How an episode of 'The Bernie Mac Show' sparked Nathan Shepherd's football career

[Gas2No99]

How an episode of 'The Bernie Mac Show' sparked Nathan Shepherd's football career

August 10, 2018 4:59pm EDT August 10, 2018 4:25pm EDT NOPOPUP Some NFL stars are driven to football by influences of players. For Nathan Shepherd, that's not the entire case.

 

By Joe Rivera

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — For Nathan Shepherd, "TV Guide" has a whole different meaning.

Because rather than referring to the channel that tells you when the next episode of "The Bachelorette" is on, Shepherd was steered by an unlikely source toward lacing up football cleats in his youth.

In a one-on-one interview with Sporting News, the hulking defensive lineman out of Toronto remembered a time when he was not so big — both in name and stature — and revealed that his football career didn't start with a favorite player or a ball or a pair of cleats.

"I had watched an episode of 'Bernie Mac,'" Shepherd said with a grin, recounting the plotline of the episode line for line. "Bernie Mac's niece got an award for excellence. And the older brother Jordan, skinny guy, asthma, kind of nerdy — at the time, I could see myself in him a little bit.

"Jordan didn't have anything to put in the 'Mac Hall of Fame,' they called it. He tried to put some nerdy science project in it, and his uncle said, 'Absolutely not.' So he joins the football team, and long story short, ends up becoming a starter and helps bring them to the finals, and they lose. But he got a participation trophy. 

"It was a great episode, funny, love the show, and ever since then, I've been interested in football."

But, really. This is too good. It's hard envisioning a man the size of Shepherd — he's listed at 6-4, 315 pounds (jokingly powered by "poutine and Canadian bacon") — relating to a pencil-thin, mouth-breathing, pocket protector-wearing geek.

I mean, really? "The Bernie Mac Show" influenced his playing career?

"Absolutely," Shepherd said with a warm smile and a laugh. "After that, I was like, 'Yo, I gotta play football.'"

It's a bit surprising, but surprising is par for the course in the tale of Shepherd, who has taken a winding, unorthodox path to achieve his NFL dream. The rookie defensive lineman worked through financial struggles during his college years, taking odd jobs as a means to pay for tuition, including time as a bouncer and a factory worker.

To that end, television seems to be a recurring theme for Shepherd. He met fellow Canadian and former NFL wideout Nate Burleson while a bouncer. Burleson spoke with Shepherd and gave him an $100 bill as inspiration to continue to fight for his dream — Shepherd attempted to repay that $100 (American dollars) on an episode of NFL Network's "Good Morning Football."

Being able to pull $100 from his wallet is an indicator that Shepherd seems to be doing well for himself, though it wasn't easy getting to this point. Of course, the opportunities in Canada for football are much different than stateside, while the green is a recurring theme.

"(Football) just takes a lot more money," Shepherd told SN of the football climate in Canada. "A lot of the private programs that the U.S. has, more private schools with football, it's a different opportunity than what you have in Canada. (Football) in Canada is growing, it's just not at the same level as the U.S. yet."

Akin to "Ocean's 11" — a heist movie featuring the talents of the late comedian Mac — a different "Mac" might have gotten a steal in the 2018 NFL Draft. General manager Mike Maccagnan, a scouting fiend, added the Fort Hays State product in the third round of this year's draft. Coming out of the Division II school in Kansas, some scouting reports pegged Shepherd as a high Day 2 NFL Draft prospect, his most glaring flaw being his lack of high-end experience.

 

So far, Shepherd has stood out in Jets camp, and not solely because of his size. Coach Todd Bowles recited much of the same coach speak regarding many rookies — he's learning, he'll get better, he's got a long way to go, but expects him to play a role in the future. Bowles offered a small bit of praise and encouragement, which is a lot coming from the typically buttoned-up coach.

"At the brief time he was at the senior bowl in one-on-ones you could see him going up against guys that were drafted very high, you could see he was a good football player," Bowles told media following practice on Aug. 7. "I don’t think the school matters. If you're 315 (pounds) and you're strong, then you are 315 and strong, whether it is Division I or Division II."

Nathan Shepherd (Photo courtesy of New York Jets)

But as Shepherd takes some snaps with the first-team defense, he has (not literally) eaten offensive lineman alive at times and taken noticeable steps forward through the team's first few weeks of training camp. He is listed on the first team for Friday's preseason opener against the Falcons. So far, the first season of "The Nathan Shepherd Show" has been off to a good start.

It hasn't been all TV for Shepherd, though. He went on to cite "The Longest Yard," "Any Given Sunday" and "Remember the Titans" as football flicks that pushed him toward the gridiron. Coincidentally, the specific episode of "Bernie Mac" — Season 1, Episode 12, titled "Hall of Fame" — featured Pro Football Hall of Famer and Super Bowl 18 MVP Marcus Allen as a parent of the star player on Jordan's football team.

While the exact effect Allen might have had on Shepherd is unknown, there's no denying that Allen flashing his Super Bowl MVP ring on camera left a lasting impact on Shepherd. Lasting enough, at least, to influence him to play football, considering a Canadian taking the field on Sundays is a bit outside the norm.

In total, just north of 100 players have come from the Great White North, the most-represented foreign country in NFL history. Still, that number is minuscule compared to the amount of players who have donned an NFL jersey.

To that end, while Shepherd's name may be adorned across his shoulder pads, the weight of a country may rest on them. Shepherd said that's a responsibility he's willing to accept, and it's a goal of his to connect with the youth back home as he hopes to inspire more Canadian children to play football. 

"I'm looking forward to possibly doing something in the future (for the kids in Toronto), but at this point, most of my — well, all of my focus is on geared towards making an impact on this team," he said.

Until then, he looks forward to repping Canada best he can on the field — and you can thank the "Mac Hall of Fame" for that.

"It's always great. I absolutely love to represent my country and my city, and put it all out there for them," Shepherd said. "I'm definitely grateful that I can inspire other Canadian kids to play ball … and help the Jets get some Canadian fans, as well."

[Gas2No99]

Jets rookie report card vs. Atlanta Falcons | Grading  Nathan Shepherd in NFL preseason debut

 

DE Nathan Shepherd

Shepherd looked terrific, especially in the early going. He recorded two tackles – including a run stop on the Jets' defense's first play from scrimmage. He was noticeable throughout the night, displaying good quickness and generally being disruptive.

 

 

Best play

Shepherd's opening tackle was nice, but his second one – which came with 4:33 left in the first quarter – was a beauty. He quickly shed his blocker and turned to pursue Falcons' running back Ito Smith toward the right sideline, then did a nice job hauling Smith down for no gain once he was forced to try to cut up field.

 

Grade

Shepherd is in the middle of a massive adjustment, jumping from Division II football to the NFL. But based on Friday night's performance, you would never know it. He fit in flawlessly with the first team early on and still looked solid when he got some reps with the backups later in the game.

Grade: A-

 

Injury report

• CB Parry Nickerson missed Friday night's game with a hamstring injury. The injury occured during practice on Aug. 2 and Nickerson has not returned to practice since.
• TE Chris Herndon sat out after getting bruised up during practice this week, according to Todd Bowles. Thankfully for Herndon and the Jets, it doesn't sound like anything serious.

[Gas2No99]

Is Jets' Nathan Shepherd ready to seize defensive end spot opposite Leonard Williams?

As part of their annual training camp "hazing" ritual, the Jets' rookies had to stand up in front of the entire team recently and sing a song of their choice. 

First up was defensive end Nathan Shepherd, a third-round draft pick -- and carrier of a pretty decent tune, if he may say so himself. Shepherd went with The Jackson Five's version of "Who's Lovin' You." He got a standing ovation from his teammates. 

"So it didn't go too bad," Shepherd, smiling, told NJ Advance Media recently. 

And things aren't too shabby on the field for Shepherd, either, as the Jets' coaches are giving him every opportunity to win the starting defensive end spot opposite Leonard Williams.

Shepherd has worked extensively with the starters early in training camp. Expect him to do so again Friday, in the Jets' preseason opener against the Falcons.

This would be a huge role for Shepherd, as the Jets try to boost their anemic pass rush, and try to keep double teams away from their most proven pass rusher, Williams. 

"It's definitely a great opportunity," Shepherd said. "You want to work in an environment where you can move up in the company. So it's great that there's a job opening. I'm still going through job training, though." 

For Shepherd, that means learning a defense that is much more complex than the system he used at Division II Fort Hays State in rural Kansas. The main differences are in the nuances -- how the Jets' defense requires more versatility and awareness than Shepherd needed to have in college. He doesn't just have to know his own assignment anymore. 

"We're a lot more interconnected than the defenses I ran in college," he said. "It just calls for a lot more mental alertness. Communication between your players has to be higher." 

Things have come at Shepherd fast in training camp, and he's done a pretty good job of grasping them so far.

The Jets' training camp routine, for all players, centers around getting a set of plays in the morning for installation, and learning the plays for a walk-through and practice later in the day. 

"It's no joke," Shepherd said. "You really have to be on point and be able to soak up and learn on the go. They don't babysit you. Not at all. You're going to be as good as you want to be. A lot of that is based on your preparation." 

He realizes what is at stake for him, as he works with the starters in camp. 

"I'm very honored," he said. "It's great to see the faith that the coaches have in me. It's just a matter of me doing my part and showing them that we can both achieve this." 

As Shepherd, a Canadian, took a winding path to the NFL -- small college in British Columbia, multiple grueling odd jobs to earn a living, Division II Fort Hays State -- he certainly earned his way to this point. But he doesn't focus on his past life, as he moves forward with his new one.  

"I really don't think about it as much," he said. "It comes up mostly when others [mainly fans] remind me about my story and say how I was an inspiration for them. Maybe that's why they admire what I've done, just because everyone has challenges like that in their lives. So it's kind of good to see someone overcome that." 

While Shepherd is remaining modest about his chances of winning a starting job as a rookie -- and they're good -- he did allow himself to enjoy the luxuries of his NFL money. One of his first purchases -- a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck, raised, with tinted windows and 24-inch rims. 

"I'm loving it right now," Shepherd said. 

[Thai Jet]

I think Shepard is another player that ALL of us can root for.

[Larz]

This team just can't get healthy 

I was really excited about Nickerson and Herndon 

I guess we have to wait for the 3rd game 

[Thai Jet]

2 minutes ago, Larz said:

This team just can't get healthy 

I was really excited about Nickerson and Herndon 

I guess we have to wait for the 3rd game 

I know it's the same every year but this year there seems to be a ton of season ending injuries already. That's all I'm reading on PFT.

[Spoot-Face]

That was an objectively good show. I seem to recall Don Rickles being Bernie's neighbor in an episode or two. Also remember the episode where Bernie started hanging out with all those white soccer moms, and he taught them all how to discipline and beat their kids. Absolutely hilarious.

 

Rip Bernie Mac

[Thai Jet]

1 minute ago, Spoot-Face said:

That was an objectively good show. I seem to recall Don Rickles being Bernie's neighbor in an episode or two. Also remember the episode where Bernie started hanging out with all those white soccer moms, and he taught them all how to discipline and beat their kids. Absolutely hilarious.

 

Rip Bernie Mac

[Spoot-Face]

20 minutes ago, Gas2No99 said:

TE Chris Herndon sat out after getting bruised up during practice this week, according to Todd Bowles. Thankfully for Herndon and the Jets, it doesn't sound like anything serious.

If it's nothing serious, then he should be out there playing in this week's game. Talk about preseason being meaningless all you want, but these games are important reps for rookies. I don't want to see Herndon turn into Jordan Leggett Part Deux.

[jetstream23]

Man o man!  Shepherd is looking like both a baller and a great person!  We usually end up with guys who are either one or the other, but rarely both.

Culture change happening quickly here.

Out with the toxicity, in with the chemistry!  Me likes it!  

[nycdan]

Did the article really refer to Macc as a 'scouting fiend' and no one took objection?  The dog days of summer are not a myth...

[Blackout]

great show