Football: Decoster, Rolle get All-Star chances

Football: Decoster, Rolle get All-Star chances

Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • February 5, 2011

Former UL football players Jonathan Decoster and Maurice Rolle Jr. continue to pursue their dreams of playing in the NFL today by participating in different All-Star games.

Decoster, a four-year starter at right tackle for the Ragin’ Cajuns, will play in the inaugural Dixie Gridiron Classic in St. George, Utah. A talented safety at UL, Rolle is set to play in the NFLPA Game (formerly known as the Texas vs. The Nation Game) in San Antonio, Texas.

Both games start at 1 p.m. (central time). The NFLPA Game will air live on CBS College Sports.

A total of 13 former Cajuns have been invited to a post-season all-star bowl since 2003 with nine eventually signing NFL contracts, and Decoster and Rolle would like to join that select company.

"For most job interviews, people sit down and just talk with somebody," Decoster said. "For football players, it’s a physical and intense battle on and off the field. We have to show that we can play. The whole process can be nerve-racking."

Decoster proved that he could play while at UL, starting 42 games during his collegiate career. That included a streak of 35 consecutive starts before he went down with an injury this past season.

After the season, Decoster took two months off to allow his ankle and knee to recover. He played the last three-fourths of the season with a sprained ACL and ankle but is now healthy.

Decoster, who graduated in December, had been training in Lafayette before flying into Las Vegas on Monday and starting practice Tuesday for the Dixie Gridiron Classic. He is looking forward to playing in today’s game and then participating in UL’s Pro Day in March.

"I get to wear a Ragin’ Cajun football helmet one more time, and I wouldn’t change that for anything in the world," said Decoster, who graduated from UL in December. "I’m feeling as good as I have in a long time."

Rolle would be the fifth former Cajun to compete in the NFLPA Game. Three of the previous four signed contracts with NFL teams.

His senior season came to a premature end after he suffered a broken ankle against Oklahoma State on Oct. 8, but he’s now completely healthy. He finished the season with 17 tackles, one interception and two passes defended in six games. For his career he had 75 tackles, four interceptions and two forced fumbles in 30 games.

Rolle, who credits his success to God and the help of one-time Cajun Fernando Thomas, had been training since December in Atlanta with ex-NFL players Ray Buchanan and Terance Mathis alongside former UL cornerback Orkeys Auriene. He arrived in San Antonio on Monday and has been working nonstop in preparation for today’s game.

"It’s been nothing but practice, interviews (with pro scouts), team meetings and bed," Rolle said. "It’s been pretty crazy. My mindset has been to go out there and perform the best I can."

Rolle, whose agent is former Cajun Jason Fletcher, is expected to work at safety and cornerback and return kicks today. He is playing for Team Texas, which is coached by former Dallas Cowboys safety Bill Bates.

So far this week, Rolle has received good feedback from pro scouts. It helps that UL has a reputation for producing quality defensive backs, including Charles Tillman (Chicago Bears), Ike Taylor (Pittsburgh Steelers), Michael Adams (Arizona Cardinals), Kyries Hebert (Cincinnati Bengals) and C.C. Brown (Detroit Lions).

"When I told teams where I came from, they said it’s a good thing that I went there (to UL)," said Rolle, who already has his undergraduate degree. "Teams know that we’ve had good DBs come out of there. I want to be the next one."