We still can’t figure out why or how cornerback Mike McKenzie was available in November.
If he hadn’t taken matters into his own hands, he still might be not playing pro football.
McKenzie tells Peter King of SI.com and NBC that the veteran simply dialed a familiar number.
“When I saw a few guys go down with injuries, I just picked up the phone and called Coach Payton,” McKenzie said. “When I left last March, he was real good about it. He said, ‘Stay ready. And make sure you come around. Don’t be a stranger.’ So I called and I told him I was in good shape and ready to play, and he said they were going to bring me in next Monday to look at me.”
And so he did, and so the Saints signed him.
“I love the National Football League,” McKenzie said. “I played 10 years and loved every minute of it. I just wanted to make sure I stayed in shape so if someone did give me the opportunity to play again, I’d be ready.”
Still, based on how he played last night, it’s amazing that he had to help make his own opportunity with the Saints, or any other team for that matter.
