| ATLANTA — Back when I was
starting out in this sportswriting racket a few years ago, I got a chance to cover a
charity golf tournament in my hometown. (Hey, when you're paid by the story, you'll cover
just about anything, from miniature golf to women's weightlifting.) Two of the
designated celebrities in attendance at the press conference previewing the event were
former Cowboys RBs Tony Dorsett and Ron Springs. After the conference, everyone sat around
chatting. Someone asked Springs about his son, who was then a cornerback at Ohio State.
Like a proud papa should, Ron raved about the football abilities of his kid.
Almost as an afterthought, Springs asked Dorsett, "Hey, doesn't your son play
football too?"
Springs' son, Seahawks CB Shawn, has made his fame and fortune in the NFL and is
probably better-known than his dad at this point. Dorsett's son, Anthony, has traveled a
less glorious road. Drafted in the sixth round by the Houston Oilers in 1996, Dorsett has
earned his keep as a special-teamer for the last four years for a team that found a home
in Nashville as the Tennessee Titans only this year.
But this week, Dorsett has been thrust into the biggest spotlight the NFL has to offer.
A broken leg will keep starting Titans FS Marcus Robertson out Sunday, and Dorsett will
get the call to replace Robertson. Against a Rams attack that throws the ball deep as
often as possible, no Titan will be on the spot more than Dorsett.
"The first time we played them, I played free safety in the game in the fourth
quarter," said Dorsett of the Week Eight meeting between the Titans and Rams, in
which Tennessee used some eight-DB packages. "And in the fourth quarter when (CB)
Denard Walker went down, I had to play cornerback.
"So, if they want to view me as a target, they can come at me and try all they
want. I'm here to play football this week, and that's the bottom line."
The good news for Tennessee fans is that Dorsett is making his second start this month.
He got the call in Week 17 when Robertson was sidelined by the aftereffects of a
motorcycle accident. The bad news for Tennessee fans is that it will be just the second
start of Dorsett's four-year career.
"I've wanted to start all year," Dorsett said. "It's not like I've ever
been nervous about getting in there, or hesitant. I just needed a chance to get out there
and do it. It's a shame that Marcus had to get hurt and miss the biggest game of his
career, but I will welcome the opportunity, and I am ready to go."
Don't you write Dorsett off as a player getting by on just his name. Just a few weeks
ago, Titans P Craig Hentrich called Dorsett the best special-teamer he has seen.
"Special teams has been my niche because I haven't been able to get in much on
defense at times," said Dorsett, who had 17 special-teams tackles this season.
"You have to be good at whatever you do. Whether it's running down the field to
tackle a returner or trying to block a punt, I'm going to go all out and do it.
"(I hope) I can just flip-flop that and take it out into my defensive game with
the same attitude and intensity."
While losing Robertson costs the Titans a veteran in the secondary, adding Dorsett to
the lineup greatly enhances the team's speed. Dorsett is considered the fastest player on
the Titans' roster. Still, the adjustment will be tough.
"He knows it's going to be difficult, but his attitude is that he's going to go
out there and have fun," Robertson said of Dorsett. "I keep talking to him about
playing what he sees, believe in that and then go make the play. Don't second-guess
yourself out there."
Chances are that unless Anthony Dorsett has a spectacular game or a horrific one this
Sunday, he will be more remembered for becoming the son part of the first father-son combo
to start in the Super Bowl than for his performance on the field. Then again, that may not
be such a bad thing.
"My dad's getting a lot of hype, and I'm getting a lot of hype," Dorsett
said. "So, I think someone needs to get us a commercial or something." |
