Stars of this video who signed NFL contracts were:Surrounding all of the talk about conference shifts, championship playoffs and recruiting rankings, we sometimes forget that football is a fun game.
Adam DiMichele - Philadelphia Eagles; Muhammad Wilkerson - New York Jets; Andre Neblett - Carolina Panthers; Eli Joseph - Green Bay Packers; Wayne Tribue - Denver Broncos; Peanut Joseph - Green Bay Packers; Alex Joseph - Green Bay Packers; Amara Kamara - Kansas City Chiefs; Pat Boyle - Detroit Lions; Terrance Knighton - Jacksonville Jaguars; Mike Campbell - New York Jets; Alex Derenthal - New York Giants; Stephen Johnson - New Orleans Saints; Bruce Francis - NFL Tryout; Jabari Ferguson - NFL Tryout; Chester Stewart - Baltimore Ravens; Vaughn Charlton - Pittsburgh Steelers; Tahir Whitehead - Detroit Lions; Junior Galette - New Orleans Saints; Adrian Robinson - Pittsburgh Steelers; Morkeith Brown - Tampa Bay Bucs; Brian Sanford - Cleveland Browns; Jaiquawn Jarrett - Philadelphia Eagles; Dominique Harris - Buffalo Bills; Travis Shelton - Denver Broncos; Andre Douglas - Dallas Cowboys; Darius Morris - Houston Texans; Derek Dennis - Miami Dolphins; Colin Madison - Baltimore Ravens; Devin Tyler - Baltimore Ravens; Kee Ayre Griffin - NFL Tryout; Marquise Liverpool - Detroit Lions; Evan Rodriguez - Chicago Bears; Steve Maneri - Kansas City Chiefs; Matt Balasavage - Baltimore Ravens; Wilbert Brinson - NFL Tryout; Jamal Schulters - NFL Tryout; Kevin Kroboth - NFL Tryout; James Nixon - Arizona Cardinals Source: Fran Duffy, Philadelphia Eagles
At least it is supposed to be.
Fun to play.
Fun to watch.
Having spent a few years of my young life living on the campus of Temple University, I know nothing brings young people together like being in that kind of environment, living in a vibrant, world-class, city like Philadelphia.
I've always felt this "danger" thing about living on campus was way overblown. In my time, if you went West of 17th Street and East of 10th, that was a pretty stupid thing to do. Inside that box, which is a large thriving campus covered by 150 well-armed, well-trained police officers, I've never felt safer. I walked home from The Temple News every night at about 4 a.m. (we put out a daily tabloid back then) and had several of those guys say "hi, Mike" on my walk back to Johnson Hall.
The people who say Temple is a dangerous place just never spent as much time on the campus as I have.
I can honestly say I had a lot fun in my time at Temple, all the while getting my work done.
I don't know if I could say the same thing living in a boring, dull, town like Piscataway, Storrs, Cincinnati or State College.
Who am I kidding?
I know I couldn't.
I once walked into Wayne Hardin's office for an interview and asked him about fun.
"Football is fun if you win," Hardin said.
Al Golden did a lot of great things at Temple.
Probably the greatest thing was that he used that Masters in Sports Psychology to figure out a way to bond the players.
Golden made football practice at Temple fun for the most part.
His teams had fun winning and practicing to win. Golden's team often played wiffleball before a practice and had some kooky crazy games.
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| This team looks like it is having fun all the time. |
In singing Buttercup, beautifully produced by then Temple (and now Philadelphia Eagles) video coordinator Fran Duffy, you can see on the face of each Owl how much fun they had.
Golden is seen making a cameo, shaking his head from side to side at the 1:06 mark.
They proved that the team that sings together wins together.
I love this kind of stuff.
Taking the time to do that helped bond the team, but did not take away from their ultimate goal. Thirty-five players in that video signed contracts with NFL teams. Not one signed a contract as a professional singer.
Even the producer of this video, Fran Duffy, signed an NFL contract.
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| Nobody tells funnier jokes than coach Addazio. |
Current video coordinator Ben Cauthen and assistant Dave "Owlified" Gerson are also terrific as successors to Duffy and "Our Very Own" Scotty Hartkorn but I think even they would be hard-pressed to match the video.
I suggested D.J. Khalid's "All I Do is Win" but I don't think Daz likes rap.
Steve Addazio has picked up where Golden left off, not just in the winning department but in the fun department as well.
Former Temple and current Oakland Raiders' receiver Rod Streater said as much after the Owls beat Wyoming, 37-15, in the New Mexico Bowl.
"He's the realist (sic) coach who ever lived," said Streater, who played for both Addazio and Golden.
The photo of Addazio laughing with the team afterward is Exhibit A in the bond Daz forms with his teams.
"No coach can motivate like he can," Tim Tebow said.
College football is a big business for sure.
At Temple, though, it can be a lot of fun as well. Probably more than any other place.
Recruits are noticing and that can be nothing but a good thing.
