Walk On: Ardent Picks Himself Up

[Poli]

Walk On: Ardent Leads the Vols Where it all began...





There I was looking at the grass. Fiesta Bowl. Glendale, Arizona. I just lost the National Championship. I just lost this game for Tennessee.

Defense: 34 Alignment, Man-to-Man (Bump & Run), Pass - Aggressive.
TENN 15 AE sacked by STAN 94 Henderson for a loss of 3 yards.
Sack allowed by TENN 77 Lochner.
Ball was fumbled and recovered by STAN 46 Malone for 0 yards to the TENN49.

In all honesty, I was hit from behind. I was looking to hit Kolodzik with a quick strike when I was hit with one myself. The ball came loose, and there was a scramble for the ball, but I was laying on the ground, with Henderson draped over me.

Henderson said a few things I won't soon repeat. Stanford players and fans erupted in cheers. I didn't have to get up. I didn't have to look. I knew they had recovered just by the sound.

Henderson got up and patted me on the helmet, but all I could do was grab and tug at my facemask while I layed there. J.B. was the first to come over.

"Get up," he said, "come on, Ardent, let's go. Nothing we can do about it. Let's go. Get up."

With that, I began to push myself up off the ground, and he helped me the rest of the way. He patted me on the back, and we began to trot off the field. Defenders spilled out on the field as we came off, most in shock about what had just happened.

Everything had been so magical to this point. It seemed to be our destiny to win it all this year. I turned one last time to look at the field before I stepped off.

"It's over", I said to myself again and again. It really is over. This time last year I was wondering if I'd ever take a snap as a Vol. Simply amazing. I turn and get off the field. My teammates and coaches are there to greet me. Everyone of them patting me on the helmet and telling me to shake it off.

The referees had to settle the Stanford sideline down after my fumble, but once play resumed they took a knee and had their victory. We went out to shake hands and in the process I finally took my helmet off. I met a few of their players and their head coach, who reminded me that I had done a wonderful year.

The trip to the locker room was slow and painful. Lots of reporters were getting in the way. Can't they see I just want to get away? The pain in my stomach just won't go away. I just want to sit in front of my locker. I just want to get away from here.

Eventually, I made it to the locker room. Everyone on the team made it a point to stop by and try to talk to me. I started to cry. I was broken down.

Finally, Coach Fulmer came in. He thanked us for the great season. He thanked us for our dedication and teamwork. He reminded us where we were back in spring camp, and what everyone thought of our team. He thanked the seniors, and then he thanked me.


I stayed with my family that night in our hotel room that night, icing my shoulder and thinking about what I should have done a thousand times. Even though I was thinking about it, I never spoke about it. They didn't bring it up, either. We kept the TV off as well. I think I fell asleep some time around 3 in the morning.

The flight home the next afternoon was somber. Light idle chatter could be heard here and there, but it was very quiet compared to usual trips. I was still saddened by the fumble, but I tried to keep it inside. To my surprise, the guys didn't talk about it.

When we arrived in Knoxville, we arrived to the waiting arms of our fans. Many fans were wearing my jersey. A smile came across my face. Wow. It was almost like the Vol Walk to the stadium.

Back in the dorm, Aaron Moser and I talked about the game, which was the first time I talked about it to someone else. Aaron told me he screamed for me to throw the ball when he saw I was about to get hit. I laughed, but I imagine he really did.

[Franklinnoble]

Sweeeeeet... gonna put that copy of FOF2k4 to good use now?

[fantastic flying froggies]

YES!

[ur_land]

But.....how are you going to coach the US National soccer team if you're playing in the NFL and serving in the Navy? I'm confused.

[MacroGuru]

I am pretty excited for this one.

[MizzouRah]

I hope the Rams draft you!


Todd

[Franklinnoble]

Seriously, I'd tweak the ratings a bit with the draft file editor first.

[Kodos]

Hmmm. I may need to go back and read the Tennesse Dynasty. This looks good.

[finkenst]

hot damn

[Poli]

I never realized I still had my cell phone turned off the whole time. I had shut it off well before the game. Everyone at Tennessee remembers the Troy Fleming debacle, and no one at UT wants to repeat that. It dawned on me I had it turned off a few hours later when Aaron got a phone call. I was surprised at the amount of phone calls I had.

I had well over one hundred. Some were well wishers before the game. Most were to express sympathy for the loss and to tell me to keep my chin up. I had a few anonymous hateful calls, but they were few and far between.

Then came calls from the family. I had not called them since I got back to Knoxville, and they wanted to hear from me. Sorry, I'll call when I get through the rest of the messages.

I couldn't believe the messages near the end. Agents! You got to be kidding! Who would want to draft me, much less sign me? I thought the first call was a joke. But the messages kept rolling in. Some of the agent names I recognized, though most I had no earthly idea who they were. I'd never considered hiring an agent. Not one thought about it.

I couldn't help but share the news with Aaron first. He was surprised but said he kind of expected it.

"Look at the numbers," he said, "you may have been the last option at Tennessee, but that doesn't mean you couldn't be an option in the NFL or one of the other leagues."

Aaron's talk had me think of two other UT quarterbacks. Not Peyton and Heath. Not Andy Kelly or Tee Martin. Pat Ryan and Jerry Colquitt. Pat was a backup his entire career at UT and ended up starting in the NFL. Jerry was the starter for one game for UT back when Manning was a true freshman. Unfortunately, he injured his knee on the third play of the season. He was still drafted as well.

Heck, maybe I have a shot. If not in the NFL, maybe NFL Europe or even Arena football. I don't know if I'd want to play Canadian ball, but I suppose it is an option.

I started scribbling down all the agent names and numbers, though Aaron told me to throw out at least half a dozen of the no namers. I still kept them all. I hastily called my family to let them know the good news.

I just can't believe this is happening to me.

[The Afoci]

Hey kid, you like candy. Come with me, I got to tell you something.

[Poli]

Dad flew in from Bonne Terre to help me sort things out. He made some calls as well and we ended up throwing out about half of the names on the list, most of which Aaron had already suggested. We called the rest of them back, which was about 20 names and agencies or so.

Most were interested in me pursuing a career in football, but a few only wanted to help me with a book or movie deal about what has happened. Uhm, no thanks. I'll look into that some other time. Funny as it may seem, I have enough crazy stuff going on around me as it is. I don't need to worry about writing my story.

After our initial calls were returned, dad and I sat down and talked about some of things that were discussed over the phone. We talked about my future and what I wanted to do. I figure I'll give football a shot for as long as I can. Coaching can wait I guess. In the process we narrowed the list down to about three possibilities.

They were Data King Sports Group (agent: Steve Secora) out of Chicago, Cole-Nielsen Professional Management (agents: Justin Cole and Rob Nielsen) in Memphis, and Cougar Sports Management (agent: Jay Gargan) out of St. Louis.

Each had it's advantage. DKSG seemed to have excellent connections and leadership. CNPM was an up and coming team that had already signed J.B. Brewster and a few other Tennessee Vols. They were small, very small, but had already made a name for themselves. Cougar Sports was near home, and their agency seemed top notch as well.

We called them back, and each agent agreed to meet me on different days. I had a decision to make. This wasn't going to be easy.

[Coffee Warlord]

Quite simple. You want the money, you sign with Cole-Nielsen.

Scott Boras ain't got shit on us, bud!

[The Afoci]

Cole-Nielsen if you ever, ever want to see that picture of the girl with the you know what, you know where.

[Poli]

The plan was to meet Steve in Chicago and go to a Bulls game that Thursday. My dad and I would then fly out to St. Louis to meet Jay and watch a Blues hockey game on Friday night. Last but not least, we'd drive down to Memphis on Saturday and meet with Cole-Nielsen. They wouldn't discuss what they had planned.

Steve met me and my dad at O'Hare airport on Thursday. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy. We had dinner at some place called "The Silo", which was in all honesty, a pizza place. Kind of an odd place to have a meeting, but I didn't mind. I really liked their pizza.

Steve talked about what Data King Sports Group could do for me. He mentioned the several deals they had worked out with several prominent athletes, and even deals for athletes you wouldn't have thought of. He talked about the plan they had for me as well.

Later that night, the Bulls would beat the Timberwolves, and Steve drove us back to the airport. Instead of flying back to Knoxville, we flew to St. Louis. Instead of a hotel, we went home.

I hadn't gone home since this all started. I didn't even go home this summer. I didn't go home during the off weeks. It's not so much I was avoiding it, as much as I wanted to be in Knoxville.

Bonne Terre was great. You could tell I had become the talk of the town. Everyone I ran into patted me on the back and congratulated me. I wasn't ready for this, that's for sure. I spent the night at home with family, and went out the next morning with some of my old buddies.

A lot of them joked about how they should try and turn pro. I laughed. Heh, they were better athletes than I was in high school. I told them I doubted I would even get drafted, but I'd work my butt off to try. Not a single one of them doubted me.

I guess you could say I just wanted it more than they did. A few of them played a year at Lindenwood University, but I chose to walk on to Tennessee instead. It's just a school I fell in love with as a teenager when I first started watching football. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and got an opportunity. I realize I'm very fortunate.

I had talked to one of my old high school coaches before I got to town, and he arranged to have me speak to the high school students. That was pretty cool. I remember as a student here a few years before they never would have given me this opportunity. Afterward, I signed a whole lot of autographs. Before I knew it, though, it was time to head up to St. Louis and meet with Jay.

[DataKing]

Memo to Mr. Secora.

It looks like we might have some competition landing this AE kid. Send a couple of the "spokesladies" down there and see if they can help convince him to sign with us.

[Franklinnoble]

Originally Posted by DataKing

Memo to Mr. Secora.

It looks like we might have some competition landing this AE kid. Send a couple of the "spokesladies" down there and see if they can help convince him to sign with us.

Here ya go:

[DataKing]

Mom?!?!?!

[Coffee Warlord]

From the Desk of Rob Nielsen

To: Justin Cole

We have the transvestites in place for DataKing's spokesladies. Mr. Hefner has shipped us a lovely trio of centerfold ladies for our new client's visit. Make sure he gets the Lakers tickets we have stockpiled.

[Poli]

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

Here ya go:

I don't know what's worse, the picture, or the fact you found it.

[MizzouRah]

While you're in town, let's get some Pantera's!

Todd

[Poli]

Jay was a really nice guy and is an athlete. He's spent some time playing with various pro clubs in the US and in Europe. It turned out we had a lot in common.

He recommended pizza, but having it the day before, I declined. I suggested Outback Steakhouse, and Jay agreed. Outback's got to be my favorite behind Taco Bell.

Jay's presentation was really good. Training near my home was a very strong selling point as well. Jay had about as many questions for me as I had for him. I thought that was kind of funny.

The Blues game was great. Though I had lived near St. Louis, I never went to a game. It was incredibly loud though! Jay had us sitting with other St. Louis sports personalities that Cougar Sports Management represented, so I got a few introductions as well. I wanted to ask for autographs, because that's the first thing that came to mind. I didn't do it, though. Too bad St. Louis lost to Boston.

The ride home was long. I've never found a quick way from the city down to Bonne Terre, at least not one that didn't involve me going about 90 MPH. Dad and I talked about Steve and Jay's presentations. We liked them both.

I fell asleep somewhere around Festus. That drive down Highway 67 always gets me if I'm not driving. Dad woke me as we pulled in.

I stumbled into the house and hit the couch. Quick and convenient. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. I needed as much sleep as possible. Forget the formalities of going to my bedroom. The couch was a quick fix.

[Coffee Warlord]

Weaaaaaak.

The Memphis Show is ready and waiting, Mr First Round Pick.

[Ragone]

Show me the money.... I love the black man! err wait a second

[Poli]

Originally Posted by Ragone

Show me the money.... I love the black man! err wait a second

You had me at hello.

[Poli]

Dad and I woke up very early the next morning to head down to Memphis. Drive down to Farmington, across to St. Gen, and down 55. A few hours later, and we're just outside of Memphis.

Justin Cole and Rob Nielsen wanted to meet us outside the city, but still hadn't given us a clue what to expect. The only thing they told us was that we would be staying in a nice hotel for the night, and then we were free to go back home.

We met them in a town called Marion, and then drove the rest of the way into Memphis. These guys were styling. They were waiting with a limo. Steve and Jay just took their own vehicles. Heck, maybe this was their vehicle.

I've been down to this area many times. I remember having nightmares as a kid about crossing that giant bridge that goes from West Memphis to Memphis. It wasn't the crossing that scared me, it was the fact we never made it. There was always a section missing in the bridge. Construction workers forgot to mark off the area and we plummet into the river.

I'm glad those nightmares went away, but I still get the jeeberd's when I think of that bridge, and now I'm crossing it. I'm a NFL draft hopeful, and I have the shakes crossing this bridge. I think I managed to hide my fear.

The thing that took me by surprise was how down to earth these guys were. It was clear to me that they wanted to make us comfortable. They didn't talk once about a contract or even business at all. They didn't even talk about me.

They talked about the Bears and the Cubs. Rob went on and on about what they should do, while Justin took every opportunity to discredit Rob. These two acted as if they were family. Every once in a while, they'd let us be part of the conversation, but it was much more enjoyable to listen to them.

Away the limo went...destination unknown.

[fantastic flying froggies]

Originally Posted by ardent enthusiast

Away the limo went...destination unknown.

Ow come on, the commercial break must be over by now...

[Poli]

Originally Posted by fantastic flying froggies

Ow come on, the commercial break must be over by now...

You're right. However, after I posted the unknown part, I couldn't connect to FOFC for nearly 2 hours. Don't know why, because I could go to whatever other site I wanted.

Now that I'm back on FOFC, I'm way too tired to try and be creative.

[fantastic flying froggies]

are you saying you're making it up as you go along?

If that 's the case, I am very impressed...

[lytic]

Originally Posted by ardent enthusiast

Too bad St. Louis lost to Boston.

St. Louis ALWAYS loses to Boston... that's common knowledge.

[Coffee Warlord]

Someone forgot to look at the license plate of our limo.

DEBAUCH 1

[Poli]

You mean I'm supposed to have a storyline or something?

I usually just wing it.

[Poli]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

Someone forgot to look at the license plate of our limo.

DEBAUCH 1

Something tells me we're not stopping by St. Jude's Childrens Hospital.

[Poli]

Finally, some of the conversation was directed at me.

"Hungry?"

I was almost lost in the conversation and didn't immediately realize if Rob was asking me a question or if he was simply stating a fact. Maybe he was in fact....hungry.

I withheld my answer for a second to gauge his response.

"Come on now. Are you hungry or not?"

Well, that settled that.

"Yep."

"Great," Justin interjected, "there's a McDonald's up ahead. I've been wanting chicken nuggets all day!"

"Oh, hells no!," Rob yelled, "We are NOT taking Ardent to McDonald's! Let's go to Pig on Beale! Been there before, Ardent?"

I shook my head no, and followed it with a verbal no as well. My dad, who's seemingly been everywhere, had been.


Pig on Beale was awesome. I had a great time there. They had an Elvis show as well. Pretty cool. Despite living in Arkansas and Missouri most of my life, I'd never seen an Elvis show.

Interestingly enough, we never talked about their agency. The conversation was all over the place, though they did finally mention Tennessee. They wanted to know who I thought would start for the Vols at quarterback. By the time we left Pig on Beale, it was around one in the afternoon.

As we walked back to the limo, Justin finally broke the ice and talked about the agency. The conversation carried on into the limo, and off we went again.

It was a good pitch. Both Rob and Justin were good friends from college and went to work for separate agencies. Just two years previously, they decided to go out on their own. It was just the two of them. I kind of liked the thought of being represented by a small agency like theirs, rather than the large agencies that Steve and Jay worked for.

They represented two first round picks from the year before, and were now representing J.B. Brewster, my former star running back. They were also representing a few other athletes going into the draft this season.

"Enough of this", Rob finally said, "the day's not over. Let's go skydiving!"

[Poli]

I thought Rob was kidding. He wasn't.

The limo took us outside of town and it took about an hour to get to the site. During the ride, Rob and Justin explained they had been skydiving for years. I had never went, though I heard many people talk about it.

After we arrived, we had to sit through a short class explaining safety and other stuff. Fortunately, it was a fairly short. The class lasted less than an hour. Soon afterward Rob, Justin, and I were suited up and getting in the plane. My dad, the old man, refused to go. He had never been in an airplane, or so his story went. I've never seen him in one, anyway.

The ride made me a little nervous, but the jump went smooth. Since it was my first time, I made a "tandem" jump, with an instructor from the skydiving company. Justin and Rob were "certified" or something, so they jumped on their own. A cameraman was also making the jump to film my jump.

We freefalled for a bit, and it seemed like forever. What I didn't realize was that the cameraman had the camera on me and not the ground. Well, I didn't realize much because I kept looking at the ground. The instructor made a little fun of me by acting like he was sleeping. Of course, I didn't realize it until I watched the video.


On the way back, Justin and Rob put a bit of a press on me to sign. I told them it was tempting, but I needed to think it over. I promised to get back to them by Monday morning at the latest.

Once again, Rob was anxious to quit talking business.

"BACK TO BEALE STREET! It's time to drink!" Rob cheered.

Now that was something dad was interested in, but we had to decline. We needed to get back home. As it was, we were going to visit and stay with some family in Arkansas tonight, and then head up to Bonne Terre the next day.

The sun was about to set when we parted ways with Justin and Rob. A little later, we pulled into Manila, Arkansas, to see my grandparents. We spent the night there.

I didn't sleep well, though. I had a tough decision to make between three agencies.

[GoldenEagle]

Why would you meet anyone in Marion? There is nothing in that town.

[Poli]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

Why would you meet anyone in Marion? There is nothing in that town.

Are you kidding, the motel we stayed at had a water slide!

A water SLIDE!

[Poli]

All three agencies offered about the same package:

They wanted about 3% of any contract secured. Each differed slightly in the amount they were asking, but none were over 3%.

They all had coaches ready to work with me to prepare for possible workouts with teams and the Tennesee Pro Day. Additionally, they all promised to get me invited to the Draft Combine.

Their coaching staffs included a quarterback coach, a strength and conditioning coach, and a speed coach. Each agency had secured quality coaches, though Data King Sports Group had secured a speed camp ran by Don Beebe called the House of Speed. That gave Steve and DKSG the edge there.

All promised to secure room and board for me during the training period. This gave a slight edge to Cougar Sports Management. Training near home is a plus.

Finally, all promised to do whatever they could to get me drafted. All promised to help me pursue my dream no matter what it took. Cole-Nielsen did the best in my opinion of making my visit personal, and while I believe that all three agencies would do their best. I think Rob and Justin showed me that they would leave no stone unturned. Rob and Justin made me believe they'd do absolutely anything to help me succeed.


I slept maybe one good hour.

[Poli]

I hadn't planned on doing this, but I've decided to allow you to choose which agency I should sign with.

The poll can be found here: http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~fof/for...ad.php?t=34846

Voting ends tomorrow night.

[Coffee Warlord]

Voting for anything other than The Great And All Powerful Cole-Nielsen Duo Of Doom will condemn our mighty AE to poverty! The man has to feed his children.

Vote smart. Vote s-mart.

[WSUCougar]

Home is where the heart is. Become a Coug.

[fantastic flying froggies]

OK guys, I'm on the fence here. Come on and gimme your best sales pitch!

[WSUCougar]

Cougar Sports Management is the Jerry Maguire to the Bob Sugars of Cole-Nielsen.

[finkenst]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

Why would you meet anyone in Marion? There is nothing in that town.

federal prison?

[Poli]

Originally Posted by WSUCougar

Cougar Sports Management is the Jerry Maguire to the Bob Sugars of Cole-Nielsen.

Very nice.

Originally Posted by finkenst

federal prison?

I don't think there's one in Marion, Arkansas.

[finkenst]

Originally Posted by ardent enthusiast

Very nice.



I don't think there's one in Marion, Arkansas.

what, you want me to actual read the dynasty? Isnt that i alittle unrealistic.

[lytic]

I took you to a BLUES game... come on you momma's boy! Stay HOME!!! ARE YOU TOO GOOD FOR YOUR HOME??!?!

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by lytic

I took you to a BLUES game... come on you momma's boy! Stay HOME!!! ARE YOU TOO GOOD FOR YOUR HOME??!?!

Home is where the stripper is.

Quarterbacks get the chicks. This is a proven fact. If you want clean, undamaged chicks, you want Cole-Nielsen.

Unless you dig dirty ho's. We got those, too.

[DataKing]

Sorry to see that you left the decision up to the yahoos on this board.

It's too bad. Just got a call from Nick Saban telling me how he's looking for a new QB.

[Poli]

I woke up much earlier than I had hoped to. Grandma decided to make breakfast and the smell stirred me from my sleep in the adjacent living room.

Soon after that, we ate breakfast. We made small talk as we ate. Grandpa, known by everyone but me and my siblings as "Snook", asked who I thought would win today. He seemed kind of surprised to hear I hadn't paid attention to the NFL this season.

By 10 a.m. dad and I were on the road back up to Bonne Terre. On the way up, dad asked me how I was feeling. I told him the dilemma I was facing. As we talked, I began to make sense of some of it.

In the end, I felt Cole-Nielsen would do their best for me. Their small agency in Memphis was up and coming. It seemed like a good fit for me.

---

I called Cole-Nielsen when I got in to tell them I was going to go with them. Rob took the call after his secretary answered.

"Great! I'll be up tonight and we'll drive back to Memphis the next morning. Hey, put your dad on the phone."

I handed dad the phone and nearly died laughing when I heard, "Hey, I'll be up tonight. Where are the best bars up there? We're going drinking, and I'm buying."