Hey, we haven’t talked about our main man Johnny Jolly making the Green Bay Packers roster yet. Well, that appears to be the way Jolly wants it.
After returning from a three-year suspension that included several arrests, an addiction problem and a stint in the slammer, Jolly looked like a long shot to make the Packers roster this year. That is, until he started tearing it up in the preseason.
Jolly looked like the Johnny Jolly that played for the team in 2009, batting down balls, getting into the backfield and even coming up with an interception. Everybody likes a good comeback story and they got one in Jolly.
Jolly’s agent, Jack Bechta, says his client is ecstatic about making the roster, but he’s going to be staying low key.
“There has been lots of request for Johnny Jolly interviews today and throughout the summer,” said Bechta. “However, Johhny doesn’t want any special attention and knows he still has a long ways to go. Making the team was just one metaphoric step for Johnny. Everytime I speak with Johhny about football, I make sure that 60 percent of the conversation is about living a healthy and prosperous life and football will come and go faster than he realizes.
“He gets that now and knows it’s a privilege and treats the opportunity with great appreciation. He’s been humble, upbeat and very proud of his sobriety and overcoming his addiction. He’s knows he still has to earn the trust of everyone who is invested in him and is going to do that on and off the field everyday. But for now he would like to stay out of the spotlight and earn his way back in it.”
If Jolly plays like he did during the preseason, that shouldn’t be a problem. The only real question is how much playing time is he going to get?
The Packers are fairly well stocked on the defensive line and Jolly probably isn’t going to be the first guy off the bench. He should get some opportunities, though. The Packers like to rotate their defensive linemen to keep the fresh.
Take advantage of those opportunities and the Packers will have to put you on the field more often.
We will be watching.