CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- There's a statue outside Bank of America Stadium of a 5-foot-9 linebacker who spent most of his young life being told he was too small and too slow to play football, who in 1981 wasn't selected in what was then a 12-round NFL draft.
After a brief stint in the USFL, this undersized linebacker went on to become a five-time Pro Bowl selection during a 12-year NFL career that a few years ago earned him a nomination for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
No one is suggesting Ben Boulware (6-1, 238) will be the next Sam Mills, who died of cancer in 2005.