I went out to lunch today, and did something I shouldn’t have done. I got a soft drink to go with my sandwich. I’m a fan of the taste of a soft drink, but I’m not a fan of the results of a soft drink. I’m going to stop drinking them. Tomorrow. Or maybe the next day.

Part of the problem is that I drink the hard stuff. None of that diet cola brew for me. I don’t like the taste of Aspartame, and I’ve tasted it in every diet soft drink I’ve ever tried. My wife drinks only the diet, which continues to amaze me. She doesn’t even like the taste of a regular cola now. Imagine that.

Anyway, I got to the soda machine and had a choice of drinks. For a moment, I thought about having a Dr. Pepper. I don’t drink Dr. Pepper anymore. Used to drink it regularly when I was a young guy. I think about getting one occasionally now because of the memories I get when I have that first taste of a Dr. Pepper. It takes me back to when I was 13 or 14 years old, growing up in Roanoke.

Every summer night, I’d go to Wasena Park with my father. He was going to his part-time job as an umpire of little league and Pony League baseball, and I would go over to the basketball courts and play for a couple of hours. Yeah, I could play a little. Thanks for asking. Had a heck of a fall-way jumper that was an unusual fall-away jump shot. It was from the baseline, and I’d fall out of bounds as I took it. I think it was the gravitational pull of the Roanoke River, which was just across the road from the basketball court. Rarely missed that shot, if I do say so myself. And I’ll have to because no one else from those days is blogging here at the moment.

After that, I would return to Wasena Diamond No.4, where my father was working. I’d go to the concession stand and order a Dr. Pepper, which was served in a paper cup with a lot of ice. The taste of that Dr. Pepper, when I was hot and sweaty, always was magnificent. It was so good going down. Sometimes, I’d splurge and get a pack of crackers or a bag of M&M’s. All that would cost me maybe 25 cents. Those were the days.

You have all sorts of memories from growing up, good, bad and indifferent. I don’t have a single bad memory from those summer nights in Wasena Park.

What does that have to do with the Washington Redskins? Hmmm. Give me a minute. OK, I’m wondering if after a long, hot practice, Derek Devine rewards himself with a Dr. Pepper at dinner. I’m pretty sure I know the answer. No. These guys take care of their bodies. They rehydrate with sports drinks and water. They don’t mess with soft drinks. My son, the young runner, hasn’t had a soft drink in something like two years. That’s discipline.

Anyway, Derek Devine. He’s the No.4 quarterback in the Redskins camp, which means he’s here basically to throw during drills so the first two quarterbacks, Jason Campbell and Todd Collins, don’t wear their arms out in the preseason.

I took a look at Devine’s stats. I figured he’d be like most guys in this situation—lots of completions and yards. Even the free agents usually have had stellar college careers.

Here’s what Devine did during his career at Marshall University—he played in three games in two seasons, threw six passes and completed one for 20 yards.

Now, that must have been some 20-yard completion because this is Devine’s second pro camp. Last year he was in Seattle. Light bulb. Jim Zorn, now the Redskins coach, was the quarterbacks coach in Seattle last season. Suddenly, it’s easy to figure out how Devine got here. But how did he get to Seattle? One completion at a Division I college is not enough to even get you into a training camp, much less two. And what happened at Marshall?

Devine is from California, and played at Mt. San Antonio College, a juco in Southern California. He threw for 1,549 yards and 13 touchdowns in his second season there.

When Marshall recruited him, he thought he was going into the same system that produced Byron Leftwich and Chad Pennington, both first-round draft choices. Instead, Devine arrived as the coaching staff changed. The Thundering Herd switched to an option attack.

“Not my style,“ he said. Devine is a strong-armed, drop back passer.
He stuck around for a second season because, he said, the coach told him he was going to open up the competition at quarterback. That didn’t work out, either.

“We didn’t win a lot either,“ Devine said. “Sometimes you get stuck in a bad situation.

Undeterred, Devine compiled a highlight CD and sent it to all the NFL teams before the 2007 draft. Seattle called, then signed him for training camp.

“He had a CD that a lot of guys have, and the one thing I noticed was when he was just throwing the ball, he threw hard. It’s one thing to throw hard, but it’s hard to throw accurately when you do. When you let the ball go, and you hit what you’re trying to throw at, it makes a difference. And he could do that.

“He has a lot to learn just because he doesn’t have the kind of experience you need playing on the field. I’m trying to give it to him, but it’s hard because I’ve got to get everybody else ready as well. He’s a great guy, and he is smart.“

Devine needs something like NFL Europe, but that league doesn’t exist anymore. He’s not interested in playing in the Arena League right now, but he might want to consider it. It worked out well for Kurt Warner. Of course, Warner also had NFL Europe experience.

Devine is hoping to get into a preseason game, make some plays and catch someone’s eye. He’s a bit of a longshot to make someone’s team. For the moment, though, he’s living the dream.

The thing about the NFL is that it only takes one guy to like you to keep you around and finally give you that big shot. Bill Parcells liked Tony Romo in Dallas, when no one drafted him, and that’s worked out pretty well for Romo.

If things don’t work out for Devine, I hope he at least has a Dr. Pepper with a lot of ice—it can be very refreshing—before he leaves for whatever is next in his life.

Posted by Paul Woody in • Professional Football
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