But remember, your career is not going to be a fairy tale.
In fact, after surviving final roster cuts before the 2010 season, the Jets are going to release you in Week 2. You’ll hit waivers, and no teams will claim you. So every team in the NFL will have a chance to grab you, and they will all pass.
At this point, as you and Stacia are driving back to Nebraska from your New Jersey apartment, a familiar thought will creep into your mind: Maybe it’s over.…
Then, back in Omaha, you’ll get a call from your agent. He’ll say he has the Patriots on the line, and they want to sign you.
Like I said, you’re not a pessimistic guy. But this call will come on a Friday, two days before the Patriots are supposed to play the Jets. So your first instinct will be to think that they only want to sign you to get some information. You may not have been in the league long at this point, but you’ll know enough about how it works to know that this is something teams do.
But let’s face it: You won’t be in any position to turn down an NFL teams. So you’ll hop on the next flight to New England to sign that contract. You’ll have until 4 p.m. EST to sign the deal to get paid that week … you’ll get there at 3:50 p.m.
Then, you won’t join the team for Sunday’s game. You won’t even talk to the Patriots’ coaches until Monday — the day after the Jets game.
So maybe they didn’t want information from you after all.
Now, as you’re reading this, it’s 2004 and the Patriots have just won their second Super Bowl in three years. Well let me tell you something: They’re going to win it again next year. Then they’ll get back to the Super Bowl a few years after that. And when you get to New England in 2010, they’ll still be the class of the NFL. So you’ll feel pretty good about where you you’ve landed.
And the timing couldn’t be more perfect, because in that game against the Jets, their top receiving back, Kevin Faulk, will tear his ACL. As much as you will hate to see that happen to another player — especially a guy you’ll go on to become good friends with — it will be a big opportunity for you. That Monday, the first day you meet with the coaches, they’ll give you a playbook and tell you to start studying.
The following Sunday, you’ll take the field for the first time in a Patriots uniform, and you’ll score your first NFL touchdown.
In 2011, your second season with the Patriots, you’re going to play in the Super Bowl.
Yes, you. The 18-year-old Nebraska kid who couldn’t even get a D-I offer is going to play in the Super Bowl.
