Page 104 - Coffee County

with Grady unsigned. That didn’t last very long, though. Shortly after the draft, Grady signed as an undrafted free agent with the Indianapolis Colts. He felt a sense of relief at having signed a contract but the pressure to succeed was even greater — especially considering that as far as the Colts’ brass were concerned, Adrian Grady didn’t even exist.

Professional athletics is an interesting industry. The paradox of pro sports lies in the numbers. Like all sports, football is dependent on numbers, and numbers don’t lie. There is, however, one number that matters more than anything else. That happens to be the bottom line. It’s a lesson Grady learned all too quickly while in Indianapolis.

When he signed with the Colts, he wasn’t on the depth chart. He was a free agent, Indy didn’t have any money invested in him and nobody expected much out of him — nobody, that is, except Adrian Grady. “I remembered something C.M. Jenkins told us when I was in high school. He talked about being afraid to fail. I feared failure. I didn’t want to let down the people who supported me. And I didn’t want those who wanted to see me fail have any ammunition,” he says. Grady had to make the most of every opportunity he was given. The opportunities were few and far between, but he didn’t let that stop him. In practice, he might only get 10 snaps. If he wanted the coaches to notice him, he had to make four or fve tackles in those 10 snaps. He also had to contend with four players in front of him — the starting defensive tackle, his back-up, and two draft picks — a second-rounder and a fourth-rounder. In camp, Grady made more plays than the two draft picks and earned the respect of the coaching staff. In the frst preseason game of the 2009 season, the Colts played the Minnesota Vikings. Against the odds, the coaches called Grady’s number and sent him in the game. “I couldn’t believe how big those

offensive linemen were. They were 6’9”, like basketball players,” he laughs. He made one tackle in the frst three plays.

In the third preseason game, the Colts faced the Detroit Lions (Grady didn’t do much in the second game that pre-season; Indy played the Philadelphia Eagles, who, as more of a passing team, wasn’t a good match-up for Grady). Early in the frst quarter, Grady went in the game against the Lions’ starters. He was only in for 14 snaps but came away from the game with four tackles. Indianapolis Head Coach Jim Caldwell had noticed what Grady had been doing and had some very positive things to say about his pre-season performance. After the last preseason game, against the Cincinnati Bengals, the television commentators raved about the way Grady played. They all thought he was a lock to win a roster spot for the 2009 season with the Colts.

All the numbers pointed to Grady. He made more plays than the two draft picks. During the preseason, he had been graded out as on par with a second-round draft choice. But there was one more number that proved his undoing — money. “They had money invested in those draft picks. If they had paid them, they wanted to get something out of the investment. I don’t blame them. I’d want to get something for my money, too,” he says. The day after the preseason ended, the Colts cut Grady. “Coach Caldwell told me I would make an impact in the NFL one day. He said he liked me and the Colts might call me back,” recalls Grady.

The defensive lineman soon landed with the New England Patriots but cut from its practice squad after just a few weeks. From there, he signed with the St. Louis Rams but was released after about a week. New England called him back and he re-joined the Patriots for the remainder of the 2009 season. “The Patriots aren’t a football team. They’re a machine. It’s a different place

to play,” he says. The preparation that head coach and general manager Bill Belichick demands from his players is legendary. But Grady didn’t understand how in depth it was until he was on the team. “I didn’t practice but I had to watch tape and pick out a lineman from the opposing team. I had to dissect that lineman, know everything about him, what makes him good, what his weaknesses are. Then I had to write a one-page paper about him.” As diffcult as that sounds, it’s nothing that Coach Belichick doesn’t do himself. Grady says, “Belichick can break down every player in the league — even special teams. He knows what makes them good, where they went to school, everything. During meetings, he will ask players questions about their opponents. He knows everything — every team, every player.” That mental preparation simplifed the game for Grady and made him a better football player. Though he never played in a regular season game for New England, he left Foxborough a much more competent player than he was when he arrived. “The Patriots weren’t a good ft for me. They run a 3-4 but I do better in a 4-3 front. You have to be bigger in a 4-3. When I was there, I got up to 325 pounds but I was huge — chest, traps, everything. Their weight program is no joke,” he comments.

Grady thought he would begin the 2010 football season as a New England Patriot. Belichick and the Patriots’ brass had other plans though. In August, they released Grady, leaving him without a job for the 2010 season. Enter the United Football League (UFL). The UFL is an independent professional football league with fve franchises. The teams are located in cities that do not have NFL franchises. The UFL began in 2009 and enjoyed a successful frst season. The Hartford Colonials picked up Grady for the 2010 season. He agreed to terms with the Colonials and joined the team as a defensive tackle.