The Tale of Jamaal Stockton

Name: Jamaal Stockton
Position: Strong Safety
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 245
College: Northern Illinois



THE BEGINNING[/size][/color]

It was forbidden love. It was a pipe dream. She knew it. And yet, she gave in to the temptation of just one night.

Her brother, NBA center Jamaal Magloire, had just started to make a name for himself as an All-Star center with the Charlotte Hornets. In celebration of his newest, largest contract, he bought a house in an affluent Charlotte suburb, large enough for his mother and his down-on-her-luck sister to be able to move in. To Tonya, it was a gift from God the likes of which she could not imagine. By her calculations, she was about a week away from being out on the streets, selling herself for rent money. Now? She could do what she wanted, go where she pleased, and not worry about the ramifications.

That attitude drove her to The Keg, the dive bar the Utah Jazz decided to frequent that night. Tonya never knew herself as a star chaser, but she always enjoyed a good challenge. This night, star Jazz point guard John Stockton would be that challenge. He was married, of course, and a devout Catholic to boot, but those things only propelled her further. Stockton took to her immediately, somewhat intimidated by her 6’2” frame, yet compelled by the forbidden nature of the affair. He invited her back to his hotel room.

The pregnancy test did not lie. Although it was two months later, she knew exactly who the father was. She called John, but he did not answer. Twice, five times, twenty times she tried. He did not answer. Stricken with grief and heartbroken, she decided that her only course was to turn to her brother for help. Of course he’ll help me, Tanya reasoned. Flesh and blood above all. Jamaal did not share the sentiment. If the baby was light, he said, then she has brought shame upon the family and must leave his house. When the delivery day came, the newborn came into the world with pale skin, a damning statement of his father’s heritage. When she left the hospital, Tanya did not have a home to return to. She moved far away, to Rockford, Illinois, to begin a new life.

But she did not want to leave everything behind. She named the boy Jamaal Stockton, as a reminder of where he came from.



THE YOUTH[/size][/color]

Jamaal was an awkward child growing up. He never had anywhere to fit in. His mother had to work three jobs just to keep the family afloat, so he spent a lot of time on the streets. The other children in his government housing project found him weird and shy, nobody that they wanted to be seen hanging around with. The kids at school didn’t know what to make of him; he wasn’t black or white at an age where shades of grey just don’t register. They teased him, pushed him down, made fun of him to his face. Jamaal had a few friends here and there, but they would never stick around. He went through life a loner.

There was only one place where Jamaal could find some respite from his lonely life: sports. Being related to two NBA All-Stars it only made sense that he had a natural gift for them. His stride on the soccer pitch seemed effortless. His glovework on the baseball field was without equal. Even his swimming motion seemed like he was the son of Michael Phelps. But he only did these sports on his own, with other children from his complex while his mother was at work. He couldn’t handle being on an organized team. The other kids would pick on him too much, and he wouldn’t last longer than two weeks.

It all came to a head on Jamaal’s third day of high school. “Don’t let them get to you,” his mother told him before heading off to work. “There’s nothing that they can say that can knock you down.” To this day, Jamaal doesn’t know exactly why his mother’s words resonated in his mind that particular day. But when the bullies started once again, rejuvenated by the move from middle school to high school, Jamaal decided that he was going to have none of it. In homeroom, the lead bully started with his usual, rehearsed string of insults. This day, though, Jamaal sprung to his feet as soon as he heard the word “punk”. Flying through the air, he decked the bully with a leaping tackle that would make Rodney Harrison proud. “You can try to knock me down with your words,” Jamaal said, “but you’ll have to do it before I knock you down physically.” Nobody ever messed with him again. And unknown to Jamaal, the school’s football coach was watching from the hallway.



FOOTBALL DAYS[/size][/color]

“That was a nice hit, kid. Do you like to hit people? You should join the football team.”

Jamaal Stockton knew that he was an angry child. I’ve had a lot to be angry about. Wouldn’t you like to hit people too, if you were me? Jamaal reasoned. Then again, he had never had an outlet to be able to channel his aggression in a constructive manner. Plus, he reasoned, it never hurts that the football players seem to automatically be the cool kids and get all the girls, he joined the football team.

Since he joined after training camp and the team’s first game, he didn’t get any playing time his freshman season. It wasn’t until his sophomore year that he truly began to compete for a spot. Jamaal knew that he would only likely get one shot to win a starting job, so he trained all summer to get stronger than he had ever dreamed. That chance came at the final team practice before the team’s first game. All-State quarterback Matt Griffin dropped back, scanned the field, and found eventual NFL draft selection Eric Decker over the middle. The free safety had blown his coverage, and Decker had open field. Seeing what had happened, Stockton turned and sprinted, and sprinted, and sprinted some more. He caught Decker from behind, but rather than just drag him down, he approached Decker from the side and laid one of the largest hits that any of the coaches had ever seen. Jamaal Stockton would start every game he has ever played since that game.

Stockton dominated the high school circuit, even setting an Illinois high school record for forced fumbles during his junior year. However, near the end of his senior year, he suffered a debilitating ACL injury going across the middle for a tackle, an injury that eventually would rob him of much of his agility. BCS schools such as Illinois, Northwestern, and Minnesota were scared away by the injury that would likely take over a year to recover. Northern Illinois, needing playmakers, showed no such trepidation. They gave him a scholarship and allowed him a redshirt year to recover.

In 2010, Northern Illinois wasn’t expected to make much noise in the MAC, but a finally healthy Stockton had other ideas. In the first game, a non-conference tilt against the Iowa Hawkeyes, Stockton had 8 solo tackles, a sack, and an interception to lead the Huskies to a stifling 13-10 victory over the Big Ten opponent. In the first MAC game, against the Ohio Bobcats, he totaled three interceptions in one game, tying a long-standing Huskies record. Northern Illinois would end up going 11-3 with a MAC championship and a GMAC Bowl victory that season, one of the best seasons in school history.

Following the season, Stockton began to be contacted by some NFL teams and sports agents. The problem with the NFL, however, was that he would need to be in school for another season before being eligible to enter the NFL Draft as a redshirt sophomore. That rule never made sense to Jamaal. He knew that he was a football player, and if wanted to play football professionally, then he was going to do it. When the UFSL came calling, Stockton didn’t think twice. He entered the draft in a heartbeat, and the Seattle Stormtroopers, knowing his ability, selected him with the sixth overall selection in the inaugural UFSL Draft.



PROS[/size][/color]

Speed – Stockton has always been able to run fast, an ability that his mother credits to his NBA point guard pedigree. In terms of straight-line speed, there aren’t many safeties in the UFSL who will be able to touch him. While he may not have Christopher Miller or AJ Rockin sort of speed, he should be able to keep up with opposing tight ends with relative ease. He also knows that speed is of the utmost importance in this league and will update it with impunity.

Well-roundedness – Stockton is one of those players who likes to be good at everything, not just one particular aspect of his game. When he sees a portion of his game that is lacking, such as his awareness when first playing the game or his agility after the ACL injury, he will do everything in his power to bring the lower attribute up to par. Although his measureables, such as his jumping ability or catching ability, are likely not up to NFL-level yet, he will work on them in order to become at least serviceable before working on anything else.

Work Ethic – There’s a reason that the Seattle Stormtroopers felt confident taking Stockton with the sixth overall pick in the draft even though strong safety is typically not a position of need. Stockton has proven ever since a young age that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to overcome the odds. Especially with a recently earned job in the league that allows him to work an extra two hours a week, there is no doubt that Stockton will be a fixture at the top of the charts for defensive backs in terms of practice hours for years to come.



CONS[/size][/color]

Stubbornness – While Stockton will likely be the favorite for Strong Safety of the Year for seasons to come, it’s only going to be because Stockton refuses to play any other position than his natural strong safety slot. In fact, Stockton is the only player in the league to sign a “No Position Change” clause in his contract, meaning that for the length of his three-year stay in Seattle, he will be at strong safety for the duration. If Seattle starts to have problems at cornerback, then, well, there’s nothing that Stockton’s going to do about it. He’s going to play strong safety and nothing more.

Turnover Creation – Stockton’s hands are like rock. If he applied super glue to his hands, the ball would probably just go off of his face instead. Jerry Rice took one look at his hands and just shook his head. The point is, Jamaal Stockton won’t be making many interceptions. He’s much more focused on the fundamentals early in his career, increasing his speed, acceleration, agility and awareness before even thinking about practicing other attributes. Especially with quarterbacks struggling early in the UFSL, Stockton will have his chances, but he likely will not be able to convert them.

No Single Talent – The downside of Stockton’s wish to be well-rounded is that he will never have one elite attribute that will set him apart from the rest of his peers. He’ll never have the quickness of a Rockin or Rick Ross. The strength of Lord Vader will never be in his cards. He doesn’t have the acceleration of Darrell Jones. Stockton is a firm believer that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, but those players that do have some sort of exceptional talent will be able to take advantage over a well-rounded player like Stockton.