Justin Griffith: From Bulldog to bulldog

By Darrell Laurant  |   Friday, June 16, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Atlanta Falcons
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At every level he plays, Justin Griffith's numbers go down. But that doesn't make him any less valuable.

As a high school senior in Magee, MS, the 5-11, 230-pounder rushed for over 2,500 yards and scored 30 touchdowns in leading his team to a state title.

In four years at Mississippi State, he totaled 852 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground, 937 yards and four touchdowns on pass receptions.

With the Atlanta Falcons last season, Griffith had 65 rushing yards and 111 yards in receptions, scoring three times.

Such is the life of an NFL fullback. Griffith may not be a guy you'd want on your Fantasy team, but he's become an integral part of the Atlanta offense in real life. That's why the team restructured his contract earlier this year to make him one of the highest-paid fullbacks in the league.

"I think I like blocking the best of all the things I do," Griffith said on the Falcons' website. "Most of the guys I go up against outweigh me by 20 or 30 pounds, so it's really satisfying when I can get a good block on them. Running and catching passes are things I'm used to."

Last year, the Atlanta Falcons ranked second in the NFL in third-down conversions (up from near the bottom the previous season), and Griffith was an integral part of that improvement. A hard-nosed ballcarrier, he barged ahead for seven first downs himself, and cleared the way for Warrick Dunn and T.J. Duckett on several others.

2005 was a comeback season for Griffith, who missed the last four games of 2004 with a badly injured left ankle that had to be surgically repaired. And he credits his backup, 10-year veteran and fellow Mississippi State grad Fred McCrary, with his continued progress.

"Fred's been in the league a long time," said Griffith, "and I've still got a lot to learn."

Although he grew up in Mississippi, Griffith has been the recipient of a commendation proclamation by the South Carolina legislature, which honored him as a role model. He has been active in a number of youth mentoring programs in Atlanta and regularly visits patients in a local veteran's hospital.

Griffith played at MSU with his fraternal twin, Julius. His cousin, the lyrically named Slovakia Griffith, was also a Bulldog.

Now, Justin Griffith's job as a Falcon fullback is to be a bulldog. And he's good at it.

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