Talk:Donnie Edwards
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A Lunch-Pail Instead of the Pro Bowl
Every great organization has one. A guy who comes to work, lunch-pail in hand, clocks in early, works hard without a complaint, and stays as long as required to get the job done. Often, he toils without much recognition. But he always works at the high standard he sets for himself.
Football is no different in this respect. The best teams seem to have at least a few players who fit this mold. The San Diego Chargers have one such figure. His name is Donnie Edwards. Every Sunday, lunch pail in hand, he consistently outworks his opponents on the football field. And in his great 10-year career (four with the Chargers), even though he has averaged over 120 tackles a season, has 12 career forces fumbles (nine he recovered himself), and six career defensive touchdowns, he’s only been to one Pro Bowl…as a second alternate.
Yet, year after year, he performs at a high level and never lets it hamper him that he has never received that recognition from his peers and fans. No, lunch-pail in hand, he continues to be one of the best linebackers in the game. And even more astonishing, he weighs only 227 pounds.
In spite of having one of the best years of his career in 2003 with 161 tackles, he again missed the Pro Bowl.
And the pattern would continue…
In 2004, he had 152 tackles and 5 interceptions—24 interceptions in his career—and he still missed the Pro Bowl.
Again, the pattern would continue…
In 2005, the Chargers drafted a linebacker in the first round to add to an already talented linebacker corp. And boy did he deliver! Shawne Merriman, a 275-pound speedster out of the University of Maryland, became the first outside linebacker since the late great Derrick Thomas to make the Pro Bowl as a rookie. Though he only had 57 tackles, he had 10 sacks and a number of bone-crushing collisions, which would announce to all Charger fans that a new impact player had arrived. Poor Donnie, it happened again! After having his third straight 150-plus tackle season, Donnie was once again overlooked for the Pro Bowl. Having the fourth best total in the NFL at 152 still wasn't enough. This time, a rising star on his own team was overshadowing his consistency.
Now I’m not saying that Merriman hasn’t made an impact nor am I saying he doesn’t deserve his Pro Bowl spot. He has and he does. And he is definitely deserving of his Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year award. But just once, I’d like to see the guy who comes to work, lunch-pail in hand, get the recognition he deserves.
About the Author:
Lawrence D. Elliott has been a Realtor® for over 16 years and provides professional representation for clients in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties. A loyal Chargers fan, he also runs a network of real estate web sites, which can be accessed through his main site at http://www.LawrenceElliott.com
