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Don’t Count Him Out Yet; DHB Silencing Doubters for Years
Published: September 16, 2009
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So who is Darrius Heyward-Bey anyway? He could be your cousin, your brother, or your best friend. He’s like any other person that has had goals and obstacles to overcome, like you or like me.
Similar to us all, he’s also had people tell him no, you can’t and you shouldn’t.
However, one of the greatest things about this Raider is his personal belief in himself, despite coaches or popular opinion. His rise to the NFL reflects his rise from HS through college in many ways.
We’ve all heard the saying, blessings come as disguises sometimes. For Darrius, it was incredible physical speed.
It virtually allowed DHB to pick and choose which scholarship type he wanted to accept, as he was an All-American in both football and track at Mcdonoug HS in Pomfret, MD.
Admittedly, football was not his first love, and something he had to get used to as he explained in an interview with Kevin Van Valkenburg of the Sun Reporter
“Usually, I was just out there running for my life,” Heyward-Bey said. “If I scored a touchdown, it was always out of fear of being tackled.”
He had aspirations of becoming a professional track runner, but ultimately, from the urging of friends and family, chose football.
From the day he accepted a scholarship from the University of Maryland, he was labeled a marked man. He was met with skepticism from players and fans that he could not translate track success into college football success at a major athletic program.
With that motivation, he went to work.
He set new records at Maryland for receptions, 138, third in school history, yards receiving, 2,089, second best in school history, and was All Atlantic Coast Conference twice.
After finishing his junior season as one of the most heralded wideouts in the ACC, he again had to face criticism, this time from the NFL media and Mel Kiper Jr., who routinely picked him as a bust and bad selection over the likes of Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin.
There are many knocks when it comes to Heyward-Bey as a true receiver. From “he doesnt have good hands” to his confusion in running accurate routes. This gives the media and those who doubt him fuel for the fire, but also makes watching him all the more exciting and interesting.
Be as it may, Heyward-Bey knows he will have to work hard to prove himself, referring to dropped passes and becoming a true catcher in the NFL
“They tell me all the time, ‘Forget about that one, move on to the next one,’ ” “I’m just trying to work through the kinks. That’s football. It happens.”
Being successful, following through with goals and achieving them, that’s called hard work.
Its one of the many things Darius Heyward Bey brings to this new Raiders team, and one of the reasons why management will bank on him having a career similar to that at Maryland.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Through Thick and Thin: Motivating Raider Nation
Published: September 12, 2009
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Raider’s fans have been taught through history, preconditioned even, to keep expectations low, hopes high and fingers crossed when a new season approaches. More often than not that hope and that prayer go unanswered and it’s more of the same, from year, to year, to year.
So if you expect the worst, why go to games? Why pay to see these players play? Surely watching a team struggle is not exciting, of course being letdown time and time again is no fun.
Maybe by divine intervention, Jamarcus Russell will turn into that franchise quarterback that we hoped for. Perhaps if the football gods love us enough, maybe we’ll get to the playoffs and win a game or two.
Wishful thinking maybe, but this is why we pay, this is why we watch.
Everyone needs some type of motivation, to push them over the top, and in the same way every one needs someone to believe in them even when times get tough. Amidst all of the unanswered question revolving around the team and the expectations, one thing needs to remain constant to achieve those expectations, a strong support system.
Of course there will always be bandwagon fans, those who see the bus leaving and try to jump on at the last minute. Better yet, those who try to get on the bus for free when it’s finally moving, after the rest of us have paid.
However, never forget when things start to click; when the bus starts rolling, it’s those fans that have been there from the beginning that will enjoy the ride the most.
So let’s try something new. Let’s watch effort, let’s watch progress. Let’s measure the players by this instead of strictly wins and losses.
Now as Herm Edwards passionately put it, yes you play the game to win, but if the effort is there the wins will come, no one can argue that.
Stay strong Raider nation for the best is yet to come. As William Penn put it, “no pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown.”
With a promising young wide receiver in Darius Heyward-Bey and a talented RB and QB in McFadden and Russell, time and patience is key. You can’t take a baby out of the crib at 4 month and expect it to walk can you? Players need time to develop and learn the game together.
So as you’re watching opening day Monday, watch with optimism because who knows, maybe this is the season where wishful thinking becomes reality.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
