HEADLINE NEWS - Features

Thursday - 3/29/2001

THE RAVENS QUARTERBACK IS SUCH A "CHEESE HEAD" he should move to Wisconsin.
by Jon Robinson

You're a rookie on the Ravens. You're learning an offensive system masterminded by one of the game's most creative geniuses, Brian Billick. Your team eventually storms into the playoffs, you win the Super Bowl and the city of Baltimore throws you a parade.

Not bad for your first year. Except for the fact that you were a rookie. And being a rookie in the NFL is kind of like being the first guy thrown off of the show "Survivor" -- all your friends and family want to know why their star isn't still playing, and whenever anyone mentions your name, it also just happens to be the punchline of some really bad joke.

To Chris Redman, though, the bad jokes weren't the only thing stinking up the locker room. It was the cheese inside his helmet.

NFLUTH: Travis Taylor told us about some of the pranks the Ravens pulled on you guys as rookies. Did they really freeze your pants?

Chris Redman: Yeah, they did a lot of things. Trent Dilfer is a wily old veteran and he made me the butt of a lot of the jokes. They froze my pants. They hid my clothes right before practice to give me a little rush. Then there was the incident where they stuck cheese in my helmet.

NFLUTH: Cheese in your helmet? That must've stunk when you started to sweat.

CR: You couldn't imagine. [laughs] They took out all the padding in my helmet and replaced it with a big block of cheese. I didn't realize until it was too late. They called me "Packer" the rest of the day. That, and "Cheese Head."

NFLUTH: Well, at least you got to go to the Super Bowl. How was that whole experience down in Tampa?

CR: It was fun. The atmosphere in Tampa was really neat. We had a sendoff in Baltimore that was unbelievable. It was important for us to have so many people rally around the team like that.

NFLUTH: Now that the season's over and you have some time to relax, how do you plan to spend your days?

CR: I love being outdoors. I love playing golf -- just like every other quarterback -- and I also love to hunt and fish. Pretty much whatever I can do outside I'm down for.

NFLUTH: What is it about golf that attracts so many football players?

CR: I think it's the challenge. You can always score better than your last round. No matter how much you play, you're always working on cutting down your strokes. Plus, no matter how great you think you're playing, you're always just one round away, one or two bad shanks away from total and complete frustration. That's the challenge of the game. That's why I love to play.

NFLUTH: What's been your favorite course to play so far?

CR: Back in Kentucky I played Valhalla, where they had the PGA Championship. I watched Tiger win there this year, and it was neat because I've played those same holes. I just wish I played them that well. [laughs]