Archive for Minnesota Vikings
NFL Personalities: The Nice Guys I’ve Met
Posted by: | CommentsFans love knowing that the players they follow are genuinely nice people, or at least try hard to be. The irony is that some pro athletes get so much media coverage for their athletic accomplishments, but their real personalities rarely get to shine.
I have been fortunate to meet and interview more than 200 professional athletes over the years, mostly from the NFL. Some are as you might expect—uninterested, and issuing as many short answers as they can come up with. But I’ve also come across plenty who have been remarkably friendly and as accommodating.
Some of you can probably relate. You’ve had the chance to meet a player you’ve been following for years. Maybe he was cooler than you ever imagined. Maybe he was a jerk for whatever reason. Either experience can greatly affect your opinion of him, and how closely you’ll continue to follow him.
It’s always refreshing talking to a player who seems to be interested in meeting you. A handful stand out as the nicest and friendliest players I’ve ever met: here’s a recap of some of my experiences with them.
Terrence Newman, CB, Cowboys
When I introduced myself to Newman (a.k.a. T-New), I told him I was from Dallas and was glad that the Cowboys picked him. We just sat down and talked a bit about the Cowboys and playing his college ball in the Big 12.
Newman is a really funny guy. We were at the NFL Rookie Premiere Photo Shoot and he’d grab the photographers’ cameras and start taking his own pictures of other players.
He posed for a quick, impromptu photo shoot for the cover Beckett Football—the magazine I was covering the event for. He wasn’t being paid any extra for it, and he wasn’t contracted to do it. But he was more than willing and accommodating.
Several weeks later, when the magazine was printed with him on the cover, he even signed several copies for us to show his appreciation.
Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings
As a life-long Texas Longhorns fan, I used to have a respectful distain for Adrian Peterson. Before I met him, I had this vision of a cocky, entitled superstar.
I was completely wrong.
Physically, my first impression of Peterson was just as I’d expected—a lean, rock-solid natural athlete. In fact, when I shook his hand, he squeezed my knuckles like they were cotton balls. He truly doesn’t know his own strength. It made me feel about a foot tall.
But Peterson has a very inviting disposition—as if he’s comfortable with anything you throw at him. He was constantly smiling every time I looked over at him. He was more than happy to pose for a couple pictures with a copy of Beckett Football with him on the cover.
It’s always cool to see a personality like Peterson taking over the league. The guy as rushed for more than 3,000 yards and 22 touchdowns in just two seasons. No doubt, he’s added a ton of fans to his crowded bandwagon: those fans can rest knowing that Peterson is a kind-hearted guy who absolutely loves football.
Matt Ryan, QB, Falcons
Matt Ryan takes home the Mr. Nice Guy trophy. In fact, he was almost too nice.
Ryan was a rookie when I interviewed him, and at first he seemed more like a church youth minister than an NFL quarterback. He was kind of thin and baby-faced, but I could tell he was smart and confident in a Peyton Manning sort of way. You can tell when a player is really listening to what you are saying to them when they start talking to you in more of a conversational tone, instead of just answering questions you are firing off. Such was the case with Ryan.
About halfway through our interview, Ryan had to be at another spot at the event we were at, but he insisted that I walk with him to finish the interview. So I did. I could tell he was trying his best to listen closely to my questions and answer them with as much detail as he could.
A couple of days later it was announced that Ryan had signed a six-year, $72 million contract with the Falcons. Maybe that’s why he was in such a good mood. Either way, Ryan is on to a great start to his career, having led his team to the playoffs in his rookie year. Heck, his first pass in the NFL went for a touchdown. It’s great to see a guy like him having such early success.
Patrick Willis, LB, 49ers
There are just a few players I’ve met who stand out as guys who seem to take football very seriously, and truly love the game. Guys like Texans WR Andre Johnson, 49ers RB Frank Gore, Lions WR Calvin Johnson, and Patrick Willis.
Willis was a beast in the SEC for Mississippi. I’ve asked several former SEC offensive players to name the toughest player they’ve ever had to face, and many of them named Willis. He led the NFL in tackles his rookie year (2007) and was second last year.
As dominating as he’s already become, when I met him, talking to Willis was like talking to an old friend I hadn’t seen in years. He also was one of the more conversational players I’ve ever interviewed. He went on and on about his approach to the game and what he needs to get better at. I could tell right away that there was no way Patrick Willis was going to fail in the NFL. If he was a stock, I would have bought all I could. He was one of those rare athletes that you just want to get to know more about on a personal level.
Dallas Clark, TE, Colts
Clark is possibly the most down-to-earth player I’ve ever come across. He instantly struck me as someone who does not belong among the superstar Hollywood-persona athletes. He had this overwhelming awe about actually being in the NFL. He’s more shy farm boy than Pro Bowl tight end.
I showed him the value of some of his early football cards in an issue of Beckett Football, and while flipping through the magazine he said, “I hope I’m not a common.”
Kind of ironic (not to mention funny), I think. Clark is now one of the best tight ends in the game, but is as much of a common man as anyone you’ll ever run across.
Trent Edwards, QB, Bills
You’d never peg Trent Edwards for an NFL quarterback. He looks as average as can be, and isn’t the prototypical big-frame, strong-arm signal caller you’d expect to see from an NFL starting QB.
Edwards’ quiet demeanor was refreshing when I met him in 2007. He was signing a bunch of autographs for NFL Auctions and I noticed how slowly he signed, which was completely different from just about every player out there. Then I looked closer and saw him signing every letter in his name in nice cursive handwriting: T-r-e-n-t E-d-w-a-r-d-s.
I asked him if it was important to him to sign a neat signature on autographed items. He responded, “Absolutely.” He said that if people are going to spend money for a simple thing like his signature, he would feel terrible if it wasn’t perfect.
Edwards clearly came across as someone who felt almost overwhelmed about making it to the NFL. He was completely respectful of the league and the career ahead of him.
Not all players can be Dallas Clarks or Adrian Petersons. But the ones who take the time to really show their respect for the game they play, and their appreciation for the fans that follow them: those are the ones who are humble at heart.
Those players are the ones who will be loved years after they retire, the ones who make cheering for our heroes so much fun.
David Lee is a Dallas-based writer, and the former editor of Beckett Football and Beckett Basketball. To see more of his work, visit his website at www.MrWriteMedia.com.
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Dear Brett: Please Stay Home
Posted by: | CommentsI have to admit it: as a Vikings fan, I’m very torn on my opinion of the latest Brett Favre saga that has been unfolding over the last month or so. My opinion swings back and forth depending on the day, my mood, the weather. I know that’s not necessarily a great foundation for an opinion piece, but I think Vikings fans should be — and in few cases, are — more conflicted on this than it seems they are.
On one hand, The Purple don’t necessarily have an obviously better alternative to the future Hall of Famer on their current roster. The Vikings drafted (and most certainly, reached) for Tarvaris Jackson in the second round in the 2006 draft, thinking he would be The Guy, and he hasn’t been. Then in February, they traded for journeyman backup Sage Rosenfels, who it is assumed (hoped?) will be the starter once the season begins — in a Favre-less Vikings world. My favorite description of Rosenfels at the time of that deal was that he was a “rich man’s Gus Frerotte,” referencing the backup QB who eventually took the starter’s job from Tarvaris after the young Alabama State product had two dreadful games to start last season. Frerotte led them back to some moderate respectability before eventually giving way in time for TJack to oversee a first-round playoff exit. “A rich man’s Gus Frerotte” is not an inspiring comparison.
It’s pretty widely accepted that the main issue handicapping the Vikings — owners of the NFL’s best running back in Adrian Peterson, a stout offensive line and a rock-solid defense highlighted by arguably the best defensive line in football — is the lack of a bona fide starting NFL quarterback. That certainly makes Favre an appealing option.
On the other hand, there are all sorts of ways this thing could turn out badly for the Vikings if Favre ends up in the fold. And furthermore, it’s kind of degrading waiting on him to make up his mind, knowing that the main reason he’s interested in playing in Minnesota in the first place is revenge. He wants to stick it to the Packers, and playing for their cross-border rivals in Minnesota is simply the most effective vehicle to do so. It’s kind of like dating a girl you know is just going out with you to get back at an old boyfriend, but she’s hot (or at least she used to be, you remember, when he was dating her) so you just ignore her empty kisses and passionless company and enjoy it while it lasts. But inside, you feel dirty.
And this Princess is turning out to be pretty high-maintenance in the waning of her hotness (and if you turn the lights on, she’s really not all that attractive anymore anyway). Everything is going to be done when Princess is good and ready, if at all, and don’t expect her to come visit you for organized team activities (perhaps stretching the analogy a little bit there).
All the while, we don’t much like the old boyfriend either, so we’re more than willing to go along with the ruse, even though the old boyfriend dumped Princess because she was past her prime, and ultimately not worth waiting on every year to hear whether she was going to dump them first. Now the ex has a new flame, and there’s little question in my mind Aaron Rodgers is a better catch right now than Favre.
But none if this messiness changes the fact that the Packers are going to retire Favre’s No. 4 some day, and when they do their fans will all stand and applaud, the lovefest will resume, and with time the indignity of his playing for the Vikings will be forgotten — even if he were to win a championship in Minnesota.
And therein lies the main problem I have. The Vikings’ judgment is being clouded by their eternal yearning for that elusive championship. If you could guarantee the Purple would go to the Super Bowl and lose with Favre under center, a lot of Vikings fans would sign up just for that chance; but many Vikings fans older than I have been there, done that before. Once upon a time, nobody lost Super Bowls as effectively and as often as the Vikings, but now even those modest, empty successes (some might call them epic failures) are a distant memory (and nothing but a fuzzy rumor to someone my age). But if you make this move, it’s Super Bowl or bust. Because if it doesn’t work, suddenly you’re left with even fewer QB options on the other end of this experiment as you have now.
Vikings fans have long since given up on Tarvaris — some of them before he even took an NFL snap — but the organization says it hasn’t. Trading for Rosenfels and committing to a two-year contract for him isn’t exactly the biggest vote of confidence for TJack, but he really hasn’t done much to warrant one. If the Vikings weren’t convinced in March and April that these two guys were the answer though, why not go after Jay Cutler, a quarterback who at least has a future in the NFL, something that can’t really be said of Favre (or, many Vikes fans will argue, Jackson or Rosenfels)?
Under the Favre-in-purple scenario, in two years No. 4 will hopefully (mercifully) be retired, Jackson will have atrophied on the bench for two seasons he couldn’t afford to do so, and Rosenfels will be an unrestricted free agent. John David Booty, the former USC quarterback whom the Vikings drafted in 2008, likely would be looking for a job this fall as the fourth QB on the depth chart right now. The Vikings didn’t draft a quarterback in ’09, so what the team intends to do in a potential post-Favre era is unclear.
I would have less of a problem with the whole situation if Favre weren’t being so maddeningly selfish. If you want to play fine, go for it. But if Brett Favre truly didn’t know in February that he wanted to play football again in 2009, he was the only one. So he waited until May to have the operation on his shoulder, mathematically guaranteeing that he would be unable to participate in last month’s OTAs while he waits to see if his arm is healthy enough to play. Of course nobody, even Favre, is that indecisive. He just doesn’t want to put in the work before he’s good and ready. He thinks he’s good enough to just stroll into training camp, shake some hands, give a few sound bites and go out and be The Legend that John Madden and so many other media folk have been breathlessly telling him that he is for most of the past two decades.
So once again, he has put an entire organization (never mind a fan base) in limbo. Now Jackson and Rosenfels are working out and doing their due diligence to make sure they’re ready if called on, with the knowledge in the back of their minds that Favre could swoop in and render all their preparation meaningless at his own personal whim. It means that receivers will be busting their tails in workouts with a quarterback who may not be throwing the ball to them when it counts.
Make no mistake, if Favre’s shoulder is healthy, he will be quarterbacking the Minnesota Vikings this season. And Vikes fans will smile, bury their self esteem and welcome the aging beauty with open arms.
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