* Comment * Email * Print * Blog This * * Follow Jaguars Island roots run deep for Jaguars teammates Vince Manuwai, Tyson Alualu

By Tania Ganguli

There were plenty of examples of what not to do, Tyson Alualu and Vince Manuwai never had to look far to see those.

It was there in friends who chose to be gang members instead of athletes. Sitting on a wall beside a local store. In Alualu's own home, where his father, now a pastor, once was a criminal.

Their lives started in the same place — in a public housing project called Kuhio Park Terrace, one of the roughest neighborhoods in Honolulu. It's a place that made them who they are, a place removed from the beaches and resorts that constitute cliched images of Hawaii.

"I'm never embarrassed to say I grew up there, because that's what made me be a stronger person and able to be here to what I'm doing now," Manuwai said.

While their paths to the NFL diverged, this year Alualu and Manuwai found themselves right back together, this time in Jacksonville.

The journey is just beginning for Alualu — the Jaguars selected the defensive tackle first overall in last year's draft. It's almost over for Manuwai — the Jaguars selected the guard in the third round in 2003. He started every game he played through 2009, and then found himself in a battle to remain on the roster this summer.

However long it lasts, it started in KPT, a place that doesn't mean violence, negativity and poverty to them. It means family, friends and a sometimes difficult lifestyle that makes them proud.

Hard to leave the island

Manuwai chose that life as a child. The oldest of seven children, his mother married a military man when he was young. She moved around bases on the mainland while Manuwai stayed on the island with his grandmother.

At 11 years old, Manuwai's mother took him with her to Virginia to live, along with her husband and his siblings. To some it would have seemed a better lifestyle, living on a military base rather than in a public housing project. But Manuwai didn't like being away from the island.

They lived in Virginia for two years before returning to Honolulu on a two-month visit. When the rest of the family went back, Manuwai stayed.

"Just the pace of life, so fast, how hard the work was," Manuwai said. "It was a lot harder than Hawaii, definitely. It was just tough."

He preferred the laid-back feel back home.

Manuwai didn't play football until attending public high school, and he learned quickly. As he remembers it, gang members never hassled Manuwai, they even chased him away when he would try to sneak a peek at initiations.

Manuwai figured he would just get a job after high school, but suddenly colleges were interested in him. So he went to Hawaii on scholarship, again assuming once he was through there, he would get a job somewhere.

Instead, the Jaguars drafted him in the third round of the 2003 draft.

Back on the island, Manuwai knew about a neighborhood kid named Tyson, the little brother of some of his classmates at Farrington High School. He'd see little Tyson running around in his Pop Warner pads and had no way of knowing their paths would lead them to exactly the same place.

A father's past in prison

The images of gang activity, violence and drugs were familiar to Alualu. As a small boy of five or six years old, he saw his father involved in that dangerous and illegal lifestyle.

"I remember going in town on the streets and seeing him doing drugs and beating up people," Alualu said. "Getting into fights, carrying weapons. ...I don't know, even though my dad was doing all these things, I still looked up to him."

His father, Ta'avao Alualu went in and out of prison in Alualu's youth, convicted multiple times on assault and drug charges. Alualu, his mother and sisters were constantly running from him.

"Everything I did, running game rooms, even drugs, violence ... it caused me to abandon my life. My wife, my children," Ta'avao said.

In 1994, Ta'avao was released from prison for what he swore would be the last time. Upon his release, he dedicated himself to his family and his faith.

Those family members who were old enough to understand were wary at first.

"They were watching, actions speak louder than words," Ta'avao said. "I didn't smoke cigarettes anymore. The way I talked, actions were totally different. I just cast everything unto the Lord and God just cleaned me. He just cleansed me and cleaned me. My kids they testified that they had a new daddy."

Tyson was just glad to have his father back at home. He did two things for his kids. First, he made church a major part of their lives, eventually becoming a pastor. Second, he enrolled all his children in sports, including his son Tyson and daughter Tatiana in football. She played linebacker and running back.

As Tyson got older, his football ability showed. Unlike Manuwai, he attended the private Hawaiian high school St. Louis, which had produced several other NFL players, on scholarship. The idea that he would play football in college and one day in the NFL was a solid goal for Alulau.

"I think when Tyson went to St. Louis High School, the stakes were raised," said Kenny Zuckerman, Alualu's agent with Priority Sports and Entertainment. "Then he went to Cal-Berkeley. A lot of players don't see themselves ever getting off the island."

Transitioning to the mainland was hard, though, just as it was for Manuwai.

"I missed everything about Hawaii," Alualu said. "I missed my girlfriend at the time [now his wife]. She was back home pregnant. I just had to go home."

Instead his girlfriend, Desire, went to California, and that helped.

Alualu led all Pac-10 linemen with 65 tackles. He was the Bears' three-time winner of the Brick Muller Award, for the team's most valuable defensive lineman. Integrity and trust — the kind he developed for his father — became a big part of Alualu's life.

In his senior year, when agents began calling, Alualu asked them to let him finish the season first. Most ignored his request. He picked Zuckerman in part because Zuckerman listened.

He was a relatively unknown player coming into this year's draft. The Jaguars shocked nearly everyone by taking him 10th overall.

That didn't shock Ta'avao. Earlier that morning he had walked out to a plot of land near his home. He wrote "Top 15" on a piece of paper while visiting this land. When Tyson signed his contract, he decided to spend part of his signing bonus on that plot of land and a church for Ta'avao's congregation to call its own.

Different NFL careers

Alualu and Manuwai spent their offseasons in very different ways. Manuwai struggled through OTAs, still not fully over a 2008 ACL tear.

"It sucked," Manuwai said.

Alualu spent it getting used to being an NFL player, stunned at people wanting his autograph.

"He's shy," said D'Anthony Smith, who lived with Alualu during minicamp after being drafted in the third round of this year's draft. "He'd be like, 'Dude, they want our autographs.' I'm like, 'What are you talking about Tyson? You're the No. 1 draft pick. Of course they want your autograph.'"

Manuwai stayed on the mainland instead of going home to Hawaii where his wife and children now live.

He had to get his knee stronger; he had to play better if he wanted to start or even stay on the team.

"This job ain't very long," Manuwai said. "It's not 30 years that you're here. It's kind of a year-to-year thing. ... This is the reality what I faced before this season. Wow, am I going to be here? What's going to happen?"

Alualu returned to Hawaii after OTAs, waiting on his agent and new team to work out the details of his contract. His holdout lasted four days before he agreed to a deal worth $28 million with just under $17.5 million in guarantees. The kind of money that changes lives, but changing his own life wasn't what Alualu was after.

"I don't think he's going out and trying to change his lifestyle," Zuckerman said. "I mean, if it wasn't for [former Jaguar] Chris Naeole selling him his home, I wouldn't be shocked if he lived in an apartment and rented it forever."

Manuwai remembers what that first year felt like.

"You start off they give you a check for half a million, you're like oh .... can't beat that," Manuwai said. "I'm like all right, let me see how long this is going to last."

Manuwai asked to go against Alualu for an Oklahoma drill which pits linemen in one-on-one battles against one another. At Alualu's second camp practice, he and Manuwai battled to a draw.

Maunwai lost his starting guard job to Justin Smiley and handled the demotion gracefully. He knew his team might need him at some point — and it did last weekend in Buffalo when Smiley went out with foot injury.

Alualu recorded a sack on his very first NFL play, in a preseason game. He's fourth on the team with 27 tackles, third with seven quarterback pressures and has 1.5 sacks.

Remembering their past

When Manuwai goes back to KPT these days, his old friends try to clean up before he arrives. They get embarrassed to show him their homes.

"I'm like man, we grew up in roaches — roaches would crawl all over your body when you're sleeping," Manuwai said. "Now they look at you like you're different. I'm like man, you don't have to clean up for nothing. I'm used to all that."

Manuwai doesn't want anyone to apologize for KPT because he never does. Neither does Alualu. He was a speaker at a celebration the community had earlier this year.

"In Hawaii you say KPT and the only thing that pops in your head is a bunch of negative things because of how the media portrays it," Alualu said. "It's good that we celebrate all the good things that are happening now in the community. All the good things that came from the community."

He's been away from the island long enough that it doesn't make him homesick anymore, especially with his wife and two young children living in Jacksonville.

"This far passes all my dreams," Alualu said. "Where I'm at now. Just being here is a blessing for me. I'm happy where I'm at today but I'm a long ways from where I feel I need to be, where I want myself to be at this level."

And as Alualu learns how to grow into his position, Manuwai knows the days of his career are numbered. He expects to go back to Hawaii when it's over. His life, and the lives of his children, won't be in KPT, but the neighborhood will remain with him.

tania.ganguli@jacksonville.com

ROCK SOLID

Wednesday - September 15, 2010
By Steve Murray

Tyson Alualu says he is proud to come from Kuhio Park Terrace and to serve its people

Tyson Alualu could have escaped the infamous Kuhio Park Terrace, but he’s sticking around to serve its people

Its name is infamous. Say the letters “KPT” and images of gang violence and substance abuse come into the popular imagination. Everyone seems to have a story about Kuhio Park Terrace - paramedics locking their vehicle to prevent people from breaking in to steal drugs, police cars being vandalized, televisions being thrown from walk-ways, broken families, assault and even murder. To many, the state’s largest public housing development needs to be walled off from the rest of society, its people cast off as collateral damage surrendered to a world of uncontrollable violence and hopelessness.

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie defensive tackle and KPT resident Tyson Alualu disagrees. The first-round draft pick of the Jaguars embraces the area. He is proud of his roots - not because of some misplaced importance on maintaining a silly notion of street cred, but because it is home to hundreds of families much like his own, families who have struggled but who are determined to make a better life for themselves.

Tyson Alualu (No. 93 with the Jaguars)

“I’m proud of where I am from, growing up in this community,” says Alualu. “I’m not ashamed to say that. This celebration (a yearly community event filled with music, sports, dance, barbecues and religion) is to shine a light on a lot of the positive things, because a lot of the media all they build up is all the negative things that happen in this community, but there are a lot of great things and people that come out of this community, and no one says anything about those things.”

For the married father of two, Kuhio Park Terrace and its residents are not just worth saving, they are worth serving. The Jaguars’new $28 million man is building a church in the shadow of towers he calls home and where his father, Ta’avao Alualu, better known as Pastor T, will continue the family’s mission of providing hope to its neighbors through his Solid Rock Fellowship, which is currently located in an old recreation room at the housing project.

Tyson Alualu (No. 93 with the Jaguars)

The senior Alualu seems perfectly cast for the job of reaching KPT’s youngest generation of residents and helping them get and stay on the right path. Before leading his neighbors in prayer, the massive man, whose friendly fist bumps seem to engulf the recipient’s hand, led his community down a dark path of drugs, gangs and violence. Or, as his son says, “He led all his brothers and gang members to be the worst people in the world.” For years, Ta’avao Alualu was not a man of peace, but of the streets. High on drugs and often violent, he was a man to be feared - even by his own family.

As a toddler, Tyson and his family were often forced to move between shelters and the homes of family and friends in an effort to stay one step ahead of their abusive father whom they feared, yet amazingly still loved.“It was definitely a scary time,” says Tyson. “We would hardly see my dad ... He was in jail for a lot of things: drugs, fighting, weapons when I was younger ... I loved my dad but I didn’t really understand why we would always have to run away from him. Just

Alualu with (from left) wife Desire, son Tyree and daughter Dereon

seeing him get locked up all the time, seeing the cops come take him away, it was real scary.”

But while things got as bad as they possibly could for the Alualu family, the former Palama Scorpion running back can now look at those earlier days with a sense of appreciation. For while it wasn’t pleasant, Tyson says the difficult journey from felon to faith made his father the man he is today.

“I look back at it and I am thankful for who we are today, especially my dad, who he is in Christ,” he says. “Because of all the things he experienced, he has a lot of wisdom ... and I think everything he has gone through in his life is what made him who he is today, and I thank God for that.”

So do many of the KPT residents. When Ta’avao Alualu is not ministering his growing flock, which now numbers about 300, up from just family members when he started seven years ago, he is KPT’s head of security. Some residents have yet to come around.

“He stopped a lot of the gang stuff,” says his now-famous son. “The gangs believe this is their turf. Dad says no.”

Ta’avao Alualu left prison for good when Tyson was in third grade and became his son’s biggest fan, harshest critic and toughest coach.

“He was the best and worst coach when I was playing, (as a child)” Tyson says with a laugh. “One thing that stuck with me to this day was after every game ... I would have a good game and I would go into the car and still get lectured. My dad would tell me that wasn’t good enough. I was thinking I did good and wanted a pat on the back, and he would always say you have to do better. That made me the player I am today.”

The worlds of religion and professional football often seem at odds with one another. Faith is about peace and charity, giving a helping hand when someone is down. The NFL is about money and violence, and knocking people down. Tyson believes his athletic prowess is his gift from God. His gift back is to maximize that gift.

Alualu with Jacksonville teammate and fellow KPT product Vince Manuwai

That, says the now-mature Tyson, was the message behind all those confusing post-game critiques. That is also the message Tyson is trying to share with the kids in the neighborhood - each one of them has a gift and it is their duty to make the most of it.

“You don’t have to be an athlete to get away from these things,” he says. “If you want to be a doctor you can be a doctor, a lawyer or whatever it is you are good at. You are not a useless person. God made you for a reason and you just have to find that reason and pursue it.”

Though things have improved at KPT over the years, there is still work to do. The biggest challenge is turning around the feeling of hopelessness that tends to pervade economically and socially challenged communities.

“That’s the biggest problem people face,” says Tyson. “They feel ‘I am useless. I live in the projects and I’m not going to be one of those success stories because of what I am going through now,’ but it is all up to that one individual. If you want to be successful in life, you’re going to have to do all these things to succeed. I faced the same struggles and God helped me find a way to have success. It is definitely going to be hard work, but that’s something you’re going to have to put up with if your going to be the person you want to become.”

Alualu along with his brother-in-law Chris Paleafei at the recent community celebration

Tyson Alualu wants to become a force in his neighborhood. All he has to do is work hard. The same holds true in the NFL. But he knows that being recognized for his successes will be harder in Jacksonville than in Kalihi, especially since many fans and media insiders were left scratching their heads after the former Cal-Berkeley Bear was taken with the 10th overall pick. It was expected, even by Tyson, that he was going to be picked later on in the first round.

“There is a lot of pressure and a lot of high expectations, but I kind of like that,” he says. “There are a lot of people who doubt me and a lot of people who support me, and for the people who doubt me all that does is pushes me to go harder.”

The fans who were once skeptical have come around, and Tyson says he has been surprised by their kindness. Some have even approached him after practice to apologize for their earlier criticism.

The Jags opened their NFL season against Denver Sunday and this weekend travel to San Diego.

Alualu says he is not yet used to the idea of being financially secure. He grew up in a five-bedroom apartment that often held up to 15 people, as they constantly welcomed in family, friends or church members whether from Oahu or Samoa.

“We made it work,” laughs Alualu.

And he’s making it work for his community.

Novice Peters not to be messed with

There are some people who would argue that rugby is perhaps not the sport for men who like to paint their nails and wear their hair in a French plait.

In the case of Leonard Peters, they are probably right. His first choice was the no less physically demanding sport of American football. He has already been there, done that and got the breathable, Coolmax yarn playing jersey.

However, having since opted out of the game in which he made his name, first as a college football star at the University of Hawaii, then as an exotic addition to the playing roster of the Chicago Bears, he is now trying his hand at rugby.

His rise has been steep. It is just five months since he was first encouraged to pick up a rugby ball, yet he will already be playing his second international competition with the USA sevens side when they kick off the second leg of the IRB series in South Africa today.

Any opponents planning to pick him up on his style choices, such as the black nail-polish on his thumbs, would be better advised to think again.

He may be a rugby novice, but his skills on defence are already “beyond exceptional”, according to his coach Al Caravelli, which is a relic of his days playing as a safety in the NFL. It was the destructive side of rugby which first attracted him to the game.

“I was done with the NFL and coach Al gave me a call to see if I wanted to give rugby a try,” recalled Peters, 27. “He said that there was a lot of running and a lot of hitting so I said, ‘OK, sign me up’. It looked fun to me so I wanted to see if I could pick it up.

“For our team there is not a lot of money in it, but for some of the others there is. I didn’t do it for money, I wanted to do it to learn a new sport.”

Having been pitted in a group containing the world champions Wales, as well as the resurgent New Zealand side who won the opening leg of the series in Dubai at the weekend, the US face a tough task today.

For Peters, the last match in the group, against Samoa, carries the most significance. Peters was born in Fagaalu in American Samoa to Samoan parents, who moved to Hawaii when he was nine.

He has not forgotten his roots, as evidenced by the fact his body is decorated by pe’a, or traditional Polynesian tattoos. The masterpiece has taken 179 hours so far, and is still far from the finished product.

“Each symbol represents a generation of my family,” said Peters. “I am not finished, there is still a long way to go.”

Then there is the black nail varnish on his thumbs. Nothing to do with his Pacific heritage this time, but a reminder of his gridiron days when he and his teammates were signing autographs for a group of sick children.

“One of the children had cancer,” added the 6ft 1in Peters, who scored a try on his second day as an international rugby player at The Sevens on Saturday.

“At eight-years-old he was going to pass away. We were trying to sign autographs for them but they were very, very shy. I saw the mother’s nail polish on the stand, so I asked him if he would prefer to paint my nails.

“From then on, he started to talk to us and he painted my nails. Now I always paint them to remind myself how lucky I am.

“When you are eight-years-old and you are going to pass away from cancer, it shows that us people who run around playing football are extremely fortunate, even if we do get some nicks and dings.

“If I’m sore or I don’t want to practice or I’m having a bad day because I don’t have enough money for gas, if I wave to someone, or whatever I do throughout the day, and I see it I remind myself how lucky I am.”

Thompson asks for help to aide American Samoa

JACK THOMPSON, WSU's legendary Throwin Samoan, is doing his part to help his native homeland, American Samoa, recover after an 8.0 earthquake and tsunami rocked this island just weeks ago. In the village of Alao where Jack was born, damage was relatively minimal - the house he helped to build for his grandparents still stands. However, the homes of some of his cousins were among those washed away.

His immediate family, aunts, uncles and cousins are fine. Many other villages were not as fortunate -- schools,churches, homes, businesses are completely gone -- and lives tragically lost.

"I was just in Samoa a few months ago for a football clinic that served over 500 kids," said one-time NCAA record-setter whose son Tony currently plays for the Cougs. "It was good to be back home - its a beautiful place. It's hard to imagine the kind of devastation that has happened and even more so,the kind of effort it is going to take to heal and rebuild."

Thompson is partnering with the renown humanitarian agency, World Vision, to raise resources for the recovery effort in the wake of this disaster.

His sister Lina, also a WSU alum (1983), works for World Vision and was part of the organization's team deployed to American Samoa just days after the disaster.

"What I saw was both overwhelming and heartbreaking," she says. "I am grateful for the chance to help and also to work with my brother to do whatever we can."

Jack is inviting the support of Cougars everywhere to join them in this effort. This Saturday at Martin Stadium, Coug fans will be asked to" Fill the Helmet" on their way into the game.

Volunteers will be outside the stadium collecting donations. This event will raise awareness and dollars to aid in the recovery and rebuilding of lives and homes in American Samoa.

If you aren't in Pullman for Dad's weekend and the UCLA game, you can still help. Click to WORLD VISION RESPONDS and it will take you right to the World Vision donation page.

Every dollar will be spent toward this effort. Jack says, "I am proud to be Samoan. I am also proud to be a Coug. It is a privilege to ask Cougar friends, the Cougar Nation, to be a part of helping to rebuild American Samoa through the work of World Vision.

"Thank you in advance for your support in helping to bring aid to my islandhome."

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. "We serve all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender," says Lina Thompson.

For more information, visit www.worldvision.org.

Seau to help Patriots' linebacker corps

Linebacker Junior Seau, whose return to the New England Patriots has been long anticipated, made it official Wednesday.

Seau, who has been shooting episodes for his show, "Sports Jobs with Junior Seau," on Versus, will provide depth and leadership at linebacker, where the Patriots have had a run of injuries. Versus, which announced Seau's return to the Patriots in a news release Tuesday, said the show will debut Dec. 2, as planned.

The Patriots did not send out an official statement until Wednesday morning.

The 40-year-old Seau, a 12-time Pro Bowl player, came out of retirement last year to play the final four games with the Patriots after playing 27 games with them in 2006 and 2007. He said this fall that he would be willing to return to play, but only for New England.

Seau didn't know his role or what exactly he can offer the team. All he knows is Bill Belichick made a call and Seau promised he'd answer.

"On and off the field, the best thing I can do is lean on Bill Belichick," Seau said at a press conference Wednesday. "The reason why I say that is, he doesn't sit around grabbing a 40-year-old guy off a surfboard unless he has a plan. Whatever it may be. He knows who I am. He knows what I have to offer. I trust him. What am I going to do? How will I help the team? I can't forecast that. If I could, I wouldn't be a football player. I wouldn't. Just give me a helmet. I'm going to be the best player that I can be today. I promise."

Wearing his familiar No. 55, Seau participated in position drills viewed by the media during Wednesday afternoon's session outside Gillette Stadium. He worked up a sweat early and, despite temperatures in the mid-40s, doused himself with a water bottle just minutes into the session.

He likely will make his season debut Sunday at home against the Tennessee Titans, ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported last week. The Patriots released defensive lineman Terdell Sands to accommodate Seau on their 53-man roster.

"I'm very fortunate and honored to be involved with two class organizations -- the New England Patriots and Versus," Seau said in the Versus statement. "I want to thank the management of both for making my return to the NFL with the New England Patriots a reality."

Seau undergoes physical for Pats

By Mike Reiss
ESPNBoston.com
Archive

Junior Seau repeated this week that he would be willing to return to the Patriots as early as November, and the linebacker-thin Patriots are considering the possibility after putting Seau through a physical.

The physical came while Seau was in Boston this week to film an episode of his upcoming television show "Sports Jobs with Junior Seau," which was a pre-planned trip.

That the Patriots still have Seau on their radar is not surprising, given the mutual admiration between the sides and the team's lack of depth at linebacker.

Seau has said that he would only return to the NFL with the Patriots because of his relationship with coach Bill Belichick and the Kraft family. In an interview with ESPNBoston.com on Thursday, the 40-year-old Seau referred to the Patriots as "we" and "us."

In his brief stop in town, in which he was serving as an equipment manager with the NHL's Washington Capitals, Seau relayed that he heard support from fans who heard he was willing to return to the Patriots as early as November if they needed him.

"A lot of them tell me they are counting down the days," he said.

The Patriots have been hit hard by injuries at linebacker, forcing them to move away from their standard 3-4 alignment and play more 4-3 schemes. They lost third-round draft choice Tyrone McKenzie to a torn ACL in May, second-year player Shawn Crable (groin) was placed on season-ending injured reserve Sept. 5, and 2008 leading tackler Jerod Mayo has missed the last two games after spraining his right MCL in the season opener.

Seau returned to the Patriots last December when the team had a run of injuries at linebacker, and played in the final four games of the season, providing an emotional spark as the team strung together four straight wins before falling short of a playoff berth. If he returns, the 2009 season would mark his 20th in the NFL.

Mike Reiss is the Patriots blogger for ESPNBoston.com. You can reach Mike by leaving a message in his mailbag.

Maiava, Maualuga to be on same field again

CLEVELAND --- Kaluka Maiava won't have to wait long to take the field with a fellow member of the University of Southern California's outstanding 2009 draft class of linebackers.

Maiava, a 2005 graduate of Baldwin High School, and the Cleveland Browns (0-3) will play at home against Rey Maualuga and the Cincinnati Bengals (2-1) on Sunday.

Maualuga has 17 tackles this season, tied for third on the team, including one sack.

''I'm not surprised at all,'' Maiava said in a story on the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Web site. ''Everyone expected that from him. He's a strong player and definitely brings a good energy to his team.''

Maiava, meanwhile, has been playing on special teams, and has two tackles.

''Kaluka's a great linebacker in my eyes, an undersized linebacker, but has a lot of heart and determination to get things done,'' Maualuga said in a story on the Browns' site. ''He's a playmaker. Given the opportunity, he will make plays.''

Maualuga did not practice Wednesday because of a sprained left knee, but participated fully on Thursday and Friday and is listed as probable on the injury report.

The Bengals' linebacking corps also includes another player who lined up alongside Maiava and Maualuga with the Trojans --- Keith Rivers, in his second NFL season. Rivers has 19 tackles, second on the team to Roy Williams.

In all, four USC linebackers were selected in this year's draft --- the other two in the first round. Brian Cushing went to the Houston Texans with the No. 15 pick, and Clay Matthews went 26th to the Green Bay Packers, whom the Browns will face in Cleveland on Oct. 25.

The Cincinnati roster has two other USC products --- quarterback Carson Palmer, a seventh-year professional, and defensive end Frostee Rucker, in his fourth season.

Maiava is the Browns' only player from Southern Cal.

Polynesian player pool growing

Matt Florjancic, Contributor to ClevelandBrowns.com

10.01.2009

As the popularity of the NFL increases around the world, the diverse pool of players contributing to the game continues to expand.

When the Browns drafted linebackers David Veikune (52nd overall) and Kaluka Maiava (104th) in the second and fourth rounds respectively, they welcomed two new Pacific Islanders into the NFL.

"Polynesians, they're pretty strong, very powerful, physical people," Veikune said. "The NFL's a very physical game, so I think they put two and two together and started recruiting over there."

"We're just people trying to play football and have a job," said Maiava. "I don't know if we're the chosen few or anything. We're just trying to make a living."

The Bengals, this Sunday's opponent and the Browns' in-state rival, added a player of Samoan descent when they selected linebacker Rey Maualuga with the sixth pick in the second round (No. 38 overall).

Maualuga played linebacker next to Maiava at the University of Southern California and knows what his fellow Samoan brings to the field.

"Kaluka's a great linebacker in my eyes, an undersized linebacker, but has a lot of heart and determination to get things done," Maualuga said in a teleconference Wednesday. "He's a playmaker. Given the opportunity, he will make plays."

Veikune is a native of Wahiawa on the Island of Oahu, while Maiava hails from Wailuku on Maui. Maiava also has roots in American Samoa and proudly displays his heritage with tattoos around his right arm and leg.

In addition to Maualuga, Bengals defensive tackles Jonathan Fanene and Domata Peko are also of Samoan descent.

They are the latest players with roots in the Pacific trying to make an impact at the NFL level. Last season, almost 30 Polynesian players played in the NFL.

Steelers free safety Troy Polamalu has been one of the more high-profile Samoan players to compete in the NFL. He has 438 career tackles, 332 solo stops and 7 quarterback sacks over his seven seasons in Pittsburgh. He has 18 interceptions and returned one for a touchdown during the 2004 season.

Before Polamalu was bothering quarterbacks with blitzes off the edge or providing big hits to receivers going across the middle of the field, linebacker Junior Seau was setting the standard for Samoan players.

Seau played in the NFL from 1990 to 2008 with the Chargers, Dolphins and Patriots. During his career, Seau collected 56.5 quarterback sacks and 18 interceptions.

With the success of Hawaiian and Samoan players in the NFL, more people are paying attention to high school and college football in that region. Every coach who scouts in the area is trying to land the next big star from the islands.

"In Samoa, a lot of coaches go over there to recruit out of college," said Veikune. "A lot of guys are getting opportunities that they used to not get before."

Louisiana ranks first in in NFL players per capita

Louisiana ranks first in the country in NFL players per capita, USA Football announced today. USA Football’s annual study is on the high schools and states with the most NFL players.

Louisiana was first in players per capita, with one National Football League player for every 55,862 people in the state. Louisiana also came in tied for fifth with most players in the NFL, with 80.

USA Football is the sport’s national governing body on youth and amateur levels and the official youth development partner of the NFL.

The territory of American Samoa has 6 graduates from it's high schools.

• Nu'u'uli Vocational Tech: Paul Soliai (Miami Dolphins)

• Samoana: Domata Peko (Cincinnati Bengals), Isa'ako Sopoaga (San Francisco 49ers), Matt Toeaina (Chicago Bears)

• Tafuna: Jonathan Fanene (Cincinnati Bengals), Junior Siavi'i (Dallas Cowboys)

Leone High's Melila Purcell was placed on season ending injured reserve by the Cleveland Browns.

Chicago Bears Roster Transaction

The Chicago Bears have resigned Johan Asiata, Donovan Raiola, and Will Ta'ufo'ou to their practice squad after cutting down to 53 a few days ago.

NFL Transactions

Buffalo Bills cut Brandon Rodd
Chicago Bears cut Johan Asiata, Donovan Raiola, Will Ta'ufo'ou
Cincinnati Bears cut Kolo Kapanui, Fui Vakapuna
Indianapolis cut Michael Tau'ili'ili
Jacksonville cut Cameron Stephenson
Philadelphia cut Paul Fanaika, Marcus Mailei
San Diego cut Ray Feinga, Kory Sperry

Arizona Cardinals Roster Transaction

Defensive back Aaron Francisco and fullback Reagan Mauia were released by the Arizona Cardinals.

Get to know Shaun Nua

What does your job entail?
I’m a defensive intern and Coach Mendenhall put me with the defensive line. I work on everything the defensive coaches need to get done, that can be accomplished be someone like me—anything to help them. I get here early in the morning and help the other graduate assistants put together the schedule for practice. I help print it and pass it out to all the players and coaches. Whatever plays we pick for that day, we make copies and pass it out. Sometimes we’ll be passing the packets out and the coaches will come back with a change. If that happens we collect the packets back, put them in the recycle bin and start over. I like the fact we sit in meetings and I get to see how the full-time coaches do their jobs. I learn a lot from them.

What is a typical day like for you?
I get here around 5:30 a.m., work out for about an hour and then come up to get breakfast. Then we start getting everything ready for the day. We go to the defensive meeting and get the installations ready. Then we have a full staff meeting and make sure our schedule matches the offensive schedule and the head coach’s schedule. We go to the team meeting, and break off into individual positions. I go with Steve Kaufusi and the defensive line. After that we all go to the first practice. Following practice we have lunch and meet as a defensive staff. We go over the morning practice and evaluate it. All the players come back, break up into positions and evaluate the morning practice.

After the second practice the defensive staff gets a quick bite to eat and gets together to review it. We have position meetings again to watch practice with the players, then they all go home. We stay here and go onto the computer to tag all the plays from the day. Usually we end up leaving around 7 or 8 p.m.

What have you been up to since graduating from BYU and getting drafted by Pittsburg in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft?
I was in Pittsburg for three seasons and then went to Buffalo last year. I was jumping back-and-forth from active roster to practice squad. After I left Buffalo I decided this was what I wanted to do and came back out here in February. Since then I’ve just been trying to get a job. From February all the way to the end of July I was trying to chase down Coach Mendenhall to give me this job.

What was it like going to Super Bowl XL?
It was my rookie year. It wasn’t even a dream come true because my dream was to just make it to Division I football. The Super Bowl was a fantasy and unreal. It took a lot of hard work and I enjoyed every moment of it. I learned a lot and it was great.

What do you like most about working at BYU?
My dream was always to be a football player. I’ve always loved football. My body wouldn’t hold up while I was in the NFL so after I left I could have gone on to something else, like business or construction. But I’ve always loved being around football and now my new dream is to be a coach. I’m approaching it just like I did playing. It’s a lot of hard work and hopefully I’ll be able to help the younger kids achieve their dreams.

What was your favorite game to play in while you were a player at BYU?
I always liked playing Utah. Those are probably my favorite games. It’s always intense and a good rival game. We played some really good teams while I was here. We played USC, Boise State and Utah.

What was your fondest memory while here at BYU?
My fondest memory is starting the first game of my senior year--against Notre Dame (2004). The reason it's such a great memory for me is because of the tough battle it took to get there.

Arizona Cardinals Roster Transaction

Linebacker Pago Togafau was released by the Arizona Cardinals.

Washington Redskins Roster Transaction

Defensive lineman Michael Marquardt released.

New York Jets Roster Transaction

Offensive lineman Tavita Thompson released.

Safety Al Afalava striving to make a home with Chicago Bears

BOURBONNAIS -- The Samoan term for spanking, "sasa", became a regular part of Al Afalava's vocabulary as a child.

"I used to get them all the time growing up in Hawaii," the Bears rookie safety said. "My father was pretty tough on me."

Afalava nearly got a "sasa" in front of his college teammates in February 2008. Before his senior year at Oregon State, he was cited for driving under the influence and hit-and-run after crashing his car into a bus shelter and fleeing the scene.

"I had a late night and was drunk," Afalava recalled. "I decided to drive and fell asleep at the wheel. I crashed my car and ran home.

"I thought I was dreaming. I don't even remember how much I drank. I'm done with drinking now. I'm kind of glad it happened because I was getting carried away. That made me focus on my family."

Donald Tanoai, Afalava's father, said his son neglected to call the house for three days after the incident.

"I was so mad that I wanted to catch the plane up there," Tanoai said. "I told him he was lucky I wasn't there. I was really ticked off at him, and he knows it.

"But kids make mistakes. He learned from it and moved on. He grew up."

Afalava's maturity on the field made him the talk of training camp, which ended Thursday at Olivet Nazarene. The wide-eyed sixth-round draft pick arguably played better than anyone on defense Saturday in an exhibition game at Buffalo. His sure tackling and natural instincts made him an instant hit. And he made an impact despite missing a large portion of off-season work while still attending classes at Oregon State.

"It didn't really start Saturday. It really started when he got into training camp," general manager Jerry Angelo said. "Things move fast at this level. And usually that's what gets the young guys, just from a mental standpoint.

"Didn't happen with him. He hit the ground running."

Afalava will start for the second consecutive week when the Bears meet the New York Giants on Saturday night at Soldier Field. The game should be extra special for Afalava, considering his wife of three years, Jerrell, and their two children are traveling from Hawaii.

Basketball was Afalava's first love, and he figured being a 5-foot-11-inch point guard was in his future until his father convinced him to quit the sport during his junior year of high school.

"We didn't have the money to send him to college, and I told him he wasn't going to earn a scholarship playing basketball," said Tanoai, a prison guard in Hawaii. "Football was the way to go. He listened."

Tanoai encouraged the high school football coaches to switch his son from running back to strong safety because "he really liked to hit ever since he played Pop Warner."

Afalava patterned his game after a player from his favorite NFL team: safety Darren Woodson of the Dallas Cowboys. He also watched University of Hawaii standout Pisa Tinoisamoa, a fellow Polynesian and now his teammate with the Bears.

He almost followed his Mormon faith to Brigham Young but opted for Oregon State because he thought it better suited his dream of playing in the NFL.

Now he is rubbing shoulders with Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs on the field -- and dominating Tinoisamoa and others in games of spades off the field.

If Afalava plays his cards right, he just might find a role on the Bears' defense this season.

"Hopefully after the last preseason game, I'll be able to move my family up here," he said. "I just want to wait on it to make sure. I don't want to get too confident."

3 Years Gone, Siavii Takes Last Shot

IRVING, Texas - In microfracture knee surgery, the doctor essentially creates a break himself, using a drill to make tiny holes in the underlying bone, hoping to spur the growth of new cartilage.

It's a fairly newish technique, and a rather serious one. But when arthroscopic surgery reveals there is no cartilage at all, bone rubbing against bone, it's the next step for an orthopedic surgeon. It takes three months after surgery before any weight can be put on the knee, and there's really no way to predict exactly how long a complete recovery will take. It's a big deal, particularly if your livelihood depends on the outcome.

Junior Siavii had his microfracture done after training camp in 2006 season, his third as a pro and his last with the Kansas City Chiefs, who released him Sept. 2 of that year. Pain from a high right ankle sprain crept northward, and morphed into trouble with his knee, the complete deterioration of the cartilage. It takes roughly three months for those tiny holes to fill, athletic trainers say, and by that time physical decline sets in. Different people take different periods of time to heal.

It took Siavii a little longer than others, causing him to miss two seasons in what should have been his prime.

"After rehab it wasn't the same," Siavii said. "I wasn't the same athlete I was before surgery. I thought I was going to come out of it quicker than I did. It took a while."

Siavii finally signed with the Cowboys as a street free agent in 2008. Though he entered camp with little chance to make the team behind nose tackles Jay Ratliff and Tank Johnson, it was an invitation for him to at least give it a shot, and the first good news on the professional front in nearly three years for Siavii, who went to high school in Pago Pago, American Samoa, then played college ball at Oregon before being picked No. 36 overall by the Chiefs in 2004.

It is that draft status Siavii has been trying to live up to ever since. Upon the retirement of coach Dick Vermeil, who drafted Siavii, Kansas City handed the job to Herm Edwards, who had no connection to the 6-5, 318-pounder. Next came the knee injury, and then the label of "draft bust," which Siavii isn't afraid to utter himself.

Bust or not, someone somewhere along the way thought Siavii could play. The Cowboys scouting department saw enough of it once upon a time to give him a shot years later. Even after what Siavii admits was a tough camp for him last summer, the Cowboys were tempted. Roster numbers and their financial obligation to Johnson forced the team to part ways with him, however.

"We really thought about keeping him," Wade Phillips said. "I was wrong, but I felt like somebody would pick him up, cause he played so well last year in training camp. We were glad to get him back."

In January the Cowboys signed Siavii to another futures contract. With Johnson moving on to Cincinnati, he now has an even better chance to make the team despite being a year older (Siavii's 30 now), and yet another year removed from his last football game of consequence. Throughout OTAs, mini-camp and training camp Siavii has worked as the first backup to Ratliff.

And to think, he almost retired after being cut last year.

"I took it like a bullet in the heart," Siavii said. "I told myself that if I came in and didn't get the job I'd retire. Last year was going to be my last tryout. But I came in and did my thing, and I don't think I got beat out. That was the whole thing - if the guys in front of me let me know I didn't belong, that was going to set me toward retirement.

"But the only thing that killed me was me. I tried to use only my ability that I already had and tried to get through it, but there's more to it than that. So this year I said 'OK, let's make another run.'"

This training camp Siavii attempted to set his instincts and physical gifts aside, instead taking full advantage of line coach Todd Grantham and the experience of the players around him, his comfort with them among the main reasons he decided to return to the Cowboys, spurning offers from three other teams.

After practice at the Alamodome it was normal to see Siavii and his fellow linemen remain on the field to go over techniques and schemes with one another. He says Ratliff and Grantham together have made him a better player.

"Junior's going to be a great player for us," Ratliff said. "He's a strong, strong guy. A heck of a lot stronger than I am. He's got a big frame and I think he's going to do some good things there. As long as he's here he's got my support; I'm definitely here for him."

Grantham says Siavii or whoever makes the team as the backup nose tackle can expect to be on the field just as much as Johnson was last year, probably 20-25 snaps a game to keep Ratliff fresh for the fourth quarter and pass rushing situations. Siavii is well suited to play the run because of his size and strength, something that Ratliff has to overcome since a nose tackle's job often involves holding up a double team so linebackers can get to the football.

Usually Ratliff does it with quickness. Siavii's got a little of that, too. Phillips was impressed by the way he got downfield to make a tackle on a screen pass in the preseason opener against the Raiders. While the past knee problems would suggest Siavii is somewhat stationary, that's not the case. The time out of football has had its obvious downside, but three years away from the game has avoided Siavii 48 Sundays' worth of cut blocks.

"He's athletic, he can run," Grantham said. "Plus he's still a relatively young guy. He hasn't played, which is good in one way, the wear and tear, but you also don't get the recognition and the pace of the game. It'll be real important during this training camp and the preseason games that he gets his timing down."

Siavii says he's starting to pick up the speed of the game. At the moment he seems to have a clear edge at winning a job over former Giants lineman Jonas Seawright, who was also out of football last year. But Siavii must impress coaches and scouts enough over these next few weeks to keep the Cowboys from bringing in someone else at the position, perhaps a player let go by another team on final cuts.

A few question marks went up when the Cowboys didn't address the middle of their 3-4 in the draft, but they said all along they liked the talent they already had, namely Siavii. Do they still like him enough to not bring in someone who has played recently? Or is this Siavii's year to get back on the field, at long last?

"Hopefully so," he said. "But at the same time I'm still fighting and I can't have that in my head. I'm the guy that's still trying to get a job. I'm not going to say that I'm sitting here comfortable about it, so I'm going to keep fighting."

The opinions of the coaching staff and the decisions reached by the front office when the Cowboys trim their roster to 53 on Sept. 5 are out of Siavii's control. His recent past has taught him there isn't much he can control, anyway. He said when he came into the league he thought he was Superman, that he could never be hurt. But he was hurt, and he did miss three years. And he was called a bust.

This is Siavii's shot at redemption. He says it's the last one he'll take.

"Tomorrow's another day to make up for all the other stuff," Siavii said. "If I don't make the team I'll walk away with my head up. I've done everything I can do. If they cut me and I have to wait until next year again, no, I'm not doing it. This is it. The final draw, the final bullet.

"This is it."

Mauia tries to latch on

By Mark Brown, Special to The Star-Bulletin

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 17, 2009

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. » Reaganomics was a theory of economics put forth by President Ronald Reagan in the early 1980s.

Now there's a new theory of Reaganomics, as in Reagan Mauia, the former University of Hawaii blocking back, caught in the middle of a fresh set of numbers. Signed last week by the Arizona Cardinals to a one-year deal, Mauia's status with the Cardinals may be in jeopardy from the start, and that's because of the offense run by head coach Ken Whisenhunt.

The Cardinals use a predominantly single-back running game. For Mauia to be on the field, the Cardinals would have to employ a two-back formation.

Nonetheless, Mauia remains in camp, desperately trying to find a roster spot.

"I'm here to help, and contribute wherever I can," he said recently from the Cards' training location at Northern Arizona University. "I know what I can do, and hopefully there's a place for me."

Entering his third season as head coach, Whisenhunt has not used a blocking back since taking over the helm. This time, there may be change, and Mauia impressed with strong lead blocking and standing up tacklers in a recent scrimmage.

Last season, the Cardinals interchanged Edgerrin James (133-514, three touchdowns) and Tim Hightower (143-399, 10 TDs) as running backs. No blocking back was used, but Whisenhunt may be entertaining a misdirection of sorts.

"We'll utilize players based on their strengths," said Whisenhunt, without making a commitment. "(Mauia) has been here only a few days, so I'm anxious to see what he can do."

If Mauia is to make the Cardinals' 53-man roster, he must overcome a history of injuries.

Mauia was selected in the sixth round of the 2007 draft by the Miami Dolphins. He started nine of 16 games, but carried only four times for 5 yards. His stay in south Florida ended when Mauia was released by Miami after the 2008 training camp. He subsequently signed with Cincinnati, but suffered a season-ending hamstring injury against Pittsburgh in Week 7, and was placed on injured reserve Oct. 24.

Mauia then reached an injury settlement with Cincinnati on Nov. 26 of last season, and eventually signed with the Cardinals on Aug. 5.

"I have high expectations," he said. "I know I can contribute and I know I can help make a difference. I always wanted to come here, and with this team coming off a Super Bowl season, it's a great atmosphere. The guys here are awesome, and this is where I want to be."

During a recent scrimmage, Mauia lined up as a blocking back with the third team — behind Jason Wright, a free agent who played at Cleveland a year ago, and free agent Dan Kreider. At 6-foot, 260 pounds, Mauia's strength is his ability to push his arms under the defender and drive. If Whisenhunt is looking for that skill, then Mauia could find a roster spot.

The reality remains that the Cardinals use a single-back formation, with Hightower and first-round pick Chris Wells seeking the starting position.

With that in mind, Mauia could be looking at another round of Reaganomics, caught in a numbers game where there is no spot for the 25-year old from Stockton, Calif.

Minnesota Vikings Roster Transaction

Running back Khalil Bell released.