PatsWin2002
09-02-2005, 08:55 AM
Second chances are ...
Former Heisman winner Ron Dayne looking for redemption with fresh start in Denver
By Trent Modglin (tmodglin@pfwmedia.com)
Sept. 2, 2005
Second chances in the NFL can come about quite often, perhaps as often as they do in any other line of work anywhere, even Hollywood. They’re handed out like cake at an 8-year-old’s birthday party.
But when those opportunities do run out, they tend to do so quickly, like a parent’s patience at just such a birthday party. Just ask Rashaan Salaam or Cade McNown, among hundreds of others.
Ron Dayne didn’t want to see that happen. Which is why, searching for a fresh start after the Giants finally gave up on him this spring, he and his agent were busy trying to line up free-agent visits.
But then, out of the blue, Mike Shanahan called, and everything changed.
When you’re a running back, and Mike Shanahan calls, you don’t put him on hold. You drop everything — kids and dinner included — and you start using “Sir” at the end of your sentences.
Getting to run the football in Shanahan’s system in Denver is like getting a golf lesson from Tiger Woods or real-estate advice from Donald Trump. You get there early, listen intently, eyes wide as saucers.
Since Shanahan’s arrival in 1995, the Broncos have gained more yards on the ground than every other team in the NFL. He has a knack for turning late-round picks or free-agent castoffs into 1,000-yard rushers every year. It’s just what he does.
Dayne said he didn’t know that Denver was even interested in his services, but Shanahan and his coaching staff had been busy watching tape of him — not from his sparse playing time with the Giants, but collegiately at Wisconsin, where the Badgers utilized a downhill, zone-blocking scheme similar to the one the Broncos have made famous at the pro level.
When he arrived in Denver, he was ecstatic. Not only was he well aware of the track record of success there, but the coaches were all down to earth and didn’t have a real favorite at running back coming into training camp. Things were wide open in competition with Mike Anderson, Tatum Bell and company. But expectations?
“I didn’t have any,” he admitted. “They called me, and I was surprised and happy because I usually watch Denver because I know a couple of the guys on the team. And I knew the scheme, and they always had the big-time rushers and guys that ran for a lot of yards. You always watch that as a running back.”
The rest:
http://profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFL/AFC/AFC+West/Denver/Features/2005/modglin090205.htm
Former Heisman winner Ron Dayne looking for redemption with fresh start in Denver
By Trent Modglin (tmodglin@pfwmedia.com)
Sept. 2, 2005
Second chances in the NFL can come about quite often, perhaps as often as they do in any other line of work anywhere, even Hollywood. They’re handed out like cake at an 8-year-old’s birthday party.
But when those opportunities do run out, they tend to do so quickly, like a parent’s patience at just such a birthday party. Just ask Rashaan Salaam or Cade McNown, among hundreds of others.
Ron Dayne didn’t want to see that happen. Which is why, searching for a fresh start after the Giants finally gave up on him this spring, he and his agent were busy trying to line up free-agent visits.
But then, out of the blue, Mike Shanahan called, and everything changed.
When you’re a running back, and Mike Shanahan calls, you don’t put him on hold. You drop everything — kids and dinner included — and you start using “Sir” at the end of your sentences.
Getting to run the football in Shanahan’s system in Denver is like getting a golf lesson from Tiger Woods or real-estate advice from Donald Trump. You get there early, listen intently, eyes wide as saucers.
Since Shanahan’s arrival in 1995, the Broncos have gained more yards on the ground than every other team in the NFL. He has a knack for turning late-round picks or free-agent castoffs into 1,000-yard rushers every year. It’s just what he does.
Dayne said he didn’t know that Denver was even interested in his services, but Shanahan and his coaching staff had been busy watching tape of him — not from his sparse playing time with the Giants, but collegiately at Wisconsin, where the Badgers utilized a downhill, zone-blocking scheme similar to the one the Broncos have made famous at the pro level.
When he arrived in Denver, he was ecstatic. Not only was he well aware of the track record of success there, but the coaches were all down to earth and didn’t have a real favorite at running back coming into training camp. Things were wide open in competition with Mike Anderson, Tatum Bell and company. But expectations?
“I didn’t have any,” he admitted. “They called me, and I was surprised and happy because I usually watch Denver because I know a couple of the guys on the team. And I knew the scheme, and they always had the big-time rushers and guys that ran for a lot of yards. You always watch that as a running back.”
The rest:
http://profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFL/AFC/AFC+West/Denver/Features/2005/modglin090205.htm