What happened when you left the Ravens?
I lot of it was injury. My first year I broke my scaphoid (wrist), my second year I tore my ACL. My third year I played well, but my second year they had drafted a guy. I had started a few games my second year prior to my injury. But at that position, if you show that you can’t hold up they’ll get another guy to replace you. That’s pretty much what happened. Also after my third year a new staff came in, and they were head over heels for the guy that I was kind of splitting time. Plus it was my tender year, my big-money year, and if I wasn’t going to be there guy they weren’t going to keep me as a backup. They released me and the next day I got taken off waivers by the Jets.
Due to a contract problem the Jets released me the next day, but they told me they’d released me because I’d failed a physical. Well, I hadn’t even taken a physical. I had nine interviews and four workouts after that and I had to get X-Rays for all nine and had MRIs for eight of the nine teams. And their biggest thing was, “Why did you fail your physical? We need to take a look.” And there was no CD I could take around and show what’s wrong with me. It was kind of, “We don’t see anything wrong with you but… you’re on the short list.” I went through that for the year, and right before the Arizona Cardinals won their first playoff game they called me. One of their tight ends got hurt, and they were like, when something happens…
I worked myself up to the No. 2 spot and the first day of camp (in 2009) the No. 1 guy goes down. I step into the No. 1 spot, catch a pass and get bumped and tear my other ACL. That was it. Second practice at fall camp.
