It’s ironic how much of life is determined by whether or not other people see you. When I was a child trying to succeed as a football player, I was told by many people that I wasn’t particularly exceptional. After high school, I had two offers to attend colleges.
I waited about 200 picks before my name was called in the draft. I believe that when I was eventually drafted, a part of me predicted that the NFL would be the same—that is, that more people would ignore me or think I’m not worth their time. I later joined the Green Bay Packer team.
Then I became a Green Bay Packer.
I recall this particular instance from my first-year training camp. The receivers began placing “bets” on which of us would win after the Packers selected three running backs in the 2017 draft. Because he was selected first overall, Jamaal obviously had a lot of guys.
Then Davante approaches me one day at camp. Isn’t he the top receiver? About to make a Pro Bowl in his fourth year. He’s the coolest guy in the room, and for some reason, he approaches me on the sidelines and says, “I got you as my dog in this race.” Sincerely, I have no idea what that accomplished for me. I thought, “Okay, Davante Adams thinks highly of me?” It had great significance.
I also recall my very first offensive snap, which was against Chicago at home in Week 4. It was only our fullback and me left because both of our primary running backs had gone down.
When I get into the huddle after running onto the field, it’s crazy: A-Rod merely gives me a quick glance and says, “Hey. Of all the people in our organization, I am one of your biggest fans. Now is your chance. Now, it’s yours. After I scored, the game was won by us.
I played exceptionally well the next two weeks, even though both of the key backs remained out. However, they recovered very quickly, and I resumed my earlier habit of not going outside as much. I’m thinking to myself, “I had a nice moment.” Perhaps it is finished. However, I’ll never forget this one drive that occurred later in the season, during which A-Rod abruptly called a timeout, turned to face the sidelines, and yelled:
