From Deseret News archives:

Reflections: Memories include a friendship with President Bush

Published: Monday, July 31, 2006 12:16 a.m. MDT

As told to Doug Robinson
Deseret Morning News

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As NFL training camps open, veteran tight end Chad Lewis, who will be 35 in October, is still at home in Orem — just the way he wants it. His playing days might or might not be finished. Meanwhile, he is writing a book about his unlikely, sometimes star-crossed career.

A walk-on at BYU and an undrafted NFL free agent who was cut by two teams, he became a three-time Pro Bowl tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles, catching 229 passes for 2,361 yards and 23 touchdowns. Along the way, he was invited to dinner at the White House, introduced President Bush on a campaign stop, toured China with NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, played for some of the game's greatest coaches, helped two teams reach the Super Bowl and never played in the Super Bowl. These are just some of his reflections:

I'm not going to training camp this year. After breaking my foot in the 2005 NFC Championship game, it took months to recover. It was the hardest thing I ever went through, and I'm not getting any younger or faster — but the linebackers are. I have left open the possibility of signing with a team later if the situation is right. I lift weights and ride my bike like a maniac and catch passes from a JUGS machine in my garage.

But for the first time since my church mission, I won't be going to training camp. People ask how it feels. It feels good. I'm sitting here with my kids. If I had a burning desire to be on a team, I would have made the calls and I'd be in a training camp. I am staying in touch with my agent. There are several coaches out there I would play for — Brad Childress (Vikings); Jon Gruden (Buccaneers); Sean Payton (Saints); Andy Reid (Eagles). I'm not worried. If I do want to play, I'll have an opportunity.

I'm writing a book about the experiences I've had that have changed my life. I have recorded them all in a journal I've kept since I was in junior high. I try to write a page every night.

I've been so blessed. I have had the greatest string of coaches that any player has ever had. One of them was Dick Vermeil. He's a powerful, powerful person. I didn't want to play for him at first. When I was a free agent, I read the stories about how brutal his training camps. They had a team mutiny the second week of the season. But the Rams were my only option. I developed great respect for Coach Vermeil that season. He cares so much about his players. He has every player to his house for dinner in the offseason and he cooks for them — 8-10 players at a time with their wives or girlfriends. That's just how he is. He just cares about every person who plays for him in a way that most coaches are afraid to expose themselves. Players love Dick Vermeil.