Flozell Adams

Flozell Adams

Adams warming up in 2008 at Texas Stadium.
No. --     Free Agent
Offensive tackle
Personal information
Date of birth: (1975-05-18) May 18, 1975 (age 37)
Place of birth: Chicago, Illinois
Height: 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) Weight: 340 lb (154 kg)
Career information
College: Michigan State
NFL Draft: 1998 / Round: 2 / Pick: 38
Debuted in 1998 for the Dallas Cowboys
Last played in 2010 for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Career history
Dallas Cowboys (1998–2009) Pittsburgh Steelers (2010)
Career highlights and awards
5× Pro Bowl selection (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008) 1× All-Pro selection (2007) AFC champion (2010)
Career NFL statistics as of 2010
Games played 198 Games started 194 Fumbles Recovered 10 Stats at NFL.com

Flozell "The Hotel" Adams^[1] (born May 18, 1975) is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State.

Adams is a five-time Pro Bowl selection 2003–2004 and 2006–2008. He has also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Early years

At Proviso West High School, Adams played the trumpet for the school's band until his junior year when he took up football, becoming a two year starter at left tackle, while receiving All-American and first-team All-State honors as a senior. He also earned four letters in track for the shot put and three letters in wrestling. His number 76 is only one of three numbers retired by the school, along with Ray McElroy and Awvee Storey. He also participated in foreign language clubs.

He went on to play football at Michigan State University for head coach Nick Saban. His massive size (6-foot-7, 330-pounds) earned him the nickname “The Hotel”, and served him well as a three year starter (2 at right tackle and 1 at left tackle). After earning Honorable mention All-Big Ten in 1995, he went on to develop into one of the best offensive linemen in the nation. As a junior in 1996, he was a second team All-Big Ten selection. As a senior in 1997, he received All-America honors, was named the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, and was a semi-finalist for the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award. He also was invited to play in the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Adams in the huddle in a 2007 Eagles game.

Adams was drafted in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He was originally expected to go much higher, but questions about his partially right deaf ear and his athletic abilitiy, made teams weary of his potential value.

He was able to become a starter early on as a rookie and play at a dependable level, but he never distinguished himself. When Bill Parcells became the Cowboys head coach for the 2003 season, there were doubts about the fifth year player future with the team. Parcells made resigning him a priority, which became a turning point in his career, that saw his performance improved to a level that earned him five Pro Bowl selections. In 2007 he earned All-Pro honors.

Adams tore his ACL in 2005 playing against the New York Giants and was out for the final 10 games of the season.

On February 28, 2008, he signed a new six-year contract with the Cowboys. It was in the neighborhood of $42 million, including $15 million in guaranteed money and about $13 million in signing bonus. In the 2009 season Adams was fined several times for kicking at and tripping opponents.^[2] Adams also got into an altercation with several Giants in their December 6, 2009 game at Giants Stadium after he pushed Justin Tuck from behind after a play had been blown dead, an action which drew review by the NFL and a fine of $50K.^[3] As a result of this infraction, a rule change was approved during the offseason where any personal foul that occurs after the clock expires during a half will result in a 15 yard penalty on the second half or overtime kickoff. Adams was notorious for his false start and holding penalties, since 2005 he has been called for the second most penalties in the NFL with 67.

He was released by the Cowboys on April 2, 2010.^[4] Adams was often criticized for penalties (mostly illegal procedures) and performance during his time with the Cowboys, which make people overlook him as one of the top offensive linemen in club history. Only Larry Allen (10), Rayfield Wright (six) and John Niland (6) have more Pro Bowl selections than Adams among offensive line players. He was also a durable player, missing only 14 games in his 12-year career with Dallas.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On July 29, 2010, Adams agreed to a two-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He replaced starting right tackle Willie Colon, who suffered a season-ending injury (torn achilles). Adams' move to Pittsburgh landed him in Super Bowl XLV, where the Steelers lost to the Green Bay Packers. He was released on July 29, 2011, after one season in Pittsburgh.^[5]

Personal

Adams is the cousin of former National Basketball Association player Hersey Hawkins. His nickname is "The Hotel", in reference to his 6-7, 340-pound frame. He is partially deaf in his right ear (this also accounted for his draft stock falling in the days leading up to the 1998 NFL Draft). He currently resides in Morton, Illinois. He also wears a size 22 shoe.

References

Main Website

Personal Page

External links

• Dallas Cowboys Top 50 players
• Could Always Count On Flo
• Player Profile on ESPN.com
• Player Profile on Yahoo! Sports
• Player Profile on CBSSports.com
• "Steelers agree to two-year deal with free-agent OT Adams"
• Pittsburgh Steelers bio