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***

Tommy Maddox was done. Cut from the Falcons, his fourth pro team in four years in the NFL, the best Maddox could be called was a failed coach's project; the worst, a complete bust.

He waited a short time for the phone to ring, another coach offering another opportunity, but it never came. Maddox finally, begrudgingly, accepted that his time had passed. He had his shot at greatness and, like nine of his passes during only four starts; he had his shot picked away from him.

But life is not the kind of thing that slows down to allow you time to dwell on mistakes made. Maddox had a family to think about. His wife and young child, plus another baby on the way, meant he couldn't worry about not being an NFL quarterback, he had to worry about putting food on his table.

Exit NFL, hello world of Insurance Salesmen.

***

As we get older, our dreams become limited by our actions. By high school, most of us have realized that we're not going to come up to bat in the bottom of the ninth of World Series Game 7 with the chance to win it all. We don't have the arm strength of Joe Montana or the leaping ability of Michael Jordan.

However, even in our teen years, dreams are not out of reach. Maybe, just maybe, I'm a good enough shooter to get that D1 scholarship. After that, who knows what might happen. Or hey, I'm a pretty funny guy, why can't I be an actor? All I need is that one break, and I can get my Oscar.

As teenagers, the volume might have been turned down, but our dreams can still be as vibrant and colorful as ever.

***

In his heart, Maddox never left football. Even as he was out on the golf course, selling policies and slicing his shot into the woods, football was always in the background, never standing out, just kind of hanging around.

In 2000, he decided it was time for another shot. He told his wife he wanted to go back to the game he loved. His wife said, "Do it."

He swallowed whatever was left of his pride and called the New Jersey Red Dogs of the Arena League. He played out his time and whaddaya know, he can still play. He threw 64 touchdowns to only 15 interceptions, and all of a sudden, Maddox was feeling it again. No, he didn't have a NFL contract, but what he did have was a glimmer hope. Any other reasonable man would have accepted his lot in life. But as Tommy Maddox was proving, an NFL quarterback is anything but just another guy.

***

By the time we hit our twenties, we pretty much know what's going on. We didn't get that full ride to Duke to play hoops, or Florida State as a wide out. That drama course just never could fit into the schedule. We can't even spell astronaut anymore.

No, for most of us, by our mid-twenties, we know what we can and can't do. We aren't going to have a "career day" at a church-sponsored basketball tournament that Phil Jackson just happens to be attending. It isn't likely we'll ever end up stuck in an elevator for a few hours with Julia Roberts.

It isn't a bad thing, we still have our dreams, we still have our fantasies, only now they're becoming more realistic. What if we end up acing that big report on Friday, won't that impress the boss? That girl at the laundry-mat always smiles at me, I wonder if she prefers pancakes or French toast in the morning?

***

Maddox wasn't done. He had been given a taste of the life he remembered and he wanted more. And there was this new league starting up. It was supposed to be a big hit. Vince McMannon was starting a football league and for some reason, Maddox thought this could be his shot at redemption. He told his wife he wanted to play in the XFL. His wife again said, "Do it."

Los Angeles X-Treme, meet Tommy Maddox; Tommy Maddox, meet the XFL. For the most part, football fans would prefer to forget the XFL. It was, more or less, laughed off television and into extinction. But for Maddox, it was the final proving ground. He passed for more yards and more touchdowns than anyone else in the league. He was named MVP, he won the only XFL championship.

It was here that he realized he could do this again. The competition wasn't the same, but the competitive fire was burning again.

Then, it happened. June 13, 2001, a short press bulletin went out from Sportsticker. The first line read "The Most Valuable Player of the now-defunct XFL will get another chance in the NFL."

And there you have it. Maddox was back in the NFL. Sort of. He told his wife he had a shot in Pittsburgh, she said "Do it."

***

The older you get, the harder it becomes to hold on to those dreams. Families, jobs, bills, and time just seem to dim our youthful dreams away. Life never turns out the way you pictured it. And it's not worse, it's just different and sooner or later, it's accepted that this is the life you need to make the most of.

***

Maddox watched as the team he was signed to won the AFC Central Division. He watched as Kordell Stewart had one of the most improbable seasons ever. He watched as the wheels feel off the Stewart bandwagon during the AFC Championship game. He watched, as Stewart's play deteriorated to the point where Steelers coach Bill Cower had no choice.

Cower called on Maddox to make the start. And he hasn't looked back. After all, Tommy Maddox is experiencing what so few of us will ever know -- he is living out his dream.

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