AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Not long after the Dallas Cowboys had defeated the
Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17 in the Super Bowl, defensive coordinator Dave
Campo walked by rookie cornerback Alundis Brice.
"We gave you this one (a Super Bowl ring), the next time you have to
earn it," Campo told Brice.
"That's what I want this year," Brice said. "I want to earn
a Super Bowl ring not just get one by playing on the special teams."
Since Deion Sanders will spend some time on offense and Kevin Smith is still
recovering from a torn right Achilles tendon, Brice is being counted upon
to deliver quality playing time.
Training camp has been an ordeal for Brice, who has had to cover Sanders
every day. And he's had a hard time doing it.
Sanders burned Brice for a 65-yard touchdown pass in a scrimmage and Campo
said, "I'm willing to bet Deion will run by a few more guys this year.
But I'm a little disappointed."
Brice knows the heat is on to perform.
"I've had a lot of challenges before," Brice said. "But this
is one of the biggest ones I've ever had."
Certainly not the biggest.
Living through a gunshot wound will always be tops. Brice, a fourth-round
draft pick out of Mississippi, was shot in the chest while trying to break
up a campus altercation in his senior year. Brice was in critical condition
for two days before he improved.
"I have to weigh everything against that," he said. "Playing
cornerback and trying to stop Deion Sanders is one thing. But it's not as
tough as what I've already been through."
Brice has shown improvement at times, but coaches are still concerned about
his weight, which is 177 pounds.
"I'm in shape, but I can't get any bigger," he said. "Since
I got shot, I still haven't regained my appetite. I'm not even hungry sometimes
until 1 p.m. I've got to start taking supplements or something to try to
get some weight on. I need another 10 pounds. "
Brice had a tough time in training camp last year. At one time he considered
quitting.
"My mother talked me out of it," he said. "I was just having
a down period."
Brice was a first team all-Southeastern Conference selection and had seven
interceptions one season.
But getting shot changed everything. He was lucky the Cowboys drafted him
as high as they did.
"I've dedicated my life to football now," he said. "Cornerbacking
is my life. And I figure if I can learn to cover Deion, I can cover anybody
else I face. He's the fastest man in a football uniform I've ever seen.
If I can run with him, I can run with anybody."
Run with Deion? Not yet.