Perseverance Carries Tuskers QB Chris Greisen to Shot at UFL Title

OMAHA, Neb. -- Chris Greisen has plenty to be thankful for this holiday season.

He has a wife that loves and supports him. He has four beautiful children. And Saturday, he'll get a chance to put on a football uniform and try to win a championship.

A month ago, Greisen was a 34-year-old journeyman quarterback saddled to the bench of a team that appeared to be going nowhere. Injuries to the starter provided an opportunity to play, and Greisen led Florida to the three victories that put the Tuskers into Saturday's United Football League championship game against Las Vegas.

"These last three weeks have been a lot of fun,'' Greisen said. "It reminds me of when I played at Northwest Missouri State, the camaraderie with the guys, getting out on the field and having some success."For me, every time I get on the field, I thank the good Lord for the opportunity. To be 34 years old in my 12th year of professional football in multiple leagues, just to get an opportunity is what I'm thankful for.''

"Chris is a guy that deserved a chance and he took advantage of it. That's the second part of this. Once you get a chance, you have to do something with it. And, man, has he made the most of it.''
-- Jay Gruden on Chris Greisen The fact that Greisen is getting this chance is a study in football perseverance. The game has given him multiple opportunities to pack away his dream and get on with his life.

It's dealt his ego plenty of blows, like the time he found himself the backup quarterback on a team competing at the lowest level of arena football. The team was located in Green Bay, Greisen's hometown.

"Talk about being humbled,'' he said.

But not discouraged. He kept grinding away, which led to opportunities on bigger stages. Now, he is set to arguably play in his biggest game as a pro when the Tuskers take on Las Vegas with a title on the line.

Just as Don Quixote had Sancho Panza at his side in the quest for the impossible dream, Greisen has had more than his share of supporters. Front and center is wife Shannon, his high school sweetheart and mother of the couple's children ages 1, 3, 5 and 7.

"She's an amazing woman,'' Greisen said. "She's allowed me to do this because she knows how much I love this game. She loves football, too, so she shares my passion.

"As long as I can do this at a high level and support my family, I'll continue playing football.''


Outside the Huddle with Chris Greisen:



It also hasn't hurt to have a kindred spirit as his present coach. Jay Gruden is an arena league legend, having won six championships as a player and coach. He has a deep appreciation for the guys that toil on the short fields indoors.

"I didn't sign him just because he was in the Arena League,'' Gruden said. "The reason Chris is here is because I played against him in the Arena League and I know what kind of a quarterback he is and what kind of a competitor he is. I don't see any reason why a guy should have more opportunity just because he got cut in the NFL than a guy that has played at a dominant level in the AFL.

"He's thrown more than 100 touchdown passes the last four years without a dominant offensive line, not throwing to Pro Bowl receivers. He's dropping dimes against heated pass rushes. Why would I not sign him and sign a fourth-team quarterback from the Buffalo Bills just because that guy was in training camp?"

Greisen's long and winding road through all levels of professional football began after he led Northwest Missouri State to its first Division II national championship in 1998. The Arizona Cardinals selected him in the seventh round of the 1999 draft, and he spent three seasons with the team as its third-string quarterback, appearing in five games and throwing 16 passes.

From there, he spent time on the Washington Redskins practice squad in 2002 before playing in Germany in NFL Europe in 2003. He returned home to play for arena teams in Green Bay, Dallas and Georgia before signing with the Tuskers last season.

He saw limited action as Brooks Bollinger's backup, then returned to the Arena League last spring to play for Milwaukee. He was back with the Tuskers in August, and spent the first five games of the UFL season again playing the role of faithful reserve.

When it became apparent that Bollinger was too banged up to continue playing, Gruden decided to start Greisen. Coincidentally, that first start came against the Omaha Nighthawks, the team younger brother Nick played for this season.

Chris led Florida to a 31-14 victory, completing 23 of 31 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns. The next week, he was 16 of 22 for 228 yards and another two touchdowns in a 41-7 rout of Hartford, then wrapped up the Tuskers' drive to the championship game by completing 17 of 26 passes for 200 yards and a score in a 27-10 win over Omaha at Rosenblatt.

Taking advantage of the late-season opportunity was important from a professional standpoint, Greisen said, rather than a personal one.

"When I got this opportunity,'' he said, "my goal was not to disappoint my teammates. I didn't want to let them down. We've been decent on offense the last three weeks. We've left some plays out there but we've done enough to give us a chance to win this championship.''

He'll get a chance to cap his 12th professional season with a championship on Saturday because he never gave in when football placed detour after detour in his path.

"Chris is a guy that deserved a chance and he took advantage of it,'' Gruden said. "That's the second part of this. Once you get a chance, you have to do something with it. And, man, has he made the most of it.''