New-’Do Whitfield Puts Buchanan in the Falcons’ Doghouse of Style

The things some people do for fashion.

Atlanta offensive tackle Bob Whitfield appeared for Tuesday’s media day with a new hairstyle: tight corn rows.

“It hurt really bad,” he said. “It hurt for five straight hours. But I want to go down in history as having the best hair ever.”

His fashion sense apparently qualified him to criticize teammate Ray Buchanan for wearing a black leather dog collar around his neck.

“He shouldn’t be wearing it there. It should be down around his hips. He needs a girdle,” Whitfield said. “He’s built like a Teletubby. He’s been eating too much Tubby custard.”

And not only does Whitfield have a sense of style, he has a lot of sense--or so he immodestly proclaimed. After all, he did go to Stanford and is working on an economics degree at Georgia State.

“I’m a self-proclaimed genius,” he said. “I don’t know how I’d hold up on an IQ test, but I’m not only the best athlete, I’m the smartest athlete.”

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Buchanan said his dog collar was a joking play on the Falcons’ being underdogs Sunday. He said he likes grass, like most canines, and so is happy to play on the grass field at Pro Player Stadium.

“You haven’t seen too many dogs squatting on turf, have you?” he said.

Jamal Anderson offered another explanation for Buchanan’s dog collar.

“After Broadway Ray said what he said, I think he needed to get people off his neck,” Anderson said.

Buchanan, who guaranteed an Atlanta victory several days ago, hasn’t backed off on his boast--and he doesn’t understand why it has gotten so much attention. He says he meant it as a statement of confidence, not arrogance.

“You’ve got to go out there and believe in yourself and your football team,” he said. “You go out there with the slightest thought you’re going to lose, then you’ve already lost.”

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Anderson’s father, James, is Mike Tyson’s security chief and Anderson once decided to challenge Tyson to a sparring match.

“I messed around one time with Mike,” Anderson said. “I slapped him and Mike swung, and I kind of think he had a flashback. I was like, ‘Uh, time out. This game is over.’ ”

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Bronco running back Terrell Davis hopes quarterback John Elway will return next season instead of retiring, but he doesn’t plan to try persuasion.

“I would never try to talk someone into doing something their heart isn’t in,” Davis said. “I would try to put myself in his shoes. He’s had a career like no other and I think it would be a perfect time to walk away and be with his family. If you can walk away on top, why not?”