Chris Samuels may have retired, but he’s not leaving just yet.
The Washington Redskins offensive tackle will coach his brethren. The same guys he teased in the classroom and played alongside the past decade are now his disciples as Samuels becomes a coaching intern during training camp.
“How can I become as good as you?” asked fellow tackle Stephon Heyer, not altogether joking.
Work hard, said Samuels. That’s the same unrelenting style Samuels used since arriving in 2000 as the third overall choice. When coach Marty Schottenheimer led a brutal 2001 training camp with two-a-day workouts in 100-plus degree heat, Samuels joked he was from Alabama so nothing was too hot for him.
Little got the best of Samuels. Not Dwight Freeney, Hugh Douglas or DeMarcus Ware charging on the outside. Not 12 surgeries from neck to knee.
Actually, the only thing that defeated Samuels was the spinal disorder stenosis. And that needed 15 years to finally sideline him. Samuels suffered temporary paralysis in high school on a hit and knew his career was day-to-day. A hit during his rookie NFL season nearly ended it.
But Samuels lasted 10 years in the pros. He wanted a couple more seasons, but the third numbing hit of his career vs. Carolina last year ended his career.
Now it’s the same stage, but a different position — the sideline. Samuels will start with pro linemen, following the same path that eventually led Washington guard Russ Grimm to Arizona’s assistant head coach. But Samuels could see himself leading a high school team, too.
“I think I’m meant to [coach,]” he said. “I’ve always wanted to do it. I helped my brother coach his Pop Warner team in Mobile, Ala. It really doesn’t matter [what level]. I just want to coach.”
Many assistants coaches joke that players can’t make the transition. The sticker shock of seeing paychecks that are a fraction of their former paychecks deters some. They want to leave at 5 p.m. weekdays after practice instead of staying often past midnight preparing gameplans. And forget having Tuesdays off during the season. Coaches are lucky to get the bye weekend for their only break over the six-month season.
But Samuels relishes staying in the game as a mentor. After all, he has spent the past three years beating the “swagger” out of Heyer, who thanked Samuels for teaching him how to be a professional.
“My ability to relate to guys, that’s going to help me out tremendously,” Samuels said. “At least I’m not hurting when I’m watching tape. I’m 32 years old. I gotta do something. I can’t sit around the house all day.”
“Coach” Samuels is about to learn there’s no sitting still in football — only moving forward.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com and Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
