2017 last superbowl
The text messages started coming in a flurry during the AFC Championship Game, from friends and family who kept hearing afamiliar New Jersey universitymentioned during the broadcast and wanted to know the same thing.
"They all said, "I just heard Monmouth during the Patriots game. Did you play with that guy?"" Ryan Folsom said. "And I kept replying, "Yes I did, and believe it or not, you saw that guy play.""
That guy, of course, is Chris Hogan. If you watched even five minutes of the Patriots" convincing win over the Steelers to reach Super Bowl LIor any of the wall-to-wall coverage since then, you"ve heard that name and heard his story. It is, after all, a very goodone.
He was a decorated lacrosse player at Penn State who decided to play one season of college football at Monmouth, the first stop on a circuitous journey that has landed him on the NFL"spremier franchise and-- quite suddenly -- as a Hall of Fame quarterback"s favorite target.
But delve a little deeper into that 2010 season in Monmouth and the story becomes even better. Hogan wasn"t the top receiver on that Hawks team. He wasn"t No. 2, either, or third or fourth or fifth.
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Hogan was sixth in yards gained. He nearly matched his entire collegiate production as a receiver-- 12 catches, 147 yards and three touchdowns -- in that one incredible performance against Pittsburgh when he torched the Steelers defensefor nine catches, 180 yards and two scores.
Regrets? Kevin Callahan has a few. The Monmouth head coach knew he had a special talent because he had recruited him out of Ramapo High before he decided to commit to lacrosse. And on his first college play, he scored a touchdown on a 17-yard post pattern.
"But after our third game, our defensive secondary was decimated," Callahan said. "We looked around and said, "Okay, who can fill that void?" And all eyes went to Chris Hogan."
So the breakout star in these NFLplayoffs was converted to a defensive back, intercepting the first pass thrown his way and two others to lead the team. He was the rare two-way Division 1 player, averaging about 20-25snaps a game for the Hawks on offense.
"But looking back on it now," Callahan said, "we should have thrown the ball to him on every play."
Hogan was undrafted coming out of Monmouth, which is not necessarily a surprise, but then three teams gave him a shot to make the roster and cut him. He finally emerged as a reliable target with Buffalo, but his longtime friend and trainer Mike Guadango still knew he could do better.
"He is a guy who has been misused his entire career," Guadango said. He had a hunch that would change this season when the team that pursued him the hardest is known for turning overlooked players into productive pieces of a championship-caliber team.
The Patriots saw his precise route-running ability and work ethic and gave him a life-changing three-year, $12 million contract. But Callahan believes another characteristic is why he was able to climb to the top of the NFLat the pinnacle of the season.
"He simply wasn"t going to let anybody tell him he couldn"t be successful," Callahan said. "That, to me, is the reason he"s having this level of success in the NFL."
And that"s how Callahan found himself on the phone with a radio station in Tennessee, talking about his high-profile player just before the hosts switched back to NASCAR. The NFL playoffshave become a wild ride for all the Hawks on that 2010 team, with coworkers and clients constantly asking for informationabout their former teammate.
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So Mitch Pollard, the third-leading receiver on that team, tells storiesabout being road roommates with Hogan that season. Kyle Frazier, his quarterback, talks about quickly knowing he was the best athlete he"d ever been around. Nick Romeo, who also faced him as a high school opponent at Wayne Hills, rememberswatching film with his coaches and wondering "how the h**l are we going to stop this guy."
Ken Amsel tried, and failed, in a 2003 state playoff game at Giants Stadium. He still has the photo of Hogan beating him for a 70-yard touchdown, but that didn"t keep the two from becoming good friends.
It was Amsel who convinced Hogan to come to Monmouth when he heard that his old rival wanted to return to football his senior season. And it was Amsel in the stands at Gillette Stadium, wondering like everyone else how his old teammate kept getting so ridiculously open.
"There"s a reason Reggie Bush called him "7-Eleven,"" Amsel said with a laugh. His throat was still sore from cheering for Hogan that night, and he hopes to yell himself hoarse again two Sundays from now in Houston.
Hogan is heading to Super Bowl LI, and he is bringing his tinyNew Jersey collegeto the big game. And if Bill Belichick needs help in his secondary? Well, it wouldn"t be the first time.
Steve Politi may be reached atspoliti@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@StevePoliti. FindSteve on Facebook.
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNGafusitVWEJHLeaU59UzTOSBwdZw&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779361058918&ei=2oyLWKikNc_kzAKN0pHABQ&url=https://www.nj.com/sports/index.ssf/2017/01/super_bowl_2017_chris_hogan_is_no_overnight_succes.html
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