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09/08/2010 -
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) - ``Reed!'' ``Reed!'' ``REEEEEEED!''
Jim Haslett kept yelling Reed Doughty's name, trying to get the safety's attention at a Washington Redskins practice this week.
Doughty didn't respond because Doughty couldn't hear. Finally, several teammates went over and tapped him on his shoulder, making him aware that he was wanted by the defensive coordinator.
``The communication between us is not great,'' Haslett said. ``Because when I yell, I get louder - and he still doesn't hear.''
Beginning his fifth season in the NFL, Doughty is one of the great survivor stories of pro football, having overcome several gut-wrenching physical and psychological setbacks - any one of which might have caused a weaker athlete to throw in the towel. Yet the 27-year-old with the boyish face is still plugging away, and he is expected to be in the starting lineup Sunday night when the Redskins open the season against the Dallas Cowboys.
``Perseverance is one of his strongest traits,'' safeties coach Steve Jackson said. ``You can't knock a good man down, and he's a good man. He's had a lot of things try to knock him down.''
Consider the hurdles listed in the Reed Doughty bio:
- He was a sixth-round pick from Northern Colorado, a Football Championship Subdivision school that averages about two draftees per decade.
- He's had hearing loss his entire life, inherited from his father. It gets worse as he gets older. It stumped the coaches when he was a rookie in 2006.
``For a guy to be so smart, he used to always make a lot of mistakes. And no one knew why. You look at him, and every time you say something, he's really looking at you, at your face and everything. And you're like, `Gah, he really pays attention. Why doesn't he know anything? He must be a dumb son of a ...,''' said Jackson, his voice trailing off into a laugh.
``But he was looking at you,'' Jackson continued, ``to read your lips.''
Jackson realized he should no longer talk while writing on the whiteboard during meetings - because his back was turned to Doughty. Jackson therefore developed a whole new rhythm: Write something, turn to speak, write something, turn to speak.
``His play picked up,'' said Jackson, snapping his fingers, ``like that.''
- Also in 2006, Doughty's son Micah was born six weeks prematurely and had chronic kidney failure. After long days of practice and meetings at Redskins Park, Doughty would go home and help his wife hook up their son to a dialysis machine. When Micah was 19 months old, he had finally grown enough to accept a kidney transplant. The donor was Doughty's wife, Katie.
Micah turned 4 last week. Doughty beamed with pride at the mention of the milestone.
``He's doing phenomenal,'' he said.
- In 2008, Doughty had a serious nerve problem in his back. It spread, causing numbness in one foot. He was placed on injured reserve in early October and had surgery. Not too many people were expecting him back in 2009.
``It was scary,'' Doughty said. ``There were a lot of doctors saying this was something you may never come back from, but the surgeon that did it told me I think this is something you'll come back from and do quite well. So I just trusted God that no matter what happened I'd be healthy just so I could play with my kids. And if I could play football on top of it, that would be awesome. And I just worked hard in rehab and it worked out.''
Doughty is returning the favors as much as he can. It takes nearly a full column in the media guide to list his volunteer work with groups such as the National Kidney Foundation and the Spinal Research Foundation.
While Micah is doing well and the back injury is firmly in the rearview mirror, Doughty and his teammates and coaches still have the daily challenge of dealing with his hearing loss. He now wears a hearing aid in meetings, but it doesn't work on the field because it can't filter out all of the background noise from the crowd.
When Doughty is in the game, he often stands near middle linebacker London Fletcher to hear the defensive call, then relays a separate call to the rest of the secondary. The Redskins can trust Doughty with that role because he's studious and knows the play book well.
Doughty and fellow safety LaRon Landry have also become adapt at using hand signals to communicate, but messages don't always get through. Landry says there have been times he's tried to alert Doughty to a change in plans before the snap - but to no avail.
``I try to call him and he's over there - he's in tune (to the play) - so I just let him play that side and just adapt,'' Landry said.
But it usually works out because of Doughty's smarts and toughness - not to mention a strong faith that has seen him through all his trials, plus enough humbleness for him to realize his role.
``The coaches trust me,'' Doughty said. ``I may not be a flashy player, but I'm going to make good tackles, make good decisions and execute the game plan.''
Doughty also offered this well-grounded assessment of his hearing loss and hair loss, both genetic and inevitable.
``I'm bald. I'm going to be deaf,'' he said in a matter-of-fact tone. ``And I've got a great family with two great kids, so I'm not worried about it.''
Doughty has started 16 of his 45 games over four seasons. A natural strong safety, he is now working with the first team at free safety only because Kareem Moore is out with a sprained right knee.
Yet, considering all that he's been through, Doughty has accomplished quite a bit. After all, how many players can sum up their career like this?
``Stuff happens, and they trust me to play,'' Doughty said. ``And I'm still here because of that.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rafael Nadal breezed in three sets
over fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez Tuesday and moved into the quarterfinals
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off Oakland, 7-5, hampering the Athletics in their attempt to gain ground in
the AL
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baseball to set an MLB record, as the San Diego Padres defeated the Los
Angeles Dodgers, 2-1, in the second test of a three-game series at Petco Park.
Lato
<< Angels release longtime utilityman Quinlan
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels cut ties with utilityman
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Marlins to skip Johnson's next start >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida Marlins ace Josh Johnson will miss
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Will Ohio State continue to run the table in College Football betting odds?
MySportsbook.com favors Buckeyes, Fighting Irish and Golden Bears in this weekend's big games.
NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.
Revenge will be the name of the game in Columbus this Saturday, as Ohio State looks to even the score following last season's loss to Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions. Although Penn State are listed as 16.5 point underdogs, they are 11-10 all-time versus the Buckeyes. Paterno and the Lions, however, will have to shut down Heisman Trophy favorite Troy Smith who has thrown for 769 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
Speaking of revenge, Notre Dame will be out for some against Michigan State, following last year's 44 - 41 overtime loss to the Spartans in South Bend. The thirteenth-ranked Irish, listed as a 3-point favorite, will also be looking to avenge last Saturday's thrashing from the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, meanwhile, have won seven of the last nine match-ups against Notre Dame and are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over Pittsburgh.
Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
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Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
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Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6
For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com
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