Let's start on the lighthearted side.

SAMKON GADO

Dec. 13th

What a great story! I am a graduate of Liberty University in Lynchburg ,Virginia where I still live. I also love sports, especially the NFL! Well, over the years little lowly Liberty has had very few NFL stories to talk about. There was Kelvin Edwards a Wide out for the Cowboys in the early 90s. There was Eric Green a huge Tight end for the Steelers in the 90s who snorted his success away (great testamony there). There was James McKnight a Wide Out for the Dolphins. And then there was Dwayne Carswell "HOUSE" a tight end and then offensive tackle for the Broncos who won 2 Superbowl Titles. But overall not much to talk about, and certainly not a great Christian Testamony.

Now, there is Samkon Gado (rookie RB Green Bay Packers), and what a story he is. He has the talent, he has great speed, he has quick moves, and he is putting up huge stats and breaking records. He has the mind and the vision to see the field and the holes to run through. He has the drive to learn a complex offense very quickly and thrive in it. But that is not what is making the story so great in my eyes. The story is the man his is. He is a Godly, dedicated, and very humble man. The media is shocked that a guy who is making it in the NFL, still wants to be a doctor some day and help people. There are already stories about the impact he has made on his teammates as a person. He is already found a group of teammates that have a weekly bible study at Kabeer Gbaja-Bjamila's (another Nigerian) house, and is deeply involved with that.

Yes, the 64 yard TD he ran on Sunday night against Detroit (Picture above) was awesome. And the 30 yd TD and spin move against Pro Bowler Brian Dawkins and the Eagles was unbelievable. The other 5 TDs were awesome too. His stats after 6 games rival those of many rookie runners through a whole season. He is the real deal and very fun to watch.

But, to me the impact he is having through his unbelievable humility and his hard working spirit is much more impressive. Take these quote from Samkon after his 171 yard 1TD performance on Sunday night. "I think it's too soon to say that, even if I have 100 yard games the rest of the season," Gado said. "I am not worried about being labeled as a legitimate NFL running back although I would like to be. I think in the end, I just want to get better." And even after his third 100 year plus game, he turned the spotlight on his teammates. "It's obviously a team effort," Gado explained. "If you look at some of those runs, I wasn't even touched. It really is humbling to be a beneficiary of all their hard work." He was the whole show for ESPN's commentators on Sunday night. What a great impact he is having on his coaches, and the team as a whole. No, the packers still are not very good, and will not make tha playoffs. But, this team is so much better with Samkon Gado than without him. He has won 2 games almost on his own, and has changed the attittude of much of the team.

My 2 cents. Go Sam!