GRETZ: Déjà vu With a Guy from Jersey

C-Mac · 08-10-2005, 07:09 AM

GRETZ: Déjà vu With a Guy from Jersey
Aug 10, 2005, 5:11:08 AM by Bob Gretz - FAQ

RIVER FALLS, WI – They do not look alike, but they are so similar it’s eerie.

Kevin Sampson doesn’t know a thing about Dave Szott. But he’s a living, breathing, albeit bigger version of the Szotter and he’s walking the same path Szott took in making a place for himself on the Chiefs offensive line for a decade. Szott moved into the starting lineup at guard as a rookie in 1990. Sampson has moved into the starting lineup at right tackle this year, his second in the NFL.

“If he played in this league for 10 plus years then obviously he had something,” Sampson said.

Sampson may have something too. He’s done nothing in training camp to put that starting job in jeopardy. Every day, Sampson seems to get better and better. With three Pro Bowlers and Casey Wiegmann, right tackle was the possible weak link in the offensive chain. Right now, Sampson is showing that may not necessarily be the case.

“Every day, I try to improve,” said Sampson. “We’ve been told the five best players will play and I just want to be one of those five.”

Those are words that could have come out of Szott’s mouth, and not just with that Jersey accent either. There’s so much more that links these two guys:

-Szott wore uniform No. 79; that’s the number Sampson was assigned last year as a rookie.
-Clifton, N.J. was where Szott grew up; Sampson was born and raised in Westwood, N.J., just 14 miles away on the Garden State Parkway.
-As a high school wrestler, Szott put up a 109-8 record as a heavyweight; Sampson was undefeated during the senior league season of high school, also as a heavyweight.
-In 1990, Szott joined the team as a seventh-round draft choice; Sampson was a seventh-round pick in the 2004 Draft.

The Chiefs got a real gem in Szott. He had bounced back and forth between offense and defense at Penn State, never getting a chance to establish himself on either side of the line of scrimmage. But with the Chiefs, he was strictly a guard and a damn good one. Szott got into the starting lineup as a rookie in 1990, opening 11 games at left guard. He ended up starting 136 games during his Chiefs career. Overshadowed by Pro Bowl tackle John Alt to his left and the vociferous Tim Grunhard on his right at the center position, Szott never got the recognition he so deserved.

Now, there’s Sampson. He was downgraded in the 2004 Draft because he had some problems with stingers during his time at Syracuse. Stingers are burning sensation that generally runs down a player’s arm after he takes a blow that jars his neck and spine. They are a fact of football life and just about every player has suffered one if he’s played football for any length of time. Multiple stingers, however, draw the attention of the medical types and thus Sampson was still available in the seventh round on the 231st pick.

Almost immediately last year, the Chiefs coaching and personnel staffs were talking about this young man. He’s different from Szott because he’s much bigger, at 6-4, 312 pounds. Szott was also 6-4, but played most of his career somewhere in the 275 to 285-pound range.

But Sampson has that same “Jersey attitude” about playing the game. “It’s just doing what is necessary to get the job done,” said Sampson in describing their shared mentality.

Will Shields is the only guy on the roster who played with both Szott and Sampson, and he hasn’t really noticed any similarities between the two players. “Dave was unique,” said Shields. “His whole game was leverage inside. Kevin’s working on the outside and while you can see he understands leverage, he’s more of a mauler.”

Maybe it’s a stretch, linking Sampson with Szott. The Chiefs can only hope they are lucky the second time around when throwing the offensive lineman dice in the seventh round.

08-10-2005, 07:09 AM	Topic Starter
C-Mac Lurker Extraordinaire Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Wally World Casino cash: $2223699	GRETZ: Déjà vu With a Guy from Jersey GRETZ: Déjà vu With a Guy from Jersey Aug 10, 2005, 5:11:08 AM by Bob Gretz - FAQ RIVER FALLS, WI – They do not look alike, but they are so similar it’s eerie. Kevin Sampson doesn’t know a thing about Dave Szott. But he’s a living, breathing, albeit bigger version of the Szotter and he’s walking the same path Szott took in making a place for himself on the Chiefs offensive line for a decade. Szott moved into the starting lineup at guard as a rookie in 1990. Sampson has moved into the starting lineup at right tackle this year, his second in the NFL. “If he played in this league for 10 plus years then obviously he had something,” Sampson said. Sampson may have something too. He’s done nothing in training camp to put that starting job in jeopardy. Every day, Sampson seems to get better and better. With three Pro Bowlers and Casey Wiegmann, right tackle was the possible weak link in the offensive chain. Right now, Sampson is showing that may not necessarily be the case. “Every day, I try to improve,” said Sampson. “We’ve been told the five best players will play and I just want to be one of those five.” Those are words that could have come out of Szott’s mouth, and not just with that Jersey accent either. There’s so much more that links these two guys: -Szott wore uniform No. 79; that’s the number Sampson was assigned last year as a rookie. -Clifton, N.J. was where Szott grew up; Sampson was born and raised in Westwood, N.J., just 14 miles away on the Garden State Parkway. -As a high school wrestler, Szott put up a 109-8 record as a heavyweight; Sampson was undefeated during the senior league season of high school, also as a heavyweight. -In 1990, Szott joined the team as a seventh-round draft choice; Sampson was a seventh-round pick in the 2004 Draft. The Chiefs got a real gem in Szott. He had bounced back and forth between offense and defense at Penn State, never getting a chance to establish himself on either side of the line of scrimmage. But with the Chiefs, he was strictly a guard and a damn good one. Szott got into the starting lineup as a rookie in 1990, opening 11 games at left guard. He ended up starting 136 games during his Chiefs career. Overshadowed by Pro Bowl tackle John Alt to his left and the vociferous Tim Grunhard on his right at the center position, Szott never got the recognition he so deserved. Now, there’s Sampson. He was downgraded in the 2004 Draft because he had some problems with stingers during his time at Syracuse. Stingers are burning sensation that generally runs down a player’s arm after he takes a blow that jars his neck and spine. They are a fact of football life and just about every player has suffered one if he’s played football for any length of time. Multiple stingers, however, draw the attention of the medical types and thus Sampson was still available in the seventh round on the 231st pick. Almost immediately last year, the Chiefs coaching and personnel staffs were talking about this young man. He’s different from Szott because he’s much bigger, at 6-4, 312 pounds. Szott was also 6-4, but played most of his career somewhere in the 275 to 285-pound range. But Sampson has that same “Jersey attitude” about playing the game. “It’s just doing what is necessary to get the job done,” said Sampson in describing their shared mentality. Will Shields is the only guy on the roster who played with both Szott and Sampson, and he hasn’t really noticed any similarities between the two players. “Dave was unique,” said Shields. “His whole game was leverage inside. Kevin’s working on the outside and while you can see he understands leverage, he’s more of a mauler.” Maybe it’s a stretch, linking Sampson with Szott. The Chiefs can only hope they are lucky the second time around when throwing the offensive lineman dice in the seventh round.
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