A Post

Okay last time I was talking about the book Quite Strength and I still am.  Tony finished out his college career as one of the high up quarterback and when the draft came (it wasn't televised back then) he and a buddy were waiting bye the phone.  They waited....and waited.....and waited.....and waited.....and then the phone finally rang.  His buddy, Herm was taken in the 100 something round by the Redskins.  Tony was happy for his friend but no afraid for himself.  So he waited....and waited...but the call would never come.  He hand't been drafted and it wouldn't be until a few days later that he would get a call from the Steelers to pick him up as a free agent, as a DB.  He'd never played DB before never even considered it but that's apparently what god wanted for him so he went with it.  Later people would say that he wasn't drafted as a QB because of his height, or his weight, or his arm...and yet some would even say it was because of his color.  That seems like a laughable idea now with Michael Vick and Cam Newton playing football, but back then maybe it was true, maybe the NFL wasn't ready for a black pro quarterback.  That's something that we'll probably never know...and perhaps it's better that way.  Anyway he went to Pittsburgh for training camp and thought he;d never make it.  He has some of the greatest players at DB in front of him and they weren't even starting, but he figured that if he was going to be there he might as well work his ass off to make it.  So he studied film, he asked questions and those great DB's took him under their wing in a way and taught him the position, and lo and behold, he made the roster.  Those same players also helped him become a better Christian.  They were dedicated to their faith in a way that Tony admired and hoped to achieve.  They knew that football was a game, a great game, but still only a game.  And that it was not football that should define them but their faith and character as men.  Well that's all I got so until next time