A Must Read Selvin Young piece... - The Orange Mane

Memento · 08-31-2007, 08:03 PM

A young kid w/talent and goals. I like it. Interesting read...

**************************

Selvin Young latest out-of-nowhere back to excel for Denver Broncos
2 hours ago

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Two weeks ago, Selvin Young was buried deep in the Broncos' depth chart. Now, he's primed to join the long list of out-of-nowhere running backs to make their mark in Denver.

Injuries to starter Travis Henry (knee) and backup Mike Bell (hip) at Dallas two weeks ago opened the door for Young, and the undrafted free agent from the University of Texas burst right through it with dazzling performances in the final two exhibition games.

Young again was singled out by coach Mike Shanahan after his 12-yard touchdown run in Denver's 21-3 win over Arizona in his final audition for a roster spot Thursday night.

Bell returned from a hip injury a week earlier than expected but was moved to fullback along with Cecil Sapp against the Cardinals while Young started and shared snaps with Andre Ball, who scored twice.

Young led the Broncos in rushing in the pre-season, gaining 167 yards on 34 carries for a 4.9-yard average and scoring two touchdowns.

He's followed in the footsteps of Bell, an undrafted rookie last year who was the surprise of camp by leapfrogging a bunch of veterans and eventually settling into a backup role behind Tatum Bell, where he rushed for 677 yards and eight touchdowns.

His move to fullback Thursday night - along with Young's performance at tailback - might portend a different role for Bell this season - or maybe even his release when rosters are set Saturday.

Young, whose college career was derailed by injuries, including a shattered right ankle in 2004, is as healthy as he's ever been and showed a burst that has the Broncos re-examining their thoughts about who will spell Henry.

So do the Broncos, who believe they've unearthed yet another gem that everybody else passed over. That long list includes sixth-round pick Terrell Davis in 1995, Olandis Gary, Reuben Droughns and Bell.

"It's good that I wasn't drafted. I wouldn't be here right now if I was," Young said. "I always knew that everything was going to work out for me just fine in the future. I was always just waiting for the moment when I could feel good."

And that's been a long time coming.

Dogged by injuries throughout his five years at Texas, Young's phone never rang on draft weekend, so, he signed as a free agent with the running-rich Broncos, in part, he said, because he knew he'd get a fair shake in Denver.

He didn't leave his bravado at the border, either.

"Of course, I felt like I was the best running back coming out of this draft," Young said. "But I got my whole entire career to prove that and not let someone else decide by picking people who's that guy."

Young wrote out a list of 35 goals when he got to Denver, things like "be coaching every day, finishing every run, never leaving a yard on the field."

"I've been checking them off pretty steadily without any setbacks so far," he said. "I had a feeling if I were able to accomplish every goal that without a doubt I would be able to make the team, and I don't have any blank spots on my goals."

He also is free of pain for the first time since his senior year in high school.

"I had more fun than I've had playing football in the last five years. I'm healthy, I can run, I can do things on the field without being hampered by injuries," he said. "It feels good. It almost feels like I'm starting football all over again."

And yet, Young insists even the Broncos don't realize all the talents he brings to their backfield.

"Not by far. I feel like I've got great hands, I feel like I would be able to stretch some defences out of the backfield as well as running the football. That's another dimension to the game that I can't wait to showcase. I have some return skills as well," Young said.

"I feel like I'm a football player. Whatever it is, Xs and Os, I can get it done."
http://canadianpress.google.com/arti...ljdLZafNzYxZgQ

footstepsfrom#27 · 08-31-2007, 08:30 PM

Here's another good Selvin Young article:

http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.c...ange_well_id=2

Lesson learned for Selvin Young

Thomas Stepp, Texas Media Relations

In the past few months, there have been incredible moments for members of the Longhorn football team -- seeing the clock hit zero on the final play of the Rose Bowl, holding the crystal football of the National Championship trophy and slipping on their championship rings for the first time. Many of them would probably tell you those moments are some of the best of their young lives and represent a milestone they have worked for -- a goal achieved.

Selvin Young has shared in all of those feelings. He was there at the Rose Bowl on January 4, he has held the crystal football and he proudly wears a ring with the name Young molded on the side.

Following the game, he was lying on the field in Pasadena with teammates pulling on him to get him to his feet. There was no doubt he was one of the more emotional players during the postgame celebration, if not the most emotional, possibly because no one on that field was more aware of how quickly and easily those moments can remain just a dream.

Over a year earlier, during the 2004 season, Young found himself lying on another field, this time in Fayetteville, Ark. However, there were no tears of joy this time, only pain. Twisted and turned in a kickoff return pileup, Young sustained a broken ankle, ending what looked to be a promising season in just the second game.

"Most of me thought there was something better coming," Young would later say. "With my faith, I believed that the Lord was with me and everything I was going through was happening for a reason."

On Monday night, that reason had never been more apparent. It was not a lesson of the game of football itself, but a lesson in life, and one that, had he not learned it, might have taken the game away from him regardless of injury. On Monday night, it wasn't a crystal football that was placed in his hand, but a smaller, just as meaningful award, recognizing him as a member of the Athletics Director's Honor Roll for posting a 3.0 GPA last fall.

"It's the same feeling I got from holding the National Championship trophy," Young said after the Academic Awards Banquet. "I'm thankful to have it, and it's a great feeling right now."

Before that night in Arkansas, Young admittedly believed football was going to take him everywhere he wanted to go. It never crossed his mind it could be taken from him, but the injury showed him otherwise.

"I had all my eggs in one basket, and the injury changed that for me," Young recalled. "It changed it for my entire life. It's probably the best thing that ever happened to me, and I'm thankful for it."

With football occupying a majority of his attention before the injury, the classroom was taking a back seat. When he thought his dream might be slipping from his grasp, his sense of purpose also started to slip and his academics suffered to the point where he was forced to take classes at Austin Community College to be readmitted to UT.

"When I was at ACC working to get back here, it was kind of like, 'Wow,'" Young described. "I believed I was one of the smartest people at this school that people didn't know about, or wouldn't be able to tell about because of my actions."

That is when everything changed. It was time to let his actions speak to who he truly is, the person family, friends, teammates and staff members knew him to be. Assistant AD for Academic Affairs Brian Davis says the message of the importance of academics is constant, but until it is received, it doesn't do any good. Young, who is known as someone who likes to do things on his own, was finally ready to receive the message.

"A lot of young guys tend to worry about things they have no control over such as injuries. They get fixated and become what I call 'great thinkers,'" Davis said. "They sit around and think about things all day, but they don't accomplish much because they spend all their time thinking. Selvin has figured out how to take the appropriate steps to accomplish his goals, and that doesn't mean sitting and thinking, it means working hard. It means doing all the things in the classroom."

It was Davis who had the honor of calling the names of the award recipients for football at the banquet, and before he reached the last name on the list, he gave a pause and smiled to the audience. He followed by announcing he does not play favorites, but if there ever were someone he might put in that category, it would be this person. He then called the name Selvin Young.

"It was hard for me, and I did that off the cuff because I wanted to make his award a special award. It's one of 60 other guys, but it is a special award," Davis said. "He comes from a different place than a lot of those guys and he's been through so much more than the normal student-athlete. I'm incredibly proud of him."

"It's like a stamp on it," Young said of the gesture. "I was thankful he did that, and it made me feel someone was always watching out for me from behind the scenes on the course I'm taking in my life."

Without his injury, his academics may have continued in the back seat as his football career rolled on. He may have even been put in the same position down the road when it was too late to recover his education, but he now knows there is more, and regardless of what happens, he is ready. Be it playing football, his interest in broadcasting or just being able to share his story and provide inspiration for children, he has a direction.

"It's a just a belief system I've got going," Young says. "I always believed in myself. I always believed in the people I had around me. It was just time for me to turn it on. Everything hit me at once -- the broken leg, the academic problems -- everything just came, but I always believed in myself. I never felt at any time that I was going to quit. I got too far in life believing.

"I believed that I would have a day when I was holding the Athletics Director's Honor Roll award in my hand and a day when I would be holding the National Championship Trophy and have a ring with a number one on it. I'm still believing, and I'm going to keep believing, and I believe there are going to more days like this."

want2bAbronco2 · 08-31-2007, 08:33 PM

Young wrote out a list of 35 goals when he got to Denver, things like "be coaching every day, finishing every run, never leaving a yard on the field."

i love that.

Los Broncos · 08-31-2007, 09:30 PM

This is just a feel good story. Becoming the number two back without being drafted. Wouldn't it be something if we had to 1,000 yard backs

footstepsfrom#27 · 08-31-2007, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lynchmob72

This is just a feel good story. Becoming the number two back without being drafted. Wouldn't it be something if we had to 1,000 yard backs

RBBC again? No thanks...I'd rather have Henry go for 1700 than have him split time with the latest UFA wonder kid.

Los Broncos · 08-31-2007, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by footstepsfrom#27

RBBC again? No thanks...I'd rather have Henry go for 1700 than have him split time with the latest UFA wonder kid.

It was just a thought

DomCasual · 08-31-2007, 10:39 PM

Wow, he's a short little guy!

Kaylore · 08-31-2007, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DomCasual

Wow, he's a short little guy!

And that lady's legs are super long!

Paladin · 08-31-2007, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaylore

And that lady's legs are super long!

Ho, ho, ho........

She's standing on a dais.....

Kaylore · 09-01-2007, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paladin

Ho, ho, ho........

She's standing on a dais.....

My friend...We were being sarcastic (or at least I was). I've seen Selvin Young up close. I know he's not four feet tall.

BroncoBuff · 09-01-2007, 01:29 AM

What a guy ... I want a Selvin Young jersey!

08-31-2007, 08:03 PM	#1
Memento SY2K Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: The sunny(?) Pacific NW Posts: 213 Adopt-a-Bronco: Godwin Turk	A Must Read Selvin Young piece... A young kid w/talent and goals. I like it. Interesting read... ************************** Selvin Young latest out-of-nowhere back to excel for Denver Broncos 2 hours ago ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Two weeks ago, Selvin Young was buried deep in the Broncos' depth chart. Now, he's primed to join the long list of out-of-nowhere running backs to make their mark in Denver. Injuries to starter Travis Henry (knee) and backup Mike Bell (hip) at Dallas two weeks ago opened the door for Young, and the undrafted free agent from the University of Texas burst right through it with dazzling performances in the final two exhibition games. Young again was singled out by coach Mike Shanahan after his 12-yard touchdown run in Denver's 21-3 win over Arizona in his final audition for a roster spot Thursday night. Bell returned from a hip injury a week earlier than expected but was moved to fullback along with Cecil Sapp against the Cardinals while Young started and shared snaps with Andre Ball, who scored twice. Young led the Broncos in rushing in the pre-season, gaining 167 yards on 34 carries for a 4.9-yard average and scoring two touchdowns. He's followed in the footsteps of Bell, an undrafted rookie last year who was the surprise of camp by leapfrogging a bunch of veterans and eventually settling into a backup role behind Tatum Bell, where he rushed for 677 yards and eight touchdowns. His move to fullback Thursday night - along with Young's performance at tailback - might portend a different role for Bell this season - or maybe even his release when rosters are set Saturday. Young, whose college career was derailed by injuries, including a shattered right ankle in 2004, is as healthy as he's ever been and showed a burst that has the Broncos re-examining their thoughts about who will spell Henry. So do the Broncos, who believe they've unearthed yet another gem that everybody else passed over. That long list includes sixth-round pick Terrell Davis in 1995, Olandis Gary, Reuben Droughns and Bell. "It's good that I wasn't drafted. I wouldn't be here right now if I was," Young said. "I always knew that everything was going to work out for me just fine in the future. I was always just waiting for the moment when I could feel good." And that's been a long time coming. Dogged by injuries throughout his five years at Texas, Young's phone never rang on draft weekend, so, he signed as a free agent with the running-rich Broncos, in part, he said, because he knew he'd get a fair shake in Denver. He didn't leave his bravado at the border, either. "Of course, I felt like I was the best running back coming out of this draft," Young said. "But I got my whole entire career to prove that and not let someone else decide by picking people who's that guy." Young wrote out a list of 35 goals when he got to Denver, things like "be coaching every day, finishing every run, never leaving a yard on the field." "I've been checking them off pretty steadily without any setbacks so far," he said. "I had a feeling if I were able to accomplish every goal that without a doubt I would be able to make the team, and I don't have any blank spots on my goals." He also is free of pain for the first time since his senior year in high school. "I had more fun than I've had playing football in the last five years. I'm healthy, I can run, I can do things on the field without being hampered by injuries," he said. "It feels good. It almost feels like I'm starting football all over again." And yet, Young insists even the Broncos don't realize all the talents he brings to their backfield. "Not by far. I feel like I've got great hands, I feel like I would be able to stretch some defences out of the backfield as well as running the football. That's another dimension to the game that I can't wait to showcase. I have some return skills as well," Young said. "I feel like I'm a football player. Whatever it is, Xs and Os, I can get it done." http://canadianpress.google.com/arti...ljdLZafNzYxZgQ Last edited by Memento; 08-31-2007 at 09:11 PM.. Reason: Add Link

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08-31-2007, 08:30 PM	#2
footstepsfrom#27 helmet to helmet hitter Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Arlington, TX Posts: 16,117 Adopt-a-Bronco: Joe Mays	Here's another good Selvin Young article: http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.c...ange_well_id=2 Lesson learned for Selvin Young Thomas Stepp, Texas Media Relations In the past few months, there have been incredible moments for members of the Longhorn football team -- seeing the clock hit zero on the final play of the Rose Bowl, holding the crystal football of the National Championship trophy and slipping on their championship rings for the first time. Many of them would probably tell you those moments are some of the best of their young lives and represent a milestone they have worked for -- a goal achieved. Selvin Young has shared in all of those feelings. He was there at the Rose Bowl on January 4, he has held the crystal football and he proudly wears a ring with the name Young molded on the side. Following the game, he was lying on the field in Pasadena with teammates pulling on him to get him to his feet. There was no doubt he was one of the more emotional players during the postgame celebration, if not the most emotional, possibly because no one on that field was more aware of how quickly and easily those moments can remain just a dream. Over a year earlier, during the 2004 season, Young found himself lying on another field, this time in Fayetteville, Ark. However, there were no tears of joy this time, only pain. Twisted and turned in a kickoff return pileup, Young sustained a broken ankle, ending what looked to be a promising season in just the second game. "Most of me thought there was something better coming," Young would later say. "With my faith, I believed that the Lord was with me and everything I was going through was happening for a reason." On Monday night, that reason had never been more apparent. It was not a lesson of the game of football itself, but a lesson in life, and one that, had he not learned it, might have taken the game away from him regardless of injury. On Monday night, it wasn't a crystal football that was placed in his hand, but a smaller, just as meaningful award, recognizing him as a member of the Athletics Director's Honor Roll for posting a 3.0 GPA last fall. "It's the same feeling I got from holding the National Championship trophy," Young said after the Academic Awards Banquet. "I'm thankful to have it, and it's a great feeling right now." Before that night in Arkansas, Young admittedly believed football was going to take him everywhere he wanted to go. It never crossed his mind it could be taken from him, but the injury showed him otherwise. "I had all my eggs in one basket, and the injury changed that for me," Young recalled. "It changed it for my entire life. It's probably the best thing that ever happened to me, and I'm thankful for it." With football occupying a majority of his attention before the injury, the classroom was taking a back seat. When he thought his dream might be slipping from his grasp, his sense of purpose also started to slip and his academics suffered to the point where he was forced to take classes at Austin Community College to be readmitted to UT. "When I was at ACC working to get back here, it was kind of like, 'Wow,'" Young described. "I believed I was one of the smartest people at this school that people didn't know about, or wouldn't be able to tell about because of my actions." That is when everything changed. It was time to let his actions speak to who he truly is, the person family, friends, teammates and staff members knew him to be. Assistant AD for Academic Affairs Brian Davis says the message of the importance of academics is constant, but until it is received, it doesn't do any good. Young, who is known as someone who likes to do things on his own, was finally ready to receive the message. "A lot of young guys tend to worry about things they have no control over such as injuries. They get fixated and become what I call 'great thinkers,'" Davis said. "They sit around and think about things all day, but they don't accomplish much because they spend all their time thinking. Selvin has figured out how to take the appropriate steps to accomplish his goals, and that doesn't mean sitting and thinking, it means working hard. It means doing all the things in the classroom." It was Davis who had the honor of calling the names of the award recipients for football at the banquet, and before he reached the last name on the list, he gave a pause and smiled to the audience. He followed by announcing he does not play favorites, but if there ever were someone he might put in that category, it would be this person. He then called the name Selvin Young. "It was hard for me, and I did that off the cuff because I wanted to make his award a special award. It's one of 60 other guys, but it is a special award," Davis said. "He comes from a different place than a lot of those guys and he's been through so much more than the normal student-athlete. I'm incredibly proud of him." "It's like a stamp on it," Young said of the gesture. "I was thankful he did that, and it made me feel someone was always watching out for me from behind the scenes on the course I'm taking in my life." Without his injury, his academics may have continued in the back seat as his football career rolled on. He may have even been put in the same position down the road when it was too late to recover his education, but he now knows there is more, and regardless of what happens, he is ready. Be it playing football, his interest in broadcasting or just being able to share his story and provide inspiration for children, he has a direction. "It's a just a belief system I've got going," Young says. "I always believed in myself. I always believed in the people I had around me. It was just time for me to turn it on. Everything hit me at once -- the broken leg, the academic problems -- everything just came, but I always believed in myself. I never felt at any time that I was going to quit. I got too far in life believing. "I believed that I would have a day when I was holding the Athletics Director's Honor Roll award in my hand and a day when I would be holding the National Championship Trophy and have a ring with a number one on it. I'm still believing, and I'm going to keep believing, and I believe there are going to more days like this."

08-31-2007, 08:33 PM	#3
want2bAbronco2 Pro Bowler Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 618	Young wrote out a list of 35 goals when he got to Denver, things like "be coaching every day, finishing every run, never leaving a yard on the field." i love that.

08-31-2007, 09:30 PM	#4
Los Broncos Ring of farmers Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Anaheim Hills, Santa Ana Mountains CA Posts: 18,766 Adopt-a-Bronco: Ryan Clady	This is just a feel good story. Becoming the number two back without being drafted. Wouldn't it be something if we had to 1,000 yard backs

08-31-2007, 10:39 PM	#7
DomCasual The Dude abides. Shameless Homer Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Cocytus Posts: 13,173 Adopt-a-Bronco: Gus Frerotte	Wow, he's a short little guy!

09-01-2007, 01:29 AM	#11
BroncoBuff *************** Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Seattle Posts: 25,440 Adopt-a-Bronco: QUANTERUS SMITH	What a guy ... I want a Selvin Young jersey!