Local products are front and center for Cards

Local products are front and center for Cards
Mike Tulumello, Tribune

The fate of the Cardinals starts with their offensive line.

This year, that unit have will have a distinctly local flair.

Two of the five current starters are 2002 graduates of East Valley high schools.

How did Deuce Lutui and Lyle Sendlein get here?

Sendlein, who at first played in the shadow of an older brother, mostly played defense at Scottsdale Chaparral. Neither he nor his coach thought of him as a pro prospect.

By contrast, Lutui, a cousin of former Cardinals return specialist Vai Sikahema, was highly regarded enough at Mesa High to get a visit from USC's Pete Carroll before his senior year started.

He attended junior college for two years, including a season at Mesa Community College, before playing for the Trojans for two years.

His coach, Bill McKane, told Lutui that he'd be playing for a long time.

At the time, Lutui said, "I didn't know what that meant. He kept saying that. After I got drafted, he kind of repeated himself, and I really understood what he was talking about."

"If anybody had a shot in the pros, Deuce had it," added McKane, who tried to teach Lutui "leadership skills."

"He came over to the house a lot. We talked about goal-setting. We spent time together."

Though Lutui wasn't an especially great student, "He always made the right choices" in life, his coach said.

He also had other intangibles.

Not only was he a diligent worker, "He was always a good teammate for the rest of the kids. They looked at him for leadership. They responded to him positively," McKane said.

And, of course, "He was a great player." At 300 pounds, "There was no question he had the size. And he had quick feet, extremely good feet. And he had the desire to be successful."

Sendlein, too, was a dominant player, though he didn't think of himself as a future pro.

"I was just focused on high school," he said. "That was the pros for me. We were playing in the now, I guess."

Sendlein played on the offensive line his sophomore year, when coach Ron Estabrook pulled him up to the varsity.

He switched to defense the next two years, with Estabrook recalling a tug of war; Sendlein preferred linebacker while Estabrook figured he was more valuable on the line, where opponents had to use multiple blockers against him.

Looking back, Sendlein was more of a natural on offense all along, though great prep players often "can make more of an impact as a defensive lineman or linebacker," Estabrook said.

The coach, though not thinking of him as a future NFL player, figured he had the skills to play at a high level in college.

And so he did, starting at Texas, where his father and older brother had played.

Estabrook describes him much the same way as he's viewed by the Cardinals: serious, quiet and well-liked.

"He didn't cause trouble; teachers weren't talking about him," Estabrook said. "He just did his job, just like he is in football."

FINDING THEIR WAY

With the Cardinals, Sendlein got thrown into the breach unexpectedly.

Starting center Al Johnson got hurt on one of the first plays of the second half in the 2007 season opener at San Francisco.

In went Sendlein, who battled his way to respectability in that game and in the next two games - starts at home vs. Seattle and at Baltimore. Then Johnson returned.

This year, he's once again filling in for Johnson, who is out with a knee injury.

The Cardinals hope Johnson can return for the season opener, Sept. 7 at San Francisco, but there's no guarantee.

In any case, coach Ken Whisenhunt and his teammates have said Sendlein has earned their trust.

By contrast, Lutui has started since midway through his rookie season of 2006.

He's shown "flashes" of being a good player, said Whisenhunt, who calls Lutui a "powerful man" with "all the physical tools."

But he also zinged his right guard, saying Lutui occasionally makes "bonehead mistakes," an apparent reference to penalties for such infractions as hitting opponents after the whistle blows.

MY TEAM IS BETTER

On their paths to the pros, the two enjoyed different success levels.

Mesa High won a region title when Lutui was a junior in the fall of 2000, but went .500 as a senior.

Chaparral won 4A state titles in 1999 and 2000, going 28-0, in Sendlein's sophomore and junior seasons.

They never played each other in high school, but got to know each other when making a college recruiting visit to Tucson.

"I remember Lyle walking in with this championship ring," Lutui said, recalling how he tweaked him by saying, "Try getting a 5A championship."

"We always joke about who is the better high school football team, Mesa or Chaparral."

Making a predictable, if retroactive prediction, Lutui predicts Mesa would have won, "hands down."

Then, remembering a 4A vs. 5A all-star game that year, when the players from the slightly smaller schools came out on top.

Lutui said, "I'll give that to them."

If nothing else, Lutui - who was born in the south Pacific island nation of Tonga - argues Chaparral would "crumble" at the hands of the "Haka," Lutui's Polynesian warrior dance.

TRUE TO SCHOOLS

The players have retained their bonds with their coaches and high schools.

Chaparral had a "Lyle Sendlein night" last season after the center became the Cardinals' surprise rookie by making the team as an undrafted free agent.

"I'm really proud of him," said Estabrook, who, like McKane, retired as a head coach. "He's a fine young man."

Not to mention that, "He's my only pro player."

For his part, Lutui brought Matt Leinart and Anquan Boldin to a Mesa game last year.

McKane said Lutui continues to make the right choices by quietly helping kids in financial need.

"He gives back to the community. That's what I like about him," McKane said. "He cares about all kids, not just from Mesa High. He does a lot behind the scenes."

He also cares about his old coach.

"I love that guy," Lutui said. "He was a second father to me. He taught me about life and football. It was so valuable. He taught me so many things to develop as a young man, as a husband and father.

And in football, he joked, "He planted that seed, the passion to play this game - being aggressive and making bonehead mistakes."





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