Tackle hopes for low-profile job in the skies.(Sports) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)

By Aaron McFarling

The Roanoke Times

BLACKSBURG

If you happen to recognize a bearded, 270-pound man on an airplane in about five years, try not to blow his cover.

Virginia Tech defensive tackle Demetrius Taylor hopes to be inconspicuous. Aims to blend in. Wants to play it cool.

Those are required traits for federal air marshals, the plainclothes travelers trained to detect, deter and defeat potential terrorists. And if Taylor, a Kellam High grad, is going to reach his goal of becoming one, he's got a little work to do on the camouflaging front.

'I'm not sure,' Taylor said with a smile, when asked just how inconspicuous a guy his size could be. 'Maybe I'll have to drop a few pounds and get a little bit smaller so I don't stick out.'

Taylor sticks out plenty, and not just for his grunt efforts with the No. 13 Hokies. The redshirt senior needed only three years to earn a degree in sociology and is working on his second undergraduate degree in psychology. His weight-room exploits have become the stuff of legend; Taylor set four defensive-tackle records this offseason along with the all-positions standard in the push-jerk.

When Tech coach Frank Beamer talked this preseason about liking the makeup of this year's team, Taylor is exactly the kind of guy he was appreciating. A man with lofty aspirations and a work ethic to match. A guy taking classes on crime and deviance, not one becoming the course's case study outside some bar at 2 a.m.

Taylor's desire to be an air marshal - or an FBI agent - stems from his upbringing and his experiences at Tech. He said his father fought in the Persian Gulf War and his grandfather served in Vietnam.

'It's something that's in your blood, I guess,' he said of a willingness to put his life on the line.

Taylor was a freshman in high school when the terrorist attacks occurred on Sept. 11, 2001. Those events influenced him, but it was the Tech tragedy of April 16, 2007, that solidified his plans.

'I was actually in the building right across from Norris, and I saw the students running out and I saw the police rushing in and the FBI running in ...

'I felt for the students who were running out. They were running for their lives. I had never seen anything like that. But as far as seeing the cops rush in and that kind of camaraderie among the officers, knowing that all of them were putting their lives at risk, it just made me feel like that's something' he wanted to do.

Not that he had an inclination to run toward the gunfire that day.

'Obviously, I wasn't armed like the rest of the policemen were,' he said. 'But I knew that if I got the right training and the right experience, that's definitely something I could be good at.'

Taylor served an internship this past summer with the New Jersey State Police and still keeps in touch with the contacts he made there .

'Playing football your whole life, you kind of get accustomed to the lifestyle of having something to do all the time. Not just sitting behind a desk, but actually being active with your time,' Taylor said.

'I feel like being an FBI agent or air marshal would allow me to do that after football.'

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ROB LONG'S NFL DREAM LIVES ON.(Sports) - The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY)

Byline: Nolan Weidner Staff writer

The brown hair has long since grown back.

And the smile? Well that never really left Rob Long's face, except maybe at times during the darkest hours in his battle with a malignant brain tumor.

It's been a year since the former Syracuse University punter, kick-holder and special teams captain learned that the tumor doctors removed Dec. 14, 2010, contained cancerous cells. It's been almost a year since he began radiation treatments and oral chemotherapy.

Meanwhile, the Downingtown, Pa., resident continues to show no further signs of cancer. There's no trace of the tumor doctors removed at Jefferson University hospital in Philadelphia.

Long finished his degree in marketing management at SU, traveled across the country twice, spent time with his girlfriend, completed an internship with Philadelphia-area chemical shipping company -- and he's still chasing his dream of becoming an NFL punter.

'I feel great,' said Long, who turned 23 on Dec. 13. 'I'm very thankful for the way I feel and what I'm able to do still -- working out and pursuing dreams of punting in the NFL. That's all special to me.'

Though his college career ended several games early, after his tumor was discovered Dec. 2, 2010, Long never wavered in his determination to kick at football's highest level.

A two-time All-Big East selection as a punter (first-team in 2009 and second-team last year), Long's career average of nearly 44 yards a kick made him a solid candidate to be signed by an NFL team for spring camp.

But the surgery -- followed by six weeks of radiation treatments that ended in early March and topped by an extended lockout of players that canceled nearly all offseason activities except the NFL Draft -- conspired to keep him on the sidelines this year.

'It hurt me tremendously,' Long said of the owners' lockout, which dragged into summer and didn't end until late July, just in time for the preseason.

Save for a pre-draft tryout with his hometown Philadelphia Eagles, and a pair of one-day looks by Cleveland and Tampa Bay during the preseason, Long said no other teams called.

'A lot of teams told my agent they were interested, but with what I was going through they needed more than a day to see me before they made a decision. A lot of them kind of shied away, just a wait-until-next-year kind of a deal,' he said.

So Long is waiting until next year. In early January he'll leave the Philadelphia suburbs and head south to Florida, where he'll spend the rest of that month and part of February kicking and training full-time in an effort to earn an invite to a team's mini-camp in March.

Long said the plan is for him to train in good weather while his agent tries to get teams to watch him work out and perhaps sign him. 'That way I'll be able to join a team for an offseason,' he said.

Until then, Long will spend the next few weeks with his family and girlfriend, Jacqueline Russer, who now lives and works in the Philadelphia area. He's training, and kicking, and enjoying a holiday season that wasn't so merry last year.

'Christmas will be fun,' he said. 'Last year I couldn't even really tell you what happened. Honestly, I don't even remember Christmas last year.'

Long also has become a poster boy for Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center, which made him the subject of ads that appeared this month in the New York Times and Philadelphia Inquirer.

Long said the photo shoot for the ad was a different experience.

'They made me put on makeup. They gave me the whole rundown ... makeup, hair, everything,' he said.

But it was a small inconvenience compared to what he endured a year ago.

It's a battle Long appears to have emerged from both victorious and with a new resolve to chase a dream that cancer couldn't crush.

'I'm pretty determined,' said Long, adding that he's not prepared to quit -- even if the NFL turns him away again this year. 'It's going to take time for them to tell me no.'

Nolan Weidner can be reached at 470-3250 or nweidner@syracuse.com.

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PHOTO

Courtesy of Kimmel Cancer Center

KG launches student project.(SPORTS) - Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)

Byline: Steve Aschburner; Staff Writer

Math, Kevin Garnett told an auditorium of high school students Monday afternoon, is his favorite subject.

But the Timberwolves' All-Star forward stayed away from talk of decimal points, dollar signs and nine-digit sums while officially launching his 4XL project, an Internet-based program to assist minority students with career development.

Garnett, who can become a free agent next July, declined to discuss the talks he and the Wolves have had about a contract extension. His agent, Andy Miller, spoke briefly Monday with Kevin McHale, Wolves vice president of basketball operations.

Instead, Garnett and several colleagues demonstrated the 4XL project (www.4xl.org) for students at Minneapolis North High School. The Web site, produced in conjunction with Monster.com, features content and tools to connect high school and college students with business leaders and potential mentors, while providing links to scholarship and internship information.

'You get the kids to understand there is light at the end of the tunnel,' Garnett said. 'A lot of times, kids at that age don't have a lot of confidence. You got to try to instill some.'

Garnett, 27, said fans approached him constantly this summer to talk about the team's offseason moves.

BRONCOS WIN ONE, LOSE ONE ON DEFENSE MARVIN WASHINGTON ADDS DEPTH ON LINE, BUT IRVING DECIDES TO STAY WITH CARDINALS.(Sports) - Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)

Byline: Clay Latimer Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer

The Denver Broncos went on a little shopping trip Wednesday and came home with a mixed bag.

Defensive end Marvin Washington, a free agent who played last season with the San Francisco 49ers, agreed to a one-year deal that is believed to be worth about $775,000. It didn't include a signing bonus.

The Broncos also offered Arizona Cardinals free agent Terry Irving a three-year deal, but later in the day the linebacker signed a three-year, $2.1 million contract with the Cardinals.

Washington, who played under Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Greg Robinson when both were with the New York Jets, is considered a role player. Defensive lineman Sean Gilbert is anything but, and he'll visit club headquarters next Wednesday. The Broncos also hope to sign starting defensive end Neil Smith, who played a key role during their Super Bowl run, to a new contract.

Washington isn't counting on a starting position, just some playing time - and redemption.

Last season, the 6-foot-6, 280-pound defender suffered a foot injury and finished with only one sack for the 49ers.

``It was really frustrating last year, but that's the thing about football: There's always a time for redemption, and that's what I'm looking forward to, personally and professionally,'' Washington said.

For the Broncos, depth is the name of the game on the defensive line. They like to substitute en masse, in part to exploit the thin air at Mile High Stadium that often leaves visitors sagging during a game's stretch run.

Last season, they needed every man. Defensive end Jumpy Geathers (Achilles' tendon) was lost for the season in training camp, Smith and defensive end Alfred Williams were sidelined because of triceps injuries, and tackle Maa Tanuvasa went down with an ankle injury shortly after taking over for Micheal Dean Perry, who eventually was waived because of subpar production.

``That's why we had all those defensive linemen on the team,'' Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. ``Everyone questioned that going into training camp. But by the end, people realized you can't replace those players.

``(Washington) is a strong defensive end who's very athletic. He can help our football team. (But) we still want Neil as badly as we wanted him before.''

Washington was a sixth-round draft pick of the New York Jets in 1989 and was a starter from 1991 to '96. In 1992, he finished with an NFL career-high 8 1/2 sacks but was released after the 1996 season after he made only 2 1/2 sacks despite starting 14 games.

Washington, a Denver native who went to high school in Dallas, says he is eager to play once more for Robinson.

``He's probably the biggest factor in getting the deal done,'' Washington said. ``There's a comfort factor there.''

Washington's contract includes a base salary of $350,000 - $425,000 if he makes the roster - plus incentives of $200,000 if he plays 50 percent of the plays, $50,000 for two sacks, $100,000 for four sacks and $150,000 for six sacks.

Irving decided to remain with the Cardinals partly because he has accepted an engineering internship with a high-tech company in the Phoenix area.

``I want to be here,'' he said. ``I've been here when the team has struggled, and I want to be here when we win.''

Irving is the second free agent to turn down the Broncos. Tampa Bay guard Jim Pyne earlier chose the Detroit Lions over Denver.

INFOBOX

J Broncos' 1998 foes

* The Broncos' opponents for 1998 (teams listed in alphabetical order; dates will be announced later):

HOME GAMES........AWAY GAMES

Dallas............Cincinnati

Jacksonville......Kansas City

Kansas City.......Miami

New England.......N.Y..Giants

Oakland...........Oakland

Philadelphia......San Diego

San Diego.........Seattle

EX-BADGER ENGLER CONTENT IN FINANCIAL TRENCHES.(SPORTS)(MIKE LUCAS)(Column) - The Capital Times

Byline: Mike Lucas

While Al Johnson will be gaining national exposure this fall as a member of Playboy Magazine's 2002 preseason All-American team, the University of Wisconsin senior is being exposed to a much different world this summer; the business world, where many investors have been getting sacked for big losses.

Johnson and UW teammate Jason Jowers have been working as interns at the Madison office of Morgan Stanley. They know something, too, about the aforementioned football metaphor and what can happen when the protection breaks down in the trenches. Both are starting offensive linemen - Johnson at center, Jowers at right tackle.

And, fittingly, they are being guided through their internship at the brokerage firm by a fellow Badger, a fellow lineman, Derek Engler, the starting center on the 1996 team. Given the turbulent business landscape, how has Engler, a rookie, managed to survive?

'I've got to be honest with you, I'm fresh, I'm just starting out,' he said. 'I'm not a senior broker that has an existing book of portfolios that are just blowing up. I'm starting at the bottom, and, to me, that's the most opportune time.'

Timing is everything.

*

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Derek Engler had two associates on the phone. His former agent was on one line, and a business recruiter was on the other. His career was on hold. His eyes were fixed on a television screen.

Engler was in limbo.

After spending four seasons with the New York Giants - 36 games, nine career starts - Engler was rehabbing a damaged shoulder, starting a family and looking for work. Maybe a new line of work.

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Engler continued to stare at the TV screen. He couldn't believe his eyes.

'I'm on the line, talking about entering into a new career as a financial advisor,' he recalled, 'and I'm watching the financial capital of the world come crumbling down.'

9-11.

'For the next 72 hours, my eyes were glued on the TV,' he said. 'and I can't tell you how many times I cried. It really shook me up. I had friends down there.'

One of his good friends was beginning his first day of work in New York City, some four blocks from the World Trade Center, when the first plane crashed into one of the towers.

'All the windows imploded in his office, throwing people 50 feet across the room,' Engler recalled of their conversation the following day.

'He said it turned into a war zone. Once he went outside the door, he had to step through two feet of dust, concrete, and glass, and he had to run with his head up, because of falling debris and body parts.'

Shortly after the 9-11 tragedy, Engler traveled to New York to get his shoulder examined. While he was there, he looked up some of his former Giants teammates. 'It shook up a lot of emotions,' he said.

Upon returning to Madison, Engler, then 27, had to make a decision on his future. Although he had been the victim of a numbers crunch in New York, he was happy with what he had accomplished as an undrafted free agent.

His goal was to play three seasons in the NFL to qualify for his pension. He played four with the Giants, highlighted by a trip to Super Bowl XXXV. So he was very content to go in another direction.

'There would be no looking back, no turning back,' he told his wife. 'And I don't care if I get a call from another team tomorrow morning.'

Sure enough, he got that telephone call. Jacksonville coach Tom Coughlin wanted to sign him because of an injury to the Jaguars' starting center. Engler said thanks, but no thanks. A month later, he said the same thing to the Bears.

He told them his shoulder was about 70 percent and he was committed to moving on with his life. Morgan Stanley gave him that opportunity. Like any rookie in any profession, he's going through a learning stage; experiencing the requisite growing pains of a first-year financial advisor.

But he's used to bouncing back up on his feet after getting knocked down. As a player, Engler, a St. Paul, Minn., native, was a self-described late bloomer. He didn't start until his senior year at Wisconsin, making a successful transition from backup guard to starting center.

Engler earned his undergraduate degree in sociology. He also received a certificate from the criminal justice program. He has worked as a summer intern at a juvenile detention center. And he once planned on becoming a teacher.

During one of his off-seasons in New York, he even became certified to teach social studies. But he didn't follow through, though some day he would like to coach high school football. For now, he's got his hands full. This job has been quite an education.

'I had some friends, former NFL teammates, who got scammed by agents-slash-financial advisors,' Engler said.

To this end, he has become heavily involved with the National Football League Players Association and its new financial advisors program.

Over the Fourth of July, he renewed his friendship with a few of his old Badger teammates: Jerry Wunsch, Jason Maniecki and Jamie Vanderveldt. They all took part in a coaching clinic in Alaska.

Wunsch was just named this week on The Sporting News annual list of 'Good Guys.'

Wunsch helps sponsor a five-day outdoor trip in Wisconsin for 25 to 30 kids with cancer and sickle cell anemia.

Another former UW football player, Troy Vincent of the Philadelphia Eagles, made the 'Good Guys' list for his sponsorship of prep athletes.

The fact that Engler recently was in the company of Wunsch (Tampa Bay Bucs) and another good friend, Ron Stone (San Francisco 49ers), made him a little homesick. It's that time of year again. Pro training camps will be opening this weekend.

'I don't miss waking up on Monday mornings and taking a half-hour to go 10 yards to the bathroom,' Engler said.

'But the part that I miss is going through the hell with those guys because it creates a bond that you always remember. At the same time, I'm thanking God that I don't have to go through another August. That is hell. It really is.'

REDSKINS' OFFER QUESTIONED.(SPORTS) - Albany Times Union (Albany, NY)

Byline: Combined wire services

NEW YORK -- The NFL is investigating the Washington Redskins' offer sheet to New York Jets wide receiver Laveranues Coles, intensifying the competition for free agents between the teams.

Two football sources, both of whom requested anonymity, said the NFL is looking into whether the Redskins broke the rules by failing to promptly notify the league after reaching an agreement with Coles. On Wednesday he signed an offer sheet for $35 million over seven years.

Redskins spokesman Karl Swanson said: ``We're happy to have the NFL look into it. There is nothing improper.''

Both the NFL and the Jets declined to comment.

The Jets have until Wednesday at 4 p.m. to match the offer. Chargers: Have given Junior Seau permission to seek a trade, apparently ending the star linebacker's 13-year run as the team's leader.

Seau, a first-round draft pick in 1990, was named to his 12th Pro Bowl last season. Panthers: Running back Stephen Davis, released by Washington in a salary move, agreed to a five-year $15.5 million contract.

He ran for 820 yards and seven touchdowns last season before a shoulder injury forced him to miss the last two games of the season. Minority award: Bobby Mitchell, the team's first black player in 1962 who rose to the position of assistant general manager, said his decades in the Redskins' front office amounted to no more than an ``internship'' and showed how hard it is for black executives to advance in the NFL.

Mitchell received the first Paul ``Tank'' Younger award from the Fritz Pollard Alliance, a new group of coaches and executives promoting minority hiring in the league.

``I spent over 40 years with the Redskins, and the best I could do was an internship,'' said Mitchell. Eagles: Linebacker Nate Wayne signed a four-year contract, four days after being released by the Green Bay Packers.

A hot commodity; New England defensive backs coach Eric Mangini, a former team intern, has put in long hours of hard work and become a sought-after coach.(SPORTS) - Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)

Byline: Mark Craig; Staff Writer

Jacksonville, Fla. -- New England Patriots defensive backs coach Eric Mangini is on the brink of collecting his third Super Bowl ring and touching off a potential high-stakes bidding war between the Patriots and three other NFL teams believed to have interest in him as their defensive coordinator next season.

'And to think he came to Cleveland in 1994 as a ballboy,' laughed Kevin Byrne, who was the Browns' vice president and director of public relations at the time. 'He started out at the bottom and just kept working his butt off. Just like [Patriots coach] Bill Belichick did.'

With Patriots defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel expected to take the Cleveland Browns' head coaching job after the Super Bowl, Mangini might assume control of New England's vaunted defense. Or he could leave his mentor for Cleveland, Miami or San Francisco.

Long before Mangini boosted his reputation as the guiding hand through the tumultuous Lawyer Milloy release of 2003, or became the brains behind using veteran receiver Troy Brown at cornerback this season, the young man needed a job. Any job.

'Kevin Spencer was my coach at Wesleyan University [Conn.] and he was Bill's offensive assistant in Cleveland at the time,' said Mangini, who set a school record with 36 1/2 sacks as a nose tackle. 'I called Kevin right before I graduated and asked if there was anything that I could do. I wanted a way to learn about the game.'

Mangini ended up writing a letter to Browns equipment manager Ed Carroll. It didn't hurt that Mangini went to Belichick's alma mater and belonged to the same fraternity.

Belichick said calling Mangini a former 'ballboy' is a stretch. He said he remembers Mangini more as the public relations intern in 1994.

Yes, Mangini was a public relations intern, but the 'promotion' came after a brief stint as Carroll's assistant in minicamp and training camp.

'Call it whatever you want, Eric was a ballboy,' Byrne said. 'He did the same things my kids did when they were ballboys for the Browns.'

When it appeared Mangini's days with the Browns were over, Byrne offered him the internship. Among his many duties were transcribing quotes from Belichick's press conferences and fetching pizzas for the media on Wednesdays.

'And I used to have to cut out every article about the Browns and photocopy them,' Mangini said. 'That was before the Internet. I tell our PR guys now they have it made because they just have to print the stories off the Internet.'

Shortly before Mangini's internship was scheduled to end on Jan. 31, 1995, Belichick stopped by Byrne's office.

'He said, `What are you going to do with that Eric kid?' ' Byrne said. 'I told him his internship was ending. And then he told me to tell Eric to stop by his office. Next thing I knew, Eric was an offensive assistant with the coaching staff.'

Belichick had admired Mangini because he put in long hours for what amounted to less than minimum wage, and never complained. It reminded Belichick of himself when he worked for $25 a day as a gofer for Ted Marchibroda's Baltimore Colts in 1975.

'What Bill didn't know was Eric needed the free food we had at the facility,' Byrne said. 'Eric was always there. He lived at that place.'

Actually, Mangini was sleeping on the couch in an apartment shared by Spencer and Scott Pioli, who was a Browns personnel assistant at the time and now heads the Patriots personnel department. At least until Belichick offered him the coaching job for the 1995 season.

'Bill taught me how to break down film,' Mangini said. 'If he hadn't given me that job, I was on my way to Trinity College to be the offensive line coach.'

Except for one year with the Baltimore Ravens in 1996, Mangini has followed Belichick from the Jets to the Patriots since 1997.

When injuries rocked the Patriots' secondary this season, Mangini found himself needing two new starting cornerbacks and a nickel back. Rookie free agent Randall Gay became one of the starting corners. The nickel back is Brown.

'I joked with Eric a couple of years ago that I could play defensive back,' Brown said. 'He agreed and went to Bill and sold him on it. One day, I'm at my locker, and Eric comes up to me and says, `You got some reps at DB today.' He said, `Don't worry, I'll be right beside you every step of the way.' '

Mangini is quiet and uncomfortable talking about himself. And those aren't the only similarities to Beli-chick.

'He works hard and he's got a real passion for the game,' Belichick said. 'He's a good decision-maker. He can take information, analyze it and make a decision. He has a lot of confidence, communicates well and has a good relationship with everybody he works with.'

All are traits of a good defensive coordinator. One who will never, ever have to fetch pizzas for reporters again.

'He would be a great defensive coordinator,' Brown said. 'Look who he's been around all these years. All of that stuff rubs off on you if you've been around it as long as he has.'