Rice University Athletics
Photo by: Los Angeles Chargers/Mike Nowak
Spanning the Globe
11/3/2018 10:35:00 AM | Football, Blog
Of all the things a scholarship to play football at Rice offered him, the one Emmanuel Ellerbee could not have foreseen as a high school senior in 2014 was a chance to travel the world.
Receive a world-class education while playing the game he loved? That was a given. But as he developed into a player who far exceeded the two-star evaluation of recruiting services while in high school by reaching the NFL as well as earning a degree in Civil Engineering from Rice, Ellerbee also found himself playing football in Hawai'i, Australia and, most recently, England as a member of the Los Angeles Chargers.
"It hit me when we were in London how crazy it was that this kid from Houston was getting ready to play a football game in England. I never would have imagined something like this when I was younger. If you had told me 10 years ago this is what would happen, I'd have laughed at you," he said.
Ellerbee's pathway to these faraway places was paved by a single-minded focus based on the desire to never be outworked by anyone else, no matter if the challenge was on the practice field, in the weight room or in a classroom.
It served him well at Rice, where he found immediate playing time on special teams as a true freshman and again in 2016 when he took over as a starter at linebacker. In his final two seasons, he amassed 238 tackles and was a two-time, All Conference USA selection.
It was during his junior year, as he became such a dominant defensive presence that conference coaches selected as the preseason defensive player of the year heading into his senior year that the concept of extending his career beyond college began to morph from dream to tangible goal.
"During my junior year, I began to see (the NFL) as a definite possibility," Ellerbee said. "It was something I could see happening, but I didn't know what the route would be to make it to the league."
Ellerbee's performance at Rice's Pro Day left him confident that he would realize a dream and hear his name called on Draft Day. However, as the selections of the draft were announced without including him, any disappointment in not being selected was tempered by the knowledge that teams were expressing an interest in signing him as a free agent.
"I was a little disappointed, I had worked hard and wanted to be drafted," he noted. "But more than anything, I wanted the chance to test myself against the best and I knew there was interest and I would get that chance."
Ellerbee signed with the Atlanta Falcons and in the blink of an eye, he found himself in rookie mini-camp where he and his fellow rookies received an eye-opening look at the reality of playing at the next level.
"The biggest thing right away that everything was at such a faster pace and that was just with the other rookies. Once we were with the veterans, the thing that really stood out was the attention to detail. It would be the same in any profession, but the need to master your craft and to never stop learning was obviously key," he stated. "When I saw how players like Matt Ryan, with all he has done in his career, spending so much time perfecting the smallest details, (I knew) that is what has made him a great player.
"I wanted them (the Falcons) to see from the first day that I was someone who would never be outworked or lose a drill," he added.
In the preseason, Ellerbee saw considerable action, but as a non-drafted player was never certain. As the last preseason game against Miami approached, one in which most of the veterans would not see any action, Ellerbee learned he would start.
It would be his best chance to showcase his growth and abilities prior to the pending final cuts to the Falcons roster, not just to his current team, but to the 31 other teams in the league who would be scouring the lists of released players to look for hidden gems in the days after final cuts had been made.
Ellerbee made the most of his time on the stage, leading the team with nine tackles. While remaining focused on the job at hand, he also came to the realization that this NFL experience was beginning to feel very familiar.
"At one point in the game, I made a play and for a quick second I realized I was feeling the way I did when I was playing at Rice. Things were slowing down and I was making plays. It reaffirmed to me that I could play at this level," he recalled.
"Most of the veterans were not playing, but guys were encouraging me and after there were guys who never really spoke much to me during camp who came up to me and told me I can play in this league."
Their evaluations would prove correct, but it would not be with the Falcons.
Ellerbee was part of the Falcons final cuts, but was told the team hoped to sign him back if he cleared waivers. He flew home to Houston and attended church with his family on Sunday, followed by brunch at a local restaurant.
"The sermon was on point with the message in terms of what my mindset was," Ellerbee said. "I knew that something good was going to come from the work I'd put in. We were eating at Le Peep, as we always did after church and I get a text to tell me that the Chargers had claimed me and put me on their 53-man roster. We got pretty excited and got a little loud, but when people found out the reason, everyone was excited for me. By eight that night, I was on the plane to LA."
Sudden transition and adapting to new surroundings and teammates is standard fare in professional sports, but Ellerbee's mindset made it easier to manage.
"I didn't know anyone, but I looked at it as if I was the new kid at school. You don't know anyone and they don't know you. All you can do is be the best teammate you can be and not try to do it all in one day."
While he was on the active roster, Ellerbee was never certain if he would be active for the games. The process of learning if you are active or not is as simple as walking into the locker room as seeing if you have a uniform in the your locker.
For his first three weeks, Ellerbee did not find a uniform, but immersed himself in each game just as if he was playing.
"One of the biggest things I learned from that last preseason game in Atlanta was to always be prepared to play. So each week, I was ready to play, but if I wasn't active, I was still playing in the game mentally so that when the time came for me to play, my preparation would always be the same."
In week four, the waiting was over and Ellerbee found himself on the field against San Francisco. When he saw the uniform in his locker, his focus was immediately on the game ahead. No time for texts to his family and friends, no social media posts.
As a member of the Chargers kickoff return team, his first opportunity to take the NFL field came in the game's first moment after the 49ers had intercepted Phillip Rivers and returned it for a touchdown. That first kick was a touchback, but on his second opportunity, Ellerbee was able to deliver a solid block, which allowed him to shake off any anxiety.
"Once I got that first hit, it pretty much became a normal football game."
Less than a month later, Ellerbee's world traveler experience added another chapter as the Chargers headed for London and it began with a certain sense of déjà vu.
"When we landed in London and had to get on the bus on the wrong side, it reminded me of the trip to Sydney (with the Owls in 2017). We went straight to practice and when we arrived at our practice site, I looked up and saw the field was called Allianz Park, which was crazy because we played in Allianz Stadium in Sydney," he recalled.
But while he played at Allianz Stadium and practice at Allianz Park, there would be no game action for Ellerbee at London's Wimbley Stadium, as the tenuous life of an NFL rookie once again came into play.
Prior to the game, Los Angeles signed running back Detrez Newsome and to clear a space for him on the roster, Ellerbee was waived.
Being waived is part of life in professional sports, but being waived while with a team thousands of miles from home was an entirely different matter.
"The Chargers were great to me and were telling me it was a move they had to make to have insurance at running back, but that things were going to work out. I was upset because I wanted to play, but I told myself everything happens for a reason and if I was sad for a moment, I cared about the team winning more," he said.
The Chargers returned home heading into a bye week. Ellerbee had planned to return to Houston. After a workout at the facility, he went home where he purchased his ticket to fly to Houston. He suddenly got a call to return to the facility where the Chargers told him he had not cleared waivers and had been claimed by another team.
"They thought I had cleared and I was going to re-sign, but when they called the league office to confirm things, they were told I had been claimed. They couldn't tell me which team it was, but that team would be calling me shortly. I had to go back to my apartment and get my iPad to turn into the Chargers and that's when I Seattle called," he said.
In the matter of moments, Ellerbee was now a Seattle Seahawk and no longer heading into a bye week, but instead heading north on a flight to Seattle.
"They were coming off a bye, since they had played in London the week before we did, so I had to get up there right away."
Ellerbee's first game with Seattle also offered him the first chance to meet up with another former Owl in the NFL in Luke Willson, who had signed with Detroit as a free agent in the offseason. But their meeting was a short one.
"Luke was coming back to Seattle for the first time and you could see right away how popular he had been when he was with the Seahawks. So many players and coaches wanted to see him during pregame, but we did get a few moments to visit and it was great to see a familiar face," Ellerbee noted.
This week, Ellerbee will see many more familiar faces as the Seahawks face the Chargers.
If he finds a uniform in his locker on Sunday and he takes the field against players who were so recently his teammates, Ellerbee's motivation will be as it was when he wore the Charger uniform in weeks past and nothing more.
"I've never been a guy who has to create some grudge to play hard. I play hard because that's what it takes to succeed. I compete because I want to succeed not because I want to prove anything to anyone. I built some great relationships in my time with the Chargers and they are a part of my journey.
"I am getting to do something I truly love and I want get the most out of this opportunity. I want to make this my career."
Receive a world-class education while playing the game he loved? That was a given. But as he developed into a player who far exceeded the two-star evaluation of recruiting services while in high school by reaching the NFL as well as earning a degree in Civil Engineering from Rice, Ellerbee also found himself playing football in Hawai'i, Australia and, most recently, England as a member of the Los Angeles Chargers.
"It hit me when we were in London how crazy it was that this kid from Houston was getting ready to play a football game in England. I never would have imagined something like this when I was younger. If you had told me 10 years ago this is what would happen, I'd have laughed at you," he said.
Ellerbee's pathway to these faraway places was paved by a single-minded focus based on the desire to never be outworked by anyone else, no matter if the challenge was on the practice field, in the weight room or in a classroom.
It served him well at Rice, where he found immediate playing time on special teams as a true freshman and again in 2016 when he took over as a starter at linebacker. In his final two seasons, he amassed 238 tackles and was a two-time, All Conference USA selection.
It was during his junior year, as he became such a dominant defensive presence that conference coaches selected as the preseason defensive player of the year heading into his senior year that the concept of extending his career beyond college began to morph from dream to tangible goal.
"During my junior year, I began to see (the NFL) as a definite possibility," Ellerbee said. "It was something I could see happening, but I didn't know what the route would be to make it to the league."
Ellerbee's performance at Rice's Pro Day left him confident that he would realize a dream and hear his name called on Draft Day. However, as the selections of the draft were announced without including him, any disappointment in not being selected was tempered by the knowledge that teams were expressing an interest in signing him as a free agent.
"I was a little disappointed, I had worked hard and wanted to be drafted," he noted. "But more than anything, I wanted the chance to test myself against the best and I knew there was interest and I would get that chance."
Ellerbee signed with the Atlanta Falcons and in the blink of an eye, he found himself in rookie mini-camp where he and his fellow rookies received an eye-opening look at the reality of playing at the next level.
"The biggest thing right away that everything was at such a faster pace and that was just with the other rookies. Once we were with the veterans, the thing that really stood out was the attention to detail. It would be the same in any profession, but the need to master your craft and to never stop learning was obviously key," he stated. "When I saw how players like Matt Ryan, with all he has done in his career, spending so much time perfecting the smallest details, (I knew) that is what has made him a great player.
"I wanted them (the Falcons) to see from the first day that I was someone who would never be outworked or lose a drill," he added.
In the preseason, Ellerbee saw considerable action, but as a non-drafted player was never certain. As the last preseason game against Miami approached, one in which most of the veterans would not see any action, Ellerbee learned he would start.
It would be his best chance to showcase his growth and abilities prior to the pending final cuts to the Falcons roster, not just to his current team, but to the 31 other teams in the league who would be scouring the lists of released players to look for hidden gems in the days after final cuts had been made.
Ellerbee made the most of his time on the stage, leading the team with nine tackles. While remaining focused on the job at hand, he also came to the realization that this NFL experience was beginning to feel very familiar.
"At one point in the game, I made a play and for a quick second I realized I was feeling the way I did when I was playing at Rice. Things were slowing down and I was making plays. It reaffirmed to me that I could play at this level," he recalled.
"Most of the veterans were not playing, but guys were encouraging me and after there were guys who never really spoke much to me during camp who came up to me and told me I can play in this league."
Their evaluations would prove correct, but it would not be with the Falcons.
Ellerbee was part of the Falcons final cuts, but was told the team hoped to sign him back if he cleared waivers. He flew home to Houston and attended church with his family on Sunday, followed by brunch at a local restaurant.
"The sermon was on point with the message in terms of what my mindset was," Ellerbee said. "I knew that something good was going to come from the work I'd put in. We were eating at Le Peep, as we always did after church and I get a text to tell me that the Chargers had claimed me and put me on their 53-man roster. We got pretty excited and got a little loud, but when people found out the reason, everyone was excited for me. By eight that night, I was on the plane to LA."
Sudden transition and adapting to new surroundings and teammates is standard fare in professional sports, but Ellerbee's mindset made it easier to manage.
"I didn't know anyone, but I looked at it as if I was the new kid at school. You don't know anyone and they don't know you. All you can do is be the best teammate you can be and not try to do it all in one day."
While he was on the active roster, Ellerbee was never certain if he would be active for the games. The process of learning if you are active or not is as simple as walking into the locker room as seeing if you have a uniform in the your locker.
For his first three weeks, Ellerbee did not find a uniform, but immersed himself in each game just as if he was playing.
"One of the biggest things I learned from that last preseason game in Atlanta was to always be prepared to play. So each week, I was ready to play, but if I wasn't active, I was still playing in the game mentally so that when the time came for me to play, my preparation would always be the same."
In week four, the waiting was over and Ellerbee found himself on the field against San Francisco. When he saw the uniform in his locker, his focus was immediately on the game ahead. No time for texts to his family and friends, no social media posts.
As a member of the Chargers kickoff return team, his first opportunity to take the NFL field came in the game's first moment after the 49ers had intercepted Phillip Rivers and returned it for a touchdown. That first kick was a touchback, but on his second opportunity, Ellerbee was able to deliver a solid block, which allowed him to shake off any anxiety.
"Once I got that first hit, it pretty much became a normal football game."
Less than a month later, Ellerbee's world traveler experience added another chapter as the Chargers headed for London and it began with a certain sense of déjà vu.
"When we landed in London and had to get on the bus on the wrong side, it reminded me of the trip to Sydney (with the Owls in 2017). We went straight to practice and when we arrived at our practice site, I looked up and saw the field was called Allianz Park, which was crazy because we played in Allianz Stadium in Sydney," he recalled.
But while he played at Allianz Stadium and practice at Allianz Park, there would be no game action for Ellerbee at London's Wimbley Stadium, as the tenuous life of an NFL rookie once again came into play.
Prior to the game, Los Angeles signed running back Detrez Newsome and to clear a space for him on the roster, Ellerbee was waived.
Being waived is part of life in professional sports, but being waived while with a team thousands of miles from home was an entirely different matter.
"The Chargers were great to me and were telling me it was a move they had to make to have insurance at running back, but that things were going to work out. I was upset because I wanted to play, but I told myself everything happens for a reason and if I was sad for a moment, I cared about the team winning more," he said.
The Chargers returned home heading into a bye week. Ellerbee had planned to return to Houston. After a workout at the facility, he went home where he purchased his ticket to fly to Houston. He suddenly got a call to return to the facility where the Chargers told him he had not cleared waivers and had been claimed by another team.
"They thought I had cleared and I was going to re-sign, but when they called the league office to confirm things, they were told I had been claimed. They couldn't tell me which team it was, but that team would be calling me shortly. I had to go back to my apartment and get my iPad to turn into the Chargers and that's when I Seattle called," he said.
In the matter of moments, Ellerbee was now a Seattle Seahawk and no longer heading into a bye week, but instead heading north on a flight to Seattle.
"They were coming off a bye, since they had played in London the week before we did, so I had to get up there right away."
Ellerbee's first game with Seattle also offered him the first chance to meet up with another former Owl in the NFL in Luke Willson, who had signed with Detroit as a free agent in the offseason. But their meeting was a short one.
"Luke was coming back to Seattle for the first time and you could see right away how popular he had been when he was with the Seahawks. So many players and coaches wanted to see him during pregame, but we did get a few moments to visit and it was great to see a familiar face," Ellerbee noted.
This week, Ellerbee will see many more familiar faces as the Seahawks face the Chargers.
If he finds a uniform in his locker on Sunday and he takes the field against players who were so recently his teammates, Ellerbee's motivation will be as it was when he wore the Charger uniform in weeks past and nothing more.
"I've never been a guy who has to create some grudge to play hard. I play hard because that's what it takes to succeed. I compete because I want to succeed not because I want to prove anything to anyone. I built some great relationships in my time with the Chargers and they are a part of my journey.
"I am getting to do something I truly love and I want get the most out of this opportunity. I want to make this my career."
Players Mentioned
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