Following the examples
Examples worth following surround Dwayne Jarrett at position meetings.
In one direction is Muhsin Muhammad, a paragon of professionalism who set franchise standards in receptions, receiving yardage and touchdown catches. In another is Steve Smith, a productive sparkplug whose fiery competitiveness is as evident during offseason workouts as the Super Bowl.
Then there's the position coach in front of him -- Richard Williamson, a guru of the craft whose tutelage helped forge Pro Bowl performances out of Smith, Muhammad and Mark Carrier.
For Muhammad and Smith, success is a well-worn path, as familiar as the roads each takes home nightly from Bank of America Stadium, a mixture that is equal parts diligence and determination. They want Jarrett to reach their level, but they can only point him there.
"I'm going to lead the horse to water. It's up for him to drink,"
Muhammad said.
"I think he's got enough guys around him that have played in this League and have had success that he should be able to learn a lot from us."
So it stands for Jarrett as he enters a second season in which he hopes to expunge the memories of his first, a campaign that saw him arrive with lofty expectations after setting a University of Southern California record in receptions, but ended with just six catches for 73 yards.
His inexperience and youth – he turned 21 two days after the season-opening win at St. Louis – manifested itself on and off the field in a frustrating year that he now hopes to use as part of his football education, and not a point of regret.
"It was a whole learning/transition thing,"
Jarrett said. "The whole thing – just becoming a pro, learning the program, just learning the new atmosphere. It was all a learning experience. I went through the trials and tribulations last year and this year I'm looking up and up for things to go well."
The first and perhaps most vital lesson for Jarrett after his first year is that little things matter. What seems trivial in college is magnified in the professional ranks.
"I'm paying attention to detail,"
he said. "Everyone is talented at this level, so you definitely have to take care of the little things and that's what I've been doing this offseason, just getting better, working out and definitely (studying) the playbook."
Jarrett's on-field difficulties as a rookie were fairly common, especially among wide receivers, whose development usually sees its longest strides between the first and second or second and third years. Evidence of both lies with Smith and Muhammad; Smith increased his reception total from 10 as a rookie to 54 as a second-year player in 2002, while Muhammad leapt forward between his second and third seasons, going from 27 receptions in 1997 to 68 a year later.
"You look around the League and you see that a lot of your receivers don't contribute all that much that early,"
head coach John Fox said. "I think you see most of your improvement from year one to year two. We're hoping that takes place, but we've got some strong competition there."
And for Jarrett to distinguish himself in that competition, he needs to be atop his game – both on the field and away from it.
"That's like the chip on my shoulder. I've got something to prove,"
he said. "I've got that in my back pocket, but it doesn't affect me. All I can do is continue to work hard, try to make the team better and make plays and just do what I can do and hold myself accountable."
His fellow receivers will be watching to ensure that happens.
"He's a young guy and I think he's got a lot of room to grow,"
Muhammad said. "All the physical talents and tools are there. I think that he just has to mature and take this job real seriously, get in that playbook and study."
And to take a look around the meeting room at the men who possess the road map to NFL success.
