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bigsmooth wrote:you are a yankee medic.....wawa is good, but sheetz deli is the best. and the hot chocolate is pretty darn good.Isn't Sheetz based in PA? Wasn't the first store in Carlisle or Chambersburg or something?
But I told Ron that he's probably the only guy in the locker room outside of Wali who had ever heard of Liberty. He told me that was the first thing he told Samkon when he arrived. A pair of guys with Lynchburg ties battling the UVa guy for playing time ... small world, huh?Gado remembers his rootshttp://news.galvestondailynews.com/stor ... e22a6ec579
By Corey Roepken
The Daily News
Published September 24, 2006
HOUSTON — The white bracelet on Samkon Gado’s right wrist serves as a reminder of the unlikelihood of his journey to and through professional football.
It has been a little bit lucky, a little bit plucky and almost completely unimaginable.
From Nigeria to Green Bay, from college backup to NFL starter, Gado’s adventure has featured several can-you-believe-it moments with little itinerary. The series of events don’t make sense, even to him. The bracelet — proof of his faith — has lived through most of those moments to tell the story.
It reads “Live Pure. 1 Timothy 4:12” The bible verse goes like this. “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love and in purity.”
“The first part of the verse really applies to my situation because I had the tendency of second-guessing myself because I was young,” Gado said. “That was also a reminder that just because I’m young doesn’t mean I can’t have an impact.”
The Houston Texans hope Gado has an impact when he suits up against the Washington Redskins today at noon at Reliant Stadium. It will be Gado’s second game as a Texan since being traded from the Green Bay Packers.
•••
Gado spent his first nine years in Nigeria before moving to South Carolina. His father moved to the United States one year earlier to get a Master’s Degree of Divinity from Columbia (S.C.) Bible College. Gado had become an above average soccer player in Nigeria, but turned to football as a high school freshman.
He eventually made his way to NCAA I-AA Liberty University. He pulled a hamstring during training camp his freshman year, and two other freshmen running backs settled ahead of him on the depth chart. Those two never stopped producing, Gado said, so he never got a chance to start on a regular basis.
“There was no need to really (make a change on the depth chart) even if coach believed I was a good player,” Gado said. “They weren’t just having good games. They were having great games. It was like that for four years.”
By the time his college career was over, he had 22 touchdowns in 39 appearances, some special teams experience and one All-Big South Conference honor. It appeared that his football career had ended with nothing more than a Bachelor’s of Science degree in health promotions.
“I realized the NFL wasn’t going to be a big possibility,” Gado said. “I was going to give it a shot, but it wasn’t looking too good. My focus was more on medical school.”
Less than two years later, he has been in three NFL cities and zero medical school classes.
•••
Former Liberty coach Ken Karcher did quite a bit of pleading with his friend Al Saunders to give Gado a chance. Saunders was the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs last season. He gave Gado a chance, and Gado was signed to the practice squad after training camp.
He spent one month there but was released. Back home in South Carolina for two weeks, he said he pondered his future. He dressed for only one preseason game but did not play. Basically, there was no proof he had done or could do anything.
“I figured I was an undrafted free agent guy with no film,” he said. “Who would want to take a chance? It was looking grim.”
Enter the Green Bay Packers. Pro Bowl running back Ahman Green tweaked a thigh injury the day before Gado was released by the Chiefs. Green missed one game, and his replacement, Najeh Davenport, broke his ankle in the second half of the next game and was placed on injured reserve.
The Packers lost two more running backs over the next 10 days, and Gado was signed to the practice squad. Green was placed on injured reserve eight days later, and Gado was promoted to the active roster four days after that because, Packers head coach Mike Sherman said, “He was better than anyone else we had.”
One day later, Gado got one carry — a toss to the right — against the Cincinnati Bengals and gained eight yards. That was better than any film. He had proved his progress in practice carried over to the field — right in front of Sherman’s eyes.
“We’ve had undrafted rookie free agents come on board and become players for us, but usually they’re playing at Notre Dame or Michigan or places like that. They weren’t a big, big secret,” said Sherman, who is an assistant head coach for the Texans this season. “But he comes out of Liberty College and he wasn’t even a starter there, so I didn’t know anything about him until he came to our practice.”
•••
The rookie was just getting started. He had 26 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown against Pittsburgh the following week. In his first career start the week after that, he had 103 yards and one touchdown on 25 carries against Atlanta.
In eight games — five as a starter — Gado gained 582 yards on 143 carries (a 4.1 average) and scored six touchdowns. Those numbers extended over the course of an entire season would have turned into 1,164 yards and 12 touchdowns. He would have been 14th in yards and tied for fifth in touchdowns. As it stands, Gado tied Tampa Bay’s Cadillac Williams for the rookie lead in touchdowns.
He also set several Packers’ rookie records and once was named National Football Conference Player of the Week. Despite his sudden emergence to NFL starter, it took a while to catch himself looking around.
“It’s been one of the weirdest things for me to explain,” he said. “When I got in, I wasn’t wide-eyed. I wasn’t like, ‘Oh my goodness I’m playing in the NFL.’ At that point I was more concerned that I had a job to do and I didn’t want to mess up that job.”
•••
On Thursday, Gado carried about 15 envelopes to his locker. Some were letters from fans in Green Bay and others from fans in Houston. One was from a Texans fan who doubles as a Minnesota Vikings fan. He always liked Gado but felt guilty rooting for him when he was with the Packers — a hated rival of the Vikings.
Now that Gado is a Texan, that fan told Gado he can root for him whole —heartedly.
Gado has gained plenty of fans over the past year. Because of his strength and his speed, he has a good chance of gaining more by moving to the top of the Texans’ depth chart. His tale will be a big reason why.
Sherman said he couldn’t think of any undrafted rookie free agents in recent history who made as big a splash as Gado last year. The key, Sherman added, is for Gado to turn his “little ripple” into another “big splash” this season.
“This profession is about opportunity and taking advantage of it when it presents itself,” Sherman said. “He made leaps and bounds last year from where he was. We feel his best side is out there still to come. He’s still a work in progress, but he is well worth the effort.”
Whenever Gado needs a reality check, he can look at his white bracelet — a symbol of his faith. It helps him keep a level head about how far he has come and reminds him that all the unsavory temptations of the NFL — such as lots of women — could be a big reason why everything he has achieved could come crashing down.
“I don’t want to be known as a football player,” Gado said. “I really don’t identify myself that way. It’s what I do, but it’s not who I am. The biggest thing I want is hopefully people see more than that. My identity is who I am in Jesus Christ above all else.
“It’s not football. It’s not the fact I want to be a doctor. It’s not the fact I went to Liberty. It’s not the fact I am a running back. It’s the fact that I know Jesus Christ on a personal and real level.”
JLFJR wrote:Thanks for your input, PA! Very helpful.
PAmedic wrote:Meanwhile Philly has no one behind Westbrook.And i love Andy Reid but he needs to dump Mahe.....He is awful on kickoff and punt returns and really has 0 upside. Buckhalter has two bad knees and we need a 'future' number 2 back......i would agree the Eagles should look at Gado because we have no bruiser running back to spell Westbrook.
Ok, they do. Buckhalter, Mahe, a rookie who I can never remember.
But it helps my righteous indignation if I convieniently forget them and swear he could come here as the #2 guy
do you think he would mind playing in the snow and ice? South Philly is beautiful this time of year. And he could bunk in w/ SCAR's family.
there. its all settled then.
JLFJR wrote:Thanks for your input, PA! Very helpful.
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