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Jan. 24, 2004, 8:10PM
Donnalley Recalls Rocky Roots
Former Oilers guard traces development from raw rookie in '91 to
veteran mainstay of the Panthers' line
By JOHN MCCLAIN
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
When Kevin Donnalley was a rookie offensive lineman with the Oilers
in 1991, some of his teammates and coaches accused him of not being
tough enough mentally and strong enough physically to survive in the
NFL.
As a third-round pick from North Carolina, Donnalley didn't play a
down of offense that first season, and when he elected to go home in the
offseason rather than stay in Houston to work out at the team's training
facility, the coaches figured he'd return to Houston in 1992 and spend
just enough time here to be waived.
"Well, here it is 13 years later, and I'm still around," Donnalley
said last week as he prepared to come to Houston today with his Carolina
Panthers teammates. "When I think back, there was a combination of
things my rookie year that had me hanging by a thread.
"I felt like I had the tools, but I didn't learn good technique in
college. When I got to the Oilers, I found out in a hurry that I wasn't
strong enough, either. Plus, I'm sure I was a little homesick. Erica and
I were engaged, but she was back home (in North Carolina)."
Donnalley, 35, fooled everyone by returning to Houston stronger
mentally and physically. He played seven seasons with the Oilers, the
first six in Houston. After one season in Tennessee, he signed with
Miami in 1998 as a free agent. Donnalley left the Dolphins for the
Panthers in 2001 and has been a fixture at right guard for the NFC
champions, who play New England in Super Bowl XXXVIII.
"It's so incredible to be able to return to Houston to play in the
Super Bowl," Donnalley said. "The only way things could be more perfect
for me would be to play this game in the Astrodome."
Bad memories from that 14-10 loss to the Texans this season, huh,
Kevin?
"No, I love the new stadium, but I just have so many great memories
of the Astrodome," he said. "Sellout crowds, House of Pain, Luv Ya Blue.
We made the playoffs my first three seasons, and I'll always get good
vibes when I think about playing in the Dome."
Donnalley was part of one of the best drafts in Oilers history.
General manager Mike Holovak traded the No. 1 pick for extra selections.
Eight of the 14 picks played at least four seasons with the Oilers.
Donnalley, cornerback Darryll Lewis, cornerback Steve Jackson and free
safety Marcus Robertson played at least seven seasons with the
franchise.
And to think Donnalley almost didn't make it into his second season.
Bob Young, a longtime offensive line coach who played for 16 years, and
such veteran teammates on the offensive line as Mike Munchak, Bruce
Matthews, Dean Steinkuhler and Doug Dawson didn't make life any easier
for a rookie they thought had talent but needed to be prodded mentally
and physically.
"Yeah, they were tough, and they contributed to the misery of my
rookie year, but what they did helped make me a better player,"
Donnalley said. "I guess they thought I might be a third-round bust.
Thank God they didn't cut me that first season.
"I took film home to watch how Bruce and Munch played. I saw the kind
of work ethic they had. I knew I had to get bigger and stronger, and I
worked hard at it."
Donnalley also got meaner. Once he got bigger and stronger and
developed some confidence, he started getting into fights at practice.
The coaches loved it. But one fight they didn't love involved Donnalley
and outside linebacker Lamar Lathon.
At training camp in San Antonio, Donnalley and Lathon got into a
fight in the weight room. The dumbbells used dumbbells as weapons. It
was quickly broken up, but that fight was the talk of camp.
"Hey, it was camp, and it was hot, and we were both tired and
frustrated," Donnalley said. "I don't even remember how it started, but
I do remember seeing the weights coming at me and us getting after it."
Donnalley loves the Panthers' style of play and underdog status.
"We don't have superstars or big egos," he said. "We're a blue-collar
team that takes a businesslike approach to our jobs. And we've been
peaking at just the right time."
Snake charmer
-- Panthers safety Jarrod Cooper has come a long way from
Pearland. He's been out with Christina Aguilera. He also keeps
two pet pythons that total more than 30 feet.
"I've got to get rid of them (because) one of them almost killed me,"
Cooper said last week as he prepared to come home for Super Bowl
XXXVIII. "I put them out in a garage. (Later) I opened the door and went
to turn the light on. The snake was looking right at me, like he was
going to strike, so he's got to go."
Romeo and Juliet
-- Patriots defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, who was voted
NFL Assistant Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America
and Pro Football Weekly, is an interesting guy. But because the New
England assistants are allowed to talk to the media so infrequently,
it's difficult to find nuggets like this:
Crennel is a Muhammad Ali buff who collects memorabilia
involving the former heavyweight boxing champion. Crennel also collects
art. And -- surprise -- he has a sister named Juliet.
Horse trader
-- Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme, pride of Breaux Bridge,
La., hails from a family that raises horses. At latest count, the
Delhomme stable owns seven horses, including one named She Hate Me,
named after teammate Rod Smart, whose "He Hate Me" nickname in
the XFL earned him recognition.
Write stuff
-- For the second time in the last four years, the architect of a
Super Bowl team is a former sportswriter. Panthers general manager
Marty Hurney follows Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi,
who covered the Colts in Baltimore, as scribes who made the move into
NFL front offices and worked their way to the top.
Hurney covered the Redskins for the Washington Times before
Washington general manager Bobby Beathard enticed him to turn in
his laptop for a job in public relations in 1988. When Beathard moved to
the Chargers, he took Hurney with him. Hurney stayed with the Chargers
until 1998, when he moved to the Panthers.
Hurney is hoping to have better luck than Accorsi did at the Super
Bowl. The Giants were obliterated by the Ravens. At least someone in the
Hurney family will get a Super Bowl XXXVIII ring. His brother-in-law,
Jay Muraco, is New England's coordinator of college scouting.
Hard to come by
-- In case you're frustrated because it's so difficult to buy a Super
Bowl XXXVIII ticket, check out the distribution: Of the 70,000 tickets
for the game at Reliant Stadium, the NFL gets 25.2 percent. The Panthers
and Patriots get 17.5 percent apiece. The Texans get five percent
because they are the host team. That leaves 1.2 percent each for the
other 29 teams.
Be like Mike
-- Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was asked if he sees a lot
of himself in Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme.
"Why would he want to be a guy that's slow and has an average arm?"
Brady said with a grin. "I'd want to be Michael Vick. That's an
inspiration."
Gross out
-- Remember the speculation about the Texans using their No. 1 draft
pick last year on Utah offensive tackle Jordan Gross? One reason
the Texans backed away from Gross was because he refused to play in the
Senior Bowl, where Dom Capers' staff coached one of the teams.
The Texans used the third pick on receiver Andre Johnson, who
showed he has the ability to become a big-time player. Carolina used its
No. 1 pick on Gross, who started all season at right tackle. Both teams
are happy with their picks -- Johnson and Gross made the all-rookie team
and have Pro Bowl potential.
What's in a name?
-- What's a Fontaine Swope? Well, her company, Eli Marketing,
is handling too many Super Bowl events to list, including some that are
so super-secret that sources insist they required a blood oath. But this
much is known about Swope: She's putting on shindigs for three of her
biggest clients -- ESPN, BMC Software and MGM.
Before relocating to Houston from Atlanta 4 1/2 years ago, Swope's
company handled the Summer Olympics and two Super Bowls. Why leave
Atlanta for Houston? Love, actually.
Seems Swope fell in love with Houston native Robin Hood, who
played basketball at Cy-Fair and became one of the best players in Texas
Lutheran College history.
And -- this is the God's-honest truth -- Hood's father is named
Sherwood. And until six months ago, Robin Hood had a secretary named
Marion. And yes, he does have a friend named John, but he's not little.
Houston salute
-- When Jim Nantz wanted to pump up the volume on Monday
night's Houston Salute at Reliant Arena, he called
on an old friend, Chris Begala, who specializes in crisis PR
among many other things.
Like Nantz, who is putting together the opening ceremony that
includes a tribute to 38 area sports legends, Begala is a former Houston
broadcaster and sports talk show host.
Begala spent 17 years in radio in Houston, including the last five as
sports director at KILT, before starting Begala Consulting and following
in the footsteps of his older brother, Paul Begala, who was an
adviser to President Clinton.
While Chris has worked on political campaigns and referendums like
the one voters passed here to approve the funding of Minute Maid Park
and Reliant Stadium, Paul has moved into broadcasting as the host of
CNN's Crossfire.
What about Goldie?
-- Celebrities, like athletes, just love the Super Bowl atmosphere,
especially if they're serious sports fans. Actor Kurt Russell, a
huge sports fan, is hoping to attend Super Bowl XXXVIII if he can slip
away from doing publicity for his latest film, Miracle, which
opens Feb. 6.
Russell, a child star who played minor-league baseball before
returning to acting full-time, plays the late Herb Brooks, who
coached the United States Olympic hockey team to what is widely
considered the greatest upset in sports history in 1980.
If Russell's schedule permits, he'll sneak away to Houston for the
Patriots-Panthers game, according to Miracle producers Mark
Ciardi and Gordon Gray.
By the way, Ciardi and Gray, who produced The Rookie with
Dennis Quaid, are developing a football movie to be set and filmed
in Texas.
Authority figures
-- The Harris County-Houston Sports Authority was notified recently
that it has received a $100,000 grant from the NFL Youth Fund to help
develop football in the East End. For years, the only team in the
predominantly Hispanic area of Houston has been the Magnolia Sharks.
Because the Sharks were the only game in town, so to speak, they had to
turn away kids who wanted to play. Now, with the Sports Authority's
support, an organization that will be called the East End Eagles will
play in the Bay Area Football League.
Mark Medina, former president of the Sharks, is setting up the
organization that is receiving strong support from the Texans. Some
members of the NFL Youth Fund board are such former players as
Anthony Muñoz, Mark Murphy and Pat McInally. ... The Sports
Authority has invited the owners of Houston's three major-league teams
-- Bob McNair (Texans), Drayton McLane (Astros) and Les
Alexander (Rockets) -- to participate in a Monday news conference at
the Super Bowl media center. The idea is to show off the three buildings
Houston voters approved in referendums.
CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS
• 39-12 — Patriots’ record since Tom Brady became the starter,
including 27-4 after Nov. 1 and 15-1 in games decided by seven or fewer
points.
• $9.4 million — The 2004 salary-cap figure of Patriots Pro Bowl
cornerback Ty Law, including a base salary of $5.65 million.
• $18.4 million — The 2004 base salary of Colts QB Peyton Manning if the
team slaps him with the exclusive franchise tag.
• Minus-5 — The Panthers’ turnover ratio in the regular season, making
them the only playoff team with a negative number.
• Plus-17 — The Patriots’ turnover ratio, including a league-high 29
interceptions.
• 1 — Sack by the Eagles in three consecutive NFC Championship Game
losses.
• 35 — Sacks registered by the Steelers, their fewest since Bill Cowher
became coach in 1992.
SAY WHAT?
• Raiders owner Al Davis on whether his team is in disarray after the
near mutiny of players against former coach Bill Callahan, who was fired
after a 4-12 season:
“What has happened we consider normal, and I don’t know what you mean by
disarray. We didn’t win, if that’s what you mean by disarray. You have
to win in this business. Nothing else matters, other than life or death.
This culture of professional football, it’s who wins. It’s not in
disarray by any means.”
• Colts coach Tony Dungy on coaching the AFC Pro Bowl team, including
Patriots CB Ty Law, who intercepted Peyton Manning three times in New
England’s AFC Championship Game victory:
“Yeah, we have to help him a little bit, too. We have to help him
improve.”
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