Fond farewell

Nineteen seniors say goodbye to Rentschler Field today.

Some we've gotten to know well as a result of their regular playing time, some we've started to get to know and other we just never saw much of.

This much is true: Whatever happens in the game today against No. 23 Pittsburgh, these 19 men will have quite a few memories to share for a lifetime. Let us not forget there's still one more game, probably the International Bowl.

I began talking to players about their careers a month or so ago when I sat down with D.J. Hernandez. D.J.'s an interesting cat. He really puts a great deal of thought into what he does and doesn't say. But I'd say since last year he's begun to show great introspection.

After games, D.J. was the worst interview win or lose. Usually terse, short, annoyed or saying as little as possible with as many words as possible, he's changed. In group settings he'd clam up a bit, which is understandable. But this year, he was so infrequently available that many of my peers and I would speak with him with one or two other people. The result was D.J. opening up about family, college, football and his future.

Then when you watch him become all but forgotten this season, you appreciate him a whole lot more.

There were a few standup guys in this senior class that deserve recognition for that. Tyler Lorenzen, Rob Lunn, Keith Gray, Cody Brown and Tony Ciaravino.

Tyler was the kind of guy who enjoyed the candid moments with people and told you what he thought. As a QB, he was the ideal interview. Never took the credit and always took the blame even when it wasn't his to take.

Lunn, despite being a Red Sox fan, is the guy everyone wants to be around. He's smart and funny, and puts things into amazing context, beyond most people his age. This past week, it took him 15 seconds before he started crying when asked about his memories at UConn. You know the bye week killed him. That gave him two weeks to marinate on playing his last home game.

He reminded me that there's more than Xs and Os, something easily forgotten week after week when everyone is talking about this formation or that, starting quarterbacks and "personal reasons."

Keith Gray flies under the radar. He's deceptively funny. Every week he imparts a little humor and shares his take on the previous game and the next. Few people take the win or loss as personally as he does.

Eveyone knows that Cody Brown is funny. He's a different funny than Lunn. You see how amped he gets on game day and then minutes after the game ends, he's doing standup. Every team needs a Cody Brown and everyone needs to know a Cody Brown.

Finally, Ciaravino is a unique kicker. He understood the pitfalls of being a kicker and never complained. He was always willing to face the music and because of it, the media held him in high regard. He's also blessed with a great disposition. I'm sure he's looking forward to getting back to the warm weather in Florida.

Good luck to the seniors.