No Holliday for Opposing Offenses

Throughout his football career, Miami Dolphins defensive end Vonnie Holliday has played for some of the toughest coaches and alongside some of the toughest and most influential players, but none of them were as tough on him as the people he identifies as being the most influential in his life – and they all just happen to be women.

Holliday, 32, grew up in South Carolina in the state’s oldest inland city, Camden, and he was the only boy among five women. So whether it was his mother, grandmother, aunt or two sisters barking in his ear, the message always was the same and carried the same amount of weight.

“Their mission was that I was going to be a man, and fortunately they got it right,” said Holliday, who is entering his 11th season in the NFL and fourth with the Dolphins. “That’s what they wanted, they wanted me to be a man and everything that entails, which is being responsible, being an upstanding citizen and to be honest and to make a difference.”

Taking those lessons to heart, Holliday applied the strong worth ethic and desire he honed from his childhood to the football field in Pop Warner and later in high school at Camden High, college at the University of North Carolina and ultimately in the professional ranks. He also worked hard in the classroom and at helping people in the community, whether it was his hometown, the city of Chapel Hill where the Tar Heels called home or any of the three NFL cities in which he played – Green Bay, Kansas City and Miami.

Besides those five strong women in his life, Holliday also credits his uncle, Ike Holliday, who owns a heating and air conditioning company called Holliday Heating and Cooling.

“I saw him work and put all of his blood, sweat and tears into his job in trying to make a living for his family,” Holliday said. “I had an opportunity to work side by side with him at a young age and I learned a lot from him. He’s old school and he’s still working just as hard today, and I’ve tried to talk him into slowing down and turning it over to some young guys, but he believes in doing all the work himself and keeping that mom and pop business going, even though he’s well into his 60s now.”

Vonnie had no qualms about accepting help and advice from any of his coaches or teammates, and he is just as eager to pass on what he knows to Miami’s incoming rookie class and the number of new players acquired through free agency or via trade. He was taught at a young age to listen closely to those who were teaching or coaching him, and in his case that happened to be his youth baseball coach because his mother wouldn’t let him play football at first. She was afraid he was going to get hurt, but as he got bigger and stronger, the gridiron came calling.

By the time he graduated high school, Holliday lettered in football, basketball and baseball and earned all-conference honors as a defensive end, defensive tackle, linebacker and tight end in football and all-conference honors in basketball. On the baseball field, he was a pitcher, catcher, first baseman and third baseman, but North Carolina saw more potential in Holliday as a defensive lineman and in 1994 he was one of only three true freshmen to play.

True to form, Holliday just kept getting better at his position and was named team co-captain as a senior, the same year that he was a first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection after finishing with 64 tackles and five sacks. The Packers selected him in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft with the 19th overall pick and Hall-of-Famer Reggie White immediately took him under his wing.

“All of those guys I played with in Green Bay had an impact on the type of player I have become, from Reggie to Brett Favre, Santana Dotson and Mark Chmura, but Reggie was unbelievable,” said Holliday, who finished second to Oakland Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson for AP Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 1998. “Reggie was a very spiritual guy but to me, I was struck by how professional he was both on and off the field and he was a great guy who took time to talk to me and get me through things.”

White died tragically in his sleep at the age of 43 on December 26, 2004 and Holliday was already in this second season with the Kansas City Chiefs after signing with them as an unrestricted free agent following the 2002 season. White’s death hit him hard because he was still used to fielding regular phone calls from White during which the ordained pastor offered him advice on fatherhood and being a good husband as well as being a good citizen.

When the funeral service for White took place, Holliday was taken aback by the sheer amount of people that showed up and the heaping words of praise spoken at the pulpit as White’s family listened on intently. Not only did it serve as a wake-up call to how fragile life is in general, but it also awakened inside Holliday the importance of making a difference in a number of different ways, not just as a football player.

“It made you realize a lot of things, like not taking life itself for granted,” Holliday said. “As football players we are very athletic, strong and well-built guys who almost feel invincible. When it comes to things that Reggie did on the field, he was Superman and he could toss aside a 350-pound man like he was nothing. So for me, when I sat at that funeral and heard person after person come up and talk about Reggie and the kind of person he was and the things that he did, it dawned on me that when it’s my time, what are people going to say about me and what is my legacy going to be?”

Seeing Holliday return to Camden each year to host his annual Vonnie Holliday Bulldog Football Camp at his old high school or head to Mt. Sinai Hospital in Miami to visit sick patients makes it even more clear how well he was paying attention not only to the lessons taught to him by White, but by every other influential person in his life.

As for his exploits on the field, Holliday still would like to win a Super Bowl and experience the feeling of being crowned a champion. He also hopes to earn his first Pro Bowl berth, something he has missed out on despite posting impressive numbers in 2001 with Green Bay (81 tackles, seven sacks and three fumble recoveries), 2003 with the Chiefs (81 tackles, 5.5 sacks) and 2006 in Miami (66 tackles, seven sacks). In fact, he finished tied for third with Oakland’s Warren Sapp and Detroit’s Cory Redding in 2006 for most sacks by an interior lineman, and with yet another new regime now in place, Holliday appears to be re-energized for the 2008 season.

“This is my 11th year and I’ve had seven head coaches and eight defensive coordinators, so I know about change and going into a camp having to learn a new playbook and a new scheme,” said Holliday, who is looking forward to working alongside 12th-year nose tackle Jason Ferguson. “Fortunately for us now, we have the OTAs and the minicamp. The offseason over the last six years has changed so much because now you spend so much time around your teammates and the coaches and in the classroom, so probably 85-90 percent of our playbook is already in.

“Normally as a veteran player, you don’t like hanging around your job in the offseason, but in this case it’s been beneficial to me and a plus in terms of learning the playbook and getting familiar with the coaching staff and how they’re going to approach the season. I’m excited about it and although training camp is in the dog days of summer and you don’t look forward to the heat, I certainly look forward to getting into the season and rebounding from a 1-15 season, and I plan to lead more by example and let my work ethic and how I prepare impact the younger players.”

That’s how Reggie White impacted Vonnie Holliday, and now the man who has become an exemplary husband, father and contributing citizen to society is ready to make yet another difference for an organization steeped in tradition.

Snapshot: Tony Hills

The first one, well, he was able to deal with that. Now the second one, that was a little much for any man to overcome, even if he is a 6-foot-6, 300-plus pound Texas brute.
So you would have to excuse Steelers rookie left tackle Tony Hills for going into what he called ‘a funk’ for a little while after breaking his left ankle which needed six screws inserted into the bone to stabilize it just two games before the end of his collegiate career.

That funk very well could’ve been caused by the thought of those once almost guaranteed first or second-round dollars evaporating into late-round money.

Or it could’ve been caused by the thought of battling back from yet another devastating injury at the worst possible time.

Just a few years prior, Hills suffered a career-threatening knee injury that eventually led to a condition called ‘drop foot’ during his last high school game that put into question whether the University of Texas would honor its scholarship offer with the then all-state tight end.

Despite showing up to his official recruiting trip to Austin in January 2003 in a wheelchair and sporting a leg-length cast, Mack Brown honored his word and Hills did, too. And he turned into an All-America offensive tackle by his senior year.

“People say they have a respect for the game,” Hills said. “But until it’s almost taken away from you, you don’t understand.”

After fighting through what turned out to be two years worth of rehabbing of his knee that forced him to miss his freshman year at Texas, Hills figured the injuries were all behind him. Then came the ankle injury right before he was to turn pro.

“It was depressing,” Hills said. “I didn’t get to play my final game against Texas A&M and didn’t get to go to the Holiday Bowl and who knew what was going to happen with the draft.”

But, the Steelers drafted him in the fourth round. “I am right where I need to be,” he said. “The only thing I am thinking about now is the 34 fight and the 122 and 22 double. That is the only thing that is on my mind right now. Everything worked out for the best because I am here.”

Maybe Hills’ mental strength is why the Steelers equipment staff handed him No. 66, which was most recently worn by Alan Faneca.

“Hopefully over the long haul I can be half the player he is,” Hills said. “I was going to take whatever number they gave me. Once I got it, I knew who wore it last year, I knew I was going to keep it. I just plan on making it a number.”

Often times, players change numbers after making the team as a rookie, but not Hills.

“I don’t have any desire to change my number,” he said. “My main focus is to make sure I do what I am supposed to do. A number is just a number.”

His number very well could be No. 1 as in the No. 1 left tackle sooner rather than later. The Steelers have plans of Hills eventually taking over for Marvel Smith at left tackle possibly as soon as next year when Smith’s contract is up.

Hills is big at 6-6, but his quick feet and overall speed is what makes him so attractive to the Steelers. It is a skill Hills honed while playing soccer during his youth, and basketball as a teenager. Prior to giving up basketball his freshman year in high school, Hills was on the U.S. Junior National team.

“That has helped me with my mobility,” Hills said. “Soccer and basketball helped with quickness.”

But Hills knows he still has a lot to learn about playing offensive line. He’s started only 24 games there.

“I never really had a position,” Hills said. “I have been moving ever since midget league. I started out as a defensive tackle then I moved to defensive end then tight end then tackle. Who knows where I will be in the next couple of years? Hopefully I will still be playing left tackle.”

Redskins Sign Jackson

The Washington Redskins signed seventh-round draft pick Rob Jackson. Jackson, a defensive end, was the 242nd overall selection in April and made 61 tackles and 6.5 sacks in two seasons at Kansas State.

The Redskins have signed four of their 10 draft picks. Earlier, they signed fourth-round draft pick cornerback Justin Tryon; sixth-round safety Kareem Moore; and seventh-round safety Chris Horton.

To make room for Jackson on the roster, the Redskins released defensive tackle J.T. Mapu, who was signed as an undrafted free agent last month.

Tony Hills Q&A

Has your injury history held you back, including in this draft?

Well I know that there are a lot of things that the GMs and the coaches looked at and might have put up a red flag. If they followed my career and my history they would see that I have always been able to battle back from tough situations. Obviously Pittsburgh looked at it and paid attention to it and I am happy to be a Pittsburgh Steeler.

Can you explain what happened with the drop foot to us?

Sure. I got hurt in high school. I got hit in the leg and my perennial nerve was stretched causing a lack of mobility and then a loss of function in my foot. After my scar tissue removal surgery and after my MCL tear I regained full functions and I guess the rest is history.

Are you healthy and back to normal then?

I am definitely healthy. I am still working on getting all of my lower body strength back. That is something that I am going to go in there and work on as well as just doing what I can to help the team.

What do you see yourself as, a left or a right tackle?

I definitely prefer the left side. That is what I have been playing. I am willing to do whatever it takes in order to pay my dues and help the team in any form or fashion. I definitely feel that I am athletic enough to play left tackle in this league.

They say it is difficult to come back from that kind of injury. How difficult was it for you to come back from the drop foot injury?

That is what I was told but I definitely didn’t have any difficulty coming back. Once I got full functions back into the leg, from there we went on to building me up and getting me stronger; a lot of lower body lifting and total body lifting in general.

Are you going to come up with Limas?

I definitely am. I was on the verge of calling him. I thought I should wait a minute and keep this line open, I know you guys wanted to call me.

What’s he (Limas) like?

He’s a heck of a player on the field, he is a hard worker, he has a lot of heart. He likes to be called on in pressure situations. We are very similar in the way we play the game. We play the game with passion. I’m just fortunate and blessed to be able to go to the same organization with somebody that I came up through college with.

What do you think that he would say you’re like?

Pretty much the same things, just a hard-nosed football player. I love the physicality of the position that I play. I just want to help the team get better and I love to win.

I guess the Cowboys are America’s Team in your mind?

That’s what they say. Right now I’m just enjoying being part of the Pittsburgh organization.

I feel like they have a great team and I just want to be part of it.

The Steelers are pretty much reviled down in your neck of the woods.

Actually we have a couple of Steelers fans in the house. My uncle is a huge Steelers fan. I watched them since Coach Tomlin has been there. They are going in the right direction for what they stand for with their lunch pail type of attitude. That is the same type of attitude that I have. It’s been a pleasure watching those guys go out and work. I am just glad I can be part of the organization.

Chargers Sign Mark Jones

The San Diego Chargers signed wide receiver and punt returner Mark Jones to a one-year contract on Friday.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed for Jones, who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season.

Jones returned 12 punts for 143 yards, with a long of 35, with Tampa Bay in 2007 before having his year cut short with a knee injury that landed him on injured reserve on October 24.

“Mark’s versatility was very attractive to us,” San Diego general manager AJ Smith said. “He’s an experienced NFL punt returner and a solid player who will raise the level of competition in our camp.”

Jones, 27, has 117 career returns for 1017 yards - an average of 8.7 yards - since being drafted in the seventh round in 2004 by the Buccaneers.

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