Jets' Wadsworth on final quest for NFL success Updated 19h 37m ago Former Florida State star Andre Wadsworth has been out of the NFL since 2000 but is trying to make a comeback with the Jets. Wadsworth, a former defensive end, is trying to catch on as a linebacker. By Tom Pedulla, USA TODAY HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. ? Andre Wadsworth needs football.After being driven out of the NFL in 2000 by 13 operations that led doctors to tell him he could never play again, the once-heralded prospect is trying an against-all-odds comeback with the New York Jets."You can't play this game forever," says Wadsworth, 32, who spent three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals after entering the league as the third pick in the 1998 draft. "I have this little piece of time to try to do something." His urgency is hardly financial. He owns six luxury-car dealerships in Florida that he says are "worth quite a big penny."They provide him with a good living. They do not provide him with the frivolity of locker-room banter, the sense of power that comes with making a big hit, the challenge of persevering in the face of mental and physical exhaustion."You don't get that on the showroom floor," Wadsworth says.Much of his life has been about facing long odds and beating them. He quickly rose to prominence at high-powered Florida State after making that team as a walk-on.But he was young and fast and healthy then, untouched by a surgeon's scalpel. "The talent God gave me before was a big portion," he says. "Now, it's not as big. But I still think it's big enough to play in the NFL."The former defensive end was determined to find out, even though that meant reinventing himself as a 6-4, 272-pound linebacker. Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum and coach Eric Mangini ultimately opened their door to his grand experiment. "In interviewing him and getting to know him," Mangini says, "he was so impressive that as much as we tried to scare him off and get him to reconsider, he was too determined."At the least, Wadsworth's passion is healthy for a team to have around during the long days of training camp. When young players ask him why he is there, his answer might stick with them a lifetime."We talk about the core characteristics of our players, and one is that football is truly important to you," Mangini says. "I think Andre is a good example of somebody that football's truly important to. "Here's a guy who's been out of football for quite some time. He's established a great business. He's got a great family.And he loves the game." Wadsworth, who is married with two daughters, has made a great impression on curious teammates away from the field."You think about how long he was away from the game and what he had to go through to get back," says fellow linebacker Victor Hobson. "It makes you appreciate the game and the abilities we have."Wadsworth's story enjoyed a fairy-tale ending at Florida State. Don't count on that happening again.There are times he appears to struggle to keep up with what can be a furious pace. He speaks as if the time for him to leave the field and return to the showroom may be only days away. He says of his once-ample abilities, "I have glimmers of it, little shots of it." He made two tackles in the Jets' preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons. He remained on the sidelines during the second game until he received a few meaningless minutes in the fourth quarter. He was not a factor."If they see I'm not ready, I can't fight it," Wadsworth says. "It's a good coaching staff, a good team. They've got to get ready for the season." > http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/jets/2007-08-20-wadsworth-comeback_N.htm
YAY another Wadsworth story. Sorry but it really sounds like he's not going to make the team. No Disney story for this guy this year.
I`d like to see him succeed. It`l be another Chrebet story almost. I love the Jets for giving the underdog a shot. Sometimes they find a gem. I hope to see Wadsworth playing and helping the Jets.
