OTIS AMEY

Age: 26.

Resides in: Sacramento.

Then: Two time All-America wide receiver at Sacramento State (where he went by the name Fred Amey), finishing with 4,049 receiving yards, 248 catches and 27 touchdowns. Signed as a free agent in 2005 with the 49ers.

Now: Wide receiver and defensive back with the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League.

What do you remember most about your NFL career?

When I touched the ball for the first time in the 2005 regular-season opener and scored a touchdown against the St. Louis Rams. I was the last guy brought into camp, a long shot, not getting many reps and it took hard work to make the team. I spent hours after practice watching film of veteran receivers and learning the playbook. I was in disbelief after I scored the touchdown in the regular-season opener. It really didn't hit me until I returned to my apartment after the game.

How does the Arena Football League differ from the NFL?

It was definitely a heavier workload in the NFL. You get to the practice facility around 9 a.m., have meetings, then practice, then more meetings, then weightlifting, and you're expected to watch film on your own. It's a real 9-to-5 job. In the Arena League, the practices are a little more laid back and your average day is about six hours.

Do you plan to take another shot at making an NFL team?

Yes. I am keeping my options open. By the time I finished the Arena League season this year, NFL camps were already started. Right now I am working out and waiting for a call. The Chargers, Texans and Jets are the three primary teams showing an interest in me, but there are others. I think the Chargers would be my first choice; my family is in California, I would have a good chance of making the team and California has the best weather in the country. Also, (San Diego coach) Norv Turner's offense would be a good fit because it doesn't revolve around one person. But the NFL is the highest stage, and I am such a competitor, it doesn't matter what team I'm on.

How have you changed since your first stint in the NFL?

I got baptized on Aug. 5, 2007, and since then I have become a role model to younger people and even people on my team. I spend more time with my family and my fiancée. It's really all about them now. I want to buy my parents a house and myself a house. On the field, I am hungrier than I was before because it's not just about me. I have developed "grown-man strength," and I am faster than before.

If you could change something in your career what would it be?

Well, first I would have graduated before I went to the NFL. I spent a lot of unnecessary money when I was in the NFL because I was making so much. I needed to keep in mind that at the end of the season the checks stop coming. It was a shock because everybody wanted something. People I hadn't heard from in years were finding ways to get in contact with me and asking for favors.

What do you say to the notion that you are too small for the NFL?

My favorite Bible verse is "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." It has nothing to do with size; it's about your heart and what you can do once you get a chance to play. Look at Marvin Harrison, Steve Smith and Wes Welker; they are all small and they still make big plays.

If the NFL doesn't work out, what will you do?

I will continue schooling at Sacramento State and finish my degree. Either way, I will still be able to get my parents and myself a house and one day open a YMCA for underprivileged kids. You need to have goals. I post them on the wall above my bed, and I see them before I go to sleep every night.