DanielWilcox - Yardbarker Blogs

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaaacccccccck!!! What's Up Yard! Tell me what's On your Mind!

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:05:38 -0500

What up guys and gals I've been busy renovating my home! Its been a long and expensive process so I took a break from blogging to earn a little sweat equity! Renovating a home can be very time consuming.

I know its been a crazy football season thus far, so.... tell me, what's been on your mind? Do you guys have any questions? Please ask me anything! Right now the N.O. Saints are the best team in football. They have my vote for a super bowl run this year.

My 1st Workout!

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:54:39 -0500

Whats up yard I told you guys that I would keep you informed with my where abouts and actions so here it goes. Every morning at 10 a.m. my wife and I work out together at Body Sculptor Gym in Buckhead, Ga.( www.bodysculptorinc.com for those of you who want to check it out. They get the job done there!!) On Friday morning I had a 10:15 Radio interview which delayed my workout drasticly! Sitting in Body Sculptor's parking lot I recieve another phone call from my agent telling me the Saints are on the phone and they wanna fly me in for a workout today! My wife immediately starts to tear up as I told my agent send me the flight info I'm ready! Hell at this point I'm ready for anything. Then the Saints called me and gave me the down low. At this point now my wife can't stop tearing, as she wipe her tears they steadily flow. She was crying like I just got drafted. LOL. This is one of those reasons why everyone should get married. See as my wife she has to deal with my highs and my lows, my sadness and my happiness. So she seen what this injury/free-agency has done to me. It has not been pretty. This is what being married is all about. It's a blessing to have someone more happy for you than you are. She knows me and she knows that when I'm motivated about something I go harder than ever. Well to make a long story short I flew to New Orleans that afternoon and worked out the next morning. NFL workouts are insane. The entire coaching staff, the scouts, trainers etc; all come out and watch your every move! With so many eyes on you its very hard not to be nervous. But for some reason I wasn't nervous at all. I felt as though I would be the TE they would pick. It was 4 of us, 2 from Denver, 1 from Greenbay and myself, the X Raven. Well I left New Orleans that day feeling confident, feeling like I crushed the workout. The only thing is is that I didn't get signed... no they didn't sign me. I guess I wasn't what they were looking for. I wasn't that perfect fit, or maybe its the toe surgery, or the hand surgery, or maybe it's my age. I honestly don't know. Man I must admit sometimes my career really, truely sucks. Well I guess its back to the drawing board. Im still waking up every morning and working out.

Today we must get better

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 22:02:25 -0500

Sitting back watching all the preseason games go by I must admit that it sucks! Last year this time I was still rehabbing from a very extensive toe surgery and I worried that I may not be able to come back from it. Well here I am a whole season and 3 playoff games later sitting and watching. Time is a 'mutha'! As a seasoned veteran in the NFL it seems as though I must have done something extremely wrong. I know this league is like any other job. If you piss the wrong person off you may never work again in this league. Hhhmmm, maybe I pissed someone off...maybe I did just that! As I sit and watch I KNOW I can still play! I know I can make things happen on the field! Hell I still wanna play! I try to prepare myself daily for my next opportunity to step back on the field! In the meantime I try to find ways to keep myself busy by doing radio shows, TV shows, community work, volunteering, working out, being a daddy and a husband and at the same time renovating our home. Even with things not being exactly how I want them I'm still not worried because I know God has a plan for me! It amazes me to see people that think they have life all figured out. God can throw a curve ball at them at any moment. In relation to football I say that because sometimes coaches get caught up in making it personal with players and having favorites. God does not choose favorites he allows us to bury ourselves. People cannot control other peoples' fate no matter how much they think they can. There is a higher power! Wake up every morning remind yourself of that and tell yourself "today I must get better" and then spend each day doing just that!

Bring On The Questions? I Have The Answers!

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:05:37 -0500

What's up Yardbarkers? I know you all are probably saying its been a while since I came on and wrote a blog. Honestly I didn't wanna waste anyone's time with my boring everyday activities. You know, working out, grocery shopping, finishing up school, being a daddy and a husband, community work, etc... So I decided to answer your questions this time around. Since I am sitting out right now, not playing and just watching training camp this year I seem to have a lot of time on my hands. So please feel free to ask me your deepest questions and thoughts about the NFL and what we do! Football has been a huge part of my life since I was 5 and its not gonna stop now... Feel free to ask me anything and I will do my best to answer your thoughts as clear and as honest as possible!

"Life Is Amazing, But sometimes we take it for granted"

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:03:59 -0500

What's up Yardbarkers!!! I wanna share some pics with you guys! Yeah they are funny and yeah I came a long way, but I know in actuality we all did. I stumbled across some old pics the other day and it got me to thinking about life. Way too often I think we take for granted how blessed we are to have life. Life is a gift, a blessing and an experience that is incredible and so unbelievable. We grow taller, bigger, wider, smarter all as we get older on this earth. Life gives us the opportunity to experience so many things. We have 5 amazing senses... touch, smell, taste, hearing and sight. Those senses take our lives to a whole other level! We take life for granted sometimes and its truely sad! We are constantly doing things to hurt other people! Today a man stole a car at a local Wal-Mart in Atlanta. The car had a small child inside! A woman shopping at Wal-mart came out the store with her shopping cart and her child. She placed her child into the car first and then proceeded to load her car with bags. As she was doing this a guy jumped into her car and sped off with the small child inside the car! Now me being a father of a 4 year old this scares me! My wife goes to that store all the time with my son by themselves. This makes me never want to let her go anywhere by herself again. It scares me to think that this could've been my wife and son! Life is way too precious and valuable to just take it away from someone! Atlanta's crime rate has been growing for the last 4 years. It's insane! I grew up in Decatur, GA and I had a lot of situations that made me think I wouldn't see 21! I thank God every day for life... My wife and my son remind me everyday just how wonderful life really is. I see me in my son everyday! I grew up loving sports and my son is the same way. The kid will not put down a football or a basketball! He's a very smart kid and its amazing to me how fast he picks up on things! The older he gets he just makes daddy want to protect him more and more. We have to do better with our world so that our kids are safer than we ever were! So Yardbarkers lets not take life for granted and do better by our families and enjoy and appreciate each day like it could be our last! I want my son to grow taller, stronger, smarter, better and older. He deserves a chance at life! He deserves a chance to live. We all want better for our kids than what we had growing up. I want that for mine and I know you want that for yours. God Bless!

Athletes are Targets!!!

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 08:22:23 -0500

It is my belief that athletes are targeted in so many ways!!! Everything about us is posted on the web, television and newspapers... I feel as though we are hot targets!!! You see I know that some women make it their job to find an athlete, get pregnant and live happily ever after off child support!!! I know that some parents are raising their girls to find, date and marry if possible an athlete... I know that every time I am out in the public eye there is a chance someone may follow me home and try to rob me!!! I know that during the season my house back home has an extremely high chance of being broken into!!! I know that every time I get out of my car at the store, supermarket, eatery, best buy, etc. there's a chance my car may be missing or broken into when I get back!!! I know these things can happen to everyone Yardbarkers, but all I am saying is that there are people out there that solely prey on us!!! Please tell me your thoughts.

Steve "AIR" McNair, A Fallen Soldier!!!

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 09:00:35 -0500

I have been really hesitant to write this blog but I feel like I have to. On the fourth of July 2009 I lost a fellow soldier, a fellow teammate and a friend... Steve McNair. Steve you will be deeply missed bro... All I know when it comes to Steve McNair are Good Things!!! I have nothing bad to say! I cannot imagine anyone wanting to take his life. This whole thing comes as a huge shock to me. When I heard the news I was sitting in my living room packing with my wife!!! My phone started ringing off the hook with text messages and phone calls from reporters and friends around the league. I just could not stomach that this was true. I had just gotten back from Florida at the Rookie Symposium and this was the last thing I needed to hear. The two years you gave us here in Baltimore were two that I will never forget. We had one winning season and one losing season... But those two years were two of the best I have ever experienced. We had a lot of ups and downs as a team!!! In those two seasons you showed me exactly what a leader should be like. You led this team/ offense into battle every week with confidence, not with a lot of words but with your actions. In your 2 years here there was so much excitement amongst the team. We felt as though we had everything we needed now. All we were missing was just one more fighter. We knew we were headed to the Super Bowl because we were getting one of the best quarter backs to ever play the game. You showed us just how important that position is to a team!!! Before you we fell on our face 3 years in a row... with you we went 13 and 3!! All I keep seeing is your smile. All I keep hearing is your voice saying "Hey Buddy". You have always showed an undrafted free agent from App State so much love. Thank you for the many locker room talks about life, family, football and finances!!! Thank you for making me a better player, a smarter player and a better man... Thank you for so many great memories on and off the football field!!! Thank you for an opportunity to dream. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to see the city of Baltimore come alive!!! If it wasn't for you I would of never seen this city painted purple!!! I know it takes a whole team to win games... Yes I know this, all I'm saying is that you were that missing link that we needed!!! I remember you saying that the city of Baltimore made you feel like you had been drafted all over again!!! Well you had me playing football like my old self again!!! Thank You!!! Thank you for being a friend! Thank you for being a class act!!! Thank you my brother for everything. You did so much for the communities in Baltimore while you were here and so much for the communities of Tennessee while you were on this earth. I had a chance to play with one of the best QB's of all time! "Steve from the bottom of my heart you will be missed..." Another athlete, man, father, husband, son, cousin, brother, uncle taken too soon. My prayers go out to his entire family!!! Samari Rolle, Derrick Mason, Ray Lewis, are all some of Steve's closest friends... "Morn him My brothers, remember him as we all knew him smiling and full of spirit!!! May the Lord embrace you with open arms!!! Rest In Peace My Friend"....

IF YOU HAD MILLION DOLLARS TAX FREE WHAT WOULD U DO???

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:29:05 -0500

IF I HAD A MILLION BUCKS TAX FREE I WOULD SAVE IT AND I WOULDN'T SPEND IT... I WOULD PUT IT IN A CD OR MONEY MARKET ACCOUNT AND LIVE OFF OF THE INTEREST... I WOULD NOT QUIT MY JOB. I WOULD CONTINUE TO WORK... THOSE CHECKS PLUS THE INTEREST GAINED FROM THE MILL WOULD HELP ME TO LIVE PRETTY COMFORTABLY!!! WHAT WOULD YOU DO? WOULD YOU SPEND IT, INVEST IT OR QUIT YOUR JOB???

The Impala SS from Hell !!! My Dream Car!!!

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:53:11 -0500

Whats up Yardy's I have some thoughts to Share With U !!! I saw a post about DREAM RIDES on here the other day and got me to thinking that maybe I should share with you guys my dream ride... No No No my dream ride is not a Lamborghini, a Phantom, or Ferrari... My Dream Ride Is a 1996 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport, Black Cherry With 24 inch Rims on It!!! Yes a Chevy that has it all... Its fast , sporty, eye catching and has a serious sound system... I spent alot of time and too much money coming up with ideas to make this car stand out amongst the rest... I Love it, but it still has me floored with frustration... I bought this car 3 years ago with my play-off check from the lost to the Indianapolis Colts... Now when I got this car it did not look anything like this... It was all factory and stock... I was so upset we lost to the Colts in the second round... I bought this car, "my dream car", to make myself feel better... That lasted all of about one week... I did not hesitate to put this Car into the shop to get started on Upgrading it!!! I can say this car has brought me more frustration, than actual happiness... This was just one more Example that money can not buy u Happiness!!! LOL... It just seems like one thing after another with the car... Its been in the shop more than its been in my possesion the last 3 years... I waited 11 years to buy this car!!! and when i finally get it, I get one that sat up in a barn undriven for 4 years with 51,000 original miles on it... I know what your saying that sounds great... I know it does I thought the same thing... lol... Not the case... I pretty much had the entire engine rebuilt with all the upgrades and additions done to it... the main problem I have with the car is that its shared so much time in between cities... Atlanta and Baltimore... I live in one city and play in the other... Its been hard to find a good consistant Mechanic... Too many hands have touched this beautiful car... And I have definitely learned a lot about what not to do with a old school car... I wrecked the car coming home after a scrimmage versus the Washington Redskins... The car was in the shop for 7 months!!! Then my insurance company wanted to total it but of course I would not let them... So I had the car fixed... The Car was too valuable to me!!! Then I put the car back into the shop to get the rest of the custom work done to it... Then my cousin backed into his own car attempting to move it into the garage!!! It just never stops with this car... Its The Impala From Hell!!! I am a huge car fan and I love nice cars... I love custom work, and rides that scream I'm one of a kind... One of my favorite shows is Street Customs... West Coast Customs puts out some really nice Rides... If you Live in Baltimore the Closest Thing to West Coast Customs is No Limit Incorporated in Bel Air... When I played for Tampa, They Had Blvd. Customs in St. Petersburg... I Can vouch for both of these companies if your looking for complete restoration or custom work... What should I do get rid of it? Or keep it? Its being fixed now... Should I start from scratch even tho I put so, so, so, much money into the car??? I would like to ask your thoughts on the car and see what you think about it Barkers... so check out my ride and show me your custom rides, If you have attempted to trick out a car!!! I would love to see what's out there... I know how hard it has been on my end to create the car of my dreams let me hear your stories??? or Horror Stories!!!

FREE FOOTBALL CAMP ATLANTA, GA

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:43:15 -0500

HELLO YARD BARKERS, THE EMPOWERMENT M.I.ND.S. FOUNDATION COMBINED WITH D.T.L.R. AND T.A.G. ARE COMING TO ATLANTA, GA. AGAIN FOR A 3RD YEAR WITH A 1 DAY FREE FOOTBALL CAMP!!! THE LAST TWO YEARS THE CAMP HAS BEEN HELD IN COLLEGE PARK BUT HAS NOW MOVED TO CLARKSTAN, GA. TO AL HALLFORD STADIUM OFF OF MEMORIAL DRIVE... YES PEOPLE I DID SAY FREE... IN DOING THIS CAMP FOR FREE WE ARE GIVING THE KIDS A CHANCE TO DO SOMETHING THAT I NEVER GOT TO DO AS A KID!!! GO TO A NFL PLAYERS FOOTBALL CAMP TO LEARN TECHNIQUES AND SKILLS FROM THE PROS!! THE 1ST TIME I MET A REAL NFL PLAYER WAS IN THE PROS!! AND I DON'T WANT THAT TO BE THE CASE FOR THE YOUTH OF ATLANTA AND DECATUR, IF I CAN HELP IT!!! Chauncey Davis #92, Ovie Mughelli #34 AND MYSELF, WILL PUT TOGETHER A CAMP THAT WILL MOTIVATE, AND EDUCATE THE KIDS!!! THERE WILL BE A S.A.T. PREP COURSE, A COURSE ON NUTRITION AND ALSO A EDUCATION COURSE ON COLLEGE RECRUITING FOR THE KIDS AND THE PARENTS... WE THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE PARENTS TO KNOW WHAT OTHER OPTIONS THEY HAVE TO HELP THEIR KIDS GET INTO COLLEGE!!! THIS CAMP HAS A UPDATED FORMAT WHICH WILL KEEP THE KIDS MOVING AND LISTENING ALL DAY LONG... NFL PLAYERS WILL STOP BY THE CAMP, THROUGHOUT THE DAY, TO SHARE THEIR REAL LIFE STORIES WITH THE KIDS... SO THAT THEY UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH HARD WORK IT TAKES TO BE A PRO ATHLETE!!! PLEASE SIGN UR KIDS UP ASAP!!! GOD BLESS!!! www.empowermentminds.com Thank You!!!

www.Empowermentminds.com My Non-Profit Foundation...

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:58:47 -0500

These are a few pics from past empowerment M.I.N.D.S. events autograph signing at Nancy's Pizza in Atlanta Thats my mom to the right of the picture, and my step mom to the left of the picture!!!... At Todd Heap's celebrity Fundraiser in Baltimore from left to right Todd Heap, Ashley Heap, Shauna Wilcox-Strickland and myself, Mike Furrey and myself helping out with the Special Olympic football Camp in D.C. for the NFLPA, and Me at the 1st auction I ever did... Auctioning off a autographed football!!!

Must see Video Tell me what you Think!!!

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:55:54 -0500

Football opens doors to the community. Watch the video! As U see in this Video not only have I been blessed with football. "Football has blessed me with so many other opportunities"!!! Sometimes we live life and forget about others, but without others life Is pointless... We all need other people!!! We were built for companionship!!! Don't go through life being selfish, try giving and helping people out on a regular basis... That doesn't always mean giving people money either... That just means giving yourself to others when the opportunity presents it self... Hope You Enjoy the Video!!! A friend of mine put this together for me in California... Thanks Justin B.

Happy Father's Day!!! The Worst Off Season Ever!!!

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:59:04 -0500

Happy Father's Day to all the Fathers around the World!!! I honestly feel blessed to be a father... I have a beautiful 4 year old son thats an amazing Kid and I love him more than words can say!!! Daddy Loves you Tristan!!! This was The 1st father's day I spent away from my son this year... He's in Atlanta and daddy is in Baltimore packing!!! Yes people packing!!! Getting ready to head back to Atlanta, since I am no longer a Baltimore Raven! This year was supposed to be a contract year for me, but that contract has yet to come... I'm still sitting here waiting on that day to come... My wife and I decided to wait until July with hopes that we wouldn't have to move twice. Hoping that by this time I would already be picked up by a team!!! Well as u see that hasn't happened... YET! So now we are in full swing packing mode!!! And headed back to Atlanta in two weeks!!! Thats my home town, where I was born and raised!!! A lot of people never think about this part of the game... This is the part of the game that you never really hear about... Since I didn't impress the Ravens enough last season, they didn't resign me... But they did give me 5 good years... And for that i am Thankful... Now I have to pack my bags and move, or set up shop in Baltimore. This has been the worse off season Ever... There's nuthing worse than not knowing what's next for you and your family... Football sometimes feels like a girl friend that u love like crazy, but she's always leaving and coming back into your life... Your always doing every thing that you can to show her your love and affection... But she only give you flashes, every blue moon, that she loves you back!!! As soon as you think she is really feeling you, you try to get comfortable... Then she drops you like a bad habit...

Moving on is like starting from scratch... I'm scratching my head like where do I start, where do I go from here?... I've been so faithful to football these last 8 years... Now that she (football) has broken up with me, how do I start to date again (look for another job)??? Should i wait for her, or should i just move on? Is she coming back again? I still LOVE her... It's pretty wierd to think that I would have a serious career for 8 years and that it may be over at 8... I was not prepared for this, but yet I have been preparing for this the whole time!!! Strange right!!! I have my hands In so many other things that its crazy... I'm just not as passionate about other things the way I am about football... I've been playing football for 27 years... It has consumed so many years of my life... So many of my days, so many hours, so many of my minutes... I have truely been blessed with so much in my life that's why I thank God for every opportunity that I get!!! Thank You God!!! My Blessings have never stopped coming... I thank God for my wonderful Wife, who on Fathers day took me to see Anthony Hamilton Perform Live... This was an amazing experience... I Love his passion presented thru his musiq... For those of you that don't know Anthony Hamilton, please try his albums... He has been my favorite R&B Inspiration for the Last 5 years!!! I even liked him back in the day when he did stuff for 2Pac!!! As much as I wanna think that musiq doesnt influence us it does... it sets our moods and persuades us in different directions... Anytime I'm upset I can throw some A. Ham. on and It calms my nerves... well I gotta get out of here so I will catch u guys next Time!!! God Bless...

THE BEST FOOTBALL CAMP!!! JUNE 20TH, 2009

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 07:32:40 -0500

JUNE 20TH, 2009 I HOSTED MY 5TH ANNUAL FREE FOOTBALL CAMP FOR THE KIDS OF BALTIMORE!!! I WAS AWAKEN ON THE MORNING OF THE 20TH BY THE SOUNDS OF A THUNDER STORM... IT DIDN'T SEEM LIKE THE DAY WOULD ACTUALLY HAPPEN... WHEN I GOT TO THE CAMP I WAS SURPRISED TO SEE A GYM FULL OF EAGAR KIDS AND PARENTS... EVEN ON A RAINY DAY PARENTS STILL TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THIS OPPURTUNITY TO BRING THEIR KIDS OUT!!!... I DIDNT KNOW HOW THIS EVENT WOULD TURN OUT SINCE I MOVED THE CAMP FROM RAVENS STADIUM TO CARDINAL GIBBONS HIGH SCHOOL... NOT PLEASED WITH HOW THE CAMPS OF THE PASS HAVE TURNED OUT WE TOTALLY REVISED THE WHOLE CAMP SCHEDULE!!! NEW DRILLS, NEW LAYOUT, NEW PLAN!!!

I WANTED THIS CAMP TO BE ABOUT KNOWLEDGE, NUTRITION, SKILLS, & TECHNIQUE!!! THE VOLUNTEER COACHES FROM HIGHSCHOOLS, MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND RECREATION LEAGUES ALL OVER BALTIMORE SLOWED THINGS DOWN IN THE STATIONS TO TEACH THE KIDS THE PROPER TECHNIQUES!! THIS ALLOWED THEM TO LEARN THINGS THE CORRECT WAY!! IN THE PAST THE CAMPS HAVE SEEMED TO BE DESIGNED TO JUST WEAR THE KIDS OUT!!! I FIGURED THAT IT WOULD BE MUCH BETTER NOT TO WEAR THEM DOWN, BUT JUST TEACH, TEACH, TEACH... IN THE PAST WE HAD KIDS QUITING, CRYING, COMPLAINING AND FEELING SICK!!! SOME OF THEM DIDNT SEEM HAPPY, OR LOOK LIKE THEY WERE ENJOYING THE EXPERIENCE!!!

WELL THIS TIME AROUND THINGS WERE VERY DIFFERENT.. EVERY KID AT THE CAMP FINISHED EVERY DRILL, EVERY EXERCISE AND EVERY EVENT!!! THERE WAS NO COMPLAINING, EVERYONE WAS SMILING, HAVING A GOOD TIME AND WORKED THRU THE RAIN, THE MUD AND THE EXTREME CONDITIONS!!! THE CAMP WAS A SUCCESS!!! TO ME IT WAS THE BEST ONE YET!!! Moses Washington #26 FROM Michael Irving's TV SHOW '4TH & LONG' SPENT ALL MORNING ENGAGING IN DRILLS... AND ALSO SHARED HIS THOUGHTS AND ADVENTURES OF LIFE WITH THE KIDS... Antwan Barnes #50 DE FOR THE BALTIMORE RAVENS CAME OUT AND SPOKE TO THE KIDS AND SHARED HIS STORY AND BELIEFS WITH THE KIDS AND LEFT THEM WITH HIS PRIZE WORDS 'KEEP GOD 1ST AND TEAM WORK'!!! STAND OUT VETERAN RECIEVER Derrick Mason #85 FROM THE BALTIMORE RAVENS ALSO CAME TO SHARE HIS WORDS OF WISDOM WITH THE KIDS... IN THE OBSTACLE COURSE SO THEY COULD COMPETE AGAINST EACH OTHER... 2ND YEAR WR Edward Williams #18 OF THE BALTIMORE RAVENS SPENT THE WHOLE AFTERNOON WITH THE KIDS CHEERING THEM ON AND HE ALSO SHARED HIS PATH TO THE NFL WITH THE KIDS TO KEEP THEM INFORMED THAT IT TOOK SO MUCH HARD WORK FOR US TO BE WHERE WE ARE... THE ROAD WAS NOT EASY AND IT WAS IMPORTANT TO ME TO CONVEY THAT TO THE KIDS!!!

THE THING THAT EMPRESSED ME THE MOST WAS NO MATTER THE AGE OF THE KID, THE SIZE OF THE KID, THEY ALL HAD THE WILLINGNESS TO COMPETE... AND TRUST ME THEY ALL PERFORMED!!! THIS CAMP HAS ME VERY EXCITED TO DO THE NEXT ONE... SEEING THESE KIDS EXCITED ABOUT FOOTBALL THE WAY THEY ARE GETS ME EXCITED TO PLAY THE SEASON NEXT YEAR... I'M FEELING BETTER THAN I HAVE IN A LONG TIME AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING PICKED UP SOON!!! SEE U LATER BALTIMORE, HERE WE COME ATLANTA!!!

Player's Frustration on Sundays

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:25:04 -0500

Alot of people ask me do we players see any tangible benefit or value in designating 8 players from a 53 man roster as inactive on any guven Sunday. I always answer, I kind of see the reasoning behind it but for those eight players its torture. You practice all week not knowing if you are going to play, with the coaches screaming and hollering at you as if you are. Then moments before pre game warm-ups they give you the thumbs down – just after you prepared to play; studied all week; check over your plays one last time before the game; get in the hot and cold tub take a shower; put on you jock, socks, pads and your pants; check your chin strap, jersey, shoulder pads and with one leg in your game pants...Then they come give you the thumbs down and you have to take all the stuff back off, including the war paint you strategically placed on your face and take your mind from assassin mode to cheerleader mode. It’s crazy!

For example, their are guys on the Ravens roster that are lights out in practice but haven't had the opportunity to show the world what they can do during gametime. Edgar Jones, No. 84 is my guy for that vote. This guy is insane. He actually played in some games last year but has yet to be officially let loose. He plays both ways, yes both ways... okay he's a triple threat... Offense, Defense, and Special Teams... but check this out he plays DE, and TE, so he's no little guy... usually when you hear about a guy in the NFL going both ways he's a little guy like a DB or WR...I'm talking 6'4" 270 pounds of muscle! And he's legit! What NFL players do you guys think hasnt had a fair shot on your favorite NFL team?