D.J. Shockley waited three years before he started his first football game at the University of Georgia. No one would’ve faulted him if he transferred to another Division I school, but Shockley preferred playing between the Hedges. On all accounts, Shockley took the high road – never whining about playing time or causing an off the field distraction. When others would’ve become less of a teammate, Shockley became a better teammate, encouraging starting UGA quarterback David Greene and finally during the 2005 – 2006 season Shockley took the field as UGA’s starting quarterback. He led the Bulldogs to a SEC Title and earned All-SEC honors.
The Atlanta Falcons noticed Shockley’s patience and determination and drafted him in the seventh round of the NFL draft. The Falcons already had a third string quarterback when they drafted Shockley, so it was questionable whether Shockley would make the team. Critics questioned his arm strength and his lack playing time, since he only started one season at UGA, but they could not question his patience and determination. With only a prayer and an opportunity Shockley entered Falcons training camp and attempted to do the unthinkable, unseed the current third string quarterback and earn himself a permanent roster slot. According to scouts, Shockley showed great potential during training camp – strong throws, accurate reads, and a good chemistry with current team members. During the three preseason games he garnered great fan support, showed good decision making, accurate and strong throws, and even managed to march the Falcons down field on a game winning drive.
Although I’ve never met Shockley personally, except for the few times I ran into in Athens when we were students, I happy to see that patience and determination can pay off and even more excited when someone succeeds when they only have a prayer and an opportunity.
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