Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
When Darnell Dockett fell to the turf yesterday having blown out his knee, his dream of leading his Arizona Cardinals on the field to a Super Bowl Championship this season fell with it. In recent days and weeks all Darnell could talk about was how hungry and poised his Birdgang is to win it all.
The truth is---there wouldn't be a Birdgang without Darnell Maurice Dockett. In the NFL there a few Hall of Fame type coaches who can come into an organization and change the culture of a perennial loser. Moreover, there are rare type of players who can change the culture of a woebegone franchise---Darnell Dockett is one of those rare players.
It seem very fitting that after his devastating injury yesterday Dockett tweeted to his Birdgang and his fans that he will be back---because, as he put it---he's come back from worse than this.
So true.
Darnell Dockett's life has always seemed to teeter on the brink of disaster. His mother was murdered in his own home when Darnell was thirteen years old and mere months later his father died of cancer.
Think back to when you were thirteen---and think of what your life would have been if this had happened to you---and then think of where you would be today---
Like the Phoenix itself, Darnell Dockett has managed to rise up time and time again from the proverbial ashes.
Along the way, Darnell has created his own messes---to be sure. Thus, he hasn't been strictly a victim of a merciless fate. His brushes with the law in college prevented him from being drafted in the first round. His own tweets, which have been at times a wonderful source of entertainment and inspiration for Birdgangers all across the USA and beyond, have at other times been extremely inappropriate.
But---if there's one thing that Darnell Dockett understands, it's the importance of learning and the crucial necessity for atonement. This is precisely what his tough life has taught Darnell Dockett. He knows how to rise back up from the depths of pain, despair and disillusionment---and he knows how to amend his own ways.
Whether Dockett can come back from this injury or not, he deserves an ascension into the Arizona Cardinals' Ring of Honor.
In the specific sense---no Arizona Cardinal defensive lineman has appeared in more Pro Bowls (2007, 2009, 2010). He was a First Team All Pro in 2010. He helped to lead the Cardinals to its first ever Super Bowl and in that game on the brightest stage of all, Dockett registered 6 tackles (5 solo) and 3 sacks.
However, in terms of the broader picture, Dockett's legacy in Arizona is one of impassioned leadership and sacrifice. There was a time earlier in Dockett's career where he preferred to train strictly in Florida during the off-season---but, in recognizing the importance of teamwork, Dockett amended his ways and became perhaps the most eager and vocal off-season participant at the Cardinals' headquarters.
When Ray Horton became the Cardinals' defensive coordinator, Dockett quietly accepted his new role as a gap occupier, stating that he would do whatever it took for the team to win. We learned how personally unhappy he was with this role after Horton departed---and everyone who knows and understands the strengths of Dockett's game knows that Dockett is an attack-style defensive tackle who thrives on penetration and disruption.
On a more subjective and personal note---which some may strongly disagree with, which is fine because we all are entitled to our opinions---I never felt more proud of Darnell Dockett than the time in the Meadowlands in New York when he became irate with the coach's decision to give the Jets a TD.
First of all...the Cardinals' recent history versus the Jets in New York has been a nightmare to begin with. Darnell Dockett will never forget the game where his teammate Anquan Boldin was carted off in an ambulance nursing head traumas and skull fractures. Even though the Cardinals were getting routed in that game, Dockett will never forget that the team never quit in that game right to the bitter end.
With these memories in mind, the return to the Meadowlands four years later was one of the most frustrating and agonizing games to watch in that the Cardinals' defense played its ever-living tails off while being on the field for virtually the entire game---while the coach decided to stick with an unprepared, way-over-his-head rookie QB throughout the entire contest, despite the fact that every series was a quick three and out.
Late in the game, a call from the sidelines came in to the defensive huddle: let the Jets score a TD.
For the Cardinals' defense to suddenly just hand the Jets a TD, after fighting tooth and nail in defending every inch of the playing field for the entire game was to a player like Darnell Dockett the ultimate humiliation.
Darnell Dockett took it that way---and delivered his feelings to the player (Kerry Rhodes) who relayed the instructions from the sidelines. There were allegations that Dockett spit in Rhodes' face---which Rhodes later refuted.
But, to be clear, Dockett's frustrations were not with Kerry Rhodes.
This is exactly how a player can do more to change the culture than a coach.
And whenever we hear the term Birdgang---we will always think of you, D-90.
You, D-90, are the greatest fan and promoter of the Arizona Cardinals! No one is more excited when the Cardinals add a good new player than you. You have cheered for players to come to Arizona, and because of you and your teammates, Arizona is no longer a laughing stock for free agents around the NFL. In fact, quite the reverse is true these days.
Franchises need loyal leaders who push them over the hump---you have been all of that, Darnell. Whether you are able to return next year or not, you deserve your hard-earned place in the Arizona Cardinals' Ring of Honor. In fact, it would be especially fitting if you and your pal Adrian Wilson are inducted together. Hail to the both of you for helping to turn the Cardinals' franchise around!
The truth is---there wouldn't be a Birdgang without Darnell Maurice Dockett. In the NFL there a few Hall of Fame type coaches who can come into an organization and change the culture of a perennial loser. Moreover, there are rare type of players who can change the culture of a woebegone franchise---Darnell Dockett is one of those rare players.
It seem very fitting that after his devastating injury yesterday Dockett tweeted to his Birdgang and his fans that he will be back---because, as he put it---he's come back from worse than this.
So true.
Darnell Dockett's life has always seemed to teeter on the brink of disaster. His mother was murdered in his own home when Darnell was thirteen years old and mere months later his father died of cancer.
Think back to when you were thirteen---and think of what your life would have been if this had happened to you---and then think of where you would be today---
Like the Phoenix itself, Darnell Dockett has managed to rise up time and time again from the proverbial ashes.
Along the way, Darnell has created his own messes---to be sure. Thus, he hasn't been strictly a victim of a merciless fate. His brushes with the law in college prevented him from being drafted in the first round. His own tweets, which have been at times a wonderful source of entertainment and inspiration for Birdgangers all across the USA and beyond, have at other times been extremely inappropriate.
But---if there's one thing that Darnell Dockett understands, it's the importance of learning and the crucial necessity for atonement. This is precisely what his tough life has taught Darnell Dockett. He knows how to rise back up from the depths of pain, despair and disillusionment---and he knows how to amend his own ways.
Whether Dockett can come back from this injury or not, he deserves an ascension into the Arizona Cardinals' Ring of Honor.
In the specific sense---no Arizona Cardinal defensive lineman has appeared in more Pro Bowls (2007, 2009, 2010). He was a First Team All Pro in 2010. He helped to lead the Cardinals to its first ever Super Bowl and in that game on the brightest stage of all, Dockett registered 6 tackles (5 solo) and 3 sacks.
However, in terms of the broader picture, Dockett's legacy in Arizona is one of impassioned leadership and sacrifice. There was a time earlier in Dockett's career where he preferred to train strictly in Florida during the off-season---but, in recognizing the importance of teamwork, Dockett amended his ways and became perhaps the most eager and vocal off-season participant at the Cardinals' headquarters.
When Ray Horton became the Cardinals' defensive coordinator, Dockett quietly accepted his new role as a gap occupier, stating that he would do whatever it took for the team to win. We learned how personally unhappy he was with this role after Horton departed---and everyone who knows and understands the strengths of Dockett's game knows that Dockett is an attack-style defensive tackle who thrives on penetration and disruption.
On a more subjective and personal note---which some may strongly disagree with, which is fine because we all are entitled to our opinions---I never felt more proud of Darnell Dockett than the time in the Meadowlands in New York when he became irate with the coach's decision to give the Jets a TD.
First of all...the Cardinals' recent history versus the Jets in New York has been a nightmare to begin with. Darnell Dockett will never forget the game where his teammate Anquan Boldin was carted off in an ambulance nursing head traumas and skull fractures. Even though the Cardinals were getting routed in that game, Dockett will never forget that the team never quit in that game right to the bitter end.
With these memories in mind, the return to the Meadowlands four years later was one of the most frustrating and agonizing games to watch in that the Cardinals' defense played its ever-living tails off while being on the field for virtually the entire game---while the coach decided to stick with an unprepared, way-over-his-head rookie QB throughout the entire contest, despite the fact that every series was a quick three and out.
Late in the game, a call from the sidelines came in to the defensive huddle: let the Jets score a TD.
For the Cardinals' defense to suddenly just hand the Jets a TD, after fighting tooth and nail in defending every inch of the playing field for the entire game was to a player like Darnell Dockett the ultimate humiliation.
Darnell Dockett took it that way---and delivered his feelings to the player (Kerry Rhodes) who relayed the instructions from the sidelines. There were allegations that Dockett spit in Rhodes' face---which Rhodes later refuted.
But, to be clear, Dockett's frustrations were not with Kerry Rhodes.
This is exactly how a player can do more to change the culture than a coach.
And whenever we hear the term Birdgang---we will always think of you, D-90.
You, D-90, are the greatest fan and promoter of the Arizona Cardinals! No one is more excited when the Cardinals add a good new player than you. You have cheered for players to come to Arizona, and because of you and your teammates, Arizona is no longer a laughing stock for free agents around the NFL. In fact, quite the reverse is true these days.
Franchises need loyal leaders who push them over the hump---you have been all of that, Darnell. Whether you are able to return next year or not, you deserve your hard-earned place in the Arizona Cardinals' Ring of Honor. In fact, it would be especially fitting if you and your pal Adrian Wilson are inducted together. Hail to the both of you for helping to turn the Cardinals' franchise around!
Last edited:
