Follow in my footsteps

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Randall Cunningham has yet to meet new Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper, but already his first words of advice for the rookie are set in stone.

Put bluntly, the former UNLV standout plans to tell the former University of Central Florida quarterback not to be like he was. Early in his career, Cunningham was concerned primarily with his bankroll and personal statistics.

"I wasn't willing to hear too much when I was a rookie," said Cunningham, who was in Orlando for the NFL Quarterbacks Challenge at Disney World. "But I hope Daunte matures faster than I did. I went to the school of hard knocks my first few years. I got thrown in there, got benched, got injured.

"I'm sure the kid has the desire to be a starter as quick as he can, but being groomed to be a quarterback is the best way possible. He's in a great situation with two veterans ahead of him. He can still learn at a rapid pace and he's not expected to get in the lineup right away."

Culpepper, the 11th pick of the first round in this year's NFL Draft, would be wise to heed Cunningham's advice. In just over two seasons, Cunningham has gone from the scrap heap to the top of his profession once again. He has reinvented his career again and is now the engineer of the NFL's most potent offense.

The defining moment of Cunningham's life, he said, came two years ago, when he was out of football and working for a tile and granite company in Las Vegas. His stint in Philadelphia ended bitterly, leaving him soured on football.

Not only did Cunningham not think about returning; he said there was no desire to ever play again. But it was then that Cunningham became a born-again Christian, learned the value of hard work and found his love of football again.

"I played football all my life and never had a blue-collar job," he said. "I play like a blue-collar player now. Getting down and dirty, learning how hard people work and understanding the money people put into the tickets gave me a new perspective. Laying tile, carrying those heavy buckets and grinding granite was the hardest work I've ever done in my life and I learned from it."

Under Cunningham's guidance, the Vikings won the NFC Central Division and set the NFL record for points in a season. Following the season, the Vikings traded backup quarterback Brad Johnson to Washington and was supposedly in the market for defense on draft day.

But Minnesota instead opted for Culpepper, who starred the past four seasons at Central Florida as a dynamic quarterback with speed and great arm strength. Cunningham was admittedly shocked at the selection, but said he understands the pick. In the 6-foot-4, 255-pound Culpepper, he sees a lot of himself.

"I was shocked because I thought we were taking a defensive back," said Cunningham, the NFL's highest-rated quarterback last season after throwing 34 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. "The Vikings don't draft on need as much as they take the best player. Getting Daunte was an excellent choice. We're a great young team now."

Culpepper might be the future for the Vikings, but Cunningham is clearly the present. He signed a multi-year deal earlier in the offseason, and has his eyes on the Super Bowl berth that got away last season. Underdog Atlanta stunned Minnesota in overtime of the NFC title game.

The Vikings signed troubled veteran quarterback Jeff George last month, meaning Culpepper will surely start minicamp next week as the team's third-string quarterback.

Culpepper could be in that position for a couple of years, and Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair thinks that might not be such a bad thing. After playing at Alcorn State (Miss.), McNair served as a mentor to Chris Chandler for two seasons before finally getting his chance.

"Whether you come from a small school or a big school you have to make adjustments when you come into the NFL," said McNair, who had 15 TD passes and 10 interceptions last season for the 8-8 Oilers. "My advice to Daunte would be to be patient and learn the game from a mental standpoint. Sitting out those two years, I learned about reading defenses, looking at film and grasping what was going on around me. If you don't know how to handle the game mentally and don't know the playbook, you'll be just another player in this league."

Cunningham, who recalls Ron Jaworski teaching him the basics in Philadelphia, cherishes the thought of being Culpepper's mentor.

"I used to follow Jaws around like I was his shadow," Cunningham joked. "But Culpepper is bigger than me so maybe I'll have to follow him around."

He said he does not feel threatened by Culpepper looking over his shoulder, and just wants to be a positive role model.

"God has put me here for a purpose and obviously put him here for a purpose," Cunningham said. "Evidently God wants me to groom him. I've learned so much about Christ the past four years that if I don't pour these things into his life, I will have failed. I'm going to pour into his life the things I've learned about football, Christ, relationships and family."

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