How the Ravens’ Eric DeCosta became NFL’s most wanted GM

All you need to know about the determination of Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta is in his desk drawer.

About two and a half decades before landing his dream job, he wanted to get into the NFL so badly that he offered to work for free for every team in the league, sending resumes to the likes of Al Davis, George Young and Bill Belichick. He was turned down by all but two teams, and he keeps all 30 rejection letters within arm’s reach, just in case he decides to show some youngsters what it takes to overcome disappointment or feels like playfully ribbing a personal idol. cheap nfl china jerseys

Not too long ago, DeCosta snapped a picture of a congratulatory note from former Packers GM Ron Wolf next to the rejection letter that he had received from him in 1995.

“Aren’t you supposed to be a good evaluator?” wholesale nfl jerseys outlet DeCosta texted Wolf.

Behind his biting sense of humor and wicked Massachusetts accent is a 48-year-old grinder who has never viewed hardships as setbacks. He considers them challenges.

DeCosta was never the best athlete on the field. He was never the smartest student in the classroom. Give him time, though, and he would outwork everyone. He would find that angle to get an edge.

“I hate to fail,” DeCosta said. “I love to win, but I really hate to lose.”buy authentic nfl jerseys

At 9 years old, DeCosta didn’t make his Little League baseball team. By the time he was 12, he was the best pitcher in the league.

When he started at Colby College, he was an undersized linebacker, a so-called “smurf.” By the end of his playing days, DeCosta was the ultra-prepared captain of the Maine school’s most successful four-year run in over 30 years who knew everyone else’s assignments and wasn’t bashful in letting them know, according to his coach, Tom Austin.china nike nfl jerseys

When DeCosta joined the Ravens, he was one of the worst racquetball players in the building — to the point where no one wanted to play him (it simply wasn’t a workout), but he quickly became the best. It looked like he would relinquish that title after injuring his womens nfl jersey  right elbow in July. Instead, he learned how to play left-handed and still beat his colleagues.nfl jersey wholesaler