Many guys will bore you with accounts of their weekends or trips, but I have always come to the yard honestly. And Honestly, I can say I am ready to report for camp and take what's mine. I have never backed down from competition. I have sat down Pro-Bowlers and potential all time greats. I wil "start" this year for my third team and play at a high level, you just need to be ready to see number 94, running out of the tunnel on Game Day, crossing those white lines on Sunday's. I don't think a lot of people know how I approach my job or defend my space on Sunday, but just keeping watching, and stop reading about another athlete's long boring weekend and read the real accounts of someone who is a "Hell of the D-Lineman". Besides most of them don't travel during the week and have no idea how to get a real passport.

As I sit at home, just two weeks before my 10th training camp, I remember my first training camp with the Ravens. We had about 13 D-Lineman in camp and I wasn't even on the 3rd team. I had to fight and claw for every play. I remember having to always work harder just to get noticed by my coaches. After all I was a free agent from Howard University. So I understand the long days on the playing fields, and being cut 3 times, but I am tired of being overlooked and the fans being mislead. Football is more than just the 30 second highlight given on Sunday afternoon. Look at the game that happens between the " white lines". I would like to challenge the fans not only to cheer for the stars, but to look hard and see who are the "real players" on your favorite teams. The NFL, for the most part is a League driven by so called stars, but for every star, there are players who give their all on Sunday's, who's efforts are forgotten. I write and bring these issues up because there are others that feel the same, that others are being somewhat mislead. Mislead to think that their teams are only about 3 or 4 players, and they fail to realize that the team has 53 members. Unlike Tennis, Golf, or Track it takes a team to win a football game. But Fans and the Media are constantly being told it's all about the individual. The sport I love and the game you love will never be about, "one". I am excited about my new team and challenges, but at the same time I am also excited about educating the fans to learn more about their teams, and lend a handshake to all, who bare your favorite colors on Sunday.

I remember being at the training facility in Owings Mills, my rookie year, and feeling as if I were really blessed to have the honor of sharing a my NFL experience with the best athletes in the world. I also remember having the feeling of wanting show my teammates, coaches, and prove to myself that I was supposed to be there. You have to understand, I came from a small school, Howard University. Well known in academics, but small in respects of being an athletic powerhouse. I believe that it is not a right to play professional sports, but it is an honor. A honor that seems to have slipped the minds of some. I look back at some of the all-time greats who played the game, like Deacon Jones and John Randle, and wondered how would they would have dealt with the problems facing the game and communities. I wonder how the social issues that face our communities would be different if, we as professional athletes, would take a stand. A stance that would allow us to lead by example. But currently the example that we have been setting is a disturbing one. I don't know sometimes if I am looking at Sports show, or the Criminal Report of the Day. This is not the example that others have set for us to follow. Sure I can tell you about my day and what I did, but I would much rather share with you some "Food for Thought." And the thought of the day or the week is that we have to change. Change in a way that would allow others to come in and play the game the right way and function in their lives as productive members of society. Athletes used to be revered in the communities and across the world for how the lived their lives, not only during the hours of "the game" but also after the game. If there is one thing I love the most, it is Fall Afternoons playing 60 minutes against an opposing team. But I also love giving back to those same communities where our stadiums are located and residents can't even afford a ticket. What as athletes do we need to do to give back? And what rights do we have? And what as fans are you going to do to give back also.

I have been meaning to come by my yard, and see how things were going. It seems like others have been watering their yard, and my yard needed some T.L.C. As many of you know, I now have a new home with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I am excited to be back closer to my family and friends. San Francisco was very good to me. They have moved on, and I wish them well. I have been training in Florida for the past 3 weeks, and now I am currently training in Charlotte, North Carolina. I must admit, it is nice to be on a team whose focus is winning. So many teams try to win, hope to win, but the Buccaneers are winners. They finished last season in the playoffs and ranked on Defense second in the league. Some might say I moved to one of the best teams in the NFL, and I must agree. The atmosphere at the complex is amazing. From the time you walk in the door, you are treated with "class." The locker rooms, steam rooms, and the weight rooms are awesome. The coaches are young and passionate about every player on the roster. That passion is infectious to everyone.

I have also had the chance to spend time in my college town of Washington, D.C. Two weeks ago I received a JB Award for outstanding community service. The award is named after James Brown, current television host who recognizes players for their efforts to impact their communities. It was encouraging to meet and spend time with others who share a love for their communities and others. Many of our stadiums are located in areas of the city, where the residents cannot even afford a ticket to the games. Their NFL Sundays consist of watching us (NFL Players and Fans) drive through the neighborhoods and then leave. It was once said that "Silence can be viewed as Betrayal," to many of us have been silent about the problems in our community. I challenge everyone to not close their eyes, but to open them, to impact the cities our children call their home.

So many people are getting ready to watch the last game of the year. I wonder how many people want to see a "Real Game." I am talking about one that displays the courage, and heart. The display of athlete's giving their all for the NFL's ultimate prize. I am curious to know how many fans will set and watch on Sunday and really understand the game.

Who will really appreciate the 2-yard runs, not just the big throws, or a defense getting a three and out and forcing the offense to kick the ball. Who will admire those few athletes playing on Sunday whose names aren't Brady and Manning. What fan really knows what it feels like to do there jobs so others look good. Who will lay it on the line and fight through pain and injuries. Win the clock strikes midnight, who will be left partying and who will be left to console.

I can appreciate just like others a hard-fought game, but I have to ask myself, does the average fan want to see a Real Game or a blowout. Many people can see themselves in the shoes of the Giants, going up against a Mountain, that has turned everyone back, or trying to do something 18 other teams could not. As a professional, I admire the courage it takes to stand up against the odds, after all if you never take a chance you will never know how successful you can be.

I remember growing up as child my parents teaching me the importance of telling the truth and never giving anything but my best. Many times as a child I had to struggle just to show I was worthy of being in a regular class, let alone the football field. As I flashed back and recalled memories of staying up late at night for exams in college, I used to think to myself, what if I were to really give my best by applying myself, I would be inferior to no one. I remember not always knowing what it meant to be mature. I thought when I arrived in San Francisco, it was all about me, and little did I know I would be humbled by the presence of Bryant Young and Larry Allen, two potential Hall of Famers. I had to work hard in college to redeem myself from all the excuses I had used my freshmen year. In order for me to have a chance at redemption first in the classroom, and on the field it came at a price. The price of studying and maturing taught me a lot. And as I am still in the process of maturing today, I have realized that after arguably one of my best seasons in the NFL, I would trade in my personal success any day just so my team would have a crack at success. One of the loneliest feelings a player can have is sitting at home watching the NFL's elite teams battle for the ultimate crown. No matter how much money you have in the bank, or cars in the garage, and diamonds around your neck, you still can't buy your way into the playoffs, nobody's watching what you're driving or wearing because you're not playing. Herman Edwards said it so passionately "We Play to Win the Game" nothing less. Nobody respects those teams that don't make it to the playoffs. For those teams that came up short, they will be drastically changed next year. There will be some team later on this year who will make that change. Some team will close the gap, some group of men will band together and learn that it is not about personal goals, it is all about their team. I could never feel at peace with myself after my team finished at 5-11. Eleven Sundays we as a team did not get it done. I remember when there was a time where I was just happy to be in the NFL, wanting to just make a team and have a good start on in life. Now I want to become the best player that my team needs on game day. Whether that is stoping the run or getting pressure on the quaterback, I am at that point where I have learned that the NFL is no place for indivduals; it's all about the team. Yes, many people will go to the Pro Bowl and rightfully so, but only one team will win in Arizona. Who cares how many tackles or sacks you had if your team looses. There is no doubt in my mind I know the guys in Santa Clara (49ers) want to win, and I hope I'm there to show them I want to win also.

Many people are currently spending time at their local shopping malls or online, trying to finish up some last minute shopping, so I'll be brief. I've too had my share of standing in line trying to find that one last gift. If there is one thing I love, and that's surprising someone on the 25th with a gift they have always wanted. After spending so many years growing up in a sound household with parents who instilled in me the real meaning of Christmas, it took me along time to really understand. Understand that God has blessed my family and I to be a light for others. While several spend time trying to serenade others with expensive gifts and other objects, most only want the one thing we as athletes have a hard time giving and that's "time". I've always thought that it was easy just to "Write the Check", just tell me how much, and I would try to meet your need. I have lost out big, not taken the chance to understand their true needs, and it has taken me a while to understand that money never really fixes the problem, it just disguise it. But as I've grown, I've learned how to give something much more than just a cash, I've learned how to give them my time. In time, I can try to teach and indoctrinate them like my mother and father taught my brothers and I. I'm no longer engrossed in their "Today", I want others to start thinking about their tomorrow. Because tomorrow will come, whether you are prepared or not. Tomorrow, will have it's own set of challenges. Tomorrow is also where you have to "Man Up"; it's where you can make amends. I've meet so many fans that live and die with our wins and losses, and they don't realize that it's just a game, but what's really important is how you play the game. While our record that stands at 4 wins and 10 losses might not be superlative, but for many of us who cross those white lines on Sunday, we're playing the game with every once of God given talent we have, talent that if you were a true fan you would see. Please don't look at what others say, let's role the film, and you will see the eyes of an veteran that is as dominate in defending the run as "Prime Time" was in stopping pass. I have statistics, but I also have a heart. I'm not going to sell out others for the price of fame. I can't be concerned with what others may say about the 49ers, instead I press toward the "Mark". The mark, as it's pertains to football is the Super Bowl or Pro Bowl, but in life it's being the man that is

I am sorry for not cutting the grass in my yard early, but I have shown up today to make sure that by the the time I am done it will be well manicured. The respect we seek as professional athletes is not always given. Just like in life, the best things in life come to those who work hard for them. In the NFL sometimes the best athletes go unnoticed. Instead fans are told who they should cheer for, instead of taking the step to really research who they are actually applauding. For example, a D-Lineman I know of in the League, who is currently tied for 2nd when is comes to tackles, 1st in the category of Tackles for Loss, and among the top in total plays by any D-Lineman. But his local fan base still regards him as just an okay player.

Where have the real fans gone? No longer are we interested in someone's "production" we like to hear about his "potential". Just because someone can run fast and jump high doesn't make him a candidate for the Pro-Bowl. A good player should be judged by not one statistical category, but by what he totally brings to the game. Many people don't realize a sack is just a tackle for loss on the quarterback. No longer are the days of glorifying the run stoppers, we would rather interview the "prima madonna's". Fans used to be so protective over their teams, they treated their team athletes like family. Fans used to adhere to the code of not wearing anything but their team's color, cheering for their teams in losses or in victory, and players felt safe in their presence. Loyalty has changed in the NFL. Nowadays coaches leave the jobs just as fast as players. Productive players who want to stay and make their teams a winner are sometimes shown the door, because of the "potential" of others.

We are taught to give back to our communities and support them at all cost, but what happens when that support is not reciprocated. Once in a while I come across some real fans, who care more about supporting their teams than their fantasy football rating, fans who can not afford to go to the games so they listen on the radio. Fans who will shake your hand and look you in the eyes. Fans who appreciate where you come from (undrafted) and what you bring to the game. The Game has not only changed on the field, but off as well.

I have been writing over the past few weeks about topics that have been really important to me. Today I would like to tell everyone about a "Good Friend". I first meet my friend at a very early age. At first I thought I was to young to play with him. I remember watching him on Friday nights at my brother's high school. To hang with him, you had to be pretty brave, because the places and friends he hung around with, were "Bad". I always looked up to my brothers and others, because they had a chance to hang around with him. I would look at him, in distances, and always knew I would one day get my chance to meet him face to face. Before I knew him others had informed me of the price they paid just to befriend him.

As I grew up I would see him mostly during the winter. At first I wasn't sure if I wanted to pay that price that so many others had paid before me. It wasn't until I was in High School I finally start making the transition to paying that price. I remember staying after school with one of my firends and his father and he taught us "his" version of how to lift weights. I did not know that paying the price would mean working so hard just to get a chance at being his friend. Later on I realized that by just knowing him a little, it would give me a chance to go on to further my education and attend Howard University. While still keeping him close, he guided me while I was in school to work hard and position myself to get invited to an NFL team as an undrafted free agent. After college he tried his best to go his seperate way, but I insisted that he stay around for a while. He stayed but the cost once again proved to be high. After 2 ACL surgeries on both my knees, a dislocated elbow, and a host of other issuses, he is still around. And as long as I remain loyal to him I will have to pay. The cost of having him around is costly. He just doesn't tolerate being around average people.

There are only 1600 people worldwide who activley spend time with him weekly. We fight at times, he humbles me daily, my friend is not shy at all -- you can watch him on Sundays, Mondays, and occassionally Thurdays. After all he's not only my friend, he might be yours also.

I remember returning a little sore to San Jose on Sunday after a long awaited victory over the Cardinals. As I woke up on Monday, to what is known as a "Win" Monday, it soon became clear that the win was short lived. The news hit the locker room that Sean Taylor had been shot. I immediately said a prayer and thought about his family, teammates, and coaches. As I came into work on Tuesday the news spread through the weight room. Sean Taylor had passed and a feeling of disbelief came across my face.

I didn't know him, but when your in the NFL you feel like you know everyone. His death made me remember the hot preseason game in August 2005 against the Broncos. In 2005, the 49er family lost a player in the locker room right after the game. It is customary that all teams, win or lose, say the Lord's prayer after the game. As we sat on our knees, clinching one another's hands, one of our teammates never got up. It is a vision I can see still to this day. As I watched the medical staff attend to Thomas I knew he'd get up, but he didn't. The very site of doctors giving CPR to him and trying to revive him seemed, at the time, unreal. There was a moment when the doctors paused, looked at each other, and decided to move him to the hospital. At that point I knew he was dead.

That night, the plane ride was emotional, to say the least. I remember trying to hide my face as the coaches came around to check on us because the tears were just falling. I barely knew Thomas. I had only small conversations with him but still I felt like I lost a brother. I also recalled sitting in my townhome in Maryland, and learing of the death of Pat Tillman. I surfed the TV stations to find out more. The more I learned about his untimely death the more the hurt and the emotion took over. I sat on the floor of my basement and once again had to hide my face. Thomas Herion, Sean Taylor, Pat Tillman, Marquis Hill, Darrent Williams, Derrick Thomas, Reggie White and others are gone too early. Someone has to tell their stories.

What made these men great were not their skills on Sunday, but how they lived there life Monday through Saturday. These men were fathers, one was a solider, minister, hall of famers, brothers, colleagues, graduates, trail blazers, christians, friends to some, and husbands to their wives. Their position on their former teams have been filled, fans no longer cheer them on, but what can never be forgotten is what made them great off the field to the people that knew them as family.

Rest In Peace

As much as I would like to believe that Clarke Kent (Superman) will be coming to Candlestick Park some day, not even he could make it in my Yard. But I have seen 53 guys dedicated to changing the culture in the Bay area. You won't find any phone booths in our locker room or any women and children. Instead you will become witness to an environment like none other. You will see men transforming themselves into modern day Glaidators.

For a short while the eyes of Christians are blood shot with rage and hate. We tape everything from our ankles, knees, wrist, fingers and various other parts of our body that might get injured. Our shields are our helmets, our armour our pads, and anyone who wears a different uniform are the enemy. As we enter into our arena the fans cheer for big hits, and the bone clinching tackles.

No one team leaves the field on Sunday without being somewhat dismantled. Players who enter their training facilities on Monday are greeted by doctors, athletic trainers, and other medical staff ready to put them back together. No matter what our record is, we have to perform. Nobody wants to hear about a sore ankle or a brusied knee. They want to see us compete.

If one of us goes down, they will cheerfully applaud your backup. In the NFL it's all about the Players on Sunday. Coaches don't cross the white lines, players do. Sure they are responsible for the game plan and spend over 60 to 70 hours a week to give us information on our opposition. But it is still all about the Players.

Fictional characters like Superman, Spiderman, and Blade could never make it in my Yard, because there is nothing fictional about the pain I feel two days after a game, or the temperature of the cold tub after practice, or the way my finger feels after a game. This is my Yard, not too many people choose to enter the gates or even drive by, many just sit and watch and tell what would they do if they were here.

As a professional I am supposed to at all times conduct myself as such. Even in victory and in defeat we are to carry ourselves with class. I have to be honest, it is hard facing your coaches, family, and fans after a loss. I've seen people crying after a loss, I've even shed tears, because a loss can mean the difference between food tasting good at dinner or bad, the coke tasting just right or flat; bottom line, it affects several things. Like I've stated in previous entries I play the game not for money, fame, or for myself. I play the game for "Respect". Even in defeat, or a close victory, I will always hold my head high because I know, I can leave the field knowing I have given my all. And you don't have to wonder if I did or not, just watch the film. The eye in the sky never lies. The "eye" is the game film. It tells a story much different than what you will see on your favorite sports shows. It makes the all-pros seem "human" the non-drafted players "stand-out". There is one thing that I was taught as a young man, and that is humble in victory and hold your head up in defeat. We all will win but there is another side, failure. It is hard when you lose in the NFL. I don't mind the pain that comes in playing the games. But it hurts even more enduring that pain in a loss. ESPN should come to my house on Monday morning to see me walk after a game or to see me spend hours in the cold tub every week trying to get prepared for our game, or the hours of film me and my teammates watch through the week so on Sunday we can compete at a high level. Yes I am living my dream and I love playing football, but through all the ups and downs, or while I am doing a session at the Juvenile Detenion Center, teaching inmates Life Skills, I love giving back to others, what's been giving to me a chance to be great. I'm paid on Sundays to play great, but I also have an obligation to great to my community.

I remember personally, draft day. My name during that long weekend never got called. While sitting on my parents' couch in Greensboro, North Carolina, I wanted so badly for the commissioner to call my name, but that never happened. While driving back to school, James Harris, Director of Personnel, called and offered me a free agent contract. Later on that week I signed a contract to join the Baltimore Ravens, with no signing bonus.

I remember leaving for camp and taking everything I owned because I knew I was not coming home. Through 2 ACL surgeries and NFL Europe, nine years later I am still somewhat waiting for someone to recognize my talent, and we are a pretty good team that has some growing pains. I think Bryant Young said it the best a couple days ago, "There are no moral victories in football". We are supposed to play hard, be on time, and give 100% everyday. When I am on the field, I love playing against guys who were drafted, the big time All-Americans, and other celebrity athletes.

At the end of the game, what is more important to me than any paycheck, endorsement deal, and any television camera, is the respect I get from other players; the look I get from coaches when they want to see whose face is under the helmet. The stare from your compettion when you're warming up before the game because they know I play with every ounce of passion in my body. I play hard because players like Willie Roaf and John Ogden made me play that way in practice everyday. I play for the coaches who work 70 plus hours a week. I play for Athletes from smaller schools because I want to pave the way for them, for those fans who can not afford a ticket to the game. I also play for those former athletes who are no longer in the NFL. I remember sitting and watching old NFL highlight films, on VHS tapes at Howard University, listening to John Randle, L.T., Reggie White and others talk about the game. I always thought about what could I do to make it, and be successful. Those thoughts made me realize that I had to be "true to the game", I could not cheat it. I was going to have to come early and stay late, study my compettion, and take advantage of every mistake made by the offense on Sunday.

Nine years later I still play for all those reasons. I have a family now, so that means the list only grows, but so does my passion on the field.

We are built for the last two months of the season. If you look at our roster we have about 10 guys who have either made the Pro Bowl, or are going to make it, and we have Super Bowl Experience. We have the fastest LB in the game Patrick Willis, the hardest working DB in the Business Nate Clements, the Hardest hitting safety in the Game, Mike Lewis, and a D-line who can match up with anybodys numbers (tackles, sacks). The strongest O-lineman in Larry Allen, and the Best RB in the NFC, the strongest FullBack in the NFL, Two 1,000 yard WR.

This is why I know we are coming, we have taken everyone's best shot, and know it's payback time. We are all professionals and we know how to win. Our next opponents that we are coming to face are going to be some good games, they have speed, and the ability to make some really big plays. But when I sit and think about what we have, I like our odds.

I'm not a betting man but I have a feeling it's time for some old school football. I can see us playing lights out on Defense, we just have to do it, one play at a time and one game at a time. I give up 3 to 8 inches in height, and 30 to 60 pounds in weight to my opposition every time. On the other hand, they get me, a 6'2 290 pound man who has studied their every move and will play his position like God intended him to.