Willie Ervin Blade II (born February 7, 1979) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

defensive tackle in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

, Houston Texans, and

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

. He played college football at Mississippi State University.

Early years

Willie Blade first attended Northside High School located on the north side of Warner Robins, GA. This is where he became close friends with Willie Ridley. It was after meeting Willie Ridley Sr that Blade became interested in playing football for the first time. Due to his size, speed, natural athleticism and quick understanding of the game, that Blade became a starter at defensive tackle as a sophomore. Under the guidance of defensive line coach Tim Scott and head coach Conrad Nix, Blade became a standout in Georgia football. For his senior year in high school Blade transferred to

Warner Robins High School Warner Robins High School is a high school in Warner Robins, Georgia, United States. It was established in 1944 and enrolls approximately 1,690 students. The mascot, the Demon, was originally adopted during World War II in honor of the 7th Fight ...

, where he was named to the Peach State Top 40 by the

Augusta Chronicle ''The Augusta Chronicle'' is the daily newspaper of Augusta, Georgia, and is one of the oldest newspapers in the United States still in publication. The paper is known for its coverage of the Masters Tournament, which is played in Augusta. The ''C ...

. He went on to play at

Northwest College Northwest College is a Public college, public community college in Powell, Wyoming. History Northwest College opened in 1946, as the "University of Wyoming Northwest Center," with the support of the University of Wyoming and the local school dis ...

but transferred the next year to

Butler Community College Butler Community College (BCC) is a public community college in El Dorado, Kansas. Campus There are a number of branch campuses throughout the area, in Andover, Council Grove, Marion, McConnell, Rose Hill, and a number of distance-learnin ...

, where he earned All-Jayhawk Conference honors, after registering 42 tackles (12 for loss) and 6 sacks, helping his team win the National Junior College Championship. As a junior, he transferred to Mississippi State University where he was a reserve defensive tackle, recording 28 tackles (4 for loss), 6 quarterback pressures, and one sack. In his senior season, he was named a starter (9 out of 11 games) and posted 51 tackles, 9 tackles for loss (third on the team), 13 quarterback pressures (second on the team) and team-highs with 4 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries. He received second-team All-SEC honors and was also a semifinalist for the

Outland Trophy The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football interior lineman in the United States as adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named an All-Am ...

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys (first stint)

Blade was selected by the

in the third round (93rd overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft, after dropping because he was seen as a talented, but underachieving player. The team had finished last in the NFL in run defense the previous year and took a chance on him. After missing the first three practices of

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...

in a contract dispute, he dislocated his right wrist and sustained ligament damage during his second full practice. The injury forced the team to place him on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

. The next season, he came into

out of shape and was still hampered by his right wrist injury, so the team decided to release him on September 1, 2002.

Houston Texans

On September 2, 2002, the Houston Texans claimed him off waivers, but was inactive for fifteen weeks until his release on December 24.

Dallas Cowboys (second stint)

2003 was

Bill Parcells Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells (born August 22, 1941) is an American former football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons. He rose to prominence as the head coach of the New York Giants from 1983 ...

' first season as the

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

of the

, the team was looking to improve its

defensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...

depth and signed him on January 7. Parcells liked his potential, and went as far as involving Blade's parents, being present in every one of his weight checks and personally monitoring his workouts, while trying to change his attitude. Blade recovered from a preseason MCL sprained and would go on to play a key role in the NFL first ranked defensive unit, starting 14 games at left defensive tackle opposite La'Roi Glover, while registering 18 tackles (3 for loss), one sack and 8 quarterback pressures. The Cowboys expected him to keep improving, but the next season he relapsed into his old habits, reporting to

overweight and was released on July 26, 2004.

New York Giants

On July 28, 2004, the New York Giants claimed him off waivers, but released him just two days later, after he could not complete the team's conditioning run.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On August 2, 2004, Blade was claimed by the

to compete for the third tackle position, but was eventually released on November 9.

Dallas Cowboys (third stint)

On January 21, 2005, he was signed by the

, but suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the NFL Europe

. He was released on September 4.

Tampa Bay Storm (AFL)

In 2007, he played with the

Tampa Bay Storm The Tampa Bay Storm were a professional arena football team based in Tampa, Florida, US. It played in the Arena Football League (AFL). Originally the team was located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and operated as the Pittsburgh Gladiators. The f ...

of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blade, Willie 1979 births Living people Players of American football from Warner Robins, Georgia People from Kaiserslautern (district) American football defensive tackles German players of American football Butler Grizzlies football players Northwest Mississippi Rangers football players Mississippi State Bulldogs football players Dallas Cowboys players Houston Texans players Jacksonville Jaguars players Sportspeople from Rhineland-Palatinate