Finally, a Super Day

OK, it didn't end so super. The Falcons got to the Super Bowl and were drubbed 34–19 by the Denver Broncos.

So what's worse, never getting to the big stage, or having a bad day when the lights come on? Never getting there is much worse, of course.

The game in south Florida was a bar-raising event for the franchise, which had been stuck in a rut of ridicule for most of its 33 seasons. Until, that is, this 1998 team went 16–3 with a physical style of football that was to run first and knock opponents silly on defense.

The Falcons lost the Super Bowl but still had a parade. Hell, yeah. Why not have a parade? The team was 8–0 at home in the Georgia Dome and 14–2 overall in the regular season, which were firsts for the franchise. Dan Reeves, the head coach, had heart surgery in the middle of the season and then returned to coach the club to the NFC title.

It was a team that controlled the ball and took the ball from the other team. They scored a team-record 442 points and led the NFL with 44 takeaways.

"If the ball is not on the ground, we will knock the [stuff] out of somebody," said defensive end Chuck Smith. "We are not prima donnas. We will get after people. You get hit hard enough, believe me, you will let go of the ball. There's nobody in this game that can't be shaken up, nobody who can't be hurt, nobody who cannot lose the ball."

The team had an effervescent star in running back Jamal Anderson, with his gleaming smile and legs that moved like a sewing machine as he cut through the line. Anderson rushed for 1,846 yards and had an NFL-high 12 100-yard rushing games.

Anderson also had the best footwork in the team's trademark dance, the Dirty Bird, which became a symbol of the team's fun style. One of the highlights of the season was Reeves, the old-school coach, dancing the Dirty Bird with Anderson as the team was presented the NFC championship trophy following the win over the Vikings.

Reeves was named Coach of the Year for taking the team to just its second division title in 33 years and living to tell about it following his heart episode.

But the Falcons could not finish the drill in the Super Bowl. They had their chances with four possessions inside the Denver 30-yard line in the first half but scored just six points. This was an offense that knew how to finish in the other team's territory. Quarterback Chris Chandler, inside an opponent's 20-yard line, had zero interceptions during the regular season. He had 16 touchdown passes, but he could not make the big throw that would get the Falcons some early traction.

The Broncos crossed up the Atlanta defense with an empty-set backfield. The Birds were spread out, and quarterback John Elway picked them apart, but he also made deep throws to beat ambitious Atlanta safeties who were trying to make the big play on the big stage.

"I'm going to keep my head up no matter what," said cornerback Ray Buchanan, who had guaranteed that the Falcons would win. "The Lord blessed this football team to come from ground zero to play in the Super Bowl. ... I'm not going to apologize. I had the guarantee and the confidence that this football team could win. There was no doubt in my mind. I'll never take that back."

The loss was a sour end to the biggest week in franchise history. It was made worse when safety Eugene Robinson, who had preached that his team needed to take a business -style approach to the Super Bowl, was arrested for offering an undercover officer $40 for sex. Robinson had received the Bart Starr Award for community service during Super Bowl week, only to be caught on a Miami street soliciting sex.

The next day, the game was played and the Falcons were humbled. But they had gotten there. They had millions of eyeballs on them. Cher sang and Stevie Wonder danced, and all the glory was around the Dirty Birds.

The stage was theirs. The spotlights were wheeled in. It didn't end well, but at least there is a story to tell.

A Super Kick

Morten Andersen was walking through the Falcons' parking lot at the team's complex in Suwanee on a Monday afternoon when a reporter (me) approached.

"Nice kick," I said, referring to the field goal that beat Minnesota in the NFC Championship Game.

"Thanks," Andersen said.

"Nice paycheck," I said.

Then a smile creased his face. "How did you hear about it?" he asked. A moment later, he said, "That's between me and the club."

Then he smiled again.

That field goal was a hole in one ... with a broken club, in a stiff wind, in pouring rain. That was the kick of a career, and that's saying something when you consider the peaks in Mort's career.

When Andersen kicked the 38-yard field goal in overtime that beat the Minnesota Vikings on January 17, 1999, he immediately became $300,000 richer, due to a stipulation in his contract written in by him and agent Greg Campbell. In 1999 $300 grand for a kick was a really sweet deal, but in order for the rider in the contract to kick in, so to speak, it had to be in a conference championship game and it had to be a game-winner.

In other words, the kick had to have substance. Getting the Falcons into the Super Bowl had substance. Andersen actually made $332,500 that day because a winner's share of playoff money for that game was $32,500. Peanuts.

Andersen called it the biggest kick he had made in 17 years. Well, yeah.

I haven't seen the contract, but I'm wondering if the kick clause was written in the margins, in red ink, with a smiley face where the period should have been: "By the way, if Morten Andersen, kicker, ever boots this franchise into the Super Bowl (fat chance) he gets an additional $300,000."

"I actually forgot about the clause in the contract," Andersen said in December 2011. "It was the Santa Clause."

The Falcons' Andersen got a chance at the huge payday because his pal on the Vikings, Gary Anderson, missed a fourth-quarter field goal in the NFC Championship Game that would have pushed the Vikings out to a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. As it was, a limping Chris Chandler took the Falcons downfield for a tying touchdown, and then Gary Anderson missed and Morten Andersen made, and there was a party on the field.

Ten years later, Gary Anderson, who was still kicking in the NFL, raised an eyebrow when told about the bonus. "I didn't know that," he said.

"You made it possible," I said.

"Don't remind me," Gary said. He smiled. He was happy for Mort.

Andersen and Anderson shared more than similar last names. They came from abroad — Andersen from Denmark, Anderson from South Africa — to have sensational NFL careers as soccer-style kickers. They battled each other the last several years of their career to see who would be the all-time leading scorer in NFL history. Mort leads with 2,544. Gary is second with 2,434.

"The Great Dane," as Andersen is called, made 79.7 percent of his field goals. He was brought back to the Falcons in 2007 and was more than a stopgap. He made 25 of 28 field goals.

Just as impressive as a near 80 percent mark is the fact that Andersen is the all-time leading scorer for two teams: the Saints and the Falcons. Andersen was looking for one more contract in 2008 and would have become the oldest player ever in the NFL if a team had signed him, but he retired in December 2008 without a deal.

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