdown from Jermaine Hutchinson, the Redskins were up 10-7 in the first quarter, they were passing the ball very well. Champ Bailey, at 35 years old, picked off a pass and returned it about 85 yards - I still remember Champ playing, early in his career, when I was in high school, he's been around for a while.

We got right back in it, though - I scored from about 8 yards on a toss, leaped over LB Jeremiah Trotter, another veteran who's been around for a while.

Kedrick Taylor added the other touchdown to close out the half, thanks to a interception by Joe Woodson - he took it into the endzone, but a holding call knocked it back. We took the lead, 21-17. The Redskins opened up the 3rd quarter with a FG drive, but that was it for their scoring.

Our final TD came from backup QB Lamont Beck, we ran a fake field goal, on 4th-and-1, and he ran about 10 yards for the score - great fake by everyone. I didn't even know we were running a fake, I was a little pissed that we couldn't convert the 3rd down, coming off the field, and then everyone's cheering all of the sudden, and I see Lamont going in for the touchdown.

Both defenses had rough days, I racked up 253 yards rushing and another 124 yards receiving - huge day offensively. We put in several new plays in the passing game for me - a couple screens, and a couple short routes, to get me the ball in open space. I like.

This was a big win for us - the Panthers lost, they're 6-4, and so are we. Unfortunately, the Saints won as well, and we're facing them next week. There's a 3-way tie atop the South, and the Buccaneers aren't even out of the picture yet - they're lagging, but still alive, two games back. Stranger things have happened, you never know. But whoever wins the division will probably take the #3 or #4 seed, and the second place guy will probably get left out. So we'd better win the South.

Do you guys remember that 40-0 shellacking the Bills put on us in 2009? Our Super Bowl season, that was our little "bump" in the road. They came into Atlanta, in front of our crowd, and flat-out embarrassed us. I remember that day pretty well, I had a pair of fumbles, and dropped a couple passes.

Coming into this road game up at Buffalo, a lot of guys remembered that game - which is why I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of our 48-3 win.

Well, not every minute, just the first 3 quarters - I never realized how good I have it, playing in Atlanta. I could have been drafted by Green Bay, Chicago, Buffalo - playing up there in the dead of winter. Makes me shiver just thinking about it, I'm not a big fan of the cold - playing in Texas and Georgia will do that to you. It's not a big deal when you play, since you're running around, got blood and adrenaline flowing, but I got pulled right after the last play of the 3rd quarter - a 50-yard touchdown run by me. Toss left, tried to cut back, nothing, reversed again, cut inside of safety Coy Wire, and touchdown. I went to the sidelines and didn't come back, I was wearing a jacket for the entire 4th quarter, freezing my ass off. The temperature was about 30 degrees, felt like 15 to me. I say, if you can see your breath, it's too cold. Lesson learned: don't play that well in cold weather, don't get yanked from the game. Or, wear Under Armor® sleeves and find a nice sideline heater somewhere, and don't give up your spot next to it, regardless. Oh, and the best part - we're going back up here in two weeks to face the Patriots. If they try to yank me from the game in the 4th quarter again, I'll just pretend I'm deaf.

The game started innocently enough, I thought there was going to be a game. Jermaine Hutchinson scored to end the first quarter, Jeff Rutledge scored, field goal, and I had my first TD late in the half, a toss left, we went up 24-0, and that was pretty much game over by halftime.

Defense wanted a shutout bad - we screwed that up, had the ball deep in our end, and we had to punt - I dropped a 3rd down pass behind the line, which was a fumble, I recovered, but only got back to the line. Bills got their field goal, that was it for them. Sorry, guys.

We weren't trying to run up the score, it just happened. We knew that a loss here, and our season could very well be over - dropping to 6-6 would have just about killed our postseason hopes. Maybe not mathematically, but realistically. I think we just wanted it more, we came out fired up, the Bills looked a little flat.

Our first 34 points were legit, after my touchdown, Glenn Jackson hit a field goal, 34-3. The final 14 points...kinda questionable. Two guys who don't get many shots at the endzone, can't really blame them. CB Drayton Florence picked off a pass and ran about 90 yards for a score, with about 1:30 left. He did the same a season or two ago, against the Buccaneers, I believe. Didn't slide, went for it all. And the other was 3rd-string tailback Marvin Bever, who had two career carries coming in. He was killing time, and somehow the Buffalo defense lost track of him, he busted into the secondary, stiff-armed the safety, and went the rest of the way - a 61-yarder. Nice run, if I was in his position, I probably would have done the same, if I was seeing my first action of the season like he was.

We still can't catch the Panthers, and we split the series with them. We've just got to hope for them to trip up somewhere. I have a feeling the season finale against the Saints is going to be huge. And the Bucs, who started slowly, have creeped up on everyone and are only 1 game behind us, nipping at our heels.

Two Sunday Night games, a game against the 8-4 Patriots, and that game against the Saints - if we win out, and the Panthers lose one of their divisional games, we're the NFC South champs...I think.

We've got a 3-game winning streak! Just in time, as we head down the final stretch, with two games left.

A hard-fought game against the Patriots. We scored on the first play from scrimmage, I went about 73 yards for a score, untouched, so we had 7 points off the bat. Gary Jones picked off a pass late in the 2nd quarter, scored, and we had a 17-3 halftime lead. The Pats fell down, but give them credit for fighting back - if we had played an extra 5 minutes or so, things could have been different, they caught fire late in the game.

Peter Scott rushed about 50 yards for a score to end the 3rd quarter, and Tom Brady connected with Shane Watson for another score, which closed the gap to only 7 points - Brady had a very nice day throwing in the rain up at Foxboro. Can't say our passing game had the best outing, we chose to ground it out, and that didn't even work that well - take away my long run to start the game, and I didn't do all that well. It certainly felt like that, I was stopped for small gains over and over in the second half.

My other touchdown was a shorter run of about 8 yards or so, up the middle, broke a tackle, and fell into the endzone. I think it was in the 3rd quarter. To be honest, I thought that was game over at that point, since we were up 24-3, but as I said, give the Pats credit for fighting back. They made a questionable decision after their final score - we expected an onside kick, and they chose to kick it deep. We ended up running out the clock. I bet they're kicking themselves for that one.

At least I didn't get pulled like two weeks ago in Buffalo, in our win against the Bills - #2 tailback Kedrick Taylor didn't get in the game all that much, he was standing on the sidelines, freezing - it was a cold, rainy day. I was covered in mud, didn't really notice the cold until after the game, walking off the field - it was about 35 degrees. Things could have been worse, though - that rain could have turned to snow, and the field could have turned to ice. Very glad for that - and also the fact that I had no fumbles, no drops. We did a good job of holding onto the ball, I was bracing for the worst. I think I was a little more cautious than usual holding the ball.

Hutch is still the #1 guy as far as I know - he had a rough day today, but we were definitely trying to get him the ball. Jeff had a couple big plays. But they're both very good receivers, and both will probably get plenty of passes thrown their way, provided that I don't steal all the touches for myself. It's just not like past years, when we had Hutch as our main guy, and Cedric Harper on occasion making a big play - we've got two solid receivers now.

We're in! 34-27 win over the Jets last night, and we claim a playoff spot - not the division, just a spot. The Saints won today as well, they're still tied with us. We were guaranteed a spot with that win, and a bunch of guys were watching that Saints- 49ers game today, rooting for the 49ers. The Saints looked good defensively, not a lot of room to run. It's as simple as the game next week - win, and we've got the division title, and probably the 3rd playoff seed, a home playoff game in the first round. A loss, and we could drop down to as far as the 6th seed - and that could possibly set up a rematch with the Saints, on the road.

The pass rush was on Jets QB Ronnie Fisk all night long, forcing 5 interceptions - but we fumbled away two of them on the return. Fortunately, it didn't really matter. It was close on the 3rd quarter, the Jets tied it at 13 with a field goal - and on the next play from scrimmage, I went right up the middle, untouched, 77 yards for a score. Jermaine Hutchinson added a touchdown catch-and-run, from about 40 yards out. Late in the 4th, I thought I sealed the game with a long run down the sidelines off a toss, dived into the endzone - but the Jets roared back, and made a game of it.

We came out in our alternate red jerseys, the ones we wore during my first two seasons in Atlanta. Probably just to sell more jerseys, I guess.

We've got a couple extra days to prepare for the Saints - from a Saturday night game, to a Monday night game next week. 25 carries last night, for 221 yards, thanks largely to about 130 yards on those 2 long TDs - I need 8 more yards to reach 2,000 yards on the season, and 182 yards to reach 9,000 career rushing yards - I'm confident that I'll reach both milestones next week, in prime time, national TV audience, season finale, for the NFC South title. I always play big on Monday Night, I had that 307-yard game in Dallas on a Monday Night.

It's definitely not any other game. The Saints played us hard and won last time down there on the road, so we're looking for some payback. They're playing us for the South title for a reason, they're a very good football team. Deuce McAllister is still running hard - I remember when he was drafted out of Ole Miss, when I was about 16 or so, he's been around that long. Adam Fischer is one of the best cover corners in the league, almost as god as our pair of guys. They've also got a very solid LB corps, everyone on their defense is fast and physical, they all hit well. And they're going for the same thing as us - it's going to be a battle, for sure.

I've got the individual milestones on my mind, but you're not going to see me do anything stupid out there - playoffs come first. Hopefully, I'll take care of the 2,000 yards on the first drive of the game. If I reach 9,000, that's great, but if not, it'll come.

Not the way we wanted to end the season, but we've got to be thankful we've still got a playoff spot, after losing, 21-38, to the Saints. New Orleans gets the division title and the #3 seed, we drop down to #5. The Panthers, who won yesterday, stumbled into the #6 seed spot, which means that 3 NFC South teams are in the postseason - like I said at the beginning of the season, we've got a tough division.

We're going out to the desert next week, Cardinals, who won the West and are the #4 seed. Alge Crumpler, who was let go last offseason by Atlanta, has been a pretty big part of the offense down there - he's got a career highs in receptions, but did not score a TD this season. They've also lost Pro Bowl RB James Hennequet to a season-ending injury, he's been out the whole year - but Emmitt Simms ran for over 1,000 yards in his absence. They've got a very solid all-around defense, though.

I came in looking for 2,000 yards, and got it on my 5th carry, about halfway through the first quarter. Deuce McAllister stole the spotlight, with a big night - he took home the Horse Trailer award thingy. I gained 2 yards on 2 carries on the opening drive, an incomplete pass, and a punt - and Deuce went about 70 yards on his first carry. Next drive, I got about 3 yards on 2 carries, and a sack, punt. We finally get the ball back, and around midfield, I take a handoff to the right. Charles Grant, the DE, came hard and ran right past me, and there was a huge hole, as Donny Glaser gave me a great downfield block, springing me for a 47-yard TD that put me over 2,000 on the season. Only 76 yards on the night, though - there wasn't much room to run at all. That, combined with the fact that we fell down early, and we had to turn to the pass. I finished with 2,068 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. The 2nd-highest rushing total in NFL history, two yards ahead of Eric Dickerson, behind Ricky Williams in 2010. MVP? We'll see.

Michael Vick was picked off, and it was run back for a score, and on the following kick return, Jeff Rutledge fumbled, and it was also run back for a score - 14 points in the blink of an eye, that killed us. We were down 28-7 at halftime, things looked bleak, but we actually made a comeback and closed the gap to within 7 points early in the 4th quarter - until the Saints ran away again, on the shoulders of Deuce.

We've got the late Sunday game next week - should be a good matchup, another team with a good set of linebackers, and a good safety who can play in the box, Adrian Wilson. No real holes, except maybe cornerback.

A win, and there's a shot that we could get another shot at the Saints, if they win out to the NFC Championship game, which would be at their place. I'd love to get another shot at the Saints myself, but we'll see - we could also end up in Philly to face Jim Bates' Eagles, the #2 seed. Getting a little ahead of myself here, though - first things first.

Happy New Year, everyone!

A ton of football today, with the wildcard games and all the bowl games falling on the same day. To be honest, I wasn't paying much attention to the NFL, I was watching Texas A&M, as they demolished USC, 54-0. Great win!

The Panthers surprised a lot of people yesterday - I watched bits and pieces of that game, as they upset the Saints, fresh off their win over us last Monday Night - I can't help but think the Saints were tired, flying home from Atlanta after that Monday game, and then playing a Saturday game. We flew in to Phoenix yesterday, has a light walkthrough practice in the morning, and I spent the rest of the day watching football at the hotel. The playoffs kicked off officially in the afternoon with the AFC game, the 6th-seeded Steelers upset the Patriots, followed by that Panthers' upset - two #6 seeds winning.

A win tomorrow evening, and we're headed to Philly, to meet up with former coach Jim Bates and his Eagles, the #2 seed. Should be a very interesting matchup - we saw Philly last season, Jim's first season as head coach up there, and they were struggling to put in his system - but a year later, they look dominant.

LaDainian Tomlinson was voted NFL MVP. He had a pretty average season, by his standards, rushing, but he was a huge part of the Chargers' passing game, and he led them to the #2 seed in the AFC. Congrats to LaDanian - I've heard that he may retire after this season, if so, he's going out on top, or at least individually...but his Chargers have a good shot at the Super Bowl, as well.

I've still got my Pro Bowl spot, once again, but this time, I'm going in as the #1 back the starter. Not really a big deal when you play the game, but I guess it's nice for bragging rights. Deuce McAllister and Alonzo Blount of the Bears are also going. On the offensive line, we've got stalwarts Mike Williams, Isaac Quick, and Roberto Garza, and on defense, veteran CB Gary Jones will be representing our secondary - a total of 5 Pro Bowlers.

I don't want to get to far ahead, but two wins, and if the Panthers pull off another upset, we could actually have the road to Super Bowl XLVIII go through Atlanta, and the Super Bowl down south in Tampa Bay. That would be great for our fans, but it's out of our hands.

Tomorrow should be a good matchup - our run offense against their defense, and Arizona QB Leonard Sweeney and his WR corps against our pass defense. We're favored by 1 in the point spread.

Cedric Harper's got something special - I don't know what it is. I don't have it. The man makes big play after big play in the clutch. I think it was a game about 2 years ago, with a couple seconds left, we get it to him on a quick out to set up a FG, and he instead goes the rest of the way for a TD. Or the game against the Panthers in 2011, that great Monday Nighter to get into the playoffs, catching that deep pass off of playaction. Or all his big catches on 3rd down.

Whatever it is, I'm glad he has it - and I love him for it. He came through for us once more tonight, helping us beat Arizona, 21-13, and advance to the divisional playoffs. Good thing, too - I was on the cover of ESPN: The Magazine, for their playoff preview - it would have been kinda bad if we didn't make it past the first round. The Cardinals got off to a fast start, big plays to Alge Crumpler and Emmitt Simms, ending in a field goal. I fumbled on the next drive - it was pouring rain all night long. It was nice yesterday when we flew in, but we woke up, and the rain was coming down.

Arizona staked a 6-0 lead, and then extended it to 13-0 with a TD pass to Anquan Boldin, thanks to my 2nd fumble of the night. We looked, to put it bluntly, like crap up to that point. We couldn't even run a simple dive play and convert a 3rd-and-1. Dropped passes, sacks, and fumbles. We were getting killed. And then, an unlikely hero stepped up and turned the game around - 6'7" rookie WR Craig Rashad, who caught two passes in the regular season, hauled in a 16-yard pass on a fade route and scored late in the half. The Cardinals got the ball back at the 40, since Glenn Jackson's kickoff went out of bounds. Defense came onto the field...and held the Cardinals to 0 yards in 3 plays, forced a punt. Cedric fielded it at the 12-yard line, found a seam, evaded a group of tacklers, and took it to the house. In the blink of an eye, we had the lead, control of the game, and all the momentum.

We came out fired in the 3rd quarter, receiving - we wanted to come out, put another score on the board, and let the defense win it. We almost did, too, but Michael Vick was picked off at the goalline, almost returned it for a score (Cedric made the score-saving tackle, the pass was intended for him). The 3rd quarter was back-and-forth like that - Mike threw another pick later, and the Cardinals were forced to punt a couple times, as our pass rush stepped up and put the clamps on Leonard Sweeney. They missed a 50-yard field goal, which came up short in the rain and wind.

We finally got our score in the 4th quarter. I ran a counter right, broke free, and scored - but I didn't. They blew the whistle, called me out of bounds, although I was clearly in-bounds. We couldn't challenge, it wasn't reviewable, but I saw the replay on the JumboTron - I was in-bounds by at least a foot. I went out for a play at the goalline, and Mike scored on a bootleg from 1 yard out, and we went up by 8.

If Cedric provided the spark to turn the game around, Joe Woodson finished it off - the Cardinals drove down to the redzone fairly easily, with less than 2 minutes left. And on 4th-and-5, from the 10-yard line, Leonard Sweeney found Wendell Benson open in the back of the endzone. Just as Benson got his hands on the ball, Joe came up from safety and jolted it free, it fluttered down into the mud.

We couldn't convert to kill the clock, and punted. And on the next play, Joe finished off the Cardinals by picking off a pass right by the sidelines. One kneeldown by Mike, and game over, back to the warm locker room, out of the rain, and into the celebration.

The playoff picture is as above - we're going to Philly and facing the Eagles. Jim Bates and Michael Randolph, the two former Falcons, have done quite a job in getting the Eagles into the postseason, they weren't picked to do much this year at all. They've got a rookie quarterback, Austin French, who only threw 3 picks to 12 TDs - they've got the #1 turnover +/- difference, that's the key to their success. So basically, if we can hold onto the ball next week, we've got a very good chance at a win.

I hate cold weather games...so it's a good thing the NFC Championship game will be played...in Atlanta! It's a battle of the NFC South, the #5 and the #6 seeded NFC teams for the right to play in Super Bowl XLVIII, in Tampa Bay - another NFC South location.

Great win tonight. I was on the sidelines freezing all game, but I didn't mind the cold one bit, watching us up in Philly, on the road, outplaying Jim Bates' Eagles to reach the NFC title game. There was a light snow, it was about 25 degrees, but it felt colder. And I wasn't playing.

The Eagles drove well and scored on their first possession, a field goal. Next drive, we get the ball, I get 7 yards up the middle, on 1st down. 2nd down is a incomplete pass. 3rd down is a toss left, no gain. I went down hard on my elbow on that play. Usually, I'm on punt team, but I ran to the sidelines, looking for rookie TE James Nystrom, the backup guy, waved him onto the field. Trainer said it was an elbow sprain, he took me out for the rest of the game. So I finished with 2 carries for 7 yards on the night, 3 total plays. It was disappointing as hell for the first quarter, just standing there - I didn't know whether I should go back to the locker room, where it was warm, watch the game on TV - I ended up staying on the sidelines. They gave me ice for my elbow, I said, "It's 25 degrees out and snowing, why would I need ice?" I was fired up watching us on the field, though, I left my pads on and everything, was standing out there in short sleeves - felt kind of like my rookie year. Everyone had mud on their uniforms by halftime, and my clean road uniform (white on white) was standing out in the crowd, I think.

Kedrick Taylor got the nod at tailback, but the game wasn't in the hands of him and our offense - the defense won it tonight. Eagles rookie QB Austin French is a very solid QB who makes good decisions. The Eagles win by playing sound football, they don't turn over the ball much at all, and their defense snags turnovers - as I said last week, they're #1 in the +/- turnover ratio. French tossed 3 picks all season long, and our defense forced 4 from him tonight, in one game. Hell of a job by defense, everyone.

Kedrick looked pretty solid on blitz pickup tonight (I taught him everything he knows about that, of course he looked good), Michael Vick was not sacked by a tough defensive pass rush. He also scored our first touchdown, he ran a swing route, was uncovered, and Mike just tossed him the ball about 15 yards downfield, he ran down the sidelines for an easy score. I taught him that, too. The kid looked good.

Jeff Rutledge caught a TD pass minutes later, as we built a 14-3 lead just before halftime - we got great field position on an interception by Chad Coen, the outside linebacker.

I was in the locker room at halftime, and I said some words - I'd rather not reprint it here, they sounded good at the time, but thinking back on what I said now - maybe it was a little cheesy. But whatever, they worked, we won the game.

Denard Dunn had a great night running the ball for Philly, he opened up the 3rd quarter with a 77-yard run, Gary Jones made the touchdown-saving tackle around the 10-yard line, but he scored a couple plays later up the middle.

Rookie TE Derek Carter, our first pick last year, also had a pretty good game, he had a series where he hauled in a couple nice passes. He converted a 3rd down, "fumbled" the ball away - but a replay challenge got it back for us, one of the rare times instant replay has worked in our favor.

Still clinging to that 4-point lead, which would be the final margin of victory, defense came up big twice to end the game. The Eagles had a 4th down just past midfield, they tried to get the ball outside on a quick hook pattern to WR James Howry. DE Bryce Middleton, rushing from the defensive left, came in hard and got his hand on QB Austin French just as he threw - and Lennox Lynch reached over and knocked down the pass.

Our offense couldn't convert to kill the clock, and Glenn Jackson missed a FG attempt, so the Eagles got one final shot with about a minute left. They drove down to about our 40 yard line, and faced another 4th down. We came out with a blitz, pass-rushing LB Richard Billups came in hard, and forced an errant pass which was picked off by safety Joe Woodson, who sealed last week's playoff win as well. Now, you're not supposed to pick off a pass on 4th down, but whatever - everyone was too busy piling on Joe in celebration (except for me, Coach Dungy would kill me if I hurt my elbow even worse). As I said, great job by defense, holding Philly to 10 points, forcing 4 turnovers.

The Panthers upset the #1 seed, the Bears, on the road yesterday - so we knew a win here, and we'd go home for the title game. Carolina's the Cinderella team in the NFC, they kind of stumbled into the 6th seed. And now they're in the title game with us. We beat them to open the season, and they beat us in the rematch. These Carolina-Atlanta games always seem to be very exciting, they are generally good matchups, and I don't think this one will be any different. We know them well, they know us well - and I'm sure it's going to be a sellout crowd in Atlanta, there's going to be that electricity in the air. Last time we played in the Championship game, it was on the road, we had to go from Atlanta to Dallas to Oakland. This time, it's Atlanta...and then on to Tampa.

I'm playing next week, no question. They're not going to sit me over an elbow, I'm not a quarterback. I may not be at 100%, but I'm playing, there's no doubt in my mind. Merton Tucker at 90% is still pretty damn good, in my opinion.

We had a nice run through the playoffs, I think we surprised some people - but the Panthers surprised people even more. The #6 seed, and they're going to the Super Bowl facing the AFC's #6 seed, the Jaguars, who upset the Chargers earlier today.

Don't really know what to say. Turnovers rules the game, every score except the final field goal was set up by a turnover. We went back and forth, just a tough game, finally ending in overtime. Michael Vick was running for his life all game long, the Panthers were really coming hard after him, he had one of his worst games today. I didn't do all that well myself, the offensive star was Carolina RB Kalen Thomas, who made big plays when his team needed them.

Kalen set up our first touchdown, on the first drive of the game. He broke free, up the middle on his way to a touchdown, and began to showboat into the endzone. End Bryce Middleton snuck up on him, knocked the ball out of his hand, as he was holding it up to the crowd as he high-stepped into the endzone. The ball bounced out, about 15 yards downfield, and into the endzone, where it was recovered for a touchback. I finished a long drive with a 24-yard touchdown, off right tackle, untouched and into the endzone.

The Panthers came right back with two scores, off of Mike's interceptions. The final score came off a 1-yard QB draw by Eli Shannon, that ended the half, we were trailing 10-7.

The Panthers came out roaring in the 3rd quarter. We got the opening kickoff, and gave it right back, an interception. Kalen broke loose again - apparently, he didn't learn his lesson, began to celebrate early, but Joe Woodson still couldn't bring him down, and he scored. 17-7. He did fumble a bit later, though, and we recovered in prime position to score. After a drop in the endzone, we had to settle for a field goal, though. As I said, turnovers set up everything today.

4th quarter, trailing 10-17, Lennox Lynch came up big as we send Gary Jones off the corner on a blitz. Lennox was on the other side, picked off the pass in stride, and went about 40 yards or so for the touchdown, as he did a little celebrating of his own on the way to the endzone.

That was at about 6 minutes or so left in regulation, tied the game up at 17. We had a final shot at breaking the tie, as we received a punt right after the 2-minute warning, ball around midfield, and all we needed was a field goal. Unfortunately, we couldn't convert, and had to send the ball right back.

That's the worst part, if you're an offensive player and the game is out of your hands. I was nervous as hell on the sidelines, the Panthers were driving slowly, short passes, out of bounds, burning timeouts. I was watching the clock and the field, just wishing it would reach 0:00 faster, play for overtime - of that the defense would make a big play.

The Panthers were at midfield, 3rd-and-5. And they hit John Lewis for 15 yards - I thought that was the end. Ball on our 35-yard line, maybe run a play, timeout, and kick the game-winner. But it didn't happen. They were flagged for a false start - their only penalty of the entire game - 5 yards. Amazing what 5 little yards can do, but that made them pass on the next play, and safety Joe Jenkins came on a safety blitz, picked up a sack, and game over.

Overtime - we won the toss, received - and went 3-and-out. I came off after the punt, defense was coming on, someone was trying to get them pumped, but it didn't seem to help. Carolina drove, reached midfield. 3rd-and-2. Play of the game, we stack the line, I know it's going to Kalen. And it does - big hole up the middle, he went about 30 yards untouched. The Panthers didn't even screw around, they kicked the field goal right there, and it was right down the middle, an easy 37-yarder. Game over, season over.

We've got a young team, we've got another good shot next season - but it's still disappointing, obviously, to come this far and come so close to another Super Bowl.

Tony Dungy's consolation for losing in the championship game was getting the right to coach the Pro Bowl, so there he was, on the sidelines for the NFC. Take a look at that shirt.

We lost, 30-21, to the AFC team. Tony might have favored me a little, I had 11 carries and plenty of playing time. I also knew the offense, which was a simplified version of our offense down in Atlanta, so it was pretty easy for me. We didn't really do anything special, was fun getting down there to Hawaii again, though. We met up with a couple Panthers, Eli Shannon, the QB, and Andrew Popowski, who made it as a kick returner, congratulated them, again, for beating us, and playing a helluva Super Bowl.

That game against the Jaguars was a great matchup, but the Jags pulled ahead to win it 23-22, the first Super Bowl in franchise history. Congrats all the guys on that squad, I talked to Byron Leftwich, the starting QB of the AFC team, a bit, and switched helmets with him.

I hate to ruin the peace, but I am going to follow the advice of my agent and hold out for a new contract this offseason. Alan Lee, the defensive tackle, and Joe Woodson, who was team MVP during our Super Bowl run in 2009 in the defensive secondary, are also leaning towards holding out. This offseason may be a little rough - I know the team's going to go through some problems, but I'd like to earn what I'm worth. I signed a 5-year deal after the 2010 season, the same deal that Daryl Serra got from the Texans. He rushed for a pair of 600-yard seasons, and a 500-yarder. I led the league in rushing for three straight seasons with that contract, I've got two years left. James Hennequet of the Cardinals, who had only one 1,000-yard rushing season, is making almost twice as much as me - he signed his deal following a 1,400-yard season, just like I did. He's been hurt on and off, he hasn't even rushed for 1,000 yards since signing that deal. He may not even be a starter next season. I want the deal that Clinton Portis has - the highest paid back in the league. I'm something like the 15th-highest paid RB in the league, that's almost half the backs in the NFL who are making more than me.

The Falcons are a stingy organization - my first contract was a joke after 2009, I had a pair of 1,400 -yards seasons and was one of the lowest-paid players on the team. I didn't choose to hold out then, I waited, I got a contract extension. And since then, as I said - three straight rushing titles, one 2,000-yard season, one NFL record even. I'm not shopping around for a different team, I want to stay in Atlanta - I just want a new deal.

We've got a couple guys who's contracts are running out. Two former first-round picks, Jermaine Hutchinson, and Rocky Woodon (the MVP of our Super Bowl) may opt to leave the team via free agency. Backup QB Lamont Beck's deal is also done - I don't know if he wants to come back and play under Michael Vick some more, Mike hasn't shown any signs of letting up yet, he's 34 years old. Lamont could be a starter with a different team, he's 27 years old already, and nipping at Mike's heels, but he's not getting any better just sitting on the bench.

A couple major retirements surprised me - LaDanian Tomlinson, this year's MVP, Deuce McAlister, and Jamal Lewis will all retire - they finished 3-4-5 in rushing this season. I thought all three of them could have been productive as runners, but they chose to end their careers. The Saints lost Aaron Brooks a couple seasons ago, and now Deuce will go - they have no clear-cut replacement, I think it caught them off-guard a little. The Ravens will also lose Ray Lewis, one of the best defensive players ever - that's a huge hole you cannot fill.