There is more than a little sadness to see the 2004 season come to end this weekend. Sure, the Tennessee Titans are closing out a season that began with high hopes and will end instead with 11 or 12 losses. It hasn't been the year that anyone had hoped.

Still, it is hard to see it end. Simply put, we love what we do.

Others may have jobs where they make more money, but none have the week-to-week fun that we do. I enjoy broadcasting more than I did when I started twenty years ago. I also get to work with a great group of people every single Sunday. And I love football. Whether you are playing deep into the playoffs or closing out a disappointing year, it is always hard to see football season end. When next week comes and there is no game to get ready for, I will be lost, not exactly sure what to do.

To some, that probably sounds crazy, but this game has been a part of my life since grade school and it will be as long as I'm around. No, it's not the only part of my life, it's not the most important part, but it is an important part. I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't.

I love the game itself with its strategy, its intensity and its passion. I love to watch it, to listen to it, to read about it. I love to stand in line at the coffee shop and talk about it. I love how every single game is somehow different, how the twists and turns always bring a different kind of drama. Most of all, I love to watch the individual performances, to see incredible athletes do remarkable things. I have been very lucky to see some of the best of the best over the last 30 years.

I remember many games, many dates. One that will always stand out is September 6, 1980. As I sat in Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, I watched the first college game of a Georgia running back named Herschel Walker. On that night, Walker rallied his Bulldogs to a 16-15 win over the Tennessee Volunteers.

Walker's individual statistics were not overly impressive, but a pair of his runs showed his greatness. As we walked to the car that night, we were convinced that we had seen a back like no other.

To this day, for my money, Herschel Walker is a greatest college running back that I have ever seen.

Little did I know then, but on the other side that night was a player who would be even greater. On that other sideline stood another freshman who would become the greatest defensive lineman of all-time.

I'm talking about Reggie White.

It started with incredible feats as a football and basketball player at Chattanooga's Howard High School. It continued at Tennessee, where he posted a remarkable 1983 season, a season of total dominance. In the USFL, he was a star. In the NFL, he became THE defensive star, posting 198 sacks and 13 Pro Bowl appearances in a 15 year career. But it was more than numbers with Reggie White---it was the way that he played the game.

A lot of guys are big. A lot of guys are quick. A lot of guys are strong. But no one combined all of those attributes and played with an agility and passion like Reggie White. There was a real beauty to his game. It sounds strange to say that about a defensive lineman, but it's true. Much like Michael Vick is today at quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, you could not take your eyes off of White.

We were all so lucky to have gotten to see his artistry on the field. Man, I loved to watch him play. He is a big reason that I love the game the way that I do. He is a big reason that I can't wait for football season every summer and hate it when the end of the season comes.

I cannot believe that he is gone.

I feel so badly for his wife, his children and the rest of his family. I also feel badly for his many friends, people who loved him so much and were so loyal to him through good times and bad. I know of no one who had more friends than Reggie White.

I had some pleasant dealings with him, but can't say that I knew him well. I did know this: he cared deeply about everything that he was involved in.

He led an interesting life on and off the field. He held his beliefs deeply and always said what he thought, even when it got him in trouble. He was really funny, always quick with a gag or an impersonation. He did a lot of things for a lot of people, many of which no one ever knew. Like the rest of us, he was not perfect, but Reggie White always went 100%.

He had special gifts and knew that. In holding with his religious beliefs, he was determined to use those gifts fully.

He did.

Reggie White's life was well-lived.

Of that, he and those who loved him should be most proud.