In 1991 the Atlanta Falcons were one of the surprise teams in the NFL. Led by players such as Chris Miller, Andre Rison, Chris Hinton and Deion Sanders, they finished the year at 10-6 and lost in the divisional round of the playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Washington Redskins. Now in 2009, Rison and Miller are on the football field together again, but this time they are helping young kids develop their game at Football University, which was held at J.P Moseley Park in Stockbridge this past weekend. At FBU, some top players in the area went through an NFL-type workout and were coached by former NFL players.
Miller and Rison don’t live in Atlanta anymore, but they still love the city and were glad to be back.
“I try to get back to Atlanta at least twice a year,” Miller said. “I love Atlanta and I love the people. They are hospitable, warm and giving. About the friendliest people around.”
BACK IN THE DAY
In 1991, Miller had one of the best seasons a Falcons quarterback has ever had, throwing for over 3,000 yards and 26 touchdowns. He even reached the Pro Bowl in that year along with Rison.
After that, Miller did not reach the same success he had in the 1991 season, but he ended his career with over 19,000 yards passing and 123 touchdown passes. He is now the quarterbacks coach for the Arizona Cardinals, where he works with one of the best quarterback in the league Kurt Warner.
“I absolutely love my job,” Miller said. “Working with players like Kurt Warner is a thrill. Seeing the game from a coaching perspective has made me appreciate the game and NFL at another level. It’s about as close as I can get to playing again.”
When Miller was throwing touchdowns in the ’91 season, Rison was catching the majority of the touchdown passes, with 12 that year. Rison did have issues on and off the field during his 12-year career, but he was a productive player, ending his career with over 10,000 receiving yards and 84 touchdown receptions. And if you ask Rison, he thinks he should be in the Hall of Fame based on his credentials.
“Let’s face it, the stats speak for themselves,” Rison said. “During my era there was no one better. That’s just self-explanatory. I gave you my all and my all was the best in the National Football League. I was the most successful receiver in my first five years, in any league.”
THOUGHTS ON 2009 BIRDS
Based on the 2008 season, Matt Ryan and Roddy White seem to have the same connection that Rison and Miller had in the early 90s. Both Rison and Miller follow the current Falcons and love what they are doing.
“I like [these] Atlanta Falcons,” Rison said. “They play hard, they’re energetic and they’ve got some good-looking faces on the team.”
Miller agrees with Rison.
“Oh yes, always will follow the Falcons,” Miller said. “I’m just an NFL fan, period.”
Jones can be reached at bjones@scoreatl.com.
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