Dad's inspiration drives Big Leonard's quiet determination
A liberal dose
August 12, 2007
This training camp is not about everybody who said offensive lineman Leonard Davis was not worth the biggest signing bonus in Cowboys history.
Nor is it for those in the Cardinals organization who whispered he was lazy. Or those who think Bigg, as everybody calls him, lacks the fire in his belly necessary to be truly dominant.
This training camp and, really, this season, is not about proving anybody wrong. It is about proving one man right.
L.A. Davis believed his son was destined to have an impact as big as his body, in whatever he did. Everybody always assumed this would be football because, well, Big Leonard was 300 pounds big by seventh grade.
His father, a devout and respected preacher, never pushed him in that direction growing up in nearby Wortham. He merely told him, 'I just want to be around to see you in the NFL' once he had decided for himself.
There were plenty of such games in Arizona, but Big Leonard signing with the Cowboys this off-season seemed like a perfect ending, a chance for his 84-year-old father to watch his son not simply play in the NFL but for the Cowboys.
L.A., though, died right before training camp.
'I was real close with him growing up,' Leonard said Saturday. 'But the one thing I've learned playing football, and this is not just in the NFL but this is all my life, the biggest question you got to ask yourself is: How are you going to deal when adversity hits? Are you going to go off the deep end or are you going to deal?
'Because it is real easy to make excuses. 'My whole world is crashing around me because my dad passed so I'm just going to do whatever.' It is easier to make excuses than to do the right thing.'
The right thing in his mind was to arrive at Cowboys training camp on time and focus on doing his job. And this is exactly what Big Leonard did, never once hinting at what amounts to a giant hole in his heart.
It is still there, and he is not completely convinced it will ever go away.
L.A. Davis was Big Leonard's role model, the man who taught him about life and how to live it. He is a big reason why Big Leonard is who he is -- a quiet, gentle mountain of a man who was taught to bust his butt at whatever he is doing.
It just so happens that his job calls for him to pancake defensive linemen unmercifully on Sundays.
And Big Leonard has been mashing defenders all training camp and did so again against Indy. He has had his off moments, too, including a hiccup at the goal line Thursday.
What Cowboys O-line coach Tony Sparano loves about Big Leonard is whatever he's shown on film eventually shows up on the field. He is unfailingly coachable and earned the respect of Sparano and others by his diligence and dedication to off-season workouts.
What they have seen so far from Big Leonard is nothing like what was being advertised in Arizona.
'I was there, and there is nothing that comes out of there that would surprise me,' he said. 'I'm just glad I'm here.'
Here is Texas. Texas is home. Home is family.
And family is a big hunk of what drives Big Leonard.
So make no mistake about it, this Cowboys season is not about anything other than doing his dad proud.
Jennifer Floyd Engel can be heard weekdays 9 a.m.-noon on The Jennifer Engel Show on ESPN/103.3 FM.
August 12, 2007
This training camp is not about everybody who said offensive lineman Leonard Davis was not worth the biggest signing bonus in Cowboys history.
Nor is it for those in the Cardinals organization who whispered he was lazy. Or those who think Bigg, as everybody calls him, lacks the fire in his belly necessary to be truly dominant.
This training camp and, really, this season, is not about proving anybody wrong. It is about proving one man right.
L.A. Davis believed his son was destined to have an impact as big as his body, in whatever he did. Everybody always assumed this would be football because, well, Big Leonard was 300 pounds big by seventh grade.
His father, a devout and respected preacher, never pushed him in that direction growing up in nearby Wortham. He merely told him, 'I just want to be around to see you in the NFL' once he had decided for himself.
There were plenty of such games in Arizona, but Big Leonard signing with the Cowboys this off-season seemed like a perfect ending, a chance for his 84-year-old father to watch his son not simply play in the NFL but for the Cowboys.
L.A., though, died right before training camp.
'I was real close with him growing up,' Leonard said Saturday. 'But the one thing I've learned playing football, and this is not just in the NFL but this is all my life, the biggest question you got to ask yourself is: How are you going to deal when adversity hits? Are you going to go off the deep end or are you going to deal?
'Because it is real easy to make excuses. 'My whole world is crashing around me because my dad passed so I'm just going to do whatever.' It is easier to make excuses than to do the right thing.'
The right thing in his mind was to arrive at Cowboys training camp on time and focus on doing his job. And this is exactly what Big Leonard did, never once hinting at what amounts to a giant hole in his heart.
It is still there, and he is not completely convinced it will ever go away.
L.A. Davis was Big Leonard's role model, the man who taught him about life and how to live it. He is a big reason why Big Leonard is who he is -- a quiet, gentle mountain of a man who was taught to bust his butt at whatever he is doing.
It just so happens that his job calls for him to pancake defensive linemen unmercifully on Sundays.
And Big Leonard has been mashing defenders all training camp and did so again against Indy. He has had his off moments, too, including a hiccup at the goal line Thursday.
What Cowboys O-line coach Tony Sparano loves about Big Leonard is whatever he's shown on film eventually shows up on the field. He is unfailingly coachable and earned the respect of Sparano and others by his diligence and dedication to off-season workouts.
What they have seen so far from Big Leonard is nothing like what was being advertised in Arizona.
'I was there, and there is nothing that comes out of there that would surprise me,' he said. 'I'm just glad I'm here.'
Here is Texas. Texas is home. Home is family.
And family is a big hunk of what drives Big Leonard.
So make no mistake about it, this Cowboys season is not about anything other than doing his dad proud.
Jennifer Floyd Engel can be heard weekdays 9 a.m.-noon on The Jennifer Engel Show on ESPN/103.3 FM.
posted by The Gryphon at 3:49 PM
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