JOESAM2002

Here's an article I found at Pro Football Weekley. I thought ya'll might like it.
:D Draft Day



One of the good guys


Stinchcomb is someone to watch for the Saints
By Ken Bikoff (kbikoff@pfwmedia.com)
April 26, 2003





When it comes to dealing with pro athletes, there are a lot of bad guys out there. Guys that you wouldn’t trust if you met in a bar. Guys that you wouldn’t let near your girlfriend unless she had police protection. Guys who constantly have Bill Romanowski’s look in their eyes. In other words, just egotistical, bad, dangerous folks.

Don’t count new Saints OG Jon Stinchcomb among that group. I had the opportunity to chat up Stinchcomb at the NFL draft combine back in February, and he easily is one of the nicest athletes I’ve ever spoken to. Trust me, it’s difficult to find an athlete who not only is attentive and friendly, but also has something smart to say.

Stinchcomb has impressed a lot of scouts with his footwork and strength, and more than one believes that he is better right now than his brother, Matt, who is with the Raiders. The Saints drafted a player who is willing to learn and won’t cause the same kind of chaos in the locker room that has permeated the franchise over the past couple of years.

More than anything, the Saints will be getting a soft-spoken guy who excelled in the classroom, excelled on the field and generally made the University of Georgia a better place to live. And yet, he has a mean streak on the gridiron and should really be a fine addition to the Saints’ offensive line.

The fans are going to love this kid. He might not be the quote machine that former OT Kyle Turley was; in fact, Stinchcomb might be the anti-Turley. But he brings a dependable player that is going to throw everything he has into being the best Saint he can be.

Every day it seems we hear about some kind of incident with an athlete that runs afoul of the law. We’re bombarded with negative stories about alleged murderers, rapists, wife beaters and all other sorts of scumbags. Journalists are quick to condemn players when they make mistakes and pass off most of the nice guys as just being decent human beings. Writers don’t actually write about them, of course, because it doesn’t sell copies.

Screw that. Stinchcomb deserves a little spotlight for not only being a decent human being, but also a different type of person than you normally meet in professional football. He’s been a success in every step of his career, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he’s going to become a success in the NFL. Considering all the bad guys that have become superstars, it will be good to see one of the good guys live out his dreams without changing.