The Dark Horse

The focus during tonight's Browns game is going to be on competitions for roster spots or starting positions. While there are a number of positions up for grabs, the battle for career survival that's going on between William Green and Lee Suggs is probably the most compelling.

Green's a former first round pick who, despite showing flashes of brilliance, has stumbled on and off the field. Suggs has been plagued by injuries, but is guy whose tremendous potential was hinted at when he finished the 2004 season with three consecutive 100 yard games, including a 186 yard rushing performance against the Bengals.

So, who am I pulling for? None of the above. I'm rooting for the darkest of dark horses, Jason Wright. This is a guy who was a two-time Academic All-American at Northwestern, where he graduated with a double major in psychology and pre-med. He scored in the 92nd percentile on his Medical College Admissions Test, and is obviously destined for bigger and better things after his football career ends.

With all that going for him, Wright's still chasing his NFL dream. He's bounced around on the practice squads of three NFL teams over the past two seasons, and if you read his bio, it's full of words like "signed," "waived," "actived," "inactive," and "practice squad."

There are a lot of guys like Jason Wright bouncing around the NFL. It's a tough way to make a living, but for many of these players, their alternatives aren't that great. That doesn't appear to be the case with Wright. He's got a resume that says, "I'm here because I love to play football."

After watching T.O. spend his training camp riding a bicycle, missing meetings and gabbing with the media, it's hard not root for a guy like Jason Wright.