Joe Theismann came to camp and spoke to our team between practices about being a winning team. Trust and respect were two of the messages he emphasized. He said the one guy he respected more than anyone was Ronnie Lott. He told the story about Ronnie giving up a piece of his pinky just to keep playing. How can you give more to the game and your team than that? He said when Ronnie asked for his options they were to have surgery and end the season or cut off a piece of the finger and keep playing. Needless to say he kept playing. It was really good to hear that story from a guy like that. I had heard the story before when I was a kid but I didn't believe it. I was seven years old and went to a book signing he was doing with my mom. She told me why his finger looked different but I didn't believe it. Then to hear the story told again all these years later by a guy of Mr. Theismann's status, that was really inspiring. We play this game for a lot of reasons and to earn the respect of your teammates and other players is definitely one of them. Mr. Theismann said Ronnie is the epitome of how it should be done on and off the field. To have someone like that say those things about a person I have met and have gotten to know a little was very meaningful. The whole visit was very motivational. He was a great speaker.