BY KEVIN JAKAHI | STEPHENS MEDIA ADVERTISING Dallas Cowboys safety Mana Silva will show youngsters of all ages how to work hard — just like the pros — for free. “I want to help kids with their speed and agility,”
BY KEVIN JAKAHI | STEPHENS MEDIA
Dallas Cowboys safety Mana Silva will show youngsters of all ages how to work hard — just like the pros — for free.
“I want to help kids with their speed and agility,” the 2006 Kamehameha-Hawaii graduate said. “It’s a mixture of everything I grew up with at the University of Hawaii and the pros. If kids want to go anywhere to college or the next level, you just have to work hard on a consistent basis. The key to getting into college is to study hard and work hard. Eventually, you’ll get there.”
Silva has been at home after the Cowboys lost to the New York Giants 31-14 on Jan. 1 at MetLife Stadium, extinguishing Dallas’ playoff hopes. A few weeks later, the Giants ended as the Super Bowl champs.
“It was frustrating. We were never able to put together a run like the Giants did,” he said. “I was happy for the Giants. The reason I cheered for the Giants is I can say we lost to the Super Bowl champs.”
He was signed off the Buffalo Bills practice squad and activated for the game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 24 — the day before Christmas — at Cowboys Stadium, marking his NFL debut.
“My coolest experience was my first active game. I went into Cowboys Stadium, and before the game ran out on the field. I couldn’t believe I was there,” Silva said. “I had to snap out of it and told myself, ‘This is where you belong.’ My first tackle was on a punt return. It felt good playing in Cowboys Stadium. I loved playing at the Giants’ stadium the next week. Everybody was against us. The atmosphere in the game was crazy.”
In two weeks, Silva will fly over to Oahu to work out with trainer Chad Ikei for a month. He’s scheduled to report to Cowboys camp in April.
“I’ve been training the last month and a half, getting my mind back and stuff,” Silva said. “Chad has a lot of knowledge. And the biggest thing with Chad is he can relate to people.
“My dad (Maurice) did wonders for me, too. My dad taught me everything I know from how to prepare for a game, how to carry yourself in a game, how to dominate and win the game. He would always tell me to pay attention to detail and be superior in what you do.
“My mom (Anna) supported us all the time. We didn’t have much growing up, but whatever we did have she offered and sacrificed whatever was needed.”
Synergy Sports International negotiated Silva’s three-year contract after he went undrafted out of Hawaii. The first year was a pro-rated $375,000 because of time spent on the Baltimore Ravens and Bills practice squads. Next season he’ll be paid $465,000, and he will earn $555,000 for 2013.
However, in the NFL, salaries aren’t guaranteed. Only signing bonuses are guaranteed.
“I wouldn’t say I love that pressure, but at the same time I do love it,” Silva said. “It forces you to grow and do things you never thought you could. It builds a lot of character, having that pressure to fight for your job. Every day you never know what’s going to happen. Every day you have to constantly work. That’s something I love.”
That mantra of hard work is a drumbeat Silva hopes to pound into the heads and hearts of youngsters at his clinic.
If fact, he wasn’t a blue-chip recruit after he graduated. He walked on at UH and had to earn his scholarship.
“I got my scholarship in my sophomore year after the first spring semester,” Silva said. “When I first went up to UH, I had never played safety. I started off as the fourth or fifth string. I worked my way up in the spring. It was just hard work. I worked harder than anybody else.”
sports@hawaiitribune-herald.com
