Tevaseu starting to turn some heads
Martin Tevaseu was walking Tuesday afternoon from the East-West Shrine Game practice field back to the locker room at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. About a hundred feet away, standing next to a car, was Marty Schottenheimer, who was a NFL head coach for 21 years. Schottenheimer won 200 games and he won 61 percent of the time.
Schottenheimer is a NFL legend. Tevaseu had no reason to think Schottenheimer would notice him.
“I've been an underdog my whole life,” Tevaseu said. “I kinda like it that way. I know there were people around here saying to themselves, ‘Who is this kid?'”
In the North Bay we know this kid. We know he went to high school in Anderson Valley. We know he was a star at SRJC. We know Tevaseu is a boulder, 6-foot-2, 328 pounds, and once was even a bigger boulder, weighing 417 pounds. We know Tevaseu, a nose guard, has talent, prime-time talent, but we always wondered if he would display his max self, or would it stay hidden in that massive body.
So Tevaseu was walking back to the locker room when Schottenheimer saw him. The 66-year old coach left the parking lot, ran up to Tevaseu, introduced himself and then said the words Tevaseu will never forget.
“I want to tell you, son,” Schottenheimer said, “you are doing a hell of a job. A hell of a job.” Moments later Tevaseu took a step back to reflect.
Said Tevaseu: “Coming from him ... especially to an unknown guy ... wow ... I guess I'm turning people's heads.”
Since sports, at least the idealized version of it, is the penultimate meritocracy. Talent trumps all. Talent trumps background, bad breaks, personality conflicts, motivation lapses.
Talent is like water, it will seek and find its own level.