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Notes, Quotes and Slants
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Pirate
Notebook No. 250
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
By Denny O'Brien |
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This time, Pinkney deserves
some help
©2005 Bonesville.net
Gary Freeman tells the story well. The
six-foot, one-inch mound of pocket protection reflects back to a painful
Saturday when the quarterback corralled his herd for the next play.
But instead of regurgitating the signal
from the East Carolina sidelines, the quarterback deposited the byproduct of
another bone-crushing blow onto the freshly-chewed turf. A small patch of
Bagwell Field was painted bright crimson.
Skip Holtz has a good one, too. Only his is
about an off-the-field encounter that occurred a few months after the
first-year Pirates coach established camp in his brand new digs.
He sat the quarterback down and presented
two options: Take the easy route by returning to Florida, or stand in the
pocket and endure the most difficult blitz he's ever faced.
Then there's the bus boy's version. It
lacks the glamour of earning a Purple Heart or the drama of an intense
player-coach confrontation. James Pinkney's account is a tale of a
quarterback who once owned the spotlight, but became the subject of the
Working Man's Blues.
I like that chapter the best.
Not because I personally wish him a life
filled with flatware retrieval or minimum wage earnings. In fact, my perfect
scenario would include a record-breaking career and college degree at ECU, a
first-round NFL selection, several Super Bowl victories, and induction into
the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Though all that remains a possibility, the
purchase of a winning lottery ticket may carry more favorable odds. That's
why the immeasurable value of Pinkney's hard-knock story should serve as a
lasting lesson.
As should the dignity with which he handled
himself throughout what perhaps is the most adverse set of circumstances he
has faced.
"It just made you realize that you can't
take nothing for granted," Pinkney said. "You just have to live day by day.
You can't just go through life expecting everything to be given to you.
"I took school for granted, and that's what
happened. Bussing tables made me realize that life is not a joke, and made
me take things more seriously."
Imagine that waterfall of humility flowing
from the geyser-sized mouth of Terrell Owens. Unlikely in an age of sports
where the athlete is blameless and often punctuates self-pride with a
self-imposed hiatus.
Ask T.O., and any suffering endured by him
is courtesy of the Philadelphia Eagles' management and head coach Andy Reid.
In contrast, J.P. would contend that his own personal tribulation was caused
by someone who failed to recognize the importance of his role and chose to
ignore the accompanying duties.
Himself.
Pinkney's willingness to accept the
responsibility for his dismissal from school is both admirable and
refreshing. And while there is no questioning Pinkney's role in his own
downfall, the fact remains that it could have been avoided had it not been
ignored by those ultimately responsible for his existence on campus.
Which has been a fairly common theme
throughout Pinkney's career — a storyline filled with factors that have made
it increasingly difficult for the talented quarterback to succeed.
To a degree, Pinkney has been failed by the
unusual amount of staff turnover that has placed four playbooks in his lap.
He also was failed by a philosophy predicated on seven-step drops that often
put him in harm's way.
But in no way was he failed more than by a
system that allowed him to temporarily lose his eligibility.
Yet you won't hear Pinkney attribute any of
his shortcomings — on the field or in the classroom — to anyone other than
himself. As tempting as it may have been, there has been no finger-pointing
at a player who missed a blocking assignment or a coach who overlooked
academics.
College often is touted as the best 'five
or six years' of your life. In Pinkney's case, it has been a true test of
adversity during which he has proven himself resilient despite what would
seem unreasonable odds.
He did it countless times last season
following three-hour floggings from opposing defenses. He did it in the
spring by surviving and this summer by completing an academic Hail Mary.
Everything James Pinkney has achieved is
the product of his own hard work and determination. Just imagine what he
could accomplish if he could depend on someone else.
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02/23/2007 02:00:19 AM |
