You go this way. I'll go that way.

This is a tale of two pro football players. One is at the pinnacle of the sport. The other has been shoved out the league. Their link is Draft Day 2005.

Adam "Pacman" Jones and Antrel Rolle.


Let's start from the beginning, shall we?

In high school, both Jones and Rolle were all-everything. Jones played at Westlake High School in Atlanta, GA, and was named his conference's player of the year and received all-state honors as a senior. Rolle played at South Dade High School in Homestead, FL, and was a Parade All-American and was named the second-best prospect in the state by the Miami Herald. College came calling for both. Jones attended West Virginia. Rolle attended the "U" (that's Miami, FL).

In college, both Jones and Rolle were impact players. Emphasis on "impact." In 2003, Jones was sentenced to one year in jail following a bar fight. However, the sentence was later suspended and he was placed on probation instead. Then in 2004, Jones was named an All-American and Big East Special Teams Player of the Year. Rolle was also named an All-American, first-team All-ACC, as well as ACC Male Scholar Athlete of the Year. He was a finalist for the Thorpe Award (best defensive back) and a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award (best overall defensive player). Which would you rather have on your team?

Going into the 2005 NFL Draft, Jones and Rolle were the top two cornerbacks available. Jones was a bit undersized at 5'10" and 186 pounds. Rolle, however, had absolute prototype size, 6'0" and 208 pounds. And as I've said before, the Titans went against all logic when they selected Jones over Rolle with the No. 6 pick. Rolle was selected two picks later by the Arizona Cardinals.

In their rookie seasons, neither player really shined, but if you had to give an edge to one player over the course of that season, it's Jones. He was a good player, not great, but Rolle suffered a knee injury on 2 October and had to miss the majority of the season. It looked like Rolle's career may have been derailed before it really got started. The winter and spring of 2005-06 is where these two players started going in different directions. Rolle spent that time rehabilitating and strengthening his knee, getting ready for the 2006 NFL season. Jones was arrested four times during the offseason leading up to the '06 season (once in February, twice in April, and once in August). And Jones was just getting started. His numerous run-ins with the law finally led NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to suspend Jones for the entire 2007 season.

During the bright spots of Adam Jones' football career, he was best known as a punt returner and a guy you could count on to snag interceptions. What most people don't know is that Rolle has been more proficient than Jones at intercepting opposing quarterbacks. Thru this past season, Jones tallied 4 INTs in his career. Rolle? 8.

Jones' off-the-field exploits finally exasperated the patience of the Titans organization, who sent him packing to the Dallas Cowboys via trade before the start of this past season. For the Cowboys, Jones accumulated exactly zero interceptions, and was arguably the worst player on the field in their final game of the season, a 44-6 romp courtesy of the Philadelphia Eagles. Three of the Eagles' touchdowns went right thru or right past Jones. The loss kept Dallas out of the playoffs this year. For the Cardinals this season, Rolle tallied 89 tackles, and was willing to play some time at safety to fill holes in Arizona's injury-ravaged secondary.

By the time the regular season came to an end, more allegations surfaced about Jones. So right around the time Rolle and the Cardinals were set to square off against the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the playoffs, Jones was released by the Cowboys due to the investigation of an incident where Jones reportedly arranged a shooting outside an Atlanta nightclub. As for the Cardinals-Falcons playoff game? In the third quarter, trailing 17-14 to Atlanta, Rolle scooped up a fumble and scampered 27 yards for a touchdown, giving the Cardinals a lead they would never relinquish. Arizona then went on to upset both the Carolina Panthers and the Philadelphia Eagles to advance to their first Super Bowl in franchise history.

A tale of two players. Adam "Pacman" Jones is currently out of the league. And he will probably remain that way. Antrel Rolle is at the pinnacle of the sport and has established himself as one of the premier defensive players in the league. And he will probably remain that way.

Was it ever really a question who was going to be the better player out of these two?

Psych Ward

Dictionary.com defines the word agitator as "a person who stirs up others in order to upset the status quo." But answer this for me... Does this guy really look like he could fit that description?


You wouldn't think so. Not with that smile. He has a smile like that on his face all the time. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Mr. Hines Ward. Ward is a wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and tonight, they will host the Baltimore Ravens to see which team will represent the AFC this year in the Super Bowl. To simply state that the Steelers and Ravens dislike each other wouldn't exactly cover it. I think the Yankees and Red Sox get along better than the Steelers and Ravens. And a game like the one tonight: a low temperature, hard-hitting, intense rivalry... this is the kind of game where Hines Ward thrives. You see, Ward is an anomaly among his peers in the NFL. Most NFL receivers are prima donnas, you know, selfish players where me-first attitudes come standard (i.e. Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson). But not Ward. Ward's favorite thing to do during a game-- his favorite thing-- is to block.

That's right.

Block.

Not your typical wide receiver, huh? And oh, is he good at it. Just ask Keith Rivers of the Cincinnati Bengals. Or Ed Reed, of the aforementioned Ravens. Rivers ended up with a broken jaw after a clean block by Ward this season. Reed, one of the premier defensive players in the NFL, was knocked unconscious courtesy of a "sweep left special" from Ward.

And did I mention he always has that same smile on his face?

Now don't get the wrong idea about Ward and think he's just a thug who can't catch. He has averaged 72 catches per year since he was drafted by the Steelers back in 1998. He has also scored 73 touchdowns during his tenure thus far in Steel Town. But Pittsburgh, historically speaking, has always been known as a "power running" team. They've had bruising running backs in their past such as Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis. So what is a receiver to do in such circumstances?

Block.

It's fun to watch. In all actuality, Ward turns offense into defense. He becomes the hunter even though his team has the ball. But his aggressive style does have its setbacks. Ward has a target on his back when the ball is headed his way. Opponents don't just try to tackle Ward. They try to break him in half. So what does Ward do?

Smile, of course.

Is Hines Ward an agitator? Yes. But what is he on top of that? A damn good football player. He's the kind of player you would love to have on your team and hate to play against.

Tonight, in Pittsburgh, the Steelers welcome the Ravens to their snow-covered home. Will the Steelers prevail? We shall see. What you can count on, though, is the fact that Ward will be flying all over the field making plays for his teammates. And who knows? The Steelers may get another shot at a Super Bowl. They won it back in 2006.

And who was the MVP of that game?

You guessed it... Hines Ward.

Smiling, as usual.

I love the game "word association." Don't you?

Everyone know how this game works? Someone says a word or term or shows a picture, and you say the very first thing that pops into your mind. Easy enough. I'll roll through a few. If someone shows me a picture of the Chicago Cubs logo, I'd say: Loser. If someone shows me a picture of Ryan Leaf, I'd say: Bust. See how it works? I'll keep going... Michael Jordan? Champion.
Pacman Jones? Idiot.
Vince Young? Overrated.
Muhammad Ali? Greatest.
Lance Armstrong? Heart.
Mike Singletary? "Can't do it!"
Ray Lewis? Passion.
Utah's football team? True national champions.
Zab Judah? Waste of talent.
Erin Andrews? Mmm... hot.
Tiger Woods? Intense.
But here's one that stumps me: Tony Dungy. For those of you who happen to make your dwelling under a rock, Dungy is (was... whatever, we'll get to that) the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. And today, 12 January, 2009, he announced his retirement. And the reason his name makes me balk while playing "word association" is for no other reason than I have too many terms come to mind. Words like honor, respect, kindness, loyalty, champion, legacy, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Thesauruses are printed and reprinted because of men like Tony Dungy. And it isn't just his accomplishments which impress me. They are, however, quite staggering... He coached 13 seasons in the NFL, six with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the final seven with the Colts. Over that span, he compiled a record of 139 wins and 69 losses. I'll do the math real quick: that means he won 70 more games than he lost! And in this era of the NFL, which prides itself on what it calls "parity," that's nothing short of remarkable. But beyond that, he is the first and only black head coach to win a Super Bowl, which he did with the Colts in 2006. He only had one losing season out of his 13 at the helm of the two franchises, and won division titles six of those years. And it isn't the fact that he had a .759 winning percentage with the Colts, the third highest percentage with one team in NFL history. Nor is it his six consecutive 12-win seasons or his 10 consecutive playoff appearances, which are both (ahem) NFL records. It's the way he treated everyone around him that made Tony Dungy different. The care and respect he had for each one of his players. I read his autobiography, "Quiet Strength," and in it he explains that the most disappointed he's ever been in a player was when one of his players in Tampa skipped out on a speaking engagement to a group of local kids. Dungy and his Colts defeated the Chicago Bears in 2006 to win the Super Bowl. The star linebacker for the Bears and one of the premier talents in the NFL is Brian Urlacher. Upon hearing the news of Dungy's retirement, Urlacher said, "I think he's one of the best and most respected coaches of all-time, and a great man on top of all the football achievements." Herm Edwards, current head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and a close friend of Dungy, also added, "The League will miss him but obviously never forget him, because of what he's done and the standards he set. Not only for coaches, but especially for black coaches. He's a guy that won a Super Bowl. I think he always looks back at the guys before him that gave him the opportunity. And now he has set up a standard for other guys to follow him." That's the legacy of Tuny Dungy. He will be sorely missed by fellow coaches, players, and thousands upon thousands of fans. At his press conference today, Jim Irsay, owner of the Colts, and Bill Polian, president of the Colts organization, both cried. When does that ever happen in pro sports?? Polian called Dungy "a mentor, a role model, and a cherished friend." Tony Dungy has always carried himself with a level of dignity that is unparalleled in pro sports. He is also a nightmare for people playing "word association." He may have retired, but I will always refer to him as Coach Dungy. May God bless him. I wish the absolute best for Coach Dungy and his family as they begin the next chapter of their lives.

Ask them whom they admire.

Since this is a sports-based blog, the title listed above could have varying meanings. But this statement is actually geared toward kids. You see, I have a “Life’s Little Instruction” daily tear-off calendar in my room that I make a point to read every morning. It contains little haikus and/or motivational sayings that are designed to help you through your day. Every once in a while, one of the messages strikes a chord in me and I’ll keep it. I’ll tape it to my bathroom mirror or put it in a drawer so I’ll come across it again one day, instead of just wadding it up into a ball and throwing it so my cat can play with it. On 7 June this year, the message read, “Instead of asking young people what they someday want to do, ask them whom they admire.” For some reason, I kept it. I’m still not sure why. Maybe it’s because I’m not really sure what I want to do with the rest of my life. Maybe I was designed to read it that morning in June for the sole purpose of keeping it as a subject for this blog. Who knows? But it got me thinking (which is sometimes more frightening than productive)... Who are some people in the sporting world that I could suggest for kids and teenagers to look up to and aspire to emulate? And off we go…

I’ll start with a guy whom I support every day without even talking about him… Lance Armstrong. I wear a LIVESTRONG bracelet every day and will continue to do so. His life story is so incredible and inspirational that I think it will be many, many years from now before we sit back and realize just how much he accomplished and endured. And he’s still going strong! Less than two weeks ago, he announced he will ride in the 2009 Tour de France. His last Tour de France was in 2005 and was the closing bookend of seven consecutive titles. SEVEN! And remember, this is a guy who in the mid-nineties was immobile in a hospital bed with testicular, lung and brain cancer, the latter of which left him with a 20% chance of survival. But he fought through it… and started pedaling. He is everything that is right about sports, and a man whom all people (not just kids) should admire.

Next in line is Tony Dungy, head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. This is a man who has touched the absolute extremes of human emotions, and has never wavered in his determination to put Christ first in everything he does. While accepting the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning the Super Bowl with the Colts in 2007, Dungy deferred praise from himself to his Lord and Savior and the effort of his team. One of the emotions Dungy admitted he felt strongest after winning the Super Bowl was grief, because his good friend and former assistant, Lovie Smith, was the head coach of the Chicago Bears, whom the Colts defeated. Dungy is first-class in every way. On cut day in training camp, Dungy individually talks to each player about why they’ve been cut and what they can do to improve, instead of just taping a red card in their lockers. And in the days immediately following his eldest son’s suicide, when most people would be cursing and searching for answers, Dungy simply said he didn’t know why his son took his own life and that he was jealous because he knew his son was now sitting at the right hand of God. Does anything else need to be said?

Even though football is well-known as a “big man’s game,” it’s a “little guy” who finds his way onto my list. Warrick Dunn is a running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’s not hard to see why he’s called a little man when you look at his measurables: 5’9” and only 187 pounds… diminutive by NFL standards. Yet Dunn has averaged 925 yards rushing over his first 11 seasons in the NFL. A lot of questions followed Dunn out of college at Florida State about his size. And he has answered them all with some big games for both the Atlanta Falcons and the Buccaneers. But the fact that he is a little man thriving in a big man’s world is only part of the reason why Dunn is on this list. Dunn grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and his single mother worked several jobs to provide for young Warrick and his siblings. Dunn grew up witnessing first-hand the sacrifices made by his mother as he tried to develop as a young man and a football player. Since becoming a professional in the NFL, Dunn has started the Warrick Dunn Foundation, which builds homes for single-parent families. The mission statement for the Foundation is, “Dedicated to providing opportunities for economically-disadvantaged single parents and children who have demonstrated a commitment to achieve financial independence and stability.” Warrick Dunn knows that it’s not just what you do on the field that defines you as a true professional. What you do off the field is just as important. He is a walking definition of “knowing what it means to give back” as well as “remember where you come from.”

These three are just a few of many who could have been listed. The “honorable mention” list could include names such as Ed Hochuli, Philip Shadowens, Jim Tressel, Teddy Atlas, Michael Phelps, and many others. And these are just guys from the sporting world! There are so many positive influences in and around children’s lives. They just may not know where to look. With guys like Michael Vick, Roger Clemens, and Barry Bonds snatching media attention in negative ways these days, kids are longing for someone to look up to. So instead of asking youngsters what they someday want to do, ask them whom they admire. And if they come up blank, maybe now you can give some suggestions.