NewYorkDragons80
12-18-2001, 09:40 AM
SWAYNE'S LONG SEASON REACHES A TIMELY PINNACLE
Kevin Swayne
Francis Specker
December 17, 2001 -- WASN'T so bad. Hey, for $115,000 for three months' work, Kevin Swayne figured he would run through a wall, which is what you did in the Arena League, where you went not very long at all.
Three squares, warm sidelines, so what's a few carpet burns? Life with the New York Dragons was good.
"I wasn't ungrateful or unhappy with what was going on," Swayne said. "I mean, I was always dreaming, because it if you don't believe it, I don't know how you expect someone else to believe in you. But the window of opportunity was shrinking."
The Jets, who had scored only seven touchdowns in 27 quarters, were third-and-16 at their own 45 yesterday and down by 11 points as the third quarter was about to expire. Facing a third straight loss, their window of opportunity to make the playoffs had shriveled, their offense giving absolutely no relief to a defense that had just given up a second drive of over 80 yards.
The Jets were in deeper than you had to go down their roster to find Swayne's name as training camp began, but this guy could no more cease believing than he can desist playing the longest season in football history. If they think it's been endless in Carolina, they ought to run in the shoes of Swayne, who has played 11 XFL games, 13 Arena League contests, and now 13 in the NFL in one year.
"The week we lost the XFL playoff game, that Wednesday I was here practicing with the Dragons," he said. "I started that Saturday and went 14-15 weeks with those guys. We lost that playoff game on Friday. Saturday, I was working out for the Jets, and Monday camp started. I didn't set out to play three leagues. I just took them one at a time."
Sort of like the Jets have losses, the pending third consecutive of which would forced them to run the table through Oakland to gain a playoff spot. They were looking for a spark almost as desperately as their 26-year old rookie wideout should be looking for a morning to sleep in.
"Tired?" Swayne said. "Yes, but no. You get a second wind."
The marathon man went to the left sideline, one yard past the first-down marker, where, inexplicably, the Bengals did not believe the wide receiver from nowhere would wind up. Maybe they thought Swayne would keep going upfield, or had earned the rest of the weekend off. Or maybe, at 4-9, they simply remain the Bengals.
"No disrespect, but I thought all along we matched up well on their corners when we had three guys wide," said Swayne. "The safety was going to Wayne [Chrebet] the whole time. They were going to make me make the play."
Three plays later, he was catching another third-down pass to keep the first of consecutive touchdown drives alive. The Jets came back to win, 15-14, and if you wondered what kept them for three awful quarters, well, sometimes that's the way it is in life, too.
Swayne played at Palomar JC, at Wayne (Nebraska) State, for the Iowa Barnstormers, the Dragons and Orlando Rage and not in any rage about his failure to get an extended look in the NFL.
"I'm the reason I didn't get drafted," he said. "I was a knucklehead who made choices in my life and had to go to junior college and take the Division II route. The system didn't fail me. I made wrong decisions and had to take the long way to get here."
After 37 games in one year, you might say there is long, and then is long, and someone should tell offensive coordinator Paul Hackett there is such a thing. Swayne has been the last cut of the Bears, and a fast cut by the Chargers. In Philly, it was only his practice to play against the starters in practice. But there was no giving up by a guy who, really in need of a break, was making his break for the first-down marker. And after that, neither would the Jets give up.
They looked like they just got tired of being awful, taking the lead of their indefatigable wide receiver, who, playing until he drops, yesterday had four catches and no drops. At third-and-long for all practical purposes on the
Kevin Swayne
Francis Specker
December 17, 2001 -- WASN'T so bad. Hey, for $115,000 for three months' work, Kevin Swayne figured he would run through a wall, which is what you did in the Arena League, where you went not very long at all.
Three squares, warm sidelines, so what's a few carpet burns? Life with the New York Dragons was good.
"I wasn't ungrateful or unhappy with what was going on," Swayne said. "I mean, I was always dreaming, because it if you don't believe it, I don't know how you expect someone else to believe in you. But the window of opportunity was shrinking."
The Jets, who had scored only seven touchdowns in 27 quarters, were third-and-16 at their own 45 yesterday and down by 11 points as the third quarter was about to expire. Facing a third straight loss, their window of opportunity to make the playoffs had shriveled, their offense giving absolutely no relief to a defense that had just given up a second drive of over 80 yards.
The Jets were in deeper than you had to go down their roster to find Swayne's name as training camp began, but this guy could no more cease believing than he can desist playing the longest season in football history. If they think it's been endless in Carolina, they ought to run in the shoes of Swayne, who has played 11 XFL games, 13 Arena League contests, and now 13 in the NFL in one year.
"The week we lost the XFL playoff game, that Wednesday I was here practicing with the Dragons," he said. "I started that Saturday and went 14-15 weeks with those guys. We lost that playoff game on Friday. Saturday, I was working out for the Jets, and Monday camp started. I didn't set out to play three leagues. I just took them one at a time."
Sort of like the Jets have losses, the pending third consecutive of which would forced them to run the table through Oakland to gain a playoff spot. They were looking for a spark almost as desperately as their 26-year old rookie wideout should be looking for a morning to sleep in.
"Tired?" Swayne said. "Yes, but no. You get a second wind."
The marathon man went to the left sideline, one yard past the first-down marker, where, inexplicably, the Bengals did not believe the wide receiver from nowhere would wind up. Maybe they thought Swayne would keep going upfield, or had earned the rest of the weekend off. Or maybe, at 4-9, they simply remain the Bengals.
"No disrespect, but I thought all along we matched up well on their corners when we had three guys wide," said Swayne. "The safety was going to Wayne [Chrebet] the whole time. They were going to make me make the play."
Three plays later, he was catching another third-down pass to keep the first of consecutive touchdown drives alive. The Jets came back to win, 15-14, and if you wondered what kept them for three awful quarters, well, sometimes that's the way it is in life, too.
Swayne played at Palomar JC, at Wayne (Nebraska) State, for the Iowa Barnstormers, the Dragons and Orlando Rage and not in any rage about his failure to get an extended look in the NFL.
"I'm the reason I didn't get drafted," he said. "I was a knucklehead who made choices in my life and had to go to junior college and take the Division II route. The system didn't fail me. I made wrong decisions and had to take the long way to get here."
After 37 games in one year, you might say there is long, and then is long, and someone should tell offensive coordinator Paul Hackett there is such a thing. Swayne has been the last cut of the Bears, and a fast cut by the Chargers. In Philly, it was only his practice to play against the starters in practice. But there was no giving up by a guy who, really in need of a break, was making his break for the first-down marker. And after that, neither would the Jets give up.
They looked like they just got tired of being awful, taking the lead of their indefatigable wide receiver, who, playing until he drops, yesterday had four catches and no drops. At third-and-long for all practical purposes on the