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popular pages Riding the wave
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Monday, May 07, 2007
DAVIE — When Miami Dolphins 300-pound rookie offensive lineman Samson Satele saw the news during Day 2 of the NFL Draft, the earth nearly shook.
What happened next sent aftershocks to a small, faraway land in the South Pacific and touched four young men in a way they had never imagined.
Miami's fourth-round selection of Utah defensive tackle Paul Soliai thrilled Satele, a fellow Samoan and a Dolphins second-round pick out of the University of Hawaii a day earlier.
"I was jumping, jumping in my hotel room," Satele recalled. "I almost hit the roof."
The Dolphins didn't give Satele too much time to gather himself, picking up college teammates Reagan Mauia, in the sixth round, and Tala Esera, via free agency.
What are the odds, Soliai wondered this past weekend during the rookie's first mini-camp.
"We're all here, and it feels like home," he said. "To be here at the same place, the same area. We have Samoans on other teams, but they're by themselves."
The Dolphins' quartet is a pronounced nod toward the incredible influence a U.S. sovereignty of seven small islands totaling 77 square miles has had on American football.
Last season, about 30 players of Samoan descent were in NFL training camps. The list included star players such as Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, ex-Dolphins linebacker Junior Seau and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu — son of one of the pioneers of the Samoan exodus to the NFL, former New England Patriots fullback and special teams great Mosi Tatupu.
More than 200 Samoans play college football, with the majority in the Pac-10, WAC and Mountain West conferences.
Estimates note that a boy from the tiny island of roughly 58,000 people is 40 times more likely to reach the NFL than a boy growing up on the mainland.
"Who knows, maybe strength in numbers," Miami General Manager Randy Mueller said of his team's Samoan flavor.
But the Dolphins' draft strategy also signifies first-year coach Cam Cameron's emphasis on team unity.
"We're all about togetherness. We're not about putting another one down. We're a family," Mauia said. "We work together, eat together, practice together and sweat and bleed on the field together."
In Samoa, Satele said they call this tight-knit bond aiga. Yet, being an NFL rookie is often a solitary pursuit.
None of the Dolphins' four Samoans entered the draft considered can't-miss prospects. Each day of mini-camp is an eye-opening experience when players such as Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas are on the other side of the line of scrimmage.
"You just have to calm down," Satele said. "You're shaking, 'These are the guys I watched on TV.' Now I'm here and just have to slow down things."
Given each player's natural size and strength, the potential is there to succeed.
Mauia's nimble feet caught the eye of ex-NFL coach June Jones, the head coach at Hawaii. Jones asked Mauia, then a nose guard who once weighed 380 pounds, to lose weight and move to fullback, where he played last season at about 300 pounds.
"He said I reminded him of player a he used to coach (in Atlanta), Ironhead (Craig Heyward)," said Mauia, who weighed 272 and ran two 40-yard dashes in less than five seconds at Hawaii's pro day in late March.
Satele showed the ability to play either center or guard in Hawaii's up-tempo, run-and-shoot offense. The 323-pound Esera played guard on last season's 11-3 squad.
At 344, Soliai showed the ability last season at Utah to not only clog up the middle, but to collapse the pocket.
Beyond raw ability, the Samoan foursome offers something else just as important on the football field.
"They have the coolest culture," said rookie quarterback John Beck, who had more than 20 teammates at BYU from the South Pacific region. "The Polynesian people are so laid back, just so chill. But then they can flip that switch and are on fire."
The Samoan way, or fa'a Samoa, has no room for fear, Mauia said.
If you don't believe him, he has the video to prove it. A snippet on YouTube.com shows him crashing through a section of dry wall to pass the boredom during a training session in Arizona.
Earlier, Esera put his head through a piece of the wall because the area was being renovated and scheduled for demolition.
"That's our culture, not afraid of anyone or anything," Soliai explains with a laugh. "But some people get a little crazy."
Six time zones and more than 6,700 miles away from their homeland, Satele and Co. hope to also find peace and prosperity together.
Once settled, the group will look to establish a slice of Samoa in South Florida, sharing meals, laughs and their trials and tribulations.
"We're never going to lose our culture," Mauia said. "It's just awesome. You couldn't ask for a better deal."
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