The good counterpoint to that is perhaps he was not right in the head in the past as far as dedication. Perhaps he was too slow in realizing that he reached a point when the talent level was as good or better and others in and around the same skill set out-worked him and/or had a better attitude.

Not all, but for the most part, the 4th and Long contestants needed attitude adjustments. Hawkins–the 5’7″ “mighty mite” fellow was as worthy of a shot as Holley. But he is seen as too small. Small guys make it in the NFL but they are usually spectacular or are over-the-top with speed or quickness not just “above average”. Barry Sanders, Darryl Green, Dave Meggett, James Brooks, Lionel “Little Train” James, Darren Sproles, and a dozen or so that I can’t remember–but again, there isn’t a lot of them.

Good stories happen all the time. Sometimes you just need to be given the right opportunity. I believe he will seize it.

I’m not saying that Jesse will make the roster, but Forrest got laughed at for being in the UFC because of The Ultimate Fighter, and there isn’t much laughter going on now. The Ultimate Fighter has become a legitimate way to break into the UFC because soo many of them have gone on to be successful after the show. So, I think it is just a tad bit unfair to make the comment “Without this show no one would care about anyone of these guys!” Like someone said earlier, the show could become a second draft option for teams.

Finally, the only reason I am even paying attention to training camp, outside of cut tickers, is because of this guy. Regardless of whether he makes the team or not, the Cowboys are getting their money’s worth. Here’s a novel idea, give the dude a chance and see if people can change and grow.

Think about it.

The draft is not the end-all be-all of determining who is worthy of playing in the NFL. Some guys may need to be afforded more time to make the adjustment from college to the NFL. They may need to learn more about the game. They may need to put on more weight to be effective in their perspective position. Whatever the reason for why a guy is not ready to make that transition, I do believe that diamonds can be found in the rough. I believe because I’ve seen it happen several times throughout the league’s history; and in those cases their perspective searches were typically limited to their locality. This search was national, and the time they took to determine who was worthy was far more extensive by comparison to the weekend that is usually spent to find players.

I’m waiting for the search to become international. Basketball has found their gems. Baseball has recruited from other countries. Why not football? Granted, these guys would have to receive extensive coaching to get caught up to guys who have played since gradeschool, but if they can handle the physical rigors of the game and they are quick learners, why not give them a shot? Furthermore, that approach would make football even more popular throughout the world. Honestly, I think this shift in recruiting is inevitable.