Yardbarker: OvieMughelli

Partying in Tampa

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 20:15:00 -0500

Hey yardbarkers,

I'm writing you from Tampa. I drove down yesterday with my old college teammate and fellow yardbarker, Calvin Pace of the NY Jets.

I was kinda upset because it didn't stop raining all night, and I didn't bring an umbrella. I made the most of it, though.

We started out at Dwight Freeney's Pool Tournament, which was a fundraiser for his foundation. I had to go support my boy because I am all about guys working to better the community and help kids out.

I was supposed to play in the tournament, but I changed my mind. I was shocked when the MJ (Michael Jordan) walked in and everybody, including me, got quiet and just watched as he and Charles Oakley entered. MJ still has the swagger walk and everything.

Next I stopped by GQ magazine and Yardbarker's party with T.O. Then we went back to the pool tournament and hung the rest of the evening all the other players at the EA Sports MaddenBowl Party. I saw couple of my fellow barkers on there: Donovan, Marshawn Lynch, former teammate Ray Lewis and many others.

The first night in Tampa was cool. The rain is killing the mood, but I am going to make the best of this weekend. I sing a solo in the Super Gospel Celebration tonight. Wish me luck.

Can you beat me at Halo?

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 23:15:38 -0500

Whenever I get free time in my hectic football schedule, I like to wind down and relax. My teammates go bowling, watch a lot of movies?but me personally, I love to play video games. They help me relax. Surprisingly enough, I'm not a Madden guy. When I'm not playing football, I want to do something a little different. I love FPS (first person shooter) games. There are a lot of great ones out there, but my favorite is Halo 3. I'm great at it. I don't think anyone can beat me. It's just so much fun to get together with people, put together strategies for how to infiltrate the enemy base, and dominate the other team?it all lets you get away from reality a little bit and have some fun.

Give me your best Halo story, tell me why you love Halo as much as I do, or why you think you can beat me. I'll choose the best and give you my screenname. Then we'll see if you can live up to the challenge.

Beating the Bucs

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:42:44 -0500

After the Chicago game, I didn't think there would be a more exciting, down-to-the-last-second whirlwind of a game, but then there was the Bucs. We knew it was a must-win game, even though our coaches didn't dare utter those words, but we knew that if we didn't win that we wouldn't control our own destiny when it came to the playoffs. It was the perfect backdrop for a very intense, violent, trash-talking game, and that's definitely what it was. My hamstring was bothering me a little bit before Sunday, but once the game started I didn't even feel it. I knew that I was the only fullback we had and that I needed to be on the field blocking for Mike, Jerious, and Matt. Everybody plays through pain in the NFL, and Sunday was my turn. John Abraham, with 3 sacks despite his injury, inspired me to do all I could to help my team.

We didn't play our best game. We had plenty of opportunities to increase our lead, but with interceptions, the almost-touchdown turning into a fumble, and the calls just not going our way ? there was a tension in the air as everyone hoped that these missed opportunities wouldn't come back to bite us. The Bucs came back, but we weren't ready to give up, and neither were our fans. The Georgia Dome was louder than I've ever heard it, and the fans definitely helped us out by throwing off the opposing offense with their noise. We all left absolutely everything we had on the field. I hit every linebacker as hard as I could, I ran every route as hard as I could ? I felt like I had laser beam focus, like in The Matrix. I have a little history with Kato June, who played for the Colts when I was with the Ravens. He's a smaller linebacker, so he's always trying to prove himself against me, and he almost always fails. This was like a playoff game for us, so I made sure to hit Kato as hard as I could on each play. If you watch the film, you'll definitely see him on his back at least 3 times.

We were almost untouchable yesterday ? a wall of black jerseys marching down the field that would accept nothing but positive yardage. When we got enough yards to get that field goal, I was no less excited than winning my high school state championship. I jumped up in the air like a little kid. This is just one of those games that I will be telling my kids about, sitting around the fire, talking about my good ol' NFL days. Even though we didn't play flawlessly, this just shows that if we avoid mistakes and play our best game?I don't think anyone can stop us.

Ovie Claus contest!

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:27:43 -0500

What's up Yardbarkers, I have another contest for you. This one's about Thanksgiving. Watch the video and get at me with your entries!

Win an autographed drill from "The Drill"

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:34:05 -0500

Recently I had a contest in the Yard where fans suggested nicknames for me. The winning nickname was The Drill. Now I'm here in the Yard to give away an autographed drill to one lucky fan! All you have to do is post a video, photo or leave a comment explaining why you need the drill. What kind of project are you working on? What do you need to fix? Show me why you deserve this autographed drill! I'll be picking a winner on Monday, November 17 (give or take a few days). Then after this contest, I'll have another one for you. Thanks to all my fans in the Yard... go Falcons!

Believe Hope Change

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:57:24 -0500

If you're going to vote, I think you should vote for someone that will create the change that we need in this country. I know I might get in trouble because players aren't supposed to voice their political opinions, but I really think that Senator Obama is the right man to lead this country. I encourage everyone to go out on Election Day and let your voice be heard. I was lucky enough to participate in an amazing and inspirational video promoting Barack Obama and everything he stands for. Check out the link below.

Taking down the Bears

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:53:27 -0500

Before I get into our game today, I want to mention last week, when we finally got our first road win in Green Bay. Everyone said we were too young and inexperienced to do it, but Coach really emphasized how important it was not only to win on the road, but to get a winning streak going. Yo-yoing back and forth between wins and losses is what really kills you. So we went out there and showed them what we could do, and we finally got a nice winning streak going for us. This week, against the Bears, I was a little nervous but also excited about the challenge of going up against one of the best linebackers in the game, Brian Urlacher. All week my teammates were teasing me. They kept asking if I was scared of him and telling me not to fake an injury to get out of it. But I felt confident. I'm just as big and bad as he is, and when my teammates were clowning me, I told them that he should be shaking in his boots, too. I was excited to show him what I could do. The game was electric. It was great to see all those fans there, and everyone was so into it. This year we're showing them that this team is for real, and everyone is responding in a very positive way. It was a fun atmosphere from the first kick-off to, of course, the very last second. The ending was like what you would see in Any Given Sunday or Remember the Titans or something. It was a storybook ending that I couldn't have written any better myself. Especially during these kinds of games, the most important thing is to put personal goals aside, and just win as a team. I really felt that the whole team did just that today, which is why we came out on top. Everyone was giving it everything they had, especially because we knew we'd have the bye week to recover. There were a couple heartstopping moments, which we could definitely do without. I'd prefer to have a blowout, but this made for a really memorable 5th game. I have to say it was surprising and disappointing the first time Jason Elam missed. But it reminded us that he is human, despite being such an established player. When we gave him another chance, though, he dusted himself right off and came back to help us win the game. Douglas also had an amazing return on that last drive, and Ryan and Jenkins hooked up for that perfect pass downfield. Those two things combined to give Elam his second chance. Jenkins deserves a lot of credit there. You could see him turn to face the clock as soon as he caught the ball, making sure to plant his feet and get out of bounds with just that one second left on the clock. Perfect. Our defense was also key - they were better than our offense. They ALWAYS show up at the critical moments of the game, like that last goal line stand that we needed so desperately. Watching them be so physical and do anything and everything to stop the ball was amazing. On the drive before that, all the offense needed to do was run out the clock, but we just couldn't do it. Instead, we fell back on our defense as a crutch, knowing they would bail us out. We should really stop thinking that way, but it's good to know they're there to back us up. Now it's time for a little celebrating and then some rest. Next week I might actually get to sit down and watch some football. What games will you guys be watching?

Football on ice - Thrashers vs. Caps

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:40:45 -0500

Two nights ago I went to see the Thrashers, the Atlanta hockey team, play against the Washington Capitals. I was invited by some good friends of mine, who got me amazing seats - front row, against the glass. It was basically a chance to see football on ice. They won 7-4 when nobody expected them to, and although the stands weren't full, there were plenty of diehard fans there to cheer them on. They pulled out a great win. I had never really been into hockey before, but I am now. It was just so impressive to see the athleticism they have on those skates. It was obvious that I wasn't too familiar with the sport, though. I kept yelling "Stop the ball!" and my friends had to remind that it was called a puck. Overall, it was an awesome experience, though it was a little lame that toward the end of the game one of the huge Washington ogres picked a with our star rookie, who was much smaller. I was just thinking how funny it would be if in the NFL they allowed us 20 second fights with anyone we picked out on the opposing team. That would cause a whole lot of chaos. At one point they recognized me - had me on the jumbotron and everything, and they wished me luck against the Bears this weekend. That's when I told them that we were going to beat Chicago, which is exactly what we just did.

I need a nickname!

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:46:50 -0500

Braylon Edwards from the Browns was giving me a hard time because I don't have any nicknames. Braylon has about 10 of 'em. So I need a nickname. What's it gonna be, Yard?

Silencing the Critics

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 02:21:06 -0500

This is one of the happiest days of my life. Not only for myself, but also for the Falcons owner, the head coach, my teammates, and the city of Atlanta, we needed this win so bad. I've had a lot of nervous energy leading up to today, knowing how much rides on this. You don't get a second chance to make a first impression. We spent the pre-season talking about how we were a new team, new head coach, new quarterback, new outlook. But we didn't just want to talk the talk; we knew we had to walk the walk. I wanted more than anything to silence all the critics that didn't believe in us. The Lions are a great team, but if you can't beat them at home, there isn't much hope for the rest of the season. Prior to the game, all the naysayers kept throwing out the Lions' preseason stats, talking about how Matt Ryan was too young and inexperienced, and just giving any reason they could for why we couldn't beat Detroit. With so many non-believers out there, the importance of this game couldn't have been stressed enough. To not only win, but to really go out there and put on a show, meant so much to all of us. For me personally, it was amazing to actually be in the game this year, since last year I was on the bench cheerleading. For our first touchdown of the 2008 season, I made a key block and looked on like a proud father as Matt Ryan got his first NFL touchdown pass. That feeling made it all worth it. I couldn't be more happy that my family came out to support me today. We just got back from our post-game team dinner, where my parents had a chance to meet my coaches, who spoke very highly of me. I don't know if they were just being nice and saying the things you're supposed to say when you meet someone's family, but it meant a lot to me to hear them say how happy they were to have me on the team. I can't even explain how important it is to me that I made a difference in this game. After the game, I was joking around with Michael Turner and telling him that if he goes to the Pro Bowl, he's flying us all out there with him. Then I thought, "Actually, if he's going, then I'm going." My goal this year is to get Mike 1,000 rushing yards, and I expect for you all to see both of us in Hawaii in February. Now it's time to go celebrate with all of my friends and family. Tonight's going to be a great night, but then it's back to work, so we can put on another show in Tampa.

It's time to play!

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:36:47 -0500

Hey Yardbarkers, how's it going? Hope you're all as excited for the regular season as I am. Our first game is on Sunday against the Lions, and I can't wait. It's great that it's at home, too, so we can have our fans there to cheer us on, and we can be a little more relaxed and stay at home rather than flying all the way out to Michigan. This week we've been practicing with our official team -- about 20 guys are missing from the week before. It's a little sad, because I was pretty close with a few of the guys who were cut, but it's just part of what happens every year. It's actually good in a way, because it makes everyone realize that there is always someone waiting to take your spot, and it's truly a privilege to be here. We have to contribute to the team in all areas ? whether that's making meetings on time or hitting as hard as you can on the field. Otherwise, you might be giving up your spot on the roster to the next guy, who's always doing his best. Now that we're down to our 53-man roster, we're ready to do what it takes to come together and win this first game against Detroit. Be sure to tune in for this one.

Getting ready for season 6

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:06:13 -0500

Hey Yardbarkers! Just taking a break from preparing for the regular season to fill you in on my experience at our game last Thursday. Everyone knows that the last pre-season game is for the rookies trying to make the team and get their spot in the NFL. It's the do or die time for them, and you can see it in their eyes. All the rookies step their game up to the next level because they know it's now or never. It's the last test to see if they can make their dream come true or not. It's my 6th year and every time this game comes around, I remember my rookie year and how terrified I was. I just remember thinking to myself that if I don't play a perfect game, make this play on special teams, get this block, etc. then I'm going to let this opportunity slip out of my hands. A true competitor's biggest fear is failure, and before our game against the Ravens it was easy to tell that the rookies were afraid. The energy was apparent, even on the bus on the way to the game. Every young player was getting ready to step up his game to where they felt it needed to be. At the same time, though, all the vets were trying to see how they could get out of the game. All of our premier players weren't trying to play too much, because they didn't want to get hurt and wanted to save their bodies for the first regular season game. But Coach Smith has a different outlook on things. He wants all of his players to be competitive anytime they're on the field. He expects their best efforts at all times, not for them to just try to avoid getting hurt. His competitive attitude gives me inspiration as a vet, and makes me realize that anytime I step on the field I need to go full speed and full force. You can't get comfortable doing your job halfway during the pre-season, because then you risk it turning into a habit. The other reason I wanted to put in my full effort is because we were playing my former team, the Ravens. I did NOT want to give any of the defensive players that I still talk to (guys like Terrell Suggs, Bart Scott, and Ray Lewis) any reason talk trash. So I made sure to hold my own and show my former teammates and fans that they're missing out by not having me there. I wanted to make them miss me, and I think I did. It was surreal landing in and driving through Baltimore, where I haven't been in about a year. I used to make that drive toward that stadium so often, and now I was doing it as an opposing team member. I was completely confused when we passed the home team parking lot, since I didn't even know of any other entrance. I'd never even set foot in the visiting team locker room, which was small and cramped... nowhere near as nice as the home team one I was used to. I didn't want to say anything to my teammates, but I must have let my feeling show a little because one of my teammates eventually asked me, "This is weird for you, huh?" It definitely was. It was nice that it wasn't a regular season game, so I could have fun and talk to old teammates. I got taped up and out on the field as quickly as I could, and right away I saw Todd Heap and Kyle Boller. I ran up behind Heap and surprised him a little by putting him in a headlock. We just started joking around and talking about how things are going in Atlanta. It was nice to talk to the guys and see that everyone was happy for me and how things are going with my new team. One of the funniest parts was when I went into the Ravens locker room, which I wouldn't have done if it hadn't been a pre-season game. I know that place like the back of my hand, so I went into where the trainers tape up all the players through a side door, and asked to be taped up. One of the trainers, Bill T, started jokingly yelling for security right away. Bill was always great... he used to mess around and say that he used up his entire tape budget on me, because he was always wrapping up a wrist or an ankle for me. He was cool with me being back there, but some of the other trainers who weren't so familiar with me did panic a little and try to get me out until Bill calmed them down. During the game it was a little weird because I actually had to break up a couple fights between my current and former teammates. Harvey Dahl, one of our O-linemen, is always extremely aggressive all the way up to (and sometimes past) the whistle. So Dahl, who is hot-headed, and Bart Scott, who is also very aggressive, got into it one time. All kinds of words were flying, and I had to get in there and break it up. I didn't play for too long, but I had a couple of great hits against some of the younger linebackers to let them know that I'm still here, and I'm even better than when I played in Baltimore. The whole experience was fun. I just wish I could've spent some time after the game hanging out with my former teammates. More than anything, I'm glad we didn't just try to get through it without getting hurt but instead used it as a springboard into the season. Winning this one let us know that if we take every opportunity on the field to do our best, it's going to help us in the long run. We've just got to flip the switch and become warriors, and we need to keep doing that until we don't even have to flip a switch... it just happens every time we set foot on the field. We ignored the fact that we were tired from camp and just put our all into it, and it really paid off.

Visiting Bristol

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:04:07 -0500

I was in NY a while back and went into ESPN Magazine headquarters just to chat and discuss future possibilities of working together. Before I knew it, I was sitting in a chair with cameras and lights all around me. They wanted me to be the first to try out their new feature where celebrity athletes read their magazine aloud. My reaction was "Are you sure you want ME to do this?" But I'll try anything once, so I went ahead and gave it a shot. They wanted me to impersonate Favre, but I really wasn't sure where to start. I just tried to do the country accent and put myself in his shoes as he was about to go into his final play. At that time, everyone thought he wasn't coming back. I have a lot of respect for Brett, and I think it's great that he's coming back. Some people didn't agree with the way that went about it, but that's all in the past now. If you have the itch, you should be able to come back and play, especially if you're someone like him. You can check out the video below. I hope Brett doesn't see this and take it the wrong way. As they say, imitation is the best form flattery!

Rookie Pranks, etc.

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:04:41 -0500

What's up Yardbarkers? I've been gone for a while, but play time is over, and I'm a firm believer in working hard, so that's what I've been doing. In the off-season, I had a lot of fun traveling to NYC, Hawaii, the Dominican Republic, Vegas, LA, etc... and I'm tired. I'm glad that football season is starting because it gives me a chance to stay in one place. No more flight itineraries... I can just stay in Atlanta. Even though camp isn't my favorite part of football, I've come to understand that it's a very important part of making a good team. If you want to be good in November/December and make it to the Super Bowl, you need to be good now. I didn't understand that when I was younger, but now I know that you need to give it 100% every day in camp, and that's what's going to give you an edge over the competition during the season. That's why I've been trying to keep a positive outlook on these long two-a-days for the last two weeks. There's a great feeling in the Falcons locker room this year. The guys are having fun, they're smiling, they're enjoying the coaches, and they're enjoying each other. Messing with the rookies a little bit has been fun. There's this "card trick" that the vets like to show the rookies, and it goes like this: Step 1: Rookie picks a card from the deck Step 2: Rookie looks at card and puts it back into the deck Step 3: Vet shuffles deck around, and throws one card on the ground, face down... asks rookie if that's his card. Step 4: Rookie bends down to pick up card... entire deck is thrown at the back of his head. It's still funny, no matter how many times you see it. They've also been singing, of course. Matt Ryan was probably more comfortable in his NFL debut last week than he was when he had to sing in front of all of us. I think we had him do "Sweet Caroline" or something like that. He does this thing where he turns beet red. It's hilarious. On the field, the "work hard, play hard" atmosphere that Coach Smith has brought to the team has been good, because we know that after he challenges us during practice, he'll be sure to give us the chance to rest and recover. He has ways of making practice fun and exciting through things like competition between offense and defense (if offense scores, defense runs and vice versa). Personally, I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself this year because I want to take my game to another level. When I got here last year, my goal was to make the Pro Bowl, since I was second-team All-Pro the year before when I was with the Ravens. When the Pro Bowl didn't happen for me, though, it was a really disappointing setback, which is why I've been working extra hard this off-season. Our first pre-season game against the Jaguars was the first test of how much my off-season work had paid off. I was actually a little nervous going into it, but it turns out that I didn't need to be. I handled all of my blocks, had two catches, two first downs, and even a fumble recovery on special teams. Of course I was disappointed that we lost, but it was a success because it was the first time that our offense and defense, with all the new players, really came together and played as a unit. It was a lot of fun. I don't want to say that I was SURPRISED at how good we were, but I have to say that I didn't know that we would get this good this quickly. If we continue to improve from here, I know that we're going to surprise a lot of people this year.

Falcons Generating Some Buzz

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:38:07 -0500

Hey Yardbarkers! Just checking in to let you know that camp is going great so far. I'm exhausted but excited for the season to start. The local newspapers are already talking about what the Falcons are bringing this year...check it out: "...Mularkey forgot to mention that Turner most likely would be chauffeured to, and maybe through, the offensive line by bruising fullback Ovie Mughelli. Turner and Mughelli, the Falcons' two big-free agent signings the past two seasons, provide nearly 500 pounds of speed and muscle. So the linemen's re-arrangement of vertebrae could be even more severe if they don't do their jobs..."