By now, a few have read my NFL All Asian Team Hub. Roman Gabriel, Hines Ward, and Tedy Bruschi are of course the most ellite of that group, and they have the Pro Bowls, Superbowls, and Roman Gabriel's MVP to prove it. When it's all said and done, Ward and Bruschi may head to the Hall, there is a continued push for Gabriel to get in the Hall, as well. I think there is a name to look out for, Tennessee Titans guard Eugene Amano.

I had the honor of meeting one of the young up and coming NFL Asians...full Asian. In fact Eugene Amano is the First Ever Full Blooded Filipino, first Philippine born player (Moved to San Diego from Manila when he was 2 months old), and by my count he's only the 4th Full Asian Player in the NFL: Dat Nguyen (Vietnamese), Eugene Chung (Korean), and John Lee (Korean). He's only the second Asian Born player (Lee was born in South Korea). When Tim Tebow gets drafted, he will be the second Philippine Born player, despite not being Filipino. Amano's gotta be one of the largest Filipinos in the world at 6-3, 300 pounds. He was a very calm and composed guy. He understands Tagalog, but doesn't speak it, and he loves that Adobo. Luckily he plays football and as I learned as a young lineman, a routine for success includes: eat, eat, lift weights, work out, practice, eat, eat, sleep, and do it all over again. High school panned out well for me. I was stuffing my face with hamburgers, but kept under 200 pounds, thanks to rigorous training.

Amano had a breakout year last season, becoming the full time starter at left guard, his blocks helped pave the way for the vicious "Smash and Dash" Attack of Lendale White and Chris Johnson. The duo combined for nearly 2000 rushing yards. Amano kept the old timer Kerry Collins safe in the pocket. Collins was only sacked 8 times all of last year while chucking it 415 times. That comes out to one sack for every 50 drop backs. It's a fraction of the abuse he use to get on the Raiders and Giants. That it is very valuable for an old man like Collins.

Amano visited the studio a few weeks ago to guest on Adobo Nation, a weekly Filipino-American talk-show. After Adobo Nation, I had the pleasure of chatting with him for the Balitang America newscast, as you saw in the video. While just hanging out I asked him who was the toughest defensive tackle he's faced. No surprise here, he told me it was Albert Haynesworth who he practiced against. It looks like he benefited greatly from working out everyday with the veteran. With future Hall of Famer Kevin Mawae next to him, and all world defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth across from him, it seems to have made him a better player. Overall, it made the offensive line a stronger unit.

It looks like the Titans line will stay in tact next year with all five starters coming back with a mix of veterans and young talent. The backfield is still there, Collins is back to Pro Bowl form. Ahmard Hall is a punishing fullback. The Titans may be only a receiver away from being a serious contender. Defensively, the loss of Haynesworth is a big one, but as always they will be contenders. Jeff Fisher is one of the top coaches in the league. The Titans have a bright future. I've been ooking at Amano's games, and his progression ever since I first discovered there was a full blown Pinoy in the league. He looks like he can be a Pro Bowl calliber guard. With a great running game, don't be suprised if he's voted in next year.

Amano's contract expires after this season. He'd like to stay in a Tennessee Titans uniform, despite claiming he's only seen a couple of Filipinos in the whole state. Poor guy only gets to eat chicken adobo when his parents visit. He hopes to stay in Nashville, and according to my calculations, he could be a rich Tennessean. Even if he's not a Titan, he's up for a big contract.

Jake Grove, a former Oakland Raiders 2nd Round Pick who struggled with injuries, and struggled to find consistency in Oakland just landed a 5 year, 29 million dollar deal with the Miami Dolphins. Like Grove, Amano is an interior lineman that can play Guard and Center. They both came out of the same 2004 draft. Unlike Grove, Amano has consistently gotten better each year wether its spot duty, or as a full time starter. In five seasons, he's progressed from last pick to starter on a strong unit. Another plus; Amano may not have hit his peak yet since last year was his first year starting. A strong 2009 campaign can propel him to the upper tier of guards, and get a better deal than Grove. He could be next year's version of the Bengals' Eric Steinbach who signed with the Browns a couple years ago.

We all know the NFL is unpredictable, but even without football, he's got a bright future. With his criminal justice degree, he may look into law enforcement. In the typical Filipino stereotype world, his mom is a nurse, and his dad is former military who now works for Homeland Security. I don't think bad guys would want to mess with an offensive lineman. He's using his NFL Status as a philantrophist as well. The Eugene Amano Foundation helps the poor in the Philippines, through donations from his clothing line. His shirts actually look pretty good.

I've been fortunate enough to meet a handful of Fil-Am celebrities, and I must say most of them are pretty cool in person. For all the butts Amano kicks, he's a soft spoken, classy young man. I'm actually a couple month older than him. He carries himself as a typical Fil-Am that happens to be ginormous, and happens to have a cool job. (My dream job coming out of high school) He has that silent blue collar offensive lineman attitude in him, (a trait football coaches and other linemen can detect). He is a hardworking guy and uses that small school 7th rounder mentality as motivation. Spending a few years as back up also helps a player. It makes players hungrier, and makes players push harder. That mentality could take you a long way in the NFL. Remember in 2004, Robert Gallery was the first lineman taken off the board, Amano was one of the last, and Amano may have been one of the better ones of that draft class.