Mitchell says losing to Tide a turning point

The former Tennessee linebacker is back home in Abbeville, La. As expected, an NFL future is on hold after Mitchell knowingly played most of the 2005 season with two torn ligaments, including the anterior cruciate, in his left knee.

Instead of the NFL, Mitchell is digging graves for his brother's recently acquired business.

"We just put people in the ground," Mitchell said with a chuckle this week on the News Sentinel's radio show, The Sports Page. "We just do the graveyard part. We don't do the embalming or nothing like that.

"It took a while to get used to."

It would be easy for Mitchell to second-guess his decision to play with what is almost always a season-ending injury. After all, had he undergone surgery earlier, maybe the speedy linebacker would have been close to 100 percent for the NFL combine last spring.

Mitchell, however, isn't looking back.

"When they told me that my ACL was torn, I stayed strong," Mitchell said. "I didn't say anything. I went into my car and I cried for five minutes, I mean boohooing and tears. I made the decision then that I wanted to play."

Family and coaches encouraged Mitchell to take the prudent route.

"They told me 'Jason, it's OK to walk away,' '' Mitchell recalled. "Everybody told me that I should reconsider ... I wanted to enjoy the last couple of games and running through the 'T' the last time. Looking back at it now, I still don't regret it."

Perhaps the only thing that Mitchell regrets is that he wasn't his best. He estimates he was 50 to 70-percent. In retrospect, that wasn't what UT needed as they struggled through a 5-6 season.

"Looking back at it, I think I hurt the team more than anything," Mitchell said. "I should have just packed my bags and went my way. Jerod Mayo was actually a better player than me at the time."

Mayo, who is sophomore, is indeed UT's starting weakside linebacker. The Vols (5-1) seem to be in far better shape than they were a year ago as they prepare to play Alabama on Saturday.

Still, Mitchell knows how quickly a season can turn. UT was 3-2 last season before playing the Crimson Tide. After the 6-3 loss in Tuscaloosa, UT lost three of its final five games.

"If we would have won the Alabama game, we probably would have been bowl contenders," Mitchell said. "It would have given us more momentum.

"Losing a close game to Alabama -- a game that I thought we should have won -- it was a turning point. That made the season go sour. It really put the dagger in the heart."

Much like UT's program, Mitchell is trying to turn things around. With his knee fully recovered, he is considering his options. One is to reenter the NFL combine this spring. The other is to play in NFL Europe. The preferred path is getting onto an NFL team as soon as possible.

"The best option right now is for me to find a team that's willing to put me on the offseason workout program so I'll be with a team working out, being around the guys and being able to make the team," Mitchell said. "That's what I'm trying to do now."

Playing football again isn't about glory or cash for Mitchell. It's about fulfilling a once promising career.

"The money would be good but it would be more to show my fans that followed me that I am one of the great players," Mitchell said. "It would be more of pride thing than anything."

When work will allow, Mitchell trains for his comeback. But sometimes, work can be training in itself.

"Did you know a headstone weighs 300 pounds?" Mitchell said. "Try to go pick one up one day."