J.Mike's Missives

In the matter of 24 hours I’ve witnessed my garage door attempt to free itself from its tracks (still figuring that one out), my truck leak transmission fluid and the toilet in the bathroom go on the fritz.

When it rains, it pours.

Times like this I look to blog writing for stress relief.

I also gain more respect for all the father’s in the world and what they give up for the betterment of society.

Take, for example, the friend — a dad — who took time out of his Father’s Day to diagnose the problems in my garage (thanks David).

Then there’s my Dad.

How many garage door openers has he installed? How many times has he taken a car for an oil change or a check up? How many toilet tanks has he reached in to fix some sort of plumbing issue?

How many times has he fielded a phone call from his new-home owner son asking how to fix something or requesting his presence for a weekend project?

I can’t answer those questions.

I can, however, tell you how many times he’s complained, scoffed or belly-ached.

Zero.

Maybe I complain enough for the both of us. Maybe it’s something I’ll learn when I have children. Regardless, thanks Dad — and all the fathers out there — for helping your sons when they need it most.

Very special Father’s Day for Falcons’ Nicholas, ESPN.com
Magnificent story of hope and compassion. A must read.

Father’s Day extra special for Falcons coach, AF.com
Before Terry Robiskie was called “Falcons coach” he was called “dad.”

5 new Falcon dads celebrate Father’s Day, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Something tells me the family section at training camp will be crowded this year.

Mailbag: Atlanta Falcons edition, ESPN.com
Time for a little in-depth discussion on the Falcons roster. More to come over the next month.

A Falcons Father’s Day, Examiner.com
Let’s keep this Father’s Day theme rolling (I’m sure all the dads out there would love an extra day).

Ranking the NFC South coaching staffs, ESPN.com
I haven’t been keeping count, but I’m pretty sure the Falcons are leading the way in this blog series. Of course, this post may be the most important.

Sustained success or sophomore slump in 2009 for Matt Ryan?, Examiner.com
Matt Ryan did a pretty good job last year eliminating rookie stereotypes. So why does anyone think something as stereotypical as a “sophomore slump” is a possibility?

The Falcons are stacked — on one side of the ball, anyway, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
First, what an incredible photo on this story! I know it’s John Abraham, but you have to admire sports photography like that. Second, print out this article and keep it. Something to keep in mind in good times and bad for the season to come.

J. Michael Moore Birdseed AF.com, AJC, ESPN.com, Examiner.com, Father's Day, John Abraham, Matt Ryan, Stephen Nicholas, Terry Robiskie

When your parents live out of state, holidays take a little planning.

Father’s Day is coming up in just more than a week and I’m starting to think of some gift ideas for my dad, including options to be delivered on a later date (the whole out-of-state thing). For the “Falcon Dad,” I’ll point out a deal on Falcons365.

So, before we get into the rush of next week I thought I’d dedicate this “Birdseed” to dads around the world.

In thinking about fathers and the impact of being a dad, my mind wandered to (where else) sports. A father’s love and guidance is a powerful thing.

This game came to mind…

I remember watching the 1996 NBA Finals more than some other league championships. Not sure why, but Michael Jordan playing in his first Finals after his father’s death hit an emotional chord with me.

It wasn’t the best game of his career, but it was the Jordan everyone expected and the Bulls won the title.

Since then I’ve seen several sporting events on Father’s Day, particularly new or old dads winning a U.S. Open title on their special day.

Just subtle reminders that athletes are fathers, too.

Tweeting from a Cheer Shoot, Tight Spirals
Had to leave the cheerleader photo shoot early yesterday, but the rest of the AF.com team keeps things covered.

Hutchins itching to contribute to Falcons, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Von Hutchins could be a wild card in the Falcons revamped secondary. If he’s 100 percent, the position gets deeper and more versatile.

NFL’s top franchise players under 30, FoxSports.com
I agree with everything here, especially the note about Tony Gonzalez. The Falcons are looking to make a move into elite territory.

Ultimate Building Blocks: NFC South, ESPN.com
Interesting concept in this blog post. I can think of nothing better to spark discussion and thoughts of the future (that’s what GMs do) for the offseason.

Double trouble: Tandem backfields sweeping NFL, NESN.com
Let’s think about this “carries per game” thing. I’m the first to keep an eye out for player health and longevity. But, considering the narrow windows teams in the NFL have to navigate for success, you need to give the ball to your best players — as many times as he can handle.

Falcons in a fighting mood, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Believe me, more things happen at practice than scuffles.

New expectations follow Ryan, Falcons in second season, AccessNorthGa.com
I don’t believe in sophomore slumps. In fact, my sophomore year in college was pretty good. Of course, that may be because I was able to schedule two days off during the week to go play golf. On second thought, forget this analogy.

Q&A with … Falcons coach Mike Smith, The Sporting News
Random headline ellipses. Nice.

Get to know rookie Chris Owens, Gainesville Times
Thoughts on football, life and the NBA Finals from a Falcons rookie.

Ranking the NFC South defensive backs, ESPN.com
This reflects many of the unknown aspects of the Falcons secondary. It’s not unexpected, so get used to more until the team takes the field and shows what its got.

Lofton ready to take leadership role on defense, AF.com
“The offense gets a lot of publicity and notoriety and they deserve that but don’t overlook this defense,” Lofton said. “We have a lot of young guys that started for us last year and really didn’t know what they were doing. This year we’re into the system and we know what we’re doing. I think we’re going to shock some people on defense with how good we are.”

Ranking the NFC South linebackers, ESPN.com
Speaking of linebackers… Falcons one of two teams in the division with all projected starters ranked in the top 10.

Davis speaks to youth about school bullying, AF.com
And to think, how many players do stuff in the community that doesn’t make its way into the media? More than you think.

Leaving Their Mark, J. Mike’s Missives
This was more than an excuse to work on my video editing skills, it’struly one of the cool things that goes on around The Branch.

J. Michael Moore Birdseed, YouTube AccessNorthGa.com, AF.com, AJC, Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders, Chris Owens, Curtis Lofton, ESPN.com, Father's Day, FoxSports.com, Gainesville Times, Head Coach Mike Smith, Michael Jordan, NESN.com, The Sporting News, Tony Gonzalez, Von Hutchins