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A true winner Ross walks away with dignity, respect, results
There are not a lot of people in the NFL -- adminstrators, coaches or players -- whom I have unconditional respect for. Ten, maybe. Bobby Ross is one of them. Before the 1999 season I was asked to emcee the Detroit Lions' preseason luncheon in downtown Detroit. I'll never forget Ross making light of Sports Illustrated's prediction for the Lions. We picked Detroit deep in the second division of the NFC. He looked at me that day like it was a personal affront. "I'll tell you this, Peter," Ross said to me that day. "We will change your mind about the Detroit Lions. We'll play better than anybody thinks we will." That should go on Ross' coaching tombstone. No coach other than perhaps Bill Parcells and Joe Gibbs consistently got more out of his talent than Ross. College. Pro. You tell me how somebody wins a national championship at Georgia Tech. You tell me how someones brings the beachcombing San Diego Chargers to the Super Bowl. Ross did both. Along the way, he engendered a deep respect from players and peers. I never heard a coach talk about Ross in any way other than with the highest respect. He loved the game. He honored the game. Today, Bobby Ross could have spoken his true feelings about what happened in Detroit. Could have said that he was disappointed in veterans like Herman Moore and Robert Porcher , whose performances let him down hugely this year. But he refused to talk to the press outside the Silverdome, saying it wasn't his team anymore, it was Gary Moeller 's now. If he didn't have something good to say, Ross was going to say nothing at all. He walked out of the game with dignity, but with Bobby Ross you never expected anything less. Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter King covers the NFL and appears regularly on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN's NFL Preview. Click here to send a
question to his NFL Mailbag.
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