Michael Myers feels blessed. For 10 seasons, he has fought in the trenches in the National Football League as a defensive tackle, battling the best offensive linemen in the game, and coming out unscathed.

“Ten years in the NFL and I’m still healthy. I’ve never been hurt,” Myers said.

Myers, though, is currently without a job in the NFL after being one of the last cuts by the Cincinnati Bengals at the end of the preseason. He was at his alma mater Friday night, taking in a Vicksburg High football game against Yazoo County. It was the first time he’s seen the Gators play in 14 years.

Over that time, Myers has spent two seasons at Hinds Community College, earning All-America honors in 1995 and helping start a four-year MACJC state title run for the Eagles. He then went to the University of Alabama where he had a superb junior season, racking up 13 sacks. He went into the NFL draft and was selected in the fourth round by the Dallas Cowboys.

Current Millsaps coach and former Alabama head coach Mike Dubose recruited Myers out of Hinds and knew the 6-foot-2, 300-pound former Gator would be a good fit for his defensive line at Alabama.

“I was Michael’s position coach at Alabama and I recruited him out of Hinds. I had recruited John Copeland out of there and he was a great player for us. Coach Gene Murphy called me and said that Michael was very similar to John. He was right. Like John, Michael used his leverage well and could be very effective working the edge,” Dubose said.“What I really liked about him was he was versatile. He could play the two-gap, he could shade, he could play the one-gap and could rush the passer out of any of them. He could also line up and play the run. He did everything you would want a defensive tackle to do.”

“I remember coach Dubose. He got me out of Hinds. I played for him for two years, 1996 and 1997,” Myers said.

Myers spent his first five NFL seasons with the Cowboys, having his best year in 2001 with 54 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks. But in 2003, he was released after seven games and picked up by the Cleveland Browns. He had the best game of his career in a December game with the Baltimore Ravens, making 10 tackles, including two sacks.

In 2005, Myers signed a free agent contract with the Denver Broncos. He helped them go 13-3, win the AFC West, and advance to the AFC championship game in Denver against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Myers was a big part of the Broncos’ success with 56 tackles and two sacks.

“That was a real good team, definitely the best team I’ve ever played on. We made it to the AFC Championship against the Steelers. Thought we were going to the Super Bowl, but we got beat,” Myers said. Pittsburgh went on to beat Seattle in Super Bowl XL.

Myers had another good season with the Broncos in 2006, making 57 tackles and getting two more sacks, but in the offseason he was traded to Cincinnati. He had just 34 tackles last season, but did record an interception in the fourth quarter in a Monday night game against Baltimore to save a Bengals’ win.

In August, Myers was battling to save his job with coach Marvin Lewis’ team but got caught up in a numbers game.

“They were going younger and trying to rebuild the defense.” Myers said. “All the teams I’ve played with have been good to me, but I would have to say that Dallas and Denver were the best.”

Myers’ love of Dallas remains and he maintains his home there.

“I live in Dallas and I’m just trying to stay in shape in case a call comes in. I had a workout with Carolina,” Myers said.

Myers said he is pursuing a business idea to run football camps throughout the South, beginning next summer. One of the places where he would have a camp is at Vicksburg High.

“I’m going in with a guy I played with in the NFL, and it’s basically bringing football camps to areas in the South that don’t get a lot of exposure,” Myers said.

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Contact Jeff Byrd at jbryd@vicksburgpost.com