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Blake Gets 2nd Chance At Dream
The Tampa Tribune
Published: May 5, 2008
TAMPA - The Bucs have never been afraid to give a troubled player a chance to live his NFL dream, and the troubled prospect they extend that special offer to this past weekend was former TCU defensive end Tommy Blake.
One of the best pass-rushing ends in all of college football, Blake's hopes of having an NFL career went off the rails last year when his battle with depression and social anxiety disorder caused him to miss massive chunks of practice and playing time while gaining an inordinate amount of weight.
The result for Blake, who was once considered a likely first-round pick, was a quiet draft weekend in which the only phone call he fielded from an NFL team was the one the Bucs made long after the draft was over.
Still hoping to live the dream, Blake jumped all over the Bucs' offer and now hopes he's shown them enough to at least spend the summer working out with them.
"There's not a point for me to prove," Blake said of his approach to the Bucs rookie minicamp. "I just have to show them that I love the game and give it my all. And I think I've done that. I think I've shown them what I had to show them."
Perhaps, but in Blake's case there will always be at least as much concern about what happens off the field as there is with what happens on it. Blake suggested strongly that those issues may be behind him.
"A lot of people have to deal with a lot of things and unfortunately I had to deal with some things," he said. "But I'm fine now. I had faith in God and he pretty much came through for me. So now we're good, we're real good, and I'm here to play football."
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/may/05/sp-blake-gets-2nd-chance-at-dream/?sports-bucs
The Tampa Tribune
Published: May 5, 2008
TAMPA - The Bucs have never been afraid to give a troubled player a chance to live his NFL dream, and the troubled prospect they extend that special offer to this past weekend was former TCU defensive end Tommy Blake.
One of the best pass-rushing ends in all of college football, Blake's hopes of having an NFL career went off the rails last year when his battle with depression and social anxiety disorder caused him to miss massive chunks of practice and playing time while gaining an inordinate amount of weight.
The result for Blake, who was once considered a likely first-round pick, was a quiet draft weekend in which the only phone call he fielded from an NFL team was the one the Bucs made long after the draft was over.
Still hoping to live the dream, Blake jumped all over the Bucs' offer and now hopes he's shown them enough to at least spend the summer working out with them.
"There's not a point for me to prove," Blake said of his approach to the Bucs rookie minicamp. "I just have to show them that I love the game and give it my all. And I think I've done that. I think I've shown them what I had to show them."
Perhaps, but in Blake's case there will always be at least as much concern about what happens off the field as there is with what happens on it. Blake suggested strongly that those issues may be behind him.
"A lot of people have to deal with a lot of things and unfortunately I had to deal with some things," he said. "But I'm fine now. I had faith in God and he pretty much came through for me. So now we're good, we're real good, and I'm here to play football."
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/may/05/sp-blake-gets-2nd-chance-at-dream/?sports-bucs
