Austin American-Statesman from Austin, Texas • 39

Cll FOOTBALL Woodson chases a record of his own Austin American-Statesman SPORTS Sunday. August 4, 3002 A. NFL TRAINING CAMPS Broncos Former Texas LonghornBlake Brockerm-eyer, who signed with Denver as a free agent, has spent the first 10 days of training camp either on the sidelines or in the weight room trying to rehabilitate shoulder and knee injuries. Now it appears he'll finally get to join his new teammates on the field. He is expected to battle Ephraim Salaam for the starting left tackle spot Bills Quarterback Drew Bledsoe played in just the first series and was 5 of 7 for 58 yards in a scrimmage against the Browns.

"It was good for us and this team," Bledsoe said. "We were 3-13 last year and everything we can do that establishes a sense of confidence in what we're doing both offensively and defensively would be a good thing." Jets Pro Bowl defensive end John Abraham sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee when another player rolled on him on a goal-line play during a mock scrimmage. "I don't want to predict how long he'll be out," Coach Herman Edwards said of Abraham. Eagles Defensive tackle Hollis Thomas broke his right foot and is out indefinitely. It's the same injury that kept Thomas out of five games last year.

Browns Quarterback Tim Couch went 7 of 10 for 58 yards, threw one interception, hurried a toss that led to a turnover and was sacked three times in a scrimmage against the Bills. Colts Peyton Manning and the offense looked in midseason form as the team wrapped up its first week of training camp with an intrasquad scrimmage. Manning went 5 of 6 for 109 yards and threw two touchdowns. Running back Edgerrin James saw limited action in the first two offensive series before sitting out the rest of workout. James tore a knee ligament in October.

Ravens Safety Ed Reed, Baltimore's top pick in the draft, agreed to a five-year contract. The deal is worth $6.2 million. Raiders Virtually the entire team walked out of a meeting with referees Tuesday night, several players and Coach Bill Callahan confirmed Friday. The protest stemmed from the now-infamous "tuck rule" that overturned a fumble call late in the fourth quarter and allowed the Patriots to go on to kick the tying field goal, then win a playoff game in overtime. From wire reports in By Richie Whitt FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM SAN ANTONIO This is the story of a Cowboy on the verge of a monumental record.

At 33, he's in the twilight of a glorious career. In his rearview mirror are five Pro Bowls, four All-Pro selections and three Super Bowl rings. In front of him most likely in this season's seventh game is a record no one gave him a chance of owning when former coach Jimmy Johnson drafted him in the early '90s. This, however, is not the story of Emmitt Siriifci It's the saga of Darren Woodson, a good guy who picked a bad year for a great feat. "Honestly, with all the talk about Emmitt's record, I didn't even know about mine until (the media) brought it up," Woodson said after a training camp practice at the Alamodome recently.

"But now that I think about it, wow, I can't believe it. It's a little overwhelming." Lost in the suffocating shadow of Smith chasing Walter Payton's all-time NFL rushing record, Woodson will quietly be the all-time leading tackier in Cowboys history. In becoming America's Tackier, Woodson just might perform the most prestigious opening act in franchise history. He trails former middle linebacker Lee Roy Jordan by 58 tackles. Smith needs 540 yards to catch Payton.

If both players continue their career averages Smith 88 yards per game; Woodson 8.6 tackles per game they'll reach their momentous milestones in the same game, Oct. 20 against the Cardinals in Arizona. "That would be neat if it worked out that way," said Woodson. "But I better make sure I get mine first if I want anyone to notice." Woodson, a 1992 second-roundpick converted from Arizona State linebacker to strong safety, hasn't exactly gone unnoticed during his 11-year career. But, soon to be one of the most decorated defensive players in team history, is it possible he's the most underrated player to ever wear a Cowboys uniform? ThinkNo.28andyouthink"solid." But his statistics say "spectacular." Pat Sullivan ASSOCIATED PRESS Darren Woodson's quest for the Cowboys' all-time tackles of the NFL rushing record.

But should Woodson break the record is lost in the hype surrounding Emmitt Smith's chase record, he'll be in a class with several Hall of Famers. And someday, combined with his sparkling, stainless personality, they should scream Ring of Honor, perhaps even Hall of Fame. He has been an All-Pro safety as many times as Mel Renfro, and he has more tackles than Randy White, Chuck Howley and Bob Lilly those four, along with Jordan, are the defensive players in Texas Stadium's Ring of Honor. He's already the team's all-time leader in assisted tackles (496) and has more combined stops (1,178) than everyone except Jordan And with his 59th tackle this seasonhe had 131 last year and at least 100 in nine of the last 10 seasons he'll have been at the bottom of more piles than any player in Cowboys history. More than Too Tall Jones.

More than Harvey Martin. More than Cliff Harris. More than Charlie alongside those guys yet. But I'm not done yet. Maybe someday." As evidenced by the fact that he won the Athletes in Action's Bart Starr character award at Super Bowl XXXVI last February and by the fact that he's always cordial, classy and available for interviews after losses as well as victories, Woodson's class is as healthy as ever.

The same can't be said for his 6-foot-l-inch, 215-pound body, although he signed an ambitious five-year contract extension this off-season. "I used to just hop out of bed and run like the wind without even stretching," he joked. "Now, after every practice, I feel my body. I've got limitations." And, as the Cowboys' best-kept secret, Woodson's also got his own record in sight. Waters.

More than Bob Breunig. Add to his resume 10 sacks, 125 more tackles on special teams and zero negative headlines, and Woodson's application for the Ring should be rubber-stamp simple. He already has more tackles than Ronnie Lott, Ken Houston, Paul Krause, Larry Wilson and Willie Wood, but it's his lack of interceptions that will likely keep Woodson from joining those Hall of Fame safeties in Canton, Ohio. All those players had at least 48 interceptions. Sacrificing his coverage skills to provide run support close to the line of scrimmage, Woodson enters 2002 with only 21.

"Just to be mentioned in the same breath with those guys is an honor," Woodson said. "I mean, Bob Lilly and Mel Renfro, you're talking Hall of Fame players. I don't consider myself FRESHMEN: Transition from prep star to college nobody can be tough Big 12 training camp reporting dates Chart shows when freshmen must report to campus, when veterans must report to campus and when two-a-days start: School Freshmen Veterans Two-a-days Texas Monday Thursday Saturday Texas Monday Thursday Saturday Baylor Monday Thursday Saturday Texas Tech July 30 Aug. 1 Today Colorado Monday Thursday Saturday Iowa State July 29 Aug. 1 Aug.

3 Nebraska July 30 Aug. 2 Aug. 3 Missouri Monday Monday Saturday Kansas Monday Thursday Saturday Kansas State Monday Friday Saturday Oklahoma Today Wednesday Friday Oklahoma State Monday Thursday Thursday If i IV iLJ' coming from Baton Rouge, and eating a breakfast taco for the first time. He also recalled having no idea where his chemistry class was on the first day of classes. "It was overwhelming at first but football makes the transition easier," he said.

"You know you have to make a good first impression with your coaches and your teammates instead of sitting around and missing your girlfriend who is way over at Texas Tech." Several Longhorn freshmen, including tight end David Thomas, got a head start by visiting over the summer. Thomas traveled 400 miles from Wolf-forth in West Texas to spend a week with some Longhorn players, including former high school teammate Kendal Briles, a redshirt freshman safety. "He and (senior tight end) Chad Stevens took me around the campus a little bit and showed me some places I would be going to," said Thomas, who played at Wolfforth Frenship High. "I won't be completely lost when we start practice." Support system The Big 12 is filled with coaches who not too long ago were incoming freshmen at major programs. WhenTommie Frazier left the beaches of Florida's Manatee County to play college ball at Big 8 power Nebraska 10 years ago, he was like a lot of other 18-year-olds leaving home for the first time.

Frazier, now an assistant under Baylor Coach Kevin Steele, is able to see both sides of the freshman collegiate experience. "It was different for me when I was a freshman because we went through a whole week of two-a-days before the veterans got there," said Frazier, who quarterbacked the Cornhuskers to national championships in 1994 and 1995. "You can usually tell who are mama's boys and who are daddy's boys. To ma, the toughest challenge was learning how to manage my time and not Continued from CI Some get horribly homesick and fight the urge to go back. And, while most of the players were the best on their high school team, few will get playing time as freshmen especially on national powers such as Texas and Oklahoma.

They are facing a year of scout team duty day after day of blocking dummy drills designed to hone the skills of their more experienced teammates. At times, it can be discouraging. "You might be the exception in high school," said Dallas Cowboys linebacker Dat Nguyen, who played for Texas "When you get to college, everybody's as good as you are." To help players cope with the sudden transformation, coaches have established a fairly structured routine for the first Players learn where the dining hall is, shortcuts to class, how to deal with the media, and who to call for advice. Texas freshmen have plenty to do on campus before that first practice at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Move into the dorm, get a parking sticker for the car, take photos for the team publicists, introduce the folks to Coach Mack Brown. And that's just Monday's schedule. How an incoming freshman handles these new responsibilities varies from case to case, according to Gunn, who played safety at Texas from 1989-1992 and then two seasons in the NFL. UT has invited Gunn to speak at freshman orientation in past seasons, most recently in 1999. "There's probably two differ-, ent mind sets," said Gunn, who attended North Shore High School in Houston.

"Some of these kids were pretty high profile in high school, so most of them adapt a little easier. Then there are some like me who didn't really know what to expect I was a little more intimidated than (teammates) Tommy Jeter and Peter Gardere." Former UT quarterback Major Applewhite remembered fTTl them the support they need," Steele said. "There are times when they will say, 'Coach, you don't understand because it's not the same as when you played 30 years So that's when you need another player to be that confidant." Players need to make those connections quickly. At UT, after a busy Monday, freshmen will be issued their equipment on Tuesday and have their first two practices. With the season opener against North Texas on August 31, the time period between that first day of practice and the first game is a short one.

While most first-year players won't see significant playing time, Nguyen said they should keep it all in perspective and remember what the future can hold. "You are very fortunate to have an opportunity to come in and play at a great university," he said. "That's the best time of your life, playing in front of 80,000 people. There's nothing like it, so make sure you enjoy it." cgoldenSstatesman.com; 912-5944. Kevin Robbins contributed to this story.

procrastinating." Athletes facing the new reality of living away from home may need some positive reinforcement especially in the first part of the semester when homesickness may be at its worst. Texas and Baylor have programs that help athletes deal with off-the-field issues that may arise early in their college careers. Baylor has seminars that counsel athletes on the dangers of alcohol, drugs, and gambling. Freshmen are required to attend these meetings. Head Coach Kevin Steele likens those first two weeks to an adult getting acclimated to a new job.

"We have several different seminars during two-a-days," he said. "It's basically a lot of life skills studies like dealing with the media, a legal seminar dealing with law enforcement and also motivational speakers. It's not just football." At Baylor, each freshman gets a big brother, a senior to help with everyday adjustments like finding classes, getting around town, and the like. "The biggest key is spending lots of time with the older guys and making sure their peers give Brian HDiggS 1999 AMERICAN-STATESMAN Chris Simms prepares to check into Jester Center, UTs largest dorm, Aug. 2, 1999.

Simms, then a freshman, is now a senior leader. Week 1 for the Longhorns Monday: Move in to Jester Center dorm; publicity photographs for the university; parking stickers. Just before dinner, Coach Mack Brown meets with parents, goes over the schedule for the coming weeks and answers their questions. Dinner on campus, during which players introduce themselves and their families to coaches and teammates. First team meeting, usually around 7 p.m.; meeting ends with team learning words to The Eyes of Texas and Texas Fight Tuesday: First day of two-a-days.

Equipment issued; testing with trainers and strength coaches; team meetings. Practices at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesday: Practice at 9: 15 am and 5 p.m. Thursday: Veterans report Freshman have campus orientation with Associate Athletic Director Cleve Bryant Friday: No practice.

Academic orientation, publicity work with sports information department Team meetings at night Saturday: First full team practice at 9:30 a.m.; lunch and meetings; second practice at 7:35 p.m..