Atlanta's Jamal Anderson, who led the NFC in rushing yards last season and was the key figure in the Falcons' surprise Super Bowl run, was Gary Miller's guest on Up Close Friday.

The main topic of discussion was Anderson's desire for a contract extension, which could cause him to miss part of training camp and possibly some of the regular season. Anderson emphasized that he wants to remain a Falcon for the remainder of his career and hopes his contract situation is settled before camp officially opens.

Miller: Up Close is the NFC rushing champion Jamal Anderson of the Atlanta Falcons with a big smile on his face, but not everyone in Atlanta is smiling, Jamal. What will it take to get you in camp?

Anderson: No comment (laughs). No, a lot of things. We are actively negotiating, I think we're apart on the first couple of years and the signing bonus. Basically, that's the only guaranteed money you receive, so we are still trying to work on it. I'm still looking forward to trying to be in camp when camp starts but, if that doesn't happen, if we haven't reached an agreement, I have not ruled out the possibility of holding out. I don't want to have to make that decision basically, but when the time comes and I do have to make that decision, I'll have to sit down and weigh my options and see what happens.

Miller: You've seen that happen over the years with top quality backs. Emmitt Smith missed a couple of regular seasons games. Did you ever imagine you would ever be put in that position?

Anderson: I didn't. Well, if you think about what happened with Emmitt Smith, yeah they had Troy (Aikman) and they had Michael (Irvin) and a couple of great players on that team. Without Emmitt, it was a totally different situation, so I'm not trying to compare myself to Emmitt Smith. Emmitt Smith is one of the best running backs that ever played. I think my situation in Atlanta, my productivity and that offense is similar in what he produced for Dallas at that time, and you kind of think "well, that should never happen again," but you never know. This situation is what's happening right now; you would like to say that you've played well enough where a team would say "hey, we are going to reward you, we are going to extend your contract" and it would just be a done deal, but it's not like that right now and it's a little unfortunate to be in this situation to have to make decisions about missing camp, missing a training camp, missing time with guys on the team, but it's something I have to do.

Miller: Ironically, Dallas is one of the first two teams Atlanta opens with and Minnesota, a rematch of the NFC Championship game. You're prepared to miss regular season games?

Anderson: Yeah, I am. I don't want to, but I am. If I have to, I am prepared to. I think that I am sacrificing a lot by not wanting to be a free agent for the second time. In '96, I re-upped with the Falcons when I had an opportunity to be a free agent. I showed my commitment to the team, by saying "hey, can we do an extension so I can stay here" -- I'm doing the same thing right now. So both times I'm trying to put myself on the line by saying I want to remain with this team. I want to continue to do things with Atlanta rather then get into a situation where I could play through this year, be franchised next year or just be a free agent and then where do you go from there? It's always a better situation for a player when you're a free agent, because you have two teams, three, four, five teams weighing and putting in contracts for your services and so, usually the pay goes up. I'm saying, "no, I don't want to do that." I want to get an extension now, I want to get this thing done up so I can commit myself to being with this organization for the rest of my career.

Miller: Dan Reeves earlier this month in camp when asked about your absence at the minicamp, said the following:

Dan Reeves (Up Close, 7/15/99): "We have reached kind of the end of the road as far as what our contract can be that we can live with. Yeah, we'll listen to any kind of thing and try to get it done - cause I'd like to get it done. However, there is a point you say, "hey this is it and we are close to being at that point right now." If this is done before training camp, then our offer is going to be off the table."

Anderson: We are still negotiating, we have some time before training camp. I don't think the Falcons will pull it (the contract offer) off, I don't know, but they may. They may exercise some other options and the situation for me playing out the contract if they can say "all right, we can't do this deal right now, we don't have the money, but we won't franchise you," then I'll be in camp.

Miller: Why is that so important to take the franchise destination off?

Anderson: Because you're back in the situation again. Dorsey Levens, Antonio Freeman, Terell Owens, Carl Pickens, they are all going through that right now. It is a situation where they won't let you be free but they don't necessarily give you what you're worth or what you should be given. Back to square one, because it's always worse cause your hindering a player's chance to go somewhere else or to get on the open market, and so that is not what I want to do, I never wanted to do that. I wanted to remain a Falcon and get the deal done and pretty much end my career there. That's what we want to do and that is what our plans are to this day and I hope that we don't get into a situation where we got to be either or, or you got to do this or do that, but it seems to be going in that direction. I would just rather not play through this season and then have a chance to be franchised, play another season at that salary which has no signing bonus, no nothing. It's a lot of restrictions when you get franchised. It's not a honor that people perceive. Well, you're the franchise player -- oh great! (rolls his eyes)

Miller: We saw Dan Reeves go over the course of this month and he has gotten testier and testier, any fear of how this is going to affect your long-term relationship, which so far has been great?

Anderson: I really haven't taken it too personal. The trading situation was one thing that happened on draft day, I was like "OK, these things can happen," but I'm not mad at Dan, I'm not mad at Harold. I'm a little frustrated with what is going on so far, when you think you deserve to get what you think you are worth. So I am a little frustrated by that situation lingering and by the contract not being done, but if we get it done tomorrow, I'll be fine. If we get it done next week, I'll be fine. If we have to go on into camp and miss days, I'm sure our relationship will struggle a little bit, but we understand what's going on. He is a professional, I'm a professional. If I re-sign with the Falcons a couple weeks down the road, maybe a month, you never know, then I'm going to come in and do what I am being paid to do, and that is to run the ball, so I'm not going to worry about it.

Miller: Signing bonus, do you think that is the paramount issue? Does Ricky Williams getting 8.8 million have a lot to do with this?

Anderson: Well I didn't create the market. Obviously, like you said, Ricky Williams getting $8.8 million, Terell Owens just signed for nearly $8 million. It's hard when you come in and say, well here is $5 million; OK, well, what have I done so far? And these are the guys walking in or, in Ricky's case, who I think is going to be a great player, nothing against him, but $8.8 million right off the bat? I think it is similar to a situation that happened more with Jake Plummer last year. He got the big signing bonus based on what Ryan Leaf and Peyton Manning got for what he had already been doing in the NFL. So here is your bonus, here is your reward, so it is hard for me to justify coming in for less than that because I have already produced, they already know what I am capable of doing.

Miller: Last question, are you willing to sit out the whole season if it comes to that?

Anderson: There are other things; there is acting, there's modeling, I've got a career in broadcasting. You never know, I might guest host on Up Close one time (laughs). You have to be willing to make certain sacrifices. I don't want to sit out the whole season, I don't even want to think about that possibility. The prospect that that could actually happen to me, a la Sean Gilbert, I hope not but I'm kind of setting myself mentally to be prepared for anything.