Packer: Ringing endorsement for Coleman

Offensive lineman Cosey Coleman gets set to block against Arkansas during Tennessee’s dramatic 28-24 win during the 1998 season. Coleman started all 13 games for the Vols that season.

There aren’t many players who have done what Cosey Coleman accomplished in his football career, winning a national championship in college and a Super Bowl in the NFL. Both games put him on, not only the national stage, but a global stage as well.

“I had nerves and butterflies in both games,” Coleman said. “In looking back on both experiences now, they were similar, but at the same time very different. When I played in the Fiesta Bowl, I was an adolescent … a kid. When I played in the Super Bowl, I had become a man. So, the experiences were kind of different.

“Both were monumental in my career. It’s kind of my claim to fame. I’ll say this, I appreciate both of them and wouldn’t trade one for the other. But, the Super Bowl was the absolute pinnacle of the game of football. I remember I was so nervous for that game (Super Bowl 36 against the Raiders) that I was slapping my own helmet before the game to calm myself down. It was the ultimate experience.”

Coleman’s career with Tennessee began with his commitment to the Vols in January of 1997.

“At that time, Tennessee was rolling,” Coleman said. “I was at Southwest Dekalb High School in Georgia, so Georgia was coming after me hard. But, if you remember back then, Georgia was kind of mediocre. They were winning 6 and 7 games a year and UT was fighting for the SEC title each year. I came down to Tennessee and North Carolina.

“I won’t say it was the deciding factor, but when Peyton Manning decided to stay in school another year, it had an impact on my decision. Look, I was going to get an education anywhere I went to school. So, the deciding factor was where could I go to win some rings?”

I asked Coleman the same question all former Vols are asked these days about the state of the program today.

“I knew back then that we would be in the mix to win championships every year,” Coleman said. “Every year we had that first practice, down on the baseball field, that’s what we had on our minds. I don’t think anything has changed. The program still heads into every season with an SEC championship as their goal.

“I’ll say this, that win over Georgia last week was huge for the program and for me. It’s big for UT when it comes to recruiting. Both UT and Georgia go after a lot of the same guys. Look at when I came out. Tennessee got me, Jamal Lewis and Deon Grant all out of Georgia. I think we all came to UT because Tennessee was a stronger program. Being able to tell recruits, who are on the fence, that Tennessee won the way they did is huge.

“The second reason that game was big for me is because it gives my family bragging rights in Georgia for another year. I hate having to go home when Georgia has beaten Tennessee that year.”

Coleman is splitting time between Tampa, Fla., and Knoxville these days as he works on finishing up getting his degree.

“I’ve got a ways to go, but I’m going to get it done,” Coleman said. “I lack 65 hours, so I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me.”

Coleman’s NFL career appears to be over after seven years. After winning a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay, and spending five years there, Coleman’s contract was not renewed this past summer with Cleveland.

“I played seven years in the league, but my knees look like I played 15 years,” Coleman said. “I’ve got degenerative arthritis in both knees. It’s the business of the NFL. What’s hard to deal with is not having football in my life anymore. I played every year since I was a little kid. Now, I wake up and I don’t have football in my day anymore. It’s a real transition in my life.”

Mark Packer hosts the Locker Room, presented by Parkwest Medical Center, on Sunday at 10 p.m. on MyVLT2.