Trent Dilfer interview on ESPN

[Cringer]

Did anyone else just watch this? As a father, all i can say is i am drying my eyes right now. And his wife seems like a damn strong woman....heck, they both are. I wouldn't want to go on TV to talk about my child dying, when i know i am gonna be bawling through the whole thing. My heart goes out to them.

[The_herd]

My son was at Lucille Packard's for surgery the same time as Trent's was staying there. My family was in and out of there several times over the course of a week week or 2, as my son had a couple appointments, the surgery, and then the follow up. Trent was always there, and seeing him there became something to expect when we went there. I read the news of his son dying the week after we were finished with everything there. Needless to say, the wife and I were incredibly saddened by the news. Trent is definately one of the good guys in sports and will always have fans in my house.

[hukarez]

Did he retire from the NFL last season? :confused:

[Dutch]

No. He was backing up Matt Hasselback in Seattle. Trent Dilfer is the strongest willed football player I've ever watched play the game. The man just doesn't know the word 'quit.' He will never go down with the great one's for his QB ability, but he should be recognized for his leadership and guts.

I remember when he was with Tampa and he was still young and strong. He gets blind-sided by a LB, manages to stay on his feet, shakes off the LB, and scrambles, while being dragged to the ground by a DL, he launches a bullet to his Tight End. The ball hits the TE in the back, because the TE had already given up on the play and was walking off the field....

Another time after another team scored to take the lead, a guy on the Bucs special teams unit during the kickoff started yelling and screaming and trying to instigate a fight with the opponent special teams players. Trent ran out on the field, grabbed the Tampa special teams player by the back of the collar and forcefully dragged the guy off the field, yelling at him the whole time. Most team leaders don't get that emotional about other people getting personal fouls against their team.

And which Buccaneer fan will ever forget Trent Dilfer getting benched by Tony Dungy and having to come back after Eric Zeier injures himself a week later. The pre-game announcer says, "How do you feel about being benched and now being forced back into action?" And Trent says, "I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulder. I'm going to go out there and play to win, I don't care what they say, what are they going to do? Bench me?"

The next game he throws for 350 yards a couple of TD's against the Saints, including one TD that was apparently a called running play for Dunn or Alstott. And Dilfer throws a TD strike, and after doing his usual "thank God" motions, then points up at Mike Shula in the OC booth. Classic.

He didn't get much credit, and outside of the fact that he couldn't hit a RB in the flat to save his life, was and is a tremendous a asset to any football team.

[FrogMan]

Armen Keteyan did a piece on him and QBs with sick child, very touching...

FM

[jerem77]

Another time after another team scored to take the lead, a guy on the Bucs special teams unit during the kickoff started yelling and screaming and trying to instigate a fight with the opponent special teams players. Trent ran out on the field, grabbed the Tampa special teams player by the back of the collar and forcefully dragged the guy off the field, yelling at him the whole time. Most team leaders don't get that emotional about other people getting personal fouls against their team.

The first game I ever saw him in was against the Detroit Lions. In that game he got into a fight with a linebacker and was ejected from the game. I don't remember the circumstances leading to the fight but I do remember thinking that he would be a great NFL QB. Now, no one will ever confuse him for Joe Montana, but the way he lead the Ravens to the Super Bowl championship was amazing.

[Glengoyne]

Watching him play here in Fresno was really a treat. He is a leader of men. I am frankly surprised to see people giving him as much credit in this thread. I know a lot of folks that still feel that Billick was spot on the money letting him go from Baltimore. My favorite Trent Moment was when Alvin Harper dropped a touchdown after complaining during the week about never seeing the ball. Trent, a rookie, went right to Harper, who had yet to be exposed, and told him he needed to do better than that if he wanted to see the ball more.