Feature article on Jason Elam

HSB Note: "Now in his 17th season in the league, the former University of Hawaii star and current Atlanta Falcon has established himself as one of the all-time best in an often precarious position best defined by longevity as much as clutch production. The three-time Pro Bowler boasts 23 game-winning field goals in his career and is the only player in NFL annals to have recorded at least 100 points in each of his first 16 seasons. He entered 2009 ranked fifth all-time in field goals made (424) and points scored (1,915). The cleats Elam sported when he booted a 63-yard field goal against Jacksonville in 1998 to match Tom Dempsey's 28-year-old league record are already on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio."

About how Jason Elam is one of the best kickers in NFL history, Morten Andersen said:
"He's among the elite kickers in the game. I would rank Jason in the top 10 in the history of the league, for sure. He knows his limits, knows what he can do and he's a professional. He prepares and he performs on Sundays. That's what you need to be a difference-maker on Sundays." (HSB)

Feeling that Elam will make the NFL Hall of Fame, Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said:
"There's no question, with his stats. He's on a short list, but I think he'll definitely be a Hall of Famer." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Elam, however, isn't worried about such honors just yet. He's only too aware that Jan Stenerud is still the only place-kicker in the Hall (inducted in 1991). No punter has ever earned a spot in Canton, Ohio. Other kickers considered possible Hall candidates someday include Andersen, Gary Anderson, John Kasay, Jason Hanson and Adam Vinatieri."

About how only one kicker has made the Hall of Fame and there are many excellent candidates to make it, Elam said:
"There are so many good kickers out there. There's always a certain professional standard you want to be at. ... I'm just trying to always keep up with them. So if (Hall of Fame induction) came, that would be an incredible honor, obviously. But that's so out of my control and it's so far in the distant future. I'm just trying to do the best I can for the Falcons right now." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Elam remains the Rainbow Warriors' all-time leader in scoring (395 points), in addition to still holding school marks for the longest field goal made (56 yards vs. BYU in 1992) and career punting average (43.51). Vast potential grabbed Johnson's attention when he began recruiting the relatively unknown Elam from the North Atlanta suburbs. Johnson was UH's offensive coordinator at the time and in dire need of a kicker in 1987 when he got word from one of his former kickers at Georgia Southern about two standout high schoolers from the Atlanta area. Chris Gardocki, however, had already committed to Clemson, leaving Elam and Johnson to form a close relationship that lasts to this day. The only other schools expressing interest in Elam at the time were Furman, Jacksonville State and Appalachian State."

About being recruited by Paul Johnson for Hawaii, Elam said:
"I didn't even know Hawaii had a football team. I thought somebody was playing a joke on me." (HSB)

HSB Note: 'Elam (5-foot-11, 195 pounds) spent 15 spectacular years in Denver (including two Super Bowl championships) after the Broncos selected him in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He returned to Georgia with the intent of closing out his career with his hometown Falcons after signing a four-year, $9 million deal as an unrestricted free agent in March 2008."

Happy with his 15 years in the NFL, Elam said:
"I just feel very blessed to have the life that I've had and how things have gone. I was just hoping to land with a team for two or three years. Maybe if I could have a five-year career, that would have been awesome. But for things to work out like they did — get 15 years in Denver with the organization there and then getting to come back and play with your childhood team and finish things off with your family and friends back home — it's been a dream story." (HSB)

http://www.starbulletin.com/sports/20091104_Elam_comes_full_circle.html