NEW ORLEANS -- Leonard Davis remembers his four years with the Dallas Cowboys fondly, though perhaps not as fondly as his one year spent in San Francisco.
"It's always been a dream, not only to play in the NFL but play and win a Super Bowl," Davis, a guard for the 49ers, said Tuesday at media day. "I know some guys it takes a little longer. Some guys never make it. They play this long but they never make it.... I'm grateful for this opportunity to play and have a chance to be world champions."The University of Texas product started 64 games for the Cowboys from 2007-2010. Though they went 39-25 in his time in Dallas, the Cowboys were only 1-2 in two playoff appearances."I feel like we could have done more," Davis said. "I think I feel like that all the time. There are always areas of improvement. I have a lot of fond memories there. I made a lot of friends. Just the time there, I built up a lot of relationships with coaches and players and even staff. We had a lot of fun. The only thing is not winning when we had opportunities. I think that's any team when you really feel like you had a chance to do something and come up short. You can become disappointed. Sometimes it can grind at you. But you've got to move on."The Cowboys released Davis after the lockout in 2011 in a cost-cutting move. He spent last season with the Detroit Lions before signing a one-year deal with the 49ers.The 12-year veteran did not start a game this season, but he played 141 plays, including 10 in the postseason.Hamilton blessedLinebacker Adrian Hamilton lived a dream last summer when he was signed by his hometown Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent from Prairie View A&M.The Dallas Carter product was impressive as a pass rusher but didn't impress the Cowboys enough on special teams and was cut after training camp.He landed on the Baltimore Ravens practice squad and is now getting ready to play in the Super Bowl after being signed to the active roster late in the season."Them cutting me might have been one of the best decisions ever," Hamilton said. "It has me in the Super Bowl. I left Dallas with a hunger to show them that I was better than they thought I was. They thought I wasn't that good on special teams so my biggest point was to show the world I could play special teams."Hamilton had three tackles on special teams in his first game with the Ravens.He said an injury to Pro Bowl linebacker DeMarcus Ware in camp had him doing all of his reps as well as his own reps, affecting his ability to have a burst every day in special teams drills."He was hurt so I was doing his job too," Hamilton said. "I was dead."Film on BrownFormer Texas cornerback Chykie Brown didn't get on the field much as a rookie with the Ravens last year as he struggled with the adjustment from college to the NFL.But he will play a huge role in the Super Bowl as a nickel cornerback, which he credits to learning how to be a better student of the game."It took some time to get on the field and get used to the speed of the game," Brown said. "The biggest thing that has changed for me is studying film. You have to be more a student of the game. Everybody in the league is a professional. That's the thing I had to adjust to. It's not the practice and the work. It's a lot of film study and taking notes."Flacco apologizesRavens quarterback Joe Flacco apologized profusely Tuesday, saying he knew he was wrong the moment he used the word "retarded" in reference to cold-weather Super Bowls."Obviously, it was a bad choice of words," Flacco said. "I wish I hadn't said it. I have a great relationship with Special Olympics back in Baltimore and have had one for many years. I didn't mean to offend anybody, but I definitely apologize for it."Flacco was asked Monday about the NFL playing next year's Super Bowl outdoors in New York and the possibility of future Super Bowls being played in cold weather.Charean Williams817-390-7760Twitter: @NFLCharean
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