Q&A With Former Titans Linebacker Tim Shaw

Jan 1, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans former player Tim Shaw who suffers from ALS fires up his team before the game against the Houston Texans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: George Walker IV/The Tennessean via USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans former player Tim Shaw who suffers from ALS fires up his team before the game against the Houston Texans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: George Walker IV/The Tennessean via USA TODAY Sports

Tim Shaw is a former Tennessee Titan who is currently in a battle with ALS. Tim was kind enough to take time out to answer a few questions.

Tim Shaw is a former Tennessee Titan who is currently in a battle with ALS (Lou Gehirg’s Disease). Tim was kind enough to take time out to answer a few of our questions for him. Tim also has a book that’s out now, so go check it out! (Shout out to Angelle Barbazon for reaching out and making this interview happen.)

While I haven’t had the troubling and tough experience of battling a disease like you currently are, I can only imagine how draining it must be to deal with. How do you find the strength within yourself to not give in to ALS and push forward?

Tim Shaw: I believe that no matter what we are going through, we always have a choice. So I choose to be positive and always make the most of each day. Sometimes I do it with strength. Sometimes I do it in weakness, but all that matters is that I keep making the choice to fight.

Have you used inspiration from other ALS battlers who were football players, such as Steve Gleason and O.J. Brigance?

More from Titan Sized

TS: Yes. Steve Gleason has become a friend and I really admire the way that he chooses to live.

Is there anything you want to say to any of our readers that are battling diseases or are just struggling with their daily lives?

TS: Find the good in what you are going through. Find a way to use the negative situation to help someone else. I have found that focusing on others can give hope to our own situation.

Transitioning to your former team, the Titans, are you proud of what they’ve been able to accomplish so far this season?

TS: I am proud of the team and the direction they are heading. It has been really fun to be a part of the team and watch them get better.

How do you feel about their future?

TS: I think with the head coach and general manager our program is definitely heading in the right direction.

Do you have a specific Titans player(s) that is currently your favorite to watch?

TS: The defensive line and linebackers are really a fun group to watch.

Question from Will Lomas: As a former special teams star, what do you think makes a special teams player great? All ranges of athleticism and size have succeeded and failed. What separates the few from the many?

TS: The most important aspect of special teams is desire. The desire to get to the football, to make a block or to make a difference in a game is what separates the great special teams players from the average.

Schedule