Falcons coach praises ex-Ute back Anderson

Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Reeves was effusive in his praise Monday when talking about Sunday's 37-15 win over the Rams, which left the Falcons 6-2 for the first time in the 33-year history of the franchise. Reeves made it clear he thinks running back Jamal Anderson is playing at a Pro Bowl level.

The fifth-year player from Utah, the 24th running back selected in the 1994 draft, rushed 22 times for a career-high 172 yards and two touchdowns and caught two passes for 31 yards, including a 9-yard TD.Atlanta even split Anderson out wide a few times for the second week in a row to make it tougher for the Rams to disguise blitzes. As a wideout he made a one-handed 22-yard catch that was critical on the team's lone second-half TD drive.

He has rushed for 862 yards this season, putting him on pace for 1,624 yards (the team record is 1,719 by Gerald Riggs in 1985). Anderson has rushed for six TDs and caught 16 passes for 215 yards and a TD.

"The guy that was the catalyst was Jamal," Reeves said. "He was awesome. I've never seen him run any better. He's been more aggressive than he was; he broke an awful lot of tackles.

"He's dangerous as a receiver outside because he's got very good quickness. He has great hands. He is a complete football player."