0

Marques Colston: "Marq-ing his Turf"

With the exception of an injury plagued 2008 season, from the time Marques Colston entered the league as a seventh round draft pick from a small Division I-AA school in The Empire State, he has recorded over 1,000 yards a year. And yet, Drew Brees is the most recognizable face in New Orleans. No receiver in the history of the National Football League has caught more passes in his first two seasons than Colston. But, whether it is from tarnishing his collegiate reputation or from dating a millionaire celebrity socialite, it is the name Reggie Bush that covers the sport pages across America’s newspaper. Nicknamed “The Quiet Storm” for his reserved and non-confrontational demeanor, Marques Colston is a perfect blend or size, speed, and power. Combined with his team-first attitude and work ethic, Colston is the ideal teammate, and the unquestionable paragon of consistency in the National Football League. So why doesn’t his name come to mind when you think of the elite receivers in professional football? Could it be because he was selected in the last round of the 2006 NFL Draft? Unlike many top tier wideouts in the league, Colston’s orientation into the NFL came as an unrecognized 6’4, 225 pounder from Hofstra – a school that has since terminated its football program. Compare that to teammate Reggie Bush, who entered the league as the Heisman Trophy winning running back from the decades-long football powerhouse of Southern California. Colston was so overlooked by every NFL team that he was the 28th receiver selected in the draft. In fact, he wasn’t even one of the top five receivers selected in the 7th round. Colston had to wait while 251 players were drafted ahead of him before he would hear his name being called – with the fourth to last pick in that 7th round. For two long days, he heard the names of fellow receivers Chad Jackson, Travis Wilson, Derek Hagan, Jason Avant, and Skyler Green being called, wondering when he would get the opportunity to show the rest of the league why they just made one of the greatest mistakes in draft history. To make matters worse, Colston wasn’t even the first player selected from his own college. That honor went to Willie Colon, who was selected in the 4th round by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Unlike many of his fellow wide receivers, where showboating and thinking of the next provocative end zone celebration come first, Colston shies away from the limelight. In fact, he shies away from nearly all aspects of self-promotion, even when it will benefit him financially. Colston has not only declined an invitation to be a presenter at a gospel music awards show, but also turned down an opportunity to do a Campbell’s soup commercial with some of his fellow NFL players, including Donovan McNabb. Imagine reality television star Terrell Owens and hourly Twitter tweeter Chad “Johnson” Ochocinco balking at those self-marketing opportunities. Not likely. Read the entire article Silent, but deadly - Why the Saints' Marques Colston has quitely become the best receiver in the NFL