Jamal Anderson has been impressing the Atlanta Falcons for more than a year. Now, he'll finally get a chance to start an NFL game.
Craig Heyward is recuperating from a sprained left shoulder, which is likely to keep him out of practice all week, so Anderson will start at running back Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.Anderson was only a seventh-round pick from Utah in 1994, but he began to make an impression on the coaching staff last season - even with Heyward serving as the featured back in the run-and-shoot. Anderson found time to rush for 161 yards and averaged 22.5 yards on kickoff returns.
"How fantastic is that?" Anderson said, smiling broadly when told the news Wednesday. "You don't want to get it under these kind of circumstances, but any time you start the game off, you've got to be excited. That's what the goal is in the NFL."